University Book Wishlist

You remember how I quit work with plans to study for a masters? I only went and got offered a place on the course! As of September, I will be studying for a masters degree in Death, Religion and Culture at the University of Winchester. The whole application process was so stressful so I am over the moon that it's all paid off and I am on track to becoming Becky Bedbug BA (Hons) MA (and, eventually, PhD but let's not get ahead of ourselves!) During my last day at work, my colleagues very kindly presented me with an Amazon gift card so I could buy books for my course and, although I haven't received a reading list yet, I'm starting to think of the kind of texts that will be useful to me over the next academic year.

101 in 1001 XXVIII

It's not really come as a surprise to me that I didn't achieve as many of my 101 in 1001 goals as I did last month. In April, I went to Austria, Manchester, Oxford, went to the theatre- twice- and generally had a gay ol' time. In May, I pretty much sat on the sofa for the entire month. Still, this does mean I got a lot of reading done so swings and roundabouts!

#56 Watch 50 new-to-me films 19/50

When watching Greatest 90s Films on Channel 5, Rich was astounded by how many classics I hadn't seen. I'm just not much of a film person- in fact, the last time I watched a new was January so I'm really not a film person! However, Rich did manage to convince me to watch Groundhog Day. I also finally got round to watching Blackfish.

Review // Lush Starcraft Cleanser

In my eyes, it's a huge shame that Lush don't sell more cream cleansers. As much as I love the standard range, it's just so fiddly and time consuming (not to mention messy!) to mix up the solution. 9 to 5, the sole cream cleanser in the permanent collection, is a favourite of mine, so when I saw Starcraft cleanser in the Kitchen, I just had to snap it up.

FF CLXVIII

Carrie looks super cute in this summery yellow striped dress.

Funeral for a Friend // Saying Goodbye

This title makes it sound like somebody has died. Nobody's died. Only my little emo heart.

Way back in the end of 2004, I was happily watching Kerrang when a music video came on that caught my attention. It had everything I wanted in a video- angsty destruction, a storyline I didn't understand but pretended I did and, more importantly, what me and Marie had named HEGs (Hot Emo Guys). The floppy black hair, the skinny figures, the torn jean hems with scruffy Converse... All the things that were essential for a mid-00s emo kid. The video was for Juneau by Funeral for a Friend, a song I vaguely knew through Marie who had been a fan for a while by that point, and I was enamoured with it. It led to a 12-year love affair with this dorky little band from Wales but, as they say, all good things come to an end and this week it was time to say goodbye.

Fathers' Day Gift Guide

It's only 3 weeks until Fathers' Day. Are you prepared? No? Don't worry- I've created a cute little gift guide* for you. Yes, you personally. Of course, we all know about chocolate and cufflinks and World's #1 Dad photo frames so I've tried to think outside the box a little.

*I'm calling it a Fathers' Day gift guide but, y'know, it can be for whoever. Male. Female. Whatevs.

Review // Benefit Gimme Brow

I'm always up for trying a different brow product, so when I was given a free Gimme Brow with my brow wax, I was excited to try it. Gimme Brow is a tinted brow gel designed to make brows look fuller and lusher. 

Nails // Essie Mod Square

Why is this called Mod Square? That's not even a thing. What is a mod square? Why not Mod Squad? There is so much that confuses me about this Essie nail polish but the colour itself is not one. 

Jewellery Box // Simple Silver for Summer

Recently, Jewellery Box asked if I would like to try out some of their pieces and suggested I send an indication of the kind of jewellery I like so they could put together a personalised package. I told them that I like simple pieces, dinosaurs and anything with the letter B, and boy, did they pull through! I'm ecstatic with the jewellery I opened up so I'm really excited to share it with you.

Travel Wishlist

It's only two weeks until Ami and I head off to Amsterdam and I am excited! I've got a fair few travels planned this year so I've been thinking about products I could buy to make my trips easier (and also those that just look cute!)

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I love Sara's floral dress (and her shoes are super cute too!)

Review // Lush Pleasure Dough Bubble Bar

Yes, Pleasure Dough sounds like a euphemism. It's ok to giggle. I did. In actual fact, it's a bubble bar from the Lush Kitchen which I bought on a whim because I wanted a cleanser and resent paying £3.95 delivery for one object. That turned out to be a very good decision as I absolutely love this gorgeous little bar of deliciousness!

Summer 2016 TBR

Last summer, I published a reading list of all the books I wanted to read over the summer. I often find it difficult to decide on which book to read next, so it really helped me to have a set list to reach for. Admittedly, I didn't stick to it rigidly and did veer away from my list at times, but by the end of the summer, I'd read most of my choices (although there are still three that I still haven't picked up a year later!) As it worked so well last year, I've decided to do it again. 

Review // Lush Million Dollar Moisturiser

When I finished my last Lush moisturiser (Celestial, since you're asking), I headed back to Lush to try a new one. My favourite was British Nanny but it was discontinued last year, so I had to settle on a different equally-as-thick moisturiser. I was with Helen at the time and she tried convincing me not to buy this one. I didn't listen and, as I would soon realise, that turned out to be a mistake.

Birthday Wishlist

It's only a month until my birthday and I'm already super excited! Because I'm a child and I love surprises, I still write a birthday list. Rather than Rich asking me exactly what I want, he encourages me to share a selection of things for him to choose from. This means I never know what I'm going to get so it's always very exciting!  

FF CLXVI

OMG Becky had a brooch made in the image of her dog and it's incredible!

Sponsored Video // I Am Me with Evans

Throughout my life, I've been strong in my own character and sense of self-belief. Don't get me wrong, I have hang ups like everybody else and, believe me, I've suffered from terrible low self-esteem, but I've always been very sure about who I am; what makes me special, what makes me unique, what makes me me. It's because of this that I love the new Evans #IAmMe campaign, which celebrates all the important things about each of us, regardless of our body shape. Since I'm a big advocate of owning your personality- both the good qualities and those that may be a little problematic at times- I've decided to share five things that make me who I am.

My Top 5 Eurovision Moments

Unlike seemingly every other blogger in the world, I haven't been obsessed with Eurovision since I was a little girl. I vaguely remember watching the 1998 contest at my Dad's flat- and being completely confused because Israel isn't a European country- and I have such strong memories of the 1999 one (in fact, I can still remember the words to our entry Say It Again. In my diary, I wrote that we were definitely going to win that year because our song was- and I quote- "really jazzy". I was gutted that I missed out on their performance because we didn't leave Pizza Hut soon enough). However, aside from those two incidences, I didn't watch it again until 2006, and that's only because I was stuck inside babysitting my cousin and I knew Lordi were entering. I think the first time I actually got excited about Eurovision was in 2012, so I'm more or less a newcomer to this world. Nevertheless, I absolutely bloody love it and I get super excited every year. One day I will go and see it in person. Or sign myself up as the UK entry. Either or. 

Since it's the second semi-final tonight, and the final itself on Saturday, I thought it would be fun to do a little round up of my favourite Eurovision entries. Nothing like a bit of camp competition!

Review // Laura Mercier Angled Eye Liner Brush

My Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner is pretty much the best product I have ever used, but finding the perfect brush to use with it is a nightmare. At the moment, I usually use my NARS Angled Eyeliner Brush but, since it's pretty big and chunky, it's difficult to get a neat, precise line and winged liner is a no-no. After trying out a huge range of different brushes, from MAC to Real Techniques, I decided to give the super-precise Laura Mercier Angled Eye Liner Brush a go.

My #BAFTAStyle with House of Fraser

I am a sucker for an awards ceremony, especially the BAFTAs. Mostly because it celebrates predominantly British talent but also because, you know, I don't need to stay up all night to watch it. In fact, one of my very first blog posts was all about Red Carpet looks from the 2012 BAFTAs (you can read it here but be warned- it's absolutely terrible!). This year, House of Fraser got in touch to suggest I celebrate the BAFTA TV awards in my own way at home and I was well up for that!

HQ Hair Birthday Party and Good Ship Benefit

Recently, HQ Hair celebrated their 17th birthday and, to celebrate, threw a fancy blogger party in London. I was very happy to be invited along to the celebrations in Park Plaza Westminster along with a whole host of blogging babes. Since the venue was so close to Embankment, I started off with a trip to the Good Ship Benefit.

Review // Diptyque Rosaviola Candle

For Valentine's Day, Rich bought me the limited edition Diptyque Rosaviola candle. I'd like to say he thought of it himself but in reality there was very heavy hinting involved! I know it's way too late to buy the candle now so this won't really be much use to anyone but it's too pretty not to share!

Sponsor Shoutout // Pink Confetti

My penultimate sponsor spot has been snapped up by Nicola of Pink Confetti- a super cute lifestyle, fashion and beauty blog. I had the pleasure of meeting Nicola at the Ice Bar London event (read her review here) and she was a complete sweetheart. That should be reason enough to check out her blog to be honest, but if you need some more persuading, here are three more reasons:

VARIETY If you've been reading my blog for, oooh, all of three seconds, you'll know I love a bit of variety, and Pink Confetti has this in spades! In a typical month, Nicola might post a beauty review, then some facts about herself followed by some book blog posts. You never know what you're going to get next, and that's something I really value in a blog.

FF CLXV

Imii's post about Notre Dame is so lovely and her photos are beautiful! 

Charity of the Month // National Autistic Society

In February, I didn't have to think for a second before choosing two cancer charities for my Charity of the Month spot. The world had lost Alan Rickman, who I was completely besotted with, and I was- and still am- absolutely devastated. In my post, I mentioned that I'd lost two family members to the disease but at the time we were completely unaware that another close relative was oblivious to the illness within her. She was diagnosed shortly after I wrote my post and sadly passed away just two weeks later, so it didn't feel right to take down the sidebar images at the end of the month. Instead, I left them there until today, when it feels like a good time to highlight a different cause. After asking on Twitter, Helen suggested an autism charity, so I've chosen to feature the National Autistic Society.

Review // Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer

Who has two thumbs and left their Smashbox primer in an Austrian hotel room? I can't really say I'm gutted since I wasn't a big fan of it (as this review will testify) but I am pretty annoyed I left a £23 bloody primer in a different country. Oh well, onwards and upwards. When I was canvassing recommendations on great primers for dry skin, Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer came up a lot, so I decided to use my loss as an opportunity to try it out. It's better than the Smashbox one, that's for sure!

What I learned when I stopped scheduling tweets

Scheduling is my life. Scheduled calendar. Scheduled posts. Scheduled tweets. Anything that I can line up in advance and make my life easier. Unfortunately, last month I had an uplanned break from my Bloglovin' promo scheduled tweets, thinking I wouldn't see much difference. Yep, I was wrong. So, so wrong.

Review // Simple Kind to Skin Micellar Cleansing Water

As a rule, I hate Simple products. Despite their intentions, I find them drying and they don't have the best of reputations. However, as I'm trying out every micellar water I can get my hands on, I was willing to give their Micellar Cleansing Water a shot.

101 in 1001 XXVII

Wow, April has been a good month for achieving my goals! I should quit work more often...

#19 Visit Oxford Helen and I visited Oxford but it wasn't quite what we were expecting!