Bryony Kirkham

I actually hadn't heard of this brand before being gifted the makeup for Christmas. Yes Christmas. Clearly this review has been a looong time coming! So this brand was extremely new to me and I had no idea what to expect.

After some further research I found it to be a very budget brand, in terms of cost. I guess that means my sister was a cheap skate when buying gifts! I joke, she also give me several other amazing presents and told me that they were in the buy 3 for 2 range (or some offer anyway) so figured I could give them a go. The products can be purchased in stores such as Superdrug. They offer a range of products from lipsticks to eye pallets which aesthetically all look good, however you never know if the quality is going to be there when buying cheap make up.

Lipsticks

First up are the lipsticks I was given! 2 of these were matte lipsticks (the ones in the white tubes) and the other just a general one. I was extremely happy with the presentation of the products, the tubes were nice and the best part was the colour reference parts at the bottom unscrewed and were usable mini tubs containing the products. I thought this was very effective as it meant the colour you see at the end of the tube is the colour of lipstick you will be getting inside, stickers can usually be significantly different from the actual lipstick colour.

Lipsticks with the bottoms unscrewed. Something a little different that I really liked.

The colours of the lipsticks themselves looked amazing, I especially loved the look of the dark burgundy colour. As you can expect I was really excited to give them a go, unfortunately I found that they weren't as pigmented as I hoped. The matte lipsticks were especially difficult to get any decent colour coverage! It felt as though they had been frozen or something. The burgundy colour ended up looking very similar to the red and the pink also being much lighter due to the difficulty of getting good coverage. I was extremely disappointed by the quality, but I guess you can't hope for much more for a very low cost lipstick (charged at around £1 each).

Swatches of the lipsticks, from left to right - Red, Pink, Burgundy.

Eyebrow Pencil

The brush at the end of the brow pencil.

The lipsticks were most definitely a flop and I won't be buying them any time soon, the brow pencil on the other hand was a completely different story. Again this product is being sold for a pound in Superdrug and can be purchased in 3 different colours - Black, Brunette & Blonde. As you can see from the photo I had the brunette. The pencil felt more creamy when I put it on which I actually really liked, it almost worked as a wax to hold my eyebrows in place and also as the colour. It was highly pigmented and wasn't a struggle to get an even coverage, my only downside was that it was a little darker than what I was used to, however I got used to this over time. The brush at the end of the pencil was also an added bonus, it's still one of my favourite eyebrow brushes to date! I would definitely advise buying this product and giving it a go, especially considering it doesn't cost much at all. Although I am yet to try the blonde and black pencil I hope they are just as pigmented and creamy as this one!

Here I am, finally half way through my final year so what better time than to post about my University experience and what I would change if I could go back and do it again.

The biggest thing I've learnt at Uni is that, quite frankly, I don't think it is for me! However, I still think coming to uni was the best decision I have ever made. It sounds a bit contradictive (I don't even know if this is a real word, but it fits so lets roll with it) I know!

I'll give you a bit of background to my 'Uni Experience'. I go to the University of Leeds, it is a fabulous institution, I've been rather impressed with it over the years and I study Psychology (I question why I'm doing this every day). Originally I'm from between Manchester and Liverpool, so it was the perfect distance away, far enough to not run into anybody from home but close enough that I can easily drive back if needs be. So yeah, quick little bit of background, now for the advice:

1. Halls

Make sure you live in halls for the first year. If, like me, you think you don't want to be dealing with people everyday and would rather be living in a studio/flat on your own it is not wise. Fortunately, I was placed in halls with a flat between 6 of us, if I hadn't have been in this flat I wouldn't have made any friends in the first year of uni and most definitely wouldn't have had anyone to live with in second year! It's great to have a group of people you're forced to meet to get you out of your shell, as daunting as it can seem!

2. Course Choice

I chose to do Psychology as I figured it seemed employable, interesting and mainly because I hadn't done it before. Probably a stupid choice, over the course of 3 years there have been roughly 3 or 4 modules that I have been really passionate about, but as for the rest I couldn't have cared less. I really wish I had that passion for all my modules, and the degree as a whole but I don't! So my advice here is choose a degree you're passionate about/will enjoy. This mainly applies to those who have no idea what they want to do in life (I'm still stuck and clueless!), I've always loved art, photography and design so I really wish I did a degree following that path, the only reason I didn't was because I thought a degree in those subjects was pointless and probably wasn't valued as much as a BSc.. How very close minded of me, the degree I'm using now potentially won't come in much use but had I chose an art based subject I potentially would have enjoyed it a lot more! So make sure you do something you love. That being said, psychology is a great degree just a lot of it isn't to my taste.

3. Get a job!!

Seriously, get a job. Whether it be in gaining relevant experience (which, apparently, is a reaally important thing to do to get a job in most fields), or a simple bar/restaurant job I would definitely advise it. Not only does it allow you to get extra cash whilst at uni it is such a great place to make new friends and to get chatting to new people! I was, and am, terrible at making friends at uni but at works I just clicked with a lot of people. I worked as a Shot Girl* on weekends, and I honestly loved it. Through that job I found some of my best friends and my boyfriend, then I moved onto another bar job where again I've met the majority of my friends in Leeds! Working is the thing I've loved most about uni, met so many amazing people. As mentioned earlier, it's also a great time to gain experience in areas that interest you, although the experienced I've gained hasn't been relevant to psyc I have gained experience in areas such as modelling which has been a fantastic experience! Get out there and see what you can do.

*I worked for Smoking Drinks as a shot girl, they have work in a large array of regions. If you fancy a job with them, find them on facebook or at smokingdrinks.com and apply!

4. Get Involved

I think my biggest regret at uni is not getting more involved with the clubs and activities. In first year I was a competitive cheerleader as I had been doing that for a year or two before uni. I loved it, it was great getting to compete with such an amazing team! However, because I'm so bad at making friends and barely went out to the socials I wasn't as involved as I could have been, I definitely shot myself in the foot there! So don't hold back and get involved! There are so many societies I would have loved to give a go such as yoga, pole dancing, Harry Potter and Pokemon but I've just been too shy/scared to do it. I have nobody else but myself to blame for this! Oh well, I've learnt my lesson now and know to join in when the opportunity arises! Learn from my mistakes.

5. Get out of Town

Finally, Uni is the perfect excuse to move out and to experience what it's like to live in a different town/city! Don't miss out on this opportunity. With grants and student loans it's the one time where you'll be best funded to do it, especially those who are lucky enough to have their parents financial support as well. That being said, rent prices are generally pretty high for students and can take up your full student loan, but if you also decide to get a job you should be able to manage quite fine. Living on your own is a great experience and I have never looked back. You get the freedom you've always wanted and it gives you the independence you need. Again, living out is the perfect way to make friends! It gives you something in common with those at uni and can throw you in with a group of people if you do decide to reside in halls. Living on my own has been the best experience about uni in my eyes, and I'm pretty certain I'd find it troubling to have to move back in with my parents now (Sorry Mum and Dad, love you really!). So yeah, give it a go and move out! - although I may be preetty biased on this one, since I can remember I've constantly had it drilled into me that I should move out of the town I've grown up in, regardless of that though it has been fab. Get to play by your own rules!

And there we have it! My best advice for those going to uni, although I'm sure the majority of uni goers would probably have had it figured out I know I would have appreciated a little more advice along these lines when I was applying.

All in all, do what makes you happy. There will be ups and downs, and alternative routes should you wish to take them! All I know is my uni experience (if it has really been a proper uni experience) has been fab even though there are a few things I wish I could have changed!

I would love to hear any advice you all have for future students and of your university stories! Please leave some comments about it.

Pictures from weheartit.com

Here's to the first post of 2015! Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. I got quite a few make-up products over the holidays which I just HAVE to post about.

The first lot of reviews are going to be about the Lime Crime products I have. Some I have had for months and a couple others I was given as a Christmas gift. Even before I ever placed my first order from Lime Crime I've been obsessed, I've followed their instagram for a while now and always longed to actually buy some. When I finally decide to purchase some of their lipsticks I found a UK seller really easily on their site under retailers, although from just checking the site it seems to have been updated to a significantly smaller list of retailers which are based only in the USA, Mexico and Brazil, I'm not 100% sure if this means the retailer I was using, which can be found here, will stop getting new orders and so will have to order elsewhere for new/currently sold out products or what. Hopefully that isn't the case because shipping fees and customs and taxes can add a hefty additional price tag to the order. Fingers crossed!

Before I jump into the review I'll give a little background on the company. The company was set up and is run by Doe Doree, now most definitely a style icon. She has made sure the make up is vegan and not tested on animals, which is always good to hear! The company is based in America, hence why you probably have never seen products in shops here in England (if that's where you're reading from, although there are only 2 Lime Crime stores in America!). There seems to be more lines coming soon, one of which being a face range which already has its place ready on the website. There has also been instagram posts from Doe Doree which suggest there is a hair dye range on it's way as well, Doe herself is usually found to be rocking an out of the box colour on her hair, it was blue and now bright orange (Girl after my own heart), which means there should be a large range of colours available if a hair dye is in the works. I know I sure as hell am hoping so!

Unicorn Lipstick

So lets start with the unicorn lipsticks I've had for months (sorry about how tatty the chinchilla one looks). To begin with I just love the names of some of the colours, definitely not your run of the mill! All lipsticks come in a small box, I have no photograph of this, then the tubes are inside. The outer packaging had a unicorn printed onto it, much like the same style as the tubes, along with some additional information such as ingredients. The tubes are pink with a unicorn, stars and it says 'Lime Crime'. One of my favourite things about these lipsticks is the smell of them, never in my life have I ever known a lipstick to smell so good! I honestly think its worth buying one just to experience that. Before even using the product you can see how much effort is put into the design process and final touches, something I always like to see.

Photographed above, from Left to Right- Airborne Unicorn, Mint to Be, Chinchilla.

I just love the colours that are available from Lime Crime as well, just a range you don't see from day to day. Naturally I wanted to buy some odd colours I hadn't used before. One of my favourite colours is Chinchilla, I like that it is a greyish colour with a hint of purple. Definitely not a colour I had come across before, one I liked to use a lot! The Airborne Unicorn has a nice purple colour to it as well and also gets regular use (on the days I'm not being a lazy so and so and actually make an effort with my life). I am yet to use the Mint to Be properly, I mainly purchased this colour because I thought it would look pretty cool for photoshoots and has the potential to really stand out.

Below I have done a swatch on my wrist of the lipstick colours, as you can clearly see they are well pigmented and really show their colours. I would definitely advise anybody who loves lipstick to invest! Not only do they have these out of the box colours but they also have many everyday colours, so there is something for everybody! If you don't wear lipstick that often they even have the perfect shade of nude (Coquette), I really need to get my hands on it!

Top to bottom - Chinchilla, Airborne Unicorn, Mint to Be.

Velvetine

Left to Right - Black Velvet, Red Velvet.

If you've ever wanted a genuinely kiss proof, drink proof, basically anything proof lipstick the Velvetine collection is the one for you. Goes on like a lipgloss, dries perfectly matte and doesn't budge until you take it off! Brilliant. I currently only have these lipsticks in black and red but they give such an even, good coverage. You can see a small swatch I did of them below. More and more colours keep being released as well, due to writing this review I've ended up ordering 3 more Velvetines in Salem, Wicked and Cashmere.. Ooops. They have such a fabulous range of perfect everyday and going out colours in this brand, they're awesome. Although there are no unicorns on the packaging for these, gutted, there are roses on the screw top lid which give it a really nice look, again you can see the attention to detail.

Don't they just make the perfect Harley Quinn combination?!

Eye Shadow Brightener

Finally, last but not least, the Lime Crime Eyeshadow Brightener. This is an eye shadow primer but goes on white, which is perfect to get the full, true colour out of your eye shadows! Many times I've put on a nude/slightly lighter than skin tone eye shadow on and barely even been able to notice, with this product it definitely gives you the 'blank canvas' they promise it offers. It has a really good consistency and it is clear it would work perfectly over normal or oily eyelids, which is perfect! They also offer an Eyeshadow Helper which is just like a normal primer but it is waterproof, so when you place your eye shadow on top it will not budge one bit! How fabulous, perfect if like me your eyes water like a mother** all the time. I haven't got the helper myself, but they have shown a video of eye shadow swatched on a hand with and without the helper and then held under a running tap, it's safe to say from seeing that video it most definitely worked. The only downside I had from my eye shadow brightener is that it seems only half full when you first use it, from use I've found that it only takes a small amount to cover an eyelid but it would have been nicer if it was filled to the brim! Now this may have just been a faulty product or this is just how much you get in every one, but either way it's only a small drawback.

Another late post, my bad. Uni work and illnesses took over again I'm afraid.

This is probably more of major hair envy rather than a wishlist, although I would very happily trade my hair in for any of these peoples! I have a tendency to get bored of my current hairstyle after a few weeks and then usually opt to dye it some random colour. Currently I'm white blonde with blue tips, but lo and behold I'm bored again. Due to the constant bleaching, dying and styling of my hair it is severely damaged and so I can only dream of having hair as fabulous as the ones who will be featured in this blog! So without further ado...

1. Audrey Kitching

She has been one of my style icons for as long as I can remember, back when I was an emo/scene kid I used to be obsessed with her hair and style and as time has progressed she has continued to keep this individual style but now has a more fashion oriented way. However many years on and Kitching is still rocking the amazing, perfectly pink hair, though there have been many variations along the way. Basically I just adore her. Simple as.

2. Sara Fabel

Don't even think I need words. Sara Fabel is one of my ultimate girl crushes, can't decide if I want to be her or be with her more. She was the inspiration for me to shave the side of my head as I already have a love for white blonde/silver hair. I am seriously obsessed with her style and tattoos for that matter. She is basically the embodiment of everything I would love to be! Along with being a bad ass model she is also an amazing artist and tattoo artist. I would definitely advise you to check out her work, I love her graphic style!

3. Chrisspy

Can't express how much I want the blue long bob! Never thought I'd ~~hear~~ see myself say that! Never really been a fan of bobs at all, but this one just looks fabulous! If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure this one is a wig. I can't recall where it's from but I think it was a custom made wig and she mentions where you can find them on her instagram. Either way, I either need to do my hair like this or buy a similar wig. The only problem with dying your hair blue is that it is absolute murder to get out, as I have found in recent weeks. I only dyed my tips and after about a month or so without dying it again it is still there and very clearly so. Be warned if you are planning on going blue! The other two photos are clearly very different, I think it will be this sorta idea I'm going to go with for my next hair venture. As my hair is in a shit state from overly bleaching and dying I'm going to let my roots grow through, like in the second photo, then dye the rest of my hair a greyish blue colour, much like that of the last photo. Fingers crossed it will come out as nicely! Along with being envious of Chrissyp's lovely locks her make-up is also pretty damn perfect due to her being a make-up artist! Keep an eye out for her on youtube and instagram.

Hair illustrations found on Pinterest, other photos from Facebook, Instagram and Google.

With Christmas coming up I may as well post a few wishlists, I'm starting with a fashion wishlist. This is only a small one though, obviously there are a million and one other things I wouldn't mind having clothes wise! These are some of the stuff I would love to wear and some of the sort of style I would love to rock every day.. Problem being that half the time I really just can't be arsed making the effort and just reach the closest, warmest thing (especially in the disgustingly cold weather) which generally doesn't look as well put together as some of the things featured above.

1 - Harley Quinn Leggings

Love these. They're from Black Milk, website blackmilkclothing.com. One of my fave sites purely because they do Harry Potter and Adventure time collections. Been eyeing them up for a while but they're currently out of stock and they're expensive, all the stuff on Black Milk comes with a rather hefty price tag.. This being said they are really high quality products so it is worth the cost, I just don't have the money to afford it.

2 - 'Don't Make Me Sad' Bomber Jacket

I adore Lana del Rey, so having Born to Die lyrics on a jacket is a major win in my books. This is from ShopJeen, website shopjeen.com. Don't know what else there is to say about this but how much I love it! I haven't ordered from this website so have no idea what the quality and shipping is like, but I think an order will be placed in the near future to purchase this. In looove. They have quite a few cool things on this site as well, they have some sailor moon things. Another one of my biggest loves! If I get anything I'll put a review of the products and service, we'll see though.

3 - Cardigan & Dress and Shoulder-less Dress

I've put these under the same number as they're from the first website, Tobi. I came across these on Facebook (facebook advertising definitely works). They offer 50% off your first order when you link a facebook account and the majority of the items seem to be on sale in general, the website is tobi.com. I have ordered from them and love it, I can scroll through there website for hours and just want to buy EVERYTHING, which is a pretty big deal considering I'm usually so picky I usually hate everything apart from one or two pieces on most websites/shops. I read some reviews about them and apparently if you opt for the free delivery it can take a really long time and has a habit of getting lost, I don't know how true this is. I chose to pay for delivery, which was an expensive £20, just to be on the safe side. It seemed to come relatively quick although taxes and duties are a bastard when the come. The quality of the clothes I got were good, especially considering the cheap prices. Overall I definitely would order from them again, without a doubt!

There we go! So yeah, if you want to buy me some clothes feel free. Now you know what I like. I'm also dying to find some over the knee black boots, but I can't seem to find any I'm happy with.. Apart from one pair on ASOS which has sold out, typical. May have to be an e-bay job for them.

First of all I would like to apologise about how long it has taken me to write this second post, I'm hoping to start posting weekly but uni life and being ill has managed to get in the way of this for me. Safe to say I was not impressed! But it's here, finally! But again, sorry and I hope you enjoy xo

We all have the series that we get addicted to and have to watch every episode of. With schools and uni's getting their Christmas breaks in the next couple of weeks it gives us some time to start a new addiction! So here are mine and why I find them so addictive, don't judge. Many of them aired a while back, that's mainly so I can watch the whole thing in one hit! Genius really.

In no particular order..

1. The X-Files

One of my favourite series ever. I only started to watch it a couple of years ago but it's something I could watch over and over again! If you don't already know, the series is about 2 FBI agents who investigate unexplained cases called the 'X-Files'. The two FBI agents on these cases are Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson, and Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny.

Although each episode has its own storyline, based around a case, there is a major underlying story which leads up to the first film and also plays a big role in the series as a whole. I think my major love for this series comes from not only my love of anything to do with aliens and the paranormal but also the relationship between characters, you really become attached to Mulder and Scully!

My only down side to the series is that towards the end Mulder appears significantly less, due to Duchovny going part time with filming, which is pretty disappointing considering he was one of, if not the, main character, although I started to lose interest after this the episodes are still good and his character is referred to frequently.

Warning: You will probably develop a weird crush on Mulder if it's males who tickle your fancy. My friend told me this as we watched the first episode and I laughed.. Now I am just in love with the character. Oops.

2. Californication

Number 2 is Californication, this is a more recent series, first airing in 2007 and airing its final episode in 2014. I put this series next as, again, it stars David Duchovny. I was a bit apprehensive about watching this after becoming so obsessed with the X-Files as I didn't think I could see him as anyone other than Fox Mulder, but I was glad I give it a go! In this series he plays alcoholic, sex addict novelist Hank Moody. It is an adult sitcom which features a lot of boobs, sex and other things of a mature nature. Definitely not advisable for the younger audience.

Although it has a lot of adult themes I found it to be a very funny series, being British sometimes American sitcoms can be very hit and miss but this one really appealed to me and I really got the humour. Again in this series I ended up finding myself developing a crush on the character of Hank Moody, there was just something about the egotistic, womanising, destructive writer that really appealed to me, you'll see what I mean once you watch the show.

I definitely feel it appeals to both the male and female audience though, definitely worth a watch!

3. House M.D.

This one has been a popular series and you've probably watched it or at least seen one or two episodes, I definitely still see it on tv all the time anyway! This series is about the antisocial Dr Gregory House and his medical diagnostic team who solve cases of medical mysteries. I love this series due to the mystery element where you try and solve what medical problem the patients have along with the team, you'll soon find out that it's not lupus - its never lupus. The sarcastic nature of House is right up my street and I absolutely love it, I feel Hugh Laurie plays an amazing role here and masks his strong, well spoken British accent fabulously. Definitely fooled me into thinking he was American whilst watching!

Some really great story lines and I thought they had a really good finale, usually I don't like how series end but I felt this one did it perfectly. Great characters and actors throughout the whole series, I especially love Olivia Wilde who plays 'Thirteen' for a few series, since the show she has become one of my favourite actresses!

So if you love sarcastic humour and watching a show where a doctor will happily take the piss out of peoples stupidity watch it! I know I adored it, and still do!

4. Gotham
This is a new series and in its first season. Obviously it is related to Batman, as it is set in Gotham, but it focuses on Jim Gordons life as a police man rather than Bruce Waynes. It starts at the death of Bruces parents and Gordon is left, along with his partner, to work on the case to find the killer. Many other cases unfold and there appears to be more than meets the eye with the original case.

I love a good mystery/detective series so this is right up my street! Not to mention my love of all things related to superheroes. Usually I find things related to DC difficult to get into at first, it took me a while to be able to stay focused on the Dark Knight trilogy (although I'm glad I made myself focus and watch it properly, I love it now!), but with this series you can get into it straight away. I just love seeing where all the characters started out, you get to see a lot of the villains before they get to where they are in the films and comic books and it's also fun trying to guess who is going to turn out to be which character! I'm usually more of a Marvel fan when it comes to films so I thought I'd much rather be watching the Agents of SHIELD, but I've found this extremely difficult to get into and just doesn't seem to engage me like the films and so I'm made up that Gotham is working so well.

This is my favourite series at the moment and my boyfriend and I make sure we watch it every week! Such a fabulous series and I would most definitely recommend. I'm just sad that it's only in its first series and isn't several in so I could just spend a week straight watching it.

5. Pretty Little Liars
Where do I even start on this! I adore the books and the series just has me hooked! I love that the series differs from the books, it means I still don't know who 'A' is or what's going to happen next.

The series is about the life of 4 girls, Aria, Hanna, Emily and Spencer. It starts one year after their best friend, Alison, dies. The girls start to receive messages from a mysterious character called A who seems to know all their darkest secrets. There is a lot of suspense and really has you on the edge of your seat for every episode, you are always left wondering who A is. There are many plot twists, lots of new secrets and a lot mystery - as you probably know by now I love the whole mystery thing. This is a seriously addictive series. If you haven't already started to watch it, which I'm sure most of you will have due to its popularity, there are currently 107 episodes and it is 5 seasons in so what better time than ever to start watching!

I would also highly recommend the books, these are written by Sara Shepard and again are a big series. As mentioned earlier, you can read the books along side the series as there are many differences and twists, the main thing I noticed was there were a lot more deaths in the book and they all took me by surprise due to watching the series first! The music in the series is also really good, I always enjoy that aspect of it. Again this is one of my favourite series to date and I'm on edge waiting for the next episode to air, ITS BEEN ALMOST 4 MONTHS. It's killing me!!!

So there it is! I kept it to 5 although I'm sure there are many more I could have listed. I would love to hear which ones you have become addicted to and which ones are worth watching, always love to start something new. Comment below with yours!

So this is my first post on a blog ever! How exciting.

Due to being new to the blogging world I may be a little slow in getting into the swing of things, but hopefully I'll pick it up in no time. Fingers crossed. My plan for this blog is to be as honest as possible, whether it be reviewing a product, trends I love or just a general opinion I have that has been itching to get out. I'm planning on this being 100% me.

I have always taken my own path and never fit in, whether it be fashion wise or with the music I listen to. All through high school I was one of the emo kids, along with a couple of my friends, whilst the rest of the school were quite the opposite. I've always enjoyed to do things my way and stay away from the crowd, I'd much rather be exactly who I want to be than pretend to be somebody else! Hopefully you will see this throughout my blog. Now I don't have everything figured out, but I'd like to think I'm on my way to knowing who I am and who I want to be.

I'll stop ranting about shit nobody cares about, I just want you all to know how excited I am to get started on this new adventure and hopefully I will be able to post things you can all enjoy! Can't wait!

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