Last week was full of stressful moments for me. I don’t deal with stress very well as I’m one of those people who tends to break down into tears the minute I get stressed about something and it truly is horrible. As I was casually scrolling through Pinterest one evening, I came across a short quote that completely stood out to me: 

                                                      

  “It is ok to take a break”

Sometimes we get so piled up with stuff that we feel like our heads may explode. It’s so important to pause and really think about what is most important at that moment in time. Yes. It’s okay to take a break from everything once in a while, to switch off from the world and focus on yourself for a change. How do we switch off? Well, everyone has their own ways of relaxing and winding down at the end of the day. Here are 6 things that I like to do: 

Read a book | Reading a book is one of the most relaxing things to do in my opinion. Getting stuck into a good story helps me to forget about all my worries and de-stresses my mind from any negativity. I recently picked up a new book to start reading called: Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland which is beautifully written Young Adult book about love and loss.

Switch off from Social Media | This is something I have been trying to add into my life recently. We use social media every single day for an excessive amount of hours (well, I do anyways) and that’s not a bad thing however it can become too much sometimes especially when it starts to affect your social life. It would get to the point where I’d come home from work and instead of spending time with my boyfriend who I haven’t seen for the day, we’d both end up on our phones for hours catching up. I’ve been starting to switch off from my social media for a few hours each day, and it honestly makes such a difference with my stress levels.

Talk to someone | I have always noticed that it’s much better to let your feelings out to someone you can trust rather than boxing them up on the inside and actually making you feel worse. It’s okay to get a second opinion sometimes and it’s also okay to ask for some help and advice when you need it the most. When I’m stressed, I’ll either turn to my boyfriend for help or I’ll end up ranting to my best friend over WhatsApp and that instantly makes me feel better.

Organising things |Bit of a strange one, but it’s always helped me. When I’m stressed and mind is completely puzzled, I like to organise my stuff. Whether that’d be my makeup drawers, my wardrobe or just cleaning around the house in general. I feel 100 times more organised afterwards and having some sort of order in my stuff makes me less stressed out in the future.

Go to bed early |When I’m tired, I tend to get a bit more ‘cranky’ and agitated which is where most of my stress comes into the picture. I used to go to sleep at around 2am which was never good as I would wake up and feel super irritated for the rest of the day. I’ve been trying to get into bed earlier than normal, probably around 9pm on work days or 8pm on my days off. I never force myself to sleep as that doesn’t work, I like to lay in bed until I feel tired – going to be earlier helps me to have a better and more productive day the next morning.

What are some of your favourite ways to switch off during a stressful day/week? 

A Round Up Of My Favourite Cream Contour Products

Oh I do love a good contour. It’s become part of my daily makeup routine and I genuinely feel ‘naked’ or ‘not put together’ if I skip this step. Don’t get me wrong, I still love powder products however I feel like cream products look more natural and gives my skin radiance rather than the matte look. During the spring and summer I like my skin to look glowy and healthy and these are some of my favourite cream contour products which help me to achieve that look:

Clinique Chubby Stick | This is one of the first cream contour products I ever purchased, and I also bought the highlighter chubby stick to go with it however I wasn’t a big fan of that one. Without even exaggerating here, this product has lasted me a good two years and it’s most likely out of date however I can’t bring myself to throw it away until I’ve used it all up. This sculpting contour contains no shimmer and the shade is more on the warmer side which I prefer as I don’t like grey, cool tone contours. The pigmentation is great and you only need to use the tiniest amount which is why it’s lasted me such a long time and its fab considering it cost £19. It blends into my skin nicely leaving me with natural looking sculpted cheek bones.

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel | If you haven’t heard of this product then where the heck have you been?! This was all the hype a few years back and I feel like pretty much everyone had this in their makeup collection. With the price range being £32, is it really worth it? YES. You can use this product underneath foundation for a bronzing base or use it on top as a cream bronzer. The velvety finish of this product keeps your skin looking radiant and sun kissed. It’s a light cream-gel formula which blends beautifully into the skin. It’s a very subtle product however it’s super buildable and just like the Clinique Chubby Stick, it has a warm undertone and lasts a very long time.

Technic Contour Stix | This contour stick comes in a set of three alongside a pink champagne cream highlighter and a yellow toned concealer. Technic is one of the more affordable brands with the set only costing around £7 and even cheaper on some sites such as eBay or Amazon. I was hesitant at first as I wasn’t sure if I like the colour of the contour itself, it’s more on the cooler side of things however it seems to work perfectly for my skin tone which I was super happy about. The product blends into my skin seamlessly and has amazing longevity power as it doesn’t seem to budge throughout the day. I also own Technic’s cream contour palette which insists of 8 shades to help you get the perfect contour, it retails for £5 and all the shades are super creamy and pigmented.

Benefit Dew the Hoola | I received this mini Dew the Hoola product in a Birchbox one month and of course, I was super excited about it. For someone who is a huge fan of the original Hoola bronzer I also cannot get enough of this product either. It’s unlike any of the other cream products I’ve mentioned so far as this one is a full on liquid bronzer… Yep, it’s a liquid. The consistency is not runny yet not too thick either. I like to apply one pump onto the back on my hand and then get a flat brush to apply it into the hollows of my cheeks, I like to blend it in with my Real Techniques expert face brush or sometimes I just like using the warmth of my fingers. It’s a warm toned shade, exactly the same shade as the original Hoola bronzer but just in a liquid form. This is a sample size however the real deal costs £24.50.

I am wanting to try out more cream contour products that are on the market today as I feel that more and more brands are starting to come out with them. I’d love to know some of your recommendations.

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The Best Highlighter For Pale Skin ft. Jeffree Star Ice Cold

If you know me then you’d know that I am a huge fan of Jeffree Star Cosmetics, his liquid lipsticks are one of my favourites in terms of formula, pigmentation and the whole colour range. Ever since his Skin Frost collections came out last year I have had my eye on the Ice Cold shade for what seems like F O R E V E R. I was super undecided about this product as I didn’t want to spend £25.50 for a highlighter however it’s so worth it and I’m very happy that I did.

When I received this product, I was surprised with how heavy and large the packaging was. It comes in a beautiful vibrant pink plastic container with the Jeffree Star logo printed on the lid in a kind of duo-chrome colour. It has a generously sized mirror which you can see your whole face in making it easy to apply the highlighter. You get 15g of product in this bad boy! Which immediately makes me think I’ve got my money’s worth already considering if we compare it to Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector for example, you only get 8g of product in that for a whopping £32.

In terms of the formula, it’s amazing. Just as I expected it to be. Its super pigmented and blends out beautifully on my skin as it has a buttery smooth feel to it. The formula reminds be a bit of Makeup Geek Foiled Eyeshadows as it’s has a super metallic look to it. You only need the tiniest amount of product for that beautiful glow, a little goes a very long way with this. I bought mine off of Beauty Bay where they have a wide range of 12 shades, I opted for Ice Cold as I’m more on the pale side and I find that this would work perfectly for those with a more fair skin tone. I struggled to find a highlighter that suits my pale skin until now.

(excuse the burn marks on my hand, i accidentally burn myself at work a lot lol)

Did anyone else own a fan brush but never knew what it was for? I only recently discovered the wonderful world of highlighting at the beginning of last year and realised that fan brushes are the one when it comes down to highlighter. I understand that some people hate using fan brushes as they feel like it doesn’t pick up enough product however my fan brush picks up the perfect amount for an everyday glow. If you’re wanting a more dramatic highlight then I’d suggest using Morphe E30 for a more precise application too.

I will most definitely be purchasing his products in the future, I actually have my eye on his Peach Goddess shade and I want to try to get my hands on the Jeffree Star and Manny MUA Collab products. Have you tried any of Jeffree’s products yet?

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Is Batiste 2 In 1 Dry Shampoo Really Worth It?

I went out on a hunt for a new dry shampoo, I wanted something a bit different as I tend to re-purchase the original Batiste dry shampoo although I’ve never liked the fact that it leaves a white cast through my hair yet it manages to make my hair feel super clean. I was very intrigued when I saw the newest from Batiste with their 2 in 1 dry shampoo and conditioner.

I want to start by saying that I love the scent of this. I opted for the Orange and Passion fruit as I tend to lean towards fruity and tropical scents. I believe there are 2 more flavours in this range: Vanilla and Passionflower or Cocoa and Cashmere.

The one key word which interested me the most was “invisible”. Yep that’s right, the product leaves no white residue through your hair but does it actually work as well as the original Batiste when it comes down to cleaning my hair?

The product claims to refresh roots and nourish the ends of your hair with their new 18 hour conditioning properties. It specifically targets dryness and conditions the areas where it’s needed. It also says that it doesn’t leave any excess oil and claims no more dryness leaving your hair smooth and hydrated. I’m quite lucky as my hair doesn’t get greasy until the 3^rd/4^th day, I shook the can really well beforehand and then sprayed a little amount through my roots whilst massaging it in. It left no white cast which I was really happy about however I’m not too sure as to what it did for my oily roots. Although my hair felt soft and a lot smoother than before, it made my roots look shiny and if anything, more greasier. Saying that, I prefer using it on the mid lengths and ends of my hair where it’s the most driest to give it a bit more of a healthy shine.

Considering how much I love Batiste as a brand and how I have been using their products for years, I have never been let down. I am a bit disappointed in this particular product though. I don’t hate it, but it’s not the best. It doesn’t work for me and I kind of feel like I’ve wasted my money a little bit. I wouldn’t recommend this for anyone that gets greasy hair pretty quickly, I feel like this may be targeted for those who are on the dry side. For now on, I’ll most likely stick to the original Batiste.

Have you tried the newest from Batiste yet?

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