Summer Epilogue

(myself and Maia from typicallymaia.blogspot.ie , go check out her blog!)

Sadly, summer 2015 is going into its final few weeks, which I know everyone (including me) really does not want to hear. This year I will be going into my final year of secondary school, which includes the dreaded state exams at the end of it all. As starting on September first I will be extremely busy and stressed for the 296 days thereafter, I am going to try to make the most of the last weeks of summer that I have, in bucket list form of course.

1. Get my skin under control!

I've luckily already started to do this, and it seems to be working so far. I want to make sure that when I go back to school that I have a good skincare routine to keep my acne under control.

2. Finish my Bootea tea tox

I got this tea tox a few months ago, and only used about two tea bags before I forgot to take them! I want to try to finish it to improve my health and also because quite frankly, I love the taste of the tea!

3. Get organised for the LC

One of the key things that helped me through the JC was the fact that i had everything where I wanted, and then I knew I could find it if i needed to! I started this the day after I finished school by putting all of my notes etc into seperate folders for each subject. Now I want to tidy my desk to create the perfect study space.

4. Meet with friends once a week

I want to try to meet with friends AT LEAST once week to keep myself busy. Whenever I don't meet with friends for a few days, I notice myself getting extremely bored. To combat this I try to meet up with friends, go shopping or have a sleepover.

5. Blog twice a week

I was supposed to be doing this the whole entire summer, but things like going to Spain got in the way. I've been planning different blog posts in my pink blogging diary up until mid September, so I'll definitely be organised!

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost! Have you any plans for the last few weeks of the summer holidays?

Kate x

Piercing: Nose

I have wanted a piercing since about last summer, so as soon as I found out that a (sanitary!) piercing studio had moved and opened near me, I knew I would have to get my nose pierced!

I luckily only had to pay a tennar for the piercing as it's usually €30, due to a deal that was on at the time (fate anyone?).

I then sat down and was shown that the needle, clamp and ring were all sterile and had never been used. Once he did this, he then put a purple dot on my nose. 

I recommend that you tell your piercer whether or not you want to wear a hoop in the future as this actually does affect where the nose is pierced. 

(Terrible picture due to me trying to take a sneaky snapchat while the piercer wasn't looking)

Once he put the needle through my nose, it surprisingly wasn't as sore as I had expected. I would rate the pain as 4/10 as it was more uncomfortable that painful. My left eye watered due to the pressure, but the piecer informed me that everyone's eye waters due to the sinuses. He then clipped and clamped and before I knew it, my nose was pierced! Before I left he gave me an aftercare sheet and a cleaning solution which I use once in the morning and once at night. 

Apologies for the picture, but I opted for a small silver stud with a plain jewel which changes colour in the light. 

I absolutely ADORE my piercing and would recommend to anyone who wants one to just go for it. The pain didn't even last for very long after (I'd say it stayed for an hour or so) and as of yet it still doesn't hurt!

I hope you enjoyed this post!

Kate 

GRWM: Mamma Mia

Today I am here with a Get Ready With Me! Last Saturday I went to see Mamma Mia, which was my mothers Christmas present from my brother and I. The show was so fab and the actors were amazing.

I started off by priming my face using the Porefessional Primer by Benefit.

Next I used my Benefit Hello Flawless foundation which I just ADORE for nights out. I applied this using my Real Techniques expert face brush. After I used my Boing concealer and set it all with my Bourjois powder.

Once I had set the powder, I kept my eye makeup simple by applying my MAC paint pot in 'Rubenesque' to my lids and lined it using a combination of my Bourjois eyeliner and a tester of the Benefit Push Up eyeliner (I have mixed feelings towards that eyeliner). I also used a Kiko lip liner to prevent my later applied lip stick from bleeding.

To finish the look off, I applied the gorgeous Too Faced Melted in 'Berry' which has such amazing quality!

This is a terrible picture, but it's the only outfit picture I have! My striped ribbed top is from Penneys, my button down skirt is from Topshop and my cardigan is from Brandy Melville. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! I'll see you in my next post on Friday!

Kate

Summer Playlist

Today I am here with a summer playlist taken directly from my phone!

This is the playlist that I have been listening to and will definitely remind me of this summer!

The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face

I first heard this song on Maddi Braggs snapchat and I immediately knew that I'd have to look it up. This is quite different from The Weeknds other music but is a great song nonetheless.

The Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor

I have loved this song for a long, long time but for some reason I listened to it loads while I was in Spain. It's one of their older songs but is definitely a favourite of mine. Also, a year yesterday I saw them in concert and they were just amazing!

The Weeknd- The Hills 

Another favourite song while I was in Spain! This song isn't even remotely summery, I just like it anyway. 

The Weeknd - What You Need

I heard this song back when Banks did a cover of it for Radio 1 (which you should definitely look up by the way) and of course I love the original. 

Jamie T - Don't You Find 

I owe finding Jamie T to my older brother who got his album for Christmas. This is just one of those songs that I forget is on my phone and then when it comes on shuffle, I definitely don't skip!

Oh Wonder - Body Gold

I LOVE this song!! I found this song from Troye Sivans Snapchat story and when u looked it up I fell in love with it. I can't wait for their album.

Jamie T - Rabbit Hole

Another song by Jamie T! Equally as amazing as the last one. I was obsessed with this at Christmas and became obsessed again while I was in Spain. 

The Wombats - Emoticons

The Wombats most recent album is great and this song is a favourite of mine (along with English Summer and Greek Tragedy). 

Haim - If I Could Change Your Mind

I have no clue why, but this song is just so summery for me! I love Haim and this song will forever be a summery song.

The Wombats - Greek Tragedy

Another Wombats song! This song is unbelievably catchy and I just love it.

And finally...

Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile

Expect a really rocky, loud song for this one. I am obsessed with this song, and I can't wait to get my hands on their new album!

I hope you enjoyed this post! I am still deciding on a new blogging schedule, but it will more than likely be every Saturday and Wednesday. See you in my next blogpost!

Kate

Spain: Makeup Haul

Hey guys!

So today I am here with a haul from my trip to Spain! I did get the opportunity to go to Sephora and Kiko, both of which we sadly do not have here in Ireland. This is where I bought the majority of the stuff I got on the trip (apart from a few tops in Stradivarius and Zara). I am in no way bragging, just want to share my thoughts!

The first makeup shop I went to was Sephora and when I went here, I had only intended on picking up one thing that I had my heart set on for months. And that was the Albatross highlighter by Nars.

When I went into the beautiful shop, I almost didn't buy it as the temptation of buying another Nars blusher was calling me. But seeing as I already have enough blushers, I resisted the temptation and picked up the highlighter! I am so excited to use this (I will hopefully use it today hehe) as it's gorgeous and the pigmentation is fabulous. 

The next thing I picked up was a Beauty Blender which I am so excited to use! I had actually picked up Sephora's own type of beauty sponge which looked very similar to the Beauty Blender, but I quickly put it back as the real deal enticed me so much more!

The last thing I picked up was a Melted Liquified Lipstick from Too Faced in 'Berry' and let me just tell you guys, I am low key obsessed with this lipstick! When I was looking at the Too Faced counter, the Sephora shop assistant was explaining (in Spanish) how popular Too Faced is and what a nice brand it is also. She actually recommended this colour and most definitely wasn't wrong! I am so so excited to wear this!! 

 

In Kiko, I bought a few gifts for some of my family members, but I also decided to try some of their lip care range. I picked up a night balm, which is like a heavy duty lip balm that you apply at night (duh). I love this and I feel it does a great job of keeping your lips moisturised all night! I also got the lip plumper, but honestly I don't feel like it does much which is disappointing, as I thought it would be the perfect dupe for the Too Faced lip plumper (which I am also dying to try). I'll figure it out hopefully!

I also picked up an Ultra Glossy Stylo in the shade 817. I absolutely love the one I have in 819 and use it religiously. The colour pay off isn't great but it's buildable! I also bought a Smart lip pencil in 708. I have never really used a lip pencil properly (apart from Kiko's invisible one) so I am looking forward to using this. 

I hope you enjoyed my makeup haul and I shall see you in my next blog post!

Kate 

Three weeks en España

Hey huns!

Long time no blog eh?

I had planned to post while I was away, because I naively thought that I wouldn't be that busy, and that posting twice a week would be a piece of cake.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Over the last three weeks, I was unbelievably busy, because I went to the amazing country of Spain in order to improve my Spanish.

view from our house

I was completely immersed in the Spanish language as I stayed with a Spanish family in Malaga for all of the time I was there. It was fabulous! The family were so so kind and the food they cooked was amazing. 

Everyday, I would have classes from 9am to 1:30pm. After, we would have lunch and go for other activities. On the first Monday, we went to Sealife which now, looking back, was fun! But at the time, it was probably about 30 degrees and I was walking about on five hours sleep. Needless to say, I slept pretty well that night!

The Wednesday, we took a day trip to Alhambra and Granada. Alhambra is a UNESCO world heritage site not too far from Granada, which is like a palace and a fortress built by the Muslims. It was absolutely spectacular. The details of the palace from the ceiling to the walls itself was completely breathtaking and made me feel very lucky to have been able to visit it. It's gardens were beautiful with fantastic views of Granada itself.

After, we went into Granada city for a bit of shopping (of course I had to pop into Sephora) and it was 36°c! Granada itself, although I didn't see a lot of it, is a beautiful city and I really enjoyed being there.

Now we are going to take a second to appreciate the fruit in Spain. Wow.

Because Spain has such a warm climate, it is totally suited for growing tropical fruits such as watermelons, peaches, cherries etc. I took advantage of it wholeheartedly! I think I more than likely ate my body weight in watermelon and cherries because they taste a million times better than what we have here.

On the Friday, we took a cable car to the top of a mountain and were greeted by the sunshine when we walked further to the top. The views (like basically everywhere I was in Spain) were breathtaking, and we could actually see Morocco.

Of course, we had our fair share of beach days. The beach was pretty far away from us, so I didn't go as much as I probably should have but when I did go it was lovely. I loved being able to relax and read my book while sipping on Aquarius which is SUCH a beautiful Spanish soft drink.

One night I also went to the beach along with my friend and host mom and she bought us ice cream (our host mom was the cutest). I also went to the beach at night with my other friends too and always had a lot of fun.

We also took a half day trip after classes to the small hillside town of Mijas. We had very little time here, but we did see things such as the ayuntamiento (town hall) and also bought ice cream from a gelateria featured on the BBC! They also included a big hunk of chocolate in their icecream, which was fabulous.

 We also visited Seville one of the Saturdays which was extremely interesting. We visited the Seville Cathedral which was so beautiful. Here, we also saw the tomb of Christopher Columbus, which I didn't expect to see at all! When we climbed to the top of the bell tower (thankfully wasn't steps), we were able to see a great view across Seville. We also visited another Muslim palace while here and went to a theme park which wasn't originally planned. Honestly, I think they didn't want us sitting around doing nothing as the heat was unbelievable on this day. It was 46°c according to a thermometer on a road sign!

We took another half day excursion to Nerja, where we ate ice cream (a lot of ice cream was consumed on this trip) and saw caves, which had the largest column in the world! My brother was well jel.

On our final night, there was the first night of a fair! It was an ok night, but I honestly would have preferred spending time with my friends instead of being made go to the fair. It was fine though, and the lights were pretty!

Now I am at home, with post Spain blues. Even though I was in class and up early everyday, I would go back in a heartbeat as I feel my Spanish has improved so much and I've made so many new friends. Until next time España!

Kate

5SOS Concert

Hey huns!

So as promised in my last post I am here with a little post about 5 Seconds of Summer concert!

I went to see 5SOS on Saturday the 30th of May in Belfast and it was honestly one of the best concerts I've been to (not surpassing Arctic Monkeys though).

              

Top: H&M

Skirt: Lulu skirt from American Apparel

Cardigan: Brandy Melville

Shoes: Doc Martens

I had such a great time at this concert and went with 5 of my really close friends. All the boys in the band are honestly so funny and each one comes across as being so sweet in their own way. 

I shall leave you with a few pictures from the concert and I'll speak to you next Tuesday!

Kate