Everyday Makeup Tutorial.

Hello my lovelies! The end of this week is the beginning of a week off work for me, and I can’t wait for a little down time and some time with Matt. Because I’ve got time off work next week, it means I’ll probably be wearing makeup a lot more because I find it really relaxing and a great way to fit in some me-time in my busy days.

Which leads me on to today’s post! My first ever makeup tutorial! I won’t lie, I was nervous to film my makeup routine but it’s good to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Plus, I’ve had a few requests for one, so there was no way I was going to let you down!

To start, I’ll give you my list of products I use, in the order I use them:

• Primer: Rimmel Fix and Perfect 5 in 1.
• Concealer: BareMinerals Bareskin Complete Coverage in Fair or Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer in Extra Fair.
• Setting Powder: Revolution Bake and Finish Powder or Revolution Translucent Powder.
• Foundation: BareMinerals Original SPF 15 Powder Foundation in Fair.
• Brow Gel: Rimmel Wonder’Full Brow Gel in Medium.
• Eye Primer: Revolution Focus and Fix Eye Primer.
• Eye Shadow: MAC Eyeshadow Pot in Naked Lunch and a dark shimmery shade from a miniature Sleek Palette in All Night Long.
• Mascara: Collection Fast Stroke Defining Lash Mascara in Brown/Black.
• Contour: Bourjois Paris Eyeshadow in Utaupique (I’m so pale that this actually works as my contour shade! All others are too warm for my skin and look muddy on.)
• Blush: L’oreal Paris Life’s a Peach. (This smells amazing!)
• Highlighter: BareMinerals Highlighter in Whimsy – This has a frosted lilac and white shimmer to it and is gorgeous as a highlighter or eyeshadow!
• Lip Gloss: No.7 High Shine Lip Gloss in Sparkling Rose.
• Setting Spray: Revolution Sport Fix Fixing spray.

Now that you know what I like to use/wear, here’s my tutorial!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B46BlXpBIbG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

And that’s my everyday makeup tutorial! I say everyday, but I only wear makeup when I feel like it, which is usually at the weekend or when I’m off work.

I like wearing this kind of makeup for everyday wear and for going out, partly because I just love that glam natural look. You get what I mean by that? Basically as if I’ve got skin that’s clear, long lashes and have some form of cheek bones rather than my chipmunk cheeks – thanks contouring!

I’ve always struggled with smudging lipsticks and sticky lip glosses so I never used to wear them, but over the last year I’ve been wearing lipstick more and more and I’ve fallen in love with that rose tinted lip gloss. It’s not too sticky and looks great over a completely bare lip!

So, here’s what I looked like before I did my makeup, and after!

• 

  Before Makeup

• 

  After Makeup

I have always believed that you should only wear makeup if you want to, and that it should be something you feel like you have to do in order to be liked or accepted.

Even though before I put my makeup on I could see my acne, bags under my eyes, rosacea and patchy eyebrows; I still went out like that with my hair up, barefaced and I felt pretty good and didn’t think about needing makeup for a second. What I will say is yes I did feel love how I looked after I put my makeup on, and that’s because makeup is an incredible art-form and method of expression.

Basically, do what makes you happy and feel good!

And on that note, what makeup product could you not live without? I think mine’s got to be mascara! It just makes me feel that extra bit put together! What did you think to my tutorial? Let me know in the comments, and if you try out my makeup routine be sure to tag me in your photos on instagram @theweightofmyworlds!

Have a great weekend everyone, and remember, you’re amazing!

Love,

How I Shop Thrifty.

What’s up my lovelies! One thing I get asked a lot is where do I find my unique pieces, and how do I find them at a bargain price. So, this week I’m letting you into my tips, tricks and secrets when it comes to shopping and being thrifty. Like most people, I love a bargain, and because I’m on a budget, I’m always finding new ways to re-invent, re-use and recycle pieces.

Plus I’m a creative; which means I can’t help thinking of a million different ways to change clothes and accessories and make them new to me.

I’ll start by talking about where I like to go to find some great bargains. For a start, I love charity shops. I know loads of people absolutely hate them, but I think they’re great. They help with the environmental impact that the fashion industry has when it comes to fashion waste, it’s cheaper to buy pre-loved clothes and I love having a root around for that diamond in the rough. To the right you can see a polka dot dress I got a few weeks ago!

Another place I like to go to find unique pieces that’re cheap is car boot sales! I haven’t had the chance to go to some for a long time but I recently went to one and managed to find a new mirror for my bedroom, an old fashioned candle holder and my favourite find of all, an authentic vintage Gucci bag! And I picked the bag up for £4!! £4 for a Gucci bag with all the documents authenticating it. Safe to say I was extremely happy with myself that day.

One other place I like to look in for bargains is the clearance sales in stores like TK Maxx. Sometimes I have a look there for bags, sunglasses and accessories, one of my favourite pairs of sunglasses were £2 from there, supposed to be £72, all because there was a small scratch on the inside of one of the lenses. But guess what?! You can’t even see the scratch when they’re on and when you look through them! No one would buy them because of the scratch, which is crazy when you’re only paying £2 for a designer pair of sunglasses.. in near perfect condition.

So.. what are my tips for bargain shopping? Well..:

• Visit the Charity shops on a Tuesday or Friday (think about when people are likely to drop off clothes. In my area lots of people tend to drop clothes off right after the weekend or right before the weekend).

• Go to the ‘fancier’ charity shops – think about where ‘posh’ people are likely to drop their clothes off to. Sue Ryder is a favourite for branded goodies.

• Go to the charity shops that are the most accessible by car. Think about it, if you’ve ever dropped off clothes at a charity shop, you tend to go to the closest one to where you’ve parked, so check there first when you’re on the hunt for something new, because they’ll probably have more of a selection.

• Don’t be afraid of trying something on. If you think something might work, try it on. You might think something will smell bad or be dirty, but they really aren’t, and if you don’t try something on you could be missing out on a great new item. Plus, if you’re buying something from a charity shop, it’s highly likely that you’re going to wash them before you wear them anyway.

• If you see something that is reduced because it has a tiny fault, scratch or snag, ask yourself if it is something you can easily fix; and if it is, wouldn’t you rather pay a lot less for something that you want and can make good as new for pretty much nothing?

So, now you know my tips for getting a good bargain, here’s my favourite pieces and some things I picked up recently:

Here’s my Gucci bag I mentioned earlier, I’m still super shocked I stumbled across it at a car boot sale and it just shows what diamonds you can find when you look around!

I love this dress I picked up at a Sue Ryder charity shop! It was one of those dresses that I wasn’t 100% sure on, so I tried it on, and just like that, I loved it! And it only cost me £5. The black sunglasses are my ones from TK Maxx which only cost £2 because of that tiny scratch you can’t see. These sunnies go with pretty much everything too!

Onto one of my most recent purchases, this colourful shirt. If I’m honest, I didn’t know if I liked this shirt when I saw it, but again, like the dress I tried it on and realised how cool and unique it was! I’ve never seen a shirt quite like this so I’m glad I picked this up. Oh, and here’s my small candle stick holder which cost me £2 at a car boot too!

Have you ever found a diamond in the rough? If so, what was it and where from? My favourite things about shopping thrifty is the rewarding feeling you get from finding something great in a mountain of stuff someone was going to throw away! And getting it for a great price! If you try out any of these tips and tricks when shopping let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend lovelies!

Love,

 

Cheap Christmas Pyjamas

So, it’s November. None of of can believe it’s already November and Christmas will be here before we know it! And I think it’s pretty reasonable to start wearing Christmas pyjamas now we’re in November, and next week I think it’ll be acceptable to start wearing Christmas jumpers; I know I’ll start wearing mine then. So, I’ve put together some great sets and a dress that look cosy and cute!

These pyjamas are great as a Christmas present for someone special or as a present for yourself! All of these one and two pieces are less than £20 total as no one wants to spend more than that on something they’re going to sleep in. Or live in everyday as soon as you get in from work/not leaving the house, up to you.

Let’s get into it. (All images are credited to and are from the stated shops!)

1 . This cute polar bear pyjama set from Primark! You can find the set here! It’s an adorable set for anyone that doesn’t want something that screams ‘IT’S CHRISTMAS!!’ right in your face. And nice and cheap for £10!

2 . I found a few sets from Primark that were a great price for some cute pyjamas! (You can find them here.) These naughty and nice sets go for just £6 each; absolute bargain! And perfect for if you want to match with a bestie!

3 . Here’s the last set I found from Primark and I think it’s my favourite. Anyone that knows me knows that one of my favourite Christmas movies is ‘the Grinch who stole Christmas’ so when I saw these I was a very happy lady! The jumper is £10, the top is £6 and the leggings are £8! I love that with these you can pick which type of pyjama top or bottoms you want because not everyone will want a long sleeve jumper or shorts to sleep in!

4 . For those who love the film ‘Elf’, this one’s for you! You can get this set from NewLook for £19.99 and would make a great Christmas present. But if you’re like me and can’t wait for this time of year, then you can always buy it for yourself! They also do it for men too! You can get the set for men by NewLook here from ASOS.

5 . I love this set from ASOS, it looks so pretty and comfy! Find it here for exactly £20. And one of the things I love about ASOS is their free returns policy and their sizing helper so you’re able to actually find the right size and fit you want!

6 . This set is from H&M and is not in your face Christmassy but I think it looks comfy and is great if you’re not into long pyjamas. And this set is only £9.99, find it here!

7 . For those of you that don’t like pants/pyjama bottoms, here’s a cute night dress with Christmas pugs all over it! I think this will be perfect for after Christmas dinner when all clothes are too tight! Find it from ASOS here!

So there’s a few cheap pyjama sets and a dress that will be perfect as a gift or as a present for yourself! I’ll certainly be buying myself some of these, I live in pyjamas haha. Have a great weekend lovelies!! Let me know if you buy any of these and what you think!

Love,

My Hair & Skin routine

We all love having silky hair and smooth skin. And for me that’s been a bit of a journey; over there last year I’ve managed to put together my own extremely simple routine that does everything I want it to whilst still being pretty cheap.

I’d definitely recommend trying these quick and simple routines out for yourself as all of the products I use are less than the price of a fancy coffee.

I can’t guarantee everything will work for you, but it’s always nice to try something out!

So, my skin care routine. Well as some of you know, I have suffered with adult acne for a long time and also suffer with psoriasis, so finding skin products that work for me is sometimes a challenge. (Check out my Acne Journey here!)

I use acne medication prescribed to me along with a few other things to keep my skin in tip top form. (If you think you’re suffering with any form of acne then I highly suggest going to your GP where you can find something that works for you.)

My skin routine goes as follows:

1. First thing in the morning I take my first lot of acne medication, ‘Doxycycline’ with breakfast.
2. Then after breakfast I wash my face with just cold water and put some ‘Simple Kind to Skin Protecting Light Moisturiser SPF 15‘. That’s it for the morning, nice and quick!
3. Lunchtime is when I take my next acne medication, ‘Co-Cyprindiol’ (you have to have frequent check ups when you’re on this one as it doubles up as contraception.
4. At the end of the day (this bit is typically once a week) I use a microdermabrasion skin care machine to exfoliate, promote blood flow and just generally get any nasty stuff out of my pores.
5. Before I go to bed I then apply my ‘Adapalene’ topical acne cream medication.

Some things I also do to help my skin stay clear and healthy are:

• Drinking mostly water. I know I know, we hear this one all of the time, but water helps keep us hydrated and out skin looking moisturised.

 

• I try to not touch my face as much as possible, (don’t want to spread any oils or any traces of stuff that could be transferred onto my face!).

• Wash/Change my pillow case often. (dead skin cells, sweat and all sorts get on these and can cause breakouts after build up!)

 

• I ALWAYS take my makeup off before bed. – I cannot stress this one enough!!

• A balanced diet; this doesn’t mean eating super healthy all of the time, it’s about not eating mountains of sugary, oily, fatty food all of the time, you can still have your favourite guilty pleasures, but just in moderation.

 

• Speaking of food: I always wash my face after eating any form of takeaway; I always feel super greasy after eating foods like Chinese or Fish & Chips, so washing my face after stops me from developing mountains of spots around my chin.

 

• Sun cream. Wear sun cream no matter what weather it is, you skin is always vulnerable to the sun even when it’s cold outside. And if you’re not great at remembering to put it on, get a moisturiser with SPF already in it!

 

Now, onto hair care!

A bit of background on my hair journey:

My hair has been through it. Like really through the ringer. It’s been blonde, brown, auburn (so jealous of all you natural red heads out there!), orange, red, pink, green, strawberry blonde and several other colours. There was once a week where I decided I wanted to go from bright red to blonde.. my mum and I decided to do it in the space of two days; it involved 4 lots of bleaching and a lot of laughing. I’m incredibly lucky to still have hair on my head to be honest.

I have cut my hair off numerous amounts of times in order to salvage what was left of it after copious amounts of bleach and box dyes. One time I decided to go red again after bleaching my hair and putting blonde box dye on it and my hair was so damaged that after one wash my hair had millions of blonde and pink patches where the dye could no longer stick to my hair.

That leads me to now, I cut nearly all of my hair off in September last year in order to finally give up what had become a hair dye addiction (fellow hair enthusiasts know the struggle haha). And from January this year I have been growing out my natural hair in order to get it as healthy as possible again and not felling like straw. I am also slowly getting my naturally wavy and curly hair back!

Here’s just a few images of my hair journey over the years:

Here I am as a baby next to my older sister, that’s me on the right, and as you can see my hair is pretty curly and mad naturally.

As you’ll see in these photos, my hair goes from nice and healthy to getting more like straw and shorter as it kept snapping off!

Here’s me at 12 years old, my hair was still completely natural here!

Here I am at 14 years old, I think my hair might have been bleached slightly at this point?

Here is where my hair escapade starts to go downhill.. I had dyed it a few times by here so it’s big, frizzy and very straw like hair!

I dyed my hair red when I was starting sixth form and you can see how damaged my hair had become by the ends of my hair!

About 2 months into sixth form I decided to bleach all of the life out of my hair and fry it constantly by making it wavy every damn day.

After sixth form I decided to cut my hair into a pixie to try and salvage it, I then dyed it brown and then as it was getting healthier and growing out I decided I wanted blonde hair again.

A year later came around and I couldn’t stop myself from going auburn again, and here you can really see the damage!

My hair survived for a little while longer by going brown for a few months and it grew to a good length, then I wanted to go blonde so bleached it to bits, then I decided I wanted red hair again..

As you can see here, when my 21st birthday came around I decided to try and get my hair healthier again by cutting it into a pixie, and it was bleached blonde during the summer.

I actually have healthy hair in this photo! Here is my hair a few months after I turned 22, I’m starting to grow out my pixie here!

So that is what my hair went through, I’m sure there are more photos all over the place of even more hair colours but that’s something for another day, you’d be here for hours!

Here’s my hair now! It’s finally healthy and all my natural colour; I’m working on styling my natural air dried hair as it’s a big crazy at the moment!

So now you know a bit about my hair past, on to my routine!

1. I brush my hair to get rid of any knots or tangles before I wash it in the evening.
2. I then wash my hair with warm water, using ‘Tesco’s Pro-Vitamin B5 shampoo damaged hair’; I stumbled across this when looking for a new shampoo to try, and for 90p it’s a bargain! This shampoo is absolutely amazing on my hair and I definitely recommend it; it lathers nicely and is super cheap!
3. I then use ‘Tesco’s Pro-Vitamin B5 conditioner for damaged hair'(it is nowhere on the website at the moment but you can find it in store!) on the ends of my hair and work my way up avoiding my roots, like the shampoo, the conditioner is also 90p and makes my hair feel so silky and less frizzy.
4. I then rinse the conditioner out with cold water (it takes a bit of strength to not jump out of the shower at this point haha!).
5. When I get out of the shower I wrap my hair in a micro-fibre hair turban (you can get them from wilko for £1.15!).
6. Then, if my hair is feeling a bit dry I put some spray in conditioner onto the ends of my hair. I use one I picked up by chance at Aldi (it was on their special buys) which is a dupe of the ‘Aussie Miracle Hair Detangler Conditioner Spray’!
7. If I have time I’ll let my hair dry naturally and if I’ve got to be somewhere then I’ll dry my hair on the cool setting with my hair dryer.
8. I usually leave my hair overnight and style my hair with my straighteners in the morning, this is usually straight, but if I do style my hair in the evening it will be curly ready to be clipped half up the next day.

And that’s my hair routine!

Some things I do to help with my hair growth and health:

• Brush my hair before washing it so it isn’t too knotting when I wash it and there’s less damage when I wash it as your hair is a lot weaker when it’s wet.

 

• Rinsing my hair with cold water is something I found makes my hair less frizzy, shinier and it helps promote blood circulation to your scalp, which helps with hair growth!

• Use heat protection sprays even when just using the hair dryer. I recommend putting heat protection spray on your hair when it’s wet, as you avoid potentially making your hair feel greasy when applying it to dry hair.

• I avoid washing my hair everyday as this can strip my hair of it’s natural oils and prevents any oils from penetrating into the hair.

So that’s my skin and hair routines! What’s your hair journey? And what is your skincare routine? Let me know in the comments, I love reading and responding to them all! I hope you all have a great weekend my lovelies!

Oh, and don’t forget, there’s still time to enter my giveaway! Check out how to enter here!

Love,

 

 

10 Cheap Things To Buy Yourself For Self-Care

We all know that feeling when pay day hits; you know, the feeling you get when that little voice in your head says treat yo self! You deserve it! And then you go and buy a load of stuff that you forget about until you’re surrounded by loads of mystery packages.

I’m pretty bad for buying stuff that I don’t need when pay day hits, and I always forget about budgets and keeping track of my spending habits, which is until the week before pay day where I don’t stop checking my bank balance.

This is why I’ve decided to create a list of 10 presents you can buy yourself for a treat which are great for some self-care without breaking the bank! And they’re all available on Amazon!

Lets get into it!
1 . Success & Inspiration in a Jar. £14.99

Because who doesn’t need a little pick me up every now and again? These are little quotes, inspirations and motivations to give you a boost every day for a month and are great for if you’re having a bad day and need a little positivity boost!
2 . Mini Elephant Shaped Candles Gift Set. £5.11

These are just so cute! They are all scented as follows: Purple is Lavendar, Green is Jasmine, Pink is Rose, Red is Strawberry and Yellow is Lemongrass. These would be great for when you have a big bubble bath to relax!
3 . BiC Coloured Pencils. £10.00

Coloured pencils are always a good treat, and are necessary when you buy the next gift for yourself!

4 . Millie Marotta’s Animal Kingdom Colouring Book. £7.19

Colouring isn’t just for little kids; it can be really therapeutic and great for mindfulness. I personally love tuning out and doing a bit of drawing, so being able to chill out and just colour is great!

5 . Bath Bombs Gift Set. £8.99

Bath bombs are great for going with those cute elephant candles and these are a great gift to buy yourself and forget about. They come in a cute box so it really is like getting a present in the post!

6 . Bluetooth Shower Speaker. £17.99

This one is a little more pricey than the rest but still less than £20. And is great if you’re like me and love singing in the shower!

7 . Bumper Retro Sweet Selection Box. £11.50

Sweets and chocolates are a great way to do a bit of self-care; and retro sweets are so yummy! This should keep you going for quite a few weeks too, and are great for a movie night!
8 . Weighted Fitness Hula Hoop. £12.99

We’ve all heard a million times about how exercising is good for our mental health as well as our physical health, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun! Which is why I’ve put this fitness hula hoop in here!
9 . Glow In The Dark Star Stickers. £11.99

I’ve had these for quite some time now, and they’re just plain great. I will warn you though, I stuck all of mine above my bed on the ceiling and it took about 1/2hours in total. But the result in completely worth it! Especially as someone with mental health challenges, these really help my mind settle when I’m trying to get some sleep.
10 . Burt’s Bees Tip and Toes Kit. £9.99 in the sale and £12.99 usually

Finally, good ole Burt’s Bees! Because who doesn’t like stuff from Burt’s Bees?! A great way to take care of yourself is with a bit of pampering, and using things like this are a great way to distract yourself from any anxiety or panic thoughts.

So that’s it for this weeks post! I just thought that a little bit retail therapy never hurt anyone? Well at least these prices won’t! And the majority of these can be bought with prime so you get free next day delivery!

And remember, no matter whatever some people may say, ‘self-care is not selfish.’

Have a great week everyone! Let me know if you decide to get any of these gifts to yourself! Love,

10 Mother’s Day Gifts Mums Actually Want

When Mother’s Day comes round it always feels like it’s getting earlier each year. Well, it feels like that in my house anyway! All you see in shops are mushy pink and red cards and chocolates. This year I decided to actually ask my mum what she likes getting for Mother’s Day and I thought I’d share some gift ideas I came up with; they’re all budget friendly so if you’re like me and are low on cash, don’t worry! I gave myself the task of all ideas being less than £30 or free.

Why have I decided to do this ideas list? Because all of the card and gift shops have the same stuff in them and they’re never very thoughtful. And when I asked my mum what she wanted she said this to me:

“Creme Eggs.. And I don’t mind what else as long as it’s thoughtful or useful, none of this cheesy crap.”

Haha, I love my mum.

So armed with my mums idea of something useful or thoughtful, and of course some chocolate, I’ve come up with 10 gift ideas you can try this Mother’s Day.

1. The handmade card and flowers combo.

If you’ve got any funny memories or inside jokes with your mum like I have, then this is a great opportunity to make her laugh and remember good memories. You could add a photo of you both to it and get some flowers for her too, you can’t go wrong with flowers!

2. You could make coupons of vouchers for jobs you know your mum hates doing.

If your mum is anything like mine, then she probably dreads doing the ironing and washing. So why not give her homemade vouchers that she can use and you do the jobs she hates! Or if you don’t like the voucher idea, then stay up late the day before (if you live at home still) and do all of the jobs before she wakes up in the morning. She’d love the surprise!

 

3. Wash her car.

Now, this one obviously applies if your mum owns a car. But if she does, with what the weather is constantly throwing at us, I doubt she’s has some time to get her car washed or do it herself. And there’s just something great about that fresh clean car smell!?

 

4. Cook.

This one’s a classic. If you’ve thought about taking her out for lunch or dinner and then realised that funds are low, why not cook her favourite meal instead of forking out for it a restaurant (get it? Haha I’m too funny..). It’s often a lot cheaper to actually buy all of the ingredients for the meal than it is to have it cooked for you. Also, make sure you wash up after yourself, because the last thing your mum will want to do is tidy up the kitchen!!! Plus you get to keep any yummy leftovers!

 

5. DIY hamper.

Hampers always goes down well, not only for days like Mother’s Day, but birthdays and Christmas presents. The good thing with hampers is that you can personalise them to whoever it’s for. For a Mother’s Day hamper, why not buy or make some bath bombs, add a few tea lights or pillar candles, some chocolates and a film and you’re good to go! All of it probably comes to about £17? Not bad if I say so myself.

 

6. Mum Survival Kit

This one is very similar to the above, but you can add a few joke pressies in here. Get a cheap tote bag or gift bag, add in a bottle of wine or spirits, chocolates, ear plugs, a face mask and other little things like tissues etc.

 

7. Take her out for lunch or dinner.

This one is the pricier of the bunch, but if you don’t usually have the chance to take her out for a meal, then it’s a nice surprise. And if you’re not an only child, you can always get your siblings to pitch in, that way it doesn’t break the bank too much!

 

8. Make a photo book.

Photo books or blocks are good for any occasion. If you’ve got loads of family photos then pick out some of your favourites, maybe even some of your mum from when she was little, and create a photo book. You can get some printed for really cheap, I’ve used Tesco printing before and delivery was fast too.

 

9. Homemade chocolates.

If you love cooking than this is a good one for you. Making chocolates doesn’t take too many ingredients and are pretty simple to make, just make sure you clean up afterwards! They can really impress your mum, especially if she never sees you in the kitchen! (A chocolate truffle recipe post will be here on Sunday!!)

 

10. Magazine Subscription.

Does your mum love putting her feet up with a good cuppa (or glass of wine 😉 ) and sitting down with a magazine? Then why not find out which magazine she loves and get her a years subscription, some cost under £15 for the year, and that way your mum gets a little something every month!

 

And obviously if all else fails, then breakfast in bed is always a good shout, just make sure it’s not too burnt!! I hope this gives you a hand in picking our a good present and all the mums out there have a lovely Mother’s Day (it’s the 11th of March in case you weren’t sure)!!

Love,