Choose Your Side: Pamper Beauty Routine vs Efficient Skin-care



It’s a fact of life: people are busier and our days appear to be getting shorter than ever before. Do you ever get that feeling that all you ever do is wake up, work, eat, sleep and repeat?  As modern lives become increasingly jam-packed with globalised work opportunities and inter-connected down-time through social media, it seems that no-one ever switches off. With city pollution levels, tiredness and stress inevitably having an impact on our skin and general well-being, our ‘on-the-go’ lifestyles seem to have split the beauty world in two. One option is the take a moment in the evening to pause and use a refined skin-care routine as an excuse for a pamper. The other is to make skin-care as efficient and fuss-free as possible, aided by innovative products such as Hellenia’s ProDerma powders. 




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A Great Budget Buy: Maybelline 'The Blushed Nudes' Eyeshadow Palette


I've never really been one for experimenting with eyeshadow. In fact, I very rarely wear it. Others rave about the latest Urban Decay palette, whilst I'd rather fan-girl over false lashes or an incredible cleansing balm. Eyeshadow has just never been my thing. I bought this Maybelline 'The Blushed Nudes' palette as part of an offer in Superdrug (I had bought one thing and would get this half price), so thought 'why not?'. I thought it'd be another neutral palette that I didn't need, but it's turned out to be one of my favourites that I am now turning to almost daily. How about that for a turn-around?!





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Healthy Brownie Recipe (Satisfy Those Sweet Cravings!)


If there's one thing this site definitely isn't lacking, it's brownie recipes. They are hands down my favourite thing to bake. Big cakes are wonderful and flashy for special occasions, but when it comes to having easy baked goods at hand for a snack-sized treat, in my opinion, brownies are the best at satisfying those cravings. The down side is that they aren't exactly the healthiest snack to grab when you're feeling peckish. For the past month or so, I've been experimenting with different brownie recipes (mainly with added protein for my gym-loving boyfriend), but this recipe is probably the best that I've tried so far. I think they're probably as healthy as brownies are going to get, and are filled with good ingredients.




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Short Eyelashes? Sample-Sized Mascaras Could Be The Answer


Losing my eyelashes and eyebrows to trichotillomania at the age of 3 years old has meant that I don't know what it's like to apply make-up with lashes and brows; using beauty products to cover up the damage is all I've ever known. Therefore, I want to share any random tips and tricks I've learnt in my 7 or so years of applying make-up, in hope that it will not only help someone else, but also create an open space for other hair loss sufferers to share their nuggets of wisdom. Of course, today's post doesn't strictly apply to hair loss- many people naturally have short, stubby lashes. One thing I've found which helps loads in making the most of these little hairs is using a sample-sized mascara. Here's why...




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Pamper Time! 3 Versatile Face Masks For All Your Skin-Care Needs


Since I was little, I've always associated face masks with the small pouches you can get in Boots and Superdrug. They were affordable and accessible and pretty much made up the bulk of my face mask repertoire. Fast forward a decade and I've now got quite the collection of face masks, using it as an excuse for a mid-week, post-work pamper to help me unwind and de-stress before going to bed. I now see face masks as not only having a practical use in providing targeted and concentrated skincare, but also as benefiting your mental state too. From texture, scent, ingredients and effect, these three more upmarket face masks are some of my favourites to incorporate into my skincare routine.




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New Lancome Grandiose Eyeliner: Interesting Concept But Probably Not Worth The Money


When it comes to high-end beauty, I usually take a lot of time to research and deliberate over the numerous fancy products on offer. Being a student and never having tons of (if any at all) disposable income has meant that I usually turn to the high-street for any impulse beauty buys and indulgent latest-trend splurges. Although I have bought a few high-end items that I've come to view as 'holy grail' products (most of them Clarins), I carefully pondered over the spend for a while, despite them being courtesy of a birthday gift voucher and not even my 'hard earned cash', so to speak. I'm overly cautious, but after being recommended the new Lancome Grandiose Eyeliner, I gave in to my usual wary purchasing habits and used left-over vouchers to treat myself to this innovative new launch. I wanted to love this- I really did-, but unfortunately it's one of those products that has left me feeling a bit 'meh'.




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The Ultimate Spot-Buster: Skyn Iceland Anti-Blemish Gel


Don't I just love to cover the most glamourous topics on this site: first hair loss and now spots! Regardless of the ideas of 'beauty' which surround them, for most, spots are just one of those every day realities which we all suffer from. We may not like them, but that won't stop them springing up the night before an occasion! Although since my teenage years I've been using the same old tried-and-tested tea tree spot gel that my mum uses, after using this Skyn anti-blemish gel my old favourite seems incredibly slow and almost useless at reducing the size of those nasty pimples. You may not swoon at how pretty your purchase is, but this spot-buster will be the most useful and efficient beauty product you'll buy in a long time.




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What It Feels Like To Pull Your Own Hair Out


This title might be shocking to some of you, but to others, it's a totally normal part of everyday life. Those with trichotillomania suffer with compulsive urges to pull their own hair out. Each sufferer has their own trigger, routine, their own story. Each person suffers in a different way, but there are general trends which we all have in common. One of these is the feeling that pulling out our own hair leaves us with. This post will hopefully clear things up to those who do not have the disorder or do not know much about it, whilst offering a little bit of familiar comfort to those who do. So, here's what it actually feels like, from someone who's been doing it for nineteen years!




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