The Furry Friend Tag

I thought I'd do a blog post for you to get to know me a bit more and that's by meeting my pet! Also, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone that's been reading - I've hit 40 followers on bloglovin' and I appreciate everyone following!

1) What is your pet’s name?
My pet's name is Benjamin. His name is based on the character from the Beatrix Potter books. If you're not familiar with Beatrix Potter, she wrote a series of books about animals, one of them being named 'The Tale of Benjamin Bunny' (read more here).

2) What kind of pet is it and what breed?
Benjamin is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit!

3) How long have you had your pet friend?
I've had Benjamin since October 2012 - coming up to two years!

4) How did you get your pet?
In my second year at university, me and my two housemates went to pets at home on a whim and came home with a bunny! It wasn't the most sensible idea, but I couldn't imagine not having him now. Now that I've left university, he lives with me!

This is day we brought him home - he's only 10 weeks here and looks so tiny!

5) How old is your pet?
He turned two in July!

6) What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
I'd say the main one is that he licks A LOT. If you're holding him, he'll sit and lick your face!

Excuse the old photo!

Another is that he's really interactive with humans, he gets excited when you come into a room, he runs around my feet to play and he jumps up onto the sofa to sit with me!

Finally - this doesn't relate to his personality but the colour of his ears and nose change all the time! You can see in the first photo how dark his ears/nose look but currently their really faint!

7) What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
I absolutely love Benjamin, my friends always say that I love him too much! I can't imagine not having him hopping around... in fact, I went away for 6 days recently and missed him massively!

8) What are some of your favorite past times with your pet?
If he's a bit sleepy, he'll climb up onto the sofa and sit with me while I rub his ears. It's so lovely because I feel like he sees me a comfort! Also, in terms of playing... he likes chasing me in circles around the front room!

9) What are the nicknames that you call your pet?
Wee man (this was started by my Dad as he is Scottish) and baba - purely because he's my baby!

Thank you for reading! Let me know about your pets!

Hollie Mae 

 

The Night Out Look

Hello! I've done a similar post to this previously and it seemed popular, so I thought I'd do another!
This weekend me and my friends went out into Bristol as it was a bank holiday as well as some birthday celebrations! Keep reading to have a look at my outfit and how I did my hair and make-up!

Skin - L'Oreal Studio Secrets resurfacing Primer and Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer 002, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15, Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in 021 Transparent
Eyebrows - MAC Eyeshadow in Omega, Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel and Miss Sporty Clear Mascara
Bronzer - Prestige Cosmetics in Terra
Blush - Rimmel Stay Blushed in 001 Pop of Pink
Highlighter - MAC Colour Cream Base in Pearl (frost)
Eyes - Urban Decay Naked Palette Eyeshadows, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 001 Black and Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner, MAC Mascara in Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash
Lips - Illamasqua in Howl and Lipcote

I had washed and dried my hair, but was running behind on time. Therefore, I just pinned the front sections of my hair at the back of my hair and used some hairspray to give my hair some volume!

I am wearing a white cropped shirt with a white bandeau underneath, black high-waisted denim shorts with the belt that came with them and black tights. This entire outfit is from New Look. You can just about see my jewellery which is a large embellished ring (a gift) and a small diamond ring (family heirloom). The nail varnish I'm wearing is the textured effects Nail Paints from Barry M in the shade Lady.

I am then wearing black lace-up platform trainers from New Look (here). My bag is from Next about 4 years ago.

Apologies for my skin and the poor quality of these photos (they were taken in a rush on my phone!)

Thank you for reading! More posts coming soon!

Leave me comments if there's any looks you'd like to see me try

Hollie Mae

The Things in My Bag

I'm pretty nosey in that I love seeing what other people keep in their bags so I thought I'd do one of my own!

This is my go to bag that I pretty much use on a daily basis. It's the Pippa Grab in Tan from Modula and was a gift from my family. One thing that I adore about this bag is the amount of compartments there are. I'm quite an organised person so I like my bag to be organised too!

This was a bit of a splurge on my part, and a Christmas present to myself (similar here - although I think mine was a little cheaper). I love this for the same reason as the bag - there are so many compartments. Also, I've got the feeling that it'll last a lifetime!

If I'm not wearing my glasses, chances are I'll be wearing these. Even if they're not on my eyes, they'll be on the top of my head waiting for a bit of sun. They are black Dolce & Gabanna sunglasses with a cat-eye, 50's style shape. They are nearly two years old now but there a similar styles currently available.  

Next things next - a little emergency kit. These are things I like to have just in case. The make-up bag is an old one from Estee Lauder. It includes tissues, paracetamol and antibacterial hand gel. I also carry a hand cream, concealer (Rimmel Match Perfection Illuminating Concealer in 010 Ivory), a miniature perfume (currently Ted Baker) and my lip products for the day.  

The print is a dark tortoise shell with gold arms (similar here) - I absolutely love these, especially with heavy eyebrows and a red lip!

This is a definite necessity. I'm really pale so I easily burn and with the unpredictable British weather we've been having lately, this has been a bag staple. That said, I also always have an umbrella too (not shown - similar style here)!

Thanks for reading, I'd love to see what's in your bag!

Hollie Mae

The Current Hair Care Routine

It may look excessive, but these are the products which I'm currently using to keep my hair in tip-top shape! It's probably useful to tell you a bit about my hair so you can see if these products will work for your hair. I have fine hair, but a lot of it, and that means it tangles really easily. Also, I tend to have a lot of breakage/snapping but don't really get split ends.

First things first... this is the best hairbrush I've ever owned and I can't sing it's praises enough. Like I mentioned, my hair tangles really easily to the point where it's made me well up to brush out my hair. This is really pain free and gets the job done quickly - I'd recommend this to anyone!

This is the current shampoo and conditioner that I'm using. I chose it purely on the basis that it's for weak/damaged hair as I have a lot of breakage and snapping. I probably wash my hair with this about 3 times a week.

Once a week I use this in place of my conditioner and leave it on my hair for 10-15, really concentrating it on the ends. I also chose this due to it's aim to reduce breakage and while I haven't noticed a dramatic different, my hair does seem to be snapping less.

I tend to use this if my hair is straightened to give it a sleek and glossy look.

I use this every time after I wash my hair

The smell of this.. there are no words. It makes me so happy every time I use it. Scent aside, it does it's job. I notice it gives my hair a lot more volume but doesn't dry crispy or sticky.

Nothing to write home about with this one. I'm not hugely into heat protectors, I just use them because I know my hair will appreciate it. So far I haven't found one that makes me think 'wow', so leave comments below if you have any recommendations!

This product is brilliant for creating beachey waves and giving my hair a bit of texture. I do find it makes my hair pretty dry - but I assume that would be the salt. Either way, it's not a product I use everyday so hopefully it's not doing my hair any harm!

Now that my blonde is turning more into ombre (being lazy with my roots), I'm less sold on Batiste. I really notice how much of a white cast the power gives on so I have to be really careful where I spray this. I'd say this is great if you're a light blonde but not so brilliant for brunettes.

Like I mentioned with the heat protectant, I'm not fussed with hairsprays. I use them because I know they'll hold my hair but seeing as majority of the time my hair is in a messy bun or straight, I don't use it a lot. Anyway, I'd say it does the trick!

Thanks for reading and let me know about your hair care routine!

Hollie Mae

The Liebster Award

Hello! I was so surprised when I saw that I'd been nominated for a Liebster Award by the blog 24 Hours from Home.The Liebster Award acknowledges smaller blogs which have less than 200 followers. I have to admit, I'd never heard of this award but I think it's a great way to get less well known blogs some recognition!

Here are the rules...
-Thank the blogger who nominated you
-Answer the question they sent you
-Nominate 11 bloggers to answer your own set of questions (under 200 followers)
-Contact them by commenting on a recent post

Nominations
Laura_Cuddles
The Short Hand
FashionLock
Nikki Andrews
Boogstique

1. 3 Desert island items
A ton of books
Lancôme milky cleanser
Chapstick


2. If you could take a flight anywhere tomorrow (money is no object), where would you go and why?
I would say Paris - but I'm actually travelling there on Tuesday (look out for posts!) so right now I'd say LA or New York! I do love a big city.

3. Your greatest holiday
One of my favourite holidays is trip me and my friends took to Zante after finishing A-Levels. We threw ourselves into that holiday - barely sleeping so we could make the most of our time there! It was what we needed at the time - a place with a good nightlife and cheap cocktails!

4. What is at the top of your bucket list?
Currently, it's living in Paris. It's something which has always appealed to me but the last year it's been something which I've decided I've got to do.

5. If you could invite 3 celebrities (living or deceased) to dinner, who would you invite and why?
Firstly, Stephen Fry. I've always wanted to meet him - I find him hilarious and so intelligent, I'd love to sit and have long conversations with him! Secondly, Kendall Jenner because I'm obsessed with her at the moment. And thirdly, JK Rowling because I'm a Harry Potter fan and I'd love to discuss it with her!

6. Why did you start blogging?
After finishing a Psychology degree, I had more time on my hands and needed a creative outlet. I've been reading beauty, fashion and lifestyle blogs for years along with youtube videos - but I'm not brave enough to venture into youtube just yet!

7. Favourite lip product
Lip products are my weakness - it's hard to choose just one! If pushed though, I'd probably say MAC Ruby Woo.

8. Favourite food
It's a toss up between pasta, chilli and enchiladas! Common theme running here - spice, carbs and cheese!

9. What was/is your favourite subject at school?
Through primary and secondary school, my favourite subject was English. I've always been a book worm and wanted to be a journalist at one point! Through college I took English, Psychology and Sociology and enjoyed all of them... then went on to do a Psychology degree!

10. Best animal
There's no competition here really. It's got to be rabbits. I have a 2 year old Netherland Dwarf house rabbit called Benjamin and I absolutely adore him!

11. Your favourite outfit when you're on vacation
I don't do well in heat, so when I'm on holiday, I just want comfort. I tend to go for a bikini under a pretty summer dress!

Now girls - get answering the questions below!
1. Best drugstore dupe
2. Best heat protector
3. Top 5 lip products
4. Favourite model
5. Dream destination
6. Recommend a book
7. Recommend a film
8. Go to date night outfit
9. Favourite blogger/vlogger
10. Go to summer nail varnish
11. Favourite thing from Lush

Thanks for reading!

 

Hollie Mae