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!

Sick Days & Contemplating the Future

I've been quite sick over this weekend. The changing weather has taken it's toll on me and has left me with a horrible stuffy head, cold and sore throat. Autumn and Winter have so many positives, like cosy nights in with a cup of tea or the excitement of buying cute new scarves and gloves, but they both come with negatives - like sprinkling their ability to make people ill around the northern hemisphere at this time of year. How generous. However, many flu tablets and lozenges later, I'm getting better. Having been ill, I've spent all weekend in bed, turning down the opportunity to go out and socialise. Therefore, I've had plenty of time to read blogs, watch youtube videos and eat my weight in all kinds of sweet food - which also means I've had a lot of time to think, between watching videos, of course.

I've actually come across an amazing blog which I will link HERE. It's made me chuckle so many times throughout reading some of the posts and has also made me contemplate where I want to go in life. I've always changed what I want to become once I leave school - I wanted to be a Tweenie at around age 5 (is Tweenies still getting filmed? Let me know, I loved that show!), a teacher between the ages of 8 and 12 and then an author. I'll always secretly want to be an author; I love to write - stories in particular - and have done ever since a young age. My nan still keeps a load of short stories I wrote when I was tiny; she dug one out for me the other week which I wrote when I was seven, I think. For a seven year old, that ish was good (not meaning to blow my own trumpet or anything). However, I have a clear idea of what I want to do once I leave school. I only have a year and a half left at secondary school. The thought of leaving it behind terrifies me yet excites me at the same time. I still can't imagine what it's going to be like, not being surrounded by people I've known for years every day, in and out. I always complain about school and I'm not one to hold back on expressing how much I dislike it but, deep down, I'm thankful for it. I have a further 3 or so more - mandatory - years in education (meaning that once I turn eighteen, I no longer have to be in any form of education). Instead of staying on at sixth form or doing my A levels, I think I'm going to go straight on to college. I have my future all planned out. That deserves a big pat on the back, if you ask me, as I've spent years umm-ing and ahh-ing over what I plan to do with the rest of my life.

I leave school in May 2015 - hurray or no way? I'm yet to decide. Anyway, after I've left, I'll be going on to college to study Hair and Media Make-Up at Level 2 which is a fairly basic one year course. In this course, I'll learn how to tan clients (successfully... Which will be a miracle seeing as I turn myself orange when I tan myself), how to apply basic and photographic make-up and how to apply base colour (when dying hair). After, I'll go on to do a second year long course: Make-Up Artistry at Level 3. I'll learn how to apply prosthetics and how to do theatrical and special effects make-up. I'm hoping to have the opportunity to go to university and study hair and make-up in further detail. My absolute dream job is to be apart of the make-up teams for television shows and films. Also, I'd love to move to America (Florida or LA, in particular) and work at places like Universal - it'd be amazing to get the chance to work there around Halloween, when the actors need to get zombie-fied! I also want to do freelancing.
However, if I do ever decide make-up isn't what I want to go on to do, I'd love to study Psychology at university.

It's crazy, thinking that in ten years time, I could be working alongside some of the most talented make-up artists! I'm excited to get to do what I love and have a strong passion for.
The main thing I'm worried about losing when I leave school and go on to pursue my dreams, though, are my friends. I know that most of the people I see every day, I won't keep in contact with for very long once we've all left. It's really sad to think about it.

Anyway, enough of my rambling, it's eleven o'clock on a Sunday night and I have (you guessed it) school tomorrow. Not quite sure how I feel about this, especially with how sick I still am, but keeping my future plans in mind, I'll get through. I'm very sorry if this hasn't been very interesting to read but I do have quite a few - hopefully - better posts lined up but I did want to share this with you all, just so you can get to know me a little better!

I'd love to hear what you want to do when you leave school or, if you've left already, what you are doing! Leave a comment or tweet me letting me know. :)

My Top 5 Drugstore Must-Haves!

I love drugstore products. Don't get me wrong, I do love going into MAC or visiting Benefit's make-up counter in Boots on a Saturday afternoon to see how much money I can spend there until I realise what that money could have been saved up and put towards. However, there are so many amazing products in places like Boots and Superdrug which are practically identical to the quality of high-end make-up for about fifteen pounds cheaper! These are just a few of my favourites; I have many more so it was extremely difficult to shorten my list down to my top five.

1. The first product is my all time holy-grail powder and that is Stay Matte by Rimmel. Powder was always one of the most difficult things for me to find when I was first starting to wear make-up. Some powders I tried had a horrible colour range so I would walk out the house completely orange and others used to wear off and go patchy throughout the day. Not a good look! Then I came across Stay Matte. I'd heard about it quite a lot on Youtube and I'm so glad I finally got round to buying it because I go back and repurchase these all the time. I've got mine in translucent - I never buy coloured powders as my foundation matches my natural skin colour almost perfectly so any added colour on top makes my face look cakey and orange; if I have used fake tan, I bronze my face up to get it to match my neck and the rest of my body. This powder is only £3.99 from Boots - a bargain considering how amazing it is!

2. Bronzer is my best friend and after hearing so many good reviews about the Bourjois 'chocolate' bronzing powder, I had to go out and buy it. My mum bought this before me so I'd previously used hers to see if I liked it. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you can buy this in two shades: 51 and 52. I have mine in 51, which is considerably lighter than the other one. This bronzer has quite an orange/red-ish undertone - if you are super pale, I wouldn't recommend this, as it can come up quite harsh. I have really pale skin so I don't wear as much as this unless I've done my fake tan. It also has shimmer throughout it so if you don't like that, this bronzer isn't for you. It's priced at £6.99, incredible for the amount of product you get. I usually use this to contour with and then go on to use my MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark to bronze up my face, where the light would naturally hit it.

3. This next product is a new favourite for me: Scandaleyes Retro Glam by Rimmel. The brush on this mascara is immense! The bristles are longer at both ends of the brush and shorter in the middle. The way the bristles are set out ensures your lashes don't look clumpy and that the product is distributed nicely onto each individual lash. My eyelashes are quite long anyway but when I wear this, it does give a false-lash effect which I like because I don't think a make-up look is complete without full, thick lashes. Again, I bought this from Boots for £6.99. I tend to get quite a lot of product on the end of the brush so I do have to make sure I've wiped it off onto the inside of the tube otherwise things get a bit messy.

4. The second to last must-have drugstore product is the Collection Intense Colour Supersoft Kohl pencil eyeliner. My best friend actually gave me this because she didn't want it nor use it which I'm very thankful for because I love it! I have mine in 02 Birdy Song which is a dark brown. I don't tend to wear brown eyeliners although I have started to accumulate quite a few. I prefer to wear black eyeliner as it makes my eyes appear bigger and makes the colour of my eyes stand out considerably more. However, I love wearing this eyeliner to school because it's very subtle and not as harsh as if I was to wear black. The formulation is perfect; it glides on my eye so smoothly and it's very easy to blend despite being so pigmented! I wear this right in my lash line to create an illusion of thicker lashes. I'm not quite sure how much this was because, like I said, it was given to me but it probably doesn't cost much as it's by Collection but I do love this product so much!

5. I'm not quite sure if this last product qualifies as a drugstore product as you can't buy it in places like Boots in the UK. It is one of the Elf Studio line mineral lipsticks in Nicely Nude. A couple of weeks ago, I went online and ordered a ridiculous amount of makeup off the Elf website - I might do a top 5 Elf products post soon! Luckily, they had a half price off everything on there and I ended up buying sixty pounds worth of make-up for only £30! This lipstick is a gorgeous pink shade. It does have 'Nude' in it's name but this is a lot more on the pink side. It isn't highly pigmented but it does give a really nice colour pay-off. It can be blended out with a bit of lipbalm until it is quite sheer. It can feel slightly drying on my lips sometimes but mostly, it feels fine. It gives a matte finish which I like in a lipstick because I always put a bit of lip gloss over the top. I like to wear Elf's Plumping Lip Glaze in Wink Pink (£1.50) with it. When you swatch it, it has a subtle shimmer throughout it but it isn't noticeable when worn. However, it doesn't have an amazing lasting power and I have to top it up a lot during the day which I normally don't have time to do. This lipstick cost me five pounds - not too bad seeing as it is a gorgeous colour and you get a lot of product!

Another cheeky must-have I'm going to include (but unfortunately forgot to photograph) is Revlon's Lip Butters. I have one in 045 Cotton Candy which is a gorgeous, sheer baby pink. They are very moisturising and natural-looking so great to wear to school if you aren't allowed to wear anything bright on your lips. The Lip Butters come in gorgeous packaging and I can't wait to buy more. I don't want to write lots here because once I've bought a few more, I might do a big review on them so keep an eye out!

That concludes my top 5 drugstore must-haves! I do recommend going out and trying, possibly buying, these products as I do think they are worth it, especially for the low prices! Who doesn't love a good quality yet cheap make-up product?
If you have any of these, let me know what you think! Also, if you know of any more good drugstore must-haves, you'll have to tell me. :)

People's Opinions DO NOT Matter

I've always been a worrier. Ever since I was quite young, I've always worried what people think of me and I've always lacked confidence. I'm not someone to try and stand out; I much prefer to disappear into the crowd. Why? I haven't a clue. I guarantee the first time you meet me, I will be completely silent and awkward. Not awkward in a 'cute' way either, awkward in a painful way. I've changed myself in the past to fit in - this resulted in me being extremely unhappy because I couldn't be myself. I don't get bullied, I'm not particularly disliked by anyone, but I do always have a constant worry in the back of my mind: What if people don't like the way I am?

At my school today, we had a non uniform day for Children in Need. I decided to wear disco pants from New Look and an alphabet t-shirt from American Apparel. I've never worn disco pants before; I much prefer to stick to normal skinny jeans, like most girls wear. No word of a lie, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror for a good ten minutes before it was time to leave, contemplating whether I should change into jeans and a jumper or stick to the clothes I had on. So many thoughts ran through my head, like what if people say things? What if I get laughed at? I know disco pants aren't everyone's favourite choice of clothing and isn't to everyone's taste. However, I kept them on and went to school. I actually have anxiety and worrying is somewhat 'normal' to me now but I worried even more all day today, constantly thinking people were going to be saying I looked disgusting. I walked past a girl in the year above me, she looked at me and said to her friend, "What the fuck is she wearing?" This knocked my confidence and self-esteem a lot. I didn't make it obvious it hurt me, I didn't even show that I'd heard her. I felt so self-conscious all day. It's an awful feeling, it really is. It's why I make sure I try and be polite and nice to everyone because I know exactly what it's like to feel like crap all the time so I'd never want anyone to feel and experience the emotions I felt for a long time.

I've thought about what that girl said a lot and I've also thought how long I've been this way for. It's not good to question yourself and not do things because other people might not approve. It makes you feel a lot worse than if you did that thing and came away thinking, "People may have a problem with what I did but I'm happy and that is all that matters."
In a few years time, will you still be in touch with these people and/or see them every day?
Do their opinions really matter?
I've decided that I'd rather be happy than worry about what other people think about me. It's easier said than done, I know. There's no use moulding yourself around everyone else's wishes and wants. They do not matter. The only person that matters is you. There's going to be points in life where you will need to stand out, may it be in order to get a job you want. You have to prove you are different and this is what motivates me to stand out more. Wanting to be a make-up artist means I have to show my skills and passions in a way that's different.

Do things for you.
Have you seen a certain hairstyle you want to try out but not sure if it will go right or look good? Try it!
Have you got a certain clothing item in your wardrobe you're tempted to wear but worry about what people will think or say? Wear it!
If you do something and it makes you happy, don't hesitate. Being different is an amazing thing that separates you from the crowd, which is a good thing. Who wants to be the same as the next person? I'm not saying you can become confident over night. I've tried to improve my confidence and become a louder person for years. You have to be in the right state of mind. There are more pros to being confident than cons.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition."

"Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation."

"You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant."
My personal favourite because it reminds people that they shouldn't throw their opinions about if they aren't thought through. If someone looks different, don't speak mean words - you don't know why they look different. If someone is happy, leave them be.

If you, reading this, have the same confidence issues I do, please remember it's completely normal but you shouldn't base yourself around other people. Be you. When a person is completely themselves, it proves how strong they are. Don't let anyone effect the way you are, think or the way you do things.

Are Baby Lips Really Worth the Hype?

Recently, I went out and purchased 5 of Maybelline's Baby Lips lip balms which have been raved and spoken about a lot in the beauty community, since they were released a while ago. I suffer from very dry lips and I'm always on the lookout for brand new lip balms. After seeing so many people speaking about Baby Lips, I ending up caving and bought them; I was super excited to try them! I was going to pick up all six but Boots didn't have Cherry Me, which is a very pigmented, deep pink colour, when I went in so I only bought the five pictured above. In the UK, you can buy them from Boots and Superdrug for £2.99. I think that is a reasonable price, maybe not for the clear balms but the ones with a good colour pay off are worth the three pounds. I'm a big sucker for nice packaging and while I wouldn't say this is the best, for a lip balm, it's very practical. All of the lip balms are quite small so they're good to throw in your handbag or pocket and you know they won't take up too much space. Maybelline claim that you get 8 hours of moisture from Baby Lips which sounds very unrealistic, if you ask me. I can't go a full 8 hours without having to reapply, my lips start feeling dry again after about thirty minutes.

My favourite is Pink Punch. This smells amazing; this one has the nicest scent out of the other four I own, but I have smelt Cherry Me and, in my opinion, that one is the best with Pink Punch a close second. Pink Punch is quite pigmented but can be blended out or easily built up so it appears brighter on your lips. This is a great product to wear to school if you aren't allowed to wear a lot of make up seeing as this is a tinted lip balm and not a full blown, bright pink lipstick.

This is Peach Kiss. I don't wear this one as much because it's very similar to the others, but with a slightly different taste. It has a very subtle scent and when I swatched it on my arm, it gave a sheer peach-y coloured pay off with slight shimmers running throughout it. However, when I have it on my lips, it doesn't give any colour at all. It does feel slightly more moisturising than Pink Punch though.

The yellow baby lips is called Intense Care. A few seconds after I put this on, I get a strong taste of suncream. Not that I go around eating suncream but you know what I mean... I do like this because it has no colour to it and does help my lips feel less chapped. It doesn't heal them completely but it does the job of making them feel a lot more moisturised. It has a very subtle scent but sometimes smells a little bit like marzipan. Weird.

Mint Fresh smells and tastes delicious. Just like the name suggests, it has a strong smell of mint. It feels very refreshing on the lips and glides on so smoothly, like most of these products do. This is practically just the same as the other clear Baby Lips but the taste and scent is the thing I do like the most. The packaging is a very vibrant green - it helps to prevent losing it in your handbag!

The final Baby Lips I have is called Hydrate and comes in a light blue packaging. It basically does the same thing as all the other clear ones. It doesn't have a particularly nice scent or taste and it seems to be formulated exactly the same as the others mentioned above. This causes me to think have Maybelline just decided to sell the exact same product with slightly different scents just to make more money? Personally, I'd prefer them to bring out two or three amazing products which were completely different than bring out all the same thing. They've done a good job of promoting them though, seeing as so many people have brought them which caused me to buy them too.

(please excuse the dark shadow, I've only just realised and it's too dark right now to take another picture)

The first swatch is of Pink Punch - I swatched this a few times over itself, to create a brighter pink so it is slightly sheer at first but it is buildable.

The second swatch is of Peach Kiss - very sheer, I swatched this about 5 times over itself. It seems a lot more pigmented on my arm than on my lips.

Overall, I'm disappointed with most of the Baby Lips as they don't make my lips as soft as I'd like and I do have to reapply a lot during the day, understandable, of course, but not with a lip balm which claims to have eight hours of moisture. I do like a couple for the colour pay off and the scent but apart from that, I actually wouldn't recommend these products. This is obviously all my opinion and if you love them, I'm glad, but I just don't think they're for me.

Do you like Baby Lips? If so, which one is your favourite?

Georgia xo

One Direction - Our Moment Perfume - Review

Hi everyone!

On my birthday, which was on the 21st of October, I was gifted One Direction's new perfume by my parents. I'd been wanting it for quite a while and I'd previously smelt it whilst I was walking past a perfume shop and a woman who worked there gave me a little paper stick, with a sample of it on. I'm not a huge Directioner - I like most of their songs and I do think they seem like a really nice, down to earth boyband - but I never turn down the possibility of getting a new perfume!

Can we just talk about the packaging for a minute? This is one of the prettiest perfume bottles I have ever owned. It comes in a precious little glass bottle which has a gorgeous pink tint to it. My favourite colour is pink - some might think that as being quite cliché, I know - so it caught my eye straight away. The top of the perfume bottle is in the shape of a silver crown, with small 'jewels' on, if you like. The crown shaped frame is placed around a thin pink material, which gives it the most amazing finishing touch! 'Our Moment - One Direction' is written on the side, in simple black writing. Simple enough to not distract from the bottle but still noticeable.
The box the perfume came in is just as nice. It is a pretty pink colour and has big grey roses all around it, which gives it such a nice touch! They aren't plain roses, however. Most of them have been cut in half, in a way, and the pattern is continued in a simple silver colour which hasn't been filled in. It makes it quirky and not typical boy band-esque. It has all five of the boys' faces on it, with Zayn looking 'dreamily' into the distance, as per.

Now onto the actual scent, which is probably the most important part of this review. Sadly, it's a little too fruity for my liking. It seems to be perfect at first, but after a few seconds to minutes, it develops into something that I wouldn't particularly go for. I'm disappointed, to be completely honest. The sample smelt amazing but spraying a bit from the full bottle of perfume wasn't what I was expecting. It doesn't last for too long but many perfumes don't - on me, anyway. If you're into more fruity scents, I'd recommend it. However, it seems to be more of a perfume that should be worn in the late spring/summer seasons so I will be wearing something different throughout the rest of Autumn and Winter.

Overall, I would give this perfume a 7/10, if I was asked to rate it, simply because the packaging is so cute and looks super pretty in my bedroom. The scent isn't to my taste but I would recommend smelling it from the bottle before buying it.

Georgia xo