4 Days in Edinburgh

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I headed to Edinburgh for a short city break.

We stayed in the Stay Central Hotel, which, as the name suggests, is very central but isn't overly expensive. We had booked a double room, but when we arrived we were told we had been upgraded to an XXL room. This was a nice surprise for the first day of our trip. We couldn't fault the hotel at all; the staff were lovely, the room was clean and every morning we were left clean towels, bottles of water and plenty of Tunnocks tea cakes. The hotel was also only a five minute walk from the Royal Mile and Victoria Street - two of the more famous streets in Edinburgh.

What We Did

The National Museum of Scotland:

On our first day in Edinburgh we visited the National Museum of Scotland. It was completely free to get in and there was so much to see! From Scottish History, to fashion, to modern technology there seemed to be something for everyone in the museum. Perfect for a rainy day.

Mary King's Close:

This is a guided tour through the underground closes, which reveals a lot about the history of Edinburgh. Compared to others that we had heard of, this tour was one of the ones that was not scary. There were a few little scary stories here and there, but no jump scares thank goodness.

Calton Hill:

For photo ops, Calton Hill is a great alternative to climbing up to Arthur's Seat. It offers great views of Edinburgh without the long walk.

Edinburgh Gin Factory:

We are both gin lovers so we decided to see how its made in the Edinburgh Gin Factory. For £25 we did the connoisseur tour, which consisted of learning about the history of Gin, seeing how it was made and tasting a selection of different gins. I feel like it was good value for money, especially considering we got to try a fair amount of  gin.

Where We Ate/ Drank

The Boozy Cow:

If you're after a delicious burger and unreal cocktails, this is the place to go. We tried so many different cocktails and couldn't fault any of them! The place itself had a really good vibe, with good music, and the girl who served us was so friendly. 

The Cauldron:

If you're ever in Edinburgh I would 100% recommend that you go to this bar. It has a wizard theme, so you get a cloak and a wand and you make your own potions (cocktails). We were a little bit sceptical heading into this as we thought it might be a bit cringey, but it was really good craic. For us, the potions master made it for us as she was so funny. The cocktails were pretty cool too. 

The Caley Picture House:

Our potions master actually recommended that we go here. It's a Wetherspoons so it's cheap and cheerful, but the interior is gorgeous. It felt like something from The Great Gatsby as it in keeps with the original picture house decor. If you're looking for somewhere cheap for food or drinks, but still want to go somewhere nice, I would definitely recommend that you go here. 

Toro Latino Cafe & Grill:

We were in the mood for steak, so after looking at their Menu online, we decided to go here. I'm so glad we did as the sharing steak sampler that we got was amazing. The steaks were cooked to perfection and the staff were so attentive, making sure we were warm enough during our meal. 

Love, Sarah-Michelle x

Back to Blogging

It's been a while since I've posted on this blog, but after a good few months of hemming and hawing over whether or not to start again, I've decided to bite the bullet and get back to blogging!

My life has changed a lot since the last time I wrote a blog post.

In July I graduated from uni and I'm so happy to say I graduated with a 2:1  - I would've been happy just graduating!  So, I'm now stuck searching for a job which will save me from working in retail for the rest of my life. 

I want to get back into blogging now more so than ever because I feel like I don't have anything to work towards any more. Sitting at a checkout all day everyday isn't very fulfilling - who'd have thought?? 

The Libraries NI #GetBloggingNI event that I attended last week with my friend Holly has inspired me to try again. I used to really enjoy blogging, and hopefully it'll make me feel like I have a bit of a purpose again. 

So, here goes nothing. 

Sarah-Michelle x

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Growth

I feel like I've grown  a lot over the past year. Actually, never mind the year, the past few months. 

This year I've had my fair share of heartbreak and spent too many hours crying over boys who didn't even care enough to tell me they didn't want to see me anymore. During this time, many thoughts ran through my head, which I'm sure most people think when they've been hurt, but mainly all I could think was What is wrong with me?

Recently, I've came to the realisation that it says a lot more about them than it does about me. To be honest, I'm glad that this has happened to me. Okay, yes it completely sucked at the time and has taken me months to get over, but it's definitely made me a stronger person and for that I'm extremely grateful. 

I used to be concerned about trying to find a boyfriend, I didn't want to be single while the rest of my friends were in relationships. At the moment though, I'm happy being single. I'm happy just being me. I'm having fun with my some of my best pals and I'm loving every minute of it! Yes, a boyfriend would be nice, but I've realised that it's not essential. I'm young, I have plenty of time and obviously now is just not the right time for a relationship. Who knows what could be in store for me in the future. To quote my wonderful mother: 

"Whatever's for me won't pass me."

 I'm learning to love myself before anyone else right now and I think that's incredibly important for me to grow even more as a person.

Is this what turning 20 does to a person?? I feel like I've matured so much since hitting the big 2-0!hahah

Sarah-Michelle x

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Back to Blogging

Hey everyone I’m back! And this time, it’s for good – I hope. 

I’ve been finished University for the summer for about a Month now and I’ve been working away trying to save up some money for a car as I'm hoping to be driving by the end of summer. The keyword there is trying. In actual fact, I’ve been failing miserably due to the amount of nice clothes and makeup I’ve been buying recently. My weekend away in Edinburgh for my sister’s hen party didn’t help the funds either…

So, with all of the things I’ve been buying and my little trip away, expect some hauls, reviews and little accounts of what I’ve been up to coming in the very near future!

Let me know in the comments what you’ve been up to and the links to your latest posts so I can get back into reading blogs again!

Sarah-Michelle x

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2016 Favourites!

This post is a lot later than I had intended to post it, but I got there eventually. There were so many things that I loved throughout 2016, so I've narrowed it down to my top few favourites, which is actually still quite a lot of things...

Sleek Solstice Palette

After buying this palette during the summer, I immediately fell in love with it. The highlighters are incredibly pigmented and all of the shades are beautiful. It has become my go-to highlighter! You can read my full review of the Sleek Solstice palette here.

Naked 2 Palette

Like the Sleek Solstice pallette, the Naked 2 palette quickely became my go-to palette, particularly for nights out. I find it's great for creating a number of eye looks and my most-used shades from it are 'YDK', 'Chopper' and 'Verve'.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

This mascara is definitely my favourite mascara that I've ever used - a bold statement, I know. It gives my lashes length, it curls them and it doesn't leave them looking clumpy whatsoever. I can't see myself using any other mascara anytime soon!

Bare Minerals Blusher in 'Your Highness'

This blusher is a gorgeous rose-y pink shade that adds the perfect flush to my cheeks. As it's a loose powder, it's also very pigmented which means a little goes a long way with this. As it's more pigmented than some of my other blushers, I find this perfect for nights out and occasions when I'm wearing heavier makeup. 

Ardell Demi Wispies

Before I discovered these lashes in 2016, I couldn't be bothered with false eye lashes; I could never get them on, they never stuck for the whole night and they were more effort than they were worth. But these were a complete game changer for me! They look so natural on and the glue that comes with them is a-maz-ing! The lashes stay on all night without having to readjust them or reapply glue to them. No eye look I do is complete without them!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

After hearing every blogger and youtuber and blogger raving about this cleanser, I obviously had to try it for myself in 2016. It removes every single bit of makeup, including waterproof mascara, easily and without much rubbing at your face. I definitely notice a difference in my skin if I go without using this for a while.

Shawn Mendes

Shawn Mendes was definitely one of my favourite singers of 2016. I've loved every song that he has released and his latest album is amazing. Shawn has an incredible voice that I don't think I'll ever tire of hearing!

Fabulous Hannah

My favourite youtuber this year has definitely been Fabulous Hannah. Her videos are so entertaining and it's obvious that she puts a lot of work into them. She's also very funny and seems like a very genuine person. I feel like I know her personally just from watching her videos. 

What were you loving in 2016?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Hello 2017!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! It turns out that blogmas was a complete fail here on lifewithadash (note to self: plan all of the posts for next year well in advance), but, it's now a new year, which means a fresh start.

I'm not going to say all that new year, new me crap that most people seem to say at this time of the year, but I do intend to set myself some goals and actually stick to them. I never usually stick to any of the resolutions I've made in the past, but this year I've set myself some realistic resolutions and I'm determined to!

Here are some of my goals for 2017:

Firstly, I really want to be more consistent and organised when it comes to blogging.
Let's face it, I'm not that great at posting regularly and planning my posts in advance, am I? Blogmas was just a perfect example of that hahah! This year I want to set up a blogging schedule and actually stick to it. I want my blog to grow and not blogging consistently is obviously not going to help. 

2017 will also be the year I finally learn to drive. I've said this numerous times in the past, for example before my 17th birthday and last summer, but this time I really mean it! I hate not being able to go wherever I want when I want because I can't drive. My goal is  to be able to drive before summer so that I can actually go and do things with my friends whenever I want and not have to worry about getting a lift from my parents.

This year I intend on finding a job. I'll be searching every day for new job openings because I definitely need the money - a student loan can only stretch so far! As well as needing money to be able to live, I need money to complete my previous goal of learning to drive. I also want to start putting money away for a car, otherwise, what would be the point in learning to drive?

 I say this every year, but this year I mean it - I want to get fitter. When I'm at uni I don't lead the healthiest of lifestyles and I want to change this as I don't want to put on any weight (I refuse to move up a dress size). Also, with my sisters wedding in September, I want to be looking my best. 

Finally, I want to continue to grow in confidence and worry less about things. Honestly, this will probably be the most challenging thing on this list, but hopefully I can achieve it!

What are some of your goals for 2017?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Early Christmas | Blogmas Day #9

As I mentioned in a few of my previous blogmas posts, my uni flatmates,some of our friends and I celebrated Christmas early as this week was the last full week we would all be together before Christmas. 

Once everyone arrived at our house we all had a cocktail,  exchanged secret santa presents and then opened them at the same time. From my secret santa I received a really nice Elf eyeshadow palette, which I've already used a lot and can tell it will become a staple in my makeup routine, a full length mirror (we were in desperate need of one in our uni house haha) and a drinking game which may have been put to good use later in the night...

After present swapping, we started making dinner. It took a bit longer than we expected, but in the end the dinner turned out really well and we were all quite proud of it! It wouldn't be Christmas without crackers, would it? We all pulled a cracker, told our bad jokes and put our paper hats on for a picture. 

After a few more of our friends arrived, including one of my friends who I haven't seen since September as she was in England at University, that's when the party began. We got ready for going out (you can find my Christmas party makeup look here) and made use of the drinking game that I got for Christmas. All 9 of us then headed out where we had a great time dancing. Earlier in the day we learnt the 'Footloose' dance so we busted that out for just about every song we could haha. It was one of the best nights out I've had in a while with some great people!

Have you ever celebrated Christmas early?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Christmas Makeup Look | Blogmas Day #8

It's nearly Christmas and you know what that means? It's party season! Whether it's a work party, a family party or a Christmas night out with your friends you want your makeup to fit the festive feeling. So, I've decided to share my go-to makeup look for this year with you.

Starting with the face, I like to use a long-lasting foundation with a high coverage for parties so I apply this Revlon Color Stay foundation in the shade 'natural beige' (which I'm aware is a good few shades darker than my skin tone, but it's to match my fake tan) all over my face using my damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge for an even finish. I then apply the Soap & Glory kick-ass concealer in 'light' under my eyes, on any spots, around my nose and down the bridge of it. This conceals any imperfections and helps to highlight parts of my face. Using the trusty Rimmel Stay Matte powder I set all of this in place. 

Moving onto the eyes, I apply the Urban Decay primer all over my lids using my finger and blend the shade 'Naked' from the first Naked palette into my crease. I then pack the shade 'Sidecar' all over my lid, leaving a space in the middle of my lid with no product on it. In this space I add the shade 'Half Baked'. To darken up the crease I blend the shade 'Buck' into it and gradually add a small amount of 'Darkhorse' on the outer 'V' of my eyelid I blend the shade 'Hustle'. I just continue to blend until it looks blended well enough. 

I'll then leave my eyes for the time being, and move onto contour. Using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush I'll apply the Sleek bronzer from their contour palette under my cheekbones, my jawline, to my forehead and down my nose to make it appear slimmer. I'll blend this in using the Real Techniques brush and then to soften it a little bit more I'll use the Real Techniques sponge. To apply my Bare Minerals blusher in 'Your Highness' I use the Eco-Tools powder brush. I finish off my face makeup by sweeping a bit of the bronze shade from the Sleek 'Cleopatra Kiss' highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones, down my nose and on my cupids bow. 

 Moving back to the eyes, I apply the darkest shade 'hustle' to my lower lash line and using the L'oreal Super Liner Perfect Slim to add a small wing to my upper lash line. Using a black pencil liner I line my upper waterline and then I'll apply a set of Ardell Demi Whispie Lashes and coat my lashes with the Benefit Roller Lash mascara. For my eyebrows, I first brush through them with a spoolie and afterwards fill them in using the powder from the Barry M Brow Kit and the Eco-Tools angled brush. To complete my eye look I add a little bit of the shade 'virgin' from the Naked Palette to the inner corner of my eye and my brow bone.

And finally, to finish off the look I'll apply the Barry M Matte Lip Paint in the shade 'Obsessed'.

 What's your go-to Christmas party makeup look?

Sarah-Michelle x 

p.s. I know I missed yesterdays blogmas post and I'm really annoyed about that, but it was so busy yesterday with our early Christmas (post coming soon). Hopefully, this will be the only blogmas post that I miss!

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Christmas Traditions | Blogmas Day #6

Hey everyone! So, it's actually 3am on the 7th of December, but I haven't been to sleep yet so this still counts as day 6, right? I didn't get a chance to post this earlier because after coming home from a day full of lectures, I had to finish an assignment, baked some mini cheesecakes in preparation for our early Christmas at uni tomorrow (more on that to come soon!) and then we may have ended up heading to McDonalds...So all in all it's been quite a busy day haha. 

We have quite a few Christmas traditions in my family. In fact, any time someone in my family suggests doing something different, me and my sister always find ourselves repeating "but it's tradition!" I'm actually really sad this year as my sister, Claire, gets married in 2017 and so won't be at our house on Christmas Eve/ Day and won't be joining us until boxing day. I was reminiscing about all of the traditions that would change after this year and  thought I'd share some of them with you!

Christmas PJs

Although we only started to do this in the past 6 or 7 years, it has definitely become a tradition now  to open a present, obviously containing jammies, on Christmas  Eve to wear that night. I'm a big fan of this tradition because who doesn't love new pyjamas?

Creating 'The Plan' 

Ever since we were younger, me, Claire and one of my brothers, David, would all congregate in one of our bedrooms to discuss the plan for Christmas morning. Of course, there's absolutely no need for this as we pretty much follow the same routine on Christmas day every single year. Nevertheless, we still do it because "it's tradition!"

Claiming the Perfect Present Spot

Santa's gotta know who's presents to put where, right? So, we claim our spot which is always the same, but every single year my brother and sister argue about who gets their presents on the fireplace haha. When we were little we actually used to leave little 'Santa leave my presents here' notes, but we don't do this anymore.

Turkey, Ham & Stuffing Sandwiches

I think this is one of my favourite traditions. After opening our presents and before we have our dessert, we'll make sandwiches out of the dinner leftovers and they are so good. A little bit of turkey, some of mi madres honey glazed ham, stuffing and bon appetite!

Disguising Presents

We have this tradition in our house which, as far as I can remember, started way back in the day when my dad decided to wrap up a turkey leg as a joke as part of my mum's present. Now, we all wrap presents up in random boxes and bags to try and make the other person think they've got something completely ridiculous. Thanks dad haha.

What traditions do you have in your family?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Music Monday | Top 5 Christmas Songs 2016 | Blogmas Day #5

This year I've seemed to stray away from the classic Christmas songs that I'd usually listen to and I've started listening to more recent Christmas songs. Of course, there are a few exceptions such as The Pogues' 'Fairy Tale Of New York', Mariah Carey's 'All I want for Christmas' and Wham's 'Last Christmas' but these are the songs I've found myself listening to the most so far this year. 

Santa Tell Me - Ariana Grande

Hoping For Snow - The Vamps

My Only Wish (This Year) - Britney Spears

One More Sleep - Leona Lewis

Mistletoe - Justin Bieber

Which Christmas songs have you been listening to the most this year?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Christmas Jumper Wishlist | Blogmas Day #4

Don't get me wrong, I love an ugly Christmas jumper as much as the next person, but I prefer cute Christmas jumpers that I can wear outside of my house. Here's a few of my favourites this year from the likes of Boohoo, Asos and H&M.

Which is your favourite? 

Sarah-Michelle x 

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Stocking Fillers Under £5 | Blogmas Day #3

I don't know about everyone else, but in my family, stockings always contain things that we need: toothbrushes, deodorant, shower gel, etc. But they also contain some smaller things that we'd like that aren't too expensive. Sometimes, I would be happy just to receive a stocking! Hence, I decided to make this post.

Soap and Glory Pink Twice 

Socks/ fluffy socks

Lip balm

Nail polish

Notebook/ diary

Mini Yankee Candles

Sleek Say The Magic Word Mini Matte Me Collection - £5 at boots

Adult colouring book

Is there anything you would like to find in your stocking on Christmas day?

Sarah-Michelle x

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All I Want For Christmas... | Blogmas Day #2

Welcome back for day #2 of Blogmas! In today's post I'm going to share what's on my wishlist for this year. I don't expect to get everything on this list - I'd be appreciative of even just one of these items! Hopefully, if you're stuck for ideas for your Christmas list or for ideas for presents, this will help you. 

Fujifilm Instax Mini 8

I love taking photographs and capturing memories. I think Polaroids make photos seem that little bit extra special and cute. I have a cork board in my uni room with some Polaroids that I got printed out online and I'd love to add to them by taking my own Polaroids.  

Pyjamas

It wouldn't be Christmas without a new pair of pyjamas. This is always something I'm sure I'll get to open on Christmas Eve to wear especially for Christmas.

Topshop Scarf

I fell in love with this scarf when I saw it on the Topshop website; I love the colours and it looks so cosy!

Spectrum Makeup Brushes

I'm in need of some new makeup brushes, particularly eye makeup brushes. I love the marble and rose gold design of the spectrum brushes and I've heard that they're supposed to be great quality. 

Girl Online Going Solo

After reading Zoe's first two books, I can't wait to read the third instalment. It would make for perfect light reading over the Christmas season.

Holding Up the Universe

This is another book that I've been anticipating. I've heard some good reviews about the book and, again, it would be ideal to cosy up in front of the fire with over Christmas. 

Blue Ripped Jeans

I don't actually own that many pairs of blue skinny jeans, and the ones that I do have are either not skinny enough (the excess material around the ankles is the bane of my life) or they've ripped at the belt loops (I'm not the only one that happens to when I pull up my jeans, right?). 

Black Ripped Jeans

I'm in desperate need of some new black ripped skinny jeans. It's gotten to the stage where the slight rip in the knee has become a rather large hole and they're more of a grey colour now rather than their original black.

Olivia Burton Watch

Since starting University, I've realised a watch is kind of a necessity. My phone always seems to run out of battery during the day and I need to be able to tell the time to get to my lectures/ my bus. I really love this Olivia Burton one and I think the rose gold face and grey strap compliment each other really well and would go with any outfit. 

Liz Earle Cleanser, toner and moisturiser

I'm beginning to run low on my skincare products and a girl's gotta take care of her skin. The Liz Earle skincare range is my favourite. 

Lush Snow Fairy

Snow fairy reminds me so much of Christmas and I love the scent, but I can never justify spending so much on a shower gel for myself. 

Mac Lipstick in 'Mehr'

I've been eyeing this lipstick up for a while now. It seems like the perfect nude lipstick for me and I feel like I'd use it a lot.

Tartlette in Bloom Palette

How pretty is this palette? The eyeshadows look gorgeous and they're all shades I would wear on a daily basis. I've also been eyeing this up for a while, so it would be lovely.  

What's on your wishlist this year?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas | Blogmas Day #1

Happy Blogmas! Yes, you read that correctly - I'm doing Blogmas this year! Are you excited? I am.

Christmas is my favourite time of the year and there's nothing I love more than getting some Christmas tunes on and decorating the house. As soon as the tree goes up it instantly feels like Christmas. The tinsel, the baubles, the fairy lights; it all makes it feel so magical. 

This year I'm lucky enough to get to decorate two houses: my family home and my uni house. So, to start off Blogmas I thought I'd share some nice photos of all of the decorations to get us all into the Christmas spirit.

At home, we went a little bit more traditonal with red and gold decorations on a green tree. However, with three (basically four) girls living in a house by ourselves, we decided to go for a white tree with gold and rose gold decorations  - so pretty! 

Are you excited for Blogmas/ are you doing Blogmas on your blog this year?

Sarah-Michelle x 

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