The Benefit Recruitment Process / My Experience.

Hello everyone! Today I have some really exciting news to share with you all, which is that I am now officially working for Benefit Cosmetics! I am super happy with how my interviews and recruitment process went so I'm going to share the ins and outs with you all today just in case you're also applying or thinking about it. 

Now I actually didn't even apply for this job, but if you are directly applying then there are always plenty of vacancies on the Benefit careers website. So I bet you're wondering how I got an interview in the first place, well it was actually through Linked In. If you don't use Linked In, then I highly recommend it. Its kind of like Facebook for professionals. I posted a status/update saying that I was currently looking for a new career opportunity within the Beauty Industry. Later on that night I was emailed by a Manager in Benefits Head Office inviting me for an interview just two days later, you can image how excited I was. Now I know there are plenty of videos and blog posts already explaining how the interviews go but as mines more recent I thought I'd share it anyway.

I was told to come to Debenhams on Oxford Street, wearing all black and to meet her in the cafe on the top floor. I wore a little black smart/casual dress from H&M, with black tights, a Pull & Bear Black simple blazer and ankle black flat boots. I was also told to wear a full face of makeup so I went for my usual flawless base, a gold smokey eye using my Chocolate Bar Palette and I wore Mac's So Chaud on my lips. I tried to use a few Benefit products too, I used Hello Flawless liquid foundation, Hoola and Rockateur.

I showed up early and waited in the cafe before going over and sitting with her for the first stage of the interview process. I was asked very simple and easy to answer questions for example; 'How would your friends describe you in three words?'. Then it was simple things like my availability, where I live and currently work, It was thankfully very relaxed. I was then told I'd passed the first interview and to come back to the Benefit Counter in 10 minutes for the second stage. I was so nervous at this point cause I can be quite shy and I knew it would be approaching people, and at this point the store was getting busy with Christmas shoppers. I came back to find two other girls also waiting there as well. We were briefly walked around the counter, informed about their strict hygiene rules and talked through every product from skincare to makeup. Benefit are incredibly big on 'Traffic Stopping' so rather than letting the customers come to you, you must approach them and use the simple line 'Hi have you heard about Benefit before?' or 'Hi can I offer you a mini pamper with Benefit products today?'. The aim is to get as many customers back to the counter with you and sitting down.

I managed to get three ladies back in 15 minutes, which I was very proud of. I stuck to simple things like adding some blush, bronzer or highlighter, maybe putting some product in their brows or a simple colour on the lips. I felt very comfortable and made sure I was bubbly and chatty whilst with anyone, keeping the conversation flowing rather than staying awkwardly silent. When our time was up we all got called into a little room behind the counter one by one. The first girl went in and straight back out within seconds so I kind of gathered she didn't pass that stage. Next was me, I went in to collect my bag and was told that she was so pleased with how well I did and wanted me to meet one of the managers in the next room there and then. I felt so overwhelmed but so happy. I introduced myself to her and then was told I'd recieve a call soon inviting me to the final stage which is known as a 'Store Approval'. I then went and had a browse around Selfridges because why not!?

A couple days passed and I recieved a phone call from the other manager who works on that counter inviting me in for the 14th (yesterday) for my store approval. I wore the same outfit but with a leather jacket from Topshop as it was a lot colder outside but I still wanted to look smart. I arrived at the counter and was taken up to the cafe again for a chat with the lovely manager there. This interview was short, it must of lasted around 10 minutes. She was interested in my customer service experience and what I knew about Debenhams more so then Benefit on this occasion, making sure I was suitable for that store. I mentioned the Store Card and the Beauty Points Card which was exactly what they wanted to hear. I was asked the same question as before about describing myself in three words, I went for Positive, Bubbly and Organized. From there on it was talking about training, when I can start as well as the pay and discounts I'd receive. I was so thrilled with how it went.

Overall It was a great experience and I am pleased that I went through with it and have now come out with a job I've always wanted. Finally have my foot in the door of the beauty industry and I couldn't be happier. Its also a fresh start for me in the new year. I have a week and a bit left at my current job before I leave. If you have any questions at all or need any other advice if you're doing this yourself then feel free to ask. Thank you so much for reading. Talk soon xx

Review / Maybeline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara.

I was browsing the makeup aisles of Target whilst recently on holiday in Florida, when this caught my eye. Being a content user of Two Faced's Better Than Sex, unless I've completely run out, it's very rare that I'd buy a drugstore mascara. I've used a fair amount of Maybeline's mascaras in the past from the original Falsies to the more recent Lash Sensational, and they've almost somewhat impressed me over any other drugstore brand. I straight away loved the fun bright coloured packaging of this one and the brush almost immediately reminded me of Benefits Roller Lash. I thought why not and put it in my basket so I could give it a try and review for you all. I haven't seen this here in UK yet but hopefully it'll be over before we know it.

My first impression was that the brush dispenses a lot of product onto your lashes with the first swipe, which may come across as clumpy but it's not. Therefore theres no need to dip that brush back into the product, just work with what you've got for the time being. Once you've spread that product out evenly among your lashes they immediately look separated, longer and thicker, this is when you can leave it be or repeat with a second coat. Try not to blink too hard, because it is quite a wet formula which could easily be transferred around the eyes. It's described on the Maybeline website as a 'creamy plumping formula' which is definitely correct. Some of you may prefer it after it's dried out a little bit.

For a drugstore mascara I was pleasantly impressed and I'll definitely continue to use this product until it dries up. I got mine in the blackest black shade and as far as I could see it also came in a waterproof option for those of you who prefer that. For anyone who doesn't mind spending the extra money on a wonderful mascara I would 100% recommend the Two Faced Better Than Sex. It's by far my holy grail mascara, amazing length and volume and a curl that lasts until I take my makeup off. Nevertheless The Falsies Push Up Drama has honestly become my new favourite from the drugstore, its affordable and does the job right. If you can get your hands on it, I'd give it a try.

Whats your current or all time favourite mascara? I'd love to know. Thank you so much for reading, don't forget to follow me over on bloglovin', I really appreciate the support. xx

How To Get Over A Breakup.

Breakups can be really difficult, whether it was your decision to bring things to an end or theirs. At first you're going to feel like your whole world has come to an end and you don't want to leave your bed for anything or anyone. For me I'd also go through phases of not wanting to eat therefore loosing a few pounds along the way. I've only experienced a few breakups in my life so far, but I can definitely give you some advice on what to do and what not to do, based on what has helped me.

Go out and have fun. No I don't mean go and drink yourself into a coma or do anything ridiculous. I mean surround yourself with loving people who will take your mind off of things. Go shopping, clubbing, go see a movie or even just a quiet night in with a film and takeaway, at a friend or relatives house. This was the number one thing that helped me after my last breakup. I somehow ended up going clubbing every other weekend with the help of one of my best friends and I had so much fun it's unreal. Having these people around you to spend time with and talk to about how you're feeling is so important.

Focus on yourself. Try to really concentrate now on your goals in life. Whether it be at school, college, university or just your current or future career. Don't let your dreams slip away all because of that one person, focus on you. Always wanted to go travelling? Save up and go! Whatever your ambitions may be, get cracking on how you're going to achieve them and be the best you possibly can be. For me also, I got rid of any distractions I had laying around in my bedroom or on my phone for example, photos, or any unwanted gifts. It can work wonders to clear your space of all those little triggers. You don't have to throw things away, you can easily place them into a bag or box out of sight. Don't go crazy and burn them in your garden!

Treat yourself. Go out and buy yourself that bag or those shoes you've always wanted. Go splurge on new clothes or new makeup products and give yourself a little makeover. Another thing I most certainly did. I got my hair done, placed a large order on Missguided and treated myself to some new makeup goodies. If you have the money maybe even book yourself a holiday with family or a friend to get away for a bit, even if it's not abroad. Out with the old, in with the new!

Be healthy. Whatever you do, no matter how down or upset you're feeling don't let it effect your health. After my first ever breakup I didn't eat properly for nearly 2 weeks and lost around 6/7 pounds and it was very noticeable. Don't do what I did then, treat yourself to a delicious Chinese takeaway maybe even get more into cooking or baking. Believe me I learnt from that one that my health was more important. Exercise is another great way to keep busy and make yourself feel amazing, as it's known to improve moods. Whether it be going for daily/weekly runs or even signing up to the gym.

Social Media. This one I know a lot of people are guilty of. That is stalking their ex partners Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. This is the worst thing you can possibly do, seeing pictures of them happy without you is horrible, or even seeing that they have moved on with someone else. Delete and block them if you find you can't resist looking, otherwise be strong and move on. Don't feel like you now have go and find someone else just because they've updated their relationship status on Facebook from single, it's not a competition. Be sensible with your decisions and move onto someone new when you're good and ready, always remember that things happen for a reason.

What are your best tips for getting over a recent breakup? It's such a difficult but common topic to talk about I find. Remember that we all have different ways of coping and dealing with things. I hope you enjoyed reading this post, I'm hoping it'll help some of you in this situation. Talk soon! xx

Whats On My Face?

I thought I'd do a round up of the makeup I've been going for recently. A flawless base, a slightly heavier contour, simple eyes, thicker brows and nude lips. There will be products featured that you've seen me use or heard me rave about time and time again, but I'm also using a few new goodies I've recently bought.

Products Used:

Nars All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation (Mont Blanc)

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (Fair)

NYX HD Translucent Setting Powder

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

Mac Warm Soul Blush

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector (Champagne Pop)

Anastasia Brow Wizz (Medium/Soft Brown)

L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper (Dark Blonde)

Maybeline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner (Eastend Snob)

Anastasia Liquid Lipstick (Pure Hollywood)

A flawless, super healthy and glowy look. Some days I've been adding a bit of shadow and a winged liner as well but I mainly stick to keeping it simple on the eyes. I definitely need to switch up which blushes I'm reaching for, I'm so surprised I haven't hit pan on Warm Soul yet, I used it more or less everyday. Any suggestions on a new lovely peachy pink blush?

Hope you enjoyed this short but simple post on my most frequently worn makeup look recently. What products do you reach for the most? Thank you for reading, I'll be back with another post very soon. xx

What I Brought On Holiday - Sephora/Drugstore Haul.

Hey Everyone, today I thought I'd share with you the goodies I've picked up on my recent trip to Orlando, Florida. Of course I payed a couple of visits to Sephora to grab some products I've been wanting for a while, as well as Target for those drugstore finds. Hope you enjoy.

I'll start with Sephora, which I went too twice. On my first trip there I went in knowing I wanted to pick up a contour kit. My eyes were drawn straight to the Kat Von D stand, and after hearing so many amazing things about her Shade & Light Contour Kit I knew I had to pick it up. This cost me $46 and includes 6 shades highlight & set and contour your face with, a lovely selection of neutral, warm and cool tones. I then found myself in a dilemma when I reached the Anastasia Beverly Hills stand to find their contour kit as well, I made the instinct decision to just buy both. I got mine in the shade Light to Medium, it cost me $40. Again similar to the Kat Von D, it contains 6 shades to play with. I found the contour shades in this one to be slightly warmer toned though, so bare that in mind if you're stuck choosing between the two. Very happy to have both of these in my collection now.

Also from Sephora I had to pick up my holy grail mascara Two Faced's Better Than Sex. This is the one mascara that I constantly recommend to everyone. After three coats, It adds the perfect amount of length and volume whilst curling every lash. It can get a bit clumpy if you use too much but for me its everything I could ever want in a mascara. I paid $23 for this, for us UK girls you can find this at Debenhams or Beauty Bay. Another product I had to have from Two Faced is their Chocolate Bar palette. If you know me, you know I love warm neutrals and this palette has the most beautiful selection of golds, coppers and warm browns, perfect for my blue eyes. This cost me $49, I'm so happy I have this in my eyeshadow collection now.

Now up until now I've never owned any products from Becca. I went into Sephora determined to get the famous Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. I've heard nothing but amazing things about this highlighter since it was released. I was so happy with my purchase when I tried it on my face for the first time, a little goes a very long way. This cost me $38. Whilst browsing I also gave in to temptation and picked up Opal as well. This shade is absolutely gorgeous, they apply so smoothly and give off such a beautiful glow. I couldn't recommend these two enough.

I couldn't not pick up some drugstore products, I headed over to Target to see what's new in the drugstore. I was overwhelmed by the selection of nude lipsticks, I had to narrow it down as I had way too many in basket. I added up with two of the new Maybeline Creamy Matte Lipsticks, the selection was lovely and I'm annoyed that I only got two. The first is 656 Clay Crush, a natural pink nude with a slight brown tone to it, very similar to Mac's Kinda Sexy. The second shade I chose was 670 Ravishing Rose, a lovely medium cool toned pink. Staying with lipsticks, I also chose two shades from Milani's Colour Statement Lipstick range. I went for 26 Nude Creme, a classic light pink nude shade and 29 Teddy Bare, a darker nude more on the brown side. Lovely formula and they smell incredible!

Also from Maybeline I picked up another Brow Drama setting gel, they didn't have my usual dark blonde shade so I ended up going with the transparent one, I'll which one I end up preferring. I then spotted their new Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara. I've only used this twice but I already love it. I've always been a fan of their Falsies range but this is on another level. It really lengthened my lashes, separated them and gave enough volume. It does clump up if you apply too much, keep that in mind, but it reminded me of my loved Two Faced Better Than Sex. Definitely worth checking out.

The last brand I purchased from was NYX, I only got two things sadly. I decided to give their classic HD finishing loose powder a go, and I've been using it since. I leaves a lovely matte, silky natural finish to the skin which looks just as good, if not better than my favourite Rimmel Stay Matte. I also picked up one of the Baked Blushes. I chose the shade Wanderlust, a typical blush shade for me, a peachy natural pink with gold shimmer. Leaves a lovely natural sheen to the cheeks without looking overdone or too much colour.

Wow that was a lot! That was everything I picked up whilst on holiday! What products have you been buying recently? I'd love to know, I'm always on the hunt for more! Thank you for reading x

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me.

Hey Everyone. Laying in bed trying to think of today's blog post and I thought I'd go for another more personal 'lifestyle' post, so you can get to know me even more. Today I'm going to share with you 20 things that you probably don't know about me. I hope you enjoy!

1. My favourite animals are Sharks, especially Great Whites. One day I really want to cage dive with them as it's always been a dream of mine.

2. I'm literally obsessed with Horror movies. I have started a DVD collection of them, It's by far my favourite genre of film alongside Comedies. Some of my favourites include Saw, The Conjuring and Deliver Us From Evil.

3. Sometimes when I'm talking I tend to stutter. Probably because sometimes I can talk way too fast.

4. One of my middle names is Victoria.

5. My favourite genre of music is Rap/Hip-Hop. This surprises a lot of people.

6. I absolutely love cooking and baking. I try to do it as often as I can.

7. I always avoid eating most vegetables at all costs.

8. My favourite place is go on holiday is Orlando, Florida. I go with my family almost every year, It's like my second home, cannot wait to head back there this September!

9. I didn't start properly wearing makeup until I was around 15/16 years old, in my last years of school.

10. I have the biggest sweet tooth when it comes to sweets, chocolate, cakes and biscuits. I eat way too much junk!

11. I can be such a hopeless romantic.

12. I can be incredibly shy.

13. I absolutely love wearing rings. I especially love Pandora's rings, they're so dainty but beautiful.

14. I'd love to move abroad one day, or at least own a home in another country. Most likely somewhere in America or Australia but who knows!

15.  I cannot stand coffee, I get my caffeine from one too many Red Bull's a day.

16. I really, really want a French Bulldog.

17. My favourite flowers are pink and red roses.

18. I very rarely wear colour. I tend to stick to Black, White, Navy & Grey clothing.

19. I don't eat any fish or seafood at all. Just the smell or sight of it makes me feel sick.

20. I am obsessed with tattoos on myself and other people. I only have two but can't wait to eventually get more.

Hope you enjoyed this post. Whats a fun fact about you that someone else may not know? I'd love to know. Thank you for reading. Talk soon. xx ❤

ANXIETY / My Story & How I Deal With It.

Hey Everyone! Today I thought I'd share with you a more personal post. I completely understand that this may not be for everyone, but nevertheless I know a lot of you can relate. It took a lot to properly put this into words so let me know what you all thought after giving it a read. I've lived and dealt with anxiety for the majority of my life, and if you don't know what anxiety is let me quickly explain. Anxiety is described an unpleasant feeling that we can all experience at times, where you feel tense, nervous or panicky due to a situation which may have occurred or any stressful life events. Alongside that you also may experience a handful of physical symptoms too. Such as palpitations, sweating, feeling faint, having a dry mouth and difficulty breathing. Anxiety is a horrible emotion to feel, something you have very little control over and can effect you at any time, in any place, when you least expect it. For some it can also lead into having a Panic Attack as well.

For me and I know for a lot of people anxiety can vary from lasting a couple minutes or hours throughout the day or from the moment I wake up to the second I go to sleep. I've always been told I'm incredibly shy, for as long as I can remember. This is where a lot of people get confused between simple shyness and social anxiety, two completely different things. Social Anxiety is a form of anxiety in which one can feel discomfort or fear whilst in a social situation or interaction, it is much more than just shyness. Social Anxiety effects me in a good few ways. The main one being talking on the telephone. People close to me honestly don't understand why I never answer my phone and only really ever text. I can't explain it in any other way but feeling beyond overwhelmed, sweating, heart pounding, hands shaking and completely forgetting what I was going to say in the first place. I'm constantly being told by my parents, you need to ring this person back, ring the doctors back etc, but I go out of my way to avoid them at all costs. At almost 21 years old I still get my mum to make my doctors appointments! Funnily enough, I honestly hate ringing in sick for work and you'd laugh if you saw how many missed calls I have on my phone. Other times my social anxiety would effect me would include in school answering questions or doing presentations in front of the class, meeting new people, going on dates, answering the door to strangers and much more.

Back when I was in primary school around the age of 8 or 9, I used to have anxiety attacks almost every morning for a solid couple of weeks. It would happen at the same time every single morning when my mum or dad would go to drop me to school. They must have thought I was being a typical child not wanting to go to school but really It was much more severe than that. I hated the place, everything about it made me so uncomfortable and tense, to the point where I'd cry for a straight half an hour, my heart would pound in my chest and I'd refuse to get out of the car. This is the earliest experience with anxiety that I can remember. For me I was always a very anxious child and have now grown up to be a rather anxious adult. I was always very self aware of how I acted around other people as well as being very self conscious over how I looked. I was your typical geeky child, being constantly told by classmates that I was ugly or weird, yet they were nice to me when they wanted to copy my work! My time throughout secondary school was a very dark period for me, being bullied in an all girls school definitely did not help. I went through a lot during my time in school, which I won't go into now but it definitely caused a increase in how often I was feeling anxious. People would never understand that when they asked what was wrong and I simply replied that I have anxiety, so I'd constantly make up excuses or lie about why I couldn't come out after school or why I was upset before class. School honestly without a doubt made my anxiety so much worse.

I still deal with anxiety and social anxiety on a daily basis. I decline offers on a daily basis to go out or meet up with friends, simply to stay in bed on my laptop or sleep. I avoid telephone calls at all costs and making up excuses on why I didn't pick up. I'm always making plans that I can never end up sticking too. If I'm feeling down or anxious about anything I find that just relaxing and deep breathing can help. I tend to listen to music or watch something and relax in bed until I'm feeling better. There is also a lot of great anxiety related relaxation apps for smart phones, I have a few just in case I'd ever need them. I'd love to know if any of you have any effective methods to relax and calm yourself when an anxiety attack strikes. It is really difficult for me sometimes and I do struggle in explaining how I'm feeling to people close to me, I'm one of those people who'd rather keep it all bottled up. Anxiety effects so so many people nowadays, so just know that if you also suffer that you're not the only one feeling this way.

Let me know if you also suffer with anxiety and how it effects you. Thank you so much for reading and please let me know if you enjoy these more personal posts. Talk soon xx ❤

My Favourite Concealers.

So I was looking through my makeup collection and I noticed that I have a quite a few concealers lying around. I love experimenting with concealer, finding those two to provide that brightening effect for under the eyes but also the coverage for those bad skin days. There are many more that I'm desperate to try but for now I will share with you what I love and what has worked for me. One last thing, I tried to incorporate both high end and drugstore options for you, hope you enjoy.

My current and most recent favourite is the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I bought mine from my local counter for £22 and it contains 0.22 fl oz of product. I love the consistency of this concealer, It's definitely not too thick which makes it a dream to blend out underneath the eyes. I love how it also works for covering up blemishes, a great 2 in 1 option. I would certainly suggest using a decent moisturiser or eye cream around the eye area as for me, before taking this step it creased, more or less straight away. Other than that, I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for that bright highlighted effect under the eyes but also want something that will work for imperfections. I first bought this in the shade Vanilla, which matched my skin tone perfectly. This wasn't light enough for under my eyes, so I went back and bought the lightest shade which is Chantilly. Overall I will continue to purchase this product until I find something better.

One that a lot of people including myself love, Mac's Pro Longwear Concealer. This costs only £17 and contains 0.30fl oz of product. I haven't used this one in a long time but I've been meaning to repurchase it for a while now. This is another great all round concealer, the shade NC15 brightened up my tired under eyes whilst also working wonders on any blemishes on my face. This one is definitely more on the thicker side but again it's easily blended out with a warm finger or damp Beauty Blender. Don't be fooled by the tiny bottle either, a little goes a long way with this product, this one lasted me a lot longer than the Nars did. The pump is also great at controlling how much concealer you're actually using, just so none goes to waste.

Time for a drugstore pick! I absolutely adore Seventeens 'Phwoarr Paint' Heavy Duty Concealer. I picked this up from Boots and it only cost me £5.49 for 12g of product. I got mine in the shade Fair. This is a very rich concealer but very creamy and easy to blend with fingers or a brush. I was actually so impressed at how well this covered up my dark circles, I recommend starting with a small amount of product and building it up because this can turn cakey looking if you apply too much. I think this would probably work better on normal/oily skin as it does set to quite a dry matte finish. It's also great at cancelling out redness making it good for covering up spots. If you're after a cheaper alternative for the Bobbi Brown concealer or Benefit's Boi-ing, I'd suggest giving this a try.

Last but not least I thought I'd include Rimmels Wake Me Up concealer. I used to use this all the time, its a great option from the drugstore if you want that bright under eye. This is only £5.49 from Boots and I get mine in the shade Ivory. This is a lovely and creamy but still feels so lightweight on the face whilst providing great coverage. It blends out really quickly and has such a natural texture without looking cakey at all. This really does make me look a lot more awake on those early mornings. Definitely one of the best liquid concealers that I've tried from the drugstore, alongside Collections Lasting Perfection.

What is your holy grail concealer or current favourite? Thank you for reading, talk soon. xx ❤ 

What I Do When I'm Having A Bad Day.

Hey Everyone, today I wanted to share with you the things I like to do to relax myself when I'm not having the best of days. I often find myself coming home from work or anywhere I've been not feeling the happiest, not liking the way I look, overly tired and just wanting to hibernate in my comfy bed for as long as possible. I've found that there are certain things that really do make a difference with how I'm feeling and that's what I'm going to share with you today.

The first thing I like to do when I get home is run myself a lovely bubble bath. I normally use just whatever bubble bath is in my bathroom (usually from Radox or Imperial Leather) but occasionally I like to really treat myself with a Lush bath bomb as well. Lush sell an amazing variety of bath products, perfect for pampering yourself. My favourite bath bombs include 'Sex Bomb', 'Twilight' and 'Butterball'. When I use one of these, I swear I could lay in the bath for hours without a care in the world. I'll always remove all of my makeup first, I hate the feeling of being in a hot bath with a full face of makeup on. I absolutely love using sweet smelling shower gels, I have two still on the go that I purchased around Christmas time.

Once I'm out of the bath and feeling fresh, I'll usually flick the kettle on and make myself a cup of tea with one sugar and milk, Tetleys tea to be precise. I'll use my favourite mug, which was actually a gift, I love this 'P' mug so much. If I'm not in the mood for tea I'll grab a bottle of cold water or some juice instead. I'll then grab myself a little treat from the kitchen, normally some chocolate, a banana or a packet of crisps depending on what I fancy at the time. I try not to go overboard with snacks when I'm not feeling my best, cause with me one chocolate bar can turn into 6 very quickly! When I do like to indulge my favourite is probably Kinder chocolate.

I then head upstairs to my bedroom, light a sweet smelling candle and climb into bed. Right now I'm burning a candle I bought from a local shop near me in the scent 'Country Pancakes and Syrup'. Oh my god, It seriously leaves my whole house smelling like freshly made pancakes, heaven! I then like to open up my laptop and either watch a documentary of some kind or just several YouTube videos in a row. 4oD have some really interesting documentaries at the moment I've found myself watching them fairly often. However I could seriously watch YouTube videos for hours. I absolutely love Trisha Paytas' videos and The Saccone Joly's vlogs. Shani Grimmond is one of my all time favourites as well as Kathleen Lights and Essie Button. Watching people with such amazing, fun, personalities I find really cheers me up and makes me laugh, especially Estee and Shani.

I definitely couldn't leave out music! I am always listening to music, whatever I'm doing. I love such a variety of artists and genres. When I'm relaxing in bed, whether I'm online shopping, writing a blog post or on Facebook, I always have music on. My favourite being Ariana Grande. I think she has such a beautiful voice, my most listened to songs by her include 'Love Me Harder', 'Best Mistake', 'My Everything' and 'One Last Time'. Something completely different but I'm also obsessed with Drake's music. My top picks from him being 'Marvins Room', 'Come Thru', 'From Time' and 'Shot For Me'. They both have such unique voices and are artists I constantly listen to when I'm simply just relaxing.

I also find myself browsing through Instagram, a lot! It relaxes me to just browse through photos. Possibly my most used app, I could scroll through for hours. I especially love looking at peoples makeup looks they've created, landscape photography and photos of dogs! Another app that never fails to cheer me up is Vine! I don't currently post Vines myself but there are some hilarious videos on there that leave me in hysterics. Definitely worth checking out.

I couldn't leave out makeup. If it's the start of the day and I've woken up feeling under the weather, I find putting on my favourite lipstick, eyeshadow or blush really makes a difference. It not only brightens up my face, but puts me in such a better mood straight away. Perfect way to start off any day if you ask me, especially cause I love makeup.

What do you do when you're having a bad day? Thank you for reading! Talk soon xx ❤

Being Blonde / All About My Hair!

Hey Everyone! Today I thought I'd share with you the products I'm currently using on my hair and how I keep it looking healthy! I will leave links to all of the products mentioned so you know where you can get them.

I'm currently getting my hair coloured around every 7 weeks. Usually my hairdresser will do half a head of highlights, focusing on the top, but every now and again I will go for a full head to make sure underneath is being seen too as well. I get a combination of the bleach/ash toned blonde and the more golden blonde, just so my hair isn't one block colour. I usually get her to trim my hair each time as well just to chop off any split ends. I always say to her that I want that whiter looking blonde for my end result, the one thing I cannot stand is brassy, yellow or orange looking blonde hair.

For toning my hair I absolutely love the 'Clean Blonde Violet Shampoo' by Fudge. I get mine from Amazon for £9.95 for 300ml, It lasts quite long as well so for me this is a good deal. I like to use this shampoo every other wash as it does tend to leave that purple tinge to the hair if left in too long. This is amazing at cancelling out those brassy tones and leaving the hair with a more white/silver tone to it. I highly doubt I will ever need to use another purple shampoo cause this really works for me. If you're looking for a purple shampoo that isn't too expensive, will last a long time and that will make your hair that whiter looking blonde definitely give this a go, you won't regret it.

Now I'm currently using the Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Sulfate free shampoo and conditioner and have nearly finished my first set. I love these, they leave my hair feeling fresh and silky smooth. Although it's a pain to wash out thoroughly the shampoo lathers up so fast and leaves your hair feeling squeaky clean, without drying it out. The conditioner I feel works best when left on the hair, for the longer the better. I usually work it into the lengths and ends of my hair and whatever's left on my hands I'll briefly run over the top of my head. I'll leave this on my hair for around 5-8 minutes before washing it out. I then leave my hair in a towel for around 25-30 minutes to begin the drying process to minimise the amount of heat I need to use. I'll cover my hair in the Bumble & Bumble Invisible Oil Heat Protective Primer and gently brush it out with my Tangle Teezer. Once dried and straightened my hair has never felt so soft. I get my products from Boots, the shampoo is £23, the conditioner is £25 and last but not least the primer is £19. Definitely worth the splurge, especially if you're blonde and looking for some better quality products to keep your hair looking healthy.

I also recently picked up the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment, on the recommendation of Miss Budget Beauty's recent hair care video. This was £8.49 from Boots. I can't wait to try this out and see what difference it makes to my hair. I'll let you know if it's any good!

Thank you so much for reading. Let me know if you have any holy grail hair products that I should try, especially if you're a blonde like myself. Talk soon xxx ❤