Wednesday 25 October 2017

My Top 10 Halloween Movies

Hey Guys!

It's Halloween in less than a week and as I was scrolling through my Twitter it appears everyone is really excited for the occasion this year! Like very excited! So I wanted to share with you guys my favourite Halloween themed movies and what I hope to be binge watching next week on my days off from uni! 

#1 The Nightmare Before Christmas


I feel like The Nightmare Before Christmas is such a classic when it comes to Halloween themed movies! At school we would always watch it around the end of term time (In England we have a school holiday around Halloween) and it always used to be on the TV. I hope it will be on this Halloween so my housemates and I can watch it. I love that it involves Christmas as well, gets me all excited haha! 

#2 Halloween (The Original)


I swear this is on every Halloween movie list so you probably won't be surprised to find it on mine, but it is a movie everyone should see! I didn't find it that scary because it was made quite a while ago and since then there are films out that have more jumpy scenes and CGI but it is still a good movie and based on Halloween. They did make more movies after this one but I find this one is better compared to the rest :)

#3 The Addams Family


What a classic! If you haven't seen The Addams Family you have to go see it now! It is one that my mum showed me when I was younger and it is so funny! It isn't scary at all but it is very dark, silly and weird. It is just perfect for Halloween as it is supernatural and weird, and if you need Halloween inspiration you could always dress up as Wednesday Addams or the mother Morticia Addams!

#4 Woman In Black


Considering this was a certified 12 movie I could not cope when I saw this in the cinema! I have never been so scared and for weeks later I refused to sleep without the light on or go into any corridor without the light on. This movie should have been a 15 like the second one! I think it is so scary because of how jumpy the film is, like when she comes out from nowhere and her face is terrifying! I hate how her face is all broken up and she wears all black and a veil. This is not a film for the light-hearted! 

#5 Scream


I remember the first time my mum allowed me to watch Scream and in the end we watched it together. It is honestly one of the best classic horror movies that everyone should see! But I do recommend watching Scream before you see any of the parodies like Scary Movie because I watched Scary Movie before seeing this movie and I could not take it seriously. It was suppose to be a really scary and jumpy film but because I had seen the parody I didn't find it scary!

#6 Corpse Bride


I remember when I first saw this movie and I ordered it on DVD straight away so I could binge watch it for about a week! I love nearly all of Tim Burton's films as they are just so out there and bizarre! Which is one of the reasons I love this film. It is so creepy and bizarre for a children's movie but it is also fun and even at 19 now I can't resist watching it!

 #7 Twitches


These twins were so fun and silly in the Twitches movies! I remember being a kid watching Disney channel and getting to watch this movie every Halloween. I remember one Halloween my mum even tape recorded the movie so I could watch it whenever I wanted! I always wished I had the powers they wanted and the ability to draw, as a kid at Halloween I would pretend I was them haha! 

 #8 Return To Halloween Town


If you had Disney channel as a kid you were in for a treat. At Halloween both Twitches and The Return to Halloween Town would come on and they were so good! They still are! They are classic childhood Halloween movies when you weren't allowed to actually watch horror movies (even though me and my friends still watched horror movies without our parents knowing). They were so silly and fun  

#9 The Conjuring 2


The Conjuring 2 is so much more creepy and jumpy than the first one! Don't get me wrong the first one is really creepy and scary too but this one just had an edge. The Demon Nun was absolutely terrifying to the point where I couldn't watch the film again for a long time just so I could get a good night sleep. It's the perfect film for Halloween as it involves a demon and its supposedly a true story that actual took place here in London, England. 

#10 Insidious 2


I chose the second movie out of the trio because this is the one that scared me and my housemates the most. We decided to watch the trilogy last year and I find the other two are just creepy, they don't actually scare me that must, whereas the second film actually made me scared to sleep that night! Compared to the first one it is way more creepy and much more jumpy!

What is your favourite Halloween movie to watch?

Let me know in the comments below!

See you on Sunday my lovelies!  

Amy xx

Sunday 22 October 2017

My DIY Halloween Outfit and Make Up

Hey Guys!

As I'm a university student we are expected to dress up for a lot of occasions and one of those occasions does happen to be Halloween. Last year I wasn't really bothered about going out or really celebrating Halloween, but this year I'm trying to make the most of the festive occasion! Halloween is very soon and I got invited to a Halloween birthday themed party: SPOOKFEST! So, I wanted to share with you guys a simple DIY Halloween outfit that you can put together with clothes and accessories from your own wardrobe and also a very simple make up look. I'm no make up artist and pretty terrible with make up so I went for something very easy and simple!

Outfit


Crop Top: Primark
Skirt: BHS
Socks: Primark
Boots: River Island
Choker: Primark
Hoop Earrings: Borrowed

I went as a classic vampire for this Halloween themed birthday party as I didn't have time to go out and buy a costume, also being a student means funds can be quite limited as well so you have to end up working with what you've already got. I could of easily been Veronica from Riverdale as well so these pieces can easily be mixed with other items to appear as another character. All the items I wore were from my wardrobe and I only needed to borrow some silver hoop earrings from my friend and my outfit was complete. If you don't have any of these pieces you can always go to Primark or a thrift shop. There are so many characters and people you can dress up as for Halloween, people at the party were Bananas in Pyjamas, Batman, Ned Flanders, a mermaid, a nurse etc! 

Make Up



Primer: Rimmel London Fix & Perfect Pro Multi Action Make Up Primer | 002
Foundation: Bourjois Paris Healthy Mix Fond De Teint Anti-Fatigue Foundation | No. 52 Vanilla
Concealer: Rimmel London Wake Me Up Anti Fatigue Effect + Radiant Glow Concealer | 020 True Ivory
Powder: Rimmel London Stay Matte Pressed Powder | 003 Peach Glow 
Eyebrow Pencil: Rimmel London Professional Eyebrow Pencil | 002 Hazel
Eye Shadow: SEVENTEEN Easy On The Eye | The Big Smoke

 For my eye shadow I wanted to create a very dark bold eye to compliment the bold red lips. I put Warm Ivory all over my eye lids to create a plain base, I then took Slate Grey and placed it around the inner crease of my eye and on 2/3 of my eyelid as a base to put my creme silver eye shadow on the top. I then took Wild Khaki and with a small angled brush I placed it in the outer corner of my eye and swept it inwards towards where I'd placed Slate Grey. Getting a blending brush I then buffed it out as it is quite a dark shade and buffed it towards my brow bone and outwards where I would later apply my eyeliner wing. After buffing it out and both Slate Grey and Wild Khaki were combined I then took Cool Aluminium, a very silver creme eye shadow, and with my middle finger I dabbed it on top of Slate Grey all the way towards the inner crease of my eye, avoiding my outer crease where I had just buffed out Wild Khaki. Getting a small eye shadow brush that comes in the palette I then took some more of Cool Aluminium and  tapped some more around the middle of my eye and the corners. I then placed some of Wild Khaki on my water line, joining it with some Cool Aluminium so it reflected my actual eye lid. Then I applied my eyeliner. 

Eyeliner: Natural Collection Eye Liner 
Mascara: Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Reloaded | 001 Black 
Contour/Bronze: Maybelline New York Contour Palette | 01 Light Medium
Blush: Bourjois Paris Blush | 33 Golden Lilac
Lip Stick: Rimmel London Moisture Renew | 500 Diva Red
Highlighter: Soap & Glory The Perfect Ten Shadow Palette | Gold Coast 

I actually used an eye shadow for highlighter as it works better and is really pigmented, great for the cheekbones. 

Hair

I decided to leave my hair pretty simple so I just used my Remington Straightener 210 along with some dry hair shampoo in my roots for a little more volume so my hair didn't appear so limp :)

Who are you going as this Halloween? Let me know in the comments below!

See you on Wednesday my lovelies!  

Amy xx

Sunday 15 October 2017

Honest Truths About University

Hey Guys!

University has been honestly the best decision I have ever made and I'm enjoying every minute of it! Uni has both good and bad parts throughout your experience but there are also some honest truths that you should know! Here are six honest truths for university students  

#1 You Have To Make Effort To Make Friends 

When your in secondary school and further education a lot of the time you already know the majority of people because you have moved up with them and they have always been there through your lower education, however when you get to university you won't know anybody and everyone will be from other parts of the UK or international students, so you have to make effort to get to know people and talk to people. Even if it is just introducing yourself to people in your accommodation or while your around university, once you start to make the effort to meet people you'll make friends. Also, university is the perfect opportunity to not just make friends within your accommodation but also with people who have the same interests as you through societies! 


#2 You Don't Need To Buy a 100 Books For Your Course

You might get carried away when you go to the uni book shop and end up buying book after book when in reality you wont need 75% of them! For my course I don't buy any books whatsoever! All of the teaching materials I have to read are online or in the library! I'm sure your university library will have the majority of books you need for your modules and if not a lot of libraries have the ability to order them in if they are requested enough. In reality all those books you buy you will not use and will be put in a pile of unwanted books. Instead research what materials you can read online and what you can get from your university's library! 

#3 You Will Always Be Tired 

I always wonder how I coped going to secondary school and sixth-form because I go to a two hour lecture now and I'm already exhausted and feel like I need a nap! I don't know whether its because of the amount of information you have to retain or if I'm unable to function for long periods of time but I honestly find it hard to stay awake after half a day of university. You will honestly nap so much, especially if you know your going out that night and have been at uni since 9am! I'd say about three of my housemates and myself always nap, whether its been a long day or not! A night out also messes your sleep pattern up loads so you'll always be catching up on sleep!

#4 You Will Not Dress Glamorous For a 9am Lecture 

The first couple of months you try to make effort to look good when you go to your lectures; you'll dress nicely, wear make up, do your hair, but by semester 2 that will not be happening! You'll turn up to your 9am with last nights hair, a bare face and in your most comfiest clothes. It is such an achievement even getting out of bed that when it comes to getting ready there is minimal effort so just put on your comfiest and effortless clothes and head to uni!

#5 You Will End Up Getting An Overdraft

You will 100% run out of money, whether its because of buying too many takeaways, too many nights out or just buying pointless crap your bank balance will become negative, so you will end up getting an overdraft to help pay for your necessities like food to survive and toilet roll. I'm so far into my overdraft that I doubt I'll ever have a positive bank balance again! But in all honesty it does help you out loads to cover costs, but don't just go with any bank look around first to see what they can give you and what deals there are for students! 

#6 You Don't Need To Read Absolutely Everything 


The reading list will look huge and there will be so many chapters of so many books that will be listed, but you don't need to read absolutely everything on the reading list! Most of the time each of your modules will have an essential readings section and then the rest will just be readings that will help you out with essays and for further understanding. I'd suggest definetley reading your essential reading as they tend to outline everything and give you the best understanding of your subject, but if the essential reading is ten articles and a novel of 300 pages don't feel stressed or overwhelmed! Pick at least a few different ones to read and write down the most important points! If you attempt to read every single reading you'll be there are ages and won't get any other work done for any of your other modules. It is all about choosing specific readings and learning to scan read for the most important points. 

If there are any honest truths about university you can think of comment below!

See you soon!  

Amy xx 

Sunday 8 October 2017

First Week Back At Uni: Second Year and New House

Hey Guys!

So I've officially had my first academic week back at university and wanted to reflect and talk about how second year seems to be so far. I did have an induction the week before but that was just an introduction lecture discussing our third year options and to ensure our module credits were all correct. Unlucky for me I made a mistake with my module credits and had to change a few things but I'm just glad it wasn't really complicated to fix. 

My First Week Back


So this week I only had three lectures and one seminar, a pretty broken down week having two lectures on a Monday, one lecture and seminar on Tuesday and then I had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off! It won't be like that every week though, I just had two seminars cancelled as we didn't need to discuss anything. I'm a media, communication and cultural studies student so our contact and in uni hours aren't much compared to other courses like Chemistry and Engineering but we do have to do a lot of independent studying and rely on ourselves a lot. 

In respect to my first official week it was pretty good! I feel like when your a fresher the first week doesn't seem too overwhelming or pressured as you slowly move into all the work and then you realise later on how much work you have to do, where as now I'm in second year I already know how much work to expect and what my lectures expect from me, so for our first week we cut all the introductions and instead got straight into our topics. Our lecturer was already talking about our research proposal for our dissertation which was pretty stressful to think about as I've barely thought about what I'm going to base my dissertation paper on. But it was exciting to think about what potential ideas we can propose and in what areas. As we are media students there are endless topics of discussion we can do for our paper, it can be anything from how violence in the media affects children, to public mourning and grime music. 

The modules I've taken for semester one are Advertising and Consumption, Research Methods and Representations: Identity, Culture & Society. It is quite a variety and I haven't taken too many credits to overwhelm me in the first stages of second year, I feel its easier for me to take more credits in semester 2 as I will have got back into the habit to be productive and focus! 

New House


My new house is great! It is so much better than what we were all expecting. When we viewed the house back in January we had to be really quick and brief as another group of students were coming to view the property too, so we were thankful it looked as good as we remembered! 

I live with five other people who I met from my flat and university accommodation in first year and through my university course. At first we had a few problems with the house appliances like the boiler and broken doors but now that we have been in the house for three weeks we are all settled and comfy! I definitely prefer living in a house with my closest friends than being in university accommodation. It is so nice just having our own place, it feels more cosy and our rooms are a lot more personal. University accommodation is great for first year as that is where you meet everyone and make your friends but after that stage having a house is so much better! At some point I'll do a room tour to show you all what my new room looks like compared to what my old room in my uni halls looked like  

Considering we live in a six bedroom house the space is great! Most rooms are pretty big and we only really have one tiny bedroom and that is an extension on the back of the house! The location of our house is gold! We are right opposite the metro which is so convenient when getting to uni and the rent we pay is amazing!

All in all we made a great choice when deciding on this house! 

If any of you are second year students how was your first week?

Let me know in the comments below :)

See you on Wednesday my lovelies!

Amy xx 


Wednesday 4 October 2017

YSL New All Hours Foundation Review

Hey Guys!

I recently received a sample of YSL's New All Hour Foundation. I get sent a lot of samples in the post due to being signed up to Latest Free Stuff, who give out samples, voucher codes and free goodies, which I love because I get sent some really cool stuff! 

It was nice to receive something I know I would use this time! I love trying out new foundations and face products as my face is very hit and miss a lot of the time. I want to try and find all of the best products for my skin so trial and error is the best method haha!


On the packaging it claims: Up to 24 long-wear, flawless matte, full coverage, all hours foundation so I wanted to see if it really delivered on what it claimed. 

Application

When I opened the mini sample bottle I was surprised to see that it came with an applicator attached to the lid so you could apply it straight to your face directly. I thought this was a great touch to a sample! The application was really easy, I used the applicator to dot the foundation around my face and then used a beauty blender to move and blend all of the product. It was so easy to move and blend around the contours of my face and it doesn't dry really quickly like a lot of products do so I could work with it slowly and keep buffing it. It just blends so nicely around my face and even my problem areas like my nose and above my lip where I have some dry skin it didn't clump or break up, it applied so smoothly and creamy. One thing I did notice as well is that a lot of product went a long way to cover all areas of my face!

Coverage

I'd say the coverage is about medium coverage and is easily build-able. I normally start with a small amount and then build it up depending on how inflamed by problem areas are and if I have any blemishes. The first few times I tried it I applied about two layers and that was the perfect coverage for me as  I have a few spots and scars on my chin and jar line at the moment and they were hidden really well even without using any concealer! I'd say if you wanted to go for a natural make up look you would only need one layer, with a small amount and you'd get a really good natural coverage and if you have break outs or inflamed skin just put a slight amount on those areas and it covers them great! I'm used to a light to medium cover foundation so it was nice being able to see flawless skin and a naturally toned face with no patches visible anywhere.

Finish

After I finish blending I apply concealer to my under eyes, chin and the contours around my nose where I get redness, then I set my under eyes with powder and apply loose powder to the rest of my face so I get a matte finish. Because I get a very oily face throughout the day I like to have a matte finish, if I leave it looking dewy chance is I'll look like I'm dripping in sweat two or three hours later haha! Once I've finished all of my make up and applied everything, such as contour, blush and highlight the finished look does look good! It doesn't look much different from when I use my regular Bourjoir foundation, the only difference I would say is that this foundation looks slightly darker than my regular foundation, it appears to have more orange undertones. So, I'd say the finished look doesn't look much different from a drug store foundation product, but I wanted to try it to see how it looked 6 hours later after an excessive amount of oil, as my regular foundation does break up a lot throughout the day around my cheeks and nose. 

6-8 Hours Later

I have oily prone skin so obviously a few hours later I was going to get some oily patches around my nose, forehead and cheeks but I was expecting that as it happens no matter what products I use or how often I touch up my make up. But other than the oily residue expected there was no sign of it going cakey or going really patchy like some foundations. In fact even though my face had become oily and dewy and its a matte finish foundation it still looked really good after going out to uni and spending my time in hot lecture halls and seminar rooms. Also, I tried using this foundation when I went out clubbing throughout most of September and it is so good for that particular occasion. When clubbing it obviously gets really hot and sweaty, there is a lot of dancing and when I drink I do tend to get a lot more red and oily, so this foundation proved to be great coverage as it stayed on the whole time I was out! I even had drinks spilt on me, was moved around and it still looked great when I got home :) 

Overall Thoughts

Overall I wouldn't say its a 24 hour long wear foundation, throughout the day our face goes through a lot which causes our foundation to get either really dry and break away or gets really oily and wears away. I think it depends on each individuals type of skin but for me this would not last 24 hours! By hour 12 it will have started to wear away around my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin thanks to the excessive oil production on my face! It does say flawless which I would agree with, when it is applied and the finished look is complete it looks really well blended and flawless so that is a claim I would agree with as it has great build-able coverage! It is also very matte once setting and loose powder is applied, I would agree with that claim, however after about 3 or 4 hours it isn't matte anymore and becomes more dewy around my nose and forehead, so I would say the matte finish doesn't last very long if you have oily skin like me. But for someone with normal skin it might be perfect! I think overall it is a great product, it does have great coverage, it does deliver a matte finish and it does blend perfectly to a flawless finish! It is one of the high-end foundations that would be worth the money! 

What is your favourite high-end foundation?

See you on Sunday lovelies! ❤ 
Amy xx

Sunday 1 October 2017

Back to Uni Spotify Playlist

Hey Guys! 

Now that I'm back at university and officially start second year tomorrow I thought I would share my motivational Back To Uni spotify playlist. Music seems to get me through everything, whether its essays, homework, bad days and good days! It motivates me in the morning to get my arse into gear and be productive! This past year I've found a new love for Spotify as I discovered so many great playlists and charts for nearly everything like motivation, meditation, sleeping and stress. The 80's playlists are jamming!! So after browsing through all the charts and artists I created a bangin' playlist, so here is my Back To Uni playlist  


#1 Sun Comes Up by Rudimental & James Arthur 
#2 Too Good At Goodbyes by Sam Smith
#3 Deliver by Fifth Harmony
#4 DNA by BTS
#5 Mic Drop by BTS
#6 Pied Piper by BTS
#7 Sleep Walking by Dreamcatcher
#8 New Rules by Dua Lipa
#9 Havana by Camila Cabello
#10 Friends by Justin Bieber feat. BloodPop
#11 Boys Boys Boys by Lady Gaga
#12 Heartline by Craig David 
#13 Defying Gravity by Glee Cast
#14 Bad Things by Machine Gun Kelly & Camila Cabello
#15 Blue Monday '88 by New Order
#16 More Than Friends by James Hype feat. Kelli- Leigh
#17 It's Gonna Be Me by NSYNC
#18 Reggaeton Lento (Remix) by CNCO & Little Mix
#19 Lean On Me by Glee Cast
#20 Miracles (Someone Special) by Coldplay
#21 Passionfruit by Drake 
#22 You Want Me by Tom Zanetti
#23 S Club Party by S Club 7
#24 Don't Stop Movin' by S Club 7
#25 Classic by MKTO 
#26 September by Earth, Wind & Fire
#27 Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
#28 Wannabe by Spice Girls
#29 Rain by The Script 
#30 Lost by Frank Ocean
#31 Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
#32 G.U.Y by Lady Gaga
#33 Mi Gente by J Balvin
#34 Praying by Kesha
#35 Most Girls by Hailee Steinfield 
#36 Island by WINNER
#37 Love Me Love Me by WINNER
#38 Hola Hola by K.A.R.D
#39 One Last Time by Ariana Grande
#40 Dirty Diana by Michael Jackson
#41 Do You Remember by Jay Sean 
#42 Heartland by Tom Walker
#43 All Night Long by Lionel Richie 
#44 I Don't Feel Like Dancing by Scissor Sisters
#45 I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys
#46 Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield 
#47 Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day
#48 No Scrubs by TLC
#49 Dusk Till Dawn by ZAYN feat. Sia
#50 The Sky Is A Neighborhood by Foo Fighters
#51 Smile by Lily Allen
#52 Everybody Needs Somebody To Love by The Blues Brothers
#53 Gashina by SUNMI
#54 LaLaLa by Babylon 
#55 Babe by Hyuna
#56 Lady - Hear Me Tonight by Modjo


Follow my spotify for more playlists @amy3harris1998  

What is your favourite song at the moment? And what song gets you really motivated?

See you on Wednesday lovelies!  


Amy xx

Disqus Shortname

Comments system