What is in my Clutch: Paris Edition

When I was planning what I was going to take on my recent trip to Paris I knew that I wanted to take a clutch for the evenings because I really didn't want to be lugging around a big bag. After going shopping I picked up an Accessorize clutch, which I typically cannot find online! This clutch was the perfect size for me to take all of the things I needed without over packing and it also has a strap, which makes things a whole lot easier. So today I thought that I would tell you all about what I took around with me during the evenings.

Let's get the boring things over and done with first. Of course I had my phone and some Euros in my bag, and a few Metro cards so that I could actually get to the destination and get home again! Although it was night time I was for some reason carrying around my sunglasses, I don't even know why! I guess I just cannot go anywhere without them, even at night apparently! The final more boring thing possibly was my camera for taking pictures, although it wasn't very good at taking pictures at night, everything just looked like a black blur, but hey it was the thought that counted!

The evening that I took this clutch out I wore a bold red lip so I could not forget to pack my lip products and a mirror otherwise I could be rocking an outline of red lipstick after having food and drinks! The red lipstick was the L'Oreal Color Riche Exclusive Red in Julianne's Red which I love as it is designed for red-heads so the colour is perfect for me. I also packed an eos Smooth Sphere Lip Balm in Sweet Mint because a matte lipstick doesn't look good on dry, chapped lips. My mirror is just one that I had lying around and I have absolutely no idea where it was from, but it did the job that it needed to do.

Travelling in any city and going on and off of the Metro meant that I had to carry around a hand sanitizer, especially to be used before dinner as I didn't want to have any nasty germs on my hands while I was eating. My favourite hand sanitizer is the Soap & Glory Hand Maid Antibacterial Hand Cleansing Gel as it is one of the few that I have tried that actually smells nice.

What things do you always carry in your clutch bags?

Chloe

xoxo
Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

50 Random Facts About Me!

Image Source Edited by me.

Hello everyone! Today I thought I would do a more personal, get to know me post as I have never done a 'facts about me' post before and I have been blogging for almost 2 years. It was actually harder than I was expecting coming up with these facts but I finally got to 50 so, enjoy!

1. I am 5ft8.
2. I am a natural red-head and have a love-hate relationship with the colour.
3. I have never dyed my hair.
4. But I would love to know what I would look like with another hair colour, like blonde, for example.
5. Another hair fact, I really wish my hair was straighter than it naturally is. The curls are very difficult to manage and straightening them is such a chore.
6. I share my birthday with Michael Bublé, Adam Sandler and Hugh Grant.
7. My favourite colour is pink.
8. My favourite TV series of all time has to be Friends. I have watched every episode several times and have the box set of all 10 series. 
9. Another TV related one, but I'm currently watching Pretty Little Liars on Netflix and I love it. Gossip Girl and 90210 are also shows that I have enjoyed watching on Netflix.
10. After watching Gossip Girl I have wanted to live in New York even more than before.
11. When I was younger I gave flowers to Princess Anne when she visited my school (as in Queen Elizabeth II's daughter).
12. I am a list maker and the Virgo inside of me loves to make little tick boxes so that when I have completed the task I can tick it off.
13. When I was younger I was obsessed with my Barbies and would play with them for hours on end. They were on all of my birthday wishlists up until I was about 9 or 10.
14. I am currently studying Spanish, French, Biology and Theology for my AS levels.
15. Following on from the last one, I love Spanish and French and would love to be able to speak more languages when I'm a bit older. Especially German, Portuguese and Italian.
16. I've been doing ballet since I was 3.
17. I have no idea what I want to study at university.
18. I would love to take a gap year and travel all over the world.
19. I have wanted to do YouTube videos for a long time but haven't been brave enough yet to film one!
20. I am rubbish at deciding things. Whether it is what I'm going to order in a restaurant or what lipstick colour I am going to get from MAC, it will always take me much longer than everyone else.
21. I have an Essie Nail polish obsession.
22. I would love to learn more about html and blog design but I would need someone to explain it to me in a very simple way. I'm not very techie!
23. I am currently saving up for a SLR camera as I would love to improve my photography and learn more about how to take a good photo.
24. I am very easily distracted,
25. Recently I have been obsessed with Pinterest and have spent a lot of my free time pinning.
26. I have also recently become obsessed with James Bay and his songs. They are all amazing!
27. I am both a dog and a cat person.
28. I am not very brave with my makeup choices and usually stay away from anything too bold and prefer more natural makeup.
29. When I was younger I wanted to be a singer, unfortunately I can't sing so I don't think I would get very far in a singing career!
30. I love going to Wagamamas and every time I go I always order the same thing, Chicken Katsu Curry.
31. I love skiing and have been learning how to ski since I was 4.
32. I hate coffee but love tea.
33. I also hate bananas. So much so that I can't be in the same room as someone eating one because the smell makes me feel ill.
34. I love watching reality TV shows like Keeping up with the Kardashians and Made in Chelsea.
35. A reality TV show that I used to watch was The Hills, which I think is where my obsession for Lauren Conrad came from and still read her blog/website
36. I absolutely love Spanish/Mexican food and my ideal meal would be paella for the main course and churros for pudding.
37. I cannot wait until it is the summer.
38. I love listening to Radio 1, especially Grimmy in the morning.
39. I love High School Musical and can still remember most of the words to the songs, even though I don't watch it very often.
40. I am quite shy around new people, but once I know you well enough I am quite the opposite of shy!
41. I love Rom-Coms, especially anything with Jennifer Aniston in it as I don't think I have disliked one of her films!
42. I would love to live in Santa Monica after spending some time there last summer.
43. I have an ever growing makeup wishlist and I blame #bblogger chats for most of the things on my wishlist. Everyone in that chat is very enabling!
44. I love 90s and 00s music especially Spice Girls, S Club 7, Steps and Britney Spears. Even though I was only alive for 3 years of the 90s I still love the music from this time.
45. Another throwback that I would love to return would be Disney Channel shows that were on around 2005-2009. Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Lizzie McGuire and the Suite Life of Zack and Cody were just some of my favourite TV shows to watch.
46. I love interior design and have done since I was really young and I was making scrapbooks with cut outs from magazines. Nowadays I use Pinterest rather than scrapbooks, but it is still just as fun.
47. I am a bit of a hoarder and still have loads of the magazines that I bought when I was younger, including Shout, Bliss and Mizz.
48. Without spell check my blog posts would be filled with loads of spelling errors. Let's just say I'm not great at typing or spelling.
49. I have a fear of spiders and roller coasters.
50. Finally, I love blogging and wish I had more time to do it as sometimes school gets in the way. 

I really hope you enjoyed learning more about me!

Chloe

xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

Review || Garnier The Sleek Restorer

If you've read some of my previous hair posts you will know that I have naturally curly hair which is also slightly on the frizzy side. This means that I am always trying to find products that will help to control my frizz and make my hair more sleek and smooth. Last year when I was on holiday I used my mum's shampoo and conditioner which was the Garnier The Sleek Restorer range, as she also has curly and frizzy hair, and I really liked it. It helped my frizzy hair look slightly more sleek and shiny and allowed me to leave my hair in it's naturally curly state for the majority of the trip, which is always a good sign that a hair product works for me! So after finishing up my Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner, I decided I would try out the Garnier one instead, since I like it so much in the summer.

I also have the Sleek Perfector Oil which I have been using since October (I think, to be honest I can't really remember but it's been a while) and I think this is my favourite thing from the whole range because I find this makes the biggest difference to my hair. Don't get me wrong the shampoo and conditioner are both amazing, but I notice a difference in the amount of frizz if I don't use it compared to when I do. It also isn't overly oily and if you apply it lightly and not too much at the roots it doesn't appear greasy at all.

The shampoo and conditioner are also very good and help my hair to look shinier and less frizzy than with some other hair products, but as I said, I think that the oil is the biggest game changer. The conditioner is great though as it isn't too heavy so it doesn't weigh your hair down or make your hair greasy fast, like some product I have tried in the past.

Another aspect I love about this range is that they smell amazing and just like summer because of the coconut elements of it and it also smells of chocolate which is amazing, in my opinion!

I really want to try the Treatment product next as I love a deep conditioning product!

Have you tried this range before?

Chloe

xoxo
Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

Weekend in Paris

Last Friday (the 13th, creepy) me and my friends hopped onto the Eurostar heading to Paris for a school trip. We were only going to be there for three days so I knew it was going to be an exhausting few days in order to see all of the main tourist attractions, but I was very excited. So get ready for a very picture heavy post! 

The trip on the Eurostar could not happen without an Instagram shot of our passports, tickets and anything else we had to make our picture look pretty.

After checking into our hotel, we were taken to Galeries Lafayette which we were told had an amazingly designed ceiling, which you can see in the above two photos. We also spent some time browsing the stands of makeup, handbags and shoes.

We then went on the hunt for some food, since we had been up since 4am and hadn't eaten much since breakfast. Of course macaroons were on the menu for many (although not for me as I'm not a fan of them), and I had to take a picture as they do look very aesthetically pleasing!

It wouldn't be a proper tourist's trip to Paris without the Eiffel Tower and oh my gosh I don't think I have ever walked up so many steps (there is a lift but it was a lot cheaper to walk up and the queue was shorter!). The views were amazing and being able to see the whole of Paris was pretty cool.

Although I have no pictures of what we did that evening (it was so dark that everything was a bit of blur on my camera and my phone) we did visit Sacré-Cœur, which was stunning and ended up having dinner on a cute little square nearby.

The following day started with a small large amount of time spent in the biggest Sephora I have ever seen and going into a few other shops along the Champs-Élysées finishing at the Arc de Triomphe, which was stunning. We then went to spend some time on a boat trip along the River Seine followed by going to see the Mona Lisa and many other paintings at the Louvre. Again I have no photos of the Mona Lisa as it was very crowded around it, unsurprisingly.

We followed this visit by going to the one of the tallest buildings in Paris, the Tour Montparnasse. Again this had amazing views and it was really amazing to see Paris from above.

We finished the day by going to the Latin Quarter of Paris and had dinner in a cute little restaurant there.

The final day was spent with a visit to Notre Dame and Centre Georges Pompidou, a modern art gallery. Notre Dame was stunning and had an amazing atmosphere and Centre Georges Pompidou was strange, but that is coming from someone who doesn't get/like modern art.

I definitely want to return to Paris one day as it is such a beautiful city and I feel like there is a lot more to see and do that I didn't get the chance to do on this trip.

Have you ever been to Paris?

Chloe

xoxo
Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

Travel Bucket List Part II

I thought today I would do a Part II of my Travel Bucket List since my list is as long as my arm. Warning expect lots of pictures of beaches that will make you want to book a holiday for tomorrow!!

Image Sources: Left and Right

Greek Islands

I've wanted to visit a Greek Island for as long as I can remember, even more so after watching Mamma Mia and seeing the beaches and the cute white houses. The two islands pictured above are Mykonos and Santorini, but to be honest they all look amazing and would be the perfect location for a relaxing summer holiday. I also really love Greek food and I'm sure it would taste even better there. 

Image Sources: Left and Right

Bora Bora

Every time I see a picture of Bora Bora I want to visit it straight away (especially on a rainy day, it is too tempting!). Another great location for a beach holiday and I would love to try some water sports here as the sea looks incredibly clear and it is probably very warm, perfect for someone who doesn't really like to cold. Right now, a relaxing beach holiday sounds amazing!

Image Source

Australia

Hands up if you want to go to Australia *me*. Apart from the slight down side of the slightly scary animals (poisonous spiders, no thanks) Australia looks amazing. Again a place with amazing beaches but I would also love to see some kangaroos and koalas. Oh and also I would love to see the Sydney Opera House in person.

Image Sources: Left and Right

San Francisco

After visiting Southern California last summer and loving it so much, I would love to go to the Northern part and visit San Francisco. I would want to visit Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge if I were to visit San Fran, very touristy I know! If San Francisco is anything like Southern California I am sure I would love it.

Image Sources: Left and Right

Fiji

When I was in junior school I had a friend who had lived in Fiji for a few years and after seeing photos of it I really wanted to go there. The white sand beaches and the clear blue waters look amazing, like Bora Bora and the Greek islands and it would be another amazing location for a relaxing beach holiday with the occasional attempt at a water sport.

I hope you enjoyed Part II of my Travel Bucket List. Have you been to any of these locations?

Chloe
xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

Review || Lipstick Queen Chinatown Glossy Pencils

Lipstick Queen have always been one of the brands at Space NK that I have wanted to try but haven't, since I never know what shade to buy and I find it difficult to tell if a colour will suit me or not. The Three To Thrill set of Glossy Pencils was one of my Christmas Presents, one that I was desperate to see inside of because it arrived at my house in a Space NK bag, always a good sign. It also arrived about two weeks before Christmas so the anticipation was killing me.

The colours in this set are permanent shades, Chase, Pink Bluff and Catalina, so although the set is no longer available all of the shades are.
I love the packaging of these Chubby Sticks styled lip pencils. It is a sleek, glossy black tube but the best part about this is that you don't need a special sharpener for it as they are twist up, which is great because these are bigger than your regular eyeliner or lip liner pencils, so don't fit inot your average sharpener.

I was a bit apprehensive about trying the shade Chase since it looks like a really bright red in the bullet but on the lips it is a sheer pinky-red shade that isn't too dramatic or intense and I think I will actually get a lot of use out of this especially during the summer. The shades Pink Bluff and Catalina are both very similar shades, with Catalina showing up only a little lighter on the lips than Pink Bluff. For my colouring Pink Bluff and Catalina are the perfect 'your lips but better' shades, enhancing my natural lip colour, which also means they are very easy shades for me to wear.

The finish of these are as the name suggest, is glossy which means that the pigmentation of them isn't amazing, but to be honest I prefer glossier finishes since my lips are normally very dry so matte lip products tend to cling to drier areas, whereas these don't do that. Although the lasting power isn't as good as a matte lip product, as expected, it is pretty good and last for 2-3 hours without needing touching up.

Have you ever tried any of the Lipstick Queen products?

Chloe

xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

10 Life Lessons From Serena van der Woodsen

I started watching Gossip Girl before Christmas and after getting past the slightly boring first episode, I was hooked and watching it three or four times a day, seven days a week until I finished all 6 seasons, and then I started watching it again. Although I am now watching Pretty Little Liars, I still love the occasional binge watch of Gossip Girl, so today I thought I would do a Gossip Girl themed post. I have seen a few 'Life Lessons from Blair Waldorf' floating around the blogosphere but since I always preferred Serena I thought I would do a version of her Life Lessons. So let's get into this, and see what Serena taught us throughout the show.

1. New York is always a good idea(although I've never been, but this is what I have been told...)

2. Eating what you want is much better than fad diets and cutting out your favourite foods

3. Sometime it is okay not to be okay

4. You're best friend will always be there for you, especially as a shoulder to cry on

5. They are also one of the few people you can really be yourself around

6. Painting your nails is a chore

7. Some people really aren't worth stressing about

8. We can decide our paths in life, people shouldn't dictate our future

9. Blogging is a great escape and is a good way of forgetting about the bad things going on around you

10. Things don't always make sense

I hope you enjoyed this slightly different Gossip Girl related post. Who was your favourite character in Gossip Girl?

Chloe

xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

*none of these images are my own*

Weekly Wishlist: Fitness

Fitness has become a bigger part of my life in recent months. I was one of the many who promised to hit the gum more frequently in order to be a little healthier in the new year, and I am proud to say that I have done pretty well so far. HI have only had one week off (half term) due to having a migraine on and off for a few days and working more than usual, and other than that I have stuck to my plan and I am now 8 weeks in. So I think I can treat myself at this point to some new workout clothes because, as much as I love my Primark ones, I feel like I can justify spending a little more now that I know I will use them. Let's start from the top left and work clockwise.

For my birthday I received a Sweaty Betty voucher from my grandparents and I still haven't spent it. So after browsing their website I found this Sirsha 2 in 1 Vest which could potentially add some colour to my currently all black wardrobe drawer of workout clothes. It is on the pricier side at £60 but it does say that the two tops are detachable so technically you are getting 2 tops there for £60 rather than just one, so it is slightly more justifiable.

Another thing from Sweaty Betty are these Tessellate Luxe Leggings which I think would be quite a cool statement for a usually boring workout outfit. They also look really comfy and they have a waistband which you can turn down and it's bright yellow, another way to infuse a bit of colour into your look.

Since Missguided launched their Active range I have been dying to get my hands on some of their stuff because everything looks so pretty and it is so affordable. These Active Double Layer Gym Shorts in Mint would be perfect for the summer months when it is hopefully a little warmer and I don't want to be wearing workout leggings and although they are relatively simple shorts, they have a mint green under layer which is one of my favourite colours, so these might have to be mine soon!

I really should get a running jacket, not because I am planning to go running in the rain or the cold, but because in the winter when it is really cold, it is really bad for your muscles to go from being really warm to suddenly being cold outside, and this H&M Running Jacket looks perfect to try and prevent that from happening. Hoodies are fine but I would really love something a little more breathable for after a tough workout. This also has a handy little pocket which would be perfect for putting my car keys in so that I don't leave them somewhere during my workout.

Another Missguided choice, the Active Contrast Panel Cropped Gym Leggings in Mint. I love how these are so simple but have a small amount of the mint green in the panels at the side of the leg. These also look super comfy which is exactly what I look for in workout clothes.

Next up is something from the Victoria's Secret's sport range, the Knockout Low-Rise Tight. Another pretty basic pair of leggings with a few side panels of a multicoloured pattern to liven up the monochrome.

Finally on this wishlist is the LEXIE SPORT Anita Leggings. After Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup raved about Fashercise I decided to check it out and there were a lot of really pretty things on there, but one of my favourite items were these leggings, I think because of their amazing pattern and that they are son unique.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Where are your favourite places to buy workout clothes from?

Chloe

xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram

   

February Favourites 2015

It's favourites time again and before I go into that, how is it already March? February happened so fast that I can't quite believe we are going into the third month of 2015! This has been quite a busy month and I don't feel like I have had much time to stop with school and having a Saturday job. Blog posts were being put up at random times, unlike in January when I kind of had a schedule, but I just about managed to get all of the posts I had planned up and hopefully this month I can be a bit more organised! Now I will stop rambling and get on with the favourites. 

The Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation has been a part of my collection for ages, so much so that I still have the old packaging. I stopped using it a while back and I completely forgot about it until this month when I used it when I was getting ready one morning. I forgot what a great foundation this is. It has a medium coverage, so your skin looks perfected but you can still see things like freckles through it, so it still looks like your skin and the finish is a dewy finish, but without making you look oily. What I especially love about it is that it is a relatively quick foundation to apply as it blends into the skin really easily, which is great for when you need to get to school or work (I either use the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush or the Sephora Multitasker Brush to do this, depending on which one I want to use that day). It also never looks cakey on my skin and looks quite skin like, which is an essential in a foundation for me.

For setting all of my makeup into place I have really like using the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. I have a love-hate relationship with this powder, since it is quite mattifying, and usually I prefer a dewier finish to the skin. But recently my skin has been a little oiler come the afternoon so a more mattifying powder is necessary to avoid too much shine. If you apply this with a light hand it isn't too heavy or matte looking on the skin and still allows a little sheen to the skin, making it look a little healthier.

I have been reaching for my MAC palette more than ever this month, especially the shades Satin Taupe, Woodwinked, Sable and Sketch. Although I have used the other shades, these have been my most used this month. My favourite of them all would have to be Satin Taupe because it has such a creamy, buttery texture so it is easy to apply and blend and I love wearing this on its own all over the lid for a simple and quick I look. MAC shadows are definitely worth the splurge and once my pallet is full I will make sure to do a palette tour.

The new Benefit mascara, Roller Lash, has been quite popular within the beauty blogger community and the majority of people have really like it, and I am one of those people. It helps to add length, curl and volume to the lashes and it also separates them, no clumping involved. But what I like most about this is that it doesn't fall off of my lashes during the day and set up camp under my lower lash line like most mascaras do. I will definitely be picking up the full sized version of this very soon.

Finally for this month is the GOSH Foundation Brush which I have been reaching for when I am concealing spots. It is one of the only ways recently that I have managed to successfully cover blemishes. I think this is due to the fact that it makes patting product in that bit easier, as for some reason me and blending product with my fingers doesn't quite work, I am always left with unblended areas.

I hope you enjoyed this post, what products have you been loving recently?

Chloe

xoxo

Bloglovin'|| Twitter|| Instagram