A break from blogging...

So it's been a few months since my last post and firstly I wanted to apologise for that. I've had an absolutely manic summer and if I'm honest I just haven't had time or the inspiration. Between a family loss, some very stressful driving lessons and a job that involves long hours, I just haven't had the want to blog. However, now that summer is over and my life is slowly returning to somewhat of a routine again I will definitelyyyy start blogging again. With a holiday on Monday and starting a new uni the week after I have plenty coming up that I want to share. So give me a few weeks to get settled and I promise I'll be back!

See you then!

Love Lauryn xo

July Birchbox!

So I was soo excited when my July Birchbox was delivered this morning and after having a good old nose at the products inside, it's safe to say July is definitely a winner of a box! This months theme was 'Sun, sea and Sand' which was really cute.

For those of you who don't know what a Birchbox is, it's basically a box of 4-6 samples of hair, makeup and lifestyle products. They include brands such as Laura Mercier, Benefit and OPI. It's a great way to test a product before buying it as a lot of them are a bit on the pricey side. They also do a fab rewards system! The subscription is £10 a month but a lot of the time the products add up to waay more than that so in my eyes the box is totally worth it!

Benefit The Porefessional - £24.50

So the first product that caught my eye was the 7.5ml Benefit Porefessional. I have wanted to try this product for soo long but being a student I have to be careful with what I spend my money on, and a primer was beaten on the priority list by the need to eat (only just!). I have heard so many amazing reviews on this product, and as I suffer from oily skin I've been desperate to find a good primer, so I'm beyond excited to try this out.

This product was the 'lifestyle' extra in this months box, and a girl can never have too many nail files, right?! This has a really cute pattern and is perfect size to keep in your handbag. It also has a 'buffer', 'polish' and 'shine' side to give you that perfect manicure!

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - £20

An eye cream is another thing that's been on my to buy list as you can't rock dark circles with any make up look! The 7ml balance eye cream smoothes, brightens and lifts so it seems like everything you could possibly need in an eye cream. The cream feels really hydrating and moisturising when you apply it and a little certainly goes a long way - now just to see if those dark circles are banished!

Models Own - From £5

This Models Own nail varnish is in shade 170 and its quite a quirky little polish! It reminds me of the type of nail varnish I used to wear when I was little so I can't say I'd wear it all the time but it's definitely something that can be used to spice up your nails on a special occassion. It a varnish made up of sparkly streaks so it couldn't be used on it's own but it would look great over pastel colours. An added bonus is that this one is a full size bottle not a mini!

Whish, Three Whishes Lavender Body Butter - £14.50

The 22ml Whish body butter smells insane! It reminds me of a spa which is always a good thing! I've heard a lot of good things about the whish range but I've never gotten round to trying it out myself so now's the perfect chance. A small sample on the back of my hand felt really hydrating and left my hand really smooth so I can't wait to try it out properly.

Laqa & Co Sheer Lip Lube Pencil in Menatour - £14

I adore the colour of this Laqa & Co Lip Lube, it's such a stunning purple called Menatour but it doesn't come out too dark - a perfect splash of colour if you're sporting a natural makeup face. It smells quite minty and gives a tingly feeling but it also feels soo smooth when it's on and it applies really nicely. I'd definitely be interested to look into the rest of this range and it's a really good size that will definitely last a while.

So this month was box of little beauties! I am so pleased with all of the products and I cannot wait to try them all out properly. July was definitely a success so I can't wait for August! If you haven't already subscribed to Birchbox head over to their website www.birchbox.co.uk and use the code NEW14 for free shipping on your first box!

See you next time!

Love Lauryn xo

Goodbye To The Teen Years!

So on Thursday I turned 20 (boo for no more teenage years!) and I had one of the best birthdays I've ever had. With a day full of family, yummy food and some absolutely gorgggg pressies, it's safe to say it's a birthday I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

I got so many lovely presents but as a lot of them were clothes so I couldn't fit them all in the picture! I was so so spoilt by my lovely boyfriend, who bought me the Cannon eos 600d camera! I'd been after this camera for aaages and I was so surprised when he bought it for me. I've been snapping away all weekend and am so in love with it. He also treated me to the gorgeous Marc Jacobs Daisy Delight Eau So Fresh perfume which just smells so fab and the most beautiful Kardashian Kollection handbag. My sister bought me the Naked 2 palette which has such a lovely range of colours that I can't wait to try out. My parents gave me some money to put towards my trip to Rome in September but also bought me some lovely high waisted black skinny jeans, a grey cami top and a beautiful necklace from an online boutique called Ruby Slippers and Little Munchkins. The necklace is called a floating locket as it consists of a glass frame with an array of charms floating inside. 

We went to a recently refurbished local pub for lunch - nothing beats a good old pub lunch! It was such a gorgeous day we sat in the garden to eat. I opted for the chicken pie and mash and it was soo good! And the chocolate fudge cake was even better.

I spent the afternoon with the rest of my family, followed by a looovely Indian takeaway (calorie overload, I know!) and it was so nice to relax in front of the telly with my family after a hectic day. I had such a fab day so thank you to everyone who sent messages, cards and presents!

See you next time!

Love Lauryn xo

Whitening Lightning: Dial A Smile Review

Ever since I was a kid I've always hated my smile. I had wonky teeth growing up and despite having braces and retainers for the good part of 7 years, I still can't say I'm particularly pleased with the results. The only thing that I did like was how white my teeth appeared after a professional clean when my braces were taken off, giving me the idea of having them whitened.

So after scouring the internet for houuuurs trying to find a cheap but still good teeth whitening system I came across Whitening Lightning: Dial A Smile. It wasn't particularly cheap at $99 but after typing the product into YouTube I found a view reviews that had almost persuaded me to buy it. I watched video's of well known youtubers say how brilliant this kit was and when one of them offered a discount which meant I'd only around £45 I couldn't resist.

However, had I carried on with my research instead of getting carried away with the heavy discount, I would have seen all the reviews that reveal exactly how awful this kit is! The kit was formed of a syringe full of enough gel for three treatments, a developer light, a brush to help apply the gel, a small wipe to rid your teeth of any moisture and a teeth whitening chart. The gel was hard to apply as it just ran off of my teeth and when I put the light on my teeth any moisture than I had dried away soon returned, but I refused to give up hope.

It was only when my time was up and I brushed my teeth eagerly awaiting a pearly white smile that I was met with a smile that was absolutely no different to before. I tried several treatments until I used all of the gel but still no change! And when I scrolled further down the video's, I found that so many other people were saying exactly the same! That the kit was a complete waste of money. It became clear that the youtubers had obviously received a payout for praising the kit even though it did absolutely nothing.

It's safe to say I have definitely learnt my lesson and will stick to the professional treatments when it comes to this sort of stuff! So if you're having doubts about buying the kit like I did, don't. It's not worth your money, save your pennies and go pro!

Love Lauryn xo

Race For Life!

In early 2014 my uncle, Steven, was diagnosed with cancer at aged only 51. So when the annual Tesco Race For Life rolled around, myself and several other members of my family decided to join up in the battle against cancer tell it exactly where to go. Sadly, a few weeks before we ran the race for life, my uncle passed away, but left us with more determination than ever to race.

I won't lie, I was a little scared when the guy in the sports shop was asking me all these questions about running shoes - all I wanted was a pair the wouldn't kill my feet and I felt a little daunted about the whole thing as I hadn't run at all since I'd left school. But a gym membership and a few verrrry exhausting practice runs later I was ready!

As we donned our pink fancy dress (my uncle in a pink beret being the highlight of it all) we charged towards the race course, complete with our photos and messages for my uncle. This was the first type of timed race I had ever competed in and as excited as I was, I was still really quite nervous. Another of my uncles had promised a £50 donation if I could complete it in 45 minutes, so this became my main target (It sounds like a long time but for me it wasnt!).

I completely surprised myself with the fact that I enjoyed the entire race. I hated running in school but this was nothing like PE had been and seeing members of the family popping up around the course gave me that extra push I needed. I became so involved I didn't even realise my headphones weren't playing any music until half way round! The last half lap of the race was the hardest as I just wanted to stop for a breather but remembering why I was doing it managed to give me a swift kick up the ass and off I went, charging towards the finishing line, but not before hearing the cheers of the family before I went (Thanks Sam!)

I felt so emotional crossing the finishing line, which I really hadn't anticipated but seeing my family waiting for me at the end was the best thing I could have asked for. I finished in 36 minutes (go me!) and I waited for the others to finish, feeling very emotional as I watched them all pass. I know for a fact my uncle would have been laughing at the sight of all of us even attempting to run but I know for sure we did him proud.

Between the six of us who ran we managed to raise over a huuuge £1600! So thank you to every who donated.

Marathon next?!

Team Steve!

My uncle supporting the team.

Race for life runners! (before we all got very sweaty, eww!)

So close to the end!

At the finish line with my lovely family.

Love Lauryn

xo

Get To Know Me Tag!

Seeing as I've only just started my blog I thought I'd do a get to know me tag as a way of introducing myself... I will do more exciting posts in the future, I promise!

1. Do you have a middle name? I do, it's Nicole. the same as my mum and cousin.

2. What was your favourite subject in school? I was such a History geek in school so definitely History!

3. What's your favourite drink? Dr. Pepper Even though I can't drink it anymore... sigh.

4. Favourite song at the moment? I really couldn't choose!

5. What would you name your children? That's a secret!

6. Do you participate in any sports? I used to dance from a young age but I don't anymore. I do spend a lot of time in the gym at the moment though, which surprisingly I really enjoy.

7. Favourite Book? I could write a never ending list for this, but the Hunger Games series is definitely up there!

8. Favourite Colour? Pink.. I'm such a typical girly girl!

9. Favourite Animal? Penguins for sure.

10. Favourite perfume? Chanel No. 5... although I have to keep stealing my mums because it's so expensive!

11. Favourite Holiday? Disneyland without a doubt!

12. Have you graduated High School? I have, in 2010 although you don't really graduate in England. But I will be graduating university next year. 

13. Have you been out of the country? I have, but not a lot as neither of my parents like flying.

14. Do you speak any other languages? No, but its something I really wish I could do!

15. Do you have any siblings? Younger twin brothers and a younger sister.

16. What's your favourite store? I want to say the disney store but I feel like I should answer with something more mature... so Forever 21.

17. Favourite Restaurant? The nicest Indian called the Hasina! I loooove Indian.

18. Did you like school? I did! Im a geek, I know. 

19. Favourite YouTubers? Zoella and Alfie - my sister will be so disappointed in my obvious answer.

20. Favourite Movie? Pearl Harbor... and any disney film!

21. Favourite Tv Show? Sooo many, but I'll never get bored of Friends.

22. PC or Mac? My Mac takes yeaaaars to turn on so I'd have to say my PC!

23. What phone do you have? an iPhone 4.... with a very smashed screen after dropping it in Disney and then dropping a golf club on it... oops.

24. How tall are you? 5 ft 4 and 3/4 (Im proud of the 3/4)

Personal Questions:

1. What do you order at Starbucks? There's only a costa near me so I never go to starbucks... sob.

2. One thing in your closet you cannot live without? My juicy couture tracksuit!

3. Whats one thing most people probably don't know about you? That I did Irish dancing for years I guess?!

4. Name on thing you want to do before you die... Have a family.

5. What's one food you cannot live without? McDonalds!!!

6. What quote/phrase do you live by? As cliche as it is... it all happens for a reason.. I'm a strong believer in fate.

7. What's your most listened to song on iTunes? My iTunes wont open!!!

8. What kind of style would you define yourself as having? I's say I'm quite girly. I like a nice top with jeans or leggings. I don't often wear anything that's really 'out there'.

9. Favourite number? 8! It was even my room number at uni!

10. Two Hobbies? Writing and reading... so nerdy. 

11. Two Pet Peeves? touchy feely people and people who eat with their mouth open...  I blame my brother for that!!

12. Guilty pleasures? Chocolate... as soon as I get in from the gym.

Hope you enjoyed!

Love Lauryn xo

Goodbye to second year!

So after weeks of sleepless nights, thousands of attempts of essays, printers breaking and living off of microwavable mash, deadline day has been and gone and the second year of university is officially over!

Second year for me was more of an emotional journey than the first year, as our flat saw laughter, tears, happiness, sadness, anger and at times pure bitchiness but of course, with a flat of 8 girls what would you expect. I moved up to Cambridge in the first year as a newly turned 18 year old single girl and I had a blast having fun in a very hungover freshers week but the second time round was verrrrry different. Having been with Mitch for nearly a year and spending every single day with him over the summer meant that spending a week at a time apart was practically a form of torture (slight exaggeration I know.) I felt ten times more homesick than I had in first year and clubbing just wasn't for me anymore. I'll be the first person to admit that I excluded myself by spending more time in my room watching tv than anywhere else, but I'm really not very good at meeting new people, especially when all I want is to be back at home. 

We still had a lot of fun times all living together and my friendship with Emily and Laura grew even stronger. There were moments where we all needed a shoulder to cry on and that's exactly what we had in each other. We had our moments of drama of course, but looking back at them now they're all quite amusing, and no where as dramatic as first year, where walls were punched and stalls were thrown (dont ask!) 

Work wise, things got a lot tougher as the word counts stepped up a notch and assignments got more complicated but I enjoyed the classes and took and enjoyed making new friends. I spent hours in experimental writing obsessing over One Direction with Danielle and interrogating her on every question I ever had about America (concluding that one day I will go out and visit her there.) 

It's been a grueling year with ladybird infestations, cold showers, an awful diet of microwave meals and a lot of teary phone calls to home but I survived! Third year, come at me!

Love Lauryn x