New Year Resolutions

I never really make any new year resolutions as I don't see the point, and usually when i make resolutions I never do them. But this year I decided I would attempt to actually do my resolutions. I sat down and came up with a few blog resolutions.

1. Improve my photography skills
As much as I love photography I am horrible at it. My blog photos are not the best they can be. I have decided that I am going to start using my camera more often and maybe even try out some iPhone lenses.

2. Interact more on social media
I have a twitter and instagram specifically for my blog but never seem to use them. My twitter feed is dry and my instagram is empty, I am going to try to upload more and interact with more people.

3. Become a Photoshop/illustrator pro
I have just installed a trial version of Adobe creative cloud and been testing it out and trying to figure out how to use it, and I'm not very good. I want to make better visuals and pin worthy pictures. I have been watching a lot of videos and trying to see what I can create. As you can see I tried something out above using Canva.

4. Post more consistently
I don't have a proper post schedule, I usually post when I feel like it and that means that I sometimes go 2-3 weeks without a post. I want to create a schedule and stick to it, so hopefully my posts will be more consistent in 2015.

I only thought of four resolutions but I think if I actually try I could complete these resolutions. Its weird to think that 2014 is over and done with, we can never live it again but lets hope 2015 is a good year. What are some of your resolutions? And have a happy new year!!

New years eve look

New years eve look by seaofstuds featuring a nail polish

MANGO crop top
mango.com

T By Alexander Wang a line skirt
lagarconne.com

Charlotte Russe platform shoes
charlotterusse.com

Chain handle handbag
dailylook.com

Michael kors bracelet
$355 - harrods.com

Sole Society band ring
solesociety.com

Necklace
windsorstore.com

NARS Cosmetics nude lipstick
beauty.com

Chanel perfume
$165 - boots.ie

Nail polish
$9.74 - americanapparel.com.au

OPI nail polish
$19 - thehut.com

Technic makeup review

Technic kindly sent me some of there products to try and I have been using them for the past 2-3 weeks, this post is a little late because I was busy with school and stuff. Anyway I have been using the products for a some time now and wanted to share my opinion with you.

Technic ''smooth it'' primer

The primer comes in a little pink jar and the primer itself is also a baby pink colour. The primer is thick and as I like to describe it, it feels kind of like icing. I didn't notice anything different, it didn't make my makeup last longer or anything. It isn't the best primer but I do use it as it smooths out some areas.

Technic lashitude mascara

I really like the packaging of this mascara for some reason and I also really liked the wand. The mascara does not clump at all which is great and lengthens pretty well. It isnt the best mascara for volume and thickness. 

Technic lip shine

The packaging of this lip gloss is really nice and looks high end. It has great pigmentation and the colour can be worn sheer or you can build it up. The only thing I didn't really like was the scent apart from that I would love to try more colours.

Technic BB foundation 

This is a bb cream and foundation mix together I guess. The shade that was sent to me was too light unfortunately but I did mix it with a darker foundation and I really liked it. If you are looking for something that isn't heavy, this is great.

Technic colourfix concealer

I love this concealer, it is the slightest bit light for me but still usable. It comes in a tube with a little application wand. It is really creamy and blends in really well. It is not the best coverage concealer but can cover my redness.

Technic hide it palette

This is a concealer palette with four shades, yellow, green, pink and a nude skin tone. I personally did not enjoy this product, I felt like the colours were not pigmented and they did not cover my blemishes very well. 

Technic colourfix 2 in 1 foundation and powder

This is a compact 2 in 1 powder and foundation, unfortunately the colour was way to light for me but I still used the powder, which I did like. It comes with a powder and then another layer with the foundation. It would be great for chucking into your bag as it is compact and not too bulky. 

Technic colourfix pressed powder

This is the product I have been using the most. The colour is perfect maybe the slightest bit too dark, but wearable. It is really smooth and natural looking, I'm still unsure if the product has little light reflecting particles but I really do like this product  and I use it daily.

That is the review, I hope you liked it, let me know in the comments if you have tried any makeup from Technic. If you are interested in any of these products you can visit there website.

Gift guide: Under £10

This is the first of many gift guides. These gift ideas are all under £10, there is actually a lot you can get for tenner. Most of the products are small and great for putting in stockings and I think they perfect if you don't want to spend a lot of money.

1. ASOS i woke up like this iPhone 5 case

Phone cases make great gifts for any occasion and you can get so many different designs and styles plus they are usually decently priced. I personally loved this case from ASOS. 

2. ASOS Christmas socks cracker

I thought this was just so adorable, a cracker with cute printed socks. You get three pairs, and three different patterns, snowmen, reindeer's and Christmas trees, all packed in  a transparent plastic cracker.

3. Ciate tree trinket nail varnish

Ciate have come up with a cute idea of putting a nail polish in a ball tree ornament but can also be a wonderful socking stuffing. 

4. Cath Kidston flora hand cream trio

Hand creams make great gifts cause you wants dry hands? I love the beautiful floral packaging, its cheap and very useful.

5. Paperchase dark romance list book

Know anyone who loves to make list? This was made for them. I'm pretty sure it is available in different patterns but I thought this one was lovely.

6. The body shop shea treats

The body shop always have an amazing selection of gift sets and a lot for under 20. In this specific one you get a shower cream, body whip and mini crinkle bath lily. They also have it in different scents.

7. Soap and Glory your own sweet lime gift scent

Soap and Glory also have a great gift set selection and for 10 you get quiet a bit. This set comes in a really nice gift box and contains a body wash, body scrub, body butter cream, hand cream and a suds boosting body polish. 

8. Sleek i-Divine eyeshadow palette

Sleek have very reasonably priced eyeshadow palettes that are great quality and have a wide selection of shades, it would make the perfect stocking stuffing for any beauty lover. 

9. Bread, cake, doughnuts, pudding recipe book

This is recipe book containing sweet and savory recipes and I just really love the cover of this book. A great present for anyone who loves to cook.

I will be doing a lot more of these gift guides for different budgets and people. So I hope it was helpful.

Brand focus: W7

Before I start the products I am talking about were sent to me but my reviews are my honest opinions. Anyway, like I said I was kindly sent some products from w7 and I have never tried their products before but have heard a lot about them. They are known for their cheap prices and dupes. 

w7 Angel eyes, eyeshadow palette

This is my favourite product that I received and it is this beautiful eyeshadow palette. The packaging is a little cheap but the eyeshadow make up for it. They are highly pigmented except the first shade is quite sheer. The palette has seven shade, three and shimmery and four are matte. This palette is great from an everyday look and they look gorgeous on the eyes. Plus you get a really good mirror. Definitely worth checking out.

 

w7 big lash mascara and eyeliner pencil

This is a lovely eye duo. The mascara makes my eyelashes really long and doesn't clump at all. I weirdly enough like the packaging, I really don't know why, but it's whats inside and it is wonderful. The eyeliner pencil glides on really nicely and stays put all day. The packaging is similar to the mascara. And together they are perfect.

w7 full colour lipstick

And lastly I was sent this lipstick, now I am not sure what the name or number is but it is a bright dolly pink colour. I don't really wear lipstick this colour but I did decide to try it and it does look quite nice when applied lightly. The colour is build-able but can sink in the creases of your lips. The packaging is very plastic-y. 

Overall the brand is very affordable and the products are pretty decent. The eyeshadow palette is gorgeous and they also have dupes of the urban decay naked palettes. I will definitely be trying a few of their other eyeshadow palettes and blushes. Will you be trying any of these products? What do you think? Let me know.

product review: Witch blemish stick

I received the Witch blemish stick in the post a week or so ago apparently I had won it, no idea where from but I'm not complaining. I have been trying it out for a week and usually I would wait a little longer to do a review but I love it. You can use it as many times as you need and it helps to dry out blemishes. It comes in a push up tube which I'm not very fond of and has a screw up top. The smell kind of reminds me a of a lighter scent of vicks. I had tried it out on some of my blemishes and it had dried it out within hours and the next morning it had definitely reduced in size which was amazing.

 I am definitely impressed with this product. I have tried a lot of blemish sticks in the past and none of them have ever really made a difference but I have high hopes for this one. And I am definitely going to be trying a lot more from the Witch skincare range. Have any of you tried Witch skincare products?

Wishlist #1

I absolutely love doing online shopping, its easy and you can do it in the comfort of your own home plus there's more choice. Browsing online I couldn't help putting items in my basket and then realizing I cant buy any of this, well at least for the time being. So I put it all into this wishlist because I love these types of post, and I can be a bit nosy.







These are just some of the things that are on my list but I probably wont end up getting most the things because one I probably cant afford it all and even if I could I probably wouldn't be able to eat for a couple of months. All the pictures are linked if you want to check them out for yourself. And let me know what your favourite online shops are?

Current playlist

I have been downloading songs and sorting out my music playlist and I have also started using Spotify cause I honestly hate iTunes so very much, I just find it very complicated. Anyway I thought it would make a good post, I personally love to know what kind of music people listen to and I love it more when people have the same taste as me. Here is my Spotify playlist:



I hope you liked my playlist. I don't listen to one specific genre as you could probably tell. These are the songs I like and have had on repeat recently. I will be doing more of these in the future. What are some of the songs you have been listening to?

Random thoughts

I have gotten a terrible case of writers block and I have only been blogging for just over month if that. And I literally had no idea what to blog for today and I am trying to blog everyday during my half term because I have all this spare time and want to be a bit more productive. So today I am sharing my random thoughts and let me warn you I can be a little very weird. Moving on here are some of my strange thoughts:

• Is it just me or is everyone a little confused about the fact that the UK go back an hour in winter. I'm not gonna lie I never ever thought about it until yesterday when I heard my dad talking about it. Why is it only the UK? What is the point? 
• Why is it that girls are the ones to wear makeup and not boys, why do they get to not be judged for having acne or not having even skin tone or long eyelashes? Boys have never been told that they don't look good without makeup.
• Why aren't books waterproof? I read this somewhere and I cant stop thinking about it. What if you could read a book in the shower or underwater or in the rain.
• Another one I read is why don't we learn useful things in school. We learn about algebra something we will most probably never use but we don't learn about things we will need in the future, applying to universities, courses, bank accounts and things like life skills yet I have to pass algebra to have a good future.
• Halloween. As much as I love it. I don't get the point. Who's ideas was it to create a day where everyone dresses up as something scary and gets sweets for it.
• Life. Deep, but honestly I don't get it. We live our lives studying so that we can earn money and at the end of it all we die and it all means nothing. 

Those were just a few of my thoughts, I can be a bit weird but I thought it was worth sharing. What are some of your thoughts. And did you like this kind of post? I have started to like writing post that aren't beauty/fashion related. Anyway let me know what you think.

 

Autumnal lips

It is probably one of my favourite seasons Autumn. Its when it gets a cooler and you can sweaters and boots and obviously Halloween. I am not the biggest lip product fan but I have been loving some lip products and they are all drug store. I tried my best with the pictures sorry if they aren't the best quality I still am figuring it out.

(L-R) Revlon colorstay overtime in infinite rasberry, Revlon colorstay ultimate in 095 Royal Raisin , Revlon colorstay ultimate in 040 Brilliant Bordeaux , Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick in 120 cutting edge 

The Revlon colorstay overtime in infinite rasberry is a great everyday autumn shade as it isn't to dark or bold its a lot more subtle and it stays on for the whole day plus it comes with a gloss side so that it doesn't feel to drying. I've used it quite a lot as I;m almost out.
The Revlon colorstay ultimate in royal raisin is also a great everyday shade, it is a bit more darker but i absolutely love it. It goes on like lipgloss and dries into a lipstick and it does not budge, it can be a little drying so maybe a lip balm underneath or above it can help add some moisture another thing I'm not a big fan of is that the brush gets a lot of product so when you apply it a lot gets on your lips. And I also have the Revlon colorstay ultimate in brilliant bordeaux and its a little more red but its beautiful. I wouldn't wear this everyday but on a night out or an occasion it looks really pretty, once again it does feel a little dry and you get a lot of product on with brush so i use my finger to blend it out.
And the last product is from Rimmel London is one of the lasting finish lipsticks in cutting edge. And this is the most beautiful purple shade and I really love it. You need to add a few coats to get the bold dark purple shade and its so moisturizing on the lips but you do need to touch it up as it doesn't dry. I just cant get over the colour its so pretty. And a perfect autumnal shade.

(L-R) Rimmel London lasting finish in cutting edge, Revlon colorstay overtime in infinite rasberry, Revlon colorstay brilliant bordeaux, Revlon colorstay ultimate in royal raisin.  

I hope you liked this post once again I am so sorry that the picture quality isn't great, my camera stopped working so I had to resort to using my iphone. What are some of your favourite autumnal lip products?

Random favourites

Its come to the end of September and so I thought it would be a great time to do a favourites post. This is a couple of days late but oh well. I wanted to change it up from the usual beauty and fashion favourites, mostly cause i haven't been loving anything that much. But I do have quiet a few random favourites.

TV show favourite- American Horror Story

I have been obsessing over American Horror Story. I'm currently towards the end of season 3 which is coven. I still have a few more episodes to go but I get a little scared so I've taken a little break. But i do recommend it. And I cant wait for Freak show only a few more days left.

The x factor

I literally wait for the weekend cause x factor nights are my favourite. This year its been intense and i have been loving it. I have so many favourites this year, Jack Walton, Andrea Faustini, Paul Akister, Ben Haenow, Jay James and Only the young. 

App/websites favourites- Bloglovin

I had never used bloglovin before until I started this blog and I absolutely love it. Its a great way to get your blog exposed and I have found so many great blogs. Even if you don't have a blog its a great site. I always find myself on the app when I'm lying in bed at night. Follow me here.

Blogs- From roses

I have really been loving this blog. The photography is amazing and so is the content. Its just a great quality blog with great posts. Really suggest checking it out.

Jenny purr

I have also been loving this blog. It has some great content and i love the photography too. My favourite post has been the 8 ways to stay positive post. Also recommend you check this blog out.

Food favourites- Kellogg nutri-grain breakfast fruit bars (strawberry)

I love these. I have them for breakfast and they are just quick to eat if you are in a hurry. And strawberry is my favourite, I haven't tried any other flavour. And I think are quiet healthy I'm not sure though but lets just say they are.

Music- The 1975

I have been loving The 1975. I have had the whole album on repeat. My favourite songs have been the city and chocolate. 

Those were my random favourites this month. And leave some of your favourites in the comments below i would love to know.

Social media update!

This is just a short post because i wanted to share my social media links with you all. I'm new to this all so I'm just trying to figure out how to add the badges to the sidebar.

Here are my links so you can follow me.

Bloglovin- http://www.bloglovin.com/shazia12

Tumblr- under-the-city-light.tumblr.com

Twitter- https://twitter.com/seaofstuds

Instagram- http://instagram.com/seaofstuds

Pinterest- http://www.pinterest.com/seaofstuds/

Polyvore- http://shaziaj.polyvore.com/

Those are my social media links and be sure to follow me on all of them! 

Quotes of the week

Exploring pinterest and tumblr i stumbled upon a bunch of cute and funny little quotes, I dont really know if you would call them quotes but I'm going with it. And so I thought to share them. Some of them are motivational and inspirational and some I just really liked. I will try to make this a weekly thing or at least a monthly thing.

I relate to this so this so much i usually do most my blogging at 2AM.

I hope you liked these quotes these are only a few. I'm going to be making a board on Pinterest so be sure to follow me @seaofstuds and its the same for my twitter and instagram.

My tv show addiction

I have a very unhealthy addiction to tv shows. I Watch a ridiculous amount of tv shows. Over the years it has gotten worse. I can literally sit in the same place for hours and hours watching tv shows. Even if im busy i make time. So I thought I should share with you all my favourites and recommendations for any of you who are looking for a new show to start.

Pretty little liars
This is probably the first tv show i started watching and is still one of my favourites. Its got a very interesting back story and once you start you won't be able to stop. A death of a close friend Alison Dilaurentis leaves four girls, Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hannah curious and worried as they start to receive strange texts from a person 'A'. And everything continues from there, there are deaths, secrets, lies, mystery, its just amazing. And they have some gorgeous outfits to take some inspiration from.

The Vampire Diaries
Definitely one of my favourites. Im not usually into supernatural kind of tv shows but this is an exception. And trust me its nothing like Twilight. What I love the most is that there is always something happening it never gets boring. And obviously the best part are the characters Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. And i can't wait for the new season.

American Horror Story
I only recently started watching ahs but i love it. Every season has a different story and different characters. The first season was horror house, second season was asylum, third season coven and the new season coming out soon is freak show. It can get a little gruesome and scary but its still amazing. A little messed up here and there and slightly inappropriate. And my favourite character is obviously Evan Peters.

Made in Chelsea
This isn't popular everywhere as it is a british reality tv show about London's young socially elite. Its full of drama, parties, champagne, gorgeous outfits and 'randomly bumping into people on the street'. It can be a little ridiculous and very scripted but is very entertaining.

Those are just a few if I were to talk to about them all this would probably be the longest blog post ever. Let me know in the comments below what your favourites are or if you watch any of the shows i mentioned we can discuss.

My skincare regime

I wanted to share with you all my skincare regime, so what i do in the morning when i wake up and at night before i go to bed and then just some things i may do during the day.

I use the same products at night and in the morning. First up is my facial wash and occasionally my face mask which is the Clearasil ultra all in one wash and mask. Its a daily facial wash which is said to fight 100% of spots and imperfections and also a one minute mask which i use three times a week. I really like the scent of this which is a little strange it reminds me of men's shaving cream.

Next is the Simple skincare pore minimizing toning cleanser which is a new addition to my regime. I have only been using this product for about three days so i cant give you a useful review but so far so good. I just like to put a little on a cotton pad at rub it all over my face.

At night only I use the Wilkinson Tea tree soothing blemish serum. It being Wilkinson's own brand i was surprised that it was actually really good. When you first apply it, it does create a lot of redness so that's why you should only use it at night but when i wake up a lot of the redness is gone. I highly recommend this product. They also have a tea tree scrub and moisturiser which i havent tried but should also be good.

And lastly i use the boots witch hazel gel. And it says to use this three to four times a day. I use it once in the morning and once at night and if i remember also during the day. It says that it helps prevent spots and pimples and keep skin clear. And it also says that it gets rid of grease and oil and mattifies your face. So its great to use before applying makeup if you prefer matte finish. 

And some home remedies that i also like to do during the day is lemon juice on the face. Its pretty simple i just squeeze some fresh lemon juice on to a cotton pad and rub it all over my face and it does sting at first so if you have sensitive skin i would suggest diluting it with some water.

That is my whole skincare routine. Just a quick disclaimer this regime works for me but may not work for all skin types and it is also based for my acne prone skin.

If you have any suggestions for acne prone skin let me know in the comment section below.

Makeup wishlist #1

Makeup wishlist #1 by shaziaj featuring lips makeup

Valentino fragrance
valentino.com

Aesop face moisturizer
$44 - selfridges.com

Daniel Sandler beauty product
$24 - hqhair.com

Ted Baker bag
zappos.com

NARS Cosmetics matte palette eyeshadow
sephora.com

NARS Cosmetics angled contour brush
barneys.com

Urban Decay matte makeup
sephora.com

Bare Escentuals spf foundation
beauty.com

Anastasia cosmetic
$47 - nelly.com

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lips makeup
$42 - selfridges.com

NARS Cosmetics lips makeup
narscosmetics.com

Benefit long wearing eyeliner
sephora.com

Tarte paraben free cosmetic
sephora.com

MAC Cosmetics eye shadow brush
$38 - selfridges.com

Benefit voluminous mascara
$32 - johnlewis.com

TheBalm bronzing powder
beauty.com

Isadora face brush
$24 - nelly.com