Back in the day I was a disgusting little human and never took my makeup off before bed. I would apply makeup before school, sleep with it on and apply more over the top the next morning. I know, I’m cringing at the thought of it too. Nowadays I cannot go a day without taking my makeup off at the end of the day (except for those nights where I go out clubbing and completely forget to oops). I switch and change when it comes to makeup removers, there’s so many different ones out there on the markets now, and I just love trying a bunch out. I have rounded up a few of my go-to makeup removers that I’ve been reaching for more often recently.

GARNIER SKIN ACTIVE MICELLER CLEANSING WATER

I have never been a great fan of makeup wipes and I tend to stick to the micellar waters/oil based cleansers as I feel they are much gentler for my sensitive skin. Garnier have a massive selection of Micellar Waters available in Boots and Superdrug, I can say that I have tried every single one from the collection and I love them all. I mainly go for the oil infused micellar water however if I’m honest, it wasn’t in my local shops so I just picked this one up instead. It works just as well as the others and it leaves your skin feeling hydrated and free from any makeup residue.

SIMPLE KIND TO SKIN HYDRATING CLEANSING OIL

For someone who has normal to dry skin, I like to use products that will help to hydrate my dry patches. Oil based cleansers have been one of my favourites to use on those days where my skin needs a bit of a ‘pick me up’. Before trying this cleanser, I was very skeptical about it as I thought it was just going to leave me looking like a huge greasy mess but I was wrong. Once you rinse this off, your skin is left feeling soft, smooth and hydrated without any greasy residue left. It breaks down and dissolves your makeup nicely and it’s gentle to use on and around your eye area.

CLINIQUE TAKE THE DAY OFF CLEANSING MILK

Clinique have always been one of my favourite high end skincare brands. I tend to get a fair few of allergic reactions when trying out some new products however this has never happened with a Clinique product. This product is a gentle, milky cleanser which can be used with or without water to dissolve makeup. I would say that I don’t like using this for removing eye makeup as such because it doesn’t seem to get rid of that stubborn mascara very well. For face makeup though? Works like a dream. Massaging this over dry skin gives and rinsing off with warm water gives the best results.

GARNIER MICELLAR CLEANSING GEL WASH

Can you tell I love Garnier skincare? This was a recent purchase of mine and when I say recent, I mean I bought it 2 days ago however I feel like it needs to have its own little mention as I adore this product. It’s basically the exact same as the original micellar water but in a gel wash form and I actually think it works a lot better when it comes down to removing makeup. I have been using this for the past two days since I bought it, and so far it hasn’t broke me out which is always a good sign. I cannot explain how easy and quick it is to take my makeup off with this. It dissolved my makeup within seconds and rinsed off easily with warm water. The one thing I would say is that it stung my eyes a tad but I think that was purely down to the fact I used way too much. I felt like there was no need to moisturise afterwards either as it left me with the perfect amount of hydration for my skin.

What are your favourite makeup removers?

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Liquid Lipsticks That I'm Currently Obsessed With

A few years back you would never catch me wearing a liquid lipstick. Shocker. For someone who suffers with extremely dry lips, of course I found them to be an absolute pain to wear. They were uncomfortable and they made my lips crack and flake. I know, gross. Fast forward two years later, and I love them so much to the point where I literally wear them almost every day. I discovered the wonderful joys of lip scrub and lip balm which helped tons with my dry lips. I am now slowly building up my own little collection of liquid lipsticks and I have picked out a few of my favourites which I have currently been obsessed with recently…

              NYX Lip Lingerie – Bedtime Flirt

This was definitely a ‘Blogger made me buy it’ product as I saw so many great reviews about these liquid lipsticks that I wanted to join in and not feel left out lol. The texture of these lipsticks are kind of mousse like at first and then they dry down completely moments later. I have 4 different shades however my favourite is ‘Bedtime Flirt’ which is a gorgeous pinky nude that I find perfect for an everyday use. After a while, it does start to show all the fine lines on your lips but it’s nothing a lip balm over the top can’t fix! The longevity of these are great, they last for a good few hours and they don’t transfer.

2          Jeffree Star Liquid Lipstick – Leo

These liquid lipsticks have one of my favourite formulas ever! Unlike the lip lingerie’s, these ones are much more liquid in texture and they feel very smooth when you first apply them on to your lips. They feel quite tacky at first but then they dry down to a matte finish within a few minutes. They aren’t completely transfer proof so keep that in mind and they can tend to come off around the inside of your lips after eating or drinking which is something most liquid lipsticks tend to do after a few hours. I have two shades out of his collection – ‘Posh Spice and Leo’ with Leo being my favourite as it’s more of a warm toned brown. If you didn’t know, I am literally obsessed with brown lipsticks.

3          MUA Velvet Lip Lacquer – Flair

I discovered these a few weeks back and I thought as the price range was only £3, these were going to be crap. I was very wrong. They work just as good and wear just as long as any other liquid lipstick that I have tried, it’s a bonus that they’re just extremely cheap! After a few hours of wearing this, the colour does fade a bit so you do have to re-apply once throughout the day. I have mine in the shade ‘Flair’ which is a dark burgundy colour, perfect for the autumn months (although I do love wearing this all year round). I wore this so many times throughout November/December and I got a hell of a lot of compliments on it.

4          NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams – London

I rave about these all the time to everyone. If you’re not much of a liquid lipstick lover due to how drying they can be, then I definitely recommend in picking up some of these bad boys. These are what got me into liking liquid lipsticks. They’re lip creams which don’t dry down completely on your lips yet still giving you the appearance of wearing a matte lipstick. It feels like soft velvet on your lips and they are very comfortable to wear. They cost £5.50 each which is an absolute bargain. My favourite shade is ‘London’ – it’s a perfect nude which works with a lot of different skin tones. I also love the shades Amsterdam which is a bright red and I have also got Moscow which is a dark blue… BLUE. I bought it because I thought it would be perfect for Halloween, but I seem to wear it on a daily basis when I’m feeling very daring.

I’m always on the hunt for some more liquid lipsticks, what are your favourites?

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Struggles All Bloggers Can Relate To

Not everything is as perfect as it seems. Being a blogger, I go through many struggles and sometimes I feel like just giving it all up. Bit of an exaggeration Charlotte. Before I started blogging, I thought it was as simple as writing some words out and pressing that publish button, a complete walk in the park right? No. There is so much more to blogging than that. Whether you’ve been blogging for years or you’re just starting out in the blogging world, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to relate to at least one of these blogger struggles.

1.      Writers Block

Yes. That absolutely dreaded writers block. This happens to me a lot, one day I’ll be full of new blogging ideas but then all of a sudden, I’ll be completely brain dead. I sit there looking at a white blank page for hours on end with nothing to write and it can really put a downer on my mood. I have recently learnt to deal with my writers block by just taking a break – if I find that I have absolutely nothing to write about then that’s okay, leave it for a few days and then the ideas will all come flowing back naturally. 

2.      Lighting for photos

Let’s state the obvious, my pictures aren’t exactly the best. It’s something I’m looking to improve on this year. It doesn’t help the fact that I have the worst lighting ever in my house. I have tried taking pictures in different rooms to see if anything improves but nope, the lighting doesn’t seem to like me. I like having a brighter background and the ‘Snapseed’ app has helped me to achieve that. All I can say is thank god for editing apps and programmes.

3.      How often should I post?

This is something I am very undecided about. How many times I post is a massive struggles that I face due to a variety of reasons – I don’t want to annoy or bother people if I post too much, but then again I don’t want to push people away if I post less. What time should I post? This is another struggle of mine seeing as I want to try and post when most people are likely to see it, but when is that exactly? I also don’t like setting myself a schedule either, I’ve already been there and done that (it didn’t work out) I don’t like saying I’m going to post something on a certain day, what if I don’t have anything to post for that day? It’s all just a bit of a struggle really.

4.      Social Media Unfollowers

Of course, it’s nice to have followers on your social media platforms. However, I always feel a bit discouraged whenever I lose a few followers. My anxiety plays up massively and I immediately think what did I do wrong? Especially when it’s someone that you follow back and have admired for a while. I know that not everyone is going to like my content, maybe that’s something I need to start accepting more.

5.       Juggling with priorities

Personally, juggling with a full time shift work jobs, maintaining a good social life as well as trying to post each week can all get a bit too much sometimes. I really do struggle with trying to be as consistent as I possibly can with everything I do. Blogging actually takes up a hell of a lot of time when it comes down to planning your posts, writing posts, getting the right photos, sharing and promoting on social media platforms and so on. I hold my hands up to those who still manage to find time to blog whilst juggling with uni and work and college etc. You are my inspiration!

What are some of your personal blogging struggles? 

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All Time Favourite Shows on Netflix

There's nothing I like doing more than chilling out and binge watching some good Netflix shows. When I'm not working or going out for the day, I pretty much spend the majority of my time in bed with a cup of tea and my laptop. Life goals. Here are some of my all-time favourite shows to binge watch on Netflix… 

Pretty Little Liars
I'm sure everyone and their mother has seen this show by now. If not, where have you been? Without giving anything away, the show is based around 5 best friends who have coped with anonymous texts and unsuspected deaths. “A” watches there every move and continues to mentally torture the girls. This is one of those shows that always seems to make you want more especially seeing as each episode seems to end on a cliff-hanger. 

Black Mirror
I have only recently just started watching this and I am becoming slightly obsessed. This is a British science fiction series created by the talented Charlie Brooker (who is just an absolute genius). ‘The show is centred around dark themes that examine modern society, particularly with regard to the unanticipated consequences of new technologies’ I literally had to quote that off of the internet as I had no idea how to describe this show, it's so unique and it's one of those shows that you have to watch for yourself to understand. It doesn't matter what order you watch it in, as each episode is a completely different storyline with different actors. Some of my favourite episodes are: Playtest, Shut up And Dance and White Bear. 

Series of Unfortunate Events 
I am a massive fan of the film starring Jim Carey therefore when I found out late last year that they were realising a Netflix show to this, I was buzzing. The film only showed 3 out of the 13 novels, however the first season to this show adapts the first four books of the series. I have seen whilst browsing through social media and the internet in general that the second season will adapt books five through nine of the novel series and then the third season is adapting the rest. The show is based on the Baudelaire children whose parents were mysteriously killed in a fire. They are placed into the care of Count Olaf (played by Neil Patrick Harris) an actor who is determined to claim the family fortune all for himself. The children set out to uncover the mystery behind a secret society from their parents past.

Stranger Things
I'm not usually a huge fan of sci-fi shows or movies therefore I put off watching this for a while. After hearing a bunch of good reviews I thought I'd give it a chance and I'm so glad that I did. It's based in a small Indiana town set in the year 1983 - when Joyce’s 12 year old son, Will goes missing, she launches a investigation into his disappearance, they started to unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries involving secret government experiments and a unusual little girl. This show is very gripping and a bit scary at some points. I am a bit of a wimp though. 

So… I am always on the lookout for more Netflix shows. These are just a few of my all-time favourite shows that I always go back to and I can binge watch over & over again. 

What are your favourite Netflix shows?

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