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 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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Why Should We Hide Our Flaws?

We've all heard the cliche "Beauty Is Skin Deep" and although I truly do believe to be classed as a beautiful person you need to have a beautiful heart, it is extremely hard to be happy with your appearance in today's society. Not only do we have the media portraying this image of what people, particularly girls should look like, men and women can also be so judgemental on how people look. Why must we all be so perfect? I know that majority of the photo's you see in magazines of these women having flawless skin are photoshopped and caked on with make-up but when you have ordinary people picking out peoples flaws and judging you on them that's when it becomes worrying.

If a celebrity is seen without make up and has "bad skin" they are heavily criticised for it, like recently Harry Styles from One Direction was spotted with a few spots on his face, now instead of the people criticizing him for having terrible skin and saying he is unhygienic they should be supporting him in the fact he isn't ashamed to go out without covering them up. He is a teenage boy, what do you expect? being a celebrity does not make him immune from getting spots. Also having spots/acne does not make you unhygienic at all, in fact people with such skin conditions probably clean and look after their skin better than people who don't.

Now I'm not saying I'm never judgemental, because as a natural instinct for humans we judge people from the second we meet them but why does it always have to do with there appearance? Unfortunately for me I have the top 3 terrible flaws, 1) Being over weight 2) Bad skin 3) Being short. Although being short doesn't actually bother me as much as it does other people. The first thing people say to me when they meet me for the first time is "No way you can't be 21, you're so small and look so young" to begin with this use to really bother me but I've heard it so often it's like yes, well done for pointing out the obvious, and in fact I actually like being small, and looking young is a bonus in a lot of ways, my point is you don't hear people say "Woah you're so tall and look so old" because that would be considered rude.

Now a lot of people who know me will know I hardly ever wear make up, I probably wear it on average once a month. I only wear it when I'm going to see people I want to make a certain impression on. The reasons for this is because I honestly can't be bothered to apply it every day it takes too long. I also get really mad/upset with myself when I have to look in a mirror, especially when it goes wrong, because I have such low self esteem and I'm my own worst critic I think "You're too ugly to wear make up Becky, you look like a clown, you just look like you're trying to look pretty and you actually look stupid." yet when I do wear make up everyone compliments me on how pretty I look and how much it suits me, I don't really know if this is a compliment or not, because it's like saying you should wear make up more because without it you don't look as good. This is probably my mind twisting everything round into a negative because I find it hard to believe someone can find my beautiful.

So the point of this post (Sorry it's took so long, well done if you've even read this far ha) is I'm trying to not be so hard on myself, I do have bad acne and skin, and the strange thing is I'm not afraid to go out to the shop or to the cinema with out make up on, but when it comes to uploading photos on to the internet I feel I have to either wear make up or edit out my bad skin, i'm so afraid of getting negative comments about my skin, when in reality I shouldn't be, because it's not my fault I have acne, I cleanse, tone, and moisturise my skin, it's hormonal and genetic. I was just unfortunate, same as everyone else who suffers with skin conditions.

So this is quite challenging for me, as I'm about to upload three pictures, the first being the original photo straight from the camera, the second is the same photo but  edited - what I would have done to it if say I was going to upload it to a social networking site, and the third is a photo of me with a full face of make up. Now 99.9% of my photo's on facebook are photoshopped and I shouldn't feel as though I have to edit them for them to be acceptable and to not be judged. Yes I have acne/bad skin but so what? does that make me less interesting or not as nice as someone who has flawless skin? I honestly don't think it does, and although it makes me feel insecure at times, I'm learning to live and deal with it, I'm still young so maybe I'll grow out of it eventually but if not then it's no big deal, I'm still me.

This is what I would normally do to a photo of myself, adjust the lighting, smoothing out the skin and covering up all the red scars/spots. It's quite a noticeable difference between the two photos which shocked me and made me not want to upload this but how can I expect people to love me for me if I can't even accept/love myself. So what the heck!

This is a photo of me with make up on, I've adjusted the lightning but nothing else.

Now I'm not saying I'm never going to edit my photo's again, especially when it comes to uploading them on facebook, I want to become more confident and I'm trying this new technique of not letting people judging me for my looks and letting my low self esteem rule my life. So this is me, take it or leave it, it's your choice. I'm only human just like everyone else.

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