My Tips For Surviving The Last Few Weeks Of University

I've read so many posts recently on people stressing out over university whether it be upcoming exams or looming assignment deadlines! Since it has nearly been a year since my last ever university exam (where the blimmin heck has a year gone?) I thought I'd give my two cents on  how I coped (or rather just about made it out alive) during my last few months at uni...

1. Surround yourself with friends who motivate you to not to procrastinate! I found going to the library on my own much more depressing and lonely and "oh I'm never going to get this done" would circulate around my head as I stared at the computer screen....alone. Yet, when me and my fellow English Lit buddy went together, I would get so much done and actually felt like my work was alright and not completely, y'know, crap. Support each other!

2. Take regular breaks. Who wants to sit at a computer screen for 12 hours reading that size 12 font in times new roman continuously? This obviously doesn't apply for anyone with a 3000 word deadline tomorrow who is now on approx. 100 words. If this is the case, I'm afraid you're gonna have to up your caffeine intake and avoid sleep tonight my friend.

3. Have a good moan. Seriously. Just let it all out about how your assignment is absolutely s**t and you just want to drop out now 'cos you're never gonna get it all done 'cos you're so tired and there's just too much to do. After you are done, get back on that computer and smash that assignment! You can do it and will do it. You don't really have any other choice. Unless you drop out. But that would be silly.

4. Eat your feelings. If you want to eat that extra large bag of quavers or that 50% off dominoes pizza then you go for it. If you can't eat crap now then when can you? There's plenty of time to eat healthily or start that diet after you've finished all your work. I mean, what else are you gonna be doing?

5. Still go on nights out. That assignment is still gonna be there waiting for you in the morning and these last few weeks could be the last time for you to go out mid-week, ever! Obviously not the best idea if it is due in tomorrow (as with point 2!) but manage your time right and you don't have to miss that night out everyone is going on about.

GOOD LUCK.

Love Leah x

Review | L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24H-Matte Foundation

Happy Bank Holiday Monday! Suprisingly we weren't cursed with the usual 'black bank holiday cloud' which hovers over the UK for the day - it was actually quite nice. The same can't be said for the weekend though. Going on a night out with a plastic bag over your head as you couldn't find your umbrella isn't the best look but yeah, cough, who even does that? *insert guilty face here* 

Moving swiftly on, I couldn't not give my two cents on a foundation which has made me so happy recently. I know, how sad, but if you're reading this then you must be as sad as me too when it comes to make-up. *high-five*

I never usually try out lots of different foundations. The usual scenario is I buy a foundation and end up using it for months because I think I love it when really I just like it. Don't get me wrong, I really really reeeeeeally like my MAC Studio Fix and my Bourgois Healthy Mix but now I have tried this new foundation, I am actually certain I've found the one. I love matte finishes so I think when I saw this in Boots and saw the 3 for 2 offer and have seen lots of people rave about this foundation aaand saw it was only £7.99, I couldn't leave it behind. 

The L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24H-Matte Foundation advertises itself as being 'lightweight and non-cakey.' I have to be honest, I did wonder at first how good this was going to be as I find matte foundations can be quite cakey if you aren't careful of how much you apply. I have to say though, I'm so impressed with this foundation - personally I haven't found it to be cakey in the slightest. If anything, it feels almost silky on my skin!

Annoyingly I picked up the wrong shade at first - I think I was in denial of how pale I actually am. *face-palm* At first I got the shade 'vanilla' which is the second lightest shade, however, it was slightly too orange for me *sob* so I went back and bought the shade 'porcelain.' This shade is perfect for my skin tone which is so bitter sweet as I would love to be just one shade darker! Please British sunshine, come out and give me some colour! Anyway, here is a before picture of me facially naked looking extremely grumpy and tired haha...

...and here is an after picture with the foundation applied *insert 'oh look at me, I don't know how to pose' picture here*

And just for good measure, here is another picture on a night out at the weekend where I had the foundation on...

I love the matte effect it has on my skin - even after a few hours on a night out it stayed pretty much matte all over my face. In the above picture I had been wearing it for about five hours and it was still the same as it was when I applied it. I love dewy foundations but after a few hours I find  my skin can look too shiny (never a good look!) hence the reason why I love matte foundations so much. The staying power is amazing and as long as you only apply a bit at at time, it is really easy to blend into the skin. I can't get enough of this foundation at the minute, I'm even tempted to go buy another whilst it is £7.99! 

Has anyone else tried this foundation or the Infallible primer?

I'd love to know!

Love Leah x

A Little L'Oreal Treat Never Hurt Anyone

As a beauty lover, I don't think there is a better feeling than when you walk into Boots and see those three beautiful words flung around the shop. 3 for 2. Oh, the elation! So, of course, I couldn't just ignore this lovely offer Boots were giving to me. That would be rude and silly and just unnecessary, right? Anyway, I've wanted to try the new Infallible 24H-Matte foundation for a while now and what a perfect time to try it.

I also decided to try out the Voluminous mascara and spent around 10 hours (a good ten minutes) choosing a lipstick. I am absolutely loving all three products so far and if you'd like me to review any of these then let me know!

                                               

Have you tried out any new products recently? 

Love Leah x

Things That Have Annoyed Me Recently

I need to get stuff off my chest. A couple of things have been annoying me recently and I'm not even the type of person to easily get annoyed because what's the point? However recently I couldn't not feel a slight niggle of irritation towards a number of incidents. I'll just get on with it.

1. Happily minding your own business on the bus. Headphones in. Own little world is happening. Then own little world is rudely interrupted by a lady who I shall continue to name lady and her masses of shopping bags. Now, lady decides to keep these huge shopping bags over her shoulder thus when she sits down next to me, shopping bags hit innocent me minding my own business in the face. Lady, would it really have killed you to take these shopping bags off your shoulder as where else did you expect them to go other than in my face? Seriously? No apology. Just looked at me as if I was in the way. Pffffft. 

2. Gossips. There is nothing worse (well I know there is but allow me to continue) than the feeling that people are gossiping behind your back. Whispering in a corner and you know what they are whispering about but do they have their facts straight about their topic of gossip? Probably not. I've come across this the past couple of weeks. I haven't been the subject of gossip but a friend has so I found myself in the midst of several conversations with different people asking me what is going on about something that is frankly something they are only interested in to gossip about with other people. I hate gossips. It can get nasty and cause a lot of upset, paranoia and general low self-esteem when you aren't sure what people are saying about you. At the end of the day, if people are willing to give you gossip about another person then they probably would have no qualms in gossiping about you either. 

3. The continuous sound of a barking dog which your neighbour has banished to the garden. Now I love dogs. I absolutely do. This is more me getting annoyed at the person who has locked the dog out. Your dog nine times out of ten if going to bark if you shut the door on him/her and leave him/her outside for even two minutes. Think of your neighbours who have to endure your dogs loud bark for however long you leave the poor thing outside for! There is nothing worse (again, I know there is but humour me) than listening to the sound of a barking dog at 10 o clock at night. *face palms*

If anybody wants to leave a little rant then feel free! 

Leah x

A Skin Savior

I'm so behind on the bandwagon. Seriously. This stuff  became popular at least a year ago and yet I've only just delved in and bought it! I think it was one of those cases where everyone was using it so the more I kept hearing about it, the more I kept thinking 'can this thing just go away now!' Don't ask why, I'm weird at the best of times. 

Anywho, Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I apologize now to my face for not introducing Liz Earle to you sooner. What a blimmin amazing cleanser. 

For those of you who perhaps don't know how this works, you basically massage the creamy formula into your make-up which starts to break the make-up down. Now, I was scared to rub this over my eyes. The smell is really refreshing but quite strong so I think this made me scared that it was gonna sting like a bitch. However, I can assure you that it doesn't! Literally, it doesn't irritate my eyes at all even when it is smeared all over my eyelids/lashes and I have my eyes open. Once you've had fun with how crazy you look with your make-up everywhere, you take one of the Liz Earle Muslin Cloths and rinse this under fairly hot water and start wiping off the product. Your make-up honestly slides off with it. I've never come across anything that takes my make-up off so effortlessly. Even the most stubborn make-up such as the Benefit They're Real mascara comes off with no problem at all. The Muslin Cloth also acts as a gentle exfoliater therefore it lifts away dead skin cells leaving your skin so soft just like a baby's bum.

After using this cleanser, my skin looks brighter and just squeaky clean. It's so refreshing.

To top this off, the product boasts naturally active ingredients so your skin is treated to a mixture of chamomile, cocoa butter, rosemary and eucalyptus essential oil. The cocoa butter is added to moisturize whilst the other ingredients 'tone, soothe and purify.' Who doesn't like the sound of that?! 

After just over a week of using this product, I have noticed a difference in my skin. My make-up sits better and any red patches I previously had seem to have calmed down. My skin feels softer and after using it, I always feel so much fresher. 

The starter kit includes a 100ml bottle of Cleanse & Polish and two Muslin Cloths and retails at £15.50 in Boots.

Have you tried any other Liz Earle products? I'd love to know as this is the only one I have tried out so far!

Love Leah x

Taken from John Lewis.

Good Friday ||| FOTD & OOTD

Evening! I thought I would quickly do a little face/outfit shot to show what I've done with ma face and what I'm wearing this Good Friday evening! I love seeing other posts of fotd's and ootd's! I'm going out for food and drinks with some friends, what are you doing?

Face

Foundation - Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Concealer - Benefit Booing 

Powder - Maybelline Matte Maker Mattifying Powder

Bronzer - Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Eyes

Max Factor Excess Shimmer in Copper

The Body Shop Eye Colour in 07

NYX Roll On Shimmer in Walnut

Mascara - Benefit They're Real

Eyeliner - Seventeen Brow Pencil (it works well, haha!)

Eyebrows (which I cut out of shot, woops!)

Seventeen Brow's That! Brow Kit

Lips

Softlips Lip Balm in Cherry

Soap and Glory Lipstick in Naked Beige

Shirt - M&S

Wet Look Leggings - New Look

Boots - New Look

Happy Easter!

Love Leah x

Review ||| Paul Mitchell Heat Seal

I've not done a review in such a long time and I always like to share any hidden treasures which you may not have discovered! So I thought I'd kick things off with a brand I've loved for a long time - Paul Mitchell. I've always liked their shampoos and conditioners and absolutely LOVE their mousse (which they unappealingly call sculpting foam - hmm) so considering I like to straighten my unruly, curly hair quite a lot, I thought I'd invest in their heat protector spray. Now, I have a lot of hair but each strand is really really and I mean really thin so it breaks really easily. Have I said really enough? Anyway, this often means that once I start straightening, I find my hair gets shorter and shorter and I devastatingly have been asked before now "have you had your hair cut?" What a heartbreaking question for someone who loves long hair.

So, I tried keeping my hair curly for as long as I could without straightening it and did manage a few months to try and build up it's strength and get it growing again. Don't get me wrong, I like having curly hair but every person with curly hair knows that it ain't easy! The daily struggle you endure in the morning trying to tame it with different concoctions of serum, mousse, conditioner, the works! Yet, when I straighten my hair I can just give it a brush in the morning after straightening it the night before and I'm good to go!  SO MUCH EASIER. 

This heat protector claims it 'helps prevent damage from blow dryers and irons. Increases body and shine. Heat required to activate.' Pretty much the usual description you find on any heat defense spray so I do have to admit, it wasn't exactly the description that drew me in. It was the brand. However, I do love this spray! It smells amazing just like when you walk into a hairdressers and you get all different aromas hitting you. It's sort of like that. I have found that I've been getting less split ends from straightening when using this which is a massive deal for me! The only thing I'd say I don't like is the actual spray. It sort of sprays directly onto the section you aim for so that part gets loaded with the product, if that makes sense. It's not exactly like a fine mist which covers a bigger area of hair. Apart from that, I do really like using it! You don't need a lot at all. Just give your hair a good brush after using it to make sure it's evenly distributed and your hair will smell amazing afterwards as well.

I bought this 250ml bottle from www.lookfantastic.com for £14.95 and I would definitely recommend paying that little bit extra for a great product.

Have you tried this or any other heat sprays which are worth a try?

Love Leah x