Most of presents I had some sort if idea about, as my family and friends always try to buy me something that I want rather than something i'm not going to use, which i'm sure a lot of you can understand. 

Starting off with the Babyliss Curling Wand, I had been wanting one of these for ages as i've heard they are great for not causing much damage to the ends of your hair and I love the curl they give to your hair so my lovely Nan & Step Granddad got this for me after mentioning it to her. The Beauticology: Gingerbread Set, I received from my friend Meg, which I didn't actually know about but I cannot wait to give this a go. I've been wanting some stuff from Beauticology: for ages! Another present I had asked for was the Real Techniques Limited Edition Duo Fiber Collection, as again I had wanted them for a while so my mum picked these up for me after almost buying me another Core Collection haha! Another present from my Mum and Stepdad, was this lovely Pandora Clasp Charm, which my dog carried down the stairs around her neck on Sunday morning haha! 

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On Monday night, my family, my friend Megan and I went to Zizzi's as my proper birthday meal. Now I love Italian food and I love the food in Zizzi's, it's so much nicer than the bland crap you get in Pizza Express and it has a little more elegance to it.

As you can tell from the title, today marks my 20th birthday! I'm no longer a teenager, sigh.. but the next few days should be pretty good as i've got lots planned in order to celebrate, even with a few cheeky cocktails, maybe.

I just wanted to make a quick post to let you all know as a little heads up that posts may be a little slow over the next few days but I will try to blog if I have time!

Anyway, I best be off and get ready as we're heading up to Stafford for a little lunch and day out today!

The Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayons are another take on the ever so popular Clinique Chubby Sticks, which I have never actually tried but I have always been intrigued by as i've heard some great things about them. With the lip crayon craze still going strong, I thought i'd finally delve into the lip crayon world and so far i'm pleasantly surprised. 

I picked up just the one lip crayon in the shade 'Red Sunrise', which is a lovely raspberry red shade. I normally don't opt for red shades, but out of the four shades available this one appealed the most after swatching it on the back of my hand. I love how these glide on so smoothly and leave a pigmented lightweight glossy finish to the lips that your hair doesn't stick to at all and leaves your lips feeling super hydrated.

These lip crayons are also said to last up to ten hours on the lips and I think they probably would as they seem to stay put pretty well. Also these lip crayons have SPF15 within the formula, which is always a thumbs up especially in the heatwave were having at the moment. 

Have you tried any of these lip crayons yet? Also look out for new shades this autumn!

The first couple of days we chilled out, took my dads dog Bash for a walk and relaxed in the garden with some Pimms and a cheeky BBQ, which was delicious! My dad and me decided to head down The Barbican as there are some lovely little antique and one off stores where you find some really cute pieces and of course loads of ice cream shops! We both got a cheeky ice cream, which we thoroughly enjoyed eating them by the water front. We also ended up walking around Royal William Yard and went on a little exploring adventure and found a hole in the wall which led out to the water front, seriously the best view ever! All in all I had an amazing time, chilling out, drinking tea and catching up with my dad.

Hope you guys like these kind of posts, as I may do a few more like this.

Summer is officially here, and it’s not just a typical British summer either! Whether you are off on your holidays to soak up some foreign sun or are basking in the lovely weather we are getting in England, London Boutiques give us the rundown of what essential accessories you should be snapping up, ASAP.

SUMMER JEWELLERY 

Summer jewellery trends often differ to incorporate a range of individual styles, as jewellery is one of the best ways to let your own personality shine through in your fashion. Here’s our favourite picks of the 2013 summer jewellery trends:

Art Deco: If vintage is your flavour and you like blingy, statement jewellery pieces, then the art deco trend is for you. The trend incorporates heirloom style jewellery with modern twists to breath new life into the earlier fashions.

Colour Bursts: Not to be worn together, there are two colour focus trends in jewellery at the moment. One is pale and pastel colours, perfect for bringing a feminine touch to an outfit. The other is vibrant colours, a shade away from neon, bringing a young, fresh touch to outfits, perfect for casual accessorising for festivals, holidays, and daytime activities.

Geometrics: Geometric shapes and patterns make a well deserved return to our jewellery collections this summer. They are great for making a simple statement or a much larger and bolder one, as they shapes and patterns can be bright and colourful or toned down and simplified.

SUMMER SHADES

There are plenty of sexy and fun styles to choose from this year! Here are our favourite picks of the sunglasses trends 2013:

Square Frames: If retro isn’t your thing, take a step into fashion future with this funky new trend. Large square frames with bold geometric patterns or in a simple block summer colour are the perfect choice for trend setters and fashion daredevils,

Wayfarers: If you like to stick to something classic, the wayfarer style sunglasses, made popular by Rayban, are the perfect style for you. Wear them in understated black or go bold with a vibrant summer colour. We are loving red at the moment!

Round Lenses: From John Lennon inspired round lenses in wire frames to takes on the square frame trend with round lenses, this lens trend can be incorporated into any style, and can be as bold and statement or as simple and understated as you choose.

SUMMER BAGS

To top off any summer outfit you need the right bag to carry around your essentials in style, and to help you do so here are our favourite picks of this summer’s bag trends:

Satchel: The satchel is such a versatile and stylish item that it had to make our essentials cut. The way to wear satchels this summer is to incorporate the summer bold colours trend, and you can choose to go all out with a block colour satchel, or opt for more of a subtle nod to the colour trend with a white satchel with bright colours detailing, or even go for a plain white satchel and simply add a colourful flourish yourself, by tying a vibrant scarf around it. That way your satchel becomes even more durable, enabling you to add different embellishments such as print scarf or brooch depending on your style or the occasion.

Rucksack: Print or plain rucksacks are a great holiday buy, as you can carry round all your holiday essentials such as towels, sun cream, sunglasses, etc. in a large and stylish bag. They are also extra safe on holidays, as girls with shoulder bags and tote bags often get targeted for purse or bag snatching, so a rucksack is a wise choice for girls on holiday.

What accessories are you rocking this summer?

*This is a sponsored post written by London Boutiques. 

From one of their most recent collections the Ice Neon Collection, Models Own 'Bubblegum' is this beautiful neon pink that dries with a lovely matte finish and adds a lovely pop of colour to any outfit. I find I only need to apply a couple of coats to my nails and it dries super quickly making the task of painting my nails very effortless and I find this to last really well on my nails. I love this nail varnish as a way of rocking the neon trend we are seeing everywhere this summer, but in a somewhat subtle way. 

As you can see, the shades I have chosen are very summer appropriate shades with hints of pastel mints coming through and blues which bring the cloudless summer skies to mind. Especially with the weather we've been having here in the UK, now is the best time to rock some summery shades.

Starting with Rimmel's 'Sky High', a beautiful turquoisey blue shade that glides onto the nail with ease and dries so quickly that you can apply a second coat within a minute, top stuff. Next onto BarryM's 'Ridley Road' from their Texture Nails range, is a lovely mint green that dries with an interesting sand paper feel to it that looks really cool on the nails. The Headline Colors 'Poolside Party' is one I received in a GlossyBox and basically forgot about, oops. It's a lovely ocean blue shade that could brighten up any outfit within minutes. One of my all time favourites, the Topshop 'Easy Breezy' is my go to green, a kind of dulled down pastel green that is perfect if you're going for a more subtle feel to your nails. Last but not least is the BarryM 'Turquoise', which I have owned for years is a lovely sky kind of blue. I remember buying this a few years back in the hopes to add some colour to my nails during the summer and it has been a loyal one. I should probably repurchase this sometime soon seeing as it's almost ran out.

Have been rocking blue/green nails this summer?

Only recently have I began highlighting and contouring my face since purchasing my trusty Sleek Face Form Palette (review here) and now that I have gotten to grips with knowing where and how to highlight my face I have wanted to venture out and try more highlighters. The Topshop Sunbeam Highlighter was one I had my eye for a while after reading so many reviews from fellow bloggers and i'm so glad I finally took the plunge and purchased it.

I love everything about this highlighter, it's super pigmented golden colour allows me to add a little amount of lightness and radiance to my face with a slight shimmer that looks beautiful. I usually apply this with either my Real Techniques Blush Brush (review here) or my Real Techniques Contour Brush (review here) applying as it says on the box 'lightly dust on face and body' as you only need the smallest amount of this stuff.