Let's take a look back into 2013...

Hi everybody!

How fast has this year gone?! I can't believe 2014 is just around the corner and we have to say goodbye to 2013. I can remember writing a similar post to this taking a look back into 2012, which was an unbelievable year! For me, 2013 has been a mixture of a year. It's had its ups and downs however, the majority of it has been amazing! I thought I'd share with some of my favourite moments of the year, along with a few (really badly done) collages that I made with a few of my favourite pictures. So, let's begin...

Family

London

At the beginning of the year, my parents and I travelled to London for a few days, as a sort of mini holiday. London is one of my favourite cities and I used to go quite a lot when I was younger as my dad worked there so I know the city quite well. However, when he changed jobs, we weren't able to visit as much as we used to. Now, that he is located back in London, we decided to make a little journey down South for a long weekend. We went shopping in London and Westfield, did all the touristy sightseeing things and then went to see Wicked which is something I've been wanting to see for a very long time. This visit brought me back to when we used to go down and it was nice to just get away and spend time with the family. Also, I had just got a new camera for Christmas so I was very excited to look like a typical tourist with it round my neck and take a few (just kidding, a lot) of photos!

Cayman Islands

Our family holiday this year was to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and it's safe to say that this was one of my favourite holidays by far. Having two weeks relaxing in the sun, getting a tan and eating food was just perfect! I honestly could've lived there, I didn't want to leave! I think this would definitely be a place to revisit. I did a blog post about my holiday to Grand Cayman so if you want have a look, check it out here.

Great North Run

My dad started running as a hobby and decided to run the Great North Run which is a half marathon race in the North of England where people from around the country take part in. This year, my dad did it for St.Oswald's Hospice, a charity close to our family's heart and did us all proud! A few of us went to support and also went down to the charity village to meet him at the finish line. Although the weather was pretty cold and miserable, he still did it and we were all smiling. I think the fact that I saw and got a photo of Mo Farah was also another highlight to this event ;-)

Family Photos

When I was little, my dad used to do 'the magic'. This was when he basically put his camera on self-timer and took a photo of us all. We thought it was amazing, but nowadays, it's a pretty simple thing to do. It's not really magic anymore. But to bring back that little bit of childhood, we decided to do a couple this year. since my brother is at uni, we rarely get photos of all of us together because he is hardly ever home so we set up the tripod, put my camera on and boom....we have a few photos.

Friends

Malham

In March, I went on a school trip to Malham in Yorkshire for a Geography fieldtrip. We stayed there for 5 days to do preparation for our exams. Although it was a school visit and we had to do work, the other times were great. I remember a few of us went on a walk in the pitch black once and because where we stayed was in such an isolated area, that made it extra scary. One night, we were all so scared that we sprinted back to the house with our torches and had no idea where we were running because we couldn't see a thing. The amounts of cups of tea we had that week was ridiculous but it honestly was a pretty good trip!

Summer

Summer is always my favourite time of the year because I feel like you can do absolutely anything and don't have the pressure of school, work etc. One of my best memories would be when I went to York with one of my closest companions (he told me to say that), Matthew. I love York and like London, it's one of my favourite cities. We did a spot of shopping, but when I go to York I tend to spend ages in shops so I wouldn't really say a spot ;-) I think I might have bored Matthew out by spending a while in Boots. Sorry ;-) Another good memory would be my birthday. I always love celebrating my birthday because it's in Summer and I'm always off school. A group of friends and I went to Pizza Express for a nice meal but I also got to spend time with my family on the actual day of my birthday so I had a really nice time. I wrote an outfit post which you can read here. I can finally drive now yey! 

18th Birthdays

As of September, I have entered the year where everyone is turning 18. However, being an August baby, I have to wait until after everyone else which is just unfair. It really is. Anyway, a lot of my friends had little parties at their houses so it was great to celebrate their birthdays with everyone and I'm sure there'll definitely be more to come. Next year is going to be amazing for birthdays!

Christmas

The weekend before Christmas was probably one of the best weekends I had throughout the year. On the Friday, I took part in a 12 hour lacrosse competition at school to raise money for a charity called Victim Support. It was great fun but so tiring. I think by 4 in the morning everyone just wanted their beds but we still managed to play a few more matches! The next day I basically went straight to sleep for about 4 hours and then started to get ready for our sixth form Christmas party. That was such a good night, had such a good laugh with everyone! Then the day after it was my best friend, Sarah's 18th and we went round her house for a party. This was fun but VERY interesting, I have to say!

There you have it, my little review of 2013. It's been a pretty rollercoaster of a year but honestly, I have loved it. I just want to say thank you (cue cheesy moment) to everyone who has been a part of it and I hope next year will be even better! I really hope you all have a lovely start to the New Year, whatever you are doing and all the best for 2014 from me! :D

Happy New Year!

Charlotte xxx

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Christmas 2013: Beauty Gifts.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's a late Merry Christmas but I thought I'd say it anyway! I hope you all had a great Christmas, I had such an amazing Christmas this year: spending time with family, relaxing and of course, having Christmas dinner (the best part). I received some amazing gifts and I am honestly so grateful for everything!

I always love these type of posts because I always find a good product that I might be able to snap up in the sales or add to my current beauty wishlist, and I'm sure a lot of you are the same (unless you're just little nosey parkers ;-)). I'd just like to put a disclaimer out there that I'm not in any way shape or form bragging about any of the gifts I received I just thought it would be nice to share with you the beauty gifts that I was given, after all this is a beauty blog! I mainly received these presents off my parents but also from a few other family members like my grandma and aunty and uncle. Last year, my mam made me a beauty box full of hair, skin and make up products so I hinted to her this year how much I looooved that idea and she made me another one. So, here we go, I'll stop waffling.

Make Up

I've been wanting to make my own MAC eyeshadow palette for so long and so I added it to my Christmas list but honestly didn't think I'd get one. I opened my present of my grandma and immediately saw the black MAC packaging and was like omg. I was so shocked to see the palette! She also got me three eyeshadows: All That Glitters, Sable and Handwritten and then I bought Woodwinked a couple of days after. As well as buying Woodwinked, I also bought the MAC Studio Fix concealor in the shade NW15, so technically this isn't an actual gift but it was a gift to myself so I thought I'd include it anyway! In my little beauty box from Santa, I received the well-hyped Benefit Rockateur blush! I was so grateful to get this and can't wait to try it! I don't want to ruin it cause it looks too pretty. I was also given a dusky pink nail polish from Marks and Spencer, a Soap and Glory lip butter and a gorgeous brown eyeshadow duo from Topshop. Then, from my Aunty and Uncle I was given two gift sets from No7, which includes neutral eyeshadow shades with two eyeshadow brushes and in the other it has a mini mascara, lipstick and nail varnish.

Skincare

Next up is skincare. Of course, I was given a Lush bath bomb. My mam knows I love lush and when I got my favourite ever bath bomb I was buzzin! It is the Comforter, which is a blackcurrent smelling bubble bar that makes your bath go pink! PERFECT. I received a lovely Jimmy Choo shower gel to go with my perfume and a Pure Natural Beauty skin exfoliator. I also got my favourite ever moisturiser which is the Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream. Funnily enough, I got a sample of this in my last christmas box and loved it so I asked for the bigger size and got it! As well as this I received the Benefit Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and the bareMinerals Exfoliating Treatment Cleanser and some bog standard facial wipes from good old Sainsbury's.

Haircare

Last but not least is haircare. I received a Mark Hill 'Gorgeous Brunette' box set off my Aunty. I remember getting some last year and loved the products so very excited to use these again! As well as the set, out of my box I was given the Aussie Dual Personality Anti-Frizz and Conditioning Milk which I have already tried and it is absolutely lovely! A Bed Head Conditioner and James Brown Intensive Moisture Mask was also added alongside my favourite sea salt spray by L'Oreal and also some L'Oreal Elnette hairspray which is funny because I always borrow my mam's and I think she gets slightly annoyed. I got the hint mam!

So there you have it, a little snippet into my beauty gifts I gratefully received for Christmas. I'm going to be honest I never put photos on or anything of what I got for Christmas because I don't want people to think I'm showing off, which I'm not, but I thought instead of showing you what I got altogether, I'd create a little collection of my beauty gifts to fit in with the trend! 

I am so thankful for all of the gifts I received this year and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have the best New Year!

Charlotte xxx

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Who to watch...

Hey guys!

I love watching YouTube videos. Watching YouTube has become part of my daily routine and when my favourite YouTubers upload a new post, I get all excited like a child on Christmas Eve (or maybe a 17 year old girl who still acts like a kid when it comes to Christmas...). So I thought I'd share with you who I've been loving lately and why and would recommend any of them to you!

Velvetgh0st

Gabriella has only been on YouTube for about 7 months but she honestly looks like a professional. She is so beautiful and her make up tutorials are amazing. She makes very creative looks and always gives her full opinion on everything. She is so quirky as well which is what I love about her! Definitely a new favourite!

Sophie Thea

Sophie is so adorable and so pretty! I love watching her videos and has honest opinions on everything! Her make up always looks flawless and she has such a soft voice that makes her really easy to listen to. That sounds so weird but honestly, watch her videos!

Vousontbeauetbelle

*Trying to pronounce that in my BEST French accent* Becca's videos are really girly and quirky. I love watching her haul and lookbook videos and she's so funny to watch, she comes out with some amusing things. She's also becoming really close friends with Gabs from Velvetgh0st and together they're hilarious!

Glitteralittle

Chloe is another beauty YouTuber who I absolutely love. I started watching her through Velvetgh0st (Gabriella is getting a lot of mention today!) after she gave her a few shoutouts on Instagram and I am not disappointed. She is also one of my new favourites and I loooove her make up tutorials so much, they're perfect for what I like doing!

Dizzybrunette3

Corrie has been my all time favourite blogger/YouTuber since I first got into blogging. I love her videos and always trust her opinion on everything! Actually, whenever she says something good about a product, I'm always adding it to my wishlist. She is gorgeous and I absolutely love her style, hair and make up. She's also just got the cutest dog ever! Watch her videos! You can also check out her blog too. Ultimate fav!

SacconeJoly's

So these are daily vloggers who basically film every single day of their lives. I've watched them for over a year now and I love watching them. Jonathon and Anna are the nicest couple and have the most adorable little girl, Emilia. They're also expecting a baby boy which I am soooo excited about, can't contain it! Feel like I'm part of their family *emotional moment*.

There you have it, my current favourite YouTubers. Let me know in the comments below who you love to watch and give me some recommendations! I always love discovering new channels!

Hope you have a great week!

Charlotte xxx

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Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Sleek's Rose Gold is one of those raved about beauty buys on the good old blogosphere, being duped to the likes of Nars Orgasm blush, another highly popular product. Rose Gold is a deep pink toned blush with a gorgeous gold shimmer running through it. As well as giving a highly pigmented splash of colour to the cheeks, it also gives a subtle highlight, which is evident when the light shines on the cheek area. It is not too overpowering but lasts all day. 

This is my first ever Sleek purchase and I have to say I am very impressed. The packaging is practical, small and compatible with a handy mirror included. The pigmentation and colour is spot on. I do love a good pink blush, perfect for waking up tired skin.

At a price of £4.99 from Superdrug, it is affordable and so worth it.

What's your favourite Sleek product? Have you tried this blush?

Charlotte xxx

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What I'm Listening To...November.

A mix of relaxing and dancing music. After all, it is getting into the party season...

1. All Night - Icona Pop

2. Free - Rudimental feat. Emeli Sande

3. Hey Brother - Avicii

4. Juliet - Lawson

5. Move - Little Mix

6. Of the Night - Bastille

7. Sexy Lady - Jessie J

8. Story of My Life - One Direction

9. Under Control - Calvin Harris and Alesso feat. Hurts

10. Wrecking Ball - James Arthur (Cover)

Let me know what you guys have been listening to!

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Autumn Florals

Blazer: New Look - £24.99

Dress: Primark - £8

Clutch: Primark - £5

Boots: Miss Selfridge - (not sure, sorry! *bad Charlotte*)

This outfit was for my cousin's Christening on Sunday and it was such a lovely day!
Let me know if you want a more detailed blog post on the make up I wore on the day, which is currently my go to everyday Autumn look!

Hope you're all well!

Charlotte xxx

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This is Halloween, This is Halloween

Hi Everyone!

As you all know, yesterday was Halloween and to celebrate, I went to a Sixth Form Halloween party. I love Halloween, mainly because I love dressing up and this year I decided to go as a cave girl. I missed out on Halloween last year because I was away so this year, as you could probably guess, I was absolutely buzzing! I bought my costume about two years ago for another party from The Magic Box (I think) and haven't worn it since so instead of buying another costume, I thought I'd give this one a good old recycle. 

Included in the costume, you get two black bits of material which I decided to use as a headband and a belt. I thought I'd go all out on my hair and make it huge! Even though my hair is already big, I went and made it even bigger! I used my Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers which are amazing for creating big, bouncy curls. I left them in for 30 minutes then, after taking them out, I took the front section of my hair, backcombed it and made it into a quiff. I then tied one of the black bits of material around my head into a bow. After a load of backcombing and ridiculous amounts of hairspray later, my hair was done!

To make my costume look more authentic and "scary", I wanted to paint claw marks and scratches around my body as if I'd been attacked by some sort of animal or something (don't worry I wasn't). I bought fake blood and costume makeup from Poundland for, guess how much...£1! BARGAIN! I mixed the black, dark red and light red paints to form claw marks on my chest where my dress came off my shoulder and then did the same for the scratches on my right arm and left leg. When this had dried a bit, I dabbed some fake blood into the scratches to make them more realistic. Unfortunately, by the end of the night, they looked more like bruises than scratch/claw marks but it still worked, trust me ;-)

Ignore the fact I didn't have my lipstick on here guys, woops

For make up, I used my trusty Urban Decay Naked 1 Palette to create a brown and gold smokey eye and collaborated this with a red lip. I spent so long on my make up, but who cares, I love make up. I'm going to list what I used for you all to read:

Face:

Benefit Porefessional

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation mixed with Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

Bourjois Chocolate Bronzing Powder

MAC Extra Dimension Blush 'At Dusk'

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish 'Soft and Gentle'

Eyes:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 25K Gold

Urban Decay Naked 1 Pallette - Base and inner under eye: Half Baked, Outer corner and outer under eye: Smog, Crease: Darkhorse

Maybelline Lasting Drama Eyeliner in Black

Benefit Bad Gal Lash and Benefit They're Real

Eyebrows: The Body Shop Brow and Lash Gel

Lips:

Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Neon Red

Shoes: New Look

So, there you have it, my cave girl Halloween costume! I had a great night and I hope you all did too. Let me know in the comments below what you got up to for Halloween and what you were all dressed up as!

Have a lovely weekend!

Charlotte xxx

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A University Open Day Guide.

Hi Everyone!

It's that time of the year when the new lot of students head off to university and enjoy what is the next chapter of their lives. I'm sure there are plenty of people recovering from freshers week and getting into their studies (well, maybe not the latter) but university life is something most of us will hopefully experience. 

I'm currently in my second year of sixth form which means that in a years time I'm going to be one of those 'students' and going to uni. Woah, that's quite scary thinking about it. As well as a lot of you, I'm at the stage where I've been to university open days and trying to figure which one I bloomin' want to go to! There's so many things to consider: the course, the location, the facilities and the nightlife...c'mon I'm sure you won't deny that that is a main concern.

I have visited four universities as part of their open days. These universities are Newcastle, Manchester, Sheffield Hallam and Leeds and I must say I'm really struggling to choose. However, I think that if I didn't go to the open days offered, I'd be in a bigger predicament than I am now so I'm hoping to give you budding students a small guide to what I recommend about open days consisting of what you should do, why you should do it and even what you should wear. Whether you're in the same position as me, in the middle of visiting universities or even in you first year of sixth form or college, hopefully this guide will help you on your way to university!

Plan your day.

Many universities often send you an email with their own open day guide or send you one in the post. I would highly recommend you planning your day out with the sessions and lectures you want go to. Even if you don't exactly stick to that plan, you'll still have a rough idea of what you want to do. There's usually a section at the back where you can plan it so start with your subject lectures: write the time and where it is, then fill it in with the talks you want to go to, e.g accommodation, student life etc. Try and follow your plan as much as you can and you'll find your day will run more smoothly.

Be on time.
Open days are very busy so I would arrive for you talks at least 15 minutes before they start as they can be overcrowded and you may end up missing them, which will then push your schedule back. In some cases, you may not be able to make it for 15 minutes before which is fine, it's not the end of the world! It happened to me, but if the talk you're going to is not the most important then it's alright to just miss that one.

Talk to students.
Around the campus there are always student ambassadors. They are amazing! They know exactly what you're going through and give the best advice. Talk to them about accommodation, student life and your course. It's always good to hear how someone feels about the course you're going to study because they can give their own personal experience to you and maybe explain it a bit better!

Go to the Union.
The Union was one of the places that I most wanted to go to at the open day. As well as your course, you need to get a feel of the university and what it has to offer for students. Go into the union, have a walk around and again, talk to students! It's always good to find out what you can get involved in and what facilities there are.

Walk around the city.
As well as the university itself, getting a feel of the city is really important. If you have time in between sessions or even after the open day is finished, go into town and have a wander. Have a look around the city to see if you get a vibe where you can picture yourself living there. Have a look at the restaurants, nightclubs and most importantly, the shops!

View some accommodation.
I viewed some of the accommodation when I went to Sheffield and Leeds and I must say I was very impressed. Going to visit some of the residences gave me more of an idea of what it would be like to live there. In Sheffield, a current first year student took us round her flat and in Leeds there were some flats open and some students talked us through what there was to offer. In Leeds, the accommodation had a common room, washing machine area etc. Some have gyms and other facilities too which is very handy! Definitely go and see some of the accommodation if you can!

Be prepared for all sorts of weather.
Okay, so this is slightly different to the normal university tips but it's an essential! When you're at open days you're most likely going to be walking round outside for most of the day. When I was at the Newcastle, Manchester and Sheffield open days, the weather was actually really nice, the sun was out but there was a little chill in the air, even though it didn't bother me I still wrapped up wearing a jacket and scarf with my outfit which was just good enough. However, when I went to Leeds, it was pouring with rain! Make sure you bring an umbrella etc, just incase!

Wear sensible shoes.
Right, this is reaaaally important! You're going to be walking round all day, and that's a lot of walking! When I went to Newcastle, my mam wore the wrong shoes. By the end of the day, her feet were aching and she completely regretted wearing them. It' safe to say, the next week she stuck with the flats and powered on! Wear shoes that you know and trust will be comfortable for you to walk around all day in and don't pick ones that don't, cause that won't be the best choice ;-)

So, that was a little 'top tips' for open days. I hope it helped and I want to wish a huge good luck to anyone who is applying to university and I really hope you get the choices you want and hope everything goes well for you! If you want me to do more of these little guide posts then let me know in the comments below! Hope you all have a lovely Sunday evening and week ahead and I'll speak to you all soon!

Charlotte xxx

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A Simple Outfit.

Hey everyone!

So last week it was my mam's birthday and to celebrate, my parents and I went out for an Indian's at Akbar's. If anyone doesn't know what Akbar's is, it is a chain of Indian restaurants that serve the most delicious food ever! We all had a great time and although my mam freaked out when they kept playing happy birthday, she had a lovely time too! (Thank god there were other birthdays in the restaurant to save her the embarrassment eh?)

For my outfit, I decided to keep it quite simple with a more dramatic make up look. I wore my speckled blue Topshop t-shirt dress with some brown brogues. I love these t-shirt dresses because you can do anything with them: dress them up, dress them down, they're so practical! For my make up I decided to use my trusty Urban Decay Naked Palette and create a smokey eye. Now, I must admit, recently I've started to wear eyeshadow more but usually stick to the neutrals. However, I went out of my comfort zone for the night and actually grew to love it!

Dress: Topshop

Shoes: Topshop

Face: Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation and concealor, Bourgois chocolate bronzer, MAC 'Immortal Flower' blush, MAC Soft and Gentle.

Eyes: Urban Decay Naked Palette - sin, buck, toasted and dark horse

Lips: MAC Hue

Hope you all have a lovely Sunday!

Charlotte xxx

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Want to Contact Me?

Hey my beautiful readers!

I thought I'd do a little bit of different and quite random post today. This one isn't about beauty or fashion or anything happening in my life but just a little 'info' post incase you want to get in touch with me in anyway. Like millions of other people, I love the internet. And yes, I do have many social media accounts and I'm sure you do to. Yes, you, sitting behind your computer screen! So, whilst you're scrolling down your newsfeed, why don't you give me a cheeky little follow? ;-) Of course you don't have to but it would be lovely to get to know you lovely people a but more and if you have any questions, you can give me a tweet or something like that?

Bloglovin: http://www.bloglovin.com/thatgirlwithbrownhair
E-mail: charlottejones2608@gmail.com
Twitter: charljones1996
Instagram: charlottejones96
Pinterest: charljones96

So, if you wanna drop on my profiles then feel free!

Hope you are all well!

Charlotte xxx

p.s I need help, I want to give my blog a revamp but not the best with computers so if anyone has any tips, websites or anything that I can use let me know in the comments below!

My 17th Birthday Outfit!

Hey guys!

My birthday was on Monday and to celebrate, I went out with my family for a lovely meal and then a spot of champagne back at the house. I had an amazing day and although I hardly did anything, I got to spend time with my family and enjoy my first day of being a 17 year old. God I'm getting old.

The next day, I celebrated my birthday with a close group of friends as we went to Pizza Express for a nice evening meal. I thought I'd share with you what I wore that night as I've realised I barely ever do outfit posts and so I thought I'd show all you beautiful readers!

White Dress: Missguided - £14.99

Flower Print Kimono: Internacionale - £22.99

Brown Belt: Primark (as part of a dress)

Aztec Print Bag: Primark

Brown Sandals: Accessorize - £22.00

Hope you're all good!

Charlotte xxx 

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The Cayman Islands in Photos!

Hey guys!

So for the last two weeks have been spent in paradise. I went to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean with my parents and had the most amazing and relaxing time. We stayed in the island of Grand Cayman in the Marriott hotel and everything was perfect. It's just a shame it had to end! I thought, instead of explaining everything, you might like to see a selection of the photos I had taken when I was away because if you're anything like me, I love looking at photos as well as taking them. So, relax, enjoy and let me know what you think!

The Courtyard.

Camana Bay.

Being Artistic.

The Hotel.

George Town.

A Caribbean Storm.

Playsuit: Missguided.

Dress: Miss Selfridge.

The Blow Holes.

The 'Inbetweeners' Car.

Botanic Park.

Snake.

Blue Iguana.

This holiday was honestly amazing. I'd do anything to go back and although I love being back in the UK, it doesn't have a thing on Grand Cayman.

Hope you're all well!

Charlotte xxx

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