The Best of 2014 | Books & DVDs!

Hey guys!

I thought I would share with you my favourite books and DVDs from 2014 as well! To view my favourite make up and skincare from 2014, click here.

>Books:

• Looking for Alaska- Because I have been a fan of the author John Green for years as he is a YouTuber, I knew I wanted to read every book he had written. This book is my second favourite after The Fault in Our Stars. It is written beautifully, makes you ask questions and may make you cry a little. An excellent read!
• Divergent (and the rest of the series)- I fell in love with Divergent and the rest of the series. They are absolutely gripping with some fantastic characters that draw you into their world. I recommend it to those who are a fan of The Hunger Games and City of Bones!
• Shock of The Fall- As someone who is extremely interested in Psychology and working in a mental health unit this book was definitely for me. Furthermore the author was someone who went to the school I went to and this book is based around the area we live in! It is a great read that takes you into the mind of someone and the book even won the Costa Book Award in 2013. 

*I couldn't find my collection of them amongst the many books that I own but I would also include City of Bones and the rest of the series here. Likewise to Divergent it is absolutely gripping, full of twists and full of thorough and wonderful characters.

>DVDs:

• The Fault in Our Stars- As a huge fan of the book I couldn't wait for the film. In fact, I saw a pre-screening of the film because I couldn't wait for the release date! I absolutely adore TFiOS and I cried my eyes out. A lot. 
• Divergent- Because me and my friends love the books we went out the day it came out (which happened to be the day after my birthday) to go and see it. It was action-packed, stuck true to the book and was quite frankly amazing.
• Chicago (musical)- Although the film for this musical came out years and years ago, I put this in 2014 because I had finally gotten the DVD of it for my birthday. Chicago is one of my favourite musicals and I am not afraid to say I know every word to every song. It is on my bucket list to see this musical and the film is definitely a must see. I highly recommend it! If you've ever heard of the song 'And All That Jazz'- it's from this!

What were your favourite books and films from 2014? Let me know!

The Best of 2014 | Make Up & Skincare!

Hey guys!

I know this post is really late but I thought I would share with you my favourite make up and skincare for 2014! 2014 was a real eye opener in make up for me and I have definitely accumulated a few long time favourites! Please note a lot of these favourites I have reviewed on this blog before so just click the tag of it to see if I've reviewed it!

>Skincare:

• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water- I have bought bottle after bottle of this in 2014 and it allowed me to finally ditch the make up wipes. It's amazing to take make up off with and I will forever keep repurchasing it!
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash- This has for many years been my face wash. As someone who suffers terribly from acne I always like to use tea tree and don't want to switch up my skincare routine too much because I know what works for me. I will probably never stop buying this! 
• Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser- I have been using this moisturiser for about two years and I never switch it up. It smells like lovely grapefruit and feels amazing on the skin. It soaks in quickly so you can apply your make up soon after and is does not clog up pores. I'm in love with it!

>Eyes:

• Sleek i-Divine Storm Eyeshadow Palette- I love this little palette for all kinds of looks as it can take you from day to night. It is super affordable and makes me want to buy other palettes from the range!
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Everlasting Navy- If you're one of those people like me where eyeshadow never seems to stay put on your eyelids then these cream gel eyeshadows are for you. I got the blue one as it matches my eye colour perfectly and I love a pop of colour. I always get complimented whenever I wear this and it is certainly long wearing! I am going to buy more from this range for sure.
• L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara- As soon as I saw the advert for this mascara I knew I wanted it. The name is great, the packaging is beautiful and the wand is a good amount of flexible. It claims to lengthen your eyelashes and it certainly does do that! I was super disappointed when I finished it and had to chuck it away and would definitely recommend it.
• Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner- I tried this eyeliner on a whim and wasn't disappointed. Although flicks seem to fade a bit after a long day the brush is super easy to use and I can do my eyeliner quickly and efficiently. 
• Benefit Gimme Brow- Although this isn't of my eyes I didn't see the point in making a separate category for eyebrows when it was only this product. Gimme Brow is my first product from Benefit and I have been using it since April. It tints my eyebrows and is good at filling in sparse areas whilst holding the shape of my brows in place. I absolutely adore this eyebrow gel and it is so long-lasting!

>Lips:

• Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm Cherry Me- I have a few more of these baby lip balms but this one is my favourite. On days where you are having a natural look this subtle red will go down a treat. It smells great, looks great and is all around just fab. 
• Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm- I have Striking (red) and Shameless (purple) which I love equally as much. These are the ones to use when you want to put on some lip colour but don't have time to put on lipstick! They're certainly matte like they suggest. They are also the ones to use when you know you're going to be eating or kissing(!). I love them as they're super easy, beautiful and long-lasting. Definitely what I go for when I go out for dinner with my boyfriend haha! 
• Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- You can tell I love this when this is my second tub of it and I already have a third one in advance for when this one finishes. This is my ultimate lip scrub that lasts for about a year and does an excellent job at exfoliating your lips. I like to use it after a shower or before I apply lipstick for a smooth finish. It tastes yummy too!

>Face:

• Natural Collection Green Corrector Stick- Because I have a lot of redness on my face I always use green underneath my foundation to cancel out the redness: and this is the product behind it! I have lost count of how many of these I have bought but they're super cheap and super good at what they do!
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush- I always use this brush for my foundation. It is an incredible brush that looks beautiful, feels beautiful and applies foundation flawlessly. Cannot recommend it enough especially for a first brush from Real Techniques!
• Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation- I always use this foundation and the colour works perfectly for me. It is high coverage which I need and is long lasting.
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer- I have been using this concealer for absolute years and years, even before bloggers started raving about it. Hipster, I know! It stays on for a long time and is super high coverage which is excellent for redness and acne.
• Collection Lasting Perfection Powder- To top it off is the powder that goes with the other two of the range and I love it. It definitely is mattifying and will turn any high-shine area in to Mr Matte. Love it!

It is clear from  my favourites that my ultimate make up brand of the year was Maybelline!
My next post will be my favourite books and DVDs of 2014.
What were your favourites for make up and skincare in 2014? Let me know!

2014 in review | What does 2015 hold?

Hey!

So a few things happened in 2014. By far it wasn't the most exciting of years but I made one or two achievements:

1. I studied for, took my AS Level exams and got decent results
2. I chose all of my university choices and received offers from all of them
3. Decided I was going to take a gap year
4. Began learning to drive
5. Celebrated my niece's 1st birthday
6. Celebrated 1 year with my boyfriend
7. My nephew was born
8. I saw The Pretty Reckless live
9. Got my first job
10. I completed 1 year of blogging
11. I began to force myself to go to social events and stop letting my anxiety control me so much

In review, I have mixed emotions about 2014. On the positive side I made some important life changing decisions. In addition, I started to say 'no' to my anxiety and 'yes' to doing things like getting a job, learning to drive and going to parties which my anxiety would have never allowed me to do beforehand. However, on the negative side I feel like I had no real life experiences, did nothing particularly fun or exciting and still continued to let my anxiety stop me from doing things. Basically I did a lot of serious life stuff and not enough fun stuff.

So in 2015 I hope to do more with my life. 2015 will be a year where I start a big chapter in my life for many reasons so I need to make it as a positive experience as possible. Here is what will be happening in 2015:

1. I will study for, take my A Level Exams and hopefully get the results I need
2. I will (hopefully!) get accepted for a place in 2016 at my chosen university for Psychology
3. I will celebrate turning 18 years old
4. I will celebrate 2 years with my boyfriend
5. I will celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday
6. I will celebrate my nephew's 1st birthday
7. I will leave Sixth Form
8. I will begin my gap year, get a full-time job and start volunteering for a local mental health charity
9. Pass my driving test
10. Be blogging for 2 years

Again, these are all serious stuff. 2015 is going to be an important transition for me but I need to give myself more life changes and do more fun things. So here are the things I hope to do:

1. I hope to continue to fight my anxiety and say yes to more things
2. Make more friends
3. Save enough money to go travelling hopefully starting in 2015
4. Have financial stability enough to go do little fun things even if it is a weekend by the seaside with my boyfriend.

I want to be able to look back at 2015 and know it wasn't all serious and I let my hair down a bit. I want memories I will remember forever and not just pieces of paper that say I can officially drive, have a grade in a subject etc,

What do you want to achieve in 2015? Let me know!