First Impressions-Cult beauty haul

Hello everyone, I hope you're well.
A few weeks ago my mum asked me if I would do her makeup for her on her wedding day and obviously I was so excited and agreed. Now my mum is not one for large amounts of makeup and her collection is fairly small so we both decided we were in desperate need of some new products and what better time to do some makeup shopping than just before the wedding, not that I need any kind of excuse to spend money on makeup. I had never used Cult beauty before to buy makeup products because I usually like going into the shop and trying out the products first before purchasing but some of the products I wanted I couldn't get In a physical store so a website was the next best option.

I tried keeping the intro short and sweet but me being me I couldn't so lastly I just want to say my products came so quickly and were wrapped and arrived in excellent condition so I really couldn't fault Cult beauty at all and would recommend using their site to anyone especially as it was so convenient as they sell a large number of brands. As soon as it arrived of course I wanted to dive straight in and try out the products because lets be honest what girl doesn't LOVE new makeup! I wrote down exactly what I thought about the products on my first try so I thought why not write a blogpost on my first impressions so here it is.

Beauty blender
After a lot of thought and adding then removing this product from my basket I finally gave in and just purchased it. I have always been a brush kind of girl ever since I started wearing makeup and the thought of using a sponge to apply my makeup just didn't feel right but a couple of weeks ago I met a girl who had the most flawless makeup on and I asked her how she got it like that and she simply just said 'you need a beauty blender'. After that day the decision was made, I needed to see what this 'magical' sponge could do to my makeup and why it was so hyped up. When I first used it I dampened it just like I had seen every beauty blogger/influencer do and begun to tap my foundation into my skin. This way of applying was very strange to me and it took me a lot longer to apply my foundation than usual but I could already see how smooth and flawless my skin was beginning to look with this product. It spread the product very evenly across my face and actually felt very therapeutic.

Violet Voss holy grail palette
Unless you have been living under a rock then you've probably heard every blogger/YouTuber using and raving about this product and that is exactly what made me purchase it. This palette retails for £43 which is quite pricey but when it arrived I instantly fell in love and it was so worth the extra splurge. The palette was much bigger than what I expected so you get a lot of product for the price, I also love that you get a huge mirror with it making it great to travel with. Now onto the actual eyeshadows, for the past few years I have been using MAC eyeshadows but in the last few months I treated myself to the Anastasia Beverley Hills modern renaissance palette. Since then I have fallen in love with that brand and now I barely reach for my MAC ones so this palette had a lot of living up to do. After watching a number of tutorials I decided to try them out, the eyeshadows are super pigmented and so smooth to apply, even the shimmer ones. They are very easy to blend and I found the colours all merged perfectly together which was perfect for someone who isn't as experienced as the 'beauty gurus' around. All the colours are true to what you seen in the pans and the staying power was great, I applied them without using a primer the first time and I honestly didn't see a difference compared to when I did use a primer.

Stila Magnificent metals glitter and glow liquid eye shadow in Kitten Karma
This product was the one I was the most excited about after seeing so many people using it. I am a glitter lover and I definitely use any excuse to have a glittery eye so this product was a necessity for my collection. Most glitter's are usually hard to apply and require glue or some kind of wax to give the proper pay off, this product on the other hand required no glue and what you see in the bottle is exactly what appears on your eyelids. The product is not at all sticky and doesn't feel heavy on the eyes like some do so straight away I was amazed. It is a beautiful champagne colour and so far has gone with every eyeshadow colour I have used with it, I like to put it all over the lid and have a eyeshadow in the crease or I apply it just to the inner part of my lid and blend it out to give a slight gradient effect. The consistency is of course a liquid but it's not to runny however you do have to be careful when applying it because it take a few seconds to dry and if not dried properly it can transfer onto the top of the eyelid which isn't quite as pretty. The staying power of this product is incredible, both times I've worn it I have had it on all day and even at the end of the day it looks perfectly applied so this glitter has definitely changed the makeup game and I can see myself using this most days!

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love 

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow me/contact me on:

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Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk

Travel with me: Sri Lanka

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.
Recently I got the opportunity to go to Sri Lanka with two of my closest friends for a holiday and it was such a memorable holiday that I really wanted to share some of my favourite memories and the top 5 places we visited whilst we were there.

1. Horizon hill top villa, Unawatuna
The first place on my top 5 is actually the hotel that we stayed at for the week we were there. The hotel itself is fairly small and is situated on the south coast of Sri Lanka in a town called Unawatuna, where it sits on the top of a hill looking out over the sea. The staff were extremely friendly and the hotel was so well kept. We were so lucky and we ended up getting the sea view apartment and the views we had were absolutely incredible and was just the right amount of space for the 3 of us. The cost of the hotel was very reasonable and activities were planned everyday for us when we told them what we wanted to see.

2.  Jungle beach
Out of all the beaches we went to this was by far our favorite so we ended up visiting many times and it was very close to where we were staying. It was quite a small private beach and required you to walk through the jungle to get to it which added to the excitement. The sea was lovely and not too rough and the beach itself was amazing. We visited one side of jungle beach which was right by the Japanese peace pagoda and was slightly smaller than the second and more private. The second place was the other side further along from the peace pagoda and also had a small café which sold cocktails and snacks which was perfect for us being their all day.

3. Yala National park
Yala national park was by far my favorite place that we visited whilst we were in Sri Lanka. The national park itself was not in Unawatuna so we did have to travel 3 hours from the hotel to get to it but it was definitely worth the long journey. Me and my friends had made a list of places and things we wanted to see whilst we were in Sri Lanka and at the top of my list was so to see an elephant but not in a sanctuary or zoo and this is where I finally got to see what I wanted. We seen so many animals and the safari itself was a good length of time and we were so blessed to have such lovely weather and lovely people showing us around.

4. Koggala
Next on my list is Koggala which is a small coastal town in the Galle district not far from Unawatuna. We spent the day driving around Koggala in a tuk tuk and did a number of activities including a lake safari, visiting Buddhist temples and going to the turtle sanctuary. The lake safari was amazing and the views were incredible, we went to 3 different islands where Buddhists lived and also where cinnamon was made by some local residents. We also got to visit Koggala beach which again was beautiful but the water was rough and we weren't able to actually go into the sea.

5. Galle fort
Last but not least is Galle a historic site in the southern region, this place really gave us a feel for what Sri Lanka is like and what it was also like in the past. The area has been adapted to attract tourists by adding souvenir shops and activities such as getting your photo taken whilst holding a monkey but I liked how it still had a traditional feel. It was lovely to have a walk around and there were some perfect spots for photos to be taken and to admire the views.

Overall my trip to Sri Lanka was absolutely incredible and nothing like any place I have been before. We went at the end of June which for the south region is supposedly monsoon season however we didn't have any problems with the rain and when it did rain it would only last about 20 minutes and was often in the evening. Sri Lanka would be perfect for a family vacation, a honeymoon or like us a trip with friends. I have made some very special memories In this place and I really hope to go back some day. Thank you Sri Lanka!

Hotel we stayed at: http://www.thehorizonvilla.com/

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow me/contact me on:
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Email:lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk

18 things I want to achieve whilst I'm 18

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well,
So recently it was my birthday and I turned 18 so I thought why not make a blogpost based around being the big '18'. I was always so excited about turning 18 and becoming an adult because I couldn't wait for the independence and also being exposed to many more opportunities that will help me later on in the future. For a person who still struggles to tell a doctor what is wrong with them without the comfort of their mum it is a also a scary thought for me because I now have to make some big decisions for myself and these decisions are ones that will decide how my future pans out.

I decided to do a post today on 18 things I want to achieve whilst I'm 18 because this year I really want to focus on trying new things and also making my dreams a reality. Every year I make a list of goals I want to achieve and add to my bucket list, this bucket list however has been pretty neglected over the last couple of years and I think this year is the year to get some of them ticked off. Some of these may be very simple but they mean a lot to me and some are very adventurous so it might take some time to face my fears and actually go through with them but I'm very excited to get started on achieving these goals.

1. Learn to drive
As soon as I turned 17 I was desperate to drive but with moving to Dubai I had to postpone that until I moved back to the UK and I'm moving back this year so its the perfect time to start my lessons.

2. Get a full time job
I have decided to take a gap year before starting university so to fund this gap year I'm going to need a job. I really want to be able to get a full time job that excites me to wake up in the morning. I know your first job is not necessary the most exciting thing but i want to be able to feel positive in some way about going each day.

3. Spend more time with family
I really want to try and spend some quality time with my family this year as I haven't got to spend a lot of time with them all over the last 2 years because I've been in Dubai so before I go off to uni I want to spend more time going out with them on little adventures and getaways.

4. Visit Europe
Even though I'm from the UK I haven't really experienced many places in Europe so this year I am going to make a solid effort to visit new countries around Europe especially with friends.

5. Sky dive
I have wanted to sky dive for so long now and now I'm finally able to I'm definitely going to try and do it this year.

6. Meet someone new
I want to meet someone new and have that person stay as part of my life as meeting new people is always so refreshing.

7. Be more positive
I have always tried to be a very positive person but sometimes I have found myself seeing the worst in a situation. I want to be able to see good in situations and understand that everything does happen for a reason.

8. Volunteer in some way
I have always been very blessed and have lived the best possible childhood thanks to the amazing support from my family and friends. Some people haven't been as lucky as I have so I really want to help at least one person to experience something I was fortunate to have.

9. Fly a plane again
If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I have had a flying lesson before and  I would love to get my private pilots license in the future so this year I want to take another lesson and get back into flying.

10. Some kind of walk or run for charity

11. Give back to someone who has given something to me

12. Get into my top university choice
As i said before I am having a gap year after I finish my A-levels this year so I really want to get into my top university choice.

13. Get back into dancing
Dancing has been a huge part of my life over the years and after taking a year out I'm really exciting to be back dancing.

14. Get back into photography
I am going to wipe the dust off my big camera and get back into photography properly.

15. Go horse riding along the beach
I have always loved horse riding and I really want to go on a ride along the beach.

16. Be more confident
This year I really want to focus on making the most out of opportunities and not be scared of saying yes to certain ones. I want to become more confident in myself and believe that I can achieve anything that I put my mind too.

17. Take a course in something that has the potential to help my future.

18. Have my blog give me at least one major opportunity that I wouldn't have gotten without it.
Starting this blog was so nerve wracking for me but since doing so I have received such positive feedback and Ive been given opportunities that I have loved so I would love that to continue this year.

Thank you for reading

Lots of Love

Lydia<3

Don't forget to follow me/contact me on:
Instagram: lydiakateashley
Twitter:lydiakateashley
Email: lydia.ashley15@yahoo.co.uk