100th POST! & A Massive Change

As you can already tell, this is my 100th post.  I am very happy with my blog this far, however I have decided to make some changes around here. When I started my blog I knew I wanted to be a secret blogger, a mystery if you will.  Over the months I have realised that I put a lot of my time into writing, taking photos and editing everything together, and I no longer wish to keep it as a naughty secret.

I didn't realise how much of a diary this blog could be to me and I want to write more life related posts. I believe this change will benefit the reader too as products will now be shown on the face and less will be left to the imagination.  An easier read on a Sunday afternoon I think.

I'm also very grateful for your support and comments over the last 99 posts. The change may be confusing at first but hopefully everything should run smoothly (and no stage fright from me).

I have final exams for university coming up so the change will happen after I have finished.  I am hoping to have a revamp as well so lots of changes to come, from someone who hates change this is quite a scary task.

Thank you again and please let me know if you notice a blimp along the way.

Study Tips

1. Be organised, even if it takes you a day to sort out folders, do it!  You’ll be grateful at 2oclock in the morning when you can easily find seminar answers.  

2. Make a ‘to do’ list. A realistic one! I always think I can revise a whole module in two days, turns out I can’t.  Remember to stick to it.  Time management is key to make sure you are able to completely everything you wish to.

3. Know how best you revise. Some people have to sit in silence, that’s fine, lock yourself away if it helps.  I like a bit of background music but I have to have a pre-made playlist or else I spend 5 hours just flicking through old 90s hits.

4. Take breaks! This is so important; your brain can only take in information in small doses.  Work for 20 minutes then actually get up and move around.  Fresh air is always good, whatever the time of day or night.

5. Keep hydrated and don’t let yourself get too hungry.

6. Find a place that is comfortable and with good lighting.  Not to comfortable, like a bed or sofa, we’ve all just had a quick lie down and ended up having a 2 hour nap.

7. Understand the material and not just memorise it.  This may work for a short class test but in a 2 hour exam your short term memory won’t remember everything.

8. Try and keep calm.  People that panic never do as well. So relax and you should be more efficient.

9. Have some me time or spend time with friends.  I wouldn't recommend this if you have left everything to literally the last minute, then you've had too much me time.  Basically, don't let it completely take over your life, see friends and take your mind off of exams and essays.

Good luck to anyone taking exams.

Products I Regret Buying #2

Oh it's that time again, I'm lowering the tone. Sozza! I normally read a lot of reviews before I buy products but sometimes a product might not work for me or the impulsive, crazy shopaholic gets the better of me and completely disregard reading reviews.

Please remember these products did not work for me but that's not saying that they won't work for anyone.  Do not take offence if I have included one of your favourite products.  Likewise, I may have been taken in by the hype of a product and been disappointed. 

Warning this post is quite photo heavy!

Boots and Superdrug Own Nose Strips

Everyone gets the odd blackhead on the nose and the easiest way to remove them are normally to use nose strips.  But these don't actually remove any dirt at all.  They make no difference, but I can't work out why.  They stick on the nose perfectly well and don't fall off. So it much be the actual formula that doesn't do anything.

Maybelline Fit Me Blush

I bought this out in America when I went to New York and thought I would love it as I really like the Fit Me Foundation. This may just be this particular shade but there is no pigmentation at all. In the pan this looks like a lovely everyday shade but I cannot get anything from it.  To get a swatch I rubbed the blusher on my arm for a good 2 minutes and the picture below shows the result.

Soap & Glory - Thick & Fast Mascara

I bought this mascara in a Christmas set this year so I didn't pay full price for this, and I would not recommend anyone to do so.  The brush is too big and the formula is really wet, so both factors combined means I get this mascara everywhere.  I have small eyes so for me it is more trouble than its worth to apply this in the morning.  I also find it transfers really quickly so I get panda eyes within a few hours.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid

I have a love-hate relationship with this foundation.  I love how long lasting it is, I know if I want my makeup to stay put all night I should go to this foundation.  But that's all for the 'love' part.  I hate that this is sooooo yellow and therefore doesn't actually match me. (I could do a whole post ranting about how MAC do their warm and cool tones backwards as well.)  I don't like how thick the consistency is, combined with the smell it is literally like putting paint on your face. I could go on, so let me know if you would like a full review on this, I promise it won't be a complete rant though.

ELF Bronzer

For £1 I can bare this not being a good product, so this is a more of a 'not repurchase' sort of product.  The colour is too dark almost mud like.  I love a strong contour so normally it wouldn't be a problem for me but it is so hard to blend this out.  I have tried to use this various ways, but I always end up with a mud-like strip down my face.  I hate it but let me know if you have found a trick to how to use this.

Simple Eye Makeup Corrector Pen

I thought this would be a life saver for me and those little bloopers that I do sometimes when applying my eye makeup.  Oh no, this just smudges the nice areas or does completely nothing. After only 2 or 3 uses the nib is flatter and started to come away so is not as precise as it first was.  Shame because I like their makeup remover.

ELF Eyebrow Lifter and Filler

I really liked the idea of this and I think Benefit have a product similar to this so I thought I was getting a bit of a bargain.  The highlight side of this is really good and don't have any major complains.  My issue is with the filler section of this product, I didn't realise this was a wax.  Probably my fault it might say it on the website.  I don't like wax for my eyebrows I much prefer a pencil or powder.  Secondly, the barrel is really thick, so unless you have really bushy brows the wax can go everywhere. The swatch below is one straight line, so it is nicely pigmented but as just not what I expected.  I do like how there is a sharper than is attached to the lid, always handy.

2true Lip and Cheek Tints

These are just a bit of a nightmare to apply and get the right look. I don't like them on the lips at all, they have a horrible scent which would be horrible to accidentally lick and also I found them really drying on the lips. 

Cheek wise you have to be really careful where you place the liquid which for the darker shade is really runny.  Swatched below the light pink on the left blends out to nothing really.  The pigmentation completely goes. Whereas the darker shade on the right does have pigmentation but the product ran down my arm and set. If this was my cheek I wouldn't have any control of where the colour was going.  

Sorry this ended up being a longer post than anticipated. If you would like to see other products that I regret buying, have a peek at my first regret post here. It's not as long I promise.

Makeup to Go - Popping Down the Shops

As a self-confessed makeup lover, I use any excuse to get my makeup brushes out.  I know a lot of people won't be seen dead outside of their home without any makeup on.  I don't think I've reached that category, yet.  But sometimes I do still apply a bit even if I am only popping down Tesco or up to uni for an hour.  

I wouldn't bother with the primer as I don't need this to last all day, so quick and easy so I don't look like I've just got out of bed.  

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - I love this foundation, it matches my skin tone the best out of all my foundations.  It makes me look awake and my skin glowing.  

ELF Stick Concealer - I'm not a massive fan of this concealer, or stick concealers in general, but it does give full coverage. Perfect for any redness or spots that need to be removed quickly.

Sleek Face Contour Kit - I wouldn't go to town on the contour, I'd get a big fluffy brush and bronze my face where the sun would hit me or just under the cheek bones to shape my face.

Natural Collection Blush - These are lovely little things, full review here.  They don't last long but are perfect for adding a flush of colour.

HD Brow Kit - I use this everyday, depending on the situation I would go for a lighter shade for day time but mix that with a shade darker for an evening brow.

Maybelline One by One Mascara - I still haven't made my mind up about this mascara.  It's the one I am using at the moment but find it does give me panda eyes after a few hours.

If you would like to see what I apply when I am in a rush, take a peek at my Makeup to Go - Work/College post.

L'Oreal Base Primers - Lumi Magique and Anti-Redness

I have been getting into primers recently, but not just any primers, ones that help illuminate the skin or correct pigmentation.  Both of these I use under my foundation but can be used in other ways.  I would just like to add for me neither of these make my makeup last any longer like a regular primer would so I think of them more as base products rather than primers.

I really like the packaging.  I think these are good for travel as they aren't bulky and I love that they each have a pump.  Not messy and you don't have to try and put product back into the bottle because you've poured too much out.  I particularly like the Lumi Magique packaging colours as I like a bit of rose gold.

As you can see the primers spread so easily and only a little bit is needed to cover the entire face.  Both are lightweight so you can barely feel them on the skin and they don't leave a greasy residue.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique

I use this is various ways, under my foundation, on top of foundation on my cheek bones like a normal highlighter and mixed in with matte foundations to add some glow.

I find my skin looks radiant after using this product and haven't found that I get flashback on photograph or anything.  It can be a bit runny so I shake mine to make sure it is all mixed together before I pump any onto my hand.

L'Oreal Studio Secrets No.2 Anti-Redness

The other primer in this collection is the anti-shine mattifying No.1 that is in a white bottle.  I only tend to get red patches so I use this to correct areas around my nose or cheeks before applying my foundation. I find that I use less foundation and concealer when using this product and so find my makeup looks more natural as it doesn't look as heavy.  I don't use this every time I do my makeup as I do forget about it. 

Each primer retails for around £10 for 20ml which I think is really good as they will last a very long time.  Neither I think are essential products but if you are looking for something like this I would definitely say for you to pop into Boots/Superdrug and check out the L'Oreal stand. When I bought the illuminating primer the girl at the counter applied some to my hand so I could see the difference it made.

Topshop Lips - Secret Admirer

Topshop makeup has become quite popular and though I haven't tried out everything in the range I have dabbled in their lipsticks, now owning three: Brighton Rock, Innocent and the newest addition to my collection Secret Admirer. For some reason I cannot find it on the Topshop website but they retail for £8 each and come in a variety of shades.

I decided to go for a light pink shade, and at first I did have to play around with it.  Even though these lipsticks do have a creamy texture they can show any dry flaky bits or cracks on the lips.  To stop this from happening I apply some Vaseline underneath and problem solved.  Without anything underneath I find these to be quite long lasting lipsticks so lovely for an evening out.

I've seen a lot of reviews saying how everyone loves the packaging, to be honest I'm not a massive fan.  There's a lot worse, but it's nothing to write home about.  If anything I find the plastic is quite thin.  However, I like how the lipsticks come in a box, unlike drugstore brands that don't have any exterior packaging.  Gives it a little bit of a luxury feel.

The finish of this shade, and all the others I have tried, is matte.  I'm becoming more a fan of the sheer, more moisturised look so as I said I apply a lip balm beforehand so the colour is not as opaque.  If you like matte lipsticks you'll like the Topshop ones.

Swatched, Secret Admirer looks like a Barbie pink, but once applied on my lips it actually finishes to slightly darker than expected.  I think this is a shade that varies with the pigmentation of the lips that it is applied to.  So I would recommend you try this on before buying it, because it could look amazing on your friend but look completely different on your own lips.

Overall I think this is an ok lipstick, I don't know if I think they are worth £8 but as a student I get a cheeky 10% off which isn't a lot but hey, a little goes a long way.

Makeup to Go - Work/College Face

This post is about quick makeup, what I literally throw on my face when I'm in a rush.

Basically I'm waking up when I should already be at work/school and panic sets in.

I am also trying to get my makeup looking as best as I can and as long lasting as possible as this is what I do for when I have a long day ahead of me.

There is quite a lot of products here but it takes me 3 to 5 minutes to apply all of them depending on what coverage I want that day.

Foundation - I've chosen this foundation purely on the shade as I have been fake tanning recently. If I'm in a rush I would pick up the foundation that I knew would match my skin tone the best as I don't have extra time to blend it out perfectly and don't want the tell tell line on my neck. If all my foundations matched me perfectly I would pick the one which was the longest lasting.

Concealer - Always got to make time to cover up any nasty spots and highlight under the eye area.  I personally like to spend more time on my base than anything else so if I'm lucky enough to have a good skin day, this whole routine would be done really quickly.

Powder - I normally like to use a primer to help my makeup stay put rather than powders.  They can take time though, especially if like me, you wait 5 minutes for it to be completely sinked into the skin before applying anything on top.  Powder is definitely a quick alternative and you can just top up throughout the day.

Eyes - I quickly fill in my brows.  Nowadays I can't leave the house without my brows filled in, even if its only slightly.  I think this makes such a big difference to my face.  Mascara will always be my enemy, I know it doesn't last more than 10 minutes before my lashes are weighed down so I would apply this as quickly as possible.

Cheeks - I take a big fluffy face brush and bronze with my Laguna Bronzer where a contour would normally be.  I would then take a long lasting blush and apply that to the tops of my cheek bones.

Lips - I have dry cracked lips so I would choose something that is moisturising and isn't going to show my lips for what they are.  I love these 17 lipsticks, but a tinted balm would also work in a rush.

So that is my face when I am in a rush, and trust me it happens all the time. There is going to be a few more posts with this theme so let me know if you liked this idea.

Empites

My first ever Empties post! Yay I am finally learning how to completely finish a product before moving on to another one.  I am doing project 10 pan so I hopefully should be finishing up some of those products throughout the coming months but surprising I have also finished off some other things. 

Empties posts are one of my favourite posts because you get to see what products people would actually repurchase and possibly the reasons why they wouldn't. 

Soap and Glory - Foam Call Body Wash

I love Soap & Glory bath and body products, not only for the cute packaging but the product inside is always good quality and smells amazing.  

500ml of product lasts so long especially when the bottle comes with a pump so you never squirt out too much.  It leaves my skin feeling moisturised which is an added bonus.  There are a few more scents that I want to try before saying I would repurchase this exact one again but I definitely want more of the Soap and Glory shower gels in my life.

Neutrogena - Visibly Clear 2 in 1 Wash and Mask

Firstly I just want to point out the packaging has been changed slightly from my one shown, but I believe the formula has been kept the same.  This actually took me a long time to use up because I didn't like it at all.  This was a cult product a few years back and I didn't try it out, but then one day I saw it on offer to decided to give it a try.  As I said I really did not get on with this product, it left my skin dry and very taut.  I really didn't think it did anything to combat spots either.  I do have dry skin so let me know you're thoughts if you also have dry skin.

The Body Shop - Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Gel

The product I have linked is not the exact same makeup remover that I am talking about, as this one was discontinued, but it is similar.

Me and my mum always used to use this and I have been holding on to the last of this bottle for too long.  This used to be the only thing that could remove my eye makeup without irritating my eyes. I now use Cetaphil and it does an amazing job.

L'Oreal - Extra Volume Collagene Mascara

I liked this mascara it really boosted my lashes with volume, though as it started drying it did become quite clumpy. I liked the big wand which was a bit of a funny shape (it was thinner in the middle than at the ends) and really liked how it applied. L'Oreal mascaras are getting to be pricey nowadays and though I did like it I think there may be something better for cheaper out there, somewhere.

Collection 2000 - Big Fake Mascara

This was another popular product a while ago and again I waited to try it out.  I really liked to use this mascara on top of a lengthening mascara.  It doesn't quite do enough on its own but for the price it did add a good enough amount of volume.  The let down for me was that it dried out very quickly, if you like to throw away your mascaras every few months then this wouldn't bother you but I'm naughty and throw mine away when they have run out.

Impulse - True Love Body Spray

Another product that has had a makeover so the new bottle doesn't have the same design as this one. Nevertheless, I used to love Impulse sprays, I actually used to collect them and think I have possibly owned every single one.  Hence why they are in my project pan, for some reason I am addicted to them.  They all smell quite sweet and girly, I have a few that came with limited edition Barry M glosses as well so yeah big fan over here.  I probably now wouldn't repurchase all of them but there are one or two scents that I could have in my handbag.  Yes I know I am 21 and not 12.

Boots - Nail Varnish Remover Pads

I always have a pot of these lying around, I think for £1.50 these are so good.  They are acetone free and leave the nails nourished.  They do a pretty good job of removing nail varnish too. What more would you want?

Boots - Double Faced Oval Pads

A really boring item to talk about, but I only realised how good these pads were after using the Superdrug version.  Superdrug doesn't have anything on these bad boys. The two sides each have a different surfaces so one side can be used to help remove makeup while the other side is nice to apply a toner with.  They don't full apart and cotton goes everywhere, these are also slightly bigger than the normal cotton pads so they get the job done quicker.  When I run out of the Superdrug ones I am definitely going back to using these ones.

March Favourites

I know I do say this every month but really, where are the months going?  We are already in April!  That's Craaaazy!  Also, I got snowed on this morning, yes, snow, April.  Craziness all around!

This month I don't really have a lot of makeup products to show you.  Looking at the products now, they're all a bit random really. I have also still been loving a few things from last month, which I won't show you.

Makeup Brushes - Real Techniques Expert Face Brush, which everyone and their mother has heard so much about. My only Real Techniques Brush, even though I didn't have the same first impression as everyone else, I love the finish I get with this brush. See a full review here.

ELF Small Stipple Brush, I love this for liquid/cream highlight along my cheek bone. Applies beautifully without moving any product that is already on the skin like foundation.

No7 Blend and Contour Brush, I have two of these and I really like them. Makes doing a smokey eye so much quicker and easier.

Cetaphil Cleanser - I have used this massive bottle as my everyday makeup remover for what seems like years. It is so gentle and doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes at all, something that I have always struggled with. 

Rituals Hand Cream - I did a full review on this not so long ago, which is probably why I'm still loving it. The scent is gorgeous and this cream always leaves my hands feeling nice and moisturised without the horrible residue of some hand creams.

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - I know you all probably use this too but I have to include it.  I use this for any blemishes or nasties that appear on my face and it covers them completely. I don't get on with this as an undereye concealer as it is too thick for me and settles in the lines under there. Amazing full coverage though.

Bourjois Health Mix Foundation - I have used this for a few years and I still love it.  I'm lucky because I can always find a shade that completely matches my skin tone which is one of the things people complain about with highstreet foundations. I am going to do a review on this soon so keep an eye out for it if you would like to see that.

Enrapture Extremity Heated Rollers - These were quite big in bloggersphere a while ago and I can see why. I snapped these up back in November when they were on sale for something silly like £30. I definitely do not regret a penny and would pay full price any day. I always get compliments when I have used these rollers.

What were you loving in March?