Currently...

I can't believe it's July already. I know it's a cliche, and everyone feels this way but it feels as though it was only March yesterday. This month has been a stressful one full of hard work and nerves. I began working full time for the rest of summer, and I found out my results for my HND in Social Sciences - I got an AB which means I get to go to university in September to study psychology - so I'm extremely relieved too!
Now, normally, at this time of month bloggers will share all of their favourites of the month, however I don't have many of those for once (shock, I know). So instead, I'm going to run down a list of things I'm currently enjoying, and have been for the month of June. So, without further ado...

Currently Listening to: 
I created this playlist of all of the songs I've really been enjoying this month so I thought I'd share it with you! There's quite a mixture here, and there's a few songs from the Divergent soundtrack as I've been reading it - I really enjoy finding playlists made for the books I'm reading. Might sound weird buuuut I feel like it creates a good atmosphere for the story, and helps me get into the reading zone.



Currently Watching:

I didn't watch many movies this month, but one that really stood out to me was Hush. A thriller/horror revolving around a deaf/mute writer that lives pretty much in the middle of nowhere gets forced into a game of cat-and-mouse with a psychopath that tries to kill her. The movie is really well done, and although it takes some time to get going, it really kept me on the edge of my seat. I feel like these types of movies are overdone and it takes a lot to shock me, but I was really impressed!
As for TV, it is June which means that Big Brother is back on! I know that not everyone is a fan of this, but I'm a sucker for "crap" TV, what can I say? On that note, Home and Away and Neighbours were both amazing this month, with some brilliant storylines finally coming to a close. I was impressed with the outcome of the hotel explosion and I feel it was really well thought out, however I felt that the killer of Charlotte in Home and Away wasn't thought out at all and was a bit of a cop out. 
Finally, I've began watching The Magicians, and although I really didn't like it at first, the storyline started to heat up about 4 episodes in so I'm going to keep watching for now! 

Currently Reading:

I finished Divergent this month (the first book, not the series). It was a bit of a slow burner but eventually I found myself hooked - I prefer the movie but I'm definitely going to read the series as I can't wait to find out what happens next! I reccommend this for those of you that like young adult books that contain a bit of everything - some sci-fi, romance, action. It's not the most intense, but it still kept me coming back for more!
I've recently moved onto Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll have seen the movie trailer for this. In all honesty, I forgot I even had the book but figured now would be the best time to read it! I'm not 100% sold on it yet, but despite the main focus of the book being quite sad, it still manages to be upbeat and funny. I like that Will has been created in a way that really shows how hard being in a wheelchair can be, as someone who has been affected by this, I appreciate the attention to detail.

If you're still here, I applaud you! Hope you enjoyed this layout, what are you currently enjoying?-x

Review: Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

If you're anything like me, you might think that BB and CC creams aren't worth the money, and can't possibly do anything for your skin. These formulas tempt to be lighter in coverage and very hydrating, which isn't great if you're prone to bouts of redness like I am, or have oily skin like I do. With the warm weather here, I decided to switch out my heavier foundations for something a bit lighter - and having heard some rave reviews about the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, I decided to try it out!

Let's talk formula. As the name would suggest, this cc cream contains three different colours in order to correct any imperfections - apricot for anti-fatigue, green to combat redness and white to combat dark areas. The texture is slightly thicker than I expected but warms up on the back of the hand and becomes slightly runny, I assume this is to combat oxidisation as I've never had that issue with this, unlike other bases of this sort. Although the cc cream is thicker than most bb/cc creams, it is still very lightweight and blends seamlessly onto the skin. I would say this is hydrating, but not overpowering for the summer at all - just be sure to set it with some powder if you don't want that greasy look.

Ignore my messy hair. In the before picture you can see I have quite a bit of redness around the cheeks and blotches on my forehead which has been totally erased in the after picture - I was pleasantly surprised as I really didn't expect such good results. I do use a generous amount of product to have this amount of coverage but it still feels like nothing on the skin. This clings onto dry patches if I've been lazy with my skincare routine, so that's probably something to watch out for if you have particularly flaky skin - but it's nothing that a bit of exfoliant can't fix! This is perfect for making me look more awake, and as you can see it is exceptionally good at diffusing redness. Now, I'm not saying this is a miracle worker in the world of light to medium coverage bases - you will still need some concealer for particularly bad days but overall this is a real catch. Perfect for those days where you want to quickly slap some coverage on, and not have to worry about any imperfections peeking through midday. When I'm working, this lasts around 5 hours before it starts to wear off but can last way longer if I'm not up to much. It's important to note that I do work in a hot environment where I'm on my feet all day so I think 5 hours is pretty impressive.

The Bourjois CC Cream is perfect for totally evening out, and brightening the skin, while offering some protection with the addition of SPF 15. At first, I thought this was pretty pricey for a CC cream, but the coverage is very good and in my opinion, is totally worth the £9.99. You can find the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream here.

Review: SEVENTEEN Doll'd Up Mascara

Having used the same mascara for a good few months, I thought it was about time I pop up a review on it. If you are looking for a mascara that separates and lengthens, while lasting throughout the day with no smudging or flaking, then the Doll'd Up mascara by Seventeen might be up your street!
Admittedly, I am someone who prefers waterproof formulas as I don't tend to trust 'normal' formulas not to transfer or even hold a curl. On first impressions, I thought this mascara was way too wet, and was sure it wouldn't work at all on me, and I was right at first but leaving the formula to dry a bit really makes a difference. I accidentally picked up the mascara in the brown shade, but it isn't noticeable on the lashes.

As you can see, this has a curved plastic wand with very fine 'bristles' which has been designed to totally avoid clumps and perfectly separate each individual lash. Now, since the mascara does focus more on separation and length, it lacks volume but I think that's fine for an everyday mascara.

As you can see from the before and after image above, the mascara definitely lengthens and defines the lashes. I know, it's nothing too dramatic but like I said, perfect for everyday wear. The above image is just one coat of mascara, but it can be built up for a more dramatic effect if you wish. I already have quite long lashes, as you can see in the second photo but I imagine this would be perfect for those of you with shorter lashes. 

My one gripe with this mascara is that it claims to hold a curl for 24 hours. It's more like 24 seconds on me, I'm actually amazed that my eyelashes behaved themselves so that I could take the pictures! I have seen this mascara result in a lovely, lasting curl on other people but I'm afraid it isn't quite strong enough to hold my stubborn downward-pointing lashes. I will say that the lengthening aspect of the mascara gives a lovely brightening effect to the lower lashes, leaving the eyes looking more open.

Overall, the mascara isn't groundbreaking or anything, but it is lovely for naturally enhancing your lashes. As I said, I didn't have much luck with the curling aspect of the mascara but I definitely appreciated how much more awake my eyes look after using it. I've heard many people rave about this mascara, and I'm a bit disappointed that it hasn't really impacted my lashes in a can't-live-without-it sort of way but at £6.29, you can't complain too much.

You can find the Seventeen Doll'd Up Mascara here

Have you tried this? Let me know if you got on better (or worse) with it! -x