Lazy Sundays: Baking Cookies and Movie Night!

Hello everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post, and I've tried to think of a good excuse as to why I haven't been around, but I can't! Truth is, I was too lazy!! Haha.

On the bright side, I am writing this on a brand new laptop! Its HP, it's blue, it's slim, it's Windows 8.1... I can't say anymore about it except that I just love it so much!

So this evening, being a lazy Sunday in summer, I decided to go baking. I decided to make some cookies (using my new Kenwood Kitchen Aid!). I used Tanya Burr's recipe (which can be found on her blog [http://www.tanyaburr.co.uk/] and YouTube channel) and I can now say that they taste as amazing as they look in her videos! These are probably the nicest and simplest cookies I've ever made (and I've attempted many different recipes of cookies). They're crunchy on the outside, gooey in the middle and just full of chocolatey goodness! 

I then sat down with one of these cookies and a glass of coke (I was too lazy to make tea.. not even for the sake of a good photo!) and had a scroll through my tumblr feed which I hadn't done in a very long time. My next door neighbour then came over and we had a movie night watching (the gorgeous) Zac Efron in That Awkward Moment. 

It was the perfect end to a great weekend!

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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Throwback Thursday: What was I wearing??

Hello everyone!

As it's a Thursday, I have decided to "throw it back" to when I was really young. Looking at these photos, I couldn't get over what I was wearing and why my parents let me go out looking like that! I wore long dresses that went past my ankle, with a contrasting polo t-shirt inside it (polo t-shirts were very in...). And the shoes! I had the most cringe worthy runners and the typical shiny black school shoes... So here are a few of the photos I found, along with a description of the outfits.... (There were other people in the photos with me, but I have cropped them out for their privacy).

Here I am, in all my cuteness (ha), at four years of age on my last day of Playschool. I actually quite like the pattern on the dress, and would probably wear it today if it was in my size, but I most definitely would not put it with that t-shirt! Also, just look at the shoes... If you look really closely, there seems to be some sort of stickers or something on them. Take about cringe....

Go forward about a year, and here comes the polo shirts that my Dad insisted I wore every single day. I have never worn this colour since I started buying my own clothes and dressing myself. However, my Dad loved this colour on me (I don't know why) and would always put this t-shirt on me. I'm also wearing sandles with socks.... Enough said about that. 

Who didn't love a good sports day in Primary School? Even though I'm not the sporty type, I loved them (as seen from the big cheesy grin in this photo!) I clearly did not understand the dress code for a sports day however.. The pants are three-quarter length and quite baggy... I suppose it let the air onto my legs! I do like the hoodie, or top, though. A nice baggy, long sleeve top with a colar and buttons closed all the way to the top is exactly what you need on a hot day while running in races.... 

No, I did not dress like this on a normal day... This was at the height of my horse-riding days (which quickly ended after a year..). You can't see her in this photo, but myself and my cousin were pretending the golf clubs were horses in this photo just before we headed off to our lessons. I look like the right jockey here with my skin-tight stripy leggings, bright red hoodie and matching wellies... 

Finally, here we have a throwback to ten years ago, when ponchos were the thing to wear! I wore this stripy purple poncho almost every day (except when it was in the wash). I reckon if the jeans were a skinnier fit, they could still be fashionable today (even though, I think they were sparkly, but that's not coming up to great in the photo). Also, them runners.. I told you I had the best runners growing up! 

 And there we have it. What I wore as a child! Would you wear any of the clothes you wore as a child today? Or would you rather forget?

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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Tasty Tuesday: What I ate today...

Hello everyone! 

Here's another food diary that I kept today!

Breakfast:

I woke up this morning and went up to the kitchen to discover my mam had homemade scones in the oven! So for breakfast (which we ate outside!) I had a scone, with butter and jam, some strawberries and grapes and a cup of tea. 

Dinner:

I didn't have a lunch today, as we were having an early dinner. So for dinner today, I had teriyaki salmon fillet, mash potatoes, broccoli and sweetcorn. I had a glass of water and a coffee after wards.

Snacks:

As a snack throughout the day, I had some strawberries and orange juice. 

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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Make-Up Monday: Everyday Natural Make-Up Routine (Summer)

Hello everyone! 

Today, I'm going to share my everyday make-up routine for summer with you all! I find that it is quite a natural look and lasts all day. I use mainly all drugstore or highstreet brands, so this look can be achieved by anyone really! Again, I'm not make-up artist! I've never done a course in make-up. This is just how I do my make-up on a day to day basis. Let's get started!

Prep:

To prepare my skin for make-up, I follow my everyday skincare routine (which can be found 2 posts down!). I then apply the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser. This moisturiser acts as a great base for my foundation. I find my make-up goes on much easier and it also makes my skin feel very hydrated.

Foundation and Concealer:

For foundation, I've been using the MAC Studio Fix Fluid in the colour NC15. I apply this to my face using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I then apply the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in the colour Fair around my eyes and on any misperfections or redness on my face. I blend this in with the same brush.

Eyebrows:

Next, I move onto my eyebrows. As a 'base' I use the Wet n' Wild MegaClear Mascara. I then go to my W7 In the City Natural Nudes palette and take the lightest brown shade in this. As I have fair hair and dark brows, it is quite difficult to get them to match each other, but I do what I can! I use an angled eyebrow brush for this.

Eye-shadow:

I use the Wet n' Wild IdolEyes Cream Eyeshadow in the colour Pixie. This is in pencil form so I just 'colour' it on to my eyes and blend it with my fingers. I then go to my Victoria Jackson 24/7 Makeover Portfolio Sunrise Colour Kit (that's a mouthful!) and I use the brown/gold shade in it. Unfortunately, I do not have the name of the colour as I have had this palette for years and have since lost the leaflet with all information (including colours) on it. It's basically a really natural light brown almost gold shade. I apply this colour all over my lid using a flat fluffy brush. With the same brush, I then apply the Rimmel Glameyes in the colour 030 Smokey Quartz into my crease and I blend it in with a rounder fluffy brush.

Eye-liner:

I like a thick enough line on my lash line, but not too thick as too distract from the eye-shadow. I just feel that the thicker line makes my eyes appear to be bigger. For this, I use the Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision Micro Liner. On my waterline, I use the NYC Kohl Liner in 004 Pure White.

Mascara:

On my top and bottom lashes, I use the Essence Lashmania Falsh Lash Effect Mascara. I apply two coats on my top lashes and one on my bottom lashes.

Powder, Countour, Highlight, Blush:

To powder my face and to set my make-up in place, I use the Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Powder in the colour 02 Medium. To contour my cheekbones and temples, I use another Collection product, this one being the Collection Bronze Glow Shimmering in Light. I use the Real Techniques Contour brush for this. I add some highlight with a Revlon Highlighter that is so old the actual name and colour of it have come off! It is a gorgeous pink shimmering highlighter. I apply this to the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose, across my forehead and chin. I blend the contour and highlighter in with a big fluffy brush! I then apply my Essence Silky Touch Blush in 1 Adorable using an angled blusher brush.

Lipstick:

To finish my make-up look, I use my trusty Rimmel Lasting Finish in 006 Pink Blush.

And here is the finished look! I'm no professional when it comes to taking make-up photos either so excuse the faces!

Until next time.

Fifs xo

(P.S. not really sure what happened with the white background half way through the post!)

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Silly Sundays: Favourite YouTubers!

           

Hello everyone!

I love watching YouTubers! Whether its a daily vlog from the Saccone-Jolys, or a beauty haul from Zoella, I could watch YouTubers all day everyday (which is exactly what I do most days!!). They just make me laugh and I always feel happy after watching a video. So, today I decided that would share with you some of my favourite YouTubers!

Zoella:

Possibly the most famous British YouTuber, Zoella is just amazing! Whenever I just want to smile, I put on an old video of hers and just relax. Her vlogs are brilliant and every time she uploads a new one, I drop whatever I'm doing to watch it! For those who don't know, (where have you been??) Zoella (or Zoe Sugg) mainly does beauty videos - such as, makeup tutorials, beauty hauls and monthly favourites.She is such an inspiration and has achieved so much for her age. It's because of her that I got the courage to start up a blog and I can only hope to be as successful as her some day!

SACCONEJOLYs:

This family never fails to put a smile on my face! From Jonathan's jokes to Emilia's cuteness to Eduardo's smiles to Anna's quirkiness, I am never in a bad mood after watching this family of vloggers! I've been watching some of their old vlogs the last few days and seeing Emilia so small and Eduardo not even being born yet is so weird! You grow with this family and live their life with them!

PointlessBlog:

PointlessBlog, or Alfie Deyes, is another daily vlogger that I love to watch. If I don't watch an Alfie vlog before going to bed, I feel like my day isn't complete! He just makes me laugh without even cracking a joke because that's just his character! I may never have met him, but I feel that I know Alfie through his vlogs! And to think that he has achieved so much and he's only a year and a half older than I am!!! Zoe is one lucky girl ;)

SprinkleofGlitter:

This woman. Just wow! Louise is just a star! There's no other way to put it. I love watching her slightly less professional way of editing and her quirky videos. Her beauty tips and tricks are always worth watching, and when her beautiful daughter Darcy (BabyGlitter!) is involved, I think I cry with joy and cuteness inside! 

So there we have it. My favourite YouTubers at the moment! Obviously, I watch others, just not as religiously as these four! 

Until next time. 

Fifs xo

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My Skincare Routine

Hello everyone!

Today, I have decided to talk to you about my new skincare routine. 

As a teenager, I always had terribly bad skin. I used to get very bad breakouts and the spots would leave scars and marks (which is why I have so much redness on my cheeks and around my nose). Nowadays, I only get a very bad breakout when I am sick or stressed. I still get the odd blemish here and there, but they're not as bad as they used to be. I never had a proper skin routine really - I used to think that removing my make-up and night and popping on a bit of moisturiser every now and then would do the trick. How wrong I was! So now, I've decided to start a new skincare routine for the summer, as I do not wish to have bad skin for the summer!

Make-up Remover:

To remove my make-up at night, I use the Garnier PureActive Micellar Cleansing Water. This stuff is amazing! I just pour some onto a cotton pad and wipe it all over my face (sometimes I may have to repeat this if I have a lot of make-up on, particularly after a night out). It removes all make-up, from foundation and lipstick, to water-proof mascara and eyeliner! I sometimes use this in the mornings as well if I had make-up on the day before just to make sure it's all off. I buy this in Penneys (where it is only about €4 for a 400ml bottle which lasts ages!) but it can be bought in any chemist really. 

Cleanser:

I have recently started using the Clean & Clear Exfoliating Daily Wash to cleanse my face. I have really noticed a difference in my skin since I started using this twice a day! I just apply it to a wet face using my fingers to lather it in and I wash it off with a wet cloth. It leaves my skin feeling soft and not dry like some exfoliaters.

Moisturiser:

To moisturise my face, I use the Nivea Q10 Energising Day Cream. This moisturiser just leaves my face feeling and looking awake! My skin doesn't dry out as the day goes on, and I believe I have this moisturiser to thank for that.

Lipbalm:

I was very lucky to receive an eos lipbalm as a present from my aunt when she came home from America. I got the blueberry flavoured one (as all the younger cousins got first pick!) and I have to say that I was not disappointed! I had heard so much about this lipbalm and how expensive it was over here in Ireland because it's so rare to see it anywhere. I apply this to my lips in the morning after moisturising and throughout the day. I find it much better than Vaseline or any other lip products I have used in the past!

I also have been drinking a lot of water throughout the day to help my skin!

Until next time.

Fifs xo

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