BACK TO SCHOOL: BAGS

Hi guys,

As we approach the final weeks of summer *sob*, it's getting to the point where we all need to start thinking about what we're going to need for when we return to education in September! Some of you might be moving up a year at school and just want new things for a new year, and others of you, like me, will be starting somewhere completely new and want to make a good impression on your new teachers and peers!

 

 

In the spirit of all this, I have selected some of my favourite bags I have seen online over the summer, as inspiration for you girls looking for that all-important new bag, and the ones I have chosen have a mix of both style and practicality! Here they are:

 

 

 

1. Formal Structured Satchel - Next - £45.00

This bag is such a classy design, whilst also being big enough to fit in your all-important books. The bright red colour also makes it easy to find in a busy cloakroom. The metallic details also add a nice touch and compliment the red perfectly.

 

2. Structured Leather Shopper - Zara - £99.00

 

 

I absolutely adore the plum colour of this bag! The shape of it makes it easy to fit in A4 sized books or folders, and the outer zip is handy for easy access to important things! The long strap also offers a useful alternative carrying option in case the short straps ache your arm. The only let down is the price, but I guess that's what you have to pay for real leather!

 

3. Grey Stud Side Tote Bag - New Look - £24.99

For those of you on a slightly tighter budget, this bag is a great choice as it also has a handy zip at the front, and the neutral grey colour means it can be worn with a coat of any colour and you won't need to worry about too much overpowering colour! The studs also add great on-trend touch to the bag.

 

4. Office City Bag - Zara - £50.00

A completely classy, leather-look bag that is a cult favourite amongst bloggers and YouTubers. The crosshatched texture is a nice alternative to leather, and the wine coloured lining compliments the black and gold detail perfectly. The padded laptop and iPad pockets are also a great addition, along with the many other compartments.

 

5. Black Metal Trim Long Tote Bag - River Island - £50.00

The gold detailling on this bag really helps it stand out from the hundreds of other black bags you can find on the market and at school, of course. This bag, in my opinion, is a less expensive version of the Zara Structured Leather Shopper as it also has a detachable long strap, an outer zip and is a good size for A4 documents. Perfect for those who want the features of the Zara bag but don't fancy shelling out £100!
 

 

6. North Face Back To Berkeley Back Pack - Office - £49.99

This rucksack is great for females who want something easy to carry and very practical for school and everyday use! The funky pattern means that you'll also feel very cool carrying it around and you will always be able to find it in a busy cloakroom! This is perfect for those who are more bothered about the practicality of the bag strap rather than the style when it comes to lugging heavy books round all day!
 

 

7. Black/White Bag - H&M - £14.99

This cute little drawstring bag hits two trends with one stone by sporting the monochrome aztec pattern! Although loose sheets of paper are more prone to getting tattered in this bag than any of the others, it's great for carrying around small books, or for those who have a locker. At a bargain price of £14.99, it's practically a steal!
 

 

8. Orange Tumbled Leather Messenger Bag - River Island - £40.00

Orange is a great colour to choose if you want to break away from the typical black schoolbag! The gold detailling on the bag also gives it a very summery feel, which will be great during cold December when you're pining for the sunshine to return! The long handle also makes it easy to carry and transport essentials round campus.

 

9. Imitation Leather Bag (Mole) - H&M - £14.99

 

Another alternative to a black bag is this lovely cream number from H&M. The bag has an option of a practical shoulder strap or two sturdy handles to hook on your arm. I really like how this bag appears to be real leather, you almost can't tell the difference! Retailing at £14.99, this is an amazing bag for those who want size, style but don't want to fork out too much!

 

 

And my favourite is...

 

 THE ZARA OFFICE CITY BAG

 

The reason I went ahead and purchased this bag over the others is because it seemed the most practical for what I needed, and was also the most tailored to my own personal style! I'm starting at a sixth form college in September, so I need to be able to accommodate numerous A4 notebooks. The laptop and iPad compartments are also handy, as it means I can carry a laptop with me to use in my free periods, and it also serves as extra protection for any other items I don't want to get damaged! The size of the bag means that paper won't get creased or torn either. I liked this style because it was crosshatched, and I thought the gold detailling looked very classy and was to my taste. The wine coloured lining also makes it easier for me to find objects in the bag as they stand out against that colour. This bag was also within my price range (which was the reason for not buying some of the others I mentioned) and I think it will give me good value for money.

 

Thank you for reading this post, let me know in the comments which your favourite bag was, or if there are any others you think I should check out! Also, any requests, comments or questions should be left below and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Good luck to all of those recieving exam results in the next week or two also!

 

Beth x x

 

HOLIDAY ESSENTIALS

Hi all!

I'm sorry about the lack of posts on here recently... I know it must seem like I made a blog, was interested for about a day and then gave up, but that's honestly not the case! I've just returned from a 19 day holiday to Rhodes, a Greek island, and I've had a serious lack of internet there, hence the reason for the sparse posts!

 

 

 

Anyway, instead of doing a July favourites blog post, I thought I'd do one on my holiday essentials, as July has been a very hot month in both the UK and Greece, meaning I haven't been wearing masses of makeup or trying out too many new things! So here are my must-haves for any sunny holiday!

 

#1: Suncream

 

 

 

The most obvious essential for spending time in the sun- suncream! The cream I have been using whilst abroad has been the Piz Buin Allergy cream in Medium (SPF 15). As I have been away for so long, I have used this in both a cream form and a spray form. I found that the spray was much quicker and easier to apply, especially when you're applying it away from your apartment/hotel etc. However, to me it seemed like using the cream felt like it gave a better, more fuller coverage, hence better protection. This miniature sized bottle was very handy for taking to the beach or other pools, and it was easily re-filled with cream from the larger bottles. If you only listen to one thing on this list, I would definitely insist it be suncream, because nobody really wants to look like a beetroot after a day in the sun!

 

 

#2: Sunglasses

 

 

As most of you know, it's usually incredibly sunny abroad, and to stop yourself squinting and damaging your eyes from the sun's rays, I would definitely recommend wearing a pair of sunglasses throughout the day! I even wore mine in the pool most of the time! My favourite sunglasses were these aviators that I found in a little shop in the resort I was staying at.

 

 

#3: Aftersun

 

 

A gel aftersun is really important to put on your skin after you've showered on holiday! The sun, sea, sand and pool can often leave your skin feeling very dry and tight, so it's really important to rehydrate your skin after activities such as these. Aftersun can also be very useful if you have sunburn, and it also helps your tan to last longer! The aftersun I used was a green gel by a company called Tropic, and although it felt very sticky on your skin upon application, it definitely helped soothe any sunburn and keep my skin soft.

 

#4: Moisturiser

 

No post about essentials would be complete without moisturiser! I usually apply the aforementioned aftersun after my shower and before I go out for the evening. I tend to put moisturiser just on my face at this point, then I put it all over my body just before I go to bed to ensure my skin is totally hydrated for the following day! My current favourite moisturiser is Steam Cream, which retails online at roughly £12- totally worth it though. The tins are also very pretty and come in lots of different designs, and can be used for storage afterwards (e.g. for hair grips.)

 

 

#5: Lip balm

 

A lip balm is also essential to stop your lips getting dry on holiday! Strictly speaking you should wear suncream on your lips, but for those of us who don't want to look like a cricketer, putting a balm on throughout the day helps keep your lips soft. There are also ones available with SPF which are great. This Body Shop Lemon Lip Butter is my favourite and retailed at £2 at the time of purchase. I have also reviewed it in my previous blog post if you want to know more!

 

#6: Deodorant

 

 Everybody knows how horrible it is to feel hot and sweaty during your evening meal on holiday, so it's really important you have a good deodorant on hand! My favourite is the Vaseline deodorant as I found it left no white marks, smells fresh and doesn't make your skin sore (as well as minimising sweating!) This can be picked up in most shops for minimal cost (mine was from Tesco for £1).

 

#7: Conditioner

 

 My final holiday essential would be a deep conditioner! On holiday, hair can become quite matted and hard to deal with from being tied up all day, combined with the sand, sea and chlorine in the pool, so it's very important to have a good conditioner to help keep your hair as healthy and manageable on holiday as possible! My favourite conditioner is the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle, as it smells great and does an amazing job as well!

Although there are many other things that are well-needed on holiday, these are my top seven essentials, as I find that most people couldn't go away without these, and they help to make a holiday much easier! Make sure to leave a comment below with your top holiday essentials!
Thanks for reading guys,

Beth x x



MINI HAUL & REVIEW

Hey guys!

I spent last Friday in Scunthorpe High Street, and despite the fact there are not many shops that I often visit in the centre of town, I managed to pick up a few items that I've been wanting to get my hands on for a while!

 

 

 

The first place I visited was Savers, which is a drugstore-style shop similar to Boots or Superdrug. I don't usually go to this shop at all, however I was in town with my mum a few days earlier and noticed they were selling all Rimmel products for £5 or less- this made me decide to go back! Whilst in Savers, I bought the Rimmel Special Eyes eyeliner pencil in the shade #2 - Azure Shimmer. I've been wanting to get my hands on a blue eyeliner pencil for a while, as I thought it would accentuate my blue eyes nicely, and this definitely rings true with this product, which Savers were selling for £2.98. The pencil is easy to use and glides nicely onto the skin, leaving a highly pigmented shimmery mark which has lasted all day when I have applied it onto my lower lash line. I would definitely recommend this product, and will be returning to pick it up in other colours- specifically a brown shade!

 

The other product I bought from Savers was the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder. This product has been raved about all over Instagram, YouTube and several blogs, so I thought I would pick one up in the shade 001 Transparent. The powder cost me £3.98 and I think it was worth the money! I have never really worn powder because I have always found it far too drying or dark for my skin, but this powder is barely noticable on my face, and I have noticed that it helps keep my foundation in place for longer. Although I do quite like the product and can see why people (especially with oily skin) like it, I don't understand why it is so highly praised throughout the beauty world.

I also bought one of the Rimmel Apocalips lip lacquers during my trip, but I plan to review this in a seperate blog post so I won't talk about it now.

After my trip to Savers, I visited the Body Shop, as it was next door. There is no logic behind this, but I have always dismissed the Body Shop and I have never really gone in there until this shopping trip. I must say I do regret not shopping in there sooner, because the staff were very helpful and friendly, and the shop smelt amazing. Although there were many products that had caught my eye, I was conscious about the amount of money I wanted to spend, so I only bought one thing- a lip butter in Sweet Lemon. The Body Shop make this lip butter in many different scents, but I decided to choose the lemon one on the reccommendation of velvetgh0st, and I am so glad I did! The product is so so moisturing and it takes hardly any product to fully cover the lips. To add to that, the smell is incredible- it smells exactly like lemon meringue pie! I will definitely be repurchasing!

I then thought I'd have a quick look in Primark, and although there were many nice blouses and shirts, the only thing I got was a pretty glittery headband. My grandma kindly paid the £3 that the headband retailed at, so thank you grandma! Despite the headband being very beautiful, I find that the jewels sometimes catch in my hair, which can be painful. However, for a £3 gift, you can't really go that wrong!

Finally, no shopping trip is complete without a trip to Boots! As I spend so much money in there, I decided to sign up for a Boots Advantage card, which will hopefully arrive in the post very soon!

The first item I bought from Boots was a repurchase of the Collection (previously Collection 2000) Fast Stroke Eyeliner in the colour black. However, this was not available so I had to purchase the waterproof version. Apart from the bottle colour, I cannot tell a difference between the waterproof and the regular eyeliner. The fact that this is a repurchase shows how much I love this product- this is my go-to liquid eyeliner due to the size of the brush, and the formula of the eyeliner- it glides on so well! I would definitely recommend as it only costs £2.99.

The last product I bought was Barry M Gelly nail polish in the colour Lychee. I'm not a massive fan of bright nail polish, so to find a nude shade that I love as much as this one is good! My only moans would be that it chips easily without a top coat, and it takes a long time to dry. Otherwise, I am very happy with this purchase, and can see myself wearing this colour regularly at a price of £3.99 a bottle!

That's all for this post, I'm sorry it's been so long and thank you if you stuck with it all the way to this point! Let me know what products you guys have bought recently, and if my blog post has inspired you to go out and purchase any of the things I have mentioned!

Leave any questions, comments or blog suggestions in the comments section and I will try to respond as soon as possible!

Beth x x

20 FACTS ABOUT ME

Hola,

I have no idea what I'm supposed to say in these sort of posts, so forgive me for my awkwardness as I am a newbie blogger!

Basically, I made this blog because I spend a lot of my time watching vloggers on YouTube, and reading other people's blogs on websites. I don't have the confidence to start my own YouTube channel, but I thought writing a blog and sharing some of my favourite fashion and beauty products with people would be an enjoyable way to spend my long summer, and it would be a release of stress once I start my AS Levels in September- hopefully I will post at least once per week!

Although most of my posts will be beauty-related, I thought I'd do a post with 20 facts about me, just to let you guys know a bit about who I am and what I do!

20 FACTS ABOUT ME

1. My full name is Bethany Guest, but I've been known as Beth ever since I was born (yes, I don't have a middle name!)

2. I only have one sibling- a younger brother called George- he's just turned fifteen.

3. I was born on November 2nd 1996 in Scunthorpe, which makes me sixteen, and fast approaching my seventeenth birthday!

4. My natural hair colour is dark brown- I have never dyed it or even had highlights- I'm too scared of ruining my hair!

5. I've moved house once- I lived in Scunthorpe until 2007, when we moved out to the village we live in now, called Burton-upon-Stather.

6. I really cannot stand feet! I can only just bear touching my own, and there's no way I'll touch anybody else's (or let them touch mine!)

7. My favourite colour is mint green. This has been my favourite colour ever since I can remember!

8. I've been going to dance lessons since I was three years old! Apart from that and skiing, I'm not a very sporty person at all!

9. My favourite TV programmes are Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill (although I am also partial to Keeping up with the Kardashians, Pointless and The Inbetweeners!)

10. My favourite books are Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. I'm also excited to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars, which I'm saving for my holiday on Saturday.

11. My favourite place in the UK is London- I love the Underground and the shopping! My favourite place abroad is Pefkos, which is in Rhodes (a Greek island)

12. Chatterbox by Mac is my favourite lipstick that I own.

13. I'd love to get married someday- I have lots of things already planned out- although I'd rather not get married at all, than marry and it end in divorce- I'd only do it if I was 100% sure.

14. The subjects I have chosen to study for my AS Levels in September are: History, Chemistry, Biology and English Literature.

15. I'm really abnormal in the fact that I don't like Coke/Pepsi, baked beans or cheeseburgers.

16. My favourite YouTubers are: velvetgh0st, itssimplybeauty, beautycrush and zoella280390

17. I don't really have a favourite shop, although I do buy lots of clothes from Topshop, River Island, New Look, H&M and Primark.

18. My favourite takeaway is Chinese- I always have egg fried rice and chips, with either lemon chicken or sweet and sour sauce.

19. I'd love to visit places such as New York, Australia and Mexico.

20. I don't like anything that flies- birds, butterflies and aeroplanes!

So, that's all for my first blog post! I hope you guys liked it and found it interesting! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for my future blogs, make sure to leave them in the comments section below, and I'll try and get back to you as soon as I can.

Beth x x