Thursday, 4 February 2016

January Favourites



BECCA Backlight Priming Filter
Strobing is probably the biggest makeup trend at the minute & I couldn't be any happier about it. I am obsessed with glowing skin & practically bathe in highlighter. It makes my face come alive & balances out a matte base. BECCA have truly mastered the highlighter with liquid, cream & powder versions of their incredible Shimmering Skin Perfectors but I've recently been loving their new Backlight Priming Filter. It's a radiance-boosting primer that really gives you that look of being 'lit from within'. It is fairly similar to their original liquid SSP in Moonstone but slightly thicker in texture which makes it a better base for makeup. The sheen this gives the skin is beautifully pearlescent, never glittery & neutral in tone. Used alone it actually balances it out my complexion & gives me that perfect healthy looking glow that only catwalk models seem to have. Often radiance primers can disappear once you apply foundation but this stuff is still clearly visible under light, medium & full coverage base products. It instantly perks up dull skin & provides the ultimate dewy canvas for the rest of your makeup.

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
My skin has been awfully dry lately thanks to a combination of cold weather & central heating. It was clear that I needed to make some minor adjustments to my skincare routine so I bought a couple of things to better nourish my skin. I normally use a cleansing oil followed by a gel cleanser twice a day but that's not really necessary in the morning. I decided to go back to using a balm cleanser & after avoiding the hype that follows this Oskia cleanser for so long I finally cracked. The Renaissance Cleansing Gel is enriched with pumpkin enzymes, vitamins A, C & E, starflower oil & MSM. This wonderful blend of ingredients gently exfoliates, restores & soothes providing all of the things that my skin was crying out for. The texture of this cleanser is unlike any other. It is dispensed as a pink gel, feels like balm, melts into the skin like an oil & then goes full circle, washing off with the ease of a gel cleanser. My skin is left feeling smooth, soft & hydrated without any residue. It also has a gorgeous rose scent that reminds me of Turkish Delight! I only wish I'd given in to the hype sooner.

Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate
The other item I bought to sort out my dry/dehydrated skin was the Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate. I was in need of a new facial oil & considered repurchasing either Balance Me's Radiance Oil or Trilogy's Rosehip Oil. I also considered trying something new like Sarah Chapman's Morning Facial or Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. In the end I had a look in my skincare stash & found a tiny vial of this stuff. It's been a long time since I've used any Liz Earle products but when I first started getting into skincare I ordered from them all the time & they always sent out little samples of this oil. My skin absolutely lapped it up so I splashed out on a big bottle because I preferred the pump packaging to the rollerball. The Superskin Concentrate features plenty of skin-friendly oils including avocado, rosehip, argan, lavender, hazelnut, neroli & chamomile plus vitamin E. Massaging this into the skin feels like such a treat. The natural scent is divine & helps send me off to sleep quicker. The oil is really nourishing & whenever I use it I wake up with bright, fresh & dewy looking skin. It's more of a night oil but I do sometimes mix it in with my moisturiser during the day if my skin really needs it. I just love how it feels on my skin & it's a great solution for a dull, dry complexion.

Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Deep
I put a lot of effort into maintaining & filling in my eyebrows. I'm definitely one of those annoying 'brows on fleek' people & want them to look as good as possible. I adore all of my Anastasia Beverly Hills products but I was drawn to this brow gel from Benefit because the tiny brush seemed ideal for defining the hairs at the front of my brows. It's easy to control & the formula is fairly dry so you don't end up splodging excess product all over the skin which does sometimes happen with the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel. Just a few strokes deliver fuller, darker brows that still look natural. The water-resistant fibre gel adheres to the tiniest of hairs filling in gaps & keeping everything in place. It really beefs up the hairs so it'd be great for anyone with sparse brows. The Medium/Deep shade is a good match for me. It's cool-toned & not too dark so it doesn't make my brows look fake. It works well on it's own & also looks fab applied alongside my Anastasia products.

NYX Powder Blush in Taupe
I've been getting back into contouring this year & one contour product that I'd always wanted to try is NYX's Taupe blush. Often hailed as the quintessential contour colour for us pale girls, I'm not quite sure why it's taken me so long to purchase it. Although NYX is now stocked on FeelUnique & Boots I had to order it off eBay as NYX actually changed their powder blush formula. Apparently the HD version of this blush isn't quite as good as the original so I wanted to make sure I got the right one. Taupe is a matte cool-toned brown that mimics the appearance of a natural shadow. The pigment isn't too strong but that works to your advantage when contouring. It blends easily & you can build up the colour where you need to. It's a very flattering, natural shade that never looks muddy on the skin. The price is really affordable so I would recommend this product to contouring beginners & experts alike.


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Sunday, 31 January 2016

Hello 2016!



A rather belated Happy New Year to you all! As January draws to a close I figured it was about time I made an appearance on here. I had intended on blogging weeks ago but sometimes life just gets in the way. Talking about makeup & clothes as per usual didn't feel right without doing this post first. So for me 2015 was a pretty crappy year overall. At the beginning of the year there was a lot of drama which resulted in me spending several months on self-help courses to deal with my anxiety & anger issues. I also spent some time in hospital to better diagnose my stomach problems. I felt very depressed & my weight ballooned which made it harder for me to carry on with blogging when I felt so low in myself. I'm trying my best to put self-loathing behind me so that I can get on with doing what I love. Obviously the lack of posts this month isn't great but I finally feel like I'm ready to go. Just like last year I've set myself five realistic goals instead of full on resolutions. Goals are more achievable than resolutions & I won't feel like a failure if there are any slight setbacks. Wish me luck!

Reach my target weight
Back in September I came to the realisation that I had put on quite a bit of weight. This was further cemented to me when a little shitbag at my nephew's birthday party called me 'fat lady'. I'd only gained about a stone & a half but that was enough to make me feel uncomfortable in my clothes. Every year I say I want to lose weight but this time I actually did something about it. I decided to join Slimming World & since September I have already lost one stone as well as earning my Club 10 award. I'm only 10lbs from target now & feel confident that I can get there in the next few months. I might even try to go that little bit further just so I can get my two stone award before returning to target. I've also been going to various exercise classes at the gym so hopefully I'll be getting a few body magic awards too!

Take better care of myself
My eating & exercise habits have certainly improved already but there are definitely other aspects of self-care where I don't put in as much effort. I've become quite lazy with my skincare routine lately. Terrible, I know! I haven't been wearing makeup very much so I often can't be bothered to wash my face at night. My skin has improved loads but it's important that I don't become complacent & carry on with my current skincare regime twice a day. I also stopped bothering with all my vitamins & supplements which definitely had a negative impact upon my hair, skin & nails. My immune system is completely shot at the minute & it seems like I get another cold every week. I've started taking all the pills & I already feel more like myself again. Some other things I plan on doing are more hair masks, more face masks, more manicures & more teeth whitening strips. It's those little things that make you feel so much better & we should all strive to do them more often.

Do a full KonMari-style home makeover
I love Marie Kondo's book The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up & have also bought her latest guide to de-cluttering, Spark Joy. I've always been a bit of a hoarder so her books have been really helpful to me. I've already sorted through my wardrobe, cosmetics & toiletries but I want to carry on with tidying the rest of the house. When you're a parent you tend to accumulate so much extra clutter. There are toys everywhere in the living room & I've kept hold of all the artwork Chloe does at school. It's hard not to be sentimental about those kind of things but you have to draw a line somewhere. This year I plan to fully de-clutter my home using the KonMari method. Having a tidy home is really important to me but it's something I don't think I've ever managed to achieve! There's always a mess somewhere. With Marie Kondo's books by my side I'm positive that I can clear out all of the extra rubbish over the next few months. After all, a tidy house makes for a tidy mind.

Get a new job
The whole childcare situation didn't really get resolved last year so I didn't get a new job like I had hoped. At this point I'd be happy to just get a part-time retail job. It might not be related to graphic design but without proper childcare I don't think I'll ever get a full-time design position. Sad but true. Becoming a full-time blogger who accepts sponsored content is always very tempting but it's also quite lonely if you can't get to events in London & I miss being able to socialise with new people. I think it would also do wonders for my confidence & self-esteem. It's all too easy to sit in your pyjamas every day, bare-faced with your hair scraped back in a ponytail if you work from home but it's making me depressed & I need to do something about it.

Make a proper start with YouTube
I made some YouTube videos a few years ago but it was never something that I fully transitioned into. To be completely honest I hardly read blogs these days as I much prefer watching YouTube videos. It gets on my wick when bloggers don't show how products look on their faces so it can be hard to find informative reviews. It's much simpler to watch someone applying a product to their face in real time & hearing what they think about it. Although I do always make an effort to fully swatch makeup on both my arm & my face in blog photos I feel that videos often showcase products more accurately. They're a much better format for makeup tutorials so I plan on making a real go of it this year & will get a few videos filmed very soon. Of course I plan to carry on with blogging & aim to write at least 100 posts this year. It's coming up to my blog's 6th anniversary soon so I really appreciate all of you who still read my posts & continue to enjoy the content I put out. I plan on doing a giveaway to celebrate as I'm also nearing 5000 followers & want to properly say thank you. So here's to 2016! Let's hope it's a good'un!


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Thursday, 31 December 2015

Things I Loved In 2015



Album
Melanie Martinez - Cry Baby

I first heard of Melanie Martinez on Vine of all places but I was soon drawn in by her songs & alternative aesthetic. You have no idea how tempted I am to copy her hair! She's not very well known in the UK yet but she was a contestant on The Voice USA before releasing her album Cry Baby earlier this year. It's a concept album about a character called Cry Baby which is partly based on Melanie's own childhood traumas/experiences. All of the songs combine childhood themes with adult situations & they're all incredibly catchy. My favourite tracks would have to be Soap, Dollhouse & Sippy Cup but I actually really like all of them. It's rare for me to find a record where I don't feel the need to skip any of the songs so this is definitely my favourite album of the year. I really hope that Melanie tours in the UK soon as I would love to see her perform live!

Other Faves: Lana Del Rey - Honeymoon / Fall Out Boy - American Beauty/American Psycho / Little Mix - Get Weird



Song
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Downtown

For some reason the first time I heard Downtown I decided that I hated this song & made Andy turn his car radio off! Then I saw the music video & somehow I fell in love with it. Who knew that singing about mopeds could be so much fun?! Eric Nally's parts really make the song for me & I wish I could pull off his crazy dance moves in the video! I keep finding myself singing random lyrics from it out of nowhere. Right now it's the tiramisu line... Anyway this was my favourite song of 2015 because it's such an earworm & I can't help but sing along.

Other Faves: Drake - Hotline Bling / Little Mix - Black Magic
Fall Out Boy - Uma Thurman / Jack Ü feat. Justin Bieber - Where Are Ü Now



Book
The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up - Marie Kondo

January is the perfect time for some spring cleaning so if you haven't read this book yet then I highly recommend checking it out. Marie Kondo is a Japanese cleaning consultant and this book guides you step by step through what is known as the 'KonMari' method for tidying, simplifying & organising. Some of it I find to be a bit excessive but it does deliver some very helpful tips to get your home & life in order. One of the main things that I took away from this book is the idea that the things you own should 'spark joy' & if not you should throw them away. I do tend to hoard things that I never use so it does make you think about your belongings differently. It's an especially powerful message if you need to clear out your wardrobe or makeup collection. I'd love to lead clutter-free existence & while I doubt that will ever happen, this book has definitely helped to steer me in the right direction.

Other Faves: Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn / Among The Shadows - Various Authors
Only Ever Yours - Louise O'Neill / A Head Full Of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay



Film
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I was so incredibly stoked to see the new Star Wars film. I'm someone who didn't actually mind the prequel trilogy (in fact I loved Revenge Of The Sith & have it on DVD!) but I really hoped that The Force Awakens would be a return to the former glory of the original films. Episode VII was everything I could have wanted & more. Of course it was brilliant to see Han, Leia & Luke again but I completely adored all of the new characters. Rey, Finn & Poe were amazing and had great chemistry. BB-8 is the cutest droid ever! I have huge weird crush on Adam Driver though so seeing him as Kylo Ren was just exhilarating. I really wanna go see it again on a 3D IMAX screen this time. The last time I bothered to see a film more than once in the cinema was LOTR: The Two Towers but I think Star Wars is something you really do need to see a few times to take all of it in. Plus you know... Adam Driver <3

Other Faves: Inside Out / Ex Machina / Birdman / A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night



TV Show
American Horror Story: Hotel

There's been so many brilliant TV shows this year but the programme I most look forward to every week is American Horror Story: Hotel. I've seen all the other seasons of AHS & this one is my absolute favourite. I thought Edward Mordrake was such a cool character in Freak Show so I was really glad they brought back Wes Bentley this season & as the main character, no less. Chloe Sevigny is my bae so even though John & Alex are terrible people I love seeing them together. Lady Gaga's acting has been great but Evan Peters is really knocking it out of the park as James Patrick March. He's such a creepy yet intriguing character. I could watch a whole show just about him! I only hope that Hotel doesn't suffer the same fate as Ryan Murphy's other shows where they start off really well before crashing & burning at the end (Popular, Glee, Nip/Tuck, every other season of AHS!).

Other Faves: Game Of Thrones / Better Call Saul / This Is England '90 / Humans / Transparent / RuPaul's Drag Race



Animation
Steven Universe

Chloe always seems to find cool new shows to watch on her iPad & it's because of her that I started watching Steven Universe. It's about a young boy called Steven who hangs out with three aliens called the Crystal Gems. Steven is half-gem so he's figuring out his powers as they go on adventures & save the world. I love the animation style & the songs are ridiculously catchy but what makes Steven Universe stand out from other cartoons is that the show explores many adult themes in a way that's understandable for kids. It touches on things like feminism, gender & sexuality. The gems take on a female humanoid form & can 'fuse' together to create stronger gems. One of the characters, Garnet, is a fusion made up of Ruby & Sapphire and is said to be the 'physical embodiment of a lesbian relationship'. I think it's really great that there's a show with such strong LGBT references for kids these days. I'm sure most of it just goes over Chloe's head but it makes me enjoy the show so much more.

Other Faves: Death Parade / Sailor Moon Crystal / Teen Titans Go! / Tokyo Ghoul √A



Game
The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

The only current games console that I own is the Nintendo 3DS & there hasn't actually been many good games out for it this year. The only one I purchased was Majora's Mask which I was really excited about as I never got to play the original on N64. I love Zelda games & I have to say that Majora's Mask is one of the best in the series. The story is quite dark but the whole collecting masks & resetting time mechanics made it very enjoyable. There are tons of RPGs coming out in 2016 though so I already know that next year will be fantastic for gaming. I'm especially looking forward to Fire Emblem Fates, Hyrule Warriors Legends, Bravely Second & Project X Zone 2!

Other Faves: Pokemon Shuffle / Pokemon Rumble World / The Legend Of Zelda: Triforce Heroes


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