Twas the night before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.

As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.

A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!

H x

Tag: It's all about me

I'm back in England! It's cold, and I'm not used to it. But it is so lovely to be back.

Waiting at the bus stop, to go the airport back to England.

I thought I would put this tag post up today. I read it on some other blogs and loved seeing other people's answers so here are my thoughts, plus I'm tagging a few people too as I'd love to know some more about them.

I answered these questions on Thursday as I was packing to come home for Christmas.

So here goes...

Vital Statistics:

Me: Georgia

Nicknames: George, Georgie, G and H

Birthday: 4^th November

Place of Birth: London

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio

Male or Female: Female

Occupation: Student

Residence: At the moment, Malta

Screen Name: Becoming Hugo

Appearance:

Hair Colour: Brown

Hair Length: Longish

Eye colour: Dark Brown

Best Feature: Eyes

Height: 5ft 3"

Braces?: I had them when I was younger

Glasses?: Nope

Piercings?: Ears x3

Tattoos?: None

Righty or Lefty: Righty

Your 'Firsts':

First Best Friend: Lucy, she lived next door when we were babies and we grew up together

First Award: Errrrm..I got my first LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) award when I was about 10, I’m pretty proud of that actually

First Sport You Joined: Gymnastics. Does that count as a sport? If not then Netball

First Real Holiday: America

First Concert: All Saints, and I met the Spice Girls there, best day of my life!

First Love: My Daddy :)

Favourites:

Movie: Oh, this changes depending on what mood I’m in. But...I would have to say, my favourite comedy is ‘In Bruges’ and my favourite chick flick is ‘Easy A’

TV Show: Game of Thrones, it’s the only program I have ever got to the end of, and wanted to put back on again straight away

Colours: Purple and Green

Song: Georgia on my Mind by Ray Charles or Just the Way you are by Barry White

Sweets: I'm not a sweet person. Honestly, at a restaurant when everyone chooses a desert after the meal, I’ll order another started instead

Restaurant: I don’t have one. I love discovering new places to eat. I’m such a foodie!

Store: For clothes; Zara or Urban Outfitters

Book: This changes regularly, but I recently finished a book called ‘The Help’ and I really enjoyed that

Magazine: Company & Glamour

Shoes: If I could wear heels all day I would, but it’s just not practical

Currently:

Feeling: Excited, I get to see my family soon :)

Single or Taken: Taken

Eating: Nothing, but I am drinking a cup of tea

Typing: This

Online: Obviously! (I'm addicted)

Listening To: Nothing..I’m chatting to my housemates

Thinking About: Christmas

Wanting: The weather to not be too cold in England (fat chance!)

Watching: The amazing view from our balcony

Wearing: My PJ’s

Future:

Want Children?: Yes, but not any time soon

Want to be Married: If I can find someone willing to put up with my weirdness

Careers in Mind: Not sure yet

Where do you want to live?: I’d love to have a career in London, but after that, who knows

Have you ever:

Kissed a Stranger: hmmm, probably

Had Alcohol: Silly question...

Smoked: Doesn’t appeal to me

Ran Away From Home: Never

Broken a bone: Luckily no

Got an X-ray: Yes

Broken Someone's Heart: I hope not

Broke Up With Someone: Yes

Cried When Someone Died: Yes

Cried At School: Yes, mainly from giggling too much with my friends

Do You Believe In:

God: Nope

Miracles: Yes. Not in a spiritual way, but I’d like to think even the little things can be miracles

Love At First sight: Nope

Ghosts: Nope

Aliens: Surely we can’t be the only living things in this universe? But I don’t believe in the stereotypical aliens that leave crop circles and are green with odd shaped heads.

Soul Mates: Nope

Heaven: Nope

Hell: Nope

Kissing on The First Date: Sure

Yourself: Every day

So there it is. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'd like to tag:

British Beauty Geek
Seeking Serendipity
That's So Phoebe
A Little Beauty Spot
Raspberphobia
Bow Tied Beauty

If there is anyone else who would like to do this tag, I'd love for you to link it below for us all to read. Also, I have some reviews in the pipeline, so they should be up soon.

H x

P.S. A quick congratulations to my beautiful cousin who gave birth to a gorgeous little girl on Wednesday.

She is so tiny and perfect :) Also, I promise my eyebrows are even in real life, the lighting for this picture left me a little lop sided...

Christmas in Sliema

Every year I get super excited for Christmas, but this year I have found myself getting even more into the spirit. Maybe it's because I'm abroad, so it's mixed with excitement to go home and see my family. Or because pinterest/youtube/instagram are full to the brim of Christmas ideas and celebrations. Either way, I cannot wait!

I wanted to show you how the town where I am staying, Sliema, is celebrating Christmas, with Christmas lights and all things Christmassy :)

I hope everyone is having a good time, getting excited for Christmas. I've bought lots of presents for people, (but some are just so tricky to buy for). Have you bought all your presents yet, or do you end up leaving until the very last minute?

H x

Christmas Wishlist #1

Hope you all have had a lovely week. I know I have as my boyfriend came out to Malta to see me. I haven't seen him in three months so it was amazing to see him!

Anyway, here are some of the things on my Christmas Wishlist :)

1. Stone pendant necklace from Urban Outfitters.
This necklace is so pretty. I love the purple colour, and have been wearing lots of gold recently, so it's perfect. It's very wearable and will go with loads of outfits this winter, whilst still looking lovely come spring/summer over some pastel colours or light floral patterns. £18

2. Mac Quad Eye Shadow Palette
I have been lusting over some Mac eye shadows for ages now, so this has been on my Christmas list since waaaayy back. The two colours that have caught my eye are Satin Taupe and Smut, as I think the purple-y shades will  go beautifully with brown eyes. £6.50 for Palette and £10 each for the eye shadow refill pan

3. Lauren McCalmont 'Love My Winter Warmers Glad The Boiler Broke' Scarf from Asos
This scarf is on my wishlist, and I'm pretty sure that's where it will stay with this hefty price tag. I like how the bright pink looks against the darker colours, and think it's a really fun scarf, but for £55! 

4. Topshop Leigh Skinny Jeans in Dark Khaki
I already have these jeans in a different colour and LOVE them. I tend to live in jeans, so like to have different colours giving me more choice. A perfect colour for winter. £38

5. Ribbon Hair Ties from notonthehighstreet.com
Pretty colours, plus they aren't supposed to leave that kink you get in your hair when you have a hair band in for too long. Useful! £10

I hoped you liked the first of my Christmas Wishlists. Let me know if you have any of these items, or if they're on your own list? If you have written a similar blog post about what you would like for Christmas, then please link it below as I find it interesting reading what other people want this year (plus I'm nosey).

H x

November Empties

So here's a quick list of some of the products that I have run out of recently. Some of them are miniatures or travel sizes because they were easy for me to pack and bring to Malta. Luckily the boyfriend is coming out to visit me in a week so I have requested that he brings some replacements with him :)

Charles Worthington Brilliant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner
To be completely honest I didn't notice any difference to my hair when using these products. The only real positive I can say about them was the fact they were travel size so easy to pack into my suitcase.

Nobel Isle Summer Rising Body Wash
I really like this body wash. It lathers really nicely. A little of this product goes a long way. It has lasted me quite a while. I have only just run out of this, and I've been here 2 months. It also smells good. I've already written a review about this product when I tried it out when I first got it in a Glossybox. To read that post click here.

Clynol Enrich Colour Shampoo
Another Glossybox Product. This shampoo is specifically for coloured hair. My hair is dyed at the tips, so tends to get dry, but my hair felt so silky and soft after using this shampoo. A strange consistency (it looks more like a conditioner than a shampoo) but it works. A bit too expensive for my student (and abroad) budget, but this may make an appearance on my Christmas list.

YVES Rocher Ultra Sexy Pulp Mascara
I first tried this mascara when it came with a Glossybox (see post here) and since then my love for this product has grown. It is now my favourite day time mascara and I have already ordered a replacement. If you haven't tried this mascara before, then you should! Plus it's half price currently on the website.

Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner in Black
Not much to say about this product other then it's the only pencil eyeliner I've used that actually lasts on my eyes. What more could you want from an eyeliner :)

Moisturiser
I have oily skin and for ages refused to wear moisturiser but after doing some research I found out that even oily skin can be dry and it's really important to moisturise. I bought this as it is specially for oily skin and found that my skin looks a lot healthier since using it, and my skin is a little bit less oily.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Sorry there were so many mentions of Glossybox, but I really loved receiving those boxes once a month. It's such a shame they don't deliver to Malta. I'd love to know what your views are on beauty boxes. I'm thinking of trying out Joliebox this Christmas when I go home. Do you have a preference?

H x

My Halloween Look

Hey!

I hope you all had a really good Halloween. I went to a haunted village with my housemates and had the daylights scared out of me. I'm pleased that I don't have to go through that again until next year!

Here's the look I chose for Halloween.

What I used:

Face:
No. 7 Beautiful Skin Day cream
Specially for oily skin. I love this moisturiser, it's my favourite.
No. 7 Beautifully Matte Foundation in 'Cool Ivory'
This foundation is too light for my now as I have a bit of a tan so it worked well for creating a pale base.
HD Brows Kit in Foxy
I used the matte colour to create bags under my eyes.

Eyes
Elf Eye Primer
HD Brows Kit in Foxy
I used this not only on my brows but on my eyes too. I wanted a matte colour and it was the darkest one I had.
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner
Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eyeliner
Avon Glimmerstick Eyeliner in Diamonds

I know I used a lots of eyeliners, but I wanted a really dark eye, with a little bit of glimmer on the inner corner

Lips
No. 7 in 'Raisin Shimmer'

I'd love to know what you dressed up as for Halloween?

H x

Seven Things for Seven Days (sort of) - November

So Sprinkle of Glitter (if you don’t read her blog then I SERIOUSLY recommend you check it out) started up this feature which is called 7 things in 7 days and it sounded like a good idea, so I thought I would join in. The idea is that you choose seven things that you’d like to achieve in seven days. Like a relaxed to do list.

However I am adapting it slightly, as I’m going to increase the amount of time I have to complete these tasks. So my seven things that I’d like to achieve in November are;

Get Prepared for Christmas

Being abroad it is going to be a bit more difficult to organise people’s Christmas presents, so I want to start early and get prepared.

Send Postcards

I have so many postcards I have to send off to friends and family. Once I start writing them, then I’ll plough through and get them all done...I just have to get started first.

Explore More of Malta

Since starting uni, experiencing difference areas of Malta has taken a back seat. I don’t want to waste the time I have here so I am going to put down my work and go out and see what more this country has to offer.

Volunteering

I would really like to get more than just a qualification out of this year, and I would love to give something back. In this month I want to do some research into what volunteering is available to me.

Cook a meal I’ve never Cooked Before

I love love love cooking! My only limitations are budget and what I can get hold of in the Maltese supermarkets.

Start Another DIY Project

I’ve really enjoyed doing some DIY projects out here, so I might have a look on Pinterest and find some more ideas

Keep up to Date

Recently I’ve been a bit lax with my ‘photo every day’, uploading a week’s worth of photos at a time. I would like to be uploading every day or every other day.

So those are my seven things and I’ll let you know how I do. If you’d like to see Sprinkle of Glitter’s most recent post about it then click here, and if you’d like to join in, leave a link to your post below and I’d love to see what you choose. 

Review: Hawaiian Tropic

I know this isn’t a beauty product, but I received this Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Sun Lotion with an ASOS order a while ago and now I’ve had a chance to use it, I thought I’d write a quick review.

The website describes the product as having “ultra-luxurious hydrating silk ribbons” which “nourishes and pampers skin”. Plus it even protects you from UV :)

I have to agree with the website. The product applies easily and soaks in quickly, without leaving the skin sticky. I agree that it is hydrating and moisturises the skin. Plus it smells amazing! I would be tempted to use it as an everyday moisturiser, rather than just sun cream.

It comes up more expensive than other sun lotions but I would say it is worth the extra expense (and I really surprise myself by saying that).

Hope you guys are enjoying the lovely sun like I am, though chances are you’re heading very quickly into winter and putting sun cream on is the last thing on your mind!

H x

DIY: Lace Jars

These lace jars were so easy to make and look so pretty and elegant. The jars are just old food jars washed out, and the lace I picked up from a market (1 euro for loads of the stuff, ooooh I love a bargain)

To make them, I just simple cut the lace to the correct size, and using a cheap-as-chips glue stick, glued the lace to the jar. I then wiped the glue off where there were large gaps in the lace. Easy!

These jars can we used for all sorts, but I think I will fill one with pens, and the other can hold my makeup brushes. Just what I needed.

H x

P.s. Let me know what you think of these DIY posts? I recently made some bunting, and am going to make some more soon. I could do a step by step tutorial?

October Wishlist

It's been a bit odd being in Malta this autumn. Normally at home I would be getting my boots out, and putting my scarves on. Cups of tea in front of the fire. And many other things lots of other bloggers have been talking about.

But over here in Malta it is still about 27 degrees. And it's hard to get excited about Winter and Christmas when sunbathing on a beach!

I have been told it will get cold in a month or so though, so my wishlist reflects what I would like as the weather gets a bit cooler. (Plus I am going home for a couple of weeks for Christmas so will need some bits then)

So here goes:

1. Essie nail varnish in the colour 'Carry On'
2. 'Live Laugh Love' Cushion from Next
3. Jumper from Mango
4. Black Bag from Zara
5. Lipstick from Topshop in the colour Beguiled
6. Flask from Cath Kidston

H x

Helpful Hugo: How to apply mascara

So this may seem like a really obvious thing to some people, I know it is to me, but there may be some people who would like to know this simple trick for making less mess when applying your mascara.

I mentioned it briefly to my housemates a while ago and none of them had heard of this trick I thought was so widely known, and they were pretty pleased to hear this tip.

To stop your mascara smudging  and leaving marks on the top of your eye under your brow bone, you should do your lower lashes first...

and that's it :)

Simple trick, but if you put mascara on the other way round, you will probably notice the difference if you switch.

Hope this helped

H x

One view, Four pictures

This morning I work up and the view from our balcony was breathtaking and I had to take a picture (mainly to show off to family and friends from home). 

Then at around mid day we had the craziest thunderstorm. It came on so quickly and heavy. The sea got really choppy, and we could see the boats struggling to come in to harbour. The roads were flooded in about five minutes, we experienced the loudest thunder, not to mention the lightening which was purple! My housemates and I just stood out on our balcony and watched in awe at the scene in front of us. I managed to take a picture of the thunder clouds rolling in before the rain started tipping it down. 

That evening there was a beautiful subtle sunset over the city of Valletta, and once the sun had set you could see the whole town lit up and it's mirror reflection in the water.

So today I ended up with four very different pictures of the same view from my balcony. Looking at them reminds me how lucky I am to be here, experiencing this incredible country and all it has to offer. 

10 o'clock in the morning, we had no idea what was coming

You can see the thunder clouds rolling in

Beautiful pink sky

Night time reflection in the sea

H x

Pinterest

So it's official. I'm addicted to Pinterest. If I'm not reading blogs or vlogs then I'm pinning. And not just a little...it's all the time.

If you don't know what Pinterest is, then where have you been?

Pinterest is a virtual pin board  It's a site where people can upload and view other people pictures, and then 'pin' them to their own boards. 

I try and explain it to all my friends and they don't really understand it. And I get that, because I was pretty unsure about it at first. But trust me, give it a go.

You can get craft ideas, decorating ideas, recipes ideas, funny pictures to cheer you up, outfit ideas, nail varnish ideas and loads loads more. 

But be warned, it is addictive!

H x