My Favourites of 2020

29 Dec 2020

It's the end of 2020! In some ways, this year has flown in but then in some ways it's gone so slowly but in all ways, it's been a bit of a weird one. I started the year as a uni student and ended it a graduate. We started it with large gatherings and ended it in quarantine, all in all, it's been a funny one. One thing that has been constant though is my love of media so I thought it would be fun to share some of my faves from the year so I've compiled a little list of my favourite books, tv shows and songs from the year as a fun little recap. I've done a cuople of favourites posts this year (two to be exact) but I always love to read these kinds of posts. I'd also love to know what things were keeping you sane while we were stuck inside so make sure to leave your faves in the comment section below!

The Christmas Tag

23 Dec 2020

IT"S CHRISTMASSSSSS (say that in your best Slade voice)! I'm a massive Christmas fan, just in case you hadn't worked that out already, so when Tash over at A Girl With A View tagged me to do this Christmas tag (you can read her version here) I obviously jumped at the chance because I love getting to do Christmassy things and will take any excuse to bring up my favourite Christmas films and songs. I've just finished work for the year as well so this seemed like the perfect post to put up today!

THE CHRISTMAS TAG RULES

1. Put on your favourite Christmas playlist to listen to while answering!
2. Have a Christmas drink and/or snack while writing.
3. Thank the blogger who tagged you and link to their site.
4. Answer the 10 original questions.
5. Answer the questions set by whoever tagged you.
6. Ask 2 questions of your own Tag 6 bloggers to take part.

getting that festive glow with Jolie Beauty

18 Dec 2020

*this post is in partnership with Jolie Beauty and contains gifted items*


I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas! The festive season is my absolute favourite time of year from listening to Christmas music, to singing carols both in church and actually going carolling like a Victorian street choir, to my slight obsession with Netflix original Christmas movies it’s literally the most fun time. Not to mention the fact that I get to don my favourite sweaters and cosy up with a gingerbread latte and eat some chocolates while my house is decked with fairy lights. Truly a god-tier season.

local gifts that give back gift guide

9 Dec 2020

As we approach the festive season it's time to think about Christmas presents but as Christmas is notoriously a season of giving what better way to practice that than by purchasing some gifts from businesses that also give back! Obviously, with me being from Belfast I'm super familiar with some local social enterprise businesses and these are really the businesses that spawned this idea so I thought I'd stick local and share some of my absolute favourite businesses that also help you make a difference when you're purchasing gifts this Christmas season (or just whenever really).

Books I Read in November 2020

1 Dec 2020

I can't believe November is over, honestly where has the year gone! This was really not a good reading month for me. I'm in a bit of a slump at the minute which has been caused by a whole variety of things from finishing a beloved book series, other interests taking over and just general busyness but I have read over 50 books so far this year so this was inevitably going to happen at some time. I was actually a bit apprehensive about even making this post but sometimes you don't achieve your goals and that deserves to be documented just as much as the times that you do. I ended up finishing six books this month which although isn't as many as usual I'm still glad I got a little bit of reading done.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Suzanne Collins


In this prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, we follow a young President Snow as he grows up in the Capitol, how his life changes during the 10th Hunger Games and its aftermath.

I don't really know quite how I feel about this book. I didn't dislike it by any stretch but I just have mixed feelings. The character we were reading about didn't feel like the President Snow that we know from The Hunger Games at parts and you almost started to feel sorry for him but ultimately he showed his true colours and he is a rightfully detestable character. It's been so long since I read the Hunger Games but they were my absolute favourite books that I read as a teenager maybe this story would have hit a little harder if I was still at the height of my Hunger Games phase but I still enjoyed it I think. I did leave physically detesting Coriolanus Snow though so I feel like that was the desired outcome.

Sheets

Brenna Thummler


Marjorie runs her mother's laundromat following her death and she ends up befriending a ghost named Wendell who, being a sheet, just loves the laundromat.

I have an ARC for the sequel so I decided that it was about time I picked this up! This was quite simply one of the cutest things I've ever read. Wendell the ghost is ADORABLE and I just want him to be happy. I paid £8.50 for this in ebook format which was probably too much but as I said I really needed to read it before picking up the sequel so was it worth it? probably not, but I'm not mad about it either.

Delicates

Brenna Thummler

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and OniPress

After Marjorie starts to hang out with a new group of friends Wendell starts to feel lonely and finds solace with another loner called Eliza who is a photographer who desperately wants to believe in ghosts and kind of wants to become one herself.

Obviously, I had to read the sequel as well and this was just as delightful as the first one and I still just love Wendell so much! If you're ever in the need for something heartwarming and not too taxing I definitely recommend picking these up, although Delicates doesn't come out until March, but definitely pick up Sheets while you wait.

The Midnight Library

Matt Haig


Between life and death, there is a library and when Nora Seed finds herself in the library she had the opportunity to live as if she made different choices until she is truly happy with the life that she chooses.

I'd seen so many people talking about this book and knew I needed to pick it up. I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed? I think the hype for this one was so strong and so many people had told me that I would love it that when I didn't immediately fall in love with it I just couldn't be bothered. I ended up really enjoying this by the halfway mark but it took me over a month to read. I guess I just wasn't in the right headspace for it at the time but once we hit the Svalbard scenes I was sold! I think I just wanted to love this more than I actually ended up loving it.

Life After Life

Kate Atkinson


Every time Ursula Todd dies, her life begins again. Born in 1910 in a Yorkshire village her various lives lead her down many different paths from dying as a child of the Spanish Flu, to surviving bombings in the London Blitz, to even working in Germany with Hitler himself.

I loved this book so much! I'm not always a fan of repeating timeline novels but I think the historical setting of this one won me over. I never really thought I was a historical fiction lover but with each book that I read in that genre, it grows on me more and more. I loved the start of this book a lot more as I loved the family dynamic and I grew to really love and care for the Todd family but as Ursula grows up they obviously make less and less appearances as she goes to live her own life in various different ways. There is a second book in the same word that follows Ursula's brother Teddy during the war and I absolutely loved Teddy as a character so I can definitely see myself picking that book up in the future.

Heiress Apparently

Diana Ma

I received an advanced e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Amulet Books

Gemma Huang wants to be an actress so when she lands a part in a big blockbuster remake of Madame Butterfly she's obviously very excited not least because it means that she finally gets to visit China, her parent's homeland where she's been forbidden from ever going. While she's there she discovers a family secret and that maybe she isn't quite who she thinks she is.

I was so excited by the premise of this book but it just didn't deliver for me, I think it was maybe another one of those 'I have to read this because I have an ARC and it's due at the end of the month' books (similar to Meet Me In London from last month) and I wasn't in a real reading mood but I just couldn't really get into this. The writing just felt very amateur and childish, especially whenever all of the characters were over 18! The characters and plot were also a little lacklustre but I did really enjoy the main romance. This is supposed to be a series and I definitely wouldn't mind continuing because although I wasn't fully impressed by this first book I'm curious to see where the story goes next.

I think I'm finally out of my reading slump now so I'm excited to get stuck into some more reading this December all being well! What have you been reading and loving lately?

three small steps to a more sustainable shower

24 Nov 2020

*This post contains gifted items and affiliate links*


I'm not going to lie to you, I've always been fairly lazy on the old sustainability front but now that I'm free from the shackles of studenthood and I'm earning my own money (and since we're still in the middle of a pandemic I literally have nowhere else to spend it) I decided it was time to dip my toe into the world of sustainable products. If you, like me, are interested in getting started in your sustainability journey but aren't quite sure where to start, here are some products that I've recently made the switch to. It's important to note though that the first rule of sustainability is to use up the products that you have first so don't just rush out to buy all the sustainable things and throw out all your plastic things because that's really not very sustainable.

My iDeal of Sweden Black Week Wishlist

23 Nov 2020

*This post is in paid partnership with Ideal of Sweden and contains gifted items and affiliate links*


If there are two things that go together, it's me and phone cases from iDeal of Sweden. They're literally the only cases I ever use and I switch them up with the season and they've got some incredible Black Week deals on this week so if you're after some cute new mobile accessories now is your chance to jump on it. Here is a selection of some of the pieces that have been catching my eye. Because it's Black Week there's a whopping 50% off everything and using my code* BFMOMJEANS you can get an extra 5% off up to €59 or 20% if you spend over €59. I have three cases already and they're all still in perfect condition after two years so I can vouch for the quality!
My current case of choice Midnight Blue Marble which I purchased myself although I have been gifted cases in the past

'Tis The Season (For Netflix Christmas Movies)

15 Nov 2020

The festive season is absolutely my favourite time of year. I truly think I become the boss mode version of myself at this time of year. I love Christmas so much and one thing I absolutely adore about this time of year is Netflix original holiday movies. I unironically love The Christmas Prince, I watch it at least twice every year and I straight up sobbed the first time I watched it and since then I've just watched them all. I set myself the goal last year to watch them all and I shared updates on my Instagram stories with some thoughts on each one and I'm continuing the trend this year. It's slowly becoming my brand. If you want to hear my rambly Christmas thoughts make sure to follow me on Instagram so you don't miss them! But for this post, I just thought I'd let you know what's coming up this year that I'm most excited about as well as my thoughts on the ones that are already out! I know it's only November but after the year we've had in 2020 it doesn't hurt to start celebrating Christmas a little early!

Books I Read in October 2020

31 Oct 2020

I'm typically not really a Halloweeny person but for some reason this year I decided that October just HAD to be spooky book month (plus the odd cosy and festive pick thrown in there). I had a weird reading month because I definitely read some new all-time faves, I finished up the Diviners series which has hopped it's way right to the top of my list of favourite series of all time but there were also quite a lot of disappointing reads. I also went into a massive reading slump at the end of the month so I definitely didn't get as many books read as I wanted to. On the whole, though I just had the most magical time reading this month and I got through eight books which I'm not mad about.

The Hallotober Tag

28 Oct 2020

Well, this is awfully exciting. This is my first ever tag post so a massive thank you to the lovely Tash over at A Girl With A View for tagging me! You can check her Hallotober Tag post here. I had so much fun delving through my photo archive to find some fun Halloween memories to share.

Instructions

- Thank the person who tagged you and link to their post 
- Put the rules at the beginning or after introduction 
- Answer the 13 questions 
- Tag 13 people to do the tag 
- Delete Question 13, add a new number one question of your own 

some stuff I'm loving right now

22 Oct 2020

Oh hey, I've been a bit slacking on the old blog front lately (I'm blaming it on the new blogger update but really it's just me) so I decided what better way to kick things off again than with a good old fashioned favourites post. I always love doing these posts and it's been a while since my last one (literally back in February before the world shut down) so I thought I was overdue a new one.

What I'm Watching

This is a bit of a rogue choice but I haven't really been watching much on Netflix recently which I must say is very off-brand for me. But I've clearly fallen down some rabbit hole and I'm obsessed with StarKid Productions again. They're probably most famous for their Harry Potter inspired musical series but I'm currently in LOVE with Twisted, which I first watched back when it was released in 2013 but I have a whole new appreciation for now. Twisted is a musical inspired by Disney's Aladdin and the musical Wicked and is told from Jafar's perspective and it is just so well done. All their shows are so well done and so entertaining and are all available to watch for free on YouTube so if you've exhausted the Netflix library and are after something a little different I definitely recommend checking them out. I'm going to be spending my weekend rewatching Holy Musical B@man which is their Batman-inspired musical as well as catching up with the newer shows that I haven't seen yet.

What I'm Reading

Since my last favourites post, I've literally read another 40 books so I had a lot to choose from but I thought I'd just stick to what I'm reading right this second. I'm obsessed with the Diviners Series at the minute but that's not really a surprise since I literally wrote a whole dang post about it so that's put me in a bit of a reading slump but I'm currently working my way through The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes which is the prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy. I'd heard mixed reviews from people about this book but so far I'm enjoying it but that might change by the time I get to the end. I'm just happy to be back in this Hunger Games world that was such a big part of my teenage life. I'm listening to the audiobook which is narrated by Santino Fontana who is the voice of Prince Hans in Frozen which is fun. I actually posted a YouTube video recently about the top 5 books I've read recently so if you're interested you can also check that out here.

What I'm Listening To

This is clearly the posts that outs me as a massive nerd because really all I've been listening to lately is musical soundtracks and cast albums namely, Hadestown, Waitress and the soundtrack to High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Wondering from HSMTMTS is one of my favourite songs of all time and literally does not cease to male me cry every time I hear it. That being said I've also been listening to a lot of Harry Styles and Maisie Peters (her new song with JP Saxe is a BOP) I was actually supposed to be seeing Niall Horan and Maisie Peters in concert this month but unfortunately COVID had other plans.



What I'm Wearing

Usually, this section is reserved for makeup but since I'm literally not going anywhere I haven't bought any new products in such a long time. I did, however, purchase this cardigan (pictured) which I love and wear all the time. Someone actually told me that I had a cottagecore aesthetic while I had this on which is the exact vibe I try to portray so that definitely made my day!

Random Pick

The Chai Latte from Søstrene Grene has been a staple for me over the past few months. My sister actually bought it for me for Christmas but it took me until now to actually try it. I've only got one sachet left though so I'm definitely going to need to pop in and get some more. Søstrene Grene is my favourite shot though so that's not too much of a hardship.
What things have you been loving lately? Anything similar to me or are my choices just really rogue because. I have been told that I have a very niche taste in many things.

Why You Should Read The Diviners

14 Oct 2020

I've just finished the last book in The Diviners series and I needed somewhere to dump my thoughts so I thought this would be the perfect place. This book series took me so by surprise because I would never say that I'm the biggest fan of historical fiction or of scary books but for some reason, this series has managed to worm its way right into my heart and now it's all I want to talk about. Especially now that it's coming up to the spooky season, this is the absolute perfect time to start reading these books (especially the first one).

What's In My Glossybox?

9 Oct 2020

Back in my second year of uni, I decided to treat myself to a Birchbox subscription which at the time I absolutely loved. But I haven't really used a beauty box subscription service since then but when my mobile network VOXI (former partnership) decided to giveaway some codes for a free Glossybox I absolutely did not hesitate and ordered myself a special VOXI x Glossybox box. I love VOXI because not only do I get unlimited social media and video streaming use but the VOXI drops are always exciting because sometimes you can get some really exciting offers (I once got a free jar of Candy Kittens which was DIVINE) but this one I was particularly excited about and I can't wait to show you what's inside. 


Books I Read in September 2020

30 Sept 2020

It's September and as a recent graduate, it's the first time in my living memory that it wasn't back to school month! That being said I am working almost full time so my reading time has diminished a little since lockdown. So anyway what did I read this month? I feel like I've been stuck in a bit of a reading slump lately but I'm most definitely out of it now! I only managed to get through one book in the whole first two weeks of the month and then ended up finishing 5 in the space of a week which really spurred me on to get some more books read in the latter half of the month. In total, I ended up reading TEN books this month which I'm super happy with! In case you're new to my reading wrapups I just like to share a little bit about the books without giving you any spoilers and some thoughts on them from your truly. I hope you enjoy and are inspired to pick up some of these reads for yourself!

just some delightful cards for all your needs

28 Sept 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*

I bloody love receiving cards and letters and my absolute favourite place to buy cards is on thortful. Thortful is an online marketplace where you can support local independent creators of celebration cards and they have such a fun collection. This isn't even an ad I literally just LOVE thortful!

I've been using thortful for years and I've also been recommending it to friends for years but somehow I've never actually done a post about them so I decided that now was the appropriate time to rectify that! I've literally sent my friends so many thortful cards that I'm now starting to receive them back! I posted my aff link on Instagram one time and it's by far the most popular one I've ever posted so you're most definitely in for a treat!


One of my favourite things about thorful is the range of style of card like there's an opportunity to customise your card by sending it with a chocolate bar, a make your own cake kit, or even a pair of socks which is something that I've availed of for friends birthdays when they've been away at uni and I won't see them in person. You can order them to your house and send them on or you can customise and write them online and get them sent directly to their recipients, you can even store your friends birthdays in a calendar and it'll remind you to send them a card.

There are literally so many cards to choose from but I thought I'd share a selection of some of my favourites with you just to give you a little taster of all that thortful has to offer!

some autumnal reading recommendations

22 Sept 2020

Autumn is my absolute favourite time of year. I love nothing more than being able to break out my jumpers and my scarves and drink pumpkin spiced things and eat apple spiced things and frolic among the falling leaves and it's honestly just such a fun time. I also love curling up, wrapped in my blankets and getting stuck into a good book! Here are a few recommendations that for some reason or other give me cosy/fall/autumnal vibes some being more tenuous links than others.

Learning Danish With LearnLanguages24

14 Sept 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

It's a truth universally acknowledged that I'm a tad obsessed with Denmark (it's probably bordering on unhealthy). I have Copenhagen practically everywhere you look in my room. I'm even reading a book right now which is set in Copenhagen like it's properly my favourite place in the world. So I thought to myself, what better use of my time than to properly knuckle done and try to learn some Danish!

I went to a specialist language school so we learned French, Spanish, and German for three years in school so I'm no stranger to learning languages. I even taught myself Italian a few years ago at the height of my Il Volo obsession but I've since forgotten most of it, though I've definitely retained the absolute essentials. I also watch so much Spanish TV I'm surprised that I'm not fluent yet!


Are AirPods Worth The Hype?

8 Sept 2020

I recently decided to upgrade my laptop from my 2017 MacBook Air to a 2020 13" MacBook Pro because while I hate to be that person who claims that expensive laptops are essential, for my way of life and job and freelance things my air just really wasn't cutting it for me anymore and I needed more memory and a better processor so I dropped the huge amount of cash and I'm still a little sad about it. "But Alice, I thought this was a review about AirPods" I hear you ask and you would be correct because as I got education pricing it also came with a free pair of AirPods. Now I would never normally drop £150 on a pair of earphones but since I was getting them for free I was not going to say no! Before I begin I'm not a tech expert AT ALL so this is definitely not a professional opinion, just some thoughts from little old me.

Why I'm Taking Part in Digital Detox Day

4 Sept 2020

This Saturday (5th September) is Digital Detox Day which is a campaign run by mental health charity IAMWHOLE founded by Jordan Stephens from Rizzle Kicks in association with Zoe Sugg (both of whom I love) and it's an initiative all about taking just one day to switch off our devices and spend 24 hours away from the hustle and bustle of social media and I am personally SO FOR IT!


A few months ago I actually had a digital detox day myself when I was just getting so overwhelmed by the noise of social media that I switched off my devices for 24 hours and it was honestly the loveliest time. I wrote a post on my experiences here.

I'm so excited for this project because digital detox days are something that I definitely don't take enough of but as my entire livelihood is online sometimes it can be hard to step away from that and relinquish control but I always find it so worthwhile every time I do. I've also taken to leaving my phone upstairs whenever I'm downstairs which is a really simple change that you can make to become less reliant on your devices.

There are different ways to go about this. Some people may just want to not go on social media, some might just switch off their phone or some may want to just fully unplug all of their devices. I fall in the last category because I find the temptation of social media too strong even when I'm just watching a movie on Netflix (I've literally checked my socials about 20 times while I've been writing this post) but you can do whatever works for you!


As part of this Digital Detox Day initiative, IAMWHOLE has been hosting panel discussions and Jamie Laing said a really interesting point which has really resonated with me so I just wanted to share it with you all. He said that we follow people of social media who we think are better than us and that's so true! No matter how uplifting and positive we try to make the content that we create and consume, the main reason why we decide to follow someone is due to how much we enjoy their content in a way of "that's so cool!" or "I could never do that" and that's such a dangerous mindset. I love my Instagram feed and I love all of the accounts that I follow but even then you can end up comparing your life to someone whose life you don't even know!

I was initially so ready for this but then I realised that Saturday is my Granda's 90th birthday party and I'm going to want to document it and I'm going to want to do this and do that but I realised that there's really no better way that I can celebrate my Granda than by just being there and being present. I'm bringing my camera with me anyway so I'll always have those photos and I can just update everyone on that the next day!


So how am I planning on spending the rest of my digital detox day? I want to read some more, I've been reading a lot lately anyway but being fully free from distractions just really helps you to get lost in the story. I'll also see if my family are up for playing a board game because that could be fun! We've also just been gifted a new jigsaw so I can see myself giving it a go as well. The possibilities are endless!

If you're big into your baths (I'm not!) Zoe has also released a bath bomb with Lush with profits going directly to support mental health charities so that's another great way that you could spend your day.

You can see more about Digital Detox Day in this video produced by IAMWHOLE and I highly encourage you to participate if you can!

Books I Read in August 2020

31 Aug 2020

New month, new reads! This was a bit of a slower month which as I just started a new job is to be expected. I had a bit of a rough start as I was trying to get through some arcs that really just weren't doing it for me but then I finished the month off with a bit of a fantasy binge which put me right back on track! All in all, I made my way through seven books which for my busy schedule I'm happy with! Here's the whole selection including a brief synopsis in case you're unfamiliar with the book and a few thoughts from yours truly.

Staycation in Port Sunlight

22 Aug 2020

I'm a traveller by nature. I've been travelling to other countries ever since I was a baby and exploring new places has always just been a part of my summer for as long as I can remember (Check out my travel diaries from 1998-2009 and 2010-2020 here). So with COVID derailing any dreams of travelling abroad this summer, we decided to stay a little closer to home.

How To: Super Simple Watercolour Nails

14 Aug 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

I'm not an artist, so much so that if my life depended on me doing something arty I would probably just end up dying. I'm always so in awe of anyone who can paint or draw because I can't do either truly my childhood attempts at craft were NOT good!  That being said, I'm heading away on a bit of a staycation so I wanted to do my nails (which are normally just white or a dusty pink) and I decided to snazz them up a little and this is so easy that even I couldn't mess it up.


I used five products and decided on a pastel theme for this look but feel free to use whatever colours you want, you really can't go wrong! (These are also all OPI products but I swear I'm not always this brand loyal)


First I applied the base coat which is OPI Start to Finish. This strengthens your nails and ensures an even coverage.


Then I applied a colour for my base and I settled for a white in the form of OPI 'Let's Be Friends'. This one is from the Hello Kitty collection and I picked it up from TK Maxx. I then did another layer of this colour just to solidify it. You could also use a light nude for this as it would definitely allow the colours to pop.


It was then onto the design. I knew I wanted to do something cute and pastel for summer so I settled on three pastel shades, All OPI shades in 'Met A Boy Cute As Can Be' which is a pastel yellow from the Grease collection,  'How Does Your Zen Garden Grow'* which is a pretty sage green colour which I LOVE, and 'Rice, Rice Baby'*, a dusty pink shade both this shade and the green are from the Tokyo Collection which was gifted to me last year. As I mentioned these are just the colours I used but you can replicate this design with any colours.


Now all you need to do is using a single brush stroke apply your colour of choice to each nail to create a little watercolour style stripe. and Voila! You are done! Easy right?


If you try this make sure to let me know how you get on!

My One Hundredth Blog Post

9 Aug 2020

I've been in a little bit of a posting rut as of late but I just logged onto my blog again and realised that I had made 99 blog posts which means that this little post right here is post number 100! I created this blog back in the summer of 2016 as a way to document my university experience but it's grown into so much more and after four years I thought it would be fun to do a little round-up of my top 10 favourite posts that I've made over that time.


I have so many posts that I love that I'm not even sure if these are my favourites but all ten of these posts hold special memories for me so without further ado, let's jump right in!

Books I Read in July 2020

31 Jul 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS GIFTED ITEMS*

Following on from my exceptional reading month that I had in June, July happened and I actually ended up reading TEN books in July! I got myself a Kindle at the start of this month so that's definitely helped me keep on top of my reading. I'm starting a new job this coming month though so I know I definitely won't have as much free time to be taken up with reading so this may be my last excessive reading month for a while so for now here are the books that I managed to work my way through in the month of July!


6 Things I Learned at Uni

23 Jul 2020

This blog originally started back in the summer of 2016 when I was getting ready to start my very first year at university. At that time I had no idea what the future held for me, I think that summer was one of the most stressful times of my life because I was so nervous for the outcome of my A levels that would dictate my future. I ended up not getting the grades that I expected and ended up not getting onto my first choice university but fortunately I did get into my back up. That then spawned another period of stressing over whether I should accept my insurance choice or if I should try and resist some exams and try again next year. Eventually, I decided to go for it and I accepted my offer to study Biomedical Sciences at Ulster University in Coleraine and after four incredible years I've just graduated with a 2:1 honours degree (even though I didn't get a graduation ceremony due to COVID things) and a diploma in professional practice, and I've just gotten my first real job. So now that I'm officially ready to say goodbye to student life I thought I would share some things that I learned during my time at university outside of the lecture halls.

Dress is TK Maxx (more TK Maxx finds here)

First Time Glossier Haul

21 Jul 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*

I've been meaning to buy Glossier products since around 2017 (I remember even being excited when I walked passed the headquarters while on the High Line in New York) but for some reason, I always put it off! Fast forward three years and following a super stressful and busy week I decided that I wanted to treat myself so I made a little splurge and finally purchased myself some items. As a first-time Glossier buyer I had no clue what to expect other than that I'd heard good things. I decided to get both makeup items and skincare items so I could try them both out.


My Best TK Maxx Finds Ever

16 Jul 2020

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a TK Maxx lover so it's no surprise that the only shop that I've been in since lockdown restrictions have been lifted, is TK Maxx. I've been shopping in TK Maxx for years and while it can be a bit hit or miss, I've found some absolute gems throughout that time so I thought I'd just share with you some of the best of the best that I've picked up at my beloved TK Maxx over the years.


Some Thoughts From The Mountains

13 Jul 2020

I took a trip to the mountains with my friends over the weekend. We climbed Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains which is the tallest mountain in Northern Ireland but in the grand scheme of things, it's not very tall! Being in nature and being in the mountains is always said as being a great place It took us almost 7 hours to get up and down to think so that being said I did a lot of thinking up in the mountains.

The £5(ish) foundation that you need in your life!

6 Jul 2020

*THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS*

I'll be the first to say that I love me some makeup! I just find that even putting on a little bit of makeup can really just improve your mood but while we've been stuck inside the only times I've found myself wearing makeup is for content shooting days, filming, or if I'm hanging out with friends, Other than that I'm just bare face every day which is standard because I'm always either full-face or no face - I don't do things by halves! 

However, I've recently found myself on some days gravitating towards just putting on some foundation, powder, brows, blush and a little mascara - which is still arguably a lot but it's definitely a lot less makeup than I would usually wear.

I've been using Too Faced Born This Way for years but recently I have a new love and it comes in the form of The Ordinary Colours foundation. The Ordinary are probably best known for their skincare products but they also dabble in makeup products too including this little bottle!


It looks tiny so when I first got it I was shocked but it actually lasts just as long as other bottles if not longer because the coverage you get is great so you don't need a lot of product to get good coverage. It also applies like an absolute dream, stays put all day and is so so affordable with a price point of only £5.90 which rivals some drugstore brands and this product, for the price is far superior to any drugstore alternatives!

Hamilton is on Disney+ but how does it compare?

3 Jul 2020

If there's one thing that I was most excited about during quarantine it was the release of Hamilton on Disney+! I'm a musical theatre being, I was raised on Julie Andrews and Doris Day and since then I love nothing more than listening to musical cast albums, watching musicals either in film format or in the theatre and even starring in musicals. So for my 19th birthday, I got tickets to see Hamilton when it opened in the West End. It's so popular that I booked the tickets in January 2017 but didn't end up actually attending until February 2018 on my 20th birthday!



First of all What is Hamilton? Just in case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard of Hamilton it is a musical based on the story of one of the founding fathers of the United States, Alexander Hamilton. Sounds riveting right! Hamilton is unique in that it borrows very heavily from hip-hop and RnB music as well as having traditional show tunes sprinkled throughout it. It also features a non-white cast telling a very white story! The original Broadway production won 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the London production (the one that I saw) won 7 Olivier Awards also including Best Musical. The cast recording even won a Grammy and made it up as far as number 3 on the Billboard top 200 so as you can see it's a bit of a phenomenon.


When I went to see the show I already knew the entire cast album so it took every ounce of self-control not to sing along but I was so in awe of the production quality that I just pretty much sat there in amazement for most of the time! This is up there with those moments of my life that I sometimes just forget happened - like maybe I was in a parallel universe or something even though I have the pictures to prove that I was actually there!

Obviously in the current environment, with the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of theatres and those in the arts industry are really struggling and this article from London Theatre Direct gives lots of ways in which you can support the theatre industry during this time!


But how did the Disney+ recording compare to actually seeing the show live? Obviously, nothing can truly compare to seeing live theatre and a lot of the actual experience of seeing a show in real life is missing but for anyone who fell in love with the show through the original cast album it is truly such an exciting experience to see the whole show in high definition with the original cast and the spirit of Hamilton is very much present. I urge you if you haven't seen it already, to go and watch it because while nothing will compare to seeing the show live, seeing a live recording of the original cast comes very close!


Have you watched Hamilton yet? On Disney+ or in real life? If so what was your favourite part, what are you most excited to see in the Disney+ recording?

Books I Read in June 2020

30 Jun 2020

June was an absolutely incredible reading month for me - so much so that I'm still not entirely sure how I pulled it off but I guess that's what graduating in the middle of a pandemic does for you! I read eight books this month and I read six books during the whole of last year. A lot of this spawned from my re-discovery of Overdrive and the Libby app which ignited my new found love of borrowing and reading ebooks and audiobooks from my local library. It was a ride! So here's the rundown of all the books I managed to read this month!


My Favourite Eyeshadow Palettes

25 Jun 2020

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In 2014 I got my first ever PROPER eyeshadow palette. I had just finished my GCSEs and the Urban Decay Naked palette was all the talk of the time and I still actively remember little 16-year-old me plodding into Debenham's with my parents to pick it out. Since then, eye shadow palettes are still my absolute favourite make up item and out of my collection, I thought I'd share with you a few of my favourites. I am by no means a makeup artist. I'm always so amazed by what people can create with makeup because I tend to stick to very plain looks but it works for me!


Tarte

Rainforest of The Sea Volume II

Literally, just look at how pretty this is! I love me a neutral colour palette and this one is just the prettiest! I love the packaging as well as the fact that all the shades are beautiful! I literally use the shade sunset, which is a light shimmery gold colour, almost every day! I also love using pearl which is a nice shimmery white on my inner corners.


Tarte

Tartelette in Bloom

Sticking with Tarte, the first Tarte palette that I got was the Tartelette in bloom palette which is yet again another neutral palette (there's a bit of a theme developing here). I'd heard so much about this palette that I knew I needed it in my life. I'll sometimes mix and match these two Tarte palettes together as this palette has a few more matte shades and slightly darker tones. On the whole I find that Tarte shadows blend so so well together and will always give you a beautiful natural look no matter which shades from the palette you pick. 



Colourpop

Zoella Brunch Date

This was a limited edition palette and is no longer available but when I heard that Zoella was doing a collaboration with Colourpop I jumped at the chance to try it out. I love a lot of the products that Zoella puts out and I'd never tried Colourpop eyeshadows before so this was the perfect opportunity (especially since they launched free UK shipping with it). I love the colour range in this palette (yes it's neutrals again) as you can see the Champagne Toast colour is well and truly GONE and even that blue shade is delightful although the last time I wore it my mum asked what I'd done to my eyes and if I was really going out like that but hey that's what I get from branching out from my neutrals I guess! This palette has definitely inspired me to pick up some more Colourpop products in the future!


ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS

Subculture

This is a bit of a rogue choice because a lot of this palette I don't actually use and the shades that I do use I don't really use very often but when I do use them - particularly the yellows, the browns and the greens - I absolutely love them. The colours are quite intense so it's definitely not every day wear for me but I love incorporating some yellow into my eye makeup looks fairly regularly and it's always good for those special occasions. It is fairly messy though as you can tell from the absolute state of my palette.


Urban Decay

Naked Heat

Bringing it full circle and all the way back to the Urban Decay Naked palette but in this case it's the Naked Heat palette. Oh boy, this palette. This purchase spawned from me spending too much time in duty-free in a busy travel spell and then as soon as I got home I knew that I needed it in my life. This is by far my most used palette during the autumn and winter months and I just adore all the red shades so much. I also love the brushes that come with Urban Decay palettes which isn't something that I can say about other palettes.


So there we have it. Do you have a favourite eye shadow palette? There are definitely a few others that I can't wait to get my hands on!