10 things before I'm 20.

In just over 2 months I'm turning 20. Yeah, 20... I know that being 20 doesn't particularly mean anything except a new number, but with the whole summer in front of me before then, I thought I'd write a list of things I'd love to achieve over the summer. I'm totally a list person, I find them so motivating!

1) Get into the habit of regularly spending more quality time with God.

2) Finish reading "Le diable s'habille Prada" aka a french copy of The Devil Wear Prada.

3) Find an awesome 18th Birthday present for my sister's birthday in August.

4) Experiment and find some new cheap, healthy dinner recipes. Pasta and Noodles can only go so far...

5) Bake Brownies for Judy. She's awesome, always been there for me and totally deserves some.

6) Exercise 6 times a week for between 1/2 an hour and an hour. I've been doing this a while, but really don't wanna get lazy with it now I'm home from uni for the summer.

7) Go charity shop shopping to find awesome things for the house next year. I would love to find some tea/coffee/hot chocolate pots!

8) Upload blog posts more regularly. I love doing it, I just want to be more consistent!

9) Get better at saving things. This blog post is the second thing I've accidentally not save and lost in two days, ridiculous!

10) Find little ways to show love to the people I care about. I want to be someone who shows people that I care about them, and why not start now!

Woah, this seems like a lot, I hope I can achieve all of them! Have you got any things you want to achieve this summer?

The One About Growing Up

A week today, I will be preparing for my first day at work. After 19 years of life, I finally have what I like to call a "grown-uppy office job" Mature, I know. Despite this job, in reality, only being a part-time summer temp job, I can't help but feel hella grown-up. The idea of being professional and mature excites me to no end.

Which makes me wonder, when on earth did I become an adult? Sure, I've been living independent from my parents for a year now at uni. But I just don't get it. Even just yesterday, on holiday with my family I reverted back to a younger version of myself... Daddy, pleeeease can we get the big curly sausage? Despite that, it feels like I've suddenly entered the world of adulthood, and even though inwardly I feel the same as I did at age 14, people seem to be treating me as an adult. Trust me, it's weird.

Maybe growing up is just a thing that kind of happens. Silently, without you realising, you change from the little girl you used to be, to the woman you're going to be. And maybe that's okay. Maybe it's better that we have no idea that it's happening, 'cause if we did, we'd cling tighter to all the things we're leaving behind, instead of being excited for what's to come. But growing up doesn't always have to mean moving on, somethings will forever remain. I will always secretly want to be a famous rapper, I will always think my mum's lasagne is the best lasagne in the world, and I will always, always choose the most chocolatey pudding on the menu. It's kinda what makes me, me.

I think growing up is a good thing. I just hope that "past girl me" has helped "present me" to become the kick-ass, strong, independent woman that I one day hope to be.

Product Punch-up: Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation vs. Serum

I thought I'd give a bit of a comparison review today. I've been using Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation regularly for the past couple of years and really love it, but I'm running out of it and they only had the serum version at my local Boots so I thought I'd give it a whirl! 

Anyway, let's get into it...

Feel: Neither foundations feel heavy on the skin, but the serum feels like pretty much nothing on the skin, which if you're anything like me is awesome!

Coverage: Now coverage is a difficult thing to judge as everyone has different preferences. The foundation has higher coverage, but still on the medium spectrum, whereas the serum has a lighter coverage, more similar to what I'd expect from a tinted moisturiser for example.

Finish: Both are fairly naturally dewy (dewy not shiny!), however I prefer the serum as it looks more natural... and I'm definitely a natural girl at heart

Application: Now hear is where the serum really wins for me, it applies like a dream and is really easy to blend. 

Smell: Both have very fruity smells, however the foundation smells slightly more tropical and the serum smells more like forest fruits.

I think if I had to pick which I'd take to a desert island I'd definitely pick the serum, just because it's gorgeously natural!

Have you tried either? Both?

#NOTD Natural Days by MUA, and my life right now!

If I had to post a picture of my life right now... this would be it!

Revision, revision, and exams... It's Dutch that I'm revising above!

To me times like these call for natural, no fuss nails... the kind that you can chip a little bit and it's not super obvious! So enter MUA Natural Days! I love this colour because it's girly and natural and isn't likely to clash with anything I wear (hint: leggings and a hoody, hey I'm revising!)

If you fancy reading about MUA nail polishes in general, and they really are amazing, then I'm leaving a little link here. 

Until next time,

I wish I'd seen this when I was younger...

Hey guys!

I thought I'd write an off-the-cuff slightly deeper post. I was watching youtube videos whilst doing a bunch of boring filing work, and stumbled across this awesome youtuber called justkissmyfrog.

All her videos are brilliant, (click on her name above to check her channel out!) but this one really struck me. I wish I'd seen this at the age of about 13, when I went through a period of really questioning my looks, and asking the typical girl question, "Am I pretty?".

This video I've linked below is possibly the most honest, sensible video on beauty I've ever seen... I'll leave you to watch it!

And if the video below isn't working, click here to be linked to it on youtube!

It's incredible how much sense this makes, right?

Now go subscribe to her!

#NOTD: Rimmel London Precious Stones - 001 Diamond Dust

You know that feeling when you put on sparkly nail polish and instantly feel glamourous? Yeah, this is it! Which is kind of rich coming from a girl sat with her hair up, no makeup on and in Christmas pyjamas... (they're still acceptable, right?!)

Either way, today's nails are Diamond Dust, from Rimmel London's Precious Stones Collection. I love this polish because it's not a bold colour, but the sparkle makes and impact. It's also great that it doesn't need a coloured base coat like so many other polishes, it's a complete look by itself.

Are you a fan of glittery nail polish too? Please say you are!

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Review

Never, ever did I think I would've bought a Naked palette. Being a student, I've always waited and opted for the cheaper dupes that are always bound to hit the shelves of the high street soon after. However the other day I remembered I had loads of money on gift cards left over, and thought I would treat myself!

I'm really happy I bought it now, because it's full of lovely pink-toned eyeshadows that make me feel very toasty, warm and christmassy. I love the warmth these shadows add to my makeup, perfect when it's cold outside, and I want to feel all snuggled up inside. I'll spare you the swatches (they've been clogging up my bloglovin' feed for weeks now!), but it contains 3 matte shades, one of which makes a nice highlight and two that are great for the crease of the eye, and also 9 shadows of varying amount of shimmer and sparkle. Everywhere I've read about it, it's been described as "perfect for green eyes", however it's definitely not one for my fellow brown-eyed girls to overlook, as I think it's equally flattering on brown-eyes. 

My favourite shadow out of them all has to be Blackheart. Blackheart is a nearly but not quite black shadow, with tons of shimmery pink glitter. It's probably the least everyday appropriate shadow, but I've been wearing it anyway along my upper lash line, instead of eyeliner. I love using shadow instead of eyeliner anyway, but it's definitely a gorgeous bit of warmth that you could use when doing a more cool-toned eye look.

These eyeshadows do create lots of fallout (and I mean a lot!), but I just do my face makeup after when using them, so it's not a huge problem for me.

Alongside the eyeshadows, there is also a double ended brush. One side has your average flat eyeshadow brush, which although nice, I would've preferred another style as everyone and the cat's mother seems to have one. But on the other side there's a really nice, slightly flat but fluffy blending brush which is perfect for applying eyeshadows to my eye sockets. Also with this comes 7 days worth of 4 different Urban Decay Primers, fantastic if you're like me and stick with the original but fancy trying the others out!

All in all, it's a great palette and really nice as a treat! Without those gift cards would I have bought it? Not sure... Am I glad I bought it and getting good use out of it? Definitely.

What do you think? Are you ready to splurge, or are you waiting for dupes?