Preloved Books

It's no secret that I love books and reading. I have a whole wardrobe full of unread books and a kindle of books which I am also still yet to read. I guess you could say my reading obsession is just as bad as my beauty obsession! Whilst at a local village summer fayre this weekend they had a huge book sale where you could buy any of the books for 50p each or three books for £1! So after a good old rummage, and Tyler becoming increasingly impatient I finally stumbled on these six books and took them home with me to be loved further.

Firstly, I found the Lauren Conrad L.A series. I've been wanting to read these for ages but still couldn't justify around £6 a book for some trashy chick-lit, so £1 for all 3 was a bargain! Secondly, I found two Maeve Binchy books together, that I am yet to read. Maeve Binchy is my all-time favourite author and my aim is to one day have read all of her books, and so far I've read a fair few! Finally, a new Jodi Picoult book for me to endeavour. I enjoy Jodi Picoult, although after watching the film My Sisters Keeper, I don't think I could stomach that book, it's way too sad. However, I do like her books with a slight chilling twist to them and Songs of the Humpback Whale sounds just like my cup of tea! So again, another three books for £1!

I think I'm definitely going to start incorporating a lot more book type posts into my blog, so keep your eyes peeled for book reviews, favourite authors and a look into all the books on my shelf!

Blogging... How I Found My Inspiration

Source.

Now I wish my desk space looked just like this!

I realise I've been a bit AWOL recently when it's come to blogging, but truth be told I started to lose my blogging mojo, big time! Don't get me wrong, I still loved reading all the blog posts which I follow, I just lost my inspiration for writing my own posts. However, after a lot of time out and space to think I feel as though I've finally found my blogging enthusiasm again, and I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has stood by me and my blog and continues to read my posts and follow me with my journey that I'm making through out life. I know that there are a lot of posts out there like this, but for those who do suffer from a lack of inspiration from time to time I just want to share my tips on how I found my inspiration again.

1. Take some time out to do what you enjoy. Don't ever get too worked up and stressed about your blog posts, because at the end of the day, it's not worth it. To me, blogging is a hobby, and hobbys should be enjoyed, not feel stressful or feel as though it is something you must do. Once you start doing the things you love, you may find your post inspiration from that.

2. Don't feel as though you must stick to one genre for your blog. I wanted to predominantly be a beauty blog, but then I realised that it's actually really expensive to always be spending my money on beauty products just so I could write a beauty post. Again, post what interests you, even if it's art, politics or skin care, as long as you enjoy the content!

3. Have a diary just for your blog so that you can write lists and notes when post ideas come to you. I find this really handy and have recently reorganised my diary so that I can now look at it to refer to for post ideas.

4. Read other blogs, this really helps to give my some inspiration and reminded me during my time-out why I love blogging so much!

5. Tags are your bestfriend! If you are feeling so incredibly stuck for inspiration do a tag! There are so many different ones out there on the web, and I love to read a good tag, it allows me to get to know the blogger so much more.

6. Post when you want to post. Don't feel as though you much schedule lots of posts. If you want to and you have the time and motivation to do it, then do it. But don't under any circumstances must you feel as though you always have to schedule lots of posts for your blog. Blog when it is convenient to you!

So this is what I've been doing recently to get me back to enjoying posting, and I hope to be able to find lots of time to sit down and write all the posts that I have planned, my notebook is bursting! I hope this helps anyone who is also stuck in a blogging rut, like I have been!

Lifestyle | PreVent*, A Natural Insect Repellent

And on this miserable, dull, rainy day I have been reminiscing on my incredible time in Corfu, and although I love going on holiday, the thing I hate most is mosquito bites! I get absolutely bitten to shreds when I go away, so when I was given the chance to try PreVent a natural insect repellent I jumped at the chance!

PreVent Aerosol - £5.63, PreVent Cream - £7.25

PreVent is suitable for both adults and children due to the natural and friendly ingredients it uses, unlike other Insect Repellents, which use many chemicals. By using natural ingredients, PreVent is also low in toxicity which makes it perfect for those who have sensitive skin like myself, and it makes it equally good for the environment.

Each night on holiday I used the aerosol and sprayed it on my body to prevent being bitten. However, over the course of the week I ended up with just two bites, and they were two almighty huge bites! Yet two is still a lot better than 20! The bites which I did get were incredibly itchy and I needed to find some sort of relief from it. As I was just trying anything to make it stop I applied the PreVent cream to them and it actually relieved the itching, which makes it a bonus product in my eyes if it can prevent you from being bitten and relieves the itching on the occasions where you do get bitten!

PreVent lasts for up to 8 hours, and I can definitely say that it did last all through the night which is an ideal component when looking for an Insect Repellent. Although the products do seem rather small, I still have loads left after the holiday and shall be taking them with me on my next holiday in September.

PreVent is available in the form of aerosol, pump spray, cream and wipes. I'd be interested to try the wipes next as I can imagine them to be very soothing to any bites!

Have you tried PreVent?

Lifestyle | Hello Summer,

Two months later and I'm back with a post for you all!

I know I've been awfully quiet recently but with the end of the University year fast approaching I had so many deadlines to meet and essays to write, along with a lovely weeks holiday in Corfu. I'm not the sort of person to cope well under pressure either, so my life seems to go on hold whilst I do what I have to do in order to restore it back to normality. Today however, I submitted my last essay for the University Year and shall not return until October now. So that's plenty of time to work hard and save some money, along with regaining my life and social life back!

So this post isn't entirely boring, I'll show you a little of what I've been up to. I'm also thinking of doing a post on surviving your first year at uni, if you think it would be beneficial, let me know!

 Tyler and I one evening in Corfu.

 Our hotels pool and a slight show of our private beach.

 A beautiful sunset one evening.

I traded in my iPhone for the new Samsung Galaxy S5, you'll soon notice the photo quality change in this post!

 Tyler brought me Preston the Penguin for Easter!

The most amazing brownie from Harrods, look at the size of it!

 There is always some sort of funky street entertainment going on in London!

 It was my cousins 17th birthday, and my Auntie was having a throwback and going through all the old photos! I'm on the left, aged around 4.

 I've started the Juice Plus diet, and so far I'm 9lbs lighter!

I can't wait to get back to posting a lot more regularly, and I already have lots of posts planned! So watch this space!

In The Home | Canvas Design*

I was recently offered a great opportunity to review a Canvas from Canvas Dezign. As soon as I was contacted I immediately had an idea in my mind as to where I would put it and the sort of picture I wanted. However, I had no clue it would end up being so big! The Canvas which is displayed in my photos is 18"x24", however, there is a wide variety of sizes from you to choose from. You can also order your canvas in different styles such as portrait, landscape, square, panoramic and custom made canvases which I think is a great feature, as you can then really tailor your canvas to your photo. Along with the different sized canvases are the different prices for each size, which are the most reasonable I have ever seen, especially for the quality of the canvas. The smallest canvas which is a square 6"x6" retails at £7.99 and the largest square canvas, 40"x40" retails at £59.99. Prices for portrait and landscape canvases are cheaper.

I was also really impressed with the quality of my canvas as the original photo which I sent them was a photo of a photo using my iPhone 4, and the original is slightly pixelated. The actual canvas material is of great quality as they only use artistic 100% cotton canvas which is really thick and soft at the same time. Finally, it was my Mum who most impressed with this factor, (I don't really know about my woods!) the wood which they use for the canvas is a good quality pine, and I'm happy to say that all materials are sourced here in the UK too!

Once I sent off my picture for my canvas I was really impressed to learn that they have 48 hour delivery and for any order, it is always free, which is fantastic - especially for any last minute presents! Your canvas is then sent to you through a courier where you receive a text telling you the date it is going to be delivered and if no one is on that day, you can arrange for it to be delivered another day. On the day of delivery you are also sent a text in the morning with an hours time slot of when your canvas will arrive, which I think is a great feature and means I don't have to sit in all day waiting and can plan my day that bit better! Once I received the canvas I couldn't believe how well packaged it came in order to prevent any damage happening to it.

I was so impressed with the service from Canvas Dezign that I will definitely be using them again in the future and although the photo I have is of my Mum and I, I'm keeping it for myself, although I am contemplating getting her, her own one for Mothers Day, of one of her beautiful landscapes which she loves to capture, as with the quality of the canvas it will look utterly stunning.

For all my readers I have a 15% off code if you enter BLOG15 at the checkout when purchasing your canvas, perfect for any Mothers Day presents or even a treat for yourself! 

Lifestyle | Warning: This Is An Opinionated Post Against - Abortion In The UK

I don't usually write posts like this at all, but whilst scrolling through the Internet this morning I came across something which I feel very passionate about, and that I strongly believe that something needs to be done about it. This post is entirely my own opinions and something which I want to share, as I believe that in the UK the law which allows pregnant woman to abort their unborn child at 24 weeks is wrong on every level.

I came across this article about a young baby, named Walter Joshua Fretz. Walter made it to his 19th week before devastatingly being miscarried. He was a very much wanted and loved baby. There was no explanation to his death, except that it was just natural and of no fault.

As you can see from the photos that at 19 weeks, Walter was incredibly developed. Just think, that at 24 weeks Walter would have been even more developed and in fact, able to survive in this world if born prematurely. At 24 weeks a baby's tastebuds have developed. Their lungs are continuing to grow stronger, hair is starting to grow on the baby's skin and their eyelids are fully formed. They are even able to do things such as suck their thumbs as their brain continues to develop!

To me, this baby is already a living person yet a woman is able to make a choice on whether it continues to live or not, and these reasons could be from pure selfishness. Now don't get me wrong, I completely understand that in some cases abortion is needed where perhaps the pregnancy is the result of rape, a child under the age of 18, or the mother has a severe medical illness which could affect the baby and their development whilst in the womb. But I cannot agree and will not agree that a woman who has been carrying a baby for 24 weeks, six months, has the right to terminate her baby's life because 'it isn't convenient' for her or 'it was a mistake, a result of a one night stand.' This I cannot agree with. This is why I believe that it should be made legal to have an abortion at the latest, of around 9-12 weeks. Personally, I believe that's enough time to find out whether you are pregnant and make a decision. Not wait 6 months to decide.

In this present day there are more and more women who are unable to conceive and have a child of their own, who try desperately but are not fortunate enough. These women then go down the route of adoption. Just because you might not want your baby, there will always be someone else who will. Someone who will provide that baby with eternal love, support and care. Someone who will raise and love that baby as if they're their own. You've already carried the baby for 6 months, another 3 isn't going to hurt really, is it?

I know that not everyone will agree with me but after reading Walter's story and seeing how beautiful he is even after just 19 weeks of development, it makes me more passionate that abortion at 24 weeks is wrong and that something needs to be done about it. There will always be exceptions to abortion but I cannot stand it when a woman choose to abort her baby at such a late stage in her pregnancy due to her own selfish reasons, and I believe it's wrong. It's a living life and something needs to be done.

If you would like to read the full article about Walter then you can read it here

http://cultureshift.tumblr.com/post/54505134725/meet-walter-joshua-fretz-a-human-being

Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

The Birthday Post: What I Got For My Birthday.

Good afternoon lovelies! After a lovely birthday weekend I have come back down to earth! My birthday weekend has been one incredible weekend and I'm so thankful to all my family, friends and wonderful boyfriend who well and truly spoilt me. On Friday 10th January, I turned 20 years old which was kinda scary, there's no going back to being a teenager any more and responsibilities and adulthood seem to come hurling at me!

On the Friday my Mum and I went to Bicester Village which is a designer outlet and all the items in the shops are a lot cheaper than what they cost in the regular shops. Mum and I shopped and ate until our bodies hurt! In the evening my boyfriend, Tyler, took me to my favourite Chinese where we had a lovely meal and spent the rest of the evening together. Saturday was Tyler's Mums birthday and his family and I went to our local Cosmos restaurant. If you haven't been to a Cosmos near you, you NEED to! It's an all you can buffet with nearly 300 dishes including dessert! And it's all different types of cuisine from Chinese to your typical English Roast Dinner and Thai, it's incredible! Finally, on the Sunday, I had a large family meal at Prezzos followed by an open house for tea, wine and birthday cake in the evening! It literally was such an incredible weekend and I was also spoilt and showered in gifts!

Firstly, perfume, bath and body and girly bits! Everyone knows how much I love bath smellies so I wasn't short of any this birthday followed by my favourite perfume at the moment, the Lady Gaga Fame perfume which smells divine! Candles and nail polish are also a big hit with me. I'm basically just a lover of anything girly!

Miscellaneous presents included my favourite TV show cook book from The Great British Bake Off, I can't wait for the new series to start again in the summer after watching the Sport Relief episodes! Katie Piper is also one of my idols and I'm beginning to learn so much from her, especially when it comes to positivity.

My Mum chose well when she picked the gold chunky chain for me from Accessorize! I've never been one for watches, partially because I feel that they just don't suit my small wrists, however, I just fell in love with this one and my Granny brought it for me.

Clothes are always essential at any birthday or Christmas!

The remainder of the Alcohol left! I can't wait to try the cocktails! When I'm out I'm not really adventurous with trying new cocktails as I feel as though if I don't like it I've wasted that money - I can be quite tight, haha!

Whilst shopping I treated myself to a gorgeous Ted Baker purse and Vivienne Westwood bracelet which I couldn't resist, I think we all need a little bit of something special in our lives!

Other presents which I didn't photograph were things like money and vouchers. There were also presents which I couldn't photograph such as Tyler surprised me with a trip to London to go one the London Eye, followed by the London Zoo and lastly a stop off at the Ice Bar, all things which I've talked about in the past and said I wanted to do, and it shall all be taking place this coming Saturday, I'm so excited, it feels like it'll be my birthday all over again! And finally, my Dad and Step Mum have paid to put Tyler and I up in the Marriot Hotel by Gatwick airport the night before we fly to Corfu as our flight is at 6 o'clock in the morning we were worrying about what to do and the costs of it all. Teamed up with my Mum there's also dinner and breakfast too! Which is hugely generous of them all. In fact all my friends and family have been so generous, I actually can't believe how lucky I am to be surrounded by such lovely people in my life and hopefully I'll have many more birthdays to celebrate with them all!

I'M 20! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

GOOD MORNING LOVELIES! Today I'm up bright and early and in the best mood ever because today is my birthday! I love celebrating birthdays and today I'm off to Bicester Village with my Mum to do some shopping followed by being taken out to dinner by my boyfriend in the evening at my favourite Chinese restaurant! Such a lucky girl! The whole weekend is filled with celebrations and I can't wait! Although I'm not sure how I feel about the being 20 bit! Now there's no return to being a teenager!

I'll be back to posting again after the weekend and may even do a post on my birthday and maybe even a 'what I got for my birthday' post if you'd like to see one?

Hope you all have a brilliant weekend!

Lifestyle | What I Got For Christmas

This post isn't a post about me bragging about what I received for Christmas, because to be honest, I found the generosity of my family, boyfriend and friends slightly overwhelming! No, I am writing this post because I enjoy reading others posts on what they received for Christmas or even birthdays, and I know I'm not the only one!

I received lots of lovely girly bits and pieces for my room. It's currently in the process of having new licks of paint on it and a few new bits of furniture, but I take so much pride in how my room looks and I'm always looking for more bits and pieces to make it look even more beautiful. The Katie Piper books were one of my favourites, I love Katie, and she truly is my inspiration. I think I may do posts on these especially the Start Your Day With Katie, I'm gaining my own positivity from her little quotes each day. And I've fallen head over heels for my onesie. It's from Next, and so incredibly soft, Mum couldn't resist getting it for me!

 

Again, I was a lucky girl and got the Kindle Paperwhite. I'd had the original kindle for just over a year before the screen broke, and I'm lucky enough to get a new one this Christmas, and I can't believe just how much better the Paperwhite is to the original. It means no more reading in bed and falling asleep with the light on! And of course, no Christmas is complete without lots of bath smellies!

 

The Soap and Glory Yule Tide Monty set was a favourite this year, I now have even more to add to my collection! Somehow Mum always manages to source pretty undies sets for Christmas which I love to bits. But it's always a bit awkward opening up a set of silk lacy underwear in front of your boyfriend and then the rest of your family, I think they knew what he was thinking just from the look on his face! The above picture are the presents which my gorgeous boyfriend spoiled me with. He has truly been incredible this year and I can't believe how lucky I was. The ring also came as a bit of a surprise as I had given many hints to which he said there was no way I was getting it on this earth. So after everyone had opened their presents he then finally presented me with it. There was a slight heart stopping moment where I did think he was going to propose, and so did the rest of my family! Haha.

Sadly, it's really hard to get a good picture of just how beautiful the ring is, it's silver with a diamond set in gold, and I absolutely love it and haven't stopped wearing it since!

Even now, reminiscing over Christmas I'm almost having to stop myself from welling up! Christmas 2013 has just been breathtaking. I spent the day with all my loved ones including my family, and Tyler's family. I ate tonnes of incredible food, although I didn't get merry due to being a responsible driver! Now more than ever so, I am incredibly grateful and in love with all the wonderful people in my life!

What did you get for Christmas?!

Lifestyle | 2014

Image taken from WeHeartIt

For those of you reading this post I want to wish you a very Happy New Year and welcome back to Glitter and Sparkle for 2014. Honestly, just where did 2013 go? I know towards to end of the year I stopped blogging quite a lot but that was due to starting university and settling into a new routine and also, technology has seriously been failing on me recently when it comes to my Laptop and the internet! However, I'm back and I have lots planned!

2013 was a brilliant year for me which at the beginning of the year saw me turn 19 and be whisked away for a lovely weekend in Paris by my boyfriend. Throughout the year I accomplished many things such as passing my driving test, doing well at college and receiving an A*AA in my college course which then led to me starting University in Oxford which has been the highlight of my year and most probably one of the best things I have ever done as I've met the best people and friends ever through it. I've also fallen head over heels in love with my course and can't wait to become a primary school teacher! All in all I've had such great year in 2013 and have had so much fun and made so many incredible memories. There's also so much to look forward to for 2014 starting with my 20th birthday next week and celebrating our two year anniversary with Tyler. How exciting?!

I'm not going to set any goals for 2014 other than to remain always happy and positive!

Hope you all had a good Christmas and new year, a late What I Got for Christmas post will be coming soon!

Just a quick photo of Tyler and I just after midnight on New Years Eve!

In The Home | Primark Candles

Now, I am such a sucker for a pretty or amazing smelling candle. If they look nice I'll buy them and if they smell nice I'll buy them. I'm now always buying candles! Last Christmas Primark came up top trumps for me with their candles, especially in the scent Sweet Champagne which I blogged about. That has been my all-time favourite scent and candle, and only now is it just running out on me, I just can't seem to let it go!

However, on a recent trip to Primark, I fell in love with two new candles. A three wick round tin candle in Juicy Blueberry & Blossom, which has a very similar design packaging to Sweet Champagne from last year, and Lime & Sandalwood, which is in a glass jar. However, both candles come in jars, three wick tins, pillars and tea lights.

Now, lets talk about scent. The Juicy Blueberry & Blossom is a lot more sweet and fruity than it is floral. However, this isn't too overpowering when burning the candle, and I find that it creates a nice light aroma and is perfect for burning during the day. Lime & Sandalwood I prefer to burn during the evening as it has a more musky scent, yet still rather refreshing. It really reminds me of one of my boyfriends shower gels, when he's just gotten out the shower and smells all warm and fresh. That might sound crazy, but that's what it reminds me of!

The candles in the jar retail at £2.00 which is an utter bargain, especially when they have a burn time of 30 hours. Personally, it's this which I find so irresistible about Primark candles when on shopping trips, their price tag, good range of scents and the time they burn for. The tinned candles retail at £3.50 and burn for 20 hours. Now I'm not too sure why they're more expensive when they don't burn for long but they're still so incredibly cheap!

Also in the range for the Primark candles are Vanilla & Coconut Creme and Sweet Berries & Patchouli, which are both equally as nice, it's just that these two were my ultimate favourites! With Christmas just around the corner Primark are sure to be releasing a Christmas range and I cannot wait for it!

Have you tried Candles from Primark before?!

Lifestyle | Dear Younger Me..

Today's September Beauty Blog Challenge is a letter to your younger self, and I have plenty of things I wish an older me and told and taught me.

Picture taken aged 15, nearly 16!
Dear Younger Me,
There are so many things which I want to tell you or that at the time, an older me had told you because it would have saved you from going through so much.
Firstly, I want to tell you that nothing is ever the end of the world, the bullies, our dad, everything we went through together was never the end of the world. Right now, everything is perfect and we are so happy. Please remember lots of things..
1. Boys are not everything in the past five years the boys which you've been with are definitely not worth the tears, energy and effort which you put everything into to either not receive it back or to be utterly used. In the future you will meet a boy who makes you the happiest girl in the world, who shows you what it's really like to be loved and who you hope to share your life with one day.
2. Family is everything. No matter how annoying you may find them, our family is a close one and will always be there for one another and one day you'll need them and even though you think you don't they will be there despite all you put them through and they will forgive and love you unconditionally, they are the best family, make sure you always have time for them.
3. Don't you ever, ever let those bullies get to you. Don't give them the satisfaction of your tears or unhappiness. If only you could see how great your life now is and how there's is far from perfect. It's very cliche, but one is now just a Tesco Shelf Stacker. Always hold your head high and know that you are better than them, inside and out. You'll soon meet the best friend you've ever had and you won't even give them a second thought.
4. Don't worry about how 'fat' you are because you're not! Learn to accept and embrace the fact that we are curvy, we can still be slim, we just have perfect child bearing hips! And even if you're not stick thin, you can still wear the latest fashions. Just learn to wear what suits you, and what you feel confident in.
5. There are endless opportunities and we can do it! I know that we were dead set against education, hated it and couldn't wait to get out of it. We didn't believe we would ever do well or get anywhere, but you better believe we can do it because we did, and we're off to University in a few weeks! Always have hope and believe in yourself.
Love,
Your Older, A Little Bit Wiser, Me.

I could ramble on for ages about what I wish I could say to my younger self but we'd be here for ages, so that's just a little snippet and insight to what I wish I could have told myself!

What do you wish you could tell your younger self?!