Starting a YouTube Channel??

Hi everyone,

You've probably noticed from the title of this post that it's not your standard blog post and in fact it's quite the opposite. I've decided only recently that I'm going to make a YouTube channel in hope that the lovely readers from my lovely little blog here will not only continue to read my blog posts but will also support me in the new movement of LifeWithLuce. I thought by challenging myself further as an individual by branching out to something a little more daunting and personal, it will not only build my own confidence and interests, it'll look good when applying to jobs etc.

I've done my research and in actual fact noticed that there is already a YouTube channel called LifeWithLuce, which isn't a bad thing at all, it only makes my life a little challenging when deciding what to call my YouTube channel. I've also done my research in the technical department and to the lack of experience that I have and the lack of high-tech cameras and editing equipment that I have, it unfortunately won't be at the highest quality that you would find on perhaps Zoella's YouTube channel, or Tanya Burr's, lets say.

My videos would consist of clothing hauls, makeup tutorials, what's in my bag videos, videos of me giving advice and tips on personal topics, product reviews and baking videos. As I'm still in the midst of A-Levels, I'll still be putting my studies first of course, however I'm going to desperately try my best to incorporate my time around filming videos, editing and uploading etc.

So that's basically a quick overview on the new little adventure of mine and hopefully you will join me along the way. I've always wanted to do this, I've just never had the guts to go ahead with it!

Thanks for reading as always my cherubs.

Lots of love,
Luce xx

Summer Holiday 2016 | lifewithluce

Hello lovely people, 

I hope you are all very well and haven't been missing my blog too much! I've had numerous people telling me and reminding me how much they love my blog whether that's loved ones or the friends I haven't spoken to in a while. It's made me realize how rewarding this little lifewithluce blog is to me and how much I need to get my act together and write another post, and quick! Therefore, since I've just come back off my holiday from the South of France, I thought it only right to create a new post for my little blog- which I can't believe I haven't wrote on since April. 

Myself, my mum, my best friend Hannah, her sister Katie and their mum and dad Liz and Martin all went to Nice on the 29th of July. It was honestly one of the best holidays I've been on. And ever since myself and Hannah have come back to Yorkshire, all we can think about is the clear blue sea, endlessly gorgeous warm temperatures and the 'underrated' yet pretty 'strong' red wine. Oh, and the lovely people we met out there aswell :-) 

So what this blog post is going to consist of is basically a long list of my holiday pictures, and a short explanation wherever possible to describe the setting... 

'Typical yet necessary'

First off, we start on a cloudy Friday morning at Leeds, Bradford Airport, obviously trying our best to contain our excitement and massive grins as you can tell from the picture above... I knew that being in the company I was in, it was bound to be one wonderful, unforgettable holiday. Oh and I'm sure Hannah wont mind me mentioning this but we got OCD with the thought of 'having to look VOGUE and Pinterest worthy' that we actually wrote out what outfits we were going to wear each day AND evening, obsessed? I think not.

I knew I wasn't in Leeds anymore as soon as I walked off that plane and into the humid French air. With our face freshened up, the fedoras on and the holiday beginning to unravel it for sure called for a selfie using the flattering flower crown Snapchat filter. Soon enough we had all clambered into the taxi and we were arriving at the Gold Star hotel in no time.

The view from our rooftop pool.

As soon as we got to the hotel, I unpacked my suitcase as fast as lightening, rushed on my favourite bikini and ran to the rooftop pool, oh and sorted the WiFi of course; priorities n'all. We spent a good couple of hours there, sunbathing and swimming and soon enough we were all getting changed into our desirable attire for our evening meal. After we enjoyed our meal and had a nosey around stunning Nice, Liz, Martin and Katie were all a little too tired to carry on wondering around the city and so they went back to the hotel. Whereas, myself, Hannah and my mum continued searching around and came across some amazing buildings such as the Negresco Hotel and the Casino on the sea front seen as above. Because we thought we were the bee's knee's we thought we'd prance into this luxurious, exquisite Negresco hotel and pretend we were apart of the rich society, idiotically we left only five minutes after when all the staff were staring blankly at us when we arrived in the entrance hall to sit down...

The first morning, at around 8:16am, ft. the man's bobbing head in the sea.

This was only a little snippet of the three mile beach in the blistering heat.

Even in the morning, the casino didn't fail to impress. One majestic building...

The beautiful architecture was so different to Bradford...

Nice to Monaco and Monte Carlo

Beyonce, Jay Z and Blue-Ivy were spotted in these parts of Monaco's port only two days after this picture was taken.

This casino behind me in Monte Carlo was where the 'James Bond' film 'Casino Royale' was filmed,

                                      

Needs must, doing what the posh people do, a spot of shopping (browsing) was in order.

Fit

Is a candid still a candid if you know it's being taken?? (I promise I wasn't in there just for the WiFi)

On sale for around $200,000, no biggy??

Some of the breathtaking architecture seen in Monaco. Shame about the clouds, I promise it WAS boiling. 

On our first day, as you can see above, we went to Monte Carlo and Monaco by train from Nice which only took us around 30 minutes. The place was insane, the land of the rich. The yachts, the buildings, the money, it was all very evident in these parts that you almost felt a little inferior! It really doesn't get much more luxurious than Monaco, plus the pizza's and the coffee were to die for, oh and the mint ice cream. I'd for sure go again, maybe next time when I've won the lottery. 

Me and the Mother in the centre of Nice. 

This was one of the nights where the red wine hit us hard on hardly any food whatsoever. Oh, it was also the night where we first met the lovely, lovely family, the Cooks from Stratford, well not properly, we only sat in the same restaurant as them. 

The next day was upon us with a slight headache and a very fragile body, but today we were booked on to the electric bike tour of the French Riviera hosted by the lovely Rose. Coincidentally, guess which family turned up but the Cook's. So we were informally introduced, Jordan, 19 and Ben 18, both brothers and then their mum and dad Elaine and David. Such a lovely family who we were planning on meeting again very soon. Anyway, the bikes were insane, they were electric and so with very little pedal power you were off with just the switch of the power button- I highly recommend you get one, they're amazing, especially for those hills, but also for getting places quickly. The whole tour lasted pretty much the whole day but god it was so worth it as you can see below, the views were truly incredible, plus we got to see Sean Connery's house, I see a Bond theme in his post?? We also got to pass Elton John's holiday home in which Hannah decided to approach the bell adjacent to his gates and ran away in shock when a man's voice came through saying "Bonjour Madam!" 

We picked up some amazing sandwiches and pastries before the bike ride and decided to eat them on the Ville Franche beach, it was beautiful, the beach was sandy unlike Nice's pebble beach and it didn't help that we hadn't put our bikinis on so we couldn't go in the sea for a needed swim... 

 The view of Nice

This is the view from the very top of Nice looking down on the neighbouring town called Ville Franche, an absolutely gorgeous place. 

The gorgeous Hannah, and I.

We called ourselves the pelaton as we all stuck together throughout the bike ride, aka the Dream Team. From left to right we have Ben, Jordan, Maxine (mum), Martin, Liz, Hannah, Lucy (me), Katie, David and the lovely Elaine. 

Food time. Mum and myself.

Gal time, whilst attempting to get a good picca.

Now that night, after exchanging numbers and Snapchat's with the lads, myself, Hannah and the boys decided to roam Nice in the magical place is was at night and turned up to an amazing, quirky bar with a DJ and a fancy drinks list. Because we're all so original we decided to get four 'Fucking Zamosas', and to my disappointment I can't remember what the bar was called so if Han, Ben or Jordan you happen to remember what it was called can you remind me please!! By the by, it was a strong cocktail. Later that night we all decided to go night swimming and with having had something to drink, it wasn't the best idea but I can honestly say if was one of the best day and nights I've ever had, so thank you guys for making it special. 

The next morning... The credit goes to KB aka Katie for doing my sick french plaits ready for the swim ahead.

A selfie before we devoured the water melon. A day dedicated to swimming on the lilos, jumping off piers and almost drowning in the sea from laughing...

One of the magical evenings, we spent in Cannes, the land of the famous and host of the film festivals. Whilst passing the extraordinary arena in Nice there were all these metal faced squares in the floor as the perimeter of the arena consisting of the celebrities' hand prints all of whom had visited the arena. My favourite hand print was by far one of my favourite actresses and women, Natalie Portman, by the way- the love of her developed ever since she was cast in Leon and in Star Wars as Padme. 

Candid? The last full day in Nice. So we all decided to hike up a mountain, have an ice cream ,visit a Russian church and develop our tan even further.

The Three Musketeers. Jokes just three casual Bradfordians, all looking happy because we were off back down the mountain to get changed and head out for our evening meal and then for a couple of mojitos with our family and the Cooks. Oh, not forgetting the evening swim, eventful night to say the least. 

To finish off this post on my amazing holiday, I want to thank everyone for making it such a special experience for me. I hope you've enjoyed reading this post on my holiday to the South of France and even now myself and Hannah are already dreaming of going back...

Thankyou for reading and i'll hopefully be back very soon, perhaps blogging my trip to New York City for my 18th birthday.

Lots of love as always,
Luce xx

Catch up! | lifewithluce

Good morning all,

I hope all of you, whether you've been reading lifewithluce from the very beginning or just coincidentally come across my blog today, I hope you're all very well and happy.

I've thought about my blog quite a bit recently as a sort of 'pick me up' as my happiness levels are so very varied at the moment. Today, sitting in front of me is my trusted laptop, a cup of green tea and a cheeky chocolate biscuit aswell as the patio doors wide open to freshen up the dining room.
Unfortunately, I've had to take the day off sixth form as I woke this morning to a chronic cold which consisted of breathing difficulties and a crappy ass headache, not to mention i've lost my voice. Mum says it's because I don't have enough 'vital vitamins' and she's probably right. I don't enjoy having to take days off sixth form to be completely truthful, it leaves me feeling very bored at home as all my friends are busy at sixth form and it also means i'm behind in my work and revision. BUT, it means I can take the day to recover and chat away on my little blog.

So it's exam season and doing subjects such as law, English literature and food technology, you can imagine I have a hella amount of revision and my motivation as per usual is non existent. It's ironic that even after doing my GCSE exams and achieving grades which didn't really reflect my ability due to the lack of revision, i'm still missing that determination to do the best I can. Which, ISN'T good. I'm sure it'll come to me soon enough.

On the topic of determination, I have certain obstacles that I need to overcome in the coming month which I'm really rather nervous to undergo. Without going into detail, there's two ways that this certain obstacle can go, either i'll feel overly happy with the outcome or absolutely miserable. Now, I shouldn't depend all my time and energy on something which should just be a given, by that I mean I shouldn't be working towards this outcome if it was meant to be in the first place. Unfortunately, life isn't that simple nowadays and if I was a 13 year old me reading this I tell myself to get a grip and do more of what makes me happy. Sadly, I've changed a lot since being thirteen and I have a strong habit of over thinking minor things in my head which consequently leaves little space in my head for the more important things in life. So note to self- do more of what makes me happy.

A year ago I wouldn't of imagined my life the way it is now at all, for instance I was in a relationship this time last year, I was attempting to revise for my GCSE's and I had a totally different friend group. Whereas now, I've been single for four or so months, i'm learning how to drive, I've had a job for nearly three years and I'm attempting to revise for A levels and like I said, I have a completely different friend group. By the way, the friend group I have now at sixth form doesn't diminish the fact that I loved my friends in year 11, but people and circumstances change and that's just how it is. But because of these changes, it makes me optimistic, excited and oblivious into where i'll be, what i'll be doing and who I'll be at 18 years old.

Just to finish off, I've been watching a load of TV recently and just finished a bloody ace series called Peaky Blinders and i'm pretty sure i'm basically in love with the main character Tommy Shelby. Without spoilers, Peaky Blinders is about a family gang from Birmingham in 1919 who retrieve their money from illegal horse race betting and Tommy Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) is the boss of the family who gets shit done. If you haven't seen it already, go over onto Netflix and give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
Also, I've finished watching a BBC drama called Thirteen which was absolutely amazing. It's about a girl called Ivy Moxam (played by Jodie Comer) who was kidnapped when she was thirteen and escapes thirteen years later when she's 26. It's about her life afterwards and how she has to adapt to the real life modern day and how her relationships develop with her family and friends. Both, two very different programs yet both equally as brilliant.

Peaky Blinders

Thirteen

Thankyou as always for having a read, I know there wasn't a particular topic to this post today but it's always nice to update my blog on what's occurring in my life!

A lorra love,

Luce x 

My Pamper Routine | lifewithuce

Hi lovelies!
Long time no speak. I hope from my last post it's been an eye opener for one or two of you to not depend on someone else for your own happiness. Once you find happiness in your self, the people who matter the most stay and come into your life without expecting it. I've had quite a few positive remarks and lots of lovely feedback on the post and a few people telling me that I've been strong and an inspiration which consequently just makes me feel even more stronger. Relationships and break ups can be really rubbish and can lead you to be very unhappy for a period of time.. BUT, with the right people around you, plenty of happy music and visiting new and exciting places, you're already half way there to a new, happier you.

So I've just had my 17th birthday and I got quite a lot of bath treats and washes etc (I think my family might be trying to tell me something..) and quite honestly with all these new products, I came to the decision of having a pamper day and bringing you lot along with me throughout the luxurious experience.

So firstly, I always like to set the atmosphere off in my bedroom really cosy and calming. This reed diffuser smells super gorgeous and smells of white cedar and musk. I also lit this White Tea and Peony candle that one of my good friends got me for Christmas and it's such a relaxing, heavenly scent. Both a really lovely combination for a calming atmosphere. 

I find taking all of my makeup off throughout the day before my pampering session always makes me more at ease, cleaner and refreshed. Even if I've had no make-up on throughout the day, it's always nice to clean off any dry or dead skin on your face for more of a refreshed feel. After, I use my facial wash to wash off any excess dirt on my face. The facial soap I use is Clinique liquid facial soap, mild. I find this product lathers up really well on my face and has a really uplifting scent, also leaving my face refreshed and rejuvenated. 

Now, to finally begin the 'pampering', I always like to make myself a warming cup of herbal tea. Pukka Tea is by far one of my favourite brands of herbal teas. Each flavour is just so completely different and unique, I love them. The flavour I chose was the Serene Jasmine Green- a sensual haven of organic green jasmine tea, chamomile and lavender. It says it all on the packet, a sensual haven. I then like to get all my comfortable pyjamas ready to wear as soon as I get out of the bath for total relaxation. That includes my fluffy dressing gown, my soft pjyama top and bottoms, my fluffy slippers and a new soft towel. I find that music is the absolute key to a specific atmosphere and for my pamper day, I chose Zen Spa which is an Asian meditation radio. 

Before I run my bath, I prefer to wash my hair in the shower first so that it's easier to clean. This way it's not as 'faffy' in the bath and you can give your hair a thorough clean in the shower. Now, my new favourite shampoo and conditioner are featured in today's post. The brand is called Sonya and it's not a very well known brand. However, it works wonders. You hardly need any shampoo for a good lather, it smells lush and it leaves my hair feeling really well washed and has the most lovely glossy shine to it when dried. I find with the conditioner especially, I've never experienced my hair so shiny before and I'd definitely recommend these two beauties, the only downside is that they both are on the higher price range of £12 and can only be bought in certain hairdressers I believe so quite hard to get your hands on, but if at all you come across this shampoo and conditioner, don't hesitate to get yourself a pair, just DO IT!

Before drying my hair, I like to apply these two products onto my hair to protect my hair from the heat. The first one, on the left, is a VO5 heat protect serum. Try not to put this serum too close to your roots or it could leave your hair looking very oily and not very flattering. Just simply pump some of the serum onto your hands, rub between your hands and gently apply it on nearer the more fragile places on your hair, such as near the split ends. After, I tend to spray this TREsemme heat protector onto my hair, mostly because the serum doesn't quite reach all the places i'd like it to and the spray can be applied near the roots of your hair where the serum cannot. Plus, the smell of the spray is to die for!

Whilst I'm running my bath, I like to put the bathing sugar into the water to leave the bath smelling really relaxing and softens my skin. Afterwards, a few drops of Johnson's baby oil doesn't go a miss as it leaves my skin feeling silky smooth after getting out of the water. Of course, a bath bomb is necessary and usually i'd go for a Lush bath bomb but unfortunately I'd ran out, I need to go back real soon! Instead, I used a bath bomb I got from my friend a couple of birthday's back and it's filled with honeycomb crystals and lavender- heavenly. Lastly, there is a Lush soap next to the bath bomb which I like to wash my hands with before getting into the bath just to rinse off any dirt from my hands.

As most young women like to do, I thought i'd give myself the pleasure of reading through an Elle Magazine which had been on my shelf ever since I had come back from my trip to London. Plus, the front cover was of Kristen Stewart and she is one of my all time favourite actresses. After my relaxing read, I put on my exfoliating gloves, put some Soap and Glory Scrub wash onto them and gave my body a gentle exfoliate to get rid of any dead skin. Then, I used Original Source for a simple body wash, which feels and smells gorgeous.

 After my bath, I either enjoy putting on Soap and Glory body butter or the Pink Grapefruit Body Shop body butter. They both hydrate my skin really well and both have lovely, distinctive, refreshing scents.

Now these two products, myself and my mum both tend to share, in other words, they're my mum's but I use them on these special occasions! The first one is a lovely Liz Earle moisturizer and has the nicest consistency to moisturize my face with. Secondly, the Liz Earle eyebright, soothing eye lotion is a god send as it instantly relaxed the eye muscles and makes the eye much more refreshed yet also relaxed. 

I tend to get really dry lips when I've had a bath and i'm not overly sure why that is..perhaps from being dehydrated. But, simple Petroleum jelly makes my lips much softer and does the trick perfectly.

Lastly, before getting into bed, I apply the Elemis overnight serum all over my face in a dabbing motion, especially in my t-zone and I then I take the lavender oil and put a few drop of it into my pillow for a relaxing, calming vibe. 

To finish off my pamper routine, I make my bed, plump up the cushions, take my laptop to watch a movie and indulge into my favourite chocolates. A perfect way to end the evening..

I do hope you've enjoyed this post as much as I have. I find a pamper evening so calming and enjoyable., maybe you can take some tips along with you to your next pamper session from mine!

Bye for now!

Lots of love,