Current Faves

I'm not the type of blogger to be able to have a favourites post up every month. I don't have the ability to use so many products every month as I am a lover of routine. But as I haven't shared my favourites with you all recently and I have been enjoying some new products.

Sainsbury's Mug
I am a tea drinker and an avid mug collector, if I see a cute mug the probability of me purchasing said mug is rather high. This mug I bought recently from Sainsbury's has a beautiful intricate pattern that just adds to how much I love it.

Nude Polish
I couldn't choose just one single nail polish for this favourites post, but I have recently been loving painting my nails with nude shades. Barry M offer an amazing selection of nude polishes, my favourite shades are 'Cotton', 'Pit Stop' and 'Coconut'.

Palmers
Recently my skin has become increasingly dry and cracked. I tried out no end of products to try and combat my dry skin and nothing worked until I came across palmers, you could say I am a fan of their products I guess. I have recently been using their body lotion, lip balm and hand cream, all of which have dramatically improved my skin. Their product moisturise deeply into the skin and also have an amazing chocolate and coconut scent, what's not to like?

All That Glitters Eye Shadow
For summer I like to change up my makeup routine and this time I have gone for a bronze, golden look. With my makeup routine I have been using 'all that glitters' eye shadow by mac. I used to use it all that time back in the day but fell out of love with it till now.

Kate Moss '45'
Nude lips are all around makeup counters right now both high end and drugstore. This lipstick by Rimmel in '45' is a dupe for Mac's 'Velvet Teddy' and can add a 70's vibe to your makeup look for a fraction of the price.

Hawaiian Face SPF
Come the summer months also comes the sun, with the sun comes the need to protect your skin. Using an SPF for my face has recently become a regular part of my everyday skincare routine.

Original Source All In One Body Wash
This body wash is an amazing wash that is all completely natural and also the scent is blackcurrant and smells like a blast from my childhood.

I hope you enjoyed having a nosey into my favourites. I love nothing more myself than to find out the products other people are loving it gives me an excuse to go out and buy new products, do you feel the same?

Nervous Traveller?

Being a nervous traveller can be a nuisance, especially if you are a lover of other cultures. People cope with travelling in different ways, some struggle more than others. I would say I am a nervous traveller but there are ways to cope with it. With the summer in full swing, long haul travelling comes with that and when you're an anxious traveller it can make it all that less enjoyable.

When you're feeling anxious travelling the best thing to do is to make yourself feel as comfortable as possible, surrounding yourself with things that will make yourself feel more at home. When on a long journey I have found the best way to cope with it to be bringing headphones. Zoning out to music makes you forget the environment your in and takes your mind to another place. The music you play can change your mood, whatever genre you prefer play your favourite songs and guaranteed your mind will be elsewhere and you will feel better. Talking about making your mind wander, bringing a good book can make all the difference. Getting engrossed in a good book helps your mind to be distracted from the world around you and in a situation where you are feeling anxious that is even better. Although for a girl who suffers motion sickness when watching anything in the car, reading isn't the best option. Something I love to do on long haul plane journeys is use a face mask, forget the weird looks people around you may give you. I don't know about you face masks help me to feel relaxed and calms me down.

I hope some of these tips help you out when you're feeling a little anxious on a plane, in a car or on a train. Any of the above, there a was that will help you feel less nervous when travelling. 

All You Need Summer Beauty

Although here in Britain our summer months are rather short lived, for me summer is on full swing with the summer holidays in operation. With summer comes new beauty items and trends.

Nude Nails
A current love of mine, nude nails. They remain low maintenance for when you're spending time in the pools and your nails are chipping. Nude nails create a fresh, clean look that together can go with every outfit and give a classic look.

SPF
I couldn't write a post about summer beauty and not mention SPF, it's a necessity for the warmer months to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

Coral Lips
When it's the winter months dark, berry shades are the trend but come summer it is all about the brighter shades like coral. Coral can add a pop of colour to the simplest of makeup looks.

Nude 70's Lips
If you have been watching any of the current makeup trends you would see for summer it is all about the summer nude lips, especially those inspired bu the 70's nudes. My personal favourites are Mac's 'Velvet Teddy' and Kate Moss '45' both at opposite ends of the beauty spectrum.

SPF Lipbalm
Speaking of SPF and protecting your skin, it is also just as important to protect your lips.

Bronzer
In summer when you get that summer glow its great to be able to show it off. A way to enhance your natural tan is by using bronzer on the high points of your face where the sun would naturally catch. It will give the appeal of a natural sun kissed glow.

Metallic Tattoos
This trend arised in the festival season and were seen stuck on festival goers. They add little details to summer outfits, mine are bought from Kitsch*

Floral Boho

 

 Top // Topshop
Jeans // Urban Outfitters (no longer available)
Cardigan // Primark
Shoes // Topshop

The summer style is my favourite kind, although I am a true lover of winter fashion there is nothing I love more than the colours and patterns of summer. This recent purchase from Topshop is this beautiful Bardot top with this floral intricate pattern, when paired with neutral warm tones it creates the perfect summer outfit. Tassels this summer are everywhere, I am not such a keen foe on tassels but this cardigan from primark has the right balance and not to mention it has the appeal of being more expensive than it actually was! (ssh!) Complete this outfit by throwing on a timeless pair of ballet flats and you have a perfect British summer time outfit.

Upping my Photography Game

After owning my current camera for almost a year now, I decided now was the time to up my game and get a new lens that would help me improve my photography. I love landscape and cityscape photography, I especially love whipping out my camera on holiday and taking snaps. Sometimes when taking landscape photo's I want to be more zoomed out or in, but the lens that came with my canon 700d doesn't have a great zoom capability so I decided to pick up one with a bigger range. I went for the Sigma AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 DG Macro Lens which has an amazing zoom capacity that can get great wide angle shots or really up close ones.

 

Compared to the kit lens the 70-300mm is quite a lot heavier and when taking photos it feels as if my camera is going to tip over! But it is worth it for the amount of zoom you get, although you don't want to use this camera when you're close up as you have to stand pretty far back from your chosen subject for it to focus. This lens comes with both manual and auto focus, like the kit lens, however it doesn't come with a stabilizer, so you will need a steady hand when taking photos or be careful in low light situations and perhaps switch lenses to get the best outcome. If you're like me and enjoy scenic photography this lens will be amazing for you as it can offer a wide angle shot or zoomed in even when you're away from the subject.

 

As you can see the Canon kit lens still gives an great pixel quality image but obviously doesn't zoom in as far, however the focus time of this lens in auto focus is almost instant.



Although both lenses are of a similar quality, as you can see the sigma lens offers a better zoom image whilst keeping with that same quality, whereas normally the higher zoomed you are on an image the more blurred the image can become. The only thing I will say is you do need to stand farther away from the subject in order to get a clear, focussed image with the sigma lens as it takes time to focus.

Makeup Monthly | July

 

In summer I tone done the face makeup and concentrate on enhancing the eyes. A perfect summer eye shadow colour is gold tones, it gives the illusion of a bronze goddess appeal. Gold shades also complement blue eyes and will make your eyes pop.

Products Used
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer '15'
Natural Collection Eye Shadow Duo 'Mocha/Latte'
Sleek Contour Kit 'Light'
Mac Eye Shadow 'All That Glitters'
Smashbox Cream Eye Shadow 'Riches'
Mac Lipstick 'Crème Cup'
Benefit Roller Lash
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner

In the summer there isn't much more I dislike than being caked in face makeup, I tend to just apply SPF and then add a touch of concealer under my eyes to conceal the dark circles and brighten my complexion. I love the bronze look for the summer months and for that I used the Mac eye shadow in 'All That Glitters', which is a gorgeous shimmery golden shade. To add a bit more definition to my eye look a little tip to keep to a bronze look is to apply bronzer to your crease and outer corner. This is a money saving tip and also gives an amazing finish to the bronze look. I filled in my eye brows how I always do with the Natural Collection eye shadow duo in 'Mocha/Latte'. To complete the look I just added my usual liquid liner and favourite mascara by Benefit that is amazing at lengthening the lashes. The lipstick I chose was Mac's 'Crème Cup' because it's low maintenance and doesn't over power the eyes.

5 Things | Summer Reads

Ah, the summer months are a time where I can finally spend my spare moments doing what I want and not having to worry about school work. Is it the same for you? One way I like to spend my time in the summer is reading. I have always been a keen reader and always try to read half an hour before bed, but in term time I don't have much time. I love nothing more than getting engrossed in a new book and loosing myself in a fictional sense of reality.

Harry Potter (all of them)
I could not justify doing this post and not giving a mention to Harry Potter. Harry Potter is a story I have grown up with and have watched every movie an endless amount of times. I've made it my goal this summer to read every Harry Potter book again as I have finally got my hands on all of the first edition hard covers and why don't you join me?

Black Ice - Becca Fitzpatrick
This book is more a murderous crime read, but it is definitely worth it. In essence it's filled with twist that takes the story in unexpected directions as you attempt to figure out the true ending to the story as you go along. One piece of advice, don't jump to conclusions.

Paper Town's - John Green
This book is going to be the next big summer movie. John Green always manages to beautifully carry out a complicated love affair. I have to say I had quite high hopes for this book since reading The Fault in our Stars and they were most definitely fulfilled. As you progress through the book and follow Quentin along his journey to find himself you feel your self with him on that journey and to an ending that you would not have predicted. Are you living in a paper town?

The Manifesto on How To Be Interesting - Holly Bourne
Set in a typical school scene of the blonde popular girl and the outcasts, this books takes you through a journey of what it takes for Bree to go from a social outcast to in the 'it' group. It covers everything from the 'banter' to the bitchiness of a typical high school. This book sets up the ideals of schools and really defines how status doesn't always mean happiness, it's a book I could not put down.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
I was slightly sceptical when I picked up this book firstly mostly because of the title, it intrigued me. It was far from what I expected, it's a tender coming of age story that really reflects the true feelings you get as you treck out into the wide world of university. Whilst feeling alone Cath finds a new world to open up to through her writing but will she let anyone else in?

Physical Education

The past weekend I had a weekend away at my caravan with three of my closest friends, we had an amazing time even in the blustery weather, but at least it was nice and sunny. My outfits for when I am up the coast are usually casual and simple mostly because I can go from being in the local town to going out on the boat in a matter of hours, so my outfits need to be versatile. Those versatile outfits usually consist of a plain t shirt, jeans and a pair of trainers not dissimilar from the one featured here.

Top // Topshop
Jeans // Topshop
Shoes // Sole Trader (Nike Free Run 2)
Sunglasses // Dorothy Perkins

This outfit is perfect for the British summer and in a nut shell explains my style. You can never predict the weather in Britain, one minute it can be sunny the next there's a full blown rain storm. A safe option is to go for a pair of basic jeans, that could be spiced up for summer with some distressed denim or coloured denim, and a basic t shirt that will go with any outfit and can be layered if needed. I am always a one for trainers and I always find myself wearing them all year around, they add a sports luxe vibe to the outfit and give a more relaxed feel for a casual look. If you wanted to make this outfit suit a more formal occasion you could add a pair of ballet flats or strappy heels.