Finishing School... Forever!

On Friday 22nd May I finished school. Some people were really upset it was over, others couldn't wait so they could start the new chapter in their lives. Whilst I will miss not seeing my friends everyday I fall into the category of being very happy to leave. School is so incredibly stressful, and whilst I'm sure Uni and actually working will come with a LOT of stress, the environment of school is not one I particularly enjoyed. It was a very weird experience, finishing at a school I've been at for 7 years (up to GCSE's and then Sixth Form) and something I'm not really sure has sunk in yet. Aside from the exams I still have to do, I am looking forward to the future a hell of a lot more, GAP YEAR HERE I COME! 

Here are some photos from the final two days of school:

My favourite photo of me and Izz

I love this photo, our last lunch together

My two best friends!

A Fresh Start...

Wooow, so yeah, haven't written on here for a while. whoops!

LOTS of stuff has been happening, school, friends, family, exams(!) and so I haven't really found the time to post on here. I do really enjoy writing this blog though, I love writing whatever I feel like and want to, regardless of who is reading this- probably no one but me! It helps me re-evaluate aspects of my life, and enables me to see things more clearly- particularly when I'm stressed. As a list maker it makes sense that writing would help me chill out and help me decided the best method forward.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to eat more healthily and lose weight. So far, (excuse my French) it has gone to shit. If anything I'm eating worse than ever and have gained weight through my diet of crisps and chocolate. Food is something really difficult for me, if I am struggling with something I tend to seek solace in food, while if something positive has happened I 'reward' myself with sweet treats. I'm unhappy at the weight I am, I feel extremely self conscious and not attractive, but because of this I eat to cheer myself up- its a vicious cycle! I know it seems to an outsider a very simple concept, if you are unhappy and overweight then just LOSE WEIGHT AND STOP EATING. Although it is a more of a psychological thing it does have a chemical element to it, As my body is so used to receiving so much sugar and salt if I try and reduce that intake I suffer physical effects, headaches, stomach aches, more irritable etc.

Therefore I've gone for a new approach.

I'm going to write (in a diary) what I eat each day, in attempt to moderate myself and actually improve. I could always lie, but I've promised myself I'm going to be honest, however shameful it may be. I am incredibly picky about food, I don't like many foods - which as it annoys me I can't imagine what other people think! However I'm going to try to expand my food limitations as this new 'healthy eating' begins.

Here's to a fresh start!!

Best Bits of 2014

In my opinion, January is about reflecting on the past year and planning, prepping and looking forward to the new year! So as January is now over, these were the 'best bits' I reflected on.

Some of my favourite parts of 2014 were:

Brighton

For my friend Ellen's birthday we went to Brighton for the day, it was a beautiful sunny day and we just spent the whole day laughing and chilling out on the beach. What made this day brilliant is the fact it was such a unexpected triumph, whilst everyone was looking forward to this day we didn't expect it to be one of the best days of the year which it definitely was! I think this shows that some of the best days are the ones you don't particularly expect :)

Duke of Edinburgh (Silver)

I loved both of these trips, (practice and qualifying trip for each). Although it was hard work and extreme sweating, back pain and horrendous blisters weren't fun the fact I was surrounded by my best friends made it a brilliant trip! We had a brilliant time and it was so satisfying to accomplish something that people were surprised I participated and succeeded in! 

Halloween Sleepover

Each year me and my best friend Izzy have our annual 'Halloween sleepover'. It started off us vowing to watch a scary, horror film each year but as someone who hates all things horror and gore it quickly changed to us just chatting and watching chick flicks. All our sleepovers are always brilliant, we always have a laugh, we tell each other everything and enjoy each other's company. This sleepover was defintely one of our best though, we didn't do anything we planned to do (watch Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) but had SUCH laugh about the stupidest things! Again, it was unexpected but one of my favourite parts of the year by far!


We didn't actually take any photos on this sleepover but this was taken at a Halloween party the day after:

Birthday Meal

It was one of my friend's birthdays so we decided to go out for a meal. I was on a high because I had my braces taken off after 5 years(!) and just had one of the nicest evenings talking and laughing with my friends. A consistent theme is how unexpectedly great this night was and I just remember feeling very, very happy!

Journey back from psychology lecture

Okay this sounds very very weird! Lots of my friends, including me take psychology and so we went on a school trip to this conference where lots of psychology related people were speaking. The actual experience of the event was good, it was interesting but nothing special. However me and Izzy sat on the coach together there and back (the conference was about an hour away) and gossiped, planned my birthday Paris trip and sang along to Cher! We just had the best time laughing together and singing our hearts out on the coach, one brilliant bit is when Izzy attempted to quote this very 'tumblr, deep' quote she had found and completely butchered it until we were in tears!

Paris

For my 18th birthday my mum and dad took me, my brother and my two friends (Ellen and Izzy) to Paris for the weekend. As this was somewhere I was very eager to visit I was so so so excited, we did lots of tourist-y things such as the Eiffel Tower, visiting the Louvre and seeing Notre Dame lit up at night. It was such a brilliant weekend, and the best birthday present!

Hope you enjoyed reading my highlights of 2014, I'm excited about the new projects and upcoming events of 2015 :)

Love, Laura x

DOFE Silver Makeup Challenge

As part of my DOFE Silver award last year I had to do a 'skill' for 6 months, and due to my interest and passion for makeup I obviously chose to experiment and create a different makeup look each week for 6 months. I really enjoyed the process, I discovered makeup looks that I wouldn't usually wear and grew more confident in my skills in makeup application. 

Here are some of my favourite looks:

As someone who doesn't usually go for lipstick I really
liked this look! Simple makeup, eyeliner and mascara
and the emphasis on the glossy red lips.

I attempted to master winged eyeliner, still got a bit to go but I think
I've got a pretty good idea now

My idea for this makeup was 'sunset eyes', I used
orange-y, yellow shades- something very different for me!

I love this makeup look, I think it really suits me.
Soft eye makeup and rosy cheeks and lips!

Love, Laura x

New Year Resolutions

I know I'm already pretty late to the party, the idea of making New Year Resolutions is that you make them on the 1st of Jan and continue them throughout the year but as I was very busy with work, aka Gossip Girl, I didn't really even think about it until now. Every year I make a few half-hearted resolutions and successfully break them within a week, as do the majority of the population. I was going to write a blog post about WHY we feel the need to write resolutions, maybe I will- haven't fully decided yet. However this year I am determined to really put some effort into making these resolutions a success- none of mine are unreachable, although some will really test me at times so a lot more willpower and energy will be needed!

Here listed below are some of my Resolutions for 2015:

- Get into a proper eating routine and lose some weight.

I have the most awful diet, for the majority of 2014 I didn't really have 'meals' as such, I just snacked on crappy, junk food when I was hungry which did me absolutely no favours and as a result I gained a bit more weight. I'm never going to be a size 6 but I am slightly overweight now which makes me feel uncomfortable and unconfident at social events, surrounded by my much slimmer friends. Losing weight will help my confidence and self esteem as well as having a more healthy lifestyle.

-Have more faith in myself and don't allow others to put me down.

I'm a pretty open person so if someone upsets me then they will most likely know about it. However, I feel like some of 2014 I felt really, really crappy as I allowed other people to undermine me and insult me which they justified because we were 'friends'. I know who my real friends are and they would never knowingly make me upset and having people in my life who don't add anything, just make me doubt myself is pointless. 

- Try and keep my room tidy.

It sounds simple but as I naturally messy person my room is usually a tip. Having it so messy makes me even more disorganised and stresses me out, but I am either too lazy or seemingly incapable of keeping a tidy room. I'm going to make a real effort to make my room a tidy, calm place- it will definitely help me in the hectic exam period to come!

- Concentrate on my studies more and stop procrastinating as much

I am literally the procrastination queen- I will do anything to avoid doing work which inevitably ends up with me having to do LOADS very last minute, resulting in panic, tears and less than perfect work, a nightmare for a perfectionist. A lazy perfectionist- the most frustrating thing you can be, aka me! Instead of focusing on school dramas and TV shows I need to put some real effort into my studies, I'm only going to be at school a couple of months more and then hello gap year! I will be disappointed if I don't get the grades I want so this resolution is crucial.

- Make more effort with my blog.

As someone who epically failed at attempting to write my blog last year, I am going to put a lot more time and effort into writing blog posts- beauty, lifestyle, whatever! I enjoy writing on here and I think its a good place to express my thoughts and feelings.

I'm also going to make some more effort to spend as much time as I can with friends & family and to try and be more positive. 2014 had some really good parts but a lot of that year was very difficult for me, so I'm hoping 2015 will be happier and hopefully more of a success! At the end of 2015 I'm going to review this post and hopefully I will have achieved, some, if not all, of my resolutions :)

Love, Laura x

DOFE Silver Practice Expedition

I am going on my final Duke of Edinburgh Silver expedition this week which reminded me to create a blog post about the practice (sorry my head is all over the place atm!). Our practice consisted of 3 days and 3 nights (we had to get there a night earlier as the place we were hiking is a couple of hours away). We travelled by coach near to Brighton and started off at a campsite in Small Dole, then hiked all around the area; I can't quite remember where we went but took a very squiggly route so we were out for a minimum of 7 hours each day. Although it was really really hard work, especially as I'm very unfit, I did really enjoy it - it's always good to challenge yourself and do something out of your comfort zone. As a very materialistic person who is actually quite scared of doing something outside my comfort zone I really like doing DOFE. I got horrendous blisters as usual and our bags were ridiculously heavy- what with the tent, cooking equipment, food for 3 days etc but it was a great experience and I'm looking forward to the qualifying expedition! It was super sunny and hot which although it did make it a little harder was a lot better than rain, trying to put away a wet tent and then put it up again the next day is miserable so I'm praying for sun in the New Forest!

Here are some snaps taken on the trip, obviously I don't look great- no shower or change of clothes for 3 days whilst hiking plus no makeup doesn't equal to model like looks but I thought I would share them anyway :)

Having a well earnt rest!

Having a little sweaty hug with my best bud

We didn't get too lost, mainly because I wasn't trusted the whole time with the map!

Us in action!

Getting our pose on... in a field 

This is one of my favourite photos from the trip, we were totally unaware this was being taken and whilst I was extremely sleep deprived, had zillions of painful blisters and was generally exhausted I was happy in that moment having a rest and joking with my friend. You wouldn't think it but I did have many hilarious moments during the trip, having a team consisting of your best friends definitely helps as well as being so tired you choose to laugh rather than cry!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll be sure to make another post about our qualifying expedition!

Love, Laura x

A Catch Up

I haven't blogged in nearly a month... woops! In that time I finished my A-level exams and did A LOT of relaxing- I'm loving Pretty Little Liars atm :) I've also been able to meet up with my friends, a few days ago me and my friend Ellen went to London for a makeup masterclass and a wander around Camden. Here are some of the photos we took in the vintage style photobooth:

It was a really lovely day - I filmed it and there were many funny moments, I loved watching it back but I'm waaay too nervous to put it on YT! I go on my Silver DOFE practice expedition on Thursday till Sunday and then start school again on Monday to finish the last term of being in year 12, this year has gone crazy super fast! This school year has been a mixture of good and bad, to be completely honest more bad than good but recently I've been happier - my friends have been my rock, supported me when I've been struggling and enjoyed the happier moments with me. I'm really looking forward to finishing the last few weeks of school, I've got a holiday to Spain with my family 

and picnics with my friends to look forward to! Leave me a comment to what you are looking forward to in the Summer and I'll aim to blog weekly ;)

Love, Laura x

Pressure on Exams

Whilst writing this I have 9 days before my A- level exams are approaching and I think its fair to say I'm panicking. A lot. Generally if people aren't confident they know all the information they need in order to get a good grade for an exam then they revise until they know it. For me I do the opposite - bury my head in the sand. Unlike everyone else I have done little revision, not because I'm confident I'll breeze through the exam but because I feel so overwhelmed I have so much to do. I could have started revising months ago but instead chose not to. WHY. OH GOD WHY. I do this with absolutely everything, leave it to the last minute and then feel sick with panic that I've run out of time.

My GCSE's were a nightmare, I achieved relatively good grades but leading up to the exams I broke out in acne, had panic attacks and did a lot of crying. This was mainly due to the fact I pretended none of it was happening and then realised 'shit I've got a week until my exams'. When I got my results I cried with relief, not happiness but relief, whether or not I went to 6th form with all of my friends was riding on those results so I thank God I got in. After that I promised myself I wouldn't do that to myself again, a year later and I'm in exactly the same position. However although I'm freaking out I'm trying to remain calm. The pressure they piled on us last year for GCSE's was unbelievable, my mindset was if I didn't do well the rest of my future was ruined. I get some people thrive on pressure but other people, such as myself, just completely broke down and couldn't cope.

Therefore although I realise these exams are very important, they aren't everything and I think that's something important to keep in mind. Although its important to work as hard as you can to achieve your full potential you can still achieve other things in life as well as exams. Just because someone gets A*s in all their subjects doesn't mean they are a superior or a better person than someone who gets B's or C's, they might be a complete bitch and because of that not get very far in life. This year has been very draining, I've had a lot of personal stuff going on I've had to deal with and coping with that and the huge amount of school work has been really difficult. Although I will regret not putting in the months of revision some others will have done I'm going to be happy with the results I get. I'm proud of myself for a number of things I've done this year and school in comparison just seems a lot less significant.

Congrats if you read the whole thing, sorry for the lack of photos but this was a very last minute, spur of the moment post. Good luck for anyone doing exams at the moment, just try your best and try to not panic so much - I'll be trying to follow my own advice!

Love, Laura x

Natural Makeup

As a less than subtle person I usually wear quite a lot of makeup, my mindset is that if I'm going to bother doing my makeup I might as well go the whole hog! However I have really been liking this 'natural makeup' more recently.

Foundation, tiny bit of concealer, blusher and mascara

 For starters it's a lot quicker and as someone constantly in a rush this means I'm not as late as I would be. Additionally, sometimes having really dramatic, heavy eyes can be too much and just doesn't look quite right. I change my makeup around frequently but I am really enjoying the simple, 'less is more' makeup at the minute and going more dramatic for evenings out. It also makes taking my makeup off in the evenings a lot easier as there is less product to remove! Furthermore with Summer fast approaching, I find I tend to wear less makeup as having full makeup combined with hot weather just makes me a sweaty, hot mess- no one wants eyeliner on their cheeks so therefore this makeup look is perfect!

Leave me a comment what makeup you're liking at the minute :)

Love, Laura x

Small Beauty Haul

With A- Level exams approaching and the usual accompaniment of stress and panic, I thought it was only fair to treat myself to a few beauty items in preparation for the huge amount of revision I need to do (leaving it last minute as usual). Considering I didn't buy a huge number of items the bill was relatively pricey considering my teenage budget - over £40! However I do earn my own money so it's okay :)

 I never tend to wear anything on my lips and instead focus the attention on my eyes, but as I'm trying to make more of an effort to challenge myself and wear more lip products I bought both the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Crush Beguin' and the L'oreal Liquid Lipstick. The L'oreal lipstick is a beautiful rose colour whilst the Revlon balm is more dramatic berry colour, perfect for a night out! I had heard really good things about the L'oreal Lumi Magique Primer and I have to say, it does live up to its hype of leaving a radiant finish upon the skin. The Biore Pore Strips weren't as impressive - I feel like they didn't leave a huge difference in my skin and are overpriced, I'm glad I tried them but I wouldn't buy them again. Last but not least I re-purchased my beloved Match Perfection Foundation in 'Light Porcelain'- my favourite foundation! 

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation - Light Porcelain

L'oreal Lumi Magique Primer 

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains
L'oreal Liquid Lipstick

Hope you enjoyed having a sneak peek into my shopping basket and hope if you're going through the dreaded exam period you're okay- roll on the long holiday after! 

Love, Laura x

Instagram

I love this app. I don't like the web version that much, I find it really hard to search for people but I love the Ipod/phone/pad version of it and is definitely one of my most used apps.

Taken from: http://www.debaird.net/.a/6a00d8341c007953ef0192abdff760970d-popup

From the people who take beautiful amazing landscapes to the people who just take selfies, Instagram is just a place for all the pretty pictures to come together. I definitely fall into the 'amateur selfie' category which I know quite a lot of photography enthusiasts hate but I don't really understand why. I understand the frustration of people labelling their photos as 'photography' simply because they've applied a black and white filter to it; I am fully aware the photos I post couldn't be classed as 'photography', but it's my profile, if people don't like it then they don't HAVE to look at it. I just love there's a place which I can document my life through photos and preserve my memories :) Here are some of my recent snaps.

Champagne, nibbles and presents to celebrate my parents
20th wedding anniversary!

My attempt at a 'Milkmaid Braid'!

Leave me a comment what your opinion is on Instagram and whether you love it, hate it or don't care either way! You can also check out my profile here

Love, Laura x

Soft 'Romantic' Makeup

This is one of my favourite makeup looks, I think it works well with my complexion and is something different to the classic 'smokey eye, nude lip'. In general I tend to focus the attention on my eyes

to accentuate them and go natural on my lips. However in this look whilst the eyes are still the main focus, the lipstick finishes off the makeup and in my opinion brings it all together. 

I kept the rest of my makeup quite simple, no highlighter, soft contouring and just making sure my base was as flawless as it could be with a dewy finish. A little black eyeliner and lots of mascara made my eyes really pop with the eyeshadows. The blush I used is one of my favourites at the minute, it gives a gorgeous, subtle flush to your cheeks and lasts well throughout the day!

The stand out products are the MUA Pink Sorbet trio eyeshadows and the No7 Blush lipstick as these are crucial in creating the 'soft romantic' makeup. I absolutely love the trio eyeshadows, they are well pigmented, shimmery and a beautiful colour. 

Maybelline -Rocket Mascara

Rimmel - Scandaleyes Liquid Eyeliner

Rimmel - Powder Blush in 'Pink Rose'

Max Factor - Whipped Creme Foundation in 'Light Ivory'

No7 -Moisture Drench Lipstick in 'Blush'

Maybelline- Dream Touch Lumi Concealer in 'Ivory'

MUA- Trio Eyeshadow in 'Pink Sorbet'

Soap and Glory- Solar Powder Bronzer

I hope you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment if you liked this makeup look or if you have of the products yourself!

Love, Laura x

Beauty Blogger Tag

My friend Cassie tagged me in the 'Beauty Blogger Tag' and I liked the questions so let's jump in!
WARNING: a relatively lengthy post!

1) Name a beauty routine you barely do

I can't really think of one. I'm pretty good at keeping a strict (ish) beauty regime as I don't want to cause unnecessary breakouts and want my skin looking the best it can. One thing I hate doing is plucking my eyebrows though. They aren't the most unruly of eyebrows but could definitely be neatened up, however I am both lazy and not fond of pain so I tend not to do that.

2) Is washing your brushes something you regularly do?

I do wash my brushes, but not as much as I should. Due to the fact they take ages to properly clean and then a long while to dry it's an annoying chore that I need to plan. Basically I'm just lazy and as that's a chore that requires effort I'm reluctant to do it!

3) How long do you last with chipped nail polish?

Not long at all! It really annoys me if their chipped or have tiny air bubbles so I have to take it all off and either start again or not bother. I haven't worn nail varnish in a while as the I become too impatient to let it dry properly so it smudges and makes a mess, plus with the load of work (that I don't do) I don't have time to make my nails look like a beautiful sparkly claw.

4) How often do you put off buying/replacing a beauty product even if you need it?

I don't put it off at all. If I need something replacing, (eg my foundation) as soon as I think its close to running out I'll buy a new one. Similarly if I see a new product that looks interesting or I want to try I usually give in to temptation and buy it straight away, this is why I have NO MONEY!

5) What's your worst beauty habit?

Biting my nails probably. I know, I know, I'm a terrible person, if my nails are painted then I don't its just without I tend to bite my nails if I'm bored, worried, basically all the time. This can be the motivation for actually making the effort and painting my nails!

6) Name something beauty related that you put off all the time

SCHOOL WORK. Oh god, the amount of procrastination I do is actually ridiculous, whilst writing this I have about 3 essays, all due in tomorrow. I leave everything to the last minute which ends up me getting really stressed out or running out of time to do everything! Not advised!

7) When going out do you leave getting ready to the last minute or not?

I like to have a long time to get ready, that way if something goes wrong I have enough time to rectify it or start over. However I tend to get distracted talking to people or watching videos so I don't leave myself enough time so end up rushing and usually being late! My friends must hate me xD

8) Can you commit to spending bans?

Not really. I give in to temptation very easily, its very bad!

9) How organised is your makeup and nail varnish collection?

Very organised! My room is a complete mess but as I asked for storage for Christmas my makeup and nail collection is beautiful displayed, I love it! I was thinking of doing a post on my makeup storage, so look forward to that :)

10). What's the longest time you've gone without writing a post?

As I've only just started my blog I can't really say, I'll let you know!

Sorry for the lack of photos but I didn't see the point inserting useless pictures but I really hope you enjoyed reading my answers. Also well done if you managed to get to the end, it is a very long post so congrats! If you fancy doing this tag make sure to tag me and I'll make sure to check it out :)

Love, Laura x

Behind the Mask

As someone obsessed with makeup I rarely go days without makeup. I'm not saying that's a good thing - the opposite, but with sixth form, work, socialising etc my skin doesn't get much of a break. For me makeup makes me feel a lot more confident and I feel like it makes me look more attractive by enhancing my natural features. As a teenager my skin isn't the best, I have a good skincare routine and whilst I'm lucky to not suffer with acne (apart from in times of stress) I still get a fair amount of spots and have scarring. I also feel like without mascara my eyes look a lot smaller and due to my eyelashes being a pale colour they are a lot harder to see!

Natural unedited photo

The point of this blog post though is, although makeup is a wonderful thing and I won't be falling out of love with it anytime soon; I need to get more used to not wearing makeup. I don't view myself as a 'goddess' with makeup but I certainly feel a lot more comfortable and more attractive. Everyone strives for this 'perfect' image and yet in reality, I don't actually think there is a 'perfect image'. Every single person has imperfections or is insecure about something, whether its physical or psychological. Therefore I'm going to really try and make an effort to be more comfortable of my imperfections (lord knows there are enough) and not feel the urge to hide behind a 'makeup mask'. If you have a similar mindset then do the same, we can encourage each other when we're having a bad day. I'm not saying I'm going to be chucking away all my makeup, no way, BUT for days when I'm just catching up and chatting with friends I'm going to go sans makeup and let my skin have a breather. 

Love, Laura x

An Introduction

It seems only fitting that I introduce myself and what this blog is about before I jump right in. My name is Laura, I'm 17 (while writing this anyway) and love YouTube, comedy and anything beauty related. I'm not to sure what this blog will actually end up being, packed with beauty reviews and photos of pretty products or just snippets of my life with the background theme of beauty. But I hope you enjoy it nevertheless and come with me on this magnificent journey!

Always helpful to put a name to a face

Love, Laura x