Current Beauty Favourites

First of all let me just say I'm a firm believer in drug store make-up. I will never recommend high end make up products because not everyone can afford those. There is such a wide variety at shops like Boots so there's no need to spend double the price on a product that does near enough the same thing. 

Also, I'm some sort of professional make-up artist, these are just a few of the products that I'm loving at the moment. It's just my opinion and you don't necessarily have to agree.

I was really disliking my old foundation and thought it was time for a change. So a couple of days ago my Mum and I went into Boots and had a skin match test for the No7 foundation range. I've never had it done before and I was really excited (sad right?). I ended up being the palest colour there 'Calico', which really isn't a surprise. 

The lady recommend I use the 'Beautifully Matte' foundation and I have to say she was 100% right. It covers my skin so well and leaves stays on throughout the whole day. It also has a really soft finish and doesn't feel like I'm really wearing foundation at all. People have really noticed the difference in my skin as it looks so much healthier now that I've changed foundations.

I would highly recommend going at getting your skin matched to the perfect foundation. My Mum ended up coming away with a whole set of new make-up she's never used before and was really rather excited about it!

You'll have to excuse the camera quality on this one as I took it on my phone. I've had this one for a while but only really started wearing it recently. It's the 'Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Velvet' in the shade '307 Meteoric Matte'. 'Lip velvet' is the perfect way to describe it as it is so smooth and sleek on your lips, yet it also has the perfect matte look. 

It's comes out as a red berry kind of colour and I tend to wear it if I'm going out somewhere nice or going out for a few drinks. Not the kind of shade I'd wear to college on an everyday basis. I'm still looking for the perfect nude lip colour that doesn't make me look overly pale. 

Any recommendations on nude lip colours? What's your favourite products at the moment?

xxMegan

Book Review: Elizabeth Scott

Being a little bit cheeky this week and clustering multiple books together, but they're all by the same author so that makes it okay!

Now you may not have heard of Elizabeth Scott before but neither had until I found 'Love you, Hate you, Miss you' in a second hand book shop. After I read this I had to find out more about her. This led me to try out 'Stealing heaven'. That was it then, I had to read as many of her books as possible! Most of these I read on the day I got them as I just could not put them down! 

Picking a favourite is hard but it has to be 'Stealing Heaven'. It's about a girl called Dani who was trained as a thief by her mum when she was young. They move around so much that they never stay somewhere long enough to form real connections and a real life.

Elizabeth Scott writes to effortlessly it makes me jealous! She is partly one of the reasons I want to become a writer. Some how she manages to deal with very serious issues in a way that doesn't make you want to cry for a month. Her novels are perfectly paced in a way that you are hooked in but don't feel rushed through the events.  

My collection of her books isn't complete yet thanks to money having to go on everything but books. But I gave in and purchased 'Heartbeat' which is currently in the post! 

I cannot recommend her books anymore! I hope you love them as much as I do!

Come back next Tuesday for my review of Tanya Burr's 'Love, Tanya'.

xxMegan

Book Review: Matched Trilogy

Hi guys! First of all let me just say how sorry I am for the lack of blog posts for the past week, I've had a mountain of coursework to do and have only just managed to complete it all. Wow college is stressful but bring on University!

I want to start doing more book reviews and thought I'd kick that off today with the first one.

Matched Trilogy - Allie Condie

Genre -  Dystopian Young Adult 

The first book 'Matched' is about a tightly ruled society that decide who you love, where you work and when you die. At the age of 17 you are "matched" with your life partner. The trilogy follows seventeen year old Cassia Reyes who ends up being matched with her best friend, Xander Carrow. However, when she views the information pack about her "match" an unsuspected face shows up instead of her best friend. She attempts to find out about the mishap but becomes conflicted about her match. 

The book is then followed by 'Crossed' and 'Reached'. Obviously I'm not going to tell you much about the next two books or it will spoil the first one. 

I loved this trilogy and could not put the books down! I think it took me a total of a week to read the trilogy and have re-read it many times since. I highly recommend these books, they will keep you held in until the very end.

At first you think it's just another cheesy forbidden love story, but it turns out to be so much more than you expect. Ignore the bad goodreads reviews and go read the first book! 

Check out the youtube trailer for the first book here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaeNWL8rlBI

Here's my favourite quotes from each of the three books:

"It is strange how we hold on to the pieces of the past while we wait for our futures" 

- Matched

"Love changes what is probable and makes unlikely things possible" 

- Crossed

"When you can't cry because all you are is pain, and if you let some of it out, you might cease to exist" 

- Reached

Come back next Tuesday for another book review! 

xxMegan

Woof Woof!

Whoever said you couldn't buy happiness never had a dog! Since the day I was born there has always been a dog in my life and I couldn't imagine my life without one. I've never understood why people don't like them but I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  

I thought that I would introduce you to the lovely little beauties that are in my life right now. They're my favourite non-humans and I love them all so so much! 

 First of all we have Pip, who is a Border Collie. She has beautiful markings that make her stand out against other dogs like her.

Well, Pip is her official name but she gets called anything from Pippa to Puppy (even though she's 14 years old). We've had her since I was 2, and has grown up with me ever since. 

She has the sweetest personality, and dealt with my little sisters pulling on her like a teddy when they were toddlers. Although she's pretty much an OAP, she still runs around the field like shes 5 again. You'd never think she was that old if it wasn't for her white nose. 

Next we have Rolo, who is a bit of a Chihuahua, Jack Russel and a smidge of Pug in him too. Technically he's my brothers dog, but he spends so much time at our house he has become very fond with me. He's sat on my lap right now and keeps looking at me when I stop stroking him. So needy!

He's such a playful little thing so it's hard to keep up with him. Wow does he get mad if you leave without saying goodbye to him. If you walk out the front door without acknowledging him he barks rather loud. Just say bye to him and he doesn't even lift his head. 

He does not look happy about running around with Santa on his back, but hey it was Christmas!

Last but not least we have Barney, who is a chocolate Labrador. He's Mark's family dog but I love him so much I had to include him! The picture isn't that great as it was taken from my iPhone. 

He's still a bit of a puppy so he has so much energy in him. Mark is forever playing with him and making him bounce all over the room, it's very funny to watch. He doesn't leave me alone whenever I go round, but I don't mind because he's so friendly. 

So that's my little doggie friends. Rolo is currently under my blanket wriggling an awful lot while I'm trying to do some work.

Do you have any pets? What are they?

xxMegan

Through the lense

Photography has been an interest of mine for a few years now. It's something that my Dad and I have done as a hobby together since I was about 14. Setting out for the day with all our camera equipment in rain or shine always made the amazing pictures we had afterwards worth it. 

So here are some of my favourite pictures I've taken over the past couple of years;

These first two are from a trip to Highclere Castle where Downton Abbey is filmed. I love the programme and was so excited to go there! Unfortunately I had forgotten my DSLR camera so had to use my phone to take pictures, but I think these two turned out okay anyway.

These few were from an old ship yard near where I live. I went on a little photography trip with my friend Cam in an attempt to get some rustic looking photos. There were so many photos that I really liked so I had to narrow it down to these three.

These are a few of my favourite animal shots over the past few years. I absolutely love the way the colours stand out on the parrot. Taking photos of animals is probably my favourite as the outcome is always amazing! Even if the animals move alot, the end pictures are always worth it.

This landscape will always be the photo I am most proud of! (Points if you can guess where it is) Although it's a night shot, it still captures the lights in a way that doesn't drown out the photo completely. I submitted this to my local newspaper and it ended up being published. A local magazine isn't much but it gave me a lot more confidence in my photos.

I hope to get back into photography and will be sharing some more of my photos with you in the future. 

Which photo was your favourite? Do you have a hobby?

xxMegan

What's in my handbag?

My handbag is always bursting to the brim with things that I don't even need in there, whether that's college work, old receipts, random bits of paperwork. So I've cleared out my bag of all the junk, and here are the essential things I keep in my bag on a day to day basis.

The handbag itself is from Matalan. Extravagant right? I like it because it's simple and goes with anything, that way I don't have to keep changing bags and switching all my stuff around. It's also the perfect size to fit my college books in. 

First the boring things. 

Always carry a notebook with me for those times when I come up with things to write about, or if I have some inspiration for a novel to write. This pretty little one is from Sainsburys. 
I'm currently studying the Wife of Bath in English Literature so I always carry that with me, don't really understand it but I'm sure I will eventually. 

Then there's my ancient Marvel pencil case that I have used for the past couple of years. Well lets just say it has seen better days.

Can't get enough of Elle magazine! I'm subscribed to it and I constantly look forward the next issue. Especially loved this months issue with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, she's so beautiful it's crazy! 

My Ted Baker make-up bag comes every where with me. I'm so pale so I'm constantly having to put powder on so people don't think I look ill. 

Hand cream and hand sanitizer never leave my side. I hate having dirty and rough hands so I'm always applying these. The hand cream is from Soap&Glory. *shocker* 

My purse is from Next, and is honestly one of my favourite things in my bag. It's in a pastel pink colour,and is very simplistic but also very pretty.

I always carry a little snack with me in my bag for those peckish moments. This week just happens to be skittles thanks to Mark as he got me addicted to them. I also like to keep food with me just in case I get stuck in traffic in my car and then I get hungry. It would be a crisis.

So that's what I carry round in my bag on a day to day basis. What do you carry in yours? Do you carry snacks too?

xxMegan

The Making of Harry Potter

In December, Mark and I visited the Warner Bros Studio Tour. We had had it booked since the end of September and couldn't have been more excited. When we got there, it took our breaths away and was completely worth the three hour train to get there. 

We had booked it for December so that we could see the 'Hogwarts In Snow' event they do in the winter. 

I took a lot of pictures but they were on my iPhone and not very good quality. So here is a small sample of the best pictures I took.

At the end of the tour you walk into a room with a model of the Hogwarts castle. It was so beautiful and was probably my favourite part of the whole tour. It looked incredible, especially with the snow over the top. 

At the beginning of the tour you walk into the great hall and see the tables decorated with a magnificent feast. At the top of the hall were all the professors costumes. Dumbledore's owl podium really stood out for me as it is covered in real gold and years of melted wax. You could really see the intricate detail put into the making of the  podium.

Dolores Umbridge's office also stood out for me. Probably because it was very pink and had so many pictures of cats everywhere. I also learned that as she gained more power at the Ministry of Magic, her wardrobe became increasingly pinker.

The Quidditch equipment was a favourite of mine as I'm in love with the idea of people flying round on broomsticks chasing a golden snitch. It would be great if it were real, but I'm sure many people wish it was. I really wanted to do the flying on a broomstick green screen thing but the queue was huge! 

Butterbeer! This tasted so good! Mark drank his and half of mine as I was far too cold to drink it all.  We got to keep the tankards too, which is always a perk. 

As a whole this experience was amazing. Mark and I are considering going back around Halloween time so that we can see the Dark Arts Exhibition. I would definitely recommend going if you are a fan of the Harry Potter books and films. Or even if you are just interested in the making of films. It was a great experience and it was well worth all the planning, the time it took to get there, and the horribly cold temperatures.

Have you been before? What was your favourite part?

xxMegan 

2014 Book Favourites!

Picking a small selection of books that were my favourite in 2014 has been very hard! I love to read books and have a small collection of just over 200 of them to myself. You can call me greedy if you want but I'm just a bookworm.

I've tried to mix my selection up a bit and pick books from different genres and also ones that you may not have heard of before.

The Queen of the Tearling - Erika Johansen

Absolutely loved this book! I ended up reading until silly hours in the morning because I couldn't put it down. It's written from the perspective of Kelsea. I especially love that Kelsea who is a princess isn't amazingly beautiful. It adds a touch of realism and also reminds us that looks don't get us places in life, our motivation and determination do.

This book is also supposed to be a combo of the Hunger Games and A Game of Thrones, but that's not the reason I picked it up.

Not for the faint hearted.

"Even a book can be dangerous in the wrong hands, and when that happens, you blame the hands, but you also read the book."

Alienated - Melissa Landers

I'd never heard of this book or the author before, but someone from instagram recommended that I give it ago. Although it's a bit cheesy, I still love it. This novel features an almost 'forbidden love' plot, yet also includes the idea of aliens as if they are not so different from ourselves.

If you are looking for something with a romantic theme but also something a little different then this is definitely the novel for you!

"It's common knowledge that shiny rocks are preferred among human females."

Girl Online - Zoe Sugg

Even though I am a fan of Zoe on YouTube, that was not the entire reason I read this book in the first place. Girl Online discusses issues of online bullying and anxiety, and personally I feel this was done in a way that not only helped its readers but did not make the book dismal.

Zoe has also had a lot of criticism for having help when writing this book. However, these negative opinions have not swayed my view on this book as I still believe that Zoe's ideas and concepts make up the groundwork of the novel.

"Sometimes you have to face up to your fears to realise that they aren't actually real."

Delirium - Lauren Oliver

A friend of mine suggested that I read this book. Within a week I had read all three books in the trilogy. Lauren Oliver writes so beautifully and had me held in from the very first page. The trilogy takes a completely different twist on the idea of love and treats it has a disease know as 'armor deliria nervosa'. The plot follows Lena who falls in love weeks before she is supposed to the 'cure' for love.

It was this novel that made me fall in love with dystopian genre of books. Since reading this trilogy I have read other Lauren Oliver novels and can say that she is one of my favourite authors.

"I love you. Remember. They cannot take it."

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

This will always be my favourites children's classic no matter how old I get. Lewis Carroll plays with the ideas of logic and anthropomorphism, yet is also considered literary nonsense. Even though this a children's book, reading it now as an adult I know consider the darker elements of the books, such as the Queen of Heart's obsession with beheading and the caterpillar's drug usage (although subtle). The kind of book that can not only entice children and adults is both a rare find and a masterpiece.

"I can't go back to yesterday because I was different person then."

No matter how old I get I will also be a bookworm. I will always have a book that I'm reading and one day I want to have written the book that people are talking about.

What's your favourite book and why?

xxMegan 

First Ever Blog Post - What I got for Christmas

Christmas has gone and the New Year has begun. There are many things I've decided to start doing this year and starting a blog is the first on my list. As my first ever blog post I thought I would share a couple of my favourite things that I got for Christmas this year.

Christmas is my favourite time of year as all the family come together and everyone is in such a happy mood. I didn't really ask for much this year as I feel like I don't desperately need anything this year. Not knowing what I was getting from Santa this year made unwrapping my presents all that little bit more exciting.

My parents bought me the Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream perfume. It has the nicest scent to it and I can not stop wearing it. My only worry is that I will use it so much that I will run out pretty quickly.

 

 

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will always be my favourite children's classic. I've read the book so many times I've lost count. Mark (boyfriend) got me the Disney Traditions figurine for Christmas as he has picked up on how much I love the book. She now has her own little place next to the book she comes from.

I was also given the Soap & Glory Gift set. The gift set includes:

• Hand Dream Super Cream 100ml

• Orangeasm Body Wash 500ml

• Butter Yourself Moisture Lotion 500ml

• Heel Genius Foot Cream 125ml

• Sugar Crush Body Scrub 300ml

• Whipped Clean Shower Butter 250ml

• The Righteous Butter Body Butter 300ml

• Off Your Face 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths (25 cloths)

• Sexy Mother Pucker Lip Lacquer in Charm Offensive 7ml

• Thick & Fast Super Volume Mascara 10ml 

My two favourite things from the gift set are the Righteous Butter and the Shower Butter. They make your skin so silky and smooth. I get complimented on the softness of my skin and these two products are my little secret. I'm so relieved I got these for Christmas as I was going to run out soon.

I've been very spoilt this year and I'm so grateful for everything I've been given. Although receiving presents is fun, I love giving people presents and watching them opening them. This is the first year I've had a decent job so I was able to spoil my family and Mark as much as they all spoiled me.

What did you get for Christmas and what's your favourite thing about this time of year?

xx Megan