Favourites For Spring 2014

I'm the type of awkward person who changes their make-up all the time. It seems I'm just never satisfied. I change my foundation way too often, I feel so sorry for my skin because I must be putting it through so much. But let's be honest, as long as I like it for the day I'm wearing it, it doesn't really matter, does it? So these are my favourites so far, and have been for a while. It's bound to change again soon.

Okay so my first favourite must have for Spring is this MUA "Undress Me Too" Eyeshadow Palette. Let me start off by saying I LOVE Makeup Academy. Seriously. Considering their products are super, super cheap, they're amazing. Everytime I'm shopping I end up picking myself up something new from MUA. This make-up palette only cost me £4, and the neutral and gold shades are perfect for summer. I love lining underneath my bottom waterline with the shade "Devotion", which is the second one in on the top row. I also love how on the base of the palette there's a 'mini master class', it's so cute. Four for you MUA, you go MUA!

Next up: lips. And oh, would you look at that! Another MUA product! These are my two favourite lipsticks at the moment. I am seriously loving the MUA Matte Lipstick in 'Peachy Keen'. It's a lovely soft shade and adds a nice hint of colour to your lips. And do you know what's even better? It only cost me £1! I also love, and have loved for many months, the Rimmel London Kate Lipstick in '01'. I love it that much that I've almost ran out and need to buy myself a new one. To me, red lipstick is a must have. And this one is literally perfection. It covers so well and easily, but I also find that it lasts all day and there's no need to top it up constantly. It was the first red lipstick I ever bought and it was the best £5.49 I have ever spent.

Finally it's the facial products. So recently for my foundation I have been using Seventeen "Stay Time" Foundation in the shade 'Soft Ivory' (£6.49). I will admit, it's not the best foundation I've ever used. It's extremely thick and feels like paste when applying. It also seems to not mix well with powder. But, I use it for the colour. I have extremely pale skin and I love the paleness of the foundation. It's the palest I've been able to find. If you want to look a bit more sun-kissed I advise to not use it because when I say pale I mean pale. I find the colour matches well to my current concealer, though, which is Rimmel London "Match Perfection" Illuminating Concealer in the shade 'Ivory' (£5.99). I love this concealer because it's thick so it covers tricky areas a lot easier without having to overuse it. It also adapts to match your skin tone which means it will never look noticeable and out of place. I team these both up with Avon "Arabian Glow" Bronzing Pearls. I can't tell you how much these were because I've had them for years and only recently dug them out. Bronzer or bronzing pearls are perfect for a natural glow during Summer. I find using bronzer is a good and simple way to contour my face. I even team it up with a rose blusher at times to add even more colour to my skin, but I don't add too much because I don't want it to look over the top.

No doubt my favourite products will change again. I plan on changing my foundation soon just before Summer begins. I also intend to invest in another MUA palette with brighter colours for when the brighter days decide to show up.

Gel Liner Heaven

I have always been a fan of eyeliner - I started using eyeliner properly just over a year ago. It started off with the black kohl eyeliner on my waterline, and slowly evolved to daring the use of liquid eyeliner on my top lid. This then evolved to cat eyed/winged eyeliner, which over the past few months I have managed to practise and perfect. I'd heard a lot about gel eyeliner through tutorials and other blogs, and it seemed to be growing increasingly popular. Apparently it was the must have for winged-liner-lovers. I'd never really bothered with it though as I was a strong follower of the liquid eyeliner trend.

It was only recently that I decided to tiptoe into the wonderful world of gel eyeliner, and what a wonderful world it is indeed. I bought the Collection UK Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner from a local store. It cost something along the lines of £3.50, so I thought it was worth it at such a good price, because if I didn't like it, it wouldn't be a massive waste of money, and if I did like it I could practise with the cheaper one before I venture into something more bank breaking.

The eyeliner comes in a little glass pot alongside a small precision brush to apply it with. I was worried at first. What if it didn't go right? It seemed too tricky to use. After mentally preparing myself, I realised that the application of gel eyeliner was probably a lot easier than the application of liquid eyeliner. I'm not quite sure why. As can be seen from the image above, I do not wear a very thick amount of gel eyeliner. Maybe this will change when I have practised with it further, but I rather enjoy the simplicity of it. I think that's my favourite thing about gel eyeliner: you're never applying too much, and it's really rather easy to get the wings to match. 

As for the brand: I don't think I will be updating any time soon. I love Collection make up. Seriously. I used to use the Lasting Perfection under eye concealer and it worked an absolute treat. I currently use their face powder in Ivory and I love that too. My only problem with the eyeliner is that after a long time it rubs off ever so slightly on my top eyelid, but then again, so did my liquid eyeliner. I am 100% happy with this gel eyeliner and it's definitely something I recommend. Even the brush is useful, but if you're not fond of the brush it's easy to just replace. So if you're looking for a cheap but effective gel eyeliner then Collection Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner is something you should try. Love love love!

NO to Negativity

Negativity is something I cannot handle in my life any more. I went through such a long period being completely down and pessimistic about everything and feeling sorry for myself, and basically, it was the worst period of my life. This had a lot to do with school and the fact that my Tumblr dashboard brought me even more negativity with the constant pictures of skinny girls, self-harm and pessimistic edits. During said time, my Tumblr was more personal rather than revolving around topics such as books and movies that I knew and loved. And believe it or not, this completely changed my perspective on the world and I found myself telling myself day in, day out that I was a washed up fat kid who would get nowhere with my life. It seemed people agreed in real life. Or so I told myself.

The only thing I could do was change this. I figured it was my life, I couldn't wait around for somebody to come and change it for me. The first step to a positive lifestyle is having the courage to believe that everything is gonna' be okay. It was around this time that I decided to do something about my weight. All my life I was called 'fat' and various other names, and it really pulled me down. So I decided to change: not for others, but for myself. That's step number two. Change, but only if it's what you want to do. If you like something a certain way, don't change it just because other's tell you to, change it because you want to. You should never let others lead your life for you.

Losing weight and cutting out fatty foods was a change that I wanted. And although it was hard, people complementing me on my progress proved that it was most definitely worth it. I've dropped around three dress sizes in less than a year and I am feeling the best I ever have done in my whole life. I feel good in my body. I feel happy to wear the things I want to wear. I feel like I have accomplished something in my life. I'm an average size now, but I know I will still get judged. But do you know what I say? Who cares, god dammit? We come in all shapes and all sizes. We have a pressure in society to look a certain way. To hell with that! If I want my curves, then I want my curves. If other girls want to be slim, let them be slim. If people want to choose eating some chocolate over going for a run, let them do so. It's their life and they can do whatever the heck they want with it.

Body shaming is one of the worst things that exists in this world. Why should all girls look a certain way, and why should all guys look a certain way? The most precious thing about humans is that we are all different. We look different, we act different, we like different things. Don't you think the world would be a little boring if we are all the same? Why can't people just accept that everyone is different? I hate the idea that body shaming exists. When somebody criticises a person's body shape, it makes a person feel humiliated and distressed. That criticism will linger for a long time; it will play on a person's mind, possibly for a lifetime. You may feel like your criticism is 'nothing', but to the person it's aimed at, it could be e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. Body shaming inflicts pain upon a person, and it's a type of pain that's hard to put behind you. Nobody should have to experience it.

The key to happiness is accepting yourself. Look at yourself everyday in the mirror, and point out the positives rather than the negatives. "Hey, my eyes are such a pretty shade" rather than "Ugh, would you look at the shape of my nose..." Doing this will help you accept yourself, and you will have a better frame of mind. Next, if there's anybody negative in your life get rid of them. Don't kick up a big fuss about it, just push them away from your life. They're irrelevant to you and your happiness. Thirdly, dream big. Have an idea of where you want to be in the future and fight for your goal. Write a 6 month plan. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Be daring! And finally, if you're still struggling, enter the 100 happy days challenge at http://100happydays.com/ I've entered, and I'm only over ten days in to it and I am feeling on top of the world. I am so ready for whatever life throws at me and you can be too. You just have to decide to change for yourself. Find one small positive in everyday life and you will start to see the world with a brand new set of eyes.

Love for Primark!

Slate it all you want, but to me, Primark is a saviour. Primark: often known for its cheap prices and tacky clothes. There's a lot of people that argue that they wouldn't be caught dead in the clothes sold there. Truthfully, I never used to be fond of it either. But lately it has really upped its game and the clothes, shoes, pyjamas and lingerie are improving vastly.

It has finally brought in a wide range of retro and vintage clothing styles for cheap and affordable prices. Okay, so maybe the material isn't always best. I can totally see those platform gladiator sandals (as shown in the picture above) breaking as they are so lightweight and feel actually quite hollow. But who cares? With the prices as cheap as they are, it's worth buying and replacing when/if they do break.

The bag is probably the best item I bought. It's simple and it matches pretty much any outfit it is worn with. It is a decent size for me as I carry around my purse, phone, perfume and my make-up bag, but there's also plenty of space for more to be added. It can be worn as either a shoulder bag or a handbag and it's extremely lightweight. Plus, easily replaceable if the unfortunate does occur.

I picked up the two shift dresses just because I fell in love with them. Heart eyes emoji from me. The material is so light on the body and the fit is very good, even for curvier bodies like mine. The prints remind me of the sixties - I'm into floral print right now. When I pair them up with the fur coat I bought on my vintage haul the other weekend, I look and feel like a throwback to the sixties.

This isn't a pro-cheap, anti-expensive post. I'm more than willing to spend more money for better quality or better looking items. I just don't think Primark deserves the hate it gets in the media and amongst the public. It's improving so much and it provides an affordable alternative to the clothes you may have wanted but couldn't quite afford. I haven't really had a fault so far with Primark, and if the stock continues to stay like this, I will be shopping there more. Go Primark! And thank you for making my shopping haul so eventful!

Bag // £8
Platform Sandals // £14
Blue Shift Dress // £13
Black Shift Dress // £13