18th birthday haul

If you've read my last blog post, you may have gathered that I have now entered the world of adulthood, yes yes I can vote, I can drink, I can plunge deeper into my permanent state of existential crisis.. Life is good, but I took some time away from thinking of the inevitability of death and insignificance of humankind to film a haul and take some photos of what I received for my birthday.

Have you read any of these books or films?

What did you think if you did?

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18 things I learned by 18

1. Always bring your iPhone charger with you, where ever you're going. You never want to be in a situation where your battery is too low to listen to You're Gonna Lose That Girl or Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now for the thousandth time. 

2. Never leave the house without a book. A bus journey without reading material is a bus journey not worth taking.

3. Don't forget that your journal is there for when you're feeling the bitter winds of teenage angst.

4. Saying 'I'm not a feminist, I believe in equality' is the most stupid thing a person can say. Embrace your feminism, educate the ignorant and don't stop complaining until things change.

5. Your parents were right about Morrissey and The Smiths. The years of denying yourself the pleasure of The Headmaster Ritual, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, and How Soon Is Now? are years you will never get back, so face facts and accept that when it comes to music your parents know what they're talking about - it will save you a lot of time.

6. Don't be ashamed of still not being over High School Musical, anyone who doesn't like it is a dirty, rotten liar and they need to get their head in the game. Also don't be ashamed of the fact that you still watch Disney channel and get excited when they show Hannah Montana.

7. Foundation and concealer do not make you look cakey and orange if applied in the right shade and with the right amount, you can cover up those dark circles that you hate oh so much.

8. Biology A Level was never going to be your thing, you knew that from the first week of sixth form and just because you got a B at GCSE in a ridiculously hard Biology curriculum (Cambridge iGCSE is no joke people) it doesn't mean you're going to become an expert in phospholipid membranes and tertiary structures, so don't stress yourself out about it too much.

9. Try not to let your anxiety control you, say yes to more opportunities, but don't feel bad and beat yourself up if you're not up to meeting up with friends once in a while, it's all about baby steps.

10. Doctor Who is worth the hype. Give it another go, start from Christopher Eccleston - enjoy.

11. Don't upload photos of yourself on Facebook at least until age 15/16, seriously anything before then is not a pretty sight and by the time you discover this there will be hundreds to go through and make private or delete - save yourself this time.

12. You don't need to buy every Beatles band shirt you find, if you have nearly twenty, you have a problem and an empty purse.

13. As much as you want to date Tom Felton/Draco Malfoy (in the movies of course because Draco in the books is an arse wipe) you are not a Slytherin, as you find out at age 17, you are a gryffindor (and it's great - go go gryffindor!)

14. Answer your phone. Seriously. People know you're scared of picking up the phone, and they're generally sympathetic, which is why if they're calling you it is important - so pick up your damn phone once in a while.

15. Reading reader insert fanfictions probably isn't the best use of your time, but if it helps you forget about the inevitability of you being forever alone, go right ahead and do it.

16. That existential crisis you've been having since you were 12? Yeah, that's not going anywhere any time soon. Just try not to bum everyone else out by talking about the inevitability of death and the insignificance of humankind because it's not the greatest conversation starter.

17. One Direction are not that bad. Perhaps pop music is all manufactured and a disgrace to the greats like The Beatles, The Smiths, Ben Folds Five, Arctic Monkeys (and so on) but they are catchy and can be quite fun. However, you can maintain that pretentious façade and claim you only listen to 'I want' because it's written by Tom Fletcher and because it sounds exactly like a McFly song if it makes you feel better.

18. You don't need to have your entire life plan figured out by age 18. Very few people do, enjoy the next few years and get some life experience (preferably experience that doesn't require a wifi connection, yes Tumblr I'm looking at you)

What wisdom can you pass on from your life experience?

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November Wishlist

November's always been a favourite month of mine, probably because it's my birthday, but this year is my 18th birthday which means joining the world of adulthood which is pretty scary but who ever said you can't buy your way out of an existential crisis with clothes and makeup? Right? So if you keep on reading, you'll see the things I hope to buy to distract me from the inevitability of death and all that jazz.

I have read many good reviews on Sleek as a brand in general, but I really want to try out their Contour kit, the one I've seen is in Medium but I hope it is dark enough for my skin tone, Sleek is generally pretty good at catering for the darker skinned people so hopefully it'll be okay (I'm hoping to channel my inner Kim Kardashian so the contouring is necessary)

I'd really like a new neutrals palette and I think this one from Barry M may fit the bill, or I'll try to find something similar. What I really want is the Naked Basics Palette but there's the small issue of money and not having enough of it, you catch my drift?

I would quite like a new dress that will suit me throughout the rest of Autumn and Winter, and also help me channel my inner Wednesday Adams, and I think this one from New Look will do. I actually wanted this last year (and I'm pretty certain I used it in a wishlist on my old blog!) and I was really upset when I couldn't find it in stores, so I'm glad they've brought it back and hopefully this year I'll find it or just cave and buy it online.

I'd really like to buy a nude lip of some sort as I too have been slightly in love with Kylie Jenner, and I think the Revlon Just Bitten ColourBurst Balm Stain in Honey will help be achieve that your-lip-colour-but-better look.

Lastly, I'd quite like a gingham top because I have no gingham in my wardrobe - Dorothy Gale would not be proud, and I think this top from New Look will be great for me as I don't wear a great deal of colour in my wardrobe - I am literally Wednesday Adams, seriously I wore my hair in plaits just like her for the majority of my life, I am not joking.

Thanks for reading, who knew I could talk about channelling Kim Kardashian, Wednesday Adams and Kylie Jenner all in one blog post? That, my friend, is something special.

What's on your wishlist for November?

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Music of the month - October 2014

I'm sure you'll all be relieved not to see another single product review on here at least for the moment, I have really been enjoying doing them so often and I will keep on doing them however I still want to keep my Music of the month series going as my music taste is one of the few good qualities about me.

1. Warm foothills - Alt-J

I'm still in love with Alt-J's new album (as if I hadn't gone on about them long enough in my last Music of the Month post) but I just think Alt-J are great and I find their music so alternative and calming, I'm really hoping to go and see them in concert in January!!

2. Luv, hold me down - Drowners

This is more of a song that I've rediscovered. It's upbeat and it's fun, it's a nice combination. I really should get round to listening to more music by Drowners because they're really good!

3. Twelve feet deep - The Front Bottoms

The Front Bottoms are a new discovery for me this month, as usual I have discovered them through Tumblr. I'm honestly so thankful that I follow people on Tumblr with a similar music taste to me because I discover so much music on there. I love the whole album entitled Rose by them anyway so I could recommend that generally.

4. I'm an Actor - Phoenix

I really like Phoenix but I hadn't heard this song before and it sounds quite different from the other songs I like by them, it's a lot slower but I like it. I feel I should also give a mention to If it's not with you from the same album which is called Alphabetical.

5. Mesmerise - Temples

I am really surprised I didn't get into Temples earlier as I had seen lots of them on my dashboard, I did give them a go ages ago but I didn't really get into them. Then someone I know recommended them to me and I gave them another go because they told me Shelter Song sounds like a song by The Beatles (which it does, the introductory riff in that song is uncannily like George Harrison) so went on to listen to their Sun Structures album and I have fallen for them. This song doesn't sound massively Beatle-esque but I still very much like it.

I also feel like I should give an honourable mention to the High School Musical soundtrack, I've been listening to it whenever I do homework or revise and I have to say it really does brighten up my mood. I'm also just a massive loser who still isn't over High School Musical.

What songs have you been loving this month?

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Review | Essence Colour and Go Nail Polish in 113

I have to tell you something, it's been eating me up inside but I need to come out with it, and I hope we can see past this together - I don't like the Barry M  Gelly Nail Polish. Okay, I said it, and I'm sure you're now judging me pretty harshly as these are otherwise known as some of the greatest nail polishes in the world of beauty. I feel I should mention that I only tried out one, but I can't see how the formulation would be massively different between shades. 

Anyway, since trying out the Barry M Gelly nail polish, I have been on the lookout for a glossy, gel, pigmented nail polish without spending extortionate amounts, by which I meant £5 or more (hey, we're going through a recession don't judge my cheapskate-ness wise spending). 

After trying out various Essence products (which I've reviewed here and here), I came to the conclusion that Essence was amazing value for money and so when I saw they sold nail polishes I knew I had to try one, especially as they are gel nail polishes. 

The shade I picked up is 113 - do you speak love? I feel I should inform you that the number and the shade name isn't clear, you need to look at where the barcode is and it's in small writing, however I am glad they had a proper shade name rather than just a number. I refuse to have my beauty products reduced to numbers. It's a beautiful autumnal burgundy red so it's perfect for Autumn and Winter but I think red is generally the type of colour that you can wear all year round. 

I really love the packaging, it reminds me of Bourjois nail polishes because the lid is the same colour as the nail polish which also makes it easy to pick it out of a bunch. The brush is also amazing for application, it's wide so it covers the whole nail in one swift stroke - that's also the amount you need to get an opaque colour, just one swift stroke. You can go over with a second layer for longevity perhaps but I think it's fine with just a base coat and one layer. I've found that it lasts about a week before chipping really badly as in it has to be done a week later at the very latest otherwise  your nails are going to look a bit tatty and not nice. My favourite thing about this product has to be the fact that it dries so quickly for a gel nail polish, this was the problem I had with Barry M. With Barry M, my nails would be tacky for hours whereas with Essence my nails are fully dry in under 10 minutes, I'm sure it is even less than that but I paint my nails slowly otherwise I mess it up to such a large extent.

Overall, I love love love this product and I will definitely be trying out other shades. I find it hard to believe that such a high quality product only costed £1.60 from Wilkinsons.

What are your favourite products from Essence?

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Review | Collection Sheer Loose Powder

I think I've probably said in several posts that I am a complete noob when it comes to beauty, but I am getting better. The relevance of that statement is this: I had never used a powder before using this one, but as my beauty noobness is fading my makeup collection is expanding.

As I had never used a powder before, I didn't really want to go and spend lots on a product that I may not get much use out of which is why I went to Collection. I believe this product cost £2.99 and it's translucent although I think you can get skin colour shades in this, but I went for translucent as I wanted to use it as a setting powder and general mattifying powder rather than a foundation like product.

You get a generous 20g of product for only £2.99, and the packaging is quite simple but not ugly. The only think that annoys me about this product is the little powder puff type thing you get with it because I find the product only really works for me if I apply it with a brush, I used the powder puff once and it just dispersed the powder really unevenly and didn't look good whatsoever.

It does keep my makeup in tact for a long time, I find that at the nine hour mark, I start getting a little shiny but not that much so I think this was really good value for money, in fact I've been using it whenever I wear makeup - you could say it's become somewhat of an essential.

What are your favourite products by Collection?

Review | Makeup Revolution Lipstick in Rebel With Cause

I feel very much like the second September began, the Bloggers and the YouTubers immediately started blogging about the perfect autumnal berry lip, there's something about those deep vampy colours which are so liberating to wear during those autumnal months.

Makeup Revolution very quickly became one of my favourite makeup brands (I actually mentioned two of their products in my last favourites post/video) and I think their lipsticks are so on point, so I had to try their lipstick in the shade Rebel with Cause.

I quite like the actual name of the product mostly because it reminds me of James Dean of whom I am a fan, but after researching the product before buying it I quickly learned that this lipstick is in fact a dupe of Mac's Rebel which is probably where the name of the lipstick came from, but I still assume James Dean had some influence in the naming of the product.

Packaging wise it isn't the most amazing, and the rose gold writing does start to wear off after a while (although not much, as I've had another one of their lipsticks for nearly 3 three months and you can barely tell). They also include a little pot of the product on the lid which is nice but I've never known how to get the little pots off (not that I've needed to, but I'd like to know).

Whilst the deep purple type shade may look quite scary to some in the packaging, you can see from the swatch that it's more of a deep pink-toned red a.k.a a berry shade which I think looks so pretty on and is going to be a staple for the Autumn/Winter months.

The lipstick appears quite shiny on the lips at first, not massively but there's definitely some sheen there, but I found after about four hours my lips felt dry, the colour was still quite prominently there even though I hadn't really used much lip liner but my lips still felt quite dry, but no more so than with a regular lipstick so this isn't too much of an issue for me.

If you don't want to have to touch it up throughout the day, you'll definitely need a lip liner underneath it and to apply a couple of layers of the lipstick, but I find it is fairly long lasting for only £1.

What's your favourite autumnal lip product?