Merry Christmas Everyone!


I know it's Christmas Day and you may be starting your third glass of champagne by the time you're reading this, but I just wanted to write a quick post to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Whether you've had an amazing year, or one filled with a few ups and downs, the festive period is a great chance to put your feet up, watch crap TV, chill out with your nearest and dearest, and stuff your face with all the food you can get your hands on. Take this time to recharge your batteries ahead of what I'm sure will be a wonderful 2016 for you all.

Thank you so much for all your support this year, I really do appreciate it! Enjoy the next couple of days (whether it's time off work or school)...let's make 2016 an awesome year. I will leave you with a cute, festive snap of Finlay!







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Are Blending Sponges Really The Best Thing In Beauty?


If you ever watch any beauty tutorials online, you'll notice that almost every guru uses the infamous beauty blender sponge to apply their foundation, concealer and contouring make-up. The little egg-shaped miracle tool is supposed to change the way you apply your base forever, with many beauty brands bringing out their own version of the cult product. Dampen with a bit of water to see the tool expand and simply blend in the roughly applied foundation using lots of small dabbing motions and you are supposedly left with the most flawless-looking skin known to man. While there sure is plenty of hype around the product and blending technique, is it really worth dabbling in this new form of make-up application?




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The Best Things About The Festive Season


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....Trees are going up, Christmas lights are being turned on and towns are filled with people scuttling about trying to complete the mammoth task of gift shopping. Whether you've started preparing for the festive holiday or not, you have to agree that Christmas has now become impossible to avoid (even if it is just a bit of Mariah Carey playing when you walk into your supermarket). I personally love Christmas-time; it's certainly the happiest time of the year and I just adore all the novelty goods dotted around in homes and shops. To give us a kickstart in getting excited for the 25th December, I've compiled a short list of things I love about this time of the year.





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Make-Up Tips & Products For Sparse Or No Eyelashes


If you suffer from hair loss, you will understand that it can sometimes overwhelm your life. Something that you have no control over, even if it is 'just hair', can have a huge affect on your physical appearance and your emotional state of being. Having trichotillomania and pulling my eyelashes out since I was 3 years old has taught me that hair is actually so important to me, and as a result, my appearance has been a meticulously thought-out operation for the sake of resisting judgement from the outside world. I never knew eyelashes would become such a focal point in my life, but experiencing hair loss has taught me ways to deal with not having lashes, and how to cover up these gaps. These tips and tricks will also apply to anyone who has sparse or stubby lashes (as well as none whatsoever), as I share with you my favourite products to boost growth or give the illusion of fuller lashes.




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Little Ondine: The Magical No-Fumes, Peel-Off Nail Varnish (That's Cruelty-Free Too!)


Innovation is one of the most exciting things in the world of beauty. It's those moments when something is created and you think, 'why did nobody do that before?!'. My love for nail varnish has been a fraught one. When I lived in my parent's home, I adored painting my nails and trying out all forms of spangly nail art- it was a bit of creative 'me time'. However, it used to drive my Dad (an ex-paint sprayer) absolutely mad- the strong, nail varnish fumes gave him a headache and I was banished outdoors to decorate my talons. The smell of nail varnish is a bit like marmite; some don't mind it, others can't stand it. So, it's strange to think nothing had been done about this fumy scent...until Little Ondine came about.



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Merumaya: The Skincare Trio That's Upped My Face Game


If you've read any of my previous skincare posts, you'll find that my face is very temperamental. Any slight change in stress levels or weather and my skin flares up with dryness, making me look like a flaky, scaly lizard-girl. No matter how much I moisturise, exfoliate and prime, my make-up just never sits right, and you can still see the dryness seeping through from underneath. As we're heading into colder months now, I thought I would change up my skincare routine in an attempt to get one step ahead of the dryness. This Merumaya trio have been perfect in taming my dry skin so far, and the combination of cleansing balm, serum and moisturiser have just been dreamy to use.




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Lush R&B Hair Moisturiser: The Product You Didn't Know You Needed This Winter


It's that time of the year where every part of the body seems to need that extra bit of moisturising. The cold weather dries out our limbs and we find ourselves slathering on overnight treatments wherever we can. We make extra effort to prep our skin, whether it be face creams, hand creams, or gorgeously rich body butters, but we often forget about our hair. For most, a conditioning treatment will work wonders, but if you wanted to achieve ultimate softness, Lush R&B hair moisturiser treatment may be the product of your dreams.




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Makeup Masterclass: Quick And Easy Smoky Eye


When flicking through beauty blogs and Instagram accounts, one thing I'm always jealous of is their ability to perfect the smoky eye look. It's a classic make-up style which will forever be fashionable, yet one I have never been able to master. Give me liquid eyeliner and tell me to create winged liner and I'm fine, but throw eyeshadow into the mix and everything goes to pan. After watching some tutorials over the weekend, I thought it was time to bring out the palettes and give the shadows another whirl. This look is inspired by fashion-blogger-wonder-woman, Sarah Ashcroft. She obviously has done her make-up far better than I have and ever could, so if you want to know the in depth 'how to' for the rest of her make-up (and not just the eyes), you can find the original video here. As I prefer a few extra minutes in bed to contouring my face (I lack the patience to use 3 different highlighters, but that's just me), I just focused on the beautiful eye make-up that Sarah had created. Here's what I used and how I did it.




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