The Perfect Prep And Prime Products

When I first got into makeup, I had no idea about primers, or anything products that help to prep your face for makeup. Fast forward a few years and I couldn't live without them. I have combination/oily skin, so makeup doesn't always sit well on my skin, but with these products thats not a problem for me.

I never understood why people would put moisturiser on straight before makeup, I couldn't see how that'd help. However, that was before I tried out the Glossier Priming Moisturiser. This is a super lightweight moisturiser, that sinks into the skin quickly and makes for a great base before applying makeup. Another primer I have totally fallen in love with recently, is the Elf Poreless Face Primer. I neglected this for the past few months, and decided to crack it out again and oh my god am I happy I did. This gives the most flawless, smooth base for makeup and genuinely makes your face look poreless. As someone who has quite open pores (lol), I'm always looking for a product that will counteract that, and this does the job. It smells like tea tree oil as well, which is actually really refreshing. 

If I didn't use anything on my eyelids, I'm pretty sure my eyeshadow would be gone by lunchtime. So before even priming them, I pop some of the Glossier Stretch Concealer over them, as an extra base for eyeshadow. This also gives a neutral base, ready for eyeshadow. On top of that, of course I have to use my trusty Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. This really helps to keep my eyeshadow from moving, and I don't think I could live without it now, one of my makeup staples! 

And finally, gotta keep those eyebrows in place as well. For this, I use the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper. I love how small the wand is, so it really picks up every hair to keep them in place throughout the day. 

What products do you use to prep and prime?

- Lucy 

Asos Spring Wish List

Spring has finally arrived, and I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this. Although we'll ignore that bit of snow we had last week shall we? I can finally look forward to more sunshine  (fingers crossed), and lighter evenings. The fact spring is on its way, also gives me an excuse to start buying new clothes. So I've put together a small asos wish list of a few bits I spotted that I think would be perfect for the upcoming spring!

Theres quite the mix of yellow, pink, red and monochrome here I must admit haha. Yellow seems to be making quite a big appearance this season, which I'm so happy about because its one of my favourite colours to wear. The same goes for pink to be honest. I'm also loving all the patterned pieces brands are bringing out, especially the small floral tea dresses/tops. 

What's on your spring wish list?

- Lucy  

The Ordinary Serum And Coverage Foundation

Back at it again with the beauty post, ayyy. Today I've decided to chat about The Ordinary Serum and coverage foundation's, their differences and if I think they're any good. The only thing I'd tried out from The Ordinary before, was their Hyaluronic Acid Serum, which I really liked, so I had high hopes for both their foundations.

Let's start off with the serum foundation shall we? This is the lighter coverage out of the two, and has a very watery consistency, as the name would suggest. I've tried applying this with both a beauty blender and foundation brush, and I found the two give very different results. When using the beauty blender, this gives a super light/sheer coverage, so if you were looking for that then I'd recommend using a beauty blender to apply it. However, if you prefer a light/medium coverage for your foundation, then I'd recommend blending it out with a foundation brush. This definitely gives you the chance to build up the foundation more, to give a medium coverage. As for how it sits throughout the day...well pretty damn well. Its still very much on my face by the end of the day, which I was quite pleased to see, considering its literally £5!

Onto the coverage foundation. I think this is probably my favourite of the two, but thats because I prefer a lil bit more coverage because of my troublesome skin. Again, I've applied this with both a beauty blender and foundation brush and the results vary. With a beauty blender you get a medium/full coverage, but with a foundation brush it really is proper full coverage. If I'm going out in the evening or prefer a higher coverage, I'll definitely go with the foundation brush option. But for every day wear, applying with a beauty blender is perfect.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with both of these - especially for the price. Although if I were to purchase them again, I'd certainly get a lighter colour as the lady in the shop definitely colour matched me wrong. But I'm hoping these will look a bit better in the summer months when I have a bit of a tan.

Have you ever tried The Ordinary foundations?

- Lucy

Benefit BadGal Bang Mascara

I feel like I'm going back to my original blogging roots by doing a single product review, haha. I haven't done a post like this in a very long time, but I felt as though this mascara deserved it. This is the very hyped up Benefit BadGal Bang Mascara. 

Benefit always go all out when they have a new launch, and the new BadGal mascara was no exception. As you probably saw, they sent a bunch of bloggers out to The Maldives...insane! Anyway, I digress. I never owned the original BadGal mascara, but I absolutely loved Roller Lash, and wasn't sure any other mascara they brought out could top it. However, this comes in very close second. 

This is advertised as a volumising mascara, but personally I see it as more lengthening. The wand is plastic, and has very thin bristles, which doesn't equal volumised lashes in my opinion. But I do feel like this is very standard for Benefit, as pretty much all of their mascara wands have plastic bristles, so continuity and all that. Saying this, the wand is really good at getting hold of all my lashes, which can be a struggle with some cheaper mascaras. 

The formula is quite wet in comparison to the likes of the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara for example. This doesn't bother me too much, as it doesn't seem to transfer onto my lids when applying, so no issue there. However, I do think that because it has quite a wet formula, the whole volumising thing fails. Nonetheless, it grips every lash and really lengthens my lashes which I love. Its also a very intense black, which is a big thumbs up from me. The real make or break with mascara for me, is panda eyes. If by the end of the day I don't have black smudges underneath my eyes from the mascara running throughout the day, its a winner. And I can confirm, this stays put all day without smudging, transferring, running or flaking away, which is what makes it such a fab mascara. Its also relatively easy to get off at the end of the day, and I don't find myself vigorously rubbing my eyes until they're sore, just to remove it. 

So overall, this is a winner for me, despite not living up to the volumising statement, I still think its a fab mascara and great new launch from Benefit.

- Lucy

Keeping It Stylish With Caseapp

I'm a sucker for anything pretty. I also low-key have an addiction to phone cases, oops. Whenever I see a nice on, I'm like 'oooo I need it', when I really don't. You can only use one at a time after all. Anyway, I digress. Caseapp got in contact with me, and I was able to pick out two items from their site and I just had to share them as they're so gorgeous!

Obviously I was drawn to the phone case section first, and I honestly spent about half an hour scrolling through all the pre-made designs, in awe of how pretty they all were. Although as soon as I stumbled across the Banana Leaf* design, I knew I had to have it. Its very blogger-esque, so I guess thats the initial reason I fell in love with the design, haha. I didn't realise I'd opted for the tough option, which means this is quite a chunky case as it protects your phone if you were to drop it. So if you're quite clumsy, I'd opt for this one but if you like to keep your phone lightweight, just go for the normal one. Alongside all of the pre-made designs you can purchase, you can also make your own custom case too!

I also chose a new laptop skin, as I had one from caseapp before and it was so good but it started looking a bit worn. This time I went for the Small Dots on Pink* because I liked how minimal it was, and also because I just love pink. Its a really pale pink, hence why it looks almost white in the photo, but still super pretty. 

If you want to pick either one of these up for yourself, (or anything from their site for that matter), I have a 20% off code that you can use when you check out, 'FOREVER20'. 

- Lucy

PR/Gifted Items*

Stepping Into Spring

I'm fully aware we had snow about a week ago, but I am soooo ready for spring to arrive already! The weather has decided to perk up just a tiny bit, but its still pretty chilly out there. Nonetheless, I've decided to share with you a transitional outfit that I've been loving!

SKIRT* / TOP (SIMILAR) / SHOES / NECKLACE / WATCH*

I find it quite funny that I'm looking mysteriously off into the distance in all of these photos, haa oops. Its obvious that I suck at outfit photos, but oh well! Anyway, the outfit itself. To me, skirts and tights are my go-to transitional picks, whether thats winter to spring or summer to autumn. This gorgeous plaid skirt* is from Tobi is definitely going to be a staple piece for me through until summer. Its a simple a-line skirt, but I find it so flattering and easy to pair with basics I already have in my wardrobe.

I also love the button down detail on the side, something about it makes it feel a bit more put together, yano? God I can't talk about fashion to save my life haha. But seriously, I'm obsessed with this and how easy it is to wear on a regular basis. As for the rest of my outfit, my trusty white long sleeve is from Pull & Bear (which I can't find online), tights are Primark (obvs) and my chelsea boots are from Deichmann.

Whats your transitional outfit picks?

- Lucy

PR/Gifted Item*

How Mental Health Can Affect Relationships

I'm aware the title of this post sounds a bit negative, almost as if I'm saying that mental health can ruin relationships, but I can assure you thats not what this post is about. As someone who has suffered with anxiety for years, I've seen first hand how mental health can affect various aspects of relationships.

I'll start off with my personal experience. I'm very lucky to have people around me that are supportive, caring and loving, such as my parents, boyfriend and friends. Even though they're very supportive, having a mental illness such as anxiety and panic disorder can take its toll. Panic attacks can not only be draining for me, but for them too. I'll often have to wake up my parents in the night because I feel like I need someone there to support me when I feel like I could pass out at any minute. It sucks because it disturbs them from sleep, and it makes me feel like such a burden. Even though I feel like I need the support, I don't always want to ask for it as I feel like I'm pulling other people into my problems.

Its also difficult when you make plans to go places, because I may be fine one day and the next I could be an anxious mess. So not only will I be feeling like an anxious wreck, but I'll feel awful for having to cancel plans or just not being myself when I am out and about. So due to all this, mental illness can put a strain on certain relationships in your life.

One thing I've found to help me out, is therapy. Whether thats online, group therapy or 1 to 1s. It gives you the chance to talk to a new face, and someone who isn't immediate family or someone you see on a daily basis. And obviously, its a professional you're speaking to, so you can get the help you need. A great place to get help is Talkspace app, which is an online therapy facility, where you're able to talk to a professional therapist via chatroom. Definitely would recommend downloading it and give it a try if you're looking for immediate help regarding your mental health. Its amazing what talking can do, and can take the strain off relationships, as you're not relying so heavily on those closest to you all the time.

So even though suffering with mental illness can affect the relationships in your life, it doesn't have to stay like that, or make a big impact. I'd highly recommend giving online therapy a go if thats something you're open to.

- Lucy

- This post is in collaboration with Talkspace -