What I got for Christmas 2013!

I can't believe Christmas 2013 has come and gone. What with training and working non stop it went by in a blink of an eye. I feel like I haven't blogged in ages but that will definitely change in 2014. I thought I'd start off showing you some of the lovely gift I received this Christmas.

2013 was definitely the year of the Yankee Candles everyone knows how much I love burning a nice candle in my room. My favourite scent at the moment is Fireside Treats, it smells amazing! If you haven't smelt it yet in store I suggest you do. From my parents and brother, I got two gorgeous sets that each contain 12 votive size candles, one has all the traditional winter scents while the other has yummy sweet scents. I'm really looking forward to burning the latter.

My Aunty Val picked me up two books that I really wanted. I've read all the Pretty Little Liars series so I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next. The book series has been going on for a while but I haven't got bored of it yet as its a really good quick read. Gayle Forman is a new author for me I already have the first book in this series, I haven't read it yet but I'm delighted that I have the sequel to look forward to aswell.

Paddy completely spoiled me, I was a really lucky girl this Christmas. He also had to carry all my presents over on the bus on Christmas Eve so I'm sure he got some strange looks here and there. I'm really happy with everything, I get a Soap & Glory box every year and I especially love the one that was released this year. The bag that everything comes in is beautiful, I'm definitely going to use it to store all my makeup products in. Staying with beauty products, Paddy surprised me with two Molton Brown hand creams. I used to work for the company two years ago and my favourite scents are Heavenly Gingerlily and Pink Pepperpod, I don't think that will ever change. So far I've been loving these handcreams alot and there the perfect size for my handbag. Loads of people are surprised to hear that I've never watched Downton Abbey before, I usually just forget when a new episode is on and just fall behind. Paddy bought me season 1-4 so hopefully I can catch up as I hear it is a really good show. Bastille and Kodaline are two bands that I've been loving lately, I've already put both of these cds on my Ipod. I love Bastille's songs, Poet & Laughter Line and Kodaline's High Hopes & Brand New Day. Both albums are amazing in my opinion and definitely worth a listen. Of course I was also given two Yankee Candles Christmas Cookie and Christmas Cupcake, there's no fear that I'll run low on candles anytime soon. A present that was really special to me was the Disney Mickey & Minnie 2013 Christmas snowglobe, I love Disney movies so this was such a perfect gift. I've already made space on my new desk for it. He also bought me another couple of bits and bobs that you can see above, I clearly have a boyfriend that knows me very well as I'm super happy with everything!

My Aunty and Uncle gave me this beautiful Pied a Terre purse which I adore. It fits all my basic cards, a good thing as I always carry too many around with me and this will definitely help fix that problem. I know I only ever use my Boots, Brown Thomas, Tesco and Debenhams reward card so there's really no need for me to have a bulging purse.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without pyjamas and festive slipper boots (I'm rocking a pair as I type this). My Mom and Dad also got me a gorgeous new jumper and boots, I've been wearing the latter to death. I'm sure you'll see them both in an upcoming post. Keeping with fashion my sister bought me a gorgeous scarf, snuggly headband and other bits and bobs. My Nanna gave me a giftcard for Dundrum Town Centre, of course I've used it in the Sales already so expect a post really soon on my purchases.

At the end of the day I really love chilling out with my family and friends over Christmas. On Christmas morning we called over to my sister, Lisa's apartment to see her and the family. Throughout the whole month of December my nephew Ryan was so excited to see what Santa would bring, of course he wasn't left disappointed. Above is a picture of Ryan and I playing with some of his lovely Christmas gifts. He is the cutest child ever, it's so nice to have a baby again in the family as it brings all the fun back into Christmas again. He didn't want me to leave and I have a feeling he would of been perfectly happy for me to stay all day playing with his new toys.

What did you get surprised with this Christmas?

Laura<3

Lovely Gifts I Got for my Birthday

As you probably know last Friday was my birthday, I was the big 23. It was such a lovely day from start to finish, it couldn't of been better. I thought I'd share with you the presents I received this year. I really wasn't expecting so much as I didn't celebrate a milestone birthday or anything but I'm really grateful for everything I got.

My lovely boyfriend Paddy bought me a new camera which I'm in love with. It's a Fujifilm Finepix S4300 and I absolutely adore it. It's a bridge camera so in simple terms it's half way between a standard digital and SLR. It is just perfect for me and I've already started using it so much. He got me the carry case to go with it too, so I'm basically sorted. I'm still trying to figure out how it works and such but expect to see a lot of pictures in upcoming blog posts. I've wanted a new camera for ages but saying that I'm still going to hold on to my old school pink digital. It did me well for the past couple of years and I know I won't be bringing my new one on nights out. Paddy also picked me up some beauty related bits, a Philosophy and This Works gift set. I haven't tried too many products from the latter so I'm looking forward to giving them a go as I've heard very good things. On the other hand I absolutely love Philosophy, their shower gels are amazing and smell incredible. This set contains four minis so it will definitely keep me going for a while.

My Nanna picked me up a new pair of runners and some workout clothes. I'm started jogging and going to the Gym more so I was really happy with this present. She did well picking out the runners  as purple is my favourite colour. I've been wearing these runners pretty much everyday since I bought them. There just really handy for walking to work, I definitely have a spring in my step when I wear these. Nanna also bought me three gorgeous notebooks which are so pretty. She knows all about my blog so I think this was a really special touch. I'll get a lot of use out of these, I'm forever jotting down notes. My Aunty picked me up a Philosophy gift set too. This one contains a shower gel and body lotion. Needless to say they both smell heavenly. 

My little brother Gerard bought me two books, I'm sure a lot of you have heard of Blog INC already. I'm delighted he picked both of these up for me as I love a good read. I have a feeling my Mom helped him pick out The Wah Nails Book of Nail Art as its probably not something he'd pick up himself. Some of the nail looks in the book are amazing so hopefully I'll be able to recreate some. I'll show some on the blog if I can, fingers crossed.

My lovely friend Sinead was on holidays in Florida recently and she brought me back some lovely makeup goodies. I LOVE Wet n'Wild so I was delighted to see two of their eyeshadow trios as a part of my gift. Both are so pigmented and make lovely eye looks. I just wish we could get this brand over here. She also got me one of their lipsticks which I haven't tried before so I'm intrigued to see what there like. I've heard so much about CoverGirl's new mascara Clump Crusher on numerous blogs so I can't wait to see what it's like. I heard their mascaras are similar to Maxfactor, I'll let you know my thoughts on this. Lastly she picked me up a gorgeous Essie polish in the shade Big Spender which I'm wearing on my nails at this very minute. It's so pretty, this will definitely be getting a lot of love in the coming months.

My Mom picked me up this cute Minnie Mouse makeup bag and filled it with these lovely goodies. I adore Nivea lip butters so I'm glad I have the full collection of them. They smell amazing and are so moisturising on the lips. I did get another present which I'm beyond excited about. I'm going to New York with my family at the end of the year!! I've never been before so this is going to be a trip of a lifetime. I'm going to start saving for it now as I have a feeling a lot of shopping will be done. There's so many different touristy bits I want to visit, like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building etc. I also want to go to see a show on Broadway. I really can't wait it's going to be such an amazing trip! If you have any recommendations on places I should visit definitely let me know, I'll be making lists.

Until the next post,

Laura<3

Clarins Rouge Eclat Collection for Spring

We are slowing but surely moving out of the Winter months. I have two things to look forward to during February, my 23rd birthday and of course the new Spring makeup collections for 2013. The  first to catch my eye was the gorgeous limited edition products from Clarins. After falling in love with the palettes from their Winter collection last year, I was looking forward to see if they'd wow me again with their new offerings and I wasn't disappointed. First off the campaign image for this collection is beautiful it will definitely catch your eye in store. I love how the makeup look is simple but yet so elegant.

Like with their Winter collection, the face palette* is the  hands down winner for me. I could use it as a blush or all over face powder. It gives a natural flush to the cheeks when used as a blush which you'll be able to see in my picture. Staying with the theme of this collection, there's a lovely Iris flower pattern embossed onto the powder. After a couple of uses this will disappear which is a shame as it's so pretty. When I first opened the Iris Blossom Eye Quartet palette* my eyes popped. The shades that are included are right up my street. There's a beautiful plumy purple shade in it, if you seen my 50 Random Facts post you'll know that's my favourite colour. Lets just say Iwas happy to see this shade included in this palette. All the shadows are wearable and very pigmented, these shades could be used for both day and night looks.

A product that I was surprised I liked was the Mineral  Loose Powder*. I thought the medium shade would be way too dark for me which couldn't be further from the truth. It matches my skin tone perfectly and keeps my foundation staying in place. It's also quite light on the skin so it doesn't look powdery. One thing I do find when I use loose powders in general is that I tend to lose a lot of product. I'm quite clumsy, I usually pick up too much powder on my brush which results in it flying everywhere when I tap off the excess. That reason alone would make me stick to using pressed powders as I know I won't make a mess. The lip products shouldn't be looked over either. If like me you don't get on too well with vibrant lipsticks, I've been loving the brands Perfect Shine Sheer Lipstick in Watermelon*. This may look bright pink in the bullet but once on the lips it gives a nice hint of colour, it's also buildable for those who want a more intense colour. The shade Watermelon does have tiny bits of shimmer in it so if that's not your cup of tea, stay clear of this one. I'm going to feature this lipstick in one of my 28 Days of Kisses posts in the coming weeks so keep an eye out for that. I usually choose lipsticks or glosses but I've really enjoyed using the Prodige lip gloss* from this collection. The shade Vibrant Rose is stunning on the lips, it's one of those products I could see myself using all year round.  Again a great shade for someone who doesn't like 'out there' lip colours. I almost forgot to mention this lipgloss smells amazing, it has such a gorgeous sweet scent which I'm sure people will love too.

Here's the look I cam up with using the products from the Spring 2013 collection...

What do you think of Clarins Spring collection for 2013?

Laura<3

50 Random Facts About Me!

I have another tag for you guys today! I seen the 50 Random Facts Tag floating around the blogosphere for a while now and I really wanted to do it. I just wasn't too sure what to talk about so I'm really surprised I got 50 facts. Hopefully it doesn't bore you all to tears. On a regular basis I am known to come out with a lot of random stuff in general, so in other words curious observations.

I'm a 90's baby! Wooo! I miss out on the 80's by 46 days which doesn't seem like a lot at all.

My birthday is the day after Valentines Day (15th February), I still haven't decided if I like this fact yet.

I have no interest in star signs but I know I'm a Aquarius and my birthstone is Amethyst. Makes sense that my favourite colour is purple.

I have a sister and a brother, Gerard is three years younger than me and Lisa is three years older then me. We don't look anything alike.

My little nephew calls me LoLo and it's just stuck since then.

I don't eat vegetables at all. I only like lettuce which is fine by me as it is the key ingredient in my favourite Chicken Caesar Salad.

I started Slimming World last April and since then I've lost six and a half stone!

I went to an All Irish school for a year when I was four. I left as I apparently couldn't grasp the Irish language.

I know how to speak in Irish now but I'd love to learn another language this year. I don't know maybe French or Spanish.

I didn't start wearing makeup until I was seventeen and nearly finished school.

Throughout secondary school I played basketball and I miss it a lot. 

I broke a couple of bones in my hands from playing basketball which was unbelieveably painful. I also broke my foot when I was eight from jumping off the fireman's pole in my local park.

I've only started wearing glasses in the last four years and I still only wear them when I need to.

I have a fear of contact lenses, I always think they'd get stuck in my eye. Does this even happen?

Two words I can't pronounce are pint and mirror which is bad thing if you're Irish and you plan on starting YouTube Videos. Whoops I'm screwed!

When I was younger I used to collect badges/pins and I thought I was so cool. Clearly who wouldn't want a humongous collection of badges!

I don't drive a car but I definitely want to learn in the next year or so.

I did First Aid when I was younger and won alot of competitions for it.

I'm currently studying PR, Sales, Marketing, and Advertising in college.

When I finish this course I'd love to do a makeup artist course, I think it would be amazing.

My favourite makeup brand at the moment is Urban Decay. I can't get enough of their Naked Palettes.

I get intimidated by bright lipsticks and hardly ever wear them. I'm trying to be braver through 2013.

I have an insane amount of lipsticks in my collection, here are just a selection of my MAC ones. Don't judge!

I'm forever reorganising my makeup collection. I'm a perfectionist so it's never just the way I want it.

I've only started filling in my brows in the past year, the difference it makes.

I'd love to travel and live abroad for a couple of years. I'm not a home bird so I doubt I'd miss much to be honest.

Before the age of nine I'd never been on an airplane. I spent most of my Summer holidays in Kerry, a gorgeous county on the West Coast of Ireland.

Once my family travelled to Florida we caught the flying bug. We went to the same destination every year for the next three years. This didn't bother me as I loved the place.

I've only ever been to Florida so I haven't seen much of the States. I'd love to visit California, New York and Chicago, who knows I may take a trip this year.

Besides the States, I've visited a couple of  countries in Europe. France (Paris), Spain (Barcelona), Sardinia (Alghero), UK (Manchester) and Portugal (Albufeira). I couldn't choose a favourite place out of these as I had a seriously amazing time everywhere.

Before I travelled to the UK, I'd already been to the States. I know weird seeing as it's a much shorter flight to go to England.

I've only been to Manchester (x3) with my boyfriend, Paddy and I've never been to London. This city is definitely one of my dream destinations, I want to go to Harrods and see Big Ben.

I'm going out with Paddy four years on April Fool's Day. A funny day to start going out with someone but we've been perfectly happy ever since.

On our last two trips abroad, I had a problem with trains. In Barcelona I got stuck on one on my own which resulted in me calling my Mam and Dad back in Dublin. I realised pretty quick that there was nothing they could do in another country. Post Morrissey concert in Manchester we rushed onto a tram and I got my hand/bag stuck in the door. Fun Times all round.

I hold on to my tickets from concerts and keep them in a little folder. Let's just say that the folder is nearly full, I've been to alot of concerts.

I went to see Oasis in Slane Castle a couple of weeks before they called it a day. It was such a amazing gig as they were supported by The Prodigy. I wish I could say it was easy to get home but we had to walk for 3 hours cause there was no buses.

I've never went to the Oxygen Music Festival but if it did come back for another year I'd definitely go.

I use to always go to Ireland football matches with my Dad and Gerard. I stopped going when I was mid way through Secondary School. I do miss it cause the atmosphere was amazing!

I don't have a bath in my house so I'm extremely jealous of people who buy bath bombs at Lush. My favourite product was Creamed Almond & Coconut Smoothie still haven't got over the fact that theyb discontinued it last year. Why Lush?

I can't sing which isn't news to any of my friends or family. I can't hold a note in my head, it's never stopped me from attempting to sing my favourite tune.

That leaves me on to my favourite artist right now, TAYLOR SWIFT! I've been to see her twice already in concert. The first time was in Manchester at the MEN arena with Paddy. I shook her hand and met her Mom who gave me the guitar pick pictured above. No Joke!

I met McFly and Shayne Ward at signings in HMV (please come back!) when I was 16/17 and it made my day.

I love to read and have quite a collection of books. I would have called myself a bit of a hoarder but after seeing the TV show I don't come close.

I get put off by books with long chapters and to this day I don't know why!

I got a Kindle and I don't know if I like it. Nothing beats a real book in my eyes! I'd have a lot of empty shelves if I didn't have them.

Blue Bloods, Arrow, Elementary and Revenge are just a few of my favourite TV show.

My favourite movie off the top of my head is 500 Days of Summer I've watched this so much already. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, what's not to love?

My favourite author at the moment is Lindsey Kelk. Her I Heart series is brilliant and always makes me laugh.

I love candles and I always have one lit in my room. My favourite at the moment is Yankee Candle's Red Velvet.

I call myself shy but I know most people that read this fact would say otherwise.

I hope you enjoyed this tag I would love to hear if you guys did it yourselves.

Is there any other tags out there that you think I should do?

Laura<3

January Favourites

We're finished with January and now into February, which mean it's time for my first favourites of 2013. February is one of my favourite months of the year because in twelve days time it will be my birthday. YAY! I'm going to be 23 so I have nothing wild planned for this year, I'm going to take it easy and maybe go on a weekend away. Yes it you haven't noticed my birthday is also the day after Valentines Day, the most romantic day of the year! Just kidding! My boyfriend already has a good chunk of my present bought. I know what it is already, cause he had to make sure I'd like it before he forked out the money for it. Needless to say I'm over the moon with the gift, I can't have it until my actual birthday, that itself is making me looking forward to getting it even more. In the coming weeks I'll probably do a What I Got For my Birthday post like last year so stay tuned for that.

Back to my favourite products for this month, of which I have quite a few. Having a look over my list, all the products (par two) were new finds which is a bit of a change as the majority are usually rediscoveries for me. I'm going to start off with some of with my old favourites and continue on to my new favoured acquisitions.

First off is the Liz Earle's Eyebright Sooting Eye Lotion. This is my third bottle of this stuff and I can't get enough of it. In the mornings I soak two cotton pads with this stuff and sweep them over my eyes. They are usually tired and puffy, so the lotion itself wakes them up and leaves them refreshed. I really like the scent of this product too. It has a light herbal smell that I don't think would be offensive at all. The packaging is great on this product aswell, the lid is secure so I wouldn't worried about spillage if you had this in your bag. It also comes in a travel sized which I'm tempted to pick up for my holidays the next time I'm in Wilde & Green. Last month I featured the Naked Basics palette in my favourites and it's squeezed its way in this time too. I've always used shimmer eyeshadows on my eyes as I think they look so pretty. Since I bought this palette I've been using it a hell of a lot. It contains all the shades you'd need to create a natural eye look and they're so pigmented! I'm in the love with the packaging as it's nice and dainty, it literally fits into the palm of my hand. I do have the other two Naked palettes but this is something different for me. I don't have two many matte eyeshadows in my collection so it's nice to have them all in the one place. Being travel friendly is a major positive for this palette as I found that the Naked palettes were a bit too big. This however would fit into my everyday makeup bag nicely and I'd still have plently of room for all my other products. It's also much more affordable compared to the other Naked palettes so it's a good one to start off with.

Now onto my new discoveries from the month of January. You all know by now I'm a huge Soap & Glory fan, I love their products. When I was in Boots I noticed they released some new goodies into their range. I picked up a few which I'm sure will make it into my future favourites but one instant stand out for me was their Sugar Crush shower gel. I'm not blessed to have a bath in my house so I'm always on the look out for nice shower products and this definitely falls into that category. This stuff smells absolutely amazing, basically it smells like limes/sugar, lovely and sweet.  It's one of those scents that stays in your bathroom for a while after you shower. I've already used quite a bit already so I'll definitely be repurchasing it again. I just hope my family doesn't realise how nice it is or it may run out sooner than I think. If you like the  , you're bound to like this. They brought out a body butter in the same scent which I bought too but I've yet to try it. I'll let you know my thoughts when I do. Late last year I ran out of all my cleansing waters, instead of rushing out to buy more I decided to use up the cream cleanser I already had. I hate being wasteful so if I know I have some products in my collection for a while I like to finish them up. When I went through the few that I had lying around I popped into Boots; I had no particular micellar solution in mind as I wanted to try something different for a change. I finally went for La Roche Posay's  Effaclar Purifying Micellar Water for Oily Sensitive Skin. The name itself is a bit of a mouthful! I'm so glad I bought this stuff as it's such a lovely product. At present there's a lot of hype out about the Effaclar range among bloggers, I'm currently trying out their Effaclar Duo which I'm going to bring you a review on soon. This micellar solution is a product I haven't heard talked about that much which is odd as it's brilliant. This takes off all my makeup like a dream whilst not drying my skin out. I've used it to take off stubborn eye makeup and it hasn't irritated my eyes in the slightest. I can't say this about some other cleansing waters I've tried in the past. Price wise this comes in at €13.75 which I can't argue with as the majority of cleansing waters come in at the same price or even more for that matter. The size of the bottle is the only niggle I have with this product. I always fly through bottles of cleansing waters like there's no tomorrow and I've already used up a quarter of this in a week. I don't think the size of the bottle should take away from the quality of the product though so this is only a small issue. This month I finally caved and bought a eyelash curlers. I have a love/hate relationship with them and I haven't used one for a while now. I bought the Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curlers in Harvey Nichols, at €18 I can't say it was the cheapest. It was the right choice in the end to fork out on it though, this opens up my eyes completely. I can't believe I hadn't used curlers for so long. Even if I'm not in the mood to apply eyeshadow, I use this and lash on a few coats  f mascara.

I've only been using this lipstick for a bit over a week now but it definitely deserved its place in this months favourites. Rose Tweed is one of the many shades from the new Bourjois Rouge Edition Collection. I contemplated buying quite a few shades before I finally settled on this beauty. This is just the perfect lipstick for everyday, it's a gorgeous pinky nude which I can see myself wearing alot over the coming months. One key factor that also influenced my purchase was the gorgeous packaging. It's nice and sleek, I'll be happy taking this out of  my makeup bag that's for sure. It was the first lipstick I chose to use in my 28 Kisses tag post which you can see here. If I want a bit more of a wow factor I've been using MAC's Glamourdaze lipstick which comes in their Cremesheen formula. This particular lipstick is limited edition and was a part of their Christmas collection last year. As per usual when I bought this I was trying to save money but I couldn't help myself as it just looked so pretty in the bullet. It's a gorgeous wearable plummy red shade. If you know me you'll know that I don't wear reds at all so this is definitely more on the plum side of things. It's definitely different to shades that I'd usually go for but this works! This will be my second lipstick in my 28 Kisses tag so keep an eye out for that post later today.  Before applying these lipsticks I've been using my EOS Sweet Vanilla Nonsense lip balm. Chie sent this over to me from the States for Christmas and I love it. It's from the brands limited edition Alice in Wonderland trio set First off I love Alice in Wonderland so I love the product names, they're so cute. Alot of bloggers say the packaging reminds them as Kinder Surprises, now that I look at it again I certainly agree. After using this lip balm my lips are left feeling smooth and moisturised, perfect for applying my favourite lipsticks.

I've had this fragrance for a while but it's the first time I've featured it in one of my favourites posts. I love Taylor Swift, I've seen her in concert twice which you will hear a bit more about in my 50 Random Fact post. When I heard she was bringing a fragrance out I knew I had to have it.   This one was out in the States for ages before it was released over here in Ireland and it was definitely worth the wait. This smells amazing, it has a gorgeous fruity floral scent which I've been using everyday for the past while. I love the packaging, my favourite colour is purple so it's a complete given that I'd like this. The charms are so pretty too.

A random favourite for me this month is my Pretty Puzzles book. I got this in the January Sales and if I'm waiting for someone or something I'll whip this out. Look at the cover definitely a step up from the puzzle books you'd get in a newsagent, not that I would of paid the full €7 for this. I actually love puzzles and have done for year, I could just never get the hang of crosswords. Jeez not even 23 and spending my time doing wordsearches what's the world coming to. Saying that I got this at the start of January and I've only finished three puzzles, yes THREE!

Do you do monthly favourites? What made it into yours?

Laura<3

Mega Switch Up!

I'm hoping to mix things up on my blog in the coming months. I'm still going to do makeup posts which I enjoy writing but I also want to branch out and do something a bit different. Besides writing beauty posts I really like writing my Slimming World Updates and for your responses on them I guess you guys to do. I'm going to start doing some more posts related to Slimming World and Lifestyle, maybe a few of my favourite recipes from the program that I've discovered so far. I'm by no means an amazing cook so I'll definitely be keeping these posts simple and easy. When I see cookery posts myself, I like when there straightforward as that makes them so much easier to follow. Some of the Slimming World recipes I've tried are seriously yummy so I hope you guys enjoy them too. Follow me around style  posts are something I want to do more of, I did a couple last year for my birthday or when I went on trips around Dublin. It's something I like to see on other blogs and I really enjoy doing them myself. Dublin have alot of lovely gems to see, I just wish we had the weather to do it.

Book and Film reviews are going to make an appearance on my blog this year too. I always say that I'm going to do them but I never got around to doing. I'm big into reading and I have so many books to read at the moment. I'm thinking of doing monthly books reviews featuring all the books that I've read over that time. I haven't read too many throughout January so I'll have to get a move on with that, it seems. I'm always looking for new books to read so if you have any suggestions that I should add to my book list feel free to let me know. I put up my first movie review last week on the incredible Les Miserables which is amazing and if you haven't seen it what are you waiting for. The next movie I'm going to see is Django Unchained with Leonardo DiCaprio. Honestly I'm not looking forward to seeing this movie one bit. Every Tarintino film I've seen has been so violent and I just don't like that at all. My boyfriend rates DiCaprio very highly as a actor and he's a mega fan so I said I'd go. I'll definitely go in with an open mind when I see this movie but I have a feeling it won't be for me at all. Lastly I'm hoping to do some more fashion and makeup looks posts this year. I started doing the latter a bit more last year so I'm hoping to continue on from there. I enjoy doing product reviews but I think it's much better when you can actually see the foundation or the blush on as opposed to just swatched sometimes. I've never done fashion posts on my blog at all but since starting Slimming World I've become alot more confident and I've been able to buy alot more clothes. I'm going to try to do more outfit of the day, it's something that I always thought would be fun so I'll see how it goes. I'm really looking forward to getting started with these posts. I think it will bring something different to All-Made-Up-21 and I really hope you guys enjoy them too.

Of course I'd love to hear your suggestions as to what you'd like to see more of on All-Made-Up-21 throughout this year so let me know in the comments.

Until the next post,

Laura<3

Slimming World Update #8

You may of noticed that I haven't posted a Slimming World post in quite a while. I've been super busy with college and work, that I missed a few weeks here and there. I didn't want to put up a post showing just two classes I attended so I waited til I made up a month to put up my next update. Rest assured I haven't stopped doing these posts as I really enjoy reading your comments and it motivates me even more. I've been doing Slimming World for almost 9 months now but this is my eighth update what with missing classes and the like.

Since my last update Christmas has come and gone, I know alot of people were unsure with how this time of year would go for me. I'm happy to report I didn't fall off the wagon yet, I did treat myself to a hot chocolate or two here and there but that's it. There was still lots of chocolate around the house but I guess after doing Slimming World since April, I have gained alot of will power along the way. Something that I don't think I really had 9 months ago. Before Christmas, I along with my group were given these sweet little decorations. Just to congratulate us on how we got on so far, I'm really delighted with mine and I'm going to hold on to it. Slimming World goes on for 52 weeks a year so there's no breaks to be had there. I like it this way though as going to class every week has turned into somewhat of a routine and it was helpful to have over Christmas and the New Year.

Over Christmas and the New Year, I've lost a further 6lbs which brings my total weight loss up to 6st 4lbs. I'm over the moon that I did so well over the festive period, at some points I wasn't so sure how I was doing. I've bought some new clothes over the last month which I love and that I don't think would of suited me as much if I didn't get the weight down. That's one of the highlights for me since starting Slimming World, I'm enjoying buying new clothes even though it's not so good at all for my bank balance. I still haven't joined the gym yet, but I have looked into a few and there is one that I'm considering signing up for. I find that alot of them can be very expensive but this one has quite a good deal for students. I know I've said that I'm going to be joining a gym in recent blog posts but I'm genuinely serious about this one as it looks great. Aswell as aiding my weight loss, I'm hoping to tone up a bit aswell so I'll definitely keep you posted on how it goes. You guys who go to the gym will have to give me song suggestions for my Work Out playlist for my Ipod! After paying your join up fee, you can use the gym and attend any of their fitness classes on the side, I don't think you can really go wrong there. I've always heard that spinning classes are brilliant so I want to possibly do that, though I think my legs will be dead the next day. I don't have too long left to go on my Slimming World journey, I'd like to lose another two and a half stone which I hope to achieve by the Summer of this year. I want to give it a bit of time as I know it's hard to lose that last few pounds or so but it will be unreal when I reach my target.

Until my next update,

Laura<3

A Look Back Over 2012 & My Hopes for 2013

When I look back on 2012 there's alot of positives to take from it. I've done so much this year that I'm very proud of indeed.

First off I joined Slimming World way back in April, when I started I would never of imagined that I could achieve so much in a short period of time. In my first month, I lost 1st 3lbs which I was literally ecstatic about it. Every week I was excited to go to class to see how I was doing. I started doing Slimming World Updates here on my blog after the first month. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to put my weightloss journey out there but I'm so glad I did. You guys have been such and amazing support and to read your comments on those posts seriously make my day To see some people go as far as saying I'm a inspiration to them is very overwhelming it has to said. I'm happy that people that something from it for themselves though too, I know how hard it is to lose weight. I had tried so many weightloss programs and none of them worked for me. When Slimming World came along I wasn't too pushed on going until my Mom said what can it hurt to go and give it a try. I'm so glad I listened to her in the end, she's such an amazing person and I owe alot to her. Since I started way back in April I've lost over 6st which is insane! I couldn't be happier, it is hard work but once you get into the program I found it's all plain sailing from there.

At the end of July I went over to Manchester to do a PR Internship. I yapped so much about this when I was going so I'm not going to tell you guys what you probably already know. I really enjoyed the whole experience. The people I worked with were so sweet and I took so much out of  my time there.While I was there I went to a see Team GB play in Old Trafford which was amazing. I'm big into football if you didn't know already, I've been to Old Trafford before to see United play. They lost that game to a fairly terrible side so my boyfriend may say I'm not a good luck charm when it comes to seeing his favourite side win. I went to see Morrissey in the MEN too.  Before I went I wasn't the biggest fan but now it has to be said I love the man. The gig was amazing and seeing as he doesn't play them too often, it was great to experience him sing live. I went to two other amazing concerts during 2012, Florence & the Machine and The Cribs. They were both amazing live, definitely two acts that I would love to see again. I also did alot of shopping in the space of ten days whilst I was in Manchester, surprise surprise. I always feel that the makeup is so much cheaper over there. There's some brands like Sleek and Look Beauty that you can't get over here, so I love picking up some bits from them. I've been to Manchester three times now and it's definitely a favourite destination of mine. I think I may plan another trip over there very soon.

Last but certainly not least I've met some amazing Irish bloggers throughout the year. It's so nice to meet someone when I've been reading their blog for so long. There's so many Irish bloggers, old and new now and I enjoy reading all their blogs. The Beauty Blogging Community is huge and I love how it's such a friendly community and everyone is so welcoming. I can't believe I'm going to be blogging two years at the end of April. It's true what they say, time goes fast when your having fun. I hope to meet some more of you this year, it's so nice to meet like minded people who love all things beauty related too.

Looking back over my 2012 Goals post I was happy to see that I accomplished some them. This a why I prefer to write up some small goals as opposed to a New Years resolution as I'm not likely to fail on these. This year I put a bit more thought into my goals and came up with this list.

Take Chances and stop being so indecisive 
In simpler terms take more risks. When it comes to making big choices I never can decide what to do so I definitely want to take more chances this year.

Travel 
I have a couple of holiday destinations I'd love to visit in 2013. One of them being Paris. I went back when I was 13 so of course I don't really remember it too much. My boyfriend and I are thinking of going before Summer so watch this space. If I do go I'll take lots of pictures to show you guys!

Save money and use up more makeup - 
pretty self explanatory this one! Being a makeup addict I doubt I need to buy any more makeup this year. This is never the case though, I always cave and buy new things I don't need.

Blog Regularly - 
with college and the like I know this may be pretty difficult but I'm hoping to get at least 3 or more posts up a week. I think this is manageable with my current work load so any more posts than this and I'll be happy.

Learn another Language
I've always wanted to learn another language I took French in school and I remember loving it. I hope during 2013 I can improve on my French and also brush up a little on my Irish. Both my Brother and my Sister can speak fluent Irish so let's just say I'm a tad jealous!

Continue doing Slimming World and hopefully reach my target by the end of this year!
As you all know 2012 has been such an amazing year for me when it comes to weight loss. I join Slimming World back in April and since then I've lost over 6st. I'm on cloud 9 at the moment about it, it still hasn't sunk in. The only issue I have is getting new clothes all the time, my bank balance is seriously declining.

Pass my Theory Test and Finally Learn How To Drive
This has been a goal of mine for an awfully long time and I've never gotten around to doing it. I don't know what it is every time I go to organise my Theory Test I end up putting it off for one reason or another. I think I may be just scared that I won't pass but finally this year

Get College over and done with
I was lucky enough to head back to college this year. I'm doing a Diploma in Marketing, PR,Sales and Advertising and so far I'm really enjoying it. I think doing the PR Internship in Manchester during the Summer of last year really showed me what line of work I'd like to get into in the future. The assignments I have been given has really taken up alot of my time so that's why I guess I haven't been blogging as frequently as I would like to.

Read More
I'm a big book worm if you didn't know already and I have a mountain of books to read. I have a Kindle but I like physical books to fill my shelves with at home. My Aunt's friend gave me the full  Game of Thrones book series recently, I can't wait to get stuck into them as I've been hearing really good things. All the books seem to be huge so I know it's going to take me some time to get through. I'm hoping to start doing some more book reviews and my blog, it's something that I know I'd enjoy alot.

I have some really exciting things planned for 2013 which I can't talk about yet but when I can you'll hear it first here. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this year has in store for me. I'm hoping to get tickets to see Ed Sheeran in concert next weekend so maybe that will be my first gig of 2013. I just wish the tickets weren't ridiculously expensive.

What's your hopes and dreams for 2013?

Laura<3