My 21st

It was my 21st birthday on the 9th December and I am finally posting about it. I have been ill for over a month, constantly coughing, which is why it took me so long to get around to writing this. I was also a bit ill over my birthday as well which is a bit sad but I still had a great time. I celebrated over 3 days and I am so grateful to everyone who made it special.

On the Friday (day before my birthday) my boyfriend came over and we watched Supernatural for several hours till we had to leave to meet my friends. Most of my friends were busy or at uni still so I only met with 3 of them for food (one of them is technically Ben's friend but I'm stealing him). We went to wetherspoons since its my favourite place in the world and had some great food and drinks and a good laugh. One of my friends left at about 10 because she had work the next day so the four of us left went to a club. The Waterfront is a very casual club and the drinks are cheap too, plus they play great music which is why its my favourite place to go on a Friday night. Ben and I may have tried to set up our other two friends and it may or may not have worked (it was really cute) and I had an amazing night overall.

Saturday was my birthday and I actually mostly had a chill day with Ben and my parents. I was up at like 10 or 11 because id been out the night before and I didn't do that much. I had lunch and Ben brought out an amazing cake that his mum made me (she's amazing at baking) and then my sister arrived so I started opening presents and I got so many amazing things. My parents got me the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette which I've been wanting all year and loads of Marvel DVD's! My amazing boyfriend got me the most beautiful necklace and tickets to see Ed Sheeran next year! Later that day me and Ben went out and checked into a hotel then we went for an amazing meal at Bella Italia and he looked after me because I was starting to feel really ill (my cough was playing up a lot).

Then on the Sunday my dad picked us up from the hotel and we had my whole family over for a buffet which my mum done an amazing job with. I got so many amazing presents and lots of money. I felt really overwhelmed with how wonderful the people in my life are and so grateful to have them all there celebrating with me. My parents got me a special cake which looked incredible and represented me really well.

I had the best 3 days celebrating my 21st and now I'm looking forward to Christmas!

- Claire

November Favourites

It's that time again, end of the month. I've been ill quite a lot this month so I apologise for the lack of posts this month, but I'm finally on the mend now. So here is my November favourites for you all to enjoy!

First up is Taylor Swift's new album Reputation. I really love this album and I've been looking forward to it for ages. I cant really pick a favourite song from it but I really love New Years Day and This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things. Taylor has upped her game with this album, I've always liked her music and I loved how she's progressed as an artist and this album is probably my favourite.

Before recently I had not even heard of Lunar, but now I really love it. I signed up for a free sample and since then they've messaged me several times asking if I'd like to try out some of their other products for free in exchange for a review. Which of course I said yes to! This is their Moisture Setting Spray which is amazing because as someone with dry skin I have to be careful with what I use on my skin and it keeps my makeup in place all day. I love all the products of theirs I have tried and I will be doing a separate post about Lunar at some point in the future so stay tuned for that.

Justice League came out recently and so of course I went and saw it as soon as I could. I loved it so much! Wonder Woman was amazing as always and I loved the character dynamics and the humour. The story line was great and I fell in love with all the characters that I didn't already know. The only thing I will say is that it was slightly predictable with the return of Superman and also towards the end you can kind of figure out what's going to happen. But it was still an amazing film, one of my favourite DC films!

I have already talked about this product as I got it in a beauty box (you can check out my post about that here) I just really love it so I had to have it in my November favourites. Its the Nip + Fab Dragons Blood Plumping Serum. Its so great for my dry skin, it leaves my skin so hydrated. It doesn't irritate my skin since I have such sensitive skin which is great and it also smells really nice. This is a product I will be buying more of for sure.

That's all for this month, I'm sure there will be a lot more next month since I'll have my birthday and also Christmas! Although that may mean I wont have as much time to post as its such a busy month for me, especially since it will be my 21st, but I will try my best.

- Claire 

Another Book Haul

I'm actually ill right now which is why I'm finding the time to post this today. I apologise for any mistakes, I'm not 100% today at all. But this week I bought 6 new books, well I say new but they're all charity shop purchase so they're all second hand.

First up is The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I have heard great things about this book and I've wanted it for ages so when I stumbled across it at my charity shop I had to put it aside so I could buy it myself. It's about a boy called Todd Hewitt who lives in a town where everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts which is the main thing that attracted me to this book. I don't really know much else about it but I'm really looking forward to reading it.

I also got Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman mostly because its Neil Gaiman. The main character is Fat Charlie Nancy and his dad dies but then he discovers that his dad was Anansi the trickster spider god. One of the reviews on it says "Bizare, bonkers...rather brilliant" so I'm pretty sure I'm going to enjoy it.

Next is The Melancholy Death Of Oyster Boy & Other Stories by Tim Burton which I had to get. I love Tim Burton's movies so when I saw this I just couldn't resist. It has wonderful illustrations in it too which I love and I will probably read this over the next couple of days. 

I also found Fade Out by Rachel Caine which is book 7 of The Morganville Vampires series. If you cant guess its a series about vampires and the main character is called Claire so that influenced me to start the series. This was the next book I needed to buy and when I saw it in a charity shop I had to get it.

Then there's Not Working by Lisa Owens which I hadn't heard of before I saw it in the charity shop. I was attracted by the bright yellow spine and then I read the blurb and I had to get it. It's about a woman called Claire (again, I know) who leaves her job but doesn't know what to do next and she loves entering competitions on the internet which is something I too enjoy. Because it was so relatable to me I just had to get it, plus it sounds really great.

Finally, another Neil Gaiman book and this one is Smoke And Mirrors which is a collection of short fiction. I am a great lover of Neil Gaiman's books and the best thing about short stories is you can read them in between other books and you can read them in one sitting rather than spending all day reading a whole book (which I am definitely guilty of). This is another book I will start reading real soon.

- Claire

Real Techniques Brushes

I got some new makeup brushes recently because this amazing Real Techniques Illuminate + Accentuate set was on offer for just £25! It's a limited edition set so if you want them you should hurry up and buy some!

(From left to right: smudge brush, shading brush, domed shadow brush, contour brush, bronzer brush. Top: miracle eraser sponge. Bottom: miracle complexion sponge.)

It has a Miracle Eraser Sponge which is for correcting mistakes and it works really well especially for me since I'm always making mistakes with my makeup. There's also the amazing Miracle Complexion Sponge which I have used before and its my favourite makeup sponge. It includes a Bronzer Brush which is new and has a large head and dual-length bristles which makes it give a lightweight application for bronzers. The Contour Brush is for applying highlighter or contour, I use it for contour, and it is the perfect size and shape for either. There's also the Domed Shadow Brush which is custom cut for flawless full lid shadow application and it does just that. The Shading Brush has a tapered cut which is perfect for even distribution of eyeshadow. Finally there's the Smudge Brush which has short, dense bristles perfect for blending eyeshadow. All of the brushes are so soft as well and amazing quality.

- Claire  

New Books

I picked up a few books the other day and thought I'd share what I got with you. I've posted a lot about makeup recently so I figured it was time for some books.

First is Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris which I picked up because its Charlaine Harris and also because its Midnight Texas! This is the first book of a series that has become a TV series called Midnight Texas which is on Syfy and I really loved the first season of it and when I saw this in the 3 for £5 offer I just had to get it. Its about a town called Midnight which is inhabited by lots of supernatural beings. I'm really excited to read it since I love the show so much!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a very popular book that I've heard so many good things about. Its about a young girl who lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she grew up and the posh high school in the suburbs. She struggles after witnessing the fatal shooting of her friend by a police officer. It tackles some very real problems in the world which makes it even more of an interesting read.

Finally The Hanging Tree by Ben Aaronovitch which is the 6th book in the Peter Grant series. I actually haven't gotten around to reading any of this series yet but it is a series I really want to read and I couldn't not pick this up as it was in the 3 for £5 offer. I will hopefully start this series soon especially since I now have the 6th book!

- Claire

Tarte Makeup

So recently I bought some more Tarte makeup from QVC. You know how much I love talking about new makeup so I just had to tell you about this.

This is the beautiful Ladies Night clay palette which has 6 eyeshadows, a blusher, a bronzer and a highlighter. It also has a big mirror which is handy and smells amazing which is something I always find with Tarte palettes. The eyeshadow colours are so pretty and pigmented and they blend together really well to create amazing looks. I am so in love with this palette, especially as its more than just eyeshadows in there.

The Tarte Clay Stick Foundation is actually amazing. I got it in the shade fair beige and its the perfect colour for my skin tone. I was worried it would be too drying for my skin because its a stick foundation as I have dry skin but it wasn't at all. It gives great coverage and feels light on your skin, plus its so easy to apply especially with the brush this set came with.

I also got the Tarte Lip Sculptor which is a lipstick and a lipgloss, one on each end, in the shade Sass. The colour is so pretty and isn't dry on your lips. I love this because you can wear them both together or just the lipstick or just the lipgloss. 

I finally have the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara and I love it. It lengthens, curls, volumizes and conditions. Its also a vegan mascara and comes in really cool packaging. Plus it doesn't clump and gives you amazing looking lashes.

This is the foundation brush that I got with this set and I'm really glad I got it because it is great for applying the foundation. The bristles are soft and it gives a smooth and even application.

- Claire

Rimmel Beauty Box

I recently won two beauty boxes on facbook and this is the Rimmel London beauty box I won. I will have another post about the other box I won which you should check out too. The Rimmel box has 9 amazing products inside and also a lovely makeup bag! This box is £29.99 and the contents is worth £50! All the products are full size and create a great look. 

First is the Rimmel London Natural Bronzer in the shade Sun Glow. This is such a pretty and shimmery shade and it blends really nicely onto my skin. As someone who is quite pale bronzer is a bit of a life saver and this one is amazing. Its also got SPF 15 and its waterproof which is an added bonus.

Next is the Rimmel London Match Perfection Silky Loose Face Powder in the shade Transparent. Because its in the shade transparent it fits my skin tone perfectly. It blends well and gives my makeup look more natural and it wears up to 8 hours. I'm not usually a fan of loose powders because I'm quite clumsy and I always seem to make a mess with them but I do really love this powder. My favourite powder is actually a Rimmel London one so it was really cool to try out one of their other ones.

The Rimmel London Sculpting Palette is something I've wanted to try out for a long time so I was really happy to see this in my box. It's in the shade Golden Bronze which I'd say is maybe a bit too dark for my skin tone so I apply the contour lightly to make sure it isn't too dark. I like that it has highlight, contour and blush all in one palette which will be really great for travelling instead of bringing 3 separate products. The highlight gives a nice glow, the contour blends well and the blush is a lovely colour. I am really impressed with this product.

Then theres the Rimmel London Magnif'eyes eyeshadow palette. I really love this palette because its all neutral colours but a few are shimmery which I like a lot. The colours suit my eye colour really well and go together well too. They're pigmented and easy to blend, perfect for a day or night look depending on which colours you use. It also has a cute little mirror so you can take it on holiday with you especially since its a nice compact palette that wont take up much room. 

The Wonder'full mascara is amazing. Its infused with argan oil and gives great volume without clumps. I have used a Rimmel mascara before and I wasn't much of a fan of it but I really love this one I'm super impressed. Also I got the Brow This Way 3 in 1 Ultra Soft Powder which is really great stuff for your brows. You don't need to use any other products with it and it gives you nice natural looking brows. Unfortunately this one is in the shade Medium Brown and is too dark for my eyebrows so I shall be giving it to my sister instead.

Another Brow This Way product and this is the Highlighting Pencil in the shade Shimmer. I'm not the biggest fan of highlighting pencils but I quite like this one. It's easy to use and gives a subtle highlight on your brow arch. 

Lastly is the Lasting Finish Lip Contouring Pencil in the shade Tiramisu. Its a really nice shade and is so easy to put on. I don't use lip liners that much but I have been using this one a lot. Also the Rimmel London Lipstick in the shade Boho Nude which is a gorgeous pinky nude colour that I am in love with. The lipstick and liner match each other so well and look amazing.

Another beauty box that I am super impressed with. If you're interested in this box then you can check it out here. 

- Claire

Powder Beauty Box

Recently I won a competition on facebook and received two beauty boxes! I figured I'd do two posts, one about each box. This one is about the Powder beauty box which is a monthly subscription box. For the monthly box (which is what I received) its £15 or £13.50 per month for a 6 month subscription or just £10 a moth for a 12 month subscription. There are 7 products each month from loads of amazing brands.

I was so happy when I saw this Nails Inc nail polish because its one of my favourite nail polish brands! The colour is so pretty and the photo doesn't do it justice because its got a beautiful golden shimmer. I am very excited to use this because its a colour that will go with any outfit and its an amazing brand.

Next is an Urban Veda facial wash which I have never used before. But I'm sure this will be great especially since I wear makeup most days. It says its balancing, clarifying and skin softening which would be good for me as I have quite dry skin. It smells really nice and I look forward to trying it out.

I am a huge lover of perfume samples because its a great way of figuring out if you like a fragrance and they also fir into your handbag. So I was happy when I saw this Calvin Klein fragrance Obsessed. It smells wonderful and I have been taking it with me in my handbag so I can use it throughout the day when I'm out. Definitely a fragrance I would want more of.

I finally have a Nip + Fab product! I have heard such great things about Nip + Fab for a long time and I now have the Dragons Blood Plumping Serum which is amazing. It makes my skin feel refreshed and hydrated. It also smells so nice and a little bit goes a long way. This is one of my favourite products from this box and I will definitely be buying more of this.

This is the Look Good Feel Better Sculpting Sponge. I have yet to actually use it but it feels nice and soft and its a multi-tasking sponge which is great. You can use it to highlight and contour as well as applying your foundation. I'm excited to test it out.

There was also a Lottie London Blush Crush which I got in the shade Nick. Its such a bright pink but looks amazing on. You cant tell that well in this photo but its so sparkly and pretty. I didn't have a blusher in a shade like this so I'm really happy to have it. Its blends beautifully and gives a lovely natural blush.

Finally the Blaq facemask which is another one of my favourites. I used this for the first time recently and I was so impressed. I really helped clean my pores and I will be using it more in the future. It actually peeled off really easily and didn't hurt like I thought it would. I am really happy with this product and I plan on buying more in the future.

Overall I really loved this beauty box and I think its totally worth the money. If you're interested in getting one then you can get one from their website here.

- Claire

October Favourites

As it is now the beginning of Novemer (how is it November?) I am doing another favourites post. There are so many other things I wanted to put in this post but I had to narrow it down to just a few.

First of all is the Tarte Clay Stick Foundation which I have in the shade fair beige. I got this as part of a set of Tarte makeup which I will be doing a separate post about. I was a bit worried about using a stick foundation because I have very dry skin and I thought it might be too dry for my skin, but this was not. I was so impressed with how smoothly it went on and how well it blended. It doesn't dry out my skin and the shade is a perfect match. 

I used another one of my amazing Starskin face masks, this one was called After Party. This one energizes your skin, correct dark spots, evens your skin tone, smooths skin texture and boosts radiance. This made my skin feel amazing and improved the tone of my skin. I am really loving these face masks a lot!

I got a new bag in October from ID Peters London. I got this for free and just had to pay shipping and the bag itself costs around £50 so I was very happy when I received it! Its the perfect size for me because I hate carting around huge handbags, but it still has plenty of space for all the things I need to have with me. It has a beautiful design on it and a lovely long strap which I need, but it can also be used as a clutch because the strap can be removed. Its made from vegan leather which is great too. 

Lastly, is Sundae Gelato which is a dessert place. I hadn't been there in a which and I went again in October and remembered how amazing the food is. I had a chocolate sundae which was so delicious. If you like desserts then I 100% recommend this place because its like ice cream heaven.

That's all for this months favourites, as always I will post another favourites at the end of this moth so stick around for that.

- Claire

Book Haul

I hadn't bought myself books in a while and so recently I decided to treat myself, especially since John Green's new book came out and I had to get that! So here is a little haul for you!

Fist of all I got John Green's new book Turtles All The Way Down which I have just started and I am so looking forward to reading. I love John Green's books a lot and if you haven't read any yet then you definitely should. I also got It Only Happens In The Movies by Holly Bourne. I got this because I really wanted a young adult romantic comedy book and I think this fits the bill. Then there's Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland. I have seen this around a lot, it seems to be quite a popular YA book so I picked it up along with It Only Happens In The Movies as it was 2 for £7.

I received Hope by Rhian Ivory from Goodreads. It's another YA novel of course about a young girl whos plans fall apart when she doesn't get into the college she wants to go to. I am excited to read this a lot!

That's all there is, not a lot and also not long descriptions but I'm currently ill right now so it has to be short and sweet.

- Claire

September Favourites

This post is a little late but I figured I'd do it now anyway. My September favourites!

First up is a film. I saw It at the cinema with my boyfriend because I won a couple of cinema tickets and I actually really liked it. I'm not normally very good with horror films but this one wasn't too bad. It was scary but not so scary that I couldn't watch it. I am really excited for when the second one comes out. I definitely recommend this film to everyone.

Next is this Starskin facemask called Behind the Scenes. I won several of Starskins facemasks recently and this was the first one I used and I really loved it. It made my skin feel refreshed and hydrated. I am looking forward to trying out the rest of the facemasks I got!

This is the iheart makeup Chocolate Rose Gold palette which I am in love with. The colours are so pretty and pigmented. They blend together beautifully and I cant stop using it.

Finally the Ted Baker mini body spray. I got this because I needed something else to get in the 3 for 2 at Boots and I am so glad I got it. It smells amazing! It has more of a perfume smell to it than a body spray, it smells quite sweet which I love.

That's all for my September favourites, I'll be doing another favourites post at the end of this month.

- Claire