How To: Easy Up-Do...

I'm currently going through a bit of an experimental stage with my hair since it has got to the length where I feel I can do most hairstyles with it. After many hours (sadly) on Pinterest, I have found various incredible up-dos that seem near-on impossible. I did however, find one which seemed pretty achievable. This hairstyle is perfect for long to mid-length hair, and can be adapted easily for straight or curly hair- in fact curly hair will be perfect for this up-do (think of all the time you can save on curling it!). My hair is naturally quite straight so I needed to wash it the night before so it wasn't too silky to fall out the grips. You need this to be as secure as possible so it lasts all day/night. Here's the easiest guide for this hairstyle that I can scrape together:

You will need:

- Lots of kirby grips

- One hairband

- Hairspray

- Curling tongs/straighteners

- Dry Shampoo

1. Brush through your hair. Knots will only make you regret not doing this (think, a birds nest). I spray Batiste Dark and Deep Brown dry shampoo to my roots to get some volume so my hair is full of secrets (please appreciate the Mean Girls quote…).

2. Separate your hair into two and clip the top half so you can forget about it for the moment. This doesn't have to be neat because you'll be covering the wonky parting with your luscious curls. Mmm.

3. Secure the bottom half with a bobble in a low ponytail so it is tight to your head. The more securely this is fastened, the less time you'll be worrying about your hair falling out. Not literally- just the style. 

4. Now, backcomb the ponytail. If you think you are finished, you probably aren't. Backcomb until you feel your arms are falling off or until your hair resembles that of blonde/brown cotton wool. You will thank yourselves later.

5. This is where the hairstyle starts to take shape. Twist the ponytail upwards and curl it into a large bun- using your fingers to hold it into place. Then, clip this with kirby grips onto your head, making sure its secure. Spray it with hairspray so you don't get any stubborn fly-away hairs. 

6. Release the top half of your hair and use curling tongs to give it some lovely curls. The size of these curls is up to you. I tend to do them quite small, then brush through them to get a nice wave. To get even more volume once you're done curling, backcomb the roots as it's your last chance to all night! Your hair at this stage will look very strange like a doll, but don't worry, the next bit will make it all come into place…

7. Using kirby grips, bring your curls over the backcombed bun and pin into place underneath, on top and on the sides. Don't worry about making this look perfect, it's meant to look quite messy and boho. To complete, spray hairspray all over so your head feels invincible.

The finished result! 

x

My University Bedroom...

You've only seen the room for a short 30 seconds before and you have to magically imagine what it will look like with all your stuff in it. Then you have to go shopping for other interior pieces, still with absolutely no idea what the room looks like. All you can do is hope that when you arrive on the day, everything will fall into place, fit in the space that you imagined it would, and that everything will match and seem like home. 

I suppose this process is common for first year university students. I didn't think I would be doing the same thing the next year, decking my room out with things that will make the room seem cosy enough for the upcoming year. Maybe because I thought I would see more of the room I would be living in rather than a quick glance through the doorframe in a rushed viewing with the estate agents. I gather that's just part of student living- taking a bit of a gamble with choosing a home and praying it won't be damp and a bit of a hell-hole. 

We were quite lucky with our house. 4 girls living in a big 4 bedroom house. It's fairly modern, in good condition, and haven't had to deal with any vermin or breakages (just yet). I did know one thing before I moved in, and that was that I didn't have much storage. So I added that to my endless university shopping list and got it all underway. Here is the final result and I'm pretty chuffed with it (if I say so myself). My new home, ladies and gentlemen…

IKEA Chest of Drawers

H&M Bedset

Ebay Bunting

The Range Mirror

Other Home Bits n' Bobs:

Tesco Coloured Glasses

Ebay Bunting

Bird Key Holders

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The Curvy vs. Skinny War...

Shockingly, the whole hoo-har of 'when did this become hotter than this' is turning women against each other- conflicting their opinions and targeting the opposite body shape. A sensitive topic, it allows women to get their claws out and fight for what they think is right.  And let's just say, we all know someone who enjoys doing that… 

So with every scratch and roar, some women are taking their cat fight to social media, using internet 'memes' to support their point. This raises three questions: one, why can't people accept other people's opinion? Two, why does your body shape matter to the point that it causes so much controversy and anger? And three, why do these 'ever-so-important' opinions need to be posted on social media? *Yawn*

It is no news that there is some sort of metaphoric tug of war between curvy and skinny people. In the recent years, our social media feeds have been bombarded with images of body transformations and comparisons between people of different sizes. It was until the other night I found an image and decided to read the comments, which you will gather, left me feeling pretty opinionated and critical upon the matter. Understandably, anyone would when people are arguing what is better- challenging those of the opposite shape and size that in fact their body IS the best and is what men WANT. The one difference between me and the people commenting on that image is that I had no desire to let my voice be heard on what progressed into a brutal Facebook war. So I decided to do it on here and make a valid argument (unlike the other commenters). The image used was the one below:

The first thing that drew my attention was the crazy 'thigh gap' in Candice Swanepoel's legs. It kinda creeps me out but anyway. More importantly was the fact that people were so willing to let themselves be heard- regardless of how others may react to it. Name-calling, swearing, and directing their opinion at individuals on the comments, people seemed to have no filter (or care) at how it can hurt someone's feelings. Social media destroys our communicational barriers. It allows people to adopt another (and more argumentative) persona. It was almost like people were looking to find an argument and get them riled up. All that came to mind is how much time they were wasting on something that simply stated an opinion (hence the 'I think') and why they couldn't just accept that. But yet again, why on social media? To reach more people? To make more people involved in an active and persistent debate?

As the comments flooded through, it was clear that skinnier girls were offended at how they were portrayed as an unrealistic figure- arguing how it isn't their fault and that it's natural for them. I understand, this image targets skinny people whilst applauding those who are curvy. But what isn't taken into consideration is that curvy people are targeted (and even ignored) in other ways, such as on the catwalk and in the media. The act of compromising is not considered. The image is simply a justification; a response to what has been the norm for the last decade, that being curvy is not desirable. This led me to the thought of what possessed someone to put this online. Maybe the power of social media allows people to unite in their opinions? For example, you click the 'like' button and join others in their preferences- getting some sort of weird social buzz from it. It's like you willing and instantly join a Facebook group of people who prefer curvy people to skinny people and for some reason, feel instantly better from it, like a virtual high five for sharing the same ideology. It's all pretty bizarre. 

In modern society, the idea of curvy has had people in question. What classifies curvy? Where does the line draw between curvy and overweight? Curvy women out there have been justifying their figure for the last few years now against the one industry that made skinny trendy: fashion. The bony, more masculine figure became fashionable and in my opinion, still is. Clothes shops are still catering for skinnier people and ignoring that women do have boobs and hips. I understand that there are certain cuts out there that don't flatter non-hourglass bodies, but there are also clothes out there designed with the skinny body in mind and you only have to take one look at catwalk pictures to prove it. 

But catwalks and fashion aside, the unification of curvy people seems to be driven by one thing; that their body is what men want. As delusional as it sounds, women seek to please men physically, which greatly frustrates me. The culturally sensitive nature of women, as proven on the comments of the image, is for them to care about what others think over the importance of their own self-confidence and self-esteem. Male opinion is a crucial factor in justifying the curvy figure on social media sites, mainly Facebook. Whoever put this image online, wanted men to like this- proudly committing themselves to the opinion that 'I think this looks better than this' aka. 'I don't like skinny women'. Women then access the information of 'likers' and feel better if their curvy figure has had the male approval. Unfortunately, making one feel better, makes another feel worse. What the comments on the image show is that 'memes' like this create a huge emotional impact. And for what? Changing a law, gaining world peace? It's only for wanting to be the most attractive, popular, and sought-after body shape- that's all. 

What's proven is that it's not even worth it: the targeting, the justification, the argument. Everyone has their own opinion but the context of social media provides no substance to the argument and opinions, as you instantly become another commenter on the image that feeds the constant and repetitive debate. If anything, you are connoting ideas that you're uneducated, bored, and easily offended. The key is to not care. If we didn't care, then the whole curvy/skinny war wouldn't be an issue on social media and responsive images like these wouldn't be posted. The public have the power to determine what makes social media as we are the contributors. Our size shouldn't be part of it. Besides, your body shape is only a fraction of what makes you attractive. 

x

The Kavos GoPro Video...

As promised in my previous post, here is the Kavos music video Ruby and I made on holiday. Videos like these make me so nostalgic (I want to go back!) For other videos I've made like these, check out my YouTube channel. All footage for this video was shot on a GoPro Hero3. Enjoy!

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Sun, Sea, Sand (and a Small Budget)

When you're a student and your purse seems to have holes in it, a holiday becomes less of a plan and more of a fantasy. Desperate to make a holiday happen, I worked solidly throughout summer- motivated that at the end of it all, I WILL get that holiday. 

My friend, Ruby and I decided we will have a small budget and make wherever we go a relaxing and blissful break away from all that hard work. So, two weeks before we planned to go, we booked a holiday for a mere £160- including our accommodation, flights, luggage and transfers through Olympic holidays to (judge if you may), Kavos. Notoriously famous for being a wasteland of drunken Brits falling out of Irish pubs (in Greece may I add), our desire for a holiday was clearly off the scale of desperation. So determined to avoid the endless armies of 'lads on tour', we boarded a plane to Corfu for a wishful week of sun, sea, sand, and lots of Greek food. 

I suppose the point of this post is to say that a cheap last minute holiday to a party resort is possible to do nicely. Our accommodation was very basic but huge (plenty of room for dancing), it had a balcony, and a nice pool area with a cheap bar. Not that we drank a lot like the rest of the resort (we had as much as wine at dinner), but the soft drinks were reasonably priced too. We stayed at the Oula Maisonettes- just on the outskirts of Kavos but within walking distance to amenities like restaurants, the beach, and a supermarket.

After a day round the pool on the first day, we ventured to the beach on day two in a bid to find a nice area of beach that didn't look grimy. By luck, we found a bar which had an area of beach and a pool that looked more Marbella than Kavos from it's white and seemingly upmarket design. To be honest, I think we went there most days just because it didn't fit in with its surroundings, tricking us into thinking we paid more for this holiday than we actually did. 

Next door to this pool/beach area, was undeniably our favourite restaurant. Called the Falconera, it was a beautifully traditional Greek restaurant run by a girl we described as a cross between Leah Jenner and Whitney Port. The Greek salad was the best, and in our time there we got free bread and houmous (the best I've ever had) and free coconut and orange cake on our last night. It is one of the oldest restaurants in resort, but the interior and menu has a contemporary twist that distinguished itself highly in comparison to others. It was like a little bit of luxury on our cheap trip! Plus, the food was incredible. 

Despite being on a budget, we managed to scrape back a few euros for something other than food. In the middle of our holiday, we went on a boat trip to the Blue Lagoon- described as turquoise, crystal clear waters that has been featured in many films. On our way, the weather wasn't particularly promising as it resembled more England than Greece. With our towels round our heads sheltering us from the shower of choppy waves and rain, we hopped on the boat on the way to Sivota on mainland Greece. If you ignored the weather, Sivota was a lovely little village with cute outdoor restaurants, cafes, and gelato shops. We decided to do an ice cream stop and take lots of photos of the picturesque landscape which displays a more calm version of the sea we previously experienced. 

With the sunshine peaking through the clouds, we headed to the Blue Lagoon for a swim with the fishes. As soon as we arrived the sun came out and it was absolutely amazing. I don't think we ever got out the water apart from jumping off the boat! There was so many fish! Due to the crystal clear water, it was a perfect moment to try out my new GoPro and here are the results…

Another one of our adventures on our budget holiday was renting out a quad bike for the day to explore the rest of Corfu's beaches. Not one for the faint-hearted, it was quite scary at times and it is pretty dangerous, but hey, we survived! We found a quiet beach on the other side of the island which had a beautiful sandy shore and lots of elderly people (haha). Even though we were the youngest there, it was a nice break from being round a pool bar listening to music so the silence was actually super relaxing.

I made a video for this holiday from all the footage we took on my GoPro which was so fun! I'll make another post for it soon. I think we proved to ourselves and everyone we know how easy and cheap it is to do a decent, relaxing beach holiday on a very cheap budget. There was obviously some things that you would expect on a holiday this price such as, rubbish flight times and very British resorts, but you can definitely ignore this if you try (and indeed we did). 

I'm definitely going to do a last minute holiday more often!

x

In My Make-Up Bag...

Admittedly, I love make-up. I think the artistic side of me enjoys the aspect of painting my face with lots of different products! It's until recently that I've felt I've understood and grasped make-up and beauty products after years of trial and error. Whilst growing up, I would try loads of different products (mainly cheap ones) that would just disagree with me and make my skin breakout or look too caked. However, with every bad product seemed to come a good one. Some of these good'ens have stayed in my make-up bag for years so it's only fair that I share them on here. Also, in my recent beauty shopping sprees, I have had some surprising success stories when trying out new products. Therefore, this blog post seemed pretty appropriate…

Behold my make-up bag…

My make-up bag is from Primark and it's the perfect size. I have had make-up bags from other places but none of them beat Primark ones (and the price tag). For Primark, they are really good quality and even though it sounds silly- the zip is really good! My past make-up bags break at the zip and results in my make-up going m.i.a. in my handbags whilst cracking and making a mess. This make-up bag is slightly padded so prevents this happening. I love the geometric, monochrome print as it can be on display in my room at home and at uni without clashing with everything (it's a girl thing...). 

I keep my make-up brushes in a little white metal bucket, which, in it's past life, was the container in a toiletry gift set. So, sometimes those Christmas gift sets which seem pointless, actually have some pretty useful stuff in it. It's the perfect size without squashing all my brushes in. I have Real Techniques make up brushes (the foundation brush, the blush brush, the multi-purpose face brush which I use for bronzer and contouring, and a domed shadow brush- an absolute lifesaver for blending eyeshadows). Other brushes in my little bucket are a set from Amazon- you can never have too many! 

Primers & BB Cream

My first ever primer was the Benefit Pore-fessional and I found it's so light on the skin and clears out imperfections. The price is about £24, which I find quite steep for everyday usage. Being a typical student, I went on the hunt for a cheaper alternative as I couldn't justify the Benefit price tag. I came across Body Shop's Instablur and All-In-One BB Cream after researching it on the Internet- initially being a bit skeptical over Body Shop cosmetics as I have never used them before. These are amazing for everyday wear. They apply enough coverage, blur out the imperfections, and don't make your skin look like you have caked it on. It's that good that I don't wear foundation daily anymore. For both, it's £20 and if you get a Body Shop loyalty card you get 10% off, so it's a no-brainer really...

Foundation, Concealer, and Powder 

In the past, I used Benefit's powder but I found it was very cakey and expensive, so after reading other beauty blogs, Rimmel's Stay Matte Powder was the most popular amongst the blogosphere. Being no more than a fiver and no more than a few miles away in your local drugstore, this powder is so ideal for people on a budget and stays put for a pretty long time. Benefit's Boi-ing concealer is in it's own words 'industrial strength', which I admit, I need sometimes! Being a staple in my make-up bag for 4 years, it applies amazing coverage and lasts a very long time.

Foundation for me has been the most difficult make-up product to suss. When it comes down to it, I look for the best coverage, something that's not too matte and not too dewy, and one that matches my skin colour so I don't look like I'm wearing a mask. MaxFactor's Whipped Creme Foundation was a discovery when I couldn't get hold of my old foundation. It was the quickest option I could find in my local Boots and it was a very desperate time! Self-described as a 'semi-matte' foundation, I was really pleasantly surprised as it had a nice dewy finish to it and covered up the redness of my skin. At £10 a pot, it lasts me a good few months so you get your money's worth and more. 

Blushers and Bronzers

How people don't wear bronzer is beyond me, it just gives you the essential healthy glow! I use Benefit's Hoola Bronzer because it is the perfect tan colour and is matte so you don't look like a disco ball with glitter all over your face. I use it to contour and as a light powder when I have a tan (rare occurrence). Benefit's High Beam is also perfect when contouring, and works alongside Hoola in giving you the healthy glow. I apply this to the tops of my cheeks and on my brow bone to highlight. 

Blushers are another one of my difficulties. Having a naturally reddish tone to my face means that blushers can backtrack everything you achieved with your foundation and bronzer. They essentially make you look pink again. I have a MAC blusher in the shade 'Fleur Power' which is a bright rosy pink. I call this my 'going-out blusher' as it works best when I have the most make-up on my face where my redness is covered by ALOT of make-up. I then have a slightly paler blusher by L'Oreal called 'le blush' (I don't know the shade!) which is lovely on your skin for an everyday pink. However, my favourite of all is the Korres Zea Mays Blusher in Peach (18). A peach or coral blusher with brown undertones rather than red helps banish the redness in your skin and instead, brings out a more tanned look. This is something I definitely need and have used this blusher for a few months now and it is amazing! 

Skin Preparation

Due to being very spot-prone, I have been told to stay clear from moisturisers. Then, there's the mantra saying that how you treat your skin in your 20's, will determine the future of your skin. I don't really want to age horribly so looking after my skin has become more of a priority recently. I used Body Shop's Vitamine E Aqua Boost Sorbet, which melts into the skin. It feels amazing (like your skin is having a drink) and hydrates your skin as it quickly soaks in. With working outside most of the summer, the vitamin E in the moisturiser is ideal for protecting and replenishing your skin. At £12, it is pretty good!

I use Soap and Glory Puffy Eye Attack to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. Even though this doesn't have immediate effect, within half an hour your eyes don't feel like they are being weighed down. I apply this before make-up and it doesn't affect it at all, which I initially assumed it would. 

Eyeshadows

This could be a whole blogpost itself! Jumping on the Urban Decay Naked Palette bandwagon, I am a self-confessed eyeshadow lover. I aim to collect all of them as they are all so beautiful and create some amazing looks. I particularly love the matte shades in the two palettes as they look so effortless and natural. I personally believe these are the best when it comes down to pigmentation, colour variety, and quality for neutral eyeshadow shades. The black one above is a Sleek Palette which I do return to every now and then, but it's just not the same as my beloved Urban Decay. 

Eyeliners, Eyebrows and Mascaras

Since I first discovered that eyebrows do indeed need defining on your face, I have used Sleek eyebrow kit in 'dark'. It comes with a shadow and a gel- the perfect combination for filling in your existing shape and defining it. I find this method looks the least 'drawn-on' as eyebrow pencils and pens look too unnatural. This eyebrow kit also lasts forever. I have been on the same one for the last two years and it has only just reached the pan.

In terms of eyeliners, I have two which I use as they both have their pros and cons. I use Rimmel's Exaggerate Eyeliner for a blacker, bolder and more stronger line, and Eyeko's eyeliner pen for a neater, less obvious yet more precise line. Rimmel's eyeliner is harder to use so I don't use that when I'm in a rush, but if I do have the time, it has the best results. This eyeliner therefore, has been in my make-up bag for as long as I can remember because my mum used to use it on me for dance competitions.

You'll never catch me using a different mascara to this one. My friends and I are the biggest fans of Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara due to it's voluminous, jet black finish that doesn't clump or dry out your eyelashes. I use it in waterproof because my oily skin can cause non-waterproof mascaras to rub off onto my face. 

I think this blog post is about 10 in one! Just because they're all in my make- up bag, doesn't mean I use all these products on my face at once haha. For any new products I find in the future, I aim to do write reviews on them and compare them to these existing ones. If I am doing as well as I'm doing at the moment on my successful beauty discoveries, I'm expecting a lot more new arrivals into my make-up bag...