Review | MUA Undress Your Skin Shimmer Highlighter

As a self confessed Kim Kardashian fanatic (don't judge, the Kardashins are all amazingly beautiful and business savvy!) I am constantly in awe of her dewy glowy skin. Having very dry skin myself I always find it nice to put some oomph into my cheeks on top of my foundation, or else I feel like I look plain and monotone. Strange I know, but skin is made to be glowing and illuminated in my opinion. 

While I'm not the world's biggest fan of the MUA brand, in fact their shoddy customer service severely puts me off, but I couldn't pass up this product from their latest line, Undress Your Skin. A mere £3 in Superdrug no less! 

I spotted this lovely looking highlighter and immediately loved it. (I don't know how they've managed to get away with almost copying MAC with the design of the product in the pan though!)

MUA say: 'A lightweight baked powder designed to provide sheer coverage and a radiant soft-focus effect to transform your complexion with luminescence shimmer. The Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder perfects any look by creating a natural, healthy glow that is suitable for all skin tones.'

Benefit Watt's Up // MAC Soft & Gentle // MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter

Although I loved this product based on the look of it, I admit that I'm left a teeny bit underwhelmed with the application of this highlighter. It looks so golden and delicious in the pan, and then on a swatch it comes out very pink, like a light champagne. I swatched it with my other two favourite golden highlighters because I thought it could match them, but as you can see it clearly doesn't. It's not incredibly pigmented and the shimmer's not all too brilliant. In fact I wore it out and had to reapply my highlighter a number of times, which never happens to me usually. 

So MUA's highlighter is good for a bargain £3, but here is a classic case, in my opinion, of you get what you pay for! 

Are you more of a matte or dewy skin kinda gal?

Slimming World Diary | Week One

Last Monday I took the decision to join Slimming World (hereafter: SW), or, as it's more affectionately known in my student house, 'fat fighters'. This is my SW week one diary, because to document is to have proof right? And to have proof means I can't ever forget how far I've come from where I've been...so here goes...

There's only so much a computer and the Internet can display about a person. The girl typing this is me, but what I post online is one a teeny tiny portion of my life, so much so that it can be easy to forget that there's still a whole person behind the blog, the website, the Twitter account and the Instagram pictures. In essence, we channel exactly how we want to be portrayed and viewed in our online pursuits and leave the bits of our lives out that we're not comfortable enough to show. For this reason alone, I have never really displayed full body shots of myself. Not because I am ashamed or extremely hate my body, but because the past 4 years of my life have caused it to change shape beyond my own recognition and that scares me.

At the start of this process I was 18 and about 10-11 stone (I can't remember exactly, but at 5'7 this was perfect for my height) and I decided at the time that getting the contraceptive implant was a good thing for me to do. Big mistake. It reacted badly with my body, I instantly began piling on the pounds with the crazy hormones it was giving me and had some other horrid side effects. At the same time I started my job in McDonald's, which was where I met J, my boyfriend. So, the combination of these three factors, all happening at the same time, propelled me to start gaining weight. At the time, when I was 10-11 stone I had the typical teenage hang ups, all my friends were much smaller than me and I thought I was massive. I know now that I was, in my eyes, perfect. I was my envision of perfection and it's only by realising that now, when it's too late and I'm 4 years older, that I am able to see what I've got myself into.

I'm not revealing exactly what I weigh now. I'm going to do that at the end when it can no longer haunt me. I am going to reveal my weight loss for this week through SW though: -7.5lbs! I was so excited to see that on the scales that it didn't really register with me what was happening. I got given my half stone certificate and a sticker for my diary...and the idea now is onwards and downwards (for going upwards would be a very bad thing to to!).

I have found my first week on SW amazing. I, along with my friends, am amazed at the things this plan lets you eat and how it addresses the psychology of overeating. I'm following the 'Extra Easy' plan, where I'm allowed 10-15 syns (the humorous SW name for naughty treats like freddo bars, crisps, biscuits and cake) a day, and can consume as much of the free and super free foods as I want (pasta, rice, vegetables, potatoes, noodles, soy sauce, fruits etc). I then also pick one choice a day from option A (dairy products like milk and cheese etc) and one choice from option B (carbohydrate based products like bread, cereal, crackers etc). If i'm hungry I reach for my free and super free foods, I've discovered Quorn and have eaten so much more fruit and veg recently. This is called Food Optimising, which is basically portion control with a fancy name and it teaches you about the different food groups. The psychology of it all has got me, and it's definitely working with my brain! For example, this week I've been cooking more (and have the burns to prove it) and made stir fry, pasta bakes, pizza, quorn dishes and fry ups for breakfast!

The other half of the plan is exercise, cleverly disguised as Body Magic, where you build upwards from 45 minutes per week of moderate exercise on a Bronze level, to multiple minutes of intense exercise per day on Gold, and then Platinum levels. Even in these past 7 days alone I've found myself walking much more, getting off the bus 2-3 stops earlier and walking the rest of the way, walking faster around the city and I even tried the 30 Day Shred. I have decided to work towards my bronze certificate this week and then once I reach my Club 10 (which is once you've shed 10% of your body weight) I will go for Silver and then Gold. 

So my target for this week is to lose another 3lbs, as set at my SW meeting. I'm feeling positive, and fingers crossed I can mirror this week's success, but burn myself less whilst cooking! 

I just have to remember to strive for progress, not perfection...

<3

Review | Boots Extracts Body Butters

On a recent trip to the Metrocentre my housemate bought a coconut flavoured body butter, which, at the time, was the only one left on the shelf, and I instantly became quite jealous. It smelled delicious, and looked exactly like the body butter I'd previously been eying up in the Body Shop (but didn't fancy forking out almost £15 for). At £7.95 each I was tempted to find a Boots employee and purchase a body butter of my own, but resisted, telling myself that I had far too much body butter to use up at home already.

As you can tell from the images in this post that that didn't work. In fact, when I went back to the Boots in Durham, and got left alone for 5 minutes while another friend was being matched to a No7 foundation, I ventured upstairs to be faced with a 3 for 2 on indulgent bathing. Cue me ending up paying for 3 body butters, instead of the one coconut one I'd originally wanted. I really must stop doing this...

I'm so glad I picked up these body butters though, they've triumphed all of my other body lotions that I have on the go at the moment - which is saying something! Boots state that their body butter 'intensively moisturises and hydrates, leaving skin soft and smooth', and I couldn't agree more, which is a good thing considering I bought three and as ever, the smell enticed me in! There's just something about coconut, vanilla and cocoa bean scents that I can't get enough of at the moment. 

The consistency of the butter is so silky it's like applying satin to your skin, and the scent lingers, but not too powerfully, for a little while after application which makes me want to lick my skin (which, or course is a little odd and I don't actually do that...). The result? Beautifully smooth and hydrated skin which makes me a happy girlie. What's more is that they're all fair trade and the cocoa butter and coconut butter are both organic - *waves goodbye to nasty ingredients*. 

I can't praise these highly enough, I might even ask for some of the other scents for my birthday, the mango one also looked delightful...

What's your favourite scent? 

Haulin' - Past 14 Days Purchases

I thought I'd post a little collective haul of things I've been buying over the last fortnight. As ever the lure of Boots catches me every time I walk to the bus stop, and I've made multiple trips there over the past 14 days using up some extra points vouchers that were due to expire. I now have a cool £24.95 of Boots points to be spent - whoo!

On trip number one I bought the three Boots Extracts body butters which are divine. They all smell amazing and literally melt into your skin leaving it feeling extra soft and smooth. I've been using the Cocoa Butter one the most, a way to get my chocolate fix into my day! On this occasion I also picked up the Bourjois Health Balance powder (bottom right) and this is fast becoming one of my favourite powders for sure. It gives me a nice healthy colour and doesn't dry out my skin, perfect!

Trip number two resulted in me buying my lunch and the Seventeen 'All Dolled Up Mascara'. I can't say that this is my favourite mascara ever, but it does the job fine.

Trip number three saw me pick up three more Bourjois Rouge Edition lipsticks in the shades 07 - Fuschia Graffiti, 10 - Rouge Buzz, and 12 - Rose Neon, which brings my total collection to 5. I absolutely adore these lip colours, I'm seriously considering hunting them all down and buying the lot! I also bought myself a new moisturiser, the Garnier Moisture Match for dry skin, and caved in to purchasing Benefit's Fine One One which I have also been adoring lately.

I also bought the Urban Decay Oz Glinda Palette from Debenhams online, for 10% off and free delivery making it £31.50 instead of £35. It truly is a beauty, post coming soon...

Finally, yesterday I ventured into TKMaxx and bought the 4 Philosophy shower gels for £12.50 instead of £16 (I know they're very wintery but I've never tried Philosophy bath stuff before and these are delightful). I also got the Paris Hilton for Elegant Touch nails for £2.99, they're in a style I've been eyeing up in the shops for a while but never managed to purchase (RRP £7.99), the little pink notebook with the Eiffel Tower on it (£2.99) and the Cath Kidston rose scented drawer sheets (£5.99) which are a total non-necessity but they smell so lovely I just had to have them for my underwear drawer!

So that's what I've been buying.
What have you picked up lately?

Saturday Inspiration

Found here.

As I type this I am sitting in the University library, 8,134/10,000 words into my dissertation and drinking lots and lots of water to combat my dry lips and my need to fall asleep. (It works, seriously, drink loads and you won't be able to nap 'cause you'll need a wee all the time! Tried and tested essay writing method...!)

Just a short post to provide a small break for my brain (I can knock out a long post in hardly any time, but writing 10000 on the lack of use of autobiographical research methods in Criminology takes a lot, lot, longer) and to give you a little insight into my current life mantra. I keep telling myself this in all aspects of my life at the moment, doing lengths in the pool, writing my essays, trekking up hills.

Whatever you can apply this saying to in your life just remember one thing - never, ever give up.

<3 

A Long Distance Valentine

So there's this boy...and y'know...I kinda love him...

I first met my Joseph 3 years ago when I turned up to work at the Macs store he was working in. I can't say it was love at first sight (I don't believe in that nonsense, I believe you have to learn to love someone!) and that we bonded over our love for Quarter Pounders and chocolate milkshake, but there was this one time after work when I left through the back door (naughty Louise, that's not allowed!) and ended up finding out that he lived in the same little village I was living in at the time. I leaned on the wheelie bin, he gave me his number, and we decided to meet up the same night. Romantic stuff.

I remember what I wore, my Topshop denim skirt (I know now that he hates denim skirts!) and my grey Topshop felt coat. I remember it being cold. I was nervous and excited. We were 18/19, young, free, and soon to be single no more. It was the end of March and I'd just returned from visiting my university for their post application open day and knew I'd be going to live up in the North East in 6 months time. I was honest with him from the very beginning, and he promised me he'd stick by through and through. 3 years have passed, I'm due to graduate, and we're still together :-)

We're total opposites, which does and doesn't work.

I like reading books, he'd rather play FIFA.

He thinks potatoes are delightful, I think they're gross.

He's a night owl, I hate staying in bed past 8:30am.

He'd rather spend a sunday watching football, I'd rather be pampering in the bath.

He hates shopping, I shop too much.

I dislike cooking, he's a bit of a whizz in the kitchen.

Despite our flaws, we've stuck by each other for 3 years now long distance. I'm not going to sugar coat it and say that LDR's are easy. When you're two people with separate lives who come together for a short while and are then torn apart again it's difficult to get back into the swing of things, and I know he finds it easier than I do. There are certain things he does that I wish he didn't do, and if I had to change one thing about our relationship then it'd be that he would call/text me more, but in the long run I have to be thankful that we have our health, we're still together, and that we're breathing.

Found here.

If you're in a LDR, or are about to enter one here are my five top tips for surviving:

1) Call/text/FaceTime/send post often. I don't mean every five seconds, but a lovely random text message to remind them that you miss them, or that you're thinking of them is always a welcome message. With the advent of modern technology it's now much easier to communicate with people at the opposite end of the country, and even the opposite side of the world. I try and aim for a least one FaceTime session a week, to see your loved one's face is such a rare thing in an LDR that any time you can get to physically see them (even if it is through a computer screen) is better than no time at all. Communication is key.

2) Try not to mope. I found this hard initially, and even get angry sometimes when he doesn't display any signs of missing me at all, but go out and find things to do to fill up your time so you're not sitting around getting jealous of other couples who display too much PDA and who are having a whale of a time together. If that bothers you, just leave the room or the area and spend a few minutes reflecting on how you're feeling and then move on.

3) Schedule a time/place when you're going to see your partner again. I always find that having something to look forward to keeps me moving forward and gives me a goal to work towards. For example, J will be coming up to Durham to see me for my birthday, which is in approximately 22 days time. This spurs me on to complete my work on time, finish everything I have to do, and then make time to prepare for his arrival. Not only am I filling my time running around like a busy bee, finishing essays and washing my bedding, but it doesn't give me time to mope - bonus!

4) Ultimately you have to remember to think positive, and put your trust in your relationship. I know that this is easier said than done but I always find myself trusting him, but having no trust for other people. If anything horrendous did find it's way to warrant my attention I'd then be able to look at the bigger picture and not immediately jump to conclusions involving him.

5) No matter what, don't ever give up.

Found here.

Whether you're loved up together, loved up apart, or singling and mingling have a love filled day today. Even if you havent got a romantic flame burning right this minute, make some time to share some love to your friends, your parents, you grandparents and even your pets. If there's a person in your life that brings you happiness, then they deserve some love too. In the end though, remember that you don't ever really need to project love onto someone else, your own mind and body should be the first things you take care of. 'Cause if you don't love you, how can you let anyone else in to do so too?

What are your plans for today?

<3 <3 <3