SUMMER BEAUTY HACKS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Hello everyone! Let's be honest Summer is pretty much the best season there is, right? I mean there is no better than feeling the sun/warm on your skin. That being said the warm weather can make your skin not be happy, leaving you looking like a sweaty mess when wearing your regular makeup, hair or skincare routine. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some of my personal favourite Summer beauty hacks, that actually make a huge difference...

 1. switch out your winter favourites, replacing them with summer favourites

Ditch the super heavy smoky eye looks, replacing them with something light/simple like a shimmery gold eye look or a simple neutral shade blended out. Step away from the vamp-y lip shades, replacing them with a simple nude/glossy lip or tinted balm. Natural glowing skin, is a summer must.

2. how to stop your eyelids from creasing

I know for me something i do struggle with when the weather is warm is eyeshadow creasing, which never happens during the winter months. This is where a good eyeshadow primer does come in handy, such as the Urban Decay Primer Potion as nothing will budge if you are wearing this. 

3. how to stop your mascara from transferring

This is such a simple hack but an extremely effective one to stop your mascara from transferring onto your under-eye area or eye lids, which is to switch out your regular go-to mascara for the waterproof version. I know waterproof mascara can be a pain to get off at the end of the day, but with the right eye-makeup remover you will be mascara free in seconds.

4. use the foundation you know works well for you

If you are opting for foundation or a tinted moisturiser in the summer, make sure it is one that you know is going to last in the heat or one that is specifically designed to last the duration. Some of my favourites are the Maybelline Fit Me, Estée Lauder Double Wear or Double Wear Nude.

5. exfoliate/moisturise regularly

When it comes to summer taking care of your skin especially your legs, as you are obviously going to be shaving/removing hair more often than you probably would in winter. Exfoliating your skin is super important as it reduces the chances of getting ingrown hairs, as well as any dead skin. Moisturise your skin straight after shaving, that is going to drastically reduce any irritation.

6. argan oil/oil's will be your best friend

Humidity can be a pain, especially on certain hair types (mine included) you can do your hair perfectly straight until you step out into the heat, then you look more like Simba from the Lion King. A simple trick to prevent/ease frizz is by adding Argan Oil to the lengths of your hair after washing and before styling. Argan Oil is really good for also keeping your skin super hydrated.

7. keep your feet feeling/looking fresh

Obviously in summer you are wearing sandals/having your feet on display a lot more than you would during winter. So keeping your feet and heels, looking/feeling fresh is a must and an easy way to keep the cracked heels away is to simply apply either vaseline or foot cream to your feet every night before bed.

 8. invest in a setting spray

Another great way of keeping your makeup in place all day long, is to invest in a good setting spray. You can apply a small amount before and after applying makeup to help lock it into place, as well as applying more through-out the day to freshen/re-hydrate your skin. Setting spray is a great way of avoiding applying layers and layers of powders, when touching up.

9. use more cream/liquid form products rather than powders

During summer wearing too many powder form products can feel super heavy on the skin, just like i mentioned with the whole using setting spray over powder for touch-ups. The products you can switch from powder to cream/liquid form are blush, contour and highlighter. Cream/liquid products once blended out, also look a lot more natural unlike some powders.

10. disguising those tan lines

Hate wearing a certain outfit that shows off a different outfits/swimsuits awkward tine lines? You can disguise/cover them instantly simply by applying a little moisturiser to the white line areas before applying a little self-tan to the same areas, making sure you blend it out of course to make it look as natural as possible.

Catch up on my previous post HERE...

xo.

TIPS + TRICKS | HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON BUYING FOOD

Hello everyone! Does anyone else always feel as if the majority of their money ends up being spent on food? Well i was starting to feel this way too, when in fact there are so many great ways to actually save yourself money yet still eat the same as you would normally (well maybe with a couple of differences). Ever since trying out different ways to save money on food, i have learnt a bunch of tips and tricks on how to do so. With that in mind for today's instalment i thought i would do something a little different and share with you some of the tricks, that i have found have worked for me in the long run...

1. download the app or visit the mySupermarket site on your phone

By looking on the mySupermarket site you can search for your favourite items, to see what is what price where (or what is on offer similar from a different store or brand). You can even scan the bar code of an item and it will automatically search it for. 

2. write a shopping list

If you write a shopping list before you go shopping you are more likely to not forget anything you need or not pick up something you already have enough of, because you simply couldn't remember if you already had one in the cupboard or the fridge at home.

3. write your list according to a meal plan

By writing your shopping list to accommodate your meal plan is a great way on you not picking up those extra unnecessary purchases, this is also another great way to stay organised/be prepared for the week ahead.  

4. never go food shopping when hungry

Never ever go food shopping when you are hungry, if you are hungry your brain is going to make you want to pick up anything and everything. Doing this is such a waste of food because once you have eaten, you will have forgotten about everything else and you are more likely to waste food.

5. set yourself a budget

If you set yourself a food budget and stick to it, only allowing yourself to use that money for buying food with you are more likely not to over-spend. Another great tip for budgeting is to test different stores weekly, seeing which one ends up being the best value for money for what you are getting.

6. pick up certain items for less 

Rather than opting for picking up certain items whilst on your food shop, pick items up that you know are less expensive from places such as Home Bargains or Poundland. Some items can be almost £3 in the supermarket, but only retail for £1 and under at those places.

7. make your own version of a take-away/eating out meal

By buying the ingredients and making your favourite take-way or eating out meal at home, you are saving yourself so much money (even though eating out is nice once in a while but the cost can add up). The price of one course at a restaurant can be the same price if not more than it would cost you to make for between 6 and 8 people, which is crazy when you think about it!

 8. budget your breakfast

By budgeting on breakfast foods you can save yourself a fortune, opt for breakfasts that you can get a week or mores worth out of such as porridge oats or cereals. You can even pick up oats-so-simple boxes containing 8 sachets for 8 breakfasts for just £1, costing you just 12.5p per day which is a bargain.

9. stock up on your favourites when on offer

If there is a certain item that you buy every single week, such as toilet paper, washing detergents, etc (including the longer life alpro products) stock up on them when they are on a good special offer. Yes this is costing you a little more at that specific time but in the long run you are going to have saved a lot more, than if you hadn't done as the item will be full price again.

10. buy frozen fruit/vegetables

Buying frozen fruit and veggies is such a saving in more ways than one, not only are they less expensive but the product will last you a lot longer and is less likely to go off than it would if you had bought it fresh. Also by having a frozen version you can take out as much or as little as you need at a time, for example for the longest time i always used to pick up sweetcorn in a tin at around 80p a time and now i opt for a large bag which lasts for ages for just under £2, taking out as much as i need for whatever i am using it for.  

Check out the mySupermarket site for current offers HERE...

xo.

THE TIPS I SWEAR BY TO SAVE TIME IN THE MORNING | BEAUTY + LIFESTYLE

Hello everyone! So the majority of us as human beings (especially those of us who have to get up early in the morning) more often than none, struggle to get up and end up pressing snooze one too many times. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you another "tips i swear by" post, which if you didn't catch the first one it was all about self-love (post link). That being said this time i thought why not share my favourite tips to save time in the morning. By using these beauty and lifestyle hacks can save you so much time everyday/week, to either get more done in the day or if you simple want to hit that snooze button one more time...

1. prepare your breakfast the night before

The key step to saving time in the morning is by simply doing a lot of your prep the night before, including your breakfast. Breakfast is obviously one of the most important meals of the day, as it simply fuels you up and keeps your energy levels up to help you get things done. One of my personal favourites for this is overnight-oats. It is quick to make in the evening, nutritious/healthy, fills you up until lunch and most importantly tastes so good!

| my favourite overnight-oats recipe | 

mason jar with lid | 40 grams porridge oats | 80 millilitres unsweetened almond milk | 15 grams mixed dried fruit | 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon | yogurt (optional) i prefer it without |

2. pick out your outfit/s the night before or for the week

Another night before trick is to pick your outfit out ready including your shoes and accessories, making sure they are ironed/crease-free. By doing this it allows you to simply just put your clothes on and head out of the door, not be faffing around with the ironing board or not knowing what to wear. If you are feeling super organised, plan your outfits out for the week ahead on a Sunday evening (just make sure you check the weather forecast for the week ahead before and keep an umbrella or jacket always in your mind).

3. keep your beauty products down to the bare essentials

If you are just going about your day to day and aren't going to any special event, keep your makeup/beauty routine down to the bare essentials. This can cut at least 30-40 minutes off of your morning routine, especially if you have thoroughly cleansed/moisturised your face/body the night before. You can also use a product in a multi-purpose way, such as bronzer as an eyeshadow, a multi-purpose oil for face/body and hair or a lip tint as a blush.

 | my quick + easy everyday makeup for spring post is coming soon |

4. stay away from your phone

Always stay away from your phone whilst you are getting ready in the morning, i always leave mine on the other side of the room and have Spotify playing on my TV instead. By doing this you aren't tempted to keep picking your phone up and browsing through social media, emails and messages (also keep it on silent or do not disturb).

5. wash your hair/have a shower in the evening

Wash, dry/style your hair in the evenings this saves so much time, especially if you have long hair or it takes forever to dry. This can also allow you an extra 30+ minutes in the morning and you aren't left running around like an idiot because you are late, we have all been there right? If you were unable to wash your hair the night before, but it is in good need of a wash and you don't have the time then dry shampoo once again is going to be your BFF!

6. keep everything you need inside your bag

Finally, always keep everything you will need during the day or when you are out and about, inside your bag (with the exception of your phone of course). By doing this you aren't going to forget the things you need, especially money because there is no worse feeling than getting to the checkout in the shops and realising you have left your purse at home. I also like to keep duplicates of certain things in my bag never taking them out at the end of the day, such as headphones and duplicates of my favourite lip products. 

Catch up on my previous blog post HERE...
xo.

BEAUTY HACKS I SWEAR BY | PART TWO: HAIR + NAILS

Hello everyone and welcome back to another instalment of beauty hacks i swear by! The previous instalment was all about the makeup and skin beauty hacks i swear by, which if you didn't read it already you can catch it here. Beauty hacks go so much further than just makeup and skincare, there are also a ton of different hacks that work and don't work for your hair and nails. With that in mind i thought i would share with you my favourite hacks for your hair and nails, that i use on a regular basis...

1. HOW TO FAKE A SALON BLOW-DRY AT HOME

Who doesn't love have a bouncy blow-dry just like from the hairdressers? but you just don't feel like spending a ton of money going every week for a blow-dry. You can achieve one at home yourself super easily and two different ways, you also only need a couple of products to do so. Either way you are going to do this, the way to achieve the best results is to pre-treat your hair with a nourishing hair masque. Then once washed you can either blow-dry your hair using an attachment on your hairdryer and a round brush, or you can blow-dry and straighten as normal then flick small pieces at the end with the straightener, by doing this it creates that bouncy finish to your hair. You can also check out the GHD website or hairstyle inspiration here. 

2. HOW TO AVOID SPLIT-ENDS

There are quite a few hacks that i swear by when it comes to avoid getting split-ends, especially if you have long hairs just as i do. The first hack is to always use heat spray before using any hot tool on your hair, whether that be a straightener, curling wand or hairdryer. The next hack is to always be gentle when brushing your hair, never pull at it and always brush your hair straight after washing. The final hack is to apply a hair oil or leave-in conditioner when you have washed it, i am obsessed with the new l'oréal elvive dream lengths no haircut cream at the moment and i noticed an instant result after using this on my hair. 

3. HOW TO KEEP YOUR HAIR FRESHER WITHOUT WASHING IT

I am pretty sure it is scientifically proven that it is better for your hair in the long run, if you wash it less therefore i only wash mine 2-3 times a week and there are so many great hacks to keep your hair fresher for longer without washing, that are perfect for when you are feeling lazy. First of all dry shampoo can be a girls best friend, but it can be annoying (especially if you have dark hair) if your dry shampoo is overly powdery and leaves your hair looking white. A simple way to fix this is to dry shampoo your roots, rub in and then go in with your hairdryer to blow away the leftover powder leaving you with fresh looking hair. More tips for fresher looking hair are to never apply anything other than shampoo to your roots, go easy on the conditioner, change your pillowcases often and wash your hair brushes as dirt/product can build up there.

4. HOW TO REVIVE YOUR MANICURE

Over the years i have discovered so many different hacks on how to either revive or make your manicure last that little bit longer, especially if you want to leave it longer in-between salon visits. The first tip is to make your mani last longer and that is to never skip on the top coat or base coat before and after polish, also you can apply top coat every couple of days to prevent chipping. My favourite hack is to add the shine back into your gel manicure by simply rubbing some oil onto your nails and cuticles, i love using the NUXE huile prodigieuse multi-purpose dry oil as it is one of those oils for everything, nails, face and even your hair.

5. PROTECT SKIN AROUND NAILS FROM NAIL POLISH
If you are not the neatest nail painter there are a few different household items you can use to place a protective barrier around your nails, such as vaseline, washable glue (which you can peel off) or nail polish remover on a cotton bud. Apply vaseline or washable glue before you begin to paint your nails, then wash off once nails are dry and you will be left with a perfectly neat looking manicure! If you are using the nail polish remover soaked cotton bud, wait until the nails are dry before going in very gently around the areas needed.

6. USE HOUSEHOLD OBJECTS TO DIY NAIL ART PATTERNS
Who said you had to visit a nail salon or be good at creating nail art patterns free hand? There are so many items laying around your house, that you wouldn't think they would make great tools to create nail art patterns. If you want to create stripes or lines, you can use cut down to size pieces of easy peel tape into whatever pattern you want and once dry simply remove carefully. To create dots you can add a small amount of nail polish to the end of an unwanted bobby pin (hair grip) and dot onto nails, in whatever placing you want. This could also work with applying glitter to the nails, just remember to always allow time to dry and apply a top coat to make nails appear shiny and make your manicure last longer.

Coming up on the blog.... Beauty Favourites: January

xo.

BEAUTY HACKS I SWEAR BY | PART ONE: MAKEUP + SKIN

Hello everyone! Through-out the years we have all discovered a hack or two that comes in handy and we have also learnt the hard way, that some don't work as well if not at all. That being said, after trying so many different hacks/tricks myself, i have found the ones that work well for me personally and i swear by using them on an everyday basis because they actually can make a huge difference. So for today's post i thought i would share part one to a little "beauty hacks i swear by" series, kicking things off with makeup and skin...

1. LINE UPPER LASH LINE TO MAKE LASHES APPEAR THICKER

If you are having one of those days where you either can't be bothered, don't have the time or don't want to wear false lashes but you still want your lashes to stand out. You can still achieve this quick and easily by simply applying some eyeliner or eyeshadow with an angled brush close to your upper lash line, it not only makes the lashes appear thicker but also makes your eyes pop more.

2. USE POWDER FOR A FAUX LASH EFFECT
Another great tip for creating that false lash look without actually wearing falsies, is to firstly curl your lashes before applying one coat of mascara. Next you are going to want to apply some translucent powder to your lashes before going in with another coat of mascara, by doing this is creates  thicker, fuller and longer looking lashes. I don't know how but i just know that this works so well!

3. DO YOUR EYESHADOW BEFORE YOUR CONCEALER

I have always done my makeup in a specific order, i like to do my foundation first before i do my eyeshadow, rather than going straight in with concealer and finishing my base before moving onto my eyes. By doing this you have created an even base but you can still go in with concealer to fix any mistakes or fall-out that might of occurred, as you haven't placed any powder yet on your face and therefore your makeup won't appear cake-y from placing a liquid on-top of a powder.

4. USE BRONZER FOR A QUICK EYESHADOW LOOK
Talking of eyeshadow a great alternative to applying eyeshadow, especially if you want a quick and easy eye look is to use your bronzer what you plan on using as part of your base makeup. I do this all the time, even more so if i am travelling that way you don't have to pack a ton of products. I always tend to take a bronze, blush and highlighter palette, this way everything is in one place and a lot more compact.

5. HOW TO GET GLOWING SKIN
Towards the end of last year i posted a similar type of post in the form of a beauty tricks that actually make a difference and in that post i touched on how to fake glowing skin. Through out the years we have probably all needed a helping hand with this now and again, me included and liquid highlighters, facial oils and strobe creams will definitely be your best friends. That being said you can also achieve glowing skin naturally, by following a few easy steps that i swear has helped for me. First of all make sure you are drinking 2+ litres of water a day, if you aren't a huge fan of plain water switch things up and add a little non sugar squash to the water. Next of all getting vitamins into your system is key, whether that be in tablet form, from fruits and vegetables. You could even kill two birds with one stone by getting your water intake and vitamins in one, in the form of a berocca which is full of b vitamins and folic acid.

6. CREATE A THERMAL FACE MASK IN SECONDS

Always heard that the benefits for your skin from a thermal face mask are amazing? but don't have a thermal designed mask in your collection or price range. You can create your own in seconds with one you already have, simply place the amount of product you would normally use into a microwave proof bowl and heat for 20-30 seconds making sure it doesn't over-heat or dry-out. Apply the now thermal face mask with an old yet clean foundation brush, sit back/relax and feel like you have taken a trip to the spa from home. 

Catch up on my previous blog post HERE...

xo.

SIX BEAUTY TRICKS THAT ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Hello everyone! The majority of us at some point along the journey from being a beginner at makeup/beauty to where you are now, we have all tried out some form of beauty hack/trick and we've probably figured out that some work, but some also don't make a difference. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you six beauty tricks that i have discovered and actually make a difference to your appearance.

1. always prep/prime your skin before applying makeup

First up is probably the most self-explanatory trick, but that is to prep/prime your skin before applying any form of makeup. The prep step before makeup being your skincare routine (making sure your skin is completely clean/moisturised before hand) and the prime step be to apply some form of primer cream or spray, by doing this your makeup will apply so much more smoothly, set better on the skin and last for a lot longer. 

2. faking glowing skin

If you are like me and have normal to dry skin, that can need a little help more often than not to look dewy and glowing. By using a strobe cream underneath your makeup, such a the mac cosmetics strobe cream or my new favourite the mua prism strobe cream, by doing this you are giving the appearance of a "glow from within" which looks a lot more natural. Also ever since i have been using the strobe cream by MUA in the shade golden ray, i have had a ton of compliments on how healthy and glowing my skin looks. Another trick is to add in a little liquid highlighter with your foundation of choice.

3. crease-proofing your concealer

If you have a concealer that you love the coverage of but you find it sits a little into any fine lines of appears to crease on your under-eye area. Apply a small amount of your eye-cream with your concealer and this will keep the area extra hydrated/crease-free. Also by avoiding adding too much product (foundation) to the under-eye area, you aren't applying product on top of product therefore your under-eye is less likely to crease. Another tip is to set the under-eye area/concealer as soon as possible.

4. cleaning up your eyebrows with concealer

Another concealer related hack/trick, which is super simple and makes a big difference to the way your brows look. Simply fill in your brows as you normally would, then taking a small amount of concealer and a concealer brush (the morphe Y21 flat definer brush is my favourite) to tidy up the edges of your brows. By doing this you are not only just tidying them up but you are highlighting the brow bone area too, also make sure you set it into place with some translucent powder as you would your normal concealer. 

5. how to get white teeth without using teeth whitening kits
Using a teeth whitening kit whether that be one with a light or strips, can be not only expensive but also you might not want to use anything too chemically based. A cheap and easy way i like to use is simply by brushing my teeth with my regular oral b 3d white luxe perfection toothpaste (which already keeps my teeth pretty white) but then i like to follow up with the oral b 3d white luxe whitening accelerator and by using this it just speeds the whitening process up, as well as protecting your teeth from new stains. It is literally as simple as that by brushing for 2 minutes with each toothpaste, twice a day!

6. even fake tan application
There is so many different hacks out there that claim to help you get "an even" fake tan application/finish and half of them do not work at all, all they do is complicate things and make it an even longer process. Keep things simple by exfoliating your body with either a body scrub, gloves or puff whilst in the shower to remove any left over tan from before and also any dead skin cells. Once out of the shower moisturise your body from head to toe, not forgetting your hands because that is where it tends to cling to dry areas the most. Finally make sure you apply your fake tan right before going to bed, this way you aren't going to need to wash your hands.

Catch my everyday "speedy" makeup for autumn post HERE...

xo.

TIPS AND TRICKS ON HOW TO GET BEAUTY SAMPLES

Hello everyone! I am all for spending money on trying new products, but keeping that in mind there are so many different ways to get your hands on samples either for free or for a little amount of money and over the years i have learnt a trick or two. With that in mind for today's post i thought i would share with you some of my personal favourite tips and tricks to get beauty samples, whether that is just for trying a new perfume, shampoo or to take away on a trip rather than lugging around a huge bottle of product.

1. feel unique pick 'n' mix sample service

First up is probably my favourite of them all because you can pick and choose the samples that you go for, from a selection of over 300 products and these products range from makeup, to skincare, hair and of course perfumes. I have actually previous blogged about this particular sample service a couple of times this year, so you can catch them here and here where i explain the details of the whole service in full. This will only cost you £3.95 p&p for 5 samples per month, but you will get that money back in a voucher for the following month.

2. buying magazines

Another way to pick up samples for a little amount is by buying magazines, which will probably only set you back around £1-£2 and you get some great reading material/inspiration at the same time. Some magazines will also include free gifts, which can range from deluxe sample size products or even a full sized product as well as the samples included on the advertisement pages. My personal favourite magazines for great samples are cosmopolitan (which i have bought every single month for years) and also glamour magazine.

3. free samples/gift with purchase with online orders
There are so many different brand sites that will give you a selection of free samples with purchases, whether that be if you have spent over a certain amount (which you can usually choose what sample/s you want to try) and sometimes they will simply just add samples into your order bag or box. Certain sites such as feel unique and debenhams do a free gift with purchase or if you spend over a certain amount, which will usually be a deluxe sample or full size of a certain product from the same brand. Sites that i have received the most samples from are feel unique, superdrug, asos and mac cosmetics.

4. asking in-store for samples
It can be really scary sometimes even thinking about approaching a makeup/beauty counter (especially in a department store) and you might think you will feel embarrassed asking someone if they have any free samples, but do NOT feel embarrassed as so many brands are more than happy to give you free samples. Whether you are buying something or if you are just curious about a product, a lot of sales assistants will give you the advise along side the correct sample. One time i was paying for something and the sales assistant gave me a huge bag of samples, along side a clarins beach bag (which came in super handy).

♥