Twenty Fourteen.

The cliché end of year post. Ive not felt like blogging for the past few weeks, so i thought id make up for it by writing a big ass post about the past year. 

So, the bucket list review. i have to say, I'm pretty impressed with myself, i think I've managed to do more than half of the things on my list, compared to last years rubbish effort. 

• Go to a new town/city
• Lose weight and become the dancer i want to be
• Go to the beach  
• Go to London
• Go shopping at Cabot Circus
• Go to a ballet 
• RUN Race for Life 
• Learn to say 'hello' in 20 languages
• Learn the guitar
• Grade 8 ballet exam
•  Go to Thorpe park and ride everything
•  Do gardening -  make the garden look pretty
• Grow roses
•  Reduce time on the internet
• Get good grades in AS levels
• Donate blood
• Go to a music festival
• Get a piercing
• Water balloon fight
• Dye hair bright colours
• Create a summer playlist
•  Use a disposable camera
• Read 10 books
• Do a bootsale
•  See Dirty Dancing at the theatre
• Go to the cinema and get the largest popcorn
• Take funny pictures
• Bake cupcakes
• Post everything on Instagram
• Pick strawberries
• Film something funny and send it to YBF
• Build a massive sandcastle
• Do the splits
• Buy something from an ice cream van
• Learn the Single Ladies dance
• Play mini golf
• Go to Glastonbury
• Roast marshmallows
• Go to a penny arcade
• Smile everyday and banish anxiety
• Go bowling
•  Ride my bike again
• Plant a veggie/herb garden
• Have a sleepover
• Make a house of cards
• Explore Nine Springs with Georgie
•  Make a giant cookie
• Go swimming
•  Grow a sunflower
• Stargaze
• Have a movie marathon
• Volunteer somewhere
• Make daisy chains and wear them

I feel like i should say something constructive about the year 2014, but i literally have no clue what to say. Ive reviewed it in my head, and all I've been able to come up with is that a) it went really quickly and b) it made me stronger. You know, what doesn't kill you and all. My only New Years Resolution is to be happy. Or content, either will do me. I've not spent alot of time this year focusing on myself, which is something i will be doing alot more of next year. I want to give more, I've already booked my next blood donation appointment and signed up for Race For Life in June, but i want to give to a charity at least once a month. 

Ive never really been one for going crazy about the New Year, I've only ever seen it as a change of date and to roll my eyes at people swearing to become a new person and to achieve all the things they've always wanted to achieve. New Years Resolutions never work because if people really wanted their goals, they would be motivated enough to do something about it at any time of the year, not just at a New Year. 

So, there's my two cents on 2014 and New Years Resolutions. Hopefully my 2015 post in 12 months time will be more reflective and cheery? Who knows, i guess you'll just have to wait and find out! I thought id post some of my favourite pictures from this year, it seems a shame to keep them stashed away on my phone. 

There is my 2014 in a small nutshell. I hope everyone has a good New Year and that it brings everything you wished for :) 

.

Laura x

Butterbear Bath Bomb | Lush Christmas

This is one of the cheapest bath bombs in Lush, and probably the most basic too. Its a cute bear shape (i didn't realise until recently, i think its a polar bear), its white with a little brown nose. Once popped in the water, it dissolves down pretty quickly. It doesn't turn the water any colour, and apart from the cute bear shape, you're probably wondering why I'm writing a whole blogpost on this product. 

Inside this little bear is lots and lots of cocoa butter, which makes you're skin soooooooooooooo soft. I've never felt my skin so soft, i didn't even need to moisturise afterwards, which in winter, is saying something. Before you get in, the cocoa butter kind of looks like oats floating in the bath, which doesn't look too appetising, but that soon goes away once you get in and the cocoa butter gets to work making your skin feel softer than its ever been before. 

This bath bomb smells like vanilla, which is one of my all time favourite scents, which made the bath all the better. I believe its the same as Butterball, but in the shape of a bear. This bath bomb would be perfect for children, although adults can also enjoy it just as much!

It is just £1.95, and is a must have for the winter. Its perfect for those days when you don't necessarily want an all colourful exploding bath, but a nice relaxing one with all the moisturising benefits. I will have to go back and get more of these little bears!

Buy Butterbear HERE :)       

Laura x 

Huge Lush Haul!

I got way too excited when i heard the Lush Christmas range had been released, and seeing as i don't live near a Lush store, i went a little crazy when i did get to one. I set myself a reasonable budget though and had saved up for my little splurge, and now I've photographed them all i can start using them!

So here is everything i bought, from left clockwise: 

• So White Bath Bomb
• Lord of Misrule Bath Bomb
• Star Light, Star Bright Bath Melt
• Butterbear Bath Bomb
• Father Christmas Bath Bomb
• Luxury Lush Pud Bath Bomb
• Candy Mountain Bubble Bar
• Christmas Eve Bubble Bar
• Northern Lights Bath Bomb
• The Christmas Penguin Bubble Bar

I love the smell of all of these products, and i shall be having plenty of lovely smelling, colourful baths to last me up until Christmas, and then i can shop the sale!

I will be doing separate reviews on all of these products once ive used them so keep your eye out for those coming soon:)

Laura x

 

My Top Autumn/Winter Nail Polishes!

 To most people, the colour on the nails tend to get darker in the autumn, and its also a time where its acceptable to go crazy with the glitter as it gets closer to Christmas. Ive selected my most worn and favourite nail polishes of autumn/winter, and it'll probably be no surprise to find out which is the most featured brand. 

Barry M Mustard These are all part of the new releases from Barry M this autumn and i grabbed some when they were on 3 for 2 in Superdrug. I don't own any yellow shades, and i definitely think this suits darker skin tones, as it can make pale skin look washed out, however i have been pairing this with Chai, the grey, which looks so nice. 

Barry M Chai Again, i don't own any grey colours so i thought id branch out and give it a go, turns out i really like it. Its not too much of a pale grey, its quite dark which makes it look alot better on paler skin.

Barry M Paprika Now i do own alot of reds, oranges and pinks, but i do not own a rusty orange, which is the most autumnal colour out of all of my favourites, it just reminds me of autumn leaves. I really like this, i think ill be wearing it alot throughout autumn and winter.

Barry M Cappuccino Although showing up quite grey in this picture, this is actually more of a muted brown, funnily enough, the colour a cappuccino would be. This is such a classic, classy colour and it really comes into its element in the autumn

Barry M Raspberry Another classic colour, everybody needs a burgundy red in their collection. burgundy is a generic autumn colour, its in alot of shops and this is one of my all time favourite colours. 

Miss Sporty These nail polishes don't have names which is annoying, but it has the number 3058 on the label, so maybe that helps? This is a royal blue which is odd for me, but its quite quirky and out there, and again just a very autumnal colour

Barry M Diamond Glitter This is a silver glitter polish with holographic glitter in, its so pretty and the perfect party season nail polish, to either wear on its own or over any colour nail polish. I have this on my accent nails over Raspberry, and it just adds something to a boring colour

Models Own Hedkandi Disco Heaven This again is the perfect party season nail polish, i think gold clashes with my skin tone, silver suits me more but i do love this none the less, its so pretty to look at, and who doesn't love glitter? 

Barry M Red Glitter This to me is like Christmas in a nail polish. Everytime i look at it it just reminds me of Christmas, so its perfect to wear for the next couple of months. 

So there we are, my favourite nail polishes for autumn and winter, my obsession for Barry M may continue to grow so i cant promise there wont be more Barry M related nail posts, but i just love them!

Laura x

L'oreal Extraordinary Oil Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner | Review

Shampoo and conditioner are fairly boring but very necessary products, and using the right shampoo and conditioner for your hair type can make the world of difference to the overall look of your hair. 

Ive been using the Extraordinary Oil for at least 3 years now, and I'm so sad to have run out of it now, i swear by it to stop dry frizzy hair. After hearing that L'oreal were releasing the Extraordinary Oil in shampoo and conditioner form, i was so excited (well, about as excited as you can get about shampoo and conditioner), i do change my shampoo and conditioner every few weeks anyway to prevent my hair from getting used to it so this was definitely next on my list. 

 

The shampoo has a very similar consistency to the Oil, its quite runny for a shampoo and you have to be careful to only pour out what you need- and you need very little, otherwise its dripped from your hand before you've had the chance to put it in your hair. 

The conditioner is just normal conditioner consistency, but it has lots of very fine gold glitter in it, adding to the healthy shine of your hair. Although that may not be everyone's taste, it definitely gives your hair the extra shine, and especially on my brunette hair, its the best conditioner I've ever used. On the bottle it says "A luxuriously iridescent crème texture".

Extraordinary Oil is enriched with 6 micro flower oils, which makes the products smell really nice, i love the smell of my hair after I've washed it. These include:

Rosa Canina - Rose
Chamomilla Recuita - Chamomile
Linum Usitatissimum - Flax
Nelumbium Speciosum - Lotus
Gardenia Tahitensis - Tiara
Hellanthus Annuus - Sunflower

L'oreal are selling it well on the bottle:

• Voluptuous Softness. Touch lusciously soft lengths as the formula melts onto hair, sealing and smoothing the appearance of the fibre.
• Lustrous Shine. See the brilliance of hair which looks iridescent with shine,
• Effortlessly Free-Flowing. Feel the lightness of hair as it becomes weightlessly detangled and silky

Perhaps not the best photo, but this is how shiny and nourished these products make my hair look, it looks incredible in the sun.

You can find these products in Boots, for just £3.99 each! I'm loving that price, its a bargain for the quality of the products, and alot of the time Boots have deals on haircare so that's even better, like right now its 3 for £10 on all L'oreal Elvive which is a steal!

The Shampoo: http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Elvive-Extraordinary-Oils-Nourishing-Shampoo-Dry-to-Rough-Hair-400ml_1513637/

The Conditioner: http://www.boots.com/en/LOreal-Elvive-Extraordinary-Oils-Nourishing-Conditioner-400ml_1513635/

These are typically for dry to very dry hair, but obviously people with normal hair can use it too, I'm not sure about people with hair that gets greasy really quickly, it nourishes from root to tip so maybe avoid it if you think it may cause your hair problems. 

These are now my favourite products to use on my hair, and i will keep rotating them into my haircare every few weeks to make sure my hair gets the most benefit from them.

Laura x

Autumnal Feels

As this is my first post of Autumn it only seems right i do it Autumn themed. I've not blogged for nearly a month because I've been back at college and dance and I've just been getting used to my schedule, plus feeling slightly uninspired in the blogging department. 

I think Autumn is my favourite season, I've always been a nutter about Christmas and never really one for summer, so when the leaves started changing and the evenings got chillier, i got super excited about the upcoming season. Weirdly, I'm quite looking forward to Halloween this year which is not like me at all, I've never really been excited for Halloween. I used to when i was younger where id dress up as a witch and go trick or treating with my brother and our neighbours, but its never really appealed to me. Perhaps its because last year my Halloween was better than Christmas, but I'm really looking forward to both this year. 

Its no secret that i am in love with the countryside, and the changing season got me more excited than ever to go outside. I love watching the trees change from bare to blossom to green to brown and then back to bare again, its so beautiful. I also love the rain, cosying up inside whilst it pours it down and getting in from being in the rain, possibly two of the best feelings in the world. 

I'm loving the new season, and I'm trying so hard to stop myself from getting excited about Christmas, usually i would've watched Elf in July, but it still hasn't been watched, go me!
Id like to save all my excitement for when it is actually Christmas time, and then i shall let myself go crazy with festivities, and at the right time of year. 

End of Summer Sale Haul!

The transition from Summer to Autumn always calls for a new wardrobe for the chilly days, and whatever else you can think of to justify it, there was also a sale on!

I found this gorgeous top in the Matalan sale, I've been looking for something like this for ages, its so girly and its right up my street, this was £11.  

I may not be able to wear this for a few weeks because its still quite warm outside, but i found this jumper in the Matalan sale for £7.50, i went crazy for things like this in the spring because i love the black and white daisy print.

I was so happy when i found this in Matalan, its like a 60s style coat in my favourite baby pink colour, and I've been looking for more of a stylish coat. This was £40 but it was in the sale for.... £14! Such a bargain! 

Onto Primark now, i found this top in the sale for £5. It looks quite odd on the hanger shape wise, but when this is on its really pretty and it has a subtle peplum. 
 

A boring one but this is sooooo cosy, and its only £7 

I wouldn't normally go for things like this, usually I'm a girly girl but i thought this would be good for dance, this was £4. 

I live in dolly shoes and coming from Primark, they don't usually last long. The black ones were £5 and the burgundy were £6 and are from the wide fit range.  

 I was looking for blue high waisted jeans but they didn't have my normal ones so i got these which were £10.  

I live in these black high waisted jeans, and i found these in the sale for £5!  

So i think ive treated my shopping cravings for the time being whilst getting some amazing bargains in the process! 

Laura x

Summer Bucket List Review!

So its officially the end of summer, sad times that I'm going back to college but good  times in the fact that its nearly autumn and then... Christmas! So i made a little summer bucket list and i see it only fitting that i review it and how much i actually managed to do!

1. Run Race for Life 
2. Go to the beach - more than once and to different beaches
3. Create a summer playlist
4. Dye hair bright colours
5. Use a disposable camera
6. Build a massive sandcastle 
7. Buy something from an ice cream van
8. Have a sleepover
9. Explore the countryside with Georgie
10. Grow a sunflower
11.  Have a Disney movie marathon- essential in my eyes :)
12. Not give a damn- about ANYTHING 
13. Lose 8 pounds, or at least tone up - workout 5 times a week 
14. Spend at least an hour outside each day, maybe not if its pouring it down;) 
15. Go for a day out to somewhere completely new 

As you can see, i only did 9/15 things which is better than half or even nothing, im pretty pleased with what i did do! 

I think i may do an Autumn/Winter version of this, if i can think of any ideas:)

I hope everyone had a good summer! 

Laura x

A Day Out | Monkey World

Last week me and the fam went to Monkey World for the day. We live fairly close and my mum is subscribed to their newsletters, and i used to adopt a baby chimp called Pip (who has sadly now passed away), and we love watching the TV series. We've been several times over the years and hadn't been in a while, so when my little cousin was visiting we decided to go once more. 

I just really wanted to do this post because i took some really cute and funny pictures of the monkeys which I'm sure you'll like as much as i do :)

Baby chimpanzee :)

An Orangutan chilling

Loved this head-in-hands orang haha

High-fiving Woolly  monkey 

Me high-fiving a woolly monkey:)

 

Just cannot stop laughing :)

Too cute

Me in Orangutan form haha

She was throwing stuff at everyone watching haha!

 

Sleepy baby orang:)

Me in chimp form? Definitely 

Definitely me!

 

I hope you enjoyed these pictures, i definitely enjoyed taking them:)

  

Laura x