Bucket List #3 - Cure for Cancer

This bucket list post is probably quite relatable for a lot of people I think and although it's quite a tough subject for some people to talk about, I thought it would give me all the more reason to talk about it. The next thing on my bucket list is to live to see cancer cured. Of course, I'd be proud if I could be the one to find the cure, but given that I hate science, I don't that's likely to happen!

So many people nowadays seem to be affected by cancer, whether they actually get the disease or have someone close to them be diagnosed. It can completely change people's lives and their outlook on life.

A few people close to me have/ have had cancer (of course I'm not begging for pity). The fact that so many people are affected makes it all the more important that a cure is found and I'd love to live to see the day when the news comes on and scientists have found a cure. 

My brother Sam recently ran a local fun run in support of cancer research, just one of the charities that is working towards finding cures for cancers; it made us all ever so proud!

Next time someone asks you to make a donation to a cancer charity like cancer research or macmillan, before dismissing them, just take a minute to think about how you'd feel if you were diagnosed with cancer, or someone really close to you was- you'd want someone to help.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

(Disclaimer: everything I write is my own opinion)

My Foundation Routine

Hello there fellow humans! Today's post is being written while sitting outside on a lovely cool evening. I'm snuggled up in a hoodie, watching my Grandparents play a card game with my Dad and feel very refreshed and relaxed. I thought I'd share my foundation routine with you today- basically an insight into how I apply my foundation, what I use and maybe opinions of the things I use.. I'll see where it goes. Word of warning.. I pull odd faces in 'selfies'.

Here are the products I use: Rimmel match perfection foundation in 'true ivory', Real Techniques expert face brush and Collection lasting perfection concealer in 'fair.'

So first I take my fringe off my face with a trusty primark hairband and look unimpressed about how my face looks without make up on. Yum!

 I put two pumps of my foundation onto the back of my hand and dot it around my face. I don't really put much on my forehead because of my fringe.

 I use the expert face brush (review to come on this) and use circular motions to blend the foundation into my skin. The circular motions ensure that they're aren't any brush marks left, but the brush is brilliant quality anyway so I doubt it would cause this anyway.
In the picture on the right, I have half of my face blended and half not, just so you could see what this foundation actually does for my skin. I'd say it's medium converage, as it takes away redness and evens out my skin tone but doesn't cake my face in foundation and still shows some of my freckles. Saying that, it's definitely buildable and I don't think I use very much anyway.

On the left is a photo of the foundation all blended in. I then put my lasting perfection concealer under my eyes, around my nose and on any blemishes (I have a few of them at the moment). I then use the expert face brush again to blend in the concealer. I lightly dab it into the skin with the brush and then use circular motions again to make sure it's evenly covering all the areas I've put it on. I sometimes use a finger to blend it in under my eyes as well, especially for right in the corners.

So there you have it!
I had to return into the house halfway through writing this as it got a bit chilly... damn english weather.
The picture at the start shows my finished foundation/ base on my face (rhyming entertains me so easily).

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Sunny Picnic with Friends

Today, I thought I'd let you into my life a little bit more and show you what I got up to a couple of days ago. Yesterday, it was my friend Lucy's 16th birthday and to celebrate, our group of friends went out for a really sweet little picnic in the park on Tuesday (the 25th). The sun decided to make and appearance which made the day even more lovely. It was also a bit gusty so excuse our hair in some of the photos! So here's a few pictures of our afternoon out...

Lucy (left), Ellie (middle) and me pulling the most attractive face of us all.

The three of us in this picture are constantly having long discussions about all things youtube and blogging. We're quite frankly obsessed with people like Zoe and Louise. 

With my friend Caitlin. Pose alert.

Lucy (left), Katie (right) and a fraction of the food that we all brought... who needs diets.

With my beautiful ginge Laura. I think my expression shows how I feel about this girl.

With the birthday ginge. We were rather excited it seems!

From left to right: Tara, Caitlin and Millie.

I shall leave you with the rather entertaining image of me having a little dance. I'm pretty sure this was when a few of us started singing 'Let's go fly a kite' from Mary Poppins... we were just high on life.

Let's all pray we all get some more sunny days over the summer!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Review- Barry M Gelly Polish

Since I've missed a couple of days in putting up blog posts, I thought since this was already pretty much written I would finish writing it and put it up now. It's help minimise my guilt in myself for missing a couple of days!

 

Recently, I've heard so much praise and hype surrounding the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail polishes. I decided to buy one about a month ago and thought I'd share my views with you now.

First Impressions

The colour I decided to buy was 'Greenberry' which is a very vibrant, quite neon, green turquoise colour. This bright colour really grabbed my attention as I hadn't seen a colour quite like it before and I thought would be perfect for summer, particularly as there seems to be a popular neon trend at the moment.

Despite how silly it might sound, I really like the bottle. The mirrored lid makes it stand out from the other Barry M nail paints and looks quite classy.

'Hi- Shine' Claim

So Barry M claim that this range of nail polishes have a 'hi-shine' and gelly finish. In my opinion, this isn't the case. By itself, it gave pretty much the same shine as a regular Barry M nail paint- it wasn't dull, but there wasn't a noticeable difference in the amount of shine it gave compared to the standard Barry M polishes. When I applied a topcoat (there is a topcoat on in the picture on the right) I saw the amount of shine I was expecting to get from just the gelly polish alone. So this claim really disappointed me.

How did it last?

When I took this picture, it had been around 5 days of having the polish on and to be honest, it had just started to chip at the edges of the nails on the hand that wasn't show in the picture. This didn't seen too irregular for me for a Barry M nail polish, but I wish it would've lasted a bit longer as it may have redeemed itself in my opinions of it.

The Price

At £3.99, a pound more expensive than the regular Barry M nail paints, I don't think the extra pound is worth it to be frank. It doesn't live up to it's claim so I don't see why I would want to spend an extra pound on something that it doesn't actually do.

Overall, I'm not a happy bunny. I don't think I'll be buying anymore of these anytime soon. I'll probably come back to them at some point in the future to try them again to see if my opinion has changed but for now I'm rather disappointed. Barry M, I am not impressed!

Sorry this is such a negative post, but I thought my honest opinion may be helpful to some people who are on the fence about whether to buy this or not. Of course this is just based on my experiences of using it so others' opinions will definitely vary.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

(Disclaimer: all reviews are my personal opinion)

Primark and New Look Haul, June 2013

So I didn't post anything yesterday or the day before which means I now feel very disappointed with myself. I had posted at least once a day since I started blogging.. now that streak is ruined and I feel very ashamed *hangs head in shame*

BUT ANYWAY! I never would usually go to primark twice in the space of a week but I had to return some things and ended up exchanging them (I couldn't resist... it's primark) and also managed to buy a couple of other bits from New Look. If you haven't guessed yet, these are my favourite shops, as well as Topshop. I'm digressing now so I shall crack on with showing you these treasures.

Primark

Black floral dress- £10

 I eyed this up last time I was in primark, but this time couldn't restrain myself. Although black isn't an especially summery colour, the bright multi-coloured floral pattern makes it so pretty and perfect for summer. It's a beautifully soft material; I think the condition of Primark clothes has definitely improved recently. It has a zip up side and a black crochet waistband which gives it a little unique feature. I'll definitely be making use of this when it gets warmer (if it does) as it's so light and airy.

Black flower sandals- £12

 I thought £12 was a lot for Primark sandals really which is why I didn't buy them last time I was there. This time I was actually looking for some sandals and thought 'just because it's Primark, doesn't mean I can't pay a little bit more!'. Like the picture below shows, they are real leather which is obviously why they're a bit pricier. I think the flower detailing on these sandals is so gorgeous though and had to get them this time.

 

Grey Oversized T-shirt- £3.50

I also bought an oversized, grey tshirt with rolled up sleeves. It's obviously a very basic, slouchy tshirt which will be perfect for either lounging around the house or for casual days. I bought grey because it's a very neutral colour that will go with a lot of brighter bottoms and I can also still wear this in winter.

New Look

Blue patterned trousers- £16.99

I fell in love with them as soon as I saw them as blue is usually my go-to colour with most clothes because it seems to suit my hair and skin colour. The geometric/ aztec print just shouts summer and I think will look perfect with a crop top, sandals and a denim jacket. They're not supposed to be high waisted, but I'm fairly short I think and they come up quite high on me. The material is also really breezy and soft which will be perfect for summer weather.

Pink Floral Skater Skirt- £12.99

 The print on this skirt is very me- it has dainty little pink, golden and light green flowers and I think will be so easy to style this summer, especially with denim (I love the combination of denim and florals). It came with a brown belt which is actually really pretty, even though I don't usually like the belts that come with clothes.

Blue Midi Pencil Skirt- £9.99

This skirt is beautiful! The colour is a very classic royal blue, it's so comfy and not as tight and clingy as I thought it would be- I wore it to a party on Friday and could still move easily as it didn't cling to my calves (I featured this in an OOTE a couple of days ago). I think this will look lovely with a black, white, grey or patterned top, so it's very easy to style and it was a complete steal at just £9.99!

I probably won't be doing another haul until I get back from America now (the start of August) as I need to start saving up some more pennies so I can do a bit of shopping there. 

My blog has started getting a few more views now which has made me really happy, so if you're someone who keeps reading or has followed me, thank you so much <3

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

OOTE- Blue, Black and Converse

Tara (left), me (middle), Ellen (right)

Black crop top- Primark

Blue midi skirt- New Look

Necklace- New Look (can't find this on the website, but it's in a recent haul)

Converse- Amazon

Last night I went to an 'end of exams' party at my boyfriend's house and we all had a brilliant time. I talked to people I hadn't even met before, hugged LOTS of people, did a lot of very loud singing and took plenty of photos (before my phone sadly died). 

I found this outfit was perfect for a party in the garden as I didn't look really casual but the converse meant that I could still walk around in the garden without stumbling all the time like I would in heels!

I still feel half asleep really as I got in quite late last night, hence why this is a quick post today

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Bucket List #2 -Travelling

Many people are lucky enough to go travelling; to see the world, discover new cultures, experience a variety of foods, see amazing types of animals etc etc. The second thing on my bucket list is to 'visit everywhere on my 'list of places'.' 

My List of Places (so far)

Sydney

Thailand

Hawaii

Verona

Los Angeles

Niagra

Nashville

Rio de Janeiro

Boston

Orlando

Berlin

Barcelona

Alaska

Pompeii

Canada

New Zealand

Ireland

Greece

Amsterdam

Copenhagen

I'm pretty sure that as I get older, this list will grow longer as I see pictures of and hear about friends having holidays in different places. Every time I'm fortunate enough to get on a plane and I look down at the ground below, it puts into perspective how tiny a part of the planet I am and how tiny Birmingham is in relation to all the different cities and countries that there are in the world. 

My parents have been to a lot of different places together. They lived in Australia and New Zealand for a year, have been to Ireland, France, Portugal, Singapore and Thailand (the picture below is of them in Thailand). The fact that they've had all these incredible experiences makes me more determined to travel, as they always tell me stories about their travels and the people and things they encountered and they always make them sound like such fond memories.

I'm lucky enough to have visited some amazing countries with my family and they were honestly some of the best times of my life (so far. Exploring new parts of the world just makes me so happy, especially when I'm with people I love. I'll be going to America in the summer (which you can read about here if you're interested) and can't wait to experience new places like Boston (which I'll be able to cross off my list!). I'm sure when I get on that plane to America and get up into the sky, I'll come up with a number of new places to add to my list.. I don't make things easy for myself that's for sure!

I'd love to hear about where anybody else wants to visit in their life!

 Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Essie Nail Polishes Bargain Buy

I was reading another blog recently (I can't for the life of me remember whose blog it was, but if I remember I'll edit this post and link it) and the girl who writes it mentioned that on a website called 'fragrance direct', there are discounted Essie nail polishes, reduced from their regular price of £7.99 to an amazing £1.99! I couldn't quite believe it when I went on the sight and found them.

I always see people on youtube and on other blogs creating so much hype around Essie polishes and I've been putting off buying some for so long because I've also thought that £8 for a nail polish is a bit steep. So this lucky find meant I could buy two colours that I've had my eye on for a while and have been really popular with a lot of people: bikini so teeny -a light blue colour with hints of lilac- and mojito madness- a vibrant and very classic green. Both of these colours make me feel so summery, I just wish the weather would have the same effect now!

I'll definitely be revisiting this website to try out some other colours. They currently have 10 colours available and I think are gradually adding more, as a few weeks ago they only had 8 apparently.

Hopefully this has helped some people as I know I would've loved to have known about this site sooner!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

America- 1 month to go!!

I'm very exciteable today because it's one month until I go on holiday. This year is a very special holiday for our family as we're going to America to see our friends in New Jersey. We're staying with them for a couple of days, all going to Cape Cod for a week and then coming back to New Jersey and visiting New York. I'm also going to be in New York on my 16th birthday as well so it'll be a very different birthday!

Most importantly, I'm going to be able to spend some time with my friend, Hannah. Our parents met around 19 years ago and when Hannah's parents moved to America with her and her brother, Matt, it obviously meant that we didn't see each other as often anymore, which makes seeing Hannah so much more special as we've always got along.

Hannah (left) and me (right) in New York, 2005

We always used to put on 'shows' for our families

 

Hannah's family has been through a lot recently so I know it's going to be great to be able to spend some quality time with her, especially as I haven't actually seen her for 3 years. 

I'm really looking forward to spending hours lounging on the beach, eating good food, having warm weather, doing some damage in the New York shops and seeing Wicked on my birthday (my favourite musical).

Aren't we cool in our matching t-shirts

If you're going on holiday this summer, I hope you have a brilliant time!

Thank you for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

OOTD- Casual 'Running Errands' Day

Today was a pretty boring day really! I had a few bits to do: going to the bank, returning some stuff, stocking up on some toiletries and making sure I fitted in a trip to starbucks of course. I've had a veeery tiring ballet lesson tonight so this is just going to be a quick post.

• Denim Jacket- New Look (about 3 years ago)
• Grey slouchy vest- H&M
• Black and white stripey bandeau- New Look
• Black skater skirt- River Island
• White lace up pumps- Primark
• Bag- Primark
• Flower hair bobble- Primark

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Everyday Makeup Products

Today fellow humans I thought I would share with you the products I use pretty much everyday, meaning they're also the products I love and trust. These products give me a very relaxed, natural look which is usually what I prefer to look like unless I'm going somewhere particularly special.

Foundation

After cleansing and toning, I moisturise my face and neck. I've just started trying the Garnier moisture match for combination to oily skin (I may do a review of this once I've used it a bit more as I know I was quite indecisive about getting this).

I then put about two pumps of my Rimmel match perfection foundation (I'm in the shade 'true ivory') onto the back of my hand, dot it around my face and then blend in with the Real techniques expert face brush (I'm also going to review this, particularly for my friend Ellie as we have such long discussions about real techniques!).

Concealer and Blusher

Next, I use collection's lasting perfection concealer under my eyes, around my nose and on any blemishes. I'm sure this has to be the most popular concealer with bloggers and youtubers and rightly so; it convers spots brilliantly and really reduces the bit of darkness under my eyes. I also find it quite mattifying which I like as I have quite oily skin.

I then use my Laura Geller baked powder brush (I'd never heard of this brand until my Grandma gave me this brush) and I dust some Rimmel match perfection blusher (mine's in the shade medium) onto the apples of my cheeks and up my cheekbones. I love this blusher as you can blend the three shades in the pan to get a colour that suits you best.

Powder

To make sure my make up stays for as long as possible, I use Rimmel's stay matte powder in the shade 'transparent' (can you tell I rather love rimmel!). This powder is perfect as it doesn't look cakey, it just gets rid of shine and holds my make up in place.To apply my powder I use the elf powder brush. To be honest, this brush isn't much to write home about. It's not especially soft and doesn't wash very well but it does the job. I'm only using this still because I'm hoping to buy the real techniques powder brush soon.

Eyes

I often change my mascara as I can never seem to find one that volumises and lengthens my lashes. But a number of youtubers recommended the Maybelline rocket volume mascara and it has to be the best mascara I've found so far. I find it's quite verstaile and buildable, so I don't have to have a separate mascara for when I want a more dramatic eye more the evening. The eyeliner I use is the rimmel scandal eyes waterproof kohl pencil in black. I run this across about half way across my water line to just give my eyes a bit more definition but not close them up completely with loads of eyeliner!

Lips

This is the most simple stage for me in my everyday routine. I put on a bit of Nivea lip butter to soften my lips and then a bit of rose and almond oil vaseline to add a bit of colour, as the lip butter is rather pale and makes me look a bit ill if I wear it by itself.

I do apologise because I never know what to do with my face for pictures! I love knowing what everyone uses on a day to day basis so always read blog posts like this.

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x 

Mini Haul- New Look and H&M

So a couple of days ago, I made a post on the bits I bought from Primark (which you can see here) when I went shopping. I mentioned I'd made some other cheeky purchases from New Look and H&M, so I'll stop the chatter and crack on with showing you the few bits I bought.

New Look

White roll sleeve t-shirt, £4.99

 These type of tops are a staple in my wardrobe as they can be worn to lounge around the house and for quite casual day to day outfits. I always find New Look tops are really reliable and comfy and this definitely lives up to my expectations.

Turquoise and silver statement necklace, £6

I rarely like to spend more than around £5 on a piece of jewellery unless it's amazing- I'm a cheap skate like that- but this definitely is amazing in my opinion. Turquoise has got to be one of my favourite colours and it looks perfect with the silver coloured metal in this necklace. I think this is a beautiful piece of jewellery and could definitely add a bit of pizazz to a plain outfit this summer.

Black round sunglasses, £4.99

I have a bit of an obsession with round sunglasses at the moment. I've used these now and think they're defintitely better than my primark ones- they actually block out sunlight! Moral of the story- paying a little bit more for sunglasses usually results in better quality.

H&M

Grey slouchy cropped vest, £1.99

£1.99. WOW. I know this is very simple but I'm going to wear this to its death as it's so comfy and is just a classic, basic top.

Black drawstring runner shorts, £5.99

I mentioned in my primark haul how brilliant these shorts are for lounging around the house.. so I found myself reaching for this black pair in H&M and they're rather a lot softer than the primark ones and only £2.99 more. Would definitely recommend these over the primark ones.

So they're the few bits I managed to convince myself to buy in New Look and H&M. Probably won't be doing another haul for a while now as I need to start saving some money for general summer usage!

Thanks for reading and have a lovely day, whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

Review- Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer

I always find myself wandering into boots and superdrug to have a peruse through products, constantly telling myself 'No you don't need that, walk away'. I did that in boots when I saw the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers.. but then I went to superdrug and they were discounted. So I may have bought one :S

I love the packaging. The pop of the pink just caught my eye and I think somehow really adds to the boldness that the name brings.

I bought mine in the colour 'Nova' which is quite a dusky pink that still has a pop of colour, so it's very wearable but not a shocking 'in your face' kind of pink.

The actual applicator is lovely- it holds the product really nicely as it's quite spongy, so it just glides across your lips.

On the lips, it's very true to colour and a little definitely goes a long way, so I think this will last me for quite a while.

Its staying power is one of its best features for me. A few days ago I went to the cinema and applied it before leaving the house. By the time I got home around 5-6 hours later, I could still see the colour clearly on my lips even after eating, drinking and generally talking. It obviously wasn't quite as pigmented as it had been earlier in the day though.

 These are just perfect for me as they're somewhere between a lipstick and a gloss. They're not as sticky as a gloss but still have a pretty shine in them.

I do pull some odd faces....

I'll definitely be sneaking back to superdrug or boots to buy the other shades of these and I can see them becoming a well loved product in my make up bag. Rimmel deserves a pat on the back for these I think!

Have a lovely day, whatever you're up to :)

Charlie x

 (Disclaimer: all reviews are my personal opinion)