June Favourites!

Hello all welcome back! Sorry for the missed post last week, I was so busy that blogging slipped my mind, however this week I'm back on track with my June Favourites, I've tried to include a little bit of everything and I hope you enjoy it!

First up, fashion! June has been a month of all seasons in North East England (where I live), with some days being hot sunshine and other days just being wet and windy. However, there have been a couple opportunities for me to get out my summer clothes and dust off my sandals!

L: TKMaxx, £19.99 // R: Tu Sainsbury's on sale £8

I seriously love both these pairs of shoes and they were both such a great find that I've been wearing them as much as possible this month. The sandals on the left are the Tropical Print footbed sandals from White Mountain available from TKMaxx. I got these while on a hunt for a pair of Birkenstock sandals, they've been in fashion for a while now and I've had my eye on some big time. However after trying a pair on, decided that these were more comfortable and for £30 less I couldn't say no! I love the tropical print, it gives a bit of colour to my more boring outfits.

The loafers on the right were a real bargain from Sainsbury's as I got them on 1/2 sale for only £8! I love pairing these with ripped jeans and a simple tee or my black dungarees. 

Casio unisex watch, TKMaxx, £6.99 // bulldog clips, New Look, £3.99

I've never been one for wearing a watch but saw this one and couldn't resist, I love how simple it is and the plain black doesn't clash with anything I'm wearing. I got this from TKMaxx for the bargain price of £6.99 but it's also available here.

As the weather has been a little bit warmer I've been really enjoying letting my hair air dry. If I'm in a hurry I use a diffuser, however I find my hair curls nicest when I let it do it's own thing. To keep it out of my face I've been loving using these bulldog clips from New Look. The top clip in the image is one I've been using for years, but any little clips are great for keeping the front sections of my hair neat and tidy!

Next, beauty! I've been all about glowing skin in June which sometimes even meant ditching foundation and reaching for a great face scrub!

Sun cream, Boots, £7.50 (full size) // Cleansing lotion, Boots, £2.79

These two products have been top of my list throughout the month, first up is this handy travel size sun cream from Garnier. I try to wear SPF all year round however I amp it up in the summer to protect my skin even more. I am super pale which means carrying round sun cream on a sunny day out is a must. This one is from the Garnier range 'Sensitive advanced' and is specially formulated for people with 'fair, sensitive and sun-intolerant skin'. This is SPF 50+ and protects against UVA and UVB rays. I love this because it's light on your skin and doesn't leave you feeling greasy at all.

Next up is this cleansing lotion from Boots. It's colour and fragrance free and enhanced with aloe vera. Despite its cheap price I find it removes my full face of make-up (inc mascara/eye liner) really well and leaves my skin feeling clean and soft.

Finally non-beauty! Some random non-beauty favourites for me this month range from plants to music and I thought I'd share a couple.

My boyfriend and I recently took up bouldering. For those of you who don't know, it's basically the same as indoor rock climbing but you're not attached to any ropes or harnesses. We had a lesson at our local centre and have been loving it! It really works your whole body out but doesn't leave you feel gross and sweaty. Plus, climbing up 12/17 foot walls really gives you a sense of achievement!

I also have been buying things to add to my university room once I go back in September. Last year I had a few personal touches but I really want to add to that in year two. One thing I really wanted was plants to give a bit of colour and life, but didn't want anything which I was going to have to care for properly which is why I've opted for succulents! They're perfect to keep in containers and are really hardy (especially the varieties I've chosen).

I've been all about girls when it comes to music recently and have been catching up on albums I've missed out on such as Taylor Swift, 1989 and Little Mix, Salute. But I've also been listening to Beyonce's self titles album (still) and really enjoying more pop in my iTunes playlists!

Let me know what you think of my favourites in the comments below and I'll be back next week with a new post! 

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

Eye Makeup Trilogy: Mascara

Hello, welcome back! This week I've decided to do something a little bit different, focusing on my favourite part of my make-up routine: eyes!

For me make-up is all about the eyes and I love how the dramaticness of your eye make-up can affect your whole look. I've made this into a trilogy of posts each focussing on one element of my eye make-up collection, first up is mascara, followed by eye-liner and then brows! I'm going to do a full eye shadow collection post later on in the month too.

I hope you enjoy and let’s get started!

£19.50 // £7.99 // £7.49 // £4.99

The prices for these are all for the full size versions from Boots.com and are correct when this gets posted

For length: I opt for the Benefit Roller Lash, I got this sample from Elle magazine and I really love it, however the full size is expensive for what I usually pay.

For volume: Maybelline Rocket Volum' express is my favourite, I find that you can't build this without it getting clumpy, however it's great for thickening your lashes.

My Favourite: Rimmel Kate Rockin' Curves, I love this mascara! It's a really great all round mascara for everyday but can also be layered up to create a dramatic evening look.

Great for everyday: Rimmel Extra Super Lash is a great mascara to give a casual everyday look, it has a curved brush which gives a natural curled look.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at my current favourite mascaras, let me know what yours are below and come back next week for a look at my favourite eye-liners!

Stay golden! Gracie xo

My Wishlist!

Hello all and welcome back! 

This week I wanted to bring you an updated version of the wish list post I uploaded back in October (see that here). In that post I focussed on make-up and tools which I was after at the time, this post will be a little different in that I am going to cover things I'm wishing for from lots of different categories. There will be some make-up, clothes, a book or two and maybe even some more!

Disclaimer: all of the images were sourced by me from the website listed below the image, however these images are no way mine and do not belong to me, I simply screen grabbed them from the website.

https://www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk/product/view/dandelion

This is the first product I have had my eye on for quite a while now. Benefit have this listed as a brightening face powder, however many reviews have labelled it as a perfect blush for those with fair skin who want a hint of colour but don't want to appear blushed. I think the delicate pink looks perfect for spring/summer and after swatching it in store it gets the number 1 spot on my wishlist.

http://www.hm.com/gb/product/77130?article=77130-A&cm_vc=SEARCH

Next up on my list are dunagrees. Now, I haven't had a pair of these since I was about 10 years old but I loved the look then and 9 years on I'm still all about dungarees. They're not to everyone's taste, I personally prefer black over blue or white denim, but I think they can look casual or smarter and are great for summer if you don't want to show off too much leg. These ones from H&M are perfect and the cheapest ones I've seen at £30.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/elizabeth-is-missing/emma-healey/9780241968185

As part of my New Year's Resolutions I'm trying to read more books and that's lead me to browsing Waterstones quite a lot over the past two months. Elizabeth is missing doesn't look like the type of book I would usually read, however after checking out the blurb I was into it straight away. Not sure I'll be able to put it back on the shelf next time I see it!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/221457254/i-am-baymax-i-am-groot-mug-coffee-mug?ref=shop_home_active_2

The final item on my wishlist is this mug, I especially love Baymax (from the new Disney movie Big Hero 6) but I also adore Groot and I think this mug is perfect! It's from an Etsy shop called Cheezymug which stocks loads of funny mug designs. I love mugs and tea cups (check out my Pinterest board) and this would be a perfect addition to my collection!

Please comment and let me know if you have any of what I'm wanting and what you think of it. 

Have a great week and stay golden! Gracie xo

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P.S. I also changed my website so it is now www.littlewildflowerblog.blogspot.com this is just to tie everything together better and I am working on updating the look of my blog as I type!