My Favourite Luxury Item

[Clarins 'Tonic Bath and Shower Concentrate' £19]

This is by far my favourite luxury product of the moment. The weather in England is starting to turn a little frosty and there's nothing I like more than to have a nice hot shower or bath. 

What I love about this product is the versatility of it. It can be used in the bath, you just need a capful and it makes these gorgeous luxurious bubbles that you actually use to lather over your body. Or alternatively it can be used in the shower, you just need a tiny pea sized amount to cover your whole body.

It leaves your skin feeling AMAZING. I've never used a product that makes my body feel so silky! Obviously it's not cheap however I think it's worth every penny. A small amount goes a really long way so I can see this product lasting a good couple of months. Plus, like with many high end brands, there's often lots of bonus's going on in store or online so make sure to check that out. 

I would really recommend this product as a present for someone who loves to pamper themselves, or a treat to yourself. It's the perfect remedy to a long day. The aroma is that of a classy spa and if you close your eyes you could almost believe you're there!

Pair this product with a good book and you're good to go.

Best wishes (: 

xx

Problem Skin - New Purchase

(Witch Naturally Clear Blemish Stick)

I bought this product a couple of days ago as I seem to have a few face demons milling around. Why is it just when your skin starts to look healthier and more radiant those nasty under-the-skin mountains always crop up?! Does anyone else feel my pain?!

Anyway, I bought this with the hope that it will banish them. It claims to be great for all skin types but we shall see... I will report back with a review in due course. 

 Best wishes 

x

Holy Grail Moisturiser - L'Occitane Angelica Hydra Vital Cream

This is by far the best moisturiser I have used in a long while and I feel like it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight! I've been using this for four months now and it hasn't disappointed. 

My skin is beyond sensitive and one thing that aggravates it more than anything is a change in weather. I live in grey Leeds and often it is humid and rainy, although you'd expect the humidity to help with dry skin, for me it does the exact opposite, but thankfully this cream has helped massively. 

I recently went on a European tour in which we visited five different countries in the space of three weeks, although it was an amazing opportunity I'd be lying if I said I wasn't stressing about dehydration! But I had nothing to worry about! I didn't once notice those horrible flaky patches around my forehead or nose that always crop up at the most inappropriate times, nor did I feel after a day in the sun like my skin was made of old wrinkly leather. Whether you're spending long days in the heat or sat in front of the air-conditioning (which is SO drying) I can't recommend this product enough.

As you can see it is a creamy consistency, yet it feels extremely cooling on the skin. After a hot shower, putting this all over your face honestly feels heavenly. The scent is completely unobtrusive, think expensive spas, cucumbers and all things fresh and you won't be far off. 

This product claims to not only nourish your skin after application but also to enhance the skins ability 'self-hydrate'. Obviously hydration is the key to softer, plumper and more radiant skin so helping your skin to hydrate itself is a massive plus.

The name 'Angelica Hydra Vital Cream' comes from the Angelica plant which is sourced in France, I feel it's similar to Bamboo in the instance that it grows in an extremely short space of time, this is thanks to its ability to self-hydrate. Now, at first, all of these facts spilling out of the shop assistants mouth sounded to me like a bit of a myth, but true or not this product really follows through on its promises. 

At £32 it's far from cheap, yet if you're like me and would be willing to pay more than your rent for something that will get rid of that horrible tight feeling, then I would absolutely recommend this skin saviour. 

Benefit and Bourjois Battle It Out!

 (Benefit 'They're Real' & Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl')

Since I can remember I have been in LOVE with the Benefit 'They're Real' mascara, since first purchasing it I haven't found a better mascara, or even one that comes close...until now! Being a student I find it hard to justify spending so much money on a product that runs out after a month or so. But luckily I seem to have found a cheaper alternative that I want to share!

This is the magical Bourjois 'Volume Glamour Ultra Curl' (bit of a mouthful) Now I can't take complete credit...or maybe not even any at all, I am merely the messenger! I had that usual debate with myself whilst standing in the makeup section of boots wondering what mascara to buy. I always feel nervous when choosing as if you make the wrong mistake thats a tenner down the drain, especially as there's so much rubbish out there. After spending an unacceptable amount of time making up my mind, my friend suggested this little beauty. At first I turned my nose up as I thought the wand looked pretty pathetic and when I took it out of the tube the product looked gloopy. But she assured me it was great so I went ahead and bought it. I'm so glad I did. (Thank you Lily!)

(Here's the Bourjois product on the lashes)

I don't have very thick lashes and as I'm naturally blonde they're rather light, so I like a product that will lengthen, thicken and is nice and dark (not much to ask hey!) and I feel like this mascara does just that. It holds the curl really nicely and completely opens up the look of my eyes, just like the benefit one. As you can see it separates the lashes well and so far I haven't had any fall out which is great. I can't recommend this product enough! 

I think price wise it's a much better alternative, in an ideal world I would love to be able to repurchase the 'They're Real' but unfortunately I cannot do so. But I am very pleased with this find...my 'Drugstore Dupe' if you will. One thing I cannot say yet is how long the tube lasts, I feel like for the money the Benefit one doesn't seem to last long enough, but as I haven't finished the Bourjois yet I can't compare the two. However at £7.99 from Boots compared with £18.50 I can't really complain if it doesn't last beyond 6 weeks or so. I hope you take my recommendation and check this mascara out and let me know if you have any good dupes! Enjoy! 

My Must Have Hair Product

(Seanik Shampoo Bar - Lush)

A very kind friend of mine bought me this as a birthday present and this is my second repurchase. Before this I'd never tried a shampoo bar before and if I'm honest I've always been quite sceptical. 

I didn't really get the concept, it felt a bit alien to put what looked like a bar of soap on my hair.

The bar contains solid seaweed, sea salt and lemon giving the hair great shine and volume and has a lovely summery scent. The featured ingredient in this shampoo bar is Japanese Nori Seaweed, it possesses a quality of deep colour and brilliant lustre. The Sea Salt claims to give the hair texture and volume and I can honestly say it does! The Lemon Oil makes the hair SO shiny, better than any shine spray I've used. Rather than using a shine spray and volumising mousse like I normally do, I can just wash my hair with this and it does the job for me. Although there are little specks of seaweed in the bar, these don't get stuck in your hair and you can't feel them when you're using it, obviously it is bright blue in colour but don't worry theres no colour pay off. 

The thing I was most concerned about when using this product was whether it would make a satisfying amount of lather. I like my shampoo to be super frothy so I can feel like I'm getting my hair properly clean, I really didn't think this product would create enough, but its incredibly foamy, more than any I've used before. Because it's in solid form you're able to scrub it directly onto your roots meaning no strand of hair is left unclean.

I can honestly say I've never used a shampoo that has made my hair so volumized and shiny, I noticed the difference after the first wash, my hair seemed thicker and had a lovely gloss to it. It lasts around a month, so at £5.50 and on a student budget I find that a little pricey, however not having to use as many other products means I'm saving money elsewhere. I have to say no matter what hair type you have I would recommend this product, it ticks all the boxes for me!

Dealing with A-N-X-I-E-T-Y

For anyone who's suffered from anxiety you'll understand it's one of the most difficult challenges a person can deal with. Day to day things become a struggle when you're consumed by something that's making you feel as though you're looking through life with a hazey grey filter. Everything ends up being a challenge, even just walking to the shops. You feel jumpy, scared, paranoid, stressed, tired, grumpy, irritable, sad, alone, worried, tearful...and that's just to name a few.

Personally I've struggled with anxiety for most of my life, but it's something I've learnt to deal with. I don't think it ever really goes away, but there are certainly times where it's lurking around in the background rather than being at the forefront of my mind. I'm not saying there aren't times where all I want to do is crawl into my bed and never go outside again, but I promise you it gets better. There are so many ways you can help yourself. What some people don't realise is anxiety is not just something that makes you feel a 'little bit stressed or worried', it's very closely linked to depression. It's difficult to sleep, hard to concentrate on anything other than all the negative things in your life/around you, and it's especially hard to feel confident in yourself; to put yourself out there for people to see. Which can mean making new friends and meeting new people is extremely daunting.
I find when I'm at my most anxious it's so hard to get myself out of bed in the mornings, the thought of facing the day terrifies me. But I've come up with ways that make me feel that bit better about taking those first steps into the morning. 

Surround yourself with the people you love.
Sounds like an obvious one, but seriously, spending time with the people in your life who care about you and who you can trust makes a big difference. A long time ago I decided I was only going to spend time with the individuals who made me a better person, the ones who are there for me and the ones who are good honest people. Surrounding yourself with people that make you feel inferior or intimidated is only going to make you feel a whole lot worse.


Be honest with yourself and talk about what scares you.
If you suffer from anxiety be honest with yourself and accept it, it makes it easier to move onto the next steps of getting help. Being honest with the people in your life helps too, I often forget to give people the benefit of the doubt, but you'll be pleasantly surprised about how human we all are.  Fortunately I have a supporting family and partner who help me through everything I throw at them. Although unfortunately I know that not everyone is as lucky, but there are still people out there who want to help. Websites such as anxiety UK have a huge support system in place ready to help anyone who needs it.

Look after YOU!
I've spent a lot of time looking after other people and it's only as I near my mid 20's that I realise I am important too! Looking after yourself if so important for your own welfare, making sure you find the time to do the things you enjoy makes a huge difference to your mood. I find pampering myself and looking after me helps me to focus on things other than the way I'm feeling. Keeping your mind focused and busy just brings a sort of peace that I can't explain.

I'm not going to sit here and preach that you should be eating organic healthy tasteless junk, but you do need to eat. Your body is a machine and without fuel it won't run. Especially if like a lot of people that suffer from anxiety you're not sleeping. Don't stress about what you're eating, when you're feeling the way you are the last thing you need to be worrying about is counting calories! Eat what tastes good and concentrate on your mental state instead.

One thing I would insist on is that alcohol is a no no! It's depressant and in no way will help the way you're feeling. Granted I'm as partial to an alcoholic beverage as much as the next person but certainly in large quantities when I know my anxiety is lurking. It may make you feel warm and fuzzy on the night, but trust me the next week will be so much worse, it's just not worth it.

Focus on the things you enjoy.
When my anxiety is at it's peak, I personally like to be in the safety of my flat, I don't like going out particularly and often I just want to try to relax. I think in moderation this is okay, it's what makes me happy and what makes me feel calm. Finding your 'safe place' is a really good way of controlling your anxiety, it's somewhere you can go where you feel comfortable and able to unwind.

However I also find it important to make sure that when I'm feeling especially awful I don't slip into a routine of never leaving the house. It's what makes you feel isolated and can often lead to depression. I'm not by any means saying it's easy, I know first hand it's not and often I find myself needing to sit and realise I'm not even taking my own advice. But sometimes it's crucial to push yourself, just baby steps at first, perhaps just trying to do one new thing a month, or meeting one new person, trust me it will help, don't let anxiety consume you! Slowly but surely you start to feel more confident and when that grey hazey filter starts to clear, doing these baby steps feels a lot less daunting.

The tiny things like painting my nails, writing a blog post, watching a new series on tv, spending time with my family and friends are what help me day to day. They may seem small but they're what I enjoy and focusing on these things help to take my mind off what I'm feeling.

Find out what's making you feel this way.
It's often hard to establish why it is we feel the way we do. But writing it down is very therapeutic. When all your stresses and worries are swirling around in your head filling you with white noise, it's hard to concentrate on anything else. Writing everything that's on your mind clearly for you to see helps so much. Think of it as taking them out of your mind and throwing them onto a piece of paper instead. It also helps to rationalise the things you're worried about, looking at them in one sentence is far less intimidating that having them float around in your head. I like to make a tick list of all the things that I know are contributing to the way I'm feeling and slowly work through getting rid of them, or taming them at least.

Obviously all of these things are what work for me but I would be overjoyed if I could help at least one person with being honest about what helps me. 

Remember to be proud of who you are; this will not define you. I promise (:
 

Ever so Subtle with Sleek!

Sleek Blush 

(Rose Gold 926)

Sleek is a brand I am totally in love with. I find their products so affordable, yet everything from the packaging to the product itself screams luxury. I don't feel as though I'm buying a 'drugstore' beauty product whatsoever.

I have a couple of the eyeshadow pallets which have been almost used up now, but I purchased this blush recently and felt I had to talk about how beautiful it is! Typically the shade (a dusty pale pink) suggests to me a spring or summer colour. However the rose gold shimmer that is laced throughout is perfect for the Christmas party season.

I find blush buying a bit of a challenge as my skin is SO pale, no matter what time of year it is I always struggle to find shades that are light enough. I've found that with this blush I can give my cheeks a lovely rosy glow without looking liked I've been slapped round the face. However although this is a light pastel shade the colour is buildable if you want a bolder look.

As you can see in this photo, the blush is so subtle, that's what I love most about it, what I want from my blush is just a slight touch of colour. Whats great about this product is the rose gold shimmer running throughout acts as a stunning highlight too. It's basically two products for the price of one! The shimmer isn't too overbearing either which makes it a great daytime product as well as one for parties. Priced at just £4.49 from Boots this little blush really is a steal! As its 3 for 2 in Boots stores right now I would recommend purchasing two beauty products you've been lusting after and throwing this one in as the freebie, you won't regret it!