Four Month Blog Break - I'm Back.

So almost four months have passed since I've written a blog post which is almost hard to believe. How quickly does time go? Everyone says it but seriously, I actually can't believe it has been nearly four months that I've neglected my blog for. The reason being is that at the end of October my lovely Granny passed away after being hospitalized for two months. It was a draining, emotional time which brought back a lot of bad memories of when my Dad passed away in the same hospital nearly four years ago. Therefore I didn't really feel like doing much apart from going to work and I certainly didn't have the motivation or the attention span to write. It's hard to describe the surreal feeling of when a person that has been a part of your life since you were born is no longer around. It's hard to get your head around and it becomes a struggle to believe at first. Anyone who has lost someone I think will understand this even though people do go through different emotions and react to it differently. Anyway, I don't want this to be a deep or emotional sort of post. Just a little hello and to say I am back and motivated to write on this blog again :)

Watch this space.

PS. Happy belated new year!

Leah x 

Review ||| Organix Nourishing Coconut Milk Range

A 3 for 2 offer in Boots always draws me in and recently I've been more into trying to look after my hair more carefully. I've stepped away from the straighteners and I'm embracing my mad curls! I've been trying to find something that will strengthen my hair as each strand of my hair is really thin so it has a tendency to snap which doesn't help when I'm lusting for really long hair!

I've stopped to look at the Organix hair range for a while but for some reason never bought anything from them. I think it's because the shampoo and conditioner both retail at £6.99 which is the pricier end of drugstore products. It's not exactly a 2 for £6 Herbal Essences job is it?! Anyway, I took the plunge and decided to get the Coconut range purely because the words 'strength' and 'elasticity' drew me in and the smell is amazing! Like, it makes me want to taste it it smells so good. I picked up the shampoo, conditioner and the anti-breakage serum which was free with the 3 for 2 offer. Winner!

I've been using this range for about a month now and I really am loving it. The shampoo lathers really well and the organic coconut oils within both the shampoo and conditioner make my hair feel soft and manageable once I get out of the shower. I then use the anti-breakage serum on towel-dried hair which makes it so  much easier to run a wide-tooth comb through my hair and I've noticed my hair looks much smoother and less frizzy once I've applied it. All three products contain whipped egg white proteins which is the ingredient which helps add strength and elasticity. I love that this brand includes natural ingredients within their products instead of the often harsh chemicals and I would recommend buying these if you are looking to strengthen your hair or if you want a hair product which smells delicious! 

This description is also on the shampoo and conditioner

The only slight negative I'd have to say is the serum is quite sticky but I dry my hair immediately after applying it so I don't notice it being sticky in my hair at all. I just notice it on my hands once I've applied it so that's just me being picky.

Let me know if you've tried anything from Organix! They have so many different ranges so I'd love to know if you recommend any!

Love Leah x

Review ||| New Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Dry Shampoo

I'm really not a lover of dry shampoos. Like seriously. I hate the way they leave a white/grey residue in my hair which I find virtually impossible to completely get out as well as them choking me to death whenever I dare spray them. You might think I'm over exaggerating but I just really don't like them. No. Nada. Finito.

Yet, the other day, I found myself picking up the new Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Dry Shampoo. It just somehow found its way into my basket after I saw the words 'Clearly Naked'. My 30 second  thought process went a little like this: "hmm, maybe this won't leave the usual shite in my hair as 'clearly naked' sounds less thick and nasty and more light so I should probably give it a go."

...and that's how I ended up buying it and loving it.

Firstly, the smell is just SO fresh. Citrus and mint - who'd have thought it?! It's a really delicate scent, not over-powering at all yet lightly makes my hair smell of oranges and polos. So good!

Secondly, it doesn't leave that awful residue I'm sure other people hate as much as I do. As it says on the bottle 'a naturally refreshing, uninhibited experience.' Couldn't have put it better myself Herbal Essences!

It made my hair look fresher, got rid of any excess oil and made my hair smell lovely!

I've not been converted. I still dislike every other one I've tried. I've just found a dry shampoo that works well for me and for the first time ever, I can recommend one!

If you can get your hands on this, do so! It's currently on offer at Boots for £1.99 instead of £2.99.

Love Leah x

New Blog Name (again!)

I'VE CHANGED MY BLOG NAME AGAIN!

This is my third blog name now so instead of causing confusion, this little blog post is to put things straight.

I've gone from the most mundane title ever 'Make-up, Hair and Fashion' to the slightly more interesting 'Lashes and Curls' to my (fingers crossed) final blog name 'The Ultimate Obsessions'.

I feel like this title is much broader so I can cover more ground if I want to or if anyone else wanted me to!

Hope you like the new blog name!

Leah x

Please read x

This blog post is not about the usual light-hearted make-up/beauty topic that I usually delve into. I thought I'd get a little more serious today without trying to get too deep and meaningful so as to scare everyone away! If you continue to read on, even half way through, I salute you. I'm writing this for my own benefit really and if anyone feels cheerier by the end then that is brilliant too. So what am I actually going to ramble on about?

Being happy.

Oh god I can hear you say. That old cliche! Sometimes though it is necessary to step away from the world and take five minutes to stop and think. I'm glad you've chosen your five minutes to read this post.

Being happy is a strange old thing and sometimes it takes something horrific in your life to make you appreciate every little thing that is positive. OR, it can go the other way. Something horrific can happen and then you cannot escape the sadness you feel like you will endure forever. I've experienced both. Let me explain. When I was 16, my Dad sat me down and told me that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. This is the most horrific thing to have happened in my life. I experienced true heartache if you will, true sadness and felt what it was like to cry so hard that it hurt. Now, I'm not saying this for sympathy. I'm saying that I understand what it is like to feel like you will never be happy again. My dad was somebody I thought I would never lose and when he devastatingly passed away, it hit me hard.

However, it also made me realise that life is precious. Anything can happen. Eight months passed and my Dad was gone. If anyone had told me a year prior to my Dad's death that he would die of cancer the following year, I would have laughed in their face! He was healthy, active, a non-smoker, an occasional drinker and he ate well. 

Three years later and I feel like I am starting to fully understand that you can't be sad forever. Of course, some days I feel really sad and I think about  my  Dad on a daily basis. That's normal and natural. What I'm trying to say is, if something has got you down, try and remain positive. Easier said than done I know but what else is there to do? Sometimes you have to train yourself into a different way of thinking. I know people who really can't pick themselves up from their heartache and it is so damaging. 

Just try. 

Yesterday, I overheard a conversation between two women. One of which appeared to have cancer.

The first woman was moaning about how Christmas decorations/cards etc are in the shops now, something that is moaned about a lot. The second women then turned round and replied "well I didn't think I would be here this Christmas so I love it."

Is this not the perfect example to appreciate small things? I usually dislike Christmas without my Dad and usually do dread it but this year I feel like I've turned a corner. I'm not necessarily looking forward to the day but I'm looking forward to seeing the decorations in town, seeing my little cousin all excited and all of the general small things that come along with Christmas. 

Nobody knows what is around the corner so learn to appreciate life even if you are having a bad time. Things do look up eventually however big or small. Don't hate life, hate whatever bad thing has happened to you or is happening to you but continue to try and enjoy the small things in life. There is no point in remaining upset or angry forever no matter how hard it is not to. It will just make you feel more miserable.

I hope my rambling has made sense to somebody.

Love Leah x

Review ||| Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks

I have a review for you today! I picked up this lovely little pot in New York and I can say, hand on heart, that I've been loving this product ever since I got it. I usually stay away from things that can be used on both lips and cheeks because I always end up just using it on my lips as I usually hate cream-based cheek products. HOWEVER, I am really loving this for both lips and cheeks! Hoorah!

    

I got this in the shade 24 Fresh Melon - a gorgeous and subtle light peach shade. As soon as I apply it, I find it melts onto your lips/cheeks making it super blendable and easy to apply. It leaves the most lovely natural looking glow on your cheeks without being to pigmented to make you look like a clown! Never a good look. On your lips, I guess it leaves a nude look and I have had people ask what I'm wearing which is always nice!

The only down side I'd say is the smell. It doesn't really have much of a scent only that standard clay-type smell you find when a scent hasn't been added but I guess as this is a cheek product too, it makes sense for it not to smell of much so I can't complain!

I would definitely recommend this though if you are looking for a lovely subtle peach product which has more than one use which is easy to apply.

Love Leah x

5 Things To Expect During Freshers Week

I have MAJORLY slacked on blogging the past couple of weeks *slaps wrist* so I'm coming back on this fine Tuesday morning with a slightly different topic than usual. Now it has hit September, it has finally properly hit me that I have graduated and won't be going back to university this month. This genuinely makes me so sad and leaves me a little bit in limbo as I have always left my part-time job to go back to education. It's always been something I've taken for granted and now it has all finished, it really is the weirdest feeling. I have to find a real job! I mean, what is that all about?! So, with that in mind, I thought I would write about five things I experienced during freshers week when I first went to university back in 2011 which you may or may not experience too!

1. Your flatmates/housemates will become your best friends by the end of freshers week. Seriously, after spending an entire week with them 24/7, you will feel like you've known them forever. After all, all that time  spent together in just one week will probably add up to the amount of time you've spent with your home friends in one year! 

2. You will find yourself having a fresher-style hangover during a 'practice lecture' you knew nothing about until the day it happened. Seriously beware of this! I luckily didn't have one of these yet so many of my friends did and caught themselves having to drag themselves to the lecture theatre trying their best not to throw up in front of their new tutors. Wouldn't be the greatest first impression, right?!

3. You'll stay up until an un-earthly hour chatting about nonsense with your new friends just because you can! You're away from home and don't have to creep around having to be quiet anymore. Everyone else is up and nobody wants to be the first one to say "I'm going to bed now!" Make the most of this novelty in first year before it starts getting serious in second year and the dreaded dissertations of third year creep up on you!

4. You may find yourself in the midst of a war with your neighboring hall. A bit of light rivalry never hurt anyone, right?! That is until a mixture of eggs, flour, off milk and gravy granules is thrown over your opponents - then s**t gets serious! 

5. Time will go so fast. Make the most of everything. Before I knew it, I was entering third year and planning my dissertation. It's scary how fast your time at university goes never mind freshers week. So, make the most of the one week where you can go out every night and sleep in until the following evening ready for your next night out!

I hope this gave you some sort of idea of what I experienced and if you are off to university for the first time this month, good luck!!! It's gonna be amazing.

Love Leah x