The Beauty Tag - 40 Questions About Your Beauty Obsessions.

Q1) How many times do you wash your face daily?

At Least once in the morning, I normally use a cleanser at night that doesn't require washing off but if my skin is super oily or flared up then I will wash my face twice, morning and night. 

Q2) What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)?

My skin is always changing, I would probably say I'm more on the oily side but In the winter and with using acne products my skin can sometimes become a tad on the dry side. So I guess combination.

Q3) What is your current facial wash?  

I currently use Lush's Fresh Farmacy. 

Q4) Do you exfoliate? What brand do you use?

Yes! Between once and twice a week. I use Soap and Glory's Scrub Your Nose In It. 

Q4) What moisturizer do you use?

I have two! I mainly use Simple's Light Hydrating Moisturiser but if my skin is a little dry then I use Soap and Glory's Night Accelerator.  

Q5) Do you have freckles?

I do and I actually really like them, you can only see them in summer though. 

Q6) Do you use eye cream?

No. I actually have an eye cream but I always forget to use it. My bad. 

Q7) Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

I do unfortunately. 

Q8) Have you ever have to use Pro-activ?

I haven't. I did go to buy it but It the reviews were so mixed, some people loved it and some people hated it and it's a lot of money for something that you're not sure is going to make an improvement.

Q9) What foundation do you use?

Max Factor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion - Ivory

Q10) How about concealer?

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Light 1

Q11) Do you know your undertone colour?

I think i'm more on the cool side but I always say neutral because I'm never sure.

Q12) What do you think of fake eyelashes?

Fake eyelashes can look really nice if applied correctly and they're not too heavy or thick. I wish I could use fake eyelashes but for me I don't really like them, they really irritate me and I can't get the knack of applying them so they look "natural"

Q13) Did you know that you are suppose to change your mascara every 3 months?

Yes and No, some people say 3 months some say 6. Personally I keep my for 6 - 8 months I've never had any problem with it, I just clean my wand regularly. I know a lot of you make up artists/buffs will be screaming right now lol. 

Q14) What brand of mascara do you use?

L'oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes.

Q15) Sephora or MAC?

I've not been to either of them but from word of mouth I would probably say Sephora as you have more variety.

Q16) Do you have a MAC Pro-card

No.

Q17) What makeup tools do you use in make up application?

Real Techniques Brushes.

Q18) Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?

I always use a cream base for my eyeshadow and I do prime my eyes but with a face primer rather than an actual eye primer as I don't currently own one.

Q19) Primer for your face?

Yes. I use Benefit Porefessional Primer.

Q20) What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?

I like neutral shades best but probably a goldy shimmer colour like half baked from Urban Decays Naked Palette.

Q21) Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

Pencil. I like the liquid look but I'm terrible at applying it lol. 

Q22) How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?

Not that often, I'm always poking myself in the eye with my mascara wand though. Ouch!

Q23) What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

As in loose? I don't like them, they are messy and get all in your eye. 

Q24) Do you use mineral makeup?

I don't. I know I probably should but it can be a bit pricey. 

Q25) What is your favorite lipstick?

 Barry M Lip Paint in 129. It's a pastel lilac colour. I love the feel of it it's so light and creamy and I just love the colour. It doesn't dry my lips either. 

Q26) How about lipgloss?

I don't really have a fav lip gloss, I rarely use them, if I do it's normally just a clear one.

Q27) What is your favorite blush to use?

I like any of the sleek blushes. I can't chose a colour cause I like them all, I guess rose gold? but I also really like Lifes a peach, those are my top 2. 

Q28) Do you buy your makeup on ebay?

I have done in the past, but not anymore. The quality is never as good and you can easily get ripped off.

Q29) Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yes! Love it.

Q30) Do you go to CCO's? (cosmetic company outlets)?

No, never even heard of them....is it an American thing?

Q31) Have you ever consider taking make-up classes?

Nope, I like make-up a lot but there are so many tips and tricks which you can learn from youtube so I don't really need to take a make-up class as I'm not wanting to pursue it as a career. 

Q32) Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

Yes I probably am, I have good days but more often than not I end up re-doing my eyes as they never look right lol. 

Q33) Name a makeup crime that you hate?

Orange! People who chose an orangey foundation that's to dark for their skin and they don't even try to blend it out. It looks ridiculous.

Q34) Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

I prefer neutral eyeshadows but I quite like a pop of colour on the lips. 

Q35) Which celebrity always has great make up?

She's not really a celebrity but Sinead from TheMakeupChair (Youtuber) her makeup looks flawless. 

Q36) If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?

Concealer, just to hide my blemishes lol. 

Q37) Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

Yes, I pretty much always do. 

Q38) Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?

Yes. I've become comfortable and accepted my skin/face without makeup now.

Q39) In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

That's a tricky one. I don't really have a favourite I like different types of makeup from different brands. I guess if money was no object I probably would own mostly benefit or urban decay. 

Q40) What do you think of Makeup? 

I do like makeup, in fact I have a weird obsession in buying and owning it but I rarely use it. I think it's good that it can make you feel more confident but I also believe it's bad because nowadays girls believe they NEED it and don't feel comfortable without it which is a shame. 

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My February Buys/Gifts

I went a little cray cray in February, I'm so bad at saving money but in particular I seem to have bought quite a lot this month, now I could try and justify myself by saying it's stuff I need but who would I be trying to convince here, me or you? definitely me. Now this post isn't meant to come across as I'm  bragging,  it's just something I thought I would share, I don't normally buy this much stuff and i've put myself on a spending block for a while!

Yankee Candles

You should all know by now that I have a slight obsession with candles, yankee candles in particular. I love how strong the scents are and how they linger making your room/home smell gorgeous. I got an email through saying they had some of the range on special offer so I jumped at the chance *Naughty Becky* the left jar is called After Dark, it smells kind of like mens after shave, but I like that smell so it's not too bad, but after a while it is a little overpowering, I probably won't buy it again though. On the right we have Stargaze which is my personal favourite out of the two, it's a very unique smell, it's slightly citrusy with a hint of vanilla and has a musky perfume base, yeah I think that's the best I can do at describing it. These are medium jars from the Pure Radiance set which I'd never heard of so I was eager to try them, I think they were originally £19.99 but they were on offer at £12.99, I also found a 20% discount code online too.

The four in the middle from left to right are, Turquoise Sky, River Valley, Midnight Oasis and Black Coconut, these are called samplers, they're perfect for trying out new fragrances, they were £1.80 each. My favourite out of the four is probably Turquoise Sky, but I love them all. Treat your home to some lovely candles - http://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/en/uk/page/home

Earplugs

This is just a random buy which probably isn't interesting at all. Ever since I was younger (when I shared a room with my sister) i could never sleep when someone was snoring, it drives me CRAZY. So I use these when I go to bed, even though I've had my own room for a while I still struggle to get to sleep without them. I think it's like a comfort thing now, I feel like somethings missing and I like silence when going to sleep. So yeah basically without my earplugs I struggle to sleep lol

Skincare

The cotton pads on the left I did need as I use them to clean my face with at night, I also needed a new nail file as my other one had pretty much had it. I invested in some new eyelash curlers to as my old ones were also worn out.

At the beginning of February my skin took a turn for the worse so I found the Botanics Ultra Calming Serum and Soap and Glory's Beauty Sleep Accelerator 24h Moisturiser which both featured in my last blog post and I'm still loving the results.

On the right is a medical cream that my Aunt bought me, she came across it as she uses it for her dogs paws, (yes it's animal friendly) she recommended it as it's got wonderful reviews for treating and clearing up acne. it's a moisturiser for dry itchy skin, so at first I was dubious about using it with having oily skin. Anyway it had a medical smell to it kind of like savlon, so I thought it would work similar to sudocrem. Unfortunately this product didn't help my skin at all, in fact it made my face super oily and caused more breakouts. Once I stopped using it my skin was much happier. 

Books

On the right is a book by Sarah Butler, "Ten Thing I've Learnt About Love" I started reading this mid february after I picked it up in Tesco for £2 and it's very confusing as it switches between two characters via bullet points, it takes a while to get use to. I only read 5 or 6 chapters because I then bought the book on the left by J Lynn "Be With Me" which I've been waiting for since september last year, it's a follow on to "Wait For You" which I read last year on holiday. I couldn't put the book down and it was the same with this one, I'm a pretty slow reader but I read "Be With Me" in two days, it's a personal record. Honestly it's an amazing book, I highly recommend you read the series. I now have to wait until september for the next one...boooo!

Hair

I go through Batiste dry shampoo like there is no tomorrow, it's one of my must have products. I bought two cans at the beginning of the month (buy one get one half price at boots) and with my sister stealing it and me using it, the first can has already gone, I probably get through one can every 2 weeks which is quite a lot of dry shampoo haha. I have greasy hair, no matter what shampoo or hair products I use, I always get greasy hair a day after washing it, I don't like to wash my hair too often as it's not healthy for it so this is where this beauty comes in. It freshens up your hair removing the oil in your hair and it makes it smell nice and clean too, if you have dark hair though it might take a while to work in, or you could be left with grey roots which isn't a good look.

I bought a hair donut on a whim as I always struggle to get my hair to stay in a high bun, and as I go to the gym a couple times a week, I like to have all my hair pinned up so it's not sticking to my sweaty neck and forehead....eww. They're actually quite easy to use. (I'm so bad at doing my hair).

Boots

In January I bought some awesome metallic chelsea high heel boots, I literally loved them but after wearing them a couple of times the metallic came off, I was gutted, anyway I returned them and got a full refund. I had my eyes on these from the end of January and they were half the price of my other boots (Good old Asda £22). Anyway I put off buying them, not really sure why but in the end my Sister bought them for me (after hassling her for weeks) we went shopping and I tried them on and I would of probably bought them myself anyway but I did feel kind of bad as I felt I'd bullied her into buying them, I offered her the money afterwards but she said it was fine. I love my sister she is so lovely and thoughtful.

Tops

I picked these two tops up in primark while shopping with my friend Lucy and my Sister. I fell in love with the left one and then just bought the plain pink one on the right as I needed some new tops.

Lush

My second obsession is Lush, I nipped in there and decided to treat myself to a couple of goodies. I first bought the limited edition "Love Locket" bath ballistic which was out for valentines day, it smelt lovely as most Lush bath products do and it was also 3 bombs in one, I instagramed a picture of that. I also picked up "Melting Marshmallow" bath melt (On the left) I've used this before it smells like sweeties and it makes your sink fell super soft. On the right is "Lord Of Misrule" which I have never seen before so I'm not sure if it's a limited edition one or not. It smells great, I think it's my second favourite smell from Lush it also has popping candy in it so I'm excited to try this one. If you like baths then check out Lush - https://www.lush.co.uk/

Underwear

On the top is a sports bra, I find it really hard to find sports bras that fit as I have rather large bresticals. surprisingly this fits fine and it's not a huge struggle to do up - result. 

Having large boobs (I shall not tell you my exact size but it's larger than what most "pretty" bras go up) I find it hard to find nice bras that are comfortable and actually look nice. 

While searching for a sports bra, I came across this sexy duo and was surprised they went up to my size, the bra was only £14 which is ridiculous price when you're use to seeing/paying almost £40 for a bra. I think the underwear gods have realised they're are a lot more bigger busted women out there, at last! 

Beauty

This really was a reckless buy, one day I was feeling really down and found myself on boots looking at the offers. L'oreal makeup was on buy one get one half price and I've always wanted to try the true match foundation so I thought I'd give it a go, it's not that bad but it's a lot heavier than i'm use to. I also chose the L'oreal Glam Shine Balmy Gloss in Bite the Marajuca which is a coral shade. I have reds, pinks and purples so I thought I'd try a coral shade, I'll probably use it a lot in summer. I also bought the Glam Shine 6hr Lipgloss in Infinite Desert ( A bronze shade with golden sparkles) and Immortal Pearl ( A clear gloss with subtle pink sparkles). I thought i'd give the lip gloss look a try, I quite like these glosses, considering they have glitter in they don't feel gritty. 

Later on in the month, I needed a new topcoat as mine had gone thick and gloopy - yuck, I read some reviews on the "Save the nail wet look top coat" by nails inc, at £6 I didn't think that was too bad, and it's lived up to the reviews, it really is amazing, so I think i've found a new fav top coat. While looking for a top coat I also noticed Barry M was on 3 for 2 and their nail polish is my all time fav high street brand so I snapped up some of the Gelly Hi Shine in some new colours they've brought out.

Clothes

Me and my Brother went shopping on Saturday (Technically March 1st but I'm including these anyway) I decided I was going to buy some new clothes and I haven't updated my wardrobe in over a year (minus the two tops I bought earlier in the month) with my weight always going up and down, I tend to not buy clothes as I never know what size to get and my current ones had worn out.

I picked up these two tops in primark, the light blue one is very similar to my pink one, and the flower patten one is a crop top which looks really nice with the jeans. 

I also picked up a cute necklace and a group of bracelets as I need to accessorise more.

I really like these kind of dresses, I find them very flattering on my figure. I have a few dresses but i've worn them so many times it just looks stupid when I go out in them now, so I thought I'd treat myself to a new dress.

I haven't worn jeans in god knows how long, I find it very hard to find jeans that fit me, I'm bigger on the legs and quite small on my waist stomach area, I don't like low rise jeans as they push all my fatty bits up ewww not a good look. I decided I would be a bit more adventurous with my look and step away from the leggings and try some jeans, I love this acid wash patten and I just had to get them. Admittedly I didn't try them on in the shop because the queue was too long and I couldn't be bothered to wait. Once I got home a tried them on I was surprised at how comfortable they were and how well they fit, I still have to wear a belt otherwise they fall down ha.

The sweetest thing was when we went to pay, my brother was like I'll just stick it on my card, I was like no it's ok i'll pay but he insisted he was putting it on his card. Once again I offered him the money but he wouldn't take it. I seriously have the best Siblings ever. I'm so lucky and I love them both very much.

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My Current Skincare Routine

Side Note - I just want to thank a few people who have encouraged me to carry on this blog and made me feel as if it's something good and it's nice to know people are actually enjoying it! So Anna-Laura Michael Jackson Hitch if you're reading this then thank you for reminding me and pushing me to carry on as I'm pretty lazy and always put things off! I'm dedicating this post to you!
Lucy, thank you for reading my blog and telling me you like it and encouraging me to do more posts, and last but not least, thank you to my sister Abi for helping me choose what I should post next and constantly giving me advice when I need it.

Now on with the show!!

So over the years i've constantly tried numerous skincare products, probably from about the age of 13/14 when I started to get acne. It's hard to find a good regime that actually helps/keeps your skin in check, there are so many products which promise to improve your skin no matter what type you have, yet a lot of them are a bunch of crap (excuse my language) I dare to think how much I've spent over the years on phony products; eventually after sitting in my draws for months, either get passed down to my sister or chucked because they are useless to me.  

I guess it all depends on your skin type because I know certain products, for instances Garnier; I think if my skin had an arch enemy it would be Garnier products. Every Garnier product I have tried has made my skin super oily, broke me out in hundreds of spots and made my skin itchy (I think I might be allergic to it) so naturally I stay clear of anything made by Garnier. Sorry Garnier, it's nothing personal.

I've heard/read so many people rave about Garnier's bb cream and other products by Garnier which have done wonders for their skin and how it's a "must have item". Basically what I'm trying to say is it's about trial and error with skin products, what suits my skin, might not suits yours, which kind of sucks because it can cost a lot of time and money. Although if I had to suggest any product I would recommend going for ones that are naturally made.

Step 1 - Cleanse 

These are my morning/in the bath cleansers, on the right we have Lush Fresh Farmacy, now for a cleanser I guess this is on the pricey side, for 100g it's just under £5 but to be fair it does last a very long time. I bought this roughly around the end of november at just over 100g, I think it cost me about £6.50, I would say I've used about 2/3 of it now but I don't use it everyday as somedays I will just wash my face with water. I have quite sensitive skin and I find if I use too much product it can actually irritate my skin rather than help it, so I probably use Fresh Farmacy about 2 to 3 times a week. I really like the fact it's a solid bar, rather than a gel/cream, it's a very thick cleanser it kind of feels like a clay (it might be a clay but I don't think it is) It's made up of calming essential oils which help cool and soothe the skin. I also like this because I feel it helps with my oily patches (I have combination - oily skin) and it smooths out my skin. There are two downfalls to it though, 1) the smell, It's not exactly a nice smell, It's not terrible but yeah It's not something you want to smell all day and 2) It doesn't come with a tin or container and the reason I don't like this because it could get contaminated by germs/bacteria, I store mine in a plastic container, you know one of those chinese take away ones haha, I find it a little too big/bulky to take it with me if i'm travelling, so yeah it would be nice if they gave you an option to buy a container for it. https://www.lush.co.uk/product/5913/250g-MEDIUM-Fresh-Farmacy-Cleanser. The second cleanser (on the left) is once again from Lush, it's called Angels On Bare Skin I love this cleanser but it's more of a once a month one, sometimes my skin can get a little dry under my chin and around my nose, my cheeks get a bit red from scarred acne so that's when I tend to use this, it's kind of solid but once you add a little bit of water to it it turns into a milky paste, it really helps tone down redness and even out your skin it lightly exfoliates as well. It's meant for oily skin, but weirdly I prefer to use this when my skin isn't that oily. This costs £6.35 for a small tub but once again it goes a long way, you literally only need the tiniest bit, i'm actually ashamed to admit I've had this product for over a year now (probably isn't hygienic but it still seems okay to me) it doesn't have a use by date but it probably is out of date (still works the same though). Once again not keen on the smell, to be fair most of Lush's face products don't smell that great (except Cupcake mmmmm.) https://www.lush.co.uk/product/6433/100g-Angels-on-Bare-Skin-.

These are my nighttime cleansers aka my lazy ones haha. On the left we have L'oreal Skin Perfection Purifying Cleansing Wipes, I only use these if i've worn make-up that day, as it takes majority of it off. I really like these wipes as they keep my skin balanced, they don't dry me out or make me feeling oily afterwards. They're £2 at Asda which I don't think is bad at all. http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-sna1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/910000299918. On the right we have Simple Kind To Skin Pore Minimising Toning Cleanser, out of the all the products I think this one is my favourite. It's a gel type cleanser but you don't have to wash it off, it melts into your skin and after a few minutes it's pretty much untraceable. I just squeeze a dollop onto a cotton pad (as seen in the picture) and sweep it over my face, it removes so much dirt from your face that it's visible on the pad, kind of gross really, but at least you know it's doing a good job. Since using this I've also noticed my pores seem a lot smaller, and my acne is no where near as bad, when I do get breakouts they're small instead of the really big skin deep ones that hurt which is brilliant, I also like this because it's a toning cleanser which means it's two in one, it saves, time, money, space and effort because I don't have to use a toner. I love simple's range I find it's great for sensitive skin. http://www.superdrug.com/simple/simple-pore-mini-cleanser/invt/584630&bklist=.

Step 2 - Tone

Now i'm not really sure if this is a toner or not but I use it before my moisturiser so I'm classing it as a toner lol. This is a recent product I've been using and so far I can't fault it. Botanics Skin Relief Serum Ultra Calm is a serum which you apply before your daily moisturiser, it's suppose to reduce redness, even skin tone and calm down sore spots and honestly so far it's done all the above. I love the way it just melts into the skin, it makes the skin feel so soft and smooth like a babies bum bum hehe. It also smells amazing, it's kind of an orangey fragrant but I can't really describe it, its just nice okay, so take my word for it. This was a little on the pricey side, but Boot's always seem to have this range on offer, I think I got 1/3 off and I'm glad I bought it because so far I'm in love with it. http://www.boots.com/en/Botanics-Ultra-Calm-Skin-Relief-Serum-30ml_1261985/.

Step 3 - Moisturise

On the right we have Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser which I pretty much use every day, even though I have oily skin it's still important to moisturise as your skin can become dehydrated and in turn produce more oil as your skin needs it. What I like about this moisturiser is it's a light 12 hour one which seems to be just about right for me, I've tried oil free moisturisers which have actually dried my skin out, I've tried heavy moisturisers which make my skin to oily as my skin doesn't need that much moisture and pretty much stops absorbing it. It sinks into my skin pretty much instantly so you're not sat rubbing it in for 10 minutes which can be a pain, I also like that it give a matte finish, so it's perfect if you want to apply make-up straight after. It's very cheap for a moisturiser as well which is always a plus! http://www.superdrug.com/simple/simple-hydrating-light-moisturiser-125ml/invt/949073&bklist=. On the left we have Soap and Glory's Beauty Sleep Accelerator which is a 24 hour nighttime moisturiser. Since it's winter and I've been out walking the dog quite a big I've noticed my skin has started to get a little dry so about once a week I will use this before I go to bed, and when I wake up in the morning my skin feels amazing, it drinks up all the goodies and feels ready to face the week. The smell of this product is to die for, it's got a peachy/citrus smell and I think it's my favourite smell out of all my products, it's so yummy I want to eat it. It's quite pricey but if you're using it in small amounts like me then I reckon it's worth it as it will probably last a long time. http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory%C2%99-Beauty-Sleep-Accelerator%C2%99-Night-Flight-Moisture-Miracle_1364180/.

Step 4 - Treatment

Back to trusty old simple. Here we have the Rapid Action Spot Zapper. I find it's near enough impossible to find a spot stick/treatment that actually works, but I guess this is the best of a big bunch, It's not perfect and it doesn't always make a difference, it's kind of a 50/50 product, half the time it helps reduce the spot and the other half it just doesn't touch it, but the reason why I use it, is because unlike other spot treatments it doesn't dry out the skin, so if it doesn't affect the spot then it's not a big deal because it doesn't make it worse. I find it works best on my cheeks, and not so good on my chin/forehead. Still it's not that bad of a price so I think it's worth given it ago. http://www.superdrug.com/simple/simple-spotless-rapid-action-spot-zapper/invt/205719&bklist=.

Step 5 - Lips

Moving onto my lips, yes it's just as important to take of your lips. On the left I use Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub, this comes in a variety of flavours but bubblegum is by far my favourite, it exfoliates your lips and removes any dead flaky skin, it's really good. It's also made with sugar so of course it tastes divine, it's almost a struggle not to eat the entire pot, I use this every other night before I go to bed and before I apply lipsticks/glosses. It's not that pricey when you think about it because it does last a long time, but as it's just sugar, you could make it at home for 1/3 of the price. https://www.lush.co.uk/product/67/Bubblegum-Lip-Scrub. On the right is Vaseline which is just a standard lip balm I apply after the scrub, it helps keep my lips nice and moistruised, I like this one as it's has aloe vera in it which is a natrual antibacteria so if you sometimes get cold sores like me, I feel it helps keep them at bay before they fully flare up. http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-sna1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/1528095.

There you have it, my current skincare routine. I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you next time! 

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