Drugstore Haulin'

Hello everyone!

Firstly, I owe you all a massive apology. This post did not go up by five o'clock, and I have a good excuse, I promise! I recently got a job (I know right, whaaaat?!) and I work right up till 5pm, meaning that from now on my posts will just be on Sundays, no time limits whatsoever. This gives me some time to create good posts for you guys! Thanks for understanding!

If you read my post from last week, you'll know that I've been shopping recently and I MAY have splurged a little on some new drugstore makeup products. Ahem. In my defence, I've just come into a bit of money, alright? (And no, I don't mean that in a dodgy gangster less-than-legal kind of way. More on that later.) I felt like treating myself a little and my makeup bag was sorely lacking in a few products, so my mum and I popped into Boots and damage was done. I regret nothing.

Anyhow, I picked up five products: a mascara, two lip balms, an eyeshadow palette, and a BB cream, and over the past week I've been testing them extensively in order to provide a good review for this weeks post. Let's get cracking, shall we?

Starting with the basics, my first purchase was the Rimmel Skin Perfecting Super Makeup BB Cream in the shade Very Light (phew, what a mouthful). I picked this up because, quite simply, I'd run out of my holy grail BB cream (Maybelline Dream Matte, you know it) and I felt like a change. I have to say, I'm really liking this product. It's a much lighter shade than my Maybelline cream, which (dare I say it) is probably better for my skin as it blends more seamlessly. It's less oily than my Maybelline one too (although that could just be because I've had my Maybelline one for yonks) and is similar in texture to my Benefit Big Easy BB Cream, which I love but can't really afford to repurchase. It instantly evens my skin tone, covers the majority of small blemishes (the biggies I save for concealer) and feels light and moisturising on the skin. Big thumbs up from me so far.

Next I picked up a mascara, because I'd run out of my old one. I'm a fussy girl when it comes to mascaras; I need the shade Brown Black (because I've got really fair eyelashes), I need natural looking, separated lashes, and NO CLUMPS. So I tried the No.7 Lovely Lashes mascara, because it had my shade and I've loved the No.7 mascaras in the past. I wasn't disappointed. This mascara is, well, lovely (heh heh). It's lengthening, volumising and not too clumpy. Olivia likes.

Next up, and probably my favourite of them all, is the L'Oreal La Palette Nude in the shade Rose. I'd been lusting after this palette ever since it came out, and I didn't have ANY eyeshadow palettes, so I thought that was suitable justification for purchasing it. The shade of this palette are just divine. As a gal who likes more than a little rosy hue, I am more than happy with the offering from this palette. There's a nice mix of shimmers (6) and mattes (4) and the colour range goes from a light silvery highlighting shade to a deep glittery plum perfect for a smokey eye. At the moment, I'm attempting to expand my eyeshadow choices and be a little more adventurous with colour combinations, and I have to say, I've really been enjoying wearing the darker shades from this palette to create slightly more dramatic eye looks. I am so happy with the formula of these shadows, too; they're suitably buttery, soft and generally have a decent colour payoff, and blend nicely on the eyes with an eyeshadow brush. With a primer they're pretty long lasting, too - always a bonus.

Finally, I've got two balms from Lanolips - their Lemonaid Lip Aid and Colour SPF in the shade Rhubarb (both of which were on my Wishlist ages ago). It's a toss up between the two, but if I had to choose, I'd say the Lemonaid is slightly better than the Colour SPF. But only slightly - these are some seriously good lip balms. The Lemonaid smells and tastes divine, is very comfortable and moisturising on the lips, and is long-lasting too, perfect for Winter when chapped lips come to town. Much the same can be said for the Colour SPF, except that this adds a sheer wash of colour where the Lemonaid does not. The only downside to the Colour SPF is the smell, which I'm not a massive fan of, but if you can get past that, it's a pretty fab lip balm overall.

So that just about concludes my drugstore haul! I hope you enjoyed reading about my recent purchases and my thoughts on them. I'm really very happy with this week's loot - I hope you like these products too, if you have them, and if you don't, I hope you're now tempted to go out and buy them! 

Until next week, 

Olivia x

Birthday Bestie

Hello everyone!

Today I write a very special blog post. It's special because it's about a very special person. It's special because it's about one of my best friends, Bethan.

It's Bethan's birthday tomorrow, and in light of her turning 17 (wowee!) I thought I would publish a post commemorating our five year friendship.

I've known Bethan since we were in year seven; we bonded over a bizarre DVD at a sleepover and have been together for the rest of secondary school.

As a duo we've giggled perhaps a bit too much, supported one another in baffling lessons, and negotiated through the dreaded GCSEs. 

For two to three years of my secondary school education, Bethan and I sat together in Science lessons, meaning that we became one another's rock whilst attempting desperately to grasp my most dreaded of all subjects. Sure, we did spend most lessons saying "huh?" to one another, and "do you understand this?" "Me neither"; and "I hate this subject", but with the help of each other (okay, and a lot of revision) we both got through six science exams and passed our GCSEs with reasonable grades! 

Now, at sixth form, we sit together in Communications and Culture, making for two more years of michief, mayhem and friendship.

So, why do I love Bethan so much?

First off, she's one of the kindest, bravest people I've ever met. She's gone through a lot of stuff that, frankly, she doesn't deserve to have gone through, and she's dealt with all difficulties in her life with grace and optimism. It's testimony to her strength of character that she still remains as selfless and sweet as ever.

Bethan is also such a dedicated, disciplined person. She does ice skating; and she commits so much to the sport, putting in hours of training every week and performing in countless competitions (did I mention that she's also fudging good?!). She gives everything to the sport she loves and that is something I truly admire about her.

I'm so thankful to have someone so lovely and supportive in my life and I can't tell her enough how much I love her. 

Ooh, ooh, I almost forgot, plug time! I forgot to mention that Bethan also has a blog. Please go over and check it out - I guarantee you'll love her just as much as I do. Go on over to www.dreamingbiglivingsmal1.co.uk to read it!

So, Bethan, thanks for being my science buddy, for making me laugh, laughing with me, laughing at me, and just being an awesome person overall. I hope you have a fabulous birthday and that I'm not too boring company when we hit the town like the wild gals we are (yeah, as if; more like old grannies, am I right?). I love you bajillions and you'll always be my twatmonkey (heh heh).

Hope you all enjoyed reading this post about one of the most amazing people EVER - and I'll see you next week with a beauty post, because I've been shopping, and you know what that means... HAUL TIME!

Anyway, I digress. Until next Sunday,

Olivia x

Why I'll Always Be A Drama Queen

I'm a drama queen.

I'll admit it, it's been said before. Heck, I even said I was one myself in my 'Fifty Facts About Me' post (check my archives for that). However, the funny thing is, I don't find being called a drama queen an insult. In fact, I take it as a compliment. Because Drama is one of my true passions, one of my favourite subjects and I'm proud to tell anyone who'll listen how much I love acting and performing.

Before I started my secondary school, I wasn't quite sure who I was as a person or what I was good at, not really. I was a massive bookworm and I'd always assumed that English was my true calling (I do still love English, by the way). I'd never really experienced the breath of subjects in my junior school that would allow me to find something I loved. Then I found Drama.

There was something about Drama, even in Year Seven, that engaged me in a way no other subject could. I looked forward to every single lesson. My mood was instantly lifted if I knew I had Drama next period. I thrived in class, putting my hand up for everything and researching extra outside of lessons to improve my knowledge (I know, I was a nerd). And, the most miraculous thing: I was good at it. Really flumping good, if I do say so myself. I found it so easy to step out of my shoes and into those of a completely fictional person. I loved working with my friends to create works of art. I enjoyed choosing costumes and props for our pieces. And the best part, my favourite part about Drama, was watching the audience as they watched us. Watching their faces glow with delight and wonder at the spectacle being put on for them. Watching as they were swept away with the story, the performance, the characters. Enjoying seeing them delight in what I created, because I too remembered the pure joy of watching something truly captivating, be it in the cinema or theatre.

And so the obsession began...

When it came to Year Eight and we had to make exam choices, I wasted no time in choosing an intense one year Drama choice for the next year. As a result, Year Nine was the BEST year. I had Drama every single day. I created monologues, wrote scripts, mimed, devised, laughed, learned, and got three Distinctions in three separate qualifications in my exams at the end of the year.

Year Nine went by in a flash, and I chose Drama again for Year Ten and Eleven, to continue my love into GCSE form. Two years of hard work but great progression followed, in which I learned to push myself as an actor, explore more psychologically challenging content, think outside the box in terms of experimenting with different theatrical styles as opposed to pure naturalism. And, with some great people, I worked intensively to perform a twenty-minute group piece of drama based on a challenging script, and got an A grade overall.

Fast forward a year, and here I am, a Year Twelve, doing (what else?) Drama A Level, and loving every bloomin' second of it. It takes real dedication, believe me, and utter commitment (nowadays I seem to live in the Drama studio, rehearsing, devising, planning college performances and events). There's a lot of responsibility that comes with being one of only four A Level students in the school, and subsequently one of the oldest Drama students in the school. But it's fab. I can't express to you how much I am still loving becoming someone else, if only for a little while, and performing to audiences. I have a great Drama class; the lack of size means that we've become really good friends, to the point where we feel more like a family than an A Level group. All my fellow students are flippin' good actors, which helps more than a little, and they're wonderful people too, people whom I might not have necessarily grown close to if we didn't share a love of Drama. Just another reason why I love the subject.

So I'm laughing hysterically, crying on command, visiting the theatre and making furious notes, drafting essays, practising performances, writing monologues, selling tickets for events, organising trips. But most importantly, I'm acting. And I couldn't be happier doing it.

Olivia x