NYX HD Concealer - Review

I was quite late to the NYX makeup craze and only first tried out one of their products a few weeks ago - the matte lip creams. After trying and loving the product I thought I'd give something else a go to see what I thought. I'm constantly complaining of my dark under-eye circles, which seem to be caused by both my pale skin and sinus problems (totally not a lack of sleep!). So I picked up the NYX HD Concealer Wand in yellow.

The formula reminds me of the Nars Creamy Concealer and I think the skin tone shades would make a great dupe! I chose yellow because it's perfect for hiding those dark under eyes on paler skin. If you have a warm or darker skin tone, a orange concealer would be better for you.

I don't actually wear this everyday as it is not an all natural product, but it has never broke me out. I wear it on nights out when I wear slightly heavier makeup. It lasts well and never creases my under eyes. If you have tried and liked Nars Creamy Concealer and want a cheap dupe, I'd definitely try this out! NYX are cruelty free too, like every product I review.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - Review

A few weeks ago I was invited to a brilliant bloggers event by The Body Shop where we were given some great goodies to try out. One of these was their Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil.

I absolutely love using oils in my skincare routine, and regularly write about the benefits of using them and DIY-ing yourself stuff. However, not everyone is able to or wants to make their own skin care, and that's okay! There are many brands out there that have great products, it's just a matter of finding the correct ones.

The Body Shop's Camomile Silky Cleansing oil is part of their Camomile range for sensitive skin - it's even suitable for contact wearers (like myself!). Even if you don't have sensitive skin, there's nothing wrong with using products for that. Even if damage doesn't show, you don't know what some products may be doing to your skin.

I use this in the evenings if I've been wearing makeup to cleanse. I simply massage a little all over my face then stick a cloth under hot water and remove it with that. I always use a cloth to remove my cleanser now, as I don't find water itself to be that effective when trying to rinse away oil.

I've found this to be very effective and I'd recommend it to anyone who's interesting in cleansing oils.

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Lush Rose Jam Solid Perfume - Review

Solid Perfume is one of those products most people would first turn their nose up at - I know I did. Perfume, to me, wasn't something found in little tins. Perfume came in beautiful glass bottles to sit out on the dressing table and look pretty. I couldn't imagine using perfume any other way than spraying it delicately on my wrists, inner elbows and throats quickly in the morning. Yet now I find myself reaching for my solid varieties more often than the sprays. Why? 

Anyone out there who loves Lush as much as me undoubtedly knows of their great range of interesting perfumes. It can be quite the struggle to find cruelty-free perfumes, so I'm always glad to have Lush's range to fall back on. It was when in store one day that I noticed the unusual small little colour filled pots lying at the perfume isle, and soon a member of staff was rubbing them in turn on my wrists for me to have a sniff.

Well what do you know? Solid perfume wasn't all that bad, and it certainly could hold a scent. The first solid perfume I picked up was Lust, in case it wasn't apparent by the almost illegible scratched surface as I've used it for so long. Not everyone seems to like this scent, as it does smell strongly of Jasmine, but I love it. The perfume is red tinted, but after it's been rubbed in for a while you can't see anything - just be watchful if you're wearing light clothes. 

The second solid perfume I purchased was Rose Jam. Rose Jam is my absolute favourite Lush scent to date, and I first discovered it with their Rose Jam shower gel. I was lucky enough to snap up this exclusive perfume from the Lush kitchen earlier this year and I adore it! I'm not looking forward to the day it runs out.

So why do I love the solid variety of perfumes instead of the fragrance? Well, firstly they're so easy to pop into your bag when you're out. There's nothing worse than finding out that your favourite, expensive perfume has leaked all over your bag. I don't have to worry about that with these, and they take up far less room which is great if you're on a night out with a teeny tiny clutch bag.

Secondly, I actually feel like these smell stronger. Although in store I was advised to use their normal perfume in the morning and top up with these during the day, I actually feel like these perform better. Usually when I spray perfume I don't really smell it most of the day, but with these I enjoy catching whiffs of my favourite scents occasionally throughout the day.

And lastly, they last for ages. I don't know about you, but I seem to go through a bottle of perfume pretty quickly. With these I only need a little bit and they last much longer.

Perfume is a pretty personal thing and the "best" formula is entirely up to preference, but if you haven't tried a solid perfume yet why not consider giving one a go? Or at least a sniff in your local Lush store!

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Why Poland Should be on Your Travel Bucket List

When people think of holidaying to Poland, especially from the UK, what they're usually thinking of is the price. It is so easy to book weekend away to places like Kraków for buttons, but it doesn't mean you're skimping on your holiday quality! Although the exchange rate for the GBP is great (seriously, I was getting by on £20 a day - with change!) there are a lot more reasons why Poland should be part of your holiday bucket list.

Architecture

Whether you're interested in a short city break or a trip to the Polish countryside, you'll be in no shortage of beautiful structures to ooh and aah over. The tall, colourful buildings lined up together in Kraków looked like they'd jumped straight out of a postcard, but it isn't just the older buildings that are admirable. Modern builds, like Sky Tower in Wrocław, have certainly earned their place in the cityscape. Venturing out of the city, there are many interesting buildings to see - such as Moszna Castle pictured above. Have you ever seen a more fairy-tale like castle? It certainly is a work of art.

Art

Speaking of art, it must be something the Poles love. Whether you're admiring street graffiti, searching for Wrocław's mini leprechaun sculptures or admiring the insides of one of many beautiful cathedrals, there's always something interesting to see just around the corner.

Food

I regret not taking more pictures of my food in Poland, because it's some of the best food I've ever tasted (move over Rome and Paris!). I hadn't turned vegetarian or vegan before Poland, so I got to sample a lot of the local cuisine. The Polish love cabbage. Love it. Most of my meals had cabbage in it in some way and, for someone who isn't a huge fan of it, I thoroughly enjoyed each and every way. Really, it's in soup, salads, pastas, on top of meat, in wraps, used to wrap... and it's actually tasty! Congratulations Poland, you done what I thought was impossible. But if you aren't getting so excited hearing about cabbage, don't worry! Poland will serve you up many delicious dishes you won't have thought of before. Did you know the English word "dumplings" can apparently be translated into three different things in Polish? Apparently we were too lazy to give the extra two dishes a different name. Sounds like us.

Also, here's some advice: hot chocolate in Poland is not what hot chocolate is in Scotland. Hot chocolate is a thick, chocolate mouse and hot coco is the chocolate drink. Just letting you know as I ordered a cheesecake and hot chocolate and my stomach almost burst trying to finish both of them.

Scenery

I don't know if I was just lucky, but wherever I seemed to end up in Poland there was always gorgeous views as a backdrop. The Polish countryside in particular really stuck with me: in contrast to Scotland's green, wet and hilly glens, the Polish countryside I travelled through was wide, open and flat as far as the eye could see.

Culture

One of my absolute favourite things about travelling is experiencing new cultures. Admittedly I only managed to visit Poland for a short while, but as soon as I woke up on my first day it was go go go. There always seemed to be stuff going on, especially in the city. I remember walking into a square full of music and dancing, and as I looked around just about everyone had a smile on their face. I also visited an old Polish town that had been built hundreds of years ago and got to find out about Poland's interesting but tragic history. 

Also, the Polish people were so kind and helpful, especially when they seen that I didn't speak the language. I was also lucky enough to have my great friend, Anna, showing me around as Poland is her home country. She was basically my tour guide/translator for the holiday! Even her family were lovely to me, even though I'd just jumped into their house for the week and stole a bedroom!

Anyone who knows me will know how much I rave about this country now, and I can't wait for the next time I manage to visit. So I'd like to give a little shout out again to Anna, for inviting me and hosting me in this wonderful country. If you're looking for somewhere interesting to visit this year, please give Poland a thought. You won't regret it!

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Review

For a while now I've been admiring NYX makeup from afar. It's cruelty free, budget friendly and has great reviews - what more can you want? So when an NYX makeup stand opened up in Boots, Glasgow (Buchanan Galleries) I knew I had to visit soon. 

I do love a matte lip and so far I've been recreating them with mineral pigment (you can see me doing this here!). However, sometimes you just need something you can slap on and stick in your bag for later touch ups. 

I picked up the shade "San Paulo" and, although it's lovely, I've found myself wishing that I picked up something a little darker. I currently have my eye on "Budapest", but can never seem to find it in store!

The lasting power is good, but I do have to have a little touch up after I eat. The pigmentation is great for such an affordable product, but I'd recommend using this with a lip liner if you're not great at lining your lips with the brush (as I'm not!).

Overall I would recommend this product as I am planning on buying another myself!

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here. 

My Autumn Beauty Wish List

There's some pretty exciting stuff happening in my life just now. I'm starting a new course after dropping out of university last year. I've got a new job in one of my favourite places. I've met a whole load of amazing people recently and my blog is beginning to take off. Although it's early September I can already feel the darker nights creeping in and soon enough the Autumn months will be upon us. Is there a better time for a fresh start or new beginnings? Anyway, with SAAS just round the corner I thought it was the perfect time to do an Autumn Beauty Wish List. Here are some products I've had my eye on for a while and I'll be no doubt picking up some of these in the coming months. 

Also, for my readers from elsewhere in Europe or from "across the pond", SAAS is where us Scots get our student loans from and the first payment is a biggie. So naturally we're all pretty excited to be irresponsible adults and spend it all straight away.

NYX Lip Lingerie in Ruffle Trim

I still haven't managed to try one of these and everyone seems to be talking about them. My nude lips are quite rosy, so I thought the shade "Ruffle Trim" (described as a cinnamon pink) would be the perfect nude gloss for me.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse

The brown powder I've been using for my eyebrows is beginning to run low, so I've been looking at other products out there for a bit of a change. I've heard good things about this, and would like to see how well a mousse performs compared to a powder.

Jane Iredale 24-Karate Gold Dust in Silver

I don't know why I haven't tried any Jane Iredale products yet because they always get great reviews. My current highlighter from Everyday Minerals is running out and, although I love it, I want to try out some other brands. My blog would get pretty boring if I just kept reviewing the same products, right? I'd opt for this shade in silver as I think every other shade would be too dark for my pale skin.

Jane Iredale Circle/Delete Concealer in Yellow

I did say these products got great reviews! I've heard good things about their circle/delete concealer and I always need something yellow to tackle my under-eyes. I'm assuming this would work well with my mineral makeup as the website says it "goes well" with their mineral foundation.

Green People Natural Tinted DD Cream in Ivory

I've never been a lover of BB,CC or DD creams (are there EE creams yet?), but I want to give them another chance. As I'm returning to college soon I daresay some mornings I just won't have the time to do a full face of makeup. I wonder if Green People's DD cream could be the time saver I'm looking for?

Barefaced Beauty Natural Mineral Lash Enhancing Mascara

I love my current Lily Lolo mascara, but it's running out and my curiosity is making me want to try something new. I noticed recently that Barefaced Beauty have a new mascara out and it's made its way onto my "to try" list. I would like to give this a go to see how it compares to Lily Lolo.

Barefaced Beauty Mineral Finishing Powder

Another repeated brand! I have tried their foundation before and I liked it, so my eye is currently on this. I'm not using any finishing powder at the moment (I can hear the makeup lovers gasping in shock), but their shade "Jasmine", which promises an "Illuminating, dewy finish" has caught my attention. After all, a matte finish doesn't seem to be the style anymore.

Lily Lolo Naked Pink Cheek Duo

These little compacts look great for travelling or sticking in your hand bag for touch ups. They do two other shades, but I think the naked pink one would be best to give my skin a natural looking flush of colour when on the go.

Lily Lolo Smoke & Mirrors Eye Palette

Yes, I'm slowly edging myself into the world of eye shadow and my recent experience with The Body Shop's new eye palettes has left me eager to try more. I've known about Lily Lolo's eye palettes for a while and I think this mix of day and night colours would be perfect to experiment with.

As always all of these brands are cruelty free. If you're looking to start switching to cruelty free brands, I'd definitely recommend checking out some of the above!

PS. Keep up with me on Instagram here. 

An Apology to the Women I've Slut Shamed

Yes, I used to be that girl. That girl that tutted at the sight of "too much" cleavage. That girl that tore other women down. That girl that hated herself because she'd been taught to. And yes, I was wrong.

As a young teenage girl 

I'd barely heard of 

feminism.

As a young teenage girl I'd barely heard of feminism. I had no opinion of it because I didn't know enough about it. Although I have incredibly supportive parents and an extremely hard working and strong mother to look up to, I struggled with sexism for most of my teenage years. Actually, I'll go one further than that - I contributed to sexism.

"Why am I, a fourteen year

 old girl, sexualising 

women?"

At age fourteen I'd see pictures of girls my age online and shake my head in shame if I seen the sliver of a breast. "What are these 14 year old girls thinking, sexualising themselves?" I'd ask myself. The real question I should have been asking is "Why am I, a fourteen year old girl, sexualising women?". Just think about that - at fourteen years old I was already shaming and sexualising other women. How would I ever learn to respect myself if I couldn't learn to respect other women? 

It took me a long time to realise that what I was doing was wrong, yet I'm sure deep down inside of me I knew it the whole time. I'm sure most teenage girls are familiar with the scenario of turning up to school one morning to be called "slut" and "whore" over fictional events someone made up about their weekend activities when, in reality, they'd spent that time in their room watching Disney movies. I know it happened to me a lot. I ended up with a lot of gruesome nicknames in high school, but the ones I've never been able to shake off are "fat arse" and "ghetto booty". I'm sure I don't even need to explain just how wrong those nicknames are. So what did I do in the face of this shaming? I laughed it off, I made it a joke. I thought it then wouldn't affect me, and just tried to forget about the fact I went to my bed crying almost every school night. At the same time I'd point fingers at other girls, trying to police what they wore or what they done in an attempt to protect them from being shamed like I was. Yet I was just another voice contributing to the shaming.

Yet I was just another 

voice contributing to 

the shaming.

I ended up dropping out of school and, although I had many reasons, the bullying and shaming I faced on a daily basis were one of the biggest. I lost a lot of weight when I left school, dropping from a size 12 to a 6 in under a year in an attempt to lose the "bigger" body I was bullied for. I think it's important for me to state here that the weight loss did not make me feel one bit better about my body.

When I left school I ended up wearing baggy clothes most of the time, feeling superior for covering up as opposed to stripping off. "Why do girls want that attention from men?" I'd ask myself. Then one day, it clicked.

I was out in a bar wearing a loose-fitting dress picked out especially for the occasion. Whilst queuing at the bar, my head pointed at the floor as to not attract attention, the boy behind squeezed my bum and spun me round to face him. Although things like that had happened to me before, that is when it finally clicked. It didn't matter what I'd wore. It didn't matter how I acted. It didn't even matter what I wanted. It happened anyway. It wasn't women's clothing or actions that were the problem, it was the people sexualising us. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to realise that. When I look back at my younger self, it saddens me to realise how deep rooted my misogyny was
.

Now when I cover up, it

isn't to conceal the sight of

my body from men.

My wardrobe has went through a bit of a makeover since then. I now wear clothes based on what I like and enjoy - not others. Now when I cover up it isn't to conceal the sight of my body from men. I feel no shame in wearing clothes that show off my body, and now when I see girls sporting a high skirt or a low cut top my first thought is on how great they look.

Women aren't a "broken

lock" and men aren't a

"master key" when it comes

to sex life.

I'm ashamed of parts of the person I used to be, but I guess there's always room for growth in all of us. I am in no way a perfect person. I make mistakes, but I'm always striving to be as good as just one person can be. It saddens me that women are still shamed for so much stuff that a men aren't: clothing choice, being angry, enjoying sex... Women's bodies weren't created to be covered up or dressed down whenever it's deemed "correct" by society. Women being emotional aren't just "on their period" or "going through a phase". Women aren't a "broken lock" and men aren't a "master key" when it comes to sex life. Yet so many people still hold these kind of views when it comes to women.

To all the women out there that

I have "slut shamed", I'm sorry.

I was wrong.

My teenage self may not have understood this, but I do now. To all the women out there - be you a classmate, a face in the street or a celebrity online - that I have slut shamed, I'm sorry. I was wrong.

The Body Shop Drops of Youth - Review

At a recent blogging event I was given some cruelty-free goodies to try by The Body Shop, one of which was the "Drops of Youth" youth concentrate. I've been using it on my skin day and night for the last week and I am pleasantly surprised.

For those of you who keep up with my blog, you'll know my love for my DIY facial oil. I struggled to put it aside for a week to test this out, but once I tried it I realised I need not worry.

This products has 99% of ingredients from natural origin and it is certified organic. Although it is designed with mature skin in mind you can never start protecting your skin to early. I gasp whenever someone tells me they don't moisturise!

The concentrate itself smells wonderful - it's a light, fruity/floral scent that is uplifting. The formula feels somewhere between an oil and a gel. Not too runny, not too sticky, but somewhere nice in between. It softens the skin and makes it feel full and plump.

The whole time I've been using it I've had no skin complaints and I actually feel like it has made my skin look brighter! I may have to tweak my own facial oil after this. I used this day and night and it was fine under make up once I let it dry in. If you've been looking for an oil or serum to add into your skin care routine I definitely recommend trying this out.

Ps. Keep up with me on Instagram here.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free at an event. This was not in exchange for a post but I was encouraged to write about my experience with the product. All my reviews are completely honest and I would never recommend something I wouldn't use on my own skin.