Fragrance Direct Haul

Hey lovelies,

So I was having a nose at Fragrance Direct and saw they sold some makeup items. I was already buying my boyfriend's sister some little bits for her prom and decided to pick myself some things too, because why not?

I had a look at the Calvin Klein makeup and saw the blushers and lipsticks for quite cheap. I know these may be old stock etc but if it isn't 'off' then why not? I picked up a blusher in 'pearlescent pink', the lipstick in 'mesmerize' and Essie nail varnish in 'All Tied Up'. I've worn these since and in my opinion there has been nothing wrong with them. I didn't realise until they arrived that I'd basically picked up the same shade in all of my items.

I picked up the same blusher, a Sally Hansen lip gloss and Essie nail polish in 'Pink About It'.


I was so happy to save this amount of money on makeup that I would never dream of buying full price on my student budget. I was pleased to see that Fragrance Direct stock newer items too, as well as lower priced perfumes, which I am yet to purchase!

Some people look down on these types of websites, but as long as the makeup is still within it's date, then there is nothing but fabulous savings in my opinion. I would definitely recommend buying from Fragrance Direct - this isn't in any way sponsered, nor do they even know of this post, but I received quick and cheap delivery and my items came in perfect condition.

What's not to love? If you've bought anything from Fragrance Direct, let me know!

WantFeed: A website you need to check out!

Hey guys,

I saw on Twitter that WantFeed had just been released and thought I would check it out. It is a website where when you see something you wish to buy later, or for someone else to buy, you can add it to your own feed, including pictures, the price, where it is from etc. WantFeed is made by Stefan Michalak, who you will most probably know from Hannah Maggs YouTube channel and blog.



It is really easy to sign up, and I signed up from my phone, so you can make a profile and get started from whatever platform you're on.


After you've signed up, this is what you'll see. All you have to do, is browse a website, and once you've picked something you wish to add to your WantFeed, paste in the url of that specific item on that website, whether it me shoes, a watch..... I could go on. 


I obviously chose shoes. If you picked a website like ASOS, the image will automatically upload for you. You can then choose to add a title, a little description about the item, the price and then if you want to set up a group, add it there. It is really easy and quick to do.


This is the result afterwards. You can follow other users using the top right hand + sign, or visit their WantFeed. It is incredibly easy to use, and I'm sure it won't take long for me to add every single thing I wish to buy!

So go over and sign up and become addicted to adding things like me! If you have any questions, make sure you head over to their twitter: @thewantfeed and ask Stefan some questions!


This post is with permission from the WantFeed.


Collection Cosmetics Mardi Gras Review*

Hey you lovely lot!

Collection Cosmetics recently contacted me and sent me their new Limited Edition Mardi Gras range to check out. I was excited to receive all three new lip balms and nail polishes that are to be released in Superdrug from 4th June and Boots from 11th June*.

The range is inspired by Rio and the Amazon tropics to bring about a 'celebration of colour and expression'. The nail polishes scream summer to me!


These lip balms smell amazing. They are available in Green Apple, Strawberry and Orange. I first went for the apply flavoured one and it smells lovely. The texture of the lip balm is really smooth and I have definitely noticed a change in my lips, they are a lot softer. The Orange one just reminds me of summer, and the strawberry one smells like strawberry milkshake which, if you know me, is one of my favourite smells.

They don't leave a colour on your lip, just moisturises them which I like as sometimes you don't need a product with tons of colour in it, I quite like the idea of a traditional lip balm.

These are a definite staple for my summer bag. These are £1.99 each so they are affordable and definitely worth it to have smooth lips!


I also received the three nail polishes from the Mardi Gras range. These come in White Out, Canary Yellow and Green with Envy. My first impression from one coat was that they were a tad streaky, but after 2 coats they looked lovely! 

My favourite is White Out, I did get a comment saying it looked like I had used Tip Ex but with a tan I imagine these look amazing. The finish is smooth, which I love in a nail polish and I love how the Canary Yellow really sings 'summer' to me. I think Green with Envy is a transitional colour that i'd wear all year round. These are also £1.99 each.




So there we have it! I have loved working with Collection and I have to admit that strawberry lip balm is going to be in whatever bag I carry around this summer. 

For £1.99 each you can't go wrong. I can't promise you'll love them, as some coloured nail varnishes don't suit every skin tone, but for a pale blonde I can say personally they made me feel more summery and the lip balms really exceeded my expectations. I was thorougly pleased to say the least.

My Hair Story

Hey lovelies,

I thought since I was talking to a few bloggers in the #bbloggers chat on Sunday, it got me thinking about all the hair colours I've dyed my hair and thought I'd do a bit of a timeline.

WARNING I do have incredibly cringy 'piczo-era' photos so i'm deeply sorry if my peace sounds and duck face poses offend the eyes!

Here is baby Laura! I'm guessing I was about 3/4 here, don't you just love early 90's carpets! This was my natural hair as a child, it got a bit darker but I've always been a true blonde!

Here is me, aged 13/14, with natural blonde hair. You can tell this is old as I still had bunk beds (oh dear). This is how it looked straightened and was pretty long.

Aged 15 with semi-permanent honey blonde dye ran through it. Again it is straight here, probably will be on most of my photos. Still quite long! Check out my snazzy phone..

I decided to dye my hair brown at 15. I was ridiculously skinny at this age, with size 8 jeans being so baggy around my legs! I wanted to look a bit older, but I think from looking at this I only looked younger.

This was at 16 getting ready for my Dad's wedding. Ignore that stupid bit of hair by my ear, I have no idea why the hairdresser put that bit there! I know this is black and white, but my hair was bleach blonde as in bright white.

Apparently I decided to get my hair cut as this pony looks awful! From around 16 until I turned 17 my hair was this light shade of blonde which I think definitely suits my skin tone

Hello shiny! This was the point where I decided I didn't care what colour I dyed my hair! This was at 17 and I think i'd had my hair done at the salon as i'd never blow dry my hair like this...

This is a bit of a weird looking photo as it was taking when I was out with my friends on A-Level results day. I loved my pastel pink hair!

18-19. I thought the pastel pink was boring and used a whole pot of flamingo coloured hair dye. Excuse the eyebrows!

I got a bit bored of the pink and decided to do a bit of dip-dying. I loved the blue parts but it faded ridiculously quick. After 1 wash it would look really pale. After this I just let it fade and go blonde for a month or so...

And the brown hair dye came out again at 19! Can you tell I got bored easily? I filled in my eyebrows brown as they looked awful blonde. Keeping up with brown hair with blonde roots is a NIGHTMARE. Any brunette will hate the roots when you have blonde hair, but the other way round made me look like I was going bald. someone actually asked me (a child) If i had taken a razor through the middle of my scalp when I had it in a middle part...

This was after I stripped the brown out of my hair and this was the result, a blondey ginger. I began to use a toner to reduce the brassy tones. I've not dyed my hair since! This was July 2013.

This picture doesn't half make me laugh. I got a significant amount of hair chopped off and couldn't get a nice selfie to send to my boyfriend so I pulled a funny face! This isn't an intention duck face, more a "why can't I do a cute face" so this was the result. My mind was thinking okay I'm 20 now, yet my baby cheeks still make me look 15.

I deeply apologise for my cleavage! But this is how my hair is now. Naturally curly but the bleach age my hair more wavy. As my roots keep growing my hair gets curlier! 

Again, my boobs just love photobombing. This was a few weeks ago. I have actually pencilled my brows in as they match the lighter blonde colour more than my roots! This is where my hair story ends! 

Again, apologies for boobs, duck faces and peace signs but I thought I'd show the blogging world a little timeline of my hair. I did have different shades in between, like lilac before purple, then a few shades of brown before I went really dark at 19, but this post would be incredibly long if I included every picture! 


I hope you enjoyed this! If you have a similar post then comment below with a link! I am now 10 months into not dying my hair and have seen huge changes in the condition of my hair!

Love,
Laura


Mr Nutcase Custom Phone Case Review

Hey lovelies,

I was contacted by Mr Nutcase who make custom phone cases and i've always loved the idea of having a personalised phone case*. I recently bought an iPhone 5s and had a simple case until I found one at a good price with quick delivery.

I ordered my case on the 13th May, and it arrived two days later which is amazing considering you get free delivery. I chose to add pictures in the design of a half heart, as I hadn't seen this type of design before.


I do realise I have added the same photo twice! This is completely my fault for being dosey :')


I decided to add a purple heart to the corner as I felt it added a girly touch, if you couldn't tell I loved hearts and flowers from this already! You can choose your background colour, design, photos, stickers and text which i've not actually seen before until now.

You can buy a simple case like mine, a wrap around case or a leather flip case and you can have pictures printed on all of these. 

Especially for you lovely readers, if you use the code Thanku10 you will get 10% off your next order! I would definitely recommend using Mr NutCase if you want a custom phone case! If you have any queries feel free to leave a comment! 

Thank you Mr NutCase for my phone case!*

BVL
xxx

In 5 Years Time

Hey guys,

I thought I'd do a bit of a chatty post as I am v.busy at the moment and realised I had some goals I've not achieved yet, and I got thinking about what I'd like to achieve by the time I turn 25 (that sounds horrible).

  1. Grow my hair, but get it cut more often - I do grow my hair, and in January I got a fair bit cut off, but it needs to be around every 6-10 weeks, not once or twice a year!
  2. Get a full time job. Currently I'm in my second year of Uni and have only had part-time jobs before. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I will be successful in getting a full time Graduate job, so by the time I'm 25 I should have definitely achieved this goal!
  3. To not need more operations on my feet. I've just had my fourth operation on my foot in 4 years and it is driving me insane. I've grown to appreciate how much we should value our feet. I've only just started to wear sandals for the first time in 4 years and every summer I'd be sad wearing my converse because it was painful/ugly wearing everything else. By the time I'm 25 this issue should be history.
  4. Have my own flat/apartment. As a student it is beyond annoying renting a different place every year, having to sign an agreement two months after first moving in to get a different place 10 months later. And I want white furniture everywhere.
  5. For my blog to have blossomed! I am very fortunate for in 3 months for my blog to have over 1,000 followers and I appreciate every person reading and following. This is my little baby, and I am hoping to really make something out of this, as shopping, reviewing and writing is something I absolutely love to do, so even if this doesn't develop into a career, I would love for my hobby to grow!
  6. To be healthier. This is probably 90% of the world's goal but I am serious. I don't want to be 'skinny'. I want to be healthy with a better lifestyle. No more excuses. Although I can currently make them now, living in a house with people I dislike and only have my boyfriend - can't trust food in the fridge (very very very annoying) so once I move out in June this issue will be resolved!
  7. To be happier in myself. I haven't had the best childhood which made me not the happiest person ever as a teenager, so hopefully I have found a job and apartment that makes me 'myself' which will make me a lot happier. Don't worry, I am happy now, I've just not reached my full happiness potential (Is that a thing?)
I hope I can look back in 2 years and have completed most of these, but giving myself 5 years seems a bit more realistic! I live with my boyfriend during University term time and love it more than anything, I've lived with him since before we got together so it has never been an issue in our relationship. So next year we are hopefully getting an apartment together once we decide where to get graduate jobs! 

If you have any goals feel free to comment and let me know, or create a blog post and send me it via twitter @laurahadleyx

Side note: this is a scheduled post, as I have an exam on Thursday so will not be posting for a little bit! Good luck to anyone who has exams this summer, I feel for you! (But keep at it, it's worth it in the end :))

Laura

April Favourites 2014

Hey lovelies! Sorry for the biggggg gaps in posting, I am trying so hard to be a good law student (who am I kidding) and revising for my upcoming exams. I have in total 7 exams from 8-23rd May so for the next three weeks I am afraid there won't be a lot of special posts but after that I promise I am going on a huge blogging spree! I thought I'd make a big deal out of this post and do a Fashion, Beauty and Random April favourites for this post as it has been incredibly busy for me!I also apologise for the hideous parts of my uni bedroom, i.e. marks left by previous students that I can't do much about!


Powder Blue Midi Skirt - £10 - Primark

I have worn this since I bought it, I just left the tag on before taking the picture haha! This is so cute for Spring/Summer and I am desperate to find the perfect white cami to pair with this! I think this really compliments my hair colour, that sounds weird but I feel like sometimes summer clothes make blondes look really washed out i.e. lemon/lime colours, so a bluey-lilac pastel skirt is just amazing.


Gingham Skort - £17.99 - New Look

I have already featured this in my Collective Haul post (here) but it looks super cute! I have had a bit of a gingham obsession lately but this was so worth the money! As it is only the start of May I have been wearing this with black tights, but I'm sure over summer I will dare to bare my legs!




Midi Dress - Topshop

I have featured this dress in my Topshop post from March (here) and it compliments my short little body a lot better than you'd imagine. My boyfriend's mum told me I looked very summery in this and despite a lot of it being black, it did make me feel very summery and floaty! I think this would go perfect with a blazer!



Daisy Street Gingham Leggings - £12.99 from ASOS

Giggle Geek Shoes - £28 - Topshop

Gingham and Pastels seem to be 'my thing' at the moment where I only reach for these trends! The Daisy Street Leggings really compliment my little legs (yes I rolled the ends up because they are too long) and are leggings I believe will last me a very long time, in quality and in style. They are such a transitional piece and I adore them (I actually only received them today, so you can see my enthusiasm for wearing them out!) I have also featured these Giggle Geek shoes before on my Topshop: March buys post and although I am pasty and don't fake tan, they actually make me look a tiny bit tanned, so I am loving these.



Glitter Jellys - £4 - Primark

How on Earth can you go wrong with jelly shoes for £4!! I should have picked up a lot more! I'm usually a size 4.5, so buy a size 5 in shoes, however these are a size 5-6 so I should warn people that they might be a bit small in size if you wish to buy them, so try them on first. I can't wait for it to warm up a bit so I can wear these more, but I am so glad I bought these. It was a bit of a 'do I, don't I' situation, but even if I suddenly decided I didn't like them anymore (which will never happen), then £4 really isn't a waste of money.



Barry M nail polishes £3.99

These have been featured on my Superdrug haul post (here) and I am currently wearing 'Blueberry' and I must say after this being my first Gelly paint (I have 20 odd other Barry M nail polishes) I am pretty impressed. The finish is gorgeous. The Aquarium collection (mine ft these two and the Mermaid, not pictured) has definitely made my April. I love glitter. That is all I have to say on this matter.



Yes everyone knows this is an Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. Yes people will probably moan I am one of 54587485 people to feature this. But I love it, so who cares. My favourites are 'trick' 'dust' and 'nooner'. They have so many shades of pinky-goldy type eyeshadows which makes for the perfect spring eye look. Very natural in some ways, hence the 'naked' apart from 'blackheart' but they just make my blue eyes stand out in a lovely way!



I seem to have featured near enough everything already but these are my favourites! I have two of the Revlon Colourburst, one matte and one shiny. The plum coloured shimmery balm compliments my paleness so much and looks super pretty. The matte balm is such a beautiful shade and makes me feel so summer.


Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation* in 100 Ivory

If you've seen my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation post (here) and read my Twitter: @bevelvetlover you will have noticed I didn't get on too well with that foundation. I contacted COTY about it completely drying out my skin and they sent me this foundation as a 'sorry' and they were going to test that foundation to see if there was anything wrong with it. They very kindly sent me this for free, to replace the cost of me buying the Wake Me Up Foundation. It is ten times better in my view. Although it was the same shade I've always bought, this definitely matches my skin tone a lot better and makes me look more glowy (in a non-shiny way). I was doubting the effectiveness of this, as I am usually a Bourjois/Maybelline foundation gal, but this is amazing and I will definitely purchase this once I have ran out of it.



Rimmel Scandal Eyes Rockin' Curves Mascara - Superdrug

I had originally bought the 'Black' mascara from Superdrug in March and loved it, so when Rimmel had their 180th birthday, they had a 3 hour offer for these mascaras to be £1.80 each so I had to pick up another black, and an 'extreme black'. The formula seems quite wet to me, in comparison with other mascaras, but it means you don't get clumpy eyelashes and you can apply several coats without getting spidery lashes either. My eyelashes look incredibly long wearing this, so I have to give it to you Rimmel, you have created my favourite ever mascara. Thank you!



Diet Coke (multipack)

Oh wow, this hasn't half been getting me through my revision! I don't have much to say about this matter, although I do need to cut down otherwise I will develop a Diet Coke addiction... To me, normal coke isn't very sweet and I have always drank Diet, it is nothing to do with any type of 'lifestyle' I just think this one is nicer!



Belvita Breakfast Bars in Cocoa

One part of my mind says, 'Wow Belvita, these are amazing' and the other says 'Why did you make these I want to eat them constantly'. I have to limit myself to one pack a day otherwise I could go through soooo many. This isn't sponsored either, I've just developed a slight obsession. Although Belvita, if you are reading this, feel free to introduce me to other flavours if they are as nice as these!

I did also have Easter Eggs, but it is now May guys, it's not like I kept them.. If you've done any April favourites posts/videos, comment and send me a link so I can have a nose!