I had a pretty good 2018, all things considered. Compared to 2017, or at least the last few months of the year (arguably, anything is better), it was great. I done a whole post about 2018 and what it taught me, so I really don't want to reiterate myself too much here, but I think it's really important to reflect on the year I've had.

For someone who hates to take blogging breaks, I sure take a lot of 'em...

I promised to myself after my post all about the Dominican Republic that I'd stick to my schedule, after so long of only blogging when I felt like it. But that obviously didn't happen, life got in the way of my blogging dreams, and we're back to one post a month.


I feel like it's only right to update you on my life - I have been very busy (to be expected with uni) and probably will be until the middle of December, after exams finish, but I've also came to lots of realisations about myself and the people around me (2018, the year of realising stuff).

I can already tell that writing this post will make me sad because I am currently in an economics lecture, whereas a few months ago I was in the Dominican Republic. I done a looooot of research before I went, but there was some things which I seen nothing about and wish I knew before I went.

I have a problem with forgetting to be thankful for the little things. I (along with a lot of other people) am just so busy in my day to day lives that I often forget that there are so many things to be thankful for.

I apologise wholeheartedly for the amount of 'lifestyle' posts I've done recently. 




 I'm also sorry for not blogging recently, and I felt like I needed to explain why. As I'm writing this, I'm suffering from writers block - because I genuinely don't know how to word what I have been feeling for the past month-and-a-bit. I'm not going to go into the ins and outs of my life and how things have been recently, but I have found it difficult to sit down and write blog posts, even though, reading this post, it's obvious I wanted to believe otherwise.

I really don't want to let my blog stagnate, as there is nothing I love more than blogging, but my heart just wasn't there for the past month, and instead of writing mediocre content I'm not proud of, I just didn't try and blog. Believe me. there were moments where I'd think of great posts, but actually sitting down to write them was a different story. And then, this would inevitably lead me to worry that I am a bad blogger. I actually took a mini-break (I'm not too sure if you'd actually refer to it as a break, but it's became more of something I'll check when I'm bored) on Twitter because seeing other people blogging - the thing I apparently struggled to do - would make me feel like I wasn't as 'good'.

But then, I came to the realisation that I'm not a bad blogger - I've just had a hard few months (even with my travelling that I've done this summer) - and I've not been able to face the thought of blogging. That doesn't make me a bad person, just human. We all deal with things in different ways, and letting myself breathe for a bit is my way of coping.

Thanks for coming to my TED talk,

Ashleigh xxx

I have probably blogged less times this year than I've actually blogged. 

Eeeeeeep it's my birthday tomorrow and I'm spending it in Cinque Terre in Italy with my best friend! Today I thought I'd do a post that is an overdone cliche but still is very cute and that's 20 things I have learned in my (almost) 20 years on this planet.



1. Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter.

I've learned not to rise to to drama and those who care and think you're a bad person, aren't important so there's no point wasting another moment thinking about it. The people who love and care for you know the true you, and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

2. If you find good friends that love you at your best and worst, keep them and never let them go.

I feel so lucky and blessed to know that the people in my life have a positive impact on my life and love me unconditionally. I think we should always strive for that.

3. Never underestimate the importance of a good book.
4. If you want chocolate, eat it.
5. Make everyday of your life as amazing as you can.

Even if it's mundane, make everyday as good as you can.

6. Find the happy moments in the small things.
7. Take care of your body, it'll make you feel better.
8. Sometimes you just need a good cry.

Crying is really therapeutic, and sometimes it feels like a massive weight off your shoulders when you do it.

9. Sewing is such an important skill that we all need.
10. Life is too short to do something that doesn't make you happy.
11. Own what makes you different.
12. Always keep your room tidy.
13. Remember that social media isn't always an accurate depiction of life.
14. Always try your best at everything, and that way you won't be disappointed if you fail.
15. Try to do at least one good thing a day for someone else.
16. Treat people with love and kindness, and you'll be surprised to see what you get back.
17. Organisation is one of the most important skills you can have.
18. Making your bed in full after washing your sheets is actually very therapeutic.
19. Things do get better, there is always a rainbow after the rain.
20. It's amazing how good smiling can make you feel.

Today marks halfway through 2018, and so today I decided to take a look through my new years resolutions and see if I am on my way to achieving any! If you want to read my resolutions, you can here.



The first resolution I set myself is to stop biting my nails. I still do bite my nails, but it isn't as much now and I also said I want to stress less. I can definitely say that I haven't learned to stress less, but I still have five months left, so maybe I can learn in five months? I also planned to save more money, which I'm okay at - not brilliant but not terrible. (Which is something, I suppose). 

I said I was going to get a new job, which I haven't done as of yet. I also said I would love to get paid for doing makeup. This is one that I've achieved. Aside from a few people messaging me on Facebook asking for me to do their makeup (which I had to decline due to other commitments), I have also done makeup for my sisters friends, which I never charged as they were family friends, but knowing that I could have is amazing to me. I said I wanted to read more, which I have done this year so far, and finally I said I wanted to be more positive and happy, and I'm getting there!

All in all, I'm definitely on track to completing at least some of my 2018 resolutions, which makes me happy, especially seeing as I still have time!

How have you got on with your 2018 resolutions? Thanks for reading!

Ashleigh xxx

I went to Berlin a few weeks ago (I apologise for the delay with this post), and had such a good time! I wrote about day one in Berlin and then decided to lump day two and three together. 

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. As you can see, it was completely wrecked in the war - it was restored, but only so it would stand.

Those of you who have followed me for a long time will know I h a t e cool-toned eyeshadow, much preferring warm tones. I prefer warm tones because I think they are prettier, and they suit me a lot better (at least I think so).

However, I recreated (if you could call it a recreation) a cool-toned halo eye, which I found here. My original plan was to do the whole look, but I gave up once I finished the eyes.


So, here is my attempt. I am actually not that annoyed with how this turned out. This looks so bad. I found it super hard to blend out and I wasn't happy at all. The only part of the look I actually do like is the eyelashes, which I picked up from Primark (this girl loves a bargain), but apart from that, I would not recommend.

*This post was different, it didn't turn out the way I wanted, in my ideal world, I'd be so good at makeup that NikkieTutorials would be quaking. But alas, I'm not, and there are times I'll look at things I create and be super disappointed.

I hope you enjoyed reading! Thanks,

Ashleigh xxx

Hello! Today I am going to the Dominican Republic, eeeek! I'm never normally this excited to go away (apart from when I went to Italy to see my best friend), but I just cannot wait to be in the sun and be able to swim everyday, and eat really good food! This is my first long-haul flight since I was 15 when I went to Florida, so this is also the first holiday in four years where I've had to pack hold luggage! What better way to commemorate than with a blog post? 

People who are actually interested in my life and blog will know that I didn't post on Monday. This is something that doesn't really require an explanation but I always do my best to be 100% honest and open with those who take the time to read my blog, that I felt like I needed to update you.


I feel like I've not been all that motivated to blog. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure why, I'm not unhappy with my content and surprisingly I've felt very content over the past month - so it's not even that I've been in a bad place recently. Also, I just wanted to brag really quickly that I passed my first year exams! I know it's not a lot to some people but honestly, first year was a bit rubbish for me, so the fact I passed my exams makes me so happy! 

Humble brag aside - I do feel bad for not being as active on social media recently. I'm all for people having breaks from blogging and social media, but I feel different about it when it's me. Also, I haven't taken any extra shifts in work recently (partly due to the fact I'm off work for almost a month and partly because I've been feeling a bit under-valued in work) which has led to me having a lot of free time. And because I have so much free time, I haven't felt as motivated to blog. Sounds like a bit of a paradox, but I am someone who needs a bit of routine in their lives. Give me a day where I have nothing to do, and I will take full advantage of that by watching Netflix in my pajamas all day.

In order to combat this quote-on-quote "drought", I decided to list five ways to overcome my lack of motivation. (And then share it online).

1. Make a list of blog post ideas! This is something I done before (as I am vvv forgetful) and it helps millions!
2. Get a routine going! For me, I wake up around 7.30am, have my breakfast, shower, work on a blog post and then I have the rest of the day for Netflix!
3. Make yourself more organised. This is kind of related to 1. and 2., but I find it so much easier to give something my full concentration when my mind isn't on other things. 
4. Make sure to reward yourself. You wrote a whole blog post? You deserve to watch an episode of your show on Netflix! There are so many Netflix references in this post, and I am not sorry about it. 
5. Don't beat yourself up about not always posting. We're all only human, and sometimes things happen and we can't blog all the time. 

So, this is how the look turned out! For my face, I used my Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer which I really like, but I don't think it's the best primer I've ever used. It feels similar to the Benefit Porefessional, but doesn't really do much to my pores. That being said, I do really like it. For foundation, I used my Seventeen Skin Wow 3 way highlighter mixed with my Benefit Hello Flawless foundation. This foundation is light-medium coverage which I love, especially for summer. But, if you were wearing this look to a festival, you'd probably be better to wear a fuller-coverage foundation, like the MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation. I then applied my MUA pressed powder, which isn't great, but does the job.

On my eyes I applied some Milani Eyeshadow Primer which I then set with a matte powder shade from my Morphe 35OM palette and some pink shades from my PS Berry palette (which I showed off here). I then applied NYX Vivid Brights Eyeliner in the shade 'Petal' and winged it out, I also applied some Huda Beauty lashes (I think I used either Carmen or Camille, I'm not 100% sure). After I done the eyes, I applied some NYX glitter in the colour 'Beauty Beam' and some stars that I picked up from The Works, using my NYX glitter glue. In all honesty, I would have bronzed, but I was so tired, so I just highlighted using my Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in 'That Glow'.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading,

Ashleigh xxx

I dread getting my period at any time of the year, but I especially hate getting it in summer. The thought of being hot, sweaty and having to deal with your uterus trying to kill itself is my worst nightmare. Fortunately, I have a few tips to make that week a little bit easier for you!

1. Tampons will be your best friend. Now, I hated tampons with a passion until a few months ago, but I never realised how handy they were! And they're so small and handy for travelling! Honestly, they're not that scary. Once you relax and learn to insert one, you're sorted! I also have to eat before I insert one as I feel ill if I don't eat within half an hour of waking up. You can keep them in for 8 hours which is great for long, hot days when you're going to  be on your feet all day and don't want to worry about changing your pad every few hours.

2. Make sure you're stocked up on cooling face masks. This one is a sort-of 2-in-1, as your skin will break out during this week (or 5 days, if you're lucky). I also get very warm during my period (which is to do with your body not producing enough estrogen) so putting on a cooling face mask (this one is my favourite) is such a nice feeling. Also, relating to feeling warm, I make sure I have loose pyjamas. I don't have these exact ones but any sort of similar pyjamas that are loose with shorts are ideal.

3. Take paracetamol with you whenever you go out.  Okay, so this one isn't exactly rocket science but there is nothing worse than being out on a nice summers day and suddenly feeling like the woman from Devils Due, so always be prepared! Having the worst cramps and a long, warm day is a recipe for disaster, so always have some paracetamol on you!

4. It's important to eat food rich in iron. As you're losing blood, you're also losing iron, which is why you may be more tired than usual and sleep for a lot longer. Foods that are rich in iron include red meat, leafy greens and dried fruit, to name a few.

I hope these tips helped! Thanks for reading,

Ashleigh xxx

I recently spent three days in Berlin and I absolutely loved it! Unfortunately, I never got to do all of the things I wanted to do (such as all the museums on Museum Island and we didn't see too much of West Berlin) but I think we packed so much into three days! It was an amazing trip and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in history. I've decided to split my posts up because there is so much we dne, and I thought this way would make it easier to read!

We arrived on Monday 4th June and our flight had been delayed by two hours (which sent the planner in me into an absolute meltdown) and we headed to our hotel in Schonenfeld. What amazed me was how easy it was to get about if you had done some prior research on what station and train to get off at. We quickly got changed to go to the TV tower that night and headed to Alexanderplatz!


 I'm standing outside the rainbow wall at our hotel wearing this dress in yellow. If you want to see more pictures of yours truly, my Instagram is @ashleighannerose_.


 The TV Tower! (Fun fact, this was built by the East Germans to compete with the West, both sides wanted things that could be seen by the other side so would build massive structures that could be seen over the wall).



This is called a Trabant and was the only car allowed in East Germany.



This is the view from the TV tower (you can read more about the TV tower here). This view is absolutely breathtaking and I love how geometric everything looks!






You can kind of see the Neptbrunnen fountain in the background, and the four women represent the four rivers of Prussia.



 ♡ We thought the flowers were cute but I thought we looked cuter. ♡


We then walked to the banks of the Spree next to the DDR Museum and Museum Island - the sun was setting and it looked beautiful.

Of course I had to get a photo with the sunset!



There was flowers in flower boxes and people playing the violin here - it was magical.