Christmas in London and Favourite TV Shows

So it's no surprise (or maybe it is...well at least to some of you) that I am in love with anything and everything from the UK, from bloggers, youtubers, singers, bands, clothing, make up and stores. Just the whole entire UK in general! So it's no wonder that even while it's going to be blistering hot here in Sydney for Christmas I am in fact dreaming of a white Christmas (no pun intended) in London.

So basically all my wallpapers and everything Christmasy in my life is revolving around snow and the Uk. Yup. Addicted.

So while I should be celebrating spring and summer (which I love) I am in fact watching so many Zoella and Tanya videos that I feel like I'm getting prepared for a beautiful cold Christmas but in reality all I am preparing myself for is sweating. a lot of sweating. Ew. Santa hats in 40 degree weather just never seem to work out.

So before we move onto the next topic I'll leave you all with two pictures;

This is where I wish I was spending Christmas, walking near the London Eye.

And here is the reality. I give you; Christmas in Australia.

Okay moving on!

Next topic! My Favourite TV Shows of the moment, you might want to take a seat, grab a cup of tea, maybe hot chocolate or even something cold depending where you are while reading, there is quite a few!

The Originals

This show is my addiction! Every episode leaves me hanging on, and I am ashamed to admit that I thought the show would be awful, how completely wrong I was! Klaus (Joseph Morgan) is amazing, even while being an evil bastard he still manages to seduce you through the screen and can we mention two Aussie actresses are in this show! Claire Holt and Phoebe Tonkin! I hadn't seen much of them since H2O which was one of my favourite shows back in the day.

If you haven't already checked this show out, I suggest you do!

Reign

I was addicted to this show since before it aired, I had seen the promo and I couldn't wait for it to come out! Now that is has, it has me more hooked than before. If you like history but like a bit of extra drama this show is for you! Although it stays from actual history is is amazing  and I must admit I do prefer the show to the actual story. Mary, Francis, Bash... Can you say love?

Arrow

I've watched Arrow for awhile now and boy am I glad it's back, I missed my weekly fix of superheros and shirtless Oliver Queen. No but seriously this show is really good and I think both genders would enjoy it. There's not much more to say other than WATCH IT!

Grimm

Grimm... Well if you're not into superheros, you might be into fairytales or both! This show is a good mix of drama, fairytales, demons and crime. It took me a few episode to get hooked but boy, once I was hooked, I surrendered myself.

Revenge

A favourite of mine since the beginning, I even got my parents into this show, they're addicted too in case you're wondering! Emily Thorne and her plot for Revenge is refreshing as it sometimes makes me wonder about the lengths people go in this world to get what they want. I say, if you already haven't go and watch it, it gets better and better!

The Vampire Diaries

No surprises here, Girl meets Boy, boy likes girl, girl likes boy, oh did we mention a smoking hot brother?

I'm pretty sure everyone has already heard of this show.

Glee

Classic, simple, musical comedy.

RIP Corey Monteith.

Ravenswood

The newest show on my list, again, I have to admit I thought it would suck, but amazingly, it's pretty good, although some of the acting is a bit off sometimes. It's more supernatural themed than it's sister show Pretty Little Liars.

Pretty Little Liars

5 beautiful best friends, 1 dead. Mystery, Suspense.

A is watching.

Twisted

This show is aimed more towards teens but I still enjoyed the drama of it all. I can't say too much else as there hasn't been too many episodes, but hey! great time to catch up! as it has been confirmed that there will be more episodes!

Once Upon a Time

Another Fairytale based show, however this one is a bit more light hearted, although the character twists are amazing and I love the fact that Snow white isn't so fragile, she's tough. Ginnifer Goodwin is amazing.

Hart of Dixie

A light hearted Comedy, if you like Taylor swift, and you liked the OC, watch this.

So here are just some of my current favs.

Let me know what shows you've watched, which you like, which you don't!

xS

Catching Fire, Engagements, Dinner, Fro-yo

Hello, Hello, Hi!

This past weekend has been a crazy whirl wind adventure! So many things were going on.
On Friday I went with one of  my Best Friends to watch Catching Fire which was AH-MAZING, much better than the first, the second one was truer to the book and we both enjoyed it more as we could see scenes from the books coming to life! It was really really good! I recommend you got and watch it if you get the chance, oh and read the books!

Saturday was one of my other Best Friends Engagement party, it was great and a lot of fun, there was a mix of Assyrian, Greek and just general top of the chart music with a bit of country, the food was great, the dancing was fun, and of course the bride and groom looked amazing.
Heres a photo of all of my high school friends, including the bride at the engagement!

Then on Sunday I got up really early to watch 1D day YAY 

Yes, in case you cannot tell I am a directioner, but that's okay. It was a fun live broadcast for 7 hours and It was really funny watching the boys complete challenges as well as seeing the little mistakes that would happen due to it being live and the way the boys would cover it up.

Later on at night I went out with the bride and groom and 2 of my other Best Friends to grab dinner and from Fro-Yo which was amazing, we had lots of fun talking about the engagement and just relaxing having a laugh. As for the Fro-Yo, did you know they made Red Velvet Cake flavour? Well they do! It was delicious!

So there you have a quick summary of my crazy weekend!

xS

Let's talk beauty! - Collective Haul

Hello Loves!

Hope you're all having an amazing day!

So I have hauled some new items this past week or so and I thought I'd give you all a mini Review and let you know my thoughts on them!

P.S Most have been used as I just couldn't help myself, sorry for the not so great swatches too! I'm new to this! :)

(Left to Right: Gangsta Rap, Forever Red, 107, Chestnut)

Let's start off with Lush!

LUSH
This is my second time buying products from lush and I have to admit I am completely hooked! If you live in the Sydney Area of New South Wales you can access a Lush store in Parramatta or in the Queen Victoria Galleries! I think there is one at Bondi Junction too but I haven't been to that one.

Last time I went to Lush I only bought a Fresh Face Mask - Catastrophe Cosmetic
The mask was a funny blue-grey colour with chunks of blueberries and let me say that mask is AMAZING, my favourite out of the both I've now tried. If you have very sensitive acne prone skin it will be your best friend.

Background on the Fresh Face Masks.
- They have a cute sticker with the date it was made as well as the date it expires and who made it.
- They have to be stored in the fridge but the ladies at the store have assured me they can last up to 12 hours outside a fridge.
- They can be quite messy to remove as they have "Fresh" pieces of fruits, seaweed etc in them.

This time around I was recommended to try the BB Seaweed mask, which has little bits of seaweed in it, not the most appealing but definitely worth a try. Now one thing I love about Lush is that the sales assistants help you and try out the products on your hand and give you background on each product, they're all really friendly too!

As you can see I have used this mask already, I couldn't resist at all.

What  Lush says about this product;
"Relaxing, reviving, mineral-rich mask to cleanse, soften and beautify. Fresh nutritious seaweed, cleansing kaolin, antiseptic honey, calming aloe vera and rose absolute makes this a great mask for everyone"

This mask didn't really help with any active breakouts like Catastrophe Cosmetic did however it does not state anywhere that it would do that, but it was a nice relaxing mask that hydrated and softened my skin which I like.
I give it: 4 out 5.

The second product I was recommended by the girl helping me at Lush was the Herbalism Fresh Facial Cleanser.

When I first saw Herbalism my first thought was What is that? how does that even work?

Basically you have to pinch about a blueberry size amount of this moss like product into your palm, add a few drops of water until it creates a past and then rub it into your skin. I have to admit the smell of this cleanser is horrible...very "Herbal" Haha.

What  Lush says about this product;
"Herbalism is made with 100% natural ingredients. It will help with spots, grease, and calm troubled skin."

The girl at Lush raved about this product that even my friends we're telling me to purchase this product. This is apparently the miracle product that cleared up her friends skin that was apparently horrible. But what worried me was the fact she said most people get breakouts at first and then it all clears up, now when I went to college the beauticians had a debate whether it's true that it "has to get worse to get better" which to be honest I don't believe. If its making it worse then it's not helping... something is up. Even if it clears up after a while.
However I found this did not break me out so far but it's not helping with my current breakouts either, I'll have to keep y'all updated on what happens.

Quick note; This product does not need to be refrigerated and lasts 3 months.

Overall: 3 out 5.

W7 

I first discovered W7 Cosmetics at the Chemist Warehouse, I was pulled in because all the make up was priced at $5 AUD which was surprising. I have used quite a few of their products which are now staples in my collection, this includes a foundation, a bronzer, their highlighting pens and of course their lip products.
Now I don't know much about the brand but I do know that it is based in the UK so it is not an Australian brand, I'm not sure where else you can get these products or if they're available all over the world.

Now I have to say their lipsticks are my favourite products, for $5 dollars you can get amazing quality lipsticks, some of which I like more than lets say Revlon or Maybelline. They have a variety of shades available as well as different finishes, I really like their Matte lipsticks!
Now anyone who knows me, knows I am more often than not rocking a Red Lip, I own more reds than any other colour actually, so it's no surprise I picked up two more.

Forever Red is a lipstick I have owned before and it my favourite darker red to wear, its a mix of pink and red so its a berry colour which I've found to be flattering on all of my friends even though we all have different colouring. It has tiny flecks of what appears to be silver glitter in it, however once on the lips you can't see or feel anything, it feels very smooth and velvety. It Lasts a decent amount of time too, as long as you're not eating any greasy foods.

Chestnut is not a colour I've had before but I picked it up because I thought it was similar to the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 107, however this is more of a red where as 107 is a bit more of a berry.


Again, it is very smooth and velvety in its finish, it doesn't feel drying at all, I think this colour would be perfect for a night out in winter. (Even though we're heading into summer here in Australia). I think this colour would flatter many skin tones as well, the only thing I've noticed with both these Lipsticks is that they can feather out after a while so make sure to wear a lip liner if it bothers you.

Overall: 5/5

AUSTRALIS

Australis is an Australian brand that I absolutely adore, I use a lot of their products in my professional kit and my private collection as they're so affordable and great quality.
This time around I was inspired by Perrie Edwards from Little Mix and her Purple Lips in their new music video 'Move' so I was looking for a nice purple lipstick close to the shade she wore and the closest colour at Big W I found was 'Gangsta Rap'.

It is a gorgeous shade, not as purple as the one Perrie wore, a bit more wearable. It comes in the Australis signature pink and black packaging which looks adorable on your desk, or in your handbag. As you can see I have already been using this lipstick, it's a beautiful shade all year round and I have gotten endless compliments at work which is always nice.

I find this is quite hydrating on the lips and feels nice, it has quite a long lasting finish too, it lasted on me about 6 hours before I ate and then it wore off.

Overall: 5/5

Fresh and Flawless Pressed Powder

I needed a new powder after my last powder (Rimmel's "Stay Matte") broke and I decided to give this a go as I have heard many good reviews and many people say it is comparable to the Mac powder. I am in love with this powder, it has good enough coverage to wear on its own, it doesn't break me out and it can be used to set your foundation and add that extra amount of coverage without looking cakey.
However my complaint is that there is not a big colour selection, 3 colours, all of which look very similar, paler people or anyone darker than me will not find their shade. My colour match was 'Darkest Brown' and let me tell you I am not that dark, NC25 inWinter and NC30 in summer for reference.
But other than that, this is a great powder.

Overall: 4/5

RIMMEL

I have had a love affair with Rimmel for awhile now, their latest products are on the ball! But their gems to me have been their Kate Moss Lipsticks, especially the Lasting Finish in the Red tubes (which by the way, how adorable is the packaging!). They are a velvet finish, more on the matte side, not drying and super duper pigmented! I cannot rave enough about these and I own many of them.
107 has been beauty blogger and youtuber Zoella's favourite for awhile now. I have been on the hunt for ages but it was always sold out so you can imagine my happiness when I finally got my hands on it! I have also been wearing this colour non stop, its a beautiful dark berry red that will suit many people! If you don't already have your hands on it, what are you waiting for? Did I mention it smells like lollies! mmm...

I give these Lipsticks: 5/5

MODEL CO.

The final thing I picked up was the Model Co. Fibre LashXtend Mascara in black. Chemist Warehouse has a sale on right now where you can buy one and get one free for $15 dollars. Total bargin.
I haven't had a chance to try this one out yet but stay tuned for a review soon!

And that is the end of my very long haul & review.
Stay posted, Stay Positive

xS

Safety First

Before I get into the topic of what this post is about, I just want everyone to know that it is always important to feel like you are safe in any environment, don't be afraid to speak up if you're scared or uncomfortable.


Today at the store I work in (name will not be mentioned due to safety and legal issues) I was picking up clothing off the floor and doing my job when these two men approached me, I'd say they were in their early 20's. Now when I mean approach I don't mean casually standing 1 metre or more away from me, I mean they were literally about 1 cm from me, my first reaction of course was to take a step back, and my *spidey* senses kicked in and I felt a bit insecure even though there was about 10 other people in the store including my manager in the back room.

Guy 1 : "Sorry did me make a mess for you?"
Me : "No it's okay" *smile politely*
Guy 1 : "Are you married?"

(Not only is that a bit inappropriate but I was already feeling pretty creeped out, especially after my next response because he moved closer again)

Me : "No"
Guy 1 "Do you live around here, we live around here, are you working weekend, are you free then?"
Me : "I work weekdays"

And  I walked away, now this might not seem threatening, but wait. There's more.

I continued cleaning and tiding the store and when I come back the same shirts were on the floor, and the 2 guys were standing near them again. So once again I picked them up and hung them up while they watched and laughed before exiting the store to my relief.

I went to the back and let my manager know about the guys and how uncomfortable I felt before going and serving a few more customers, and to my surprise when I looked up, the two guys were there outside the store loitering and pointing their phones at me, by now I was getting quite paranoid and creeped out again.
When they saw me looking they put their phones away and right after that my manager came out as it was 10 minutes util closing time and she was surprised to find out they were outside after I explained the situation further, she closed and locked the door as we served the last few customers.
As she served the last customer however, she noticed the guys were back and were walking back and forwards in front of the store on the opposite side walk which she informed me of.

Here's the important part, I let her know I didn't feel comfortable going home and leaving the store through the front, even though I live about 4 shops away a literally 2 minute walk. So my manager being kind and sweet as she is, unlocked the back of the store and watched me walk home for my safety.

I've learnt from this that you should always be careful, and always let someone know what's going on so they can help or give you an alternative option, don't be afraid to speak up. If you notice something suspicious, even between two customers, just tell someone, keep an eye out.
It might just save your life, or someone else's.

xS

Sams Thoughts : Midnight Memories

Hello Lovely Readers!

Two posts in one day! I'm on a roll *Fist Pumps*

Okay let's talk.

One Direction, you love them or hate them but still can't help but read or listen to the new gossip surrounding their lives or their super catchy songs. I'll admit it, I'm a Directioner. Yes I am a 20 year old who loves 1D and I'm not ashamed to pull out some funky dance moves and my horrible singing voice at all.

I went to one of their last Take me home Sydney concerts in October and I loved it, it was a super entertaining night and I loved being able to see 5 Seconds of Summer  & 1D live, they truly are amazing performers.

Now I have been anticipating and awaiting patiently for their new album 'Midnight Memories' and I pre-ordered it awhile ago so you can imagine my reaction as I was patiently waiting for the next single of the album to be released today when *BOOM* (and I do mean BOOM like an amazing explosion) to my surprise someone leaked the entire album out on tumblr, which of course has now been deleted, although if you search hard enough you'll probably find it.

Of course I tried to withhold from listening but the curiosity was too much, especially when my friend Jess was going on about how absolutely amazing it was (no doubt in my mind that it ever would be). It was no surprised I would end up  caving in and having a little listen.

Now ladies and gents let me just tell you...

IT IS AMAZING.

They sound older and the music has a rocker feel to it while still being upbeat, its definitely their best yet and I'm sure it's going to convert some non fans into Directioners.

I am a bit disappointed it was leaked though, after all the hard work from the boys and management to keep it a secret, but still it's only a week from its release date and that's a big achievement.

I hope someday if I'm lucky enough to meet the boys to be able to tell them how amazing their music is and how much it makes me feel better about myself, they have given my endless nights of laughter, tears and smiles with my family and friends and I'm very happy to be supportive of their careers.

xo S

Give it a listen when it comes out officially on the 25th of November 2013

Hello! Is anybody out there?..

Hello! Welcome! 
Hows it going?
Good! that's wonderful, glad to hear you're doing okay.

Let me introduce myself, My names Samantha, friends call me Sam, but you can call me whatever you please! well.. I mean within reason I suppose.
What do I do? 
Good question!
I am a 20 year old from the Sydney area and I am from Australia, born and raised. 
Oh wait that's not what you asked about right?
Right. Well I am a Make-up artist, and no I did not just call myself that because I like make-up. I actually studied and graduated from an Academy :)

But this blog isn't going to be all about my life as a Make-up artist/ Make-Up Lover, no, this blog is all about me! Well no... not really...that would be pretty boring, I'm not that interesting!
This is about my life and the people who interact with me, which now... technically includes you dear reader.

Now you might be wondering if I have everything working up there, but I assure you everything functions just fine, thank you.

Well I hope this hasn't been too boring for an introduction, I hope to get to know you all better as I'm sure you'll all end up knowing way too much about me!

xo S

P.S I hope the title of this blog isn't too obnoxious. Oh who am I kidding? it completely is!
Who dubs themself an 'itgirl'.
Well... obviously moi.