Wishlist Series #1

Hola!

So payday is a LONG day away, so therefore I can't shop, even though all I want to do is SHOP!

I'm going to do a few weeks of wishlists from my favourite retailers, however I have a lot so this could turn into a very long series! 

Today's choice is ASOS, so take a looksy below and see the top 10 of what I want to buy!

Everything I've chosen is under £50, because I would NEVER spend more on clothes than £50 unless for a very special occasion!

P.s they might be from other retailers, but I've found them on ASOS!

Prices in bold are from ASOS's 50% off sale and are correct as of the 24th June.

1. ALDO Nerawiel Black Mesh Slipper Flat Shoes - £50.00 - £25.00

2. Moschino Peace iPhone 5 Case - £30.00

3. ASOS Suede Mini Backpack with Fringing - £30.00

4. ASOS Textured Biker Jacket - £50.00 - £35.00

5. ASOS Coin Constellation Necklace - £35.00 - £24.50

6. ASOS Pencil Skirt in Sheer Stripe - £32.00 - £22.00

7. NARS Eyeshadow Duo - £25.00

 8. ASOS Wrap Front Blouse - £30.00

9. ASOS Jersey Kimono - £25.00

10. New Look Palm Print Track Short - £12.99

What do you think of my top 10?

Do you like shopping with ASOS?

Let me know!

xx

Estée Lauder Haul.

Eveninggggg guys!

So as I've probably mentioned before I like to do surveys online to try and get myself some money saved up to allow me to shop without the guilt (usually I don't get much of that either though!). Not so long ago I hit my £20 target on Valued Opinions and decided my store of choice would be Boots for my next haul! Estée Lauder was the counter I hit, and I can't deny, I hit it hard. 

I've heard a lot about the Doublewear Stay-In-Place Foundation, some things good, and some not so good - and I wanted to try it for myself! So I bought it to try it out for myself and I am IMPRESSED! The Estée Lauder counter assistant was really helpful choosing my shade and tried 3 different shades on me to see which would suit me best and I settled with Pure Beige! The foundation goes on so easily and really blends in well, and it really does last SO long, it's probably as close to a foundation tattoo that you can get at the minute. I wore it to Parklife all weekend and it didn't budge - even in the rain! It retails at £28.50, which is expensive, but I only plan to use it for nights out and events that I'm gonna be braving the elements in, such as a festival! It is far too heavy for everyday use, your skin would never need that kind of coverage on a daily basis! But for special occasions, this will be the first foundation I reach for! I love the packaging as well, so classy and elegant! It doesn't have a pump but I just pour a little onto my hand and it doesn't run away thanks to it's thick consistency!

Doublewear Stay-In-Place Foundation in 'Pure Beige'

The other product I purchased was the Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Lipstick in the shade 'Dominant'. It's the creamiest consistency and it literally glides on to your lips like a dream. I generally don't like creamy lipsticks because they don't last very long on my lips, but this lipstick is different. It's a bright vibrant pink that's not going ANYWHERE. I kept it on all day, and that included eating and drinking - and it looked just as good when I got home as when I left the house that morning! It's expensive, I can't lie, it retails at £24. It's the most expensive lipstick I've ever bought but I don't regret it, the price tag is really reflected in the quality of the product and it's staying power. The packaging is obviously included in the price, and it's a beautiful sleek design with a magnetic close. I'm wearing Dominant in the picture below! Swatches will be further on!

Pure Colour Envy Sculpting Lipstick in 'Dominant'

Yet another shameless selfie to show off a product ;-)

 I always think it's important to remember with buying in Boots you do get Boots points which you can save up for other purchases! So at least you do get some reward for shopping in store! When I went to Boots, I only intended to purchase Doublewear, but there was a gift with purchase (GWP) on if you bought two things, and I'm a sucker for a gift with purchase! This gift with purchase was valued at over £90 so I think it justified my extra spending!

I received a gorgeous teal and navy tile print makeup bag, a Lipstick, a Moisturiser, a Mini Advanced Night Repair, a 4 piece Eyeshadow Palette, a Mascara, an Eyeliner and a Nail Polish. This was my first purchase of any Estée Lauder cosmetics, and getting the GWP really introduced me to a lot of new things I maybe wouldn't have been willing to purchase! I'm not going to go into toooo much detail, because basically I love everything and this post would be 4 hours of reading long!!

Advanced Night Repair and Daywear Moisturiser

Pure Colour Nail Lacquer in 'Blue Blood' 

Pure Colour Lipstick in 'Bois de Rose' 

L - 'Bois de Rose' & R - 'Dominant'

4 piece Eyeshadow Palette - I don't know the names I'm sorry! :( 

Unfortunately I'm a major crap blogger and forgot to take pictures of both the Eyeliner and Mascara and I'm in Northern Ireland and they're in Manchester! Thankfully I know what they are so you can check the full size out online! I received the Pure Colour Intense Kajal Eyeliner in 'Blackened Black' - which really is super black and goes on so creamily, no tugging at your eyes! Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara in 'Extreme Black' - I love the brush of this mascara, It's now very much included in my mascara routine, and it's so black! I love black eyeliners and black mascara and Estée Lauder definitely supplies that! 

I'm super impressed with everything that I bought, and it all feels glorious on my skin, I'm absolutely crap that I don't have the names for the eyeshadows! I will be able to get them when I get back to Manchester so if you would like to know, feel free to tweet me at @RachelVennard or send me an email at vennardr@hotmail.co.uk and I can fill you in!

Have you tried any Estée Lauder products?

What do you think of them and the brands?

Let me know!
Rachel xx

Parklife 2014!

Hello lovies!

Parklife was over a week ago, and I'm majorly depressed - I have a severe case of festival blues!

It was amazing, so many people and the atmosphere was unbelievable! The weather wasn't as good as it could have been, but everyone stuck on their wellies and plowed on regardless of the weather!

 I didn't risk bringing my iPhone with me to the gig, just knowing my luck it definitely would have ended up face down in a puddle and I had a little cheap Nokia instead.. It had a camera, but unfortunately I don't have any Bluetooth devices that will actually connect to it! So I have no pics of being inside the gig except my friends which I've nicked!

The highlights of the weekend for me were: Snoop Dogg ('mazing!), Sam Smith (wowzaaaaa), Cyril Hahn, Bastille (I seen them at Big Weekend last year and preferred them there but they were still good), and Disclosure, who were definitely my overall winners! I seen them last year at Warehouse Project, but being in a field of approx 60,000 people in the sunshine listening to them was amazing and completely trumphed being inside a sweaty, drug filled warehouse!!

Just wanted to do a post to show my makeup off and what I wore and do a little round-up to confirm to myself it's all over!

Saturday

 Just a quick summary of what's on my face:

- Estee Lauder Double Wear in 'Pure Beige'
- Eyes from my 120 Eyeshadow Palette from eBay
- Eylure Naturalite '145' Eyelashes
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade 'Dark Brown'
- Topshop Lip Varnish in 'High Times'
- Bindi and Facial Gems from eBay
- My sunglasses (you can see them later on) are also from eBay :)




- My dress was from H&M, kind of similar to the *cough* marijuana *cough* dress that is basically errywhere at the minute, but obviously if it has banana leaves *wink wink, nudge nudge* on the store is legally allowed to sell it! It was £7.99! It's not on H&M's website but I've seen it in lots of stores, I purchased from the Manchester Market Street store :)
- My necklace is a super old gold chain from ASOS!
- The wellies were kindly lent to me by my lovely housemate Hayley to protect my tootsies!
- My handbag (not seen) was from ASOS and you can see it here!

L-R - Lizzie, myself and Becca!

Me and Becca getting a few selfies in ;-) 

Sunday

What's on the facial region:

- Estee Lauder Double Wear in 'Pure Beige' (as above)

- Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in 'Dark Brown' (as above)

- Eyeshadows from 120 eyeshadow palette from eBay (as above)

- Eylure Naturalite '145' Eyelashes (as above)

- Bindi & Facial Gems (as above)

- Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Eurydice'

- River Island Gold Tone Hoop Earrings

- Hamsa Hand necklace from eBay

- Choker necklace from eBay

The outfit:

- Seahorse crop top from H&M (£3.99!!)

- Culotte shorts from ASOS (pack of 2)

- Kimono from H&M

- High top trainers from Nike (old, outlet!)

- Later on when it got a little bit nippy I threw on a white see through jumper from H&M which isn't on the website but you can see it below! - £14.99 FYI :) 

And now, some more random pictures - Enjoy!

L-R: Becca, Lizzie, Alice & Me!

L-R: Me, Luke, Lizzie, Alice & Parsons

Me & Becca (any excuse for a selfie!)

LR: Lizzie, Becca, Me, Luke and Parsons!

 Anyway, that's enough pictures, I'm depressed now!
It was an amazing weekend with amazing friends and I'm so glad I got to experience it before I start my placement!

And just on a final note about Parklife, RIP to Robert Hart, the festival goer that was attacked unprovoked and as a result of the attack died. All my thoughts to his friends and family, no-one deserves to die at a festival, everyone should be there to have fun and relax.. No-one should have to die for being a fan of music!

Thanks for reading! 

xx

Life Update!

Afternoon lovelies!

Soooo, I'm on the 2 week countdown until I start my 1 year student placement at Nestle! I'm joining the team as a Student Nutritionist in their Confectionery and Food departments and I am SO excited! It's the opportunity of a lifetime and I feel completely blessed to have got the position!

I'm moving to Gatwick (which is Nestles UK headquarters) so I'll be leaving Manchester for London! I'm living half an hour out of the city (approx!) but I still feel like I'm gonna be in the big smoke! London is one of my favourite places in the world, I love the atmosphere, I love the buzz and I love the tube! 

People say that they find Londoners very rude and unhelpful, but it's one of the things I kind of love about the place! I like the whole 'fend-for-yourself' attitude, it teaches you to cope alone, and that's something I'm really trying to teach myself at the minute.. It's OKAY to be ALONE. I'm single, and I'm enjoying not being tied down to anything.. I think the two pictures below really sum it up quite well!

So, next Sunday, my mum, my brother and my little Clio will be setting off towards Scotland and then travelling to London, with a little stop off in Manchester to pack up my stuff and take my brother to the Manchester Metropolitan University open day! He's 18 and in September he'll be applying for University, not sure where he wants to go yet but he's definitely considering across the water! He said something the other day which is super true for people from Northern Ireland - they tend to stay at the two universities in Northern Ireland, either Queens or University of Ulster! 

Ryan turned around to me and said "It's a 3rd of the price of going across the water, but you only have a third of the opportunity!" - as a big sister (even though he's 6ft2 and everyone thinks I'm the youngest) it made me proud! It's not easy going away to uni, but honestly moving across the water has been the best thing that's ever happened me! I was a homebird that cried for my mum when I was a Scout and we drove 20 minutes away for an overnight camp! Going away has cut the apron strings, I'm independent, I don't like relying on my parents anymore or anyone else for that matter! Things can be difficult, but the below saying in the picture really sums it up for me - if somethings easy, you never work for anything, or learn anything from it! And thats why 'A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor' is my motto in life'!

Just wanted to do a little life update as I'm probably gonna be quite absent over the next wee while, I'm gonna be working hard and adjusting to a full 9-5 life, unfortunately retail and it's unpredictable shifts don't really set you up for that kind of lifestyle!

Thank you to anyone that reads my blog, I really appreciate it - it's nothing amazing but I do love blogging whenever I have the time and I hope you all like reading it :)

Lots of love guys and girls!

xx

Market Research Request!

Hello again guys!!

Just a very quick post on behalf of Research Opinions again!

We're looking for bloggers (male and female) who are 18 years or older with an interest in Learning who runs a blog in relation to their interest to take part in research! 

It's being held in Media City in Salford on Monday 16th June and there are time slots between 10am and 3pm! 

If you're interested click on the link below to register in the research and a member of the staff will be in contact with you! 

It's for 45 minutes and as a thank you you'll be paid £30 after the research CASH IN HAND! 

Please apply ASAP if you're interested, and please share this post with anyone you think would be interested!  

Thank you guys! 

Rachel xx

http://researchopinions.co.uk/latest-projects/manchester-projects/learning-research-manchester

Foodie Faves!

Heyyyylooooo!

This is a slightly different post from me than you're probably accustomed to! But Manchester has such a great range of restaurants, and these places deserve to get a shout out! I always prefer individually owned or restaurants that aren't part of a chain! Nandos etc are good when you want something easy that you don't have to think about, but when you want something exciting and interesting I think it's always best to spend your money in somewhere that isn't owned by the 'big man'! I'm gonna run through a few of my favourites!

Almost Famous

If gluttony, bacon, burgers, unbelievable flavours, and seasonings are your thing. Almost Famous is the place for you. The burgers and cocktails are to die for!! They're so over the top, everything about them is HUGE, the size, the flavours, the random mix of ingredients (i.e. frazzles, salt and vinegar chipsticks etc. Read: effing delicious) and the overall atmosphere of the place! You will have to wait for a table, there's no bookings, and at busy times it can be a 2 hour wait. But trust me, it's worth it! This place is where dreams are made and obesity happens! My recommendations are: The Baddaboom burger (double cheeseburger, garlic butter brioche, bacon, chorizo, onions, marinara, famous sauce, frenchs, parmeasan and chilli) and bacon bacon fries (a mix of house seasoning fries and sweet potato fries covered in bacon bits and baconnaise) all washed down with either a Bitch Juice or a Dirty Grape Soda cocktail. Unbelievable. Based at the Great Northern!

River Phoenix Burger & Bacon Bacon Fries

Southern Eleven

BBQ, BBQ ON EVERYTHING, BBQ OVER AND ON EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. Basically think American classics, think Pulled Pork, think Brisket, think sliders, think lots of deep fried things! Ahhhhhmaaaaazing. Based in Spinningfields in one of the nicest areas of Manchester, but the price tag isn't reflected at the restaurant! Everythings SO reasonable. Plus there's 20% off for students all the time, amazing! I chose the Sliders, which is one hamburger, one pulled pork and one brisket burger. All which were delicious! I also had deep fried pickles. HOLY MOLY. I thought I loved pickles before, I love them more when they're deep fried! Southern 11 have a huge cocktail list as well, some of which you can even shake yourself, I would definitely recommend trying it! So much fun! 

BBQ Sliders with Fries

Teacup

The cutest little tea shop in Manchester, it's adorable. And they have the WIDEST range of tea you can possibly think of, plus you get to pour your own and everything! So much fun! It's based in the Northern Quarter and not have they only got tea, they also have cake (lots of cake) and delicious food! I went and I had the Sourdough Toast covered with Smokey Bacon Beans. Posh beans on toast with bacon and pancetta bits. Wowowowow. And to finish it off I had a slice of their delicious Rainbow Marizpan cake! Well worth a visit, even if it is only for the cute little teapots! 

Teacup's NQ Brew

Rainbow Marzipan Cake

Home Sweet Home

Another absolutely adorable place based in the Northern Quarter. It sells food, coffee and cake and its adorable with all of it's mismatched furniture! It's a little bit pricier than your normal coffee shop but trust me it's worth it. The pulled pork is off the chaaaain, and according to my friend Lizzie, so are their El Bennie Macho eggs benedict! They have a range of milkshakes, cocktails, craft beers and ales and wines. It's just such a generally nice place to eat in! The cake is off the chain and honestly it's the most crazy collection of cakes you've ever seen! There are no normal cakes, there are huge multicoloured cakes adorned with pictures of Doge, icecream cones filled with peanut butter buttercream, sweets from our childhood and the craziest flavour concoctions! It's worth a visit for the cake alone, never mind the food but I suggest you try them all together for an unreal experience! 

Pulled Pork Pile Up

Bubblegum Party Cake

Saying cheers to exams with a BucksFizz!

 Dogs 'n' Dough

It does what it says in the name, they sell hotdogs and they sell pizzas. And what they sell, they sell it well! This is alongside the pitchers of Budweiser, other beers and a list of cocktails longer than your arm! It's just off Albert Square in the city up a sneaky little side street and what's hiding down the street is worth hunting for! They have specials every week that they advertise on Twitter and the flavour combos are delishhhh! 

The ADB Dog & The Hunting Dog.

That's just a quick collection of my favourite places to eat in Manchester at the minute!

Have you tried any of these places?

Did you like this post for a little bit of a change?
Let me know!

Rachel xx

Post Exam Treats!

Helllooo!

My exams are over, and as many of you probably know, I love nothing more than a little bit of online shopping to celebrate such achievements :) Have a little looksy below at what I bought! 

This time I knew what I wanted whenever I finished my exams, I'd had my eye on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade for so long, and a few days before my exams finished, Cult Beauty sent me that delightful email to tell me it was back in stock again! However by the time I got there, the shade I wanted 'Dark Brown' was already out of stock AGAIN (this is the 3rd time it's happened!!). I made my way over to Beauty Bay in the off chance that they would have it in stock, and thankfully they did! So as soon as I seen it, it was straight in my basket alongside the Anastasia Beverly Hills Angled Cut Brow Brush. I felt it was justified to buy the brush as well because I wanted the Pomade to be my perfect brow so I needed the perfect brush to apply it! The Dipbrow Pomade retails at £15 and the brush is £13. Swatches can be seen below. 

Anastasis Dipbrow Pomade 'Dark Brown' and Angled Cut Brow Brush. (Apologies, I'd already used it!) 

On Beauty Bay, you also have the opportunity to pay an extra £1.95 for a premium sample product to be sent with your order, and it also means your delivery leaves the warehouse slightly quicker than the standard free delivery that Beauty Bay offer! You get to choose your own sample so it's not like you end up with a dodgy one you're maybe not fussed on. My choice was the Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser which for the full size retails at £34.99. This cleanser is AMAZING! It's a godsend, I've really been struggling with dry skin around my nose recently and its not been giving me a very smooth finish on my foundation! One application of this cleanser and that was GONE. You put it on, rub it in, and then wash it off. Easy peasy lemon squeezy and it gives GREAT results. I love it already, but £34.99 is a lot for a the full size so I would have to have a think about it when I've used it all up!

MAC - Eyeshadow in 'Cranberry'

Finally, the last thing I chose to buy myself was an eyeshadow I've been lusting over for years, since Becca bought it and used it on me I've been obsessed! Looked at it everytime I dandered through Selfridges or Duty Free, and finally on Wednesday 14th May it entered my life. And that eyeshadow is MAC's 'Cranberry' Eyeshadow. It's an amazing reddy plum shade with glitter, and it looks amazing on the lids! Beaut. Beaut. Beaut. I loveeeeeeee it. I've worn it so much already and I've only had it a week and a half! Check out the swatches of both Cranberry and the Dipbrow Pomade below! 

L-R Dipbrow Pomade in 'Dark Brown' and MAC Eyeshadow in 'Cranberry'

Both of my exam treats made it onto my face for my night out after my exams, and I absolutely loved the result! The Dipbrow was perfect and made my brows look great, it's a bit dark but perfect for nights out.. It's kind of like a tint, so it lasted the whole way through the next day, even after a shower and washing my face!!

Have you tried any of these products?

Let me know if you have!

Lots of loveeee 

xxxx