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