I Got a Haircut!

This haircut is long overdue - it must have been at least a year since the last one! Huge thanks to my amazing hairdresser Debbie who has cut my hair in my Grandma's kitchen since I can remember. There isn't much of a change this time; we pretty much just attacked the hair that serves as a sort of fringe, chopped the split ends off and added in some layers to give my hair some shape. I styled it all myself after it dried naturally (I'm atrocious at styling my hair so I'm pretty damn pleased with how it turned out) but here we are! I plan on doing a review on the leave in conditioner/de-frizz spray I've recently started using so watch this space!

this is my face

Laura

Fundraising

This isn't the type of post I'd normally write on this blog but apparently you can help a variety of causes simply by clicking a button. I've seen links to this site numerous times on Tumblr and I figured that it can't hurt to share the link here too. The website in question, http://greatergood.com/ offers a range of charitable options from raising funds for breast cancer to feeding homeless veterans to animal welfare - I've just clicked every button I can because, well, the worst that can happen is nothing. I have no idea if this organisation actually works, but again, what's the worst that can happen?

It's totally free, there's no signing up to anything - all you have to do is literally press a button.
http://greatergood.com/

Laura

Challenge Cup Final!

So I planned on writing a post earlier than this but hey ho I'm here now!

I popped down to London with Liam yesterday for the Challenge Cup Final - I'm really not much of a rugby fan (give me a catalogue of photographic accessories any day!) but I really liked the make-up I managed to throw on my face given the time - 4.15am ugh.

We didn't take many selfies as it was more about exploring London and the rugby itself but here is my Face of the Day!

Collection Match Perfection Concealer in shade 1 Fair

Revlon ColourStay Foundation in shade Ivory

Natural Collection Pressed Powder in shade Cool

Beauty UK Shadow/Eyeliner Palette  in #2

Sunburst Bronzer

#17 Cream Blush in shade Bronze

Daniel Sandler Eye Delight Loose Pigment in shade Peach

Re-vamp!

I've completely re-done the layout of my blog and it now includes a direct link to my online store! Check it out here.

Laura

Make-up for Pale Skin/Product Review: Natural Collection Pressed Powder

(Purchase link here)

I rediscovered this powder after I demolished my Revlon Photoready Pressed Powder (which is also AMAZING, by the way) but after a couple of uses I totally remember why I loved this powder in the first place.

Natural Collection is an incredibly cheap drugstore make-up brand - everything under £5 if I remember right - with some real hidden gems. It's perfect for those on a budget, anyone just starting out experimenting with make-up or anyone who just doesn't want to spend much on their make-up.

This powder comes in at £1.99 at Boots (link above) and although it only comes in 3 shades (Warm, Neutral, Cool) I find that that this powder is perfect for my paler than pale skin - a rarity! I use this to set my Revlon ColourStay foundation for combination/oily skin in shade Ivory (found here) by taking a stippling brush and pressing a thin layer of the product on to the skin before buffing in another light layer on top. This layering technique prevents the foundation underneath from being moved while I'm buffing in the powder and also improves its staying power. I deem a powder to be good if I have any make-up left to remove at the end of the day and this powder definitely gets the job done. My skin tends to get oily around the T-zone/forehead and this product significantly reduces shine throughout the day.

However this product is not a miracle worker and I don't find there to be much coverage in this powder. If you're looking for a higher coverage/powder foundation kind of product then this might not be right for you. It can also look slightly heavy if you go in all guns blazing and try to buff a lot of product in from the get go - I definitely recommend stippling and layering this product for best results. The colour selection isn't the best either, but it definitely isn't the worst, and for £1.99 there isn't much to complain about!

All in all I think this product is excellent value for money and deserves more attention than it gets. It does what it says on the tin and gets the job done for me with no issues. I highly recommend this product for anyone - especially all you pale skinned beauties out there!

Laura

Lifehack #2: Miracle Product!

It's official. Tea Tree Oil may just be the product of Gods.

I've raved about this product before in my post 'The Spot Remedy You (probably) Haven't Tried!' here but Tea Tree Oil has so many more uses than skincare alone.

(Image taken from Google. Here is the source)

Many retailers have a whole range of Tea Tree skincare products but here I want to rave about some of the lesser known uses for it so here we go!

Skincare

• (Neat) Helps clear up spots/acne
• (Neat/Medium mix) Can be used as a toner
• (Neat - cotton ball) Disinfects cuts/grazes
• (Neat - cotton ball) Helps to reduce blisters
• (Neat - cotton ball) Helps to heal bruises
• (Neat) Softens calluses
• (Diluted with lib balm) Improves the performance of lib balm
• (Optional: diluted with coconut oil/moisturiser) Helps with eczema
• (Neat) Reduces inflammation/insect bites

Haircare

• (Medium mix with shampoo) Helps with dandruff/dry scalp (a personal favourite!)
• (Neat or strong mix with shampoo) Helps to remove headlice
• (Neat) Helps with split ends

Other

• (Weak/Medium mix with water) Kitchen disinfectant spray
• (Medium mix with water) Helps deter pests such as ants
• (Weak mix with water) Natural mouth wash (do NOT swallow!)
• (Neat) Helps to cure fungal nail infections
• (Optional mix) Helps with cold sores/herpes
• (Neat - use sparingly!) Hand sanitiser
• (Weak/Medium mix with moisturiser) Helps to soothe sunburn

This list is just what I can think of off the top of my head. If you find a new miracle cure in this list or have any other uses for Tea Tree Oil then leave a comment! 

Laura

I'm Back!

Okay so I am finally the proud owner of no money and a brand spanking new Macbook Pro! I've had a couple issues with purchasing it which is why I've been gone longer than I anticipated but it's all good now.

Just as a side note; Apple, if my bank has to stop the transaction to you because they think it's fraudulent then I think you could really benefit from lowering your prices! Wink wink nudge nudge. And I think it would make a lot of people more comfortable if you gave them the option to A) place an order to configure their Macs in store B) allowed delivery of purchases to a store and C) offered more delivery options to people's home addresses. But that's just me.

I'll be back real soon with more posts, reviews, tips and lifehacks so I hope to see you then!
Laura

Weh weh weh

Okay so my dear old laptop is definitely on its last legs so I am pretty much unable to post until my new laptop is delivered. I'm ordering it on Monday so with any luck it'll be here by the end of next week!

Goodbye for now
Laura