HOLIDAY INSTAGRAM: CORFU

In June, me and 12 of my close friends booked a holiday to Kavos, Corfu for 10 days. Kavos is known for being a "party place" and although we did go out and experience the crazy nightlife we did also get to see some of the really lovely places in Corfu. I thought I would show you some of my favourite Instagram photos that I took. Kavos itself really isn't as bad as it is made out to be (What Happens in Kavos) and we all had a really good time.

Beachview | Boat trip around Corfu | Boats at Paxos Beach

We went on the "Black Pearl" boat trip around Corfu and we got to visit Paxos Beach and big caves and Lagoons were we able to jump of the boat and have a swim. We also were able to go snorkeling at the beach which was so much fun. The whole trip lasted for around 4 hours and it was probably my favourite day out. Below is a picture of Paxo Beach. The sea water was so blue and so pretty. It was actually surprisingly warm too which was nice too. 

 View of our hotel | Water sports | Paxo Beach

Our hotel we stayed in was really nice. The staff were so friendly and the room were surprisingly big. The pool was a nice size and it was just a nice place to relax in the day (and sleep off our hangovers). We also did some water sports which was based right outside our hotel. I did the "sofa" (shown above) a couple of times which was good fun. Below is a picture of some of us before a night out and the other two are some more of our boat trip. 

 Ready for a night out | Cute BBQ restaurant on the beach | Blue Lagoon Cave 

Overall I had the best 10 days with all the girls. We had some highs and lows but it was still a memorable holiday. It was cheap and cheerful! I actually really like Kavos and personally I don't think it is bad as it's made out to be. If you are looking for a quiet relaxing holiday when Kavos probably isn't for you but there are some other beautiful places in Corfu and I wish we'd spent longer going to other places. Want to go back now the heatwave is over!  

Copyright of photographs ©

HIGH STREET BEAUTY HAUL

I haven't blogged in such a long time and it feels like I had completely lost interest in it and because I have been so busy over the last couple of months I just haven't had the time to get stuck in.I have also had "bloggers block" were I just haven't had any creative ideas of what to blog about. However, now I have finished school and have been on holiday and I have a lot of free time on my hand I am have decided to try and get back into it. I thought I would start off with a high street beauty haul showing you some items I've bought over the last week. 

I popped into Boots and Superdrug and picked up a couple of product to try / use this summer. All these products are linked as followed: Aussie 'Take the Heat' leave in stray, Sanctuary Spa 2 day moisture shower oil, Sally Hansen No Chip acrylic top coat, Bourjois Paris Colour Boost Lip Crayon (Fuschia Libre), Garnier Ambre Solaire hydrating after sun hydrating tan maintainer and Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Blueberry, Lychee and Dragon Fruit.

As you can tell from a post I did a couple of fews back I really love the Barry M nail polishes. However I never got round to trying the Gelly Hi Shine polishes. Because it was 3 for 2 in Superdrug I decided to splash out and buy a few shades for the summer. My favourite shade is the light blue colour 'Blueberry' and have been wearing it ever since I bought it and absolutely love it. I also bought another of my favourite top coat as I have run out of it. This top coat really helps with protecting against clipping. Like I said before I have just got back from holiday and to keep my skin protected after being in the sun I bought the Garnier after sun lotion and I absolutely love it. It smells amazing and it kept my skin so hydrated and prolong my tan. As we are having such nice weather in the UK at the moment I decided to buy some more to insure that my skin stays moisturised, hydrated and protected. 

I also bought the Bourjois Color Boost in the shade "Fuchsia Libre". I have heard such good things about this and I wanted to see if it was any good myself. It says it should last for 10 hours and be waterproof so for £7.99 I wanted to see if it lives up to what it says. This product is similar to the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain and I want to see how they compare. Lately, I haven't been taking great are of my hair and I am really bad at protecting my hair against heat. I use hair straighteners everyday so I am really starting to notice the effect. As well as using damage repair shampoo and also bought the Aussie protecting stray to use when using heat in my hair. I haven't used it before and i'm not sure what it's like so I am looking forward to using it and seeing how good it is. 

Copyright of photographs ©

FAVOURITE SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

Today I am going to talk about some of my favourite skincare products. I think that is very important to look after your skin especially if you wear makeup everyday like me. These products below are ones I use everyday but are not my full skin care routine. If you would like me to show you my full routine then I definitely will in the future.The first two products that I love are Clinique liquid skin formula and First Aid Beauty face cleanser. Once I have taken my makeup off in the evening, I will use the liquid skin formula to clean my face and make sure that no makeup is left on my face. I have quite oily skin and this product really helps with reducing this and it is also great at reduces blemishes. It also leaves my skin feeling smoother, I really love it. It is around the £15 mark which I think is really good. In combination to this, I use FAB face cleanser which personally I think is amazing! I actually got a sample of this in a glossy box ages ago and really liked it but never re-purchased it. Then my skin started getting really bad with spots and I was trying to think when was the last time my skin was really good and what products was I using? That is when I re bought this cleanser and it has been my chosen one ever since! It again helps with fighting against spots and it does exactly what it says on the "tin" which is to 'remove surface oils, skin toxins, make up and dirt and grime'. I couldn't recommend this product enough.

The other product I wanted to talk about it the MONU recovery balm. This again is a sample from a Glossy Box I got a while ago. I found this product in one of my draws recently and this is a sample I had get to try. I suffer with moderate acne scars on my chin as I am one of those fools who pick and pop their spots causing them to scar. I had noticed that my skin was looking quite 'stressed' and try red so this was the perfect product to try. I have now been using it for around a month now and I absolutely love it! It has calmed my skin down massively and has reduced the redness a lot. I apply this every morning and evening after my cleansing and I really like the result. It is quite pricey at £20 for a 50ml bottle (same as the sample size shown in picture). However, this definitely won't stop me re purchasing this again. This really has noticeably changed the appearance of my skin in a short time. 

GETTING READY FOR SUMMER

Now we are in April, it is time that we should say goodbye to this pooey weather and get ready for spring and summer with some sunny weather! To get myself ready, I have been treating my nails to some of Barry M's  pastel colour range. These colours are so summery and pretty and will be perfect for the summer months to come (if we get any!) The shades are Berry Ice cream, Peach Melba and Blue Moon. My favourite is definitely Blue Moon. I love anything this colour and it is just gorgeous on your nails. I have been wearing it so much lately and it literally goes with anything I wear. Barry M have also just released a 'Textured' range with lots of different pastel colours available, which I will have to try! They are all on the website which you can see HERE. Have a lovely day!

SCHEDULING MY BLOG

I had been thinking about where I wanted my blog to go in terms of lifestyle posts and I came up with the idea of scheduling by posts into different categorises. I thought that every couple of days I would do a post of a specific type of post. Therefore, from now on I am going to make posts on Food, Beauty, Health, and possibly Travel. I think doing this will mean my blog will be consistent and organised which I really like the sound of that. I didn't do this in my other blog which might be the reason why I didn't really like it that much. Oh and I also going to throw in some 'Fellow Blogger' and 'Listening, Reading, Watching' posts in there when I feel like it. Hope you my new changes to my blog and looking forward to seeing future stuff! 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Valentine's day! 14th Feburary the day most single girls hate. To me, valentines day is just another day and it shouldn't be treated any differently! Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of giving a card and maybe a small gift to show someone you love them but I don't think it should be taken too seriously. I personally think that it is just a bit of fun and should be enjoyed by everyone even those who are single and are  "lonely" and "depressed".

   

I thought I would answer some of the questions on the "valentines tag" that has been going around the blogging community at the moment. Who would be your celebrity valentine? Chase Crawford or Ricky Whittle. What's your favourite type of flower? White Rose or Lily's. Favourite love story or film? The Holiday, aww my favourite film! Are you a romantic or a realist? I would say I am a realist but a little bit of romance is cute just not too much cheese! A date at the cinemas do you get salted or sweet popcorn? Neither, I would get chocolate. What does love mean to you? Sharing a connection and knowing everything about the other person. Being able to trust and be happy with each other all the time. Ever gave someone a weird valentines day gift? I haven't actually! Any embarrassing valentine's moments? A guy once told me he "loved me" on valentines day and I didn't like him so I ran off (I was in primary school). Favourite love songs? The Power of Love - Frankie goes to Hollywood or the Summer of 69.

Hope everyone has had the best Valentines day ever and if not, don't worry, there is always next year ;) If anyone buys me this card above for next year, I will guarantee I will love them forever. CUTEST CARD EVER. For more cards and gift ideas visit etsy.com, it is a new website I have found and they sell the cutest and loveliest homemade cards. So make sure you check this website out for any special occasion that might be coming up!

Photograph - etsy.com (source)

FELLOW BLOGGER #1

Bee at Vivatramp | UK Lifestyle blog 

I thought that I would share with you today one of my favourite blogs at the moment and that is Bee's blog Vivatramp. I like the variety of creative posts with lifestyle and beauty content. I also loveeee her design. Being so in to photography as well, I really like her photographs. I think that is probably the main thing I look at in peoples blogs! I think I am going to make 'Fellow blogger' a "series" post as I did something very similar on my previous blog and it got a good response so I thought I would do it here. Plus I love sharing the blogging love!

TO READ, TO SEE...

I have realised that I haven't been to the cinema in absolutely ages! And, after talking to my friends and reading some online reviews, I now really want to go see the new film 'The Impossible'. Apparently it is seriously emotional and I'm always a sucker for a sad film. I also love films that are based on a true story which this one is. I think that this is a great time to take a trip to the cinema! If I can find the money, anyone wanna take me?

The perks of being a wallflower | The Impossible

I have also heard alot about the book 'The perks of being a wallflower' too. I have heard mixed reviews about this since the new 2012 film has come out. However I still want to read this before I go and watch the film version. It isn't too long which I like as it does take me bloody ages to polish of a good book. If you have read or watched any of the above I would love to hear from you and find out about your take on the books and films. 

20 FACTS ABOUT ME

I have seen this "tag" going around at the moment over many blogs and being the nosey sod that I am, I love reading them and finding out about peoples lives. I thought I would give it a whirl and think up 20 fun facts about my life. This literally took me so long! Hope you enjoy and feel free to leave responses to your twenty facts below.

1. I have lived in a flat which Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles has also stayed in

2. I don't know how to burp  

3. I have never died my hair  

4. I have met the Cheeky Girls  

5. My 18th birthday was on 2012 2012  

6. My family used to own a hotel and we lived in the apartment downstairs  

7. Potato is my favourite food  

8. My nickname is 'penguin' (long story)  

9. I have saved someone's life  

10. I've never broken a bone in my body (touch wood)  

11. I have seen over thirty five artists live (including Rihanna twice, Jessie J and Tinie Tempah)  

12. I have stood in the crater of a volcano in Italy  

13. 11 is my lucky number  

14. I used to hate any sort of "fizzy" drink  

15. My mum has performed in a circus  

16. I have a fear of baby wipes (don't ask)  

17. I once phoned the police whilst sleep walking  

18. I have taken part in a French exchange  

19. I once knocked out a tooth whilst on a climbing frame when I was a child  

20. I have never watched or read any of the or Twilight saga or Lord of the Rings

ON BUDGET

I am now officially on budget. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I now have very little money from a lack in work shifts and having to pay for a holiday. I have always been one of those people who haven't really had too worry about money as I am good at saving it and putting it away to collect dust. However lately, I have had to use my card sooo much on birthdays, petrol, christmas present and going out and my bank account as quickly deteriorating and I now have next to nothing :( That's why from now one, I am going on a spending ban. I am only going to go out if it is a proper occasion (such as a birthday), I'm not going to buy any unnecessary things and I am going to stop spending money on food. I have managed to get alot more shifts at work so I am going to prioritize that over going out. It's going to be hard but I do need the money not only for my holiday but uni too.

photograph source - Tumblr (samstapley)

HEELED BOOTS

I have been looking for some heeled boots now for so long! I have been searching around and I really like the ones from Topshop. However the problem is, they are just too expensive for my little pocket! I don't really have a big budget at the moment (due to a lack in work shifts and having to fork out for a holiday). Never the less, here are my favourite shoes for the boot collection from Topshop. Here are the links for them. Number 1, 2, 3 and 4. 

I want a pair in which I can wear everyday but still be comfortable to keep on all day. I really love the studded detailing on the first pair and I think it is perfect for this seasons style. However, I prefer the heel on the last pair and I think I could pair the brown pair with more outfits. They are only £45 as well which isn't too bad at all. I know they are not suitable for everyday, but how nice are these pointed boots!? For £70 they are definitely out of my price range but I would still love to buy them and wear them on a night out. The colour of them is so pretty! 

I'VE BEEN LIVING OFF...

Being the new year and all that, I am ready to again start my health kick! Last January I lost just over a stone and managed to keep it off throughout the whole of 2012. However in December of 2012 with"christmas" eating and everything I did put back on a few pounds! I am determined to lose it again this year as I have many events coming up in which I want to feel 'good' in my body including holidays, year 13 prom and starting university. 

I wouldn't say I overeat at all and I am not overweight at all so I have never really one to probably 'diet'. However I do want to start eating alot more healthier. Lately, I haven't been eating as healthily as I could do with a cheeky Mcdonalds here and there and I need to stop snacking! Therefore, to help me lose weight I have decided to cut out any unnecessary eating and unhealthy snacking. So if I get hungry during the day, this is what I live on! I have always been a tea drinker and that will never stop, but my new addiction is cherries! The are so yummy and one of your five a day so it is the best of both worlds. Obviously, I don't just eat and drink this. I do have a balanced meals throughout the day. I never skip breakfast, I believe in it being 'the most important meal of the day'.

Copyright of photograph ©

KAVOS 2013

Yay! Finally booked our girls holiday! After months of deliberation and alot of stress, we have finally actually booked our holiday for Kavos, Corfu for 10 days, later this year. It has taken us so long to agree on a place to go and find a suitable package deal! I think I forgot to mention... it is for 12 girls (!). However, now that it is all booked, I am raring to go! Everyone is leaving for Uni in September so it will be lovely to have one last big event before we all go off in different directions (cry!). After watching What happens in Kavos and Magaluf Weekender, it has given me a extra buzz (and slight apprehension) to go out and have a wild time with the girls! SO EXCITED. I found this on the internet and thought it was highly appropriate! Let the count down begin, only six months to go!

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography is one of my biggest passions in life. I love the idea of being able to go out and capture a moment which you can keep forever as visual memories. Everywhere I go, I take my camera out with me to ensure I take as many photographs as I can and capture beautiful moments and landscape. I mainly enjoy landscape photograph however recently I have been interested in portraiture and taking pictures of people like my family.I currently take A-Level photography. I really enjoy the aspects of the course and would recommend it if you were thinking of choosing it for AS. I was so pleased to receive an 'A' last year and I hope to keep this grade up through this year for my final year. The topic I chose for my is "portraiture". I was slightly apprehensive about choosing this to start with as I hadn't done that much of it before, however now I am really glad I picked it. 

Above a few photographs I took for my coursework. I have really enjoyed being creative with my work and have loved experimenting on Photoshop to edit my pictures. I think choosing portraiture as my topic as taught me to be more creative with my work and to create something which has a meaning and being unique. I think that using family members and some of my friends in alot of my photographs gives a more personal touch to my project. 

Copyright of photographs ©  

INSPIRING QUOTE

Whilst having a look around on tumblr I came across this really inspiring quote. I saw it and instantly related to it. I thought that it was such a lovely quote and it could easily apply to so many of us! I know it definitely does for me! You always hear the quotes such as "lives to short" and "you only live once" but personally I think this quote really puts life in perspective and makes you realise that sometimes you just need to have fun and let yourself go!

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have
the courage to lose sight of the shore"  

It really inspires me to not hold back to much in my life. I am the type of person who would give new things a go and I am always up for a good laugh but something I do think that I hold back in certain parts of my life, such as in my love life, meeting new people and expanding big plans. This quote has taught me to remember that I am only young and I am able to just let go and literally live life to the full. You don't want to live your life knowing that you haven't achieved everything you wanted to do and have missed out on opportunities you might not be able to do again. I strongly believe in saying "yes" to everything and pushing your self to do new things. I think if you do have / find the confidence to go out and do something different that you could never see yourself doing before that it could potentially change your life for the better, so YOLO. Do you have an inspirational quotes that you live by?

LISTENING, READING, WATCHING

Hello! Today I thought I would start a series of posts called 'Listening, Reading, Watching.' where I will share with you what I have enjoyed watching, reading and listening too for that particular week/month. I have seen this done on a couple of blogs and I really enjoy reading them so I thought I would start doing the same. Also I thought it would be fun to see what I enjoyed when looking back through my blog in months and even years to come!

Frank Ocean Thinking about you | Susan Lewis Losing you | Miranda series 3

My first love this month has been for Frank Ocean! I never really been that much of a fan of him before but since listening to his album I have fallen in love! My favourite is Thinking about you, can't stop singing it! My current read at the moment is Susan Lewis' Losing you. I only just started it so I don't really know much about it yet. However, I have read many of Susan Lewis' books and I love her, so I am sure this will be a cracker! Who else is loving the new series of Miranda? Me and my sister are the biggest fan ever and we just love the new episodes! 

SETTING THE ALARM

I have found it so hard getting back into the swing of things in terms of getting motivated for school. This is probably due to the fact that I had such a hectic Christmas holidays with it being my birthday and everything. I hate having to set my alarm for 6:45am and forcing my way in to school. Luckily for me, I only had one exam in January so I haven't had too much stress. Even so, I have literally no motivation to do any work at the moment! 

thesoftanonymous.com (credit Beth Phillips)

I really need to get my self more organised and start getting my school work to prioritise my social life. I really feel for those who have lots of exams in January. My main motivation for working hard this year is University. I know what I need to get (grade wise) and I know that I really can't wait to go which gives me the motivation to get my ass in gear! I wouldn't say that I am not a hard working person, I just know that I could put a little bit more effort into some of my work and I could prioritise my life better. So over the next couple of months I am really going to focus on my school work as after all, I don't have long left! If you've still got exams, gooood luck!

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME

Hello! Today I thought I would start off with a little "get to know me session". First off, I am now officially an adult. I turned 18 last year in December. I am currently taking my A Levels studying English Language, Media Studies and Photography at my sixth form in South West England. I am hoping to go to university in September to study 'Advertising and Marketing' at either Bournemouth or Plymouth uni, which I literally can not wait for! I have had a full drivers licence since May and I live with my mama, dad, younger sister and our little puppy dog, Tilly!

My Dad and I on holiday when I was 5 years old (t.left) | Baby me! (Right) | Me and my friend (b.left)

Above are some photos from when I was a child to now. I haven't always lived where I do now. I grew up in Devon, where most of my family still live. I went to primary school there and spent a lot of my time with my friends and family. When I was in Year 4 we moved up to where we are now and I continued my eduction here. I enjoy art photography dance and spending time with my friends. I am sucker for a good night out of party! I absolutely love Christmas and New year and hope that 2013 will be just as great at 2012 was for me. Hope you have enjoyed getting to know a bit about me and my life and enjoyed seeing my cheeky baby photographs! 

Copyright of photographs ©

WELCOME

Hello and welcome! My name is Jess and I am the creater of 'Caramella', a new lifestyle (and beauty) blog. I am an 18 year old student from the UK. I am not completely new to Blogger as I have another blog under the name 'Chimneybells'. I decided to create a new blog as I wasn't completely happy with my first one. I felt like I couldn't really express myself in my posts as I mainly focused on beauty related subjects. Therefore, I have decided that I am going to take a slightly different approach with Caramella and write more about lifestyle and everyday subjects in posts. I would be happy to take any requests or ideas for future posts as that would help me get into the swing of things too! Thankyou for visiting my blog and if you would like to contact me privately I am available by email.