Let's Talk About: Taking a Gap Year & Leaving Home ♡

Hello everyone and welcome back! ♡

I know I've been insanely bad at posting anything on here but I'm going to try posting every month!

I had an idea to start a new series on my YouTube channel (click here to go to it) but as I filmed the video I realised what I want to say is better in text format. It's called "Let's Talk About". I wanted to discuss things I've been asked about and my personal advice. There will hopefully be a few more posts in this series so keep your eyes peeled!

This post is dedicated to my gap year that I did in 2015-2016. I have about 6 points to make on this topic because I think they're super important if you want to take a gap year.

So, let me give you guys a brief summary of my year out. I finished school in July 2015 and didn't really have a massive idea of what I wanted to do. I'd applied for deferred entry for my uni and so I had a year to do what I wanted. I knew I wanted to travel and go to Australia as I had never been before and it was a country I was really interested in. I told my mum that I needed a year away from school and education to really see what life is like (being in the same school for 7 years really puts things out of perspective).

So from there on I began to save, I sold stuff on eBay and at car boot sales to raise money. I sold my car *cries* and I made enough money. Now, I was originally going to go with a girl in my class at school but after a messy fall out I went alone.

This brings me onto my first point:

1. It's always better to travel with someone.

I know this now, as I spent a 23 hour flight next to a stranger. I am an independent person so things like that didn't massively bother me but I did get lonely ever so often and that is when I would have benefitted from having a friend from home. I was lucky enough to meet some lovely people in Sydney who I still stay in touch with to this day and they were very supportive and kind while I was out there. But there were still days where I felt down and because of time difference I rarely could just FaceTime a friend whenever I wanted to. I planned to stay in Sydney for 6 months but I cut my trip short and came home after 3 mainly because I missed my family and friends, had I had someone with me it might have gone differently.

2. Plan your year.

Omg, I cannot emphasise enough how much you need to do this. Like most things in life, planning makes it more fun and much less stressful. I know a few people who didn't plan their gap years and they just stayed at home all day and maybe got a job about 4 months into the year. PLAN PLAN PLAN! After I came back from Aus, Tomi and I planned to fly to America so I went out and got a 2 jobs to help me save up for that trip which meant I wasn't sitting at home bored.

3. Pay for everything yourself.

Okay so, I know these seems like a stupid idea when Bank of Mum and Dad can finance your trip right? NO! If you go to an interview and they ask you how you funded your trip to some far away country that requires expensive flights, you're going to look like a right idiot when you say that your parents paid for everything. Also, you have absolutely no sense of achievement when it's all paid for by someone else, that feeling of 'I've paid for everything so I deserve to have fun' is completely absent so PAY YOURSELF even if it means slaving away at a job you hate, I promise it will be worth it in the end.

So, enough of that gap year stuff, if you have any questions then don't forget to comment. Onto leaving home and living at uni.

I've realised with moving into my uni accommodation that there a few steps that I needed to take in order to meet people but unlike school where you just make friends, in adult life you have to try a little harder. My first point is:

1. Do stuff to meet people.

So when I moved in on my first day at my accommodation, I left my door open all day to see if anyone who lived in my corridor wanted to say hi or anything. That was a no show so I decided to post a note in my neighbour's letter box and see if she wanted to meet. At first, I had no reply although I could clearly hear her in her room next door. I thought maybe she had friends and didn't want to chat to me. I came home one day and there was a little note and a package by my door, it was from my neighbour and she'd left me some cakes! We went out a few weeks later to a nice bar and we still stay in touch. So that brings me onto my second point which is:

2. Be there first person.

In my instance, being the first person kept me in good stead. I know it can be scary when you don't know anyone and everyone seems to know each other but trust me, when you sit down next to that person, they are going to be as scared as you are, maybe even more! So always, always be the first person to say hi and introduce yourself.

3. Don't be on your own.

This is a hard one to talk about because being alone is important sometimes but also finding someone to spend time with is too. So if you're someone who finds it difficult to be alone, then go and seek out friends. I created a group chat for a few friends in my accommodation and we hang out on weekends and it's good, especially if you're home sick, to be distracted and hang out with people.

So, I hope you all enjoyed this post about uni and life, let me know if you'd like more posts in this series!

Until next time,

Beffy xo ♡

What I Wore in Dubai ♡

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS! ♡

Welcome back to my blog, if you've never read it before then welcome and I hope you enjoy what you're about to read.

So, I've been having a little think about New Year's resolutions and mine is to definitely write on here more. How about you guys? Comment your resolution below if you have one.

As it's 2017, it's my parents' 25th wedding anniversary and so they decided to have a little trip to Dubai. They invited me and lo and behold, we went there for 4 days and 3 nights. It was so lovely to have a little escape from the bleak winter landscape of the UK, if only for a few days!

So, we few out on 2nd and came back on 5th, the flight was about 7 hours which is pretty fast when you watch 3 movies. We arrived and drove to out hotel, the Grand Hyatt. It is a huge hotel and so aesthetic!

Anyway, enough of the boring stuff, this post is dedicated to what I wore on my trip. Much like many Arab countries, dressing conservatively is the code so hot pants and crops tops aren't really appropriate. I wanted to appreciate their culture and dress codes and so I bought some longer dresses and skirts.

DAY 1:

I'm wearing a marl grey maxi dress from Boohoo and a shirt from the kid's section in Zara (click the names of the shop to find the item). My sandals are from TopShop and they are literally the comfiest sandals in existence.

I picked this outfit because the dress is a simple but flattering shape and I added the shirt to keep the sun off my shoulders but also as an extra layer for the Arctic cold air con that is in the shopping malls and hotels.

DAY 2:

Now, this dress is from a market in Cambodia brought back for me from a friend, I couldn't find any match for it but I wore it as a beachy kind of dress, that you'd wear a swimming costume under. I also wore a shirt or cardigan over my shoulders as it's more respectful to not show the shoulders.

DAY 3:

I really dig this outfit, this plain black top is from Gap and the skirt is from Boohoo, the sandals are as before but I also paired this outfit with a pair of black converse and it looked pretty cool. My hat is from Debenhams and the shades are from Cotton On.

The outfits are pretty cheap, they wouldn't have cost more than £35 each which is a bargain.

I had an absolutely amazing time, swimming with dolphins and seeing the famous sights. I feel very lucky to have had the experience. 

Here's a little shot I took of the sunset in Dubai on my last evening.

Love you little nuggies and happy 2017!!

Beffy xo ♡

Fabulous Foundations For All Seasons ♡

Ahola lil nuggies!

I realise it's been 3 months since I last wrote a post on here and I hate to be cliche, but I've been so busy with starting uni and all that.

So, I've decided to dedicate this post to foundations. I personally find it so hard to find the right foundation for each time of year so I've put together the best foundations I've ever used and made one for each season to keep your skin looking amazing all year round!

1. Spring Skin

L'Oreal Infallible High Protection

So, this foundation is my go-to for spring time. It keeps my face fresh looking, glowy and definitely not cakey. This foundation offers a perfect coverage without being heavy. Sadly, L'Oreal don't make this specific type anymore but I bought the L'Oreal True Match foundation which seems to be the same. It has a lovely glowy finish.



2. Summer SPF

No.7 Matte Mousse/ No.7 Essential Moisture Foundation

So I know that in the summer we all get a bit sweaty and we still want to look matte and gorgeous and avoid that shiny nose. The matte mousse foundation is exactly what you need to achieve just that! It has light to medium coverage (depending on how heavily you apply) and it stays put all day. It doesn't have that really heavy feeling and blends perfectly.

Alternatively, the Essential Moisture foundation provides a medium coverage, combined with SPF 15, it keeps you protected from those harsh UV rays all day. It can be a little sticky and does leave that 'dewy' look but add a little bit of matte finishing powder and you're ready to look gorgeously matte on those warm summer days.





3. Fall Foundation

Stila All Day Coverage

I personally find Autumn a bit of an awkward time of year, the weather can be so unpredictable with cold mornings but warm nights. Stila's foundation covers all the different types of weather and stays on throughout (even when those surprise showers hit). It is definitely a medium to heavy coverage foundation that lasts all day and night. It can be more than a little difficult to take off at the end of the day but that is just a small point.



4. Winter Wonder

Smashbox Studio Skin

I was a little reluctant to pay £29.00 just for a bottle of foundation but now I know why it's so expensive. The foundation lasts for 15+ hours, blends amazingly and smells like suncream. It works a treat for my combination skin. It doesn't wear off on the nose even though my nose is usually quite oily during the day. It's perfect for the freezing winter days as it doesn't rub off or transfer onto any of your clothes. I tend to prefer cheaper, drugstore foundations but this is definitely a winner.


So, I hope this has made your quest for the best foundation a little easier, let me know in the comments below if you did!

Until next time,

Beffy xo

To Shave or To Wax, That is the Question ♡

Hello my lil beauty nuggies! ♡

Since it's the summer, we are all required to remove hair from every part of our anatomy and I mean EVERY part. But the real question is, should we shave or wax?

Firstly, let's take a quick look at the pros and cons of either ritual. 

Shaving is pretty quick and easy but I find that my hair grows back faster than anything, plus my legs feel like little pink cactuses when my hair begins to grow back (which seems to be in a few days). Also last time I shaved, all those centuries ago, I ended up cutting my ankle on a little vain and it bled out like a red Satanic waterfall let me tell you!

Waxing, well it's pretty messy and sticky and you've basically got to devote one whole evening a month to waxing every inch of your body, however my hair takes basically a month to grow back so it's pretty easy to just leave everything for while. Plus, it can be so itchy as your hairs grow back. Also you should probably have a pretty high pain tolerance because it literally rips your hairs from your skin, it's deffo not for the faint hearted!

So, what products are the best? Hair removal in any form is always expensive. Cheap razors seem to only last for one or two shaves and cheap wax strips last for about one rip which is ridiculous. 

At the moment, I use the BIC disposable razors. They're an actual bargain for a pack of 5 (£1.00) and they tend last longer than the more expensive ones. You can buy them here.

For waxing I tend to splash out. I have tried the Boots own brand wax strips as they're cheaper than the branded ones. However, these strips last one wax and then completely lose stickiness. Now I know that buying a big packet of 40 strips from Veet's own brand is a better idea. The strips last for about 3-4 good waxes and stay stickier for longer. The 40 packs are usually £13.20 but last time I bought on sale, reduced to £6.99- BARGAIN!

But what about aftercare, I hear you say. Well, I find ingrowing hairs are my worst enemy. Not only do they create little red dots on your legs, they are also incredibly itchy. 

Solution? Grab a body exfoliator, I use the Body Shop's Green Tea Body Scrub (Check out my Green Tea Collection blog post here for more info), and I just give my legs a good scrub in the opposite direction of hair growth. This also satisfies any itching you may have. Once I'm done, I just check my legs over in case I've missed any hairs, (if I have, I then grab a pair of sharp tweezers and tackle those stubborn hairs!) and if not, I apply some moisturiser. Right now, I either use Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter or the Body Shop Green Tea Moisturiser. (bet you didn't see that one coming!)

Now some urban myths about hair removal that we need to put to rest. 

1) When you shave your legs, the hair grows back thicker- WRONG! When you shave, you split the hair at the root so actually it grows back as two hairs, it may look thicker but it isn't. 

2) When you wax, your hair grows back thinner each time- CORRECT! You're essentially ripping their hair from the root so it grows back thinner and paler each time.

3) Waxing helps exfoliate your skin, removing any dead skin- CORRECT! We often forget when we exfoliate our faces, that the rest of our bodies need some dead skin removal too. Waxing is a really good way of getting rid of all that nasty dead skin that can make your skin seem dry and cracked. 

So, here we have it! I have used other methods such as a hair removal spray foam and the good old fashioned (smelly) cream. These do work but are also messy and so, so smelly!

What do you prefer to use? Pop your answer in the comment box :) 

Until next time baby nuggies ♡

Beffy xo

Sweet as a Peach ♡

HI NUGGIIESS ♡

So, I bought the new limited edition Too Faced Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette. It is a beautiful palette with a lot of nudes and pinky tones. But is it worth all the hype?

It sold out in America pretty fast and because it's limited edition and I don't think Too Faced restocked it, much to everyone's disappointment. However, after waiting 2 extra months for it to be released in the UK, it didn't sell out straight away. In fact, I was so stressed that it would sell out really fast that I was up for half of the night waiting for it to come online so I could buy it.

After being stressed out over this palette for days, it finally came! I was so excited and as I opened the box, everything smelt so peachy, it's a nice smell but I will probably get tired of it because it's VERY sweet.

So onto the actual palette itself. It has 18 colours as you can see in the photo that I took below.

I swatched all of the colours and found that the paler ones are a bit chalky. These colours do have quite a lot of fallout which I think is about the only downside.

The casing it metal based and it's risen in a pattern of peaches with an ombre in pink tones on the top.

Overall, I think this palette is worth buying if you're a Too Faced fan. This is my first Too Faced product but I think I'll definitely be buying more from their range. 

I do have a little first impressions video on this palette on my YouTube channel if you want to watch that.

Until next time my nuggiesss ♡

NYX Matte Lip Creams ♡

HI NUGGIES!

It's SPRING TIME NOW which is very exciting and all the flowers are out!

And since its all colourful this season, I've invested in some colourful lips!

So, I bought 3 of the shades of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams which are £5.50 in Boots. You can buy them here (if you're from the UK).

They have 26 colours all together, ranging from pinks to dark purples to coral oranges. I really love these creams as they are much, much easier to apply than an average lipstick as they don't have a bullet, the actual cream is on a wand. A little colour goes a hella long way and they aren't too drying on the lips like some matte shades.

However, they do take a while to dry which can be annoying if you're in a rush. They have a really sweet vanilla smell which is almost a bit sickly but the actual colour is highly pigmented and stays on all night which I can voucher for. You may need to top up a little when you're eating but if you don't eat these colours stay on a treat!

I am aiming to buy all the shades but as they're a little more expensive than you're average lipstick I'm taking it easy. You can also add some lip liner for a more dramatic look.

Here are some colour swatches, I have Milan, Antwerp and Athens.

And here's what they look like on my lips.

Until the next post my favourite nuggies ♡

Green Tea Products- Yes Please! ♡

Hi lil nuggies!

So it was my birthday last month and I've been waiting to tell you about a product that I got.

The Body Shop just brought out some new collections and one of them is Green Tea.

I'm not a massive tea fan myself (I know, being British and not liking tea is a sacrilege) however, these products are amazing.

So, my friend Daisy bought me a little set of the Green Tea collection including a body butter, shower gel and a body scrub.

I didn't use these products straight away as I already have a Soap and Glory daily moisturiser and I believe in finishing one product before opening the next. So this review is way overdue! However, the size of the little set meant they were portable so I took them with me when I went swimming.

I love going swimming, however I hate it when you still smell of chlorine when you get out of the shower. The little bottle of shower gel eliminated any horrible chlorine smells and made my skin smell so fresh.

Next I used the moisturiser because at this time of year especially, my skin is so dry. After swimming I tend to get quite itchy skin so the body butter was fab. It's very creamy which means a little goes a long way and my skin not only felt soft to the touch but smelt amazing. I always thought the smell of green tea is a bit weird but these products have changed my view on green tea.

I have yet to use the body scrub as I don't exfoliate a lot, my skin is very thin and flakes off a lot and if I over exfoliate it can result in eczema.

Overall, I'd highly recommend this little collection. I don't tend to buy from The Body Shop a lot now as I find it expensive and some of their products either smell too sweet or just don't work, however, I will definitely be purchasing the Green Tea collection again!

Until next time my lil nuggs <3