THE PICK ME UP PURCHASES

I went shopping. Twice. Adding spice into my wardrobe, makeup bag and my life.

• I'd been lusting over Daisy Dream ever since it had been released (totally not mainly because of the perfect packaging) so when my mum offered to get me it with a variety of Boots vouchers as a "well done on your exams / sorry for going on holiday without you" present I was over the moon. It smells heavenly and looks so good on display.
• Leeds Festival was INCREDIBLE so I had to pick up these CDs (£4.99 each, HMV) to revisit the experience. I really should have done this before the festival to cement the lyrics in my head further but this is just how I roll.

• Heading to Boots to see Buy one get one half price on L'Oreal, ah I had to take advantage. The foundation seems to actually be my colour which is a novelty for me (but what you would expect when it's True Match) and I'm loving the Miss Manga mascara brush.
• Barry M 3 for 2 - shared with my friend who was such an enabler, damn. I got Prickly Pear and Huckleberry nail varnishes. 

• I couldn't resist this skirt, which was only £12.99 from H&M. It's super cute, A/W appropriate and I think I will get a lot of wear out of it when I get back to sixth form. (Side note: the jumper isn't that new, but it's also H&M. The skirt wasn't agreeing when I tried to photograph it on its own)
• New boots are such a necessity at this time of year, these are Dorothy Perkins and were around the £30 mark. 

• And drumroll please, the dress. I have a few 18th parties coming up (read: 3 in 2 weekends. I feel exhausted just thinking about it) and needed something to wear pretty desperately. I fell in love with this Topshop number - annoying as it will only do for one of these occasions, and the price tag (£48 but I got student discount) is steep for me, but I just had to have it. 

I really need to stop spending money. 

FESTIVAL BITS AND BOBS

The moment summer seems to be over I have a festival to go to and a relatively summery post to do, how typical. I'm going to Leeds Festival tomorrow (!!!!!!), so today is a day for SERIOUS PACKING. So, on the agenda:

• Primer that actually makes your makeup stay - MaxFactor Facefinity All Day Primer (with SPF 20) (yay)
• Convenient stick foundation - Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Stick (in 120 classic ivory)
• Blush that don't need no brush - MaxFactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush (in 14 Soft Pink)
• Do it all mascara - Maybelline Big Eyes mascara
• Jazzy "I'm at a festival" eyeliners - Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer (in 250 Emerald Sparkle) and (old) No7 Glitter Eye Liner (in Royal I believe)
• Easy lip colour - Revlon Lip Butter (in 015 Tutti Frutti)
• Hair savours (hopefully) - Dove Refresh + Care Dry Shampoo (probably some Batiste as well) and VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray
• And a hat if that fails - H&M
• Mouthwash (just brushing is never enough) - Listerine Stay White Mouthwash
• Some "ITS STILL SUMMER" shorts - River Island, last year
• Wellies that make me happy - Joules. According to me brother these are "townie" wellies because I didn't opt for the classic farmer green. I'm done. 
• ALL THE WET WIPES - I have baby wipes, face wipes, anti bacterial wipes. Should  also have photographed my Soap and Glory Hand Maid Hand Cleansing Gel, an essential. 

EVERYDAY SIMPLE SUMMER FACE

Through "heatwaves" and normal British weather, my makeup has ended up to be mainly a five product face.  Concealer, powder, mascara, lipstick and some eyebrow definition and I'm sorted. This version is slightly more deluxe with a touch of blusher, bronzer and primer, but as something like this has been on my face most days this summer I'm sure it's acceptable. 

First things first: Max Factor Facefinity primer, as it's the only one I've tried that actually makes my makeup stick around. Confession time: as lasting power is the thing I prioritize in a good primer, I prefer this to my Benefit Porefessional - and it's half the price. Ouch. The usual base of Collection Lasting Perfection concealer, Rimmel Stay Matte powder etc etc, everything is only put where I feel I need the coverage. Can I be bothered with a full face of foundation that will only melt off in the heat? I think not.  My trusty Collection eyebrow definer has run out, so in my desperation I whipped out this Seventeen pencil from a brow set, which I thought was nowhere near my colour. Unbelievably it isn't too bold so it works, and I really like how my eyebrows look with it. I've been skipping eyeliner because panda eyes caused by the heat (ha) just generally isn't a good look. I use a mixture of my sadly rather dried out Benefit They're Real and my good Maybelline The Falsies. I warm up my face using the bronzer and blush from the Sleek Face Form pallette in Light, although now I have a slight tan I find this step isn't necessary but it's just fun to do (how sad am I?) Normally I mix up my lip products every day but I've found myself reaching for my Mac lipstick in Coral Bliss practically every time I do my makeup - although the Creamsheen finish isn't my favourite, it's light, easy and summer appropriate, and the coral colour is perfect.

The Classics

my little pony pjs = too cute not to feature

This summer I'm leaving my beloved YA books and trying to get into something a bit more intelligent sounding. These are all books I feel like I should read in my life, so what better time than now?

1. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte    I am doing an English Literature A Level, so I am supposed to read good love books (basically not 50 shades ha). Jane Eyre is a classic love book, so I tracked down a copy. The copy I have is the cutest, from 1926 (!!!!) and was originally given to a girl for reading a Bible passage correctly. As it's so old I'm terrified I'm going to damage the book in some way. So far I am finding it a little slow, truth be told - I feel like I've been reading it forever and I'm only on like page 60. I will persevere, but as there are some other books on my reading list that have caught my eye, I may move on to something else, who knows.
2. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo The first of two books I got from the library and are completely unrelated to my studies, whoops. So I saw the film, loved it - to the stage of obsessively listening to the soundtrack and searching Tumblr for anything related to it at all. Yep. Obviously the next stage is reading the book, which might I add is 1432 pages long, not a quick read by any measure. So far, I am on page 520 and generally enjoying it quite a lot, I just need to get my shit together and finish it.
3. Nineteenn Eighty-Four - George Orwell The amount of times this book has been mentioned I just feel like I should read it. I've read Animal Farm and liked it, so hopefully I will get on with this too, although I am yet to begin.

That's my summer, what's on your reading list?

goodbye money

I've been incredibly lazy with my blog, but I currently have ideas and some motivation so lets go! Recently I went shopping to Newcastle with two friends, despite being too poor to justify it (but we'll try not to think of that too much). We drove the 150 mile round trip on our own and got the bus from the Metro Centre to Newcastle itself once we arrived, which felt pretty cool, ngl. I hadn't been shopping in agesssss, so some serious spending happened, although I am very happy with each of my purchases, and lets face it, it could have been worse.

• First stop: H&M (which I am loving at the moment). I picked up this black hat, totally out of my comfort zone, for £12.99. Why? -I will be going to Leeds Festival this year *squeals with excitement* and it's sinking in that my hair will be unwashed for longer than I am comfortable with. 
• Grey flowery skirt, Urban Outfitters, £10 in the sale!!!!! down from £30!!!!! Why? - it's a bargain and I wanted to own some Urban Outfitters (sad)
• Primark, such a stressful experience. For once I didn't put my Primark head on - you know the "OH MY GOD EVERYTHING IS SO CHEAP LET ME HAVE IT ALL" thing. I got two items: the ice lolly t-shirt (£6) and the cat knickers (£1.70) Why? - because they're just awesome and being a massive cat lady and general ice lolly enthusiast, could I pass?
• From New Look I got two fairly basic tops which were 2 for £10 + student discount = £9! Why? - I like that they had some sort of detail to make them more exciting eg lace back of black top, cool straps on the blue one. Plus I probably need them.
• Finally, I ended up in House of Fraser and ended up splurging on my third Mac lipstick, and possibly my favourite. Chatterbox isn't another nude, it's bright enough to make a statement, but it is so wearable, and the Amplified Creme finish is just a dream. Sadly, it was £15.50 (why Mac??). Weirdly I found the packaging to feel more secure than my other Mac lipsticks - maybe it's that extra 50p, or maybe it's just been too long since I got a new lipstick. Who knows? Why? - because I can't say no