SPA DAY

Being my first time to a spa, I was excited about having a day of pure relaxation and refreshment. It was a day for my friend's sixteenth birthday, and what a lovely one it was too.

Unfortunately, and I do apologise for this, I don't really know the exact location of the golf club other than it was called Oasis Leisure and I was unable to take many photos because we were constantly occupied - sorry! It was a lovely day which consisted of swimming lengths which really refreshed my lazy muscles, lounging in a bubbling jacuzzi and briefly sitting in the steam room (which in the end I found a little to hot and choking for my liking, but luckily my friends enjoyed it). We then dried off and had a spot of lunch in the restaurant, my favourite part being the desert of oozing chocolate brownie (chocolate is one of my greatest weaknesses).

My highlight of the day was definitely the massage. At first I felt a bit out of my comfort zone having oil rubbed on my back by a stranger, but after a few minutes of friendly chatting and soothing music I soon drifted off into a world of my own, the everyday pressure and stress on my back being completely lifted. These times of pure relaxation, even if it's just having a hot bath or lying down with a dim light surrounding you really mentally relaxes you, which is something I highly recommend to anybody.

Lately, I have also really been into exercise and health, however please do not confuse this with dieting! I am aiming to build up muscles and tone/definition, not lose weight, because although I am very slim I feel the need to apply a bit more shape and strength to my figure. I have also been drinking a full glass of water every evening after weights (currently starting on 3kg), squats and sit-ups. Not only does this hydrate me but has greatly improved my skin and general feeling overall. I aim to keep this up for as long as possible because it has been making me feel a lot happier and healthier than I have in a long time!

INTO SPRING STYLE GUIDE

I am aware it is only late January, but already I'm wishing it were Spring so I can get out my pastels and florals. But, since it's not quite there yet, I thought I'd write a blogpost about it instead.

So for each season there's always a trend; Winter/Autumn - dark reds, purples, tartan and fur, Spring - pastels, florals, corals and Summer - floaty florals, aztec, flowers and flesh. After Christmas, Winter always seems a bit rubbish now that the festivity has gone, so I think an 'Into Spring' post is good for lightening the mood. I've chosen a selection of clothing from my wardrobe (shown above) for what I think is perfect Spring wear. My aim of this post is to offer you ideas on what to wear this season and my personal picks.

Clothing
Because Spring isn't exactly warm, but still the sprouting of flowers and clear skies, pastels and florals are perfect for this season. I like the idea of wearing a dress with tights and a pale coat, because you're providing layers of cool, then warmth so you can apply or lose layers dependant on the weather. I might even wear a hat because it contrasts with the cooler clothes you're wearing therefore complimenting and enhancing your overall appearance (it's always good to stand out for the right reasons).

Accessories and shoes
In my opinion its a necessity to compliment your clothing choice with accessories. Whether it's a watch or a necklace - it always adds to the overall look. My favourite accessories are my Michael Kors watch and surprisingly phone cases. That might sound a bit strange but when you take out your phone to reply to a text or check your social network feeds, a case that compliments your outfit makes you look a lot more coordinated and unique. For shoes I think wedges, boots and flats look great in Spring. Unfortunately I can't give a range of examples because I have problems finding shoes due to having very slim ankles and feet, but I do recommend these. Browns and neutrals look most effective in Spring. All clothes shown are from Topshop and the wedges are from Jones.

Makeup and nails
I can't really be too confident on my recommendations for this category, because different shades will match your own personal complexion. But in my opinion, ideals for Spring would be neutrals and pinky corals for facial makeup such as eyeshadow, lipstick and blush (ones shown above are: MAC palette - Satin Taupe, Naked Lunch and Paradisco, Sleek Lace blush palette, Naked 2 palette, MAC Dame blush and for a MAC lipstick guide click here). I have always been a massive fan of a good facial sheen, my current favourite being MAC's Pink Rebel Lustre Drops which I use on my cheekbones and MAC Vanilla pigment which I use on my brow bone and the inner corners of my eyes. These are expensive but have lasted me since mid 2013 and amazingly aren't close to running out. Nail colours are always a must have for me, I hate having bare nails. Pastel shades of course are my recommendations for the Spring season.

I hope this post was helpful, I certainly enjoyed thinking and planning Spring 2014. I will hopefully get round to do OOTD posts so you can see what these items of clothing look like on.

MAC LIPSTICK GUIDE

MAC lipsticks have to be one of my high street makeup guilty pleasures. I say I'm guilty because they cost £15 each which is a lot of money, but totally worth it in my opinion. I've come to the stage now where I won't be buying anymore for a while because I have a good range of colours and lipsticks aren't exactly necessities. NOTE: some of these were bought as christmas/birthday presents and they were all bought over time (oh, and I apologise for my chipped nail varnish).

So there's actually more to lipstick than just being able to pick it up at the counter and purchase it, which you might think sounds weird but we have to think about it in a more...artistic view. For example, complimenting and suiting your complexion. I can't say I'm lipstick guru, as I only own these eight as examples, but I have researched this and read about it in books. In other words, if you were putting on an outfit, you would put a pink top with green trousers would you? (The thing is I actually did that once, which is ironic really!) So here is my short guide to lipstick complexion:

If you have...

Brown/hazel eyes and brown hair (like myself)
Most colours suit, however I avoid really dark reds and purples as this will be a dark overload.

Blue/green eyes and brown hair
Pinks, corals and neutrals are my top pick for this look. In my opinion Costa Chic and Girl About Town would really compliment this complexion.

Brown/hazel eyes and blonde or mousey brown hair
Because you have an area of dark but also an area of light in your complexion, most colours will suit you. I might try and avoid really dark lipstick, this might look a bit gothic unless you're aiming for that style.

Blue/green eyes and blonde or mousey brown hair
Dark and light pinks, and orange-toned reds. Ones I recommend out of the eight above would be So Chaud, Costa Chic, Pink Nouveau and Candy Yum-Yum. Avoid neutrals - they might make you look washed out.

Brown/hazel eyes and ginger hair

Dark reds look lovely with this look, pinks and you could even throw in a few neutrals. Avoid orange toned reds, however, this might possibly clash with your gorgeous ginger hair. I recommend RIRI/Ruby Woo, Russian Red (not shown above) and Pink Nouveau.

Blue/green eyes and ginger hair
Reds, pinks and light purples. In all honesty most colours will suit this look, however avoid pale neutrals and really dark lipsticks, these can make you look washed out.

I hope this was helpful! Please don't think that if I didn't mention a shade it won't suit you, I could easily be wrong, this is just an overall idea of colours that best suit general complexions. I haven't included dyed hair because you should still place your lipstick shade around your original complexion, however if this doesn't work for you I suggest finding the most similar in the ones listed above.

So what are my favourite and least favourite MAC lipsticks that I own? Out of the eight above, Candy Yum-Yum is my favourite because I love highly pigmented lipsticks and I find this one stays on a long time, and it's also a gorgeous barbie-pink. RIRI WOO is one I have found to stay on the longest however it is very matte which does tend to make my lips feel quite dry. My least favourite, which may seem like a surprise, is Creme Cup. It's a lovely shade however I am not fond of the Creme Sheens because although they are very moisturising I have found it doesn't stay on for very long and doesn't set. However I'm not saying to avoid them, for you they might work better.

Due to school work I'll only be able to post once a week from now on which is a shame because I love posting and receiving your lovely feedback.

WONDERSCAPE

Dress - ASOS, Bag - Accessorize, Boots - Topshop, Frill socks - Topshop, Tights - Marks and Spencer

YOUR TIME

Hello 2014! And what better way to kick start the year with a blogpost all about you and your own time (and a few random pictures of my hair). I've always really appreciated quality 'me time', and I don't just mean lounging around not doing much, but doing something satisfyingly productive (I've previously written a post called Sunday Sensations where I talk about Sunday 'me time'). For example, getting any work out of the way but working at your highest standard to produce a good outcome. I've always been one for positive thinking; getting boring things out of the way but taking care of them, then being able to follow with something that you actually enjoy as a reward.

For example, one of my favourite quality times is writing blog posts, editing photos and sometimes drawing. I also love reading, but admittedly I don't do enough of it, so I guess that is going to be one of my New Year's resolutions. Reading is really good for stimulating and relaxing the brain, a good method if your stressed. Other personal methods of 'me time' is having a bath using a face mask and using bath products, the feeling of cleansing and soaking I find really relaxing and producing hopefully a good visible outcome (being in my late teens skin care is highly important). I really enjoy spending time with my friends, and I do count this as 'me time' because it's still something I want to do in my free time and we all need that chance to talk about all things life related.

Time for yourself should always be spent in a place you enjoy for particular reasons; the surroundings, the noise level and the comfort. My favourite place in our house is the corridor to our spare room and the spare room itself. Obviously my bedroom is my haven, but the spare room is the most peaceful place in our house; being away from the road and with views of the fields, treetops and stream at the bottom of the valley it really is an idyllic place to clear my mind, have a think about things and have genuine quality time with myself. I also love the lighting in the room because the windows are East and South facing therefore during the day the room is nearly always light (and is the place where I take the majority of my Instagram photos). It's a lovely cool, airy and quiet room to relax in. A couple of the photos above show the ledge in the corridor outside our spare room, and I love this area a lot. It's nice to sometimes sit on the ledge and wonder for the sake of it, looking at the sky and the treetops.

Your time is quality, moments which everyone deserves as regularly as possible.