SUMMER UPDATE#1

I've finally started my Summer Holiday and to my surprise I have been fairly productive. Setting the alarm for 8:00 AM can be torturous but  I can assure you that at the end of the day you would be amazed by how much you have accomplished. So here is a round up of what I have checked off my summer checklist here.

Well, one thing I learned from my baking crisis is that I am not going to be Marry Berry's successor.

Despite my parents both being chefs, I cannot cook, bake or fry a thing. Even when I follow the recipe exactly, it still turns out to be a big burnt cake of disappointment.

The only positive thing about baking is that it fills the house with a warm vanilla aroma which give the illusions that I'm actually a baking goddess.

I followed this particular recipe which had sour cream to create a moist sponge- when it mentioned 'sour cream' I knew I should of stayed away. Even if I wanted a moist sponge there was no need for the masses of liquids that the recipe acquired.  

One of my many faults is that I do not plan ahead. As I went scavenging for some Vanilla essence, you can imagine my shock that it ran out. How do we make a vanilla cake when there is no vanilla essence? You don't. This is where improvisation helped...well kind of. Thank the heavens for the gift of coffee, it couldn't do any more harm to this cake than I already have so in it goes. Considering the bizarre recipe and the difficulties faced with baking a simple vanilla sponge, I guess it can be considered decent.  

I am so so so pleased with how this turned out. The glistening sequins, bold colours and the striking image really made this worth spending time on.

It was a DIY gift given to me by a family friend a few Christmases ago because they knew I loved art. I was deciding what to do for my DIY project therefore I looked on Pinterest, Tumblr and Youtube nothing inspired me to do any projects. As I was going through my drawers for the big cleanup I found this piece of work and was determined to finish it.

When I opened the box I saw that it was 70% finished therefore I only needed to pin a few of the sequins on. So there I sat with my windows opens. blasting out my new found love for Korean music. It was pure bliss.

If you have time I would definitely recommend doing a DIY. The sense of accomplishment that follows the completion of your project is exhilarating. It's also nice to get creative and have a little 'me' time.

Is there anything you would recommend to do in the Summer? 

Books to read on my bookshelf

I am guilty of hoarding books.

After making my Summer Checklist here I thought it will be a good idea to see what I needed to read.
Sadly, I have many DNFs (did not finish) on my bookshelf but I'm determined to finish them along with a couple of new books that I just bought by some of my favourite authours like Jenny Han and Paige Toon- 'The Sun In Her Eyes' and 'P.S I Still Love You'.

My Summer 'To Read' list /5☆ :

1. Insurgent By Veronica Roth

2. Allegiant By Veronica Roth

3. The Host By Stephanie Meyer

4. City Of Ashes By Cassandra Clare

5. City Of Glass By Cassandra Clare

6. Kite Spirit By Sita Brahmachari

7. The Forever Song By Julie Kagawa

8. The Iron Legends By Julie Kagawa

9. The Scorch Trials Series By James Dashner

10. I Heart Paris By Lindsey Kelk

11. The Sun In Her Eyes By Paige Toon

12. P.S I Still Love You By Jenny Han

13. Teardrops By Lauren Kate

You can follow my Goodreads account here where you can see the progress I have made as well as read some of my reviews:)

My Go To Summer Base

Currently I've been going for a lighter base and a bronze eye because luckily my skin has been very happy which makes me very very happy.

Primer
I've been using 'That Gal' by Benefit as my primer so that my makeup stays on all day, it also helps the mineral foundation stick better to the skin. It is a pale pink thick creamy consistency which also has a delectable raspberry scent perfect for summer.

Concealer, Foundation and Perfection
 I use Clinique's 'Even Better Concealer' to cover up my acne scars and any redness, it's best used with Real Techniques detailer brush to get into the nook and crannies.

Then I use 'Original Mineral Foundation' by Bare Minerals and really buff it into the skin to create a light matte base. I've chosen to use this because as time progresses I sometimes find that liquid foundations and BB creams gets a bit sticky and slips around your face and me being me, I'm just too lazy to powder or blot.

Eye
Eye oh eye!
Since we went very basic on the face I think it's only acceptable if we made our eyes the focal point. So put on a nice wash of Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in 'On And On Bronze' to create the perfect base for the eyeliner.

I think winged eyeliner is one of my favourite parts of my makeup routine. The flick should be considered an art form - a bold flick, a peek-a-boo flick or the perfectionist flick. I use the 'Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner' by Collection to create equal slanted flicks because it has a firm felt tip end and it's as cheap as chips. I skip mascara because my eyelashes aren't appreciating the clumpy dried out mascara that I currently own. Voila, done!

Products that create the perfect summer base are 

.That Gal by Benefit 

. Even Better Concealer by Clinique

. Original Mineral Foundation by Bare Minerals

.Maybelline Colour tattoo in 'On and Bronze on Bronze'
.Extreme 24hr felt tip liner by Collection

4 years of Teen Wolf

Season 1 feels like yesterday.

What a roller coaster that we have been on. I want to give you all of you congratulatory hug for surviving these past 4 years and I hope that many of you stay sane for the upcoming season premiere on 29th June.

Do not let the name 'Teen Wolf' fool you. Common misconception is that the show just follows a teen who get turned into a wolf.  Oh no, how very very wrong that statement is. Every character, every moment, every smile is precious on Teen Wolf. Each scene is masterfully created and weaved action, thriller, comedy and romance into the story line that it captures your interest as well as your heart until you are a jittering mess when you wait for the next episode. The show has turned into a spectacular thing that everyone should be proud of.

One thing that I do love about this show is character development. As the characters grow and mature through their experiences from being a typical teen to fighting a Nogitsune- A void Kitsune that draws power from strife, chaos and pain. We start to invest and identify with a few of them. This can be a great thing...but also a bad thing.

Over the 4 seasons we've seen so many actors and actresses come and  go that sometimes, I'm almost frightened to invest myself in them because I don't want anything bad to happen- does this sound a bit irrational to you?

After spending endless hours deciding 4 scenes for 4 years of Teen Wolf , I have finally decided on these iconic moments.

Couldn't have felt happier for Stiles. His and the Stydia fandom's dreams were coming true. Dance your heart away, lover boy.   

Motel California is undoubtedly one of the best episodes to see the test of friendship and love.

Season 3B was definitely my favourite season. Dylan really shone throughout this with his outstanding acting while he was playing void Stiles.

If you didn't know The River Thames is made up of my tears that I had shed over this scene.
My heart was tore when I saw this unexpected scene. I could feel myself getting sadder and sadder with every breath she took-until she could take no more. 

If you have not watched Teen Wolf- what are you doing? What are some of you favourite scenes? 

SUMMER 2015 CHECKLIST

With the last of my GCSE exams coming to an end I thought I would make a summer checklist to make my extended summer holiday a fun and productive one. I have also signed myself up for the NCS programme which is going to take up 4 weeks of the holidays and I am so freaking excited!
So here is the list of things that I attempt to do:

1) Finish Beyond 2 Souls
2) Become a Vegetarian for 1 week 
3) Do a DIY  (22/06/15)
4) Draw and colour a picture
5) The BIG cleanup
6) Go on a bike ride
7) Plant (12/06/15) and harvest vegetables
8) Rewatch the entire 4 seasons of Teen Wolf
9) Read some classics
10) Donate clothes to charity
11) Keep Healthy
12) Spend a day in Cambridge 
13) Bake a cake  (19/06/15)
14) Go for a picnic
15) Finger Paint
16) Write a few chapters of a book
17) Make a pizza
18)Watch something in the cinema
19) Do some charity work
20) Go bowling
21)Improve photography
22) Read all unread books on my shelf
23) Pick berries in a farm
24) Do something adventurous 
25) Have fun!

Once I have completed a task I will cross it off  my list and I will do updates on how my summer is going along with some pictures :)

What are some of your goals/ plans for the summer?