V Festival 2013

So this year I finally did it... I finally lost my festival virginity and had the most amazing weekend of my life at Virgin Media's 2013 V Festival at Weston Park. I had no idea what to expect but the thought of seeing Queen B in all her glory strutting up and down the main stage on the last day (in the flesh gaaaah) made me say yes quicker than you could say ALL THE SINGLE LADIES, ALL THE SINGLE LADIES. 

I went along with my best friend Abbie and since we unfortunately didn't get to go on a girls' holiday this year, we went all out at V! I must say, I was not prepared for the walk from the drop off point to the campsite... AT ALL. I thought I was being so clever bringing a bag with wheels, but tiny wheels plus bumpy mud equals massive failure. It took us well over an hour and a half to kart all of our gear over to the campsite where we also managed to spend a good hour pretending we knew how to assemble a tent (yeah, we had no clue). I don't think I had ever wanted an alcoholic beverage more in my life than at that moment, so as soon as we had finally settled in, Abbie and I filled up our plastic cups and set out on an adventure into the main arena where lots of 'night-life' activities were taking place. I had THE best night. I recommend any virgin-V Fest-goer wanting to go next year to get down early on the Friday to get right into the festival party spirit! I found myself in a tent jumping higher than I thought any man could go... I was loving life!  

My favourite acts over the weekend if I had to whittle it down to 5 would be The Script, Jessie J, Kings Of Leon, Olly Murs and of course Beyoncé. Kings Of Leon were the headliners for Saturday and we managed to get right to the front! It was insaaaaane! 

We met many lovely people who we partied with during acts and 'til the early hours of the morning. Everyone is there for one purpose - to forget about any worries back home and to just have a great time and that's exactly how my weekend panned out.

I just wanted to make this blog post to highlight just how much fun you can have at a festival and I most definitely recommend going along to V. For years the idea of not showering, sleeping in a crummy tent, using port-a-loos and being swarmed with mud used to make me certain that I would never attend one, but those seen to be 'cons' of the festival scene in fact added to the fun of the whole experience. Everyone's in the same boat and you actually come back appreciating the luxuries in life! But you can let your hair down, not be surgically attached to your phone and forget about your appearance/flaws for a whole weekend.

Are you planning on going to a festival next year? Want my advice? GO FOR IT! ...And I may see you there.

Hannah 

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

Freeeeeeedom!

Hi guys, long time no speak!

I'm currently extremely excited as I have finally... officially... finished my A Levels!!!!!!!!!! (aaaaaaaaaaaaah yayayay woooop woooop). It feels very odd to not be setting up my revision desk and taking over my walls with A3 sheets of paper filled with colour coordinated writing, praying that the information will stick in my sieve of a brain. But with all of this free time on my hands now, I can finally start to really get going on my blog before I (hopefully) set off to Uni to do a spot of Magazine Journalism in Southampton. I've been planning lots of possible posts for months now in my head and am raring to go on putting them into writing! I've also been writing my own 'summer to do list' since just about the end of last summer and I simply can't wait to start de-stressing for the next 3 months.

Here are 10 things I plan to get done this summer:

1. Buy lots of nice summer clothes ready for Italy in July

2. Stock up on my make-up

3. Go to visit the One Direction mannequins at Madame Tussaud's in Landan (I just want a picture with Harry Styles okay, even if it means a clay replica...) 

4. Book a holiday abroad for August with my best pal

5. Prepare for V Festival in August (SO EXCITED TO SEE QUEEN B)

6. Buy a dress for my prom in July (that one's gonna be emosh)

7. Have lots of chilling days in my pyjamas watching DVDs

8. Keep fit by going on my treadmill more and cutting out the crap

9. De-clutter my bedroom 

10. Go out with my friends as much as possible to create an uncountable amount of memories before I leave for Uni

I'm definitely planning on making that last one my main aim of the summer. I want to live in the moment and be spontaneous as this will be the longest and the least stressed summer I think I'll ever experience!  

What are some of your aims of the summer? Have you planned your own 'summer to do list'? Comment below as you may give me some more ideas!

Speak soon

Hannah 

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

Grammy Awards Red Carpet 2013: Best Dressed!

Like me, if you've been glued to Twitter and E! in the past 24 hours, you would have been bombarded with the fact that the 55th Annual Grammy Awards took place last night over at La La Land's Staple Centre where celebs swarmed the red carpet in their TO DIE FOR designer dresses, tuxes and a jumpsuits (thinking outside of the old box weren't we Queen B). I stayed up till 1am - hardcore right - to watch E!'s coverage of the red carpet lusting over some of the outfits that took to their stage and thought I'd share with you my top 5 'best dressed' of the lot. I must say, it was quite a struggle whittling it down to 5, but I got there in the end!

MY TOP 5 BEST DRESSED

#5. Solange Knowles 

in this beautiful green sequinned Ralph & Russo Couture gown.

There's just something about this number. I'm IN LOVE with the contrasting neon orange Louboutins and emerald green sparkles of the dress. I think the fit is so elegant and the hint of leg makes it ultra sexy! To be honest, I didn't expect anything less from a Knowles.

#4. Natasha Bedingfield 

in this phenomenal lace red Emerson gown. 

Just how stunning does Natasha look?! I simply adore the shape and print of the dress, and of course the statement red. Teamed with the gold clutch and matching gold belt, it screams sexy and glam. Beautiful Grammy pick. 

#3. Kelly Rowland

in this risque Georges Chakra Couture gown.

Although Miss Rowland naughtily violated the Grammy's "please cover up those naughty parts" dress code, she wowed the Red Carpet with this curve-hugingly stunning ensemble! Her body looks bangin', as per, and only a Destiny's Child member could rock such a statement LBD. I bow down to you (with tears of jealousy), Kelly.

#2. Taylor Swift 

in this gorgeous Grecian like J Mendel gown.

Wow. Taylor always knows just how to rock the Red Carpet and she definitely didn't disappoint with this number. It's so effortlessly chic and she's even added to the glamour with a stylish plaited up-do. I'm seriously so in love with her in this dress. Oh Styles, just look at what you're missing out on!

#1. Rihanna

in this stunning red Azzedine Alaia gown. 

Oh my lord. I think I'm in love with a piece of fabric. As soon as Rihanna stepped out onto the carpet I was blown away. The colour, the shape, her hair, the accessories, the nails, the make up = the perfect Grammy outfit and accompaniment. She looks like an absolute goddess and the red really makes that all important statement, enticing all eyes on her. Congraduwelldone for looking so fab, as always, RiRi.

So what did you think of the Red Carpet dresses? Did your favs of the night not come up in my top 5? Or do you completely disagree with my choices? Feel free to comment below with your views :-)

Until next time!

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

My Beauty "Can't Live Withouts"

'ello 'ello! So to get into the swing of things with these little blog posts, I thought I'd share with you my little beauty "can't live withouts". I don't seem to have a strict 'beauty regime' in my life and I seem to always be trying different products and brands. However, recently these products above, that I'm going to talk to you about, have stayed very close to my heart. 


I shall start with the first beauty products I set my paws on in my daily routine.
Clinique's Clarifying Lotion Clarifiante 
(mine is for 'Dry Combination' skin) and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. Both are 100% fragrance free.

The Clarifying Lotion (ranging from £16.00-£25.00 depending on the size of the bottle) is an absolute dream. As I'm not the best at removing ALL of my make-up before I go to sleep (usually due to laziness) I find this product extremely beneficial for my skin. By using a splash on a cotton pad, I use it all over my face to get rid of any excess oils and muck before slapping on all of my day's make-up. I actually was advised this by a lady on a Clinique stand in Boots when I was trying out new foundations and it really has worked wonders, making my skin feel fab.

To create a smooth base on my skin before adding foundation, I always use my favourite moisturizer, Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (ranging from £17.00-£29.50 depending on the size of the bottle). Before being introduced to this, I was never really into using fancy moisturizers (I would just use Simple's Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser, RRP £3.79)  as I never thought there was much point - but oh how wrong I was! This little beauty makes your skin feel so soft and is magnificent in helping your foundation to glide onto your face. I highly recommend these two products, I know they're quite pricey but I've only just finished my two bottles now in January from when I bought them in early June last year! So they're a great investment :-)




Moving on to foundation... Clinique's Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup foundation is a godsend. As my skin likes to scar a lot from spots due to me being a hormone infested teenager (lol) and I feel that this foundation is great at covering up my blemishes. I also got the foundation matched perfectly to my skin tone by the Clinique counter ladies and I highly recommend to get that perfect match as it is quite pricey from usual drugstore foundations at £21.50. 

I must say, if you're not up to spending so much on a foundation an amazing, more affordable product from Rimmel London's range is their 'Wake Me Up Foundation' (RRP £8.99) - t'is just as effective as an expensive brand's! I've only ever read hyped reviews about it and all the beauty bloggers out there are constantly raving about it. (And I absolutely agree!)




Moving onto eyes. I absolutely ADORE Collection 2000's Fast Stoke liquid eyeliner as it it's brush helps to apply it so easily and it really is long lasting. It even has an incredible RRP price at £2.99 - bargain! I wear liquid liner over my top lids every single day, so I feel that I literally could not live without this little beauty. At that price, it makes it so affordable for me to keep up the use so regularly. At first I thought as it's a cheap brand, it wouldn't be as effective as a top brand like 'MAC' but I actually much prefer Collection 2000's to any other brand's.


As you can probably tell, I love to accentuate my eyes when applying makeup and one mascara that works perfectly every time for this is Rimmel London's Scandal Eyes (RRP £6.99). Your lashes look instantly volumized after a few strokes and I've never really experienced such a full looking lash with any other mascara I've tried out. All my friends rave about it with me and I really don't think I'll be switching up my choice of mascara anytime soon!





As I said before, I can suffer with awful breakouts and have done for years (hopefully now I'm coming to the end of my teenage years they'll start to bugger off...) I feel that Clearasil Ultra's Rapid Action Deep Pore Treatment Toner (RRP £5.35) really does help to fade scars and prevent the little buggers from reproducing on my face. It is, however, a very strong formula, so I recommend you to only use a dash of it on a cotton pad as it can sometimes cause the skin to feel a slight burning sensation. I do believe it does just as it says on the tin - but if you experience sensitive skin, I'd be quite wary with this particular product and maybe explore their sensitive range as I'm sure they'd be just as effective.





Hair, hair, hair... well, I must say that TRESemmé's Heat Defence Styling Spray (RRP £4.69) is a fab investment! It smells gorgeous and makes you hair feel so soft and sleek. I've used many heat defence sprays in the past as I always blow dry my hair and don't go a day without straightening it (so bad I know!) and TRESemmé's really does seem to be the best out there. 

You know the days when you wake up, look in the mirror and can just feel you're going to have a bad hair day or that you're constantly going to be checking that your hair doesn't look greasy. Well, Batiste's Dry Shampoo (ranging from £1.49-£4.99 depending on the size of the bottle) is a LIFE SAVER. It instantly helps to bring your hair back to life and eliminates any signs of grease. There are many scents to choose from, but my personal favourite is 'Floral & Flirty Blush' as it's very light and girly.




So we arrive at my final "can't live without" beauty product ("aww boo" I hear you cry!) and this one absolutely lives up to the title of this post as I literally cannot walk out of my front door without a pot of Vaseline (RRP £1.99) on hand. My lips seem to be prone to dryness, so it's great to have a pot around to keep them moistured as I'm also not too fond of lip glosses. The aloe vera one is definitely my favourite and my mum is always lending me creams with aloe vera in to help heal burns, cuts and bruises - it's a great natural formula.

I hope you enjoyed reading my reviews of my "can't live withouts" beauty wise and I hope you take up my advice if you've been stuck on a brand to choose from! If you enjoyed this post and would like to share some of your beauty "can't live withouts" then go ahead and leave a comment below as I'm always open to trying out new products that people rave about.

Hope to see you next post!

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

Nice To Meet You

As you have probably already gathered, this is my first EVAAAAA blog post! I'm very excited about this as I've been meaning to set up a blog for so long now but I always seems to be way too busy with my studies (fellow A levelers should feel my pain here?) 

I'm looking to do either Magazine Journalism & Feature Writing or Writing Fashion & Culture at Southampton Solent University next academic year. I've always had a love of magazines and during my first year of A Levels my love of the English language has grown more and more, resulting in me FINALLY deciding on what I think I'd quite like to do with my life. Okay, so I know becoming editor of Vogue is a long shot - but watch out world!!! 

Here are 10 (not so interesting) facts about me:

My name: Hannah Jane Griffiths
My age: 18 years 
My hometown: Leicester, UK
My fav shop: Topshop or Miss Selfridge (although you can't beat a bit of Primark!)
My fav artists: One Direction (I've been a 'directioner' since 2010 I'll have you know - oh god, cringe...), Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Coldplay
My fav drink: Tea 
My husband: Tom Daley (he's just in denial okay)
My fav item of clothing: My black leather jacket - it's so versatile! 
My fav place in the world: It's between London and New York
My fav celebrity fashion icon: Pixie Lott or Ashley Tisdale - I luurrrve their styles

Well I hope you stick around and check up on my future blog posts as there are plenty more to come. I'm going to try and give you an insight into my world of exploring fashion, beauty, celebrities, music and well, general life. I also hope you feel like you've gotten to know me a little! I'm excited to build upon this beautiful friendship that seems to be brewing between us :) har har...

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX