Reviewing 2016 Goals and Catch-up

Hello everyone! My lost post of every year is a review of the goals I set 10 months ago. However I only set 4 so I'm going to turn this post into a bit of a catchup too. But first the goals:


1. Keep up the gym life
Achieved: No :(

I had bursts of a routine, but honestly since starter my teacher training course I really could not muster up the energy to go. I'm still in two minds about whether I should keep my membership, a huge part of me wants to but I just don't know if I'll end up wasting the money like the past few months. However I know for a fact that working out not only helps with fitness, but also makes one feel a good deal better too...so I think I should give it a really good go in January at least.


2. Reduce my sugar intake.
Achieved: Kinda

Whilst I still eat more sugar than the average 21 year old, I have learnt to say no a lot more this year. I also don't spend a load of money on buying sweets anymore, maybe once a month I'll go all out, but for the most part I don't. Definitely something I'll keep working on in the new year.


3. Managing my time better.
Achieved: Yes

I'm most proud of this because my time management skills throughout uni were appalling. Procrastination is very real (so real that I did my whole dissertation on it!), however learning to manage it and to get through stressful periods in my life was a real high point of the year. Don't get me wrong, I do still put off important things, however it has gotten better and will continue to do so in'sha'Allah (God willing).


4. Spend less time on my phone.
Achieved: Yes

I have definitely gotten out of that obsessive on my phone habit now and it is great! I don't have to post on IG every day, or remember to schedule tweets. When I have time I check my phone, but otherwise I focus on the here a now. A part of the reason for this is because I am no longer a Uni student with lots of spare time. I work long hours, so my remaining time is quite precious and I try to use it wisely.


So I've not done too badly I guess! I do wish I have checked up with my goals around half way, cause its very easy to forget them, but 2016 flew by so fast I really didn't get a chance haha. 2016, though its been a beast of a year for the globe as a whole, has actually been pretty fantastic for me personally. In the most humble and gracious way possible haha. Its the year I wrote my dissertation and got a first for it, sat my final exams in my education, graduated with a 2:1, got onto the teaching course I applied for and became a trainee teacher too. It's been a whole year of challenged, goals and growth and I feel like I've never been so stretched mentally or physically in my life. Graduating was by far the highlight of 2016 for me, so many points in the year I thought I couldn't do it and to finally reach the end, don my hat and gown and walk to stage was the proudest moment of my life. People often belittle a degree, however its only when you've worked extremely hard and gotten through obstacles you couldn't imagine, that you realise how much more meaningful it is that 'just a bit of paper'.

Blogging and ethical beauty
Although I wasn't half as consistent on my blog this year, in comparison to previous I am still proud that I managed to squeeze in time to blog whenever I could. At some points I felt very disheartened that I had next to no time for my blog, but life just gets to busy post graduation and when working full time - seriously hats off to those power bloggers who juggle it all!

This year has been quite unfortunate for those of us who are conscious about where our money goes, whether thats for the protection of animals, or the people of Palestine. Unfortunately both Becca and Too Faced cosmetics were purchased by Estee Lauder, meaning I will no longer be buying from either or talking about them on my blog. A part of me wants to sell the products I have by them too, so do keep an eye on my depop account! Anyway as annoying as it is that yet another brand has gone over to the dark side, like one of my lovely readers said, we should see it as an opportunity to hunt out newer niche brands that are independently owned.

7 month spending ban
2016 is also the year I completed my longest ever spending ban, which was a brilliant experience. I know for a fact that constantly watching Youtube and reading blogs puts me into a mentality, where I feel like I NEED to try a lot of the latest products. However that loooong break of not spending money on makeup allowed me to realise that I don't actually need the makeup, cause I already have more than enough. There is something so wholesome and fulfilling about hitting pan on a makeup item, money well spent and I want 2017 to be the year of lots more pan haha. Part of this is because I no longer have a job, which is another big change for me. Having worked for four years straight and suddenly stopping, as well as not getting a wage every month, despite working even harder than I even have in my whole life....is super difficult. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I'm gonna keep working hard till I get there.

Anyways i'm keeping it short and sweet because I have a game of uno to win! Hope you all have a fantastic start to the new year, I did plan to have more posts up but I'll have to take it slow and steady - thanks for sticking by my blog and I! Heres to more blog posts, recommendations and heart-to-hearts in 2017 🥂*chinks non-alcoholic drinks*.

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Reviewing 2016 Goals and Catch-up

Hello everyone! My lost post of every year is a review of the goals I set 10 months ago. However I only set 4 so I'm going to turn this post into a bit of a catchup too. But first the goals:

Best Skincare Purchases 2016

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. I was really hoping to get this post up a few days ago, but I've been having a break in London with the family, so it's a little late! Anyway, the second part of my 'best of 2016' is focusing on skincare, and its been a good year for it! I have a lot of products to share with you all so I won't ramble on in the intro, on to the goodies.

Una Brennan Super Facialist Vitamin C Oil Cleanser 200ml | £11.00

An oldie but a goodie on my blog, this is my absolute favourite way to remove my makeup because it quite literally melts it away. Although its kinda pricy for an oil, I find a little bit goes a long way and it really helps to hydrate the skin, whilst removing the majority of my makeup. Plus I only pick it up when its on special offer (which it is right now). Occasionally in the past few weeks I've been too tired to go through my proper cleansing routine, so I've resorted to using face wipes and my skin has really felt the difference. Without fail I have woken up with dry, tight skin that lacks any sort of hydration or glow. Honestly switching to a double cleanse routine was the best thing I have done and this oil plays a big part in that. I did recently pick up a cheaper oil cleanser though and if its as good, you'll be hearing about it soon, but for 2016 Una Brennan kept her crown!

Vanity Planet Spin For Perfect Skin Brush | £80 £25!

This brush has changed my skincare routine for the better, it is wonderful! I first saw it on youtube and so many vloggers were talking about it that I decided to give it a go - especially at the discounted price. I have the cheaper set, which includes 4 attachments, a cleansing, exfoliating, pumice stone and body brush. For the price that is fantastic and the depth of cleanse you get from this brush is EVERYTHING. Seriously its a game changer and I recommend for you all to purchase this, its worth twice or three times the price. I am currently not an affiliate for them so I can't offer you a discount code, however I believe in the brush so much that I've got in contact with them to hopefully become one, which speaks volumes cause I only back brands I am truly impressed by. Also luckily for you all they have a sale on right now, so no need to hunt down a code ^_^ Also cleansers that work best with this are cream and gel, my favourite to use is the manuka honey one, which I have raved about plenty of times so refrained from really including it haha.

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser 100g | £12.95

A well loved product that I finally decided to try at a Bloggers event this year. Now at first I wasn't mad about this, because its not your typical cleanser. It has a balm like texture, which is pretty waxy to touch and due to this whenever I tried to remove it, I always felt like there was a light layer left which would really annoy me. It also doesn't work very well with the skin brush, another thing that put me off a little! However if you use a warm flannel or soft cloth and gently remove it in circular motions, the skin is left feeling so incredibly soft, smooth and hydrated! The cleanser is created from lovely natural ingredients such as almond oil, rose water and honey too. I totally see the appeal now and tend to use it twice a week when I'm not using the facial brush, if you have sensitive skin I highly recommend it.

B. Revealed Glycolic Cleansing peel 125ml | £7.99  £3.95

This product is pretty new to my skincare routine, but it just about made it to my 2016 faves because I really do love it! A 2-in-1 product which contains glycolic acid, I find this cleanser really works well at brightening my complexion and leaving my skin looking fresh and feeling smooth. Mostly I'll use it as a typical cleanser, with either the face brush mentioned above, or a flannel (it comes with a muslin cloth by the way). However if my skin is looking particularly dull and tired, which has been the case when teaching and working long hours, I'll keep it one for the recommended three minutes as a quick mask. Don't leave it on for longer because I did once by accident and felt my skin start to sting. A fantastic budget cleanser (especially when theres an offer on!) which I recommend everyone to pick up and incorporate into their skincare routine a couple of times a week.

Good Things Manuka Honey Refining Scrub | £5.00 £3.33

Again another product which is relatively new to my skincare routine, but I love it! I wasn't actually surprised in the slightest that I would end up loving this because you might know that the cleanser in this line is a firm favourite. This scrub is gentle enough for sensitive skin, but it really does leave my skin feeling smooth. Although cleansing is an important step, using a softer scrub like this is what leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean. It really gets into the skin and removes impurities, plus the magic ingredient - manuka honey has so many skincare benefits, as well as the sweet almond oil and oats! Also this brand is usually on special offer, so not only is it effective and free from nasty stuff like mineral oils and parabens - its very very affordable too!

Alpha-H liquid gold 100ml | £33.50

Well 2016 was definitely the year that I discovered the benefits of using AHAs in my skincare routine! I picked this up as part of a special offer and instantly saw results after a couple of uses. I do think this is worth the hype, although I will say that there are affordable options out there now on the highstreet. However nothing has given my skin the same results as liquid gold, it evens out the skintone and makes my face look brighter. I did stop using it when I was using my IPL machine on my face, but recently I broke out quite badly (for me), so I'm excited to get back to using it and hopefully seeing my dark marks fade away.

Caudalie instant detox mask 75ml | £22.00

My favourite 'easy' clay mask by far! This was a recommendation by a lovely friend and reader of mine, and I'm sooo glad she let me know about it, because its the good stuff.  Although its a clay mask, its very comfortable on the skin and I love how detoxed my skin feels after using it! One of those masks that definitely do something great with one use and I will be repuraching this as soon as its empty, its just that good.

Embryolisse Lair Creme Concentrate 75ml | £20.00

Back to products I use everyday, I have fallen head over heels with this moisturiser. Initially I purchased the 30ml because I didn't want to spend such a large amount on a base, however I soon realised that it is worth all the hype and more! Nothing prepares and hydrates my skin better and a little goes a long way, so one tube will last me months on end. I have tried other moisturisers here and there, but always come back to this. Theres a reason why makeup artists swear by the stuff!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray 118ml | £7.50 | Review

I've written a whole review dedicated to this, so I won't go on and on but in short: ESSENTIAL. I spray my face with this every day, makeup or not. The past few days I spent in London with my family and I was recommending it to everyone, aswell as giving their faces a healthy spritz too. Not only does it hydrate and add a subtle glow, but it gets rid of all powderyness too! Yes its way better than MAC Fix+, but anyway I have properly reviewed it linked above, so have a read if you want to find out more.

What have been your standout skincare products from 2016?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Best Skincare Purchases 2016

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well. I was really hoping to get this post up a few days ago, but I've been having a break in London with the family, so it's a little late! Anyway, the second part of my 'best of 2016' is focusing on skincare, and its been a good year for it! I have a lot of products to share with you all so I won't ramble on in the intro, on to the goodies.

Best of Amazon and eBay Beauty Finds 2016

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a great relaxing few days watching movies and eating to your hearts content. I have been looking around for the best deals, although there aren't LOADS of beauty ones this year which isn't great ☹️. The ones I have found btw, are all on my twitter (@blushinggiraffe). ANYWAYS today I wanted to share some of my absolute favourite beauty picks from Amazon and eBay. I also have one or two products which I don't recommend at all, however we'll get to that in due time! I love scouring both these sites for beauty items and more often than not I am happy with what I have found. As this post involves sharing some fantastic deals with you all, I'm super excited and I hope you all enjoy it too.

Starting off with the most obvious thing in this photo, that cute lil pink lash holder case is adorable and will hold three pairs of false eyelashes. I needed a place I could keep my lashes, without stuffing them back into their boxes because that took up SO much space in my drawers. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to have it. Not only is it cute to look at, but it stores three sets of lashes and really does save a lot of room. There is also small compartment for your lash glue and I just could not ask for more, especially at the bargain price of £1.89! I don't wear falsies too often, so I only really have one or two pairs of lashes I'm using at one time. I'll always clean them up gently with some micellar water and a cotton bud after to prolong their life. Since getting this little box, I always know where my lashes are and I always clean them up and put them away so none get lost.

Talking of falsies, if you follow me on any social media platform you might recognise the actual lashes that are in this case, because I cannot get enough of them OR stop going on about them to anyone who'll listen! I love false lashes as much as the next beauty blogger, but I don't often wear them. So to spend a lot of money on one pair of lashes didn't make sense for me, especially being on a student budget. I'm not sure exactly HOW, but after trail and error of ordering packs of lashes and being disappointed, I somehow stumbled across this pack of three lashes (£1.19) for literally just over a quid and when they came I was SO EXCITED. As you can see from the image above,  these lashes are beautifully fluffy and look gorgeous when on! Some lashes from ebay I've tried in the past are too hard, shiny and obviously plastically which is not a good look at all. These are the exact opposite, and even better? Yes, EVEN BETTER, I don't need to trim them at all which is brilliant. I have stocked up on at least three more packs and I recommend you all do the same.

Moving onto an Amazon pick now, I have ALWAYS purchased my Real Techniques brush sets from here because you get the best deals on here by far. I know that Zoeva and other brushes brands have taken over the scene when it comes to the best of the best, however I still stand by my RT base brushes which I use almost every day. Especially the Duo Fibre Brush Set (currently £13.30), I LOVE the face and contour brush, especially for when I'm using very pigmented products like Sleek blushers.

A very recent discovery of mine, thanks to the beautiful Onika (blog here), as been the Mehron HD Foundation (£8.50). It is one of the most seamless, beautiful foundations I've ever tried and it photographs SO amazingly! I like it so much that I'm thinking of picking up two more shades, one darker and one lighter for whenever I do my families makeup for special occasions. It is a cream formula and you get a lot for the price you pay. I'll of course be doing a detailed review in the upcoming year, but for now take my word for it and check it out online - if you're looking for a base which'll leave you looking airbrushed, you need Mehron in your life!

This one is VERY cheeky and I've been debating about if I should share this on the blog or not, because it is just that bad. Yes some person in China have totally ripped off Sigma's brush cleaning mat design and it is pretty bad of them...also needless to say I doubt I'll ever be getting an invitation to become a Sigma affiliate! However I have been using this every time I've washed my brushes for the past few weeks and decided it would be most unfair to keep it from my lovely readers. If someone on Sigma's end is reading this and is upset...please don't shoot the messenger! The brush mat cost me about a fiver, vs the twenty odd quid the actual one is and thats what mainly drew me in. Now having looked online I can't find the exact one I have, the seller has stopped selling it...however there are very similar ones available for between £3-£6 here. This brush mat makes washing brushes SOOO much easier! I cannot believe how much quicker my brush washing routine is and it saves my hands from getting so wrinkly too. Obviously it's a personal choice on if you feel comfortable purchasing this kind of product...if the price difference was a fiver, I'd have gone with the actual brand. However I'm a student, I don't have £20 to spend on a rubber mat to help me wash my brushes y'know?

Finally, not to end this on a bad note but these two products I wouldn't necessarily recommend to you all. I always say that it's important to show you guys the not so great stuff, as well as the wonderful products too. Starting off with the cute little panda, this is an undereye brightening base and I saw it on another blog many months ago. The blogger said it really helped her makeup, most specifically her under-eyes and it acted like a primer for her. That sounds amazing as you may know my undereyes are the bane of my life, however after trialling this out for a good few weeks...I just don't really see much of a difference! So I won't be buying it again (despite the cuteness).

I also picked up a pack of 10 'mineral pore strips' from Amazon, mainly because I saw some pretty good reviews. However they really are NOT strips, its a very gooey consistency, that you have to spread evenly over the face (designated area). You then leave it to set for 15-20 minutes and carefully pull it away from the skin...at which point I realised this is not the stuff for me. It hurt so badly, my eyes were stinging and my skin was left really red. Plus there was barely any gunk taken out from my skin :( so that was a fail.

Aside from the above, I hope you've found some great picks. I have LOVED so many things that I've found from Amazon/eBay, which not enough people know and talk about. I'm also glad I finally have a post up where I have linked the lashes cause I talk about them SO much (they're just that great!)

Have you got any picks from either online stores that you love?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Best of Amazon and eBay Beauty Finds 2016

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a great relaxing few days watching movies and eating to your hearts content. I have been looking around for the best deals, although there aren't LOADS of beauty ones this year which isn't great ☹️. The ones I have found btw, are all on my twitter (@blushinggiraffe). ANYWAYS today I wanted to share some of my absolute favourite beauty picks from Amazon and eBay. I also have one or two products which I don't recommend at all, however we'll get to that in due time! I love scouring both these sites for beauty items and more often than not I am happy with what I have found. As this post involves sharing some fantastic deals with you all, I'm super excited and I hope you all enjoy it too.

Beauty tips for busy ladies

Hello everyone! A short and sweet post today from yours truly, I wanted to share a couple of tips I've picked up since my life has shifted dramatically from a uni student to a trainee teacher. I was used to one 9am a week and about 10 hours of compulsory time spent at uni, about 8 hours of work a week and the rest of the time I was pretty much a lady of leisure. Not to say that Uni workload is a walk in the park, because it most certainly is not! However shifting from a pretty relaxed weekly schedule, to 7:30am - 5/6:00pm days FIVE DAYS A WEEK is incredibly exhausting and it took me most of the autumn term to get used to it, plus three weeks of being bunged up and filled with cold. That's just a standard part of teacher training I hear though, so onwards and upwards haha.

Brushes, washing and time saving! 🚿

I have far too many brushes to justify for one person and on top of that, I used to actually stand and wash my brushes every two weeks which would take up hours of valuable time. This sounds so simple, but since I split my brush collection in half and used one pot each fortnight, I have found it so much easier! This way I spend less time washing them all and I only ever wash them ONCE a month, however - I still have clean brushes to use every two weeks which is so important for the skin. Continuously using brushes that have been caked in makeup for days on end is horrendous for the skin, so this way I'm able to have clean brushes and cut down the hours I spent washing. I feel like this was clearer in my head🙈, but basically split your brush collection in two and use the second lot as reserves for when the first get too mucky. Also I use this cheeky and very affordable brush mat dupe, which saves sooo much time - winning!

Moisturising and Sheet Masks 💧

It's no secret that water is the answer to the majority of life problems. Congested skin, headaches and a slowed down brain can all be helped with a litre or two of H2O. However often when we're super busy, we forget to drink enough water and so many times this term my skin has suffered as a result. It has felt and looked so tight, dry and dull.  Since then, I've started sleeping in moisture masks twice a week because it just is a little hack that gives your skin the TLC it needs, without much effort on your part! I have a whole post dedicated to my favourite hydrating masks here, which you should totally have a read of ^_^ Similarly applying a sheet mask whilst watching some telly is a very easy way to add some hydration back into your skin. These ones I've been loving and they're not too pricy either!

Keep your go-to products in a small acrylic container 💆🏽

I wrote a post about this storage system I created from Muji a year ago (post here), and since then it has been fantastic for keeping my core everyday products all in one place. I now keep my corrector, concealer, eyebrow products, lip balm and my NARS sharper in the two drawers. Not only does this mean that I can get my makeup done in 5 minutes tops if need be, but I can also scoop everything back into the drawers in 30 seconds and leave my dressing table relatively tidy. A must for busy ladies, cause when you're getting ready in a rush EVERYDAY your bedroom will end up looking like a mini tornado hit it!

Incorporate glycolic acid into your skincare routine ✨

This stuff, if you didn't already know is essential for keeping your skin looking brighter and more even, which as you know from the points above my skin was/has been lacking since being so busy! There are many forms of glycolic acid you can try, I firstly purchased a value set of Alpha-H Liquid Gold, which I still use but stopped for a while due to IPL. It's fantastic and I can see results within a two uses, its certainly lives up to it hype! However you can also spend a lot less on this superdrug version, which isn't a dupe because this is more of a gel and less of a liquid, however you do see brighter skin in the morning and I think it's one of my stand out skincare discoveries of 2016! Currently on offer for less than £3...winning! I also purchased a cleanser which contains glycolic acid as another cheat way of incorporating it into my routine, now I must point out here that I only use one of these products at a time and I'd never use glycolic acid consecutively - skip a day or two each time you use it because it can make the skin too sensitive! G.A is the ingredient you need if your skin is looking dull and lacklustre.

Leave the lips for last 💄

I tend to go for quite a natural lip colour for day-to-day, or a balm so I make sure I have at least one in my handbag and one in my car. This means that I can pop on my concealer, maybe some tinted moisturiser, brows and run downstairs for some breakfast before I jump into my car. The lips are often the finishing touch, I'd rather have SOMETHING on them than nothing at all. But keeping a reliable product in the car/in my bag means I can quickly swipe on a lil something and leave my car looking ready to roll.

A bit of a random post, but some little things that have made my beauty routines a tad bit easier since I've become a busy 🐝  of late!  Do you have any tips and tricks for hectic days?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Beauty tips for busy ladies

Hello everyone! A short and sweet post today from yours truly, I wanted to share a couple of tips I've picked up since my life has shifted dramatically from a uni student to a trainee teacher. I was used to one 9am a week and about 10 hours of compulsory time spent at uni, about 8 hours of work a week and the rest of the time I was pretty much a lady of leisure. Not to say that Uni workload is a walk in the park, because it most certainly is not! However shifting from a pretty relaxed weekly schedule, to 7:30am - 5/6:00pm days FIVE DAYS A WEEK is incredibly exhausting and it took me most of the autumn term to get used to it, plus three weeks of being bunged up and filled with cold. That's just a standard part of teacher training I hear though, so onwards and upwards haha.

Colourpop Series | 'out and about' trio

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well on this chilly December evening! I am trying to blog every single day for the rest of the year, as it's finally the x-mas holidays wooo ^_^ Todays post is another addition to my colourpop series, focusing on one of their value kits called 'Out and About'. As I've not reviewed anothing from CP in a while, I'll quickly update you on my thoughts about ordering from the brand, before getting into the review.


I've written a couple of posts of how to get colourpop to the U.K, with my most recent one being here. I do still stand by that post and using that method IF they do not have their free international shipping deal on. The last two orders from colourpop I've made were mainly because they were offering free international shipping. The age old question of 'will I have to pay customs', has the same answer: YES yes you will. However it works out at around the same cost if you use a shipping company VS ordering directly from them only when they have their free international shipping offer on! If you were to order from them without that offer on, you're looking at paying around $25 in shipping costs, plus minimum £16 in customs, which means you'll be paying a total of £36 ON TOP of the cost of the makeup - an extortionate amount in my opinion. I don't mind paying the £16 customs charge as I think it's still a good deal, each product costs around £6 so still affordable. However I refuse to pay double that price, so if I have the urge to order from colourpop at any point in the year I'll use the same method as I shared in the post above, otherwise I'll wait for their free international shipping deals. 😊

Now on to the review! Colourpop currently have a few value sets on and when I saw them, I couldn't resist picking up the one called Out and About which costs $15 (around £12). You save a total of $3 when you buy this over purchasing each shade individually, not a huge amount but when you're paying extra for shipping/customs it helps a girl out a tiny little bit! The packaging for the kit is very pretty, but I kinda wish it was an actual box. It's more of a cardboard wrap around with three separate boxes for each liquid lip, which I disposed of after taking these photos. What drew me to this set were the swatches of Times Square, and I didn't really think about the other two shades too deeply, but I gave it a shot and boy oh boy am I glad I did! The shades in this kit are absolute perfection for you olive skintonned beauties out there. I'm going to be reviewing each shade in detail, with a swatch below. If you'd like to see what they look like on me, I've got a swatch video on my instagram account @theblushinggiraffe.

Times Square

Pretty much is the near perfect matte liquid lipstick, I'm SO pleased with it! WOC will know the struggle of finding a good nude shade, if you're stromboli in NARS, I highly recommend times square, because it is wonderful. I have to say, the colour it first appears when you apply it before it dries down, would be absolute perfection. This shade is a tiny bit cooler than I'd like, but all in all its gorgeous, I can actually wear it alone with no other product to balance it out. I'll most definitely be repurchasing this and I don't find it to be too drying either! It applies nice and evenly - I do always say not to layer up colourpop liquid mattes, also to just apply one thin layer all over the lips and let it dry, et voila you have yourself a long lasting nude lip shade.  Rating: 5/5

Viper

The dark horse of the pack, I really did pay no attention to this shade when placing it in my cart, nor did I have any expectations for it..it has blown me away. Viper has been described on their site as a true dusty rose, however I disagree - it is much more of a magenta/purple mix with just the right amount of warmth. I cannot express how stunning this shade looks against olive skintones, its my all time favourite brighter shade of lipstick ever and it totally lifts my face up. Even if I was just wearing some concealer, a bit of liner and viper, I'd look super pulled together. Seriously I am super smitten and again I will for sure be repurchasing! Also again although it's an ultra matte, it really doesn't feel uncomfortable or too drying and it lasts well. Rating: 5/5

Baracuda

The only ultra satin in the pack and the deepest shade, Baracuda is a stunning deep purple with a brown mix and again it looks gorgeous on medium skintones. This is probably the deepest shade I'd feel comfortable wear out and about - haha, didn't even plan that ;D The satin formula is beautiful, very comfortable to wear and it lasts a decent amount of time on the lips. To me baracuda is the perfect A/W deep lip and I have really enjoyed wearing it. Sometimes I do find that I have to almost layer it up though as it's not quite as opaque as the matte formula for some reason. Also I tend to use a lip liner with it, mostly cause its so dark that I need to outline the lips for a bit of sharpness. The lip liner I turn to is the colourpops grunge. Rating: 4/5

And there are the swatches! Sorry the shades aren't totally dried, unfortunately the photos I took when they did dry, are too blurry to share. Anyway all in all I couldn't be happier that I purchased this set because honestly if I had just picked up times square, I wouldn't have the most beautiful bold shade or darker lip in my collection. Again if you're of an olive skintone, you gotta pick it up before they stop doing it, I know you won't regret it 😍

Have you tried any of these shades?

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Colourpop Series | 'out and about' trio

Hello everyone, I hope you're doing well on this chilly December evening! I am trying to blog every single day for the rest of the year, as it's finally the x-mas holidays wooo ^_^ Todays post is another addition to my colourpop series, focusing on one of their value kits called 'Out and About'. As I've not reviewed anothing from CP in a while, I'll quickly update you on my thoughts about ordering from the brand, before getting into the review.

TEACHER TRAINING JOURNEY PART 2 | Interview process

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've been able to type up a part 2 of my teacher training post, for which I apologise!  This is for my readers who are also interested in teaching and todays post will specifically focus on the interview process of the school direct route. Please do read through my part 1, which also covers the skills test which is application, skills test and personal statement - I got a couple of questions on these but Ive already covered them, so have a read ^_^.


So bare in mind that my interview process will be a little different from any other, unless you are applying for the exact same school - but I highly doubt that! Teacher training schools are going to run things differently, however they will be 'testing' and 'asking' similar things, so I'll be going through the way my day went, but just take it with a pinch of salt.

The basic outline of the day was emailed to me about a month before the interview date and below I will be describing each activity and also giving you my top tips for them. We had times when the below activities were slotted into our own schedules, otherwise we would be spending the day with the same class of children and observing.

I was told that I would need to organise a 'learning opportunity' for a group of 12 children in year 5 and they would be giving me lego bricks to use. I was quite nervous about this because I would be observed for 15 minutes and the words learning opportunity, are kinda vague! That could be anything, maths, history, P.E anything at all really. I have my little sister to thank for the idea of doing a quiz, with different questions from across the subjects. I ended up splitting them into three teams of 4 children each and they worked together to answer the questions. Then after about 10 minutes, they added up the number of points and got 5 bricks per point. The team that build the most creative bridge would receive a prize (a 'smelly' sticker!). It went really well actually and although for the first couple of seconds my voice wobbled, once I got into the activity I felt myself relaxing a little, smiling, walking around and feeling like I was in my element. Of course it was a little nerve-wracking to have the headteacher and deputy observing, but I just blocked them out and it worked like a charm - their job is to observe my rapport with children, how I interact, if I am actually listening to them and ensuring they understand or not and so on.

Biggest tip for this part - don't over plan because time goes faster than you might imagine. Speak slowly and clearly - I have the tendency to kinda mumble or speak too fast when I'm feeling apprehensive, so make sure you are reminding yourself to slow down. Also SMILE. Children aswell as adults tend to respond well to smiles, plus the more you smile the more you trick your brain into feeling relaxed - top psychologist tip from yours truly 😋.

Group talking exercise 
So on my interview there were around seven other candidates and part of the day involved a group discussion, which I was very apprehensive about. The way they did it was in the meeting room, around a large table the deputy head gave us a set of scenario cards and we had to read them aloud and discuss them. It wasn't just our answers being judged at this point, but also our ability to discuss or debate, to chime in AND to listen to others' and their opinions. There were definitely a few moments where I felt like I was being over shadowed by the three loudest and most confident individuals in the room, however I must have done alright since I got through haha.

Biggest tip - it sounds so obvious but try to think fast in this situation! If you're spending too much time thinking of an articulate way to put your answer, they'll have moved onto the next scenario. So don't overthink, chime in when you can and ensure you're making eye contact with others when listening. 

Reading to the class
We were also told to bring in an appropriate book for the year group we had been given and we would have to read for around 5-10 minutes. I picked a Michael Morpurgo book, which I was told was a good one for their age. Again like with the group task, for the first couple of seconds my voice was wobbling, but I did okay. From all of the activities on the day, if I had to redo any of them I would have picked a bit more of a fun book. The story I choose was very serious and in hindsight - HARRY POTTER ALL THE WAY.

Biggest tip - If you've been given a younger year group, choose a book where you can show off your excellent accents! Have fun with it, children from ages 4-11 LOVE to be read to, so the more comfortable you are with the story the better it will go.

Presentation in front of the group
We were given a title and told to prepare a short presentation, which we would be giving to the rest of the applicants and to the head teacher and other staff involved on the day. The title was something along the lines of 'what are your expectations of the training year'. I was one of the last to do mine and my palms were drenched, I was sooo nervous. To be really honest I'm pretty terrible at presenting infront of adults, talking to a whole class of kids if not so scary, but adults - my heart starts pumping at 1000 miles an hour and I really do worry! I ended up writing brief bullet points on small note cards, but tried my hardest to make brief eye contact with people around the room, whilst I was talking about my expectations.

Biggest tip - write down your key points in note form and ensure that you've actually answered the question haha! Also rehearse as much as you can, the more confident you become with WHAT you're saying, the easier it'll flow when you present for real.

The actual interview!

And finally, the interview itself with the headteacher of the school you're in and the head of the teaching school organisation. This lasts for about 15-20 minutes and you will definitely need to prepare. I recommend having a read of this site here, for some sample questions. Jot down some answers and again rehearse saying them out loud. There are only realistically so many topics they'll cover and want to know, so the more time you spend preparing and reading up on this the better. Some of the answers will come to you naturally, like 'why do you want to teach?' - although its well worth having a long think about his before hand mind you! A key question they'll probably ask is can you tell me about a current issue in education? One you'll definitely have to do some reading up on. The main thing with the interview is to accept that you will feel nervous, but essentially they want to find out if you really want to teach, your passion for education and for working with children, as well as if you have a good idea of what the year will take.

Biggest tip - read read read, practice with a friend or family member and when you're actually in the interview sit up straight, smile but not too much and speak slower - don't let your words run away with you. Give yourself a moment to think about the question and most of all answer honestly.

General tips:

• Dress smartly, you're being judged from the moment you walk into the school and your appearance counts. Trousers, a plain shirt or non-figure hugging top and a smart cardigan will work really well. Sensible and comfortable shoes are a must too, you don't know how much of the day will involve being on your feet
• Arrive early and mingle with other candidates, it'll calm your nerves and also remind you that you're not the only one going through this day.
• If you're asked to bring in any documents or photocopies, make sure they're organised so this process is quick and simple.
• pack a big lunch because you'll be surprised how hungry you may get throughout the day
• when you're in class, try to interact with the children rather than taking a back seat, even if the class teacher doesn't specifically give you a place to be - s/he has a lot to think about, but they will be observing you from a distance and feeding back to the headteacher, so just relax, be yourself and talk to the children!

Answering your questions

1. How much experience did you do?

- You're supposed to have at least 2 weeks of experience in a school, within the past two years. However I've been working with kids for the past 5 years, spending my whole 4 years of student life as a tutor so I was able to get away with using that. However I did spent my entire year of (year 12) volunteering an afternoon a week at a school. I would strongly recommend you begin volunteering at a local school, it'll give you a great idea of what the classroom is like and yes although we have all been in classrooms, it's been over a decade at least since you were in your primary school...and believe it or not things have changed. Definitely start voluntary work asap, obviously right now it's the xmas holidays - HORRAAAAAY! But get on your emails and start emailing around. Most schools are happy to have a volunteer. 

2. What were you most nervous about?

A hard one! Probably the presentation though, because like I said I'm just not great at it. However it went okay, it's a hurdle I had to jump through and it didn't last too long either. You might not enjoy every aspect of it, but theres a good reason for each part, so just try and go with the flow.

3. When did you know the results?

We were told at the start of the day that we would be told the very next day if we had been successful or not. However the headteacher actually came up to me at the end of the day and asked me which year group I had mentioned I would want to work in, which made me so incredibly happy! Obviously this wasn't exact confirmation but it did make me feel like the day had gone well.

4. What types of questions did they ask you?

I feel like I've kind of covered this above, but they will ask you questions like, 'why do you want to teach?', 'when did you realise you want to be a teacher?', 'when was the last time you felt like you had failed and how did you recover from this?'. So you can tell that they're really trying to get to know you from all angles and also trying to suss out how you handle difficult situations too. Preparation is key again here, just prepare and try to think logically.

Final words for you all is that, as scary as the day will feel, make sure you take it as an opportunity to show your passion for teaching and for working with children. There was one lady who went through the same day and at the end she turned to me and said, 'I've blown it, I have completely failed to show my personality because I was so nervous.' And I really really felt for her because she then wasn't accepted onto the course - which just reiterated my point that you just gotta be yourself and realise that this is your chance to shine ^_^

I hope I've answered your questions everyone, please let me know if theres anything else I've missed out!

Thank-you for reading ♥

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TEACHER TRAINING JOURNEY PART 2 | Interview process

Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've been able to type up a part 2 of my teacher training post, for which I apologise!  This is for my readers who are also interested in teaching and todays post will specifically focus on the interview process of the school direct route. Please do read through my part 1, which also covers the skills test which is application, skills test and personal statement - I got a couple of questions on these but Ive already covered them, so have a read ^_^.

Makeup Starter Kit | Affordable Edition

Hello everyone, I thought I'd type up a makeup starter kit filled with ethical recommendations from yours truly. As 2016 draws to a close, you and I will be bombarded with fantastic deals and sales, so I hope this post is helpful for all, but especially for those of you who may not be too much into makeup, but just want to add a couple of bits to your collection. These items are all affordable and most of them you can purchase from the highstreet, however some I would recommend picking up online, because there are always great deals on them. These are also the items that I would repurchase if all my makeup disappeared, so I hope if you purchase any of them, you enjoy them as much as I do.  Apologies for the lack of photos, teacher training AND short days = no time!

To prime or not to prime?

Personally I only use a primer on a special occasion, because I tend to stick to my Soap and Glory (£14.99) SPF 50 as being a base, which is so important ladies! I have written a post on it before, but the basic jist is that it manages to get makeup to stick onto the face AND protect the skin. However the Topshop airbrush primer (£12.00) is fantastic for providing a smooth canvas if you have uneven skin. If your makeup melts away quickly, spritz your face with a makeup setting spray after moisturising, but before applying any makeup - the MUFE Mist and Fix 30ml (£8.00) is travel size and very affordable to try out.

Foundation

If we are talking strictly bases you can buy in the drugstore, I would recommend the Bourjois Health Mix Foundation (£10.00) which has a beautiful medium coverage and really leaves a healthy glow to the skin. However the shade range isn't fantastic...so I highly recommend the EX1 Invisiwear Liquid Foundation (£12.50), which I didn't love at first but I've grown to like it a lot. I find its quite versatile, though the finish is more on the matte side, if you mix it with some illuminator or even a tin drop of oil you can achieve a glowy finish. The coverage is great too, a solid medium but buildable. I tend to apply it with my E.L.F Stippling brush (£4.50) when I'm wearing it for 'everyday' as it sheers it out a little. They have actually recently released a bunch of new shades, so its no longer limited to just olive skintones. My new shade is 6.0 and I found their website quite helpful when trying to determine the perfect match here.

Correctors and Concealers

My all time favourite corrector is the Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer in Medium (£10.00), which IS pricy for the amount of corrector you actually get! This is a three piece kit and the good thing is, I can use each of the items just fine, however it is the corrector which I love the most. It is the perfect shade for neutralising my horrendous dark circles and works even better than a similar Benefit product! Pricy, but worth it...especially when theres a 3for2 deal on! In terms of actual concealers, the L.A Girl Pro Concealers creamy beige (£5.00) and Collection Lasting Perfection in 3 (£4.19) are my two tried and tested. The L.A girl one is more hydrating, yet has great pigmentation and manages to conceal and brighten at the same time. The collection one is thicker, creamier and if you have dry under-eyes won't be your cup of tea, but as long as I have colour corrected it works a charm.

Powders

Over the years I have liked powders more and more, because quite frankly I cannot wear makeup without a light bit of baking under the eyes these days! When I don't I notice the most awful creasing and melting of my undereye concealer. My favourite brightening yellow powder for under the eye is the Wet 'n' Wild Megaglo contouring palette in Caramel Toffee ($4.99), which I have a post on here. I like to bake with the Coty Airspun loose powder ($8.99) which works really well. I keep it on for about 50 seconds and then brush it off - works like a charm. I don't have a favourite face powder for all over the face, instead I just use the excess of the coty powder over my T-Zone which can get a little oily sometimes.

Contour, Bronzer, Blush and Highlight

For bronzing the face, Topshop's Mohawk (£9.00) is my all time favourite shade and formula from the highstreet. It is beautiful for those of you who have an olive medium skintone and provides the perfect warmth of the skin. Contouring wise, if you're looking for a really strong one which sharpens your features the Natural collection shadow in crushed walnut (£2.00) works a treat! I would advise you go with a light hand though. I have a few favourite blushers from the highstreet, the Sleek blush by 3 in spice (£10.00) is gorgeous for a medium skintone and I often will mix and match the shades. The value for money there is fantastic and so is the pigmentation! I also enjoy the Rimmel soft colour blush in pink rose (£4.00), which has been a long time favourite of mine and mentioned on my blog many times. It is a gorgeous natural flush and you are at no risk of looking like a clown. I have to say for highlight, I am a firm stickler for my highend ones - especially ABH! But when I think my collection and the one I would want to repurchase, I go back to the Topshop Glow Pot (£9.00) or their baked highlighter - either one is BEAUTIFUL. A little goes a long way and both of them can look very natural on the skin, or be built up for a more intense glow.

Brows, Liner and Mascara

Brows is a tough one because I am again so used to my ABH products, which are well worth the investment ladies! However if they're out of your budget, I would recommend checking out the Freedom eyebrow kit (£3.50) which I used to use all the time. It has a range of shades and even a gel in the kit, as well as a mirror, applicator and mini tweezers - the biggest bargain of all time! If you like a bolder brow and don't mind practicing, pick up their version of the ABH drip brow (here for a fiver). I don't think its quite as good as the ABH, but it does the job so long as you have a good spoolie. I am a real fusspot when it comes to eyeliner, but if I HAD to pick one I'd recommend The Balm's Schwing liner (£13.50). Not the cheapest, but by far the best you can pick up in superdrug or online! It is extremly black and lasts all day long. The applicator is thin and relatively easy to create cat eyes with, once you get the hang of it. When it comes to mascara, the only drugstore brand I ever spend money on is Essence! The 'I love crazy volume mascara' (£2.80) is a firm favourite and worth at least 4x the price.

Lips

Finally I'd recommend you pick up a good lip liner and the Rimmel 1000 kisses lip liner in spice (£3.00), is one I have back ups on, just in case they stop making it! My favourite affordable lipsticks are most definitely the Wet n wild mega last lipsticks ($2.00). They're very pigmented, beautifully creamy and ridiculously cheap - you can find a bunch of reviews for them on my blog by searching wetnwild! Liquid lipstick wise, The Balm's Meet Matte Hughes Liquid Lipsticks (£13.50) are fantastic. They feel comfortable, have a good pigmentation and aren't too drying. At the moment there is a cute little gift set available to purchase for the holidays, which contains 6 of the shades and is sold out everywhere, but keep an eye out, its a good one!

Final Touches...

How could I type up a makeup starter kit without my all time favourite Mario Badescu Facial spray (£7.50). It is definitely my go-to spray for before and after makeup, it hydrates the skin, diminishes any powderyness left on the face and just leaves me with a subtle glow. Although I am loving a more expensive version a little more, I'll always have a bottle of this in my collection!


I really hope this was helpful for you all! It was so nice to sit down and blog without worrying about my huge to-do list, I kind of despair when I see the lack of posts I've managed to get up this year :( But thankyou SO much for continuing to read and support my blog, I hugely appreciate it!

Thank-you for reading ♥

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Makeup Starter Kit | Affordable Edition

Hello everyone, I thought I'd type up a makeup starter kit filled with ethical recommendations from yours truly. As 2016 draws to a close, you and I will be bombarded with fantastic deals and sales, so I hope this post is helpful for all, but especially for those of you who may not be too much into makeup, but just want to add a couple of bits to your collection. These items are all affordable and most of them you can purchase from the highstreet, however some I would recommend picking up online, because there are always great deals on them. These are also the items that I would repurchase if all my makeup disappeared, so I hope if you purchase any of them, you enjoy them as much as I do.  Apologies for the lack of photos, teacher training AND short days = no time!