Instagram love!

I love Instagram and would probably say it's my favourite social media to casually browse as there's such a wide range of people and pictures to look through!

I thought I would share some of my favourite Instagrammers with you today and show you how pretty their photos are! I love how professional their photos always look while still giving a small glimpse into the finer and fancier details of their lives!

nicholerapuano

agirlastyle

collegeprepster

sarahkjp

wishwishwish

passingwhimsies

katespadeny

amy_stone

stylewithinreach

Hope you guys enjoyed looking through these as I do!
Jess xx

Ciate Playdate

I got this polish in this month's Marie Claire magazine (read: I bought the magazine for the nail polish...) after spying it in Sainsbury's. I've wanted to try one of Ciate's nail polishes for a while but couldn't really justify buying a full sized pot at £9 just to test it out as it's quite a bit of money for a student without any source of income!

I was so happy to find these and chose Playdate, described as a "bold pop pink with a playful coral edge" on the website, as it was a perfect colour to go with my prom dress! I wasn't sure if I was going to wear it at any other time but it's the perfect summer bright and I actually love it!

I'm not sure if it was just because it's a mini bottle or if it's a thing with Ciate brushes, but I found application quite difficult to get completely smooth and even because the brush was quite thin and the polish dried quickly making it more difficult to work with than my favourite brand, Essie. If any of you have tried the full sized polishes, let me know if the brush a consistent size with the minis and full sizes or not please?!

Once I got the hang of how to apply the polish (slightly thicker layers of polish and a bit more time to dry so it goes on shiny and even!), practically every nail came out perfect and I was really happy with the result. I'm quite tempted to buy some more if I can find a discount code for the website or an offer/sale!

With a good base and top coat, this has lasted 4 days now, including getting ready for prom, actual prom and cleaning my room, without a chip so I'm really impressed!

The colour also came with a bottle of their caviar pearls (not so sure of the name...) but I haven't used them yet as I know they'll get everywhere and will be a nightmare to get off! I'll probably try them over summer which will be fun!

Overall I think that the application of Essie nail polishes is much better but the staying power for the polishes is about equal. Essie is also cheaper which is another point in their favour but the colour range of Ciate is more appealing to me at the moment compared to Essie (though the line they've just brought out is rather pretty and tempting...)!

I'd love to hear your guys' experiences with this brand and what colours I should look at buying if I choose to!

Jess xx

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon review.

I think I've found an even better pink than the Rimmel Kate Lipstick in 008 I was raving about in February...

I picked up Revlon's Super Lustrous in Pink in the Afternoon a while back and spent my Boots points on it - I'm so glad I did as I love it! It's a gorgeous soft, almost baby pink that suits my skin tone perfectly and is almost the same colour as my Rimmel lipstick but is less ashy and brightens my face a bit more. It's super creamy and soft, doesn't dry my lips out and stays on for a good few hours without needing to be reapplied, so no less than my usual lipsticks from other brands. 

This is my first Rimmel lipstick and I really love it - the other colours in the range are so pretty and the packaging is simple but works really well. I especially like the clear top as it makes it a lot easier to look at the colours and pick the one you want!

It's basically a 'my lips but better' colour again (I think I'm having a neutral lipstick phase) but is more flattering than the Rimmel 008. It also has a slight shine which makes it look quite natural and pretty! It's my most worn lipstick over the last month or so and I can safely say it's staying in my bag as a regular!
I've also read somewhere that it's inspired by the colour Audrey Hepburn's character Holly wears in Breakfast at Tiffany's which makes me rather happy - I love Audrey's style!
Available from Boots for £7.49
Do you guys have any from this range? What other colours should I try?
Jess xx

I'm 18!

I'm really sorry for not blogging much recently, the last four days have been filled with my birthday celebrations so all of my free time has been taken up by homework to make sure I could do all of the awesome things over the last few days!

On Wednesday, me and my college friends went to Pizza Express for a birthday meal as everyone gets Wednesday afternoons off college. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to do something with them that didn't include school! We had a really nice meal and I even got a mini chocolate cake with a candle on! I got my presents early from them as I don't see most of them around college apart from my friends who are in my lessons. 

Lots of chocolate!

Beautiful purse with a mirror in the back, a pen,
desk organiser and animal rubbers!

I now have enough chocolate to last me until Halloween, let alone Easter! I love the little French purse so much because it's just so me! French themed and with stripes?! Yes please. I also love the pen and organiser, definitely helps for Uni in September! I really don't want to use the rubbers though, they're way too cute!

My birthday was on the Thursday and it was an amazing day! I woke up and had to get done quicker so I could open my presents - I GOT A CAR!!! It's also insured with Compare the Market so I got a meerkat toy with it which now sits in my car! I got baby Oleg and  he comes with the most adorable grub! My parents said I would get my car at the weekend but I came home from college and it was sitting on the driveway! My car is a red VW Up and I've decided to call him Perry! I've been out in him quite a bit considering I only got him on Thursday and I love him - he's really great to drive and has a lot of room considering he is actually only a 3 door car!

I love my car so much! And the bow on top!

Oleg, his grub and his bed!

I got money from quite a few family members but my grandma got me a couple of really pretty bracelets that I can't wait to wear. My auntie and uncle got me a gorgeous silver trowel necklace which came in a brilliant little box that is so clever as it looks like a special (small) finds box! It's possibly one of the prettiest and well thought out pieces of jewellery I've ever been given!

The bottom bracelet was given to me by a friend on Wednesday.

I'm in love.

My mum's friend also made me 24 minion cupcakes which are chocolate and taste amazing! After we got back from our meal out, I also got given a minion lemon birthday cake which looks and tastes just as good!

These are the cutest little cakes ever!

I can't believe how talented my mum's friend is!

On Saturday, I had some old friends over for a movie day as I didn't want to involve alcohol and we couldn't afford a big party. It was a lot of fun and we ended up watching Pacific Rim, Despicable Me 2 and part of Monty Python's Life Of Brian. I love catching up with my old friends as I don't see them much any more due to work which is sad, but we act like we only saw each other yesterday when we do see each other again!

The Fault in Our Stars poster, it's so gorgeous!
From Julia.

Loki sticker also from Julia!

Weeping Angel and TARDIS biscuits also from Julia!

Julia is basically the girl who gets me tonnes of fan stuff and it's always the best! I love it all so much!

Bourjois little round pot intense eyeshadow in 08, Maybelline jade high heel mascara in brown,
Maybelline illegal length mascara in black, Dainty Doll eyeshadow in 002 Treat Her Like A Lady,
Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in 380 Sweet Bordeaux,
Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in 720 Drive Me Nuts.
From Lisa.

Left to right: Sweet Bordeaux, Drive Me Nuts, Bourjois eyeshadow in 08,
Dainty Doll eyeshadow in 002 Treat Her Like A Lady.

I'll probably review all of these at some point but so far I'm loving them!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-glass by Lewis Carroll and
The Collected novels of The Bronte Sisters. Also got a really cute badge that says 'I read therefore I am'.
From Krissi.

Box of really cute goodies from Katie!

For when you're out and about and have the moments of inspiration for a blog post,
new outfit whatever it is, you can put it in this!

To get the creative juices flowing I guess you could say, or maybe just because
TASTY SWEETS!

This is a memory jar.  Any good memories from the day, write them down on the block then fold up
and put in the jar. Only at New Years eve can you look through all your memories from the year.
It's a good way to remember all the positive stuff and that maybe the smallest of things can be the best!

My old friends have obviously known me longer than most people outside of my family and their presents are all so thoughtful and basically cover every part of my life that I consider important and fun outside of people I know! I really love them and can't wait to use them all!

Kate also sent me a present which was super sweet of her - it's a scarf and mirror! I love them both - the green of the scarf is actually one of my favourite colours so I'm so happy! Thank you Kate!

Overall, it's been an amazing birthday and thank you to everyone who has been involved to make it a really special 18th! I'm so so lucky and it's probably been the best birthday yet! 

Jess xx