Dove Style+Care Heat Protect Spray Review

Over the past few months I've been trying and testing out a new heat protectant spray from Dove. This spray is part of their Style+Care collection and claims to protect hair up to 230 degrees.
  This product has been so easy to use, you just apply a few sprays evenly through towel dried hair and then style as usual. I usually spray this on and then comb through my hair just to ensure that the product has been evenly distributed throughout.
  Whilst using this product I've found that it is so lightweight and it doesn't weight your hair down so you can easily use other styling products afterwards without causing your hair to become flat or even slightly greasy. It doesn't even feel as though you have added more product to your hair.
 I've also noticed a difference in the quality and appearance of my own hair. After using this religiously for a few weeks I noticed that my hair looks so much healthier and it helps it to become silkier and glossier. Also I've found that from using this product I have suffered with less spilt ends whilst still finding myself using a hairdryer almost everyday.
  The product itself also smells amazing, which you can still smell throughout the day on your hair and this is one of the many advantages of the product. It just feels and smells so luxurious although it is incredibly well priced at only £4.59 for 200ml which lasts an reasonable amount of time. I think I bought this product around October time and I'm still nowhere near the end of my first bottle.
  I'm also loving the packaging of the product and like the way that Dove has kept it simple with just a little bit of colour to brighten it up slightly. As with their other products, they use white bottles but have added something extra which makes it appear pearly which I really like.
  You can even use this product on dry hair to protect it from the heat damage caused by curling or straightening your hair. When you hair is dry you are directed to 'mist' the product over your hair and then style as desired. I think this makes the product stand out a little from the other heat protectors out there because I am yet to use one which recommends use even on dry hair.
 Overall I think this is a great addition to the Dove range and is a brilliant product if you are looking for something that is going to protect your hair, smells gorgeous and can even help to make your hair look healthier and glossier. I know for certain that this product has secured its place in my collection and for only £4.59 you can't really go wrong with this product!

If I Had £100 to Spend: Clothing

In the past I have written a few posts about what I would spend my money on if I were given £100. I've written a post of the makeup and shoes that I would buy with £100 and so thought it was about time that I did the same with clothes. So I took to the internet to search for some items that would make their way to my wardrobe if I was given the chance.

1. Aztec Print Skater Dress from New Look £25

The first thing I would buy would probably be this Aztec print skater dress from New Look. When shopping for dresses I usually stick to the fit and flare or skater style dresses because I think that they flatter my figure the best. I am also a huge fan of Aztec print and so it's good see that it is going to be on trend again this summer. I love the colours of this dress and think it would be great for summer both during the day and could be dressed up for the evening.

2. Tribal Print Crop Top from New Look £5.99



Sticking with New Look, next I would buy this gorgeous blue tribal print top for a bargain at £5.99. It is very similar to the Aztec patterns and so is right up my street and I think it would look great with a black skater skirt for the summer evenings. I would also wear this with my new sky high heeled sandals to complete the outfit.

3. Black Crepe Wrap Skort from New Look £17.99

My next purchase would be something a little more experimental. I came across this skort on the website and instantly loved how it looked. However I am not entirely sure that it would suit me so this would be one of those risky purchases which may end up going back. I love the idea of having a skirt and shorts incorporated into one because it means that you don't have to worry about flashing people. On the website I fell in love with the mint green colour but I would probably go safe first and try out a black pair before I started to experiment with other colours.  

 

4. White Top in Slub Jersey from H&M £6.99



The next thing I would buy is this simple white top from H&M. Recently I have been a huge fan of simple, comfortable tops and my favourite have been from H&M. At only £6.99 each they are a complete bargain and there are so versatile and a staple for all seasons.

5. Grey Marl Jersey Top from H&M £9.99

 

 

 

I am a huge fan of the baseball style tops and after buying one from H&M last summer I am glad to see that they are back. I bought mine oversized and it is so comfortable for the summer even when it is hot and they are so easy to wear with leggings, jeans or shorts. I love my grey marl and maroon one so this black and grey one would be a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

 

6. Asos Culotte Shorts in Monochrome Floral Print from Asos.com £15.00

After admitting I am a huge fan of skater skirts, I noticed that my wardrobe is lacking in the shorts department. Aside from a few pairs of denim ones, I noticed that I am lacking in any printed or patterned shorts. I then found these lovely shorts on the asos website and love them because they are not tightly fitted and look almost like a skater skirt. Similarly to the pair of skorts I found, these would mean that I would not be in any danger of flashing people and I love the monochrome floral print on these and they are so reasonably priced at only £15.

 

7. Sleeveless Crop Top in Watermelon Print from Asos.com £18

My final purchase would be this watermelon print top from Asos. When I saw this whilst browsing the website it caught my eye because I thought that it was quite quirky and different from the other tops that I own. I would probably pair this with a skater skirt and dress it up a bit for a night out or just wear it as part of a causal day to day outfit. I love the colours in this top and think that it is perfect for summer and the hopefully warmer weather

 

Total Spend: £98.96

 

I've had a lot of fun going through some of my favourite websites looking for new additions to my wardrobe. If I were hypothetically given £100 to spend I think I would buy some classic pieces that I know I would love but I would also love to try out some different items and be a bit more experimental with the clothes that I wear.



My Ring Collection

It's no surprise that whilst I have been growing up, I have been steadily building collections of different items. One that I am quite proud of is my massive shoe collection, but one which has been quietly growing is my rings. I am not a massive jewellery person but I have to admit that I am partial to a nice ring or two. Instead of necklaces and bracelets I seem to have a healthy collection of rings, which I am now about to share. 

Whilst looking through my collection I realised I have a lot of small, cheap rings which I decided not to feature because a) I don't really wear them and b) I thought it would be more interesting to share the rings I wear on a regular basis and the more interesting ones. All of these rings are stored on this manikin hand which I got as a birthday present probably about 5 years ago now (wow.)

This first ring is one which I bought from Dorothy Perkins a few years ago. As it is not actually made from sterling silver I haven't found myself wearing this product very much at all. The biggest selling point for me was the detailing and the size but it has now started to go a bit tarnished at the top which is disappointing.

The next ring was another from Dorothy Perkins. This was in one of their many jewellery sales and I really loved the way that the design was quite simple but I like the way it was made into quite a big ring. I think I picked this up for about £2 which was a bargain. My only regret about this ring is that I have not worn it half as much as I thought I would.



Out of all of the rings I own, this one will probably always be my favourite. I've had this since August 2009 and up until the past year I probably wore it almost everyday. I bought it from a shop in Tunisia whilst on holiday there for around £10 I think. I love the detailing and the size of this ring and an added bonus is that it is made from silver, so it hasn't turned my finger green or anything like that. I wear this as pictured, on my right hand.
The next ring that I am featuring is this beautifully intricate floral one which I picked up in Dorothy Perkins (I think!) within the past year. I've noticed my collection heavily features floral, twisted and detailed rings and so these easily become classics for me. I'm not entirely sure how much I paid for this particular ring but I would imagine it would have been somewhere around the £5-£6 mark. I usually wear this ring as a single statement piece, similarly to the way that you would wear a statement necklace and I think that it works really well.
Next up is one of my smaller rings, which again up until about 3 months ago, I wore religiously. Unlike in this picture, it's usually found on my middle finger of my left hand and it was actually a Christmas present a few years ago. I like that it is slightly different from the other rings I own and I think that it's the perfect size.
My next ring is one of the newest to my collection. I picked this up from a shop called Spangle, which sells sterling silver and gold jewellery. I love shopping there because their pieces are quite unique and so reasonably priced too. This sterling silver ring cost me around £12.95 and I love the detailing and the fact that it is another small ring to add to my collection. I've worn this almost everyday since I bought it and it was definitely a good purchase on my behalf. It has been a nice change to wear a smaller ring as opposed to some of the larger ones in my collection, but it still reflects my love for floral and intricate designs.

Next in my collection is a ring that I received for my 18th birthday. It is my first and only ring from Pandora and it was such a lovely shock and surprise when I got it. Again this is a sterling silver ring that lives on my right hand and it actually something a bit different from my other pieces. I love the combinations of colour in this piece and the simplicity of it, and also the studded balls add different layers to it too. It cost around the £50 mark, but I think it has been worth the money you pay. It is a really special ring to me and so although I've worn it in everyday situations I have also kept this for special occasions as I don't want to damage it whilst I'm at work.
Last year whilst I was on my first ever holiday abroad with my friends we went to the small shopping centre to do some traditional tourist souvenir shopping. In one of the shops I found this gorgeous ring costing a mere 10 euros. I decided there and then that it would become a tradition to buy a new ring in every country I visited, especially because I had done the same previously on a holiday to Tunisia. I love the embellishment on this ring and the symmetrical pattern and the fact that it is of course silver.  
This next ring, to date, is the cheapest and what I consider to be the biggest bargain find in terms of rings that I've found. Dorothy Perkins often have jewellery sales and so when I saw this for £1 I didn't think twice about buying it. I didn't even care that it was gold and not silver like all my other jewellery, I just loved the way that it looked as though there is a leaf wrapped around your finger. As an added bonus, it fits on every one of my fingers aside from my little one, so it is so versatile.
Moving back to the trend of statement rings, this next one was another gift a few years ago. I'm not sure how much this cost but it has the twisted, curly detailing that I love and a oval stone in the middle. I am really loving the colour mint and especially the mint green/light blue shades and actually forgot a little about this ring. This ring is also adjustable so I am able to wear it on almost any of my fingers but I think it looks best when it is on the finger next to my middle one. Over the summer I think I am going to start to get some more wear out of this piece because I haven't worn it as much as I thought I would.

Another recent purchase has been this next ring. Again this sterling silver is from Spangle and is studded with Cuban zirconia around the front of the ring. This particular ring cost me £19.99 and is usually worn on my middle finger on my left hand. One thing that it a little annoying about this though is that it often twists around so that you cannot see the stones, but I love the simplicity of it and that it isn't too big or overpowering.  
I think this next ring is also an addition from Spangle. I bought this a few years ago now so I'm not sure how much I paid for it but I think it was around the £12 mark. Again, this has a really simple design and I love the cut-out hearts that make up the shape. This is also sterling silver which means that it hasn't turned my finger green and it has been a great everyday ring which I've also worn for special occasions too.
The final ring in my collection is one that I picked up from Dorothy Perkins a few years ago now. It is actually a double ring, which is worn across two fingers. In my case I wear this on my middle and ring finger on the right hand and I love the floral pattern of it. I also love the way that the silver isn't perfect and that it looks slightly tarnished in places as it adds more texture and depth to the piece. I also like the added diamantes which gives the ring a bit of sparkle. The ring itself is also another adjustable one, which means that it is so versatile and will fit most people. 

 

I've really enjoyed going through my collection and having a proper look at the types of jewellery that I buy. I think it is obvious that I am a huge fan of silver, floral and intricate designs. There is a mixture of larger and smaller pieces ranging in prices and it's been good to rediscover some things that I had forgotten about.

 

 

Max Factor 'The Face' Review

 

So whilst I was shopping a few months ago Max Factor were giving away a free gift when you spent over £15 on makeup. Around the time the winner of the TV show 'The Face' had just been announced and so the gift was tied in with that. As I was running low on both foundation and powder I easily spent £15 and was quite intrigued to see what was inside and to test out the products.

Inside the box were three of Max Factor's products as well as a few leaflet tutorials to bulk out the rest of the gift. The products were one of the relatively new 'lipfinity' lip products, a false lash effect mascara and a nail polish.

 

The first product that I decided to test out would be the  lipfinity lip colour in the shade 340 Essential Natural, which to be honest hadn't appealed to me before. The product itself consists of two parts, the colour for the lips and then a clear topcoat which is very similar to a balm. The reason why this product had not appealed to me before is because I am not the biggest fan of lipgloss, I much prefer a lipstick or balms.
  However, I decided to give this a go and one of the best things about this product is the packaging. I love the way that they are very sleek and sophisticated and I think the classic colours and combinations make them look luxurious. Although the concept of having two parts to this product may be good, I find that it is a bit unnecessary to have two tubes, where other brands have managed to fit them into one, such as the Rimmel 1000 Kisses lip stains.
  Having two tubes is such a hassle if you throw away the original box because you have to make sure you remember both of them and there is no way you can make sure they stay together.
  Inside the coloured part of the product is a lip gloss with a doe foot applicator which makes application really easy although it would be quite difficult to use one of your own brushes to apply. I've also found that for all the packaging there isn't much product inside. With these retailing at £8.99 it is quite a substantial amount to pay for a product of this type. I can think of some more affordable and quite simply better products than these so I'm not sure I would actually buy these.
  Still focusing on the colour, the shade that I received within the gift is a beautiful pink/nude with the slightest bit of shimmer in it. The idea is to apply this first to your lips and then follow up with the clear balm. Although I really love the colour, I'm not so sure on the formulation. I found this to be really sticky and just doesn't feel luxurious or nice at all. In addition, I've found that it takes a long time to get dry enough to apply the next stage and just having your lips stick together is really not what I expected or wanted. Even when the colour is dry it still has the same feeling. However, the colour does dry to a beautiful matte shade and if the formulation was better I think you would be able to wear this without the balm. It also has no scent to it, which means that if you are not a fan of perfumed products, this might be an advantage to you.
  The balm itself is very simple, in that it is identical to most bog-standard clear balms. You simply apply this on top of the colour and it rehydrates your lips and gets rid of the awful sticky sensation. Admittedly the finished result looks good and the colour is lovely, but the hassle of using two different products and the terrible formulation means that unfortunately I am not a fan, especially because of the price you would pay for one of these. The product itself does last a reasonable amount of time, but yet again if you want to touch this up you have to go through the whole process again with the colour followed by the balm.
 

The next product in the set was a nail polish from Max Factor's glossfinity range. These nail polishes retail for £5.99, which is slightly more expensive than their drugstore competitors such as Barry M and Rimmel. This particular shade is called cobalt blue and as the name suggests is a dark, almost navy blue. I haven't actually tried this product out properly yet, but from my first impressions I think it is a beautiful shade, which I'm guessing would need a couple of coats and if it lasts for up to 7 days as the packaging suggests surely it has to be a winner. There are so many colours to choose from in this range and I love the simple packaging with the gold text and black lid, which ties in with the colours of the previous product and keeps the product looking luxurious and sleek.

 

The final product in the gift set was one of Max Factor's mascaras. Immediately I was really excited to try this out because mascara is one product that I find I experiment more with, and I was interested to see if I liked this more than my current favourite mascara, the Maybelline Falsies.
   Again Max Factor has put a lot of effort into making the packaging simple yet sophisticated and the tube is actually quite big, so it seems as though you are getting a lot of product. This retails at £10.99, which is a little more expensive than other drugstore mascaras but not excessively. One thing I noticed about this mascara is that it is waterproof, which may explain the price but was also an added bonus because I don't think I've ever tried one of Max Factor's waterproof mascaras. I then also realised that was the shade black/brown, which is something completely different to what I would usually buy. Usually I would try and find the blackest shade a brand sells and so I didn't really know what to expect.

  However, I did find that when I tried out this product I couldn't see a huge difference between a black shade and this one. I think it definitely made my makeup less dramatic, but it still made my lashes look defined and slightly longer, albeit not as much as my regular mascara. I'm not sure if I would voluntarily buy another brown shade purely because I prefer the effect a black mascara has, especially because my eyelashes are quite dark anyway.
I was really impressed that the product wasn't clumpy either and the huge brush made sure that I was covering each of my lashes. I did find it was a little more difficult to apply to my lower lashes though, but I did find that I only needed to apply one coat of this.

Perhaps the one thing that disappoints me with this product is the removal. I knew because it was a waterproof product taking it off at the end of the day may not be the easiest, but even after using make-up wipes that claimed to remove waterproof makeup there was still a lot of product on my eyes. I then used my cleanser and a cotton pad to try and remove as much as a could and still found I couldn't remove it all as I found out the next morning when it was all around my eyes. The hassle of taking this product off proved too much for me and so for this reason I probably won't be repurchasing this and even though the black brown shade was something different and the product itself isn't bad at all, I still think there are other drugstore mascaras which are better.
 It has been a real eye-opener to try out some new products from a brand that I love for their foundations and powders, but unfortunately I have not fallen in love with any of these products to the extent that I would go out and buy more of them. Probably the most disappointing was the lipfinity glosses because purely on first impressions and seeing the box I thought it would be a product that would become a summer staple for me. However, the search will continue and I am excited about trying some new products out soon.

100th Blog Post

When I started this blog way back in the days of 2011 (I think) I never expected that I would have made it to 50 posts let alone the century of posts. However, here I am now, sitting in my bedroom on my laptop composing for the 100th time.
  Although last summer I went through a phase of publishing almost everyday, since then with life being so busy it's been hard to find the time. As such, I haven't had any time to come up with a special post, mainly because I didn't think I had 99 posts written already.
 So to make up for the lack of planning, I thought that I would share some ideas and posts which (should) be making their way to this blog in the coming weeks and months.

Formula One
The 2014 season officially kicked off in Melbourne, Australia last weekend and so after a 4 month break the unfamiliar sound of the V6 'power units' will be filling my TV once again. I hope to include some more posts regarding this, as well as reviews on teams, drivers and also bring back my race reaction posts after every GP.

Lifestyle
The greatest thing about your online profile is that you can decide how much or how little of your personal life you share with people all over the world. Recently I've written about how life has changed since leaving Sixth Form and about my first ever business trip so I think I'd like to share more about the things that are happening in my life.

Beauty/Fashion

A large part of my blog nowadays focuses on reviews and hauls and makeup and beauty. I've loved trying out and reviewing so many new products over the past few months and it has allowed me to also expand my collection. I've recently gone a bit mad on the lip products so in the future expect lots of reviews and hauls including the new Revlon Colorburst balms and Maybelline's colorsensational lipsticks. Other posts I hope to feature will include:

•  Lush haul & reviews
• Max Factor 'The Face' Review
• Barry M Matte Nail Polishes
• Sleek Au Naturel eyeshadow palette
• Loreal Volume Million Lashes Mascara
• My Pandora Collection

These are just a few of the ideas that I have for my blog over the coming months. I also hope to start a new regular post with a theme, of which I have yet to decide though.

February 2014 Favourites!

Throughout February I had been loving a variety of different things. Although slightly belated (with it being almost time for a March favourites) here are the things that I had loved throughout February.

Beauty/Makeup

Remington Pearl Ci95 Curling Wand:
Ever since my sister blew up my trusted Babyliss curlers at the end of last summer, I had been dying to find a new pair. With Babyliss not making the curlers I had before anymore I was forced into trying something different. After reading loads of reviews on many different products and deciding that £179 would be a lot to spend on curlers (sorry Babyliss Perfect Curl!) I opted for the Ci95 Curling wand from Remington. From amazon at the time they only cost me £16.95 and I've love using them. You can change the temperature on these and create both loose and tighter curls. What makes these even better is because it is a wand you can get the curls to start right near the root, unlike typical curlers with the clamp function. I've loved using them this month!

TRESemme Salon Finish Extra Hold (4) Hairspray:
This next favourite is something of an old, rediscovered favourite. As I've been using my new curlers recently I've found that I've been more hairspray as usual and I've gone back to the TRESemme Salon Finish hairspray, purely because it is so good. It makes my curls stay put all day and I've even found that my hair is still curly the morning after too. The spray also doesn't make my hair heavy or greasy looking and I'm glad I've started to use it again.

Dove Style+Care Heat Protect Spray:
A few months ago I purchased the Dove Style + Care heat protect spray and to be honest I've been in love with it since I first starting using it. If I had written a favourites post for December or January, this would have featured. The product itself is so lightweight on the hair and doesn't weigh it down or make it greasy. It also smells amazing and I always apply it before blow-drying my hair and I've noticed that the condition of my hair has improved!

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub:
I recently reviewed this product because I have loved using it since the moment I brought it. It is the lip scrub in bubblegum from Lush and it has been a saviour for my lips. Costing around £5.95 it has been fully worth the price and I've noticed a difference in the condition of my lips, they have been less chapped and generally healthier looking.

Food/Drink

Chiquitos:
Very recently the Mexican restaurant Chiquito's opened in a town near where I live. Since trying it out on New Year's Day it has become one of my favourite places to eat. I love Mexican food so immediately I knew I was onto a winner and the food there is so delicious. The prices are also reasonable and the atmosphere is brilliant in there!

Music

Bastille- All This Bad Blood:
I have been a HUGE fan of Bastille ever since their debut album 'Bad Blood' was released. I made sure that I ordered it as soon as I could and absolutely fell in love with it. It is a big contender for the best album that I have ever listened to. After admittedly playing the album to death I was overjoyed when I learnt that they would be releasing a second part of the album called 'All This Bad Blood.' I pre-ordered this album and immediately put it on as soon as it arrived and it I safe to say I fell in love this this too. My favourite songs from the album change from time to time but I love 'Haunt', 'Laughter Lines', 'Poet' and their cover of 'What Would You Do.'
  Like the original album I have played All This Bad Blood to death, to the point that I had to stop listening to it throughout January. However this month it has been back in my car and just listening to it on my way to work makes me feel really happy. The next step is to try and see them live, and with them performing at V Festival in the summer, I really hope I can get tickets!

Films/TV

Criminal Minds Season 9 (Mon 9pm Sky Living):
Ever since my sister introduced me to crime series Criminal Minds a few years ago, I have been hooked. This program basically follows a team of behavioural analysts who work together to solve murders and is a bit similar to CSI. However, the show is now in it's 9th series which have started just recently on Sky Living (Channel 107) on Monday nights at 9pm and I have loved seeing my favourite characters on screen again. It seems as though each series has got better and better and it has really kept me guessing throughout. Love it! 

New Series of The Middle (Tues 9pm Comedy Central):
Another program which I have loved watching over the past few years is The Middle. Totally different from Criminal Minds, The Middle is a comedy program about a family of 5 and their day to day problems and situations. Very easy viewing and hilarious, you can catch the new series on Comedy Central at 9pm on a Tuesday.

New Series of Two And A Half Men (Mon 9pm Comedy Central):
The start of 2014 has brought a load of new series for a number of programs and another one is Two and A Half Men. Which I have also loved watching throughout January. Hilarious. Also on Comedy Central on a Monday at 9pm, which you may notice clashes with Criminal Minds, but thank goodness for Sky+ haha.

New Series of The Magaluf Weekender (Sun 9pm ITV2)
The final program that I have enjoyed watching throughout January is the surprise, surprise, new series of The Magaluf Weekender. I think I may have featured this program in my October favourites, but it is back again and better than ever with a new rep and even more drama between the reps! Unfortunately the program has now finished, but I think it is returning in the summer for a new series! 

Random

Bingo:
This month I went to my first ever proper bingo night, where I gambled actual money in attempt to win even more money for matching numbers in a line or by getting full house. This is strangely addicting and I can see why many people spend hours in there. So far I've won £20 so that's not too bad
Quiz Nights:
Since early October I have been attending a quiz night at a local pub on a Thursday evening with friends from work and it has been a lot of fun. Basically you are in teams and each person pays £1 to play. That money then becomes the jackpot (usually around £50) and then you play a family fortunes type quiz where you are asked 10 questions and expected to think of the 'top answer' (worth 2 points) and then four other answers (worth 1.) At the end, the team with the highest score wins and then has to pick one of about four envelopes containing different prizes. If the jackpot isn't picked it then rolls over to the next week until it gets won which means that the jackpot can get really high.
Formula One Winter Testing:
With the 2014 F1 season starting in a matter of weeks, throughout Feb I have enjoyed hearing about and reading about the testing that the teams have been going through. I also loved watching all the teams unveil their title contenders and it has made me even more excited for the start of the season and the end of the 4 month break from the sport!

That's just about everything that I've been loving this month!

The iPhone 5S

We know live and grow up in a world full of technology. Technology which is always developing and improving and in some ways, making ordinary life much easier. In the past, when all you had in your home was a landline phone, you actually had to visit or write to people to stay in contact with them.
  Even 11 years ago, the likes of Facebook and Twitter were not even a thought, let alone two huge social media sites that attract millions of users sharing and telling people all over the world what they had for breakfast or uploading a photo of themselves with motivational song lyrics.
  What I think is the most amazing thing about the way technology has evolved is the way that it has connected people from all around the world together. Before all this was invented, you would never say meet someone from Sydney in Australia if you were living in the UK unless you actually travelled there yourselves. In fact, you wouldn't meet anybody living in the same country or even county as you unless you met them face to face. Scary.
  One of the most influential contributions to the world of technology over the past years is the introduction and development of the iPhone.
  Now it took me a very long time to finally jump onto the bandwagon, purely because I had decided to have the Blackberry Bold 9900 back in 2011 when I was due an upgrade. I then had to wait another two years before upgrading again which brought me to November of 2013.
  I firstly decided to have a blackberry as opposed to the new at the time iPhone 4S because a) I had previously had a Sony Ericsson Satio which was fully touch screen operated and after having it practically break down by the time I had finished with it I wanted to go back to buttons. Secondly Blackberry's were all the rage at the time and I just wanted to try a new brand that I had never used before.
  Admittedly, it wasn't the best nor the worst phone I had ever had. Aside from it freezing near the end of it's life quite frequently, having awful camera quality and not being able to use Instagram, it was a pretty good phone. It did everything a modern phone is made to do, text, phone and update facebook and twitter.
  So in November I decided to finally buy into one of the world's biggest brands, Apple, and get my hands on the newly released iPhone 5S.
  The phone itself comes in three different colours, silver, grey and gold. I went for the white as I thought it was the best out of the three and O2 swiftly delivered it to my door.
  I already had an iPad at the time, so I kind of knew what to expect from the iPhone. Obviously the phone has many features that the iPad doesn't but it really didn't take me long to figure out all the tricks and features. That's one thing that is so good about these phones, they are so intuitive and I was so glad to have a touch screen back!
 As this is my first ever iPhone it would be unfair to say that it is better than the previous models, but from what I've read and hear from family and friends it does not disappoint.
  Obviously I was instantly playing around with the 'Siri' function on the iPhone, asking it both stupid and sensible questions. There is no doubt that the Blackberry's have no where near anything like this on their devices and this is a huge stand out feature. However, I have found that now after having the phone for almost 4 months, I have hardly used Siri at all. I think once the novelty had worn off it became an unused feature.
  The iPhone has also changed the way that I use social media. The apps for all of the social media websites I use such as Facebook and Twitter are so much better for the iPhone and unlike Blackberry there is an actual instagram app. It is also so much easier to update posts and upload photos and videos, and with updates being introduced all of the time it is nice to see that the developers are still working hard to perfect their products.
Another huge advantage the iPhone has over other phones, especially the Blackberry is the camera quality.
 
I am no longer ashamed to take photos on my phone and share them with the world, because the quality of these images are incredible. I love taking pictures on my DSLR but sometimes it's a great feeling to know that you can capture a decent image on your mobile instead of having to lug all your equipment around with you all the time.
  I am also loving the filters that come with the camera on the iPhone, with my favourite being the 'Instant' filter.
  Another awesome feature I believe not to be on any other phone is the slow motion filming you are able to capture. It really makes the phone unique and it provides you with endless hours of entertainment. The ability to take panorama shots is brilliant too.
 Probably the most impressive feature on the whole phone is the revolutionary use of fingerprint recognition. This was one of the huge selling points for me and I'm pleased to report that it works!
  You register your finger print (and you can register more than one!) and then you can use it to unlock you phone, verify app purchases (much better than typing in your password) and it adds that extra wow factor. Of course, you still have a numeric or text password too just in case your finger isn't recognised, but the technology itself works so well considering that it is the first time it has been put into a mobile phone.
  Overall I have been so impressed with the iPhone 5S, possibly being the best phone that I have ever used. However, with growing competition from the likes of Samsung, it is exciting to anticipate what Apple will come up with next... 

My First Ever Business Trip

 

Since leaving school last July and joining what everybody calls 'the big world', I've had the chance to experience many new things, one of these being travelling by myself and visiting new places.

A few months ago I was told that I would be going on a training course. I then learnt that this would be in Nottingham, which is about 3 hours away from my hometown and a 360 mile round trip.

Immediately I was excited by the prospect of getting out of my town for a few days, it didn't seem real that I was going to be leaving all by myself. Then I did get a little nervous, especially because I would be driving the furthest I had ever driven on my own and would be driving on a motorway for the first time in my life. Added to this I would be driving to a place I had never been before, relying on only a sat nav and my own brain to get where I needed to go. I also knew that I would be facing even more traffic than I was used to and I later learnt that Nottingham is basically one huge one way system, which is not good for someone who got lost a few times! I would also be staying in an unfamiliar hotel with no-one I knew and in a room all alone for the first time ever.

 

The night before I left I packed my suitcase which was a task and a half as I packed way too much 'just in case I needed it.' The next day with my car checked over and with Bastille's new album to keep me company I set off. Once I had gone past all the familiar towns near me it was a bit like 'wow, I'm actually doing this all by myself.' I still believe to this day that it was a huge moment for me, and since then it has given me so much confidence and self belief.
Anyway, so I got about 10 miles away from Nottingham and suddenly my sat nav didn't recognise any of the roads and basically broke down on me. This was probably the most stressful thing that happened to me and it was all because the roads had been changed and the sat nav hadn't been updated to recognise them!
 At this point it was getting dark and I had no idea where I was, but I tried to keep calm and asked a lovely taxi driver at a fuel station for directions. When I hit the centre of Nottingham, the route was still not recognised so I had to stop some poor strangers in the street and ask them too. Luckily they were happy to help and I was so relived when I found the hotel at which I was staying.
  After I had checked in, I was overjoyed once I was inside my room. It was just what I needed after the three hour journey and I wasted no time in looking around, checking out the facilities. By this time it was nearly 6pm so after phoning my mum and dad I went down to the restaurant for dinner and had the most amazing burger followed by a chocolate dessert trio which was heaven!

Once I returned from dinner I unpacked a few of my things. I think the most surprising thing for me was how quiet everything was. At home I'm used to everyone talking and my music is usually blaring but here there was none of that. I think I turned the TV on purely because I needed to hear some noise, not because I particularly wanted to watch something.
 I loved the little features which were in the room, the chair near the window and the table where I sat and made myself a lovely cup of tea.

However, I did notice that the particular hotel I stayed at was rather fond of mirrors, there must have been at least 7 in my room, which compared to the two I have in my own room was really weird.
 That night after having the luxury of choosing between a soft or hard pillow, I slept really well. The bed was so comfortable and I didn't want to get out of it!
  After attending the first day of my course (which I got very lost going to because the sat nav was still not helpful and I ended up asking the loveliest man in Tesco, who even got the map up on his phone for me and wrote down directions!) I was exhausted and after dinner I seem to remember watching a Champions League game and then going straight to bed.
  The next day was quite strange as I checked out in the morning as after the course finished that second day I went straight from there to back home.
  Leaving Nottingham was a bit easier than arriving, and I managed to find my own way home in the dark, rain and fog with no sat nav and no other directions from anyone. Although I ended up driving a completely different way home, (primarily on the busiest motorway I had ever been on, the M1) I was so happy when I saw places and roads I recognised.

Since that, I've been back to Nottingham on another course and I'm happy to report that I didn't get half as lost as the first time. This was partly due to the fact I did recognise some parts and mainly because I took 2 sat navs and my iphone navigation system!
  The only thing I would change about my two trips there would be that I wish I had more time to explore the city. Aside from the road to the hotel, I didn't see very much and so I'd like to go back in my own time to see what the place has to offer.
  I am so happy that I stepped outside my comfort zone and did something which I had never done before. I learnt a lot about myself during that time and it has made me thing more about the bigger picture. The scariest thing I learnt whilst away was actually how big the world is, even though I had only gone 300 miles away, it really is a big shock when you live in a small town where everyone knows everybody. I only saw a small part of the city, yet it was probably bigger than the whole town I live in, it is crazy.

I learnt that I'm also not ready to leave my hometown just yet. Probably unsurprisingly, a lot of people where I live always say they cannot wait to get out of 'this town' or 'this dead-end town.' However, they have never actually left and I would say be careful what you wish for because like myself, you may learn that actually the place in which you live is better than you think. You may also find that you're not ready to leave and then start to appreciate the little things in life such as not having to use a sat nav every time you want to go out or even just not having to sit in queues of traffic every morning.

If I Had £100 to Spend: Shoes

In case you didn't know, it would be fair to say that I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with shoes. I've counted that I own over 30 pairs, which did surprise even myself a bit.
 In an attempt to try to stop buying new pairs I've decided to compile a list of the shoes that I would buy if I had £100 spend, similarly to the post I wrote a few months back about makeup.
 I have to admit, it didn't take me very long to create this list, which might be quite worrying, but oh well!



From New Look: http://www.newlook.com/shop/shoe-gallery/view-all-shoes/mint-green-patent-platform-court-shoes_303787937

 

1. Mint Green Patent Platform Court Shoes: £22.99

The first pair of shoes that I would buy are from New Look. I've recently had my eye on a lot of mint coloured fashion items and the only reason that I haven't already bought them is because I know I wouldn't wear them very often. They are so beautiful though, and I would be surprised if they don't make their way into my collection in the future.



2. Black Aztec Print Slipper Shoes: £7.00 (Was £15.99)
I am a complete sucker for Aztec print. Since last summer I have been building a nice collection of Aztec items and actually bought a similar pair of shoes like these last year. However they are a bit worn out now and so these would be a perfect replacement. As an added bonus, they are currently in the New Look sale for only £7!





From New Look: http://www.newlook.com/shop/shoe-gallery/view-all-shoes/black-aztec-print-slipper-shoes-_300471209

3. Floral Ballet Pumps: £7.99

The next pair of shoes that I would purchase would be these lovely floral pumps from H&M. I think they would complete a simple causal outfit and could also be paired with something a bit more formal for the evening and are perfect for the summer. They are also a complete bargain at only £7.99. 



 From H&M: http://www.hm.com/gb/product/19060?article=19060-H

 

4. Platform Court Shoes: £24.99

The next pair of shoes that I would buy would be these black wedges from H&M. Out of all the shoes I own I don't actually own a pair of heeled wedges like these so I think these would be a classic addition to my collection. These shoes would be so versatile and could be paired with so many different outfits.

 

From H&M: http://www.hm.com/gb/product/18438?article=18438-A



 

5. Pilmsolls with Logo Detailing £25.99

The next pair of shoes that I would buy are these casual trainer type shoes from Pull & Bear. These would be perfect for casual wear and I've had my sister already buy two pairs of shoes similar to these and she has loved them. I would probably go for the grey because it is something a bit different as opposed to black or navy.

 

From Pull & Bear: http://www.pullandbear.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category/pullandbeargb/en/pullandbear/29059?t=1#/3671875/PLIMSOLLS%20WITH%20LOGO%20DETAIL

 

6. Red Ballet Pumps £7.99

The final pair of shoes that I would buy with £100 would be these gorgeous red ballet pumps from H&M. I've been recently loving the red trend that has been going on and I feel as though these would be a great addition to my collection of shoes. These would also be good for summer and to add a pop of colour to a simple casual outfit.



From H&M: http://www.hm.com/gb/product/08433?article=08433-M
 



Total Spending: £96.95
Total Remaining: £3.05
After imagining spending £100 on shoes, I think I have chosen a variety of different shoes and styles. I purposely avoided choosing boots as I bought a lot of these during the winter and I thought it would be better to pick shoes ready for the next season where I would get more use out of them. Although all these shoes won't be making it into my collection, I think from making this post a few of them will have to be bought because they are so gorgeous. Oops.