A Letter to my 18 Year Old Self

So tomorrow I turn twenty and bid my teenage years goodbye. Although this is a scary thought, I am ready to move on and embrace everything my twenties have to offer. Even though it was just two years ago, I feel since turning 18 I have grown and learned so much so I decided to get a bit personal and post a letter to my eighteen year old self..

Dear eighteen year old Michelle,

You are in your final few months of secondary school and have many big decisions to make. It is time to apply to college courses and decide what to do next. While everyone around you will become more and more stressed you'll continue on being your laid back self and not let it phase you. Work hard in school, the result of not working as hard as you could have and not believing in yourself is that you have doubts about your college course today. Don't worry though, you will be happy in what you're doing and have plenty of time later if you want to change career path. You will thank yourself later for truly enjoying the last year of school instead of getting too stressed. It will end up being one of the best years you have had with your big group of friends who will forever hold a place in your heart. 

Document everything- take pictures and print them out, save concert tickets and cards because they are all so nice to look back on. When you open the box that you threw anything of slight significance into it will leave you laughing, crying and reminiscing about all of the amazing times you have had. Be more confident and express what you love! You will regret your shy ways later. You care way too much about what other people think but at the end of the day, the nameless faces you saw walking the school corridor didn't care what you were doing, they had their own lives to live. Live in the moment, say YES to opportunities and put your phone down because the funny memories you make will stay with you forever. Enjoy yourself but don't get too drunk, you know your limits so respect them even if the drink is free. 

You are about to experience so many new people and new things so embrace them with open arms, you won't regret it. The main and significant relationship you have will teach you so much about yourself and others around you. They will make you laugh through the highs and lows and always be there for you. You will have the best time together but as they say, all good things come to an end and even though you will miss them, you'll know the timing was right and it couldn't have ended better. Being your first love, they will always hold a place in your heart so remember it's ok to feel sad when they're gone. You need to learn to let people go. If someone doesn't love you and want the best for you then stop holding on- that goes for everyone in your life. It may seem tough at the time but it gets easier as time goes on.

Exercise more- that tiny figure you once had won't last forever so get used to exercising while you can (even though I know you won't!). Body confidence will become a huge problem, something you didn't see coming however everyone around it is feeling it too, you're not alone.

You have so much to look forward to in the coming two years. The Debs, a night that you dreamed about and looked forward to for years will finally come and it will exceed expectations. No need to fret, you will have a date and even get to two more debs which you will also have an amazing time at.  You'll dance all night, wear an amazing dress and not have a care in the world! Who knew that the J1 to California that you have always talked about would become a reality in 2016? I'm currently getting set up and ready to go so yep- get excited!

Although at the time you couldn't see it, getting up and leaving the house was the best thing you could have done for yourself. When you actually start going to college and meeting new people you will feel so much happier- productivity makes you feel great. Getting outside, talking and laughing is so therapeutic so just do it! It's ok to have a lazy morning watching Love, Rosie and sleeping in until 1pm but filling your days with laughter, good friends and family is the key to a good day. Something I admire about you is how comfortable you are in your own company. Although I just told you to go out and experience things, if a party or a night out comes up and you don't want to go, thats ok too. Something that you will have to deal with is the fact that you're kind and a people pleaser, some people in your life will recognise this and manipulate you. You do you and go with your gut!

Lastly you need to look around and appreciate everyone in your life, they are all amazing! Some may come and go but recognise that they have entered your life for a reason and they should be thanked for that. You will lose sight of this appreciation for quite a while but when it comes back you will be more thankful and loving than ever, even if you may not express it all of the time.

Keep your head up and enjoy yourself,
Love from your older, yet not much wiser, 20 year old self x

Thank you so much for reading, if you got this far I applaud you! Writing this letter took so much thought, editing and tears and I'm so happy I could share it with you all. I truly recommend writing a letter to your younger self, it is such an emotional experience but so worth it in the end. Thanks again for reading and make sure to let me know what you would tell your younger self in the comments below!

Don't forget to put your email address in the side bar if you want email notifications about when I post and make sure to follow my snapchat- michellealicex to keep up with me day to day!

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Kylie Lip Kit | Review& Swatches

Well isn't this an exciting post? I must admit, when the Kylie Lip Kits launched I wasn't too pushed. I already had a few dark nudes and didn't feel like I needed to pay $29 for another one, especially because I was never a Kylie fan in the first place. That was the case until I saw Lily Melrose's First Impressions video on the first three shades that were released. The video caused me to do some research and fall in love with some of the colours, especially after hearing so many rave reviews on them. With that I followed Kylie on Snapchat and Instagram and awaited the announcement about the restock. Luckily I got my hands on both of the shades I wanted when they came out- yay!

The two shades I got were Dolce K and True Brown K. There isn't much to say about True Brown K other than it really is a true dark brown! I decided to get this shade as it is a little bit out of my comfort zone, I knew when buying it that there would be a risk of me not liking it or it not suiting me but yep I was wrong. I actually love this shade, I have nothing like it! It is super vampy on and just looks really different.

Dolce K on the other hand is right up my street- it is a dark nude shade. The colour is quite similar to my other nudes but I thought I would buy it anyway so I could compare them all, plus because I wear dark nudes so much I knew I would get the wear out of it. As these Kylie Lip Kits are so hard to get, I decided to swatch some alternatives beside it to give you an idea of how similar Dolce K is to so many other shades that are widely available. Dolce K liquid lipstick and lipliner are on the bottom beside Lolita by Kat Von D on the left. Directly above them is Whirl lipstick by MAC with Spice lipliner by MAC on top. As you can see, Dolce K has the least amount of pink in it- something that I personally prefer. Whirl lipstick is probably its closest match that I can find, a great dupe if you are struggling to get your hands on Dolce K!

So what did I think of the kits?

First of all I love the packaging, from the boxes to the 'handwritten' note from Kylie I think it is presented very well.

Starting off with the lipliners, they get a big thumbs up from me. They are so creamy, much better than the MAC lipliners in my opinion and they perfectly match their corresponding liquid lipstick.

As for the liquid lipsticks? I'm a big fan. They lasted all day for me through eating and drinking and were a killer to get off (I always take that as a good sign). I was scrubbing at my lips for ages with my micellar water before admitting defeat and going in with an oil based remover. The applicator is the nicest out of all the liquid lipsticks I have tried too. My only complaint was that Dolce K settled into my lines on my lips, however I think that was because my lips were unbelievably dry when I tried it out- my bad! 

Altogether for the two lip kits, including shipping it cost me about €66. Although that might seem outrageous to some, for two high quality liquid lipsticks and lipliners and shipping from the states, I don't think that is half bad. Shipping was very fast too, I ordered it on Monday the 9th of March in the evening and it arrived the morning of Wednesday the 18th. I was able to track my order efficiently the whole journey too.

Overall Kylie, you have a thumbs up from me! The Lip Kits are available from the Kylie Cosmetics website.

Check out my Instagram, michelledalyxx, for pictures of me wearing the colours and follow me on Snapchat (michellealicex) because I did a live unboxing of the lip kits when they arrived. 

Have you tried any of the Kylie Lip Kits?!

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Guinness Storehouse | OOTD

Sometimes you can lose sight of how interesting the place you live can be. While I used to complain about there being nothing to do in Dublin, I never really did any touristy things. I have decided to actually get out and explore Dublin with the first stop being The Guinness Storehouse at St. James Gate. 

For the last few months I have wanted to go here, after visiting the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam (a must see if you're there) I put the Storehouse on my to- do list. My grandad worked in the brewery for years and he was an avid Guinness drinker so I weirdly feel a connection to the place. So yesterday, the 16th of March I headed down to see what all the fuss was about.

Tickets cost €16 for a student and we found parking easily around the corner because the car park was full. All in all we had such a lovely day, the interior was stunning and we even got to pull our own pints. If you're ever in Dublin or even if you're from Dublin yourself- go and see it! There was such a nice atmosphere being the day before St. Patrick's Day and everyone was just so friendly. 

On to my outfit- I wore this H&M faux leather jacket and a thin H&M kakhi jumper. I paired this with my black Jamie jeans from Topshop and my Topshop boots. I had my eye on these for so long but couldn't justify paying full price for them, that was until they went on sale and were half price! I also wore my old Urban Outfitters bag that I have had for years. On my lips I'm wearing Dolce K by Kylie Cosmetics- full review coming very soon so watch this space.

I'm going to leave you with a few photos from the day so if you take anything from this- explore your own city, you may be surprised about how much you can see. Oh and happy St. Patrick's Day!

Guinness Storehouse Information

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My Contour& Highlight Routine

Oh contouring, your average gals attempt to chisel out and sculpt some cheekbones! I have been trying to perfect my contour routine for so long, experimenting with different bronzers and brushes however I have finally found a routine that suits my skin tone, thats easy and gives my face a bit of shape. In my experience, I have found the products I use in the most unlikely places so if you aren't happy with your routine, have a dig around your current makeup collection and you might just be surprised with what you can find.

I start out with bronzing up my face, an essential step to give my face some life and colour after I have applied foundation. For this I use the Flawless Bronzing/ Blush brush, a flat top kabuki brush that seems to pick up the perfect amount of product and the shade 'Shadowplay' (The middle shade on the bottom row) from the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette. This is quite a warm brown shade which warms up my complexion when applied. I focus this colour on just under my cheek bones, on my temples and down my neck. 

One day after deciding 20 minutes in bed was more beneficial than doing my makeup (yep, it was) I packed up my makeup and decided to do it in the car. After realising that I forgot my usual contour shade I had to improvise and came across my Too Faced Natural Matte Palette. On a whim I used the shade 'Nudie' and I have never looked back since. It is the perfect shade to create a really natural shadow because it is so cool toned and isn't too dark. I use the Zoeva 110 Face Shape brush to apply it focusing on the hollows of my cheeks.

For blush, my go to is always something quite natural. Lately I have been loving the shade 'Molten' in the Sleek Blush by 3 Flame palette. Moving on to highlight, can you guess what product I use? Yep its the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Champagne Pop. I won't bore you by rambling about my love for this product so I'll just say that I got it for Christmas and I haven't been using any other highlighter since. I usually just pop this on the tops of my cheekbones, on my brow bone and on my cupids bow, easy peasy. 

I hope you enjoyed this contour routine, what do you use to contour and highlight?

I also started a snapchat for my blog! My username is michellealicex if you want to follow me, I'll follow you straight back!

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