Busy Time...

You may have noticed that I missed yesterday's upload, which I did have an entry on exams, stress and revision techniques planned, but unfortunately and ironically, I haven't had time to write it, because we are well into exam season. I am in my first year of GCSEs, and so in a fortnight, my month of mocks will begin.

I'm sorry that this isn't going to be an interesting post, but I felt the need to let you all know that for the next month or so, posts will be less consistent as I really do need to concentrate on my exams. I will write them when I can, but they won't be as regular. I will, however, still be posting very regularly on my instagram - which, thankyou for 400 followers by the way! - so if you would like to follow me on there, my username is @rosalynwrites.

I hope you all understand that although blogging is a strong passion of mine, my exams have to take priority. Once they're all over, everything will go back to normal, probably around late June.

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Collective Haul: Clothing, Holiday & Random

some of the bits and pieces

In preparation for the spring time, and also my holiday to Malta a week or two ago now (look out for a future post on that!), I bought a few clothing items that were missing from my wardrobe.
Over these few months, I have accumulated a few bits and pieces - not just clothes - from shoes to a dish, from a cup to jeans. This is a long one; grab some food and get comfy!

Jeans - Topshop, Tshirt - Primark

My favourite pair of jeggings from New Look Tall went through at the knees, and so I replaced them with a pair of Topshop Tall's Joni style jeans (which are jegging material). These jeans are high-waisted and super comfortable; I love them!

Jeans - Next, Tshirt - New Look

White jeans are going to be big this year after being really popular in 2014, and I personally love how they look, and that they instantly give a lighter, more summery look to an outfit - casual or smart. They were out of stock in my size in the Joni style, so instead I found a pair of almost identical ones from Next Tall. I'm not a fan of actual 'jean' material jeans, (you know what I mean?), as they are much stiffer and not as tight fitting; I prefer stretchy jegging material (and practically live in them), and so I bought white ones in the 'Lift, Slim & Shape' style; not for those properties, but for the stretchy and elasticated style. They are so, so nice! Very happy with them :)

However, they do have loads of more rigid jean style ones if that is what you're into.

My new drinking jar has made a couple of appearances already - these mason jar variations are really current and cute. I can't wait to blog smoothie recipes and refreshing, hydrating juices as summer approaches!

Also for my holiday, I purchased a Selfy Stick from Amazon. Yes, I know, a Selfy Stick. Talking about it makes me cringe a tad, but it is a seriously good invention; everyone can fit in those group selfies now! I had more in mind, though, being that I would take it to Malta so me and my family could all fit in a photo together with a gorgeous Maltese view in the background. We got a couple of shots! They also improve your panoramas a ton, and there were plenty of opportunities in Malta as the views were insane.

March was a month of being torn in deciding what to wear on my feet; my mum bought me three new pairs of shoes.

 

One was a pair of Puma Suedes, which I have gone head over heels for... They are so cushioned inside and look perfect with almost all outfits.

 

My favourite pair were featured in my last post, which are nude skater shoes from Next that are absolutely b e a u t i f u l. I can't express my love for them ahhhh.

 

Lastly, from Next I got some gladiator thong sandals in tan. They go all the way up to my ankles, and so when wearing jeans I just turn up the bottoms into that cropped 7/8ths style that is really trendy right now. They look so good and I can't wait to wear them more!

Just before my holiday, I bought MUA's highlighter in pink shimmer, as I really want to start using a highlighter in my makeup for the future months. I've got more information about this product in my Spring Staples and Natural Spring Makeup.

 In the airport, I also bought a new Archery - shocker - as my other completely ran out.

My last clothing item to share with you today is an over-sized and ribbed khaki/military green top from Newlook, of that springy, elasticated material. I had to go to school in camo for a comic relief dress up day, and so I paired this top with camo leggings, boots and an army jacket. It was a weird theme. However, I really, really love this top and have worn it tons since. Most of my tops are round necks, and so I love the fact that it's a V, something different that I like a lot.

And because some of the things are a bit random, like my Selfy Stick and jar, I thought I'd just finish by adding in a couple of the souvenir/trinket things I purchased from a craft village in Malta.

 

I bought a very lovely little glass dish - there were loads all over the island - that I am going to place my daily jewellery in when its not being worn, and then a small bag of scented, bar-of-soap textured chunks that give off a heavenly waft of lemon and citrus. I keep it in my wardrobe to lightly scent my clothes.

That's all I've been haulin' recently, what about you?

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Spring Staples | Fashion &Beauty

As we make the transition to spring, our wardrobes and needs for the switch in weather change. An absolute spring/summer staple for me are my pair of (currently a bit grubby) white low-top Converse. What I love about white converse is that they are classic and will never go out of style. Converse are some of the only shoes that I have found don't require breaking in - you can just wear them and they don't give blisters or rub, in my experience anyway. They match everything, perfect with jeans, shorts, dresses, skirts... They are an absolute essential for me in the spring time.

Sticking with fashion, my next necessity are sunglasses. Not only do sunnies add an extra something to an outfit, but you just NEED them when protecting your eyes from the blinding sun so you don't have to constantly squint. I have a pair from Boots with purpley lenses and gold rims that I love!

About a week ago I purchased the Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter from MUA for £3, after hearing youtuber Becca Rose mention and praise it several times in various favourites videos and makeup tutorials. I have blogged about MUA on several occasions recently; the majority of my makeup isn't from there but for a cheap eyeliner or lipstick the quality really isn't bad, and perfect for those on a budget. 

Anyway, I really love this highlighter! I bought 'pink shimmer' - rather than 'iridescent gold' as it suits my skin tone better - and with a blush brush, I just dust it lightly over my face. I apply it to the places where the sun would naturally hit (like cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, the cupid's bow etc) for that light and natural glow, perfect for spring.

Pastel is one of the biggest trends in spring; if you are into nail painting, I would recommend polishes in pretty pinks and nudes, sky blue, mint, violet, you know what I mean. Inject some pretty spring colours into your outfit, even if it is only on your nails!

Sticking with pastel and nudes, I came across a beautiful pair of shoes online from Next and immediately fell in love. They are that plimsoll kinda style, 'skater' I think it is. I have seen many wearing the black croc ones from Topshop. Next did do these in black but I felt a pink/brown nude was much more fun and seasonal. Having size 9 feet also really limits where you can buy shoes, so I was thrilled to find these and that they fit well. They have a 1 inch platform which I really don't need as I am tall enough at 6ft already, however the platform does mean they have a really cushioned, squidgy bottom for your feet that makes them really comfy. I already know I will be wearing these TONS this spring.

 

My last staple isn't necessarily spring only - it's my precious Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay that I got for my birthday last October. I basically do wear this all year round as the colours are so versatile; the darker, purpley shades at the right end are perfect for A/W, whilst the light and pinky shadows on the left half are beautiful by themselves for this time of the year. I love this palette soooo much, and can't wait to create fresh and subtle eye looks in the coming months.

What are your essentials for this time of year?

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Holy Grail Lip Balm | Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula

There is nothing worse than having constantly cracked, chapped and stinging lips that no lip balm can soothe for more than five minutes is there? Well, for £1.89, you will never find yourself in that desperate situation ever gain. 

 Just over a month ago, I purchased the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula lip balm (which was on sale for just over a £1 at the time) after going mad for their body butter.

I can honestly say that it is the BEST lip balm I have ever used. Ever. Some balms moisturise your lips, but then end up drying them out soon after to make you reapply, but not in this case. The creamy cocoa formula glides on so smoothly and evenly, leaving my lips soothed and soft but not sticky or greasy, just lightly scented and moisturised for a praise-able amount of time. I don't know how my lips have previously survived without it.

Another thing I love about this product is the innovative shape; unlike the usual circular balms, this is an oval shape, meaning you can reach the product into the corners of your lips without getting the product all over the skin around your mouth. It's a great idea! 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula gets a 5*, 10/10 seal of approval from me - a definite handbag essential that I will probably end up repurchasing this more than I can count.

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Fresh Faced & Glowing Natural Spring Makeup

I like to update my makeup looks as the seasons change; summer sees bright lips and peachy flushes, winter and autumn focus on berry lips and golden eyes, whereas spring beckons light, subtle pinks and browns with light, glowing skin.

Spring makeup often is about the 'fresh, barely there look', which I think is super pretty. Keep reading for a tutorial that will get you makeup ready for the coming spring months :)

The weather is warming up, so as part of your daily facial care routine, try to incorporate a moisturiser with an spf, the higher the better. Today I am using the Simple Kind To skin Protecting Moisture Cream with spf 30, and just smoothing that into my face and neck.

Now, no surprises here, I use my Maybelline Baby Skin to prime my face ready for Soltan's BB Face with spf 50+. After buffing that in, I hide my under eye circles and brighten the area with the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and a sponge.

Lots of people like the 'dewy, unpowdered' look, but I prefer matte skin all year round, or else my face just feels sticky, and so I lightly dusted the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder across my face. Matte skin, however, isn't as glowy as dewy is, and so I used the MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter in 'pink shimmer' across the tops of my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose to provide a natural and shimmery highlight for that desired spring glow, and dewy finish with a non-sticky face. It's so pretty!

Brows, brows, brows. You all know what I use - Archery by Soap & Glory. If you've not tried this, you've not lived.

strange, dust, burnout, limit, buzz, trick, nooner, liar (all in shot)

For my eyes, I want a soft, pinky look. There is no better palette to do that than the Naked 3 by Urban Decay. On a large brush, I swept 'strange' over the entirety of my lid and then all the way up to my brow bone for highlighting purposes. I then blended 'limit', a muted pink, matte nude over the outer half of both lids, and lightly patted a dusting of 'burnout' on the centres. I finished by lightly applying 'nooner', a pinky-brown and again matte shade into the very corners of my lids and crease, just for definition. 'Nooner' is my all time favourite crease colour, and at the moment I have really been liking matte eyes, with that hint of glitter subtly in the centre.
Some days, I will apply winged liner too, but for the purposes of this post I am missing that out :)

To open my eyes, I applied a little white eyeliner (although in the picture below some of my mascara has transferred, hiding the white) to my waterline, the MUA highlighter to the inner corners, and some coats of Benefit's Rollerlash mascara.

Adding a layer of tinted lipbalm or a pretty pink lipstick will complete your look. I used Vaseline in the flavour 'rosy lips'.

Watch this space for more spring related posts coming soon!

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March Favourites

Happy Easter!

March has been FULL of favourites; one of them just has to be the fact that signs of Spring are finally showing; brightly coloured flowers cropping up everywhere you look, and sunnier days are coming, at last!

My current favourite fashion item is a floral print, tapestry look, straight skirt from New Look (which I purchased last spring). It's absolutely beautiful and perfect for the spring time! On colder days, I have paired it with tights, a pleather jacket and Chelsea boots, and on the warmer days still to come, converse or sandals, sunnies, pretty jewellery and basic tees.

 A crystal clear favourite for me this month has been the Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm; this stuff is literally a m a z i n g. I'm sure you'll know from my February Favourites that I have been obsessed with their body butter, and so I sought out their lip balm. Next week I am going to post a Holy Grail Lip Balm entry featuring this exact product (hint hint about how much I love it) so I won't obsess over it too much now, but it is the best lip balm ever ever ever! It beats any one of my chapsticks or vaseline - why do I not hear enough people talking about Palmer's?

My fourth favourite is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing water. I mentioned this in my Skincare Routine | Nighttime Edition and The Perfect Pamper, as it has now become a strong necessity in removing my makeup and caring for my skin. I am very late to the bandwagon with this product, but now I see what all the hype is about. This unscented solution is perfect for gently dissolving and lifting makeup and dirt from my skin, freshening it up ready for moisturising.
The bottle is about £3/4 for 400ml, which claims to give 200 uses of 2ml. I do feel this is a bit far fetched; 2ml of the product will not remove a face of makeup, so don't be fooled into thinking it will last you for 2 thirds of the year. I've had mine a month and a half and I used just over half, but that aside, it's a wonderful product!

Sticking with face and beauty, MUA's waterproof liquid liner is a rediscovery. I used to use this a lot, but then I stopped wearing liquid liner altogether. I have recently got back into it after trying various ones from Collection (including their Extreme Felt Tip Liner which I felt just tugged at my lids) and have been particularly liking the good old winged look. For £1, you really wouldn't have thought this would be anything special, but look beyond the unbelievably cheap price, because this eyeliner honestly is really good. It's not clumpy, it's easy to control and it lasts all day. For a drugstore eyeliner, I really don't think I can fault it.

Shades, L-R: Feather, Sunkissed, Golden Sand, Dazzling Brown, Cocoa Dream, Blackbird

Last of all, makeup wise, is the Collection Little Mix All About The Eyes Palette, featured in my Minimal Makeup post. This little palette is about £3, again another 'too good to be true' price. However, this palette is a truly wonderful mix of warm browns and bronzes, all shimmer, with a shimmer highlight and a matte black. These shadows are so quick to apply and as they're fairly subtle, you don't need to go crazy trying to blend them if you're in a rush, (although they do blend super well). Perfect for travelling with wearable colours to suit any look, I'd say this palette is a must.
My favourite shades are Sunkissed and Dazzling Brown, which are brilliant names and better than anything like 'shade 1'!

On to slightly more random favourites, I have been totally obsessed with orange curd. Each day, I have returned home from school and topped rice cakes/snak-a-jaks with the sweet, citrusy spread and it's soooo yummy!

Next is an app that you may or may not have heard of, called Feature Points. You can earn giftcards by downloading apps through Feature Points and playing them for a few minutes. Once you have received the points you can delete the app, and when you accumulate enough points, you can redeem them for vouchers to be used on amazon, starbucks, steam, paypal, or apps that cost. It's legitimate!
If you want to sign up too, follow my code, which I have made into a link: ZPCE5W. It will earn you 50 free bonus points.
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll be sure to answer :)

My penultimate favourite is a new drinking jar, kind of like the popular mason jars. I am so bad at drinking water, but I'm trying to break that habit, and so by having this cup, it makes me want to drink more, because it's so cute! Hopefully the novelty won't wear off...

Last but not least is music. At the moment, I really love Coldplay's Viva La Vida album and Hold Back The River by James Bay. They've been on repeat!

What having you been using on repeat during March?

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BWW | March's Most Hooking Reads

Ironically, 'Girl, Missing' is currently being borrowed so I couldn't photograph it :(

One of my favourite trilogies of all time has to be the 'Missing' series by Sophie McKenzie, with books 'Girl, Missing', 'Sister, Missing' and 'Missing Me'. These books are so gripping, it's almost impossible to stop reading!

'Girl, Missing' follows the story of teenager Lauren, who has grown up not knowing much about her past, other than the fact that she was adopted during her years as a toddler. After stumbling across a missing persons website and finding a face so similar to hers, Lauren comes to realise that she may have been kidnapped when she was only three years old from a family on the other side of the world.
Taking it upon herself to uncover the truth seems like the only option, and so she runs away to America with her best friend Jam, not realising that the situation is far greater and dangerous than she ever could have imagined, and her abductors are willing to go to great lengths to stop the truth from escaping.
I have read this novel of love, loss and revealing your true identity many times over, and I would seriously recommend you give it a go!

'Sister, Missing' opens two years later after the events of 'Girl, Missing', with Lauren planning a trip to the beach with her little sister Madison. For two years, Lauren and her family have lived without a black-mailing text, a threatening call, or any sign that her kidnappers are at large again.
In a matter of minutes, old troubles resurface and the sense of normality almost regained is suddenly torn away as history seems to be repeating itself again...

The final installment of this astounding trilogy has saved the best till last; 'Missing Me' is definitely my favourite of the three!
The first two are told through the eyes of Lauren, but this one is a little different and is told through the eyes of now a teenager Madison. After overhearing that her birth father was in fact a sperm donor, she is desperate to meet him, despite her family begging her not to.
Madison is soon swept up in a dangerous world of disappearing girls, circus parties and surrogacy, where the lives of those she loves are placed in her hands, literally.

Your bookshelf is incomplete without these books; if you haven't read them, you are seriously missing out on the excitement!

DON'T MISS OUT

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