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?
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