Getting Ready For University with Dunelm

The autumn weather is starting to make an appearance, and with it brings my favourite season. A season for fresh starts, colourful leaves, crisp winter air, and of course - getting ready for university. When it comes to shopping for things to fill your new accommodation, it can be quite easy to go overboard and waste money on items that will be left unused by the end of the year. With every box that gets packed up, it's easy to get carried away when deciding what you really need to take with you. It's important to make your flat look homely, but you do need to be logical and think about what you can actually fit in your car. So when Dunelm got in touch offering to help me get ready for my final year at university, I jumped at the chance! I've teamed up with Dunelm and three other bloggers, and we have each picked our student essentials from one section of their killer checklist, so freshers know exactly what they need to take with them!

I was given the cleaning section of the checklist, and I think it includes some really simple items that people often forget. I'd suggest leaving bin liners until you've moved in as you could buy them as a flat, same goes for an iron/ironing board - you won't need 6 irons! My university provided these, and I only ever saw them get used about a dozen times. Coathangers are a must unless you want to store all your clothes on the floor, as universities don't usually provide them. A clothes airer is an essential, because it saves money when doing your laundry - you don't have to pay to use the tumble dryer! From the cleaning section, my three essentials are:

Towels // Everybody needs plenty of towels to take with them to university, and you will be surprised at how versatile they can be. Besides the obvious, you can use towels to make a makeshift ironing board, as a draft excluder, as an extra blanket in the winter months (trust me, student accommodation gets cold), or even as a tablecloth for a christmas dinner with your flatmates! I took two bath sheets, 2 hand towels, and 7 flannels with me when I first moved away. Looking back, I wish I'd have taken more bath towels with me as it would have saved me a few trips to the laundrette, but these things come with experience. And when you pay per load, it makes sense to fill the machine as much as possible! When picking out some towels to feature, I couldn't decide which to get! Dunelm has so many different colours and patterns! In the end I mainly opted for the Egyption Cotton Towels in 'Lagoon' as they match my bathroom perfectly! But 'Cornflour', 'Duck Egg', and 'Grape',' also made it into my basket in flannel form! In terms of quality these towels are so soft and luxurious - I will definitely be buying my towels from Dunelm in the future! 

Bath Mat // I can't speak for other halls of residence, but the showers in my first year halls were notorious for flooding. Every time you'd take a shower, the whole bathroom floor, and some of your bedroom carpet would be soaked! So a bath mat is a must! I'd recommend taking two, to give time them to dry out between showers. Plus a funky bath mat allows you to add your own personal touch to a plain white bathroom. I picked the Bobble Bath Mat in 'Lagoon' to match the towels I'd picked out, but again there were so many to choose from! The simple bobble design makes it extra absorbent for those little flooding emergencies too! Plus, the bobbles are so squishy, it feels like you're walking on air!

Laundry Basket // When I first moved to university, I didn't think about buying a laundry basket, and it was only when I arrived that I realised that I didn't have one. I'd wanted to pick up this cotton rope laundry bag, because of its simple design and practicality - the collapsable design allowing you to fold it away for moving day, or when you have friends over to stay. But when I got into the store, it was out of stock, but whilst walking round the Curver Knit Basket caught my eye. They had a couple of different sizes and colours, but I picked up the 30 litre size in 'Blue'. The two sturdy handles make it perfect for lugging to the laundrette across campus, plus, you can use it to transport things in when the time comes to move out!

In the end, I also picked up a few bits from the Geo Skandi tableware range. Although my kitchen is full to bursting, the matching mugs, plates, and bowls were too hard to leave behind! I couldn't choose a colour, so I picked up one of each to mix and match! Plus, they were all reasonably priced, so if any of your roommates happen to drop something on the floor they are all easily replaced without burning a hole in your purse.

What are your student essentials for back to school season?

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This post contains products sent to me for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Why It's Ok Not To Love Blogging All The Time

If you've been reading for a while, you'll know that I've only recently returned from a four month break from blogging. I'm not going to go into the reasons why as I have already discussed them here, here, and here. What I haven't discussed anywhere is my plans to quit. At the start of June, I was unsure whether or not I wanted to start back up again. Whether it was worth the hassle one goes through to put up and promote a post. I felt like I wasn't enjoying it, and when you feel like this you feel an intense pressure to start liking it again. I think it's perfectly normal to feel like this every now and again. While starting this blog has been one of the best things I've ever done, blogging isn't like a normal hobby (or career). It is all consuming and the roles of a blogger are never ending. There's always something to do whether it's writing, editing, promoting - the list is endless. Plus there's the pressure of having hundreds (and even thousands) of readers. So here are a few reasons why it's ok not to love blogging all the time (or at all). 

There will always be highs and lows // As with everything in life, there will always be highs and lows associated with blogging. And it's so easy to get caught up, focusing on the negatives. As long as there are more highs than lows you'll be fine. It's perfectly normal to go through a few rough patches, so don't worry. If you do find yourself hating it too much, it is perfectly fine to stop. Do whatever makes you happy.

Haters gonna hate // As with anything, there will always be someone that doesn't agree with you and wants to rain on your parade. Although these ugly trolls don't always rear their heads, there are a few things you can do to help. If people do try to spread negativity, block, unfollow, mute the individuals. Don't try and retaliate or stand your ground and they will eventually give up.

It's ok to say no // A lot of people find it incredibly hard to say no, and bloggers are certainly no exception. It is important to remember that the only person who has any say on what goes on with your blog, is you. Take PR for example, it's perfectly ok to reject a collaboration if you feel it isn't for you. If I'm completely honest, I've probably rejected more collaborations that I've approved. By saying no, you are giving the opportunity to another blogger who might appreciate it more.

It's ok if blogging isn't for you // Even though it seems like everyone is a blogger nowadays, blogging isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of hard work for very little in return, and a lot of people simply aren't up to the task. It can be hard to admit that you want to quit. But there is no point doing something you don't enjoy because you are too proud to quit.

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My Makeup Collection: The Brows

Eyebrows. The bane of pretty much every beauty maven's life. And to be completely honest, I'm not that bothered about mine. The colour is alright, they aren't at all sparse or patchy, and they have a naturally decent shape (even if they don't match each other). Even though I usually go without filling them in, when I have a little extra time or I'm wearing a look that leaves my eyebrows looking a little lost, I do have a few staple products that leave my brows looking beautiful. 

Ever since I started filling my brows in around 2013/14(?), I've used the bottom shade from the Boots No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadow Palette in Good Earth. I just found that it was the perfect match for my hair colour, and it was sort of a 'my brows but better' kind of product. I use it with the Real Techniques Eyeliner brush or the Lottie London eyeliner brush (pale pink handle). As you can sort of see from the photo, I've hit pan on the bottom shade so I have been mixing up what I use when I go to fill in my brows. This was the only brow product I had in my makeup collection until around the back end of last year where I was sent a couple of brow products to review. The first one I was sent had a very brief mention in 'My First Experience With False Eyelashes' post at the start of last month as I was sent it alongside some false eyelashes. The Illuminata Brow Pencil from Threads*, has become regularly used over the last couple of months. When I first opened up the product I was like 'oh.. it's black, that's never going to match' but I was surprised when it did perfectly! I want to say that it adapts to match your eyebrows (I could be completely and utterly wrong there), as I believe that was said in the press pack. One thing I can definitely remember was that the pencil is waterproof so your brows don't melt away throughout the day, this is useful for those who workout, go swimming, and for those who simply sweat a lot! As far as I know it is exclusive to Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge, but I assume they will roll out and become more available across the UK soon. 

And finally! One of my new found favourite products is the Hi Impact Brows palette*. I'm not exactly sure where you can pick this up other than here, but I think it may be available in Sephora for those of you lucky enough to have them in your country. I really love this as the powders are so blendable and you can easily mix them together to create the perfect shade for your brows. The palette also doubles up as an eyeshadow palette - which means it's great for travelling and on the go beauty!

Do you use anything to fill in your brows?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The Illuminata Brow Pencil (RRP £15), and the Hi Impact Brows palette (RRP £18.99) were kindly sent to me by Harvey Nichols and Dee&Co Innovative Beauty for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Review: Magnitone Full Monty Skincare Brush

Just before Christmas, Magnitone kindly sent me the new Full Monty Skincare Brush* to try out. I've secretly wanted either a Clarisonic or a Magnitone cleansing brush for years, and so I got rather excited when the email pinged into my inbox! I did briefly talk about it in my winter skincare routine post, however today I'm going to do a more in-depth review after using it regularly for a couple of months! The Full Monty is described as 'the ultimate multi-tasker' as it can be used in various different ways. Magnitone claim that you can see instant results from the first use, and I just want to say I straight up agree with that. After the first use my skin felt so smooth and my serums and creams sank into my skin so easily. The brush is designed to give your body a full workout. Not an alternative to exercise, but it is meant to make your skin look more toned, with a healthy glow. And do you want to know the best part? It is suitable for every type of skin. 

 As my skin adjusted to the 'new, deeper method of cleansing' I experienced a bit of a breakout, but it was warned it could happen in the instruction manual so there was nothing unexpected there. A bit worried at first, I carried on using it and blemishes quickly disappeared to reveal clearer, glowing skin. The brush has three different modes for the face alone, and can be used on 'sensitive cleanse', 'daily cleanse' and 'tone. I've tried all three modes, but I tend to use the brush in the evening to thoroughly take off my makeup with the 'daily cleanse' setting. Some people have said that they use it twice a day, and personally I think that it is gentle enough to do so, but I prefer to use it either in the morning or evening. I've found that with everyday use, any patches of dry skin disappear and my makeup goes on a lot smoother. Which is obviously nice!

With the different brush attachments it cleanses, tones and exfoliates for gorgeous skin from head to toe! I've tried all three attachments and I'm extrememly impressed with the results each gives. The brush has a built in 20 second timer so your entire face can be cleansed in just 60 seconds! At first I was incredibly stupid thinking it would beep 5 times (once for nose, once for each cheek, etc.), but then I realised that there are only 3 lots of 20 seconds in a minute and then I started to divide my face into three. After only a minute of use, my skin feels incredibly clean and I can definitely tell when I've not used the brush (like when I've forgotten to charge it up). The feet attachment, is my second favourite after the facial brush as it is really good at giving you soft, baby-like feet.

Magnitone do recommend that you replace brush heads every 3 months so bacteria doesn't build up on the bristles, however I think you could go a little bit longer between changing for the feet and body attachments. I highly recommend trying one of their brushes out for yourself as my skin has been a lot clearer and radiant! It retails at £130, so isn't cheap - but I honestly think the results are worth it!

Have you ever tried a cleansing brush - what were your thoughts?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The Magnitone Full Monty Skincare Brush (RRP £130) was kindly sent to me by Magnitone for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

My First Experience With False Eyelashes

My eyelashes are alright. They are pretty long, dark and are naturally slightly curled. And they are one of the only things that I don't have problem with. But somehow I have managed to get through 19½ years of life, and almost 2 years of beauty blogging without trying out false eyelashes. I know right? How is this possible?! So as you can imagine, I was thrilled when Harvey Nichols asked me if I would like to try out some lashes from the brand Threads. 

Over the last 7/8 years I've watched a lot of YouTube videos, featuring beauty mavens who can apply false eyelashes in a matter of seconds. Thinking it would be super easy (due to the amount of videos I'd watched over the years, and how others made it look so easy), I picked up the tweezers, opted for the Celestial lashes and whipped out the eyelash glue. And what did I end up doing? Gluing my own eyelashes to my eyelid. Don't ask how I managed this, the honest answer is I have absolutely no idea. About an hour later (after I realised I will never be attempting this again), I pretty much managed to get them on. They were slightly wonky and you could tell they were fake as I wasn't able to seamlessly blend them with my own lashes no matter how coats of mascara I applied over the top.

And what did I learn from this experience? I'll tell you...

1. I will never, I repeat never be attempting to apply false lashes ever again. (Probably will though).

2. "Do I leave the glue on for 30-40 seconds? Closer to 30 or 40? 35?" #Helpme

3. Once I applied them, they actually looked gorgeous - and I 100% recommend the Threads brand as they felt reasonably comfortable. If only I had my own personal makeup artist to apply them for me.

4. Eyelash glue is very sticky, and you should be more careful when trying to apply it (or you'll glue your eyes together).

5. If you have failed to pay attention to point 4, make sure you invest in some industrial strength eye makeup remover to unstick your eyes once fused together.

6. If you ever decide you want to give eyelashes a go again, buy a magnifying mirror as you are ocularly challenged and it makes it difficult to see where you are applying said lashes.

Have you ever tried false eyelashes? What was your first experience like?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The 'Celestial' eyelashes (RRP £9), the 'Sex Kitten' eyelashes (RRP £9), and the Illuminata Brow Pencil (RRP £15) were kindly sent to me by Harvey Nichols for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Recent Skincare Additions

My skin has taken a (big) turn for the worse recently. I thought it was getting better; my scars were fading and I had less breakouts. But I was being lulled into a false sense of security and now my acne looks like something you would see on an episode of embarrassing bodies. As soon as all this cold weather came around my skin was like BAM.. here you go, have a few more spots. It probably doesn't help that I'm only getting around 4 hours of sleep a night and my stress levels are through the roof atm. I'd love to be brave and show you how bad they actually are at the moment, but I'm sure if you Google image 'severe acne' you can imagine my skin is somewhat similar to the less severe results that come up *cries*. You can tell they're bad as I've been popping out to the shops with at least 2 layers of full coverage foundation on, and you know that usually I'd just bob out makeup free (or with a dash of light concealer at most)! 

With my usual products failing me, I began scouring the shelves for some products that would help calm things down a lot a bit. And with the help of the trusty blogging community, I picked out a couple of products that had seemingly 'worked miracles' for other people, in the hopes that they would too help out my skin! 

First up I picked up the incredibly hyped up Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask, which aside from the antibacterial properties, was meant to really help calm skin down whilst keeping it hydrated. I'd wanted to try it out for a while but was always put off by the price tag. But it has gotten to the point where, if someone would work, I'd pay ££££ for it! But when Feelunique.com had a little offer on (which was well timed with my breakout), I decided I had to pick it up to see if it would sooth my skin. The moment it arrived I ran upstairs to the bathroom, ran a hot bath and slathered my face with a thick layer of the stuff. It smells amaaaaaaazing and is so so so relaxing. It has calmed by skin down a hell of a lot over the last couple of weeks, and I can noticeably tell a difference after using it. 

At the same time I picked up the La Roche-Posay Serozinc spray which is targeted at blemish prone skin. I'm not sure if it has had a difference on my skin, but when I first used it alongside the mask - my skin looked tonnes better by morning! I really love that it is slightly mattifying as I noticed that my makeup seemed to stay on a little better throughout the day. However after finally buying the Pixi Glow Tonic last week, I have been using the Serozinc less and less. After Caroline Hirons (goddess of all things skin) mentioned it last year (?) the blogging/youtube world went crazy for it. I was going to jump on the bandwagon then, but as always I was a little skeptical about the claims. In a brief moment of online-shopping-weakness, I bit the bullet and bought myself a bottle. And what can I say? WHY DID I NOT GET ON THAT FLIPPING BANDWAGON?! It is working wonders on my skin. I never thought my skin looked particularly dull, but this has really added a glow to my skin. It has smoothed it out beyond belief and is really helping to reduce the number of blemishes. 

And finally! I've been trying out the new Claudia Louch Mint Exfoliating Facial Polish* which so far I am really liking! Claudia Louch is a relatively new brand to me and this scrub is a little different from my usual face scrubs in the sense that is a more gentle (but still effective) with larger grains of sugar. It is also unusual, as you use it on dry skin rather than damp skin. It is 94% natural and packed full of plant extracts, it is incredible for a deep clean without drying out your skin. 

And they're are my recent skincare buys! 

What is your one holy grail skincare product?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The Claudia Louch Mint Exfoliating Facial Polish (RRP £59) was kindly sent to me by Claudia Louch for the purpose of a review. All thoughts are my own and you can read my full disclaimer policy here. 

Cocktails and Canapés: Revolution Relaunch Party

Hello everyone! Last week I was invited down to sample the new food and drink menu at Revolution in the Electric Press, Leeds. They have just reopened with a brand new look and a revamped food and drink menu. I like to drag my friend Fern (Hi Fern!) along as my plus one to these events as (honestly we just like the free cocktails) we use them to catch up with each other! 

When we arrived, it was absolutely chaos! Aswell as it being a press/blogger evening, it was also open to the general public. They had what I understood to be a designated area for those, like me, sampling the new menu - but were so many people crammed into this area that it soon became difficult to move around. It was also a Friday night, so everyone (and I mean everyone) was out! Once staff had realised, they began asking people to leave their tables so they could be packed away. Meaning there were no seats for anyone. Fern and I eventually found a table with a lovely couple sat at it, and they offered us the spare seats. Once we had found somewhere to sit, we began sampling some of the delicious cocktails on offer. 

As soon as we walked though the front door, we were given the choice of two different cocktails (sorry, they were inhaled before I had the chance to take a photo). I opted for one with strawberries and gin (GIN ALL THE WAY, AM I RIGHT?), which I believe was called 'Gin N Juice'. We decided to buy a cocktail each as it was the end of happy hour with two-for-one cocktails. We both got a 'Bramble' (see first picture), which I ended up drinking both of because Fern gave up! We were then brought a shot glass sampler of the 'Caribbean Passion', which again, I drank both of. That was it really for cocktails, we had both had enough, especially considering that we had taken up on the two-for-one offer at Slug and Lettuce on the walk up from the train station! #cocktailaddict

 The food was absolutely delicious! I didn't realise that Revolution did food, but I will certainly be popping back after sampling some delicious items of the menu! One of the first things we tried, were these little goats cheese balls with red chilli and cucumber. We had quite a few of these as they were so yummy! I wish I had caught my reaction of eating the chill, I really didn't expect it to be so spicy! I believe they are a side to some of the new main dishes on the menu, but I'm not entirely sure!

Mini hotdogs on sticks!

The mini hot-dogs (I think they actually called them dough-dogs), were my favourite! At first I thought it was a spring roll (stupid Charlotte), so when I bit into it I was both pleasantly surprised and disappointed at the same time. All of the things we tried we part of some new sharing platters, the 'Deli Crate' and the 'Street Food Crate', so I know what I'll be ordering next time! Whilst we were eating, a lovely gentleman came round and asked if he would be able to draw us. My first reaction was 'Oh God, how much is this going to cost' but to my surprise it was free! He was so lovely and we noticed a couple of people going round with rolled up drawings. I thought this was a lovely touch, and a bit different from the usual nightclub photographer. I'm not sure if he goes regularly, of if he was just there as a one off. But his drawings were hilarious! I loved them!

Also! I attempted to vlog the evening! So if you fancy watching it….

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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August Favourites

Before I start, I'd just like to mention that the winner of my 1K Giveaway is Jodie Moores! Thank you all for taking part and a big thanks to Baker Days for supplying the prize! 

Hello friends! I actually can't believe we're now in September!! This year has literally gone by in the blink of an eye! And the other day I actually found myself thinking about Christmas - that is insane! Anyway, this month I've really tried to switch things up a bit, reaching for different products and using them in different ways. 

First up is The Comforter Shower Cream from Lush Cosmetics. OMG How excited was I when I was browsing and found it outside of the Oxford Street, London store! I nearly screamed I was so excited - seriously! I have been lusting after it for so long and was heartbroken when I realised it was exclusive to Oxford Street. As I am sure you all know (after mentioning it only about 1000 times), The Comforter Bubble Bar is my all time favourite product from Lush and I use it almost weekly! So when I saw this I immediately knew I was going to love it! If you've never smelt the comforter before a) how have you not? and b) imagine a sweet and fruity blackcurrant scent or a big glass of Ribena! It makes any gloomy morning an absolute dream and is perfect for a long relaxing soak!

Adding a touch of luxury to my everyday makeup, the NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette (Limited Edition) has been one of my most used products this month! I've really been liking using just one of the shades (mainly the top right burgundy colour) all over my lid and blending it out to create an intense smokey look. Using a range of Real Techniques eye brushes to apply them with, I have really mixed up my entire makeup look and I will certainly be opting for similar looks this month!

To go with the NARS eyeshadows, I've been loving using the Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara. One day I will actually commit to it and purchase the full size, but until then the miniature travel size is suiting me just fine! It has a really big wand which gives you incredibly voluminous lashes. Those with oiler skin may find that it smudges onto the under-eye area. 

I have recently made both a rediscovery and new discovery at the same time. I haven't used Sudocrem as a part of my skincare routine since I was about 13/14/15 years old. I seem to remember it working really well to get rid of blemishes, but I always felt super awkward going out to buy a product labelled as 'nappy cream'. Sudocrem has recently launched a new Skin Care Cream targeted at everyone with blemishes. The Sudocrem Skin Care Cream* is absolutely incredible for soothing blemishes and when used as an overnight face mask or a targeted spot treatment, you wake up with the softest and plump skin! Plus it only costs a bargain £2.11 per tube - at that price you can't really afford not to try it out!

And finally, my last favourite from August is The Body Shop Strawberry Body Mist. One of my bestest friends (hi Sarah!) bought me it as a gift for my birthday in June and I've worn it pretty much non-stop since. It is so fresh and perfect for summer - plus you smell like a giant strawberry all day long! It is an absolute steal at only £7.50, and is perfect to throw in your handbag for touch ups throughout the day!

What have you all been enjoying this month?

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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The Sudocrem Skincare Cream was kindly gifted to me by Sudocrem for the purpose of a review. If you have any queries or questions you can read my disclaimer or email me on the email on my contact page. 

Celebrating 1000 Followers With Bakerdays

UPDATE! The giveaway has now closed!

Hello friends! As I'm sure you may have noticed, in the last week I reached 1000 followers on my blog(!!) and the lovely people at Bakerdays got in touch to see if I'd like to celebrate with one of their lovely letter box cakes! I obviously said YES as who could turn down an opportunity for cake?!

When the cake arrived I was impressed that it actually did fit through the letterbox! I know, it’s a Letterbox Cake, so obviously it will fit through the letterbox, but I was still impressed! When I opened up the little box, the cake was inside a beautiful tin alongside a little note card, balloons, a couple of candles, some balloons and a party blower. I thought this was a lovely touch that made the gift seem a little more personal and worth the money - plus you can use the tin to store the cake in so it doesn't go all dry and stale!

I was excited to see what the cake would look like as I'd not given them any specific design ideas, just telling them to be creative haha! But when I opened it up THEY HAD WRITTEN MY NAME ON IT!! I've never had my name on a cake so it made it even more special! It had an absolutely gorgeous design and I'm so happy with it!

You can choose from six, yes six different flavours of cake - vanilla, chocolate chip, chocolate and vanilla layered, fruit, and theres even gluten and dairy free! My cake was vanilla flavoured, and this is exactly what I would have chosen if I'd have been placing an order! AND OMG IT TASTES FREAKIN' DELICIOUS! The cake itself lasts for around 14 days according to Bakerdays, but if I'm honest mine lasted about an hour before it was demolished. It would have been eaten quicker, but I had to photograph it for the purpose of this blog post!

You can personalise a cake with different messages, your own photos or simply choose one of over 400 pre-made designs with a standard greeting like 'happy birthday' or 'congratulations'. The letterbox cakes start at just £14.99 including delivery (price includes a 7 day delivery, you can pay to have it delivered sooner though). Simply go to their website to choose and create a special gift for someone (or even yourself if you're in the mood!).

Giveaway Terms and Conditions 

Bakerdays are offering the chance for one of my lovely readers to win one of their very own cakes so you can celebrate along with me! It's very simple, all you have to do is follow the instructions mentioned below. The giveaway will close one week from the date of this post (closes at 2pm on 02/09/2015), and a winner will be selected entirely at random by myself. 

1. Follow Bakerday's on their Twitter

2. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

3. Follow my blog on Bloglovin'

4. Consider voting for me as the Best Up and Coming Beauty Blog here

5. And last but not least, leave a comment down below so I can get in touch with you if you are selected as a winner!

Thanks for reading and best of luck!

Love Charlotte x

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P.S! I have been shortlisted for the Best Up and Coming Beauty Award in the #BloggerBlogAwards and I would be absolutely over the moon if you could go over and vote me as winner! Eeeeeeek!

Nokia Lumia 640: A Trial and Review

Since the age of about 11 I have been a true Apple fanatic. Since then I have owned multiple iPhones, an iPod and a MacBook Pro - absolutely loving all of them. As sad as it sounds, my life completely revolves around my phone and after having some form of iPhone for over seven years, I couldn't imagine not having one. So when Microsoft got in touch offering me the opportunity to take part in their Lumia Voices campaign and trial one of their Lumia phones for two weeks - I jumped at the chance! 

I was offered to trial the Lumia 640, one of the latest releases from Microsoft. I haven't had a Nokia phone (or anything else other than an iPhone for that matter) since I was 12 years old when I had a Nokia N95 so I knew it was going to take some getting used to. The opportunity was perfect timing as my existing phone is on its last legs and I was preparing to go straight ahead and buy an iPhone 6. As a blogger and a student, my phone is essential to my everyday life. It isn't just a phone, it's my personal assistant, my calendar, my alarm clock and my form of communication with the outside world. Apple is renowned for its sleek designs, amazing software and its ever-expanding app store having pretty much every app you could ever think of. So you can see why I couldn't see the point in checking out the competition. 

When the phone arrived on my doorstep, I was shocked at how beautiful it was! The sleek design, the bright orange hardware and the impressive looking interface. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be as good as it is. I didn't want to compare it to my iPhone but, whilst using the Lumia, I couldn't help it! There were so many similar features, some features that Apple do not have and some features that Apple has and the Lumia doesn't. 

Essentials // First lets talk about the most important stuff. It is extremely well designed. The sleek hardware makes it look so much more expensive than it actually is. I was shocked when I looked at the price!! I expected it to be about £300 but it is infact only £129.99 to buy outright/sim free!! It comes in a few different colours (black, white, blue and orange) and has the option to mix and match the different coloured backs which I thought was a nice touch! Alongside the impressive hardware is the brilliantly designed interface/operating system. After hating Windows 8 on my sister's laptop so much, I was really worried that I wouldn't get on with the tiled interface. I thought it would be so complicated to use but infact it was the complete opposite! Even my mum found it simple and she is pretty rubbish with technology (she gets impressed when she manages to attach a document to an email). Another impressive feature on the Lumia 640 is the battery life! My iPhone battery currently lasts 20 minutes (I'm getting a new phone soon thank goodness!!) so pretty much anything could top that at the moment! The specifications mention a 17½ hour battery life, but the most I managed to get out of it (with my normal usage) was 24 hours and 27 minutes! 

Connectivity // Unlike the Apple iPhone, you don't have to worry about planning how much memory you're going to need (16GB, 64 GB, 128 GB. etc), as the phone is only available as 8GB. It has space to slot in a micro SD card (up to 128GB) which are relatively cheap to buy and certainly cheaper than buying the storage already built in. The phone uses a micro-sim and is 4G enabled meaning you can use super fast internet if it is part of your phone tariff. According to the Microsoft website, you can also use the new wireless chargers that are making a scene on the market! You do however have to buy them separately as the phone just comes with a basic wall-USB charger. 

Camera, Video and Audio // This area was one of the biggest let downs to me personally. The phone boasts an 8MP camera and the ability to change the camera settings (ISO, shutter speed, aperture). The video was fine, but I didn't like the camera when it came to taking still photos. Although the quality of the images is pretty good, my real gripe was the fact that it does this strange thing where it takes a short video and clips the best frame to save as your photo. This annoyed me a little as I am so used to tapping the screen to focus and snapping a quick photo. As well as the camera, the audio bugged me a little because the speaker is on the back of the phone (rather than the front or sides), meaning that if you are listening to music or watching a video - you can't hear it if you put the phone down on the table! When holding the phone in your hand, you have to be careful not to cover the speaker with your fingers. As you can see in the second image, the speaker is positioned in the exact place where your hand would sit naturally.

Productivity // Cortana has to be one of the main forms of productivity with the Lumia 640. Similarly to Apple's Siri, Cortana is able to create reminders, set alarms and even open apps ("Cortana, play House of Cards on Netflix"). Microsoft have made sure that Cortana is fully integrated with everything on the phone - unlike Apple where Siri can only perform certain tasks.  Alongside Cortana, there are all the usual smartphone features, including; a calendar, email and an alarm clock. There isn't however a built in stop watch or countdown timer which I use regularly on my iPhone to make sure I down burn my chicken nuggets or my soufflés.

Overall I have been incredibly impressed with the Lumia 640, but I don't think I'll be swapping my iPhone quite yet! I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would and I'm actually kind of sad to see it sent back to Microsoft now that my trial is over.   

Would you consider buying this phone? Would love to know your thoughts and feelings in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Love Charlotte x

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