BRB: I'm taking a break!

I just thought I'd let all of you lovelies know that I won't be around for the next week or two. As you must know by now I am in the midst of moving out of my flat in Portsmouth and back home to Germany after finishing uni so I'm really busy! If it was up to me I'd be back here blogging by Sunday but unfortunately my Mom's new house won't have Internet until the 6th of June due to a complication (or just Deutsche Telekom being generally rubbish!) so I won't be able to blog... In the mean time, I'll be reading The Great Gatsby and trying/failing to fit all of my clothes in one suitcase.

See you soon! X

LIFE: My Wardrobe Clear Out #3

It's now only 3 days until my mom arrives so that she can help me move out. Cue: me rushing to get stuff done before she comes and makes all of my stuff disappear. Today I decided to tackle the two boxes from the bottom of my wardrobe...

(Clear Out Post #1 & Post #2)

Weekly Wishlist #2

I really want to add a nice blue and white dress to my wardrobe to wear over summer but I haven't chosen one yet. These are three that have been added to my "maybe" list so far... 

• Ok so I lied, this lovely ASOS number is not on my "maybe" list, definitely the wishlist though. It's beautiful but way too expensive for daytime wear *cry*
• The Topshop dress is a much more reasonable price and close to what I want but not quite... a lovely dress!
• I don't often look in Matalan but this dress seems like an affordable option that I could happily wear in the garden. I'm still on the hunt for my perfect blue and white dress though!

Do you have a blue and white dress to wear this summer? 

Liebster Award

A couple of days ago the lovely Merilin (merilinzz) nominated me for the Liebster award and I haven't done many posts like this so it was a pleasure to answer some questions about myself and pass this on.

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award is for blogs with less than 200 followers.

The word Liebster is german and basically means 'sweetest', 'dearest', 'welcoming', 'endearing', 'kind', 'lovely' etc.

I was nominated by Merilin.

Rules

1. Each person nominated must list 11 things about themselves.

2. Anwser the 11 questions left by your tagger.

3. Create your own 11 questions. 

4. Tag up-to 11 people.

5. Let the person, you tagged know that you have tagged her/him

6. NO TAG BACKS.

11 facts about me

1. I love tapas

2. I can't wear real gold earrings

3. I can't drive

4. I have a soda stream (and I love it!)

5.My favourite colour is orange

6. I love Jay-Z

7. My middle name is Margaret (gah!)

8.I hate my hair touching my face and neck

9.Giraffes are my favourite animals

10. My nails are currently painted with a colour called "macaron noisette"

11. I am half Hungarian (but can't speak the language :(:( )

Merilin's questions

iPhone or iPad?

I'll have to say iPad - I've used my iPhone less and less ever since I got one!

Favourite beauty product at the moment?

BB cream, it's a life saver!

Favourite makeup brand at the moment?

MUA - I'm trying out a lot of their stuff at the moment.

Do you prefer TV or computer?

Computer (although I'm often watching TV on the computer so it's hard)...

Do you like where you live?

I love it but I have to move :(

What's the weather like right now?

Overcast but it is getting dark

Favourite thing about blogging?

It gives me something slightly constructive to do but isn't stressful

What is your favourite food?

Spaghetti

Have you ever thought of starting your own youtube channel and making videos?

Not really, I wouldn't want everyone hearing my voice!

Have you met anyone famous?

Nope :\

Who is your inspiration?

It's cliche but my Mom, she has done a lot in her life and she's still only young :)

Holly also nominated me so I have answered her questions too:
What made you start your blog?

I needed to do something a bit more constructive with my time, I was spending far too long procrastinating on the computer doing "nothing" so starting a blog gave me something to work on instead of just wasting my time.
What's a pet peeve of yours?

Un-neighbourly neighbours, like the one I have now!
Gold or Silver?

Silver
If you could only use one beauty product on your face for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

My favourite aloe day cream
What's your favourite high-end beauty brand and drugstore beauty brand?

I love clinique (but I'm too poor to afford it) and as I said before, I like MUA at the moment :)
Morning person or night owl?

I guess as I'm a night owl as I hate getting up in the morning but I have to admit I drop off to sleep if I try to stay up too late these days!
Describe yourself in three words :)

 Indecisive, Pessimistic and Truthful (doesn't sound too good but it would have been big-headed to put nice things about myself, perhaps I should have put modest haha)...
Your favourite actress?

 Cameron Diaz :)
What's your guilty pleasure?

Eating tomato puree straight out of the tube :P
Tea or Coffee?

I don't drink either!
What's your favourite item of clothing to wear? 

This is probably not the answer people wanted to hear but my dressing gown... there is nothing better than putting it on at the end of the day (or at any time)... 

My questions

What is your favourite lip colour?

Why did you start your blog?

Do you like baking cakes?

Do you have any pets?

Where do you like to shop for clothes?

Who are your favourite band?

What was the last book you read?

What are your favourite shoes?

What country do you most want to visit?

How many languages can you speak?

Who is your "favourite" celebrity and why?

Tags

GlitterView

Little Swirl's Nifty Notes

Georgia: on my mind

RAVES 'ND RAMBLINGS 

The Last Broken Road 

Lauren Sibs 

Daydreams & Daisy Chains 

Army Wife. Style. Life 

The Curious Ginger 

Sorry if anyone I nominated has already done one of these posts, it was hard to tell! And thanks again to Merilin for nominating me :)

REVIEW: MUA Power Pout in "Crazy in Love"

Top Line: the colour layered up a bit
Bottom Line: one layer of colour

I have had this for quite some time and have been waiting to review it so, here it is! The Power Pout - MUA's £3 lip balm which, ultimately, copies the Clinique Chubby Stick for a fifth of the price... Firstly, I'll apologise for the absolutely rubbish quality of the swatch photo, any other I took was making it look bright pink in colour which it isn't at all!

On first impressions, I'd say this looks good, especially for £3, it's not too tacky but when I first applied it to my lips I was slightly put off. It felt really greasy like it was melting! After wearing it a few times I don't mind that feel so much, it makes it easy to apply and it's not really dry on your lips (although I wouldn't really say it's moisturising, just that the product isn't dry like some lipsticks).

The colour it's self is really nice. The "swatch" on their website looks brown and the packaging looks a bit brown too but the actual tint is a nice berry tone and definitely not as pink as some swatches on the other blogs make it look. You can wear it quite sheer but I like to layer it up a little bit. It doesn't last for a particularly long time but I wasn't expecting a whole night's wear for £3, I'll look elsewhere for that.

In comparison with Clinique's Chubby Stick and Revlon's Just Bitten balm stain which are similar styles, you can definitely tell this is the cheapest but that's fine, you get what you pay for. It feels generally lower in quality than the chubby stick but is more similar in texture as Revlon's effort is really dry. However, the Revlon balm has the longest lasting colour of the three, by far (however it is a stain rather than a tint so not the best comparison).

Overall, I like this. It's one of my favourite balms/tints now, I actually use it more than my favourite chubby stick at the moment because I like the colour so much! I'd buy another but only if there were more colours, as it's quite a small range. The others they have aren't really the kind of colours I'd wear or I'd be buying the same colours I already have in other products if I bought the ones I do like. For me, this is definitely one of the better MUA products I've tried.

Weekly Wishlist

I've decided that I'm going to start doing a small, weekly, wishlist as there are always so many things I want (and want to share with you) so I thought doing it every week would be better than just trying to fit it in with other posts like I have been doing so far. I'm going to keep it fairly simple so this week I am sharing three dresses which caught my eye this week :)

• The black dress is a pencil style pinafore from River Island. I saw it on ASOS and it looks much better on a person than it does on the River Island site. I've been trying to decide if I want a pinafore for ages now and this is the one of the best ones I've seen (for me). It's a little pricy for my liking as it's not denim like most pinafores that are priced at £40 but I really like the style and may have to try it on (and buy it)... Find it on ASOS or River Island
• The coral dress is also from River Island (here) - It's a lovely summery colour and a great price at £22. I can see myself taking my dog for a walk in the park wearing this, in the sunshine, of course.
• The geometric print tunic is from Dorothy Perkins (here). I don't usually shop in Dorothy Perkins but this is another thing which I might have to go and try on as it's only £28 and I love the pop of lime. It's the style of dress that I like wearing as an every day outfit so it would get plenty of wear.

Which one do you think I should get? (please say all of them haha)

Friday's Five Fabulous Things #4

I can't believe it is this time again already, the week has gone so quickly! Today's picture is a baby panda on a rocking horse... I saw it on Pintrest and thought it was cute, I love all kinds of bears!

Here's what's made me happy this week...

1. Lots of Love: I'm still a little under the weather after over a week so my boyfriend has been very kind and sympathetic towards me. Of course, he's nice all of the time any way and it sucks that I'm ill but a bit of extra attention never goes a miss.
2. Visitors: My dad visited me this week to catch up with me before I go to Germany for the summer. It was nice although we never get up to much when we're together; having him stay is a little like having a cat, he sleeps all day and occasionally wakes up for food and conversation. It was nice to seem him so all is well.
3. Sweet Pastry: At the beginning of the week I made a goat's cheese and spinach tart but I wanted it to be really quick and easy so bought a ready made pastry case from the shop... It turned out to be sweet pastry. It did not say on the packet that it was sweet so I didn't realise until I tasted it. Cue me being very disappointed but having to laugh; you have to laugh at yourself sometimes, don't you? :)
4. Dinner with Friends: I talk a lot about food, don't I?... Tonight my friend is having a few of us round for dinner which should be lovely. I'm not sure what she's cooking - I like surprises!
5. Getting Organised: If you have been reading my blog you'll have gathered that I'm moving out of my flat at the end of the month so obviously, I have tonnes of things to get sorted. The removals are booked and I'm gradually sorting out our utilities but one of the most difficult things is going to be chucking out junk and old clothes. I'm feeling better about it now though as I have started thinking of things that I want to get rid of before I look for things so I'm prepared for when I do dare to sort the rest of my stuff out!

I hope all of you have had a great week!

SHOW OFF: Body Shop Bargains

Today I went to my local Body Shop outlet to pick up a few things. These outlets are such fab places; I got 40% off of my bill because I bought 4 things... it would have been £16 but it was £9.60!

I bought:

One Vitamin E Facial Cleansing Bar - I would recommend this to any one. They are EXCELLENT value for money; I have been using the same one near enough daily since SEPTEMBER and it's still not run out. I only got a new one because my current one is getting a bit small now and I'm worried I won't be able to get another (at such a discounted price) while I'm in Germany. They are also far less drying than any face washes I've tried, are great at washing of make up and are perfect to use in the shower (and to take in hand luggage as it's not liquid!)... I will never  buy face wash again!

One Facial Buffer - I have been meaning to buy one of these for a while as they get great reviews, can't wait to use it!

One Handknit Cactus Mitt - I originally wanted to replace my old Smooth & Renew Body Loofah Mitt which I loved but when I saw this cactus mitt I chose it instead; it feels a bit rough but in a god way, like you will get a really good scrub with it. It also seems like you will really get a good lather when using body wash with it which you sadly didn't get with the loofah mitt.

And lastly, one Born Lippy Stick Lip Balm in Pomegranate - I have been using the strawberry one of these for months now and it's so "addictive", I feel like I want to apply it over and over again because it feels heavenly on my lips. So, I thought I'd try another. This pomegranate version smells gorgeous and leaves a slick hint of red on your lips.

Have you tried any of these? If not, I urge you to go out and get the cleansing bar!

LIFE: My Wardrobe Clear Out #2 - Give and Makeup Donation

Today is just a quick post to update you all on my pre move clear-out and to highlight a charity which I have chosen to donate some of my unwanted items to.

I decided to clear out some of my beauty storage yesterday and when doing so I piled up 11 bottles of barely used Simple stuff (cleanser, toner, moisturiser etc which my Nan always buys me even though I have tried to tell her I don't use Simple any more, bless her)... I have put them all  in a box along with a few other bits and will be posting them to a great charity called Give and Makeup which I heard about a while ago. They take donated toiletries amongst other things and distribute them to Women's Aid and Refuge which means that women in need can get their hands on every day essentials. It's going to cost me a fortune to send the box (thanks to Royal Mail! /rant) as it's quite heavy but, I thought it was a really worthwhile charity. Hence why I also decided to share this on my blog as I know many other of you bloggers must have so many products lying around that you've hardly used, too - go and have a look!

Here is a quick list of what Give and Makeup accept as donations:

• Hair products (eg. Shampoo, conditioner, hair dryers etc)

• Skin care products (eg. Cleanser, soap/shower gel, face or body moisturiser etc)

• Other Essentials (eg. Toothbrushes, feminine hygiene products, deodorant etc)

• Makeup, nail polish, perfume and make up tools

• Women's and children's underwear/pyjamas and children's clothes 

• Any baby products

They accept anything new or lightly used, clean items (unless it has an applicator wand, for hygiene reasons) as well as gift/sample sizes!

For a more detailed list on what to donate and how to donate go to their website: here
They also answer any questions on their twitter page  @GiveAndMakeUp

I hope that some of you found this useful as I think it's great :)

REVIEW: L'Oreal False Lash Flutter Mascara

Today I'm reviewing False Lash Flutter Mascara which I'm currently trying out after I put it on my spring wish list. I'm a very loyal fan of the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes range but decided to try this, partly because I was hoping that it wouldn't be too different and that I would get just as good if not better results with it (how very unadventurous of me)!

The photo above shows my eyelashes with the mascara applied after one dip in to the formula and minimal "messing around"; it probably took all of ten seconds per eye to apply and achieve this effect. It probably could have looked better if I had spent longer combing through (although this brush is not very good at that) but I prefer to show what a product can do with minimal effort! If you want to see what my lashes look like without mascara, go here.

In terms of the brush, it's the plastic kind which I personally like. It seems that mascara settles in some areas of the brush more than others, as one side is "deeper" than the other, which could lead to over applying if you don't wipe it off a bit but this is hardly an issue. If I'm being picky, I also thought the brush was a bit fiddly because you can only really use it one way round and I'm not good with my left hand. Over all, the brush is decent, it doesn't cause many clumps and scoops up all of your lashes quite nicely as it's quite big but it's a tiny bit too fiddly for my lazy self.

The formula is also good; it doesn't seem extraordinarily different to Volume Million Lashes (if it is different at all!) and it's a true black. It does an average job of lengthening my lashes (definitely not as good as VML) and just generally emphasises them. I do find that I get a little more fall out (mascara bits on my face) at the end of the day from this compared to Volume Million Lashes (with which I get none) but compared to cheaper mascaras it's practically nothing.

In general this is a good quality mascara (however at £10 that is what you would expect). Although, I don't prefer it to Volume Million Lashes or even some cheaper mascaras which I used to use a lot. I don't want to completely slam it as it's a great step up from a cheaper mascara if you're stretching your budget and looking for something new and of a higher than average quality but it's unfortunately not a very good alternative to VML (for me) so I wouldn't spend £10 on it again. Looking at the picture, I feel like my lashes look a bit like they needed curling which I would never usually do but there is just something about them with this mascara on that's not quite up to my expectations. I'm a bit disappointed but will use it until it runs out as again, it's not awful, just not for me.

LIFE: My Wardrobe Clear Out

Hi everyone! Today I've got a post for you which some of the nosier ones of you may find a little interesting... others not so much. Basically, I'm moving out in 20 days (eek!) and will be going to stay with my mom in Germany over summer before finding my own place again so I need to slim line my life in order to minimise packing. I've started today by sorting out a section of my wardrobe and thought I would document it via my blog in a series of posts.

Friday's Five Fabulous Things #3 + Mini Wish List

Skirt and Top: River Island - Bag: Ted Baker

First of all, apologies for hardly posting during the last few days; it has been a whirlwind of lunches and other fun things. The week has been dampened a little by the fact that I have had a sore throat for a few days and have now lost  my voice but over all I have had a pleasant week. This week I am sharing a mini wish list, I'm dying for the coordinating skirt and top (as well as any other matching tops and bottoms)!

1. Blogging: I have had lots of new followers and nice comments this week, thanks everyone! I'm going to write and schedule lots of posts this weekend to make up for my absence, I promise!

2. Baking: this week was my Nan's birthday so I made her some flapjack and sent it to her. It was the first thing I have baked in a while and was lots of fun. There was even some flapjack left over for me, yum! Here is the chocolate and cherry recipe that I used!

3. Bad Dancing: last night I went out to Liquid (a large night club for those who don't know) which I haven't been to for a while and saw some things which I think I'm going to be chuckling about all weekend. I know you shouldn't laugh at people but when a girl on the dance floor busts in to what seems to be a truly terrible ballet routine, it's hard not to and I don't think I will be forgetting it in a while!

4. Bowling: on Wednesday I went bowling. My local Bowlplex do a decent student deal for a game and a drink so I went down there with a couple of friends and enjoyed a good gossip (and the bowling of course)... They let you bowl in your own shoes at this bowling alley, it's crazy!

5. Browsing in New Places (I tried so hard to get that to begin with B after the first four did, can you tell? lol): I've noticed a few clothing/jewellery websites this week that I have never come across so I have enjoyed browsing what they have to offer and I might order some treats this week (as if I haven't had enough already). It's nice to have somewhere new to look for goodies :)

Hope you have all enjoyed your week! Let me know what you got up to x

NOTD: Blue Reef

Today I'm showing you another L'Oreal Color Riche nail colour which I bought yesterday when I was buying mascara and L'Oreal products were on 3 for 2. This is Blue Reef (613) and I think it's lovely; the lady doing the hand stamps at a club I went to on Friday night even complemented me on the colour so there's some proof that it's a fab colour! I'd say that it's more green looking in real life compared to the photo but I just couldn't get it to show. Because of the green element, it becomes quite a summery colour, in my opinion, even though it's quite dark. I only needed one coat to get really good colour which, in comparison to the other color riche colours I've tried, is awesome since I usually need two or three coats with them. I've used two coats though (shown in the picture) because one is never very durable as I'm sure you all know!

What do you think of this colour? x

Friday's Five Fabulous Things #2

I have felt rather relaxed week this week, now that university is over for me. This week I'm sharing a photo of my dog in a party hat as I'm going to a birthday night out tonight!

Meet Monty

1. Lunch with Lady Friends: Yesterday I went for lunch with three of my friends and had a delicious pulled pork and chill jam burger. After that we sat on the grass behind our student union and enjoyed the sun whilst planning our trip to Thorpe Park. One of said friend's boyfriends turned up and bought us an ice cream each, lovely.
2. Sunshine: Need I say more? 
3. Birthdays!: Recently two of my friends turned 21 so tonight we are all going out to celebrate which I'm thinking will be a great night (it was also an excuse to buy a new dress) so I'm majorly happy and excited :D
4. Mother: It's been almost three weeks since I last spoke to my Mom on the phone as she moved house and has had to wait for her phone to be installed (we can't use mobiles as it costs too much to call abroad!). It should be getting connected today so I'm really looking forward to a good chat with her this weekend.
5. New stuff: getting new stuff is always exciting and today a parcel containing my new Kenwood Mini Chopper arrived. It's a bit silly to get giddy over kitchen appliances but I can't wait to use it!

 I hope all of you have had a great week! x

SHOW OFF: Grafitti Dress

Graffiti Dress: Cameo Rose (New Look Label Lounge) £15.99 - Can't find it on the website, sorry!

Chain: Part of a Pack of 4 from ASOS £20 - See my post about them here

Bag: ASOS (old)

Sunglasses: D&G available here

New Look is often hit and miss when it comes to finding things I like but when I found this dress the other day I thought it would be a fun addition to my spring/summer wardrobe. I've worn it with leggings here because it was a bit windy but it's not too short that I wouldn't wear it without so it will be perfect for when things warm up a bit more. I wore this outfit yesterday and was only going shopping -I didn't find anything really :( - so I just threw on one of my ASOS chains and picked up an old ASOS bag (which happened to already have my purse in it) which ended up being an alright choice with the dress. I also wore my sunnies for the first time this year, happy days!