Long Distance Relationships

First of all, sorry this post is so wordy, there's no pictures to put in it really!! :/

Okay so this is a post that I've been wanting to write for a while - even before I properly started my blog. The main reason is that when me and my boyfriend first started a long distance relationship I searched the internet for AGES to find decent advice and help but barely found any :( but now we're coming to the end of this long distance phase, I think I'm now experienced enough to offer advice and help any other ladies & gents in the same situation!

First, some background info; Callum and I have known each other for around 4 and 1/2 years and have been dating for nearly 2 years. In September 2011, he moved to university near Cardiff, in Wales around 200 miles away from me who had to stay in our home-town to finish my A levels. This means that I went from seeing him practically every other day to every 3/4 weeks. I'm not going to lie - it was hard; for me and him. But we've gotten through it - he's home for summer tomorrow! Here are my top tips for long distance relationships :)

1) Trust. Seem too obvious? Yeah, it may be but it is the MOST important thing to have when starting a long distance relationship. Without it, you'll be a nervous wreck. If you're guy is happy to be in a long distance relationship with you then he must love you and trust you, so you should do the same. Yes, there'll be pretty girls going up to him in bars but you have to trust him to say no or you'll go crazy.

2) Skype and phone calls. I think I would go as far as saying that Skype has saved our relationship. It's amazing, it feels like we're in the same room as each other. I'd definitely recommend getting skype, it's so much better than talking on the phone. On average, I'd say me and Callum skype once or twice a week and talk on the phone nearly every day, even if it's just for 10 minutes, it's lovely to hear his voice and ask about his day :)


3) Don't worry. This kinda links in with the trust part, but yeah. If you're guy is off out on the town, don't worry about him. If he loves you, he'll be faithful :) guys aren't as animalistic as you think they are. Most of the time they're out with other guys anyway who would look out for him, so yeah, just chill :) I'll admit, this will be hard at first but give it time.


4) Make the most of the time you do spend together. Sounds silly but it's true.When you do get to see each other, don't just lay in bed or sit around doing nothing DO SOMETHING, get out there and make the most of the few days you have and make some good memories for you to look back on.


5) Plan in advance to have something to look forward to. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm generally more positive and motivated when I have something to look forward to and work towards. I find it helps knowing when Callum is coming back, so I can count down and look forward to it. But other things like holidays, or even a skype session is something to look forward to and can keep you thinking positive :)

6) Have things of sentimental value close to you. Definitely more of a girly thing, but when I'm down or missing Callum, I love having things that remind me of him close by that make me smile :) I love looking through our holiday photo's from last summer, the teddy bear he won me at Southend, the jewellery he bought me for my birthdays that I wear everyday and other little things like Valentines cards :) these things just instantly cheer me up and remind me why I'm doing this.

7) Give it time. The first week apart is the hardest. After that, it gradually becomes easier as you get used to it. Before you know it 4 or 5 weeks will have flown past, I promise, even if the first 1 has dragged. My advice is to at least wait until you see each other again before ending anything as then you'll realise how much you love him and that all the tears were worth it for that moment when you see him. I know that is mega cheesy but it's true. The moment I saw Callum again after our first 4 weeks apart was the most amazing feeling :)

8) Don't be too dependent on him. Probably my biggest flaw is being too dependent on Callum to make me happy and make me feel secure. This is hard from 200 miles away, so I've had to become more independent and stronger as a person, which is a good thing I suppose :)

9) Talk to each other. I don't mean on the phone, I mean open up to how you're feeling. This is especially important before you start a long distance relationship. Set a basis up so you know where you stand with each other. For example; me and Callum agreed that neither of us would rush into breaking up with one another, and that we would wait until we see each other again and talk things out. If one of you is finding it too hard and wants to end it - definitely consider going on a break first to see how you really feel about each other. Me and Callum went on a break twice during our long distance phase and both times we ended coming back to each other and saying sorry cos we realise how much we mean to each other. More cheesy crap woooo :P

10) Enjoy your life at home. I've found that since Callum moved away, I've made closer friends with other people and this means that I can still have fun without him around. Sounds really mean, but that means you can still have fun too and not stay in at weekend being all sad cos your other half is 200 miles away!

PHEW! I think that's all I have to say :) If you have any questions ask in the comments bit and I'll get back to you!! :)

Thanks so much for reading :)

xoxo

Top 3: Perfumes

Hi :) Thought I'd share my favourite perfumes with you today!


Day to day: Be Delicious by DKNY

I love this :) I've been using it as a daily perfume since Christmas when it was given to me and I love how subtle yet fruity the fragrance is. I feel it just leaves me smelling fresh and clean without leaving a very heavy scent behind. The bottle is okay, I've seen prettier, but I like the shape of it. The silver part tends to get a bit grubby with fingerprints etc, but the green part always looks pristine. The other downside to this is that I find the fragrance fades pretty quickly, as it's so light, which is a shame.

Occasions / Evening: Valentina by Valentino

I wear this out in the evenings or to a special day time event as it's heavier than the Be Delicious but not as heavy as my night time perfume. The staying power of this perfume is immense, I can smell it all night. It becomes more subtle throughout the night, but I don't feel like I need to re apply it which is nice. The fragrance itself is very feminine, and fairly young (would suit late teens to late 20's).

Night time / Clubbing: Pure Poison by Christian Dior

I love this perfume, I've used it for years as a night time party or clubbing fragrance. It is heavy, which some people may not like, but for the right occasion I love it. I would NEVER wear this in the day but at night, it's amazing. Like Valentina, I can still smell this perfume hours after I've applied it - if more subtly but still very noticeable. The bottle is gorgeous, the camera doesn't do it justice as all. I love that at a glance it's white but then you look closer and there's hints of pinks and purples and blues it's so lovely. 

Thanks for reading - be sure to let me know what your favourite perfumes are!

xoxo

Dieting Rant

Just a quick post sorry!! I will post properly soon :)

So, I plan on losing weight before I go on holiday in around 6 weeks time. I'm going on the Slim Fast diet, as I lost a stone on that last year (Google it if you're not aware what it involves; I don't know if it's available in the USA) but I am also trying Zotrim herbal diet pills and more exercise after my exams are over.

If you're interested on how I get on and how I plan to do it please let me know by commenting! I'm a UK size 12 to 14 at the moment and I'm 5 foot 7. How much should I realistically aim to lose?

Please leave some comments!!
xoxo

For reference, if anyone suggest's the Atkins diet, I'm aware it does help people lose lots of weight but I'm a vegetarian and would find that kind of diet very hard.

FOTN: Pub with the Family :)

Off to the pub this evening with my family, thought I'd show you my makeup :)
P

Hadn't done my hair yet sorry!

Face:

• Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer
• Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Buff
• Garnier Anti Dark Circle Eye Roll On in Light
• Rimmel Stay Matte Transparent Powder
• Rimmel Blusher in Pink Rose
• Estee Lauder Bronzer in Bronze Goddess
• Estee Lauder Shimmer Powder in Gold Pearl

Eyes:

• Coastal Scents 88 Warm Pallette
• Estee Lauder Eyeshadow in Mocha
• L'oreal Eyeliner Pencil in Iced Chesnut
• L'oreal Voume Million Lashes in Extra Black

Lips:

• Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Haul: Mostly drug-store!

Hi guys :)
Got a small cosmetics haul to show you, as well as some first impressions of the products! Most of these products are drug-store and are all available in the UK.

1) Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Pro Face Primer; £6.99



Having never tried a foundation primer before, I opted for the cheapest one I could find in my local Superdrug to see if it worked. It claims to smooth, resurface, brighten, mattify and protect your skin as well as prolong foundation wear. Just so you know, it comes out the tube white in colour but rubs in clear :) Having only used this twice, I can only say my first impressions but will continue to use this in order to review it properly. From the times I have used this, I have noticed some difference in the staying power of my foundation, but not as much as I would have hoped. If anyone has any suggestions of a primer that is worth the money and works, please let me know!

2) Rimmel's Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent; £3.99

I was in need of a translucent powder as my previous one was not translucent at all! For my skin tone, this one is :) It claims to mattify your face for up to 5 hours which it doesn't, so reapplication is needed, but at first my face appears matte and clean after applying it. The only downside is that you don't get much product, however the price is reasonable so repurchasing isn't that much of an issue.

3) The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Stain in 01 Rose Pink; £10

I actually got this free with a magazine this month, which is good as I would not have spent £10 on it! It's a really pretty colour, lovely rose pink shade which is relatively build-able but the staying power on the lips is not as good as I would have thought a stain to be. It needs frequent reapplication, but does look very pretty under a gloss. I've only used it once as a cheek stain and it was okay, I just prefer powder or cream blushes. 

4) Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in 025 Peach Parfait; £7.99

 I absolutely love this! I've been wanting to try one of these for ages and it's so worth it! I got a fairly wearable colour which just looks gorgeous on mainly because I wanted to spend the money on something I would actually wear rather than a bright colour that I wouldn't wear. The formula is so soft and buttery (duh!) and it just feels so lovely on the lips. The only down side is the staying power, which is pretty poor but I don't mind reapplying it as it's so easy, you don't even need a mirror!

5) L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara in Extra Black; £10.99

This is my favourite mascara EVER! I've been using it for years now, so this was a re purchase but just thought I'd mention it :) I'll probably do a full review on it though cos it's so amazing! It has the ability to do natural day to day lashes and massive night time ones too which look fake (in a good way!). Absolutely love it and definitely worth the money :)

6) L'oreal Contour Khol Eyeliner Pencil in 135 Iced Chesnut; £4.20

I had been wanting a brown pencil eyeliner for a while, but not just a cheap one, one that is soft around my eyes and easy to blend out. This one is definitely easy to blend, I did hope the colour would be a little darker brown but it's fairly buildable and the colour can be set with a darker eye shadow. It's a nice change from black eyeliner :)

7) Estee Lauder Pure Color Crystal Creme Lipstick in 01 Crystal Baby; £18.50

This is my only high end product I have to show, but isn't it gorgeous?! Yeah, it's a lot of money but for me it's the perfect 'my lips but better' shade and it's so creamy and glossy and I love it! Staying power is good, it doesn't dry out my lips and it looks great. The only down side is the price, which is why I tend to ask for it at Christmas or for my birthday!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray Review

 Shhh, I have a confession... I'm not a natural blonde! But I haven't had my hair highlighted since November 2011, so how come I have barely any regrowth?! I wish I could say that it's magic but it's not :( it's actually this nifty little product I got for Christmas!

It looks like this:

It's from the 'Go Blonder' collection by John Frieda, however this is the only product from that collection I have tried as I've heard some terrible things about the shampoo and conditioner such as FleurDeForce on YouTube who had an allergic reaction to them! Anyway, I love the spray :) It's saved me a load of £££ as I haven't needed to go back to my hairdressers for highlights! 

How does it work? Basically, you spray it onto wet hair and then blow dry your hair. The product is heat activated so the more heat you apply, the blonder you'll go (theoretically). I rarely straighten my hair so I've just been spraying this on my roots maybe once a week and blow drying it and I can definitely see a difference! I usually just spray it on the top of my hair, as I usually wear it down so the under bits don't matter so much.

To prove it works, I have taken a picture of my hair normally and then lifted up so the roots underneath are visible and you can see how much brown regrowth I should have had over my entire head.

As you can see, I would have needed at least one lot of half head highlights to cover this, if not two lots.

Overall, I think this product is great if you need to touch up your roots without needing to spend a tonne of money. I wouldn't recommend this for dying all your hair, and it's always best to go to a hairdresser if you want to go blonde from a drastically different colour. However, if you just want to lighten your hair slightly - then this is for you! It's so much cheaper than the hairdressers - I'd much rather pay £6/£7 for this than £40 odd for half head highlights!

Hope this first review was okay, comment if there's anything you think I can improve and let me know if you have tried this product and whether you love it or hate it!

xoxo

Welcome!

Wow, you made it! Hi :)
If I'm completely honest, I have no idea how to start this but I'll give it a go...

On this blog, there will be hauls and reviews of make-up, skincare, hair care and other beauty products as well as posts about life in general, me in general and things that make me smile :)
From September time, there will be more University based posts and photos of my experiences as a fresher so look out for those! But until then, lets focus on pretty beauty things :)

Make sure to subscribe if you want to keep up to date with this!!!

Thanks :)
xoxo