School's Out! Now What?

Since the start of September last year, all I've had to look forward to are uni assignments piled on top of uni assignments - until 3 weeks ago that is. I handed in my last 3,000 word essay and I was set free to enter a 4 month long summer with no uni stress in sight. I jumped straight into it and spent a week in Cornwall with my uni pals to celebrate and had the time of my life attempting to surf (very badly), having a spa day and drinking many glasses of prosecco at a beach BBQ. It was just what I needed.

However, now back in my hometown of Leicester and having caught up with old friends and seen all the distant family members, I'm sort of stuck in a rut. It's like you fantasise for so long throughout the year what you're going to get up to in the holidays, but in reality it never turns out the magical, sugar-coated way you think. 

I'm struggling to find a summer job as most companies want permanent candidates and work experience opportunities seem to be all booked up. The weather's on and off and so are my friends as they're busy a lot of the time with their own going-ons in life. I'm a single (independent) woman, so it's not like I can drag a poor lad around with me to do activities here and there. So, I reckon in-between the job hunting, I'm just going to spend most of my days lying on the sofa with my cat completing marathons of Gossip Girl. Sigh?

But this had me thinking. This happens almost every time I'm looking forward to time off for a long period. Even over the 3 week breaks around Christmas or half terms back in my days of school, the big expectations of time off always lead to a bit of disappointment - well, most of the time. Maybe it's time that I start living more in the moment of life and instead of wishing time along all the while, I should just be thankful that I'm busy sometimes and achieving things in life. I should be thankful that I have friends that want me to go on a night out with them even though I have a 9am lecture the next morning with an in-class test the day after that I need to revise for. I should just take a few days out of my life right now to binge-watch some Netflix as what harm is that going to do? I'll soon be in a full-time job, looking back at my life in 10 years thinking, "God, I wish I could spend a week on the sofa watching lie detector results on Jeremy Kyle" or "God, I wish I could go and get slaughtered in Oceana tonight even though it's a Wednesday."

You've got to take life as it comes, be spontaneous and just enjoy whatever stage you're at in your years on this planet. Plan fun things to keep you active but bugger it and take out some well deserved 'me' time to find out who the hell Gossip Girl is once and for all! You'll soon be back to those 3,000 word essays in September...

Hannah x

Twitter? @hannahgriffX      

Instagram? @hannahgriffX

My University Experience - Year 2

Okay, so I've been horrifically bad at keeping up with my blog since being back at uni after a long summer. All I can say is, second year of uni is a lot more hectic compared to your first. I'm finally out of halls - woohoo! I loved the place and atmosphere for the first semester but my gosh that room gets lonely and the kitchen parties get way, way louder and unbearable when you've got an important 9am lecture the next morning. I now share a house on a student estate with three of my best friends I made in halls - all girls, thank Lord. Although, the amount of mess we make throughout the house could give some lads a run for their money.

I have the smallest room in the house but with heating bills being through the roof and us  resulting in having to walk around dressed like we're entering the Arctic, it's actually pretty cosy. We can now make dinner together in our kitchen and move through to the lounge to have snug nights in watching the TV in a more relaxed, homely environment.

Although a night out once a week has to occur to destress, the partying has been reeled in a lot more compared to first year as my life has started to increasingly revolve around my studies. Unlike before, second year counts! 30% of my final grade to be exact, eek. I love my course though, Magazine Journalism & Feature Writing, and we're now allowed to be way more creative in our units. We're currently being put into a real life situation of having to produce a whole new concept for a magazine with job assigned roles. My dream is to end up working for a thriving magazine which I'll wake up every morning to and be excited to get to work and start being creative, so this challenge is perfect for me.

I'm half way through my entire university experience and that scares the hell outta me! I've never had a plan for life, but I'd be working towards getting to university during my whole time in education and now that part is starting to come to an end, I have no idea where to start in the real world. Everyone I've spoken to, whether it be at my uni or someone else I know who goes to a different uni, is totally in the same boat and I think it's okay to be nervous for what's to come. Things always pan out in the end and I'm excited to see what happens.

My advice for anyone currently at university or who is thinking of starting soon; enjoy every moment! Even through the most stressful times of the semesters. We're all going to look back and realise that uni was one of the most amazing periods of our lives. I've grown up ridiculously in such a short space of time, I've made friends for life, I'm creating memories I'll keep with me forever and I'm gaining a huge deal of knowledge which I hope to take through a future career with me.

I haven't forked out £27,000 for nothing! And I for one am going to give the remaining year and a half everything I've got… even on nights out to Oceana (definitely where the best memories are made).

Hannah x

Twitter? @hannahgriffX      

Instagram? @hannahgriffX

KIKO Make Up Milano Haul

I recently got back from holiday in beautiful Tuscany in Italy and unsurprisingly went on many shopping trips across the towns and cities of Lucca, Florence and Viareggio. I've been to this part of the world for the past three years now and fell in love with the make up store KIKO. They have lovely products for such affordable prices - and this year I splurged out a little.

Here's a link to the KIKO Cosmetics website: http://www.kikocosmetics.co.uk
Unfortunately, there aren't any stores in the UK but I believe they do ship worldwide. Definitely worth checking out the website!

KIKO Ultra Glossy Stylo Lipsticks 
RRP. €4.90 each

Shades 803 (left) and 804 (right). 
I am just in love with these lipsticks. They are so creamy and moisturising and although they aren't ridiculously pigmented, I like this as you can build the colour up to just how you want it. I've previously used up a whole 803 and am so happy to have a new one! It's the perfect everyday pink. I also picked up 804 as I loved the rosy/red tone of it and can't wait to try it out on a going-out look.
  

KIKO Creamy Lipgloss
RRP. €6.90

Shade 102.
I'm really loving stick lip balms lately after going through a phase with Clinique's chubby sticks (my fav being a lovely nude - No.9 Heaping Hazelnut), so was dying to give KIKO's creamy lip glosses a try. I picked this nudey-pink shade in 102 although for some reason the photo makes it look like it has more orangey tones. After one go I can reveal that it's a gorgeous colour that I feel will go with many looks. It's also very moisturising although similar to the lipsticks, they're not that pigmented.

KIKO Soft Touch Blush
RRP. €7.50

Shade 108.
As you can probably tell from the photo, I haven't used this blusher just yet but I am dying to! I don't own a peachy shade so grabbed this one to give it a go. As I have a nice tan at the minute, I feel that this shade will look lovely with bronzed skin and blend really nicely with contour.

KIKO Gel Look Ultra Glossy Effect Top Coat

RRP. €3.50

I've been going to professional nail bars to have acrylics on my nails for around two years now. I've never had naturally long nails so don't really mind too much that my nails are basically ruined thanks to having them done so often. I always have clear tips put on so that I can pick colours and reapply different ones if I get bored over the weeks between getting infills. The only thing, however, is that I can never manage to get a really nice finish to them with the top coats I usually use. It's as if the nail bars use some sort of magical top coat to make them look so immaculate AND long lasting! I discovered this product as I was rummaging around the stalls and had to give it a go. The idea of a 'gel look' will hopefully make my nails look (as it says on the tin) 'ultra glossy'… so fingers crossed and I'll get back to you on that one!

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

Thierry Mugler Alien Eau de Parfum: Review

Now when it comes to perfumes, and the majority of things in life, I can be quite picky. My mum would always want to buy me a nice new scent for my birthday or Christmas but when she took me around Boots to test out the latest ones, I'd always come out empty handed about 5 hours later. Yep, I'm that annoying. But one day a few years ago, I was flicking through a magazine and couldn't resist giving the tester of Thierry Mugler's Alien a smell. It's an odd name but the photo of the bottle looked intriguing and I love the colour purple (you can probably tell that from my Blog's colour scheme). The smell instantly took me to nights out with friends and elaborate events or dinners. There's just something so evening-y and glamorous about it. I'm awful at describing smells but I found a description that reads it as "a rich floral woody amber containing jasmine sambac, cashmeran wood and white amber". "Inspired by an amethyst it symbolises calm and serenity. Distinctive and mysterious, yet comforting and soft, Alien by Thierry Mugler conveys passion, sensuality and the essence of absolute femininity." And I believe that this is totally accurate. I definitely recommend this scent to anyone who enjoys going out a lot or who is looking for an elegant fragrance to add a spritz of glamorous confidence. I've used up a few bottles over the past few years and I just can't stop myself from going back to it! The high end price is also well worth it. 

30ml bottle RRP. £47.50

60ml bottle RRP. £66.50

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

MTV VMAs 2014 Red Carpet: Best Dressed!

If you were scrolling through Twitter last night I'm sure you were engulfed in loads of spoiler images from this year's MTV Video Music Awards - probably the most crazy iconic music awards out there. Over the years the VMAs have seen Beyonce reveal her pregnancy with Blue Ivy, a surprise come back of NSYNC, mouth dropping performances from the likes of Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga and even Madonna and Britney having a smooch! All the top celebs end up attending this award show, so unsurprisingly the red carpet is usually filled with outfits to die for and this year was no different. I've managed to whittle down my favourites of the bunch to just 5 but I must say it was a struggle.

MY TOP 5 BEST DRESSED

#1. Miley Cyrus 

Now I was surprised when I saw these photos of Miley emerging on Twitter as she looks so sophisticated - such a transformation from last year's VMAs! This leather look is stunning. Head to toe, Miley has got it so right. I want those high wasted trousers!!

#2. Victoria Justice  

This look may not be to everyone's taste but as soon as I saw Victoria I instantly loved it! The simple white bandeau teamed with the ruffled mini/train skirt is so sexy and fierce and of course I'd imagine the Hashtag clutch will be a marmite piece but I LOVE it. The pop of colour is fab and I'm loving these statement worded clutches lately.

#3. Nicki Minaj

Nicki's new toned down look of 2014 at red carpet events has been totally on point and her VMAs appearance proved to be no different. This long sleeved tailored snake print dress teamed with nude heels and glamorous waves was the perfect look for this event as she looks incredible.

#4. Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian West and Kylie Jenner 

Okay, so I cheated here and put 3 into 1 but just how great do they look together?! I'm in lust with all 3 outfits. Kendall looks so effortlessly glam in her black jumpsuit look with her simple clutch, Kylie's looking super grown up and gothic in her silky black gown what with a hint of a revealing Angelina Jolie inspired leg and Kim looks hot as hell in this Balmain plunge tapestry dress - such gorgeous detailing!

#5. Rita Ora 

This silky gown just oozes sexiness! Rita looks stunning as this piece reveals just the right amount of flesh with an open back and cheeky slit at the front. The matching red lips and silver jewellery brings the look together perfectly. She's representing us Brits down to the ground (literally) with this super glam royal red look.

So what did you think of the red carpet outfits? Did your favs of the night not come up in my top 5? Or do you completely disagree with my choices? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Hannah

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

Real Techniques Base Brushes

Yes, okay, I know what you're thinking, I'm a little late on the Real Techniques bandwagon but you know what? I finally took the plunge to buy them after seeing constant raving from beauty bloggers and vloggers and am extremely annoyed with myself that I didn't get my hands on them sooner. I thought I would do a review on 4 of their base brushes especially for people who were like me and eager to try but could just never properly pick up that packaging and pop it in the basket - I'm going to crack into your conscience and become the devil on your shoulder influencing you to splurge out on these beauties muahahar.

Now, seriously, I must admit I was late to the art of having a good set of make up brushes and convinced myself for years that it was just the make up that did the magic, not the brushes… But oh how I was wrong! Ever since I've been using these base brushes I feel that my make up has been blended in immaculately better than any sponge or fingers could ever do. I've realised that yes okay good make up brushes are on the pricey side but they are the best investments to improve the quality of your make up and that you can build up your collection slowly over the months and watch it happen. (I'm currently holding on to buy the blush brush and starter kit set).

But here's to the reviewing:

1. Pointed foundation brush 

As it gives away in its name, this brush is advised to be used as a foundation brush, but I usually use this one to blend in my concealer. I think it works so much better on the little areas of my face such as my under eye and around my nose. The point makes detailing of concealer a lot easier and is nicely soft on my skin. It's definitely a brush that has stopped me from using sponges!

2. Buffing brush (foundation)

I was a bit of a plonker once I bought the buffing brush as I thought it could only really be used to add powder onto your face. As good as it does work well with powder, I soon realised it is incentively used for blending in foundation - and how it blends incredibly! This is probably my favourite brush of them all as it works magic with your foundation. It's big enough to not take too much time to blend in all of your foundation yet just the right size to precisely brush it into all areas of your face. 

3. Contour brush

This contour brush is a good'n. I've been using it for a while now and am always delighted with the results! It's a lovely size and the tip is nice and firm which helps to properly define your cheek bones with great precision. I also use this brush when using highlighter on my cheeks too and I don't see why you couldn't use it to pop a bit of blusher on either.

4. Powder brush

The powder brush is so so so so fab. It is the only brush out of the four that is sold separately and would definitely recommend it if you're looking to buy your first Real Techniques brush. Its brush tip is huge. You only need to dab it in a relatively small amount of powder and after two seconds of using it you're done! AND it's done a great job. The bristles are beautifully soft. The best powder brush I've ever used and I don't think I'll ever feel the need to invest in different one.


I hope this helped anyone who's looking into purchasing some of the Real Techniques brushes or I hope you agree with me if you already have them. Are there any more of the Real Techniques brushes I'm missing out on?

Hannah 

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX

June/July Favourites 2014

So I've been meaning to do a lot more product reviews on my blog for a while now and thought what better time than the present! I've managed to whittle down my favourite things of June and July (since we're already halfway through) to share with you guys. Here's what I've been lovin':

1. BARRY M GELLY HI-SHINE NAIL PAINTS / £3.99

Now I believe that you just can't beat a bit of Barry M. Their nail polishes are probably the best out there in the drugstores and their range of colours is unreal. I've particularly been loving their Gelly Hi-Shine products due to their gorgeous spring/summer colours and the fact that they are super shiny! You only need to do two coats for a full opaque look and I hardly ever need to go over the top of them due to chips or fading after long-wear. The colours I've particularly loving throughout June and July are GREENBERRY, BLUEBERRY and PAPAYA. 

2. GARNIER ULTIMATE BLENDS THE SLEEK PERFECTOR OIL / £.9.99 (£6.66 in Boots atm!)

This stuff is life changing. No joke! I've been suffering with dry hair during spring with the weather getting a lot more hot and humid and me being a dingbat and overly using my straighteners to try and contain the frizz. I was searching for ages for a product to make my hair look less dead and finally got recommended this by a friend. I don't think I could ever repay her as after a few days of using two squirts on the ends of my hair once I had towel dried it, my hair has finally bounced back to life. It's made my hair so soft and shiny and smells incredible since it's made up of coconut oil - so summery! It's also a heat defence which is even more perfect. I'd definitely recommend it if you need a shine boost to your hair.

3. DOVE STYLE & CARE HEAT PROTECT SPRAY / £4.49 (£3.06 in Boots atm!)

My go-to heat protector spray for years has been TRESemmé's Heat Defence Styling Spray (rrp. £4.99) but due to my hair breakage I wanted something that I could spray on my hair when dry as well as wet. I discovered this little beauty and it is really nice. It has the most gorgeous scent and I can use it on dry hair just before I'm about to use straighteners on it for that extra protection. It's not too heavy on the hair either which makes my hair feel really smooth rather than just wet.

4. THE BODY SHOP

I was a major Body Shop lover when I was younger but I seemed to have abandoned it over the past few years. I took a trip into the Southampton store while I was fishing around for Mother's Day presents a few months ago and my love for the store has been rekindled! I bought my mum a lovely scented Mandarin & Tangelo Reed Diffuser (rrp. £15.00) but the following week I made a trip to buy myself some little bits and came back with their PEPPERMINT COOLING FOOT LOTION (rrp. £8.00), MANGO BODY BUTTER (rrp. £13.00) and WATERMELON BORN LIPPY POT LIP BALM (rrp. £2.00). The Cooling Foot Lotion is so good for summer and keeping up with moisturising my tootsies and avoiding any dry skin. The scent is also gorge and refreshing. The Mango Body Butter has been a favourite of mine for years! It smells like heaven and is the most lovely feeling moisturiser. I always use it before I go out for a special event just to make myself feel extra groomed. And finally the my amazing smelling Watermelon Lip Balm. I used to use this when I was younger and used to go through pots and pots of it, and now I'm back on the hype! I've been loving it over the past few months, just because it's made me all nostalgic and it's the perfect summer scent and hint of colour. 

5. MAX FACTOR FACE FINITY ALL DAY FLAWLESS 3in1 FOUNDATION / £11.99

I'm quite fussy when it comes to foundations as it takes me ages to finally decide to try out a new brand/product. I have previously been using Rimmel London's Wake Me Up Foundation (rrp. 8.99) and it's never let me down but I finally decided to branch out and picked up this Max Factor one. I was drawn to it as it claimed that it was a primer, concealer and foundation all in one so I knew it was going t have a great coverage - and so it did. It's such a lovely consistency which glides onto your skin and manages to stay on for hours on end. It isn't too dewy either, which is perfect for summer as it's a lot more common to get an oily face being out in the sun. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking to switch foundations as it does exactly what it says on the tin and is a great price compared to almost identical higher end products out there.

6. RIMMEL LONDON APOCALIPS LIP LACQUER in CELESTIAL / £6.49

I know I'm a little late to be hyping about these but I am loving this shade at the moment. I bought it at the end of last year but would always forget about it - how stupid was I! These Lip Lacquers are so so good. They are such a lovely consistency, incredibly moisturising and surprisingly long lasting! They come in such a wide range of shades but Celestial is definitely my favourite for a spring/summer look. Your lips look so rich in colour with the added gorgeous satin smooth shine. They're also easy to apply on the go.

7. SKORTS

So the weather's getting warmer and there's only so long that you can survive in the heat without getting your pins out. I'm very self conscious about this in the summer but when it hits 27/28 degrees over here in the UK you just can't hide behind your black Topshop jeans for the whole day. Skorts are just perfect for complimenting legs and I've really been loving wearing these in the past few months and I will be taking many with me on holiday! I feel that they're the perfect item to go from day to night as I've also been teaming them together with tops and heels for nights out on the town. One skort I've recently bought is this beautifully floral printed one from New Look (CLICK HERE TO VIEW) (rrp. £17.99) I think New Look are great for skorts as they're so reasonably priced and well made. Also check out Primark too as I managed to pick up a couple from there for £10.00 each and they were a lovely quality.

8. TOPSHOP SALE

It's that time of the year - SUMMER SALES! And one sale I never fail to get involved with is the Topshop sale. This season's sale has not let me down and the discounts were really impressive. I managed to pick up these sandal like shoes which were originally £58.00 down to £30.00 and with my added student discount they were even less. I managed to snap them up asap and am so glad I did. I can't take them off. Although they did give me blisters the first time of wearing them (but hey, what new shoes don't?) I got past that and love teaming them up with summery outfits and black accessories. They're so well made being Topshop and I would definitely recommend checking out the shoes in the Topshop sale just because they're such a good investment for their quality and yes they can be quite pricey at full price but with the sale discounts they're definitely worth it.

9. KIM KARDASHIAN HOLLYWOOD APP GAME

Now like just about everyone else on the planet, I am obsessed with the Kardashians. I think I've just about watched every episode and I may have shed a tear that time that my brother deleted a new episode off of our Sky+ Record Planner when I hadn't watched it yet, so when I saw that Kim was releasing an app game I was all over it. I'd probably say I'm borderline addicted also as I haven't managed to put my phone down for the past few weeks since it's been released and have gone from an E lister to a B lister celeb in no time at all! I'd definitely recommend it to any Kardashian lovers and also to anyone who loves the glam world of celebs. The only annoying thing is waiting for your energy to load back up again to get your tasks done! 


So that's what I've been loving throughout the months of June and July. Are there any products you've been obsessing over? Have I persuaded you to give any of mine a go? Apologies to your bank card if so!

Hannah 

♥

    Twitter? @hannahgriffX      Instagram? @hannahgriffX