How Sudocrem Helped Me With My Breakouts

This may be something you've heard about before - I mean, I grew up with pretty bad skin so I know I have. I always looked for home remedies for breakouts, like toothpaste and ice cubes, and one thing I always used was sudocrem. For some reason, when I grew up and stopped getting my "early teen acne", I completely forgot how well sudocrem had worked for me, even when I got the odd breakout and complained I had nothing for it. So when I was sent this cute little sudocrem tube recently, I was reminded how well this used to work for me.

I first off want to say that I know this doesn't work for everyone, as everyones skin types are different and react differently to cetain products, but it works for me. I remember having a little tub of sudocrem I used constantly in my early teens to battle acne, which was really bad back then. It's nowhere near as bad now though, and is normally just the odd breakout. My skins been pretty bad recently though, as I'm really prone to stress breakouts and my exams are coming up soon, so stress  is everywhere.

All I do is apply some sudocrem on my really bad areas after I take my makeup off at night or in the morning if I forget. I normally leave it on for a couple of minutes, but I honestly don't know if the length of time changes how well it works - I have no idea. It's not an instant, overnight, "all my spots are gone" product, but after using this everyday for a few days, I saw such a reduction in my breakouts. I still get the odd spot that creeps out here and there, but it's been much better than before. I still use my Lush Mask of Magnaminty face and body mask to help my spots, and I find the two of them work really well together. It's really affordable and easy to buy, which means it's pretty accessible for most people. I mean, I'm pretty sure we've all had a tub of this in our cupboard at some point - it's a very multi-use product.

I'm so happy I rediscovered this little gem and was reminded of how well this used to help me and my bad skin. My breakouts may not be nearly as bad now as they used to be, but a little help goes a long way with skin care in my opinion. I've seen a reduction in my spots - especially my chin area which is normally where I get them really bad. And this cute little tube means it easily fits in my makeup bag and handbag.

Let me know if you've ever used sudocrem for your breakouts and if it worked for you. Thank you for reading my post and I hope you have a great day!

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Does Cocoa Butter Really Help Reduce Stretch Marks?

I've suffered from pretty bad stretch marks since I was young. I had quite a growth spurt when I was about 12, and ended up with really bad marks on my inner thighs. To be honest, they never bothered me too much because it was an area of my body, at that age, that rarely anoyone else but myself saw. But in the past year or so, I've gained more on my outer thighs and hips which honestly really make me feel self conscious, especially when I wear crop tops. So that's why I decided to try and find a way to get rid of them, or at least reduce their appearance. I tried out various prodcust from Boots that never really worked for me, so ended up trying Palmers cocoa butter as it's been known for years to reduce strech mark appearances and many pregnant women use it. I had pretty high hopes for it, anfter hearing some people say it really worked for them, even when my mum told me it wouldn't work. But did it work?

Honestly, no. I used the whole 125g tube and barely saw a difference. I have four regions that I used the cream on: my two outer thighs and the two sides of my hips, and I applied it every time I came out of a shower or bath. This meant I was applying it mostly every day, so it's not as if I was rarely ever using it. After a few weeks, I felt as if I saw a slight reduction in the marks on my left hip. Their appearance wasn't as red or obvious, but not as much as I would have hoped for. I thought this was the cream starting to work though, giving it the benefit of the doubt, and that it would continue to reduce the appearence in the coming weeks. But no. That's all I saw and it's still all I've seen.

I've heard of pregnant women who have used this throughout their pregnancy seeing a massive reduction in their stretch marks while using this. I'm not sure if my stretch marks aren't deep or thick enough (I have no idea on that kind of thing to be honest) but I thought mines would have been easier to reduce. Obviously not. Plus my marks are relatively new, as I know older ones that have turned a white colour are harder to get rid of. And I always applied a generous amount of it - so much so I used the whole thing up in about 4 months. But I haven't repurchased it as I find it to be a waste of money, and not worth the effort. I did honestly get my hopes up regarding this product, and I try to see the best in everything I try, but this really disappointed me.

All I can say is that if you're looking for a product to reduce the appearance of strech marks, go and ahead and try it. It may not work for me but it might work for you. I honestly didn't see much of an improvement in my stretch marks, and certainly saw no difference in my other three regions, but I know it has worked for others. But it did definitely leave my skin smelling like chocolate.

Let me know if you've ever tried using cocoa butter to reduce stretch marks, or if you know any other products that actually work. Thank you for reading my post and I hope you all have a great day!

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Meet The Beauty Blogger: Annmarie Reddie

Time for Part 9 of my Meet The Beauty Blogger series where we'll be meeting Annmarie Reddie. She writes beauty bargains and fashion finds, and also has another called Annie's blog where she writes about more personal things about her family.

What got you into blogging? I first got in to blogging completely by accident.  I thought I could become the next Charlotte Tilsbury and tried to open an online make up store called mums beauty club.  I bought make up from the whole sellers and put it up on my store.  Unfortunatley the competition was fierce and my little store had no chance in competing with the much bigger companies and their amazing campaigns and promotions.  Along with the store I also had a blog where I would write my own reviews about the products I was selling, I done polls on different make up related topics, and I also asked what very little followers I had what they would like to see in the store and to give their personal opinion on different brands.  I found that I loved it and being able to talk/write about something I was passionate about was a real escape for me, usually I would be sat discussing what peppa pig got up to on todays episode of peppa pig with my kids.

How did you decide to blog beauty? I have always loved make up, I used to sit in front of the mirror trying to perfect new techniques I had read about in magazines.  I had a talent for make up and when I was only 18 done make up for a wedding party including the brides. So I had some knowledge with make up that I loved sharing with others.  The only other passion in my life is my family.

How long have you been blogging for? I have had my blog for only a little over a year and a half, so I am still a newbie.

What's your biggest blogging achievement so far? Anything I get asked to do that is related to my blog I see as an achievement.  I have done product reviews where I have only been approached because they read my blog.  I am being featured in Lylia Roses media links page. And of course this interview.  I also love being sent the odd freebie here and there form small business's, individuals that have read my blog and liked it.

What post's have you written that you are most proud of? I am proud of a few, but one that I enjoyed doing the most as well as enjoyed researching as my findings were shocking was the "Counterfeit make up and the dangers" I actually was thinking of a topic to pitch as guest blog post, and instead of doing a product review I wanted to do something that people cared about.  So I came up with this topic after reading a short article about jeffree stars products being copied.  The more research I did the more shocked, worried and glad I was that I choose this topic so I could warn people just like myself of the dangers. I also liked doing a personal one called "Codys first day in P2 and the wobbly tooth" about the struggles of getting 5 year old back in to the early morning of the school routine and her wobbly tooth".  The post I think that is most beneficial to my followers is the big brand current deals posts that I do on beauty bargains and fashion finds.

What's your current favourite beauty product? (Oh Erin you do ask the most difficult questions) This has to be most difficult question so far.  My favoutite product right now has to be Benefit they're real mascara, it is the holy grail of all mascara's. I am also really liking Models Co Cheek and lip stain in peach.

What on item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? I could not live without in transit camera close-up Mask, moisturiser and primer in one.  It is said to be one of Victoria Beckhams  favourite beauty products. Well I don't know about Vicky but I love it.

Who is your favourite blogger at the moment? My favourite beauty blogger at the moment is Mrs Strawberry blonde, she is a self confessed beauty drugstore addict with awesome nail of the day tutorials and picks and also Gemma Emily Makeup, Sorry Erin I couldn't limit myself to just one.

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I am loving where my blog is right now, it is getting some recognition which is amazing, especially since I started off with no thought on where blogging may lead.

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? To be featured in a by a big brand, and to get as many people possible reading my blog. And to be in a position to help other bloggers like myself get to where the want to be.

You can check out Annmarie's Twitter here, her Instagram here and you can check out her blog here.

Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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See you guys soon x

How I Juggle A Job, Uni and Blogging

When I first started out blogging in Spring of this year, I was lucky enough to have finished my first year at Uni and at the time, I didn't have a job. This meant I had loads of time to really concentrate on my blogging, writing posts and taking photos. I always had posts ready to go well in advance and even had back up posts incase I was busy. I posted 4 times a week, which I always found an easy target to reach, and I always had time to really focus on my blog. That was until July when I got myself a job and ended up working up to 6 days a week, and then September when I went back to being at Uni full time. This meant blogging couldn't always be my priority and I had to find myself a balance of all three. I still struggle now finding time to sit and write posts or take photos with all my studying or overtime I do, but I think I've found myself a routine I like.

Making a plan is something I find to make things much easier. I've always made myself a blogging plan, where I set certain days where I'll write certain posts, take photos or read through other bloggers posts. It means I'll usually always have my posts ready to go, unless of course I'm really too busy to write posts. I cut back my posts and now blog three times a week, on a Monday, Wenesday and then a Friday or Saturday, which I can usually stick to, but of course some weeks can be harder than others. A plan means that, if I know I'm going to be really busy one week, I can write two blog posts in a day so will have an extra ready to go. I've also added study hours to my plan, as I'm now at the point in my Uni semester where the work is really starting and I need to set aside hours to study, write essays and do assignments. My education is my priority at the moment, so when I have a few hours to spare I'll study nowadays when I would have used to write posts. But having a backup store of posts on extremely busy weeks can make life so much easier.

Something I've learnt in recent months is not to stress when I don't get a blog post finished in time. I know I'd much rather wait and post a quality post I'm proud of than rush a post just so it went up on one of my assigned days. Some weeks over summer, I'd be working all day for 5 or six days, so when I got home all I wanted to was sleep and eat and my motivation to write posts was pretty low. Sometimes I'd want to force myself into writing one, but I knew it would be half-hearted and it wasn't worth it. So I've learned now to only post blog posts I'm proud of and happy to share, rather than posting just because I feel I have to.

Another thing I always do is take my laptop with me to Uni, so on any breaks I have during the day, I can write up blog posts then. Some days I might have a two hour gap between lectures, so dedicate an hour to studying and the other to my blog, which is an extra hour I wouldn't have thought to used. I work weekends just now while I'm at Uni, and any breaks I have there are pretty short and I need them to eat my lunch, so I never take my laptop with me there. But finding any spare hour here and there really does make a big difference.

The most important thing I've learned about having a job, a blog and going to Uni, is you can manage all three if you take your time and plan it out. Some weeks, one will have priority over the others and you may have to shift your plan a bit, but it makes life so much easier in the long run. Cutting down on the amount of blog posts you write to make sure you're proud of every one you post isn't the worst thing in the world, and I'm sure my readers will appreciate it.

Let me know if you have to juggle a job or Uni with your blog, and how you work around it. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a great day!

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Meet The Beauty Blogger: Tanya Smalls

Another Wednesday, another instalment of Meet The Beauty Blogger. This time we'll be getting to know the lovely Tanya Smalls and her blog. Tanya has a self confessed passion for fashion, and posts some great beauty reviews.

What got you into blogging? Honestly, it feels like I woke up one morning and decided to blog but that can't be how it happened lol. I probably told myself I'm a fashion genius (which I'm not) and a beauty expert (definitely not) and I should tell the masses about it LOL.

How did you decide to blog beauty? I decided to blog beauty because of the fascination I have with products and reviewing them. You may never ever see me do a tutorial but a review is always right around the corner. I admit recently I haven't done much beauty posts other than hauls but I'm working to correct that.

How long have you been blogging for? I have been blogging on and off for 4 years, started when I was in my first year of university.

What's your biggest blogging achievement so far? Umm, I consider all my blogging achievements to be the biggest LOL. It's probably between being sent jewellery to review because if people trust you enough to take a gamble and send you their products for free then that is pretty big. So it's between that and when I got to put together two styling posts, dealing with summer wedding attire, for Paul Fredrick.

What post that you've written are you most proud of? At this point in time, I'm very proud of my "On The Inside" posts. It's a new interior design series I started on the blog two weeks ago and the content just make me so happy.

What's your current favourite beauty product? Right now, I'm obsessing over Danimer liquid lipsticks. Bought them locally (Barbados) a few weeks ago and I'm still drooling over them LOL.

What one item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? Powder. I'm a powder freak, I thoroughly enjoy packing on the powder.

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? I don't have one favourite blogger, I have a group of them, Barbadian bloggers. I don't know most of them personally but they will ALWAYS be my favourite bloggers. the genre doesn't even matter, I read their posts and enjoy them.

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I've been struggling with this for the last year or so and I'm now coming to terms with it. I am happy with it right now but I still have little its and bits I'm trying to figure out to improve it.

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? I want the blog to keep evolving and gaining readers and helping readers. It may turn into an online magazine or it may not, it may turn into a book or it may not, who knows.

You can follow Tanya on Insagram here and Twitter here. You can also keep up to date with her snapchat - fashionnnp - and chek out her blog here.

Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a great day.

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See you guys soon x

Meet The Beauty Blogger: The Blonde Cafe

Today's post is part 7 - how are we already on part 7? - of my Meet The Beauty Blogger series, where we'll be meeting the lovely Summer Coleman and her blog, The Blonde Cafe.S he's currently doing Blogtober where she'll be posting every day, so if you've never read her blog before, now is definitely the time to start. 

What got you into blogging? I'ts a pretty stereotypical answer here, but I've been reading blogs and watching vloggers for a while now. Articles on blogs are everywhere now so it's pretty much impossible to miss them in one form or another! I've adored writing ever since I was really young and used to write mini novels, poems, stories and journaled endlessly. So It was inevitable that I would eventually start my own. 

How did you decide to blog beauty? I've always had an interest in various different segments of beauty - originally it was with skincare (I used to have awful problem skin) and then after reading and watching a load of tutorials I started getting into make up and so on until I felt confident enough to blog about it - and that's my aim in the end, to make people feel confident, whether that is with a product, its application or within themselves! 

How long have you been blogging for? In terms of beauty blogging and this blog in particular I've actually only been involved since July. However, I have helped with the setting up and editing of Pie Magazine (an online magazine/blog for my university) and I've set up art based blogs in the past to do with various festivals and events! 

What's your biggest blogging achievement so far? I don't like to aim for milestones - I'm more of a progress is progress type of person (it's just personal preference!) but I would have to say it would just be having the confidence to actually set up and post my first ever post - it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and sometimes it can be pretty scary! 

What post that you've written are you most proud of? It would either have to be my Five Year Plan (https://theblondecafe.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/my-five-year-plangoals/) post, or my Urban Outfitters on a Budget (https://theblondecafe.wordpress.com/2016/08/05/urban-outfitters-bedroom-on-a-budget-dupes/) post. The plan took a long time to decide (even though it's not specific) and it was something that I found hard to put into words, which I think you can tell by reading it! But I really like how it turned out and the photography is some of my favourite! The Urban Outfitters on a Budget post took a lot of research, and I feel like the dupes I found were pretty accurate and for sometimes less than half the price! I had a really good response to this post as well - a lot of people messaged me saying how helpful they found it - and in the end that is the goal! 

What's your current favourite beauty product? I'm in love with No7's Airbrush Away Pore Minimizing Primer. I was using Benefit's Porefessional Primer, but the No7 one is a really good dupe and for just £16 it's really not a pocket burning price! It feels really silky on your skin and the foundation just glides on beautifully afterwards. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with problem pores.

What on item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? Just ONE?! I would probably have to say the primer I literally just raved about. It's just perfect and I love wearing it on those days where you just want to pop to the shop and can't be bothered to put on your foundation but you can't stand bare face!

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? I adore Rhianna @ www.robowecop.com she's just got a really unique and personable voice and she comes across as very genuine and honest!

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I've only just began my journey as a blogger I really hope to grow this blog and get to meet new friends along the way (too cheesy?) I am happy with where I am at this moment in time and I cant wait to see what the future holds!

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? I would love to have a decent size following by the end of the year - but I worry that if I put a number on it I might jinx it. I would love to have around about 5k followers by the end of this year, but I'm not sure exactly how realistic that is!

Make sure you go and check out Summer's blog here and follow her over on Twitter here.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this post and all the other posts in my Meet The Beauty Blogger series, and of course let me know if you want to get involved yourself. Thank you for reading and enjoy your day!

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My Autumn Must-Haves

Autumn is one of my favourite times of the year; the colder nights, warm cosy jumpers and of course, Halloween. I love all the things that this time of the year brings, and the change in our daily routines. I'm the kind of person that's buying a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino and hanging the Halloween bunting as soon as it hits September. There are some things I find absolutely essential for the Autumn months so that's why todays post is my Autumn must-haves.

Autumn scented candles

One of the first things I do when it hits September is go out and buy myself some more Autumn scnted candles. I'm the kind of person that preferes different scents at different times of the year, and I definitely find deeper and richer smells make the colder months feel much more cosier. I'm currently loving Yankee Candle's Autumn Night and Amber Moon and will definitely have them buring over the next few months.

Dark lips

I feel like Autumn is the perfect time to be wearing dark purple and berry toned lipsticks. My favourites are MAC's Smoked Purple and Viva Glam III as I feel like they suit my skin tone really well and are so easy to wear. And if you don't own any dark toned lippy's, now's the perfect time to treat yourself to one (you have my permission). 

Halloween movies

This is an absolute 'don't argue me' essential for Autumn. As soon as September starts, I get into the Halloween spirit and have Hocus Pocus on repeat till November. I have a list this year of all the Halloween movies I need to watch before October 31st - and it's a pretty big list - so I'm really excited to make my way through them. And don't even ask me what my favourite Halloween movie is because I honestly couldn't pick just one.

Warm drinks

I drink warm drinks all year round and I'm a bit of a caffeine addict, but colder months make my need for warm drinks sky rocket. I spend most of my time in Starbucks when I'm at University, so find myself drinking 3 Pumpkin Spice Lattes a day (ok maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I do drink a lot of them). Warm drinks not only heat you up, but make you feel so cosy. And if you're not really into caffeinated drinks, hot chocolate is always great at this time of the year too.

Cosy jumpers

At Autumn and Winter, I feel like I'm never out of my oversized jumpers because they're so damn cosy. Topshop has some really good ones and quite a lot of mine are from there, as well as a few being from River Island a few years back. My Autumn wardrobe this year will mainy consist of big wooly jumpers, scarves, thick tights and fluffy socks under boots (my feet are always cold and I don't know why).

Let me know what your Autumn must-haves are and if you agree with mines. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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Meet The Beauty Blogger: Nawael Khelil

It's now time for another instalement of my Meet The Beauty Blogger series. This time, we'll be getting to know the lovely Nawael Khelil a little bit more. I didn't know Nawael or her blog well before I started this series, so this is another example of finding beauty bloggers I never would've without this blog series.
What got you into blogging?  It took me a few years to actually start blogging. Many of my friends were asking me for beauty and fashion advice or information, telling me I should start a blog. But I thought nobody would care and that my opinion and knowledge weren’t so valuable. I eventually created a URL about a year ago, but I really got into blogging early 2016, when I realized how helpful it was for me to write down the little things I know, or how fun it was to share my passion with other girls.

How did you decide to blog beauty? With this blog, I want to share about my personal style, beauty discoveries and also about people that inspire me. I first intended to create a fashion blog though. But as I was working as a beauty editor in Seoul, I learned so many interesting beauty hacks and I developed a fascinating relationship with everything beauty, especially technique wise. I just find it amazing. I am not makeup bloggers (I think I’ve done like one makeup look) but I like to write about skincare, like how fermented cosmetics can save your life, or how to deal with an aloe vera allergy in today’s beauty industry when every product is upgrades with aloe extracts, etc.  

How long have you been blogging for? I started my blog around mid 2015 but really got into it at the beginning of this year. My blog has been slowly taking off lately, but I’m still working on building something reliable and time-worthy for my readers.

What's your biggest blogging achievemnet so far? I don’t have a lot of exposure yet, not many followers, Facebook fans or subscribers, but it feels incredibly rewarding when someone leaves a comment saying that my post helped them figure something out.

What posy that you've written are you most proud of? I did an interview of a friend of mine who is a model, and that’s probably my favorite post so far. Not because she’s a model, but because her story is very inspiring. She was born Iranian but left for Australia with her family, lived in South Korea and majored in crafted arts. We talked multicultural upbringing, beauty standards around the globe, gender equality and a lot of other things. This is definitely my richest post.

What's your current favourite beauty product? Now that’s a tough question. I have a favorite mask pack, it’s Innisfree’s It’s Real Squeeze Green Tea mask pack. Best soothing and moisturizing quickie ever. It has a nice, very subtle scent, is made of natural ingredients. There is also a light serum by Sephora, which is a Purity Booster enriched in zinc – it cleans and clears the skin from pimples and little impurities within two weeks.

What one item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? BB cream, definitely a good BB Cream. I don’t have the perfectly smooth and even skin I wish I had, hence I can hardly go out with a layer (however thin) of a good coverage BB cream. I currently use Kanebo’s Media, one of the best BB I ever tried (and I bought it randomly in a drugstore in Omura, Nagasaki, when I ran out of my LaNeige cushion).

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? My favorite blogger has been Shini Park from Park and Cube, for a very long time. It’s more fashion and lifestyle related that beauty, but her blog is gold. Inspiring and extremely well-curated, her editorials are just perfect. What I love the most about her style is that she proves how perfectly classy and chill can mingle, and that’s a kind of philosophy that I try to live by.

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I am trying to grow a bigger audience and, for it, to build a more solid foundation for my blog. I am happy as I notice that I have more and more readers every week, and this totally cheers me up. I would like to write more regularly, too, I need to really put inspiration into words and create some nice contents. Ultimately, I’d like to work with brands that I like and collaborate with other beauty, fashion and lifestyle bloggers too.

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? I don’t know if I can say it’s my biggest goal, but I hope I can have a professional approach on my blog in the near future. I’d like it to be a part of my career later, as I major in fashion marketing. I have to work harder, gather many more ideas to make it stand out and create a real relationship with my readers. Connecting with my audience will obviously be a big part of my blogging plan, and I hope I can meet a lot of different people on this adventure.

If you want to find out a little bit more about Nawael and her blog, you can follow her on Twitter here and Instagram here, check out her Facebook here. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you have a great day!

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See you guys soon x

Back To University Haul

My absolute favourite thing about going back to Uni is buying all the supplies I need. I actually really enjoy picking them out and getting new pens and books - I don't care if I sound sad. This Monday I'm going into my second year at Glasgow which I'm excited but nervous for, but I have my experience from last year to help me out. I'm really happy with everything I picked up, so take a little nosy through my haul.

Paperchase

The first place I went to was Paperchase as this is my favourite shop for stationery. I really love some of the notebooks they have out just now, but considering I'm needing 6 seperate books this year, I wasn't willing to fork out that money.  They have a 3 for 2 deal on a lot of their stationery at ther moment, so I thought I'd take advantage of that and picked up 3 items in this deal. These notebooks come in packs of 3 with an orange, purple and blue book in each pack which isn't clear in the picture, but I really liked the idea of coloured notepads so picked up 2 packs. 

Multicoloured A5 exercise books in pack of 3 - £5

Red 30cm ruler - £2.50

ASOS

I picked up this really cute bikini bag, which I'm going to use as a pencil case, while browsing through ASOS for some new Uni clothes. I liked how deep it was as a lot of other pencil cases are pretty shallow which always annoys me, and I absolutely loved the colour scheme and slogan on the bag.

Mermaid Off Duty bikini bag - £10

Tesco

The last place I went for stationery was Tesco as that's the best place to pick up pens in my opinion. There was so many coloured pens to pick from, but I decided to pick these thin ones as I already have thicker ones and sharpies. I also thought I'd pick up these sticky white labels as I like to label my notepads.

Black ball point pens - £1.50

Staedtler rainbow ball pen 10 pack - £4

White labels - £2

I'm pretty happy with everything I picked up, and everything else I need I already have. Let me know if you're starting or going back to Uni this year and what you've picked up. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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See you guys soon x

Meet The Beauty Blogger: Georgia Knight

I can't believe this is already part 5 of my blogger series - I feel like I've not long started it. I've really enjoyed posting these and you seem to like reading them too which I'm really happy about. Today's instalment will be all about the lovely Georgia Knight and her blog which is definitely worth checking out and giving a follow.

What got you into blogging? Writing comes naturally to me and during high school I decided to translate my diaries and journals into an online blog. I would spend most evenings blogging but years later after neglecting my blog for a while I decided to start a new one just before starting my Journalism studies. I wanted to prove that I had a keen interest in Journalism and alongside this I wanted to improve my writing skills, I thought starting a new blog would be the best way to translate that.

How did you decide to blog beauty? I sort of fell into beauty blogging as I found myself writing reviews on products I had recently purchased and as I got older my interest in fashion and beauty started to increase. My beauty blogging has developed over the years and I have combined it with lifestyle, personal snippets of my life and and topics I have a general interest.

How long have you been blogging for? I have been blogging on and off for 7 years now! I had times in my life when I didn't feel like public blogging and decided to made my blog a private affair and times when I stopped due to focusing on my education and work life. I created a new blog two years ago which is the one I have currently and I couldn't imagine not blogging now, it has become a part of my life. 

What's your biggest blogging achievemnet so far? I think maintaining my blog in itself is a huge achievement for me and I believe engagement is more important than your blogs following. Knowing that one person out there has read my blog and enjoyed it and wants to continue reading my content gives me great satisfaction. 

What post that you've written are you most proud of? Picking the post I am most proud of is so hard for me, I love the very first introductory post I did but I also am proud of the posts abut my experiences with mental health and domestic abuse. It's hugely important for me to be an honest blogger and not just write lighthearted content about my favourite beauty products, but also produce content that is deep-rooted and about the issues that we can all face. I think any blog is an important platform and we should all use it to our advantage and write genuine posts that may be able to help others and break the stigmas we currently face.

What's your current favourite beauty product? My current favourite beauty product is the Sleek solstice highlighter palette. It is such a pigmented product that is versatile and compact and I highly recommend it if you are looking for an affordable and long-lasting highlight!

What one item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? I could not live without my Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow in dark brown, it is a must-have for me, I take it everywhere!

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? My favourite blogger at the moment is Helen Anderson! I love her unique style and find her blogs and vlogs highly entertaining and easy to relate to.

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I'm so happy with my blog and how much it has grown, there is always something to improve on but I have many exciting plans and ideas for the future and I can't wait to share them with everyone. 

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? My goal is to keep on publishing creative content, grow my following and my career in Journalism. 

If you want to check out Georgia and her blog, which I definitely think you should, you can find her blog here. You can also go follow her on Twitter here and her Instagram here.

I hope you guys are still enjoying this series, and as always, let me know if you want to take part in it. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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See you guys soon x

Meet The Beauty Blogger: Poppy Mayy

It's now time for part four of my Meet The Beauty Blogger series, and this time around we'll be getting to know Poppy Mayy a bit more. I've followed Poppy and her blog for quite a while now and I have to be honest, I was so excited that she wanted to take part in my series. She's a lovely, admirable and very inspiring blogger and I hope you all get to see that.

What got you into blogging? I first started my blog back in my last year of university because my lecturer told me that it would be a great place to showcase my writing. I've been blogging ever since! 

How did you decide to blog beauty? Well, I've always had a passion for beauty, especially make-up. When I was younger I went through a huge goth phase which allowed me to experiment with so much make-up and crazy out there looks and my love has just continued on from that.

How long have you been blogging for? As of April this year my blog Poppy Mayy is one year old.

What's your biggest blogging achievement so far? To be honest it has to be my #ConqueringCurvy series that I recently started. I've had some real positive feedback from my readers and I just love that these articles help empower women and boost their self-confidence.

What post that you've written are you most proud of? As I said in the last question, probably my #ConqueringCurvy ones, however, I don't want to take the easy way out and use the same answer twice. So it probably has to be my post about Victoria Secret models and feminism.

What's your current favourite beauty product? I am loving the Younique 3D fiber lash. Long, full lashes, without the cakey-ness!

What one item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? Probably my moisturiser (Clinque's Dramatically Different). I have really dry skin so I can guarantee that my skin would be so sore and cracked without it.

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? I really love Alice Spake (Annie Writes Beauty). She's so down-to-earth and she always promotes products that you can tell she actually loves. 

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? I really am. I just redesigned it and I am so happy with where it is at the moment. 

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? I would love to blog and vlog full-time. That's my ultimate dream. I feel like it would give me so much freedom and I could spread my body confidence message all over the world!

If you want to find out a bit more about Poppy and her blog, you can go follow her on Twitter here and Instagram here. She also has a Facebook here and a Youtube channel here you can check out.

Thank you very much for reading my post and I hope you liked it!

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Confessions Of A Beauty Blogger

I absolutely love blogging, especially blogging beauty. It was my main love and the reason I got into blogging in the first place. Being a blogger isn't a walk in the park like many people think it is - post a few times a month, get free samples and get paid for doing hardly any work. WRONG. Blogging, no matter what genre or niche, is very hard work and requires a lot of time and effort if you want to do it right. That's why todays post is going to be some confessions I have about being a beauty blogger - both good and bad - some you may or may not agree with.

I'm no makeup expert

I feel like a lot of people think beauty bloggers are amazing at doing makeup. To be fair, quite a lot are, but I for one are not one of them. I'm not saying I'm bad at doing makeup - I mean, I know what I'm doing. I'm just not amazing - being a makeup artist is definitely not going to be my future job.

Writing reviews takes A LOT of time

Writing beauty reviews is one of the main type of blog posts you'll see on my blog, so I feel like I'm constantly writing them. I love sharing my opinions on the products I've been using, and I always want to make sure they're 100% honest. I think a lot of people think it's easy just to write a quick review and post it without a lot of thought, but that's one thing I think you really can't do as a beauty blogger. If I'm writing a review I know my readers will read and take advice from, I want it to be well thought out. This means I really need to make sure I've used the product and have an accurate opinion on it - using it once doesn't count. 

You can beauty blog on a budget

To many people, to be a beauty blogger you need a lot of money to go out and buy high end products and new releases all the time. I completely disagree with this. I'm a student who doesn't have the biggest budget in the world to spend on beauty products, so I make sure I buy ones I definitely want and ones that are also affordable. You definitely don't need a lot of money to beauty blog well in my opinion.

Comparing your blog to others gets you nowhere

When I started out blogging, I definitely compared my posts to ones by bloggers who had been in the game a lot longer than me. This made me feel like my blog posts weren't as good as theirs, but really mines were just different. I have a completely different writing style to other bloggers - every blogger has different ideas about what their blog is about and what they want to write. I quickly realised that comparing myself to others was so pointless and really didn't help me at all, and it may be really hard to not do it, but it does help you in the long run.

If you want to take a break, take a break

I went through a phase recently were I just needed a break from my blog and the blogging world. I felt like I was constantly writing and taking photos, and I really needed some time away. I think that if you feel like this, it's important you do step away from your blog for a while. I did feel guilty and that I wasn't a good blogger for not posting for a few days, but I realised that was totally wrong. If anything, it's made me a better blogger for doing it - I would've ended up writing posts when my heart really wasn't in it. 

It's harder than it looks

This is my main confession - being a beauty blogger is a lot harder than it looks. As I said before, people think it's easy to churn out blog posts and reviews. when it's really not. It takes a lot of time, energy, hard work and determination to do this and do it well. I think it definitely deserves more appreciation.

Let me know if you agree with any of my confessions, or what your confessions would be. Thank you so much for reading my blog post and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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Meet The Beauty Blogger: Laura Byrne

Yes, it's back again. It's time for the third instalment of my Meet The Beauty Blogger series, and this time we get to meet Laura Byrne. I first of all want to say how amazing the response has been to this series, so thank you so much for that. It's great for not only me, but the amazing bloggers who's hard work I get to share. It also means all the time and effort has been worth it. Now let's get on with meeting the absolutely lovely Laura.

What got you into blogging? I've always had a keen interest in makeup and beauty products but a few of my friends suggested that I should set up a blog and I also want to improve and gain more knowledge in relation to makeup so I thought blogging would a be a great way to do so. You can check out my blog here: http://www.queenbeeie.com

How did you decide to blog beauty? Well I decided to select beauty as my main topic or area of my blog simply because I had such a keen interest in makeup and also I wanted to gain better knowledge of the beauty/makeup world and see if I can go further and explore my interest. 

How long have you been blogging for? I have been blogging a year now. I started back in June of last year I wasn't fully aware of how big the blogging community was. I set the blog up as a hobby to explore my interests and improve my knowledge in relation to makeup.

What's your biggest blogging achievement so far? My biggest blogging achievement has to be being nominated "best beauty blog of 2016"  for the blogger choice awards which is run by the irish blogger agency. I never even expected to be nominated it was such a shock at the time and a great honour. 

What post that you've written are you most proud of? Oh I really don't know I can't really say I don't know if there is one that if been like oh I'm really proud of I tend to be really hard on myself but If I would pick one that I'm happy with I would have to say my review of Beverly Hills products you can click here to check it out: http://www.queenbeeie.com/blog/product-reviewbeverly-hills-formula

What's your current favourite beauty product? Oh this is easy right now I'm obsessed with is All bright Radiance Balm from the Botanics range at boots, your skin looks instantly brighter and the glow from this balm is amazing. You can apply a small amount before you apply your foundation or you can apply it just on its own for that natural dewy glow.

What one item (beauty/skincare) could you not live without? Okay I can not live with out my boi-ing concealer by benefit. It's so easy to apply it's quite thick but it hides any dark circles or fine lines and underneath my eye looks brighter and awake. 

Who's your favourite blogger of the moment? My Favourite blogger at the minute is Louise O'Relliey from stylemecurvy. Louise is an international plus/curve model and fashion blogger she recently was on the cover of irish magazine U. Click the link to check out her blog http://www.stylemecurvy.net/

Are you happy with where your blog is right now? Right now I'm content with my blog. It could be better but I'm constantly looking for ways to improve my blog. I love reading other posts by fellow bloggers sharing their tips and tricks on improving your blog it's a great way to learn new things or even by taking part in Twitter chats with fellow bloggers. Click here to check out my Twitter : https://twitter.com/_l_a_u_r_a____

What's your biggest goal for the future of your blog? Oh this is a tricky question well I would like to learn more in relation to blogging maybe do a course to help me improve my website design just to help polish it up a bit and make it more appealing to readers. I hope to post a lot more in the future and have more time to do so. 

"Don't tell people your dreams show them". - Unknown 

Make sure you go and check out Laura's blog here and her Twitter here as she's definitely worth a follow. 

Thank you so much for reading today's post and I really hope you're enjoying this series. As always, let me know your opinions of it or if you yourself want to take part. Thank you so much and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

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See you guys soon x

What's In My Bag?

As a beauty blogger, I love all posts makeup and skincare, but some of the posts I love reading the most are ones where I can be a bit nosey. What's In My Bag and Makeup Bag posts are some of my favourites, so that's why I thought I'd do one of my own for todays post. I have to say I'm a very messy person when it comes to my handbag, so opening it up for this post made me realise how much crap I really keep. Apoligies in advance - I'm a bit of a hoarder.

The bag

My mum bought me this River Island bag for my birthday last year, and I use this as my daily bag wherever I go. It's really spacious which I love, and I really like the colours and patterns it has on it.

My purse

I've had a little Miss Melody purse for a few years now and refuse to use any others. It's been my trusted purse for so long and has all the compartments I need. It's really spacious and fits a lot in it - mines is absolutely filled with receipts and tickets (told you I'm a hoarder). It also has just the right amount of spaces for my cards which is perfect. This purse goes with me absolutely everywhere, so it's no surprise it's in my bag.

Hand Food

Now another thing that goes with me absolutely everywhere is my trusty Soap & Glory Hand Food. I get dry hands very easily, so this thing has saved me many a time. I can't leave the house without having a hand cream with me and this one is my current favourite.

Krispy Kreme voucher

I was at Glasgow Central station on the 11th of August when the new Krispy Kreme store opened, so was given this voucher at the shop. It allowed me to get a free coffee when I bought a doughnut, but at the time I wasn't allowed caffeine so I couldn't redeem it. That meant this voucher has been sitting in my bag since then, but since it's out of date I should probably throw it out.

Thorpe Park map

I spent a few days at Thorpe Park at the start of August so picked up this resort map while I was there. I had such a good time while I was there as I'd never been before but I absolutely love theme parks. Things like this I tend to keep as I always like to have a memento of trips or holidays I go on, even though I know I'll never use it again - I just can't seem to part with it.

Safety glasses

I can't believe these are still in my bag. I do Pharmacology at University and used this bag while I was there. These are my safety glasses I use for my labs and I've left them in there since I was last at Uni - which was in March.

Calculator

My Uni bag. Enough said.

Headphones

To be honest, you'll probably find a pair of headphones in most peoples bags. I make sure I always have a pair on me in case I need them - which is pretty often. I genuinely think I would die if I was on a train and didn't have these in my bag.

Pens

Considering I took this bag to Uni with me last year, it's no surprise there's so many pens in here. Plus it's always handy to have one on you. Maybe not 5 though.

Citizen M key card

Citizen M is a chain of hotels, one of which is in Glasgow that I stay at quite a lot. After your stay, you're allowed to keep your key card, so one of mines has managed to sneak it's way to the bottom of my bag. This is another thing I like to keep to remind me of trips or overnight stays.

Drink coaster

I saw this cute little drinks coaster when I was at The Social bar in Glasgow. It says Heads on one side and Tails on the other which I thought was quite cute, so I had to take one home with me. I haven't actually used it though which is why it's still in my bag.

To be honest, I'm surprised my bags not more cluttered than it is. I never really clear out my bag, so there's some stuff in there that's been there for quite a while. As a beauty blogger, it's surprising there's no beauty products in my bag, but that's because they're the only things I make sure I take out my bag at night so I don't lose them. Let me know what kind of stuff you keep in your bag and if you're as bad - or worse - than me. Thank you so much for reading my post and I hope you all have a great day.

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See you guys soon x