20 things that make me happy!!!

1. Sunshine - everyones so much more happier and energetic when the sun is shining!

2. Pretty flowers - the more colourful the better!

3. My girl friends - if im ever need a good laugh or cheering up i know all my girl friends are there to make me smile.

4. Family - i love them all so dearly

5. Exercise - hitting my exercise goals and getting those endorphines moving, always makes me happy!

6. Pug gifs - never fail to make me laugh! I want a pug so badly!

7. Disney films 

8. Books - getting lost in a story...

9. Bags - i have a crazy amount of bags!

10. Cuddle / hugs - I never used to be a tactile person but over the past few years this has massively changed and I love a good hug or cuddle now! There's something about it that just makes me feel all warm and gooey. It's also scientifically proven that a good hug raises your endorphines, those happy chemicals so therefore hugs are super good for you! 

11. My 3 dogs - all of whom are completely bonkers

12. Peanut M&Ms

13.Cider - usually drunk along the harbour in the sunshine - perfections

14. A good old G&T.

15. Snail Mail - i love getting hand written letters in the post! Theres just something so lovely about it, hence why i run the snail mail project.

16. The Sea

17. Thor - Hello Chris Hemsworth!

18. Travelling - im so lucky to have seen some amazing places and cant wait to see more of this wonderful world

19. Tea - you cant beat a goof old cuppa!

20. Wedding proposals - i love wasting time checking out wedding proposals on YouTube. They properly make me blub happy tears!

Im raising money for the MS society with my first ever 10k run!

So today I am being super cheeky and am going to ask you wonderful lot if you would like to sponsor me for my first ever 10k run! 

If you read this blog regularly you'll know that I have been on a bit of a fitness journey and have only started running a few months ago. When I say I've started running, I mean I couldn't run a yard without having to stop and catch my breath! So this has been a massive challenge for me, one I set myself as part of my 30 before 30 bucket list! It's been hard going and has taken a lot of work! 

My run is on the 13th September and I've decided to raise money for the MS society. It's a cause that really means a lot for me as my mum has MS. It's a degenerative illness and it's been awful watching it slowly take my mum. It breaks my heart and I would love to help support the MS society continue their amazing work to research MS with the hope to find some sort of cure in the future as well as to continue to offer incredible support to sufferers.

I would love for you all to sponsor me, every penny really does matter and would mean the world to me! You just need to click on MY VIRGIN MONEY GIVING PAGE HERE!

My Summer of Music!

So as I mentioned last week in my grand return to blogging I have been MIA for the past 6 weeks! Where have you been? I hear you ask! Well I have been having a super summer of fun! I have been on adventures most weekend and having a blast! I have also seen a lot of bands recently and thought I would share it on here with you all! 

Let’s start with my favourites! I managed to blag tickets to the Foo Fighters, I have been a huge fan for years, and I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing show! And I’m also ridiculously lucky that my main man Dave hadn’t broken his leg yet! Yes I am very smug that I got to see them and so many of my friends missed out! They are hands down one of the best bands I have ever seen live, there is no fancy dramatics it is purely them rocking out and doing something they love, it is AMAZING! I also have a massive crush on Mr Grohl and his super shiny soft looking hair, swoon!

Next up I went to the Capital FM Summer Ball, my friend got us tickets and I have to say I enjoyed it so much. I thought there would be a lot of waiting around between acts but there was no such hanging around, the bands came on, played a few of there best songs and on came the next act. It was fantastic and I never thought I would say this out loud (or in public) but I think One Direction were great! They really knew how to work the crowd and you could see they were enjoying what they were doing. Another of my faves from the line up had to be Neyo, I have loved him for years and he didn’t disappoint.

Then a week later I was back up to London to see Take That at the O2. WOW just WOW! I’m a fan from way back in the day and I’m pleased to say the played all their hits. When I say they put on a show they really do, they had all sorts of performers and there was so much going on you didn’t know where to look. It really was incredible! 

Finally last weekend I went to my first ever festival, Blissfield’s a couple of weekends ago and it was awesome! It was a small, quirky festival and was pretty cool. My favourite acts had to be Beans on Toast, go check out on spotify now, just so spot on and then another top act of the weekend would have to of been Grand Master Flash. Absolutely blooming awesome! He was just such a decent guy and he really got the whole audience bouncing.

What a few weeks! I love a wide range of music as you can tell! Music really feeds my soul and is such a big piece of my life. What bands have you seen lately? Any recommendations?

How to have perfect bridesmaid makeup

I haven’t had a guest post for a while on ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’, my blogs pretty personal to me so I only tend to accept guest posts if I know the writer well or if the post strikes a real chord with me, and it’s the latter that happened with this post! Amy recently got in touch asking to guest post, she then mentioned she would like to do a post on bridesmaid makeup and I got a little excited as I got asked for the third time this year to be a bridesmaid! Yep I know I’m going to be challenging the Katherine Heigls character in 27 dresses soon! Anyways here is Amy’s post, I hope you like it as much as I do! 

 

As my best friend is getting married very soon, I started with the preparations for the big day. After all, I have the honour to be one of the bridesmaids. I don't have to worry about the dress as my friend Jennifer has chosen us a gorgeous crimson red piece. She trusted us with the makeup and as I'm a makeup junkie, I was wondering how a perfect bridesmaid makeup should look like.

So I did a research and this is what I found:

Makeup should match your personality

The perfect makeup has to suit your personality, match your dress and complement your skin tone. All these factors should be taken into consideration.  Makeup which enhances your natural beauty is something you should strive for. Even though we all love playing around with different looks, dark lipsticks and bold eye shadows will not do the trick at a wedding. Remember that all eyes should be on the bride, so don't try to steal her thunder!

Perfect makeup depending on the skin tone and the dress

First things first, the skin tone. I have mentioned that dark lipsticks are not good idea. However, if you have a deeper skin tone, burgundy undertones of lipsticks look extremely flattering. On the other hand, the best makeup for fair to medium skin tones include softer eye shadows and warm lipstick colours.

Now, the dress. In my case, the colour of the dress is crimson red and I opted for neutral shades of eye shadows including brown and gold and a coral pink lipstick. What I will do is put a highlighter on the lids and on the inner corners of the eyes to brighten them up. I will use a brown eye shadow on the brow bone, brown eyeliner and two coats of mascara on top and bottom and finish off the look with the nude gloss.  However, if you wear lighter colours, warm berry smokey eyes will suit you perfectly.

How to make your makeup last?

As you want the makeup you apply to last all day and night, high-quality products are essential. In my opinion, a great choice for bridesmaid makeup is Jane Iredale makeup. I have been using their products for years and I'm quite satisfied. After cleansing your face, apply a primer to get a smooth look. The makeup will last longer if you use a primer. After the application of a carefully-chosen foundation, it is important to apply concealer on problematic spots. Use different concealers for your eyes and face. For your eyes, use a peach shade of a creamy concealer, while an oil-free pigmented concealer is the best choice for blemishes and red spots. Putting the primer before the eye shadow is a must to accomplish the smudge-free look. Apply cream blush on your face, then put a powder on to give your blush more lasting power.

I hope I have helped you choose the perfect bridesmaid makeup. Remember: the skin tone and the dress are the major factors that influence your look.  Finally, don't forget to smile, and have fun!

About the Author:

Amy Mia Goldsmith is an Aussie who loves to read and has been writing novels and short stories as long as she can remember.  She is currently studying, working in a bookstore and writing her first book.  Her passion is beauty and makeup and she loves to spend her free time reading reviews and of course - makeup shopping!  Contact Amy on her Facebook page.

30 Things To Do Before I'm 30 Update #2!

HOLY SHIT! I TURN 30 IN 6 MONTHS!!! Waaaaaaah!! This absolutely terrifies me as for numerous reasons. I think this is partly due to the fact I think in my head I’m still 17, I certainly don’t feel mature enough to be nearly 30. 10 years ago if you asked me what I thought I would be doing ten years from now my reply would have been along the lines of ‘be in a job I love, own a house, married with babies’, damn you Disney for making me want the fairy tale! Instead of any of this I’m nearly 30 and live in my parents loft and am in a bit of a rut. I guess I also thought I would have achieved a lot more by now. Don’t me wrong I have no regrets, I don’t believe in them and have had the most awesome experiences, travelled to some incredible places so I really can’t complain. My life is pretty great I just need some changes and new challenges as I’m a bit lost at the moment.

I also better state for the record that I don’t think turning 30 is the end of the world, I fully intend to embrace it, I just want to insert some fun into my life and turn things up a notch!

So for all the reasons above a year ago today (who fast has that gone!) I created a bucket list, a list of 30 things I would love to achieve before I turn 30. It’s a wide variety of things that I have wanted to do for a while but for whatever reason have been a lame ass and haven’t done yet. They are all things that I think will help me make the most of life and make me a better person and I though now would be a good time to give you a little update on how I’ve been getting on...

1. Start dating... my love life is drier than the Sahara desert, mainly due to the fact I don’t put myself out there. – At the beginning of this year my friends staged an intervention here! That’s how lame I have been about it! They signed me up for plenty of fish, and I went on numerous dates which was AWFUL!!! I have no idea how people meet normal men using that site?! So I’ve taken a step back and decided to have a summer of fun and maybe try again in the autumn. You never know I may meet a super hot man between now and then (pretty please?!)

2. Go indoor skydiving. I so nearly did this a while back when I was in Manchester! Sadly there just wasn’t enough time to do it!

3. Cook one dish a week from scratch... I live off toast at the mo.... I am working so hard on this one at the moment! I’ve you’ve been following my monthly health and fitness posts you’ll know my diets the slight blip in the mix there so I have been trying to eat more clean meals and have become slightly obsessed with trying out Deliciously Ella recipes!

4. Say yes more! To any opportunities that come my way. – This is an ongoing one and I think I’ve been embracing it pretty well! It’s a great way to put myself out there more and I have had so much fun doing this!

5. Learn to long board – I have a long board and am working on it! I am a giant wimp and keep jumping off before I think I’m going to fall off! I have zero sense of balance so it’s been fun!

6. Try a roller derby

7. Visit Disney World in Florida. Hmm I think this one will be scooting over to my 40 before 40 list as I have no funds for this at the mo! Or any annual leave left to take it with for that matter!

8. Start a ‘grateful’ diary and record 3 things I am happy for every day. – So I started this one but then kind of failed miserable! I just keep forgetting to do it! It has made me realize how important it is to take a moment every so often to appreciate things a bit more, especially when I’m having a bad day!

9. Buy a house - this may change to just moving out of the parents (again) into any sort of rented accommodation! If only money didn’t have to be an issue!

10. Try Paddle boarding. – I am booked in for a beginner’s lesson in this on Friday!!! Eeeeek!!!

11. Start a successful Etsy Shop – I’ve started this one already but my aim is to make it successful! 

12. Write a book – I’ve started writing and I love it, just wish there was hours in a day so I could get more done!

13. Live abroad for a month – I have booked a month off work in November!! I am going to Australia for a friend’s wedding and am spending two weeks with her on the Gold Coast and doing all things wedding and then two weeks travelling around going from Sydney to Melbourne. A month abroad is happening! Whoop!

14. Get down to a clothing size 12 – I have dropped a dress size but still a bit to go before I’m a size 12!

15.Run a 10k – I’ve done a 4k Colour Run, I’m signed up to do a tough mudder in August and then the big one, I’m actually doing a 10k in September!!! Eeeek!!!

16. Do a painting on a canvas – I have bought a canvas and some neon acrylic paints!! I can’t wait to have a play with them. If it looks half decent I might even share the final painting here!

17. Go to a music festival – COMPLETED!! I went to a small festival called Blissfield’s last weekend for a friends hen do! I had the best time and determined to head to a few more next year!

18. Visit Machu Piccu

19. Fall in love and be loved – see no1

20. See the northern lights

21. Visit Ireland – im working hard on this one! I’m hoping to go to Dublin on my 30^th birthday weekend with a group of my girls! I am terrible at organizing things but hopefully will manage to pull this off!

22. Try Wakeboarding – I’ve tried it and LOVED it!! I found out a local lake is all set up for wakeboarding and I went along for a lesson and it was so much fun! I’m planning to go a few more times over the summer.
 
23. Start an art class

24. Learn to Surf – I am going to Cornwall for the August bank holiday weekend with the plan to surf! I am so excited!!!

25. Learn another language

26. Learn the ukulele – there is a local Ukulele group that meets in the local pub, I’ve been to a few sessions now! I am really bad at learning to play but its good fun! I’ve learnt I am just not musical!

27. Figure out some sort of career path and be happy with whatever it may be.

28. Make a drift wood coffee table

29. Read one book every month – I’m on it with this one and really enjoying it! It’s nice to have a bit of me time with a good book and a glass of wine!

30. Go to New Zealand – I AM DOING THIS!!! My friend moved out there last year and has just announced she’s getting married there next year. So 3 weeks off work are booked for next March and I’m going!

I have also a few bonus ones I wanted to add to the list…
31. Sleep in a castle
32. Make a dress from scratch

I am so happy with what I’ve achieved so far and can’t wait to see how many more I can tick off over the next six months! I don’t know if I can or if funds will allow me to achieve all of these but I am definitely going to try my hardest to make this all happen! I will try and do a few blogs to keep you in the loop as I go along with this journey. Wish me luck!!

IM BACK // Creating a balance between blogging and real life

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So you may have noticed I have been on a little hiatus! It was unintentional, one week just seemed to turn into four! My poor little blog has had dead air for a while and I hold my hands up to say I've been neglecting it. Sad times! 

Have you ever struggled between blogging and balancing you your real life? I really feel there isn’t enough hours in the day for all the things I love lately and it really stresses me out. I want to blog, I love to blog but when I blog I tend to put my everything into it, it becomes my sole hobby. However lately, or looking back most of this year I have had so much on, I have had many weekends away, I’ve been spending time trying new things, catching up with friends and upped my exercising from doing nothing to doing six sessions a week. Throw in a full time job and a part time one on top and it leaves me with very little free time and feeling exhausted!

Don’t get me wrong I love all the things I do and I feel so lucky and grateful for all that I do. My issue is blogging, when I blog I want to put everything into it and I like consistency, I like to post good quality posts a few times a week. If I can’t give it 100% then there is no point….

….so I’m an idiot! It’s such a load of rubbish! I feel like I’ve had an epiphany! I feel like along the way I’ve lost the real reasons I blog. I blog because I love to write, I love to type away in my tiny little space on giant World Wide Web! And most of all I blog for me and if I don’t blog every other day then so what! I want to blog and it doesn’t matter if I miss a few days or a few weeks, my blogs like an old friend, it’s always here to come back to! 

So welcome to the brand new ‘Lipsticks and Lashes’! I am taking the pressure out of it, I am going to blog when I want, and I am going to enjoy it! I’m going to shake it up post wise too! There will be less beauty reviews and more lifestyle posts and a little of whatever I fancy.

So this is a bit of a waffle pot but I guess what I want to say is I'm back and if you’re reading this thank you for sticking with me!