My three favourite perfumes

Hello and welcome to a new post, this week we’re talking perfume. 

I've only recently gotten into perfume but I have three which I love and wear one every day. 

I don’t tend to have a distinct scent which I go for, for me it all depends on how the scents are matched up. However, I don’t usually like anything too strong and really love fruity scents and adore musky base tones.

Below I'm going to show you each perfume and list what the key scents are, for this I'm going off the perfume shop website (just because it seemed most informative) and will list the best price I can find for them. I bought two of them from boots and the other was a gift, but I'll search for the cheapest price I can find, as I know perfume can be expensive!

Amazon

This is One Direction's first fragrance and one which I LOVE! Whenever I wear this I get a compliment on the scent and people are always surprised when I say that it's this scent. I got this as part of a gift set alongside a body lotion and the roller ball (handy for your handbag).

Top notes: pink grapefruit, red currant

Heart notes: Jasmine petals, fresh freesias, frangipani

Base notes: musk, sheer woods and white patchouli

Amazon

I had my eye on this perfume for a while when it finally went on sale! I love this scent, it's my favourite out of the Marc Jacobs range and is an easy to wear fragrance which is really pretty and floral but has a great base tone.

Top notes: red berries, dragon fruit and honeysuckle

Heart notes: jasmine, coconut water and orange blossom

Base notes: vanilla, driftwood and musk

This final perfume is a scent I'd never tried before receiving it as a gift and absolutely love it! It's again easy to wear and doesn't carry a heavy tone but is different from the other two, as it is more citrus-y and doesn't carry the musk undertone. I love the gold bottle and this one is easier to travel with as the glass is protected by the plastic outside.

Top tone: aquatic iris, citrus

Heart tone: barringtonia, peony, violet and jasmine

Base tone: sandalwood, cedar, amber and vanilla

I hope you liked this post, comment to let me know your favourite perfumes and I'll be back next week with a post all about bedroom decor! Stay golden, Gracie xo

2015 Reading challenge: Update!

Hello all and welcome back! Since finishing my first year of university I've been reading like mad and that means that this week’s post is an update of the 2015 reading challenge I'm taking part in. Now, I’ll stop babbling on and let you guys decide for yourselves whether these three books are good or bad!

If you want to catch up on my reading challenge, check out THIS and THIS.

Reasons To Stay Alive by Matt Haig

(A memoir)

Reasons to stay alive is a book written by fiction author Matt Haig, it's different from what he usually writes as this is a non-fiction book and is kind of a memoir. The book is all about the authors struggles with mental illness, more specifically depression and anxiety. Haig starts the book when he was a teenager and goes right through to present day, the story is incredibly well written and really lets you understand what it must have been like for him to suffer from such illnesses. Despite the topic of the book being something you would usually associate as being bad, somehow the storytelling is still funny and the way it is written makes the content interesting. I think that everyone should read this book as it really does make you think differently about not only mental illnesses but life in general.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

(A book that made you cry)

I originally bought this book before Christmas but have only just gotten round to reading it, and I'm so glad I did!

It's set in 1986 in Omaha, Nebraska and follows the story of Eleanor, who is the new girl at school and Park who is just a regular kid, he's not super popular but isn't cast out either. Eleanor comes from a big family and lives with her mother, step-dad and younger siblings but has just returned after being kicked out. Eleanor's mother doesn't have a lot of money and is abused by her step-dad, it's through Eleanor's life that the author brings to light lots of issues which aren't usually talked about, especially not in YA novels. I really loved this book, you learn a lot about the characters especially as it's written from both of their points of view which let's you learn information about them and their backgrounds. I wasn't expecting to cry, however in the last few pages I really did, but don't let that put you off reading this, if you like other YA novels like those written by John Green, Gayle Forman and E. Lockhart then you'll enjoy this.

Paper Towns by John Green

(A book set in a different country)

I've been meaning to read this book for ages and with all the buzz surrounding the movie eventually got round to buying myself a copy. I've read Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars and really enjoyed both of those so I already knew this was going to be good. Despite really enjoying the characters and the plot of this book, I couldn't get into it as much as I have done with other books which meant it did take me longer than usual to read. That being said, I thought that it was really different from other YA novels and it was really really well written. I love John Green as an author, he always writes in a way that makes me want to just carry on reading his books forever and I really could of with Paper Towns. What I liked most about this book is that it wasn't all focused around Q and Margo as a possible couple, and instead portrayed Q as almost obsessed with the idea of Margo he had inside his head. I would really recommend this book if you're looking for something slightly different to read.

I hope you enjoyed my Reading Challenge update and if you have any comments about these books then please leave them below, I love getting book recommendations so leave those too! I'll be back next Sunday so please come back! Stay golden, Gracie xo

Eye Makeup Trilogy: Brows!

Hello and welcome back! This week is the third and final post in the eye make-up trilogy I've been doing and that means its brows time! I don’t do a great deal to my brows in the summer as I prefer and overall more natural look, however depending upon what I'm doing I switch between products. My brows are naturally in shape and require little maintenance, however they’re sparse through the arch which is where I focus on if I'm doing a fuller brow look. For more info, keep on reading!

£3.99 // £2.99 // £4.95

For a natural look - I go for the Rimmel Brow This Way tinted brow gel, this is really great to give some more colour and definition quickly and easily!

For a fuller look - I use a brow pencil, this one by Rimmel is a really great colour for me and lets me fill in my brows in the areas they're sparse without looking too drawn on

For a dramatic brow - I use the w7 brow twister, this is in the same style packaging and texture as the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow wiz but for a fraction of the price, this creates a full and more dramatic look and I use it on days when I'm feeling more brave with my brows!

I also use a clear brow gel/clear mascara to set my brows when I've used a pencil/brow twister, however mine has run out at the moment

I hope you liked my little trilogy! I use highstreet/drugstore products as they suit my student budget, let me know if you have any favourite eye make-up products you'd recommend! 

Stay Golden, Gracie xo

2015 Reading Challenge: Update!

Hello all and welcome back. Today I'm doing an updated ‘2015 Reading Challenge’, if you want to catch up on the two posts I've done on this so far you can find them HERE and HERE. I've been super bust with uni over the past month but wanted to do one of these posts so I've chosen two books which are two of my all-time favourites and one which I read in late December 2014. I'm just about to start One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey so look out for that one in my next update!

Waterstones // £8.99

The first book I've chosen is The Ladies Paradise written by Emile Zola. This fits the category, a book set in a different country, as it is set in France. I read this after watching the TV show The Paradise (On UK Netflix), the show is very very loosey based on the book and is set in Britain rather than France. The book follows the idea of a town getting its first big department store and follows the story of Mouret, the owner of the store, who falls for Denise a shop girl. Denise is kind of portrayed as an underdog character who gets picked on by some of the other girls in the shop, who see themselves as better than her. I really love this book, it’s a classic and is one I go back to time and again if I'm not wanting to start something new.

Waterstones // £7.99

The second book is the one I read – for the second time - in late 2014 and that is Looking For Alaska by John Green. I read this after reading The Fault In Our Stars, and it was recommended to me by my boyfriend who read it before me. I find after reading John Green that his style of writing is so captivating that sometimes the only book that can fill the gap of finishing one of his books, is another of his books! I really enjoyed reading Looking For Alaska, it was better than I was expecting it to be and I ended up not being able to stop reading it once I had started – my favourite quality in a book. If you've read other book by John Green I would definitely recommend this one.

Bought from TKMaxx for £14.99

The final book is one I read 2-3 times a year, or whenever I have nothing to read or just when I'm not in the mood to read something new, and that is, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Now I'm completely obsessed with this book, not just the story but the language used, the characters and really everything it involves! The version I have is the complete Lewis Carroll collection which includes both Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, among other Lewis Carroll stories. The category I'm fitting this into is a book with non-human characters and that is simply because not only are many characters non-human but they’re also completely made up!

I hope you enjoyed this reading post, stay golden!
Gracie xo

March Skincare Favourites

Hi all, welcome back! This week I wanted to share with you some constant skin care favourites which I have been using throughout March and which I have been loving! Some are new products and others are old favourites

These first two products are ones I have been using on and off since January (I've done a blog post on the body lotion here) however I really got into them in March. It’s been unseasonably warm recently which led to me being very pale and unprepared and getting slight sunburn on my shoulders, the Sanctuary body lotion really helped with this, not only does it smell lovely but it’s super lightweight and moisturising which helped with the sore skin 100%! The hand cream from Vaseline is one that I have again been using loads recently to keep my eczema at bay, it smells lovely and soaks quickly into the skin.

The next three products I have been using are face products, starting with these Simple Kind to Skin brightening face wipes. I use these on days when I've not been wearing make-up to clean my face before bed, they make my skin feel clean and are super sensitive. Next up is the Q10 face cream from Aldi, this is a really nice face cream which isn't too thick or thin and it also has SPF 15. Finally, my holy grail lip balm which is Vaseline, this is such a multi-purpose product and this conditioning version is especially great to heal your lips if you share my terrible habit of biting them!

I hope you liked my skin care favourites, check back next week for a new post!

Stay golden! Gracie xo

New Years Resolutions update

Hello all and welcome back! This week I'm going to be updating you on my gym routine and overall fitness. Earlier on in the year I did a post all about my New Years Resolutions and one of those was to get in the gym and improve my fitness and health and maybe even lose a little weight in the process.

Before I tell you about what I do and show you some of the clothes I wear to the gym let me tell you a little about my overall fitness/weight loss journey! I've always been plus size and naturally gain weight very easily, but I'm also not a naturally active person and have inherited a killer sweet tooth from my mam, thanks for that!

I work out in the gym for an hour, 3 times per week but sometimes I do choose to go for a walk/jog outside instead, I find if I've been in lectures all day I'm craving fresh air and a leg stretch so that works better for me. I had a shock aged 16 when I found myself just finished my GCSE’s and gaining not only qualifications but also weighing 13 stone 9lbs, this was the heaviest I had been in my life and I was only getting heavier, my plan of action was to go on a very strict diet (mine before this was shockingly unhealthy), lowering my portion sizes and going to the gym 3-4 times per week. 

I lost 3 stone in just over three months at which point I was nearly 10 stone and a lot happier with myself, the diet I was on wasn't ‘me’ enough to be long term so I slowly started increasing treats (but still kept them low) and kept on with the gym, this got my weight to level out at 11 stone and it has remained pretty stable ever since. Fast forward 2 years and due to exam stress from my A-levels (I eat when I'm stressed) I’d gone up to 12 stone 8lbs and although this isn't much over what I had been I knew if I didn't act I would soon be unhappy with my weight again. 

Now I'm at university I have a cheap gym 3 mins away and I'm in control of everything I eat all day every day. I try to eat as much fruit and veg as possible and try to keep my diet balanced and healthy while still having the odd treat- I'm a sucker for Cadbury’s chocolate! Now let me show you what I wear to the gym…

Everything here has now been discontinued (typical) however I'll attach links to the brand website or to similar items!

Trainers - Avia, these have curved soles to work your legs more while you train

Sports bra - Sports Direct, I have a seriously flat chest so wear this more for comfort than support

iPod touch, 4th generation

iPod case from eBay

Running headphones from Best Buy in America

Running leggings - Matalan, these have a tiny zipped pocket on the back perfect for putting a gym card/house key in

I don't buy expensive gym gear since I can't afford it but I love the stuff from Matalan and also from Sainsbury's. When you're working out the most important thing is that you're comfortable so don't worry if you're not in branded stuff. Also remember that you should do whatever you're happy with, whether that's working out 7 days a week or none. Body confidence isn't about other people, it's about you and if you're happy with your body and yourself then that's what's important!

I hope you've enjoyed this little glimpse into my life and fitness and I'll have another post up on Sunday!

Stay golden! Gracie xo

New Hair Products!

Hello all and welcome back! Today my post is going to be about some new hair products which I've bought recently and have been trying out.

I have used all of these 3/4 times so this is a first impressions type post which I hope is useful to some of you!

Working from left to right, the first product I have been trying out is the Colab dry shampoo in the scent London- I have done a haul which talked more about the product which you can read here. This scent is a really nice mix of more floral tones with a musk background which means that it's not too overpowering to use on your hair but gives a nice scent for while you're styling your hair. I like to use this when my hair is straight to add volume at the roots and make my hair less flat, a bonus of doing this with a dry shampoo is that of course it removes any signs of grease or build up too! This is the best dry shampoo I've used and is a really great price too.

The next product I've been using is the Garnier Fructis Style my curl perfecting mousse, the one I picked up is ultra strong and is 4/6 when it comes to hold. I've never used a mousse before on my hair but the more I started wearing my hair curly the more I learnt about styling curly hair and all the blogs I read said that a mousse was the way to go. This one I picked up from Superdrug not long ago and it's already made me into a mousse convert! I scrunch this into damp hair while my head is upside down which adds loads of volume at the roots where my hair is usually flat. After that I usually leave it to air dry or use a diffuser if I want it dry quickly. The only issue I have with this is the high amount of hold can make my hair feel slightly crunchy, so next time I would get a softer hold, but apart from that, it defines my curls and keeps them in shape for longer!

The third product is one which I've been wanting to try for ages and that's a cleansing conditioner! This one is Palmer's Olive Oil formula cleansing conditioner and is enriched with vitamin E and doesn't have the sulphates or parabens which are usually in shampoo and conditioner. The idea of a cleansing conditioner is that it cleans your hair without stripping it of natural oils and drying it out. This is an ideal way of washing your hair if it's naturally curly or gets dry easily. So far I'm really pleased with the results of using this product, my hair feels as clean as when I do both shampoo and conditioner but it takes less time and leaves my hair feeling softer and less dehydrated.

The final hair product I've been testing out is the L'Oreal Paris studio line salt spray, this has a rating of 4/10 in terms of how textured it will make your hair look which is perfect to add a tousled vibe to my hair when I want it to be a bit more gritty. I also like braiding sections of my hair and find that this is great to make the hair less clean and therefore makes the braids look better than when it's freshly washed. This was a really inexpensive product and is similar in some ways to the VO5 give me texture spray I used to swear by. The only difference being is that this is definitely more of a wet spray than the VO5 which was more like a mist. However, the little bottle it comes in barely takes up and room and could be put in your handbag easily if you like to add more texture throughout the day.

I hope you've enjoyed my mini reviews of the new hair products I've been trying out throughout the month of February and I hope you have found them useful! I hope you have a good week and stay golden!

Gracie xo 

2015 reading challenge: update

Hello all, welcome back! Earlier in the year I did a New Years Resolutions post in which I told you about the reading challenge I was taking part in!

I've now read my first three books and am going to tell you a little bit about each one!

For each book I've created a little collage so you can see the cover and also I've type the blurb so you can read that too if you wish. I bought these books myself and will have where I bought it from and the price under each image. Usually I shop in Waterstones since it's closest to me and has such a huge variety but I also get books from supermarkets which is usually cheaper.

Waterstones // £7.99

Title: The disreputable history of Frankie-Landau Banks

Author: E Lockhart

Which category of the reading challenge?: a book set in high school

Other books by the author: We were liars (see my review of that here)

This book is set in a private school in America and has Frankie Landau-Banks as the main character. I really loved this book and was reading it constantly when I got it. The storyline (without giving too much away) is that Frankie starts a new year of school and meets Matthew Livingston, a boy in the year above her who also knew her older sister. Soon Frankie starts hanging out with his group of friends and starts to think that Matthew is keeping a secret from her and she sets out to find out what the secret is and to get even. It's a light-hearted and funny book and is a great introduction to E Lockhart if you've not read her stuff before.  If you enjoying reading book by authors such as John Green then you will enjoy reading this as E Lockhart is a brilliant young adult author.

ASDA // £3.85

Title: Love Rosie

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Which category of the reading challenge?; a book that became a movie

Other books by this author: PS I Love You

I don't have enough good words in my vocabulary to express how much I loved this book! The characters are amazing, the style of writing is great and the storyline is funny, romantic and also a little heartbreaking! When I saw that this was by the author of PS I Love You I had reserves, because yes, that is also an amazing book but I wasn't sure if I wanted to read something as sad as that- it had me in tears from page one! But Love Rosie is completely different, I will admit that I did shed many tears while reading this (even on the train back to uni after Christmas) but the sadness is all balanced out by how funny the book is too. It's set out in an unconventional manner, and is written in the form of letters, phone calls and online chatroom conversations but that is what I really loved about this book, as writing in that way lets you really follow one character and doesn't focus too much on the setting of the story. I would urge anyone to pick up this book if they see it, it's quite chunky but because of how it's written it doesn't take a long time to read and I was obsessed with this book after the first few pages!

Waterstones // £7.99

Title: If I Stay

Author: Gayle Forman

Category of the reading challenge?: a book by a female author

Sequel: Where she went

I have just finished reading this book and it left me speechless. I have owned this book since November but didn't pick it up to read it until the beginning of February and I'm so glad I finally did! This book was also recently turned into a movie (which I've also not seen) and so I did have the actors for the characters Adam and Mia in my head since I know what they look like from the book cover- I'm also a big fan of Chloe Grace Mortez who played Mia in the movie - but I wouldn't say that affected my reading of the book itself. What I like most about this book is how it's written. Every section of book which is in the present is followed by a section which is from the main characters point of view but telling a story from the past, this is a really great way of getting background knowledge and context in for some of the things the character herself is going through throughout the book. This is also great as it means that there are some more light-hearted sections to the story which aren't as sad as the present day sections, set in a hospital. Another thing I like about If I Stay is that the whole book takes place over the course of a few days, even though by the end of it you feel as though you've travelled a full circle with Mia, the main character.

Whether or not you've seen the movie, you should definitely read this book, it's a really lovely story with characters you can relate to.

I hope you've enjoyed this post about the books I've been reading, I am going to do a post like this every 3 books or so throughout 2015, any recommendations please comment below!

Have a great week, and stay golden!
Gracie xo

Tea time!

Hello all, welcome back! I have a confession. I love tea, and recently my tea collection has been growing and growing and so I thought that it's long past time to share!

I currently have five types of tea in my room at uni (they no longer fit in the cupboard with my food) and they all have different health benefits, so I thought I would share with you which teas I have and what they're supposed to be good for. 

First things first, I don't like fruit tea. I'm not really sure why but I've tried many and disliked them all! Because of this I stick to more herbal teas, I also like sweet tea, and therefore add a squeeze of honey to sweeten them (bottom right, from Aldi).

The first tea on the top left is Peppermint and is from Tesco (20 tea bags for  75p). I normally dislike peppermint, this is because it is a trigger for migraines and nausea in me (unusual as mint is supposed to help with that!), therefore I tend to avoid it, but as I'm getting older I'm becoming more able to have stronger peppermint flavours and have really gotten into this tea in particular. Peppermint tea is supposed to aid with digestion, help with migraines and nausea (!) and help clear your skin.

The next tea in the middle on the top is jasmine green tea (from Aldi), I really love this and usually drink it in the morning, I find plain green tea slightly too bitter and therefore opt for jasmine green tea. This really makes me feel more awake and gets my morning off to a great start, everyone knows green tea is supposed to have loads of health benefits such as helping to boost your metabolism which aids in weight loss and reducing blood pressure. Jasmine tea is also known for helping with weight loss and relieving anxiety. 

The next tea is Twingings Everyday tea, this is a classic black tea which can have milk added to it or left plain and flavoured with lemon or honey. I either drink this with honey or with milk and two sugars! Black tea (without milk) is super good for you and improves your heart health and can also help your brain and nervous system.

The final two teas I drink are a combination of plants and flowers with the aim of helping a certain issue. The first is the Dr Stuart skin purify tea available from Holland and Barrett . This tea is a combination of red clover, dandelion and nettle which aims to help improve and clear your skin. I love the flavour of this tea and also love that it is caffeine free! I've been trying to cut down on my caffeine lately and therefore love this as a caffeine free alternative. The final tea is the Twinings sleep tea, this is a blend of flavours (camomile, lavender and vanilla) which are known for helping you relax and wind down in order to get a better nights sleep!

I hope you have enjoyed this post, if you have any tea recommendations for me, please comment below! I'm always looking to try out new flavours.

Have a good week, stay golden!

Gracie xo

My Star Product of the month!

Hello all and welcome back! As a new feature on this blog I am going to bring you a blog a month featuring one product- could be beauty, skincare or haircare- which has really shone out to me and made me fall in love with it!

The star product for February is a skincare item available from not only Boots and Superdrug but also at quite a few supermarkets as well! It's the Garnier Micellar water! I've repurchased this product 4 times now and absolutely couldn't live without it! It costs roughly £5 (can be £4.95/99 depending on the shop) and if you keep your eye out it's also frequently on offer.

This product is great at removing eye make up as well as cleansing your skin, it doesn't leave your face feeling at all sticky and dries really quickly. If I am wearing make up, I remove that  all with a cleansing oil and then go in with a cotton wool pad and micellar water to make sure all my eye make up is off and give my skin a final cleanse prior to moisturising. 

However, on days where I am wearing no make up I simply wipe a cotton wool pad of this across my face and then moisturise once its dry! My skin type is mainly dry except my forehead which can get oily. Therefore I find it best for me to use as few products/ washes as possible works best for keeping my skin clear and healthy.

I hope you like this new feature, do let me know if you have a new favourite product! I will also be posting a monthly favourites so I can share with you things such as my favourite clothing items or a recipe I've been loving for the month!

As always, hope you're all having a great week, stay golden! 

Gracie xo

How I style my hair... curly and straight!

Hello all, welcome back!

This week I wanted to share with you the two ways in which I style my hair; curly and straight. I had previously done a blog about my hair in October, however I wanted to replace that one with this, to add more detail and information on my styling routine. 

My hair is long, thick, frizzy, naturally curly and also stubborn! It dries out easily and therefore I always use products to protect it when I'm using heat, as well as using a curly cream/spray and a straightening spray to help keep the frizz and natural madness at bay!

80p each, ASDA

To start off I wash my hair every 3/4 days (curly hair tends to get greasier slower, usually mine can last a day longer). My hair doesn't get greasy very quickly at all, when I do wash it I vary on my shampoo/conditioner brands. At the moment I am using the Alberto Balsam mandarin shampoo and conditioner. These are great all round and leave your hair clean, moisturised and smelling great!

L-R: Boots, £6.99 // unknown

Curly hair first!

After washing my hair I brush it to remove any knots and apply argan oil to the ends. After doing this I do 5-8 sprays of the John Frieda Frizz Ease Go Curlier 48 hour curls throughout my hair and run my fingers through to spread the product. If I am going to let my hair air dry then I leave it here, if I'm using my hair dryer I'll apply a heat defence spray too. I diffuse my hair on a low setting so I don't use a lot of heat defence but I apply it to the ends to protect them from splitting and drying out. 

Hair dryer: Argos, £17.99

The brush I use is just a regular hair brush from my local chemist. The hair dryer is the Babyliss Curl and Dry 2100W. This is a great hair dryer and has speed and heat settings so you can control all aspects of your hair styling.

L-R: TRESemme, Tesco, £3.50// 3 day straight, Boots, £6.99// unknown

To straighten my hair I wash it in the same way and then apply argan oil throughout. Next I use the John Frieda Frizz Ease 3 day straight and spray liberally throughout my hair making sure it's distributed evenly.

Finally I use the TRESemme Heat Defence styling spray to protect my hair, concentrating on the ends.

Top-bottom: GHD's, £125, GHD.com// Haird dryer, Argos, £17.99// comb, poundland//
round brush, Boots, £9.99 

To straighten my hair and get it as smooth as possible I first use a widetooth comb to make sure there are no knots left in. After this, I rough dry my hair with no nozzle attached to get it to being damp. I now attach the nozzle and - starting at the front - use my Remington Keratin therapy round brush to blow dry it smooth. I am no expert at this and practice definitely makes perfect! After getting it thoroughly dried out and as smooth as I can I switch my hair dryer to its cold setting and blow my hair in a downward motion, this helps it keep its straightness. After this I use my GHD V gold max stylers to straighten it out, again in sections and starting at the front as this is where I have stubborn flicks and frizzy sections!

This is my final hair routine! It can take a long time to do, especially the straightening, however I love both finished looks. If I want to give my hair a break or just can't be bothered with using lots of product and heat, then I usually use a hair mask to deep condition it and then let my hair air dry or sleep with it in plaits/ a bun so that in the morning I wake up with curly hair without the fuss!

I hope this has given you some ideas! Hope your week is going great, stay golden

Gracie xo

P.S. all products are bought by me and the prices were right according to the store/store website at time of me writing this blog.

Edinburgh Beauty Haul!

Hello all, welcome back! I recently went into Edinburgh to pick up some new make up and I'm so excited to write this blog and share it with you! As well as the new stuff I got a couple of old faithful items which my make up bag is incomplete without!

The first thing I picked up is something I've been in need of for quite a while now, and that's dry shampoo! I've seen quite a few beauty gurus on Youtube gush about how great the Colab dry shampoo is, created by Ruth Crilly of A Model Recommends, and decided that I should try it out. I got the London scent and the sheer invisible formula, as I have dark hair, this 200ml can was £3.49 from Superdrug. Great price!

The other thing I got from Superdrug was the Maybelline New York, The Rocket volume express mascara in black (£7.99). I haven't had a Maybelline mascara in ages, despite them being the only ones I wore for a good 3 years of my teens. I've read great reviews about the rocket mascara and decided to bite the bullet and give it a go, I can be fussy about mascara but I will definitely let you know what I think!

The rest of my make up I got from Boots, starting with L'Oreal Paris. I've been wearing the Rimmel London 25 hour liquid foundation for ages now and I like it but I do find it slightly too heavy on the skin, so I stepped out of my comfort zone (away from the Rimmel stand!) and towards L'Oreal Paris. Now. This isn't a brand I would typically try but their True Match foundation does look great and sounds like just what I'm looking for, I got the shade Ivory (N1). While I was there I decided to make the most of their current offer, 2 for £12 across the brand. Considering the foundation is £9.99 on its own I couldn't resist trying something else and decided upon the glam bronzer in shade 00 Blond Sun. This looks like a great matte bronzer for someone pale like me and for £2 I couldn't resist!

The final two products I bought were both ones I've had before and always fall back on when I'm in need. These are the Boots Natural Collection corrector stick (£1.99) and the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (shade 1 fair, £4.19). The corrector stick is the one make up item I find hardest to get hold of, as Natural Collection is Boots' own brand it's not available elsewhere and I tend to find it's sold out. When I can get hold of this however, I love it! The green cancels out any redness (of which I have loads) and creates a flawless finish, other correctors I find tend to 'match your skin tone', something which leaves me more oompa loompa than flawless! The concealer is much raved about and for good reason, it blends really well and covers blemishes and dark circles.

The final item I bought isn't beauty related but I couldn't resist it when I saw it and it's this notebook;

I got this for £5.99 from Waterstones and it is adorable! Bright pink on the outside with gold edged pages and flowers on the inside cover, this is right up my street, and you never know when you're going to need a notebook!

 I hope you've enjoyed seeing my recent purchases and I will definitely let you know what I think once I've tried them out, until next week, stay golden!

Gracie xo

Sanctuary spa review!

Hello all, welcome back! 

In the boxing day sales I managed to grab myself a deal with the Sanctuary Spa 'Love the Little Things' mini's tin and thought I would bring you a review. I got this tin because I love sanctuary products, they're one of a few products which are coloured and scented but don't irritate my skin. Sanctuary Spa is also a cruelty free brand which a huge bonus. 

I got this set for £5 (RRP £10) from Boots in store it's also available online, however it's currently sold out on the Boots website.

The set is made up of a body lotion (75ml), body scrub (50ml), body wash (75ml), bath soak (75ml) and body puff. I personally don't have access to a bath and therefore it's the only item from the tin which I haven't tried out.

I love Sanctuary as a brand as all of it's products work really well and the original products (with the orange packaging) have the most amazing scent which really does create a spa-like vibe. These mini sizes are great for travelling but also allow you to indulge in a luxury product without having to spend a lot of money, perfect for a treat on a budget!

Hope you like this review! Be sure to comment if you want me to do more product reviews in the future, and if you have any products in mind.

Stay golden! Gracie xo

What I got for Christmas and my Birthday!

Hello all, welcome back! I'm finally back with a working laptop and here to bring you a blog post about what gifts I was given for my birthday and also for Christmas.

I recently turned 19 and with this and Christmas so close together I have been well and truly spoiled. I'm not at all posting this to brag or show off about what I got, as I've been at university I wasn't around before Christmas so all of my presents were a complete surprise and are things I've had on my wishlist for a while now. 

Where I can I am going to post the shop where the gift is from however as they're gifts I obviously don't know the prices.

I hope your holidays have been really great and that you've had a relaxing time with the special people in your life.

Left: Fleece PJ set - Sainsbury's - Christmas gift from my Grandparents

Top: Heart shaped necklace - unknown - Christmas gift from my boyfriend

Bottom: Red handbag - unknown - Birthday gift from my grandparents

Top Left: Silver quote bangle - Equilibrium - Birthday gift from my mam

"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"

Bottom Left: Nivea minis bauble - Limited edition for christmas, gift from my brother

Top Right: Handbag - Matalan//Scarf - Edinburgh Woolen Mill

Bottom Right: Nivea giftset

L-R:

Poppy jug - Christmas gift from grandparents

Microwavable dog (called Pam) - TKMaxx - gift from my mam

Alice in Wonderland notecards - Waterstones - Gift from my mam

Top: Sainsbury's recipe book - gift from my mam

Bottom: Wreck this Journal - Waterstones - Gift from my boyfriend

I hope you enjoyed this post! I am so happy to be back to blogging after a month or so off! I'm working on scheduling posts as I type so I'll be a lot more reliable from now on, thank you for reading! Have a good week and stay golden! 

Gracie xo

Disclaimer: all the images are my own and taken and edited myself. I use either my Fujifilm Finepix S2980 camera or my iPad therefore the image quality varies.