OOTD: Christmas Day

Hey!

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and had lots of fun with your loved ones!  I thought I'd do a little OOTD, as I've done some previously on this blog. Here's what I wore on Christmas Day.

Top: TK Maxx
Skirt: Boohoo
Tights: New Look
Necklace: Anna Saccone for Stilnest

Thank you for reading!!

Claire xxx

My Favourite Strictly Pros

Hey!

So Strictly Come Dancing is one of the most popular shows from the BBC and as I've been a fan since the very first series, I've seen a number of changes to the pros and the growth of the show in general. Even though this is a lifestyle/beauty blog I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite professional dancers from the programme!

Janette Manrara
Janette is one of my favourite Strictly pros because I love how talented she is at her latin dances. She comes across as a very warm and cheerful person and I love her attitude to life. She's very funny and doesn't take herself too seriously.

Oti Mabuse
In my opinion, Oti is one of the best choreographers the show has to offer. She delivers some absolutely incredible routines for her celebrity partner and knows their strengths. She's very funny and is an asset to the show in my opinion.

Ola Jordan
Ola is probably one of the most famous female pros and one of the most memorable. She's very daring and produced some incredible routines during her time on the show.

Karen Clifton
Karen Clifton is one of my favourite female pros because she always manages to make fun routines no matter who her partner is. She knows exactly how to show off her partner no matter what their skill of dancing might be.

Katya Jones
Katya is another professional who has shone on both of her series' so far. She has the ability to choreograph some fantastic routines to even the most difficult of Strictly's music choices. She has a fun personality and I hope she stays!

Lilia Kopylova
During my earlier years of watching Strictly, I loved watching Lilia. Even though she isn't on the show anymore, she did an amazing job while she was competing as a professional.

Pasha Kovlev
Pasha is one of my favourite male professionals on the show as he has such a great attitude towards the show and is always really positive about his partners, as well as being funny and creating some great routines.

Aljaz Skorjanec
Aljaz is a professional who's always got a smile on his face and that makes him very warm to watch. He's excellent in my opinion at having a balance of the required dance and the dance matching the song.

Kevin Clifton
Kevin Clifton is one of the most successful Strictly professionals of all time having been in the final for 4 years running. He's someone who always manages to pull out a clever routine, you just know he will have nailed it.

Anton Du Beke
You can't be a fan of Strictly and not have a soft spot for Anton Du Beke. A very comedic asset to the show, the show simply wouldn't be the same without him.

Giovanni Pernice
Giovanni is an incredible dancer and he has a huge personality too, he's a very funny character and he's proved that he can work well with whoever he's given.

Darren Bennett
Likewise to his wife Lilia, Darren did an amazing job on Strictly while he was competing and came across as very likeable and memorable during the years before Strictly become what it is today.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and that you enjoy the rest of Strictly!

Claire xxx

Chester Weekend Trip (Meeting The SacconeJolys)

Hi!

Some of you may or may not know, but a couple of months ago I took a weekend trip to Chester, where I stayed with my best friend who is down there for university.
This trip has been long-awaited, as I've always wanted to go down but somehow I suppose my anxiety always got in the way and stopped me. It was always something which got to me.

This time however, was the time to go and visit her and also another special reason too.
We had tickets to meet The SacconeJolys on their book tour! Me and my best friend are both huge fans of The SacconeJolys and I've been watching them for a while now and I just find their videos so entertaining and really relaxing, they have gotten me through some tough times.

I travelled down on the train on Saturday afternoon (nearly missing it because my watch decided to stop and my housemate literally saved my skin by ringing a taxi for me last minute) and arrived around evening time, just in time for a Dominos!

I really enjoyed myself, we went for a night out on the Saturday night which was a lot of fun and one of my favourite nights out I've been on (and thankfully Beyoncé played) and then the next day, being a bit tired, we slept in, caught up on Strictly and watched Moana. She also made me a very tasty roast dinner which was soo good!

Monday was the day I went home but it was also the day we met The SacconeJolys. It was held in WH Smith, in the centre of the city which was great for me as it meant I got to see a bit more of Chester in the day this time! I should have taken more photos as it was my first time in Chester, but we were making sure we got there on time. At the signing, there was the opportunity to get your face painted with one of the dogs, or balloon animals. It was a very chilled event overall. As for Anna and Jonathan themselves, they were absolutely lovely and Jonathan's humour came out even in the short time we saw them. Anna looked so pretty and it was so weird to think that we were standing there beside them after having watched them for so long.

I really enjoyed my weekend down in Chester and I especially felt proud of myself because I know that I managed to throw myself into it and that a year or two ago I wouldn't have been able to do it. Looking back, I still can't believe I did it but I can't express how happy I am that I did. Somehow I managed to control my anxiety for the most and when I look back at the photos and videos, I smile a lot and am grateful for the amazing memories.

I also put together a short vlog featuring a couple of the clips and photos I took over the weekend (not all of them). Enjoy!

Claire xxx

Christmas Gift Ideas: Best Friend

 

Hey everyone!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! And if you still haven't got a plan of what to get your best female friend, take a little look at my gift ideas below:

Unicorn Mug - £10.00 Missguided.co.uk
(You could even get some chocolates or hot chocolate and marshmallows to put inside with the mug for an extra cute gift!

Strawberry Treats Set - £6.00 The Body ShopPerfect for someone who deserves a relaxing and indulging bath, you could team this up with some face masks or a cute shower cap to complete the gift.

Flamingo Wall Print - £3.15 EtsyThis wall print is so cute and would make a great gift for a friend who's into interior and decorating. If you wanted to follow up with something to go with it, you could always buy a reed diffusor or candle.

Cactus Hoodie - £5.69 Amazon.co.ukFor your friend who loves to be cosy and snug, an oversized hoodie would be a very appreciated gift idea. This cactus one is so cute and quirky, as it's from Amazon so you won't see it worn everywhere. You could even pair it with some cosy socks from Primark to make sure the person is extra snug!

Echo Falls Gift Set - £5 TescoWho doesn't love a little beverage around the festive season, (providing you are of legal age)? This Echo Falls gift set is so cute because not only do you receive a small bottle of wine, you get some Lindor chocolate and a sweet little glass to go with it! Pair up with a DVD your friend may like or a new lipstick and you're sorted.

Sleek Solstice Highlighter Palette - £9.99 Superdrug
This highlight palette has caught my eye for a while but it would make a gorgeous gift for a makeup loving best friend, as it's budget friendly and Sleek are a brand which do amazing quality products for their price range. A nail polish or cute brush set would be the perfect partner for this gift idea!

 

Personalised Wall Calendar - £14.99 Boots
Taken loads of selfies with a friend over the past year? A personalised calendar would make a very thoughtful gift and treasured because it's personalised. You could maybe pair a small stationary set to go with it so they can mark on their important dates and let's face it  - who doesn't love some new stationary?

Gold Coloured Shoulder Bag - £8.99 H&M
There's no such thing as having too many handbags, and this one would make a great night out bag as it's small and the gold colour is pretty to stand out in the light. I think it would make a great Christmas present with maybe some gel heels if you're planning on giving it to a mate who's always out in heels! Their feet will be very grateful!

So there's my gift ideas guide for your female best friend, I tried to incooperate some ideas. Ultimately, the decision is yours as to what your best friend likes and her personality, but I hope my ideas have maybe inspired you.

Claire xxx

Makeup Revolution Redemption Iconic 2 Palete Review

Hi!

Today I'm talking about the Makeup Revolution Redemption Iconic 2 Palette. I recently got gifted this palette from one of my best friends and it had been a palette which I'd been considering buying. Mainly because it displays a gorgeous number of shades. There's a nice collection of both matte and shimmery shades which compliment one another enormously. All of them range through light browns/cream to shimmery browns to the dark matte shade at the end.

I tested out this palette at the weekend and let's just say I was very impressed!
The pigmentation is extremely outstanding and very easy to blend.
It's a palette which can take you from your neutral and subtle day makeup to your seductingly sexy shimmery smoky makeup with just one brush sweep.

It's actually my first product from Makeup Revolution but I've got to say I'm really happy with the quality of the palette and the number of potential looks you can create with it. I'm hugely impressed and really recommend it! Makeup Revolution is definitely a drugstore brand I've wrongly overlooked and never quite noticed before but let's be honest that will not be happening anymore!

Have any of you used any Makeup Revolution products? What's your favourite?

Claire xxx

Making Up For Lost Time

Hi!

This is probably a different kind of post to what I've done so far on this blog however it is a lifestyle blog and writing about topics such as this should be just as valuable as my other posts.

When I joined university I knew there were a lot of new experiences and new things happening, I didn't quite know what to expect as I was not only starting a new section of my life, I was moving away from home, which at the time was a big step for me and definitely a very weird thing to get used to at first. Naturally, although I do like being in my own company and being on my own as well as being social, I do feel like I rely on other people for comfort and for generally making sure I'm doing things right. Even though joining university was at first unsettling, I kept reminding myself that I was building my own little life here and that this is something which if you'd told me about in 2013/2014 I'd have not taken you seriously. What I'm trying to say is that it's a huge achievement for someone like me.

One notable thing about first year however, was that because I was adjusting and settling into this new way of life and dealing with my mental health in a new environment, I didn't quite do as much as I wanted to/maybe should have done. It probably took me a little longer to settle into the new environment than others did and that therefore led me to missing out on making as many memories as I could have done especially in the very early stages of First Year, which I do regret a bit.

Ultimately, even though I did end up making progress and making many memories in first year, I did miss out even then on socialising and making memories. The memories I do have for last year are amazing as my confidence did start growing, but for the first couple of months particularly, I was held back.

Sometimes I do feel like I'm trying to make up for lost time, as especially through secondary school I struggled with anxiety and consequently it made me miss out on a lot of things throughout my teenage years. It still does now to an extent, but university particularly gave me more of a freedom and also more confidence in some ways to have good experiences and make up for time lost and things I don't always get to do. I've been there and looked back on things I wish I could have done but due to lack of confidence or anxiety or something I've not been able to do it.

Anxiety can be difficult and sometimes make you feel extremely unmotivated or unconfident and indeed stop you from socialising and doing the things you want. My advice is to try and push yourself whenever possible to try and do things. One of my ways of pushing myself towards the end of first year, was that I tried to make the most of the time I had left and I wanted to make more memories and didn't want to look back and see I'd done nothing. Try not to put pressure on yourself to do everything, but definitely try and do what you can.

Dealing with mental health struggles can be difficult, but you WILL make progress. It isn't always easy and I still have moments where I can feel myself getting triggered or think 'Shit I can't do this'. But thinking about some of the achievements I've managed over the last year and a half is so surreal so I honestly can say if you're struggling at the moment with any mental health problem, it's going to be okay, keep going and keep taking steps to push yourself. You can do it. I've made a conscious effort to try and do as much as I can and feel comfortable doing, make as many memories as I can, no matter how little they may seem. Because every memory made, is a step of progress.
For more advice and information on mental health, please take the time to visit Mind's website, there you can read other people's stories and find ways of getting help if you need it.
https://www.mind.org.uk/

Claire xxx

OOTD: 21st Birthday Night Out

Hey!

So on Saturday it was my birthday and I turned 21! I don't really feel old enough to be 21 but here we are! I'd known for a while I wanted to properly celebrate my 21st as in the past I've not really done much for birthdays and wished I had done. So I tried to make an effort for my 21st. It was also actually the first time I'd worn a body suit before but I really liked it. When I bought it I tried to buy a different colour as I've noticed that a lot of my dressy/night out clothes tend to be black. Here are the photos.

Bodysuit: Boohoo
Bralette: Boohoo
Jeans: George Asda
Boots: M&S

Claire xxx

My Favourite Autumn/Winter Lip Shades

Hey!

We're heading into Autumn/Winter now which is one of my favourite times of the year!
I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite autumn/winter lip shades!

- NYX Soft Matte Lipcream Transylvania
This is perfect for this time of year, it's a dark purple which really works well I feel against my pale skin. You have to be careful to not let it get patchy as it's one of the Soft Matte Lip creams, but honestly it's one of my favourites to wear this time of year.

- Sleek Matte Me Fandango Purple
As you've probably guessed I'm into my purple shades, but I love the tone of this liquid lippy, only thing is it requires very precise application so it's not one you can quickly apply, you need time to take care with the application otherwise it can get messy.

- NYX Liquid Suede Kitten Heels
This is the red lipstick I picked up last year, as I had no red liquid lipsticks in my collection. I was hugely impressed with it and it produces a very bright and vibrant red shade. I'll definitely be wearing it a lot this year too.

- NYX Lingerie Beauty Mark
The Lingerie range offers a variety of beautiful brown toned nudes, this being one of the darker shades. I think this shade is really lovely for this time of year and it's extremely comfy to wear despite being matte.

- Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Moss 01
This is actually the first red lipstick I owned but it's a gorgeous red shade. Darker than Kitten Heels, but more of a creamy satin finish than outright matte. Definitely worth looking into if you love red lip shades.
- MAC -Honeylove
I'm including this as a standard nude as if you're wearing heavy autumnal colours on your eyes you're going to want a nude shade to match. Honeylove is a gorgeous nude tone and works well with a lot of different skin tones. It's a matte finish but isn't too drying.

What are your favourite lip shades for this season?

Claire xxx

Zoella Snowella Body Mist Review

Hi!

It's becoming autumn/winter and that means one thing! A new Zoella Beauty collection timed for release right before Christmas.

As someone who's been a big lover of Zoella Beauty products previously (and a massive Christmas lover), I was really excited to see what this year would bring!
The range is amusingly titled 'Snowella' which is probably my favourite collection name to date.

The Snowella body mist comes in a white bottle with a general wintery style, but what makes it even cuter is the fact it comes with a little white pom pom! How cute?!

It states it has notes of Peony, refreshing Mint and Pink Pepper, which is a hard scent to explain!

I would describe the scent as a mixture of the Classic scent and Tuity Fruity (which both happen to be my favourite scents from her collections). In turn, I absolutely love the scent of this range and am definitely going to try and get my hands on as much of it before it discontinues. Every Zoella Christmas range is limited edition.

I find the Zoella mists to be very good quality, as even though they aren't perfumes, they manage to stay for longer than you expect. I've been using Snowella for a bit now and I've got to say it's definitely one of my favourite scents and one I keep heading to use during the winter months.

If you wish to purchase Snowella you can pick it up in Superdrug stores or alternatively online from Feel Unique, the link being here:  http://www.feelunique.com/p/Zoella-Snowella-Body-Mist-100ml

Have you tried any of Zoe's Snowella collection yet? Let me know!!

Claire xx

OOTD: Friend's Birthday Trip To Cream's

 Hey everyone!

So with it being my friend's birthday, we went to Cream's on a little dessert trip!
I wanted to get a little bit dressed up but not too over the top, but seeing as it was her birthday.
You can't see it on the photo, but I accessorised the outfit with a little Mickey necklace from my boyfriend but it's very small that the camera didn't pick it up.
I quite liked the outfit for the occasion, it's dressy but without being too much.
I love cold shouldered tops so my grey top is super comfy and I needed the long sleeves because it was cold!
I really like the pattern on the jeans and wanted to wear them as they are a bit different to standard jeans.
My small handbag was bought from a charity shop in Bangor a couple of years ago.
As for my boots, they are my brown pair of boots from M&S. I bought a black pair this year too and they are really good to wear either dressy at night time or casual during the day and comfy enough for me!

Top: New Look
Jeans: Sainsburys
Boots: M&S
Bag: Charity shop

And if you're wondering what I ate:

I went for the Chuckle Berry sundae which was absolutely gorgeous! Deffo a good treat! It had vanilla ice cream mixed with strawberries and strawberry and raspberry gelato and also the Cream's wafer. I recommend.


Thank you for reading,
Claire xxx

 

Boohoo Wishlist

Hi!

Today I thought I'd share my Boohoo wishlist with you all. I've really been loving the clothes that they have on there more than some of the high street shops and other online clothing sites. Here I'll share with you some of my picks.

All photos are from Boohoo.

 

Hannah Fisherman Rib Jumper - £15.00

This jumper is  really gorgeous shade of purple, which is one of my favourite colours and I thought it would be really nice and cosy for the upcoming autumn/winter months!!

Petite Hannah Bird Embroidered T-Shirt - £12.00

This t shirt looks really cute and I love the little flamingo on the left side of the top. It's just a really nice twist to a basic tee and would be nice to throw on for a lecture.

Holly Sequin Embellished Hook & Eye Bralet - £22.00

This blush coloured bralet is so pretty and I love the fact it's sparkly because of the sequins and I think it would be great for any special occasion.

 

 

Ali Square Cold Shoulder Bodycon Dress - £10.00

I love cold shoulder clothes and this dress has long sleeves too which is great for the fact that it's going to be colder in the coming months.

Penny Slogan Sweatshirt - £16.00

As I love wearing sweatshirts and cosy hoodies at the moment, I saw this on Boohoo and instantly had to add it to my wishlist. I was born in the 90s so it fits me well and I like the red one better than the black as I already have a black sweatshirt which is my 'Lemonade' one.

Emma Ribbed Contrast Ringer Tee - £10.00

Another really nice basic t shirt which I can wear to lectures or for a casual outfit, I like the fact the top of the t shirt and the sleeves have the black rib.

Petite Kayla Flute Sleeve Crop Top - £10.00

I was looking around for dressier tops and found this mainly because I wanted to add a bit of colour because looking through my wishlist a lot of the clothes were either black or burgundy!! This is probably my least wishful item on this list but it's still nice and I love the shade of blue.

Rebecca Ladder Trim Detail Peplum Hem Midi Dress - £22.00

This is another dress which caught my eye, I really love the peplum end to it, it gives it a nice edge and makes it look nicer in my opinion.

Thank you for reading this post, is there anything you'd buy from this list?

Claire

L'oreal Cheryl Lip Kits

 

 Hey everyone!

So this week there was a important release in the makeup world. L'oreal launched Cheryl's matte lip kits which with every kit sold, £1 will be donated to Prince's Trust. As a long-time fan of Cheryl, it was very exciting to hear she had brought out her own lip kits as I'm a huge fan of matte finish.

The kits themselves look absolutely stunning as you can see below.

Photos from Cheryl's Instagram Account: @cherylofficial

They come in three different shades 'Greige', 'Burgundy', and 'Peach'.
Each kit comes with a matte lipstick and a lip liner.

I personally love all of the shades and despite them being limited edition, I'll try and get my hands on one of them! My favourite colour keeps changing so I'm not sure which one I'll buy.

The lip kits are available limited edition in Boots stores and online, costing £9.99.

Which of Cheryl's Lip kits is your favourite? Let me know in the comments!

Claire xx

My Top Clothing Stores

Hi!

So today I thought I'd share my favourite places to shop for clothes. I don't particularly spend loads on clothes, I try to budget and don't often spend loads on one item, if I spend loads of money on clothes it usually means I've bought a few things!

Boohoo.com
I've definitely become obsessed with Boohoo.com this year. My wishlist is so long and I'm always browsing looking at what they have in. I love the variety of clothes they have and a lot of them are extremely reasonably priced. Especially this season I've found that Boohoo has a lot more nicer stuff than the high street!

Primark
Primark have served me really well over the past few years. I'd be lying if I said the majority of my wardrobe wasn't Primark to be honest! They have such a good selection of clothes and I live for their basic t shirts! They are so easy to throw on for everyday wear and can work under a hoodie or sweatshirt too. They do pretty much everything and I love going there.

New Look
New Look is also another regular shop I visit. They often have a good selection of night time tops, I bought quite a few night out clothes last year from them. At the moment they have some gorgeous bralettes in and some stunning sparkly Christmas dresses if you're looking for anything for party season. Extremely affordable and like Boohoo and Topshop they do student discount.

Topshop
I don't always have the budget for Topshop but they have some really gorgeous clothes. I also particularly like the fact they carry the Ivy Park range. They have a lot to offer.

George @ Asda
Despite what people may think, George at Asda do really good and affordable clothes. Although I don't wear as much from them as I used to, I've been so impressed with some of the pairs of jeans I've bought from there. I usually just shop for jeans here these days because they are very inexpensive but they are great quality!

Sainsburys
Similarly, I mainly use Sainsburys for their jeans/jeggings but they still have some really nice pieces. They are also really affordable and easy to find.

Amazon
I love finding really quirky tops and sweatshirts from Amazon. You will often find really nice and fun clothes that not everyone will be wearing from Amazon and they are often reasonably priced too. I own a Yonce t shirt and a Lemonade sweatshirt from Amazon and they are both impeccable quality and two of my favourite items in my wardrobe.

Romwe
Although I've never bought from Romwe personally, I am guilty of regularly searching the website for cute sweatshirts and hoodies. They look really cosy and I'm so tempted to buy from them to see how they are!

Thank you so much for reading!!

Claire xxx

OOTD: Casual Uni Day

Hey!
I thought I'd do my first ever OOTD post, which is just a casual outfit as I was only attending uni so I decided to just go for something casual. My Lemonade sweatshirt is extremely comfy and perfect for this time of year as it starts to get cooler.

This is the first time I've actually ever done a post like this so I'm aware I'm not used to being on camera but I did manage to get a few photos which I'll share below.

 

Sweatshirt: Amazon
Jeans: New Look
Boots: M&S
Thank you for reading,

Claire xxx

Aaliyah for MAC Collection

Hey!

Photo courtesy of MAC

It's been a while since my last post but since then, MAC confirmed that they would be launching an Aaliyah collection. As someone who's a big fan of the late R&B star, I'm excited about the prospect of a collection dedicated to her.

Due to be released next summer, the collection is to be put together after fans launched a petition for a makeup collection inspired by her style.
Aaliyah was one of my favourite singers who released 3 albums and appeared in two feature films before her tragic death in August 2001, her music was timeless R&B and her smooth and angelic vocals still sound relevant today. Her style began very tomboy and then as she grew older, she proceeded to a more sophisticated style.

One of the makeup items I'm sure will feature is a gorgeous red lipstick, as Aaliyah wore in the We Need A Resolution music video.

Are you an Aaliyah fan? How excited are you for the collection and what would you like to see?


Claire