Beauty || Mask of Magnaminty Review

When I asked my sister to pick me up a face mask in Lush I wasn't sure what to expect, I hadn't heard anything about it so it was something totally new.

First impressions I didn't like it. I didn't like the smell. It was kind of like a minty smell. I put it on anyway to give it a try. The first time I took it off my face felt so soft but I was a little red, no irritation just a little red. I noticed my skin still felt soft the next day.

I think I've put this mask on about once a week, I leave it on way past 7 minutes while I potter about doing house chores and washing or I put it on before I get in the bath. After around four uses my skin started to look in much better shape, my blemishes weren't as bad, spots I had had for weeks started to disappear and my skin continued to feel soft. I have grown to like the fresh smell of the mask and I think it's a product I will definitely be re purchasing when I run out (which isn't looking likely, it seems to be lasting well!).

Have you ever tried this particular mask?

Can you recommend another?

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Review || Williamson Tea*

A couple of weeks ago I was approached by a lovely staff member from Williamson Tea who wanted to see if I’d like to try the new flavours of tea. TEA? Of course I accepted and what I got in the post was very different to what I expected. Three new flavours of tea Lemon, Ginger and Mint. I also got a beautifully decorated tea tin which was pink with words and patterns scrolled across a giant elephant, inside was breakfast tea.

I decided it might be fun to get my grand parents involved in this review as I think we all have different tastes in tea. So here’s what I, Daniel (Grandad) and Helena (Grandma) thought.

Lemon

Me: I love lemon so this was nice and refreshing, however as lemon is bitter it did leave me with a bitter after taste, which was a little unpleasant but I enjoyed it. I thought it could of done with more lemon.

Daniel: *Sip, Sip, Sip, Sip* We could tell he liked this tea before he said anything because he continued to sip. He thought it was pleasant but it wasn’t his favourite.

Helena: Also likes lemon flavoured things in everything but also adds a sweeter to every tea we tried. This was her favourite out of the flavoured teas but she wished the taste was a little more prominent.

Ginger

Me: Tasted like normal tea with just a hint of ginger which was actually not too bad. I am ginger but I don’t necessarily consume it on a regular basis so this was new.

Daniel: This was his favourite, he liked that it was black tea with a hint of something which caters more to his tastes.

Helena: Thought it was something a little different but continued to sip while we discussed, not a favourite but she deemed it tolerable.

Mint

Me: I’m not a huge fan of green tea, so when I saw this I was a little anxious about how it would taste. I didn’t enjoy this at all, although it smelled gorgeous it didn’t taste like this at all.

Daniel: Tolerable but didn’t enjoy it.

Helena: Spat it out as soon as she sipped it. She’s not a fan of green tea or mint so this was completely the wrong combination for her.

Nylon bags

These teas actually come in triangular Nylon bags which I’ve never seen or tried before. I thought it was amazing being able to put loose leaf in them but still have a tea bag. 

Breakfast Tea

Me: As ‘normal’ tea is my favourite with milk and sugar this was obviously going to be my favourite out of the lot. Ok, so I’ve tried loose leaf tea at a tea room before and you CANNOT beat loose leaf tea, however this breakfast tea came pretty close as I felt like even with milk and sugar it kept it’s taste, plus I’m in love with the tin.

Daniel: Delicious!

Helena: Refreshing and tasty.

I may purchase the lemon and breakfast tea again for myself, especially because of the beautiful tin the breakfast tea comes in! It’s pink and has an elephant on, what is not to like?

Do you like tea? What's your favourite flavour?

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Amazon Haul || iPhone & MacBook accessories

I recently made the biggest purchase so far, I purchased a MacBook Pro. I've always wanted a MacBook especially after spending the summer in America last year where every person I had one. Call me a material girl but there's something exciting about getting an apple product, I don't remember being this excited when I purchased my HP laptop that's for sure, so after purchasing my MacBook I thought about how much it cost and how much I'd cry if anything ever happened to it so after consideration I decided to purchase all the necessary gear in order to protect it from harm.

I first purchased a laptop bag and case. I knew I'd want to take my laptop almost everywhere and anywhere with me so that when inspiration strikes I can get my thoughts down quickly wherever I may be. It came pretty swiftly and I was extremely impressed, it looked exactly like the picture and the quality seems fantastic.
You can buy it here for £15.99.

Secondly I purchased the skin for my MacBook, I chose a beautiful egg blue/ocean green colour. I just wanted an extra bit of protection for when it's out of the case. This is the most expensive thing I've ever bought, you can't be too safe can you? This also seems like good quality.
You can buy it here for £18.95.

However a MacBook isn't my first Apple product, I also have an iPhone 5 which I treat like my baby. I've had an iPhone 5 since they allowed people to pre order (I was one of those people), I saved up my first pay cheque for my first iPhone and I've loved it ever since.

When periscope came out I got real excited, I felt like periscope could be my thing but after my first periscope I realised there would be no way I'd be able to hold my phone up for an hour at a time so I purchased a flexible long arm phone holder. I used this on my GRWM periscope and it was perfect!
You can buy it here for £6.99.

I've had to refrain from buying anymore off Amazon for a little while because I'm leaving for America around the 20th of June and I need all the money I can get! You can read what I'll be getting up to in America here.

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What are your laptop and phone accessories?

Camp America 15 || Arrival

From Heathrow to Camp

At 2am on Friday the 19th of June I headed off to Heathrow airport alone to get on my flight to America. On the bus up I made a friend with another girl also doing Camp America, the bus up was ok but when I got there I was a little confused about where I needed to be because the airport is HUGE. After dropping my bag off at the baggage drop I headed up to security where they tested my bag for explosive substances, that took twenty five minutes longer than expected and then I was finally through, got some water and waited until 8:20 to get on my flight.

I hate flying, taking off, being in the air and landing is terrifying! On the plane I was sat with a lovely guy who I chatted to throughout the flight, it was quite a boring flight other than that. I flew U.S Airways which seems budget compared to the flight I took last year. No movies, I was disappointed! When the flight finally landed I got off at Philadelphia which was HOT HOT HOT and headed for food and then to my gate ready to get on a domestic flight to Newark. The plane was tiny and old with propelars that made me super nervous, and the fact our flight was delayed by quite awhile and then when we eventually got on the plane we were about to take off but had to stop due to terrible storms over Newark, I think we sat on the plane for an hour until take off and then we had quite a bumpy ride to Newark, I got off and had to find a bus to Port Authority which was hard as the stops had numbers but not names, I managed to board the right bus but when we got to Port Authority at 6:50 I ran around desperately trying to find help to get me on the 7pm to Lords Valley.

I missed it and then broke down crying in the middle of the airport, I hadn't slept for almost 24hrs, I had 20% battery and needed to find somewhere to stay. I called home hoping mum and dad could sort out accommodation whist I found out if there was a bus the next day. We booked the Holiday Inn Express near Times Square which was supposed to be close to the Bus station but after walking around in circles for ages I caught a taxi to the hotel, except the driver was confused about where it actually was. I got there, threw up and lay in bed awake for most of the night until 5am where I think I slept a little. I felt much better the next morning and caught a taxi back to Port Authority to get the 10am bus to Lords Valley where one of the reception staff picked me and Elizabeth the tennis specialist up where I finally arrived.

Arriving at Camp

We arrived in time for lunch, met some nice people and were taken to stay at a cabin. Top Ranch is one of four establishments here, kids from the other three camps come to us to learn to ride and improve their skills. No one from Top Ranch had arrived yet so I stayed at the all boys camp. My boss arrived dinner time, she's fantastic, she's brought her dog Lilly, they stayed at the ranch for the first night whilst I was at the other camp. After dinner she gave me a tour of camp and then we headed back for the campfire. I love a good campfire, people sang, told stories, we learnt songs and then headed to bed.

Moving into the Ranch

The next morning we had breakfast with all the other staff and then headed to pick up my stuff to move me into the ranch. We did inventory, checked what we had and then chilled. I moved my stuff into my room and set it up and now eagerly await the arrival of my room mate. I've met 2/3 girls so far and their both incredible girls and I'm pretty certain we're all going to get on. My biggest issue is definitely going to be the bee's who have nests all along our building under the roof, hopefully we can get that sorted. I'm not sure what's left to be done today, we might be going out for dinner or going to Walmart!

Have you been to America? Or a Summer Camp?

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*New Updates Every Sunday about America*

Restaurant Review || Five Guys

Last week me and Sioban met up for a lovely day of blogging. This was the first time we had seen each other since the Bloggers Love Hun event in London.

We started by taking a trip to Beauty Crowd for a summer makeover which you can read about here.

When we got to Five Guys I was running on empty so I couldn't wait to get inside and order. The inside was like a red and white McDonalds with the menu above the Order and Pick Up stations, I had a choice of burgers or hot dogs so I chose a cheeseburger with small fries and a regular drink that came to around £14.

Although my meal was yummy, I felt like it was overpriced for what it was. The fries were the highlight but I got fed up of them quickly, the drink was coke although there were a lot of other options I stuck to what I know, the burger tasted only a tad better than a Big Mac from McDonalds.

This was Sioban's! She had a bacon and cheese burger with regular fries, it was HUGE. I was so glad I stuck to having small fries.

Have you been to Five Guys yet?

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#WomanPowerWednesday || Martha Graham

Back when I was a dance student, I was introduced to the works of Martha Graham who was a well known contemporary dancer. 

Those who come from a dance background are more than likely aware that she is often referred as 'Mother of Modern Dance' as she took the stylistic qualities of ballet, put her own twist on it and then performed it to the world. 

She inspires me because when she first started performing her style of dance, many audiences didn't approve as ballet was the norm, therefore she received plenty of criticisms. However, she continued to perform and opened up her own dance school and company in New York, whilst making modern and contemporary dance increasingly popular, alongside other dancers of the time. 

I like to remember this when writing content for my blog. I try my best to be imaginative and express myself through my blog, just as she did through her dance, rather than being another unoriginal writer. I embrace any negative responses, just as she did, in order to improve myself and my blog, and happily accept praises.

Another reason why she inspires me is that she began her dance career in her twenties, which is quite late for a dancer, making it harder to do well and succeed in their career. 

I like to remember this when considering a new hobby, interest or activity. I found in the past that I would make excuses and build unnecessary barriers that prevented me from trying new things to enjoy. Now, after studying her dance and learning about her, I am much happier with my life as I have learnt that it is never too late and that you shouldn't shut a door that you've never been through. 

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this post as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

Let me know in the comments below, on my blog or by contacting me, who it is that inspires you and why, I would love to find out!

Here is my favourite Martha Graham quote -

About The Author - Hi! I’m Zoe, owner, founder and editor of Fashionista Studios. I began my blog in May 2015 as a project to promote my coding, communication and digital marketing skills. Sure, this helped me land interviews, but I quickly found myself falling in love with fashion and beauty, and enjoyed sharing my views. I’m 18, from the welcoming countryside of Cheshire. 

The Colour Festival || What You Need To Know

I recently attended The Colour Festival in Cardiff, while there I feel like I got to grips with a) what it's all about b) how to have a good time and avoid the bad bits.

First off if you're going to drink I suggest starting before you get there. £10 for 3 tokens.

You can't get alcoholic drinks without tokens, you can only get tokens at the token stand inside the venue.

Everything is quite expensive, there are no card or cash machines so make sure you take enough cash with you £35 wasn't even enough for me. 

Take sunglasses with you, the colour throwing gets everywhere, including in your eyes! I had to buy a pair of sunglasses there for £9!

T-Shirts cost £15 at the stand but don't bother buying any! A little into the show they throw T-shirts at the audience, so get in the crowd and grab one.

Wet your T-Shirts because otherwise the colour won't stick! I learnt the hard way coming home with very little colour stuck to me because my T-Shirt was dry.

Colour bags cost £2.50, you'll be encouraged to buy lots, buy a few and keep them safe and don't waste them! If you get in the crowd you'll get colour on you either way.

Share your tips for festival success!

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