Monday 14 April 2014

A day in the life (with photos)

As I am on my Easter holidays, I thought it would be nice to do something a little different and use mainly photos to show an average saturday of my life. I don't know how this will go, or if you will even enjoy hearing about my boring everyday life but here it is. 


The day started off with an unusually delicious breakfast- croissants with raspberry jam and some very tasty mango, peach and papaya juice.


I had been slobbing about all week so I went for a run that was actually pretty nice, I love the dene in springtime. 


When I got back, I tired to brave the garden but I was a bit too optimistic about the weather so I have to say I didn't last very long.


Showered, dressed and fresh faced (more or less) I settled down for a hilarious chick flick accompanied by lunch. You can't go wrong with She's the Man.


Then I made an attempt to get some revision done, although I have to say I got bored pretty quickly so I wouldn't class it as a very productive session.
Luckily my friend rang me up and we went to Starbucks and I had a caramel cream frappacino which was lovely but I forgot to take a picture- silly me! 
We headed back to mine and once another friend joined us we baked some yummy chocolate chip muffins with marshmallows thrown in for extra tasty goodness. I did actually take a photo of one but it somehow disappeared (I'm really not doing to well am I?!).


After tea, some tv watching and writing a blog post, it was time to catch up with my youtube videos for the day. I seriously don't know what I would do with out Troye Sivan!


Finally it was time for bed - not going to lie, often one of my favourite parts of the day, it's just so cosy.


You can't go to bed without a book. I finished reading I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (a modern classic) which I enjoyed a lot more than I expected and found it surprisingly funny. 
I hope you enjoyed this post, it was a bit different but I do like to add some variety to my blog. I've found that the few lifestyle type posts that I have written have gone done quite well so I thought it would be about time to do another one. I actually really enjoyed my day and blogging about it kind of makes me realise how much I take for granted (as deep as it may sound). I should be very thankful for all I that I have and can do.
<3 Ellen xxx


Saturday 12 April 2014

Dragons Egg Lush Bath Ballistic



Recently I tried the dragons egg bath ballistic from lush and I thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing yet exciting bath I had as a result. 
Although it didn't look like the most exciting bath bomb available in lush, the main reason I picked it up was because of the gorgeous, rich, citrusy smell that was oh-so-enticing and I couldn't help but pop it into one of those cute, little paper bags and join the shop queue.

  

It fizzed wonderfully in the bath as bright confetti floated around, and the orange explosion mixed with the happy sounds of popping candy. It was truly brilliant and carried on fizzing for ages too.
The only slight downfall was that it didn't make the bath water quite as exciting as I hoped and as other bath ballistics, but it still looked pretty and exciting. 
Overall the dragons egg bath ballistic made a very enjoyable bath experience and it was definitely worth the money (around the £3 mark I think). However it is not something that I will buy again as I would prefer to try out different bath bombs as, unless you really loved it, there isn't much point getting the same again. 
I hope you enjoyed this post. If you have tries any lush products, what are your favourites? 
<3 Ellen xxx

Thursday 10 April 2014

Five Favourites: things to do in spring/summer

I think I am going to start "five favourites" as a little series feature that I will be posting every few weeks. It will be about anything from favourite lipsticks to favourite youtubers/ bloggers to favourite tv shows. In this post I will be writing about my favourite things to do in spring and summer- they're are definitely my favourite seasons. (This is in no particular order.)

  

1. Lazy days in the garden
Sometimes there is nothing better than soaking up the sun with a book or chatting with a friend in the comfort of your own home. It makes you feel so relaxed and peaceful.
2. Barbecues
I love enjoying tasty food in the sun and spending time with friends and family. You know summer has officially arrived when you get the barbecue out.
3. Beach days
Sun, sea, sand - the beach is the perfect place to spend a hot day. I love to sunbathe, take a paddle and tick in to fish 'in' chips followed by a delicious ice cream.
4. Walks in the countryside
Strolls in the country with a brilliant picnic are always lovely in spring and summer.
5. Afternoon tea
Food-wise, spring and summer is the time for sandwiches, tea and lemonade, cake and cream teas. This makes up the perfect afternoon tea.

I hope you enjoyed this post and are having a lovely day. What are your favourite things to do in spring/summer?
<3 Ellen xxx

Tuesday 8 April 2014

My everyday makeup products

    
(Sorry about the awful photo quality, was really late when I took this photo so not only is ther lighting terrible and unnatural but I also had to take it on my iPad as I wanted to get this post up but was running too late to take it on the camera)

In this post I will be running through the makeup products that I normally use on an everyday basis (for school and ordinary, relaxed weekends).
Face~
After cleansing and moisturising using the Liz Earle cleanser and then an oil-free day cream from Nivea, I like to use a primer as I find this minimises the appearance of pores, reduces redness and really helps my makeup stay on a lot longer so I don't have to worry about reapplying throughout the day. At the moment I use the Baby Skin instant pore eraser primer from Maybelline. Although this primer does the job and you only need a slight amount of product to cover the whole of your face, I think there are definitely better primers out there for a similar price. I don't mind using it and it improves the look of my skin and keeps my makeup on for longer but I will not be repurchasing it.
After, I use the collection concealer on any blemishes and my dark circles. This concealer is brilliant and I find that applying it under foundation stops it from being patchy and means that it stays on longer.
Then I appy my BB cream (or a foundation). I use the Dream Pure BB cream from Maybelline and it's great. I am on my third bottle of this and will definitely repurchase again. BB cream is much lighter and more healthy for my skin so I find that it is often a good alternative to foundation if you haven't yet found one right for you and think your skin needs a break from heavy makeup. 
After I use the Glow highlighter from TopShop. I don't use highlighter absolutley everyday but I think it always makes my skin look a lot healthier so I do like to use it. I use this in my cheekbones and my brow bones. 
I would use a powder on the oily parts of my skin to set it and keep my skin matte however I am allergic to every powder I have tried. 
 Eyes~
For my eyes I start with the Too faced natural eyeshadow collection and take the shade heaven which is a matte cream-white colour and I brush that across the whole of my lid. Then I take velvet revolver, a light, matte brown, and blend that into my crease. I think this a really simple look that is brilliant for the day time, especially when it doesn't need to be very noticeable. (I sometimes venture out of this area and go for something a little more "extravagant" and shimmery but not often and not for school).
Then I take a pencil eyeliner- I use Kohl in black from TopShop which is lovely and creamy-and apply it on my water line and tight line. I think this makes my eyes stand out and brings the look together.
Finally I apply mascara. I use the Benefit they're real mascara which is fantatsic.
Lips~
I will often also use a lipgloss or lipstick but there isn't a set one that I use most of the time- normally a soft pink of nude. Some examples are Love lorn from Mac (a soft, shimmery, pretty pink lipstick) and a L'oreal lip lacquer in the shade Romy.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed this post. What makeup products do you like to use everyday?
<3 Ellen xxx


Sunday 6 April 2014

Too much information tag

The TMI tag was created by Carrie Fletcher and has been floating around Youtube for quite some time now. I thought it would be really fun to answer the questions on my blog in caseany of you want to get to know me a bit better or are just interested for some reason or other. I have changed a couple of questions so they fit in for blogging and have taken out a few others.

What are you wearing? 
Stripe tee with pocket- TopShop
Leigh a jeans- TopShop
Slippers- Accessorize 
Ever been in love?.... Do fictional characters count?
Ever had a terrible breakup? No
How tall are you? About 5 foot 5
How much do you weigh? No idea
Any tattoos? No 
Any piercing? Just my firsts on my ears but I really want my seconds done as well. 
OTP? One of many is Romione (Ron and Hermione). 
Favourite show?  New Girl, How I Met Your Mother (so sad it is over). Also really like Doctor who and Sherlock though haven't seen them all yet.
Favourite bands? The Beatles, Imagine Dragons, the Vamps, Little Mix. ( I probably listen to more solo artists than bands though.) 
Something you miss? Being really young and not having a care in the world.
Favourite song? At the moment, Human by Christina Perri. Of all time, not sure maybe Teach Me How to be Loved by Rebecca Ferguson or Old Pine by Ben Howard
How old are you? 14
Zodiac sign? Taurus
Quality look for in partner? Caring and good sense of humour 
Favourite Quote? Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.
Favourite actor? I love Emma Watson, Maggie Smith, Gary Oldman etc. (beginning to see a bit of a theme here..) but I wouldn't say that I have a favourite. 
Favourite colour? Mint Green
Loud music or soft? Depends on my mood
Where do you go when you're sad? My bed
How long does it take you to shower? About 7 minutes
How long does it take you to get ready on the morning? Anything from 15 minutes to an hour
Ever been in a physical fight? Nope.
Reason I started blogging? It looked fun and I wanted the chance to write about whatever I wanted to write about. I also wanted to be part of the amazing community.
Fears? The dark (yes I am still scared of the dark...) and losing a loved one
Last thing that made you cry? Jermaine on the voice which was last night.
Last time you said you loved someone? This morning
Meaning behind blog name? A kind of shortened name ( though it's still the same length) for my name paired with my middle name- thought it sounded quite cute.
Last book you read? Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. It was very good!
Book you're currently reading? A Study in Scarlett by Arthur Conan Doyle. It is the first Sherlock Holmes book and I am really enjoying it. 
Last show you watched? The Voice
Last person you talked to? My sister
The relationship between you and and the last person you texted? My friend
Favourite food? Pasta
Place you want to visit? Errmm, where do I begin? Would especially love to go to Australia, anywhere in South America and India 
Last place you were? Last place as in literally, my parents room. Last place as in last place I visited, Darlington.
Last time you were insulted? Friday night, but they'd didn't really mean it so don't think it counts! 
Favourite flavour of sweet? Strawberry 
What instruments do you play? I used to play the violin, but I stopped last year
Favourite piece of jewellery? 
Hufflepuff motto necklace - Etsy
Last sport you played? Netball 
Last song you sang? Human by Christina Perri
Favourite chat up line? If beauty was a tree, you'd be a forest
Have you ever used it? Nope
Last time you hung out with anyone? Friday night
Who should answer these questions next? Katie from KatieLou and Pallavi from Typed In Style
Also anyone else who wants to answer the questions can and please take out any questions you don't want to answer.
I hope you enjoyed this tag and are having a good Sunday. I am on my Easter holidays now so I am trying to post every other day and on both days of the weekend for the two weeks I am off so look forward to another post on Tuesday.
<3 Ellen xxx