UNIVERSITY BEAUTY HAUL

So I have had a busy couple of weeks and this week I have moved into my new University house and because of the hectic couple of weeks I've had there were obviously bound to be things that I forgot when coming to University - like a mirror, seriously. What girl forgets a mirror?!

I went to town and bought some necessities and also some treats. I was basically down to my last hair band and all of my bobby pins were stretched open or bent out of place. I bought these hair bands from Primark and the hair pins from Claire's Accessories and both are of very good quality (I know, Primark!). As you probably know, I am a huge The Body Shop fan and I have been eyeing up their new argan oil since it was released. There is a whole range of products to choose from but I chose 'The Radiant Oil' for £14 (I actually got it for £8 but that's for another post). I also love Simple Skincare products and I have been looking for a new moisturiser for some time. I was swaying towards Nivea however as soon as I saw Simple's Vital Vitamin Day Cream I was sold - and it was cheaper! I bought my mirror from Wilkinson's.

MY HEALTH KICK - A STRICT NO COKE DIET

Coke. It's a delicious b*tch, isn't it?
There was a time that I would drink it a lot and I mean a lot - probably 2 or 3 cans a day every day. I know, it is really bad. But that was last year, and I had just come back from University for the Christmas holidays. My mum had brought a family pack of cans of coke and I took it upon myself to finish the pack. It was safe to say that I felt like utter rubbish! I had no energy, I couldn't be bothered to do anything and felt groggy all the time! And I was always in a bad mood.  It didn't take me long to realise that it was the coke which was making me change.

If you think about it, coke is used to rot things - if you put a penny in a glass of coke overnight, it comes out clean, and if you empty a bottle of coke down the toilet it takes the stains of it - it made me think that if it is doing that to a penny or a toilet, what is it doing to me when I drink it? We all know that coke isn't good for you, but having my normally chirpy personality changed into misery wasn't a good sign.

That led to my new years resolution: cut out the coke. I had a 'dry' January and I didn't drink one sip of coke throughout the whole month and I cut down the amount of fizzy drinks I was drinking. This is going to sound extremely cheesy but I felt fabulous. I had a lot more energy and I could feel that grogginess leaving my body every day. I basically just drank juice and water for the whole month (except from the occasional night out which called for an Archers and lemonade - still no coke though) and it did me the world of good!

When it got to February, I would allowed myself to drink coke again every now and again, but there was some part of me that just didn't feel the desire to start drinking it again. I got through three quarters of February before I had my first coke of the year.

Since then, I barely drink coke. I only drink it when I'm going on a night out (I can't resist a dissarano and coke!) or if I'm at a restaurant, and even then I usually get a lemon and lime or something similar. I am drinking juice and squash a lot more since, as well as a glass of water every day (I think 8 glasses of water is going a bit too far). Thinking about how one drink can affect me so much has made me think about everything else that can make me feel that little bit more better. I am eating a lot more fruit and am trying to cut down on the chocolate (this bit is very hard!). I know you're probably thinking "what the hell is she blabbing on about, it's only coke", but try it. If you drink coke and other fizzy drinks more than you drink water and juice, cut it out for a week or two and I promise you that you will see the difference!

3 BLOGGERS WHO INSPIRED ME TO START BLOGGING

Blogging has fast become a big part of my life. Having something that is my own little space on the internet and that I can be proud of and work on is something I find very exciting. Today I am feeling in a very reflective mood and I was thinking of the things that started my interest in blogging. First of all, studying journalism was a big part of it - having somewhere that I can write and write. But another thing is the bloggers that I first came across, before I even started blogging that actually inspired me to start a blog of my own. These are all very successful, and are all different in many ways but I am, and will always be, a massive fan of these bloggers and their blogs.

Laura Byrne

Belle's Boutique (AKA Laura Byrne) was the first blog that I properly sat down and read. It was way before I started blogging and I followed her on Twitter as she was recommended to me to Twitter (you know, that 'who to follow' thing). I immediately fell in love with her blog and really feel that I know her personally! I have got many tips from Laura - beauty and blogging tips - and it amazed me how she used to work so much and blog, and now she's a mum and she's still blogging! I honestly don't know how she does it but you can tell how much she adores blogging and the effort that is put into it.She is, and will always be, my favourite blogger.

Assuntina Tarallo

One of Assuntina's old blogs, Coco's Little Black Book, was actually recommended to me by a teacher at College. It wasn't a beauty blog but at that time I was very interested in fashion blogging. I would check it everyday to see if there was something else there for me to read and I remember becoming very obsessed. Assuntina is in a similar industry to what I would like to go in the future, so it is so refreshing seeing someone similar doing something that you would love to be doing in a couple of years time. She now has newer blogs that I still can't get enough of!

Hayley Carr

It's been a while since I came across London Beauty Queen written by Hayley Carr. This woman is basically everything I want to be in a couple of years time - she has made a career out of something she loves. This is every bloggers dream. I have gotten so many blogging tips from Hayley and if I hadn't found her blog, my blog wouldn't be what it is now (I know it's nowhere near perfect). Her reviews, photos, social media and interaction is just brilliant and I would recommend her blog to anyone and everyone.

So that's it, my inspirations. If you haven't come across any of these before than I would highly recommend that you do - whether you're a blogger, or a blog lover! I am going to continue to improve my blog as much as I possibly can but I want to say a massive thank you to all of these girls!

BACK TO BLOGGING

As you may be fully aware I haven't been blogging for a while. These past couple of weeks have been very intense - holiday, placements, working and moving to uni - and have made it extremely hard for my to blog. However, what I have been doing is coming up with a whole book full of post ideas which will is very exciting!

I have also bought many new beauty products and tried different hairstyles and makeup looks that I can't wait to share with you all! But for now however, please catch up on what you have missed on my blog (if there is anything) and wait for the posts to start rolling in!

JUST A NOTE: I will now be uploading posts every other day and hopefully this will continue to run throughout my busy last year at University. I will let you know if this changes! See you in two days!

Please also remember follow me on Twitter and Bloglovin!

SEPTEMBER WISHLIST: BEAUTY

August. I feel like I have learnt a lot about blogging and beauty this month, especially as a newbie. I am concentrating on, and reading, other people's blogs a lot more now, so as well as getting tips about blogging, I am also finding lots of beauty products that I need - that's right, need. As you can probably tell by the picture above, many products on my wishlist this month are skin/complexsion related and that's because I am really determined to make my complexion as good as possible. Anyway, enough of me, here's my wishlist.

Grease Lightning Spot Treatment from LUSH: I have heard many great things about this spot treatment and as I have bee having a lot of breakouts recently, I really want to give it a go. You may have read my weird tip to get rid of spots, but I do want to give this a go so I can tackle spots like a normal person.

Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Primer: Primer is a makeup product that I have used the least, so like anything I want to try as many brands as possible to make sure I find the one best suited to me. Smashbox has always been a brand that I want to try so hopefully soon I get the chance!

L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream: L'Oreal is a brand that I trust a lot and is one of my favourite high street beauty brands. I am also a big fan of BB Creams and after looking for a new one for a while this one seems like a good match. It comes in different skin tone shades and is a 4-in-1 - it "primes, perfects, hydrates and corrects".

bareMinerals Bare Skin Liquid Foundation: This is a much awaited for product - bareMinerals first liquid foudation and I can't be any more happier! I have tried a mineral powder foundation (not bareMinerals) and it is my most bought beauty product so I am excited to see what a mineral liquid foundation is like!

Barry M Gelly Nail Varnish (Purchased):  I started this wishlist a couple of weeks ago before my holiday and I really wanted this for my holiday so I brought it on the way to the airport. Gelly nails have been hyped for a while now and they promise to give you long-lasting nail colour - a post will be uploaded soon.

The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Miracle Solid Oil: Argan oil is known to be a miracle product for hair and gives our locks a new, soft look. But this The Body Shop Argan Oil Solid Oil can also be used for your skin and also is handy if you're on-the-go.

Benefit They're Real Mascara (Purchased): I am such a massive mascara fan so I really don't know how I haven't tried this sooner, with it being Britain's favourite mascara and everything! So I took my chance in Duty Free at the airport to get one of my most wanted beauty buys!

A WEIRD BEAUTY TIP I WON'T BE TRYING

This is only a short post this time. There has been something that has been bugging me for probably about a couple of years now. I remember reading a tip that I haven't forgotten since, and not for a good reason and here it is:

"Put olive oil in your belly button at night to reduce sore and cracked lips in the morning."

I'm sorry, but what?! How does what goes in my belly button affect what happens to my lips?! And why olive oil of all things. I just can't get over how silly this sounds. However, there is a small part of me that wishes that one of my lovely blog readers has tried this and it actually works so if you have, or you think it's just a strange as I do, please let me know!

50 FOLLOWERS ON BLOGLOVIN!

Recently I have been trying to upload a post every day but now, because I am going to be doing work experience and starting university I am going to change it to every other day. A post is scheduled for tomorrow but here's a quick little post just to say thank you.

As you can probably tell by the post title and the picture I have got to 50 followers on Bloglovin after only being on there for a month! Woo, go me! I am loving every minute of blogging and ever since getting my bum into gear in July I have seen a massive difference in my blog and the reaction it is getting! So thank you for following (and if you're not following on bloglovin, than please do by clicking here) and I hope that my blog keeps entertaining you. Let's see how quickly I can get to 100!

SUN, SEA AND COCKTAILS - MY HOLIDAY TO LANZEROTE

As you can probably tell, I haven't been blogging for a while and that was because I have been visiting my sister who lives in Lanzerote (and I'm not organised enough to schedule my posts). Above are only some of the pictures I took whilst on my two week holiday.

As well as consuming a lot of cocktails, I enjoyed countless hours in a Hot Tub, went on a jet ski, snorkeled and went on a catamaran (yes I didn't know what one was either) and saw many dolphins and a huge whale - the most mesmerising yet petrifying experience of my whole holiday. As well as spending hours on end with my sister and buying a lot of stuff while out in Lanzerote (post to come on that soon). And yes, that is a big garden/jungle area inside the hotel (!!).

Spending the past couple of weeks in a windy yet hot country, gaining many new friends and spending some cherished time with my sister has been a trip I will not forget, but for now it's back to reality. Back to work and soon back to university. Please feel free to send me some of your holiday pics on Twitter as I'd love to see them.