Origins Haul

Firstly, and I feel like I say this every blog post, but I really do mean it this time - I am sorry for being the worst blogger in the entire world! Completing third year at University as well as writing for my University newspaper was a much bigger stress and time-eater than I thought. But both things are all over now (sob) and so my time is nice and free to write here again much more regularly! (Although apologies the photo quality isn't the best)

In my absence and to pull me out of my dissertation and essay writing depression, I have been making a lot of Boots trips, online orders and making lots of summer plans which I hope to share with you all! I have also watched a hell of a lot of online series (all 4 seasons of Pretty Little Liars in less than 2 weeks) - sorry not sorry.

One of my many online orders was from Origins, a skincare brand that was highly recommended to me by my housemate. I'll admit, I'm pretty much a skincare virgin as I am lucky enough to be blessed with very clear skin naturally. However, after hitting the big 2 1, I have realised this won't last forever and I need to be taking much better care of my skin after the heavy nights out of University and so I am a reformed cleansing and moisturising goddess. Now I'm probably preaching to the choir here as I'm pretty late to the party with Origins but I thought I'd let you in to my thoughts on what I picked up anyway!

The first thing I noticed, and absolutely loved, about my order was the incredible packaging! Everyone loves getting post and when I opened into my box of goodies I was not disappointed as it was a lucky dip of products buried beneath lots of confetti. I'd like to show you a photo of this but I was too excited, oops! Anyway here is what I got and what I think of it:

GinZing Energy Boosting Moisturiser, available here, £23.00 for 50ml

I'm sure you haven't escaped the mountains of reviews already in the bloggersphere about this range. I originally wanted to purchase the GinZing eye cream but the shimmeryness put me off and so I bought the all over face moisturiser instead, after being unhappy with my current no.7 badboy, and I am so glad I did! This product promises to 'instantly hydrate and rev up radiance' and give a 'healthy vibrant glow'. It's a lightweight, gel like consistency that smells divine. If you're like me and the urge to slather all over your face is irresistible, trust me when I say the smallest dab on each cheek and forehead will absolutely do. This moisturiser is perfect for the upcoming summer as it sinks in so quickly and provides the perfect base for make up application. However, my skin can be very dry and so some days I use this moisturiser in addition to another more heavy one as well as using more intensive night creams so bear this in mind. This is a hefty price tag, which I was unsure of paying but I'm sure this will last me yeeeears! Definitely give this a try ladies, the perfect summer moisturiser that deserves its hype.

Clear Improvement (Travel Pods), available here, £8.00 for 4 pods

I have heard such amazing things about Origins face masks that I absolutely had to get my hands on some, given my love of face masks in general. There is nothing better than putting on some telly in the evening and having a pamper sesh! However, as I mentioned my skin is pretty clear 90% of the time and so I didn't want to commit £22 to a full size bottle of this as I didn't think I would get the use out of it. So step forward these mini travel pods! This is such a reasonable price for the amount you get as each pod will most likely serve you more than once, as this is mainly meant for problem areas such as cheeks and the T zone rather than necessarily all over the face. I have actually yet to try this as my skin is okay at the moment, so I'll get back to you on my thoughts on this. Have you all tried it?

Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask, available here, £22 for 100ml

Now this is a mask I thought I could get on board with and could really improve the condition of my skin which can be prone to dry patches. I have been using this twice a week since I got it, applying a layer before bed after cleansing instead of my usual night cream. The cream comes out thick but once applied rubs in clear and much like any other night cream, as opposed to a mask, except it doesn't sink in as quickly. The product smells so distinct and fresh and even though I am quite a pillow face-planter, this product somehow doesn't transfer so well done Origins. When I wake up in the morning my skin feels so hydrated, refreshed and baby smooth, like its had a little overnight facial which I love. Like all Origins products, it is a little on the expensive side but again will last you so many applications. Origins also send you a tester and you can send the full size bottle back for free if you decide you don't like it and get a full refund. Obviously this will never happen as you will fall in love with the product and so this is an excellent little marketing ploy by the sneaky, sneaky devils at Origins. I gave the tester to my mum because I'm kind like that and now she wants the full size bottle too for her birthday! To my dry skin beauties out there, grab a bottle of this and you can thank me later.

Finally, and in my opinion the most beautiful aspect of Origins and particularly their own website as the products can be found elsewhere like Boots, are the delicious freebies that come when you spend over certain amounts, as well as the free delivery. I got another travel size bottle of the Drink Up Overnight Mask which suits me as I absolutely love it and can't wait to take it away on holiday!

I also got...

Plantscription Anti-Aging Cleanser, available here, £25 for 100ml

At first I wasn't overjoyed at my choice of freebie as anti-aging isn't particularly on my mind at 21 and being the biggest baby face I know. Plus I wasn't a big fan of the packaging, but I gave this a whirl anyway. Gotta say I absolutely detract my early preconceptions about this product as it has fast become my favourite cleanser - making my Soap and Glory cleanser look positively amateur.

The cleanser is much thicker than others I have tried before and more cream-like but once rubbed into the skin thins out to remove my pesky under eye mascara traces instantly. It smelt really natural and left my skin feeling so deeply cleaned, like deep-down impurities had really been removed but without drying my skin out. A clean face is so important for effective moisturising so I am fast needing to purchase a full size bottle of this beauty, or potentially trying the GinZing cleanser, because the results have really spoken for themselves.

Overall and unsurprisingly, Origins have even surpassed my impossibly high expectations of their products given their rave reviews. Even for a skincare virgin such as myself, it is easy to see why these are the holy grail of many peoples skin regimes. If you haven't jumped on the Origins bandwagon, what are you waiting for?! Your wallet may hate you for a while but your face will love you and I know which I would rather keep on my side!

What are your thoughts on Origins? Which product should I try next? And link me to all of your lovely blogs - I'm always looking for more to follow!

2014

We may be 10 days into the new year, and despite my absolute hatred of all things new year (which you can read about here), I've decided to make a little list of things I'm looking forward to and hope to accomplish this year. The past few years have been a bit rough for me (more on that in another blog!) so hopefully this year brings good things! 

In 2014...

• I turn 21 in March! Which I am very excited about. I get ridiculously excited about birthdays. Mine, yours, the guy down the streets. They are way, way better than Christmas. At Christmas you have to watch everyone else open their presents for AGES and pretend to look all interested. On your birthday, all the presents are for you! Maybe this is where my only-child-syndrome again rears it's ugly head... Anyway, I obviously need a new dress and new shoes which searching for is currently taking up 90% of my waking hours. Don't ever tell me my priorities are wrong. 

• I HAVE TICKETS TO BEYONCE! Now, me and my bestie Cara (whose lovely blog you can read here) have tried to get tickets for Beyonce about 4 times with no luck. We had to settle for V festival tickets last year which resulted in me driving over 4 hours in a round trip and on motorways for the first time. We also contacted a random man, who we found on Google, to see if we could stay the night in his campsite. How we evaded death that weekend is beyond me. Now, we have tickets to see her at the very safe O2 Arena which involves public transport only and staying at Cara's nearby house. Lovely. 

• 2014 is the year I graduate (wah). Despite being totally not ready for the real-world and reluctant to leave my little Bristol bubble, I am excited to buy a new outfit and wear one of those hats. However, when I learnt we don't throw them in the air at the end of the ceremony Laguna-Beach style, I was extremely upset and considered whether I wanted to attend at all.

• After graduation, Cara and I plan to go travelling. I say plan because whenever we both get involved with something, it usually goes very, very wrong. The above Beyonce example is a great one. If we try and go travelling together, we'll probably end up going to different airports, taking Euros to Indonesia, missing the flight altogether or getting on the wrong one and ending up in Baghdad. All of these things are more than possible. In fact, probable. 

• This is the year that I will complete my 10k run. Those of you who know me personally know that I scheduled this for last year but unfortunately couldn't do it as my mum was taken ill the day before (that woman's got timing). However, I am rebooking it for this summer which happens to be the day before I graduate so awkward stiff walk here I come. For anyone interested, my donation page is here. I've raised over £1000 so far for the Stroke Association which is one of my biggest achievements and of which I am very proud. But, I've gotta give people something for their money so training here I come (ugh) which leads me to... 

• Lose weight! And get fit. Everyone's goals but I really have to. University life has not been good to me. 

• By the end of the year, I hope to have moved out or be very close to, with the ideal location being London. I hope to not be forever unemployed and I hope to not be watching Jeremy Kyle all day everyday. Although I do love that, I guess I want a career. Going to an all girls grammar school coupled with my aforementioned love of Queen B has made me into a bit of a raging feminist (think 'the shoes on my feet - I bought 'em'). 

2014 is going to be an important year for me and who really knows what's round the corner after graduation. If there's one thing I've learnt over the past few years it's that the minute you make a plan, life has a way of ruining it. So I'm going with the flow. It'll be interesting to look back on this post next year and see how many of these things I actually did. If nothing else, at least I'm pretty sure I can achieve the turning 21 one. 

What do you hope 2014 brings for you? 

5 good reasons why Bristol is the best

Not too long ago Bristol was voted the best place to live in the UK. To someone like me who has lived there for nearly 3 years for university, this comes as no surprise. It really is the most beautiful, lively place to live with so much to do and see. Maybe that's just because my hometown is extra awful but if you're ever close by I would really recommend visiting some of these things: 

(Apologies for the photo heavy post!) 

1. Clifton Suspension Bridge/Clifton in general

It was difficult to choose a picture of the bridge as I quite literally have about a thousand photos on my phone (so please excuse the poor quality). My favourite time to go and see the bridge is at night when it is all lit up and looking pretty, but it's equally impressive on a summers day. The best views are up around the Downs that surround it or in the White Lion bar whose terrace looks out onto it. Clifton in general is such a nice area to wander round with boutique shops (I recommend 'Bar Chocolat' as a coffee pitstop for the best hot chocolate in Bristol) and the zoo is well worth a visit too.

Taken from the inside of Bar Chocolat on a cosy Christmas evening. Look how cute the streets of Clifton are!


2. Wills Memorial Building

Same as above, choosing from a thousand photos on my phone but how can you resist?! Wills Memorial Building is the focal point of the University of Bristol. I can still appreciate how pretty it is despite having had exams in the 'Great Hall' here every year of my life since starting, which is more than a little intimidating. They run tours up to the top of the tower which I haven't done but apparently has great views of the city.

Not a bad view on my walk from home to uni every day!

3.  Harbourside

A short walk down Park Street (the huge hill) from Wills Memorial Building is the Harbourside. As Bristol's only water area, this is such a nice place to be on a summers day. There are loads of shops and bars that surround the area and there's even a water taxi that can take you further down along the river (which I am yet to try)! I think it only costs 50p though so maybe we should look into that instead of a road taxi on a night out..

This is a photo I have taken from the top floor of M Shed, a museum that regularly has different exhibitions and a history of Bristol. This is the opposite view of the previous photo, looking back towards the city centre. The floating harbour is one of my favourite places to walk, especially when my mum and dad are in town to visit, because as a student it's an area we often overlook! 

The harbourside area in the evening.

4. Cabot Circus 

Now I've impressed you with my cultural appreciation of the architecture of Bristol, I'll get down to one of the main reasons Bristol is so great: the shopping. Cabot Circus has had a lot of investment and they have literally every shop you could ever want to visit. And if that isn't enough, Cribbs Causeway is a short bus ride from the centre and also has a vast array of shops and really good restaurants. On the top floors of Cabot Circus are a crazy golf course, beauty salons and loads of places to eat, including the newly opened TGI Friday's which is, obviously, amazing. Cabot Circus is a fair walk from where I live but the trek is always worth it. I'm making the most of my student discount for the few months we have left together (sob). 

5. Banksy



One of the things Bristol is most well known for is the street artist Banksy. Many of his works can be seen in various places of the city. However, it isn't just Banksy who will you spot on your travels. Many other graffiti artists have works around the city which are just as good. This one just a short walk from my house that I found the other day.

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There are, of course, some lessons to be learnt about Bristol though. It is very hilly so wear some comfy shoes! It's also pretty expensive. When I hear about how cheap my friends in Manchester Uni and beyond rents are it comes as quite a shock! Think London and then you'll be pleasantly surprised when it's juuuuust under that... 

Having said that, it is well worth it! So get planning your weekend away here but most definitely pack your umbrella and hope that you miss the 1000 inches of rainfall we get per month because as much as I've bigged it up, Marbella it ain't.