Black Friday Buys!

Black Friday is up there along side Christmas, Halloween and New Years, as one of my favourite times of year. Why wouldn't it be? I'm pretty sure it is every teenage girls dream.
Like most girls my age Friday was a very happy yet very sad day for me... I was in absolute sale heaven but also seemed to spend all of my life earnings leaving me once again, a broke Uni student (sad cries)

Usually I get too carried away in the sales and spend all of my money on loads of crap I don't really need just for the pure fact that it has a huge sale tag on it. But this year I refused to make that mistake again, I was not falling for it, NO, NO, NO! I went out with a plan. First I Created a wish list starting with the most expensive and most important things I need like Christmas presents and a new hoover. I then added to my wish list everything I have been really wanting for a while now such as high end makeup and statement pieces for my wardrobe.

A week before Black Friday I set off on a mission, a mission to find all the pieces I wanted before the sales started so I was fully prepared for the day. I couldn't be more happy that I decided to do this, it made the highly stressful day a lot less stressful. I did purchase a lot of Christmas presents which I can't show on this blog just yet incase my Friends and Family see them but here is a peak at the rest of my buys!

Ivy Park gym pants | Topshop | 50% off

Ivy Park sports bra | Toyshop | 50% off

Leather Skirt | Miss Selfridge | 30% off

Urban Decay naked skin weightless complete coverage concealer | Debenhams | 20% off

Urban Decay all nighter make-up setting Spray | Debenhams | 20% off

Date Night

So not too long ago I booked for Jamie (my boyfriend) and I to stay in a fancy hotel for the night. We just stayed in Newcastle, so we didn't travel anywhere but it was nice to have a Night away from the flat as we aren't fully finished decorating it, we wanted a night were we both could just relax and enjoy each others company.

It might come as a shock to people but I paid for the night, YEP I WAS THE ROMANTIC ONE FOR ONCE! Normally Jamie pays for all stuff like this as he feels it is the right thing to do being the man in the relationship, I think this is the sweetest thing in the world but it is defiantly not a crime for the girl to treat the boy every once in a while and for the boy to be fine with that.

The night was absolutely beautiful from start to end. We stayed at the Malmaison on Newcastle Quayside which was a perfect destination with so many bars and restaurants to choose from. However we decided to go for a long walk all the way along the quayside and up to the centre of Newcastle to try out Byron Burger as Jamie had never been before. I went for a Classic Byron Burger while Jamie went for the B-rex Burger which was absolutely massive, I would have never fitted it in my mouth hahaha! We also got sweet potato fries on the side which, my god they were unbelievable I swear. The meal filled us so much that were was no way we were going to fit in a desert so we took a slow walk back to the hotel passing all the bridges lit up, I wish I got a photo of them but my phone had died by this point (just typical). We stayed up late watching movies and chatting, we wanted to make the most out of the night as possible, the room was so stunning we didn't want to go to sleep!

As for my outfit I tried to keep it simple for date night, I decided to stick to timeless pieces you can't go wrong with. I put my H&M black skater dress with my Primark leather jacket, checked scarf and Garage black ankle boots which have a little bit of a higher heel to make it more dressy. Shoving on some red lippy (Mac lady danger) and I was ready to go!

Does The Secret Really Work? | Book Recommendation

Have any of you have heard of The Secret or as it's also often called, The Law Of Attraction?

Well 'The Secret' has been a huge part of my life for many years now and I can honestly say it has changed my life, and there is no reason it can't change yours too. The Secret first was introduced to me by my Mum in my first few teenage years which was a perfect time for me as it was when I probably needed it the most! From my gap year in South Africa to getting to own place with my boyfriend is all thanks to The Secret.  I bet by now you're thinking "what the hell are you going on about Jess??" but don't you worry, all will be explained...

The Secret is a booked wrote by Rhonda Byrne which has also been turned into a movie that I'm pretty sure you can access through youtube. It is all about changing your life around through gratitude and positive thinking. The theory behind the book is that whatever thoughts you process, you are sending out to the universe which will then manifest in your life. So basically positive thoughts on what you want in life will help you get it, negative thoughts will drive them things away from you. Sounds crazy I know, I though the same at first until I started testing it out and it really does work!

Here is an example. At the Start of 2016 when I returned from South Africa I sat down and had along think about what my next goals in life would be, at the top of the list was to move out with my boyfriend, Jamie. I knew at the time that and many more of my goals were not possible as I had no job and no money so I thought it would be a good idea to make a little book filled with what I wanted to keep myself motivated, a little bit like a dream board but just book form. This was a great idea and really fun to do but honestly I can say I didn't look back at the book for about six months but the kind of things I put in that book were constantly in my mind. Six months later I got the flat I wanted with Jamie, while moving into out flat I did a big clear out of all my belongings and came across the book. I had a little flick through and there right in front of my eyes was a picture of the mirror I had just bought! I had no idea I had bought the exact same mirror I had picked out months ago until I came across this photo in my book and to make things even better I got it for £40 instead of £260. BARGAIN!!

Yes, I know this could just be a coincidence but I do generally believe that it happened because I remained positive about getting my own place even through the hard times and always kept in the back of my mind the way I wanted it to look even if it wasn't possible in my circumstances at the time, I knew I could make it work somehow. This also happened with my Gap Year to South Africa which i had to raise £7000 for, this was an impossible goal for me at the time but I remained positive, followed the guide the secret had given me and I did it! Not only does it work, it make you feel a whole lot better about life no matter the situation you're in because it helps you keep your faith that things will get better.

I would highly recommend this book to anybody going through a hard time, finding themselves stuck in a rut. This book is definitely worth a read to brighten up your spirits and get yourself motivated again. 

Hope you liked this post guys, little different to what i usually do but just had to share this with you!

lots of love,

Jess xx 

NYX Cosmetics Halloween Makeup Demo

Firstly I would just like to make it clear that this is not a sponsored post, I was not asked to write a post about this but I loved my experience that much I though I would share it with you lovely people!


This Sunday I was lucky enough to get the changce to be a makeup model for NYX Cosmetics. I got to model a Harley Quinn, pop art inspired look which as you can imagine I was very, VERY excited about! I had the gorgeous Arrafa (@face.beauty) doing my makeup, she did such a great job, I couldn't believe how amazing the finished look was. I loved the whole look but the red and blue glitter under my eyes really did it for me. I also think the pop art inspiration really comes through on my lips and the sketching around brows and nose.

All the Products used were NYX. I will list them all below:

Face:
HD FOUNDATION IN 102
Mineral foundation stick 10
HD Loose banana powder
Pro highlight and contour pallet

Graphic Details :NYX GEL Liner
Two Timer Liner
Prismic shadows - Hot Red & Blue
Face and body glitter in Red and Blue
NYX Jumbo Pencil Black Bean
Liquid Suede in Kitten Heels

To top off the whole experience, as a thank you gift, NYX Cosmetics kindly gave me a little goody bag full of NYX lip products for me to try. I have swatched them for you to see, I absolutely love the colours and cant wait to try them out properly.  If you would like to see a review on them please comment below.

3 Things I Will Miss About The Summer 🌞

Goodbye Summer, you have been good to me this year. I'm a little heart broken it's over already but non the less I do love Autumn.  I thought it would be a great time to look over some of my best moments of summer 16 and to maybe here a few of your best times in the comments too?

Festivals
Festivals truly are an experience of a lifetime (even if the weather isn't always in your favour). I have been to a few mini festivals over the years such as Kendall Calling and an African drum camp but nothing big. However this year I was lucky enough to grasp my hands on some tickets for one of the UK's biggest festivals.... the wonderful T In The Park!!! Myself and my Mum decided to go together, really she is more like a best friend than my Mum. The only way I can describe our experience is insane, I have never seen anything like it. The music, the clothes, the people, the colours, the lights, just everything was mind blowing! It really is just a place to get away, let's yourself go and be truly and utterly free. Nothing feels better than it being the norm to wear glitter on your face, a girls dream right?

Adventures
Weather it be down the street or a road trip away, there is nothing better than going on a little explore. Before I got my own place I lived a 10 minute walk away from Tynemouth beach so You can imagine where I spend most of my summer. Tynemouth gets absolutely packed in the summer so people watching was defo top of my list of things to do while I was there, it's such a great way to clear your mind and focus on something different for a change. I do love exploring a little further away from home though, I think little villages are the best, my personal favourite being Warkworth in Northumberland. You can always find some quirky markets, Instagram worthy views and some good old fresh air never killed nobody!

Family time
Nobody wants to be stuck inside on a sunny summers day, so what a perfect time to get the family around to spend some quality time together! This year my family got together for a BBQ which was a whole lot of fun, we played a few funny games and all ate way more than our bellies could take. It was so lovely seeing everyone together. I also got to visit some distant family this summer who live in Northampton, they have the most beautiful country house which was a pleasure to say in. It really meant a lot being able to see them after such a long time, we will definitely not be leaving it so long this time around!

I could go on forever with all the perfect parts of summer 16 but I would be here all day. Now I want to hear for you guys and what you love about summer, what are your favourite memories from this year?

Lots of love

Jess xx