March Favourites!

Hello again (yay it's Friday!) I'm literally packing in all of the March posts today, all ready for the new month as I hate spilling over into the next month when mi could be focussing on new posts instead, so I apologise if it feels like there is suddenly millions of posts to sift through. During the month of March I've been loving having more mild weather, having brighter skies really makes my mood that little bit better. Having a perpetual calendar has been amazing as it allows me to keep track of the days and organise my life a little bit better; I feel like ever since I started blogging I never seem to have enough time to fit in everything that I would like to do, so I'm learning the hard way how important it is to plan my life. In terms of perfume, I have been loving (as always) the Marc Jacobs Daisy line of perfumes as not only do they smell beautifully springlike and floral, they're also incredible to look at and look beautiful in any blog worthy photograph. I'm much happier with the quality of the photographs that I'm currently producing for this blog, although I still want to improve my photography in so many ways. During March I've really and truly fallen in love with highlighter products, thanks to watching what feels like millions of YouTube videos by sophdoesnails on how to actually use highlight properly. My favourite palette is definitely Sleek Midas Touch as not only is it beautifully pigmented, it suits my pale skin perfectly as the shades are also pale. I've massively improved my make up skills in the last year or so and my favourite brushes to use are the Real Techniques sets as they're so soft and blend well into my skin without creating any harsh lines. 

 

 

 

As a Londoner, I cannot live without my Oyster card blue to get from A to B; when I was younger I used to collect different editions and my favourite is the tube 150 years version. That being said, I also cannot live without my iPod whenever I'm on the move as I love to listen to my favourite songs whilst on the go. I use an old 2nd generation nano but honestly it just works, it does the job and saves the battery on my phone. I love the scent Valentina Acqua Floreale as it always reminds me of my boyfriend, who bought it for me, as well as the Ted Baker Skinwear perfume of his that I bought him. He wears it so much and it smells so lovely, I love it. Lastly, I love collecting different cameras and always have done, so naturally my instal mini 8 will be a lifelong favourite of mine and it's a lovely shade of pink. I actually bought the blue version for my godson for his birthday so it's a great present for someone of any age. I use the L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche eyeshadow palette in the shades Rose 2 as the shades are so delicate and work so well when swept across my lids for everyday as I have really veiny eyelids and I feel like these shadows are fairly natural looking, I don't look overdone. What have you guys been loving this month? Let me know :)

 

A month in instagram #9

Hello again; I've had a really good month throughout March both online and in life. My blog has had the most views it has ever had this month, which I'm so excited about as it means that my content is actually improving, rather than me simply dreaming about it. In terms of instagram I've finally reached over 500 followers, which is another really exciting thing for me. Spring finally arrived and I noticed such a positive difference in both the weather and my mood, but I admit that was most likely because I was due to go on holiday. I've had a really, really lovely holiday; it's been so relaxing and so nice to simply enjoy the company of my boyfriend and his family. I feel like I've seen much more of Poland than I did the first time that I visited and I've made an effort to take photos and make memories to look back on. I've definitely overeaten this month, but I have no regrets as it's been such a good month. Here's to having another great month in April! 💝

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Favourites #2

Throughout March, there has been so many beauty related products that I've loved; to the point where I felt like I has so many things that I'll need replace sometime soon, oops. My absolute favourite right now has been the Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush, which I snapped up a huge fan in Superdrug for about £3, less than half the RRP. I've fallen in love with the fresh floral scent it gives to my hair. I have a habit of showering in the evenings so overnight my hair looses its freshness a little, but bit a quick spritz of Blush my hair definitely feels fresh and clean again but I head off to work for the day. A massive hate of mine is having greasy hair but I love sleep so using dry shampoo is a great way to have the best of both worlds for me. I've also been loving the Garnier Skinactive Micellar Cleansing Water for sensitive skin. I bought mine for the bargain price of £1 in Poundland and honestly my skin feels so much better since I started using it. It is a bit of a faff to use all the time but my skin definitely has had less blemishes since I started using it, which is fantastic.

 

There was always going to be a perfume on this list because if you know me or read my blog then you'll know how much I'm in love with perfumes. Lately I've been loving Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Blush because not only does it smell amazing it's also so lovely to look at, although it's fairly expensive priced at £54. The pink shades of the bottle and fragrance is lovely and feels so feminine and soft. I've also been loving the Fortune Favours The Brave eyeshadow palette by Makeup Revolution, which also looks lovely in person and for blog shots. For £9, it's much cheaper than Daisy Dream Blush but it also feels like good quality or that price. What I love about the shadows is that they're not strictly one colour, they have shades running through the overall shade so it makes blending on the eyes so much easier. There's also such a range of different shades within the palette that it I feel like there is so much potential for different looks with this palette. Plus, it looks lovely in photographs which is always a must for any blogger!

 

I've been obsessed with two Sleek highlighters for a couple of months now, but I feel like it's only during this month that I've managed to master the art of putting highlighter on my face successfully... I'm such a blogging fail, haha. Sleek Solstice needs literally needs no introduction as it seems like every blogger on the planet is in love with it, but I do prefer the Sleek Midas Touch palette, which (much to my disappointment) is actually a limited edition so will be super difficult to track down soon, sadly. For the insane price of £10 each, you do get three powder shades and one cream shade in each palette, so there is a shade to suit everyone. I'm not massively keen on the blue or purple shades, but considering I use the other shades regularly I've definitely gained more than my money's worth and they're great glows shades without looking too shiny, which I love. I definitely prefer more of a natural highlight for everyday make up looks. Earlier in the month I popped into Superdrug, (surprise, surprise) and bought three highlighters; Ever Glow Lights by Makeup Revolution, Iridescent Gold and Pink Shimmer by MUA. All three of these highlighters are an absolute steal at £3 and are so pigmented it's amazing! I feel like I simply dust the products against my skin and I'm shining bright!

 

Lastly, these four products are my all time favourites and I'm forever using them to the point that I really, really need to get some spares for when I run them to the ground (which is likely to be very soon!). In terms of mascara, I've been loving the Bourjois Volume One Seconde for the past year or so and I do get some lovely compliments on my lashes whenever I wear it, which is such a fantastic confidence boost. It's fairly pricey at £9.99, but I would say it's worth every penny as it lengthens and separates lashes so well I've been asked if I'm wearing falsies! It's also super black, which I adore in any mascara. Similarly, this month I've rediscovered a love for Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express which I had worn for literally years until I was converted to Bourjois; it's cheaper, at £7.99 but just as good. I think it's more of an everyday mascara as it doesn't feel so heavy on my eyes but at the same time I love it just as much. It's so black (I use the 100% black version) and the fiber brush works so, so well for me as it doesn't scratch at the lashes at all. Both of these mascaras are stunning and I don't need to use eyelash curlers beforehand with either of them, which is great as low maintenance is always great, especially if you're like me and forever running late!

I have always and will always be obsessed with red lipstick. I feel like having pale skin and blonde hair works so well with red lips, I feel so much more glamourous with just a swipe of red lipstick. At the moment I'm torn between two gorgeous lipsticks; the iconic Ruby Woo by MAC, which at £16.50 is not a purchase that I made lightly, but honestly it's just stunning. I love a matte finish lipstick as you always jazz it up with lip gloss if necessary, although I prefer to stay matte. There's something timeless about the ruby shade of red and it just feels so classic and out there; something about Ruby Woo makes me feel so confident in myself. Likewise, a cheaper alternative is the L'Oreal Paris Color Riche Pure Red Collection in the shade Blake Lively. Priced at £6.99, it looks and feels like a much more high end product. Having a similar skin tone to Blake, I was daring and ordered this online and I was not disappointed in the slightest. It's a lovely ruby shade and completely matte, yet it doesn't feel drying on the lips, which is unusual for a red lipstick as they're usually quite dry on the lips. Both of these lipsticks are really long lasting and don't need touch ups often, even after food which is why I love them so much. Is there any beauty products you've been loving this month? Let me know in the comments! :)

 

Sobień Castle, Poland

 

After liking Łańcut Castle, I guess Piotr decided that castles were a good place to visit and so en route back to Rzeszów from Lake Solina/Jezioro Solińskie in Bieszczady we drove to Sobień Castle, what can only really be described as a ruin. Just to start, I'm terrified of heights so I'm proud of somehow getting through a steep forestry path and up a ridiculous amount of wooden steps to the ruined castle. Once up the steps, the view was incredible and I wish we had got some more photographs of the lake and natural forestry surrounding the ruins as it was simply breathtaking, but we were concerned about disturbing a group of people sat closer to the ruins, which was a shame. The surrounding mountain range looks particularly impressive when looking around the castle walls. The castle itself is medieval and has royal roots, built to guard the merchant route along the river below in 1340. The weather yesterday was absolutely stunning, which made the ruins look even more interesting as the shining sun brought out some lovely shadows that made parts of the ruins look a little eerie. The castle was destroyed twice, during the 1400 and 1500s, which explains why what would've once been a fantastic display of Polish architecture came to be in such a state of disrepair. It was a definitely a surprise visit, as I knew we visiting Lake Solina but apparently this was a spur of the moment move by Piotr and I did enjoy it a lot but it just didn't compare to the incredible views that I'd seen earlier from by the lake. I feel like if I had seen the ruins first, I would've been more blown away by its beauty.

 

Solina Lake, Poland

So far, during this holiday my boyfriend has honestly taken me to the most beautiful places; growing up Poland was never high on my list of places to visit, I'll admit but having seen places that I'd hadn't even heard of my mind has definitely changed. I want to see so many more things that I'd never thought of before now... He drove us to Lake Solina which is surrounded by the Bieszczady mountain range. Piotr actually visited with his family in the summer of last year and he sent me some postcards of the views then and I do remember thinking I'd love to see it for myself one day. Well, somehow he knows me so well that he took me during this trip. It's not a natural river, it was created during the construction of the Solina Dam in 1968. It's actually the largest artificial lake in Poland and is home to some beautiful mountain scenery. We visited when it was out of season so it was more or less dead, with barely any stalls open, which was a good and a bad thing. It was lovely to have the place empty and ready to explore, but it was a shame to not use a cafe and get the whole experience. The water was a lovely clear blue and seemed to stretch on forever, surrounded my nature.

 

 

 

We've been lucky enough to have some gorgeous weather since we arrived, which for late march is simply amazing. Piotr attempted to show me how to bounce stones across the water but was completely unsuccessful... I'm too clumsy and not gentle enough to manage it, I literally throw a pebble and it goes smash into the water, oops. I loved simply walking around and enjoying the views and his company. It's so easy to feel positive about life when you're surrounded by views like these; it was so peaceful, calm, clean and clear. I've always liked nature, but it's very different to experience nature in places you've never been to before. Solina Lake has well and truly captured my heart, I'm dreaming of the day I can return and rediscover it's beauty alongside Piotr. It's a strange experience seeing everyone look confused as you speak in English, but I like it too as it's so nice to experience different cultures, including languages. I've definitely fallen in love with Poland 💗

 

Reading Lust List

 

Having recently rediscovered a childhood love of reading, I feel like the list of books that I want to read is literally growing to the point where I feel like I'm going insane. I work, I blog, I have other things to do yet all I seem to do is find another book that I'm desperate to read. I will never say that reading is a bad thing, as I learnt so much from reading. I watched a video the other day that directly confronted whether young girls actively gain confidence from reading and I would say that reading definitely gave me confidence growing up. Even at aged 6, I was way above the average in terms of my reading skills but this video stated that not enough books were about girls. More importantly, girls who weren't princesses or the like. They were focussing on females as the protagonists of a story. Females who wrote their own tales and trod through their own paths. In all honesty, my favourite books as a child were; The Harry Potter series, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Ballet Shoes. All of these books contained very strong female characters although I never really thought about this at the time. I came from a female dominated household and family to the extent that I was always told that I could be whatever and whoever I wanted to be, regardless of gender, age, etc. I don't think young girls reading about princesses is a negative things; I think the more important lesson here is that we, as a society encourage ANY child to read about whatever they're passionate about. As adults, we forget that we are constantly reading.

Whether that is reading signs, blogs, text messages, etc. We literally read constantly. I don't think it matters what people of any age (but particularly young children) read is what is important; the important thing is the keep teaching them a skill that will ultimately stay with them for life. At the moment my reading list is super full, yes. But I'm actually enjoying reading and getting my mind lost within a story. I have to be honest and say that my favourite books do tend to be those with a strong female lead, or in fact those with a strong lead, male or female. It should abou the content within a book, not about what gender a character is. As a reader, it's possible to learn from either gender in a positive way and a lack of female roles won't stop me reading, or from encouraging someone of any age to read. At one point I would only read Fantasy based fiction, due to my infinite love of the Harry Potter series. All that happened is that I ran out of stories to enjoy because I wasn't being open to anything and so it's important to simply encourage any kind of reading, not only one kind. Rant over!

Reasons To Stay Alive - Matt Haig

The Essex Serpent - Sarah Perry

The Miniaturist - Jessie Burton

The Muse - Jessie Burton

A Year of Marvellous Ways - Sarah Winman

 

Łańcut Castle, Poland

I feel like I've often mentioned that my boyfriend is from (and grew up in) Poland and that we visit sometimes. The first time that I travelled to Poland with Piotr we literally visited for a weekend and I felt like I saw so many things; this time we're visiting for ten days and I definitely feel like I didn't see much at all last time. He's not from the city of Łańcut but it's a close drive away. He knows me well enough to know that I love architecture and parks, having grown in Greenwich, London - which has arguably some of the most beautiful architecture and surrounding park views at least in London. I don't know the Polish language so it was hard to understand the information boards, but Łańcut Castle was very lovely to visit. Piotr drove us there and he loves driving so that was nice, it's relaxing watching him enjoy cruising along. Łańcut is actually close to the borders of Poland with Ukraine. The castle is rather huge and the architectural style is very different to British architecture so I loved it. I enjoy different cultures and seeing different places. I feel like it would be even more beautiful in summer, especially in the surrounding park a it has various statues and plants that can be seen from all areas of the vast land.

 

 

After the visit I had a google search to try and understand more of the history of Łańcut Castle, rather than simply enjoying its physical beauty. It's an originally sixteenth century set of buildings with surrounding park. During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century the Duke and Duchess Lubomirski transformed the buildings based on a love of baroque architecture, which then transformed the castle into a palace. According to the internet, Łańcut Castle is one of the most famous aristocratic buildings in Poland which has become a museum full of art and stunning interior design. It has a long history and one that reflects the Polish culture of Pre World War Two; if any of you ever visit Poland, its definitely worth a visit. I definitely wild visit again in the summer months when the Parks are in full bloom. I also visited only the Parks, not the inside of the castle so I want to see inside too.

 

Happy Things #13

 

1. So for the next week I'm in Rzeszów, Poland where my boyfriend grew up. I like seeing his culture and spending time with him, especially now that we're not working together, it makes the time together really important to me.

2. A holiday is always a good excuse to eat and drink whatever you want, particularly with his mums amazing cooking skills... I swear all I do in Poland is eat! (Oops)

3. I worry a lot less when I'm in Poland, although I suspect that's most likely because I struggle to understand anything. Piotr's translating skills are pretty good, but I still struggle a lot with the language. I've been attempting to learn but it's a really hard language for me, I don't even know why, but it is.

4. Since making an effort my mood swings are a lot better and I've been having panic and anxiety attacks, but I think having Piotr by my side for the weekend and upcoming week is what truly made a difference to my mood; I really enjoy spending time with him and especially in his country.

5. So far I've seen quite a bit of the city but I do really love seeing it, every single time. It doesn't feel like a massive tourist place which is great as you can explore freely without millions of people around you. I'm looking forward to seeing more things and spending time with family, it's always nice to relax every so often.

 

A Mini Haul #7

Hello again; sometimes it's nice to just window shop, which I have to admit I do fairly regularly. As I get older I'm definitely starting to make much more considered purchases. I used to literally buy whatever I saw if I had the money, whereas now I prefer to actually have a think and decide whether or not something is worth it first. I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to beauty products, I love them all whether that is make up, perfume or general skincare. I feel like I haven't indulged in any make up recently, or at least not during this month so obviously that was enough of an excuse to pop into Superdrug and have a look at what's available. Over the past couple of months I've been loving wearing mascara and different perfumes more than anything else, as you'll have seen fairly recently in my perfume collection post. In all honesty, my worst habit is probably having so many perfumes as I'm always dreaming of more and running out of space to display them. 

 

The Britney Spears perfumes are a definite love of mine, I love how the bottles are designed and the different scents are always too my taste for such reasonable prices, too. The one pictured, Rocker Femme Fantasy is a new find for me and I love the way it fits in so well with my other scents. It's actually not my favourite out of my collection but its also not my least favourite; it's definitely at a happy medium. For the price I paid of £8, from Poundland of all places I'm not complaining about it at all. I'd been tempted by the fragrance for some time, having seen it online but it was much cheaper in store, which was a pleasant surprise. Another amazing find from Poundland was a Sleek eyes-lips-face palette, for the price of £1. I didn't even check the colours (oops) I literally just snapped it up, which I don't regret but the shades are a little too dark for my super pale skin. For the price I have no regrets, but I'm deciding what to do with it as I know that I'll never use it as it doesn't suit me. However, for anyone with darker toned skin this palette would be such a fantastic addition to a make up bag!

 

Ever since I started watching sophdoesnails on YouTube I've definitely become a convert to the powers of contour and especially highlighter as before I was always afraid to use these kinds of products with my pale skin. Just a couple of weeks ago she posted a video on her channel that featured some of the highlighters from this range and so I was inspired to invest in some. They're by MUA and are honestly really good value for money at £3 each. I chose two iridescent shimmers in the shades Pink Shimmer and Pearlescent Sheen. I love how shimmery but subtle they are, for the price you can't really go wrong. They're pigmented and feel light on my skin, which is also good. The wave pattern they make in the pan is lovely too, very instagramable but the iridescent sheen doesn't translate well on camera, unfortunately. I was inspired to try out the pinky toned highlighter as I do have a similar skin tone to Sophie and I feel like it could work well as a blusher and highlighter in one, alongside sculpting the planes of my face. We'll see soon enough, which is exciting. So far it's looked lovely in tests and swatches. 

 

So, after going into Superdrug I decided to treat myself a little but mostly through buying the essentials; I really needed a new mascara. As always, I found so many different things that I wanted but I wasn't able to buy it all, so I did have a bit of a decision making crisis. I ended up buying two mascaras as they were on an offer of buy one, get a second for half price. Which is a bargain in itself, but also one of the mascaras was a on a sale price too, which helped with my decision making a lot! I bought two by Maybelline, one of my all time favourite make up brands. The Colossal Volum' Express (in 100% black) has always been a much loved mascara of mine, to the point that I can't remember why I ever stopped using it. It makes my eyelashes look super long, thick and luscious; the fiber brush works so well for me and I never have to curl my eyelashes or anything, one coat of this mascara and I'm good to go for any occasion. I would recommend this mascara to anyone, I love it.

 

The second mascara I bought I've never really noticed or used before but seemed to be a sister of the first mascara so I decided to try it out and take advantage of the offers available. The Rocket Volum' Express has a similar packaging shape but has an electric blue shade, which will be easy to find in a make up bag for top ups. Although it's a similar mascara, the brush is very different, made out of plastic and it seems really bulky in comparison. But I do actually love this one just as much as the first; it's a really clumpless, separating mascara that doesn't feel too heavy on the lashes. I've found that one coat is enough, without having to curl my lashes beforehand, which is great. I'd say that I prefer the Colossal Volum' Express simply because the wand is smaller so easier to manoeuvre but overall the effects of both are very similar and I've had a lot of complements about my lashes recently so that's always a nice confidence boost. The mascaras were £6.99 each but with the offer one of them was half of that price, so I'm very happy with both of them, especially for the price. I've used more expensive mascaras results not so good in the past.

 

What's in my (everyday) make-up bag?

Hello again; I've read so many blog posts and watched so many YouTube videos about what's in a persons make up bag that I finally decided to talk about mine... Except I thought that I'd detail what I carry around in a make up bag to work or just generally everyday. I have quite a lot of different make up products but for work and general use I do prefer to have a more minimal make up style for everyday wear. The make up bag that I use for carrying the basics in my bag is from Victoria's Secret and I actually got it in a sale (for a great price) as part of a set of three different sized bags and actually I use all three of them for different reasons and regularly. The striped one below I use the most as it's the largest so it holds the most, but at the same time it isn't so big that it won't fit into a lot of different bags. 

 

I have very pale, almost paler than ivory skin so all of these products are the kind that suit that; the reason that these items have been picked out for my everyday make up bag is because they're not only pale enough, but also feel light enough on my skin that I don't feel like I'm wearing too much make up. I'm become more confident in not wearing so much make up recently, which I think is a good thing as my skin is getting clearer. The Bourjois CC cream shown below is honestly my favourite everyday face product ever as it's not too heavy on the skin, it's more of a colour corrector which is what I need; I don't have problem skin but it's very discoloured in places and it doesn't stick to my dry patches. I've detailed the prices next to all of the items shown in the images below and put them into sections, for example base, eyes and lips as I feel that makes a lot more sense visually.

 

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in the shade ivory £9.99

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm £2.99

Maybelline Concealer Cover Stick in the shade ivory 01 £3.99

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in the shade Dark Blond £2.99

 

NYX Merci Beaucoup Love In Paris Eyeshadow Palette £7.99

Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Powder 10 Classic Ivory £3.99

Bourjois Little Round Pot Blusher Rose D'Or 34 £7.99

Sleek Makeup Brow Kit Light £8.49

 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shades London and São Paulo £7.99 each

Bourjois Rouge Edition 12 Hour Lipstick in the shade 35 Entry VIP £7.99

 

MUA Eyeliner Pencil in Black £1

Maybelline The Colossal Volum' Express mascara 100% black £6.99

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara £9.99

L'Oreal Paris Super Liner Perfect Slim Intense Black £6.99

 

Happy Things #12

 

1. This week I'm only working three days, so I'm planning to spend some time with my family, dye my hair, watch television and most likely read a few books and magazines before the weekend.

2. This weekend, Piotr and I are going to get on a plane (argh help me!) to Poland and spend some together as well as with his family, which will be nice. I like seeing where he grew up and understanding more about him as well as having some time to relax and not have to overthink. It's strange how being in a country where most people don't speak your language is actually rather comforting, I feel like I don't have to force conversation or worry about anything.

3. This week I'm going to be good and try and pack what I want to take to Poland fairly early on in the week so that I don't stress nearer to the time as the flight is at an awkward time of the day.

4. Going to try and organise my life a bit thug double checking that my gym membership is confirmed and getting a boarding pass sorted... Oh the fun times of being an adult! 

5. I'm trying to keep onto a positive plane this week and try to be less moody. I'm having some real issues with my mood swings right now so my focus is going to be on that area of my mental health. Feeling so up and down isn't great and it's not helping me in my everyday life so it's something that I definitely want to improve on.

 

My Perfume Collection #9

Hello again, it feels like a while since I'd updated you all on my perfume collection. In all honesty, it's a bit of a naughty addiction as I doubt anyone in this world needs as many perfumes as I actually have, but still... I can never resist a good perfume. I love the smell and how much more confident I feel when I'm wearing perfume. It's most likely all in my mind but I just feel like I look better whenever I have a perfume I love on. Different perfumes remind me of different good times, for example I wore a Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume to my graduation ceremony from university so it will forever remind me of finally feeling free from education. The past couple of months I've been fairly good and not spent too much money on things like perfume so this one was a bit of a spur of the moment purchase. 

 

I'd been lusting after the Britney Spears Rocker Femme Fantasy for quite a while after seeing it listed on fragrantica. It was released a few years ago in 2014 and I actually found it in a shop I'd never have thought about; my local Poundland had a bunch of perfumes available to buy for £8 and for that price 30ml seemed like an absolute steal as I'd seen it listed for more than that on various online retailers, so I was super excited to finally get my grubby paws on this perfume. It's a much smaller bottle than my other Britney Spears perfumes but as I didn't pay much that seems fair. It's quite a flirty, fruity scent with notes of blackberry liqueur and coconut cream, alongside violet, gardenia, jasmine, amber, musk, cashmere and vanilla. For me personally the strongest notes of the scent are the blackberry, jasmine and vanilla notes. I have to say that it's not my favourite of the Britney scents, but I doubt that Island Fantasy will ever be topped for me a that smell of lime is absolutely lush!

 

The bottle is very similar to many of the other scents from the Britney fragrance line, with a circular, curvy bottle, transparent circular lid and a swirly pattern around the neck of the bottle. It's definitely an edgier perfume from the look of the bottle but to me ithe scent is very similar to the original Fantasy. The mix of hot pink and black fits well with the idea of feminine rock chick; this is a perfume that my teenage self would've been obsessed with, but I can't say that I'm a massive fan of the scent as it's very similar to the original to me, but I do really like how the bottle looks and it was incredibly good value for money. It looks nice visually with the Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy perfume as it's a gorgeous cherry red shade which complements th pink tones of Rocker Femme Fantasy. I feel like the pink and red tones of the two Britney perfumes work really well alongside Daisy Eau So Fresh Blush and Daisy Dream Blush by Marc Jacobs as they're all very girly, fruity, floral and flirty scents that look lovely together on display in my bedroom.

 

Although it's not my favourite from my collection of Britney Spears perfumes as I've said earlier I do love how the pretty the bottle is and I've found that it complements so many other perfumes from my collection, such as Rosa Excelsa by Dolce and Gabbana, Hippie Princess and Preppy Princess both by Vera Wang as well as Dolly Girl by Anna Sui. The different shades of pink complement each other really well and give a lovely girly feel to one corner of my room. I think that I'll prefer wearing Rocker Femme Fantasy during the spring and summer months when there's much less wind! I hate putting on a scent when it just gets blown away... That being said, for £8 it has been well and truly worth every penny. Britney perfumes are a great part of my collection as they're wearable, affordable and lovely to look at.

 

How I Edit Photos on an iPhone

 

 

 

The above three photographs show the three main stages of how I edit using my iPhone. The first image is the flatlay that I prepare on a cream fluffy rug, (that cost me £8), as having a nice background genuinely makes all the difference to your photography. I've found that having a neutral coloured background really makes the items you're photographing stand out. I studied photography at A Level and at university but I actually take all of my blog and instagram photos using the camera on my iPhone 6S. If you can't afford lots of expensive equipment there are definitely ways around it. On my iPhone I've made a folder (called Essentials) of really useful photography apps (other than instagram) to use for blogging. The first app I use is VSCO which is great for adjusting brightness, contrast and natural filters. My preferred filer is F2 as it really picks up the cream background of the rug and makes the whole photograph look much less dull. Although there was actually nothing wrong with the original photograph, I feel like with the filter it does look much more put together and appealing to an audience.

 

If I need to make a collage of photos; for example when I write posts about what photographs I've posted to instagram in a month I like to try and condense the amount of photographs in a post as I'm aware of how image heavy posts can be to an audience. The app Fotor is so easy to use for beginners upwards as it clearly lays out different layouts for different amounts of photographs. Once you've picked a layout (for example of 9 photos) you literally pick 9 photos and it slots them in for you. From there you can choose curved or straight edges and different border thicknesses, which is another nice feature. I use this app regularly and have a lot of success with it as it's so simple to use.

 

Another holy grail app in my collection for blogging is Repix; I actually found out about it through reading a post by Lauren about different ways to edit photos for instagram and as a result I've found an app that I really love. It does quite a lot of different things, but you need to purchase more access. I have the standard access which suits me fine as the only option I use is the Flares effect. It allows me to draw light flares with my fingers that give off a bokeh style effect, one that's often used by photographers. I'm my own worst critic and thought that my photography was really lacking and desperately needed improvement. Through editing using these apps I feel like my blog photography has come a long way; one of the best parts of blogging is learning as you go along, and learning from reading and admiring other blogs, which is exactly what I did. Yes, I did study photography but I still had (and have) so much to learn, which I'm trying my best to embrace. Hopefully this will help someone out there that's struggling to take the perfect photograph! Much love xx