30 day blog challenge: day 11

Day 11 - What's in your make-up bag

I don't really have a make-up bag as my make up tends to be littered around my bedroom at the best of times and shoved in a wash bag when I'm travelling. However I have a set lot of products I use so I'll just be listing those beauties instead...

Eyes

Products l-r:

-Barry M mascara

I use the waterproof one as it just tends to wear better, and last longer. I've tried various brands but I generally find this one, or Boots' Natural Collection mascara the best one, in brown/black.

-Benefit eye bright

I got this product free with a magazine (I do love me some freebies!) and was going through a particularly bad patch of not sleeping well, so thought I'd give it a go. It's amazing. Just put a little bit on, blend it in and you look wide awake even if you don't feel like it. It made me look more human many a time during my first uni year!

-Barry M trio eye shadow

I do enjoy me some Barry M product. I have all eight of these eye shadow trios. The one pictured is called 'Delicious Diva' which is my favourite one. I find these, as with the mascara, have the best staying power although this is sometimes a detriment for when trying to remove it. However the colours are really striking which means you don't need to wear loads of it. Hurrah!

Lips

Products l-r:

-Lush Bubblegum lip scrub

This amazing product saves my lips from literally bleeding and peeling during the winter months as well as generally. It's basically a lip exfoliator, which smells and tastes (don't worry, it's safe to eat as it's made from caster sugar) absolutely brilliant. A little bit goes a long way and it looks like I've barely used mine although I have.

-Burts Bees beeswax lip balm

It smells of mint (yummy) and, when used just after the lip scrub, keeps my lips lovely and smooth. This also lasts a lot longer than most lip balms and doesn't have that gunky feel to it of say Vaseline (sorry!) which saves you from eating your hair as soon as you leave your house on a windy day.

-Boots No.7 Mouisture Drench lipstick in shade 55; Pink Crush

I'm not a huge lipstick fan but every now and then I do like to slick a bit on. I was previously using a special edition Boots one from the summer which was more of a nude tone but I dropped it and it broke leaving me with none left to use so I'm on to this one now. I like the colour as it's just enough to make a difference but not so much that I look ridiculous. Hurrah. I also use No.7's red lipstick when I feel like vamping it up

So there you go, there's my make-up bag!

Holiday Wardrobe

Let me state from the beginning, this is not going to be me telling you girls what you should wear over the Christmas/New Year period. This is simply me showing off what pretty dresses I have indulged in earlier this year to wear myself. If you like them, buy them, but I'm not going to go on at you to. I simply want to show off my wares.

I love dressing up for occasions. Be it a party, or an important meeting, or a date - give me an event and I'll put together an outfit for it. Now, I'm on of those people who enjoy planning outfits to wear for Christmas and NYE (New Year's Eve), I always like to have a particular outfit put aside for these days even if it's not anything particularly fancy.

Chronologically, Christmas comes first and that's (conveniently) also the order I bought these dresses in, however unintentionally it was. This lovely dress is from Peacocks and cost me £25 before my student discount (20% at the time, brilliant). I've never been one to hanker after dresses with embellishment and such just under the bust, but this one intrigued me with its soft fabric and gorgeous colour - I've always been a sucker for pastel pink/purple - not to mention the full length sleeves, meaning I could cover my arms without need for a cardigan. As it turns out any caution I had about the embellishment around the bust was dispelled as soon as I'd tried it on. It fits like a dream. I've already worn it a few times, unable to resist it's simple and beautiful charm hanging in my wardrobe, to a uni event and the Christian Union Christmas meal/party last week. The next time I shall wear it is definitely Christmas though.

From Christmas to New Year in a matter of days. How fickle we are to flick from one celebration to the other so quickly! I don't even know what I'm doing this year. Last year I spent it at my boyfriend's house and the year before that it was a friend's house party. However, I definitely know what I'll be wearing. A month or so ago, New Look had a sale on their party wear. Most pieces had about 20% knocked off their original price and I had been hankering after a new dress for a while for such purposes. So off I ventured and came across this piece within seconds of entering the shop.

I wasn't sure at first, I hadn't seen the dress before and wasn't sure if it would work for me. But I took the precaution of trying it on in the changing rooms and adored it. I love the flapper vibe I get with this and I can easily pair it with heels, ballet pumps or boots. This might even be my birthday dress a few weeks after NYE! I can't remember exactly what this cost me, I think it was close to £20. It's been reduced further to £10 in the sale New Look are having but they only have a few sizes left, and are sold out of anything I could fit into, so I'm glad I got mine when I had the chance!

And there you have it, that is my holiday wardrobe.

30 day blog challenge: day 10

Day 10 - A photo of your favourite place to eat

Well, I can't get a picture of my grandma's house (she is one of the best cooks I've ever known!) so here's second best...

I am a sucker for all foods that can be considered "hearty". I love a good roast, or pie and potatoes or something pasta based. Hence I will very rarely say no to a meal at Frankie and Benny's. Their bbq chicken pizza is amazing, as are their pasta dishes. The only downside is the birthday song. It happened 13 times during one meal out there. For those of you who have experienced it, I'm sure you feel my pain. There's only so many times you can hear Cliff Richard "Congratulations" without wanting to scream/hurt someone/both.

That aside, it's a lovely place and I've had many good group meals/dates in the one pictured (back home) or the Newcastle and Sunderland ones up here.

30 day blog challenge: day 9

Day 9 - A photo of the item you last purchased.

Okay so it's a lot of effort to get up and go to my kitchen right now and unlock the cupboard (food thief) to take a photo and upload it on here so this is just from Google...

I do love a good hot chocolate and Aero bubble hot chocolate is immense. I love that it's a water hot chocolate as well rather than the whole milk route because I very rarely have milk unless I'm baking something involving it as an ingredient because I don't like milk as a drink, nor do I enjoy cereal. Thus milk is generally redundant and it's a bit silly for me to be spending my money on milk just for the odd hot chocolate.

It's a bit pricey at £2.40-ish at most shops but it makes over 20 cups/mugs of hot chocolate and tastes gorgeous!

30 day blog challenge: day 8

Day 8 - A song to match your mood.

The song is "It's You" by Annie Stela. This pretty little song popped up in my Youtube recommended videos one day and I like to give new songs a listen. I fell instantly for it, I love the piano at the beginning. Also, the lyrics kind of resonate with me...

"You said, "Ohh I may be young"

But I know when I love someone
When I love someone
And it's you

Our ankles intertwine
And then your hands are a beginning to my body's end"

I'm 19 and I'm in love but some people don't seem to take what we have seriously sometimes. Talk of the future generally gets met with "that's nice" in a tone that says "if it happens it'll be nice" and until recently one person, admittedly of a different generation but still, called it a "special friendship". This was after a year and a half, pretty long time in my book!

Whoops, apologies for the mini rant there! Anyway, this is the song that matches me mood at the moment.

30 day blog challenge: day 7

Day 7 - Your dream wedding.

Okay so I'm not one of those girls who have had their entire weddings planned since they were like seven and were just waiting for their groom to stroll into their lives. However, I'm not going to lie and say I have no idea of what I would like. So here is my, quite basic, list:

• It would be held in a church that both my groom and I belong to
• I get the white dress
• My dad walks me down the aisle
• Immediate family is involved
• I have two/three of my best friends as bridesmaids

And that's it. I told you it was fairly basic. No demands for five-tier chocolate cake decorated with crystals or dozens of butterflies and doves released when we've finished our vows. None of that crazy stuff. I'd just want a fairly small wedding complete with the above list. Nothing fancy or expensive, focus instead on the actual meaning of the wedding, rather than the performance, and what it's leading into - the rest of my living life as a married woman.

30 day blog challenge: day 6

Day 6 - A photo of an animal you'd love to keep as a pet

I've only ever ridden a horse once but it was amazing. I've loved horses since I was little and when I was younger I wanted to own a farm/stables and have my own horse. I pestered my parents for riding lessons when I was younger but they split up before it could happen and it just never happened. It is, however, on my to-do list to have horse riding lessons.