Cheerleading!

Over the weekend I was away in Telford taking part in the BCA University Nationals and National Championships with my university squad. With great excitement I took up cheerleading in my first year of university and became part of the Level 2 squad. This year (my third and final year) was the first time we were able to take part in the competitions along with our Level 3 squad (who had been the previous years) and it was absolutely incredible!

Although we didn't place I think I speak for everyone when I say we had the most fun we'd had in ages and loved every second. The rest of our team sat at the front of the mat and screamed like crazy for us the whole way through. We weren't marked on 'spirit' but we had the best, most excited cheer faces going. Performing the routine we'd worked so hard on over the past year was amazing. Our performance at the University Nationals was good but at the National Championships the next day we did so much better and all left the mat feeling a huge sense of achievement. It's a feeling none of us will be forgetting for a while (that is, until we compete again in May!)

Here's a picture from the competition:

(I'm the one not cartwheeling!)

I've had a few mixed responses from people when I tell them I do cheerleading, but when it has given me some of the best friends I've made at university, and some of the most incredible and enjoyable experiences of my life, I honestly couldn't care less about the stereotypes!

I love hearing about the hobbies other people do so comment below about the hobby you enjoy the most!

Sleek!

I mentioned having bought this in a previous post so here is the full review! This is something I had been after for a while. I wanted an affordable contour kit which wasn't too pricey, worked with my skin tone and had a bronzer that wasn't too orangey or shimmery.

I'm always trotting over to the Sleek section in Superdrug to eye up their gorgeous eye shadow palettes, I really love the design of the Sleek palettes but I don't wear eye shadow often enough to justify spending money on one, so I found myself trying to find excuses to buy them, for example my friend's birthday. Then I noticed the little blush, bronzer and highlighter kits they had. I went away and ended up reading many reviews which had recently sprung up on my Bloglovin' dashboard, featuring the Sleek Face Form palettes, so I went and bought one didn't I?

I picked up the Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette in the colour Fair (looks like Neapolitan ice cream doesn't it?!) and in order of appearance, here's how each of the trio work :

 

Pressed Powder:

To contour I prefer to use a powder/bronzer that does not have an orange tint or shimmer (so that I can use it to create a shadow effect under my jawline and in the hollows of my cheeks) so this works nicely. It's quite pigmented so I have to make sure I blend it in well to avoid streaks.

Highlighter: 

The highlighter is great for a fair skin tone like my own, however it is also shimmery so if you prefer more of a matte look like I do then this one is not so much the one for you. I do love the way it looks when used on the tops of your cheekbones though!

Blush: 

When you look at the photograph below you'll see the blush is a strong pink colour (very on trend right now) but you'll also notice that it has hints of gold shimmer flecked through it, which I think looks so so pretty. On my skin it is quite a bright colour so I thought I would have to mix it with one of my other blushes, however I have found that when used on its own and blended slightly with the highlighter it actually looks gorgeous and definitely creates that cute 'pop' of pink that everyone is talking about for spring!

(This photograph was taken in pure daylight and should show you the true colour of each section in the palette).

Chocolate!

Hey, did you know this weekend London celebrates the Chocolate Festival? Sadly, I live in Yorkshire (the home of Nestle!) so couldn't quite justify paying a visit to London purely for chocolate. Instead, to keep in with the theme of my blog, and as the perfect excuse to buy chocolates, I decided to have a movie night and share with you some of my favourite chocolate snacks! (Sorrynotsorry).

When it comes to films my boyfriend and I tend to clash on opinion from time to time. Sometimes I'll be in the mood for a Disney movie and he, well, never is. So we each picked out our favorites for a movie night and this is the result! Whose choices do you like the most? (I personally love Skyfall too but I managed to pick up Elizabethtown for only £1!)

Also, I realise Caramac isn't chocolate, but I hadn't had one in years and couldn't resist!

Christina Grimmie

Listening to this first thing in the morning has put a really positive spin on my day!

If you're feeling stressed, down in the dumps or unmotivated give this a listen, it definitely put a smile on my face.

Spring! (Co-Lab Thursday)

I really don't enjoy winter, so when spring comes around I tend to start getting excited for warmer weather, flowery scents in the air, wearing fewer layers and little groups of adorable goslings waddling about - if you live in York you'll know what I mean! (See above). I absolutely love the sunshine, however whenever the weather severely changes I always feel like my wardrobe needs a bit of an update - does anyone else do the same? So to celebrate spring arriving I did a bit of shopping (oops). A little retail therapy never did anyone any harm, right? Here's what I bought...

Sunglasses: H&M. 

The sunglasses were something I had been after for a while - I had bought the previous pair while on holiday last year, they were white with a beautiful floral pattern and only cost me 10 euros in a mall in Tarragona. These broke while in my bag back in the summer so I wanted a new pair which looked as cute as I thought those did! This pink pair fit the bill I reckon, plus they were so cheap!

Dress: Outfit.

As you are probably aware pastel colours are very on-trend at the moment, and luckily for me, I adore pastels. I love that this dress has a cute white collar and combines my love of blues and pinks together into a cute summery checkered pattern. It's absolutely perfect for spring and summer and I can't wait for the weather to get warmer and brighter so that I can finally wear this. I'll probably dress it with a white or black cardigan and my cream/off-white pumps, it will go great with the sunglasses too!

Rimmel Colour Rush Lip Balm: Superdrug

I love Rimmel Colour Rush, and although I already had two of these ('Fire Red' & 'Keep on Mauving') I couldn't resist getting a third when the Rita Ora range came out. They are extremely pigmented, and the colour lasts a long time. I'd actually describe it more as a super moisturising lipstick than a lip balm. Plus they smell lovely, like vanilla. Can't go wrong with vanilla! Mmm.

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette: Boots/Superdrug

This is something I had been after for a while, so I'm really happy to have finally bought it! I needed a better powder for contouring, the shimmery highlighter is a bonus and the blush in a rose gold colour is beautiful. I will be doing a full review on this in a separate post later this month so stay tuned for that if you want to find out what I thought and how the colours look. 

Hair Accessories: H&M, River Island

I have developed somewhat of an obsession with bow accessories. It came to my attention recently, while deciding what I would do with my hair that day, that I had been neglecting the hair accessory department a little. So when I spotted these (two hair-ties, two clips) in H&M I picked them up straight away. The hairbands turn a boring ponytail into a cute, girly, up-do and the clips to add a nice swept-aside touch to my hair when I wear it down (usually looks best when I have it slightly curled). The giant scrunchie meanwhile was something I found in the sale at RI and picked up on impulse! I still haven't found the best way of wearing it yet, (I'm no Cressida Bonas) so any tips or ideas would be much appreciated!

I hope you enjoyed seeing what I bought for spring. I don't know about you but I can't wait for the weather to warm up so that we can bring out our summery outfits! What have you been loving or keeping your eye on this month? :)

This post is part of The Bloggers Collaboration's Co-Lab Thursday! Check out other posts here:

Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

Award Rules
1)Thank & Link.
2) List rules & display your award.
3) 7 facts about yourself.
4) Nominate other amazing blogs and comment to let them know, linking them to your post.
5) Optional. Proudly display the award logo on your blog (eg. side bar) & follow the person who nominated you (if you didn't already).

Thank you Petra and also Grace for nominating me! As my first award I really appreciate this. :) x

I nominate...
Linderella (Fab beauty & lifestyle posts)

Elisse (My first ever follower!)
Vanessa (Brilliant photographer)
 Beth (Very cute beauty blog)
Jemma (Love just about all her beauty posts)
Bea (Another gorgeous beauty blog,
and she shares my love of Tanya Burr lip gloss!)
Elizabeth (A relatively new blogger like myself!)

Tanya Burr Lipgloss

Earlier this year one of my favorite Youtubers, Tanya Burr, released her own make-up line - how exciting! When the line first came out I couldn't wait to get my hands on one of her products. Tanya's collection includes a range of lip glosses and nail polishes in some absolutely gorgeous colours. I took forever to decide which colour I wanted, and I'm a bit indecisive but I eventually picked two, one of which I bought to give to a friend as part of her birthday present. Unfortunately I couldn't try the polishes because I have an allergy to an ingredient which is used in most nail polishes, however the colour 'Little Duck' looks beautiful and I know that would be the one I'd order if I could!

The Colour

The lip glosses come in a variety of shades and colours. I chose one I thought would be pretty and girly and not too bold or glittery (some shimmer and some shine!) so I went for a kind of nude pink, named 'Afternoon Tea', how cute! In the tube it looks slightly brighter than it actually goes on (see my swatch below) however the subtle pink makes for a perfect day-time look, and I find it suits my pale skin very nicely. It's definitely one of these my-lips-but-better products and has been finding its way into my handbag on a regular basis.

The Design

I love the design of the tube, from the simple black lid and matching brand name text to the little pink heart printed on the top. The wand tip has a curve to it which fits to the shape of your lip, which makes for super smooth and easy application. As for the gloss itself you'll notice that it smells incredible, like strawberries and cream, it's lovely. I like to apply two coats when I wear 'Afternoon Tea' for the best coverage, however the gloss is very pigmented and creates high shine which lasts longer than I expected it to. It's also not too sticky which is great as I find some lip glosses to be a bit 'oh-good-the-wind-blew-and-now-all-my-hair-is-stuck-to-my-mouth'.

Whats more, both the lip glosses and nail polishes are pretty cheap to purchase. I ordered mine from Feel Unique and the delivery did not take long at all, very impressed. If you bought one of Tanya's products let me know, which one do you like the most? (I'm so jealous of all of you who can wear her nail polishes!)