What I got for my 21st birthday

In case you didn't know, last week I turned 21. I had planned to get this post up earlier than today but my life has literally been incredibly hectic recently. I'm currently on work experience during the day and then catching up on university work at night - it's crazy but I'm loving it. Anyway, as I didn't show you what I got for Christmas, I thought I'd show you what I got for my birthday. I absolutely loved everything and I'm so appreciative for the gifts.

Starting off with my sister who was a sneaky little mare and pretended to have work on the eve of my birthday tea and then showed up as she'd secretly booked it off. She got me a Kindle which I've fallen head over heels in love with. I take it everywhere with me: downstairs, to bed, to work, in the bath. I adore it and it's already filled with stacks and stacks of books that I can't wait to read. In fact, since receiving it, I've read four books. Four books in a week. Crazyness! I then received the TRESemme hairdryer from her which I was so thankful for. My last hairdryer was on its last legs and this one is incredible. It dries the hair ridiculously quickly and it came with lots of other wonderful bits and bobs too.

From two thirds my dad and stepmum and one third my grandparents, I got the Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G lens which until the other day, I had no idea how to use it. But on work experience, the photographer gave me a masterclass and now, I can't stop snapping pictures of everything. The photos above weren't taken using this lens, however be prepared for some super cool photos very soon on this blog. It's wonderful and does exactly what I want it to in terms of photos for my blog. My dad and stepmum also took me out for a delicious meal at a fancy a la carte restaurant. The rest of my grandparents money went on Disco Pants (which I desperately needed), the D3100 book for Dummies, US InStyle magazine (as Britney is on the cover) and the pink blazer.

Off my mum and stepdad I got the beautiful rose gold Red Herring watch which hasn't left my wrist since, a badge, a wine glass, Lambrini (it's my favourite, don't judge), the Dorothy Perkins Dress and the clutch bag which I've fallen in love with. I'd been needing one for a while because I take the whole world out with me on nights out. This one is the perfect size and comes with two zips which for me is a necessity. The Lipsy bag was off my other grandparents which couldn't have come at a better time as I was desperate for a new bag. The 21st bear off my step grandparents, the gorgeous gold stud earrings from my other step grandparent and the champagne off my auntie. I also got a Kindle case off of my uncle however, it hadn't arrived when I took these pictures but it's just a gorgeous pink leather case. 

And I think that's everything but knowing me, I'll have missed something off of it. I love every single gift and seeing as my birthday is straight after Christmas, I couldn't believe how much I got. I know a lot of family will be reading this blog post so I'd just like to say a massive thank you for everything and I love you all.

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LIFESTYLE | Today, I'm 21

Today, I am a woman. Well, that's a slight exaggeration but I do happen to be 21 today. It's crazy, isn't it?! I still feel like a little girl who loves to pop on make up, dance to Britney Spears and sneak biscuits up to her bedroom. I suppose it's true; no matter how old you get, you still feel young at heart and despite all of the responsibilities, it's refreshing to know that I can still have fun. This year is a big one for me. I turn 21 (obviously), I will get my braces off and I will hopefully graduate from university and step foot into the big wide world. It's quite scary and I've already had a lot of "so, what will you be doing after uni" questions and the answer is, I have absolutely no idea. I'll think of that when I come to it but for now, I'm working damn hard and enjoying my last few months of freedom. I will be posting a "what I got for my birthday" post soon seeing as I didn't do one for Christmas - I simply didn't have the space to photograph everything! - so look out for that. Over the next two weeks, I'll also be doing work experience (at a real magazine!) so this blog may falter a little bit sadly as I'm going to be working "real people hours." Kill me now. But it is Bamboozle Beauty's 4th birthday on the 17th of January - madness!

I should probably get back to doing grown up things now, have a wonderful day and have a drink for me.

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My blog's 3rd birthday!

Wow. 3 years. How quickly has that gone?

I must say, this past year has been without a doubt my favourite blogging year. Since starting university my passion for writing has grown an awful lot and so has my love for all things beauty. Blogging has given me so many opportunities that I would never have been able to have if it wasn't for my own little section on the internet. It's not only given me journalistic knowledge but also beauty knowledge and of course, it's given me the opportunity to talk to people who love the same things that I do. I say this every year and I will continue to do so for the rest of my blogging years but thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. If I'm feeling down about something or just under the weather, I can rely on your all, your lovely comments and tweets to make myself feel better. We're like a family and I love seeing our family grow every single day.

Blogging is something that has changed a lot since I first started. When I started, there weren't half as many blogs as there are now and "press samples" were pretty much unheard of. Now, blogging is taking over the beauty industry and bloggers are regarded as genuine sources to find out about the latest beauty info. And if there's ever a product I'm looking into buying, I will always type in "*insert product name here* blogspot" into Google and see what other people like myself think. I'm so proud of how much blogging has grown. It really is a great 'industry' and it's lovely seeing the amount of respect we now receive from industry professionals.

I was 17 when I first started blogging. I'm now 20. I've grown so much as a person in such a short amount of time. I've since learnt to drive, got a car, passed my A Levels, started university, been to blogging events, met new friends, lost old ones and of course, danced onstage with my idol. It's been a whirlwind 3 years and I look forward to the next 3 years. Life throws some obstacles sometimes but no matter what, things get better. Always. 

Once again, thank you for all of your support. It genuinely means so much to me.

xxx

I'm now 20!

It feels so strange saying that. I'm no longer a teenager. I can no longer run around playing hide and seek and knock-a-door-run. I have to act grown up. Maybe. Maybe a little bit. It's strange. Will I wake up with a wrinkle? Will I turn grey? Leaving my teens officially is going to weird but my teenage years have been amazing. School, college, university, blog. Everything I've accomplished so far, I'm proud of.

If it's your birthday today, congratulations on being born on the most amazing day of the year haha!

Hopefully, I'll see you when I'm 30!

xxx

Happy Birthday Mum!

Today is my mum's birthday and for her birthday all she wanted was a new make up kit. I, of course loved it when she told me this and rushed out to Boots to buy her some new make up. She isn't as obsessed with me and she's beautiful as it is so unlike me, she doesn't really need high end make up so I stuck to drugstore (and I'm skint too)! I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and show you what I bought her and also do a little 'how to apply guide' to help her out and she's not very experienced in make up.

Maybelline Dream Nude Airfoam - My mum usually uses the Dream Satin Liquid Foundation but when I saw this one in Boots, I decided to pick it up instead. It looks asthough it's a lot easier to use and provides a lower coverage which is great considering my mum's skin is almost perfect. She just has a little bit of redness. Without using it (but through reading reviews) I'd say the best way to apply this is using your fingers first to blend. And then finishing it off with a foundation brush to create a flawless finish.

17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer - I absolutely adore this concealer and I wrote about it here. My mum does have a problem with under eye circles and eye bags and I've used this on her once before and it covered them wonderfully. So I decided to pick it up!

17 Pressed Powder - My mum usually uses Rimmel's Stay Matte which is I love and it's my favourite. But I don't think she should be using matte powders as her skin is quite dry and I'd love to see her with a glow. So I went with this powder instead of the matte version. A light dusting of this will add a tiny bit more coverage and help to keep make up in place throughout the day.

No7 Lift &Curve Eyelash Curler - Once again, I love this and I wrote about it here. I did ask my mum if she'd like some eye lash curlers and she quickly replied 'no, I'm scared to use them.' But of course, I decided to buy her some anyway. They're really simple to use and will change the way your mascara is applied. A few 10 second squeezes before mascara will ensure that my mum's tiny lashes are looking beautifully fluttery!

17 Peepshow Mascara - I've read good things about this mascara and it's supposed to lengthen the lashes. My mum isn't one for big out-there lashes but she definitely needs some length adding to them. So I went with this one mainly because of that - and because of the gorgeously girly packaging.

Natural Collection Blush in Pink Cloud - This blush is well loved in the blogosphere as it's cheap and lovely. So I picked it up for my mum. It's not the most pigmented but that's good seeing as I don't really want her looking like a Barbie doll. 

17 Instant Glow Shimmer Brick in Gold Bronze - And finally, my mum loves her bronzer and once I saw this Shimmer Brick, I couldn't resist. It's so beautiful and will add a lovely glow onto her skin. The different colours can also be used indiviually as eye shadows so it's a win, win situation!

Once my mum has opened these products and I've been to see her, I should hopefully be getting some swatches up (and trying them out for myself if she'll let me) so I'll let you know how I get on with them!
xxx

Recent Purchases & Birthday Presents

Some of the things in this post will be birthday presents and some will be what I've purchased myself. I'm not going to say which is which but yeah, these are all things that I've got recently and I thought I'd show you. I enjoy being nosey so I hope you do too!

Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette - I was so excited when this arrived today. I'm already in love and I can't wait to experiment some more with it. I've also taken pictures for a full blown review - even though I'm sure you don't need one.

Ardell and Kiss Eyelashes - I think I've actually become obsessed with false eyelashes. They make me feel so much more confident and they can really change a look. I need more!

Eyelure False Eyelash Adhesive - To accommodate for my false lash addiction. It was only £2.55 and the bottle is huge. It will last forever!

Revlon's Double Twist Mascara - I saw this on offer for just £5 in Superdrug and as I as in need of a new mascara, I thought I'd try it out. A bit risky considering I'd never heard anything about it in the blogging world. But I'm loving it so far.

MAC Lipstick in Please Me - I am in love. This lipstick is everything. I'll be dedicating a whole post to this wonderful creation so I won't say too much now.

Coca-Cola Vanilla Lip Balm - You all know I have a lip balm addiction and I just had to have this one. I love it. It's very tasty.

Pantene Heat Defence - I wanted to branch out and try something else instead of my TRESemme Heat Defence. I haven't tried it yet but I will report back.

Britney Spears Hidden Fantasy Perfume - My Britney perfume collection is now complete! I'll be doing a full post on it soon so keep an eye out if you're interested! (Thanks Dad)!

Candles at university are illegal! But I can't help it. The red one is a cinnamon and mulled wine Air Wick candle and the other two are Yankee Candles. One is lemon and the other is strawberry buttercream. I'm obsessed with them at the moment.

I've always wanted a Build-A-Bear bear and my sister bought me one for my birthday! She's so beautiful and lovely to cuddle up to. Her name is Britney of course and she sings Happy Birthday to me too :) She also has a change of clothes for when it's not my birthday..

I hope you enjoyed this post and please let me know if you'd like to see more.

What have you been purchasing recently?

xxx

FOTN - My 19th Birthday

Taking a break from writing my essay and I thought I'd do a quick blog post on my face of the night from last night. In all honesty, I've probably had way too many breaks but hey ho!

Foundation - Estee Lauder's Double Wear

Concealer - Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection

Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte

Bronzer - Sleek Contour Kit

Highlighter - Sleek Contour Kit

Blush - Nars Deepthroat

Eyeshadows - No7's Stay Perfect in Antique Rose, Urban Decay's Toasted & Urban Decay's Sin

Eyeliner - 17's Liquid Liner & Benefit's Eye Bright

Mascara - Revlon's Double Twist

False Eyelashes - Ardell's Natural Style in 101 Demi Black

Eyebrows - HD Brows

Lips - MAC's Please Me

I don't normally use false eyelashes - infact, I've only ever used them once and that was for my prom. But I definitely will do from now on. They look so beautiful and really highlight the eyes. The only problem is, I found these ones pretty uncomfortable. I also have a haul for you on things I got for my birthday but I suppose I should get this essay finished first!

Thank you for all your birthday messages yesterday, I really appreciate it :)

xxx

I'm 19 Today!

Today is my 19th birthday! I'm off to Meadowhall with my sister for the day and she's going to buy me some presents haha. And then me and my friends are going out tonight which I've very excited about. It's the first night out since last year and it should be amazing.

If it's your birthday today, let me know! And I hope you have a wonderful day. Thank you to all of you for supporting my blog. I truly love you :)

xxx