Career Prospects; L'Oreal Graduate Jobs and Careers Talk ¦ Alice Phillips

One thing that everyone panics about nowadays is their future career and what they're going to do after school/university/their current boring jobs. Obviously it is the absolute dream to be able to be a full time blogger and rambler from a cute and cosy area for the rest of your days, but in reality that rarely happens because so many people have now realised how fun it is.

A few months ago I had one of those realisations at 2am in the morning that I had no direction, and no idea what it was that I actually wanted to do. At the time it resulted in a sleepless night and an immediate booking to the careers and employability centre, but it really worried me that I didn't know where I wanted to place myself in the future. Since then, I've been attending a few different talks and fairs and doing a bit of research, and I've finally settled into an area that I want to focus on which is why I actually started this blog in the first place!

Now luckily for me, there was an amazing opportunity at my university to go to an informal question and answer session with some of the girls from L'Oreal to find out more about their summer internships, placements in industry, and also their graduate scheme, which is a great opportunity for any of you girls that might be thinking about what you want to do after university.

The talk was super helpful, and hearing from one of them who had been up through the ranks herself starting from intern level was really comforting in a way, as you can almost see yourself going through the same motions to get to where you want to go. Also, it sounds terrible but I didn't realise up until this point just how many brands were under L'Oreal and just how successful it is! From what they said in the meeting, it would be such an ideal place to work for somebody like me with a passion for beauty and new and exciting endeavours!

Being full of questions for them, obviously I stayed right up to the end to make sure I could get as much out of the opportunity as I could, getting loads of amazing advice and even managing to pick up some amazing freebies from it too! This was SO fabby as I hadn't even realised there would be, and who doesn't love free beauty products?! I know I do.

[L'Oreal Men Expert Hydra-Energetic Quenching Gel, Essie Professional Application Nail Varnish in 'Style Hunter', Maybelline Eyestudio Mono Eyeshadows in 01 Snow White, 280 Fatal Violet and 842 Black Metal]

I got some really cool stuff (although you can't really see the true colours by my dim bedroom lighting!), including a fabulous deep pink Essie nail varnish, and three Maybelline Eyestudio Mono Eyeshadows which will make such a nice vibrant purple smokey eye for a night out!

I know maybe it isn't that panicking time for you just yet, but I would definitely recommend looking into great opportunities like this if you're thinking about the beauty industry at all. I know that perhaps being at university I'm in a better position for getting information about careers, and I'm really lucky in that sense, but it doesn't mean that you can't reach out for information and look into these great opportunities too! 

If you're interested in looking at places like L'Oreal, it's a really good idea to follow them on twitter and/or instagram to keep up to date with new opportunities that they have. Their twitter(s) are @LOrealGradJobs and @LOrealCareers, and their instagram username is @LOREALGRADUATES. I think there still may be a few Q&A talk sessions around the country, so definitely look into it for some guidance!

Alice x

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Beauty Bargains and Black Basics ¦ Alice Phillips

If there's one thing that I absolutely love, its a good bargain. Be it clothes, makeup, or even a cheeky little find in the reduced section at the supermarket! So after finishing exams and working out my finances from now up until April, I thought it was time that I had a well-deserved shopping spree with some of my spare money to reward myself for all of that last minute cramming I'd forced myself to do. 

Although there really wasn't much spare money in my budget, I'm a very firm supporter of the idea that although expensive things are nice, why spend all of your money on one thing when you can get absolutely loads of new things for the same price? So that's when I decided that it was time for a refresh on some areas of my beauty collection, and also my staple basics in my wardrobe.

[All MUA: Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Halcyon, Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Dare, Undress Your Skin Under Eye Concealer in Luminous, Anti Bleed Lip Liner in Clear, Blusher in Bon Bon, Eyeshadow Palette in Romantic Efflorescence, Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit in Fair-Mid]

To start my trip off, obviously me and my gal pals went for lunch (you can see my post about it here, such a lovely place!) and then I headed straight to superdrug for some new additions to my makeup bag. As I've never owned anything from MUA Makeup Academy before, I thought it was time to give them a try, especially as they had a really good offer on of spending £6 and getting a free Undress your Skin Under Eye Concealer. This meant that I managed to buy lots of fun, new products to try and it barely even touched my bank account. Amazing right?

One thing I've been playing around with recently is eyeshadow. My basic range of brown and umm... more brown is getting a bit boring, so a shadow palette was one of the must-have things for me on my list (I always use a list, I'm about as forgetful as they come!). This beautiful one is the Romantic Efflorescence Palette, full of lovely plum and purpley shades with some great metallics and bases thrown in. I thought it would help me stray from my plain brown, even if it's only a slight difference in colour, and at £4 for 12 colours it's an absolute steal.

Something else I've been meaning to try out is an eyebrow shadow, as usually I stick to my Benefit Brow Zings Gel in Light which is part of the Smokin' Eyes Kit (on sale on the website at the moment!), which although helps give me some shape, doesn't really define or give any variation. So I picked up the Pro-Brow Ultimate Eyebrow Kit in Fair-Mid as my blonde hair and mousey roots fall right into that category. If it doesn't work for me, it's only £3.50 so it's just a bit of trial and error I suppose? But I'm definitely looking forward to having a play around with the two different shadows that are in it along with the highlight and gel. 

My Sugarbomb Blush  is coming to it's end sadly, so this £1 Blusher in Bon Bon seemed a perfect replacement to try out. I have already used it as I was way too impatient to wait until after I posted, and I can safely say it's lovely pinky peach colour is absolutely great for pale skin. Just be careful of how much you put on your blusher brush as it's a very strong colour and a little definitely goes a long way!

The first lip product I picked up was the Anti Bleed Lip Liner in Clear. As a lover of all things 'lippy', I sometimes get quite frustrated trying to find liners to match my lipsticks well, and therefore thought that it might be worth giving this clear one a go. It was just something that caught my eye, and also there's a little sharpener in the lid which is really handy.

 A product that I have been seriously lusting after for some time now is the LimeCrime Velvetine, which is a lip product that goes on like a gloss but dries in a super pigmented and beautiful matte that is touch and transfer proof and long wearing. As they are really difficult to get in the UK, mainly because they are always sold out, I spent a couple of hours browsing the web prior to my trip to find some dupes that would be fun for me to try out. Initially I wanted the Sleek Matte Me Lipgloss in  Birthday Suit, but it was the only one that was out of stock - typical! So instead I picked up these two MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers. 

The first is Halcyon, which is quite a nude colour with a peachy brown tint to it. I think it's so pretty, as it has a bright edge which I think will really perk up your makeup if you're going for the nude look. Also, it's been compared to the colour of Kylie Jenner's famous lips online, so that's always a plus!

The second is Dare, which is a new colour to the Luxe Velvet Lacquers collection, and is an amazing almost plummy fuchsia colour which will just be great for dressing your face up for an evening or night out. Definitely super excited to use this one!  

In addition to my lovely (not-so) little MUA haul, I took a trip to Primark to stock up on basics. For some reason, all of plain basics and staple wardrobe items that I have tend to go missing, and I'm forever having to replace them. Hence why primark is my go-to place as it's super-savvy!

Although I didn't really get anything exciting (apart from that boyfriend blazer which was reduced to £7!!), I managed to get a lot of nice new things for less than £50, which is always exciting enough for me. However, when I got it all home I realised that almost all of the things I'd picked up (bar the grey top, scarf and undies) were black! Boring much?

One of the pairs of shoes I picked up were replacements of old ones, as at £10 how can you not be able to justify prolonging your favourite pair of shoes? You just can't really!

All in all I think that my shopping trip was extremely successful. New wardrobe essentials, new shoes, and a brand new bulk of beauty bargains. Although I won't be shopping anytime soon (apart from my Makeup Revolution package which is waiting in the post office, eek!) I definitely think I've got enough to be keeping myself happy for the next few months. A bit of retail therapy never hurt anyone!

Alice x

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The Cutest Cafe in Cardiff ¦ Alice Phillips

Living in Cardiff, one of the first things you realise is that there are plenty of sweet little coffee shops to snug up in and cute unique places to eat. However, I definitely think I've found my new favourite cafe to snug up in on a weekend: Barker Tea House. 

After FINALLY finishing my exam season at uni, I allowed myself to be a lady of leisure for the day, and go lunching with my favourite gal pals before hitting the shops for a bit of a spending spree. My friend Lucy has been here before and raved about both the food and the drinks, so she took us along so that we could see what all the fuss was about ourselves - and I'm so glad that she did.

As Barker Tea House is in the High Street Arcade in the centre, it's a spot that's slightly hidden and also protected a bit from the winter winds outside (but even the seats outside still had blankets on to keep you warm, how cute?!), yet despite this it was still fairly busy when we went in and I'm not surprised! Filled with big cosy armchairs and sofas with a shabby chic interior, it really is such a pretty spot and it feels so cosy. Candles on all of the tables, and really unique touches that make the difference.

[I think the lipstick mark has ruined the picture slightly!]

Although they have quite a large list of hot chocolates and fancy teas, I opted for the cafetiere coffee because it is one of those little luxuries that I miss from being at home. What I found was a particularly nice touch is that you get your own individual components for everything - a personal cafetiere, a mini glass bottle of milk, and obviously the charming little missmatched cup and saucers to drink from.

[Lucy and her Goats Cheese and Tomato Panini. It had a much better description than that, but I really can't remember!]

The menu for Barker Tea house really isn't that exhaustive, but for me that's really okay because what they do serve is absolutely amazing. Their afternoon tea option is (I think, but don't quote me on this) what they're known for, and they have a really nice selection of cakes on the counter to choose from along with a small breakfast menu (served until 12pm) and a list of salads. However, we all chose to opt for the paninis, which come on their own but are absolutely jam packed with delicious fillings and served on fabulous herbed bread. 

[My Bacon, Brie and Cranberry Panini. It looks small, but it was super-packed and so filling! Delish!]

Lucy had I think the Goats cheese and sunblushed tomato panini, whilst me and the other two girls all got the bacon, brie and cranberry. Absolutely delicious! All came with a really nice tangy chutney too which was super nice with all of the paninis.

We ended up staying and chatting for at least two hours whilst lounging in their comfy chairs and grazing on our food. It was really so nice, and the atmosphere was just so relaxed and homely. On their Facebook the Barker Tea house has been rated with so many five star views, and I'd definitely give it that too!

After lunching, I went on a massive spree and spent way too much money, both on clothes and makeup, so keep a look out for my next post on all the fabby things I picked up.

Go and check out Barker Tea house, its such a lovely place that you're guaranteed to love it!

Alice x

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