I'M BACK! QUARANTINE HAS OPENED MY MIND.

Hello world.

It's currently my 4th week of quarantine due to COVID-19 in the UK. I've been reading a book called 'All The Bright Places' by Jennifer Niven; the main character Violet has a magazine blog that she used to write with her sister, and it reminded me of when I created this page.

Considering I have a bunch of time on my hands now, I'm going to share what I've been getting up to whilst in 'isolation' as everyone's been calling it. As this blog was created years and years ago, a little update on myself for anyone who cares. For the past year, I've been working as a Social Content Executive as part of my placement year before I go back to University. My job is predominantly based around looking out for new trends and seeing how we can be the leading business when it comes to being disruptive online. On the side, I'm super interested in art, photography and video editing- I love to document things and create mood boards full of memories.

This strange time has reminded me of hobbies that I'd pushed aside and forgotten about, but I'm keen to keep this up post 'lockdown'. I'm enjoying creating and seeing how I've developed over the past few years, so what better place to share what I've been up to.

Today has been an extremely hot day in the UK. After going on my one, long walk a day with my dog, I spent most of the afternoon reading and chatting to my mum. As I mentioned, the book I'm reading is called 'All The Bright Places'. So far, both Violet and Finch are two quite troubled individuals who have struggled with coming to terms with tough events in their lives. It's really put things into perspective, and made me think how lucky I am to have little to worry about in my life. I'm really enjoying seeing how their relationship will change through the course of the book. I definitely recommend it for people who enjoy a love story.

It's now Easter Saturday and the weather is lush. I started my morning with a 5k 'run for heroes', relaxed in the bath with an eye mask and then made a bright granola berry bowl for breakfast. 

Granola Berry Bowl:

- Greek Yoghurt 

- Super Nutty Granola 

- Mixed Berries 

- Mango 

- Coconut Chips 

- Grapes 

- Agave Nectar Syrup 

'All The Bright Places' - Jennifer Niven 

As a 'lockdown' past time, I've painted some old tin cans to use as plant pots. Hopefully in the next few weeks some flowers will shoot through in time for people visiting. 

My dog Winnie is loving the current circumstances. She gets 2-4 walks a day, as well as constant attention because everyone has so much free time. Maybe by the end of the month she might actually fetch a stick instead of waiting for someone to come and get it and throw it again.

Time to dye some eggs and find another creative project. 

Daisy xxx

June favourites

I've had so so many favourites this month, purely because I haven't stopped shopping and getting things in the mid season sales, but I've decided on seven of my top beauty products for this month. For my first favourite, I have chosen the Sleek cream contour kit in medium. I had been looking for a cream contour kit for ages, and wanted to wait until I'm in Sephora in summer to buy the Anastasia kit, to save me spending a fortune on postage. Until then, this one is perfect. This product does exactly what it says, and it's been perfect for when I go out or go to festivals. I've found it super easy to blend and a lot goes a long way, so it will last for ages. Sleek is a great brand for a cheaper alternative and the quality is still amazing, so I would definitely recommend checking it out! The packaging is also really compact and durable, I think I prefer plastic palettes to the cardboard ones; just because they don't get messed up as easily.

 I've also been loving this NYX tinted brow pomade. This is also a cheaper alternative to the Anastasia dip brow, as it is £10 cheaper and retails at £5.50. I didn't really get the hype of the brow pomades at first, so I thought I'd try this out and I'm obsessed! The product pay off is so so good; it gives such a natural look to your brows and I literally love everything about it. The pot may seem quite small, but it lasts forever. I got the shade chocolate but they do loads of other shades to suit different people, and if you have the right brush to go with it, your eyebrows are guaranteed to look fab. Trust me.

My next obsession is this Mac highlighter in soft and gentle. I bought this ages ago, but I lost it on holiday and then my friends bought me it for my birthday. This is the shiniest, glittery highlight ever and every time I put it on, someone says how stunning it looks. I only have to dab my brush in twice, and then I'm done, it is so pigmented! The colour of it is like a champagne with a pinky undertone, so if you like highlighters that are those kind of tones, buy this. This retails at £24, so it is on more of the pricey side, but it's definitely worth it because I can't see mine running out anytime soon. This gives such a nice shimmer to your cheeks, and I reckon you could even use this as eye shadow if you wanted.

My favourite part of doing my make up has to be eyeshadow. I love mixing and blending different colour combinations, and seeing how it turns out. Which is why I wanted to find a primer base that would make it last all day, and make the time I spend on my eyes be worth it. This eyeshadow primer by Urban Decay does exactly that. You only have to put on a tiny bit and your eyeshadow stays on for so much longer than it usually would. When applied it feels really soft and velvety, getting rid of your eye creases and giving you a naked tone base.

I also got bought a Mac lipstick in the shade Blankety. This is a nude shade with quite a pinky undertone to it. I absolutely love it as an everyday lip shade; it's really natural, and like any other nude goes with everything you wear. When applied, it leaves your lips feeling so soft and it also has quite a shiny finish. Unlike matte lipsticks, this is not drying to the lips, it's really moisturising and you don't have to apply lip balm or anything underneath. All my Mac products have never let me down, I adore how they package their products, it's so simple yet really pleasing and you're always guaranteed good quality. The only bad thing I'd say is, I have to re apply this quite a lot, you can't put it on in the morning and leave it all day, it has to have a space in your bag to take it with you.

Another current love of mine, is this NYX intense butter gloss in the shade Tres Leches. I sometimes prefer wearing a gloss because I love the shiny finish they leave and most of them smell really good. This one smells exactly like those butter toffees that your grandparents always have in a bowl on their coffee table, so good. I find a lot of lip gloss's don't have enough colour to them, so I put a lipstick underneath, but this one you can wear on it's own as it's exactly what it says it is (intense).  One thing that slightly annoys me is that it's quite sticky, although I feel that's expected with all glosses. If you go out a lot, get this! It adds a glamorous touch to you're make up, I love it. NYX as a brand is one of my favourites at the moment; the products are super cheap and the quality is so so good. I feel like, now it's becoming more popular and counters are being put in Boots, they'll bump up the prices, which is why I went on a bit of a NYX shopping spree.

My last favourite is another Sleek product, and it is the Matte Me lip cream in the shade Shabby Chic.  This is one of their new shades, and I think it's part of a collection of 12. They're all so nice, but I think this was my favourite, plus, the other ones I wanted had been sold out. If you're looking for a liquid lipstick, I strongly recommend this. They stay on for absolutely agesss. I swatched it in the shop, and I couldn't get it off my hand, which is when I knew it must be good. After you eat, you do have to re apply it because it goes a bit weird, but other than that, in terms of lasting all day, this is the best one I've ever had. They also had a sale of two for £8, which I think is amazing for the how good this is! It has a velvety texture when applied, and it dries really nicely, leaving an stunning matte finish.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. If you know of any good fake tan brands, let me know.

Daisy xx

Strawberry and banana smoothie bowl

Hello everyone! I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted but exams, going to London, Parklife festival and also looking around universities have all taken priority. Anyway, I hope to post a lot more now summer has arrived and school is almost over. I know that this post may not be appropriate for the current hideous weather, but I am currently obsessed with freezing different fruits and creating various fruity flavours. For this classic strawberry and banana bowl, I used: one frozen banana, around ten frozen strawberries, three table spoons of Total greek yoghurt and almond milk (you could use coconut water or milk/ soya milk). Chuck it all into a blender, pour it into a bowl and it's as easy as that. If it's not thick enough, add more banana or creamy yoghurt and that should do the trick. I also like to sprinkle on coconut crisps, chia seeds, flaked almonds, granola and various berries, but it's entirely up to you.

This is a great light summer breakfast or snack, giving you a healthy kick start to your day.

Daisy xxx