Contour Magazine

It feels so good to be blogging after all this time, you may have noticed I took a small hiatus from posting (although I did try) as I was snowed under with my final major project for university.  I handed in yesterday and spent the rest of the day celebrating in the sun, drinking Pimms with my friends.  My final major project was to create a magazine and of course, I decided to make one solely about beauty. CONTOUR is a magazine with a focus on skincare, something I found lacking in beauty sections of publications.  It was designed for an iPad and I plan to make it downloadable on there soon, once I've recovered.  It was a lot of hard work but it all came together in the end and I really hope you all enjoy it (you don't have to read, but if you do that would be lovely).  Theres something for everyone, a body painting shoot, articles about thigh gaps, acne, being a skincare junkie (ahem, me) and so on.  I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Normal blogging will resume tomorrow!

How are you all?!

Year in Review | Best of 2012

Happy New Year! 

This is part two of my 'Year in Review' series.  Yesterday I wrote about my Top 12 Beauty Products of 2012 and today I'll be talking you through each month and all the things that happened to me.  So without further adieu...

JANUARY

While for many, January is a horrible month, for my family it was a really happy one.  On Wednesday 25th January my Sister-in-law gave birth to William Alexander and he's brought so much love and happiness into the family (and quite a few sleepless nights for his Mum and Dad). Without sounding too soppy, it was the best possible start to the new year.

FEBRUARY

My birthday month always brings good memories.  This year was no exception and on my birthday we went out on the town.  The club was packed thanks to Joey Essex and Diags from The Only Way is Essex making an appearance but I can't really remember much else from the night.

MARCH

A busy month at university.  We were creating a magazine in a group as part of our course and it was a lot of hard work which would eventually pay off.

APRIL

April was both a good and a bad month.  Tuesday 4th April brought the end of my favourite TV show in the entire world - One Tree Hill.  On the plus side, I have all the box sets and will continue to watch them for years to come! At the end of the month, I started a social media internship at Phoenix, a designer reseller which meant I was surrounded by Chanel, Louboutin, Mulberry and many more for a whole month.  At lunch time, I often found myself in a small shop called 'At Home' where they sold delicious but humongous  sandwiches.  The shop was also situated about two minutes from Space NK and inevitably, I got the bug.

MAY

With the end of my internship also came the end of second year at university.  I continued freelancing for Phoenix whilst they were between interns.  May is also a big month for birthdays in my family with my brother on the 7th and my youngest niece Alice on the 25th (are you noticing a pattern with birthdays?)

JUNE

On Tuesday 5th June, myself and two of my best friends went on holiday to Spain.  It was the best 10 days of my life, we laughed, tanned, shopped and just had an amazing time.  Definitely what we needed after a stressful few months at university.  Sophia Bush, aka Brooke Davis from One Tree Hill also tweeted me on the 20th June - a pretty cool highlight.

JULY

My second internship of the year was in June at More! Magazine. I spent two weeks working with the fashion team as well as contributing to the magazine which was fun, as I read More! on a weekly basis. It was a lot of hard work, more so the commute than anything else but it was also great experience for my CV.  July also saw the arrival of another baby in the family.  My auntie gave birth to a baby girl who is absolutely adorable.

AUGUST

While I didn't get to go to the actual Olympic park (still kicking myself), I definitely got the Olympic bug.  Luckily, the cycle race came through my hometown so I got to feel the atmosphere without paying a pretty penny for it.  We saw Wiggins, Cavendish and the boys for all of about two seconds as they whizzed past.  

SEPTEMBER

I made an Apple investment in September and bought my iPad, which I've found difficult to put down since.  The first thing I did when I got it was buy Allure magazine, my favourite magazine and one any beauty junkie should read!

OCTOBER

After what felt like a year off, it was time to go back to university for my third and final year (eek).  Of course, October also means Halloween and I celebrated with the girls at a house party. I decided to go as Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter because I don't think I could have passed as Hermione with my bleach blonde hair.  

NOVEMBER

I popped my spa virginity in November as we celebrated one of my best friends 21st birthday by getting pampered. Although I didn't have any money to get a treatment, we had access to a relaxation room with herbal tea and fruit, both steam and sauna rooms as well as a jacuzzi, where we spent the majority of the day.  We finished the day with Mexican food and cocktails.  

DECEMBER

Gossip Girl ended but Christmas softened the blow.  December is one of my favourite months and the lead up to the big day was made more magical now that Alice is old enough to understand and really believes in Santa Claus. On the 10th, the girls and I got together for our very own Christmas day, complete with Secret Santa, Turkey and all the trimmings. 

That's my year in review, thanks for reading my blog this year and here's to another good year! I've got lots to look forward to in 2013 including (hopefully) graduation, seeing Girls Aloud, Williams 1st birthday, my 21st birthday and hopefully I'll be able to leave Tesco for a big girl job (fingers crossed).

How has 2012 been for you?

Christmas Presents

I can't believe it's already been four days since Christmas. I hate how long it takes to get here, and hate how quickly it passes even more.  This year I was extremely spoiled by my family and got some great gifts, so I wanted to show you a selection of them.  Earlier this year, my Mum and Dad bought me tickets to see Girls Aloud on tour next year, which was a Christmas present, so I wasn't expecting to be getting much at all but they still bought me lots of amazing things!  This is by no means a bragging post, I enjoy reading these as I'm pretty nosey and I know some of you are the same! 

 I love receiving box sets at Christmas as I think they are just a great gift. This year I got the complete set of Laguna Beach, The Hills and The City which I've already begun watching from the beginning.  Running along the Lauren Conrad theme, I also got her latest book 'Beauty', which I've had a quick flick through and it looks interesting and a large curling iron to try and imitate LC's hair.  I got a couple of Cath Kidston tech cases, one for my iPhone and another for my iPad as well as some trusty Snow Fairy.  Another box set to add to my ever growing collection is The Vampire Diaries season three - I've completely shifted to Team Delena.  I also got some Soap and Glory goodies.  My parent's bought me the 'Showers that Glee' set and I loved it so much that I decided to use some of my Christmas money to get more.  I picked up the 'Best of All' set which was originally £60 but in the Boot's sale I managed to get it for £27 - bargain! My brother and his wife got me some Vans as my converse are looking a bit worse for wear - shame the weather has been so disgusting, I haven't been able to wear them out yet! 

What was your favourite Christmas present?

Sunday Update #5

It's been a long time since I last wrote a Sunday Update, mainly because I've either been working overtime, had other plans or just not really had much to update you all on.  I'm a bit of a girl band (Cheryl) fan and Girls Aloud have recently announced their comeback tour.  I woke up early to ensure I got good tickets, because I don't know about you but I don't see the point of going to a concert and watching the band on the screens.  Ticket buying is extremely stressful.  I had brilliant tickets and I went to continue and Ticketmaster froze which meant I lost them and when I logged back on, the tickets had sold out.  After giving up all hope, Girls Aloud announced a third date at the O2 and I managed to get some.  My Mum and Dad kindly offered to buy my ticket as part of my Christmas present, which has become a theme over the past few years.  Needless to say I'm really excited about it!

I've been trying to keep motivated and using the time I have off university as productively as possible (Made In Chelsea is a huge distraction).  I've been working on my dissertation as well as an investigative article which I'll get onto in a second.  Pamper sessions are always needed after a day of hard graft and right now I'm trying out some Ojon products which I really like. Just a heads up, Ojon are now in Boots and when you buy anything from the range you get a free 50ml Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment (worth £16 may I add).  

I've been trying to get my nails long and strong for a while now, but it's just not happening.  I purchases OPI's infamous Nail Envy and so far so good. I've only been using it a little over a week, so there's no real results just yet.  With all the university work I have on right now, I like to have some time doing things I enjoy.  I love my Kindle and i'm currently reading Cheryl's autobiography, which is surprisingly good. 

I made a mistake this week, I had two tutorials on Wednesday but I didn't really look at the times for each when I signed up.  I ended up having a three hour gap. I ended up writing up some blog posts and doing some research on my iPad whilst enjoying a Christmas Starbucks.  For my investigative article, I'm writing about Internet trolling and I was lucky enough to interview one of the Olympic Athletes that had to battle the trolls this summer.  Zoe was great to talk to and I can't wait for you to read what she has to say on the subject later this month.  

Yesterday we celebrated one of my best friends 21st birthdays with a spa day followed by dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  It was a lovely, relaxing day away from university and work.

  

What have you been up to?

Christmas Gift Guide: Tis' the Season of Giving

It's less than a month until the big day, Christmas.  As always it's come round incredibly quick and now everyone's beginning to get themselves into a bit of a flap over it all.  I'm pretty organised where Christmas is concerned and will tend to get all my shopping done on pay day at the end of November.  That way it's all done and there is no way I will spend the money else where. If you're looking for some giftspiration (gift + inspiration = giftspiration, get it?!) then look no further, for I have compiled a festive gift guide for you to feast your eyes on.  This will be a mixture of fashion and beauty and a few gadgets here and there!

Click to enlarge for prices and stockist information. 

1.  If you've got a bit of a bookworm in the family, the newest Kindle from Amazon is just for them.  Slimmer and more lightweight than the average book, the Kindle downloads books in 60 seconds.  for more information or to go buy, click here!

2.  This NYLA Boutique chunky, spiked chain bracelet is a perfect gift for someone who loves accessories with a bit of edge.  Seen on the likes of Leighton Meester, it's a sure fire hit for fashion fans. Click here for more information, or simply to buy!

3.  Another gift for the accessories fans are these star rings from Regal Rose.  Perfectly festive for the holiday season and a statement piece for any LBD.  Take a peep here!

4.  Pyjamas for the reemest of your friends.  These 'Well Jel' pjs are a massive hit at Topshop so get your hands on them here before they all sell out! 

5.  I'd be lost without my Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish.  If like me you've been raving to your mum or sister how amazing this product is, you can now get hold of the Limited Edition 150ml pump, exclusive for Christmas.  Click here to purchase!

6.  If you've bought someone a Kindle or maybe an iPad, why not customise a case for them as well? Caseable allows you to design your own case for all of your gadgets.  If you're not sure what they'd like on their case, get them a gift voucher instead.  To get creative, click here!

7.  After all that Christmas shopping, you deserve a sneak present for yourself!  The holiday party means party central and also a winter chill so accessorise your outfit with this Limited Edition embellished cape from 18ANDEAST.  Grab yourself one before they all sell out here!

8.  For the beautyaholic in your life, get them Benefit Cosmetics best kept secret.  They're Real! mascara has sold more than YSLs Touche Eclat in it's first few months of sale.  The innovative 'hedgehog' allows you to grab and coat each lash without leaving them clumpy.  Click here to see what all the fuss is about!

9.  Is your best friend a Gossip Girl addict or just a nail polish junkie? Grab her the Gossip Girl Nails Inc collection, available at ASOS, in three shades Lily, Serena and Blair.  Each set gives off a different effect, click here for more information or to grab one for your BFF (and yourself!)

10.  These Kevin Murphy colour bugs are perfect little stocking fillers for the girl who likes to experiment with her hair. They come in three different colours (purple, pink and orange) and work on any coloured hair.  See how FleurDeForce uses hers, here.  Fancy giving these a go or giving one away as a gift, click here!

11.  The ultimate gift for anyone, the iPad.  Brilliant gifts for on the go bloggers, yummy mummies or, well, me (hint hint) these start at £399 depending on what size you'd prefer and if you want the added bonus of 3G. I'm sure you don't need to be pointed in the right direction, but incase you do, click here!

That's it for Christmas giftspiration.  I hope this gift guide has left you raring to go out shopping.  What's on your wish list this year? Leave a comment below!