You're Not Hired- Discrimination Against Tattoos In The Work Place

It's 2017 and people are still being discriminated against because of their choice to have tattoos- fact. What is it about tattoos that makes a person un-hireable? Is it the stigma behind being inked?

Recently I have noticed an increase of people, particularly younger people, getting tattoos. It's become a kind of fashion. It is our human right to do whatever we want to our body and for someone to say 'you can't work here if you've got tattoos' is like saying 'you can't express your rights in whatever way you choose' and, to me, that's wrong. 

The reason I know it's still happening today is because a national business, who will remain unnamed, has recently put a 'help wanted' poster up in one of its branches stating that people with tattoos need not bother applying for the job. When I heard about this it really grated on me, I've been sat stewing in my own anger. It's not just because I myself have tattoos, as you can see, but because people are dictating what you can and can't do because of the way you look. 

Imagine a 'help wanted' poster which stated 'women need not apply for the job' there would be uproar for the fact that they say you shouldn't apply for a job simply because you have a vagina. Does that sound fair? Imagine a 'help wanted' poster with stated 'homosexuals need not apply for the job'. It's discrimination and it's discrimination for people with tattoos to get turned down for a job role because of that fact. 

When you sit down in that chair and get tattooed, you do not suddenly turn into a thug, you start expressing yourself through art on your body. Having tattoos doesn't make you a bad person. I'm sure there are many bad people in the world who don't have tattoos and there are some pretty decent people who do have them- I've met a few! 

Discrimination in the work place needs to stop, employers need to accept that being tattooed is actually a trend right now so it will probably become increasingly difficult to hire employees without some sort of ink on their body. Being tattooed does not stop you from working, it does not stop you from being a hard worker and it sure as hell does not mean you are not right for the job you are applying for. Make a change and stand up for your human rights. 

Thank you for reading! 

B x

Moving House- Headaches, Stress And Packing.

There are some pretty big burdens that come with life; acne, periods, work. But I find the biggest burden of them all is packing up all the stuff you've accumulated over the years into moving boxes... and having to label everything, although even if you do write 'fragile' multiple times on a box, it'll still get thrown around like there's nothing of any worth in there *sigh*. Anyway, I digress. Packing is one of the most stressful times of your life, I even find packing a suitcase to go on holiday stressful but it's not like I'm moving my entire life to somewhere new. Boxes of endless crap that you'd forgotten you'd had just dotted all over your house like the worlds worst obstacle course, fantastic.

Then because of the amount of stress you're under to make sure you don't forget anything, whilst making sure moving is still the right choice to make for you at this specific time will more than likely end in a stress headache, you know, the type of headache that makes you feel nauseous. The worst of all the headaches. Then, again, because of the amount of stress you're under your skin starts to break out and your anxiety hits the roof. I don't think I have felt this stressed since... well the last time we moved. Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? 

One thing I absolutely love about the whole moving process is knowing that you have a house on the other end that needs your interior designer flare. When the kids are in bed, you've had a day of sorting, bubble wrapping and boxing up, there is nothing better than relaxing with a cup of tea (or wine, lots of wine) and scrolling through Pinterest looking for interior decorating inspiration. Planning out colour schemes and what furniture will go where. I often ask my partner for his imput but the same five words always come out of his mouth "it's what you want, babe". Believe me, he will live to regret those words when he sees how much the wallpaper in our bedroom will cost. 

Anyway, we're  moving tomorrow and we've only packed up two and a half rooms so today is going to be a busy day and then we have a pretty long weekend ahead of us! I've also got to squeeze a job interview, my eyebrow appointment, my hair appointment and a hen do in over the weekend! 

Please send help.

Thank you for reading!

B x

What Do You Want From Me?- A Mother's Letter To Society.

Dear Society, 

I'm a Mother to two beautiful children, one being 3 and the other being 9 months. I love my children with my whole being and would give my world so they can have the best life possible. I love being a Mum. What I don't love is you select few members of society who love to 'Mum shame', no matter what we do, we're always doing something wrong. I'll give you a few examples. 

I decided to stay at home with my children instead of going back to work, this means I 'only had a child for the benefits' and I 'just sit on my arse all day'. But if I decided to go back to work, I would have been told I was neglecting my children and was just sending them off for someone else to look after. What do you want from me? 

I decided to bottle feed my two children. Not through lack of trying but simply because with my first, my milk didn't come in and with my second, it hurt too much to feed her. If I were to carry on breast feeding both of my children would have starved and I would have been accused of neglect but because I decided to feed my children through a bottle I'm a 'bad mum' because 'breast is best'. What do you want from me? 

I had two csections, neither really by my own choice. If I hadn't have had csections both of my children wouldn't be alive but because I didn't give birth naturally I'm 'not a real mother'. What do you want from me? 

My three year old has some really amazing tantrums in public and you give me the evil eye or tut as you pass because I 'can't control my child' but if I were to shout at him, smack him or punish him in some way in public, you would judge me and probably threaten with social services. What do you want from me? 

These are just a few of the experiences I've had personally over the last three years. I am trying my best to raise two of the people who will make up future generations so I would be greatful if you kept your opinions of my mothering skills to yourselves. I do not wish to hear 'tut', I do not wish to hear 'breast is best', I do not wish to hear 'you're not a real mother'. I wish to hear the sound of encouragement, the words 'you're doing a great job' and 'your choices do not make you any less of a mum'.

So, society, next time you see a mother with her children, do not think you have the right to weigh in on her life because, quite simply, you don't. Stop Mum shaming, stop making us feel inadequate, stop making us feel like we're failing. We're doing the best for our children. 

Yours truly,

Every single Mum on the planet. 

The Liebster Award Tag

The Liebster Award Tag is basically a 'get to know me' game between bloggers. One blogger will ask 11 questions and then tag 11 other bloggers to answer them, then each of those bloggers will ask 11 questions and tag another 11 bloggers etc... I was tagged by the lovely @joannamarcini -you can read her blog here: http://www.joannamarcini.com/

So here are her 11 questions and my answers- enjoy! 

1. Out of all the countries you have visited, which one did you like the most?

I would say Barcelona because it was just so pleasing to the eye but I was also too young to appreciate it. I would definitely like to go back there one day and make sure I take it all in. 

2. What is the most extreme thing you have ever done?

Probably moving out of my parents house when I was 17 and I moved to a completely different city where I didn't really know anyone. It was hard but worth it. 

3. If you could only take 1 more trip, where would you go?

Somewhere in Italy. I've always wanted to go to Rome or Venice, it just looks so pretty in photos. Plus one of my favourite books in Romeo and Juliet so I'd want to visit the balcony it was set on. 

4. Would you rather explore the deep ocean or outer space?

Outer space. I know a lot of people don't believe in Aliens, but I'm a believer that there must be something out there.

5. For what in your life do you feel most grateful?

Meeting my fiancé at the time that I did. I was in a dark place mentally and he helped me out of it. I'm also grateful for my children, I don't know what I'd be without them. 

6. Beach or mountains? 

Beach! 

7. What is the last book you read?

That is a good question- I don't really get time to read since having my babies but I think it might have been Khloe Kardashian's 'strong looks better naked' 

8. If you could change anything in your life what would it be?

I would like employers to realise that just because I've taken a few years out to raise my children, doesn't mean I'm not right for the job I've applied for, I learn fast and I'm always up for a challenge but they seem to get put off by my lack of work experience in the last 4 years (even though being a mother is a full time job!) 

9. Three things that make you smile?

My fiancé, my children and seeing my friends succeed in life.

10. Have you ever been in love?

I am definitely in love with my fiancé. He makes me so happy every day. 

11. Best advice for new bloggers?

Keep going! Even if people don't seem interested, just keep blogging because there will be someone, somewhere who will read your blog and it will help them. 

My 11 questions are as follow:

1. Who or what influenced you to become a blogger?

2. What influences your blog posts the most?

3. Do you follow blogging 'trends' or stick to your own style?

4. Are your friends and family supportive of what you do?

5. Is blogging a full time thing for you or do you have a job too? If so what?

6. What do you love the most of blogging? 

7. Do you prefer to take your own photos for your blog or use other people's? 

8. Where do you see your blog in 5 years?

9. Where do you see your blog in 10 years? 

10. Do you just blog or do you have a YouTube channel too?

11. What's your greatest achievement so far? 

I nominate the following bloggers to answer my questions!:

@simplyfia_

@life_of_lynda

@eliseetasminn

@gracievhemphill

@life_withlizzie

@nachos_wine

@fatimawrites_

@ave_twentynine

@aliandbeyond

@thatautumngirl1

@freyameadows

Enjoy! X

Full Face Of Fake Bake Make Up.

In a previous post I introduced you all to the world of Fake Bake Beauty make up so I thought I'd do a full face using their products so you could see for yourself what they are like! 

I didn't use the Fake Bake primer, simply because I haven't had the chance to buy it yet. I used a Revelon primer but I can't remember which one because it's actually my mother's that I borrowed! (Thanks Mum). She also has some argon oil serum which I used to mix my foundation with which has made my skin feel amazing.

Onto the Fake Bake products I actually did use- the Special Affect Wonder Wear Foundation in shade 'soft beige'. I find this shade is a little too dark for me if I haven't got a tan but when I'm a bronzed goddess it matches perfectly. I then used the Limited Edition Fake Bake Pressed Bronzer which came in my Contour Kit, along with the cream highlighter, cream blusher and their kabuki brush that I have used on this look. 

With my face done, I moved onto my eyes. I used the eyeshadow palette 'Set To Smoulder'. I used the lightest shade on my eyelids and the matte brown shade on my crease which I blended upwards. They do not currently have any eyeliner products but I have it on good authority that there are some new products launching at the start of July! Exciting! I then went on to use my 'Lift Me Up Marvel Lash Mascara'. I always apply two coats because that's when I get the best results, it may be different for different people. 

For my eyebrows I used my amazing Fab Brows. If you haven't already tried it out, I suggest doing so especially if you're a beginner at eyebrows. This cool little kit comes with 6 stencils so your eyebrows are perfectly matched every single day. Whoever invented this product needs a pay rise. 

So what do you think about my every day look using only Fake Bake Beauty products? Is there anything you would like to try? Let me know in the comments! 

Thank you for reading!

B x

Self Love- Easier Said Than Done

Before- 2009

After- 2017

Like many of you, I have so many issues with myself and the way I look. It all started from the age of 14 for me when I started getting acne and my first boyfriend cheated on me... many many times. I stopped eating, I became anorexic, I got help. I still didn't love myself. I have fought with eating disorders since my teenage years, even now when I'm 23 I still get the urge to starve myself because I don't like what I see when I look in the mirror.

When I was 18/19 I got told I was fat and too 'curvy'... I was a size 10/12. Yes, I'm 5ft3 but I was a healthy weight and I was in proportion. I became pregnant when I was just about to turn 20 and during my pregnancy I developed gestational diabetes which makes you pile on so much weight and is very dangerous for you and your baby. I had my 9lb10 baby via csection 5 days before he was due. To say I hated my new body was an understatement. I knew what I'd done was a miracle, I'd grown a human inside my body and given it life but I couldn't adjust to my new shape. I'd always been curvaceous but I was also toned... I just turned to fat. I weighed in at 16 stone and by the time my son was 1, I knew I'd had enough. I dieted, I exercised- I started to like what I saw and then I fell pregnant again with my daughter.

I made sure I didn't get gestational diabetes, I ate healthy food all the way through. I did, however, become severely anameic, go figure. Never getting pregnant again. Aneamia doesn't make you put on weight, but it makes you extremely tired and you don't feel like doing a lot, so my weight crept back up. I had my 9lb3 daughter and went up to 14 stone after she was born (12 days late, not that I'm still bitter). It was then that I decided to try a fad diet which was the skinny coffee diet.

I got my weight down to just under 11 stone in 3 months. But guess what, I'm still not happy with what I see. I still jiggle. I still don't fit into my size 12 jeans. I still cry when I look in the mirror and I am the lightest I have been since before I had my first born. Once you doubt yourself in how you look, there's always a voice inside your head that tells you 'you can be skinnier, you can lose more weight' and you listen to that voice no matter how much you weigh. Battling an eating disorder is one of the hardest fights I've had and it's still on going.

But why do we feel the need to be 'thin'? Can we just blame it on social media and magazines? Or do we blame society too for making it the norm to follow the skinny trends in the papers?

I've never been on the other end of the scale of being thin and wanting to be bigger, chances are I never will be- but I can understand it's difficult to be on that end too. People constantly telling you to eat... like excuse me, you should see me on take away night when I demolish 2 pizzas, a kebab, a large chips and a small village to myself and then tell me I need to eat more.

The reason we can't 'self love' is because we have made our idols impossible to live up to. We need to learn to accept that every body is different and that is okay. It's difficult to look in the mirror and feel content with what you see but the thing is, your body is what makes you, you! The mole you have on your arse, the scars on your body, your mono brow that comes back a week after you've had it waxed (seriously, I can't tame it) they are all individual to you! Love them with every bit of your being and learn to embrace your differences.

You are beautiful, never forget that.

Thank you for reading!
B x

Powder Highlighter Vs. Cream Highlighter

You know what? I bloomin' love highlighter. I have only been using it for the last year or so and used to use the Seventeen 'Define and Conquer' Contour Kit which contained a powder highlighter. I have recently started using the Fake Bake Beauty Diamond Shine Highlighter and it is a game changer.

Now, obviously it completely depends on how dramatic you like your highlight but I personally like my highlight to blind people- you might like yours quite subtle. I don't feel like powder highlighters are the product for me as I don't see them 'pop' as much as my cream highlighters. I, particularly, am not a fan of the powder in the Seventeen Contour Kit simply because it doesn't seem to have any sort of shimmer, which is the whole point of a Highlighter, right? I find it very matte and very flat. 

Do you see what I mean? 

Moving onto my cream highlighter by Fake Bake Beauty- I cannot get enough of this product. The glow you can achieve with even the tiniest amount of product is astounding! It's only £10 too. I honestly think you would be able to see your reflection in my cheek bones. I cannot get over how amazing this product actually is. It's sort of a pink-white colour but with such a high shine. For a while I didn't know how to apply a cream highlighter, I had no idea what kind of brush to use but now I use just a simple fluffy eyeshadow brush and it's goes on perfectly. Once I've put it on in the morning, I do not need to reapply throughout the day and that, for me, is a win just because I tend to be busy with the kids.

Obviously, this is just my personal opinion and it could just be that I haven't found the right powder foundation for me, but as it stands at the moment nothing can beat my Fake Bake Cream Highlighter. It just gives me such a healthy glow and I love it! 

What do you prefer from your own personal experiences? Are there any powder highlighters you can recommend I try? Let me know in the comments! 

Thank you for reading! 

B x

Why I'll Always Use Water Wipes.

When I was pregnant with my first born, I was one of those mum-to-bes that googled everything and wanted the best of the best for my new born. I was always reading horror stories about how different brands of wipes were giving children chemical rashes and I didn't want to risk putting my son through any sort of pain. I did research into natural wipes, reusable wipes came up which didn't really appeal to me. It was then that I clicked on a link which introduced me to Water Wipes.

They are described as 'the world's purest baby wipes', contain no chemicals and claim the only ingredients used are water (99.9%) and fruit extract (0.1%). They do cost quite a bit more than any other pack of wipes, retailing at £2.70 per pack but Boots often do offers on them. We used them from the day our son was born and he never had any sort of issue with nappy rash.

For a brief period we did switch to using other brands when our income wasn't quite as high (children are expensive, who knew?) but we found that they actually caused rashes as my son has sensitive skin, as soon as we switched back to Water Wipes his rash cleared up! 

I would definitely recommend Water Wipes to anyone who have a new born or a child with sensitive skin... in fact, I'd just recommend them to everyone especially if you use face wipes to take your make up off, although go back and read my blog post about face wipes vs skin care products. They are so gentle on your skin and the fact they contain no chemicals is a massive win for me! 

Boots currently have them on offer for £2 so stock up! 

http://www.boots.com/waterwipes-baby-wipes-chemical-free-sensitive-60-wipes-10154294

Have you tried Water Wipes? What did you think? Sound off in the comments! 

Thank you for reading! 

B x

My Flamingo Gifts Wish List.

Earlier last week I stumbled across the cute website named 'flamingogifts.co.uk' and since then I have been on their website at least 5 times, having a look through all their cute products (I justify looking so many times because we're moving home and I need some new things to pretty up our bedroom). I really like their choice of items, in fact I'd probably buy 90% of their products so I have decided to do my top 5 on my Flamingo Gifs Wish List.

In no particular order, the first item on my wish list is the Umbra Strum Shelf in Copper. I think this would be cute above my desk where I will write my blogs. I'd keep my blog planner, life planner and note books in there. I really like Copper bedroom accessories, especially in a monochrome room which is what I plan to do with ours.
https://www.flamingogifts.co.uk/department-c11/home-garden-c12/home-accessories-c27/umbra-one-strum-shelf-copper-p3290

The second item I'm sharing with you is, again, by Umbra. It's a Mantra Wall Decor which quotes 'do what you love, love what you do'. I love this quote and I feel a lot of people could learn from it. Again, this would be put on the wall above my desk to give myself (and anyone else who comes into the room) inspiration! I'm not too sure how it fixes onto the wall but it says it's magnetic and I really like the fact it's black and will fit in with my monochrome theme.

https://www.flamingogifts.co.uk/department-c11/home-garden-c12/wall-decor-c25/umbra-mantra-wall-décor-do-what-you-love-p3563

Number 3 is by a company called Sasse&Belle and I want to buy everything they create because it's all so adorable, so the next two items on my wish list is by them. First is their Tropical Summer Palm Tree A5 Notebook. I am a sucker for stationary, I am a sucker for a palm print... put them together and I just have to have it, there's no question about it. This would live in the Copper Shelf I listed above!
https://www.flamingogifts.co.uk/department-c11/stationery-cards-c44/notebooks-c47/sass-belle-tropical-summer-palm-tree-a5-notebook-p2745

The fourth product is, again, by Sasse&Belle and is a decorative cushion which is how I found the website in the first place! It's monochrome with partly gold foil lettering which quotes 'Choose Happy' and I honestly think it would make a difference to my mood if I see it every morning when I make our bed. It also has some little gold foil dots around the quote and I just think it is so cute.
https://www.flamingogifts.co.uk/department-c11/home-garden-c12/sass-belle-choose-happy-metallic-monochrome-cushion-p3506

My last wish list item is the Woouf Monoi IPad Air Sleeve. If you have read my previous 'What's In My Bag' blog post, you will have seen that I was on the lookout for a new iPad case. Again, it's tropical print because I'm a nerd for a tropical print PLUS its monochrome so it can live on my desk with pretty much everything else I have listed.
https://www.flamingogifts.co.uk/department-c11/fashion-c62/laptop-phone-tablet-cases-c74/woouf-monoi-ipad-air-sleeve-p3022

Have a look at the website yourself and see if there is anything that takes your fancy! There is bound to be something for everyone as there is such a wide variety of items. Tell me what you think in the comments and if you find anything you love!

Thanks for reading!
B x

My Top 3 Matte Lipstick Picks

Anyone who knows me knows I love my lipsticks. I've recently been wearing a lot of matte shades just because I love how sleek and classy they can look. I thought I would rank my personal top 3 matte lipsticks and if you agree, great! If you've not tried the brands on this list, then hopefully you'll be inclined to after reading this blog post!

So my number 1 is Urban Decay. I was given four shades of their Vice Lipstick to try in tester form. I cannot remember what the shades were called because I decided to throw away the packaging they came in (rookie mistake) but the one I have fallen in love with was shade 'Bad Blood'. So here's the break down of what I thought: 

Colour payoff: 8/10. I felt I needed to put on more than one layer for the colour to really pop.

Staying power: 10/10. Even my mum commented on how well it had stayed on all day and even took one of the other tester shades home with her!
Quality for the price: 10/10. Obviously I didn't pay for the testers but the Vice Lipsticks are usually £15 and I really think that's a bargain for what you get! 

Overall ranking: 28/30. I will always recommend this Lipstick to anyone who asks.

Number 2 is Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivid Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade 'Possessed Plum.' Bit of a mouthful. I bought this once instore in Boots and then I accidentally bought the same shade online because I didn't look at what the colour was called and it looked a lot more purple in the picture. I don't have a picture of myself wearing the product, but the above picture is what it looks like.

Colour payoff: 6/10. I had to apply this quite a few times before I got the desired look. 

Staying Power: 7/10. I'm not sure if they actually advertise this lipstick as smudgeproof but it definitely isn't! However, it stayed on better than some of the other brands I have tested. 

Quality for the price: 9/10. With it being a drug store brand, I really think this is worth the price! It's £7.99 and you can get it from any drugstore! 

Overall ranking: 22/30. Not the highest rank but I do think this is a pretty good Liquid Lipstick if you're on a budget. 

My number 3 is Younique's Moodstruck Splash Matte Lipstick. I really like this product, it's creamy to apply and has a really good colour pay off. The shade I got 'Sentimetal' looks very much like Kylie Cosmetics 'Posie K'.  

Colour payoff: 9/10. I only had to apply one coat of this lipstick which is so convenient when you're in a bit of a rush. 

Staying Power: 5/10. Although, Younique do not claim that this is smudge proof. I'd say this stayed on for maybe 3-4 hours and that was with me eating and drinking. 

Quality for the price: 7/10. I find £21 a lot to pay for a Liquid Lipstick, however, people seem to forget that Younique is a direct sales company so their Presenter's commission comes out of that price hence why it's on the higher side! 

Overall ranking: 21/30. I do love this lipstick and even though it's got the lowest ranking out of the three, I will still recommend it to people who maybe have a slightly higher budget.

Have you tried any of these Matte Lipsticks? What are your verdicts on them?

Thank you for reading!
B x

Skinny Coffee- Does It Work?

In case you don't know, Skinny Coffee is a company which claims you can lose weight from drinking just one cup of their coffee every day and follow their diet/exercise plan. The coffee is supposed to prevent bloating and aid weight loss. So when my little girl was 4 months old and I was feeling fed up with my post baby body, I decided to give it a try.

For starters, they always have offers on so you can pick up a packet of their coffee for quite cheap. They do three different options- 4 week program, 8 week program and 12 week program. At the time I think I got the 12 week program for the same price as the 4 week which was an absolute bargain! As soon as it arrived, I started my course. Now after having my daughter, my weight shot up to roughly 14 and a bit stone which I was not happy with at all! I cut out dairy and lowered my carb intake with one cheat meal a week. It was so hard, especially because no one else in the house was in a diet so they were still eating junk food around me! I couldn't exercise really because I'd just had a csection so my results were based purely on diet and the coffee. 

I weighed myself every Wednesday- in the first week alone I lost roughly seven pounds. I was gobsmacked, it was actually working! After the 12 weeks I had gone from just over 14 stone back down to my pre baby weight and then some, at 11 stone! 3 stone in 3 months! I couldn't believe my eyes. Of course, I didn't trust the scales so I decided to do before and after photos to see if I could actually see a difference. It's so shocking to see my results, for me personally, it might not be to you. 

So, yes, Skinny Coffee definitely works and I am so glad I've got a little bit of confidence back in myself and my post baby body. Thank you so much Skinny Coffee for helping me get back to feeling like me again! 

I will say though that if you are thinking about getting this product, that you run it by your doctor first to see if it is suitable for you as soon weight loss supplements aren't good for some people. 

Thank you for reading! 

B x

What's In My Bag?

What's in my bag? Not a lot to say I use one of the biggest bags I've ever owned. I tend to have my children's change bag with me wherever I go which has a lot more things in it... I may do a 'what's in my change bag' blog soon.

So obviously I have my purse with me wherever I go. The one I'm using at the moment is the Gucci purse my lovely fiancé bought me as a gift for our 3 year anniversary last August- if you could actually fall in love with an inanimate object, I would fall in love with this. I love the colour, the size... just everything about it. Admittedly, you can usually see it crammed full of receipts and bits of paper because I very rarely have a clean out but I love it regardless! 

The beauty products I have in my bag are pretty simple. You'll usually find whatever lip product I'm using that day slung in there. I carry my deodorant with me everywhere, especially in this heat. Sure have recently brought out an anti-bacterial deodorant which I swear by, if you haven't already, go buy it. I also carry my Dolce Dreams Bon Bon Body Fizz which is a spray on moisturiser. I find it is a must-have in this heat because not only does it moisturise your skin, it also cools you down. Also added bonus it smells like strawberries! It's only £10 too which I think is a bargain. 

I am forever writing ideas down for new blog posts, checking social media and messaging my fiancé when he's at work so a charger is a must-have in my bag! I wouldn't say I'm obsessed with my phone but I could definitely do with putting it down more often than I do (but couldn't we all). I always have my iPad with me too just because there are certain things you can do better on an iPad rather than an iPhone, I find. I picked up the case from Accessorise a year or so ago, I feel like I need to switch it up soon. I have seen a gorgeous tropical iPad case from Etsy that I may treat myself too, as well as some tropical notepads. I'm really into  tropical themed products for the summer- so be prepared to see a lot of it on my blog posts! 

Thank you for reading! 

B x

I Don't Wear Make Up Every Day- And That's Okay!

I'm a Mum of two so my face often looks like this ^. I'm tired, I have bags under my eyes and I break out due to the stress of raising two teeny tiny humans. Society today makes women feel like they should keep up with all these new trends and buy all these high end make up products, to be honest, I'd love to be able to go out and buy all these beautiful palettes and lipsticks (and I'm jealous of anyone who can!) but the truth is, I have children to feed and we're living off one income so sometimes treats for myself isn't on the top of my list of things to buy. Although, sometimes I do cave and buy myself something pretty, shh don't tell my fiancé. 

Wearing no make up in your day to day life is okay. You don't always have to look picture perfect, you don't have to contour and bake every day (hats off to those of you who do though). You can have days where you quickly throw your hair up in a messy bun and still sport yesterday's mascara under your eyes because, now everyone needs to hear this so pay attention, every one has those days. Those days where you don't want to get out of bed, those days where you just wear pyjamas all day, those days where you don't shower, those days where you look in the mirror and think 'meh, not today'. 

I'll be honest with you and say there are days when I do lives on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and as soon as I'm finished, I will take my make up off if I'm staying in the house for the rest of the day. The only time I will put make up on other than for lives, is when I venture out into the world and I don't want to scare everyone I see. We need to start being confident in our own skin, we all get spots and breakouts, we all get stressed and most of us will have bags by the time we're 30, welcome them with open arms because they are what makes you, you! And if anyone ever tells you you're ugly just hit them back with the classic 'even if I was ugly I could cover it with make up, you'd never be able to cover up your ugly personality' do a sassy finger snap and walk away. 

I think we should all start posting pictures of our makeupless faces with no filters with the hashtag #barefacedandbeautiful so we can all show the world how fricking beautiful we all are without our make up! Who's with me?

Thank you for reading! 

B x

Is H&M Becoming The New Primark?

Don't get me wrong- I will always love Primark, in fact in the not so distant future I will be creating a makeup look just using Primark beauty products (eek!). However, I don't know whether it's just me being a cheap skate but I am finding Primark clothes rather pricey nowadays. You can still pick up the 'basics' for next to nothing but some of the dressier items are on the higher end of the price scale. Now, H&M on the other hand seemed to have some pretty reasonably priced items, in fact just the other week I picked up a rather stylish denim dress for £15! So I thought I'd go through both of their websites (yes, Primark has a website now) and do some investigating for my lovely readers!

Primark - £6

Primark- £8

H&M- £8.99

H&M- £12.99

Primark- £10       

     H&M- £24.99                      

So, realistically, Primark is the cheaper brand out of the two although H&M is not far behind. However, if you're wanting a cheapish swimsuit for your holiday you would be better off going to Primark. Also I found that certain jean/denim items were quite a lot dearer from H&M too. However, I can't tell the difference in material or the quality of the item so I can't judge on which is the better quality for the price! At the end of the day, I will always remember being able to go into Primark with £20 and coming out with multiple outfits, where as now that seems like a distant memory. Primark is famous for being one of the cheapest clothes shops on the high street but maybe the quality of their clothes has risen, hence the price rise too, I'm not too sure! Let me know what you think in the comments! 

Thank you for reading!

B x

Face Wipes VS. Skin Care Products

I'm probably going to make myself feel so old in this blog but back in the day, when I was 15/16 I discovered I was allergic to moisturiser sometime around the Christmas period. I decided to use it for the first time because I had dry skin on my forehead and I woke up the next morning and I just couldn't open my eyes! It was like they were glued shut. I looked horrendous. Since that day, until recently, I never used a single skin care product to wash my make up off in fear of that happening again, I only used facial wipes which got me thinking- do facial wipes do all the steps that skin care products do but in just handy little wipes? 

So I did some research and discovered that actually, facial wipes are not a good way to clean your face. They just smear the dirt, bacteria, oil and make up across your face. This would explain the bad acne I had from a young age! Instead of unclogging your pores and cleaning out all the dirt that's accumulated on your face in the day, you're just kind of rubbing it around a bit more and clogging up some more pores. Yummy! Also, have you ever felt that pure stinging sensentaion after you've used a facial wipe? That's from the alcohol that is soaking into your skin, dehydrating it. Your skin needs water to thrive! But that's not to say that you shouldn't use them- they are still perfect for freshening up your face or removing smudged eyeliner, just don't count on them to thoroughly clean your face.

Skin care products are actually designed for you to have clean skin. Cleansers are for cleaning out the pores and getting rid of all the nasties that have attached themselves to your face; toners are for helping tone the skin and making it firmer, it also prepares your skin for the moisturising stage; moisturisers do exactly what it says in the name and moisturises, leaving your skin supple. Also I find taking my makeup off before all of these steps with a flannel, then exfoliating my face really makes a difference to how my skin feels at the end of the whole process. You will need to do a lot of trial and error with your skin care until you know what brands and products will help you out the most. If you have combination skin (like me) I would recommend the Fake Bake Skin DLuxe range, since using it I have had no problems with break outs or flakey skin on my forehead. But, like I said, it's all trial and error- I have tried so many brands before finally finding one that compliments my skin.

I am aware that after a long day of going about your business, the last thing you will want to do is spend 5-10 minutes taking off your make up when your facial wipes are just in reach at the side of your bed, but trust me when I say the more time it takes to clean your face the better because you know you've had a deeper clean.

Thank you for reading!
B x

Fab Brows- What Are They And How Do They Work?

It wasn't until recently I started taking the eyebrow craze seriously, I always used to just fill mine in with a black eyeshadow and think they looked okay (they didn't). Then one day I stumbled across this nifty little product. Fab Brows have quite literally saved me from myself and made my eyebrows look like I actually know what I'm doing with them! 

First of all, the packaging is amazing. The case is gold and metallic with a fairly decent sized mirror conviently placed so you can actually see what you're doing close up! The kit comes with a cute double ended brush, instructions and six stencils so you can switch up your eyebrow look every day! I always stick with the stencil called 'exotic straight' just because I like the arch of my brows to be quite sharp, but with six stencils, you're sure to find the shape perfect for you! 

All you do is line up the highest point of your natural brow with the highest point of the stencil and basically colour in the stencil using the fluffy end of the brush, making sure you cover your brows evenly. You then use the flat end of the brush to fill in any bits that you've missed and to give your edges that extra sharp line. It's that simple and you have perfect eyebrows every day. 

The best part is they have made this product sweat-proof, smudge-proof and water resistant. I think I accidentally stumbled across the most perfect product for eyebrow beginners and for £20 you really can't grumble! 

Thank you for reading and may the eyebrow gods be forever looking down upon you.

B x 

Should Fake Bake Have Stuck To Just Fake Tan?

Long blog short, absolutely not. Their beauty products are pretty good. If you are anything like me you would have had no idea that Fake Bake had launched their own direct sales company and created a whole range of beauty products specifically for the brand. I just so happened to stumble across the website one day and decided to try out a small selection of the vast amount of products they had on offer simply because I have always loved the brand and their self-tanners. 

There were a couple of products that I found were not as good as the rest, but are still pretty good products and I would rather keep this blog positive given it's my first! The Scream and Pout Wonderwear Special Affect Foundation is actually one of my favourite foundations I have tried. It has been likened to the Estée Lauder Double Wear and I can fully understand why. I have been wearing this for roughly a month now and I can honestly say that I never feel the need to touch up my foundation throughout the day. It stays put, it's a matte finish and I do find I tend to lean towards dewy finishes, but this foundation has turned me. I usually have to go for the lightest shade of foundation but I have had to go for the shade 'soft beige' as their 'ivory' shade was even too pale for me! 

Another product I have not been able to replace is their contour kit. The kit consists of a kabuki brush, a cream blush, a cream highlighter and their limited edition matte bronzer. Again, I find myself reaching mostly for shimmery bronzers in the shops but have been turned into matte bronzers. This bronzer is so pigmented that I only have to dab my brush once and I get a lovely deep bronzed colour on my cheeks. I know a lot of people do not really get on with the cream highlighters or blush but I find them very easy to use and I do prefer them over powders. Their highlighter is out of this world, I can put it on at 9 in the morning and I will still be glowing just before I do my nightly skin care routine before bed.

I'm not usually one for lipglosses, in my day to day life I am usually seen rocking a matte lip stick but Fake Bake Beauty's lipglosses are not that sticky and that's the main factor that puts me off lipglosses. . I think because I am so used to wearing lipstick with such a good colour pay off, I seem to forget that lipgloss doesn't really have the purpose of needing to be overly colourful. The mascara is brilliant for making your eyelashes appear longer, I prefer my eyelashes to look a lot thicker when I wear make up but everyone is different. If you prefer natural looking longer eyelashes then I would strongly recommend the Scream and Pout Marvel Mascara. 

So all in all, I find the Fake Bake Beauty brand a pretty big success. Some of their products I absolutely  love and will more than likely not replace. I definitely think you should give them a go. You can either buy the products online at www.fakebakebeauty.co.uk/shop/bryonyhawkesford or find your local direct salesperson for the brand! 

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely day! 

B x

About Me

Hello to every one of you who are reading this!

So you've either stumbled across my blog or have actually purposefully found it to read, either way I hope you enjoy my views on the world and life in general.

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to have a blog. I've always wanted to feel like my thoughts and feelings about different aspects of the world could be read and my opinions actually mattered to some people.

A little bit about me! I grew up in a seaside town and as much as I resented it at the time, I do love my home town now and often visit, so be prepared for a lot of my blog posts to feature segments about the beach and sea. I moved away from home to follow love and then actually fell in love with someone completely different and ended up having our two beautiful children and being happily engaged. Again, be prepared for the amount of 'proud mum moments' I will more than likely be sharing with you. It wasn't until recently that I got really into beauty products but now I have started I can't get enough.

I don't claim to be the be all and end all of beauty because, quite frankly, I understand that everyone in the world has very different opinions about products. A product that works for one person will not necessarily work for another- and that's okay! There's absolutely no reason to take my opinion to heart.

I really hope you enjoy my blog and thank you again for reading!

B x