Christmas Wishlist

Genuinely cannot believe how fast this year has gone and seeing as Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd share with you what I hope Santa will be bringing down my chimney. Christmas is my favourite holiday and I can't wait to go home and spend it with my favourite people in the world. I'm so excited to name the Turkey (is it just my family that does that?!), sit in front of the fire for hoursss and play a ridiculous amount of games with my siblings whilst mama makes a feast of yummy yummy food. It's impossible to be unhappy at Christmas, right?!

1 - Pandora Music Note Charm: I got a pandora bracelet for my birthday this year and ever since I've been dying to fill it. I loved this charm ever since I set my eyes on it because everyone who knows me knows that music is probably my favourite thing in the world.

2 - NARS Laguna Bronzing Powder: I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you this but the world and its wife seem to have this bronzer and I want in! Every single review I've read of it has said how amazing it is and how every girl should have it, so it went straight on my Christmas wishlist!

3 - Paco Rabanne Lady Million Perfume: This is probably the nicest smelling thing in the entire world (not even exaggerating), I've dropped about a million hints to my dad about this including practically crying down the phone because I ran out of perfume the other day.

4 - MAC Lipsticks in 'Blankety' and 'Pink Pearl Pop': Simply because a girl can never have enough lipsticks, I've become a little bit addicted and could probably buy every colour in the entire MAC range but these are two that I am fully lusting for at  the minute.  

5 - Pandora Open Your Heart Charm: This is soooo adorable, I have the openwork butterfly charm and thought this was so cute that I had to slide it in here somewhere

6 - Jemma Kidd Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Creme: I saw a review for this the other day and wanted it instantly, I've looked for a highlighter that would work with my skin tone for absolutely ages and this one seems perfect

7 - The Body Shop Rose Vitamin E Face Mist: Hannah has raved about this so many times and she swears by it, I've wanted a face spritz for so long because I realise that spraying my face with hairspray to keep my make up on probably isn't the best option for my skin...

8 - MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder: Again, slightly addicted to MAC, I'm yet to find a pressed powder that actually does what it's supposed to but my housemate has this and adores it so I'm bursting to give it a try!

9 - Daniel Sandler Liquid Blush, 'Flush': I am actually intrigued by this, I'd love it if a liquid blusher worked just because it seems so much easier and a lot less effort than powder.

10 - Pandora Flower Spacer: How adorable is this? I think if I bang on any more about charms my head might explode but I think this is so pretty. I realise that I probably should have just asked for my make up bag and my Pandora bracelet to be filled...  

What are you asking Santa for? Are you as excited as I am? I'm literally like a little kid at Christmas!

**The images used in this post are not my own, and were sourced from Google**

V05 Instant Oomph Powder Review

V05 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder 

"They say good things come in small packages... This tiny pot of powder gives BIG results!"

No one in the entire world likes flat hair and since big hair has been on trend for what feels like decades, everyone is always looking for that magic fix which will give your hair that little boost within seconds. Well, stop searching girls, I've found it! 

I know hair volumising powders aren't a 'new thing' and I've previously used Label M Resurrection Style Dust which has the same effects but is almost double the price!

V05 'Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder' comes in a pretty pink bottle and is so easy to apply. The only way I can describe the texture is by saying it's a little bit like salt crystals. You literally give the bottle a bit of a shake and then dazzle some of it directly on to your roots, give your hair a little rub et voila, you have almost effortless volumised hair!

The only criticism I have of this product is that it does leave hair feeling a little bit greasy and your roots don't feel as soft as the rest of your hair does but it's so much better for your hair than dragging a comb through it backwards all day. A little bit of hairspray applied directly to the roots after this and it stays for hours.

Instant Oomph Powder can be purchased at Boots and retails at £4.07 (I never understand how they work out these precise prices but whatever, haha).

Overall rating: 4/5

instagram update #1

drunken selfies with bambino | I climbed out of a window | missing my red hair | realising how much work my portfolio is going to be this year | moved my bed in my uni house so I can sleep by the wall | made the nicest cake in the WORLD | FaceTime'd my dad but apparently neither of us wanted to look at each other | I got a parcel from home | started watching friends from the very beginning | promoting the new vintage shop in town | halloween nails | securing my place as favourite child by insulting my dad on his birthday | halloween selfie | corpse brides, halloween with my girls | reliving my childhood | rediscovered my 'wreck this journal' and spent an entire train journey destroying it | went home for the weekend and watched fireworks with my best friend | went to london, fave place | grumpy looking selfie | best sugar pot. 

Review: Nivea Express Hydration Primer

Nivea Daily Essentials Express Hydration Primer (RRP: £4.99)

"moisturises and provides a smooth base for effective make up application with effective hydrators"

It's come to that time in the semester where my student loan has disappeared before my very eyes and I've had to abandon the hope that I'd be able to afford to replace my MAC primer, but my skin couldn't afford for me to stop using primer altogether (honestly, if you don't prime your face before you apply your make up, START!). I'd seen this advertised everywhere and thought it was worth giving a try.

It smells like a typical Nivea product: fresh and light, with what I can only describe as smelling like something with a hint of cucumber. The normal and combination skin one (pictured above) contains lotus extract, but I don't know what that smells like so couldn't tell you whether or not that affects the fragrance! The consistency of the product is extremely light, I was going to show you a swatch on my hand but it comes on pretty clear. 

The product also has moisturising qualities, so leaves skin feeling really soft. As for its use as a primer, I was not at all disappointed. It is absorbed by skin almost instantly so there is no waiting around for it to dry before being able to apply make up and it creates a base in order to make sure make up is applied on to as even a surface as possible and it practically makes your make up cling to your face so it doesn't move or wear off all day. 

This provides everything you ask for in a primer, and a small amount of it definitely goes a long way. As far as primers go, I'd rave about this until the cows come home. I don't think I'll ever pay £19.50 for a MAC primer again!

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Maybelline 'Fit Me' review

"It's make up that fits you"

Maybelline 'Fit Me' Concealer (left) and Foundation (right)

"FLAWLESS, LETS THE REAL YOU COME THROUGH 
BEYOND MATCHING: FRESH, BREATHING, NATURAL SKIN 
SPF 18"

Since my tan faded and I'm now too light for my post-holiday foundation (boo), I went on the search for a new foundation that wasn't too pricey (I've lusted after Estee Lauder's Double Wear for aaaages but can't bring myself to spend £30 on a bottle of face paint), I discovered Maybelline's 'fit me' range which is new to the UK... I was impressed at first by the colour chart that was in the store, I bought these in superdrug, and it had a detailed chart of skin tones and which foundation shade was best, and which concealer provided the best match for each foundation. 

The formula is described as having "no oils, no waxes and no nonsense", with the ability to give a natural coverage which allows skin to breath with a translucent base and lightweight pigments.

I decided on shade 135 for the foundation and shade 20 for the concealer (this isn't the concealer that was a recommended match to this foundation but I prefer my concealer to be lighter than my foundation). The foundation has a standard pump and the concealer has a wand with a sponge on, a little bit like a lip-gloss.

Left: foundation, right: concealler

As can be seen in the image above, the foundation is quite runny and unless applied quickly to the face it can get a bit messy, however, the coverage is flawless like the advert says. The colour match to skin is almost perfect and it blends very well to skin. Because it is so runny, it has to be rubbed in quite a bit and wears off if worn for longer than about 8 hours, causing the skin to look patchy without re-application.

Overall rating for foundation: 3/5

The concealer is a lot less runny in comparison to the foundation which can also be seen in the above image, application of this is so simple and it is very easy to move around the face and the coverage is brilliant, I honestly can't rave about this enough, it doesn't crack and it doesn't seem to move during the day. It's literally on my face from the moment I apply it, until the moment I take it off.

Overall rating for concealer: 4.5/5

Is the X Factor past its expiry date?

The X Factor UK (2004-present)

This post was inspired by one of my housemate's journalism assignments, in which she had to collect vox pops (for those of you unfamiliar with journalistic lingo, these are snippets of opinions forming the voice of the public) asking people whether or not they think the X Factor has run its course.

This got me thinking. The X Factor used to be purely a talent contest in which singers would audition, be told whether or not music mogul Simon Cowell thought they were good enough, and then they would partake in numerous rounds until the lucky few reached live shows...

I doubt many of you even remember the first few winners, because let's be honest, where on Earth have Steve Brookstein and Shayne Ward gone?! The biggest named winner of the X Factor is undoubtedly Leona Lewis who is now a household name in both the UK and the US, is this where the show peaked?

L-R: Steve Brookstein, Shayne Ward and Leona Lewis 

In a way, yes... Because ever since Leona, it seems the winners haven't had as much success as the runners up have. And X Factor has just turned into a platform by which people get noticed and it doesn't seem to matter if the public vote you as their winner or not, because if Simon Cowell thinks you're good enough, you're bound to be signed to his label anyway. Take JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction for example, all three have two things in common: 1) none of them were crowned winners of the competition yet, 2) they all appear regularly in the music charts.

L-R: JLS, Olly Murs and One Direction

It is these kinds of success which have been damaging to the show's reputation, simply because people don't really see it as a contest any more, because even though a winner is announced at the end of the series - it doesn't necessarily mean they've won. One Direction have had better chart successes than many of the previous winners of the shows (both Joe McElderry and Matt Cardle were cut from their record labels after just a few releases), and they were the first British band ever to have their debut album go straight in at number one in the american charts.

I feel that the typically 'pop' artists that the X Factor produces are another reason why the contestants never do as well in the real music world. People these days have music tastes which gravitate more towards indie or dance music, and the acts that the show produces don't usually fall into these genres.

The judges have also shot themselves in the foot with their frequency of putting 'joke' acts through, those who make good television rather than actually being talented. Acts such as Jedward (who now have a career more popular than acts who have previously won the show), Wagner and this year's Rylan are the reasons why the show isn't taken seriously any more, but it's all a clever ploy, because who can take their eyes of off the TV when one of these acts is performing? And in all honesty, the public like to keep acts like these in just to annoy Simon Cowell, seeing as if one of them were to win - it would be his money funding their recording contract.

L-R: Wagner, Jedward and Rylan Clark

Is it really fair to boot talented acts out of a talent competition, in order to keep in acts that people laugh at, and not with? No. It doesn't seem to matter whether or not someone can sing, as long as they can please the crowd and this in itself has caused the show to lose its credibility.

This year's X Factor has seen a group of more current artists such as James Arthur and Lucy Spraggan who both have their own unique styles of performance, and they would easily slide into the current charts.

L-R: James Arthur and Lucy Spraggan.

But we'll have to wait and see whether or not that is enough to rescue the X Factor from its own self demise.

What do you think, should this series of the X Factor be the last?!

**The images used in this post are not my own, and were sourced from Google**

Review: Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment

After years of subjecting my hair to abuse of the bleaching, dying and frazzling kind I was left with unconditioned, dry and brittle hair. My worst nightmare. And as if that wasn't enough, my hair was so dead at the ends that I was advised I didn't have much choice but to have it all cut off. I took the plunge and had it chopped into a bob that sat at the top of my neck. I HATED it, and I've worn extensions ever since. I began to get tired of the rigmarole of putting my extensions in every morning and taking them out every night so decided I wanted to give my hair the chance to grow by itself.

This meant I had to stop dying it, and start looking after it properly. I went through a stage of having bright red hair, then black hair, then bright red hair, then black hair (you get the picture). It was a very vicious cycle, and my poor hair had to bare the brunt! 

I've had my hair black since July now (anyone who knows me knows that's an achievement) and I've used Aussie's Take The Heat shampoo and deep conditioning treatment for a while and it leaves my hair feeling soft and silky. But it still REFUSED to grow! I had an abundance of dead ends but didn't want to have my hair cut so I decided I'd try find something to sort these out, this was when I discovered the miracle that is Organix Moroccan Argan Oil, so my hair was soft and my split ends were treated BUT it still wasn't growing.

A few weeks back I discovered Lee Stafford's Treatment "for hair that never grows past a certain length", sounds perfect, doesn't it? It  looks pretty and smells pretty but I wasn't expecting miracles

The product has a consistency like conditioner and is designed for use between shampooing and conditioning and it advised to be left for five minutes. I've been using this for a month now and my hair feels healthier, softer and longer (YAY). The product obviously doesn't make your hair grow over night, but it does condition your hair to the point where growth is now possible. I'm in love. 

Overall rating 4/5. 

When music means something

I've aaaaaalways been one of those people who walks around everywhere with their headphones in, I get lost in songs so easily and music has had a massive impact on my life. So this post is dedicated to all the times when music has meant the most to me.

My Top Three Memories of Music

3. Being lucky enough to see Dallas Green live:

Dallas Green as City and Colour,
Live at Leeds Irish Centre (06/07/11)

City and Colour have been one of my favourite acts for years, but whilst Dallas was part of Alexisonfire, they never really performed anywhere in the UK other than London. Early last year, there were rumours that City and Colour would do a small gig in Leeds and I think I screamed my house down in excitement. Not only do I absolutely adore him, but the words of his songs are astonishingly beautiful and there's a few that I can't listen to without crying. I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the gig (1100 sold out in 9 minutes!) and got there early enough to hear the sound check, even though I couldn't even see him at this point, hearing his voice in person gave me shivers all over! And then when the doors opened, me and my friend Will were so close to the front that we were within touching distance. I'll never ever forget being close enough to one of my favourite men in the entire world to take the above picture. Shortly after, I got some of the lyrics from his song "Against The Grain" tattooed, and I vow that I will not rest until I've met him and shoved my foot in his face (not as aggressively as that sounds, though!)

City and Colour - "Against The Grain"

2. Meeting Josh Franceschi:

Josh Franceschi,

Taken after a gig in Preston (08/10/11)

Anyone who knows me will know that my obsession with You Me At Six is borderline disturbing. They were the first band I properly liked and everyone used to look at me funny in high school for listening to them in ICT lessons (hahaha). The first time I saw them live I was about 15 years old, and I've been to a show on every tour they've done since. The atmosphere at their gigs is so amazing, and over the years I feel in love with front man Josh Franceschi. For my 18th birthday, Nafisah got me tickets to see them in the city where we go to university. The gig was absolutely amazing, despite her losing one of her shoes and us being separated for half of it, it was hands down one of their best shows I've seen. And as if that wasn't enough we even got to meet Josh afterwards, he was so lovely and not arrogant at all, like some musicians are, he spoke to us for a while, signed our tickets and gave me a mahooosive hug. This will be my favourite individual memory forever more.

You Me At Six - "Liquid Confidence (Nothing To Lose)"

1. The Dykeenies

The Dykeenies have been my favourite band in the world since I was 13 years of age. They unfortunately split up at the beginning of 2012 but they provided me with so many perfect memories. The first time I saw them live, they were supporting The Ordinary Boys in my home town and even though no one in the thousand person strong crowd knew who on Earth they were, they still had every single person singing along to their song. As one of the first gigs I ever went to, the atmosphere was so amazing and I've been in love with them ever since. The next time I saw them live was on their tour when they performed in The Cockpit, Leeds. Because it's a smaller venue, it felt like such an intimate gig and I was right at the front practically sat on the stage. Being so close to them was amazing, and at the age of being a fangirl, I was quite overwhelmed. After the show I was absolutely dying to meet them so I could get their first album signed. We waited for ages and just as we were about to leave the stage door opened and they all came out and signed my CD, let me have photos with them and I even got a drum stick, a guitar pick and a massive hug from my favourite member. That might not sound like a big deal because they're hardly known but they're my favourite band in the entire world. 

Myself and The Dykeenies, (March 2009)

Taken Outside The Cockpit, Leeds

I saw them again a couple of times after that, but it wasn't until the tour for their second album in late 2011 that I met them again. This time, I asked them to sign the pictures from the first time I met them, and the lead singer knew me by name... I passed him the photo and he replied "oh wow you're Jayde Tunnacliffe", well, that was it... the fifteen year old fan girl inside me was back! 

Myself and The Dykeenies (October 2009)
Taken at The Cockpit, Leeds

After that, the drummer messaged me and said they were doing a pre new year's eve gig in York and offered to put me on the guestlist! In early 2012, they announced their split and said they would do a farewell gig in Glasgow (that's where they're from), and even though it was miles away and in a different country (I know it's still part of the UK but it was a long way to go!) I travelled the four hours there to see them. During the gig, I got a shout out from the lead singer right before my favourite song because he recognised me at the front of the crowd and after the show I got to meet them again. Then we were all invited to the afterparty in a club in Glasgow, where the VIP area was sectioned off for the boys and their fans. All in all, it was the best night of my life, and it was definitely worth the 8 hour round trip, being in cold Scotland til 4am and not sleeping for 36 hours! I'm so glad that The Dykeenies were part of my life.

                                      

Myself and The Dykeenies, (May 2012)

Taken both outside and inside Glasgow Students' Union

The Dykeenies - Sounds Of The City 

When did music mean the most to you?

Song of the week

Calvin Harris feat Florence Welch - "Sweet Nothing"

Ever since their collaboration on "spectrum", I've been waiting for another song from Calvin and Florence and this one definitely didn't disappoint. I can't stop listening to this, and it's just one of those songs that guarantees a good mood. It's not my usual type of music at all but I've adored Florence and the Machine for years. Although, I do think she looks a little worse for wear in the video?! (maybe just me). I predict this will go straight in at number 1 when it's released! 

How much is my face worth?

I'd seen a few people do this post, and knew I'd want to shoot myself if I did it. But curiosity killed the cat and I've just sat here for the past five minutes cringing whilst I added up how much money is hidden inside of my make up bag... The rules were you add up everything you put on your face daily and then put a total. Here goes nothing!

1 - Maybelline Fit Me foundation in shade 135/'Creamy Natural' (£7.99) | 2 - Mac Lipglass in 'Pink Poodle' (£13.50) | 3 - Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner (£7.99) | 4 - Benefit Lemon Aid Eyelid Primer (£16.50) | 5 - Avon Colourtrend Kiss n Go lipstick in 'Doll Pink' (£3.75) | 6 - Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette (£36) | 7 - Maybelline Fit Me concealer in shade 20 (£7.95) | 8 - Mac Prep & Prime face primer (£19.50) | 9 - Benefit blusher in bella bamba (£23.50) | 10 - MUA Pressed Powder in shade 4 (£1) | 11 - Avon Supershock waterproof mascara (£10) | 12 - Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in black (£2.99)

TOTAL: £150.67
oops 

**The images used in the first half of this post are not my own, and were sourced from Google**

X Factor: live show one, my favourites

So, the first X Factor live show was on last night and even though you get a bit of X Factor with your adverts rather than a few adverts with your X Factor, and the fact there was multiple unnecessary interruptions (why the hell did One Direction need to stand on stage looking lifeless and unenthusiastic for five minutes?!) my eyes were glued to the screen.

I really thought the 'wild card' place would have gone to Amy Mottram so I was quite shocked when they revealed that it had been won by Christopher Maloney, I know he has a good voice but I don't think he has very much potential and I can't see him selling that many records.

I also didn't understand why the lines were opened before any of the contestants had even sang, it's a singing competition, not a popularity contest, so why should people be able to vote for someone before they've heard them sing?!

Nonetheless, I particularly enjoyed a few performances; my personal favourite contestant is 24 year old James Arthur, I absolutely loved his first audition when he did an acoustic version of Tulisa's 'Young', and I also loved his performance last night of Kelly Clarkson's 'What Doesn't Kill You' (below). I like that he has a different style to most of the other acts in this year's competition (and all the years before it, too) but I feel like rather than allowing him to be himself, they're trying to make him into a bit of a Professor Green, and I'm not sure if I like that or not yet (although it does make me fancy him a little).

Ella Henderson is the one I'm predicting will win the competition, her voice is amazing and the power of it is amazing considering she's only 16 years of age. She sang her own song 'Midnight Train To Georgia'  in her first audition and as a song she wrote herself, it's beautiful. The tone to her voice is so surprising and I could actually listen to her for hours. She sang Take That's 'Rule The World' last night (below) and Gary Barlow said "there's nothing I hate more than when someone else sings my own song ten times better than I do", I think he approved. I did too, she completely stole the show. 

I'd like to think Rylan will be voted off this week, but I know he won't because the 'joke' acts always have staying power (Wagner, Jedward etc.) so I think it will be Louis who loses one of his acts this week... what do you think? Who was your favourite?

Gel eye-liner: Bobbi Brown vs Maybelline

Ever since I discovered what it was, I've been a liquid eye-liner enthusiast and I've worn it everyday since I was about thirteen... I'm a fan of the good old eye-liner flick, too (but when it's nearly touching your eyebrow I think it's about time for some serious life re-evaluation).

Anyway, when I first heard of 'gel' eye-liner it was something I instantly wanted to try because it promised the quick drying, no smudging perfectness that seemed like the holy grail when it came to eye-liner! Now, Bobbi Brown's 'long wear gel eye-liner' was the first one I heard of so I was really excited when I received it as an early birthday present (I even did a little victory dance around my bedroom).

I was slightly disappointed with the product overall, and at first though that might have just been because I had such high expectations of it. I got a Bobbi Brown eye-liner brush with it but I really didn't like this; I felt the bristles were too hard, which made the eye-liner itself very hard to use as it felt like I was applying my make up with a tooth pick!

This aside, I thought I'd give it another go and tried the liner with another brush. Yes, it dries almost instantly but this made it hard to move the eye-liner across the lid. And after wearing it all day, it begins to smudge.

I disappointedly went back to using liquid eye-liner until last week when I was in superdrug and Maybelline  make up was on 3-for-2. So I picked up their version of gel eyeliner to try another brand, thinking that if I was disappointed by it, it hadn't cost me anything.

I was SO pleasantly surprised. Firstly, the brush it came with is amazing, it feels just like a liquid eye-liner applicator, it's easy to move across the eyelid and it dries in seconds, and I've worn it all day/night and it didn't smudge a tiny bit. Priced at £7.99 it's also a bargain compared to the £17 price tag that the Bobbi Brown one carries! 

**The images used in this post are not my own, and were sourced from Google**

weekend wishlist

1. Topshop 'Fairisle Band Back Flippy dress' 

2: Mac lipstick in 'Pink Nouveau'
3. Marc By Marc Jacobs white leather watch
4. River Island Grey 'Molly Jeggings'

5. Bioderma Crealine Cleansing Solution 

6. Pandora music note charm

**The images used in this post are not my own, and were sourced from the cited websites**

"all glory comes from daring to begin"

My name is Jayde and I am 19 years of age, and currently absolutely dreading no longer being a teenager. I'm from West Yorkshire, but I study in Preston at the University of Central Lancashire. I'm obsessed with music, and I spend half of my life stalking Josh Franceschi.

I'm currently in the second year of studying for a degree in English Language and Journalism and as writing has always been a passion of mine, I've been wanting to start a blog for absolutely ages but I've never got round to it because I've never had the time to sit here and learn how to use this website. But after playing around for a while and some help from Nafisah, here I am!

Squareballoons will be an insight into my life and the things I find interesting.One day, when I'm clever enough to figure out how to do it, I might also have a decent layout.

But for now, hello :)