A Time for Festivities...

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you've been enjoying spending time with family and loved ones on probably the only annual occasion where families have an excuse to come together. Besides my family tradition of eating three times my body weight, presents became a large part of the day. My younger brother especially was in his element when it came to unwrapping not just his own, but everyone elses presents two. Here are a few gifts and moments from the day that I would like to share with you. Where ever you are in the world, you are loved and I wish you all a happy festive season! :) x

Mother and Brother :)

My younger brother Adam

Merry Christmas!

Essie: For the twill of it.

I really think that Essie have updated the formula of their nail polish recently so that it applies smoother. After looking at their recent fall collection, this was the only colour of the collection that I really liked. That combined with the apparent new formula for me makes it destined to be a winner. I never usually go for metallic shades but it really does look exquisite in and out of the bottle. Depending on what I'm wearing, especially green, purple or grey, the nail polish seems to change colour to reflect this which to me is just amazing. If only essie was a  little cheaper!

Have an amazing day :) x

Benefit Feelin' Dandy Palette

I've been eyeing this palette up for a while and was so happy when I saw it in my local Sephora. Being pretty girly, the pink blush and gloss immediately attracted me not to mention the gorgeous packaging.

The size of this palette is perfect for travelling and is also a great option for trying out the products before you buy them in full size. 

I've always been a fan of the Benetint lip stain and was excited to try out the posie tint. I love the pop of pink it adds to my cheeks as I have quite a fair complexion but maybe if you were a little more tan than me, it wouldn't be as obvious.

The dandelion gloss is a very subtle pink that gives my lips a healthy shine and isn't too sticky. I reapply it a few times throughout the day.

Thanks for reading and I hope you're having an awesome summer! :) x

Laura Mercier BONBON Lip Gloss

I've never been a lip gloss kind of girl but after taking inspiration from Tanya Burr and her flawless lips, I thought I'd give it a whirl. The colour is perfect for me and gives a subtle pink gloss that looks truly natural.

It isn't sticky which I love and because the colour is so natural, it's pretty low maintenance to you don't have to reapply it throughout the day. 

It is a little pricey at £18.50 from John Lewis, but it's really worth it. 

Can anyone recommend other lipgloss? I'm really enjoying this one for summer!  x

Tumblr!

So I've had tumblr for a while now but have recently been posting every day. It took me a while to get interested in it but after I found a certain type of picture I wanted, I became obsessed! I usually reblog on the go and I find that the official tumblr app is a bit slow and confusing. I discovered an app called t-view lite which is so awesome! You only need to tap the picture and its reblogged! No new window or any of that.

If you're a fellow tumblr user let me know!

retrogreeneyes

Sleek Rose Gold Blush

I purchased this product on a trip to England last month and I'm in love with it. Originally I intended on getting the Nars orgasm blush, but seeing as I was on a tight budget to put it mildly, I settled for this supposed dupe. As my skin is very fair, the pink undertones suit my typical English rose complection and the subtle gold shimmer hopefully gives my a dewy glow. I often find that highlighters make my skin look too shiny but I think this gives my skin the perfect balance. 

For £4.49 at Superdrug, I'm really impressed with this and it can be very buildable for a daytime or nighttime look. 

I'm a sucker for glitter!

Shimmer :)

Have you tried anymore sleek products? Maybe price isn't everything! :) x

Life Updates :)

Apologies for not blogging in a while (understatement) I', in the middle of my real IGCSEs and things have been pretty stressful.

So about three weeks ago I went back to England to look at schools for sixth form in September. My family still want to live in Madrid so I've made the decision to go to boarding school! I'm really excited as this will be a totally new experience again! The school I'm going to go to is a lot further south than I'm used to in England, by south, I mean more south than Liverpool hahaa.

Fingers crossed I get the grades I need to be accepted to the school! I'm going to be really sad to leave my friends but hopefully this will be the start of a brand new adventure!

5am flight to London. We don't look that bad considering!

England is so beautiful :)

Wearing a coat, this deserves a mention haha

I want this so bad

Finally, my brother ladies and gentlemen <3

Spain! 

Adios :) x

Finally Summer!

Summer is finally here! In Madrid we missed spring and someone seemed to have switched the oven on overnight. Ive recently just been catching up with old friends and planning a trip back to England at the weekend which I'm really excited for, which explains why I haven't been online much recently!

Over the weekend, my family and I got the BBQ out and started the season in good spirits and I even managed to tan (or burn) on the tops of my cheeks and arms, result!

Spring didn't really happen here, but here's a few bits and pieces which I've been loving!

Friends :) My best friend Oscar and I. 

Instagram picture of some disney peas ;) they belong to my brother and this was inspired by Zoellas florida haul!

Hope you're all enjoying life and maybe getting into the spirit of summer :) x

Review!... L'Oréal Glam Shine Stain Splash Juliet

Being a big fan of the YSL glossy stains, I was so excited to learn that this product was supposed to be a dupe. I picked the colour Juliet, a bright red as I wasn't drawn to the selection of pinks which I usually go for.

Upon application, it felt exactly the same as my current fave YSL glossy stain but I found that I needed a good three or four layers to get the full colour payoff. This was a small price to pay for such a cheap product at about 8 pounds. 

I LOVE the packaging of this product and it looks really high end in comparison to other L'Oreal glam shine lipgloss'. All in all I highly rate this and can't wait for a better colour selection so I can get some more! 

Lush bubblegum lipscrub!

I've had this product for quite a while now, since about January, and i'm completely in love with it. I use it every single day morning and night and it preps my lips really well for lipstick, gloss or balm. I usually take a small amount on my finger and buff it into my lips like an 'exfoliator' and it does the job of creating a smooth base perfectly!

I hear that there are more flavours too! I love the taste of this one so I can't wait to try some more! 

25 facts about me...

1. I'm fully English and have lived in Spain for almost two years :)

2. I am an international teen pop sensation.. in the shower...

3. I don't judge people very often and give them the benefit of the doubt which can be good and bad.

4. When I was 10 I had a serious obsession with Hello Kitty and even had Hello Kitty wallpaper.

5. My first concert was Rhianna in 2007.

6. I really need to wear glasses to concentrate but i'm too vain and I suffer being blind in school.

7. There has never been a period in my life when I haven't owned a dog.

8. I have never been to Asia, but I'm to China this year with my school and I'm really excited! :D

9. I love nutella. I could eat a whole jar of that thing with a spoon in under 10 minutes.

10. My favourite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Its from the 80s and is the best movie of all time.

11. I love England so much but I don't know if i'd ever want to live there again.. not in suburbia anyway.

12. My true passion is probably music and I play piano and flute with the occasional bit of taylor swift songs on the guitar ;)

13. If you are American or Italian, I love you.

14. I've always been tall for my age and I'm currently 175 cm. 5"8 I think.

15. Usually I change my accent depending on who I'm with and it becomes more similar to theres the longer that i'm with them.

16. My choice in music is really really varied. I love Taylor Swift, ACDC, Fleetwood Mac, The Hoosiers and Yiruma. These are probably the extremes of the genres.

17. My brother is two years old now and when he was born, so many people thought that he was my son if we were out together.

18. One of my fingers on my right hand bends outwards because of how I write with it.

19. When I was small I had almost no hair and my took me to the doctors because she thought there was something wrong with me.

20. I can't walk in high heels and the highest I own is probably about two inches.

21. My favourite colour is yellow purely because its under appreciated.

22. I have a really bad habit of biting around my nails and I really need to stop!

23. I would really like to go to New York because everyone says that its magical.

24. When I eat a lot of vegetable my cheeks glow rosie red.

25. I cry at films, not just sad films, all films.

A little bit about me was needed and i'd love to hear things about you too! :) <3

Review: Maybelline the rocket mascara

Just a little disclaimer, that this is the same mascara as they sell in the UK and the US the name is just different because I bought it in Spain. I'd heard a lot of good things about this mascara and the one that I was currently using was running rather dry.

The consistency of this when I first applied it was rather thick and I didn't like it but the plastic applicator combed through my lashes and also managed to curl them. The thickness also made the mascara hold the curl whilst at the same time lengthening and volumising. Even at the end of the day, I had no 'panda eyes' and the curl hadn't fallen. I didn't use an eyelash curler with this product because I wanted to see the full effect.

I usually think that all Maybelline mascaras are excellent and the rocket mascara is by far the best in my opinion.  For a reasonably priced drugstore product, there's not much that can go wrong.

:)

Skincare routine review!

Up until about 2 months ago, my skin was quite bad. Being 16 I know that this was bound to happen and I was quite fortunate because my acne wasn't that bad but when I did break out, it was bad.

I used to be quite lazy, and by this I mean that I used to take off my makeup and clean my face with a cleansing wipe. I still highly rate simple makeup wipes in case of emergencies or when I've been out late, however I now know that this was probably the main reason I was breaking out. 

I've since cleaned up my act, (no pun intended) and now manage to keep my skin, (almost) clear with the occasional teenage breakout. My skin type is combination, especially in winter as and it tends to get quite dry especially around my eyes and on my cheeks. Whereas my forehead, nose and chin are quite oily at all times of the year.  For this reason, I tend to choose oil free products and these products are the ones are use every single day. 

Clean and Clear morning energy shine control daily facial wash. 

It seems pretty appropriate to start at the beginning. So when I wake up I use this clean&clear morning energy shine control daily facial wash. It really helps to wake me up and it contains bursting beads that really freshen your face without it leaving your face soapy, or even worse, dry. Its oil free so this actually surprised me!The packaging also says that it contains lemongrass and fruit extracts and this is really beneficial for my skin. 

Bioderma Crealine H20

It appears that i've fallen under the amazing product that is bioderma. So many people all over the blogging world and youtube have raved about this product. It deserves the hype! I needed a lot of convincing before I bought this as its quite pricey and hard to find, but I know that now sell it in varies places in the UK and in pharmacies in Spain. I take this on a cotton pad and swipe my face all over after I wash my face in the morning and after cleansing before bed. 

Tea tree foaming facial wash

This product has really cleaned up my skin and so far i've never heard anyone talk about it. It is a superdrug own product and is really reasonable to buy. This removes face makeup really well and leaves my face feeling fresh and 'minty'. I don't use this in the morning but I like to feel fresh faced before sleeping. 

Clean and Clear dual moisturiser

This moisturiser is also an oil free formulation and is perfect for my combination skin, it moisturises my entire face without irritating my oily areas and it also dries quite quickly because I hate that 'wet face' effect that a lot of moisturisers leave. Its a great formulation for sensitive skin and doesn't make me break out!

Thank you so much for reading this post and I really appreciate any comments or opinions on your skincare that you have. :)

School...

I currently study in a British school in Madrid, Spain and at the minute I am preparing to take my IGCSE exams. As it is March, I'm slap bang in the middle of mocks right now and I think that this time can be very stressful for a lot of teenagers and students. I am also one of those people who can find exams overwhelming and stress out very easily. Here are a few tips to remain calm and tips on revision in general!

1. Give yourself plenty of time! - Please don't start studying the night before an exam. It becomes harder to remember facts than if you have been studying for the past few weeks. 
2. Make a revision timetable. - I can never be bothered to draw one up myself so i just literally google for templates.
3. Take breaks often- this time period varies for a lot of people. I tend to take breaks every 40 minutes and relax for about 10 minutes. Don't put the TV on because its hard to be drawn away! I usually make a cup of tea and o on tumblr or twitter for a few minutes. 
4. Making notes- it can be tempting to copy out your entire class book to make notes. This will just take too much time and it can be hard to memorise things. Instead use checklists available from your exam board and make sure you can do all the things. Anything you are not sure on, summarise this shortly. 
5. Study guides- during these last few months study guides have saved me! Many are easy to follow with practise exam questions and checklists. They summarise your course easily and usually come with examiner tips and tricks. They are usually inexpensive to buy but just ensure that they are specific to your exam and exam board. 
6. Sleeping- depriving yourself of sleep during exam periods to study will have the opposite effect. Get at least 9 hours sleep during exams so you are well rested before the exam!
7. Free time- it is important to enjoy yourself whilst you are not studying so 10 minute breaks do not rule your life. At a weekend, keep a morning or an afternoon free to spend time with your family and friends. During the week, but aside a few hours to enjoy things you love such as music or running. Exercise is a great way to get rid of stress and you also feel healthy afterwards and no so guilty about having a chocolate bar after dinner!

I really hope these tips were helpful and I wish you all the luck in the world!