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