Hello April...

source

I love April. It means the start of Spring so this month will be all about spring cleaning for me. I'm giving my room a bit of a make-over and I am starting this by laying down some new wood flooring tomorrow, how exciting. I'm also getting a new bed and desk and some where nice to store my make-up (maybe a post on that when it's all done if you're interested). 

Sadly, April also means that the Summer exams are edging ever so closer so I'll also been revising like crazy. I have lots of literature coursework to finish up and I have 5 exams to study for, sigh. Hopefully blogging won't take a massive decline during this busy time - I will be trying my best to keep it up in-between all of the school work as I kind-of think it keeps me sane during this time of stress. 

What does April mean for you? 

♥♥♥

NEOM Luxury Organics Travel Candle in Serenity ♡

 I've been lusting over the NEOM candles after hearing many other beauty bloggers talk about them. They seemed to ooze luxury and all of the scents sound divine. I was so happy to receive one of their travel candles from my parents at Christmas, they really must know me well.

I received the Serenity candle which I think NEOM sum up the scent of perfectly. It's a definite vanilla with a deep edge and it smells divine, it's definitely a very unique scent, I have never smelt a vanilla like this. I love burning this candle whilst I'm revising as it really helps to calm and relax me and fills my room with it's beautiful scent. This is something that I think is soo impressive for such a small candle (75g), even my mum commented on how lovely it made my room smell. What I love about this candle is that the scent is strong but it doesn't feel like it is 'choking' you. I've had problems with Yankee Candle's in the past where I've felt that some of their scents have made me throat swell and I feel choked which makes me uneasy about burning them and I usually end up wasting a candle. 

As you can see from the above picture NEOM's candles are made from a blend of 100% natural vegetable wax and pure aromatherapy oils. They don't contain synthetic frangrance which is why I think they don't affect my throat or breathing which makes the slightly expensive price tag worth it to me. They won't leave black marks around the glass jar which means I'm not breathing in any soot, unlike many of the Yankee Candles I have tried.

NEOM say that their travel candles burn for around 5 hours but I would say mine lasted around 10 hours which really impressed me. The travel candles don't last a really long time considering they have a £15 price tag (especially if you burn it all day like me) but I think its a great way to try out the candles before you splash out on the larger, 3 wick size. They are also such a pleasure to burn that I think it's worth it. 
I also can't wait to use the jar for little trinkets and jewellery once I've cleaned it.

This candle retails for £15 for 75g and the full size (300g) retails at £39.50, but both are currently on sale  here and here. I'm praying that they aren't discontinuing this scent.

I can't wait to repurchase this lovely candle in the full size and also try out some more of their scents, I am currently after the happiness candle and the treatment candle.

Have you tried any NEOM products? 

'Til Next Time,

p.s. sorry for the lack of posts, January exams have taken over, but my last one is on Monday so blog posts will be more regular from next week. Yay. 

♡ Budget Muslin Cloths ~ A little Liz Earle Dupe ♡

I use a muslin cloth every time I wash my face. I love how it can gently exfoliate my skin leaving it feeling soft and supple and help deeply clean and take away any make-up. So I thought I'd share this amazing budget find with you. These muslin cloth's are 100% cotton and come in a pack of 1 for just 69p - yes you read that correctly, just 69p?! I was surprised by how low the price was so I thought I'd pick one up to see how they compare to my Liz Earle ones (which are not overly expensive at £4 for a pack of 2 but are hard to get hold of!). They are literally the same.  I can't tell a difference between them. These fabulous muslin cloths can be found at Home Bargains and I seriously recommend you check these cloths out, they are essential for my cleansing routine. I'm so happy with this find, I hope this helps someone out, maybe someone who's looking for some bargain muslin cloths? 

Have you tried these muslin cloths?

'Til Next Time,

♡ Geometric Mint ♡

Mint Crop Top ~ H&M // Geometric Necklace ~ Dorothy Perkins // Cardigan ~ Newlook // High Waist Jegging ~ Newlook

I took some photo's of my outfit in a new area of my room. I'm sorry there aren't many photo's for this ootd but I didn't expect to be using them. Do you like the new background? I much prefer it but I find it really difficult taking photo's of my outfit's whether it's just me and the tripod or someone else is helping me out.

I really love these high waist jeggings I got from Newlook. They are almost like a thick pair of leggings with pockets and a button and are so so comfy. I originally got them for school but I'm definitely going to buy another pair in maybe a grey or wine colour. I also love this mint crop top from H&M. Massive bargain at £1.99 compared to the Topshop prices and again really comfy to wear although I did feel a little conscious of having my stomach on show. I also wore with this outfit my Topshop Vecra Studded Slippers and my Silver Casio, very casual indeed.

I've just started back at sixth form and it's ok so far. I'm excited to start my Biology, English and Chemistry A-level's but not so much maths. It's really worn me out though, I'm currently feeling pretty run down due to me waking up at around 7 o'clock every morning (I'm not use to being up bright & early!). I'm sure I'll get used to it though.

How are you finding sixth form if you've just started? & how do you like the background?

'Til Next Time,

☺ Back-to-School Essentials ☺

As I'm starting sixth form tomorrow so I thought I'd do a post on what stationary and equipment I have bought and what are my essentials for going back to school. I'm doing 5 A-levels which are biology, chemistry, maths, english literature and then something called a Welsh Baccalaureate which is compulsory and something I don't particularly want to do. I'm actually really looking forward to starting sixth form and my A-levels and I'm feeling really motivated to try my hardest this year at school. Most of the things I got were purchased at Tesco/Asda or Wilkinson's just because they were the only decent places in my town and everything was pretty cheap which I was glad because my mum kindly got me everything I needed. Aw.

 2x Oxford Refill Pads ~ £1.43 at Tesco

Speech Bubble Sticky Notes ~ 80p at Wilkinson's

I was going to get individual notepads for school but after realising how heavy that would be to carry around and how pointless it would be as I'd only be ripping out the paper to put into files, I decided to get 2 refill pads. These ones by Oxford are really nice, they even have a table to put your lesson timetable on inside the pad and they were a bargain at £1.43 each as the paper quality is really good.

1. Geometric Pencil Case ~ £2.00 at Wilkinson's
2. Coloured Pens ~ 49p at Tesco
3. Rubbers ~ Tesco & Wilkinson's
4. Papermate Pens ~ £1 at Wilkinson's
5. Pencils ~ £2 at Asda
6. Bic Coloured Pens for her ~ £2 at Asda
7. Folding Ruler ~ 93p at Tesco
8. Sharpie Highlighters ~ £2 at Asda

I hardly ever write in standard black or blue ink at school as I find writing in different colours helps me feel motivated to revise and take notes. I don't know why but I find it helps me to take in information and makes writing notes more interesting. I love the geometric pencil case from Wilko's, such a bargain at £2. 

Stripped Folder ~ £1.50 at Wilkinson's
Sweet Shop Folder ~ £1.50 at Wilkinson's 
Polka Dot Folder ~ £1.59 at Tesco

As you can see I still need to get one more folder as I didn't see any other ones that I fancied but I thought the sweet shop one was so adorable. The whole range at Wilko's is so nice.

Texet Scientific Calculator ~ £2.25 at Tesco

Sweet Shop Book Marks ~ 80p at Wilkinson's

I already have a calculator but I couldn't resist picking this one up as it was only £2.25 which is crazy cheap for a scientific calculator. I guess it could be a back up if my other one breaks. These bookmarks were too cute to not buy, I thought they'd come in handy for the 2 books I'm reading for English Lit and they were super duper cheap.

So that's it, I'm just waiting on two books (The Time Machine & High Rise) for English literature and then I have everything. I've been very organised going back to school this time and it feels good.

Are you organised when it comes to school? Where do you love to buy your stationary? 

'Til Next Time,

☮ Two Weeks In Pictures ☮

Shopping for school things in Swansea // Featured on www.whatsinmyhandbag.com // Results flowers from mama-bear // My Topshop Vecra's have served me well // New brush storage // Innocent smoothie's are my favourite // Room is looking cute // Another beautiful summer's day in Wales! // Topshop unique jumper // Waiting at the train station because shopping again in Cardiff // Casual day // New lipstick // Featured in the town's newspaper for my results // Mardi Gras at Cardiff! // Me and Alice at Mardi Gras // Being posey with my new lipstick

I haven't done much over the past two weeks apart from shop a lot for school supplies and laze around with my boyfriend. Although, I went to Mardi Gras yesterday at Cardiff with a group of friends and it was lots of fun. I am definitely going to attend next year, it was such a nice day out (I even sun burned a teeny bit) and it was nice spending time with lots of my friends whilst showing our support. I also went out for food tonight with lots of family and my boyfriend, and we had some amazing food. I'm oh so very full now.

I'm back in school on Tuesday, massive sigh, where I'll be starting sixth form and my a-levels, so I'm sorry in advanced if there is a lack of posting over the next week as I will be getting use to the work load etc. after that I should of worked out a schedule and I will be posting regular again!

Hope you've all had a fabulous weekend!

'Til Next Time,

✩ How Much Is Your Face Worth? ✩

I saw Louise do this tag first and have seen many other bloggers do this post since then. I can't stop reading them, maybe it's because I am a little nosey but I find these posts really interesting to read. The idea of this tag is to list every product that is on your face and total up the price. I think it's interesting to see how the price of make-up really adds up and how expensive it really is to get a full face of make-up.

Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm £1.99 // Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer £6.99 // Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19 // Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream £7.99 // Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation £10.99 // Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder £3.99 // MAC Cork Eyeshadow £10 // Urban Decay Naked Palette £35 // MUA Clear Mascara £1 // E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer £3 // MAC Ricepaper Eyeshadow £10 // Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara £16.50 // Natural Collection Lash Build Mascara £1.99 // Benefit Hoola Boxed Powder £23.50 // Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme in Iced Gold £17 // NARS Deep Throat Blush £21 // Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 75 £7.99

And the total is..... £183.12! I am a little bit shocked, knowing I've spent that amount on just one face of make-up makes me scared to think how much I've spent on my whole make-up collection although I do get my wear out of most of the make-up I buy so I guess it's worth it. Most of the prices were taken from the Boots website, of course the total price isn't 100% accurate as some things may of been bought on offer etc. but it gives a good estimate. I am a little bit of a high end make-up lover but as I can't always afford to splurge and there are some great products to be found on the high street, I usually have a good mix of high and low end make-up which is why I am a teeny bit shocked. I would love to do this tag again but with evening make-up on instead of everyday/day time make-up, what do you think?

Also, I can only apologize for the state of my skin right now, I'm having a really bad time with it. I've never suffered from spots or anything else really but over the past few months my skin has gone crazy and that's all I've been covered in along with some mysterious red bumps, and my skin has been very dry. I have literally no idea why. Sigh.

I tag everyone who reads this to do it. I would love to have a nose so pretty please leave a link if you do it or have done already. 

I hope you enjoyed.

'Til Next Time,

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♡ ♡ Review; Balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream ♡ ♡

Balance Me. Extra Care Wonder Eye Cream £14 for 10ml // £20 for 15ml

I got this free with Glamour magazine I believe last month and didn't really expect to think much of it. I was pleased to have it as I needed a new eye cream but I didn't expect it to be any good.

I have to admit, I was proven wrong. Balance Me. in general seem like a really interesting brand and I would love to try more of their range as natural products always intrigue me.

The Balance Me. Wonder Eye Cream is of 99% natural origin which is always a plus for me. I feel like I'm being a lot kinder to my skin, although I necessarily may not be, I just prefer to use natural products if I can. 

Balance Me. target this cream for "soothing, brightening and lifting" and say it "helps to revitalize and smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines" and is for all skin types. I have normal/combo skin and don't really suffer with any skin problems around my eye area apart from them being dark and very dis-coloured and occasionally a little dehydrated. 

This eye cream does exactly what it says on the tube (and more) which is so refreshing (I apply a small amount to lid, under eye area and surrounding area of the eye). This eye cream is definitely soothing and brightening and has visibly reduced the darkness under my eyes and the surrounding discoloration. I was so pleasantly surprised when I noticed how much brighter the under area of my eye looked. It also helps to smooth the area whilst keeping it hydrated. Of course this is no permanent fix to dark circles and I'm sure nothing could be, but for the time I am using this product it is doing a very good job at reducing their appearance. I'm not too sure about it reducing the appearance of fine lines as I don't really have many being almost 17 but I do find it to be lifting and soothing and my general eye area just looks a little bit nicer when I'm using this. I wish I could of done a before and after of my dark circles to show you how it's worked but like I said I didn't really expect it to work wonders at all. I guess it's called the 'Wonder Eye Cream' for a reason. 

I'm going to be very sad when this runs out but I will definitely be repurchasing after I have tried the Origins GinZing eye cream. I think £14 for 10ml is a very reasonable price as I can see visible improvements with this eye cream and I would love to try more of the Balance Me. range.

What are your opinions of the eye cream/Balance Me.?

'Til Next Time,

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✌ Autumn Wishlist ✌

Topshop MOTO Acid Supersoft Leigh Jeans £38

Topshop Floral Print Cigarette Trousers £36

Monki Dannie Shirt

River Island Black Lace Maxi Skirt £30

Topshop Alien Chunky Fringe Boot  £95

ASOS 3 Simple Gold Band Rings £8

Topshop Knitted Pointelle Jumper £38

Topshop Scandi Bead Handchain £10

Topshop MOTO Pale Khaki Leigh Jeans £38

• I have been lusting over the ASOS Gold Band Rings ever since I seen them on Barbara from ThePersianBabe on YouTube. I think they're so chic and simple and I love them. I am un-sure about getting them though as I don't wear a lot of gold and I can't find them in silver sigh.
• I've seen lots of handchains around lately I think they look really nice with a simple outfit as abit of a statement peice. I love this Topshop one because I looove berry shades for A/W and I love the beading. I can't wait to get my hands on this.
• I also love the Topshop Knitted Pointelle Jumper. I love the 'fish net' style and think it would look really effortless with a pair of acid wash jeans and these Topshop Alien Fringe Boots. Perfect.

What trends are you loving this A/W? Any of you off to London fashion week? (I'm jealous)

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✼ Review; Boots Botanics 100% Organic Rosewater Toning Spritz ✼

Boots Botanics Rosewater Toning Spritz ~ Boots ~ £4.99 ~ 150ml // 5 US Fl.Oz

I am a huge fan of the Boots Botanics range. Everything I have tried from the range I have good things to say about and I think that the products are good quality for a small price, which makes my bank account very happy indeed.

There seems to be a divide in opinion over whether a toner is really "necessary" or not, but I don't think I could skip the step in my skincare routine and I think this toner in one of the best I've tried, granted I haven't tried hundreds but I've tried a fair few. Before this I was in love with the LUSH Breath of Fresh Air toner (which I still love) but this is just as good, a little better actually, and is more accessible for me and slightly cheaper.

I really feel like I am treating my skin when I use this toner. I'm not usually fond of a 'rose' smell but it's actually very refreshing and the product is great to keep in my bag and use as a refreshing spritz throughout the day as I find it doesn't mess with my make-up too much. I enjoy using the toner after I have cleansed and washed my face to get the last scraps of make-up off, if any whilst refreshing my skin and ridding of tightness. 

Overall I really love this toner, would most definitely recommend and will repurchase in the future for sure!

There's also a current offer on at Boots where you can save 1/3 on Botanics skincare so you can grab this toner at just £3.33!

Rating: ★★★★

What are your thoughts on the Botanics Range? What's your favourite toner?

'Til Next Time,

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☼ ☼ My Week In Photos #2 ☼ ☼

@caryslloyd

⋆ Visited an Owl Sanctuary ⋆ My cousin's cat had kittens aw ⋆ Bubble bath courtesy of LUSH ⋆ New 'make-shift' set up for blog photos ⋆ Photographing for reviews coming soon ⋆ My sister & I at my mum's 40th ⋆ New Yankee Candle ⋆ Experimenting with make-up for results ⋆ Writing ⋆ Topshop bikini for swimming ⋆ Shopping & lunch with mama-bear ⋆ Dry skin savior ⋆ Cute owls ⋆ YSL freebie ⋆ Costa berry smoothie ⋆ Go-to eye make-up ⋆

I haven't been up to much lately but I thought I'd start doing these posts again as I love nosing at other blogger's week in photo's posts. So, expect a post like this fortnightly from now on!

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

♡ ♡ Nail of the Day; Disco Lilac ♡ ♡

Hello everyone.

I haven't done a nail related post in ageeeees so I thought I'd share newly discovered nail combination that I absolutely adore and can see myself constantly wearing it for the next few weeks.

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Lucky Lilac 50
Essence Nail Art Special Effects Topper in Disco Disco 11

I am absolutely in love with this combo at the moment, I've never really been a fan of glitter on my nails but I am in looove with the Essence Topper. The chunky silver glitter looks lovely over the No7 pastel lilac and I assume it'll look nice over any shade. It's a really nice quality polish, dries quickly and has a beautiful iridescence. 
I actually won the essence polish in the lovely Eyelyn's give-away recently so sorry UK followers, it's not available here *sigh*. I'm sure there are lots of similar top coats around though.

There will be lots of skin-care and hair-care reviews coming soon so look out for them!

What's your favourite nail combo? What's your go-to brand of nail polish?

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox




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☼ Review; E.l.f Mineral Eyelid Primer (+ Urban Decay Comparison) ☼

E.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow Primer ~ £3.00 @ eyeslipsface.co.uk

E.l.f say "This gentle and completely sheer Eyeshadow Primer has key vitamins A, C and E to help prevent aging and moisturizes the skin. The formula glides on easily and disappears instantly to create longer-lasting, crease-proof eyeshadow. The Mineral Eyeshadow Primer is designed to be used with your favorite mineral eyeshadow to provide ultimate staying power for beautiful and vibrant color that lasts. 100% mineral based with no parabens, no preservatives and no chemical dyes."

I'm not too sure about the 'key vitamins' and the whole 'prevent ageing' as I have seen no effects  of this and didn't really expect it from an eyeshadow primer but I do think that it does have a moisturizing feel on the lid of the eye. The texture is smooth, feels a bit like it contains silicon so  it smooths and evens out the lid, and blends effortlessly. The product itself is light and does glide on easily and disappears instantly. 

I think that this primer is almost as good as the infamous 'Urban Decay Primer Potion' - minus the price tag. I think it holds on the shadow and prevents them from creasing in the same way the urban decay primer does. Although, this primer does not make the eyeshadows any more vibrant, like the Urban Decay one, which is a little negative for me. My shadows do still crease with this primer, but only slightly, which I expect as they do with any of the eye primers I have tried *sigh*. 
I definitely recommend you try this out if you are debating whether to try the Urban Decay Primer Potion as it is similar, if you only need a primer to keep your  eye-shadow on for longer or you're a eye-shadow primer newbie, this is a great one to try for a very reasonable price.
I don't quite think it is as good as the Urban Decay Primer Potion, just because it doesn't add any vibrancy to the shadows but for the price this is a very impressive product.
 I would 100% buy again and recommend to you all.

Have you tried any of the E.l.f primers?
 Has anyone tried/reviewed the Too Faced Shadow Insurance? I'd love to give that one a try!

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox



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✿ Highstreet Bag Lust ✿

Topshop Leather Geo Panel Tote Bag £95

Topshop Patch Arrow Shopper £10

Topshop Sage Edge Paint Bowling Bag £36

Topshop Black Cutout Holdall Bag £42

Zara Basic Shopper £19.99

Zara Suede Combined Shopper £49.99

So, since I am starting sixth form in a few weeks along with many others I thought it would be a good idea to post some of the bags I have been lusting over as a "back to school bag".

This task is usually something that stresses me out every year but this year has been different, I've seen plenty of beautiful bags and I have soo many to choose from. I've especially had my eye on the 'Bowling' bag style and lots of basic shoppers, I think I may have to get one of each so I can alternate at school and a shopper bag provides plenty of room to carry around books etc!
 So here are some of the ones I've had my eye on or have stood out to me whilst browsing online, I thought this may help anyone going back to school like me in September and cannot find the perfect bag, maybe this could be inspiration? Or maybe you'll spot the bag you want amongst these, who knows. 
(Ok so the Zara Shopper and the Topshop Panel Tote bag are a big off budget for a school bag but they were both too nice not to include tehe.) 

What are your favourite high-street stores to find bags? 

'Til Next Time,
Carys xox

☼ My Summer in Lip Products ☼

Hi there. 

I'm very sorry about being a bit absent lately, I've been feeling a little down in the dumps and haven't really felt like writing many blog posts, and when I have been writing posts they end up turning out dreadful. But tonight, I'm really in the mood to get writing. I'll be doing a batch of posts tonight so they should be a lot more frequent again over the next week or two, just in-case I'm feeling a bit down again.

So here is "my summer in lip products". Basically,  just my favourite lip products throughout this summer (as if the uk has had much of one, I feel robbed!). I saw a little article in ELLE recently called "My Summer in Shoes" and I thought it would be a nice idea (maybe? let me know) to do a series of posts called "My summer in..". I could do my summer in.. nail polish, lip products, skincare, jewelry, eye shadows/eye products etc. The ideas are endless, and then I thought I maybe could do this little series at the end of every season e.g my winter in...

If you like/hate the idea please let me know your thoughts in the comments because I'd hate to be writing posts that you all hate tehe. 

(I promise I'll post swatches later on today as I completely forgot to photograph them, I'm so silly. So check back if you're interested in some swatches)

(From top left-right)

Sephora Rouge in R16

No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Pink Crush 55

Revlon Colour Burst Lipstick in Peach 075

Natural Collection Juicy Lips in Fondant

Cargo Lipgloss in Tokyo

Benefit Ultra Shines Lipgloss in Spiked Punch

No7 Lip Liner in Nude 20

Topshop Polish in Coral 

LUSH Cosmetics Pow Wow Lip Scrub

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Stain + Balm in Nothing but Bude 700 and Carry on Cherry 600 

MUA Love Hearts Kiss Me Lip Balm

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake 3 and Cotton Candy 1

Nivea Pure&Natural Milk & Honey Lip Balm

I hope you enjoyed this post. Leave your thoughts below!

What's your favourite brand of lipstick/gloss? What is your ultimate summer lip product?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

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☼ ☼ Sunny Days ☼ ☼

A little bit of a more personal/lifestyle post but I thought I'd share some images I've taken whilst enjoying the lovely British sun we've been having recently. I haven't really done anything too exciting but I've enjoyed relaxing with my boyfriend and visiting a lovely park nearby. I've also been doing lots of walking in an attempt to be a little bit more healthy. 

Warning; the post is very picture heavy haha.

Embracing my milky legs at a pretty park nearby

Reading blogs on my phone whilst waiting for my boyfriend to turn up 

Me and Mick (he doesn't like this photo so shh don't tell him I put it on here!

Mick makes me look extra pale

Twinsies because I was uncomfortable in my original t-shirt

Mick decided to be a photographer for the day and took 3974874 pictures of me

And a beautiful picture of me to finish off the blog post! 

What have you all been doing to enjoy this lovely sun? 

Don't worry more fashion/beauty posts coming soon!

Also, would you guys be interested in me doing a Graze box review?

'Til Next Time,

Carys xox

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