Monday 27 April 2015

The 'Forgot I had' Products

The 'Forgot I had' Products
There will always be times where I purchase a product and use it for a good month or two then move onto something else and completely forget I still own those products. I recently started to do a bit of 'makeup spring cleaning' which involved getting all of my spring/summery bits on show. As I was tidying my drawer up I discovered a couple of products that I actually guiltily forgot I owned naughty me! So today I decided to share with you all these products I forgot I owned and why I stopped and moved onto something else.

Topshop Lipsticks - Topshop lipsticks were a big thing last summer as whenever I was popping into a store I was constantly leaving with a new lipstick to add to my collection. I loved everything about these lipsticks from their packaging, to the consistency they were my favourite for quite a while but I then moved onto the Revlon balm stains I believe and totally forgot I had these. I definitely want to be wearing these this summer again as Topshop have an amazing range of bright colours that go on so easily and look amazing!

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer - I love wearing my Witch Hazel primer and I have done for a good 6 years now as it keeps my makeup at bay all day long. Laura Mercier was one of those primers that got used once or twice then dumped at the bottom of my drawer because nothing competes with the primer I use now. Since this is an expensive brand and I did receive it in one of My Little Box subscriptions I should really make use of its expense and give it a second (or third) chance.

Naked 2 Basics Palette - I know I know don't hate me for this one! It shocks me too that I rarely use this palette as much as I used to. When this first came out and Cohorted had this as almost half the price I snapped it up and wore it religiously for month's until Makeup Revolution launched a lot more of their eyeshadow palettes. I do need to use this cute, little palette a lot more and I am glad I discovered it again because I now really want to start using it!

Bourjois Java Rice Powder - I guiltily purchased this down to its vintage, dainty package design. I was actually just starting to get into highlighter more when I purchased this then I ended up moving onto Benefits highlighters and forgot all about it. This was always easy to apply and smelt wonderful on my face so I should really use it again. Plus who could turn away such a pretty packaged product?

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara - It is probably no surprise to you all that I still continuously use Benefit's They're Real mascara as no other mascara has upped the anti. I wore this mascara a lot last year and absolutely loved it so much I bought another and never got round to opening it. This mascara always caught every single lash when applying it and that is why I loved it so much as it made my lashes look a lot more noticeable. I may keep this mascara for the summer as even the packaging looks quite summery!

Nars Creamy Concealer - At the time I purchased this I used it once or twice then started to feel as though it didn't match my skin tone which was weird because the woman who served me tried several shades. It might just be me who thinks this but because of that I shied away from it and stuck to my Collection concealer. I do want to retry wearing this concealer as it seems a waste of money otherwise. If it doesn't match my skin then I will give it to someone else or sell it as it is a good concealer.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush - This was the first foundation brush I purchased from the Real Techniques range and I absolutely loved using it to blend my foundation in. But as time went on I purchased one of the sets and I now use the Buffing Brush daily as that gives the best results personally. I don't think this brush would do much good in blending in my foundation as Estee Lauder Double Wear (I would say) requires a thick brush to blend in with. But once I start wearing my tinted moisturizers or BB creams I will return to using this as its an oldy but goodie!

What are your 'forgot I had' products?
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Sunday 19 April 2015

6 Simple Steps To Get Shit Done

6 Simple Steps To Get Shit Done
Unless I grow an extra set of arms or someone invents the cloning machine I am pretty much only getting work done at my own pace - which is significantly slow (ATM). As my final deadline is approaching I find myself at the worst state of mind with keeping my motivation up to top notch. Sometimes even thinking about the lack of time I have left can be very overwhelming to me that I end up wasting time being anxious and have a brain flooded with worry/nerves. Recently I have been trying out new ways to keep motivated which believe it or not have really made a difference so I've decided to share them with you all!

1. Break, Break And Then Maybe Break Again
The number of times I get so worked up over having an endless list of things to do that I think a break will make me waste time. Breaks are great ways to keep our brains from feeling stressed, tired or even bored of doing the same thing. If you read my Dissertation Advice The Tutors Don't tell you post (here) you will see I even mentioned take plenty of breaks away from the keyboard and the same applies to anything. If you spend a lot of your time in front of a screen doing work maybe consider stepping outside for a break with a cuppa or even go in the bath or a walk, do something refreshing that gets you out of your workspace. You will have a much more refreshed, clear mindset when you come back to work.

2. Spring Clean Your Work Space
I do a lot of my work at home because it takes an hour and a half just to get to uni, therefore, it is easier on my days off to just work here, therefore my desk area has got to be clean and tidy. As soon as spring arrived I gave my bedroom a spring cleaning where I started de-cluttering my shelves, added some daffodils on my desk, added some motivational postcards to my wall and changed up areas. This was so refreshing to do and definitely made my workspace feel more spacious as well as tidy. I think it is really important to keep your work area spacious and change it up every now and then to keep your brain refreshed and avoid the boredom of things.

3. Keep Things Short & Sweet
I constantly write countless amounts of lists and I think it is important to maybe have 2 or 3 notebooks to keep yourself organised. One notebook could be for uni projects or school stuff, one could be blogging ideas and others could be general things like shopping lists, things to remember etc. I like to keep everything spacious in my mind, therefore, jotting down different categories of things to do in one notebook can become messy and unorganised which resorts to me not wanting to complete them all. I also think it is important to keep your lists short and sweet, don't pile yourself massive things to do I actually write daily lists which for example could look like this: make hair appointment, reply to emails, text driving instructor, blog my favourites, finish my logo design for uni, try Laura Mercier blusher...something like this is what my daily to-do lists would be. Nothing overly wordy or a countless amount of things to get done. Keep it short and sweet or your brain may explode!

4. Get a Routine (and change it every now and then!)
Having a routine is a good way to get motivated and organised with what needs to be done whether that's going to sleep earlier, waking up earlier or even just setting yourself times of the day when to do whatever needs to be done. This changes for me quite frequently which is why I've included the 'and change it every now and then' because I do think changing a routine up every few weeks can keep your brain focused and not bored - just think of it like a workout routine eventually things start to change to keep it interesting. Some days I go to bed earlier, some days I wake up earlier, some days I work during the day and some at night and this changes all the time which stops me stressing out or thinking 'ugh got to get this done this afternoon'. Keep things from becoming mundane.

5. Turn Off, Delete, Disconnect
I can most definitely admit that I find it hard to simply work on something and not wonder onto Twitter or Instagram. Recently when I am trying to work on something important I will turn my phone off or leave it out of reach. I think having Wi-Fi can sometimes be a bit enticing to focus on work when social media is only a click away. If you don't need to use Wi-Fi when working then maybe it would be worth turning it off. If like me you are constantly on your phone maybe turn it off, disconnect from Wi-Fi or even remove the app until you are finished working. It sounds preposterous but if you have a deadline emerging it may be worth savouring those 10 Instagram minutes on your project.

6. Give a Damn
If you have things that need to get done that you don't really care about then it's very likely that you will put off doing it or put a small percent of effort into it. Actually give a damn about what it is that you need to do and think about why you need to do it. I know at times I sometimes get that 'I don't care' attitude over the simplest of things, we all do because we can't love everything that needs done. When I do have this attitude I reassure myself why I am doing it and what will I achieve from this and I think that is a good mind set to have to stay positive.

What are your simple steps to get shit done??
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Sunday 12 April 2015

B Is For Books

B Is For Books
I will be the first to admit that buying a fresh, brand new book is one of my favourite
things to purchase (up there with the makeup of course). There is something oh-so-thrilling about owning a brand new book and when opening the first page you get a whiff of that fresh material. Today I wanted to share with you all some of my recent favourite inspirational books that I have found most useful for all sorts of things from stress to baking delicious treats to picking me up after a rough day!

Tanya Burr's: Love Tanya
Tanya's book is one of those books where you can pick up and flick through whenever and wherever as it isn't a novel that you need to read each chapter to get to the next. This book has a variety of really useful things to read and learn from, things such as beauty tips, dressing for your body type, getting fit, eating right, lots and lots of recipes, confidence, anxiety EVERYTHING! This book is incredible and really useful to have because she covers everything we all think about from time to time. She has even included several interactive 'note' sections where you are able to write down your own memories of childhood, friends etc! It is a super easy, fun book to read over and over again.

Sali Hughe's: Pretty Honest
Sali has the 'straight-talking beauty companion' attitude in this book and for me, it feels a lot more relate-able and as though I am reading a book from an actual person. It has that comforting, personal feeling to it where I am able to relate a lot too. Pretty Honest is a book for people who love beauty (I would say) as it deals with all the beauty sides of things; skincare, makeup, perfume, hair care, problematic skin she covers all the beauty aspects thoroughly. I again think this is a book you can pick up and flick through whenever and wherever if you want to but because I am enjoying her style of writing I have been reading this like a chapter by chapter novel. I have learnt so much from this book so far and so much about skincare that I didn't know before - a great book to learn more about beauty and it is pretty honest, no bullshit.

Zoe Griffin: Get Rich Blogging
I have been taken my blog a lot more seriously than I had when I first began so I thought gathering a few nifty, useful blog books would be a good starting point. This book is good for reassurance for me because a lot of the things she has written about I have heard before but not all things. This book is good if you want to make money from your blog and Zoe covers it rather easy too. Some of it can sound a little Wiki-Pedia like at times but you learn a lot from this book and it is definitely a good book to have if you are starting to take blogging a lot more seriously. My favourite part of this book is the Tips for Beauty Bloggers as she includes links to other blogs to look at for inspiration before you think about earning money.

Paul Arden: It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be
This book I would recommend to anybody whether you are a school-leaver, self-employed or just in need of a pick-me-up. I have read this book countless times back to front as it is an incredible book for making you feel a bit better about life or specifically in my case uni. This book gives you logical answers to everyday questions and doesn't sugar coat it either. I would carry this in my pocket if it could because it has always reassured me about life. I have included two quotes that I go by frequently from this book 'do not seek praise, seek criticism' and 'don't be afraid of silly ideas'. Both of these quotes get me through university mostly but can relate to other aspects of life too. A great book that everyone should have.

What are your favourite books for inspiration, tips or advice?? 
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