Pre-Christmas Lush Haul

I love Lush, and I've loved it ever since I was younger too, except then I probably considered it as more of a novelty because of the bath bombs. Yet, as I have gotten older, Lush has become my go to place for my skincare needs. Today (Thursday), I returned to Dublin for my exams, but before I went back to my residences I had to stop off in Lush to stock up!

(Also can we just appreciate how beautiful this bag is?!)

Honestly, I had actually set out to buy Mask of Magnaminty as I heard it's meant to be so good for acne prone skin. Unfortunately, they didn't have it (again), so I decided to try out their Cosmetic Warrior face mask. The smell is a bit strange (garlic and tea tree are a weird mix), but I have full faith in Lush that it will do wonders for my skin, and I can't wait to use this on Sunday to wind down before my last exam.

Ah, Snow Fairy. Such a beautiful shower gel, that I've been getting every Christmas season for a good 3/4 years now. I make a point of buying this every year as I adore the sweet scent and, of course, the bright pink colour. My roommate had recommended Rose Jam, but of course I had to go back to this one!

This is probably my fourth pot of Herbalism from Lush. I wrote a review here last year about it. I honestly think my skin would be in such an awful state if it weren't for this product! As I use a liberal amount morning and night, I needed to get more as I wouldn't have enough for my winter break (which is four weeks!!). Definitely recommend this if you have acne prone skin.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Hopefully I'll have a few more Christmassy posts next week in the run up to Christmas. Unfortunately I haven't had time to plan any fun creative posts this year!

Kate x

Faux Fur Wishlist

If you follow me on Twitter (which you should here, shameless plug), then you may have seen me tweet about how much I've been searching for the perfect faux fur jacket. With that in mind, I have compiled a list of a few faux fur items which are at the top of my winter wishlist.

zara - €59.95

I saw this in Zara in Dundrum last week when I was Secret Santa shopping with my roomie, and the temptation was real!  I feel like this is more of a universal faux fur that could be worn for a night out or just a day out.

Missguided - €75

This jacket has seriously caught my eye. Nearly tempted to splash out and buy it for Christmas!

Pretty Little Thing - €84

At the same time, I feel like you can never go wrong with a staple colour - black. 

Missguided - €90

I always end up looking at pink faux fur jackets, I just can't help it!

PLL - €25.20

While browsing the jackets, I also saw this faux fur clutch bag. I already had a black one from H&M (which broke), and now I have another black one from Stradivarius, so why not add a pink one to my collection?

I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you next week.

Kate x

Dorm Tour

Wow it's been a really long time, hasn't it?

Since starting uni in September, life has gone into overdrive and I haven't had a week off (seriously, 12 weeks of classes with no breaks). So with all of that said, I thought I would give a tour of the dorm that I'm living in this academic year!

The room is quite small, but it's actually the perfect size for living in as we have a living room ajoining the kitchen too. My room looks out onto a path beside some trees which is quite nice!

My bed is surprisingly comfortable (thank god)! I went for pink floral covers and my grey throw is from Penneys, but is huge amd perfect for study.

(excuse the messy 'drobe)

We get two rails for hanging up clothes, but I only use one (mostly because I keep forgetting to take more hangers). I also keep my shoes and suitcase in the bottom shelf for tidiness. I also have an Ikea clothes horse which I am yet to use as I usually bring my clothes and wash them at home #lazykatie.

My desk is definitely my favourite part of my room. I bought fairy lights from Penneys which fit perfectly around my pin board! I had thought about pinning up college stuff on the board originally, but I much prefer having cards and pictures of my friends and I on it. I also have a sign that says 'Hola', which I think is appropriate as I am studying Spanish! 

I hope you enjoyed this little insight into my college life, and *hopefully* I'll be back with another post next week!

Kate x

Uni Checklist

As any person is aware, exam results are soon due to be released to the nervous and apprehensive teens who sat the exams. I am, unfourtunately, one of said teens. My dreams of going into my geography exam without any stationary and failing my maths exam have returned once more, probably due to my sub conscious worrying.

Although the results are due, this also means I'll (hopefully) be heading to university at the start of next month to start a whole new era in my life, which is so exciting for me. Even though my brother has already been through all the elements of starting university, there are many things that will be different for me. He went to uni in England, which has a slightly different system, and he lived with our dad for his first year, both things which I will not be doing for my first year. But what two people ever have the same college experience?

I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of checklist clothing items (a bit like a wishlist?) that I'll be needing to either get or bring with me to university.

Staple Shoes

Shoes are probably one of the most important things to have. Every year since about third year, I wore black Vans to school, which makes me want to get a more casual pair for going to uni! I also think it would be good to have a more formal pair of shoes, and I absolutely love the grey brogues from Penneys/Primark.

Bottoms

It's also obviously very important to have a staple pair of jeans to just throw on for lazier dressed days. I absolutely adore my pair of lightwash mom jeans from Topshop, so I'd love to have this black pair too!

Skirts are also a great thing to be able to choose from too, and I'm really loving this khaki skirt from Missguided. It's a piece which could be worn at day casually, yet also dressed up and worn at night too.

Tops & Tees

Yet again, this is quite obvious too, but I think a staple tee such as a stripe tee are a great thing to have, as you can always fall back on them to make an outfit less boring. I also love the lettuce hem t-shirt from Missguided, as it would go great paired with anything. I added a bodysuit to the mix too, as they can be quite useful when you want to wear somehing tucked in, but can't really be bothered dealing with it becoming untucked.

Rain Jacket

Let's be realistic here: it rains a lot here in Ireland, so going out with a rain coat isn't exactly advisable. I've been searching for a pink rain coat like this one from Topshop for SO LONG. This one is also reversible, which means if you want a change to a patterned coat, you can turn it inside out for the gingham pattern!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Good luck to anyone getting results also, and congrats to anyone who already got theirs!

Kate

July Favourites

The month of July flew so fast for me, which I'm really thankful for, seeing as June was a bit slow! This month of August is a busy one, with results and uni prep, so I'm really hoping it'll fly equally as much!

I really can't quite remember the last time I did a favourites post - probably because my blogging consistency is completely skew wiff (unfortunately). Lately, I have found myself reaching for the same few products and I thought I would share them with you.

The first two staple products, which have been my saviours as of late, are my Nyx green photogenic concealer and my mini blending sponge from Penneys. I apply the concealer on any red spots/areas and blend it out with the sponge before applying my foundation, which makes my makeup look even better.

The next thing is a Victoria's Secret body spray in 'Moonlight Dream', which has a honeysuckle and aquatic orchard scent. I adore spraying this on, and the scent stays on for the majority of the day.

The next is a highlighter by MAC in 'Centre of Attention'. Usually, I would always use my Nars highlighter in 'Albatross', but the gold shimmer of this highlighter has really drawn me to it for use over the summer. It isn't too in your face, but it gives off such a subtle glow which I love.

I know I already reviewed this lipstick in my last post (which you can read here), but I just can't fathom how much I've been loving this lipstick! There's been many mixed reviews for this lippie, but personally I can't get enough.

For the longest time I've been lusting after the Morphe palettes. and when I saw the 35P, it jumped to the top of my beauty wishlist! Although some colours are disappointingly pigmented, I still love the purple colours, and I love the fact that it also has a good mix of neutrals. This palette definitely makes me want to try more, especially the 35O.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post! 

Until next time,

Kate

Latest Liquid Lipsticks

For a while, I managed to refrain from purchasing lipsticks as my collection was getting too much to handle, and I felt like some might go to waste. The last time I purchased a lipstick was actually last December, before my prom, so holding out six months must be a new personal record! 

The first liquid lipstick is the Kylie Lip Kit in 'Dolce K'. Yes, I did jump on the bandwagon for this lipstick, but I fell in love with it after an MUA used it on me, and it's honestly been worth the hype! I just love the packaging for this lipstick, so versatile and distinguishable.

The next lipstick is a Too Faced Melted lipstick in 'Fig', which was a present from my friend who recently went to New York! I already knew I'd love the lipstick, because I adore the one I have in 'Berry'.

Applicators

The applicator for 'Dolce' is a typical doe foot applicator, which I think is quite suitable for this type of lipstick. It also allows for easy application, and if you've ever used a liquid lipstick, you'll know how quickly application can go pear shaped!

For 'Fig', the applicator is so useful, It's a soft sponge applicator, which also allows for a quick and easy application. If you're new to the world of liquid lipsticks (or even makeup), then this lipstick is definitely a great one to start with.

(Top to bottom: Fig, Dolce K lipstick, Dolce K lip liner)

Consistency

As 'Dolce' is a matte lipstick, the consistency is quite drying. I usually prep my lips with some Vaseline to ensure the canvas is smooth and hydrated for a perfect application. Although it can feel dry, it doesn't dry out my lips or leave them dry once I remove it, surprisingly!

(TIP: Apply some Vaseline before taking off a matte lipstick as it makes removal a lot easier!)

As for 'Fig', the consistency is not dry at all. As it is not matte, it doesn't even really need much prep, which makes me love this lipstick for everyday use as I can pop it on whenever and don't have to worry about it looking dry. This also makes removal easy too!

Pigmentation

'Dolce' is a beautifully pigmented lipstick, I know this lipstick is going to last a long time, as you only need one swipe of the lipstick to last you the night! The colour pay off makes the lipstick well worth the price, in my humble opinion.

'Fig' has such a beautiful colour pigmentation! The picture shows it up as being a bright pink, whereas it's more of a mauvey-pink in real life. I wore it for a day of shopping with my friend, and it was still on at the end of the day, even though I had eaten and drank while wearing it.

Overall thoughts?

I adore both of these lipsticks. 'Dolce' has been my go to for nights out, and 'Fig' has been my go to for daytime wear. I would even go as far to say that they have taken the place of my MAC lipsticks!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Have you tried any liquid lipsticks? Let me know in the comments below!

Kate x

Summer Playlist

As of the Tuesday when I posted my summer bucketlist, I decided that Tuesday is going to be my posting day for the rest of the summer, here's to hoping that I stick with it!

Today I am discussing all things music for my summertime playlist. Music has a great power, as for me it always becomes associated with memories. Like, for example, the song Bailando by Enrique Iglesias will forever be associated with my time in Spain last year (along with Vamos a la Playa). So let's see what I'm listening to!

Anti by Rihanna

I LOVE THIS ALBUM WITH MY WHOLE SOUL. 

This came out in January, so it's not necessarly a summer album, but I've been listening to it non-stop so I just know it's a non mover on my playlist. Desperado is probably one of my favs, along with Goodnight Gotham and her cover of Tame Impala's New Person Same Old Mistakes.

Lemonade by Beyoncé

If you haven't listened to this album, I highly recommend that you do, even if you're not a fan of Beyoncé. This album is so different to any of Beyoncé's previous material, and is just AMAZING. The fact that I'm getting to see her live this Saturday is so exciting and I really hope she plays some of the new songs!

Tame Impala

For some reason, I always wind up listening to this band! I especially love their songs New Person, Same Old Mistakes, Let it Happen and It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards.

Drake

Drake's songs have slowly but surely been making their way onto my playlists on my phone and on Spotify, and his album Views is well worth a listen. I think we can all admit that we can't help but dance to One Dance, and I definitely can say that it will be a solid reminder of summer 2016.

Grimes

Super late jumping on this bandwagon, but anywho! I've heard a lot about Grimes before, but never got around to listening to her until I was watching the Glasto performances with my parents. Kill V. Maim is a personal favourite.

I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you next Tuesday!

Kate x

Summertime

Although I'm not quite finished all my exams just yet (I have three left that are next week...bleugh), I thought now would be an appropriate time to post my summer bucketlist! I feel like over the last few years I've always posted one of these, so why break tradition?

First thing I want to do is to get my full driving license. I've had my provisional since late September/early October, so now after all my lessons, I'm more than excited to be driving on my own. 

When I get my full license, a road trip will definitely be on the cards! I live in such a huge county and I've barely seen any of it, so I think I'll have to explore it this summer.

I also want to try to attend a few concerts this summer. I'm already all set to see Beyoncé in Dublin at the start of July, but that won't stop me from wanting to go to more! 

Reading has really taken a back seat due to all my exams this year. Instead of books on my bookshelf, I have text books, copy books and folders. I just can't wait to be able to read books I want to read! Expect a summer reading list on the way soon.

Blogging more often is really no surprise on this list, as it generally goes on the list every year. I always get so caught up with life and school work that it really takes a back seat. My blogging content (when I have posted) has been so mediocre lately, I even deleted some recent posts out of pure embarassment! I am promising myself to try to make my content so much better this summer.

Along with blogging, of course comes the pictures. I want to take loads of pictures this summer, not only for my blog, but for myself! I want to start filling some photo albums, because I think we all know how much better it is to flick through a physicial photo album, rather than swiping through a digital one.

A pamper day is going to be a must for me after I finish all my exams. Whether it's in a spa or just a chill day at home, I don't care!! But some serious relaxing must be done when I'm no longer tied to the books.

And finally, I really want to up my style game. Lately, all I've been wearing is the same three tops and two pairs of jeans which is súper boring. I really need some inspiration!

I hope you enjoyed this post for my return to the blogging world after a long exam induced hiatus. Even though I'm not quite finished yet, I'm totally looking forward to getting back to blogging again.

Kate