Empties- #1

This post is something regularly written by many beauty bloggers, so I thought I'd give it a go. To be honest, it is an odd concept; showing what's essentially rubbish on the internet and talking about how much you loved/ loathed the things. But still, a lot of people seem to enjoy these, such as me!

Sprays

Charlie- Enchanted Body Spray

Since I have two empty bottles of this, it's obvious I rather like these body sprays! I originally bought them when I was about 12 just because they're called Charlie (my name if you didn't know). Ever since, they've been a regular purchase for me. They're long lasting and this scent in particular is so pretty- a very floral, girly smell which isn't too sweet. 

Dove- Original Deodorant

This has been my go-to deodorant for a while now. It's a very gentle spray that doesn't sting or burn, it lasts well and has the same smell as the original dove soap- a very classic, fresh scent that eliminates the chance of any sweaty smells.. yum.

Wonderstruck Perfume by Taylor Swift

I mentioned this perfume in my last post as I got a new one for my birthday. I've loved Taylor Swift for years now and so I was so thrilled when she brought out a perfume. I got this 30ml one for my last birthday (August last year) and only just finished it before this birthday. It also came with a mini one that was perfect for carrying around for school etc. The scent is so scrummy.. very fruity and floral- perfect for summer but I'll be wearing it all year round for sure.  

Creams

Soap and Glory- Hand Food (mini)

This is my absolute FAVOURITE hand cream and it's always been so hyped about (and rightly so). The smell makes me want to eat it, but I guess that wouldn't be such a good plan! It's a very nourishing cream that I make good use of especially in the winter. It softens my hands so well and is also brilliant for my nails and cuticles if they're looking a bit rough. I now how the full size one and a mini one to carry around with me because it's oh so splendid.

The Body Shop- Mango Body Butter

I got given this in a gift set a while ago. At first I wasn't a fan of the the smell as it's VERY strong and VERY sweet.. and I'm a fan of sweet smells! It slowly grew on me but to be quite honest, I only used it because it was the only body butter I had in the house and I was low on wonga at the time. However, it did really hydrate my skin so I would probably like it in a different scent.

  

Hair

Batiste Dry Shampoo- 'Blush'

I think from this post so far it's been made pretty darn obvious that I'm a sucker for a floral scent (and a floral print for that matter), which is why this scent of this dry shampoo is my favourite. I also liked the tropical one that I tried but I prefer this one. It does leave white marks in your hair, but as long as you give it a good rub and comb, it does the job brilliantly and freshens up your hair for the day.

 Skincare

Simple Soothing Facial Toner

I've found this to be a product I've reached for and repurchased over and over again for around 18 months now. After cleansing it really soothes my skin and adds to the softening effect of the the cleanser. Simple is always a go-to brand for me for skincare as it's so gentle, especially for teenage skin like mine. I also find that it mattifies the oiliness around my t-zone very well and cools it if it's irritated at all, as it is suitable for sensitive skin (which mine often seems to be).

Simple Purifying Cleansing Lotion

Just like the toner, this cleanser really soothes my skin and as it's quite a creamy texture, it adds that extra bit of hydration to my skin if it's looking a bit tired or dry. It's brillaint for removing make up and seems to get all the dirtiness off my face that builds up during the day with wearing make up and touching your face etc. This has also already been repurchased as well!

Simple Kind to Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes

I use these wipes every single day to take off the majority of my make up in the evening before cleansing. Their moisture always leave my face feeling so cool and refreshed before going to bed which makes me feel a lot more relaxed. I don't know about you but I coudl never go to sleep knowing there's make up on my face, unless I was ridiculously tired of course!

So they're all my empty products for the moment! I dare say I'll more of these posts in the future as I really liked writing these mini reviews. They're a lot easier to write than full in depth reviews, I'll say that! 

I'm being so organised at the moment and pre-writing all my posts and scheduling them for various days so I'm obviously feeling very motivated and full of ideas at the moment! Hope you're enjoying if you're a follower who regularly reads (thank you if you have followed, it means a lot).

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

Charlie x 

What I Got For My Birthday

One of the topics I love reading about on blogs is birthdays, specifically the 'What I Got For My Birthday' posts. It's one of those brilliant ways to nose around other peoples' lives (something I take great pleasure in doing) and soak up some of that birthday joy!

Therefore, here I am, showing you the lovely presents I got off my family and one friend. 

DISCLAIMER

I am not writing this to brag about what I was given- I'm writing it because I love reading these posts and I know there are many other people who do as well. Also, I'm so thankful for the lovely things I was given- I'm mainly grateful I get to spend birthdays with my family and friends, present are an added bonus ;)

  

Soap and Glory 'Best of All'

• 'Hand Food Hand Cream'
• 'Peaches and Clean Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk'
• 'Clean on Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel'
• 'Smoothie Star Body Lotion'
• 'Heel Genius Foot Cream'
• 'The Righteous Butter Body Butter'
• 'Sugar Crush Body Scrub'
• 'Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Gloss' in the shade 'Punchbowl'
• 'Thick and Fast Super Volume Mascara'

For me, Soap and Glory is one of my favourite (if not my absolute favourite) bath and body brands. I'm a huge fan of their body washes and moisturisers in particular so was thrilled when I ripped off the wrapping paper to find this underneath with 9 amazing looking products inside it. Plus- you get the enormous zip up case that they come in!

'So You Want To Be In Musicals' by Ruthie Henshall

This present was off my big brother, Sam. He knows me so well obviously! It's my dream to be in musical theatre on the west end (I go on about it a lot, I bet you've noticed if you read my blog frequently). I started reading this on the plane home from America and it's incredible! It has pages of helpful advice for people like me who want nothing more than (like the title says) to be in musicals.

Musicals- The Premier Collection

This gift is one of my favourites (one guess why!). It contains 3 CDs with about 60 songs from musicals. This will come in so handy when learning various songs and will give me hours of ear enjoyment!

Wonderstruck Perfume by Taylor Swift

Wonderstruck is my favourite perfume I've ever smelt.. that sounds odd. It's a very fruity, floral and girly fragrance which is quite sweet smelling. It's perfect for summer especially but I can't get enough of it. I'd just ran out of the bottle I got last year before we went on holiday, so I was sooo overjoyed to receive this! Also Taylor Swift has been one of my obsessions for years now. Love that woman.

Beauticology Strawberry Cupcake Shower Creme

 My friend Izzi got me this and oh my goodness. THE SMELL! It literally smells like summer in a bottle as I eat tubs and tubs of strawberries over summer. It's such a refreshing and fruity scent and I can't wait to use this.

Fiorelli Blue/ Green Bracelet

I apologise that you can't see it very clearly in this picture, but Izzi also got me this gorgeous bracelet. It's a lovely deep turquoise colour (one of my favourite colours) and even the bag it came in is really cute!

Real Techniques Starter Kit

Since I have a blog where I discuss beauty, it's pretty much a given that this present is going to be more than exciting! It contains 5 eye brushes that look brilliant. Surprisingly my 13 year old brother got me this (I think my mum mentioned it.. he's not that observant with this kind of thing I don't think). I can't wait to get some serious use out of these brushes as I have the expert face brush from real techniques and it's the best brush I own. They'd better live up to their reputation as I've heard good things about this set!

Thomas Sabo- Masks Charm

I'm sure you're more than aware of my love of theatre by this point, so this one's pretty self explanatory. Now I have a charm for each performing art: a music note, ballet shoes and the 'comedy and tragedy' masks.

I feel like a very lucky girl to have been given such great presents! If you've enjoyed this, are as nosy as me (hello to any fellow nosy ones out there!) and you'd like to know what I did for my birthday, there's a link to that post here.

P.S! My big brother Sam has just started a youtube channel! If you have a free moment please give it a look, I'm sure he'd be ever so grateful.

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

Charlie x

16th Birthday!

Bonjour!

So as I mentioned in my last post, I celebrated my 16th birthday when I went to America with my family and it was the best birthday I've ever had! My birthday was the 1st of August and on the 31st of July, I carried out my yearly tradition of staying up till at least midnight. My friend in America, Hannah, had been to see Justin Bieber that night and ran into my room and pounced on me to wish me happy birthday at 12.30 when she got home... that was the first of many lovely moments.

In the morning, I woke early and facetimed my two best friends Ellen and Laura (HEY GUYS) and had a good chat and laugh with them. When I got up, happy birthday was sung to me and we all had breakfast together- waffles, eggs and bacon. MMM! I then opened some cards and presents off my family (putting up a post after this one about a few things I got). We then all spent most of the early afternoon getting ready to go into New York which was entertaining enough in itself (3 teenage girls trying to decide what to wear etc).

Shirley Temples at the view with Reagan and Hannah.

 All of us then hopped into the cars and drove into NYC, parked up and walked to 'The View'; a restaurant near times square, 48 floors up, that slowly revolves, giving you a 360 degree view of the city. The food was amazing, the waiter we had was hilarious and asked if he could be adopted by us and the experience was so worth it. I'd definitely recommend it, 100%. 

Once we'd finished eating (and had gained about two inches around our bellies), it was absolutely pouring it down with rain outside. Literally, POURING! We were off to the theatre to see Wicked (my favourite ever musical) which was just round the corner. But, one of our friends (Judy) had just had foot surgery and was being pushed in a wheelchair by David (another friend... I HAVE FRIENDS). It was quite entertaining actually looking back, except for the fact I was in sandals!

We soon arrived at the theatre and got to our seats. The show began and I was transported into this heavenly musical land that felt like a dream *sighs*. If you read my first bucket list post, you'll know how I feel about musical theatre and wicked especially. If not, it's basically my dream to be Elphaba (the wicked witch) in wicked. I cried.. quite a lot.

If that wasn't enough, everyone agreed that we could go to the stage door atferwards and look what flippin well happened....

 

Fiyero- Derek Klena

Glinda (the good witch)- Katie Rose Clarke

Elphaba- Lindsay Mendez. Such a talented woman.

 Finally we had a wander through times square and before I knew it, it was no longer my birthday.

We then drove back to the house and ate ice cream cake (which was INCREDIBLE). I then curled up on the sofa with Hannah and Reagan watching something American- and quite forgettable to be quite honest- until 3 in the morning, at which point I strolled off to bed for my last night's sleep in the US of A. 

So that was my birthday! Quite a long winded story but I wanted to blog about it as it was such an amazing and lovely day with people who I love ever so much! We all love birthdays don't we?! (I hope you do!)

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

Charlie x

Holiday Outfit Lookbook

I'm currently starting to write this while in bed on holiday, but I'll actually finish this when I get home.. this is some odd kind of paradox feeling as it'll be now but the future... anyway enough of the confusing thoughts! Whilst I've been soaking up the sun here in America, I decided I would take a few pictures of the quite simple and relaxed outfits I've been wearing, as I love reading these kind of posts.

So here's some photos of a few holiday outfits and where they're from.

 

 Top- Next

Skirt- New Look

Top- Same as Above (It had been washed though don't worry!)
Shorts- Topshop
Hairband- Claires

T-shirt- New Look
Shorts- New Look
Flip Flops- Primark

Tshirt- Primark
Skirt- New Look

Dress- Primark
Bag- Primark
Sandals- New Look
Necklace- Tiffany (tehe)

Dress- Billabong
Cardigan- American Eagle Outfitters (both bought in America, will be shown in haul)
Sandals- Primark

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

Charlie x

Returned from the USA!

I HAVE RETURNED! I'm back in good old England, which after being to America seems ever so dull I have to say. But hey ho, life goes on. I suppose holidays wouldn't be holidays if you didn't come back to reality afterwards. I've got a few posts planned that I'm starting to write tonight and I thought to start off with, I'd share a few photos with you of some things I did and the people I saw while I was there. 

Sunset in Cape Cod

With the beautiful Hannah (middle) and Reagan (right)

The Gang! L-R: Sam, Mum, Dad, Me, Reagan, David, Hannah, Judy, Ben and Matt.

View from the Empire State

This diner was like a dream place for me! The waiters and waitresses are people trying to get onto Broadway and they sing while they wait on the customers- impressive or what!!

The 9/11 memorial

Last night (my birthday) in Times Square

There were so many pictures I wanted to include but tried to limit it as much as I could. I know I'm going to be going to back to America in the future because I love it so much but I really do miss it. Everyone there is so much kinder in general. People seriously just chat to you whenever or wherever. Most of all, I'm going to miss my friends out there- Hannah, Reagan, Matt, David and Judy. 

We celebrated my 16th birthday out there as well and it was the best birthday I've ever had (so far!). I might do a separate post showing a few pictures from my birthday and maybe show a couple of things that I was kindly given.

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

Charlie x

Floral Find

I'm an absolute sucker for floral patterns, whether it's a delicate ditsy or a bright and bold print. When I went to Stratford upon Avon a few weeks ago, I browsed the shops with my friends. Stratford has such a quaint little town centre full of rustic sweet shops, vintage and antique shops and lots of charity shops. 

I wandered into acorns and saw this dress and fell head over heels in love with - believe it or not- the floral pattern.

The print looks so vintage. The faded deep pinks, greens and creams look timelessly pretty. It ties up around the middle giving you a more defined waist (and just adds a bit of detail). It does scoop very low at the front so I have to wear a bandeau underneath, but that isn't too big of a problem. 

The writing on the label is really hard to read so I'm not sure where it's from, sorry! If I manage to decipher what it says then I'll add it in.

I occasionally do manage to find some brilliant things in charity shops and it makes me feel like I'm helping someone else by buying something from them (a slightly more guilt free way to shop I suppose!) 

I'm still in America at the mo and having an amazing time (I really don't want to leave) but took these pictures and pre-wrote most of this before I went away. I'll be home on Saturday and am ready and raring to get back into my blog! 

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

Charlie x

Mall Mooching

Today was a miserable day in Cape Cod. Since the beach and pool seemed to be out of the question, my family and I took a drive to a town called Sandwich (best town name ever, might I add), had some lunch and then came back to the town we're staying in- Hyannis- and had a stroll around the mall. This experience seemed to blind me of the horrible weather outside... Can you tell I love shopping yet? 

I chose to wander around by myself as then I could take my time and gaze in wonderment at all the things I couldn't really afford buy- I do love a good window-shop. 

After having a nose around forever 21, Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters and a rather large book shop that I forget the name of, I finally saw sephora. It was like a wonderland of make up goodness with so many beautiful shiny products to look at.

 I couldn't hold this excitement inside; I needed to unload this onto here. Why do we not have Sephora in the UK!? I made a wishlist on my phone of a few higher end things I'd love to buy and hopefully, now that I have a part time job, I might be able to have a splurge on some more expensive things to treat myself once in a while.

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

Charlie x