I Have An Excuse!

Long time no see!
My last blog post was back in December of last year! No one understands how much I have wanted to blog. However, around the end of December, my laptop completely broke. The screen was smashed and the software didn't work. I gave it to my uncle and he wasn't able to fix it.
Hopefully, I am going to get a new laptop for my birthday which is next month! This means that I will be able to blog more regularly, which I am super excited to do.
I am uploading this via my brother's laptop but I wasn't able to use this to blog before because his also broke. What can I say, we aren't very good with technology!
Anyway, I am really sorry for not posting in almost a year; I will definitely make it up to you guys by posting as much as I can next month and onwards.
I'd really appreciate it if you could leave me some ideas in the comments of blog posts you'd like to see (like my favourite products of the month, Autumn fashion ideas, specific makeup products I am loving or even just a general life update).
I hope everyone is well and keep your eyes peeled for my next blog post!

Apologies!

I know what you're thinking.
Georgia, where have you been?!

If you read my previous post (now deleted), I told you how my laptop has broken. Apart from having a smashed screen, the software has stopped working: a graphic virus, apparently. My uncle is a computer whiz and is getting a new screen ordered for me and he will be able to get rid of the virus and get my computer back to normal! He works 25/8 pretty much and I don't see him too often but when I do see him, everything will work again and I will be able to blog!

Exciting news flash, duh duh. I got the Naked 3 palette for Christmas! Therefore, you guessed it, I'll be bringing out a blog post reviewing the beautiful product and giving you swatches, if you haven't seen any already. It's like my new baby, I'm so excited to try it out!

In other news, I was thinking of filming a "What I Got For Christmas" video and uploading it to my YouTube channel, as my very first video. I don't have a big enough memory card yet so when I buy one I was hoping to film a few videos as I've wanted to for a very long time. I don't know if that would be of interest to anyone though so let me know in the comments!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got some wonderful gifts! I'm so grateful for everything I received and I feel truly blessed to be surrounded by amazing family and friends. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a good day.

Keep your eyes peeled for my upcoming blog posts (when my laptop is fixed). So excited!

Lots of love. x

Winter Wonders: Christmas Decorations!

 Before I start this blog post, I'd like to say a huge "sorry" for not posting. School work is really getting on top of me; I hate to make excuses but things have been getting so hard at school. I have a six hour Drama exam on the first and second days I go back to school and a Spanish exam the day after my Drama exams, as well as other Maths, Science and History assessments that are on the way! It's very stressful but I've managed to find the time to write up a blog post for you.

On a brighter note, we put our Christmas decorations up last weekend! My house is finally feeling very festive and full of joy and excitement. Sadly, our tree isn't real, it's a fake one we've been using for years but it does the job. The theme of the Christmas tree is very simple: red and white (apart from a random blue bauble - I'll have to take that off when my mum isn't looking!). It makes me sound so boring but I actually hate having a Christmas tree that is full of different colours, I much prefer to stick to one or two. My cat, Alvin, used to love climbing in the tree when he was a baby. He doesn't tend to do it any more but he still likes to sit on the TV stand and play with the baubles! I took a gorgeous photograph of him but when I tried to upload it, Blogger turned it really funny, even after I edited it. It looks fine on my camera and laptop but it goes really weird when I try to upload it. I'd love for you to be able to see it though so I'll have to try and sort it out.

There are lots of small Christmassy items scattered around the house, like the Santa which sits on the television stand, with two different blocks that we switch round every day, to countdown the days until Christmas! It makes me super excited when my mum gets him out because then I know it's almost Christmas! We also have green tinsel wrapped around the banister, with small red bows on it. Up the stairs, we have little Christmas-themed cuddly toys - some of them sing and dance! - on each second step.

I really ought to decorate my own room but I have no space at the moment as I'm still figuring out where to move my bed - I swear I change the position of it every weekend! Also, we might still be moving house so when I have a new room which is decorated the way I like, I'll make it festive - this will happen by next Christmas, I'm sure.

Have you decorated your house yet? If you have, what's your favourite decoration?

Winter Wonders: Christmas Playlist

Good morning/afternoon/evening (wherever you are) everyone and welcome to the first instalment of Winter Wonders!

It's been getting so dark so quickly; I've been wanting to snap a few pictures for a new blog post but it's just been way too dark to get a good photograph! I promise something will be up this weekend though, seeing as I'm putting our Christmas tree up very soon! I'm so excited!
Anyway, I thought I'd keep it simple today so I'm going to show you a few of my favourite Christmas songs. Some of them are old classics which you hear every year and some are quite new; some which may be new to you!

1. Snow In California - Ariana Grande



I absolutely adore Ariana Grande and the fact she is bringing out a bunch of Christmas songs makes me so happy and excited! Her voice is gorgeous and she's such a beautiful, talented young woman. This song is quite new, it came out earlier this week or last week, I think. It's so catchy and I love it so much! I've been singing it constantly since I first heard it, no lie.

2. Merry Christmas Everyone - Shakin' Stevens



Here's a good old classic for you! I hear this song every single Christmas and it gets me right in the Christmas spirit! You can't help but nod your head or tap your foot to the beat. This is one of the songs I've been singing non-stop at school this week; I even got some of my friends to join in! It does an amazing job of expressing the joy everyone has at Christmas time and the saxophone solo is...fabulous.

3. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey



Mariah Carey is extremely talented and this is one of my all-time favourites. You've always got to have a cheesy love song blasted out during the holiday! This song is extremely popular now and you don't have to wonder why! It's very catchy with such a good beat; I find myself singing it without realising! The video makes me feel so festive!

4. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love



This song was actually released in November 1963! It's amazing to think how long ago this was brought out yet people still listen to it. I completely forgot about this song until I heard it in a few of Zoe, Alfie and Marcus' Vlogmas videos but ever since I heard it in their vlogs, I haven't been able to stop singing it. I always feel daft though because so many people have never heard of it so I'm left singing it on my own. Darlene Love has such an amazing voice and the song is so upbeat. I love it!

5. Last Christmas - Ariana Grande



Another song by Ariana, I'm sorry! I love the original version of this song (by Wham) but I adore Ariana's spin on it! She made it so upbeat and added a few verses, to make it that bit more modern and pop-like. Some people who grew up with the original Wham song may not like this (my mum told me to turn it off because it didn't do the original justice...) but people around my age may appreciate it that little bit more. It's so fun to listen to.

I know of so many other amazing Christmas songs so if you'd like me to do a part two, leave a comment! I didn't want to post too many but, again, I'd love to know if you'd like me to expand.
I hope you're excited for the upcoming Winter Wonders posts, I have a few planned already. If there's anything you'd like to see, please let me know!

What's your favourite Christmas song?

Blog Update: New 'Series'?

Source: We Heart It

Hello everyone!

I'd like to apologise for the fact this isn't a proper blog post but it's getting extremely hard to take photographs when I get home from school as it gets so dark so quickly! I will be making up for it though, I promise!

Anyway, if you know me, you know I get extremely excited for Christmas. It's only December 3rd and I'm singing Christmas songs already! I think everyone at school started to hate me a little because I kept bursting out into song today. Christmas is my favourite time of year, as it's a time to get cosy in bed whilst it's cold outside, you get the chance to put up beautiful decorations and it's a great time to spend time with the family you wouldn't normally see a lot and, generally, be very happy.

So, as I love Christmas and Winter so much, I'd thought I'd do a new mini series on my blog! It's going to be called Winter Wonders and every blog post I do will be focused around my favourite Winter items or other Christmassy things. For example, I might do a post on my favourite winter outfits or I might give you all some ideas of Christmas gifts you could get for your loved ones. I'll be doing this leading up to Christmas; much like how Youtubers do Vlogmas, this is like my interpretation of 'Blogmas'.

I'm super excited to start this series and I hope you are too! If you have any posts you'd like to see, leave a quick comment.

Happy December!

November Favourites!

Happy 1st December!
It's crazy how fast this year has gone, it only feels like yesterday when we hit 1st January 2013 and I had to get used to writing 2013, not 2012, in my school books. I know I uploaded a blog post yesterday and I've been wanting to space my posts out a bit but since it's the first of the month, I thought it would be necessary and suitable to upload this one: my November favourites! Throughout the month, I've been trying new and different products and some of them I have really loved, like the ones I'm going to show now. I probably won't do a favourites blog post for every month as some months I don't find any new products I particularly like.
Also, I've been thinking of making Youtube videos. I have a channel (makelovepretty) but I haven't made any videos yet. Once I get a new memory card and a good set-up, I might start. Let me know what you think in the comments below!
Anyway, moving onto this month's favourites...

Makeup Favourites

Face

Please excuse the obnoxious background, I wanted to get this post up asap and had nowhere decent to take pictures!

 This month, I've been really loving my Mac products: Studio Fix Fluid foundation and Mineralize Skin Finish Natural powder. I only bought them last month - my first Mac products! I never used to love high-end products (mainly for the fact I never have any money) and I'd only ever tried out Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation and a couple of their Boi-ing concealers (which I loved). However, I did always want to try out something from Mac and as I love a good full coverage foundation, I picked up Studio Fix. I have mine in NC15. You can buy it from the Mac website (HERE) for £21.50. An excellent dupe for this is the L'Oréal True Match which you can buy from Boots or Superdrug (HERE or HERE) for £9.99. Studio Fix has a matte finish so if you prefer a dewy finish and you don't like high coverage foundations, it definitely won't be for you. I've also been loving Mac's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark. I have super pale skin so I don't use it to powder as I'd walk out my house looking incredibly orange and ridiculous! Instead, I use my Rimmel Stay Matte powder (which I included in my top 5 drugstore must-haves) and I then go on to use my Skinfinish powder to bronze underneath my cheek bones, around my temple and my jawline. I don't use it to contour, however. You can buy the Mineralize Skinfinish Natural HERE for £22. I think this will last me a long time considering the amount of product you get!

The final 'face' product is my Bourjois blusher in 34 Rose d'Or (Golden Rose). This is a gorgeous light pink colour with shimmer running throughout it. When it's applied to the face, it's very sheer so I might start using this as a bit of a highlight. It has a little bit too much shimmer for my liking (if you apply too much, it's possible you'll resemble a disco ball as soon as the sunlight hits your face) but I have been liking this product a lot as it can look very natural. It has a strong scent, though, which I don't particularly like.

Lips

I have two lip products that I've been loving this month. The first is Vaseline, pretty self-explanatory. This does an excellent job of moisturising my lips. I have mine in cocoa butter - my absolute favourite! This tastes and smells so good.You can buy Vaseline from almost any shop for quite a cheap price. I've especially been loving it because of the weather and season change.
The second lip product is my Revlon Lip Butter, which I have in 045 Cotton Candy. I also mentioned this in my top 5 drugstore must-haves but I didn't say too much about it because I've been wanting to do a full review later on. If you'd like to read a review on these lip butters, leave a comment below. I particularly like these because they are moisturising; I tend to stick to plain lip balms in the winter, so a type of lip balm with added colour is a must for me! Revlon do a whole range of different colours which I've been wanting to try out. Cotton Candy is a sheer baby pink colour. They would look a lot more natural if they didn't have as much shimmer but as they are very sheer and light, they are great to wear to school. If I'm doing a full make-up look, I love to pair this with a pink lipstick, to add a bit of shine so my lips aren't completely mattified (is that a word? I don't know.) The packaging is beautiful and handy too. It's very sleek and slim so it is easy to throw in your bag and the plastic surrounding the actual lip butter resembles the same colour as the product itself. It also has a nice 'quilted' detailing effect, which I love.

Eyes

Last month, I did a little (by little I mean a lot) online shopping on the Elf website (HERE). They had an offer on: get 50% off your final order, as long as it was over a certain amount, I believe. I ended up spending thirty pounds and I bought sixty pounds worth of make-up! If you'd like to see an Elf haul, let me know. Anyway, I bought two of their Baked eyeshadows. You can buy them HERE for £3.75 each. At the moment, you can also buy a whole palette of Baked eyeshadows for £10 (HERE). I bought Bark and Toasted. Bark is a very deep brown whereas Toasted is quite a coppery colour - a colour which really suits and compliments my - blue - eye colour. There are four other Baked eyeshadows (Enchanted, Pixie, Burnt Plum and Dusk) so six in total. You get quite a lot of product so I do think they will both last for a while, especially considering how pigmented they are, you don't need a lot to go a long way. I don't wear these as an everyday combination, I tend to only wear them if I'm going out in the evening (like to dinner). I place Toasted all over my lid then work Bark into my crease, blending them both together. I always use any white eyeshadow in my inner corners and on my browbone, to highlight. Elf's Baked shadows are very shimmery, which may not be to everyones taste. It's possible to blend them out so much that they aren't so harsh. I don't always wear them together; sometimes I'll wear Toasted with a matte brown or I'll wear any matte, neutral eyeshadow and run Bark through my crease, to contour and define. I can see myself wearing them a lot in the future!

Body/Skincare

In the Winter, it is (in my opinion) mandatory to moisturise. The weather change always takes a toll on my skin, leaving it quite dry, so a good moisturiser is key! I'm a big fake tan..addict, you could say. Recently I haven't been using my usual fake tan - I've been pulled towards the Garnier Summerbody moisturising lotion. I used to use this a long time ago but never got round to repurchasing when I ran out. This stuff smells amazing! It has an extract of apricot in it. However, I've started to get sick of the smell as it tends to make my clothes, pyjamas and bedsheets stink of it. Unattractive, I know. It has a gradual, 'natural looking' build up of 'sun-kissed tan'. In other words, as I use it every night, I look orange. Great. Despite that, I really do like this product as it moisturises my body and gives me a sun-kissed glow. When I use my usual fake tan, I don't tend to moisturise before applying as I find my tan doesn't stick to my body. However, this is a two in one, so I don't have to worry! It doesn't seem to go too patchy either which I like. You can buy it from any shop that sells beauty items; I bought mine from Boots (HERE). The second skincare item I've been enjoying using is my Soap & Glory Hand Food hydrating hand cream. I was gifted this in a Soap & Glory set for my birthday, back in October, and I started using it straight away. It leaves my hands feeling so soft and I think I may be a little bit addicted to the smell. I stopped using it for a little while after a couple of weeks of trying it out and I noticed a huge difference with how dry my hands got again. I take this everywhere now!

Hair (take a shot every time I say 'hair')

I'm always looking for hair products that create texture in my hair and give me volume as my hair is very thick and I have a lot of it, so it gets weighed down which causes it to look very flat and dull. I have been loving my V05 Cherish My Colour full bodied spray. I have dyed hair, so when a product says it can stop my hair colour from fading as quickly, I almost fly to the till in excitement. Cherish My Colour also claims to enhance the shininess of my hair and add natural bounce and thickness. This product gives my hair quite a bit of volume and, since I've been using it, my hair has started to look a lot healthier and shinier! I only apply this when my hair is damp, after being towel-dried. I don't like using products on dry hair as so many things can make it look and feel greasy. I definitely recommend this product to anyone with long, flat hair.
The final product I'm going to talk about is my Toni & Guy casual sea salt texturising spray which I bought from Boots for £7.19 (you may have gathered that I love shopping in Boots). Again, anything to stop my hair from looking so flat! This is the perfect spray to create tousled waves but if I use too much, it gives the appearance of my hair looking extremely matted and not very well cared for, so you have to be very careful. I normally use this on second to third day hair because I like to wash it straight out that night otherwise my hair gets super knotty. The bottle is quite big and because I don't use it every day, or very often, it should hopefully last me a long time.

So, that concludes my November favourites! I really hope you enjoyed this post and I'd love to know what your favourites for this month have been.

Winter Reads

I love reading. I always have done, ever since I was four or five. I learnt to read from such an early age, taking interest in colourful books with few words. As I got older, my reading skill improved as did my writing. From reading so many books, I learnt a lot of new vocabulary which I included in the many stories I'd scribble down. One of my all time favourite authors was Jacqueline Wilson and I remember when my dad ordered me a bunch of her books off Ebay; it felt like Christmas when they arrived! As I'm halfway through my teenage years, it's come to my attention that many other people in my age group look at reading as it being 'boring' or 'uncool'. Personally, I think reading is a wonderful thing and it also makes a person that bit more intelligent.
Now that we're into the colder months, I enjoy reading so much more. I love lying in bed with a good book and a cup of tea, especially when I know there's no reason for me to leave the house and brace the coldness. I'm more of a summer girl, I enjoy the heat and being able to go outside and not freeze to death.
Anyway, back to the point, I have dug out (of my ridiculously huge collection) five of my favourite books!

 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- by Stephen Chbosky

"Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs and the Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor."

I am actually in the middle of reading this book. I watched the film first, a while ago, because I didn't own the book. I really wish I'd waited to buy the book before watching the movie because, despite the move being excellent, nothing beats the original book. The book is set out in letter form, where Charlie (the main character) is writing to his 'friend'. I don't think he ever reveals who his friend is, but I haven't finished the book yet so I'm not positive. It is set in the early nineties which I do enjoy about the book as it gives me a bit of insight into that time and if it was any different to how we live life now. Perks has been able to make me laugh out loud and it has - almost - reduced me to tears at some points! There's few books which have managed to make me do that. I've barely been able to put this book down - I can only say that for one other book. I'm always excited to start reading again and see what Charlie has been up to. Stephen Chbosky has the amazing talent of making the reader feel like Charlie is one of our friends so I know I'm going to be extremely sad when the book comes to an end.

 The Fault in Our Stars
 - by John Green

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten."

The Fault in Our Stars was a Tumblr classic a while back. Everyone and their mother owned and had read this book and proceeded to put quotes on Tumblr and express their love for it. This caused me to buy it and it's the best thing I've ever done. This book reduced me to tears but also made me really laugh at parts - I laughed and cried together sometimes. John Green has an excellent sense of humour and his writing is very witty. He's such an intelligent man and it shows within the book. I think I secretly fell in love with Augustus Waters and his charming ways! I read it very quickly as I refused to put it down - I didn't even go on the internet much whilst reading this because I was that hooked. The fact it is a #1 New York Times Bestseller doesn't surprise me at all. This deserves to win hundreds of awards! If there are over a hundred book awards anyway... I don't want to give away any of the story in case I ruin it. I highly suggest you buy this book straight away though!

Shiver 
- by Maggie Stiefvater

"When a local boy is killed by wolves, Grace's small town becomes a place of fear and suspicion. But Grace can't help being fascinated by the pack, and by one yellow-eyed wolf in particular. There's something about him - something almost human. Then she meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away..."

I read this book a long time ago and I loved it immensely. It's all about a girl, named Grace, who got attacked by a group of wolves when she was a small child. Ever since, she kept seeing one of the wolves at the bottom of her garden, when it was the winter time. In the summer, the wolf turned into a teenage boy. The book skips between POVs (point of views), one chapter is written by Grace, the other chapter is written by Sam (the boy/wolf). I'm not too clear on the storyline as I haven't read it in a while - I'll definitely be reading it again some time soon! Maggie Stiefvater brought out a sequel, which is called Linger. I bought it straight away but still haven't read it. I love the simplicity of the front cover, the white and red really stands out against the black background.

 Glass Houses
- by Rachel Caine
"Morganville is a small town filled with unusual characters - when the sun goes down, the bad come out. In Morganville, there is an evil that lurks in the darkest shadows - one that will spill out into the bright light of day.

For Claire Danvers. high school was hell, but college may be murder. It was bad enough that she got on the wrong side of Monica, the meanest of the school's mean girls, but now she's got three new roommates, who all have secrets of their own. And the the biggest secret of all isn't really a secret, except from Claire: Morganville is run by vampires and they are hungry for fresh blood..."

As the blurb suggests, the story is set in a town called Morganville which is run by vampires. These aren't your well-known fantasy vampires, like Edward Cullen; they are dark creatures, which give the story an exciting edge. Glass Houses is the first book in the series; there are 15 in total, I believe. This is another book I haven't read in a long time. After I've finished Perks, I think I will read it again so I can continue reading the rest of the series. I hate going straight in to read book two or three if I haven't read the first one for a long time! They are all very thick, long books so it may take me a while...

I'd Tell You I Love You But Then I'd Have To Kill You
- by Ally Carter

"'Do you ever feel like you're invisible? I know I do - just call me Cammie the Chameleon. But at my school, that's seen as cool. Why? Because the Gallagher Academy might say it's for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies.'

Cammie Morgan might be capable of killing a man in seven different ways but she's about to begin her most dangerous mission yet: falling in love."

I finished this book quite recently but it did take me a while to get into it. I tried reading it a couple times beforehand but always ended up reading something different instead because it was just so difficult to really get into and enjoy. However, after a few chapters, I began to start liking it a lot and read it a lot quicker than it took for me to get into it. There are three other books in the Gallagher Girl/Academy series and I did start to read the second one (Cross My Heart & Hope To Spy) but, again, I found it difficult to really enjoy so I stopped reading it. I might go back to it soon because the first one was ever so good! It had a bit of a twist at the end which I wasn't expecting; it actually made me so sad! I won't spoil it for you though. The storyline is a really good idea and it is now one of my favourite books.

That's it for my favourite winter reads! I'm looking forward to the rest of the winter period so I can read heaps more books; I have a huge pile of unread books I need to read! It's such a cosy season and I really do love it. If you have any favourite books or you've read any of the ones I've mentioned, leave a comment below!