Tuesday, 29 September 2015

Catch Up!

So I'm throwing it back at least more than a month now as I have been unbelievably busy to keep you updated at the time, totally my fault! The next couple of blog posts will feature all of what I got up to over summer.

To begin, I re-visited Lourdes for the second year to participate in the Liverpool Archdiocese Pilgrimage. We left on the 23rd July and came home on the 31st July - with a 26 hour coach journey there and back, it was very tedious to say the least!

As with last year, we had pilgrims throughout our time there and catered for their needs and it was so lovely to spend quality time with them and get to know all about their lives. In fact, we even met some pilgrims who were also from Chorley - I bet we bump into them in Morrisons while shopping!

Here are a selection of photos from my time there...
















Monday, 31 August 2015

Oops...

So it has been the LONGEST time since I last posted on here but I promise I do have reasons for that!

Summer 2015 has been the busiest summer I have probably ever had. I wish I had all the time in the world to catch you up on however it's my Duke of Edinburgh expedition tomorrow so I do have to get an early night (it's 11:30 now). 

Once I'm back, I will be returning with lots of blog posts for you and catch you up with everything I've been up to. But for the time being I just thought I'd let you know I am alive, despite not showing it! Apologies!

Hope you have all had a fun-filled summer and I can't wait to catch you up.

Love,
Hannah x

Monday, 15 June 2015

MAC Purchases!

So, a couple of days back, I decided that now my skin had cleared up and my breakouts were getting less and less frequent that I would splurge out on some high-end make-up. I took a little visit onto MAC's website and found myself lost in their endless supply of gorgeous make-up.

I managed to restrain myself from buying everything that I would have liked (it probably would have cost an extravagant amount of money) and decided to start off by purchasing the basics.

So, I treated myself to the 'MAC Studio Fix Fluid' in 'NC20', the 'MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme' in 'Dirty Blonde' and the 'MAC Matte Lipstick' in 'Velvet Teddy'. Here below is a photo of those products.


If you do love MAC, then you probably will already have such staples in your collection already. However, I am beginning to chose to spend my money on high-end make-up rather than clothes as my wardrobe is getting very very full. The Studio Fix (foundation) cost £21.50, the brow gelcreme cost £15.50 and the lipstick also cost £15.50. They are quite expensive compared to the prices of drugstore make-up but I do have to say they are definitely worth the money and I would recommend purchasing these items if you are looking to start up a high-end make-up collection!

I hope this helps any of you interested in developing your make-up kit.

Love,
Hannah x

Sunday, 31 May 2015

Drugstore Make-up Best Bits!

I thought it would be an interesting forum topic to discuss what brand is best for what. I thought I’d focus it on drugstore for now as the all the make-up in the entire world would be a bit of a tough one to whittle down and once I got thinking there were more than a few brands that came to mind when I thought of particular product categories…

The Best for Foundation… now it’s a toss-up between L’Oreal and BourjoisL’Oreal have their True Match Foundation offering which is a universally adored medium to full-coverage, skin-like finish formula; plus there’s their Lumi Magique line which I always forget about but really do quite like. Then for Bourjois all of their ‘Healthy‘ ones are good and I love their Happy Light. Good skin in a bottle right there.

The Best for Concealer… I think Maybelline for this one. I recently picked up their Master Conceal when I was in the US and it’s a tube of full coverage cover-up goodness and their Eraser Eye Concealer is fab too. Slightly lighter in texture and the applicator is a little bizarre, but it gets the job done.

The Best for Eyes… in terms of actual shadows I really like the L’Oreal ones. There’s the Colour Infallible Eyeshadows, the La Palette Nude and the newly released Colour Riche Mono Eyeshadows. But if we’re talking pencils then it’s all about Rimmel. I love their Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajals in basically every colour and the Shadow Paint version of them is great too.

The Best for Cheeks… when I think of cheeks, I think of Sleek. They now do amazing palettes that have highlight/blush/contour in – the lot – but their individual blush colours are great and I really do like their Contour Kit. It’s a classic.

The Best for Mascara… It’s got to be Max Factor. Though I did love one from L’Oreal, since they discontinued it the only other drugstore one that I’ve reached for is Max Factor’s False Lash Effect Waterproof Mascara. Oh and I used their Masterpiece one back in the day too – great for separation.

The Best for Lipsticks… I reckon I’d have to go with Bourjois for this one. Now only are their Rouge Edition Lipsticks fab and come in a ridiculously large range of shades, their Rouge Velvet Editions are even better and go down in the books as my favourite drugstore bold offering.

I hope this helps any of you looking to buy some new make-up products!

Love,
Hannah x

Monday, 20 April 2015

Yacht Charter in Palma

During Easter Half Term, I was lucky enough to go on a 3 day charter on a yacht in Palma, Spain with my family and closest family friends.

We arrived in Palma on Sunday afternoon, and stayed in a hotel until Tuesday morning. During our short stay in Palma, we went out for lunch most days and we also visited different places around Palma (typical tourists, sight seeing as much as possible!)






When we boarded the yacht on Tuesday morning, the weather was dull and the sky was covered in clouds but thankfully it cleared up as the day progressed on. We stayed on the Alhena of London, which looks like this...



Above, and below, is a photo of us all before leaving the port. There was myself and my family (mum, dad and brother), the Jacksons (Scott, Sharon and Rachael) and the Holland/Colemans (Diane, Mike, Laura and Sophie). 

A photo of us all with the Captain of the yacht, Jay.
Throughout the charter on the yacht, we went to many different places in Palma and experienced the most amazing views whilst we were there.



Not only were the views amazing, but the staff on board were too. A big meal was provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner from the fantastic chef on board - with the food and the views combined together, there was nothing more perfect and tranquil.

Breakfast on the yacht.

Sophie, Laura, Rachael and I one morning.

The experience was filled with great laughs, great company and great weather... for once! It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience and I will remember those days forever.

For the final night, we all dressed up smartly to celebrate together as it was Scott & Sharon's wedding anniversary on that night.






It really was an indescribable experience and I will cherish the memories spent with my family and closest friends for as long as I can!

Now back to reality and the stress of exams, so much fun...

Love,
Hannah x

Monday, 23 March 2015

Revision

 

My friend just posted this quote on his social media, and it really hit home just how true it is.

It's suddenly motivated me to thoroughly start revising for my exams now, as even though I've been revising, I know I could do more.

Last week, my tutor at college spoke about different revision techniques and how different methods can benefit different people. I find that making mind maps and flash cards with Q&A on really benefit me. I wouldn't say I have a photographic memory, however I can remember where certain things were on a piece of paper - which usually helps me when it comes to exams which is why I like making bright and colourful mind maps to aid this. The flash cards help ensure I have memorised and understood the topic and usually help me remember it even further as I'm not just thinking of the answer, I'm verbally expressing it too.

My first exam starts on the 11th May and hopefully if I put enough effort into my revision, then it will show when it's results day.

I just thought I'd share my revision techniques and tips with you, so that if you were looking for help or inspiration that you've found some. 

Love,
Hannah x

Onwards and Upwards

I have always been one of those people who when they come back from school and college, lay down on my bed and then accidentally end up falling asleep for 2 or 3 hours and then end up wasting the entire night.

Now I know that this is alright if it happens every so often, but it turned into something that was occurring every single night... And it needed sorting.

I tried asking my family why they thought I was so tired and they just based it on me 'not going to bed early enough' (but that's a whole other issue). I then spoke to my friend and he said it's probably because I'm not active anymore.

I used to dance twice a week, every week, however I quit around my GCSE's last May because I didn't have enough time as I was too busy revising. When September came, I initially thought I would go back to dancing but to my shock, after dancing for around 10/11 years and loving it, I didn't even want to go back. So I didn't.

That was the only form of exercise that I did. It kept me relatively fit and helped me maintain a slim figure. Now I do not do dance any longer, I would definitely say my fitness levels have decreased (only slightly), yet my figure hasn't changed... Thankfully!

So, I decided that I needed to stop being so lazy and do some exercise to help regain my fitness and also, to help me stay more active and hopefully, be more awake. I now go on runs every once or twice a week, and tend to run about 5 or 6 miles each time. Although to some that may not be a signifant amount, to me it is a good start. I can already tell a difference in my fitness, as I can now run faster and for longer. When it comes to how sleepy I am, I'm slowly but surely improving. I can now come home from college and for what feels like the first time in ages, I can actually stay awake and make productive use of my time by revising for my AS exams.

I would definitely recommend that if you become extremely tired like me that you either try and get more sleep during the night (yet I do understand that for some teenagers that's an impossible task - me being one of them) or try being more physically active.

I also feel that changing my diet can have a positive impact on the way that I feel. I am an absolute sucker for chocolate, I love love love it! But I've realised that eating a lot of it doesn't help me, it's gives me energy for a short period yet I feel tired after it. Whereas, if I ate fruit or healthy snacks, my body is provided with a continuous amount of energy which lasts longer. Therefore, because of this, I have gotten into the habit of making fruit smoothies 3 times a week for me to drink instead of eating chocolate. It usually consists of: strawberries, bananas, blueberries, frozen yoghurt and ice. It makes a thick consistency drink and the ice makes it cold and fresh. It is definitely something I would recommend introducing into your diet, because not only is it fun to make by experimenting with what fruits taste good with one another, it's also delicious! 

Hopefully if I can maintain all these healthy and active ideas then I will be able to see and feel the benefits. I recommend that you try them with me too! 

Love,
Hannah x

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Love Exclusive Photo Shoot

Yesterday, to celebrate my cousin's 16th birthday, my mum arranged for myself and Emma to have a MAC makeover and photo shoot at Love Exclusive in Manchester.

We arrived in the afternoon, to be greeted with champagne (for my mum and auntie) and cupcakes for Emma and I (which were delicious!). We then had our make-up done by two make-up artists whilst having our hair and nails done too. After being all styled up, we went into 'wardrobe' where all our chosen outfits for the shoot had been hung up and were ready for us to wear.

Shoot One


Dress - Topshop
Shoes - Kurt Geiger
Watch - Michael Kors
Bracelet - Thomas Sabo





Emma and I

Shoot Two


Watch - Michael Kors

Top - Topshop
Jeans - Topshop
Shoes - Topshop





Shoot Three


Playsuit - Topshop
Shoes - New Look









Necklace - Swarovski
Watch - Michael Kors

Shoot Four





Top - Topshop
Shorts - A shop from Spain
Shoes - New Look
Watch - Michael Kors
Bracelets - Both Thomas Sabo

So, there are the photos of myself and me and Emma together from the photo shoot. I had such an amazing day and loved spending the time with not only my cousin, but my best friend too. I hope you enjoyed looking at all photos.

Love,
Hannah x