My 18th!

Hello!

So on Monday I turned 18! Absolutely crazy. Everyone has been asking me what being 18 feels like... I feel no different! Except I can legally drink and when I get ID'd in game stores I can actually present some ID. I've been pretty busy since Saturday so I haven't had a chance to post, but I have a ridiculously large amount to blog about. As of now, I have 12 posts planned out to write. Insane. I'm going to be busy for a while! I'm also planning on starting to spread word about my blog - I'm a bit scared I must admit! 

I'm going to do a separate post on what I got for my birthday, not to be all "oh look what I got" but I simply wanted to share some mini reviews about the beauty products and just show snippets of the cute gifts I received! That's what a blog's for, right?

My handmade Totoro birthday cake, made by my very talented friend Ally

My giant cupcake cake

An icing version of the character Mei from Totoro with a party popper hat... We all thought she looked like the pope haha!

My first legal drink! A Blue Lagoon... Mmm

A successful meal time!

I ended up having such a lovely day, I honestly couldn't ask for better friends and family. My meal was a total suprise - I thought only my family (there's 5 of us including me), my friend Ally and my boyfriend were going to be there but my mum had been planning it for months with my friends and their families too... There was loads of people in the end and it was just so lovely for everyone to make such a big effort for me. 

I'm really happy to be 18 and it does feel very weird to be officially called an "adult", but I'm sure the new title will sit with me soon... It'll have to! 

As I said at the start of my post, there will be a mass amount of new posts coming out so be prepared! I can't wait to get reviewing everything and posting them!

Turning 18 - Some Thoughts

Hello!

I've wanted to write a chatty post for a while now, so I decided now is probably the best time to write one! On Monday (the 28th) I turn 18. "Woo! Party!" I hear you all cry. Hmm, not for me I'm afraid! Of course, I do love a good party, I mean, who doesn't? But I much prefer the safety of house parties, knowing almost everybody there and having a safe, cold floor to sleep on just seems so much better to me than going out clubbing. I'm genuinely revolted by the idea of clubbing.

But anyway, clubbing aside (I could honestly rant for hours), I'm kind of excited, kind of scared to be turning the big 1-8. It's a massive thing being officially an adult. I am sort of independent, but I'm not as self-reliant as I like to think I am. There are so many more responsibilities and things I'll have to do now I'm an "adult", and the whole thing seems quite scary. 

Of course, it comes with positive things, pretty much every part of life comes with a good aspect. 

There are lots of things I want to change about my life as I'm welcoming in this new, and daunting, title of "adult". Kind of like New Years Resolutions, except less easy to break. I like to think of them as "life targets", haha!

Pass my Driving Test
I am a ridiculously bad driver. My birthday will see the anniversary of the day I started driving. I am sure it doesn't take anyone else this long to learn to drive?! I just really haven't got the hang of it. Not only am I still nervous about driving, other drivers don't seem to know what they're doing or where they're going half the time either! I mean, how am I meant to not hesitate at a roundabout when people aren't indicating?!
But yes, a massive thing for me this year will be passing my driving test. I plan to take me and my boyfriend around the country doing cute things. It'll also give me absolute independence, ooh scary thought again.

Finish College
More like a milestone than a goal, I'll be finishing sixth form this summer. I can't wait. I've never been someone who enjoys education. Even at my last college where I studied horses (one of the loves of my life) I still couldn't get into it. I prefer to work, I absolutely adore working. So finishing college and having the freedom of getting a full-time job (and no more assignments) will be wonderful.

Gain a Full-Time Job
Probably one of my harder tasks for me will be finding full-time employment. A job will enable me to do absolutely anything I want, and that thrills me! 

Get Back in the Saddle
I'm an equestrian. I may not be the most talented or whatever, but horses are in my blood. They're simply magical to be around and I'm finding my life quite difficult without them. I've had a few negative experiences, such as bad falls and massive confidence knocks, but I'm ready to get riding again. Time to get my muscles working again!

Take Blogging More Seriously
This is a big one for me, which I'm starting immediately! I've used blogging in the past as something to do when I'm bored, but more recently I've realised how much I actually enjoy it. I love sitting down at my computer and planning out things to say, and I love planning out what I'm going to blog about next. I do realise my photography leaves a lot to be desired, but I'm working on it. Photography is new thing to me, but I think I'm slowly getting the idea of backgrounds and lighting!
I've also committed to posting new blog posts at least every Wednesday and Saturday!

So yes, here is my little list of things I wish to achieve during my 18 year old life. 

My Birthday Wishlist

Hello!

My second post tonight as I couldn't wait to post it! As I've mentioned in my previous posts, it's my birthday on Monday and I'm super excited. I'm turning 18 and although I'm pretty scared, I'm also feeling very positive about my future. I've got a post lined up to post tomorrow morning (I've pre-written it as I work 9-5 then I'm off out partying, hooray!) all about how I'm nervous, but also some little goals I've set myself to achieve in my 18 year old life.

I wanted to write a little wishlist post as I do have a pretty big wishlist for my birthday now! It started off as just a watch, which I've already bought, but I've ended up with 5 pretty pricey items, oops!

ASOS Underwear Set - £26
Gucci Guilty 30ml - £41.50
NARS Orgasm lipgloss - £17.50
JuJu Jelly Shoes - £20
Body Shop Honey Bronzer - £13

I'm not sure where or when my beauty obsession started, but I'm very glad it did. The thought of owning a Gucci perfume and NARS lipgloss is just so exciting for me, it's kind of ridiculous, but I love the excitement!
This underwear set from ASOS is very, very pretty and exactly what I've been looking for. For £26 for the whole set as well it is amazing value! 

Ahh, Gucci Guilty... This one sprung on me. I was just browsing in Boots for a new perfume when I decided to look down the "pricier" section of the fragrances, when I tried this. It is so very, very pretty and girly, definitely a spring/summer scent! It's floral and just full of loveliness.
A bit of naughtiness from good ol' NARS now... Their Orgasm lipgloss is just so pretty, I will definitely be purchasing this soon (with or without the help of "birthday money"!). I love the pretty pink colour and the gold shimmer that runs through it, I suppose it is a "rose gold" and I expect this matches their infamous Orgasm blusher. I'm hoping it looks good with my dupe, Sleek Rose Gold blusher!
I've wanted a pair of jelly shoes since last summer, but I never ended up buying any. I've actually just bought some black jelly shoes, however I think these pretty pastel ones by JuJu will fit nicely in with my forever expanding shoe collection!
I've seen this used many times by bloggers recently and I'm desperate to go and pick one up. In all honesty, I haven't actually tried out a colour to see if they have a suitable colour, but I'm hoping they do! All bronzers on me just look "muddy", however I have heard that this Honey Bronzer by Body Shop is very natural and beautiful. I want to try it!

Roll on Monday!

A Couple of Days Away

Hello!

The past couple of days I've been away from home, not like a holiday, but I stayed at a friends house - it was lovely! I love getting away from my own house as I feel like I'm only ever at home, college or work nowadays. My boyfriend stayed over too so it was lovely to be with my two favourite people.

On Wednesday, we made our own pizzas! It was honestly so fun, and super simple! All you need is a bread mix for the base and your chosen ingredients. I had a cheese and onion bread mix (which you couldn't actually taste), with a Chinese BBQ style sauce, loads of cheese, smokey bacon pieces and chicken. It was lovely! Admittedly, it looks very "homemade" in the picture - but it tasted wonderful and that's what counts!

On the evening, we watched a film called "The Family" which is a film about the Manzoni family, a Mafia clan, who move to France. They're a pretty violent family, which is apparent from the start, and not all surprising if they're Mafia! It's a very good film and I enjoyed it very much! 

On the Thursday morning, we headed over to my friends old school which has a section that helps children who find things difficult, such as school or managing their behaviour. In this area of the school they have animals - chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs to be exact! I've met the buns and 'pigs a few times before and they're lovely, but I never got chance to really see the chickens.
They are lovely. So very friendly and cute. I love the little clucking noises they make! Although I've grown up around farms (due to my equestrian side of me) I've never actually held a chicken, so I was pretty excited too! They are very soft and actually very light, not what I was expecting at all!
Later that morning (approximately 11am) we went for a naughty McDonald's... I know, I know, 11am is a little ridiculous - but never mind!

Today is my last day of Easter break but I've enjoyed myself very much, the past few days have been lovely so now I've got a positive look ahead for the weekend and of course my birthday on Monday!

My Style: Monochrome & Printed Socks

Hello!

So today sees the first ever style post I've done! I'm pretty excited, as keeping track of my outfits on my blog will really help me see how my style changes over time. I know a lot of bloggers like to look back through their blog and see how much they've changed, it must be really awesome to see! 

Cardigan - New Look
Top - Primark
Shorts - Primark
Socks - New Look
Boots - TK Maxx
Necklace - Matalan
Rings - Primark
Watch - New Look

I really like this look, especially with the chunky boots and gold detailing.
I like to wear this look with wavy textured hair, pretty yet simple make-up and a pop of colour on the nails.

I honestly can't get enough of my cut-out boots with printed socks!

Rimmel London Vinyl Gloss Review

Hello!

I recently tried a Vinyl Gloss by Rimmel as I bought a foundation and a mint nail polish but wasn't too sure what else to pick up when Boots had their 3-for-2 offer going on. On a whim, I picked up a Vinyl Gloss in a pretty pink colour and I wasn't really too sure what to expect!

I've never been a massive lip product girl. My lips are very "fussy" and colour just sits in the cracks of my lips or I just feel generally uncomfortable wearing any form of product. 

I tried this as soon as I got home... And I loved it. It has honestly changed my view on lipgloss, and now I can't stop buying the stuff. Thanks Rimmel. 

I'm not sure if it's sad the fact I went back next payday and picked up another three colours on the 3-for-2 offer, but I'm a make-up hoarder - what can I say?

Lovesick - a fairly bright but "grown up" pink
Cosmic - a bronze nude
Be Famous - a bright but sheer coral
Snog - a dusky deep pink

These glosses have really good colour pay-off, although they are sheer - just a heads up if that's not your thing! They are basically non-sticky, which I love. Of course they are a tad sticky, all glosses are, plus I think it helps to keep the product on your lips for just that bit longer. They do last me quite a while, I would reapply after 3-4 hours - which is a long time for me. Usually I can't manage to get things to last for longer than an hour. 

Overall, I really like these glosses and I would definitely recommend. They're super value for money and give me everything I want from a lip product.

Earth Day

Hello!

I've actually got another post lined up for you today which I will post shortly, however I couldn't allow Earth Day to pass by without me blogging about it! 

Every 22nd of April, Earth Day is held around the world. It is a celebration of the beautiful planet we live on and around 192 countries celebrate it each year. Earth Day originally started in 1970 as a protest for the support of environmental protection. Whilst we all should still be trying to protect our rainforests and help keep endangered species alive, many people take the time to appreciate the beauty this world does have, such as rolling countryside, gorgeous beach-fronts and incredible architecture.

Today I've chosen lots of pictures, all from Google's "My Beautiful Earth" project which I wanted to share with you. Check out more images here.

Also, if you want to get involved with donation or any other part of Earth Day, check out the Earth Day Network. 

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

This has been a really nice post to write. I've been looking for hours (literally) at people's amazing photography on My Beautiful Earth. The animals are my favourite to look at, they are just so special.

Will you be celebrating Earth Day in any way?

Pinterest: The Hair Board

Hello!

I've really recently signed up to Pinterest, however I only actually downloaded the app onto my phone and started using it a couple of days ago! So far I'm in awe of the beautiful photography and peoples DIY skills. Crazy.

Anyway, I signed up to look at cool little projects I can do for myself in my spare time, and also to use it as a tool for inspiration along the fashion and beauty lines. Today I wanted to show you a few hairstyles that I think are super pretty - I will be trying them very soon! 

1 - I love the textured messiness of this hairstyle, it's very similar to how I style my everyday hair if I'm honest! I like the loose casual braid at the side, it's very pretty
2 - I literally never wear my hair up, but as summer approaches I'll probably be thankful of having some hair off my neck! I really like this bun, it's so cute with the daisies around the side, New Look currently have loads of floral hair accessories, I might go and have a look! 

3 - Another up-do, I love this ponytail. I'm not sure if a low pony would suit me, but I'd love to try this!
4 - This is very similar to the first picture, however I like the small braids throughout her hair and the texture at the top of her head. I will definitely give this a go

Here's to hoping I'll be changing up my hairstyles soon! I'm getting rather bored of my usual wavy/straight ends/fringe pinned back out-the-way hair I sport everyday.

Yay for inspiration!

OPI "Mother Road Rose" Polish

Hello!

Just recently I've been given a lot of "second-hand" nail polish by my boyfriends mum. I just find it so overwhelming to be treated so nicely by his parents, it is honestly the best feeling and I am incredibly grateful!

I was really shocked to have been given 3 OPI nail polishes. I've always wanted to try higher end make-up and nail polishes, and I feel like this is my first little step into trying it.

My favourite shade of the three is "Mother Road Rose". If I'm being completely truthful I don't really know how to describe it, but it is beautiful. It's a deep rose colour (as the name would suggest) however it has a very sophisticated and grown-up feel to it. I would also say it borders on a reddy-purple. 

I found this polish to be quite quick drying, however it does have a quite thin brush which I found quite tricky - which ultimately resulted in me having a very messy application! I don't mind too much about this though, as it's nothing a cotton bud and some nail polish remover won't fix! 

I do believe this shade has now been discontinued, although you can find it on eBay and Amazon! 

What do you think of this polish?


P.S - I've changed the name of my blog!
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Sleek Rose Gold Blush Review

Hello!

Ooh look at me - two posts in one day! 

Today I'm reviewing Sleek's infamous blush - Rose Gold! It is supposedly a dupe for NARS' Orgasm blush, however I have never actually seen, let alone worn, this blush so I cannot compare! 

I've always been put off by blush. It's a combination of never worn it before/lack of confidence, and the fact I get redness on my cheeks and on the sides of my nose. Very often, blush highlights this redness and makes me just look ridiculous. Which does upset me, I love how utterly gorgeous some blushers are, but unfortunately, it just isn't for me.

I originally bought this blush for my mum, as I thought it would look super pretty with her skin tone, I was right by the way ;) but one night I got bored and tried it on... And I loved it!

This blush is perfect for me, I wish I had tried it sooner!
It does look very bright pink in the box with a definite gold sheen running through it. A little daunting, but beautiful. It applies very sheer, which means you can easily build up the product to get the effect you want. For me, I sweep my brush over the product twice and that gives me the effect I want. A very slight pink (almost peach in some lights, it must be the gold) glow to my face, with an absolutely beautiful gold shimmer running through it. It looks so stunning in the sun!

It's very blendable, and so high quality. There is no fall-out from the pan (unless you drag your brush across it very hard) meaning it keeps the outside packaging clean and your other products in your make-up bag. 

What I also love about this product is that it is very small in size, although there is still a good amount of product in the pan, it is perfect for handbags! 

Do you own this blush? 

Ellie xx

My Top 5... Shoes

Hello!

Firstly, I would like to apologise for my lack of posts recently. It's been entirely out of my control unfortunately, I've been desperate to get blogging as I've got a lot to review and talk about... But I've just been so busy! Right now as I'm typing this is the first chance I've been able to get on my computer and actually type out a post... Ridiculous really! I have a hell of a lot of posts lined up, I really need to get organised!

Today I want to talk about my top 5 favourite shoes! I'm becoming a bit of a shoe obsessive... It's kind of annoying how much space all my shoes are taking up if I'm honest.

5. White Hi-Top Converse

My Converse are honestly one of my favourite shoes, they go with a lot of my summer clothes and are just so comfortable! As they're white, they get dirty very easily... I literally only wear mine when they weather is hot and dry and they're filthy! I actually took them on their first outing of the year today... Ah, such comfort!
- Converse, Office, £47.99

4. New Look Black Flatform Hi-Top Pumps

Again, just like my Converse, these are another everyday favourite. They're extremely comfy and, being a flatform/chunky shoe lover, these are right up my street! They are very flatformed however, so if you like your shoes very high, these may not be for you. If you aren't used to flatforms, these are a perfect starter! Mine are breaking after 4-5 months of constant use, which is usually how my poor shoes end up. They go with so many of my outfits, I just love them!
These have now been discontinued, however there is a non hi-top version available!
- Flatform Pumps, New Look, £12.99

3. H&M Red Velvet Flatform Pumps

I bought these last August and I didn't really wear them much (mainly because I was scared of harming the material in the poor weather) but the past few months, despite the weather, I've been wearing these a lot and I really like them. They add a nice pop of colour to my outfits and are actually very easy to pull off. The material is soft and despite being caught in the rain (and storm weather) they are still in perfect condition.
These have been discontinued now, however if you browse through shopping sites such as eBay or Depop, I'm sure you'll find them!

2. Bebo Chunky Cut-Out Boots

These are actually my most recent shoe purchase! I've been looking for a pair of chunky cut-out boots since Jeffrey Campbell released the infamous Coltrane boot... And I've finally found a pair I like/can actually afford/are of decent quality. This is why I love TK Maxx. They are extremely comfortable and I just absolutely cannot get enough of the cut-out. I wore these out to a meal last night and everyone was commenting on how nice they were! Personally, I couldn't stop looking at my cute New Look floral socks through the cut-out, it's the little things eh?
These do not appear on the Tk Maxx website, although I can tell you they were £20 so you can compare when shopping!

1. New Look Chunky Gladiator Flatforms/Heels

Once again, these shoes have not appeared on the New Look website. They were extremely popular and I struggled to get my hands on a pair! I have seen many pairs of these on Depop, so keep your eyes peeled! I love these so, so much. They are comfy, easy to walk in and look great casual and going out. Honestly one of the best shoes I've bought!
Remember, keep checking shopping sites such as eBay and Depop, they do crop up very often! 

So, that's that! I'm sure you'll see these shoes in some of my outfit posts (coming up soon) so keep your eyes open! I absolutely adore all these shoes. I am all about chunky shoes! (and pastel blue ankle socks)

Ellie xx