My bags are packed, I'm ready to go.

That's a lie. My bags are not yet fully packed, but they will be. Soon.



Just in case there is a person left on this planet who has not yet been told; I am moving to Germany tomorrow, for one year. I study Law & German, so I'm off to study Law in Germany on Erasmus. Terrifying but exciting but confusing but it's happening. Despite my best efforts to thwart it!

I'm taking it all very casually. Out of my class, I was the one not bothered where I went, as long as it wasn't alone. I was the one to wait til last week to book flights. I was the one who just ended up being a disaster at organising myself! Two weeks ago, I was in London, where I lost my passport. Faced by the decision to either apply for a new one by Express Post (10 working days) or go to a counter (3-5 working days plus a bitta extra cash), I went with the cheapie. But hey, passport turned up last Friday. THREE DAYS EARLY.

There was then my suitcase fiasco - I bought my case last week, & started to pack it yesterday. After throwing in a few bits of clothing, my make up & some shoes, I decided to weigh it, just for some guidance on how much extra I could put in. Except the luggage scales read 30KG. A whole 10KG over. I threw out all my underwear, determined I could go commando for a while. All three tops were taken out - I was wearing them. Anything not liquid or sharp was dumped into my handbag. Surely I'd get away with it now? Oh wait. I was looking at the 'lbs' measurement, not KG. Turns out I have lots of extra room in the case!

Then there was going to print my boarding pass, with no ink in the printer. Grand, I'd do it in the library. Once there, I realised I again had no passport with me. A run home & a call to my dad in work, & we were sorted.

So for now, I am sitting in the middle of my (very clean but covered in clothes) room, which my sister has claimed strongly. I will charge my phone, iPod, & laptop before they're thrown in. I will pack some warmer clothes. I will wash myself... Just in case it takes me a while to buy shower gel in Germany. I will steal all my mammy's teabags & I will hopefully blog lots about my experience!

PS After writing this I went to look for travel quotes. I am now crying. I AM TERRIFIED. But it's only a year & it is an amazing opportunity. Onwards & upwards!

Chloe x

#SBBC 19: Storage

This is embarrassing. But right now, this is where my make up/nail polish/beauty crap is.

It WAS all nicely sorted out. Then I moved home & was just wearing whatever new stuff I bought til it got thrown to the top of the pile. But now, it needs to be sorted badly - there's only so much I can bring with me. So, here's what I would like.

This would be brilliant, under a dressing table, complete with mirror. 

I'm seriously considering making this. I used to have white walls, & colourful polishes would have looked so cool!

Even if I had the above dressing table, I like to see things, so I could live with this kinda storage. 

For now.. This is the only thing I need to worry about. How am I going to fit make up AND clothes in one suitcase, for a year?

PS - I'm thinking of writing posts on switching country for the year. Let me know if you'd like to read it? 

Chloe x

#SBBC 18: 10 Desert Island Items

If all your make up was taken, what 10 items would you repurchase?

L'oreal Super Liner Gel - I am nothing without thick, winged eyeliner. This is my favourite gel, & I use it on my waterline when I want more intensity.



Maybelline The Rocket mascara - I'm still loving this on my lashes so it's a definite repurchase.


Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan - Let's just pretend it comes with a tanning mitt & I won't have oompa loompa hands. I'm ploughing my way through the stuff.



Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - Something that started out as a sample has become one of my great loves. Light but powerful.



MAC Lipstick in Daddy's Little Girl - Bright lips make everything better. Pigmentation & lasting power just enhance that.

L'oreal 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil - Coz you need something to take all the dirt off with, & I really like just rubbing this into my face, without the need for cotton pads.

OPI Nail Envy - I use this religiously under every nail polish. If only it stopped me from picking at them..



Revlon Colourstay Foundation - This is actually something I need to repurchase, right now. I don't tend to use it much in summer, but it is sacred in winter.

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish in Light - Something else that I must buy. Although it lasts forever.. that doesn't apply when you lose it. Best setting powder EVER.



Khroma Khloe Kardazzle Face Palette - Say hello to the best palette, which gives me a blusher, bronzer, highlighter & eight eyeshadows. I was panicking til I remembered this!

This is actually quite helpful.. I'm trying to narrow down what I HAVE to bring on Erasmus with me. While all these products will be coming, it's the extra bits that cause me hassle. What if I decide I want to wear orange nail polish & match my lipstick & eyeshadow to it? Unlikely, but these are the dilemmas I face.

Chloe x

#SBBC 4: Positives about blogging

I'm going to keep this short & sweet. The most amazing thing about blogging? The unbelievably sweet, humorous, talented & caring people you get to know. We were all brought up with warnings of strangers on the internet, but blogging brings so many opportunities to meet new people.

I don't go to blogging events, & have only been to one meet up (because of travel, work & college), so haven't met many other bloggers in person. The ones I have were just as lovely in person as I expected, & the ones I haven't, I still love chatting to regularly.

All it takes is a quick tweet, & #bbloggers come rushing to your aid about a make up dilemma, or a product recommendation. It's like beauty Wikipedia, with charm & experience added! But it's just as nice to gossip about TV, laugh about weird experiences & help with personal problems as it is discussing beauty products. Fellow bloggers are like a whole new set of friends, with a common interest, who don't care about how often you get online - I genuinely love getting a tweet or comment from someone I've gotten to know, as well as other readers of course!

So, to anyone reading this: Thank you for all being fabulous.

Chloe x

#SBBC 3: Travel picks

Number 3 is about what you bring with you when travelling. Obviously that is many things, but I'm focusing on beauty stuff! I'm just back from Antrim for the weekend, so here's what I brought.

 It looks like a lot.. But this is downsized!

Practical things.. Dry shampoo, deo, etc.. Nothing particularly special, other than my Redken hair serum, & Lancome La Vie Est Belle!

NIMA brush set.

Nails

OPI Nail Envy

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Model's Own Beach Party

Face

Catrice Prime & Fine Primer

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder

S2S Face Foundation

Rimmel BB Cream

Bourjois Bronzing Primer

Topshop Cheek Duo

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Urban Decay Blush in Quickie

MUFE Illuminating Concealer

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Relief

The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Spray

Eyes

MUA Starry Nights Palette

Clinique Eyeiner

Collection Extreme Liner

Maybelline The Rocket mascara (forgotten in picture!)

Essence I Heart Stage Eye Primer

MUA Eyebrow Kit

Collection Brow Crayon

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Lips

Rimmel Kate Moss 101

Essence Shine XXXL Lipgloss

Essence Stay With Me Lipgloss in Candy Bar

Clinique Chubby Stick in Woppin' Watermelon

Maybelline Baby Lips

I like to bring a mix of things that I can 't live without, & things that I wouldn't cry over if I lost. Most of these are non essentials though & could have been substituted!

Chloe x

#SBBC 2: Favourite eyeshadow palette

Day 2 may be late, but still on track to tell you about my favourite eyeshadow palette. Why is it late? I could barely sleep last night, trying to decide. Could it be my Naked palette? One of the colourful MUA palettes? Something to do a smokey eye with?

The shadows are housed in a slim black case. 

But finally, I made my decision. The Crown UK 28 Nude Palette is currently my top one. I won it in a competition run by Laura from All-Made-Up-21, & I've been using it regularly since it arrived. (Thank you Laura!) It was my first foray into Crown make up, and I wasn't disappointed. I have many neutral eyeshadows - the Nakeds, the MUA dupes, single eyeshadows.. But really, the shades in this are my favourite.

It's quite cool-toned, which doesn't bother me, & all the shades have a bit of shimmer. Again, I like shimmer & glitter, so it makes me happy! The only thing that could improve it, would be a black shadow, just for handiness, but I can live without it. A mirror would also be nice, but I have one with me usually anyway!

Pigmentation is good, made better with the addition of an eyeshadow primer, & wear time is also good - It carries through all day, with just slight creasing. The shadows all blend well, & can be layered a bit for extra depth. Happy days! It costs €26.24 from crownbrush.ie, so under one euro per shadow. Bargain.

That said, I do love all my other palettes (Just so they don't feel left out.)

Chloe x

SBBC #1: Recent purchases

Another month, another challenging series. But this one, I WILL complete. For all the deets, just check out Girl Friday's Beauty Blog. I was in a bit of a rut when it came to blogging, so I'm delighted to have some structure to my posts!

Topic number one is recent purchases. So I rounded up the new things in my make up bag, was suitably embarrassed at the amount of crap I buy, realised I couldn't even find half the stuff I've picked up, & finally decided to just write this post.

MUA Gold & Gorgeous, MUA Fuschia Frenzy

Barry M Aqua Glitter, Barry M Guava, Barry M Dolly Mixture, Barry M Sour Apple

MUA Kiss You Lip Polish, Loreal Nude Ingenue, MUA Shade 3, MUA Shade 16, MUA I Wish, Rimmel Kate Moss 101, Maybelline Baby Lips Hydrate, Collection It Girl, Collection Rebel, Essence Rising Star

MUA Kiss You Lip Polish, Loreal Nude Ingenue, MUA Shade 3, MUA Shade 16, MUA I Wish, Rimmel Kate Moss 101, Collection It Girl, Collection Rebel, Essence Rising Star

Bourjois Healthy Balance Powder, Bourjois Bronzing Primer, Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Mascara, Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner, Maybelline Brow Pencil

In fairness, many of these were bought on a '3 for 2' etc, so I don't feel QUITE as bad! I do feel bad about the photos though.. I haven't been home in daylight for quite a while, so crap quality will have to suffice for today.

If you're taking part in SBBC, leave a comment with a link to your post so I can convince myself that I'm not the only one who over spends on make up!

Chloe x