Summer ♥

Heey,

The Summer holidays are upon us and this year I have set myself some challenges. I recently watched Zoe's 'Zoella's' video on Little Ways To Change Your Life. Since watching the video, I decided that I wanted to try and do some of the things mentioned in the video. Also, I want to work on this, my blog. I keep going through stages with my blog where I will post regularly but other times, not so much. I said a few posts ago that I am making new sections of my blog and they are going underway this Summer and I will keep you updated with that.

1) Skincare

Puberty has well and truly hit my forehead with a passion. My own Mother says I have signs of acne which really helps my self esteem Mum ;). But seriously, I need to find a nice and easy face routine and stick to it because having nice, clear skin is something I really aim to have by Winter. Ages ago I wrote a post on my skincare and it hasn't changed much at all so I'll link that HERE if you would like to see what my routine is but here will most probably be a post on it soon.

2) Exercise

Exercise. I hate the word. I hate it because to me, when the word exercise is mentioned I almost immediately think of having to go on a 5 mile run or think of that dreadful afternoon in year 7 when they made us do cross-country *shudders at the memory*. However, exercise doesn't mean having to travel further than your front garden. Zoe mentions in her video doing yoga to not only help you stay fit but also help balance and even your skin! So this Summer I'm going to try yoga, even if it means going into the loft to find that crusty old yoga mat! Again, another post to follow.

3) Make Up

I am a lover of all things beauty, as you may know. But this Summer is all about keeping it simple, if all goes to plan then I will be spending a fair amount of my time at the beach and a full on make up look isn't going to do anything for my skin. Strictly concealer, mascara, powder and brow pencil me thinks! I might do a natural Summer make up look soon so look out for that.

4)Healthy Eating 

This is something I have already done a bit of. My new breakfast is quite healthy and I have done a fair job of keeping up with it. For a large amount of time, I didn't have breakfast. I occasionally had a little breakfast biscuit on the weekends but otherwise, no food for me until 12pm! This wasn't doing any good for me and it needed to change. So I invested into some healthy breakfast materials and now my Mum and I are fighting over Greek style honey yogurt with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and chopped roasted hazelnuts.

5) Smoothies and Snacks

This section is quite similar to the previous one but none-the-less is still important. I own a smoothie maker and there is nothing wrong with it, apart from the fact that it lives on the highest shelve in the cupboard, making it quite annoying to get every time I want t make a smoothie after school or when I'm just feeling like a little lift. I'm terrible at eating healthily especially when it comes to snacks, I can never resist an apple pie or packet of quavers but a nice piece of fruit will be added to my diet.

6) Evenings

In the evening I tend to spend all my time watching YouTube videos in my room whist playing games and then tweeting about my frustration with the game. I need to spend more evenings outside with my family, I think it goes for most teenagers that we take our parents and grandparents and family in general for granted, I know that recently I have. It doesn't kill to spend 2 hours a day talking to your family about your day, their day or just any random topic that might interest you. As well as this I need to again get on top of my skincare routine at night. A much stronger dose of cleanser can be applied and I don't have to be stingy with the moisturizer! Finally, a normal bed-time for me is normally about 11pm but it needs to be more like 10;30, especially since I want to wake up at 8am each morning!

7) Blogging

My aim for this summer is to post twice a week. They may not be as detailed as I would like and the pictures might not all be mine, but at least I will have something for my lovely readers! I will be blogging about the 6 things above and other Summery things!

Hope you enjoyed this post it was one off thing where I just needed to lay all my cards on the table and start over.

Hugs and kisses
Liv xoxo

Birthday Gift Ideas

Heey,

Depending on your budget it's always hard to buy for other people especially teenagers, because most of the time, I don't want to give just money, but that's just a personal preference. So today I am giving you some birthday gift ideas.

For: Teenagers                          Budget: £15

1) You could go down the easy route and get a gift voucher for your friends preferred shop / online store. iTunes is good or even New Look, maybe even Waterstones, depending on the type of person. However, to make this present more fun and exciting, get a medium sized box and place the gift card in an envelope, then put the envelope at the bottom of the box, fill the box with bubble-wrap or some kind of filling. This disguises the present and will certainly keep them guessing! 

2) DVD's, books and CD's are also great, especially for a close friend who has a certain taste in these products. For example John Green books are for everyone, aimed for teenagers and loved by all, John Green is a great author to give your friend (BTW Sainsbury's sell amazing new books for £3.99 and less!)

3) NotOnTheHighStreet is a great online store to order from. It sells a whole range of different nic-nacs and cool gadgets that I would certainly enjoy! I love the different personalized jewellery and coasters the most because it give a sweet and personal touch. 

If you liked this post then please leave a comment telling me if there are any specific categories that you would like me to do e.g. £15 budget for your Dad

Hugs and kisses

Liv xoxo

June Favourites

Heey,

I haven't done a favourites post in a long time so I thought that I would do my June favourites today. Is it just me or has June flown by? I haven't bought many things because I can't really afford to buy new make up/clothes when I have 3 of my best friends birthdays coming up and I need to buy them all presents! But because of the lack of shopping I have been rediscovering my old products and things that I have rekindled my love for.

Music

During June I have been listening to a lot of Ed Sheeran. His new album 'X' [multiply] came out and I loved all the songs but I just need to buy it and stop listening to it on 8tracks. Since his new album came out I have also been listening to a few of his older songs like Little Bird and Cold Coffee. I also saw his Glastonbury performance on the TV the other day and he was amazing. Ed Sheeran is such an amazing artist and extremely talented. I definitely see 'X' becoming my favourite album of the summer.

Talking about summer, lets talk about 5 Seconds of Summer and how they are perfect in every way. As you many know I went to see One Direction in June [more on that later] and 5SOS were the support act. I was almost as excited to see 5SOS as I was for One Direction, but I've been a fan of 1D longer. They also brought out an album this month and it is absolutely beautiful. My favourite song is probably Voodoo Doll or Good Girls but I do love Social Casualty. I haven't heard the full album yet because again, I have no money.

Other albums/singers/bands/songs I have been loving include:

One Direction Midnight Memories Album // Fall Out Boy - The Phoenix and Young Volcanoes // Charlie XCX - Boom Clap // Ed Sheeran - All of the Stars // Jason Marz - I'm Yours

Books

June has been a month of reading. Actually in English we were given a reading log and had to read 6 books in 6 weeks. It was easier than I imagined because there were so many good books I wanted to read and they all got so interesting and it was hard to put down. Here is the list of books I have read during June and my rating out of 10:

Paper Towns by John Green 9.6 / 10

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - 9.5 / 10

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 8 / 10

You're the one that I want by Giovanna Fletcher 7.5 / 10

Make Up

Make up is one of my favourite things. I love buying new products, going into Boots or Superdrug and testing all the nice make up that I can't afford :(. However, being poor has an advantage because it means that you go through old products and rekindle your love with them.

I did buy one product at the beginning of June though, and it is the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Eye Shadow Quad in Smokey. I wore this to One Direction and it lasted the whole night. The colour pigmentation is amazing and although the product looks like it has a lot of glitter in it, once applied it looks matte with a slight shimmer, which is great for me because I prefer matte but on  night out, shimmer is needed. It was a reasonable price for 4 amazing eye shadows and I would buy more in different shades, when I have the money!

After rummaging through my make up for a good cream concealer to use as an eye-base, I came across my old MUA Pro-Base Complexion Kit in the shade Ivory. This trio of products is great for people on a budget because it's cheap, multi-functional and great quality. It comes with a cream foundation, cream concealer and cream highlight / blush (as well as a sponge and small brush). I love the concealer because it has very good coverage, which comes in handy on blemishes, dark circles and over my vein-y eyelids! The foundation is good but isn't my favourite ever because it takes a bit of work to buff it into my skin. I don't really use the cream blush / highlight because I don't really wear that on a day-to-day basis.

Next is my Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in Dark Blonde. In May I got my eyebrows waxed for the first time and I really liked the shape. My brows looked so much better but I knew it wouldn't last long. I went out the next week and bought this product thinking that even if it wasn't good, at £2.99, it wasn't something to fret over. Luckily there was no need for fret because I love it. I use the spooli first to get my hair going in the same direction then use the pencil end to fill them in before going back in with the spooli and again making sure everything is in place. A great bargain, easy to use and an overall amazing product that I will be purchasing again. 

Clothes

Summer is upon us and that means that shorts and crop tops are flying off the shelves. I haven't yet gone to the shops with my Mum to buy new Summer clothes so once again, old clothes are being re-used and re-loved. 

I have been wearing my New Look Generation 915 Denim Shorts and they are my only pair of shorts! The only thing I don't like about them are the pockets that hang down to I tuck them in and the rustic rips show the pattern of the pockets and some skin. They are really cute and not too short (yet).

The dress that I wore to One Direction also is one of my favourite items this month. I ordered it only on Boohoo and it was called the Nina Smudge Print Bodycon Dress. It was slightly see-through so be aware of that if you were thinking of ordering it. It was really comfy and I wore it with the sleeves rolled up. It cost £12 which is really good for a nice dress.  

I hope you enjoyed this post, I know that it's slightly late but as I seem to always say, I will be posting again on Wednesday and Saturday, trying to keep up to my schedule.

Thank you for reading

Hugs and kisses
Liv xoxo