When I Grow Up...

Who knows whats going on with me.. two posts in a short amount of time? aren't you all lucky.

For those of you who don't know.. after leaving 6th form, I have decided that rather than waste a year before going to uni, I would enroll on a college course (after advice from my hairdresser, she may be to thank for on of the better decisions I have made this past year... I also should have listened when she advised against cutting my hair off and dyeing it darker). Tomorrow (or today, because that's when you will get to read this) I will be attending my first day of college.. which scares me a little. I met a few people when I enrolled.. but being inbetween the 16 year old girls fresh from their GCSEs and the 20somethings that have made new decisions with their lives, there aren't going to be to many people I can relate to. It is also worth pointing out this is a female heavy course.. with only one boy at enrollment.. and after spending 2 years in a boys school.. i think it's going to be a bit different to what i have become accustomed to.

Despite my worries and doubts I'm sure all will be fine, I am only in college 2 days a week due to working on a placement for 3 days, plus its only for a year. I have other friends and that isn't the reason I'm there. I'm looking forward to finally doing something relevant to what I want to do in the long term, and sorting out my Uni situation. After a long summer that involved 4/5 weeks of work experience and 6 weeks doing nothing particularly noteworthy, anything productive will be welcomed. I will update you all on how my course is going, what I'm up to and the uni situation (as it progresses).

With most of my friends off to uni, me off to college alone, and others embarking on the world of work.. growing up no longer seems like an option but a necessary task. As sad as it is to wave goodbye to the past, I have a feeling that this is going to be the start of an exciting couple of years for all my friends and me.. and others of you in similar situations.

Look forward to speaking to you all again soon..

Laura xx

Why I Wear Make-Up Tag

Anyone who has/is a beauty blogger.. or is a regular reader of beauty blogs/viewer of youtube videos his some love of mke up.. some of us have vast expansive collections.. others have smaller collections but depend on it all the same. Whether its the joy that comes from finding your holy grail products, or having that high end bag in your hand or just the confidence it gives you.. their is something satisfying about make up .. and I just thought I would do this tag to tell you all why I love it!

QUESTION 1: When did you begin loving make-up?

I'm not sure when I started loving it.. I just know that the whole idea always appealed to me. As a child I would admire the celebrities and would often watch my mum apply her (minimal) make up. whether she was sat in the car before a shopping trip to canterbury quickly putting her face on.. or stood in front of a mirror at home I would sit and watch her. It just fascinated me how a few products could change someones appearance so drastically and make them look more awake and ready to face the day and, more importantly, accentuating their features.

I remember buying my first make-up.. I must have been about 12 and was out with my mum and grandma and I had about £5-£10 pocket money and asked my mum if I could buy some.. she took me into boots and I picked out a purple eyeshadow quad, an eyeliner, clear mascara and  pink sparkly lipstick. From there on the obsession grew.. along with everyone at school, slowly building up the amount of make-up we could get away with. By about year 10/11 (only 3/2 years ago.. scary) I was stuck in a collection 2000 rut, unaware of what wonders lay beyond the budget make-up line or what worked for me. My skin was also (surprisingly) in fairly good condition. oh how times have changed. It was about this time I discovered the blogging world and the videos on youtube and remember searching youtube for tutorials for my year 11 prom make-up.. with make-up that I could afford.

QUESTION 2: How do you feel without make-up?

I am one of those who cant leave the house without tinted oisturiser, concealer and mascara at least.. and even then its usually because im applying a full face later on. This is more a matter of confidence though. My skin isn't always on it's best behaior.. frequent break outs and oily skin have left me feeling a bit self concsious and afraid to show my bare face even to close friends. I did however spend the good part of a year with clear skin.. until the warmish weather hit and my skin played up as it did last year. I am trying to improve my skin so that hopefully I can feel more confident without it.. or at least wear make-up which is a lot lighter so I can embrace my natural skin a bit more (rather than covering it up with high coverage foundations, layers of concealer and powder to keep it all in place).

QUESTION 3: What do you like about make up?

As I just mentioned, I like the confidence that comes with a face full of make up.. however I also enjoy the creativity it allows me to have with my appearance.

anyone who knows me will know it is a rare occasion to see me without winged eyeliner and eyeshadow on.. even for a casual occasion. I enjoy doing my make-up and enjoy creating new looks with my products.. I am known for spending a day at home creating something bold on my face to see how different products work. The versatility it provides is more impressive than the confidence it gives me.... this is why I love any excuse to experiment and leave the house looking a bit different

QUESTION 4: What are your 3 holy grail items?

1. a liquid eyeliner.. currently using Rimmel exaggerate in 001 and Natural collection Liquid Eye Lines in Black.

2. A mascara.. currently loving Body Shop Super Volume Mascara and Benefit Bad Gal

3. A concealer .. I dont have a holy grail concealer as of yet!


SO everyone.. here is a bit of a long winded post bout my relationship with make up.. if any of you have also done this tag.. leave a link below because these have fast become my favourite things to read/watch.

until next time..

Laura xx

I DON'T THINK THEY CAN HANDLE IT

I sit here, half hungover (half too tired to really function) feeling guilty for abandoning my blog for the past couple of months, I could bore you all with the excuses that I have been to busy.. but in all honesty I just haven't had much to blog about so I thought I would give you all an insight into what I have been up to since I last spoke to you all.

Well I think the first thing to mention is that the 26th July was my 18th Birthday.. finally.. after what has felt like a century of waiting.. watching everyone round me turn 18 and just sitting there wishing I could be out with my friends, going to the parties but leaving for home at midnight, when everyone else's night was just starting. So if you haven't already guessed I have spent a few days this summer caking on the make up and the eyelashes.. my larger than necessary make-up collection coming in handy.. and the days after spent lying in bed wondering why I even bother drinking.

The second big event of the summer has been results day.. 16th August.. the day dreaded by all A-Level Students. The stress of results day actually made me slightly ill.. and then i found out it was all for nothing. I actually amazingly came away with an A* in Sociology, B in Government and Politics and a C in English Literature. I think now would be a good time to tell the story of the events that occurred a year previously. When I went to collect my AS results i was lift horrified at myself after achieving 2 CS and 3Ds.. subsequently dropped Media and Film Studies (one of the C & D grades) and was left with 1C and 2Ds to take into A2. I then worked incredibly hard this past year, retaking coursework and resitting all exams necessary to achieve what I did in the end. So a lesson to any disappointed AS students.. it is possible to get your grades up to what you want.. I went from a D in English to a C, a D in politics to a B and a C in sociology all the way to an A*. Hopefully this means that my university prospects are drastically improved... and I have been doing a tonne of research into Degree options etc.

This leads me onto the third and final thing I have to talk about now.. which is one reason contributing to my lack of effort in the blogging department. A lot of my friends are moving away in September and I am making the most of the time before they all disappear.. fortunately quite a few are sticking behind and I wont be entirely alone... but any excuse for a night out.

I have a few posts planned, I just need my blogging love to return..

Talk to you all soon xx

Book Review. The Lessons. Naomi Alderman.

Im sitting here writing this post having finished the book about 30 seconds ago. I had a bit of a rolercoaster in the 3 days it took to read the book.. at first I was hooked.. and then towards the end I just wanted to finish it because I had spent over 200 pages with the author confirming what the reader suspected from the first page. rather than spoil it for you already I will let you read the blurb for yourself and get down to what I really thought.

The Blurb

James, always the outsider, enters oxford - high seat of priviledge, wealth and ambition. there e meets Mark Winters - dissolute, astonishingly, heartbreakingly rich and pitilessly cruel - and the fellow students he has gathered around him; untouchable Emmanuella; on-again/off-again Simon and Franny; and passionate, true Jess.

The nights, and many of the days, become one long party. friendships are made, and broken. Lovers swapped, or dropped. It is all beguiling and bewitching. everything James dreamed of but never quite believed in.

But after university they are cast out into an indifferent world. free of mark and his dark influence, they are lost to one another, until one night tradgedy strikes...

My Opinion


Firstly, the story is nothing like the blurb, so don't let it fool you, as I was, into thinking it was mysterious and massively. The back cover is full of quotes which suport my initial take on the book, and it was only when i neared the end, I realised I had spent so much time reading a book which seemingly had no conclusion. no event dramatic enough to make it worthwhile. The ending is vague, its one of those tales which hasnt quite finished, but there isnt room for anything else to be said. as a reader you anticipate something greater to happen. This might be to reflect the monotony of James' life, which as picked up by the character of Mark, is just a refelection of those around him at any time. despite the lacking storyline, it is beautifully written, and even when I got bored of it, I still wanted to read.

The character of Mark initially reminded me of Gatsby from The Great Gatsby, the persona, the lifestyle, it is only when the book delves a little deeper into their lives that the differences emerge, character of James initially reminded me of Nick from The Great Gatsby. I think this is on of the things that made the story seem a bit more interesting, having already read The Great Gatsby, and the character of James initially reminded me of Nick from The Great Gatsby, and the stories possibly follow similar lines in terms of the protagonists seeing obsession with the illusive rich man able to provide a life that seems little more than a dream.

SPOILER ALERT!!

My main issue with this book, which is the one aspect which let the book down for me, and that is that you spend over 200 pages waiting for James to admit to himself that he is gay, or at least in love with Mark. it is apparent from the first page, and once he realises it, it becomes obvious that the entire book up to that point has been him realising this, and to what extent it could be surpressed. For me, the story could have delved into much more dramatic and mysterious areas within the storyline set up, without this being the focus, for example the relationship between James and Jess, which seems a bit funny from the start. another major problem is the character of Nicola, I think the relationship between her and Mark seems questionable.. particularly to lengths it goes to. It makes the whole story much less realistic, especially to a modern reader.

Conclusion


It was definitely a good read, and one book off my summer reading list. I question why it was recommended to me by my Dads wife.. but it has exposed me to a wonderful author, even if the story line was a bit iffy in places. I recommend this to people wanting a quick read.. its not a long book, and is easily read, and hopefully this review will open your eyes more to what it really is.. much beyond the facade created by the blurb.



Until next time...
Laura.

A little update and some University help.

I just thought I would give you all little update into my life right now. I have spent the past 3 and a half weeks volunteering in a local primary school, all to benefit my university application, and to give me something to do whilst on study leave. unfortunately this comes to and end in the next week, and I will have to say goodbye to the lovely children I have spent the last few weeks with.. when I fished my last work experience I almost cried.. and that was after only a week.. this will be interesting. This may have left me exhausted after all the fun had in a reception class, however I will definitely miss it.

Word of advice to all future university applicants, whether necessary or not, carry out work experience, if possible, in the area your interested in BEFORE you send off your application for 3 reasons.
1. It puts you ahead of candidates that have no/little/have yet to complete their work experience. this gives them less reason to not take you on the course
2. It gives you something to talk about in your personal statement AND in any interviews. It shows a real interest in the subject and that your not going to get halfway down the line and decide you don't like it.
3. they can be used as part o your UCAS reference, giving an opinion from someone in the career you want to pursue.

I learnt both of these the hard way this year.

I would also reccomend that you already start ordering prospectuses, looking at courses, writing personal statements and going to open days/booking places on them. the sooner you know where you want to go (you have 5 choices) and have a statement written, the sooner your application can be sent off. Some courses are filled on a first come first serve basis and so it is important to get your application in ASAP.

My life is pretty much consumed with college and uni prep, and so that's it from my update. I have a notebook that I carry around with me which has a list of the universities I want to go to, the courses available relevant to me and the points/grades needed to go there. I know what i need to achieve and know where I want to go.

I hope this has been helpful to those of you interested. sorry to those past this stage in life.. I hope to have something more relevant next time.

Laura.

We Were on a Break...

Having a variety of beauty products to choose from is definitely one of the perks of being a beauty blogger.. the vast accumulation of products purely because you heard or read about how wonderful they were. It is also a sign you are probably a beauty addict.. even if your slightly afraid to admit it. I can admit that I fall into both categories, especially as it took me 5 minutes to decide between two practically identical nail varnishes from my collection this evening. Despite all this.. it is probably shocking to hear me say that blogging about them is not something I have enjoyed recently. Since my lst blog post after my return,  I tried numerous times, even taking the pictures in preparation, to write blog posts about my favourite products etc. yet when it came to actually writing the post, I couldn't think what to write. the words didn't flow like they do when its something I actually care about. It is when I made this realisation, I decided, as much as I enjoy reading the blogs and watching the videos, its not something I enjoy writing myself. I just like to write, and ramble. I think this blog is going to stay running, but expect a blog post when I have something interesting to say. A blog is nothing but a shell if there is no real passion behind it.

When I came back to blogging I knew that beauty wasn't the route I wanted to go down again.. and yet when i made a plan, the only things i could think that would be interesting to my readers (even if you are few compared to other blogs) would be beauty an fashion related. I have since re-realised this blog isn't about pleasing the willing readers, its about expressing a part of myself to those who want to read, those who are a bit nosy, and maybe even those who care.

I probably will have the odd beauty post, but I want this to reflect what i m doing, what i want to pursue and tales of my boring life so far. I will definitely be posting about my Italy trip plans, and will also do a post on the trip I took a couple of years ago with a friend and her family (and maybe some pictures if she agrees). Maybe some posts on the books I'm reading, the books I have read and the same for films. Trends i love, trends I hate.. and even the odd expense I'm lusting after. I'm going to document the important bits of my life and everything that goes with it on this blog. It isn't just going to be something for you to read but also something that i can look back on, a sort of diary, to help me remember those things that we sometimes forget.

I hope that you are all still interested in reading, and its a little departure from what you may be used to, what with the vast array of beauty blogs out there for you to choose from.  Feel free to comment with your opinions on my departure from the beauty community, and i hope you can venture ideas on things you would like to see from this blog, because although I'm writing this for myself, I like to have and readers to include, because it is nothing without you. 

Laura. 

Book Review - My Week With Marilyn, By Colin Clark

I have always been an Audrey Hepburn fan over Marilyn Monroe, despite only having seen one Marilyn film.. This was changed rather quickly when I read My Week With Marilyn, a real diary written by Colin Clark, who got to know Marilyn when he was third assistant director on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl. The version of the book I have is the one released after the film, and is a combination of two separate releases of individual diaries diary, The Prince The Showgirl and Me and My Week With Marilyn. The latter was released at a later date and were combined to make the film because the two overlap.

THE BLURB


In 1956, fresh from Oxford, 23-year-old Colin Clark worked as a humble 'gofer' on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl. The film united Britain's leading actor, Laurence Olivier, with Hollywood's most glamorous sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe - and clashes between them entered film legend.


For one glorious week, the world's biggest film star sought comfort in the arms of the set's most junior employee. This is the frank, fresh, comic story of how Clark came to share Monroe's confidences - and her bed!


MY OPINION

As much as this book made me fall in love with Marilyn Monroe, as did the whole world when she was alive, I could not help but feel a little disappointed with how mundane the book was. I felt as if i was waiting for something dramatic to happen that never came, (this is reminiscent of how i felt after reading the much acclaimed One Day, which failed to live up to my expectations despite being addictive). I gave up on the first part of the book The Prince the Showgirl and Me after being talked through a few days of Colin's life. Ultimately if you are into the whole making of movies in the 50s then this would be excellent for you, but I'm much more interested in the actual films produced. This led me to skip to the second part My Week With Marilyn. The blurb, which is clearly designed to sell the book, made the whole affair (if it can be called that) seem a bit dramatic.

However you must take into consideration that this is first and foremost the diary of a (now deceased) man, and his claim to fame (despite the connections he has). It was not written to be read by the masses and is an account of real life, which in a way, reflects the differences between the lives portrayed in films and novels, and reality.

My main problem with this is that because Marilyn unfortunately killed herself many years ago, there is no one around to confirm the story, and even Colin Clark himself has since died. despite this, it is a lovely read for any Monroe fans out there or for any of you interested in the workings of a film studio in the 50s. And in the version with the film cover there is the added bonus of a few pictures of both Marilyn herself in the film production and Michelle Williams, who played her in the film, in similar poses.

I hope you enjoyed the first book review of many, definitely enjoyed writing this one.. the words literally just flowed out. Sorry for the lack of pictures, I am still without adequate camera and am not willing to get one off the internet which i did not take.

Laura xx

Update number 2

Lovely readers,

I have set up a lovely plan of posts, with each day allocated to a different type of post, and I planned on starting this today and explaining as the week went on which type of posts to expect on that day as well as one of the planned posts, HOWEVER, tragedy struck and i found myself without a suitable camera for the next couple of days.Typical of this to happen when I finally decide to get back into blogging. I am determined that this will not prevent me from posting everyday. Until I can take pictures you will see a couple of posts which do not require any.. and today is no exception. I thought I would just lay out my blogging plan for you all to see and give you a few ideas about projects I have lined up. 

THE PLAN

Monday: Make-Up bag for the week 

Tuesday: Book/Film/TV review

Wednesday: Weekly Haul/Tag/Request

Thursday: Beauty product Review

Friday: NOTW including review

Saturday: Favourite 3 OOTW

Sunday: Favourite thing of the week

Hopefully I can stick to this, and some of the posts may be scheduled just to make sure I stick to it as much as possible. I am determined not to flag.

UPDATE/PLANS

If you read my last post you will have noticed I'm taking a year between A-Levels and Uni. This is for numerous reasons, the main being that I'm trying to improve my grades and hopefully go to a better university. This is also why I am going to college and am currently helping out in a primary school and am helping outwith Rainbows. I have applied for a childcare related course at college particularly to learn skills that will benefit me in the application/interview processes of university application and also will be beneficial when i am at Uni. This leads me on to my next point. I am considering posting regular blog posts related to University application as I go through the process to help others out in the same situation, especially as I have already done it once before and have learnt from mistakes.Let me know if this is something you would like me to post this ASAP (leave a comment or tweet me @09lauraspain ) so I can plan and start posting about that shortly.

The other thing I wanted to talk to you all about is a holiday I am planning. I am hoping to start planning a weeks trip to Rome, Italy so i can have a guide as to how much I need to save. I have a rough figure but I want to plan day trips etc. this is another thing i wondered if any of you would be interested in, I was wondering if I should document my plans etc on my blog, showing places i want to visit, pricing, hotels etc, so if any of you are planning a similar trip in the future it could be referenced to or may even spark an interest in some of you.

These are just a couple of ideas I had that I thought I might share with you, but ultimately I'm not going to if they are of no interest to anyone because they are quite specific.

I hope your as happy to be reading my blog again as I am happy to be writing it again, its like being home.

Talk to you again tomorrow

Laura xx

A letter to my followers

Dear all remaining followers still interested in what I have to say...

Almost a year after I abandoned my blog, I'm back. A lot has changed since my decision to leave the blogging world , and with sixth form finished, and me embarking on a new journey I decided it was time to return. Along with my return, I have changed my blog, and it has actually taken me a couple of weeks to get it how I wanted it, but I'm finally happy and ready to officially relaunch it. I hope to be a much better blogger this time around, intending to post everyday.

Despite finishing my A-Levels, life is not any less stressful.. I am currently helping out in a primary school everyday until the end of term, and will hopefully be going to college for a year next year before applying to University. If it is not obvious..I am hoping to one day work with children/be a primary school teacher. Alongside all of this, I have a few personal goals I am trying to achieve and other things I want to plan and do.

All in all the next academic year looks to be a busy one, however I hopefully will not have the pressures I had in the last one (I was attempting to do 2 years of work in one basically) and my blog will be as successful as I hope it will be.

I look forward to posting again tomorrow,

Laura xx

I'll save my Last Dance for you..

After a whle of contemplating i have decided blogging isnt for me.. at least not at the moment. I just feel like i have more important things going on at the moment and would rather be focusing on them rather than have blogging on the back of my mind niggling away. This is mainly because i just dont enjoy blogging much anymore and i hope that one day i will get back into it.. so please stay following for that day :) hope to speak to you soon.. and follow me on twitter if you want @09lauraspain

Laura xx

what i wear to school!

I thought i would show you four out five outfits i wore this week for 6th form.. at my school we have to dress quite smartly and skirt length is a touchy subject.. anyway sorry for the bad pictures.. i have yet to own a decent camera and have space to take proper pictures

Monday

Dress - H&M

Belt - New Look

Bracelets - Random

Bag - H&M

Nails - Barry M Navy

Tuesday

Skirt - H&M

Vest Top - New Look

Scarf - Primark

Jacket - New Look

Bag - H&M

Wednesday

Sheer Blouse - Primark

Skirt - H&M last year

Shoes - Primark

Bag - H&M

Thursday: black trousers and a plain top.. wasnt in the mood for pctures etc.. sorry!

Friday

Thought i would show off my favourite earings.. from saisburys!!

Cardigan - Primark

Button up top - H&M

Skirt - H&M last year

Pashmina - random shop

Will do the same next week :)

look whose been lucky...

After the usual happiness i feel when i finish 6th form at the beginning of lunch on a friday.. and a nice sunny walk home i put my key in the lock and couldnt quite open the door as easily.. Then i was greeted by a sight that made my day much better.. a parcel.. on the floor.. addressed to me! FInally after 2 weeks of receieving the initial email my collection 2000 prize had arrived! free make up is by far the best type of make up you could recieve! SO after peeling away the boring brown bag i was greeted by another bag..
I was not aware that i would be getting a cute little make-up bag included in my prize and so this will definitley come in handy for having in my bag! I then opened up the make up bag to find three little treats waiting inside..

 The waterproof skyscraper mascara in black..

Which has an uncanny resemblance to the maybelline lash stilletto packaging...

but very different brushes.

i tried this out on my lower lashes as i already had mascara on and it gave a lovely fanned out effect.. cant wait to use it properly!
I also recieved the collection 2000 shimmer shades brick in number 1; way to glow

This also reminds me of their shimmer & shade products which were sadly discontinued but a different appearance...

My last treat is a very vibrant lipstick in Mango Tango.. may be a little bright for me but i will find a way to make it work!

Thanks again collection 2000 for my lovely prize..

Laura xx

Similarities

stop. take a breath. and realise what you want.

Okay so im sitting here at half ten writing a blog post because i get inspiration at the most random of times. Safe to say after reading a few blog posts about back to school and it being so horrific i have to say im in agreement.. after finding out i did second to worst in politics after actually revising.. and my best friend deciding she was leaving after all of about 10 minutes safe to say i havent really been in the best of moods.. least of all to be blogging. But today I think i kind of realised a few things
1. after years of my mum telling me.. after this year everyone i know will be dotted around the country and in all fairness i doubt i will say two words to most people i know now again. Its quite a depressing thought but at the end of the day its life.. we all move on, go our own seperate ways and we should really just be making he most of the time we spend with each other (so cliche i know)
2. we spend 14 years of our lives (excluding uni) in education and after recieveing grades i wasnt all that impressed with i think i finally ave been given the kick up the backside to actually have motivation to do well at the end of this year. After deciding Uni probably isnt the best place for me im going to need some decent a level results to get me somewhere in life that isnt behind a supermarket till (just to make sure pople are aware this isnt me saying its a shitty job.. im saying i want to achieve higher)however i have yet to decide where this will be..
3. The world of blogging seems to have become very tainted and there seems to be a lot of hate. There also seems to be a lot of events and PR freebies around too and in all fairness the fun of blogging seems to be slowly sucked out.. ad there are a few bloggers that seem to blog more fior their followers than they do for them.. which i have no objection to.. i just wish there were more bloggers with personality behind their posts..
4. sometimes, no matter how right you know you are its time to give up fighing a losing battle and let people find out the hard way that unless you put any effort in, your not going to get very far in life. Instead of standing up for others and trying to make them see the light.. you need to focus that energy on yourself and be selfish sometimes.. no point crying over someone elses mistakes.
5. just be yourself. after years of being put in a box, or being held back into someones image of who i used to be.. today i actually felt free enough that my true personality wasnt just being spread through some words on a blog but actually through me. its very easy to lose yourself in your friends and to not change from that person you were when you met them... but its also just as easy to come out of that shell of yourself and try to let the true you be seen. this is my aim from now on.

Im not sure how well this blog post will be recieved, in fact im not sure why i even wanted to write it.. but like i said inspiration comes from the most random places and this blog is about me, my thoughts and my life.  so until next time.. laura xx

i get by with a little help from my friends

Well my bedroom has now been redecorated and all bar a couple of minor things is finished! new furniture, bedding and a fresh coat of paint on the walls.. along with all of this is a new way of being organised.. and so i wondered if my lovely readers would like me to post a room tour complete with how i organise my wardrobe to my makeup storage and a glance at my books and dvds..????? please comment below..

i would also like to ask what kinds of posts you would like to see on here because where im distancing myself from the beauty community slightly i want to include a variety of posts and videos.. yes im contemplating braving the video!!! anyway i just wanted feedback from my lovely readers as to wht it is the like to read, and see if its the kind of thing i want to write so pleasseeeeee comment :) xxx

After that big haul i did a couple of weeks back.. i have shopped again but unfortunately this isn't a haul post. I think maybe its time for me to admit to being a shopaholic. anyone who follows me on twitter and is up late at night may have seen my ramblings about how much i loved to shop.. I cant find my tweets (i tweet too much and it would take forever to find them!) but safe to say i sounded like i belonged in shopaholics anonymous (any of you who have seen confessions of a shopaholic or have read the book will be aware of what im talking about...) well i thought now was time for a confession.. my name is Laura, im 17 years old and i am a shopaholic. done. it wasn't difficult.. but what is difficult is the fact i now have no money... no job... and an insatiable urge to shop. i am going from a 2 door wardrobe to a 4 door wardrobe (i have a tiny room and would rather have the wardrobe space than draws for clothes) and worry that when i eventually do get a job.. i will need a seperate room for my clothes. Im not a silly spender of money, i only buy the things i see that are worth getting or that are ridiculously cheap and dont make a difference either way.. so at least i have it under control in a way... however there are those moments of weakness when you see something.. and you know you just have to have it.. and then you look at the price and think hmm thats a bit pricey. This is when i leave it to fate. i place the item somewhere in the shop and return at the end of the day.. or the following day or even the following week.. if the item is still there, in my size i take it as fate for me to buy it.. if it isnt i feel sad for a while.. then find something else to spend the money on. anyway i dont really think that this blog post has all that much of a point.. i just thought i would confess to being a bit of a shopaholic and hope that some of you are the same.. and maybe im not so bad after all!

until next time.. laura xx

some things are better left unsaid.. or not

This is a blog post addressing a few things, for those of you who follow me on twitter (@09lauraspain) you will be aware I am leaving the beauty blogging community .. but before you all cheer that that girl who rambled on for pages without having a point has left.. I thought I would tell you I will still be blogging.. just a bit more about me and my life and a lot less about make-up. This is for several reasons mainly being my lack of motivation to blog about make up (despite my love for it) also the fact I don’t have the money to fund products to blog about combined with the fact it doesn’t really reflect me as a person because make up is such a small part of my life! So my new blog.. which I am so sorry to anyone who I practically forced to follow .. is now going to be gone.. I know I started it only the other day but right now it just seems unnecessary so to any of you reading this on my ‘all things made up’ blog.. make sure you are now following my other blog ‘follow laura’s rainbow’ because I’m going back to having one blog (same goes to my 3 book blog followers)

I would also like to apologise for disappearing again, what with the exam results looming last week (which I do not want to discuss) and then being disappointed with them, and then coming to my dad’s for 10 days since and him having no internet for the first few blogging was not an option.. and I’m also (as much as I love to write) not going to feel pressured by my lack of blogging into blogging.. I think there is nothing worse than a blog post which is anything less than heartfelt and meaningful! Sorry to those who disagree. So I can’t promise anything on the regularity of my blogs because it all depends what I feel like and when.

I sound so unoptimistic in this post and I’m so sorry about that, I think this post has been a while overdue though and  I think it was just best to make this decision and see where I go from here. On a more positive note my room at my mums house has been decorated since I left and my furniture comes less than 48 hours after I return.. happy me J and I just won a collection 2000 competition.. I think.. I hope it wasn’t a spam/scam email anyway JJJ and also my dad has just moved into a new house.. well actually it’s a 300 year old thatched cottage (like the ones you see in homes magazines.. or will be when its decorated) and I reminds me of the one Alice grows into in the Disney ‘Alice in wonderland’.. (which for all of you unaware is my favourite story/selection of films and books ever) . So hopefully you will see more of my posts around.. but maybe you won’t (MUST STAY OPTIMISTIC)  but I will more likely post from next Monday (but back to school might slow things down again.. ooh on this note because I’m not going to UNI this is my last ever back to school.. from then on it will be shorter holidays and work no doubt but still this makes me even happier!!!

Until next time… Laura x

Collective Haul

This post is going to be very picture heavy! so apologies in advance... Well back on the 26th July it was my birthday and i had asked for money as I was planning on getting driving lessons (it was my 17th) but then i had over £250 burning a hole in my pocket and i thought realistically that i would get about 10 lessons from that and even though my mum offered to pay for the rest it wasnt very fair on her. And so Im postponing the driving lessons until i get myself a job (believe me im trying, and its proving very difficult! and im looking specificlly for waitressing jobs..) And so with my £250 i have tried to buy as much as i can and unbelievably i still have about £60 left!!! I have been sensible with this money and have got rather a lot to show for it so here are my buys!

CLOTHES/SHOES/SCARF

New Look:

I normally hate a new look sale but i have found 4 pretty good bargains and in my size surprisingly. however some of the prices im a little unsure of because i have taken the labels out (sorry) 

First find is this lovely denim looking skirt with a stripy elasticated waistband, this is high waisted and so pretty and flattering. and i think this was about £8 and i was sold! I had been looking for a skirt like this for ages and its definitley one of those pieces which i dont see going out of 'fashion' for a while and its definitley very 'me'

My second find is this very delicate looking white dress/long top it is about a size too big typically but i think it fits me just right and is an ideal length to wear with leggings (bit too short to wear along.. and also a bit too see through)  and although you need a vest top under the top part it is so pretty and flattering and lovely with a skinny plaited belt around the waist... even better it pairs nicely with my skirt above!! this was about £12

My next bargainous find is this blouse type top, i never really attempted the pussybow blouse and finding this have found it might be a safer alternative for me as well as being ideal for me to wear to school tucked into a skirt, i love the cute side bow and the pattern on it is so cute! This was reduced from £20 to £6.. like a quarter of the price! so impressive...

My final piece of Clothing i picked up was this cute coat/jacket.. its going to be ideal for back to school when it gets a bit colder, i also think it looks quite smart as well as looking adorable! the buttons arent my favourite but it was only £9 and they can easily be covered up with a scarf (this was originally about £35)

My final thing i bought from new look was a pair of shoes. I had my eye on these when they were full price as i have wanted a pair of white wedges for a while, And then they were in the sale, and in my size, and I fell in love. I picked these up for £12, have yet to wear them though as they are rather high.. i will find an occasion though!

Primark:

Normally i pick up a few things in primark, and have tried a few things on in there lately but in all honesty i dont think some of their things are worth the money for their quality so i only have three things to show you today

I only purchased one full price item which is actually a bit of a basic; a pair of leggings... however they arent your typical black leggings, they are actually a navy/grey pair (i tried thinking of a word like 'greige' for navy gray.. and all i could think of was gravy....) however sometimes i think black leggings can be a bit harsh and so i have these instead.. these were £3

The other clothing item i picked up in primark was this dress that was in the sale for only £2, i liked it apart from the buttons which i have since cut off to make it much nicer.. cant wait for a sunny day (bit hopeful i know) to wear it.. might even be able to get away with it length wise for school....

I also picked up these gorgeous earrings which Sara Walker mentioned in her haul video and were a bargain at £1.50 and i love love love them.. i now am an earring obsessed girl constantly looking in the jewellery section!

Final buy from primark was this gorgeous scarf.. i love it and it was reduced to £1.. why i dont know!!! how i never saw it before is a mystery too

Internacionale:

I only have a couple of things which i will show as one.. im not an internacionale fan, i think there clothes are quite overpriced for their quality and i think there is a level of 'tackiness' that comes across when im in there.. maybe its the dodgy covers of chart music? but when i went in with my sister i saw this black basic summer dress for £9.99 which i think is overpriced for the fact it is so basic! but it was on a 'mix and match 2 for £10' offer and so i picked the same one up in pink.. they are ideal with a skinny belt at the waist and a pair of sandals of flip flops

Peacocks:

I always go into peacock expecting to find something i like, and i never do.. maybe its my local one? like internacionale everything is that bit overpriced for what it is and i think a lot of it looks a bit copycat of other high street clothes that are a bit more expensive.. as a result they dont look as nice! but anyway i found a top in the sale which isnt my size but as a result is long enough for me to wear with leggings... as long as i wear  vest top underneath so the whole world isnt exposed to my underwear! it was around £4 i think.. not sure though and its very summery!

Debenhams:

This isnt a shop i tend to venture into very often but i did to look at make-up and came across a sale rail that was £15 and under.. and then i clapped eyes on this dress. Perfectly summery, my size and under £10.. (about £7 but im not sure) and even better it was £18 pound off!!!i tried it on and snapped it up..i now go into a debenhams whenever theres one around in hope of finding another bargain.. its by a company called 'Mela Loves London' which i havent heard of before but i love it!!

MAKE-UP/HAIR etc

Poundland:

Not wanting to sound like a complete cheapskate here but when i want spomething, the first polace i look is poundland, in this case it was velcro rollers. I had been desperatley wanting some for a while and i popped in and they had packs of 12 for £1, admitadley i only wanted the larger ones in the set but i thought it was good value for money and picked up for sets.. two pink and two black and i have used them out and i love them, definitley wouldnt bother paying a lot of money out for them now! the brand that makes them is called allura i believe

Primark:

My local primark doesnt seem to stock any of the make-up or anything like that sadly but one thing it does stock is the fake tan glove.. mine had fallen apart and i was in desperate need of a new one PLUS i love the colour.. hopefully it does a nice job!

Superdrug:

I have picked up a few bits from superdrug lately.. as any make-up addict does ..

First i picked up three of the 2true products to try out; the matte foundation in shade 1, all over natural bronzing powder and a french manicure white nail varnish. I cant say i have high hopes for the foundation but im hoping it will be good as a general foundation when im popping out somewhere or something.

There was also a 2 for £5 on selected collection2000 products when i went in and so picked up a new 24hour felt tip liner in black.. this is my favourite! and the new creme puff lip cream in Fairy Cake.. it smells amazing!!!!!!

The barry M nail paints were 2 for £5 as well so i picked up the shades navy (which i am now in love with) and also Bright purple which i have yet to try out!

Another beauty addict must-have i have picked up is the MUA heaven and Earth palette which has become my most used piece of make up ever! so many looks to be created! love Love LOVE

Finally i picked up the Maybelline Superstay 24h foundation however it is a tiny bit dark for me (damn shop lighting) and so i mix it with my healthy mix at the moment! its about £9-£10

Amazon:

I have been after the Babyliss Glamour Waves curling iron forever.. and i finally got my hands on it.. at less than £15 on amazon with their free supersaver delivery and i have found my new favourite piece of hair electonics.. i love babyliss hair tools and this has just confirmed my love!

Soryy for the longggggggg post.. hope you enjoyed seeing what i have picked up lately.. lots of reviews and outfits posts to come :)

sorry about the bad photo quality

follow my new blog.. beauty posts will no longer be on here at the end of the month 

until next time

Laura xxxx

Want an organised wardrobe?

Any of you that have every watched clueless (yes that 90s film with mike from friends) will be aware of  that wardrobe with the touchscreen (did they have touch screen in the nineties??) computer for her to mix and match clothes and it even tells her if it matches or not? and we all have to admit to being guilty of wanting one of them (just without the bulk) .. if you dont know what im talking about GO AND WATCH THE FILM!!!
Well it seems those of us guilty of wanting such an invention have had out prayers answered.. except this comes in the form of an app for the iPhone/Ipod.. its called stylebook (find them on twitter here) it costs around the £2 . 50 mark which for an app may be a little pricey.. but for organisation its amazing!

Here is there video.. (they also have video tutorials on how to use the app on their youtube channel.. (link here)

In brief for you all it is essentially an app which helps you to categorize your wardrobe and put looks together.. it comes with sections (tops;blouses,tshirts..dresses;sundresses,cocktail dresses) already on it.. if you dont like them you can remove them and add your own! and you take photos on your iphone/ipod/ipad (but it doesnt take up the whole screen) and then upload them to the app (very quickly) nd then you can get rid of the background (if you take a phto on a contrasting background to the clothes then its much more easily done (unlike me who took a picture of a white top on a white background and had to go in and remove the background by hand!) once everything you want is on the app you cn put outfits together and adjust the clothes size. as if this wasnt enough you can use the calender tool on the app to plan when you will wear outfits so you never have that 'what do i wear today?' problem! i believe it also tells you how many times you have worn something too. ANOTHER point about the app is that you can put in any inspiration to the app such as blogs and pictures that sum up your personal style. Like i said this app is ideal for girl (and boys too!) who have too many clothes they lose track of them all.. the only downside is that it can be time consuming if you have a few too many clothes to take pictures and remove the backgrounds of them all! but thionk of the time it saves you having to try on a million outfits in the morning?

I really recomend this app to anyone with an ipod or iphone or ipad, not only is it useful and very organisational but its fun putting together outfits using your own clothes without the hassle of trying everything on.. the only real difference between this and that contraption in clueless is that it doesnt tell you what looks right! (oh and there is not picture of you on it!)

I hope this wasnt too rambly and actually made sense

to those reading this on my 'lauras in wonderland' blog please click here nd follow my new beuty blog because at the end of the month i will stop posting all beauty related posts on this blog!!!

until next time
laura xxx

UPDATE

My new beauty blog is up and running follow it: its called 'All Things Made Up' i changed my mind since last night and will not be putting beauty posts on here after the end of august  .. please also give feedback on my new blog designs on if you prefer how it used to be etc... sorry for the changing of things around, im just one of those super organised people and i didnt like the unorganisedness of my blog before! hope you like it..

ALSO i have a book blog, reading is one of the things i love! i probably spend more on books than i do on make-up so if any of you like to read then follow my book blog 'time for a bedtime story'

thank you anyone who follows either of these blogs.. sorry again for the hassle
until next time laura xxx

If you havent noticed already i have changed the appearance of my blog.  This is for several reasons, but mainly i like a change. I have also decided to take away the beauty blogger status of this blog and it is just a general use blog for me where i can post anything and everything i want.. and this is where the explanation gets a bit complicated.. i also have two new blogs; a make-up/fashion/etc specific blog call allthingsmadeup.blogspot.com which is currently under construction and a book blog called timeforabedtimestory.blogspot.com which is also under construction. all the posts from these two blogs will feature on here as well but because i want to make this a more 'generic' (for lack of a better word) blog which feautures things that i want to write about that dont apply to the other two blogs such as cooking, views on recent events, my love for film, weekly/monthly/whenever i bother roundups. I would love for you to follow the other two blogs if you want to.. and in future you can access them through the page buttons above! i figured that although this has made thins more complicated for me, for my beauty followers/bookish followers its simpler because you can just find the posts you want at a click of a button rather than looking in amongst the other rubbish i will doubtlessly post! excuse the randomness of my two new blogs at the moment .. havent quite got round to sorting them out but they will look identical to this so they simply look like extra pages.

sorry for the babbling and rambling and making this seem 1000000 times more complicated than it is, i just thought i would tell you all about the changes taking place! after all i want this blog to reflect me entirely and not partially.

until next time... Laura xx