Day 12 - Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Review

So I’m reviewing yet another Soap & Glory product…yes, I know, I’m sorry. Soap & Glory are one of those brands that are reliable and you can always expect great products from them. A couple of months back I was looking for a new cleanser, and since Soap & Glory skincare was on offer in Boots I decided to pick up Peaches and Clean. I was somewhat sceptical about this product because I really really dislike artificial peach smells (although I do love fresh peaches), and so I thought that there would be a chance I wouldn’t be able to stand the smell of this. However, the scent is very light and fresh, and honestly not all that peachy and that is definitely a big plus for me.

Now onto the product itself. Soap & Glory describes this as a ‘Deep Cleansing Milk featuring a special clogged-pore formula with PEACH & GOJUICE™ extracts and an OXYGINSENG™ daily skin detox which will help to purify and clarify, invigorate, soften skin, and melt away makeup, dirt, and impurities for a smooth, luminous complexion.’ The bottle holds a very generous 350ml, which I think is excellent value for money, I mean I have been using this product for quite a long time and still have a lot of product left. I find this cleanser does what it’s supposed to, and although it’s no miracle worker it’s definitely a great product.

I use this morning and night, and it’s great at removing make up and cleansing skin. One thing that I have noticed is that since using this cleanser my makeup has applied much more evenly, and I have less redness in general. The cleanser has really helped to remove dry patches on my skin, and has kept blemishes at bay. Again, this product isn’t going to give you flawless skin instantly, but it’s very good at keeping skin clear and fresh.

The cleanser has a very nice consistency, it feels very thick and rich and it really helps to make your face feel clean and moisturised. I do prefer the consistency of this cleanser to foaming cleansers, because it makes my face feel very clean, and not sticky like some foaming cleansers can. The cleanser is more of a ‘milk’ and massaging it into your face feels really lovely.
This is the first S&G skincare item that I have tried, and I’m happy that I gave this cleanser a chance. If you’re looking for a good quality cleanser that removes makeup, cleanses and makes your face feel softer and fresher, then definitely check this out.

You can buy Peaches and Clean here for £8.00.

Day 11 - Christmas Wrapping Ideas

I love Christmas, I love the lights and the colour and I especially love buying and wrapping presents. So I thought I'd share some of my favourite wrapping and decoration ideas.

1. Tissue paper - Tissue paper is amazing, there are so many colours and styles available, you can use it to wrap or to make bows, or you can shred it and add it to the bottom of a gift bag or box. I picked up some gold and red tissue paper from Card Factory, and the best thing is that if you don't use it all for Christmas you can always use it throughout the year for birthdays. Wrapping gifts in a mixture of tissue paper and wrapping paper makes gifts look really nice and quite unique.

2. Bows - Bows are great, and really add a little bit of sparkle to your gifts, they look especially great on parcels wrapped up in brown paper. I bought some large red and gold bows, as well as some teeny bows as well (these are super cute). Try wrapping a gift with gold tissue paper and adding a red bow (or vice versa) to make your presents look super festive.

3. Patterned wrapping paper - I do like to wrap gifts up with brown paper, they look very understated and simple, but I also love using fun paper as well. I bought three rolls this year, some red tartan print paper, some brown paper with stags on and some brown paper with little foil Christmas trees on. I like to use a mixture of patterned paper and plain brown paper to make the gifts look much more exciting.

4. Ribbon - I normally buy curling ribbon, but this year I bought this paper ribbon in black, white and brown, I think that using this with brown paper makes gifts look very rustic and home-made. I thought that this ribbon would work really well with the wrapping paper and tissue paper that I bought, and it looks a little bit more unique than curling ribbon.

5. Washi tape - I have a bit of an obsession with tape, it's so cheap and easy to use, and it can be used for literally anything. It comes in lots of different colours and you can use it to make gifts look extra special, or use it to make gift tags. Places like Amazon and Hobbycraft have lots of kinds of tape available. I keep all of my tapes in a big jar and they’re great not just for Christmas but all year round.

So that’s a few of my ideas on how to make your Christmas gifts look extra special, hopefully you have a few more ideas on how to decorate your gifts and make them very unique and personal!

Day 10 - What I've Learned This Year

So as another year draws to a close I decided to write a post about the things that I have learned this year.

1. 2015 has been a strange year, one which has gone very very quickly, but at times felt like it was dragging on. I turned 18 this year, and I suppose I expected a lot of things to change, I thought that starting University and leaving my old friends and the comfort of Sixth Form behind would feelstrange, but looking back it doesn't feel like much has changed. So that's one thing that I've learned, change happens slowly, but when you look back on your life you'll realise just how fast things have changed without you even realising it.

2. Another thing I've learned is that University is very hard, and nothing really prepared me for how difficult it would be. I don't regret going to University, but I do feel like I could have been more prepared for the change. The work is harder, the deadlines are much closer together and the teaching style is very very different in comparison to school and Sixth Form. Although it's difficult and involves a lot of hard work I feel like I'll meet some amazing people there.

3. I've also learned that regrets are pretty pointless, of course that doesn't stop us from regretting certain things, but regrets only hold us back and keep us clinging onto the past, preventing us from moving on and looking to the future. There are certainly things that I regret, but now I'm looking forward instead of behind me.

4. Family are everything, some families aren't perfect and probably never will be, but mine are always there for me when I need them. The thing is, sometimes it’s hard to make friends and sometimes the friends you do have won’t be there for you, or you may not be able to see them very often, and so family is so important. My mum especially is always there for me when I’m feeling down and I’m so thankful for that.

5. Another thing that I think is so important stems from a Fall Out Boy lyric ‘I don’t just want to be a footnote in someone else’s happiness’. To me, this means that you can’t cling onto relationships for the sake of saying you have. I don’t have a lot of friends, I’m not the most confident and sociable person but I’d rather be that way than be pushed aside by friends who aren’t interested in making a friendship work and by being put down by people who have a superiority complex. I don’t exist to spend my whole life caring more about other people than they care about me.

6. Being an adult isn’t as exciting as it seemed to be when I was younger. Everything becomes scarier and harder and much more intense, you don’t get to go home and play with your toys and just focus on the present, you have to prepare for the future and worry about money and finding a job and learning to drive and dealing with adult responsibilities that nobody ever told you about. It’s a whole new world, it’s harder to make and keep friends and you don’t have the security of childhood any more. But with adulthood comes a sense of freedom, you’re in control of your life, and as scary as that may seem it’s also somewhat comforting.

7. Crying is okay, and it doesn’t make you weak. Holding onto everything that is making you upset isn’t healthy, and sometimes you need to have a good cry, then you wipe your tears, make a cup of tea and get on with your day.

8. Music is so important, and listening to a band you love when you’re having a hard time is like coming home, putting on pyjamas and drinking a mug of tea, it feels right and really helps to calm you down. I love Parachute, and can’t imagine a time when I won’t, and they've definitely helped me through a lot of hard times. Whether you dance around your bedroom jamming out to your new favourite song or cry to all of your sad songs it doesn't matter, because the power of music is like nothing else.

9. Nobody’s perfect. Yeah, that’s such a cliché thing to say, but you only get to see edited versions of people every day, what they post on social media and how they present themselves to the world could be completely different to who they really are. People are insecure about everything, nobody lives a perfect life (although it may seem that way) and there’s nothing wrong with that. We can all be perfectly imperfect.

10. People won’t always like you, and that’s okay. “Confidence is not ‘they will like me’, confidence is ‘I will be fine if they don’t”.  Sometimes you have to stop trying to impress everyone that you meet, because for some people nothing you do will ever be good enough, they will knock you down and enjoy watching you fail, but you have to dust yourself off and get back up again, what’s important is those that do like you and who do care about you. Don’t try and change who you are to fit someone else’s expectations of you. Be the best version of you.

Day 9 - How I Do My Winged Eyeliner

Winged eyeliner can be a real pain sometimes, let’s be honest it’s a miracle if you can get it even on both eyes and then sometimes your hand slips and you get black everywhere and then you have to find your stash of makeup wipes and makeup remover to fix the problem and ugh. So much drama. But I still persevere, because I LOVE winged liner, I love the way it looks and how there are so many different options when it comes to eyeliner, and so I’m going to attempt to show you how I do my liner. I will admit, since I have bad eyesight I do sometimes find eyeliner a struggle, my sight in my right eye is considerably worse than my left eye and so sometimes I find it hard to see where I need to draw the line, so bear with me.

I do winged liner pretty much every day, and find the easiest way to do it is to use a felt pen style liquid liner, there are of course plenty of other eyeliner options (kohl, pencil, gel) and really it just depends on what kind of look you want to achieve and which product you would feel the most comfortable using. I like using a pen style liquid liner because I find it easier to grip and find that (if you do it right) you’re left with a very neat eyeliner look.

The first thing I like to do is pop on a base or some eyeshadow, I find that a background to your eyeliner can really make it stand out and make it last longer. I like to create a simple neutral smokey eye by using very natural eyeshadows. I create a light base, add a lighter brown to add some definition and then put a darker brown or shimmery colour in the crease.

Now you can obviously do your liner in whichever order you feel comfortable, but I’m strange and like to draw the wing before I draw the line because I find that if you do mess up you can then just wipe away the wing and not have to remove a lot of eyeliner. So first I take my eyeliner pen and draw a small, thin line on both eyes that wing out towards the end of my eyebrow (the length that you draw the line really depends on how you want your eyeliner to look).

Next I position my liner about ¼ of the way down from the top of the line and bring it back down to create the wing. Okay, I apologise, I’m terrible at describing things, you just need to create a triangular shape for your wing, and you’ll see what I mean from the photos. Just wing it (see what I did there?). Anyway, you then need to fill in the wing.

Now take the liner and starting at the edge of the wing (or wherever feels comfortable) line your eye, trying to make the line thinner near the inner corner of your eye and thicker near the wing. Then fill in any white gaps in your line.

Finally you can take some gel eyeliner or black eyeshadow on a small brush and use it to set your line in place. That’s it! You’re done! I’m aware that I made it sound simple when mastering winged eyeliner could very well have been one of the 12 labours of Hercules, but it really isn’t that hard to do, you just need to practise. I don’t have a lot of time to get ready in a morning and it really only takes me a couple of minutes to do both wings (that is if I don’t mess them up).

I hope that this has been at least partially helpful, and really doing winged liner is just about practice. I’m not brilliant at eyeliner, but I can do it the way that I like it and I don’t think it looks too bad. And if you mess your eyeliner up just remember, you can always use your newly drawn wings to fly away from your problems.

*I apologise for the poor quality photos in this post, it's surprisingly difficult to take pictures of your own eye when you aren't wearing glasses*

Day 8 - Real Techniques Brushes Vs Cheaper Alternative

So today I'm going to do a comparison between Real Techniques make up brushes and their much cheaper dupes that I got from Amazon.

Real Techniques are incredibly famous as a brand and there is a lot of hype surrounding these brushes, there are many different products in the range, but I'm going to be looking at the core collection. In the core set you get a buffing brush, a contour brush, a concealer brush and a small precision brush. Now I've been using these brushes for a few months now alongside the cheaper brushes that I bought on Amazon for a fraction of the price of Real Techniques brushes. These cheaper alternatives look the same, and feel the same, and if I'm honest they perform just as well. The cheaper brushes do seem more poorly put together, and the handle on one of my brushes has come loose, but this hasn't affected the performance at all.

On the face of it there seems to be very little difference between the Real Techniques brushes and their cheaper alternatives, and in terms of application I see very little difference. I do only have the four brushes that came with the RT core collection, whereas I have quite a few of the cheaper brushes, but comparing the two sets seems to lead me with very little difference between the two.

The buffing brushes especially are very similar, and I don't see any difference in the application of my foundation when I use the cheaper brush, and so this does beg the question of whether it's worth splashing out for genuine Real Techniques brushes. That being said, RT brushes aren't ridiculously expensive, and if you buy the brushes in a set then they are pretty affordable.

I have washed both my RT brushes and their cheaper alternative and I don't see much difference between the two, both sets of brushes washed well, dried well and feel the same. Although I haven't had my Real Techniques brushes for long I do expect them to last longer with them having higher quality bristles and much more sturdy handles.

To make things clearer I'm going to draw a table below to break things down for you:

Overall I think that there is very little difference between the two sets of brushes, because although the Real Techniques brushes feel a little bit sturdier, there isn’t really a difference in the performance of the brushes. They both get the job done and have lasted well so far, and so in that respect I think that it’s fair to say that either would be a good choice. If you’re looking for a set of brushes that are high quality and will last a long time then maybe go for the Real Techniques brushes, but if you’re just looking for an affordable brush set that will make applying your make up easier then go for the cheaper alternative. Hopefully this post has been helpful, and I hope that you can find some good quality make up brushes for you :) 

Day 7 - 50 Facts About Me

1.       I’m currently studying for a Geography degree at the University of Hull.

2.       I hate tomatoes.

3.       I have more candles than one person would ever need.

4.       I’ve written a lot of poems and a couple of them have been published, but I never got a copy of the book and can’t remember what they were.

5.       I love winter, but I don’t like being cold.

6.       I’m allergic to Kiwi fruit. I’m not sure if I still am but I don’t want to risk it.

7.       My favourite band is Parachute.

8.       My favourite Parachute song is White Dress.

9.       I used to have my own handmade jewellery business.

10.   I once won a photography competition about ‘what Africa means to me’ with a photo of a leaf shaped like Africa.

11.   I studied classical Civilisation at A-Level and it was really cool.

12.   My favourite colour is red.

13.   For years I would straighten my hair every single day to the point where it was practically falling out, I now embrace my natural hair and wear it curly.

14.   I have been to three concerts (I saw Train in 2013 and in 2015 and I saw Taylor Swift at the O2 in 2014) and I’d love to go to more.

15.   I currently have two cats named Tigger and Frodo, we adopted them (or rather they adopted us, they came into our house and refused to leave) a couple of years ago and they make my life much more interesting.

16.   I love tea, and have an entire cupboard dedicated to it. My favourite is Earl Grey.

17.   I don’t really drink a lot of alcohol (although I’ll occasionally have some cider) and the main reason is because I don’t like the way it tastes.

18.   I’ve worn glasses for about the last 7 years, and now I think that I look strange without them.

19.   My three year old cousin Harry is one of the best people in the world and he’s honestly my best friend.

20.   I own a lot of pens, and have a shelf full of them.

21.   I have a full wall of books in my bedroom.

22.   My favourite holiday destination is Cornwall, it makes me feel very calm and at home.

23.   I’ve lived in Hull my whole life, and I’m a true Yorkshire lass born and raised.

24.   I really hate fruit teas; they taste like hot Ribena and make me feel so sick.

25.   I once created a giant cardboard Queen Elizabeth for a history project in Year 8 (I won a bag of Revels for my efforts).

26.   I originally wanted to study history at University, realised I was terrible at it and then decided to do Geography.

27.   I got an A in A-Level Geography and that’s one of the things that I’m most proud of achieving.

28.   I’ve been to France, Holland, Belgium and Spain but I’d love to go to some more new places. I’d love to go to Germany, North America and also Scandinavia.

29.   I love getting up early as long as I don’t have to go to University.

30.   I’m currently taking driving lessons, and although I think I’m quite a good driver I’m also a very nervous driver as well.

31.   I drink water all the time, and very rarely drink fizzy drinks. For the whole of 2014 I didn’t drink a single fizzy drink as part of my New Year’s resolution.

32.   My wardrobe is arranged in rainbow order.

33.   I was bullied quite a lot throughout school.

34.   The only language that I can speak is English, I’d like to learn another language but I can never seem to pick them up very well. (I studied German at high school and forgot it as soon as I left).

35.   I secretly love it when it’s gloomy, grey and raining outside, it makes me feel calmer.

36.   I love lights; I have a lot of fairy lights in my room and plan to buy more.

37.   I’ve had my ears pierced three times but now only wear one stud in each ear due to the other piercings getting infected and closing up.

38.   I got hit by a car when I was 14 and have suffered with pain in my knee ever since.

39.   My handwriting changes depending on the mood that I’m in.

40.   I love Fall Out Boy, and my favourite FOB album is Folie a Deux. My favourite song from that album is Headfirst Slide Into Cooperstown On A Bad Bet.

41.   I only ever wear black jeans, and no other kinds of trousers.

42.   I love Dr Martens and they’re pretty much the only shoes that I ever wear.

43.   I have pretty bad asthma and I hate feeling like I can’t breathe.

44.   I didn’t start wearing makeup until I was 16.

45.   I love Soap & Glory and own more products that I will ever be able to use.

46.   I hoard lip balm and hand cream.

47.   I usually have just about everything in my handbag, and I tend to be prepared for most situations.

48.   I’m really interested in environmental geography, and trees excite me.

49.   I own a lot of socks and yet for some reason I still keep buying more.

50.   I’d love to buy a house just to decorate it all just how I would like it.

Day 6 - Top 10 Under £10

For this next blog post I’m going to talk about my top 10 beauty products under £10. There are so many great beauty products available from Boots and Superdrug that are not only great quality but are also super affordable and would be perfect in anybody’s make up bag. So here are my top 10 products:

1. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream – I really love this CC cream, and have been using it for most of this year, it provides a light coverage but is easily buildable and I find that it really helps to even out skin tone and make your complexion look healthier and more even without giving you a cakey look. The CC cream is very lightweight and is very easy to blend; it also smells really lovely and fresh. One issue with this product is, however, the shade range.  I am lucky because I have very fair skin, and so the shade Ivory is a pretty perfect match for me, however as far as I’m aware this product only comes in about four shades, and so if you have darker skin then this product probably won’t be great for you. However, this really is a lovely CC cream and it’s worth checking out, it provides you with a great base and is easy to use as well.

2. Next up is the Barry M Flawless Colour Correcting Primer. This is a relatively new discovery for me and I have to say that I do really like it. Some of the primers that I have used in the past have felt very thick and gel-like, and my foundation just didn’t sit quite right on top of them, but this primer is different. The primer smoothes out and gives you and even base on which to apply your foundation, and it also smells really nice. For the price I think this primer does the job and seems to make my foundation or CC cream last much longer, without feeling sticky or like it will clog my pores.

3. The next product is the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder, and although there isn’t really much to say about this product I do think that it is worth mentioning. Some powders can look very ‘powdery’ and don’t necessarily make your makeup last any longer. However, I find that this powder is very simple and sets your makeup without an issue, it doesn’t add any extra colour to your face and it’s very affordable to, and so if you’re looking for a simple setting powder then I’d recommend trying this one out.

4. Another one of my favourites is the Sleek blush in Rose Gold. This is honestly such a pretty blush, although it looks like a very bright pink it actually comes off as a very subtle rosy colour with hints of shimmer. The shimmer is not massively noticeable but does give your cheeks a nice glow. This blush is very pretty, and the packaging means that it’s also great for travel. These blushes are very affordable and come in a range of colours and I’d definitely recommend checking them out.

5. The Eyes Uncovered palettes by Collection have had a lot of hype surrounding them since they were released, and honestly I can see why. These eyeshadows are some of my most used (as you can tell from the fact that my palettes are slightly grubby and I’ve hit pan on some shadows) and they are so lovely both for simple eye looks and dramatic looks as well. These are very pigmented and buttery, and come in a range of neutral shades, in both matte and shimmer. There are three palettes available, the nude grey palette, the nude palette and the nude bronze palette and they are all great. These are also a great size as well, and they are definitely fantastic value for money.

 6. The Maybelline Colour tattoo in the shade On And On Bronze is one of my most used beauty products. These cream eyeshadows are fantastic as use either as a base or as an eyeshadow on their own, and when used as a base they really help your eyeshadow to last. As you can se
e I have used mine a LOT, and this colour is gorgeous, it’s a very neutral bronze shimmery shade which I think is very pretty. The formulation of these is also great, they are soft and very easy to blend, and I hope to get more shades in the future.

7. Another one of my most used products is the Makeup Revolution Flick and Thin liquid eyeliner. I love wearing winged liner and so this product is perfect for that. The thin end is great for creating a delicate cat flick, and the thicker end allows you to create a more dramatic look. These eyeliners last a pretty long time, are very pigmented and stay on the eyes well (although I do set my line with gel eyeliner as well) and best of all they are so affordable. Definitely a must buy for eyeliner lovers!

8. One of the first mascaras that I remember buying was this Natural Collection Waterguard mascara. These mascaras may not be the most amazing quality and may not give you absolutely incredible lashes, but for the price you cannot beat them for everyday use. They have a lot of different mascaras to choose from, but I really like this waterproof mascara because it stays on all day and enhances your natural lashes without looking clumpy. However, I will admit that I have naturally long eyelashes anyway and so simple mascaras like this work well for me, however if you have short eyelashes then you may want to try something that will give you more length, volume and definition. Although, this is £1.99, and for that price it’s worth a try anyway.

9. Now for even more eyeshadows, the W7 eyeshadow palettes are really great in terms of value for money and shade range. In my opinion they don't beat the quality of the Collection eyeshadows, but they do work well and last a pretty long time on the lid. These palettes are meant to be dupes for the Urban Decay Naked palettes, and although I have never tried the Urban Decay palettes the shade ranges do seem very similar, and so if you’re on a budget these may be worth buying. I have the In The Nude and In The Buff palettes, and although they are a little bit big to take if you’re travelling they are still a worthwhile purchase.

10. Finally I have the Revlon Colourburst crayons in the shades Sultry (a deep, but neutral pink) and Standout (a deep red). I really love lip crayons because I find them so easy to use and they’re great to just pop into your handbag for when you’re on the go. These balms are highly pigmented, and although they are matte they don’t dry out your lips. These also last on the lips for a really long time, and don’t leave you with a really awkward line of colour around your lips whilst the rest of the lipstick has disappeared. The only con for some people may be the scent, which is very minty and fresh; however I really love the scent of these. These are a real winner for me; they come in a range of formulations and colours and last a really long time.

So hopefully this post might have encouraged you to go out and try a few new beauty products, even if you are on a budget. Hope you’re all enjoying December so far!