Back to School: Tips & Advice

1. Start work early - Although you may not have a lot of homework to do or information to study at the beginning of the year, start making revision notes and re-reading over information from the very first day. Not only will it save you time writing notes come April/May time when exams are just around the corner, but it will also help get the information in your head more efficiently.

2. Utilise the weekend - I know that we all look forward to the weekend to get a nice break from school and all the stress that comes with it. However, start taking an hour on Saturday morning to do schoolwork and to get the majority of your homework done so that you're not stressing at 10PM on Sunday night, and also this will allow you to allocate a few hours on Sunday for revision.

3. Focus on school - Now, I know there are people out there who just can't afford not to have a part time job and that's okay. However, my advice would be to limit it to weekend work. If you are at school until 4, then have to go and work until 9 and then go home and do a load of homework for the next day, it's just not healthy for you. My advice would be to scratch a part time job altogether, but if you absolutely have to, try and get a job where weekday hours are very limited.

4. Get a planner - If your school doesn't provide you with one, buy one, it will save your life. Keep it on your desk in class as teachers often throw homework at you in the middle of teaching like 'oh look this up/get a definition for this' and if you don't immediately write this down, you will forget it. On Friday afternoon, revise your planner and thus, plan out your weekend study timetable according to what you absolutely have to do.

5. Ask for help - If you don't understand something, ask your teachers. Honestly, they're there to get you an education and teach you the material you need to know. They want to see you do well so if you need extra help, don't be afraid to ask for it.

These are just some tips to help you out in the beginning of the year. I have more detailed posts on revision which I'll put up later in the year, but I hope this one helped you out a bit for now! Have a great first day at school and I hope this yea goes great for you. :)

xo, Lauren

Today's Make-Up

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer // Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara // Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder // M.A.C Cremesheen Lipstick in Sunny Seoul // Urban Decay Naked 1 & 3 Palettes 


Eye Look: Buck in crease // Sidecar all over lid // Strange in inner corner and browbone // Creep on top and lower lashlines


I have absolutely been loving this make-up look recently as I feel it is quite natural but the shimmery shadow adds a nice glow to the look and I also love the softness that a shadow gives in place of a pencil/liquid liner. Let me know what looks you have been loving recently. 
xo, Lauren

Let's Go to the Beach

Well... we didn't actually go to the beach BUT my friend Shauna threw a beach themed party which was absolutely amazing. It was so great to get to catch up with all my friends as I haven't seen them since we finished school. Here's a few pics :)













xo, Lauren

How To: Make Iced Coffee

I've been debating making this post for a while, just because there are already so many posts about this. However, when I started making Iced coffee at home it took me a long time to perfect my method and I thought that by sharing mine with you, it may save you a few cups of watery lukewarm coffee :)

Not my pic, credits to whowhatchic.tumblr.com

Step One: Set everything up as if you were making your regular cup of hot coffee. Then, add an extra portion or two of coffee (depending on how many people you're making for). Adding an extra portion of coffee will help counteract the watery taste that you will inevitably get from the icecubes.

Step Two: Once coffee is brewed, pour it into a cup (or more, again depending on how many people) so that it will cool down. I usually brew my coffee as soon as I wake up so that it will be cooled down by the time lunch comes around. However, if you prefer to have your iced coffee first thing in the morning, brew it the night before.

Step Three: Once your coffee has reached room temperature, prepare it as you would your normal cup of coffee. However, I like to add a bit of sugar to my iced coffee just for taste but anything you do here is completely up to you.

 Step Four: Grab a glass, put some ice cubes in it, pour in your coffee and you're good to go. On a regular day, this is all I'll do but if I want a bit of a treat I'll add some whipped cream to the top and sprinkle some instant coffee on the top.

Disclaimer: My method is done using a filter coffee machine, however I have found that this works best when making with instant coffee too. 
xo, Lauren

My Current Beauty Favorites

I had planned on doing a June favorites posts, but a lot of the things I wanted to include, I have been loving for a few months and I'm still using. So, I decided to just do a current favorites!


MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Sunny Seoul - My boyfriend bought me this for Christmas and I had used it a couple of times since then. However, when it got into the lighter weather, I started to change things up with my make-up. I have been loving doing a nice natural eye with this lipstick as it gives me just that bit more of a pop of color than a nude-y pink would, but it still keeps things natural for the summer which I love.


Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - Again, I got this for Christmas and I believe I've included this in favorites before. I stopped using it around March and stuck to my trusty original naked palette as, for me, every look I created with it was safe. However, over the past few weeks I have found a combination of shadows from this palette that I love and I have been wearing this look almost every day, and it looks great with Sunny Seoul which is a major bonus.


Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara - I'm going to be totally honest with you, the only reason I bought this mascara was because Taylor Swift uses it. That may be a stupid reason to spend £19.50 on a mascara, but it resulted in me finding my new holy grail mascara sooooo. I love everything about this mascara. It brightens up your whole face and adds something to your make-up look that I honestly can't describe, but it's good. One thing I will say though, it that you have to be careful with how much product you have on the wand as it can clump if there's too much.


Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift - I rediscovered this last month when I was stressed out from studying so much, I went into town to get myself a pick me up. The Wonderstruck perfume set was on sale for only £10 so I thought that would be the perfect pick me up, without spending too much money. I knew I already loved this perfume as I have had bottles on bottles before, but I had been using her many other fragrances for a while. When I sprayed this the next day, I was once again hooked. Wonderstruck smells so amazing, it lasts most of the day and it's relatively cheap for a perfume, which I think is a win all around.


Zoella Fizz Bar - I'm not that big of a bath person, so I usually only take them when I have a few Lush products to use. However,when I was in the middle of exams, I loved having baths to de-stress. When I ran out of Lush products I decided to pick this fizz bar up as it was inexpensive and had a lot to offer. I instantly fell in love with it. It's the perfect addition to a nice warm bubble bath, and as it's a white formula I don't feel bad about using bubble bath which I used to when using lovely colorful Lush bathbombs. This product also smells really nice, but isn't too overpowering.


Soap & Glory - Since the weather has been quite nice in the UK recently, I have been baring my legs and thus shaving them a lot more often. This of course means that my legs have been suffering a bit with being dry and what not. These 3 products have helped so much with that. They have kept my legs so soft and moisturised in between shaves and by using these along with my regular shaving foam, I haven't suffered from razor burn or bumps for so long.


 xo, Lauren

The 1989 World Tour

On June 29th 2015, I traveled down to Dublin to go and see Taylor Swift on the 1989 tour. If you know anything about me, you'll know that Taylor Swift plays such an important role in my life, and thus how excited I was to finally see her again after 4 years.

It didn't hit me that I was actually seeing Taylor until the day before the concert because I tried to avoid the whole not being able to sleep excitement thing that I always get, however, this did not work and I had trouble sleeping because I was so excited. So, yeah.

When I got to my seat I started to tear up because I was there, like, she was in the same building as me and I was going to be seeing her in person again in just under an hour. Although, I didn't cry just yet as she had a lot of cute little videos playing on the big screens which kept me laughing and smiling. *SPOILER* Then, when I heard 'Feels So Close' by Calvin Harris start to play, I completely lost it. I knew she was coming on in 4 minutes and I couldn't help myself and burst into tears.

The concert was absolutely unreal. Literally, Taylor Swift blows me away every single time. I'm not going to go into too much detail because I could write a full blog post about every song that she sang. However, I will say that when Taylor told us to jump during HYGTG, I went so hard that I nearly fell over the seats in front of me and that during Style, I nearly punched a woman in the face. Yeah, I had a lot of fun.

I want to say thank you to Taylor for putting on the most amazing show and allowing me to have one of the best nights of my life. Thank you, T, I love you always.

Inside My Handbag | Summer Edition

What I keep in my handbag usually stays the same throughout the year, however there are a few things which I feel are essential to have in my handbag for the summer time.


Deodorant -  During the summer, no matter who you are, sweating is inevitable. For me, deodorant only lasts a few hours and then it just doesn't work, so I like to take mine with me so I can spray a bit on when I stat to get a little bit sweaty. 

Perfume - I like to bring whatever perfume/body mist I'm wearing that day with me in my handbag as not only does it keep me feeling refreshed when I may be sweating, but I also find that spraying on a bit of perfume when you're really warm can help you cool down a bit. 

Umbrella - I live in Ireland, so this is just essential for me, even in the summer when it should be sunny. 

Tissues - One word. Hayfever. 

Bobble - I like to bring a bobble (hair tie) with me as I have long hair and when I get too warm I like to tie it up and get it out of the way. 

Lip Balm (with SPF) - No matter if I'm wearing lipstick or not, I will always wear an SPF lipbalm underneath during the summer as I tend to get dry lips anyway and I can't imagine what that'd be like along with a sunburn there. 

Powder - I will always keep a powder in my bag during the summer as I just like to mattify my face if I've been sweating or have been in the water. 

Lotion - Shaving my legs is something that happens a lot more regularly during the summer which means I need to take extra care of them. I like to bring a travel size body lotion with me so that I can take care of my legs throughout the day. 

What's in your summer handbag? Let me know! 
xo, Lauren

My Summer Albums

 I tried to do a summer playlist and I just couldn't narrow it down enough, so I've decided to just tell you all my favorite albums/artists of the moment and that way, you can check them out and see if you can add any of them to your summer playlists.


1989 // Taylor Swift 
If you know anything about me, this will not come as a surprise.  Although this album came out in October of last year, I really believe it is perfect for the summer. There are so many upbeat songs on here that are perfect for a summer road trip or party, and the slower songs are great for just chilling out with your friends. I could go on and on about 1989 but I'm going to leave it at this: you need this in your life, especially for the summer. 
Songs: New Romantics, Style, Blank Space, All You Had To Do Was Stay

The First Time // Kelsea Ballerini
I'd heard of Kelsea a while back but never really acted on that. When her album came out I hesitated listening to it because I needed to save money for other things and I can't deal with spotify's constant ad's and suggested songs. However, about a week later I gave in and started listening to it on spotify and after 4 songs I went ahead and bought it on iTunes. For a debut album The First Time is amazing! Every single song is a no skip song and the whole album just puts you in the mood for summer, which is why it's on my summer album playlist. 
Songs: Yeah Boy, XO, Love Me Like You Mean It, Square Pegs

I Want Crazy // Hunter Hayes
I really love Hunter's album Storyline, which is why I was extremely annoyed when they decided to release IWC in the UK instead. However, I Want Crazy is such a feel-good summer album. It takes Hunter's country sound and re-vamps old songs which make them a completely different experience. Personally, I prefer his country stuff but I've included this album because it's one that I feel everyone would enjoy for the summer. 
Songs: Tattoo, Secret Love, I Want Crazy

xo, Lauren

Topshop Lips - Innocent | Review


I've always heard great things about the Topshop beauty range, particularly the lipsticks. So, when I was searching for a dupe for a much pricier lipstick, I decided to have a look on the Topshop site. I unfortunately didn't find a colour similar to the one I was looking for, but I did fall in love with another colour, Innocent. I was a bit skeptical to buy it at first as I have always sworn by my beloved MAC lipsticks, however, at only £8 and having limited rose gold packaging, I just couldn't pass it up.

Innocent is a beautiful pink colour, sort of like a bright light pink. It looks beautiful on the lips and is a great colour if you want to go for a more natural make-up look, or just to keep the focus on any other areas of your face which you may have wanted to highlight. Since buying this lipstick I have gotten a lot of compliments and it has turned into my everyday lipstick.

This photo has not been edited in order to give a more accurate look at the colour on the lips. 

The lipstick just glides on and is so pigmented that with just one layer, you already have the full colour. Of course you can build it up, however the creamy nature of this lipstick means that in doing this, you may feel the lipstick being too thick. Unlike MAC lipsticks, the Topshop ones only last for a couple of hours,, however I have found that this one stays on pretty well when eating and drinking, so at only £8 I can deal with having to re-apply a few times throughout the day.

All in all, I would definitely re-purchase this lipstick again and it has made me want to give other colours in the Topshop range a go. In saying that, if I had found this same colour in somewhere like MAC, I would get it from there just because of the quality and lasting power. However, the Topshop lipsticks are a great find if you are on a budget or just want to try things out without spending a lot of money and I would highly recommend.

xo, Lauren. 

I'm Back

Hi everyone, this year has been crazy which is the reason I haven't uploaded since November (oops, I'm sorry). It was my second year of studying 4 A Levels so that took up every bit of spare time I had, which meant I just didn't have the time to blog.

Now that it's the summer and I have nothing at all to do, I now have so much more time to blog. I'm going to try and follow a schedule of having at least 3 blog posts up every week.

I hope you don't mind me being away for so long, but I'm back and I hope you're looking forward to my new posts!

xo, Lauren.

Date Night









Hi guys. Whilst everyone else was out partying or trick or treating, Callum and I decided to have a little date night. It's a rare occasion that we get the house to ourselves at night, an even rarer occasion that we eat a home cooked meal haha. I like to say I helped a bit in the whole thing but in reality all I did was stir the potatoes in garlic butter for approximately 2 minutes and helped set the table. For a spur of the moment idea it was one of my most favorite times spent with Callum. It just goes to show that little things like making dinner and sitting down at the table are what really counts and can be some of the best things to do with your partner. 
:) 
xo, Lauren

Catch-Up

So you may have noticed it's been a long while since I last posted, I have a good explanation for that haha. I'm not the best with technology so having to make two google + accounts confused me and I didn't know how to switch between them, ending up in me not being able to access my blog until about 3 minutes ago when I finally figured it out. Hm, not the best blogger am I. 

Now that's out of the way, I'd like to have a little catch-up. SO. MANY. THINGS. Have happened. I had my school formal/prom (blog post coming soon), I have been struggling with University Applications and just school in general. Taylor Swift did a lot of things like releasing two songs from her new album early which killed me for a bit. So yeah, I've basically had a busy month ;)

Sorry I was gone so long, regular posts from now on. 

xo, Lauren

Mini Haul #2

I picked up a few things over the summer, mostly for my holiday and I obviously had to write a blog post about them!


Topshop Bralet - £7

I'd been eyeing this Bralet for about 4 months but could never bring myself to spend £18 on it. Then when I was in Topshop a few weeks ago, I'd seen it had went down to £7 and decided that as it would be so versatile, it would be a crime not to buy it! 


Primark Nautical Bikini - £4

Bikini #1. I haven't bought a bikini for about two years and, as things have grown I was in desperate need of new ones. I absolutely fell in love with this bikini once I saw it and it was the last one in my size, match made in heaven? I like Primark bikinis as they do last for a few years and they aren't too expensive to replace which makes them great for beach & pool wear. 



What ultimately sold me on this bikini was the little anchor details on the ends of the straps, I mean how stinking cute are they?!

Black Miss Selfridge Bikini - £12

Bikini #2. This bikini is so well made and beautiful on that I just could not leave it behind. It's not just your average black bikini as it has little gold beads on the top and the hips which make it stand out a little more, but also keep it subtle nonetheless (which I absolutely love). 

Pink & White Topshop Bikini - £18

Bikini #3, and my favorite. I feel like this is just me in bikini form. I love how it's so girly with the pink color and the little frills on the top & bottoms, but also how it has a subtle checked pattern which makes it that bit more flattering. 

3 for £10 + £4

I also bought myself four books to take on holiday with me: Paper Towns, An Abundance Of Katherines - John Green, The Longest Ride - Nicholas Sparks, Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Leuithan. On holiday I can read a book in two or three days so, as I was going for fourteen days, I decided to pick up 4 books that I have been wanting to read for ages as I knew I'd get through them all. Also, it was 3 for a tenner or £4 each so how could I leave them behind?!


Have you bought anything recently? For a holiday or just a splurge?

xo, Lauren. 

What I Brought On Holiday: Skincare

So, originally this series was meant to be 'What I'm Bringing On Holiday', however, things got in the way and I ended up not being able to get all of these posts up before I left for holiday. Alas, now it's called 'What I Brought On Holiday'. Just to clear up any confusion!

Body

Gillette Venus Razor & Shave Gel // Soap & Glory Foam Call Body Wash //  Champneys Body Butter & Exfoliator 

As I was in and out of the pool on holiday and walking around with bare legs, all of these things were essential and complete lifesavers. Having to shave my legs most days definitely took it's toll on my skin and left it feeling drier than usual. However, using this shaving gel along with the body butter made my legs feel so much softer and moisturized! 

Face

Simple Kind To Skin: Facial Wash Gel // Cleansing Lotion // Toner // Eye Make-Up Remover

I know there's a lot of mixed opinions about the Simple skincare range but I'm actually a huge fan of it. I'm the kind of person who, upon finding something that works for my skin, I stick to it. I also like to use things that are made to go hand-in-hand, hence having the whole Simple range. Even in the scorching hot weather this stuff kept my skin feeling soft, moisturized and refreshed. Also, even though I was using sunscreen every single day on my face, I had one break-out and I genuinely believe it was this collection that kept them at bay. 





xo, Lauren. 

Storing My Everyday Make-Up

As my desk is quite big, I don't have the space in my room for a separate dressing table. However, I don't mind because as you can see my mirror is small anyway so I don't need that much space for it and it fits nicely on my desk.


Now onto the fun part, the pretty little cup. My boyfriend bought me this cup for Valentine's day, and I used it to death and then the handle started to crack, so I washed it out and alas it became a handy little storage cup for my everyday make-up items.

 What I store:

Disposable Mascara Wands // Real Techniques Eye Brushes // Elizabeth Arden Eye Brushes // Elizabeth Arden Powder Brush // Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer // Elizabeth Arden & Estée Lauder Lip-liners //Benefit They're Real Mascara // Body Shop, Avon & No. 7 Eye-liners // No. 7 Lip-liner // Maybelline Baby Lips // Kate Moss Lipstick in 22 // MAC Flat Out Fabulous // Maybelline Lipstick in 902

If you have found a new way to use house-hold items, please let me know in the comments! 

xo, Lauren.

What I'm Bringing On Holiday: Make-Up

Face

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder // Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer // Rimmel Stay Matte BB Cream // Estée Lauder Deluxe Pure Color Eyeshadow Palette 

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion // Naked Palette // Naked 3 Palette // Benefit They're Real Mascara // Elizabeth Arden Color Intrigue Gel Eyeliner

Lips

Maybelline Baby Lips - Pink Punch // MAC Retro Matte - Flat Out Fabulous // Maybelline Color Sensational - Fuchsia Flash


xo, Lauren.

Back To School Supplies

Well, it's August which means back to school is just around the corner. Personally, I enjoy school (to an extent). I don't ultimately dread going back to school, although I do dread the 6AM alarm as opposed to the 10-11AM roll out of bed.

My favorite part of going back to school is getting all of my stationary (I'm a stationary nerd haha). I love seeing everyone's back to school supplies hauls and I thought it was about time I did my own!


Tipp-Ex Twin Pack // Tesco Pens // Paper-Mate Black Ball-Point Pens // BIC Ball-Point Colored Pens // Staedtler Highlighters 


100 Pack Post-It Notes // Large Clear Ruler // Small Clear Ruler // Tesco Sticky Notes Block of 350 


Mint-Green Lever Arch File // 5 Document Wallets // Oxford Project Book

Are you looking forward to going back to school? Let me know!


xo, Lauren. 

Too quick to love?

I recently picked up the newest issue of company magazine with Ashley Benson on the cover and whilst flicking through it a certain post caught my eye; 'When is too soon to say I love you?'. Written by Jameela Jamil, the article talks about everything we all judge when it comes to relationships and love and I completely agree with everything she said.

We, as humans, are a judging species. It comes naturally to us, not necessarily in a good or bad way. However, we are almost always too quick in the things and the way we judge, especially when it comes to other people's relationships.

'They said I love you after 4 weeks', 'They're engaged at 18, are they mad', 'The age gap is far too big', etc. I admit that when it comes to teenagers getting engaged or a large age gap, I get a little judgmental. However, recently I've learnt that it's NOT for me or anyone else to judge. Love is between the two people that share it, not the world around those people.

I believe that an expression of love is a moment which should not be held back. If a man or woman says 'I love you' to their partner after 2 days or 2 years, is it hurting you? Did it affect you in anyway? Did it change your life like it changed theirs? I didn't think so.

At the end of the day, we love at our own pace and we shouldn't be worried about who loves faster or slower than us. So the next time you see a young woman with a ring the fourth finger of her left hand, or a couple who don't look nearly the same age, think. If you fell in love with somebody after two weeks, or someone who was significantly older or younger than you, would you want people to judge you? Or would you want them to be happy for you?


xo, Lauren. 

Nashville Nights

Over the past few weeks, I've been searching for a lot of new music and looking for new artists to listen to and I've found a lot. So, you all can look forward to lots of music posts coming your way very soon!

One I would particularly like to talk about is Betsy Lane. So, just from people I follow on tumblr I sort of knew about her but obviously not much. Then one day last week she followed me on twitter. Just out of curiosity I clicked on her profile and there was an iTunes link which brings you to her song 'Nashville Nights'.

I clicked the preview and really liked what I heard, so off to soundcloud I went and listened to some of the rest of her stuff. Instantly I just feel in love with her vocals and her lyrics. Her lyrics are just so cleverly and beautifully put together and along with her pure and fantastic vocals, I can see her going far in the industry.

'Nashville Nights' is probably my favorite I've heard so far. It's one of those songs that makes you think of summer and just letting loose and having fun with your friends doing whatever. What I like most about the song however, is how the lyrics paint a vivid picture and along with the fun, not-too-fast, not-too-slow beat this just makes it that song that you associate with certain memories of having fun and letting go.

Not only does Betsy have this song available on her iTunes, but also her '10 Months Ago' EP which is just beautiful.

I really encourage you all to go and have a listen, because I guarantee this is one new artist you'll not want to let pass!

Betsy's Links

Have you guys ever heard of Betsy Lane? If so, leave your favourite song in the comments below. :) 

Feeling Happier

Today, I woke up happy. In saying that I don't mean that it's a rare thing, but I genuinely woke up this morning feeling like I had nothing to complain about and I just felt really content (even though this was at 9am but we'll let that slide).


Over the past few weeks, I have gotten myself so stressed out over school. To make a long story short, I just felt as if I wasn't going anywhere and putting in the work was for nothing. However, I was putting in the work but that's something I kept telling myself I wasn't doing enough of, or good enough. 

Yesterday, which was Friday, I told myself I was going to have a 'no complain' day, meaning that anything from 'I'm so cold' to 'I just want to go home' wasn't going to pop out of my mouth. Although I did throw a few complaints out here and there, mostly being 'I feel sick' but I made an exception for that one because, well, I genuinely felt ill. 

Anyway, enough of me justifying my sick-y complaints. I genuinely found myself feeling happier than most days yesterday and I didn't feel stressed, or anxious, or snappy, which I will admit I do on most days. When I woke up this morning, I genuinely believe I felt happier today because I had a better outlook and approach to yesterday's shenanigans. 

Basically what I'm trying to say here is try it. Try going a day without complaining about the little things in life. Embrace the cold days, because soon enough you're not going to be able to wrap up warm and drink toasty hot chocolate by the fire. When you go to complain about how tired you are, just think about how much better your sleep is going to be tonight. Obviously none of us are ever going to be able to go without complaining forever, that's just impossible, but one day. Try it for one day and see how being positive will outweigh everything that's negative. 

Remember, your actions are what define your own happiness, so act wisely. 

xo, Lauren. 
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