The End

Hey guys,

I don't know how to start this. I'll try to keep it short but I guess this post has been a long time coming. As you can probably guess from the title, this is most likely going to be my last post. If you read the last post before this, you'll know that commitment to school work meant I had to put blogging to one side while I focused on my exams. During that time away, I had time to really think about what I enjoyed and what I didn't, and over time I came to the decision that I just didn't have a passion for blogging in the same way that I do for making YouTube videos. 

Writing this feels quite nostalgic as it's been so long; it almost makes me miss it. But, I'm just so uninspired as to what to blog about. It just doesn't feel right to carry on, so I thought I'd bring it to an 'official' end by posting this as some kind of explanation as to why I'm stopping. I can't imagine there are very many people reading this as it's been so so long since my last post, but to anyone who is taking the time to actually read this then thank you very much for sticking with me. Thanks to anyone who did read this blog, and to anyone who is reading this and has been here since I started: firstly, that's insane and thank you so so much, it means the absolute world!!! I will continue to make YouTube videos for as long as I can, the last two years have absolutely flown by! 

Thanks for listening,

Alison x

Update time and a little explaining...

Hey guys,

So, I feel like I have a little explaining to do, especially if you keep up with my blog regularly or you've been following it for a while. You may have noticed that I haven't posted in a long time, and that's because this year is an extremely stressful year for me in terms of school work, so blogging and all my other hobbies and anything I enjoy has had to take a back seat unfortunately, so I won't be posting regularly for quite a while. 

I've also lost interest a little. Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy blogging, it's just that lately I've been really uninspired and doubting if I really enjoy it as much as I did at first. I've also been doubting the name and layout of my blog as to whether I still like it and if I change it yet again what to change it to, which just makes me loose the will for the whole thing just a little bit. This doesn't mean I'm going to stop blogging forever, I just need to take a step back and think about things. I've also just been enjoying YouTube a lot more (yes, I have a YouTube channel too, if you didn't know).

Now, about YouTube, I think I ought to mention that too. I've never had a schedule for uploading, and I certainly haven't been regular and that's mainly because school gets in the way. However, as I mentioned before, I'm a lot more interested in that than I am in blogging, and I enjoy it more, so I will be continuing with that as often as my school work will let me. 

This post has been a little while coming, and I'm sorry for sounding a little negative, but I really needed to get this off my chest. If you have bothered to read this whole post, then thank you very much. And whether you've been following me since the beginning, or this is one of the first posts of mine you're reading (in which case, sorry!), it doesn't matter because your support by simply acknowledging this blog means the world to me, thank you xx

August | Monthly Top 5

Hola!

I spent quite a lot of August on holiday, so it seemed to absolutely fly past! I'm trying to hold on to summer as I'm really not much of a cold weather person (despite being born in winter!) so I'm not looking forward to the cold, and not least school, eugh, so I'm going to talk you through my top 5 favourite beauty bits from August.

5. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch concealer

I bought this on a limb as I needed a new one to take on holiday as my old one was running out fast, so I grabbed this in Sainsbury's and I'm pretty impressed. It's not one I've heard many people talking about but I think it does a decent enough job. It's very brightening without being shimmery and highlighting so you can still use it on spots as well as under the eyes. It's not very high coverage and doesn't last all that well so you need it in your handbag if you're going out, but it's perfect handbag size and the packaging won't get squashed or broken, so overall I'm impressed.

4. Barry M Gelly Hi-shine nail polish in Huckleberry

I've heard so many good things about these polishes that I just had to give one a try, being the nail polish junkie that I am! I love the shade, it's a perfect pastel blue that really works a tan, always a plus, and the formula is good too. I think my expectations were a little too high as without a topcoat, this is how they held up after 1 week:

Not awful and with a top coat it did survive a little longer (yes I did wear it twice in 6 weeks!) but for what is supposed to be like a gel manicure, I would have hoped for a little better but hey, the pigmentation is pretty good and the shade range is amazing so I'm not complaining!

3. MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Undressed

I looked through some of my past favourites and couldn't believe that I hadn't mentioned it in one before! I've had it for at least 9 months, if not a year, and have loved it since I got it, so why I can't find it in a favourites I don't know. It's supposedly a dupe for the original Naked palette, which I really don't have the budget for, and it looks like it has the same shade range, which is the main thing I love about it. It has such a diverse range of natural, wearable colours that you can make work day or night no matter the occasion. They are a little chalky but if you use a good cream base then you can't go wrong for £4 for 12 eye shadows!!

2. Barry M Matte top coat

I've been eyeing this up for a long time as I love matte effect anyway, so matte nail polish is a dream to me, but I didn't want to end up buying duplicate shades but in matte, so this was the perfect solution! It goes on like a normal topcoat and the dries matte, and it dries really fast. I have found that it gradually gets some shine after about a week, but I have only used it with the Gelly polish I mentioned earlier, so maybe the effect will last longer over different formulas. The overall wear of it as a protective topcoat was really good, I had very minimal chips which is fantastic, so I would definitely recommend it!

1. Topshop lipstick in Naturist

I'm in love with this lipstick. I've worn it almost every day since I got it and will continue to wear it into the autumn. It's such a gorgeous browny-nude that compliments every skin tone and every makeup look no matter what season. It's really moisturising as it's a satin to matte finish and it's fairly long lasting (though you'll need to re-apply after a meal) and it doesn't wear or dry strangely like some formulas do. It's also sheer but easily buildable, I just love everything about it and would highly recommend it so everyone!

So that's what I've been loving in August, let me know in the comments what you're favourite thing has been this summer, not necessarily beauty related, and I'll see you in a new post soon.

Summer Survival Guide

Hola!

We've just about finished a pretty hot summer and I know that, unlike me, lots of people hate the hot weather, so here are my tips on surviving next summer, abroad or at home.

The first and main topic I wanted to cover is mosquitoes. Mozzies, gnats, whatever you want to call them, they're a pest. If you are bothered by mozzies just try everything! Smother yourself in mozzie repellent (followed by a ton of perfume because wow that stuff stinks!) and get it everywhere, even the soles of your feet. I would have thought of it either, but that's were I some how managed to bet bitten?! Also, they like to hide under tables and chairs, so spray bug killer/repellent under there and if you see one, try hairspray. Yup, I was sceptical at first, but it works!  It sticks them to their wings so they can't fly. My current weapon of choice is Fudge Urban iced raspberry & vanilla hairspray, purely because it smells so good (and it's cheap)!

Heat, suncream and sun all adds up to horrendously dry skin. For your body, I'd recommend the Vaseline Spray and Go as it smells great, it's not greasy and dries quickly so you can get dressed straight after. My face, however, has been much more of a problem than my body, even my T-zone, which is normally oily, has been really dry. I've been using the Simple Hydrating moisturiser in the mornings and skipping makeup for the day, then putting some more on before I put makeup on if I'm going out in the evening. I then put on a thick of the Superdrug Vitamin E night cream on before I sleep to help my skin recover over night.

My next tip is an idea my friend had and it's so simple but I love it so much in the heat! You can pay endless amounts for facial mists from all sorts of brands that promise all sorts of wonderful things, but it feels just as good when your baking hot to fill a 50p Superdrug spray bottle with tap water! Honestly, it's one of the nicest feelings when you're in the sun all day, I've taken mine everywhere with me all summer, it's so simple but so good!

Other than wear sun cream, I think that's about it for my top summer tips. I hope you found this useful and leave some of your favourite summer tips in the comments below.

My Guide to Washing Brushes

Hola!

It's important to keep your makeup brushes clean because they can carry bacteria just like any other surface, particularly as they come into contact with skin very regularly. I tend to wash my brushes every sunday and deep clean the ones I use every single day (concealer and powder mainly) once a month by leaving them to soak in soapy water overnight.

When I wash my brushes, I start by rising the bristles under running water and squirting a small amount of gentle shampoo into the palm of my hand. I swirl the brush in the shampoo until the brush is clean then rinse it out and leave it to dry on a towel. When you expose a brush to water, it's important not to get the butt of the brush wet as the glue that holds the bristles will wash away if it gets too wet too often and the bristles will fall out.

For any more tips on caring for brushes, check out this video by Sam & Nic Chapman (aka Pixiwoo) as they are pro makeup artists with their own range of incredible brushes so I would highly recommend checking out their YouTube channel! Plus, most of what I know about brushes came from their brush care video, and just their videos in general!

I hope you liked this video and found it useful and let me know any of your favourite brush brands in the come comments below, I'd love to know!