Little Geordie Lass

One of my favourite memories of my childhood was playing 'Narrator Number 3' in my middle school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. So when I saw that the production was coming to Metro Radio Arena this Christmas, I couldn't say no to reliving my youth.

One of my favourite things to do when I have a lazy day doing the odd jobs where I don't feel like wearing too much makeup is to have a very simple routine. Concealer, powder, bronzer, brows, mascara and lippy. That's all I need. I have my staple make up items, however the one thing that I do like to change up and have variety to is my lip colour. Although I want to wear a minimal look, the lip colour changes on my mood, what I am wearing that day, how much moisture my lips need etc. I have chosen 5 of my favourite affordable lipsticks (which I prefer over the liquid lipstick hype as it is less maitancence and looks more natural than a full-on matte lip), which I think are perfect for just throwing on for a minimal makeup look.

No, this isn't deja vu. I got to witness the presence of Queen and Adam Lambert once again after seeing them for the first time around 2 years ago  (see my review of their last show here). I will not beat around the bush, there were some similarities to the last time I saw them on tour, however there were a lot of things that were very different which divided my opinion on if I thought that this was better or not. Luckily, this time I was seated so I had a full view of the stage (short people problems at standing concerts) so I felt like I had a more fulfilling experience which will give me a much more rounded review of their performance at Metro Radio Arena on the 1st December 2017.

With Christmas just around the corner, less than a month now, it is time for us to start thinking about buying gifts for family, friends and maybe that unwanted person. Now I say that with the assumption that many people who read my blog work or have a circle of friends where they feel obligated to buy presents for people that they don't really want to buy for. Or I may just be completely absurd and you are super excited about gift giving. Nevertheless, when it comes to Christmas, the older we get the more we think about saving money. And that's where Secret Santa comes into play for a lot of people. Everyone who does Secret Santa develops their own rules; this can be in regards to spending limit, silly or serious gifts and so on. But I hope to help those out who may be reading this thinking' what the hell do I get Maggie from Marketing who I only ever see in the break room?'. Or even if you are struggling for friends and want some ideas on present ideas or where to sho

Let's get real... Cardiovascular exercise can be a bit of a bitch. I HATED cardio. For a very long time, I found it really boring and repetitive which really made me lack motivation to go to the gym. It can be very demoralising knowing that you have basically move more to burn more fat, and the thought of being on a treadmill or a bike for ages just makes you want to rip your hair out. But it doesn't have to be like that. I am going to share the ways in which I incorporate cardio into my fitness routine without it being mind-numbingly boring and are quick and (sometimes) fun.

Rewind back to my 16 year old self who had just started sixth-form and had asked her mam to try and get her and her friends tickets for her favourite band and imagine the heartbreak of failing to get them. Fast forward to the 10th November 2017 and that same girl has just come home from seeing said band after waiting to see them for so long. Elated. That is probably the best word I can use to describe my experience of seeing The Killers live in my home city.

When I started my fitness journey, I didn't have a clue! I had never stepped foot into a gym in my life which is why I decided to begin getting fit by going to gym classes as I didn't know what to do in the gym on my own. My motivation is when I am in classes as I am very competitive, I always want to be the best in my classes and do better than the people around me. That may sound quite conceited, however it is definitely what motivates me and many others. However, on thing I have become quite observant about is that people would rather do classes because they have no idea where to begin when it comes to planning a workout on the gym floor. This can be from how to use machines, the difference between reps and sets, what weights to life, how to not get bored, what exercises are good for different muscles, and so on. This is something I wanted to learn more about and wanted to get into, there were some times where classes didn't fit in with my personal schedule so doing my o

One of the things I get complimented on a lot is my nails. It's always "ooh, I like your nails" whether I am wearing a neutral nail varnish or have gone all out wearing something brighter. I always respond with a "thank you" before following up with a "they're real, you know". That is when they are really impressed. And when I say 'they' I am referring to lots of people, from my friends to a waitress at a restaurant, a cashier in Primark, on one occasion even a drag queen responded by exclaiming that my nails were "#goalz"... on to a winner there, aren't I!

It has been a while people... The fact that my last blog post was in June speaks volumes. Well, since June I have been doing what some people describe as a 'living hell'... The Dissertation. For those who don't know, I have spent the last year doing my Masters at uni, and due to it being a 12 month course, while all my friends have been enjoying their Summer off I spent mine doing my 15,000 word dissertation. I celebrated hard though; the hand in date was the day before my birthday, I did a 4 day bender, was kept busy by a trip to Southampton, did some stage management work experience and enjoyed my final Freshers' Week. And then it all stopped...

As you are reading this I will be just returning from my holiday in Lanzarote! And as I am writing this I am currently packing (and procrastinating) for the holiday, so I thought I would take the opportunity to share with you some of my favourite makeup picks that I like to take abroad with me. I don't usually like to wear a lot of makeup when I go abroad, I get hot and clammy really quickly- lush, I know! So when it comes to holiday makeup I have a few easy rules that I like to follow. 1. Be minimal. 2. Pack light. 3. Pack cheap. I often go for simplicity when I am abroad, and only really wear a full face in the evening; during the day I barely do concealer, brows and mascara and a bit of tinted Vasaline. I also try and choose smaller products which won't be much hassle for me to take abroad and don't want to overwhelm myself when I am out there with too much makeup when I only need a quick fix. And finally, because I do travel with it, I will often go for high street ma

I have been on my fitness journey for nearly 1 year now; and even though I feel that I haven't had a drastic transformation due to my uncontrollably bad eating habits, one thing I do know is that I have found a new hobby which is in health and fitness. It is crazy to think how much I have learnt in a year, I didn't even know what sets and reps were and I had never even stepped foot into a gym, so what changed? This blogpost is going to be for those who, like me, may be scared about getting into the world of fitness, which for some can be quite overwhelming; with all the different machines and equipment and what not and what is best to do for people who either want to get into fitness, may have never stepped into a gym or just to have an idea of what to do when you get there. Newbies- this one's for you!

Whoops-a-daisy! Student loan is in, assignments are done... Time to spend some money! have been eyeing up Colourpop Cosmetics for a very long time, particularly their lip line as they seem to have so much choice; from colours, finishes, liquid, sticks and more! An d for the price it was very easy to spend £60 on lip products, but considering that I ended up getting 9 lip products and an eye liner, I honestly don't think that I did that much damage...

I will be the first to admit that I am an absolute sucker for eyeshadow palettes. I have many, but some how not enough... I still needed to find a one that would fulfil my needs. Those needs was something that I could use for every day use, suitable for travel and that I could get a variety of looks from. After much research and much deliberation I decided to treat myself on student loan day and spend £32 on the Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette.  I had seen a lot of hype about this palette online and it was exactly what I was looking for in terms of size, shade range and shade finishes and it had a mirror! So I decided to give it a shot and a little review after using the palette for nearly a month.

It's no secret that I love painting my own nails. It's a way for me to relax as well as being therapeutic for me. I am often complimented on my nails and asked where I get them done, only to see their shock and surprise at the fact that I do them myself and that they aren't fake! I honestly feel like my choices of nail polish reflect how people react- if I am wearing a polish which looks streaky and tacky people notice, however when my nails are done well, and with good quality polishes which are 'on trend' colours then that is when I get the most compliments. And at the moment that 'on trend' colour is anything nude. I love nude nails, and for me, I really struggle to find the perfect nude nail polish; or any kind of nude beauty products for that matter! So when I was having a scout around good old Primarni, I came across this little set of nude nail polishes. They look lovely, don't they...

It is no lie that I love London, even though I rarely ever go I feel right at home there and I can navigate the Underground like the back of my hand. Which was very necessary for travelling with my Mam who was clueless! Anyways, over the Christmas/New Year period after a few drinks when my mam drunkenly said to my dad "Elisa has been working really hard, me and her need to go on a theatre weekend in London" I may have taken advantage of this... Next thing I know first class train tickets are booked, a hotel for the night and theatre tickets to see Wicked!

One of the things I really want to do is start making my blog a lot more personable. I feel like, unless you know me in person, not many of you know about the type of person I am; who I am, what I do, my passions- because I am passionate about many things, almost too many things that take up so much of my time...

When it comes to make up I always feel like the base is the one thing you need to get right to make the rest of your make up look good. That is why I always like to experiment with different primers, foundations, concealers and powders to find my ideal combinations for different occasions. After constantly seeing Nars Sheer Glow bombing around pretty much everywhere online, I decided to go into my local John Lewis (on more than one occasion) get colour matched. After toying between the samples of Deauville and Fiji for way too long, I decided to go back to John Lewis for one last time to get their opinion. After a problem in store, the girls on the counter decided to give me a full base makeover and, lets just say, I was very impressed and stuff went on my Christmas list.

This post really has been a long time coming, I have mentioned in previous blog posts about how I have started going to the gym and how I am starting to focus on myself and take care of my body. So I thought I would actually sit down and take the time to show you how much I have changed throughout 2016, what I have been doing to lose weight and how my perspective on exercise has changed. So if you want to know how I went from being my heaviest in my final year of uni to being just half a stone off my weight when I began uni back in 2013 then please read on...

I always love seeing these kind of posts, I really enjoy seeing what everyone has been loving throughout the year and what new discoveries people have made. This year I feel like it has been my year for spending the majority of my money on makeup, 2016 was my year of makeup. But as well as makeup, I am also going to share some other beauty products, skincare and miscellaneous items that I have been loving this year. Enjoy!