Long time no speaky - sorry people!!

Hello my lovely followers.
Sorry it has been a while, but I have had a really horrible time, what with having no extra money to get my laptop fixed and no new job.
I also picked up my degree certificate the other week. I don't particularly love the photo (moonface much!?) but I was rather proud and my Mam cried.

Well, my life is looking up a bit right now! I've figured out how to get my laptop working and I now have a full time job, starting Monday 4th August. I am ridiculously happy with my life at the moment. GOODBYE to Nando's - as much as I liked working there I will be pleased to see the back of constant unsociable hours (although I will massively miss my colleagues, especially after our beach party yesterday)

Now for me to save up for a long-awaited holiday with my best friend and also getting a new car!

I'll also be spending much more time putting things on this blog for you all!

I'm a very smiley lady at the moment!!!

 

Apologies and Thanks!!

Apologies to my lovely readers for disappearing off the radar for a while.

I feel like the worst blogger around for not chronicling my life but it HAS been rather hectic and my laptop has once again gone kaput. It is currently at the laptop doctor's hopefully being fixed, and I am using the other half's laptop while he is at work.

Basically my student life has actually ended and I am very sad about this. I have moved out of my student house and am now living with my Dad again. This has both positives and negatives. One positive being VEGETABLES!

I am also applying for full time jobs in an administration environment as I have previous experience in this area and I feel like my degree isn't going to take me places.

I have received a tax rebate of just over £1000 in the post so I may or may not have done a bit of beauty shopping (at outlets though!) and I am also waiting for an online order to arrive, and I pinkie promise a massive haul post for you lovely readers.

Also, while I've been away from my blog, I reached 100 followers, this has made me extremely happy and I am grateful for each and every one of you lovely lot for following me!!

Once again, massive, massive apologies and another promise to post more!!
P.s. I'm thinking of doing a #30in30 lip challenge like Miss Budget Beauty what do you guys think??

Where my life is going

Hey everyone, I apologise for my lack of communication, I've finished university until I have to re-sit some of my assignments and I am picking up loads of shifts at work at the moment.

I am currently applying for loads of jobs, nothing to do with my course though, and this makes me sad. Also, as much as I dislike the rather unsociable hours that come with working at Nando's, it also makes me sad that I may be leaving sometime in the future.
I leave Sunderland for good next Friday, and this has lots of mixed emotions. I keep thinking of all of the memories I have created during these three years and the friends I have made and I smile. But really inside, I am deeply unhappy. I am moving back to my little pit village where there is nothing to do but go to the pub or watch television all day, and I am moving away from some of the best friends I have ever made. The only think that keeps me happy is that the majority of my university pals are staying in the area and I will be able to see them!

This time of change has me thinking, 'am I happy?' I don't think I am. I'm going to focus on things that do make me happy in the future and hopefully have a good rest of my life!

P.s. below are some brilliant photos of my time at university!

Not forgetting the Clanny cat - the cat that wandered around the halls!

How is your life at the moment lovelies?

The Body Shop Skincare

As I have addressed before, I am quite the compulsive skin picker. I am not proud of this by any means, but I thought that as part of my blog, I would share my experiences with you.

As it has been the last big push for completing my university degree, I have been feeling the pressure and getting more and more stressed out (for a number of reasons, such as assignments and the prospect of moving back home). This stress makes me pick more.

I visited my local The Body Shop outlet at Dalton Park to have a look at skincare to encourage me to look after my skin more and reduce picking. I am not going to lie to you lovely followers, but it hasn't much stopped my picking.

I am going to review the four products I purchased. Please bear in mind that because the products were purchased from an outlet and with added student discount I most definitely did not pay full price for the items, although I will post the RRP along with the pictures of the product.

I have also used these products for over a month to get a clear indication of how they work, and find what use is best for me.

Aloe Protective Serum

RRP £11.00

The product description on The Body Shop Site says:

This dermatologically tested pre-moisturiser is designed for skin that needs more gentle care.
Provides extra hydration
Fragrance, colour and alcohol-free
No added preservatives

I really like this product, I do feel that it is soothing on my damaged skin and it definitely primes it for moisturising. I have never used a protective serum before but I do think it makes a difference.

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion

£RRP 8.00 for 50ml or £3.00 for 15ml

The description on the site says that the product is:

A light, non-oily moisturising lotion for blemished skin. For use after your Tea Tree cleansing regime.

Provides lightweight hydration 

Easily absorbed

With shine control for a matte finish

Antibacterial action

Clinically proven to give clearer-looking skin

I really like this product, I agreee with it being mattifying, but do not use this product around the eyes or on borken skin because it bloody hurts (although I admit, I do like the feel of the stinging on my 'blemainshes', as I feel that it is astringent).
I think that this product does a brilliant job of moisturising the skin without it feeling greasy.
I should also mention that on The Body Shop's site, this is classed as a bestseller, and I completely see why!

Tea Tree Pore Minimiser

RRP £7.50

 Again, TBS site explains the product as:

Our new Tea Tree Pore Minimiser makes pores look smaller. Infused with Community Fair Trade organic tea tree oil, it smoothes, primes and mattifies, and leaves skin feeling fresh and pure.

Minimises the appearance of pores
Matifies for a shine-free finish
Leaves skin feeling fresh and pure
Ideal base for make-up

I really like this product, but I'm not entirely sure that other users of this product will, because of the look of the product (looks a bit like mucus or something before rubbed in) and it has quite a smell and is again quite astringent. I think on a lot of skins the combination of the skin clearing products may be overkill and result in the skin overcompensating. But on me, with combination skin, I love this product. If I was to clear my skin up, I would definitely use this primer instead of foundation, it is that good. Currently I only use it on my T-zone, as I have dry cheeks.

my final product is:
Tea Tree Blemish Gel

RRP £6.50 for 2.5ml

 The product description says:

A handbag essential. Help is at hand with this SOS wand.

Targeted care

Soothing

Instantly cools without over-drying skin

Clinically proven to give clearer-looking skin

 I think that this is a fantastic product for drying out spots. For use with my anti-picking regime, maybe not so much, as the damaged skin is not usually greasy. It also stings like a b***h when used on broken skin. Although it may sound like I am being negative, I do believe that on the right skin, this product would be fantastic at shrinking lurking blemishes!

Anyways, these are the products I bought from the body shop, and all in all, my new skincare regime has cleared my skin up, resulting in less areas for me to pick at! I have also used the products (apart from the primer) on the boyf, and he really liked them. I might buy them for him when I get a bit of money behind me!

Signature madness!

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My Goodness!
I have managed to post my first blog post with a signature, never thought I would be able to do this, and to be honest with you all, it has taken me HOURS (yes, I am rather computer illiterate!) Now it is time to do some uni work, rather than procrastinating.

P.s. What do you lovely people think of my new signature?

Comfort food & Weird Quirks

I am going to combine my last two blog a day posts, as these are relatively short, and I am also in the library at University, when I should really be doing my last ever University assignment. But I am procrastinating by writing this. Whoopsie, anyway, here goes with my posts!

Favourite Comfort Food

This is a very simple post for me.

I have two options. One is the poor university student option and the other is the home-made stodge option.

The impoverished student comfort food, for me, is a pasta bake of some description. Over the three years at uni, me and my housemates have experimented with some strange pasta bakes, like smart price sausage pasta bake where the aim was to get the sausages as cheaply as possible! The basic ingredients include: Pasta, some sort of meat (or tuna), cheese and also a tin or two of chopped tomatoes as a base.

We have been known to tart these up with passata and chicken with some veg such as onions and peppers (these were when our loans came in!)

But when we are stuck for food to make us instantly feel better, and make us feel full for relatively cheap, this was the dish for us.

The home-made stodge comfort food.

Most people think that I am strange for eating this meal, but it is a meal that my Mam has passed down her passion for. I do not usually like my Mam’s food combinations, but this one is the tits. The combination is Sausages, Mashed Potato and some Peeled Plum tomatoes in their juice.

My god. My mouth is watering just thinking of this beautiful meal. The mash soaks up the juice from the plum tomatoes and tastes unreal. I can’t describe how nice this makes me feel, but if I feel poorly, I always want this meal!

Weird Quirk of Mine

Oh god, I have loads of weird little quirks. The one that instantly comes to mind is the one I don’t have any longer but I used to do it ALL of the time.

This quirk is where when I was watching TV or talking to someone, rather than turning my head to directly face them, I would look out of the corner of my eyes. I do not have a clue why I did it to be honest and I used to get really embarrassed when somebody brought it up, but for some reason, I have managed to stop this ‘habit’

Another Quirk, related to the previous one, is that when watching TV, I used to move my head from side to side, as if I was reading. I’ve actually stopped this now, but I believe this is linked to one of my eyes being stronger than the other and also having a wobble in one of my eyes.

Anyway guys and girls, this was the last post of my blog a day challenge. It makes me sad that this challenge is over, but at the same time I will be able to focus on new content and make the blog be more about my life and the makeup I use.

Thanks for reading,

Love, Melissa xx

Top Things on My Bucket List

This is a weird post for me, because I have done a few things on some people’s Bucket Lists, such as swimming with dolphins, skinny dipping in the sea, getting tattoos and piercings, but I am always adding to my life goals!

My bucket list is quite nerdy, I am not going to lie, but it includes,

• Visiting Harry Potter Studios in Watford and Also Harry Potter World in Florida,
• Meeting the Queen, or at least seeing her in person (I’m a massive royalist – go ahead – shoot me!)

• Visit a Michelin Starred restaurant,
• I would love to travel the world and possibly visit all of the Continents – maybe not so much Antarctica though!
•  I want to be fluent in another language one day,
•  I also wish to learn British Sign Language and become a qualified first-aider. These are more wishes that could possibly further my career, but at the same time I really want to do them,
•   I want to make a difference in somebody’s life. With the aim of being a Teaching Assistant in my future, this could indeed become a reality,
• I want to reach my Goal Weight at WeightWatchers, and keep it off, I would like to try to be a Leader one day!

• I would love to become a makeup artist one day, although I would definitely have to save up to receive some training and create a kit, but considering I receive compliments on my makeup on a daily basis at the moment (Thanks Urban Decay Electric Palette!), I believe that this is one passion that I should maybe pursue,
•  I wish to experience a midsummer sunrise at the beach,
•   I want to stargaze in a Dark Sky area, my nearest one is Derwent Reservoir. Allendale is also fairly close, as are the ones in Middleton-in-Teesdale.

•  I wish to participate in a sponsored event, whereby I complete something such as the 10k Race for Life, or some sort of physical challenge

This list could certainly go on forever, because I have so many goals and wishes in my life and I am always creating new ones!

Love, Melissa xx

The Last Time I Cried

Below are the last 4 posts of my well and truly failed blog per day challenge. I’m very sorry I couldn’t do this. Maybe some other time, when I have finished at University and have a half decent laptop and work rota. I feel like these excuses are pathetic, but in this case they are true.

Anyway, onto my first ‘post’.

Last Time I Cried

This is very simple for me. I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 the other evening with the other half. With me being a massive Potter Geek (I am currently wearing a Hogwarts t-shirt from Primark!! Gonna include the tee as an additional OOTD at the bottom of this post.) This film makes me so sad. I’m not going to spoil it too much for the minority who haven’t read the books or seen the films, but I ALWAYS cry when Harry views Snape’s memories in the pensive, and I always cry like a baby when Harry can see all the dead people who mean so much to him and they have that lovely heart-warming chat.

One word sums these two parts where I am guaranteed to cry, and this word is:

Always.

So when I viewed the film the other night, I did indeed shed a few tears, and the boyf didn’t notice, because if he did, I would have gotten so teased!

Here is the OOTD that I promised (had to take the pics in the loos of the library - thank goodness most people are done with their courses now!) Anyway, it's chucking it down today and not at all summery, and with me spending the day at the library I have to be comfortable, this is the comfy look I am definitely happy with. The only problem is that my t-shirt is too baggy already - could definitely have gone down a dress size!

Burgundy Hogwarts Tee - £8, Primark

Hogwarts Tee, Tickled Pink Hoody (£8 from George at ASDA), Black Skinnies from New Look (can't remember the price)

Black New Look Skinnies, and my Black Patent Leather Dr Martens (~£60 from Amazon)

Love, Melissa xx

My best physical features

This is a hard post to write, as I am currently following the WeightWatchers plan, and I wish to lose about 3 stones to be happy with myself. I have done it before and will stick to the plan as much as I can. So I am not happy with my body, but have been told I have a good set of boobs and my bum has a decent shape. Oh well I suppose they can be *ok* physical features.

I like my face, I could be worse looking, I’d rather be chunky and half –decent looking than skinny and not very pretty.

I know that it’s what’s on the inside that counts, so I don’t really value my looks.

I think that my best feature is my eyes. I have been told that I have almond shaped eyes, and I love to use makeup to enhance them, I always have. I like the colour of my eyes because they suit most shades of makeup, as they are green-ish brown. I’d love them to be completely green, but obviously this doesn’t happen. So I use russet and reddish tones to make them look more green. I play with makeup to make them look different all of the time.

I like my lips too, they’re a nice size and shape, and can wear loads of different colours, especially brights. My Mam hates bright lipstick, as she thinks they make lips look smaller, but I can get away with this because they are by no means thin. I hope that when I get older, they don’t shrink too much!

I think that is all I can really say about my physical features!

Love, Melissa xx