Mini Haul

Again I am so sorry that I haven't been consistently posting but things have been pretty chaotic at home at the moment. But my exams are all finished and now I've finally got some time to myself so I figured I'd show you all what I've been buying recently. So here's the goodies..

The largest, and probably my favourite, purchase here is this bag from Tesco which you can see online here. This was such an impulse purchase as I was racing around my local Tesco picking up snacks for a day trip to London recently when I realised that I didn't have a bag to take. Luckily this beauty was in the very small collection of bags in the clothing section and it was only £15! I love the light tan with the gold hardware and it just goes with everything really well. It's a lot bigger than it looks and fits so much in there which suited my habit of packing too much stuff which I probably won't need (I'm a massive believer of 'just in case'). I can just tell that this is going to be my go-to summer bag.

My second purchase was John Green's An Abundance of Katherines which you can buy from Amazon here. I love John Green books and with a trip to London coming up I wanted an easy read for the coach journey and I knew John Green wouldn't disappoint. I am yet to finish this but so far it's amazing. I'm considering doing a book review once I've finished it if it's something people would like to see? 

I actually bought these last bits whilst I was in London at the Paperchase shop at King's Cross Station. I was in need for a new diary as I've always used July - July diaries (don't ask me why, it's just habit). I'm the kind of person that likes to write everything down and see it in front of me. This A5 sized diary caught my eye instantly because it's just the perfect handbag size and I like to cart it around with me everywhere. I also bought this orange A5 notebook. I never used to like the colour orange but since I've had my little orange Punto the colour has really grown on me. I needed a new notebook to organise all my blog posts and this is just what I was looking for. And it's also handbag size!

So that's everything I've been spending my pennies on recently. What have you been buying?

- Millie xx

What's On My Face? #1

I'm back after my short hiatus! I've done most of my exams now and honestly I have been itching to get back it blogging. As I'm sure you can tell by the title I've made a return with my everyday make up. I'm not very adventurous with my day to day make up so I don't tend to stray too far from the same products. At the moment I'm just enjoying a very simple look so I don't have to faff around too much before sixth form. For a lot of people this might be quite a bit of make up for just an everyday look but it's what I feel comfortable wearing and just the routine I'm used to. I'll try and keep this brief or you'll be falling asleep towards the end of the post!

FACE

Foundation // Bourjois Healthy Mix (No 51 Light Vanilla)

I love this foundation. It's great for my dry skin and really does last throughout the day and because I'm too lazy for touch ups it suits me perfectly! I love that I was able to find a light enough shade for my skin as well as I can find that difficult with most drugstore make up brands. Also, it smells amazing.

Concealer // Clinique Airbrush Concealer (04 Neutral Fair) - Collection Lasting Perfection (Fair 1)

Yes, I use two concealers. I tend to use the Clinique concealer under my eyes as it claims to illuminate dark circles and it seems to do the job just fine. The only downside I have with this is that it has that typical plastic-y smell that most Clinique products tend to have. Does anyone else notice this or is it just me? My grubby well loved Collection concealer has been a make up staple with me for ages. Need I say any more?

Powder // Rimmel Stay Matte (001 Transparent)

Everyone and their grans bang on about this and I'm sure you all know enough about it without me putting my two cents in. 

Blusher // MUA Mosaic Blush (English Rose)

I got this after I heard Becca Rose saying she loved it. And as she's of fairer complexion like me I decided I would trust her and buy it for myself and I have to say that she's right! It gives just the right amount of colour to the cheeks for a simple everyday look without being too overpowering. And the product itself just looks beautiful.

Bronzer // Bourjois Bronzing Powder (51)

Another beauty blogger favourite. A lot of people say that this is too orangey for them and I can see where there coming from. I just need the smallest amount of this otherwise I end up looking like I'm off to work for Willy Wonka. I use this bronzer to slightly contour my cheekbones and bring some up onto the temples. Plus, this is another gorgeous smelling product. Bravo Bourjois.

EYES

Mascara // Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express (Black)
I have the shortest, straightest eyelashes ever and this mascara actually makes me look human. So I'd say this was a pretty good product. The big, chunky brush is also amazing and really grabs every lash.

Brows // Maybelline BROWdrama (Medium Brown)
I like this product but the only issue I have with it is that the brush is slightly too large for the thinner ends of my eyebrows so I like to go through with a spoolie after. Otherwise this product works really well and the colour is a great match for my eyebrows.

Eyeliner // L'oreal Super Liner (Black) - Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl (Black)
Again, one product is just not enough for me. I know everyone says they're rubbish at liquid liner but I truly am. This L'oreal liner actually enables me to create a cat flick even if it might be a little uneven sometimes (shh). It's super black and lasts quite well throughout the day. The Soap & Glory eyeliner is equally amazing and I use this just lightly along my bottom lash line. It's a really soft pencil and is so easy to smudge out. You've probably got a picture in your head of me with panda eyes now but I promise it's not like that, at least not until about 9 at night.

What products do you use on a day to day basis?

- Millie xx

A brief apology.

I know I've been a little MIA recently and I'm sorry! But with my final A Level exams looming I've been holed away revising, a lot. I just wanted to let you know that I will be back after everything's done and dusted and just to reassure you that I'm not completely ditching this blogging business.

Thank you and I'll (hopefully) be back soon!

- Millie xx

What on earth am I going to do with my life?

UCAS has probably been one of my most heard and said words within the last six months. Since September it seems that all I, and my friends, could think and talk about was 'what uni are you going to?' and 'what course are you planning on doing'. But what if you don't want to go to uni? Do you just go with the flow of endless rewriting of personal statements and UCAS track? Or do you decide that university isn't for you and search for other options? For me right now it is definitely the latter and not only because the UCAS deadline is long gone.

Of course at the beginning of the year I was as excited as anyone about moving away from home and living on my own. I even went to several open days at universities and honestly loved them. But I very occasionally felt that I was just going with the flow as other options weren't really explored too much at my sixth form. And then one day I just decided. University isn't for me. And despite my friends repeatedly asking 'are you sure?' and my granddad viewing it as 'a disappointment' that isn't going to change. Sometimes I just wanted to scream 'I don't have to go to university! It isn't compulsory!' I know I'd be crap at university, for a few simple reasons:

• I know I wouldn't study. I do the bare minimum now and I despise it.
• Money was a big factor for me. University right now is very expensive and the thought of the thousands of pounds of debt I'd be in when I left isn't justified for me at the moment.
• I didn't know what I wanted to do for a job after I left university, so what on earth was I going to study?

I completely understand that for many people university is essential for their dream job or they just feel that it's the right path for them. But everyone is different so why should everyone follow the same path? So I decided to look for other options and settled on doing an apprenticeship because if I wasn't going to have a degree I felt like I'd need something to show that I made the right choice. Right now I'm planning to do a Marketing/ Social Media Apprenticeship and am looking for the right placement, but I'm still in sixth form so I have some time. As I've seen from the people around me it's very unlikely for someone my age not to either go straight on to uni or plan to after a gap year and a lot of people disagreed with my decision insisting that I'd regret it. But so far, I haven't. I'm so glad that I didn't just follow along with what everyone else was doing and I know I'm going to be much happier for it. And if later on in my life I decide I want to go to university, I can! It isn't exclusively for 18 year olds!

*disclaimer*
This is completely my own opinion and please don't see this as my trying to put people off going to university. This is just how I felt and what I am now doing following these decisions. I don't mean any offence to those who disagree with me. Thank you!

--Millie xx