Now, I don't normally keep resolutions... so I'm calling them goals to make them sound a little less terrifying! I've read quite a few posts from other bloggers about their aims for 2013 and I've seen folk setting themselves more than 30 goals for 2013. I'm a lazy bum, so no way will I make that many, so here are my goals for 2013:
1. Save up enough money to move back to Glasgow - I'm currently living in Fife (in Kirkcaldy, a town that is 63 miles east of Glasgow and roughly 2 decades behind the rest of humanity) with my boyfriend, but we both miss living in Glasgow, where the majority of our friends and family reside. Also, Kris has so few chances for full-time work up here so living in Glasgow would actually give both of us a chance at a career. For those reasons, we're saving up enough money to move into a flat back home. This is also one of the reasons behind my spending ban, which you can read about here.
2. Blog more. Essentially, I just need to schedule some time at least 3-4 times a week where I can sit and blog. I love writing for this, but sometimes when I'm working a lot I just don't have the blogging mojo. I'm going to be positive and try more! I'd also like to get to know some of my fellow bloggers a bit more. Everyone I've spoken to has been lovely and welcoming, and I want to keep chatting away and making new friends where possible. And maybe one day I'll get to a meet-up too, that'd be lovely!
3. Be healthier. There are a few goals under the heading of being healthier: Drink less alcohol (let's see how well I do with THAT one!), eat less junk foods and more veg, and exercise more. I keep putting my unhealthy eating and laziness down to working so much, but it really is just me being bone idle. I love long walks and swimming, so I'm going to do that more, and try to cut out eating so much junk. Hopefully losing some weight will be a happy by-product of this, but I'm more interested in being healthy and less of a boozer. I definitely need to stop drinking so much, I am so hungover right now it is painful. My healthy eating isn't going too well yet but that's because the hangover munchies have kicked in. Pass the bacon...
So those are my goals for 2013. I'm hoping that now it's typed up and on the internet I will stick to it, know what I mean? Feel free to share your goals for the year too!
And to sign off, here's a picture of my favourite grumpy cat, Tardar Sauce!
Good morning, and as I write this, it is now the first (sunny) morning of 2013, so Happy New Year! In my next post, I'm going to discuss my general resolutions/goals for the year, but I wanted to go into more detail on this one: I'm going on a 100 day spending ban. I'm not the only beauty blogger who's going for it, here are some other lovely ladies who are giving this a try too:
I've known for a while that I spend too much of my hard-earned cash on buying inordinate amounts of lipsticks, eyeshadows, foundations and so on. But I tried other ways of saving money and stopping myself first and they haven't worked, so it's cold turkey time (ooh some cold turkey wouldn't be so bad right now, got killer hangover munchies...)
(These are my piggie banks for saving up spare change , aren't they cute!)
My rules/guidelines are:
1. I can't buy any new make-up, skincare, body or haircare unless I run out of something I need and have no alternatives. For example, I only use one primer so if I run out I will rebuy it only if I've used it all and have no samples of primer lying around.
2. If I get the urge to buy anything, I have to talk to Kris (he's good at talking me out of it). And Kris can't buy me anything either.
3. I can't buy any new clothes, shoes, bags etc. unless it's really essential, such as new underwear, or new jeans for when I inevitably ruin my next pair (I'm not good with jeans for some reason...)
4. In general, I must stop and ask myself: "Do I need this?" before buying anything.
5. I can spend vouchers that are gifted to me.
6. All money saved will be going towards the moving fund (more on that in my resolutions/goals post.)
20th February should be about 50 days, and if I've counted properly, 11th April is 100 days? Correct me if I'm wrong on that one, I'm crap at counting. I will keep you updated on my progress throughout! As I said in the title, I intend to do this for at least 100 days, but if I do well, I will probably keep going. I need to save a lot of money this year so if this helps I'll keep trying it! Am I mad? Probably.
Let me know if you're also doing a spending ban, I'll link to any posts sent to me and we can all help cheer each other on. Best of luck for 2013 ladies!
As the year draws to a close, I'm going to jump on the blogging bandwagon and share the products I've loved in 2012. Hope you don't mind, but have a gander and see if you see anything you like!
SKINCARE
Clarins - Water Purify One-Step Cleanser. This is a relatively late entry into my favourites (only bought it at the weekend.) but already really enjoying using this. It has mint so it really freshens the skin as it removes make-up and cleanses.
Superdrug - Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot-Cloth Cleanser. I bought this to see if I could get along with a hot-cloth cleanser without paying out too much for either No.7 or Liz Earle. I never will now because I love this offering from Superdrug too much! My skin feels squeaky clean and I've noticed an improvement in my skin's clarity since I started using this.
Benefit - It's Potent Eye Cream. I got a sample of this a few months back, and have just received the full size at Christmas. This is the only eye-cream (bar Body Shop's Elderflower Eye Gel) that has made a difference to my eyes, and the Benefit is the only one to make a difference to my dark circles, which are sizeable. I'm very impressed with this.
Lush - Cupcake Face Mask. This is another product which has made such a big difference to my skin. This had significantly reduced the oiliness of my skin, and has made my skin look less blotchy too. Plus it's chocolate. This is always awesome!
MAKE-UP
No.7 - Summer of Dreams Bronzer. This was the bronzer that made me realise that even ivory beauties like me can pull off a little bronze. This is light and buildable enough that I never look like I've gone overboard.
Guerlain - Sun in the City Compact. I am so glad I paid for this on holiday. This is a highlighter, body shimmer, eyeshadow all rolled into one beautiful, pearly compact. I love using this, it's so pigmented and full of mother of pearl and the gold shade looks so luxurious. Love love love!
Max Factor - False Lash Effect Mascara - My favourite mascara. Ever. That's pretty much all I can say!
MUA - Lipstick in Shade 12. I love all the MUA lipsticks, but this shimmery pink is the perfect perk-up colour for me. It has the slightest hint of glitter to it, so it's good for day-time glamour.
Estelle and Thild - Raspberry Lip Balm. This has really helped with my chapped lips this year. It has lasted ages, has the lightest hint of raspberry and is very moisturising for the lips.
Chanel - Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Colour in L'Exuberante. This is my holy grail of lipsticks. Its rich colour, creamy texture and matte look means it is unlike any other lipstick I own. I always feel so classy and glamorous wearing it.
Benefit - Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation in Believe in Me Ivory. I thought, until I spoke to my local Bene-babe, that my skin was purely oily, and that I should only use matte bases. After seeing the difference this makes to my skin when I wear it, I wonder how I lived without this. I look glowy and healthy wearing this, and I've never had such a good skin tone match from any base I've ever used. Win!
Urban Decay - Smoked Palette. Another late entry to my top 12, as this was a Christmas present from my lovely boyfriend. So far I haven't used all the shades yet, but they all look divine, and the ones I have used shimmer and accentuate my eyes so well. It's hard to imagine life without this palette now!
So those are my favourites of 2012. I'd love to know your thoughts on my favourites, and what your favourites are too. Have a brilliant and successful 2013 when it arrives! :)
It's the end of the month, and now the end of 2012! It's been a busy month and I've actually managed to use up quite a few products, so I shall show you wha I've used up this month, and my thoughts on the product.
SKINCARE
Soap and Glory - The Fab Pore Facial Peel. I've had this particular face mask for quite a while and have now finally finished it. I like it, but I have other face masks to use up first so I'll wait before repurchasing.
Boots Botanics - Moisturising Deep Clean Foam. Another product I've been trying to use up, but not because I liked it. I never felt like this made any improvement to my skin so I wouldn't buy this again.
Body Shop - Seaweed Clarifying Toner. This is the only toner I've used, and I really love it. It feels tingly and refreshing on my skin and I will buy this time and again!
Clinique - All About Eyes cream. This was a sample, and I don't feel it made much difference to my dark circles. No thanks!
Bioeffect - EGF Serum. This was a sample from my Selfridges beauty box which I've finally finished. I did feel like my skin texture and radiance was improved, but this costs £125 for 15ml, so no way am I forking out for that!
Lancome - Genefique serum. I received a 5 day sample set from Kris' mum (she still gets sent beauty products and samples even though she stopped being a Debenhams beauty manager 2 years ago). I love this so much, but right now I can't justify spending around £50 on a serum.
Dior - Skin Boosting Super Serum. I got this sample months ago after buying a Dior foundation. I just used this for the sake of using it. I didn't notice much difference to my skin.
Benefit - Total Moisture Cream. I received this sample after buying Browzings. This is a really rich moisturiser, perfect in the winter months. I've already received a deluxe sample size in one of the sets I received for Christmas and I can't wait to use it!
HAIRCARE
Percy and Reed - Splendidly Silky Moisturising Conditioner. This is the deluxe sample that Glamour gave away months ago. I used this like a hair mask, leaving it in to deep-condition my hair. I loved the fresh blueberry smell this had, but I wouldn't repurchase. It's nice, but I just prefer other brands at the moment.
Dove - Colour Radiance Express Treatment Conditioner. I got this free with a magazine, and it worked nicely when I used temporary dye in my hair at Halloween, but I wouldn't repurchase this.
Aussie - Colour Mate Shampoo. I bought this on offer a few months ago, mainly to use whilst I'd dyed my hair. I love Aussie, but I wouldn't repurchase, purely because I don't need to use colour shampoo.
VO5 - Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo. I liked using this, it had a lovely fresh, slightly flowery scent and left very little residue in my hair. I would repurchase this when my current Batiste can runs out :)
MAKE-UP
Dr Jart - Premium Beauty Balm. I received this sample from Dr Jart's Facebook page after they started giving away samples. This was a little too dark for me, but it did work well. I would buy this is I could afford it.
BODYCARE
Rituals - Wai Lang Exfoliating Body Scrub. I got this sample from the Rituals store. I actually used this as a face scrub, and I loved it. Very scrubby, made my skin feel and smell lovely. I've already received more of this in the Rituals set I got for Christmas, so looking forward to scrubbing up with it!
Ren - Rose Otto Body Wash. This came in my Selfridges Lucky Bag, and it was one of the highlights of the bag. It smelled beautifully of roses, and I love a good rose scent. I would like this again, but I don't know if I would pay £17 just for a shower gel.
So that's all the loveliness I've used up this month :) what products have you used this month? Anything you loved?
(DISCLAIMER: This will be a picture-heavy post. So... enjoy the pics :P)
Ho ho ho! Hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas with their families and friends, I know I certainly did (paying for it now though, my heaaaaad...). Sorry for the distinct absence of blogging from me, I was working pretty continuously in the run-up to Christmas, finishing at 4pm on Christmas Eve before doing a mad dash to Glasgow by bus. But once I arrived at Kris' mum's, drinks were poured,work was forgotten and I had a lovely 2/3 days at home with our families and friends!
The tree at Kris' mum's. Wow! And now the tree at my mum and dad's...
Niice! I love their fibre optic tree, it used to belong to my gran, so it's kinda like a family heirloom in some ways... and yes that is a bottle of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey peeping out from under the tree :P
Now for the fun part: the presents! I shall preface this by saying I was unbelievably spoiled by pretty much everyone this year. I received so many beautiful and thoughtful gifts I think I would crash this post by trying to include everything! So since I'm trying to be a good beauty blogger, I'll show you all the lovely beuaty related presents I received. First up, my boyfriend Kris wins major man points for getting me...
Two amazing Benefit sets: Passport to Posh eye kit, and Let There be Bright Face Kit and the fabled UD Smoked Palette! I must confess: I squeed opening these. Like the world's biggest child. But if you can't do that on Christmas Day then when can you? I can't wait to share all these goodies with you guys!
Next up, we have...
The Stila All is Bright Lip Glaze set! My friend and fellow blogger Claire gifted me these and they look awesome! So excited to try these on :)
My Auntie Margaret and Uncle Raymond gave me the most beautiful Rituals Shower set! I believe it is called Time Out and it contains a shower foam, body scrub, shampoo and body cream. I do love a good shower, so I will be trying these out soon methinks...
Another person who knows I love a good shower pamper is my little brother (having lived with me for nearly 20 years, he knows I take a day and an age in the bathroom.). He gave me the Soap and Glory Bubbletime set, which comes with the cutest retro alarm clock. I'm hoping Kris will let me use it instead of using our phone alarms...
Finally, from my parents... I wasn't too sure of this at first, because I
thought it was going to be more hassle than it was worth, but my mum
and dad gave me a gorgeous black quilted cosmetics case!
The idea behind this was that my mum and dad know I always bring a ridiculous amount of make-up and skin-care with me whenever we stay with them in Glasgow. So they decided that if I had a case of make-up there, I wouldn't need to bring so much every time! At first I panicked and thought: "Oh no, I don't want to choose what stays and what goes!", but having gone through my make-up, I realised I was being an idiot (It's not like me that. Honest...), and that it was a brilliant idea.
This isn't even everything. I also received some lovely nail polishes and make-up bag from my friends Sara and Fraser, Kris' mum gave me an Avon eye-palette and blush, Kris' little brother gave me a Bev Ridge hand care set (which smells AMAZING and comes in the nicest tin, which I plan to re-use as a lunch box.). I got loads of awesome presents in general, so if people would be interested in seeing some of my non-beauty related gifts I received, feel free to tell me :)
In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your Christmas holidays, and have a fabulous New Year and 2013 when it arrives!
Normally, I post a lot about beauty and make-up, but today I want to talk about something different.
You would have to be living under a rock not to have heard about the atrocious mass killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conneticut, committed by a lone gunman, whose name has been widely publicised but I refuse to name him here (Knowing his name, and not the names of the 20 innocent children and 6 adults he killed, portrays him as a name worth knowing, which I think we can agree, he isn't). There has been 24-hour coverage on many news networks all over the world, keeping us abreast of developments in this case, and most networks are doing well to report as factually as they can, trying to filter out the majority of the unsubstantiated claims, rumours and hearsay that inevitably arises when awful acts of violence such as this occur.
However, CNN, on Piers Morgan's show, decided to report on the shooter's background and possible mental state leading up to and during the shootings. During the show, they decided to discuss unsubstantiated reports that the shooter may have had autism or Asperger's Syndrome. I would like to stress that the only evidence they had for this was statements from family members who said they thought this man may have had autism; there was no mention of any formal diagnosis being made by a medical professional, and no firm evidence at all. Piers Morgan, being the sensationalist that he is, decided to run with this angle on the story however, bringing in a medical "expert" who claimed:
"...a symptom of autism [is that] something’s missing in the brain, a
capacity for empathy, for social connection, which leaves the person
suffering from this condition prone to serious depression and anxiety.”
Some of you may know that I work for an autism charity, and my job involves supporting adults living with autism and ASDs in the community and in their homes. I might not be a medical professional, but I can tell you that from my experience in working with autism, this doctor is talking absolute nonsense. Yes, people with autism suffer from anxieties, but they do have a capacity for empathy and the capacity for social interactions and connections with other people. As for "...having something missing in the brain...", that's simply not known yet. Autism is a life-long, developmental condition that affects people's sensory perception, their ability to socialise (through the fact they need support to recognise social cues and conventions), and their ability to think flexibly (e.g. understanding routines, changes to these routines, dealing with unpredictable circumstances etc.). No-one knows definitively yet what cause autism, so for this doctor to reduce autism to "something being missing in the brain" effectively belittles the condition and stigmatises its suffer by portraying them as being mentally deficient.
People with autism are not mentally deficient. Piers Morgan is currently tweeting to anyone who will listen that the shooter was mentally ill. Autism is not an illness; illness implies deficiency, people with autism are, again, not mentally deficient, but are people who are capable of so much. The reason I am so angry at Piers Morgan in particular is that although (as far as I am aware) did not say anything directly about autism, he let someone else make sweeping generalisations without actually checking anything this "expert" was saying was even true. Each person with autism is completely unique, their autism is completely different to someone else's autism so to make a comment like that is completely unfair to people with autism. By letting this happen, Piers Morgan is standing by and leaving the autism community completely open to stigma, abuse and ill-informed bias. I imagine people with autism would also feel completely insulted and marginalised by being described as 'being ill' or as 'suffering from autism.'
The other reason I feel that Piers Morgan is culpable here is that another part of my job is promoting awareness and understanding of autism and ASDs. Again, by standing by and giving an unsubstantiated rumour air time on a world stage, without even bothering to check if this was true or having any real proof, is completely negating the job that myself (and other people like me) are trying to do in promoting a better knowledge of autism and ASDs. It is staggering how ignorant people are when it comes to ASDs, and Piers Morgan is making it even worse by making these assumptions about the shooter. The last thing we need is people assuming that the shooter definitely had a form of autism, and that all people with autism are inherently violent. They are not. People with autism can become anxious for many different reasons, and for some, their anxieties can lead to aggression, verbally and sometimes physically. However, for this doctor to imply that all people with autism are capable of this level of violence is completely idiotic. Allowing this doctor air time is also completely idiotic, Piers.
What I would love to happen, would be for Piers Morgan to actually research autism (and evidence his research by doing an informative piece on autism), to admit it was wrong of him to allow this doctor to make so many sweeping generalisations about autism and ASDs, and I would like him to actually show us some evidence that the man who committed this awful crime had a form of autism. However, I suspect that Piers Morgan doesn't really care much, and will continue his coverage, without realising the uspet and hurt he is (ironically) causing for those with autism.
This is just my opinion, based on my experiences working with people who have autism or ASDs. Feel free to agree, disagree or comment at will :)
There seems to be a pattern forming... every time I go home to Glasgow
for a weekend, I end up picking up loads of make-up and beauty items!
Well, technically this time some of it was online shopping that happened
to arrive while I was away, but still, I've accumulated loads more
stuff in a short space of time!
First up, I had placed a Body
Shop order recently. They were offering £20 off if you spent £40, plus
free shipping over £30, so I stocked up on some skincare (with a few
Christmas presents for others thrown in!)
From L-R we have: Seaweed Clarifying Toner (in both 30ml and 200ml sizes). I buy both sizes so that I can travel with one instead of lugging a bigger bottle around.
Seaweed Pore Cleansing Facial Exfoliator - I'm in need of a new facial scrub, so I thought I'd try this. It seems to have had many positive reviews, so fingers crossed! Elderflower Cooling Eye-Gel - I'm always hunting for something to reduce the dark circles and bags underneath my eyes, so time will tell if this will work. I'm keeping it in the fridge too to see if this enhances the cooling properties! Vitamin E Moisture Cream (15ml) - I needed a travel moisturiser, so thought I would try the much Vitamin E range.
Next up, I made an order from MUA whilst everything was on 3 for 2, so that I could pick up some gifts for my friends...and a few for myself too! (I'm so cheeky haha!)
From my online order, I picked up: Intense Kisses Lip Gloss in Stolen Kisses (a plummy deep pink/purple), Mystical Glitter Nails in Seahorse (A green/gold glitter, it's lasting very well on my nails at the moment), and the much-lauded Undressed palette is also now in my possession! Looking forward to trying it out :)
Lastly, whilst I was out with my friend Lisa, I visited Superdrug, and we all know what happens next...
Barry M had an offer where if you spent £6 you received a free nail polish, and can I resist? Can I fuck! I bought Dazzle Dust in Mushroom (The most beautiful shimmering taupe shade), Nail Paint in gold glitter and a free Nail Paint in... It doesn't appear to have a shade name, my bottle just says "Superdrug Xmas" so this might be a limited edition offer from Superdrug. However, this is a lovely turquoise shade, with gold and silver shimmer through it, a very fine glitter almost. It looks like a middle ground between Barry M's foil effect polishes and their Glitter polishes. It's gorgeous anyway!
Lastly, from MUA I bought an eyeshadow trio in Innocence, Lip Pencil in Brooding Plum (it pulls more red than plum, but still a lovely shade.) and Mega Volume Mascara in Brown/Black. Because I also spent £6 on MUA, I received a free Artiste Palette, which I gave to Lisa since I already own said palette.
So that's my haul! What have you been buying yourself lately? Are you prone to treating yourself at Christmas while you buy presents for others (like me)?!
