Handmade Burger Co. & A Trip To Manchester Art Gallery

Living in Manchester for 6 months now, I haven't really experienced what the city has to offer. I have either been attending lectures, laying in bed, watching too much Netflix or just messing about with the people I live with. I haven't actually given myself the chance to explore my surroundings.

Yesterday was a really sunny day, and quite warm considering the temperatures haven't really been in our favour recently. Me and my two friends Megan and Isabel decided that we would spend our Saturday being productive and decided to take a trip to the Art Gallery near the city centre. None of us knew what to expect really, but had heard good things so thought we would try it out. 

We firstly went in search of a place to sit down and grab something to eat. Our friend Amber came and met us from work as she had an hours break, and mentioned that she fancied trying out Handmade Burger Co. 

I decided to get a standard chicken burger but in the smaller size but this was still huge. Me and Megan decided to share a portion of chips and homemade coleslaw alongside this, but even this was too much and we were all defeated. Amber got some amazing sweet potato fries, but she had to eat pretty quickly as she had to get back to work. After this we thought it was best to try and find the art gallery. Leaving Isabel in charge of directions wasn't the best idea we have ever had- she managed to take us the wrong way until she realised the directions on her phone told us otherwise.

The art gallery was really cute- huge rooms full of different types of art. In the gift shop area, there was a jewellery area which sold rings, bracelets and necklaces. I was going to buy a ring with a tree imprint, but because my fingers are too fat they didn't have my size! 

Overall the day was really nice, and I feel better about getting out and about and doing something productive with my Saturday, rather than staying in bed for the whole day.

What did you do on your Saturday?

MAC // STUDIO FIX FLUID

We all like a good foundation that will give us sufficient coverage when and where we need it, and that will last quite a long time without having to use so much at once.

Using drug store foundations, I had never really tried a high end foundation apart from Estee Lauder so when I contemplated buying the MAC Studio Fix Fluid I thought I may as well give it a go.

I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this foundation. Some said to me that it was the best foundation they have ever tried because it gives a solid coverage and doesn't budge, but others stated that it it broke them out with awful blemishes and made their skin feel to clogged up.

For me, this foundation gives the right amount of coverage I look for when I am purchasing a foundation. I always look for a foundation which gives me enough coverage so that I don't need to apply a lot of concealer on any blemishes that I have, and just stick to concealer for highlighting purposes. 

I use the shade NC15 which I guessed is for paler people as this is pretty light! It doesn't provide flashback when taking photo's, and not a lot of powder is needed when setting the foundation. I personally do not think it looks cakey whatsoever. If I am using this foundation throughout the day, then I will not use too much and work it into the skin so it looks a lot more natural. If I want to use this foundation for a night out or an event, then I will use a little bit more than I would throughout the day, but still work it into the skin so it blends in. 

This foundation cost me £21.50 and you can buy it HERE.

If you are not too sure which colour you may be, I recommend visiting a store which sells MAC e.g. Selfridges, and have your skin colour matched up to a foundation. 

What do you think of MAC foundations? 

MAC // MY CUSTOM PALETTE SO FAR

Eyeshadows are my ultimate love in the world of makeup. I adore the different shades, formulas, types, brands... In fact anything I can get my hand on. And then I discovered MAC eyeshadows and I fell much more in love than I already was. 

I decided to create my own custom palette because that way I could choose the colours that I wanted, and know that I would 100% use them all. Don't get me wrong, the palette isn't cheap to put together but I would definitely say that it is worth it, and it gives you something to collect and put together yourself over a period of time. 

(I also own Satin Taupe but I still need to de-pan that one!)

These are the colours that I have accumulated over the past couple of months- and I love them all. All That Glitters must be the most used in the palette purely because I put this all over the lid before applying another colour to the crease. You can wear All That Glitters on it's own or as part of a dramatic eye for a night out, which is what I often do. Brun is my newest to the collection, but I didn't set out to buy this one. Cranberry was what I was hoping for, but unfortunately they didn't have it in stock at the counter so I will have to make sure to purchase it next time I visit! 

Do any of you guys have a custom MAC eyeshadow palette? What shade do you recommend me buying next?

MAC // LIPSTICK IN 'CRAVING'

MAC has always been one of my favourite make-up brands, and over the past few months I have seriously been obsessing over which product to buy next... So how can you go wrong with purchasing another lipstick?

Originally, when I walked over to the MAC counter it wasn't in my intentions to purchase this lipstick. I had my heart set on 'Twig', but when I went over to pay they didn't have that in stock. Instead, I was brought over 'Craving' and I instantly fell in love. 

The lipstick is like a red but it has a more pink undertone, which means you can wear this for either day time or night time. I like to wear this in a day time, but wear a lipliner underneath it if I am going to wear this on a night out as such.

This lipstick also has a satin finish. This means that it looks super shiny on the lips and doesn't leave them feeling dry if you keep on reapplying it. Although I do love the matte lipsticks from MAC, this just seems so much more moisturising and more satisfying to wear.

For £15.50 I don't think you can go wrong. The colour is super pigmented and it lasts forever on the lips... Even through eating and drinking!

2014 Christmas Antics

Hello lovelies. I hope that you had a great Christmas and had an amazing festive period.

Firstly, I can't believe that Christmas is over and done with for another year already. The whole build-up to Christmas came around so quickly for me this year, but I am putting this down to the fact that I am at university so I am constantly busy. However, the fact Christmas is already over and done with upsets me, because it is really my favourite time of year!

A lot of the country has received snow, but where I live when I am not at university, hasn't! I genuinely thought that living in the Lake District would mean we were in line for some white goodness, but unfortunately I was wrong and we have received zilch!

For Christmas, I got a new camera which I am so thankful for and very pleased about! It means no more out of focus phone photographs, and I can take some super snappy images to put onto my blog.

I didn't take many photographs from Christmas day because I had to wait to get a big enough memory card for my camera etc. but here are a few snaps of my Christmas Tree, decorations and a little hat that my auntie made. They are so cute and she attached them to the presents as little Christmas favours.

Over the festive period I went to my Grans house in the countryside and had lunch with her. She took me to her local church where she showed me her flower arrangements, and we went for a walk around her huge garden and I took some snaps. The image of the ducks always takes me back to my childhood days, because every time I would go to my Gran's I would stand at the gate over the path and spend hours looking at the animals in the field opposite.

We also had some family come and visit us who live down south. They are literally the cutest kids ever and they are so sweet. They were obsessing over playing football on the frosty grass, spending time with my pet rabbit and just constantly being cheeky.

Tonight I made a curry for my mum and her partner. I don't usually like to make big meals because I am not confident with the whole 'cooking' thing, but it was tasty even if I do say so myself. If you would like the recipe, comment below!

So my festive season was fun filled and full of family. I had the best Christmas and I already cannot wait for next year.

How was your Christmas?

Little Uni Posts: The Build Up To Leaving Home & Moving In Day

Even though I moved away from home and to university around 2 months ago, I thought now is the time where I can put together some posts to display on my blog about university life. This is purely because I have experienced a handful of things since being here, and I thought I could document some university ongoings here on my blog every now and then. What do you think?

So the week building up to moving in day was absolutely terrifying. I'm not going to lie about how I was feeling because at heart I am a home bird, and I love to be surrounded by my family and spend the majority of my time in their presence. So when my mum dragged the box full of kitchen essentials through to my room to start packing away, I did have a little sob at the thought that I wasn't going to see her everyday, and we weren't going to be a part of each others lives everyday like we used to be. Then, my nan surprised me with a bathroom hamper full of cute little things for my bathroom, along with towels, bleach, shampoo & conditioner and other necessities and then I thought "wow, I really am growing up."

So Saturday 20th September came around very very quickly and me, my mum, my nan and my brother all hopped into the jam packed car full of all of my belongings and set off to move to Manchester. The whole journey I felt so ill, because I had thoughts about the people I was going to be living with for the next year, if they were going to like me and what they were generally like as people. Mum kept on crying and my brother kept asking the most random questions but eventually we arrived at my halls and it was time to unpack. 

When I went to the reception area to pick up my keys, my aunty jokingly said to me "I would laugh if you were on the top floor with all of them stairs", and I just brushed off her little comment. Later did I find out I was on the top floor and the stairs were an absolute nightmare to keep on walking up and down to drag all of my stuff into the flat. That day I noticed how unfit I really am! But alas, I got everything set up, tried to work the internet, nearly broke the wardrobe door and then had to say goodbye to everyone. I knew I would have to do this at some point, but I just kept on brushing this off and when it came to face it I 100% was not prepared. My mum and nan were sobbing and my brother looked lost. I have never seen them look like that before, and top tip for you here guys- just hug it all out. I found that hugs bring everything to the surface and tears explode, and that weight that was sitting on your shoulders comes off and you know everything is going to be OK. When they eventually peeled themselves away from me, I didn't know what to do with myself. I sat in my bedroom with the door open eating cashew nuts, and then this little head popped around the door and said 'hi!'. This is Ali and she is the first person I met when I came to uni. We got out the vodka, and then the rest of the night was completely entertaining.

So there is my first little uni post, and there definitely will be more to follow!

Have any of you gone to uni this September? How are you finding it? 

Where Have You Been? | Meeting Special People & Get Togethers

These past couple of months have been some of the most hectic and emotional months of my life- purely because I am settling down into university and trying to come to terms with the fact I am away from family, friends and home.

I thought it would be best if I took a little break from blogging, to try and pull myself together and focus on getting into a pattern of doing the hefty work load and attending lectures/seminars. Although this is what I have been focusing on, I have also been having the time of my life, and I have met so many incredible people and taken part in the best opportunities.

Last night the whole of the block who I live with attended a meal at a Caribbean restaurant for Amie's birthday (girl at the front). It was an incredible night, and it was so lovely for us all to get together and celebrate a special occasion. Even though someone found a bone in their 'boneless chicken wrap' we all made light of the situation. The food was gorgeous and I would definitely go back there.

A few weeks ago it was my friend Gina's birthday and we went out for drinks to celebrate. We all had a really lovely night again- spending it together as a block. The venue wasn't to standard, but we moved on and had a good night somewhere else. People got a bit emotional throughout the night, but we still had fun and made it a night to remember.

When halloween came around, many people had gone home so there was only a few of us left. So what better than to go out? I dressed up as a mermaid (well tried to), and I created a candy skull on my friends face. All i'm going to say is not a lot of that night can be remembered, but doesn't that prove we had a good night?

Sunday night was Carnage night. Carnage is where you go on a bar crawl and get into all of the bars for free if you have a Carnage t-shirt. Again, it proved to be a messy night, but we had fun and made sure Amie's birthday started with a bang. 

Last week was one of the best weeks of my entire life. I attended a couple of things which made me s happy and content with life- I couldn't not share them! 

Firstly I went to see Miranda Sings/ Coleen Ballinger live!! She was incredible and made me laugh none stop. The whole crowd was in awe of her, and I would definitely go and see her again. No doubt.

Secondly... I WENT TO ALFIE DEYES' BOOK SIGNING AND MET HIM AND NATALIE. Words cannot describe how excited and giddy I was that day, and how lovely he is in reality. Some people think that he is only nice behind the camera, but truth is he is genuinely the sweetest person ever. He took time to ask how everyone was doing, gave out compliments and wished everyone a good day. He also allowed photo's to be taken with him, and apologised for the security that kept on rushing us to move on. 

So there are some highlights of my uni experience so far. I am loving every second of it. 

What have you guys been doing over the past couple weeks?