affordable dressing table storage

I am such a mess when it comes to my dressing table and organising it. I will throw my make-up brushes to the side and go about with my day without bothering to clean it up. I've decided that enough is enough and that I need to sort out my dressing table but wanted to do it on a budget without spending a lot of money on fancy storage cases! Carry on reading to find out cute yet cheap ways to make your dressing table organised!

I have this basket on the side of my dressing table to keep all of my hair/random beauty things inside. It is such a good size to fit on most dressing tables I think and it's just such a cute pattern, I got this from the range which is a shop I would recommend anyone to check out if you are after affordable but cute decoration and storage pieces! This basket came in two different sizes but I opted for the larger one!  I tried my very best to find this on the website but I couldn't see it anywhere! In my local store they had loads for only £2.99! (Different colours were available too.)

I own way too many lipsticks (most weren't pictured obviously) and I needed to get myself a holder instead of losing them all of the time and leaving them God knows where in my house. I found this cute little one in Poundland (!!) of all places. They only had one when I went in there so most of my lipsticks are still scattered around but hey, at least it's a start isn't it?!

This holder has room for 6 lipsticks and lip brushes or liners in the middle! It is amazing for only £1 and saved me a lot of money before purchasing from anywhere else!

This one is my personal favourite as it didn't actually cost me anything but still looks adorable on my dressing table and is amazing for holding make-up and other random bits and bobs.

I received a gift-set of socks for Christmas which came in this cardboard holder and I thought instead of chucking it out I could recycle it and use it to hold my foundations! It looks so lovely (I actually have two on my dressing table) and you wouldn't be able to tell that it actually used to hold socks! Brilliant!

And last is just recycled boxes from old gift-sets, these ones are Soap and Glory and a Ted Baker box. After using up most of what originally came in the box I thought it would be a waste just to throw them in the bin considering they look so nice and can come in so handy just for holding the spare bits and bobs which don't really fit or have a place anywhere else. I use these to hold my moisturizers and different creams and lotions in. Perfect for any dressing table!

Let me know in the comments how you like to organise your dressing table and leave a link if you have a similar post, I would love to give it a read!

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goals for 2015

I have nothing really 'beauty' or 'fashion' related to talk about today so I thought that I would list out my goals for 2015 (like I said I would in my review of my 2014 'bucket list' which you can read here) and I saw Becca Rose list 15 of her goals so I thought why not do the same and give myself realistic and achievable goals for this coming year. This was supposed to be 15 goals but honestly I couldn't think of that many and just decided to stick to however many I could think of!

Now I am not one for sticking to resolution's, in fact I hate making them but I thought this year I would call them more 'goals' which don't have to be kept to completely and don't have to be done just for a year to then go and make a set of new ones. As far as I see it, why wait until the new year to start improving on your life and doing what you want to do? You have the power to start changing your life as soon as you want to!

1. My first goal would be to finally figure out what I want to do in life. For a while I have been debating on whether I really want to go to university and study or if I just want to work and blog. I would love to study law and criminology but at the same time I am still unsure.
2. Be more social. Now this is a 'goal' pretty much every year, and every year I seem to struggle. I have my close group of friends who I love to death but I really need to go out more and be more social with other people. I'm only 18 years old and right now at 19:04 I am currently in bed, fresh out the shower instead of out with friends having fun. Oops.
3. To finally be able to drive! I have had loads of chances to start learning how to drive but instead I choose to waste my money on another set of black jeans and a lipstick that I don't really need! I have already started working towards this goal and have my third lesson coming up this week! I'm so excited.
4. Start travelling more. I love where I live to be honest but I want and need to get out and visit more places in my country and in others. The world is so big so why should I waste my time not exploring it? (A fear of flying is a big reason why!)
5. Be more active! I am a very lazy person and I love nothing more than a lazy day with netflix and my pj's on, but this year I am determined to get out of this habit and to spend more time exercising and toning up my body instead of crying over pictures of Khloe Kardashian's body into my KFC box meal.
6. Be more confident with myself is another thing I have wanted to become (?) for a while. I see girls on twitter and tumblr posting about how happy they are with their looks and body and I just really want to look at myself more positively instead of pointing out all my flaws and imperfections.
7. Maybe starting up a YouTube. This is something I have wanted to do for a while but due to shyness I have always put it off. I would really love to try within the next year to start making videos and to be more outgoing. I think for now I shall stick to blogging until my confidence builds up enough to make one!

I really hope I can achieve these goals and feel happy with them all by the time 2016 comes around. Leave a comment below telling me what your goals are or if you've done a post similar to this leave the link and I shall give it a read as I love reading other peoples goals and being nosy! 

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mini hair haul!

So over the past few days/weeks I have purchased a few new hair products that I thought I would share with you all. Some of these I haven't tried yet as I have literally just bought them an hour ago but I will be reviewing them on my blog very soon once I have tested them out long enough to see any differences to my hair!

Please excuse my camera quality and my pug bedding!

Ever since I bleached my hair and dyed it lilac (it has now faded back to blonde) I have wanted to try these products! I have heard countless people rave about this shampoo and conditioner, so I thought why not give it a try myself?

I also purchased a shampoo from the same brand, which has a violet pigment inside which should hopefully make my hair have a tint of lilac! (if it actually works!)

I paid only £1.59 a bottle which I think is quite a good bargain, from a shop called Home Bargains, but this brand is also sold in drugstores.

Next on my list of things I needed to grab was the COLAB dry shampoo, I have heard, again, a lot of people talk about how amazing this dry shampoo is and I have to agree (and I HATE dry shampoos). The smell is so amazing and it really does make your hair look and feel freshly washed! If you would like a full review on this product please let me know in the comments and I will do that for you!

And last but not least I grabbed a cheeky little spray in and wash out lilac hair dye from superdrug, I have already used one of these and it's amazing! Adds such a lovely tint of lilac (can you tell I like lilac hair from this haul or what?!). It is quite a small bottle so if you have thick or long hair you may have to purchase more 

than one at a time! (I couldn't find this anywhere on the superdrug website so they might only sell it in store!)

LINKS TO PRODUCTS LISTED HERE:

Touch of silver daily maintenance shampoo

Touch of silver daily maintenance conditioner

Touch of silver, twice a week brightening with violet pigment

COLAB dry shampoo: London

Let me know in the comments if you have tried any of these products and what you think of them?

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the beauty bloggers tag

As I have taken a break from blogging for the past 10 months I thought I would come back with an updated 'beauty bloggers tag'  this is just so my readers can get to know a bit more about me and I thought it would be a fun post to do as I'm trying to post more often (this will be my second post of the day) and get into the swing of things. So lets begin:

Why did you start blogging and how long have you been blogging for?

I started blogging because I have always loved writing, make up and fashion, so what better thing to do than combine the three and make a real hobby out of this! I started my blog in December 2013, but due to college, work and a few other things I couldn't be as dedicated as I wanted to be, so I have recently decided that now would be a better time to properly focus on my blog.

Whose blog did you fall in love with first?

The first blog that I personally fell in love with was Zoe Suggs (www.zoella.co.uk). She is so inspiring and has done so well, she has such a lovely personality and everything about her is entertaining to watch (as well as read).

What was the first blogosphere hyped about product that you bought? Was it worth the hype?

I try so hard not to give into buying products that there is loads of hype around because half the time it's really not worth it, especially if it costs a lot of money, but I think the first product I bought purely because I read about it online would be the 'Bourjois 'Chocolate' Bronzer'. I think everyone has purchased this at some point, and to be honest, I don't hate it, but I also don't love it. The product is good but I could have gone without buying it and not felt like I missed out on anything 'special'

What are you five favourite things about blogging and being a Beauty Blogger?

1. Blogging is a very good way to express your opinion and to also get opinions on products before you buy them, and see what other people say about them and for you to judge for yourself if they are worth the money.

2. The advice from other bloggers! Bloggers are so kind and are always willing to help people and I just love how everyone acts like a family and it's lovely.

3. Talking to new people with the same interests in make-up and fashion as me. Some of my friends in real life aren't as interested in fashion and make-up as I am so it's nice to be able to connect with people online.

4. Writing posts and reading other peoples new posts to see what they love and hate, and possibly find new products to try out. Some products aren't sold in the high street shops so it's nice to see people blogging about smaller brands and being able to try out different things all the time.

5. It is a hobby. I find reading blogs on beauty and fashion very interesting and it's something I love to do in my spare time. I love putting effort into writing and being more 'social', even if it is just over the internet!

What are your top 5 makeup brands?

1. MAC - over the past year or so I have made so many trips to MAC and just fall in love with everything in there! I know MAC is pretty expensive but it is such good quality, you definitely get what you pay for and I recommend it to everyone! 

2. Benefit - another high end brand I'm sorry, but it is worth the money you spend. Benefit 'they're real' mascara is the best mascara ever, and I promise you will not be disappointed with anything Benefit bring out.

3. Urban Decay - I mainly only use Urban Decay for their eye make-up! I'm sure everyone has heard of the Naked Palettes and their Eyeshadow Primer Potion, they are amazing products and I believe everyone should give them a try!

4. Rimmel - these are my favourite drugstore make-up brand by far! The quality of their products are so good and very affordable. I believe this brand is very good for people who are just starting out in make-up and don't yet want to splurge on the bigger brands.

5. MUA - this brand is good for people on a budget and trust me, some of their stuff is amazing and so affordable. Their blushers are only £1 a time and they are so pigmented!

Recommend your top 5 beauty products.. 

1. MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation - this is such an amazing foundation. It has such high coverage and makes your skin look flawless.

2. Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion - this stuff really does help your eye make-up last all day and in my opinion is really affordable!

3. Benefit 'they're real' mascara - honestly, the best mascara I have ever tried. It makes your eyelashes so long and full looking. I will never regret investing in this.

4. MAC lipsticks - I could sit here all day and list all the shades I love, but they are such a good investment and they last for so long!

5. Benefit 'Hoola' Bronzer - this stuff is amazing for contouring your face, it's the most perfect matte shade for most skin tones and really helps to give you defined cheekbones!

I tag anyone reading this to also do this tag and leave a link to them in the comments below!

Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin for more fashion and beauty related posts.

review of my 2014 bucket list & new goals for 2015!

So for my first blog post of the new year (and my first one in a while due to lack of motivation and constantly working) I thought I would review the bucket list/goals that I set for myself this time last year and see what I achieved and what I didn't. I thought this would be a good idea to make myself feel a little bit more positive about things that I achieved within the year and set more goals for myself this year.

My bucket list/goals post from last year can be found here.

First of all on my list was to be a more positive person, I really did try and do this within the past year, I think I achieved in some aspects like my attitude towards life and other people but not really towards myself which is really something I would love to work on this year.

I did not join the gym at all, if anything I actually gained a lot more weight than what I wanted to. But I am joining the gym within the week with my friend and have purchased all the clothes to get me motivated to start sometime soon!

Next was to go to Paris with my boyfriend, this didn't happen last year but we did end up going on holiday to Turkey which was lovely and I enjoyed it so much!

The fourth one on my list was the only one so far that I did actually achieve, and that was to pass college with all distinctions! If you're currently in college and reading this I promise you all the hard work pays off in the end and you will be so thankful, trust me I am!

I didn't end up going to University last year, I decided to take a year out to focus on myself and other aspects in my life and intend on going this year, I am sending off my application this week and I am so nervous again!

Number 5 was to travel to Australia for Christmas, but unfortunately my work situation would not let me have a whole month in December off, but hopefully I will get out there sometime soon and see my family!

I'll tie 6 & 7 in together, I tried to be more social but I really struggle with meeting new people. I would say that I have stayed in touch with most of my friends from college, and I do go out a lot with my friends from work, so in some ways I achieved this, but in some ways I didn't.

Plucking up the courage to start a youtube channel is something I will need a little bit more time to work on. I need to stop worrying and go for it!

I guess I did explore the world a little bit more as I did head to Turkey, it was so nice to see how other countries live and go about their everyday lives and to see different cultures. I would love to see more of the world this year but I do need to get over my fear of flying as I cried pretty much the whole way to Turkey and back!

10 was to hit 4k followers on twitter (I don't quite know why that was a goal but oh well!) and I did!

Getting over phobias is not something I think I will ever achieve, I am scared of a lot of things and it will take a lot more than a year to get over most of them, if I ever could at all.

If anything I spent more money last year than any year at all, I got myself a new job where I got paid more so to me that meant more spending and not saving up for important things like a car and more driving lessons! Oops!

Blogging 5 times a week clearly did not happen and I'm really sorry. I got so lost with working and college and trying to be more social I completely lost touch with my blog and I would love to work on that this year and start posting more!

Due number 13 failing I didn't end up achieving number 14 but again I really wish to this year!

I will post my 'goals for 2015' within the next few days once I have really thought about everything that I want to achieve!

Let me know in the comments your goals for this year? I would love to read them all!

OOTD | 5th april 2014

I thought I would quickly show my OOTD. This is my first post like this so I had to do the 'mirror' selfie to show the outfit. I picked this playsuit up for £5! Primark is the best place to go right now! & I'm just pairing that with some black tights and my black converses (can you tell I like the colour black?)

barry m nail polish in mint green

Because I've been such a shitty blogger lately I thought I would do just a quick little post on my favourite nail polish for the spring time. The Barry M nail polish in the shade ' 304 mint green' will be constantly on my nails throughout spring. Mint Green is pretty much my fave colour anyway, so what more excuse do I need to wear this?!

Buy it here.

high end wishlist

So the other day I posted my current 'drugstore' wishlist, so now I thought I would do a 'follow up' type post and share with you my 'high end' makeup wishlist too.

1. NARS 'Laguna' bronzing powder - £26

I have heard such amazing reviews about this products but have never got round to trying it simply because of the very high price of it. I am currently saving up and I plan of splurging out on this soon.

2. MAC 'Rebel' lipstick - £15

MAC lipsticks are raved about all over the beauty industry and because I don't live near a MAC store I haven't yet got round to picking one up, but I have been eyeing up the lipstick in the shade 'Rebel' which is a dark purple colour and will be picking it up on my trip to london in a couple of weeks, which means a review will be coming soon too!

3. Benefit 'HOOLA' bronzer - £23.50

Yet again, another bronzer, oh well.

4. Urban Decay Naked palettes - £37 each

Now I'm pretty sure EVERYONE has heard of these and need them as much as I do in my life. All of the colours in every palette are beautiful and the packaging is so pretty looking. This has been on my wishlist for quite some time now and I really need to turn the dream of owning these products into a reality.

Latest beauty buys

First of all I would like to apologise for the lack of posts this week. I had a lot of college work to catch up on as well as going to my part time job. I will be posting more from now on I promise. Anyway, for today's post I decided to just show you my latest buys, it's only two products but oh well.

My first buy was the 'must have' concealer by Collection. The 'Lasting Perfection' concealer has been raved about on many blogs and I have always wanted to pick it up but they never had my shade in store until the other day. Now I see what all the hype is about and I love it a lot already.

Next is the 'Super liner' by L'oreal. Now I didn't want to buy this but I had a disaster where my eyeliner exploded all in my make up bag for some reason, so I had no choice but to buy a new one. I thought I would go for a different one to the Rimmel 'Glam Eyes', so I picked this one. I shall do a review on this product in a few days/weeks when I have had more of a chance to try it out.

That is all for this post, please follow to see more beauty/fashion related posts and leave comments telling me what your favourite eyeliner is as I also want to buy some more. Thank you for reading.

L'oreal Skin Perfection | Review

Now I'm sure most of you have heard of the 'L'oreal Skin Perfection' Micellar water. I just thought I would do a quick review on it considering that I have been using it for the past month or so now.

Now this is what the product looks like, most drugstores sell it too. I received this as a little gift for Christmas, otherwise I probably wouldn't have tried it to be honest.

I find that when pouring it onto a cotton pad there is a lot of waste and way too much comes out. It does an excellent job at removing makeup though! One swipe and pretty much all of my makeup is taken off.

The first week when I started trying it I found that I came out in a few spots, but I believe this was because I have never used a product like this before and my skin is quite sensitive.

I would recommend it though! I believe it's a good thing to try out and it doesn't cost too much.

Here is a link to where you can buy it.

January Favourites

This is my very first favourites post since I started my blog, so I thought I would share with you what I have been loving over this past month.

Hair and Beauty.

The first thing I have been loving this month is the L'oreal studio 'Matt and Messy' salt spray. This has been a product I purchase over and over again anyway. It gives such a nice textured look to your hair without weighing it down and making it look greasy like I found other salt sprays do. It is only £3.75 in drugstores and the bottle lasts ages. Recommend picking this up and giving it a try!

I feel a theme coming along here, my next product is the L'oreal 'Triple Active Day' moisturiser. I got this a gift for Christmas and I have been using it every day and night since. I love it. It really helps to keep my skin looking healthy and has not made me break out at all which I normally do when I find new products. It is normally £6.49, but boots are doing it for £4.33 so go pick it up whilst the offer is on! You will not be disappointed.

Next is the best foundation I have ever bought in my life. Oh I love it. It is the MAC 'Matchmaster' foundation. I got mine in the shade 1.5, but I could've done with a shade lighter, but that's fine. It blends perfectly into my skin and adapts to my skin tone as well. It is a full coverage and the tiniest blob of it goes a long way. If you've never tried a high end foundation but want to, I suggest this one. It retails for £27, which I know is expensive but as I said a little blob goes a long way and you won't be needing to repurchase anytime soon! Click here to read my full review.

My favourite lip product this month has been the Topshop lipstick in the shade 'Inhibition' I included it in my 'whats in my makeup bag' post. It is the most beautiful dark purple shade. It looks so nice on any skin tone and lasts pretty much all day. It sells in most Topshop stores for £8.

And finally for the beauty favourites of the month is the L'oreal 'Miss Manga' mascara. This was only recently bought out in the UK and many shops had it on offer, so I thought I'd go and pick up one (or maybe 3). This is the best mascara I have tried, yes, it beats the 'They're real' by Benefit in my opinion. It is only £8.99 which I think is amazing. It adds so much length and volume and really opens your eyes up. Click here to read my full review.

Fashion.

Now my last blog post was on these boots so I won't speak a lot about them. These have been my favourite shoes since before I even got them! They are so comfortable to walk in and they just make a plain outfit more interesting. Here is a link to my last blog post on them.

Random Favourites.

Anyone that knows me will know how much I love PLL, and the wait between the Halloween episode until this month has been agonizing for me. Now January saw the premiere of the rest of season 4, and it has got pretty intense. I am from England so unfortunately I have to watch it online the day after. I recommend this show to everyone (maybe not boys because it is pretty girly), I have been addicted since the first episode. It's just the best.

Lastly is my newest yankee candle. Now I adore these candles as I know a lot of people do. My favourite scent this month has been 'Lavender Spa'. It's lovely, and makes my whole room smell beautiful! Worth picking any of these up as they are honestly my favourite candles.

That is all of my favourites for this month. Thank you for reading, be sure to follow for more fashion and beauty posts! Comment below and let me know what your favourites are this month!

these boots are made for walking

I thought I would show you guys my newest buy ( i literally mean today ). I have seen these boots everywhere lately and have been meaning to invest in a pair for so long, but I'm glad I didn't as my friend Nicole ordered these and they were too big, so i bought them for a little less than what they are. I would like to apologise again for the lighting and quality of these photos. I do live in England and it tends to always be dull and raining! But hey ho! These look so cute with anything really! I wore them today with Joni Jeans, a Harrington jacket and frilly black socks! My advice is to order them in a size SMALLER, as these are a size 5 and fit perfectly! (i am normally a size 6)

LINK TO THESE EXACT SHOES IS HERE

NEW YEAR | NEW HAIR

I have never posted a picture on here before but my hair was past my boobs just a few days ago. I was feeling spontaneous and I saw Kylie Jenner and Lily Melrose rocking their short hair so I thought f it, I'll cut it, and that's exactly what I did! 

The left was the length of my hair before (baring in mind it's curly here so when it's straight it went quite a bit longer) and to the right is the length it is now. I prefer it so much as my hair was in such bad condition.

I hadn't had it cut in just under a year, and I used to use quite a bit of heat on it which didn't do it any good and gave me loads of split ends, but now it's so healthy and it doesn't look (or feel) like straw. I'm so happy with it and I would recommend to everyone who's debating on cutting their hair to just do it! It's made me feel a lot better about the way it looks and it now gives me a chance to look after it properly and keep all the dead and split ends away.

I will now be getting it cut every 6-8 weeks to make sure I don't have to chop this much off again, even though I love the length of it now!

I shall post a hair care routine soon and also post hair updates every couple of months or so just to keep you all up to date and also to help myself to take care of it more!

Thank you for reading, be sure to follow for more beauty and fashion posts and leave comments too!

Shannon, x

WHATS IN MY MAKEUP BAG.

Hey guys! So I thought I would do this as I've had my blog for a little while now, and I personally love reading this post. Now everything in my makeup is from the drugstore and is all very affordable. I shall try and leave the prices underneath.

(please excuse my babygrow in the corner, i really need to get better
at taking pictures tbh oops)

The first product is pretty boring, but it is an essential for me as I suffer from really bad dry and cracked lips. Excuse the state of the pot, it has been well loved and is looking damaged but oh well. Find Vaseline in many drugstores for around £1.99.

 The second product is the Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation which I apply using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (found in the core collection, available in superdrug for £20.99). This foundation is amazing. It leaves a lovely finish and as a medium - full coverage, and is so easy to build up. This foundation is £8.99 in the drugstore. In my personal opinion it is the best drugstore foundation out there.

 I use the foundation with the matching concealer, personally this concealer isn't the best coverage wise but for the price of £5.49 it is pretty good. (I will soon be changing this to the Collection lasting perfection once I have used this one all up). I apply this with a Real Techniques deluxe crease brush which I think blends it beautifully.

Next is my Avon palette, I cannot actually tell you the name of any of these shades as they did not include them on the packaging which is pretty poo of them. As you can see the brown shade is really the only one I use as I use it to fill in my eyebrows. It does an amazing job and stays on all day. 

 Now obviously as a beauty blogger I have to include the Rimmel 'Stay Matte' powder because it is the best one I have ever tried and it is so so so cheap too. It retails at just £3.99! It sets foundation and concealer so beautifully and keeps it on all day and prevents any shine. It's a bargain!

 The MUA mosaic blush in the shade 'English Rose' needs more recognition in my opinion. It is only £2.50 and it is the most amazing blush. It highlights as well and leaves such a beautiful natural looking glow on the skin. I apply this with a French Connection blush brush and it is the best one I've ever tried.

 I got lazy and included all of these in the same photo, sorry! For my waterline eyeliner everyday I use the MUA intense colour eyeliner pencil. It is only £1!

My favorite mascara at the moment is the Rimmel 'Scandaleyes flex'. It doesn't clump any eyelashes together and gives them so much more length and volume. They always have this on offer as well, but the original price is £6.99.

Next is the Rimmel (can you tell I like Rimmel a lot yet or?) 'Glam eyes' liquid eyeliner. I find that the brush makes it so easy to do a perfect wing and it stays on all day without smudging. It is £5.29 in superdrug.

Now is for my most recent makeup purchase and it is now by far my favorite lipstick. It is in the shade 'Inhibition' from Topshop. It stays on all day and has a beautiful matte finish. I prefer this to any other lipsticks from the drugstore. It costs £8 which is fab (and student discount too, woohoo). I recommend everyone to try this because even though it looks a little scary, it is the best.

Anyway guys, thank you for reading. Be sure to follow for more posts to do with beauty and fashion!  I would love to hear what's in your makeup bag too so comment below!

Shannon x