Louise Kaitlin

Hello again!

Today's post is something quite different from my usual posts and i have never done anything like this before on my blog, which is super exciting but also super nerve-racking!! Today's post is a collaboration with the beautiful Estelle, who i met on instagram a couple of years ago, and shared a love of pretty much everything, we are so so similar which is appropriate for this collaboration. You can find Estelle on instagram with the handle @velvetteddyblogs and also you can read her post by clicking here! - make sure to leave a nice comment & let her know you've come from my blog too!

* not my photo. full credit to the rightful owner.

Well, first things first i should probably introduce what this post is about. When Estelle approached me about collabing, she mentioned the idea of something food related, which if you know me is right up my street! We decided to each do a post on a place to eat from our local areas.

Choosing 1 place to eat was so so difficult because i am such a huge lunch bunny and love to eat out in all different places with my friends, but on thursday i adventured into Southampton with my uni friends and stumbled across this place called Cosmo. Basically, it's an all you can eat buffet which if those 5 little words don't bring you in then i don't know what will.


Food
Cosmo as mentioned, is an all you can eat buffet and therefore, the food selection and choice is huge! There is everything from Asian to Chinese, French, Indian, English, Italian and so so much more! All the food is set out into different sections labelled by their country or 'genre'. You can grab a plate and make your way round each section or simply start at one, eat and return for more! The quality of the food itself was way better than i thought it would be. I was slightly cautious knowing its a buffet, the assumption that the food would be sub par due to the fact the restaurant is catering for large quantities. But boy was i wrong, the food was restaurant quality, piping hot and full of seasoning.

There buffet also includes a desert section, which things such as cheesecake, cakes, donuts, ice-cream, fruit, sweeties and so much more!

* not my photo. full credit to the rightful owner.

* not my photo. full credit to the rightful owner.

Cost
Cost wise, you'll love this! especially if you're a student on a budget like me. For the buffet it cost only £8.99! For you to eat as much as you want, endless amounts, how amazing?!

Drinks cost £3 for a bottomless glass, which means like the buffet you can refill until your heart is content!

Now, if i don't say so myself that's a pretty good, cheap meal out with friends and family.


It's safe to say, I will 100% be returning to Cosmo very very soon! Ohh, and a bonus... if it's your birthday you can go to Cosmo and your meal will be FREE! Just make sure you take some ID to prove it is actually your birthday haha ;)

I hope you enjoyed this post, and i'll see you (or well talk to you) very soon!

Love From,
Lou X

Changing my makeup bag over from winter to summer is the most exciting thing ever! I love having a revamp with my everyday makeup look to suit the season. I usually do one of these every year and so here is 2018's "What's in my summer makeup bag?".

First things first, I want to clarify that i do not wear makeup everyday and recently i've been battling with my skin which you can read about in my post about coming off the contraceptive pill. So, i am trying my hardest to not coat myself in makeup when i don't need to.

Base:
Foundation is a hard one because when its boiling hot the last thing i want to do is apply a foundation that's bound to melt off half way through the day but when I'm having a bad skin day, i feel like i need some coverage to make myself look some what presentable. I usually opt for the L'oreal True Match Foundation in the shade 1N as its super light and runny and therefore, it's not too cakey and thick for a summers day.

Concealer is a must whatever time of year. Once again the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer has made its way into my makeup bag. If you've never heard of this product then where have you been? It's probably one of the most raved about concealers of all time. I use the shade Light as its perfect for my pale complexion. What's also great about this is the coverage it gives! My oh my! It can literally cover ANYTHING! And to top it off, its so cheap and can be brought in Superdrug or Boots.

Bronzer is also a must in order to look like a bronzed goddess. This W7 Honolulu bronzer is b e a u t i f u l... honestly such a gorgeous warm toned shade that brings shape and definition to your face. I usually go a bit crazy with this and put it everywhere because you can't be too tanned can you?

Again, another staple in my summer makeup bag is a good highlighter and the one i've chosen is actually part of a palette. This palette is the Makeup Revolution Good as Gold palette that comes with 4 different highlighter shades (the big square pans) and 8 eyeshadow shades (the smaller pans in the middle). My favourite highlighter shade is the two you can see in the photo. A beautiful champagne white colour which is blinding! and a gold which is slightly warmer and adds to that bronzed goddess look ;)

Eyes:
For eyes, i keep it very simple and very natural during the summer. I tend to head towards my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette as the shades are all light pinks, golds and browns which are extremely complimentary during the summer season. Love love love love!

Keeping with the simple natural theme, i tend to next only apply mascara. My all time fave through thick and thin (if that's the saying) is the Maybelline Lash Sensational. OMG! Again, another product that is highlight raved about online. This mascara is not only thickening, its lengthening and bold. It really brings my makeup together!

Lips:
Lips change a lot of the time too. I have so many different gorgeous nude shades but i've chosen this deeper pink colour to share with you because of its formula. Its the Maybelline Lipstick in 630 "Velvet Beige". Its formula is super hydrating and smooth, it's not glossy but its not matte. Its a nice in between consistency and that's why i've been drawn to it so much this summer.

I've also included a lip balm because i think it's super important to keep your lips hydrated and protected from the sun during the hot months. This one is the Nivea lip balm, super simple and super cheap. It has added SPF which is also a bonus because who wants burnt lips?

Last note... I know a lot of you will ask, my makeup bag is from Primark and was £5. Its a beautiful white with little flowers and gold accents on the front and it's the perfect size. If you want a better picture of it, there's bound to be one on one of my instagrams (linked all over my blog, literally!)

I really hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, as always leave a comment and i'll reply to everyone! See you next time.

Love From,
Lou X

When I look back on my blog, over the years there has always been 1 specific topic post that seems to do the best in terms of views, comments and interactions. The original post was titled 'Organisation Tips for Blogging' which I believe I posted back in 2015. In 2016, I did an updated version where I discussed some new ideas on how I keep up to date with blogging. A lot has changed in a year and previously 3 years from the original post, so I thought I would do an updated updated blogging organisation tips (that's not a great title but you get the idea).

Being a full time undergraduate student at university is stressful in itself, but combine that with working part time, volunteering and trying to maintain some kind of social life (note i said some kind) makes life even more hectic. With assignment dates here and there, I must admit i do find it very difficult to make time for blogging. But i've come up with the best way for me, to at least help maintain some kind of clear direction when it comes to sitting down and writing something.

Notebooks
What can i say? Who doesn't like buying cute new stationary? I know I do! With university being 99% computer and online based, it makes it very difficult to have a good excuse to buy some cute supplies. But... blogging gives me that little bit of justification i need ;)

I usually have 2 notebooks to use. The biggest A4 one is kept at home ALWAYS. It does not leave the house purely for the reason it holds many a secret for my blog and i know if i lost it or left it somewhere i'd be devastated. The smaller A5 notebook is the complete opposite. It comes EVERYWHERE with me. For those days where i'm sitting on the train to uni and a blog post idea pops into my head and i immediately want to start planning. Weirdly enough, this little notebook has become very useful in the car too. It's weird but when i'm driving i get all these great ideas and must write them down before i forget. (Don't worry, i always pull over somewhere safe before i whip the little book out!)

Phone/Apps
Living in 2018, its safe to say pretty much every single person has access to a mobile phone on the go. I mean if you're like me, you will not leave the house without it in your hand. This little handy device is great for when you really are stuck with writing a spur of the moment idea down. Also, there are many many apps you can download that are targeted to bloggers, helping you keep all your ideas in one place.

I also use my phone for scheduling what days and times i will upload my blog posts. I must admit sometimes i don't stick to a schedule because some days i want to just sit and write and upload all in one go regardless of whether it fits into a particular time slot. But keeping up to date with days you have time to upload is very important when it comes to maintaining a continuous upload.

All my university assignments, lecture times and volunteering slots are all stored in my phone calendar, so adding when i want to or more importantly when i have time to write a blog post is important. Whip out your phone ladies and gents and start scheduling your life.

Similar to phones, why not schedule and plan on your laptop. At the end of the day most of us probably use a computer or laptop to upload photos and actually write blog posts, so find an app to download to help keep it all in one place.

*

I hope you guys enjoyed this little spur of the moment blog post. You all seemed to really love my other one so i really hope you enjoy this one too!

Let me know of any other blogging organisation ideas you have by commenting below this post as i love love love hearing what you guys have to say and maybe one of your guys' ideas might make its way into my little schedule.

Love From,
Lou X

Lipsticks, Lipgloss, Lip balm, Liquid Lippy, Matte Lippy... there's so many to choose from. So where do we start? Well, nude for me is the best way (not sure that sounded as good as it did in my head) but you can't go wrong with a nude colour.

Here are my top 5 nude lipsticks from the drugstore (aka Superdrug and Boots):

1. Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade "Abu Dhabi" (Cost: £6) - love love love this lip colour. Its a muted nude, with an orange and brown undertone. The creamy formula dries matte on the lips and lasts for hours. Nyx have a wide range of colours ranging from reds to pinks to purples and nudes. Head to boots and check them out, I highly highly recommend.

2. Maybelline Lipstick in the shade "630 Velvet Beige" (Cost: £6.99) - this lippy has a sheen finish, not glossy nor matte but rather a moisturising creamy feel. This colour as a little deeper and of a purple undertone compared to the Nyx lip cream. Again, I really love this one for an everyday look when I don't want a matte finish.

3. MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer in the shade "Tranquillity" - (Cost: £3) - this comes in the form of a liquid lipstick. The colour is a little more peachy than it appears in the tube. Nevertheless, the lipstick applies wet to start with and within seconds starts to dry fully into a matte finish. The one critique I would have of this lipstick is how dry it really does set, it almost flakes and sinks into the lines on your lips. But you can't complain seeing as how cheap this really was.

4. L'oreal Exclusive Collection Lipstick in the shade "JLOs Nude" (Cost: £7) - This is the most expensive one out of my top 5 picks. However, the quality and colour of this lippy is my all time fave. The colour is a really light natural nude, perfect for everyday. The finish of the lipstick is a light sheen, very moisturising on the lips. Perfect perfect p e r f e c t!!!!!

5. Tanya Burr Liquid Lip in the shade "Martha Moo" (Cost: £5.99) - This one is the brightest shade, probably not a true nude colour but nevertheless I really wanted to include it in this post. Again, as a liquid lipstick it is applies quire runny onto the lips but dries into a gorgeous matte deep pink shade. Unlike the MUA liquid lipstick, this one does not dry flaky or clingy to the lips. It leaves a matte finish without the drying element which to me sounds like the perfect matte finish.

Overall what can I say? There's such a massive range of nude lipsticks in the drugstore, each of which come with different applications and different finishes. All you have to do is find the right one for you!

Leave a comment to your favourite lipstick brand as i'm intrigued to find a new fave lippy!

Love From,

Lou X

I still cannot believe I took one of these pills everyday for 4 whole years...