BTS: Beauty Essentials

   

Today I decided that I would do a beauty essentials post for back to school! I took a slightly different approach to how I displayed my images (just for fun!) to see how I like it. 

And who knows! Perhaps I shall use this approach in future blog posts.

My first essential is that you invest in a good skin cleanser! I recently purchased 'Herbalism' from Lush due to good reviews, and trust me, they weren't wrong! This cleanser contains nettles, rosemary and almonds among other things. I've been finiding this is great for my skin as well as for taking off makeup, and I just know I'm going to be using this constantly during the school year! Expect a review to be on the way soon.

The next thing is a moisturiser. I usually take this moisturiser to school in case I get a dry patch on my face or if I have dry hands. This is a handy travel size and I also love using this when I get patches of eczema (sometimes due to stress, and we all know how stressful school can be).

Lip balms are a huge essential for me! On the left is a Kiko Kiss Balm, which I took to school last year on a regular basis. This is a nice lip balm as it gives a sheer pink colour, while also adding moisture to you lips. On the right is an intensive moisturiser from Blistex. I tend to only use this at morning and night as it is white in colour, but even lip balms such as Carmex are perfect as they save your chapped lips!

Dry shampoo is also a must, especially if you're running late and your hair is looking a tad off. I used this sporadically last year if I ever slept in and didn't have time to wash my hair (nasty).

The final thing is a powder. I realise that not everyone likes to wear makeup to school, and that is completely acceptable! But if like me, you like to wear a tiny bit, a powder is always a good start. This one from Bourjois is lovely as it has hydrating factors as well as elements that prevent shine. It is also quite compact, making it easy to take to school if needed.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Although I will be back to school next Wednesday, I still have another post that I would like to do before I'm finished with my back to school series for this year (how scary is that?). 

See you then!

Kate x

Back to School: Easy DIY Diary

So this year I shall be entering my final year of secondary school (woo) which means that it is going to be a year full of study and exams. Emotions and stress shall be running high, so why not document the horrificness of it all?

I saw a lot of cool, tumblr-esque note books and I really wanted to give it a try for myself!

What you will need:

• Plain spiral notepad of your desired size
• Glue gun or pritt stick (I used a glue gun as my glue stick went missing)
• Tumblr-esque pictures of your choice
• Scissors 
• Plain white paper

I recommend that while doing this that you try to stick to a theme. If you are unfamiliar with the world of Tumblr or Instagram, then you probably wouldn't know that different blogs or accounts use different types of pictures. I chose a slightly filtered theme with darker pictures for my notepad. 

I then printed off the pictures and cut them out,

First off, I covered the notepad in white paper which I glued down using my hot glue gun.

After this, I roughly laid out where I wanted the pictures to go before I glued them.

Once I was sure where I wanted to glue down the pictures, I used my hot glue gun to secure them down. 

And voila! I transformed a relatively boring notepad into a cute notepad where I can document my thoughts and feelings during the LC!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall chat to you in my next post on Saturday!

Kate xx

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DIY: Brandy Melville Inspired Sign

Every time I walk into Brandy Melville, I find myself in love with everything in the shop. I especially love the cute signs with their fun captions. Seeing as I had nothing much to do, I decided to try my own DIY sign, inspired by the Brandy Melville signs of course.

The things you will need are:

•plank of wood (I cut mine myself)

•sponges

•masking tape

•paint of your choice

•scissors

•ruler 

The first thing I did was use the masking tape to create a border. I recommend using a ruler to keep the border even.

I then took black paint and a sponge and sponged down the paint. After I let that dry I also went over it again to make sure the colour was solid black.

I then carefully took off the masking tape once it was dry. 

After this, I took a copy book to use as a border and painted over the white paint that was already on the plank. Again, I waited for this to dry fully.

While I was waiting, I decided on the caption 'Mermaid Motel' for my sign. Once I printed it off using the font 'Arial Bold', I cut it out while remembering to keep the middle pieces of paper for letters like O.

I then placed these where I wanted on the plank and kept them in place with blu tack. I then carefully went and painted the letters using a sponge.

At first, the lettering looked a bit iffy, but now that it's in my room I absolutely love it!

I hope you enjoyed this post and I hope to see you on Wednesday, when I'll be starting my Back To School series!

Kate x

Small Haul

Last week, my friends and I decided to take an impromptu trip to my closest town, and I picked up a few lovely things as I haven't been shopping properly since I was in Spain!

The first thing I picked up was a red and white striped tshirt from Penneys. I'm a bit late to the striped tshirt bandwagon, and seeing as this was only €6, I couldn't really pass it up! I already have a navy and white one and seeing as I already have gotten so much wear out of it, I just know I'm going to get a tonne of wear out of this one too! 

The next two things that I picked up are also from Penneys. I bought (more) fairy lights, which were only €1.30. I loved the last ones so much and they really light up my room (ayy geddit? I apologise...). I also picked up a new makeup bag which holographic. It's also slightly transparent, which will be really cool as you'll be able to see my makeup in it. The makeup bag was €5, which is a bit pricey for a makeup bag from Penneys, but I couldn't pass it up.

 We also took a trip to New Look where I picked up this gorgeous black zip down suede-ish skirt! When I tried this on, I just knew that I needed to buy it. It's super comfy, isn't too short and IT HAS POCKETS!!! Pockets are a huge bonus in my eyes, especially for a night out. This was €14.99, which I think is a great price for an essential like this.

We also went to Boots where I took advantage of the 3 for 2 Bourjois deal. I've been needing to buy a new mascara, so I thought I would try this one by Bourjois. I am so impressed by it already! I also bought a topcoat and a lipstick in the shade 05. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall speak to you on Wednesday in my next blogpost.

Kate xx

What's in my handbag?

I don't think I have done this post ever since I got my handbag for Christmas. My handbag is the Selma satchel by Michael Kors and it is the large version. I use this bag so much and it is the perfect size for holding my essentials. It is also perfect as it can hold a cardigan (even my jacket if need be) and can hold a bottle of water (which is an essential I forgot to include).

(working right to left)

The first essential in my handbag is (quite obviously) my purse. I bought this about a year or two ago from Cath Kidston. It has lasted me such a long time and I'm so impressed as it looks as good as new! Also the oil cloth fabric means it's easy to clean if anything spills on it.

The next essential has only become an essential as of late, and it is my Quay sunglasses. I got these from Topshop and they are in the style 'The Love Cats'. I feel these sunglasses are so chic and will last me for years as the style is so timeless.

The next thing is a scrunchie from American Apparel. I feel that if I'm ever out and even if it's only a little bit breezy, I have the peace of mind that if I can tie up my hair whenever I want.

The next thing are Klets which are Spanish chewing gum (they were also in my recent post) in the flavour spearmint. There are twenty eight pieces of chewing gum in this convenient little zip lock packet, which means if I ever need to get a nasty taste out of my mouth, I can.

The last three things go hand in hand. I have my MAC lipstick in 'Plumful', an EOS lip blam in 'Blueberry' and a small mirror which my best friend brought me back as a present from Portugal. These essentials are pretty obvious and come in handy all the time.

So those are the contents of my bag! I hope you enjoyed this post and I shall chat to you all on Saturday.

Kate xx

Current Favourites

I really can't remember the last time I did a favourites post, so I thought I'd show you all some of my favourites as of late! 

The first is the tea tree moisturiser from The Body Shop. I would typically apply this in the morning before I put on my makeup, and I love it because I feel the tea tree has even helped in clearing my skin a bit. 

The second thing is a buffer from Models Own. I got this free back at Easter, and although I thought I'd never use it I actually use it loads. I've been loving using it to prep my nails before putting on nail polish.

The next product is a product that I am obsessing over, which is the Too Faced melted lipstick in 'Melted Berry'. I have been using this lipstick every time I get the chance. I love the colour, it's long wearing and isn't drying at all. I'm so tempted to buy another one in a more neutral colour (not that I need more lipsticks).

The next thing is a highlighter by Nars in 'Albatross'. I love this highlighter so much that I've incorporated it into my everyday makeup routine. It's perfect for everyday as it gives a subtle glow but isn't too much.

The final thing is Klets, which are chewing gum from Spain. I also have a mint flavour which I keep in my handbag and as it has a zip locked bag, it's perfect for keeping them fresh and they don't spill all over your bag. 

So those are my current favourites! I hope you enjoyed and I'll chat to you in my post on Wednesday. 

Kate x