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A little snippet of beautiful things related to make-up, skincare and all of that jazzy stuff. Something a little different to usual…

Breaking News, I Have Hair on My Legs

By May 11, 2018 Beauty

Today, I’m putting ethics and sustainability to one side. Today, I’m talking about body hair.

Why I Decided to Embrace My Leg Hair

If I remember correctly, I’d just come out of the shower, my hair wrapped up in giant twisted towel upon my head, as I lay on my bed in a dressing gown, not quite ready to slip into my pyjamas for the evening. I was probably absentmindedly scrolling through Tumblr on my laptop which I’d left out, procrastinating on unravelling my hair and brushing it through so it could be dried, when I looked down at my legs.

It had been a while since I’d last touched them and by that I mean, it had been a while since I’d removed the hair that grew upon them. I’d taken care of them just before Christmas because I’d felt like it was necessary to do so at such a festive time of the year, even though it was cold and snowing and I knew I’d barely look down at them for weeks on end as I concealed them with 200-denier tights and different pairs of trousers.

I must have stroked my hand down my leg and felt the hairs which had regrown stand up between my fingers because suddenly my legs had my full attention. I remember looking down and for the first time, feeling genuinely disturbed by something I saw on my body (the first time since I had chicken-pox, that is).

Quite honestly, it scared me. It scared me because I was looking down at something so natural and meant-to-be yet it felt and looked alien. I realise that how I’m articulating this moment in time might seem a little dramatic and hyperbolic but it’s exactly how I remember it. It unsettled me.

Why I Decided to Embrace My Leg Hair

I immediately jumped onto a Facebook conversation with a close-friend because although I knew what this was all about, I still needed to vent and exert this new-found energy and even anger, somehow.

I started to ‘shave’ (well, depilate with hair removal cream) my legs when I was about 13. I remember nervously asking my mum what I should buy in order to deal with it and she guided me down this new path of grooming. It wasn’t my first introduction to this aspect of ‘being a woman’, of course.

I remember a couple of years prior, sitting in a line with my back up against a school wall with a group of friends as we looked out our legs in front of us, several of the girls commenting on the fact that they needed to start shaving when they were barely even 12.

It was always a given that I would eventually start shaving myself, and so, that time came around and it became ingrained in my routine. Every 4 days, I’d jump in the shower with hair on my legs and vacate with dolphin-smooth skin… up until that day a few months ago, when I looked down and realised I’d forgotten what it felt like to see my legs do what they’re supposed to do.

This moment of disturbance came out of laziness because hair-removal isn’t exactly an easy task, as most of you will probably have experienced. Even if you’re a man who only shaves their beard, you can still relate that it takes time and patience to complete the job at hand, precisely. After all, if nobody was seeing my legs during winter, surely I should take a break until the sunshine reappears?

Christmas and its festivities had passed and now I was faced with this dilemma. Do I ignore the fact that I have become afraid of a natural process or do I challenge it?

In the aforementioned Facebook conversation, my friend and I discussed the hair-removal industry. A point arose, suggesting that hair-removal is, in one sense, a hypocritical action. We’ve become a society which doesn’t want to see hair on a woman’s legs yet we put so much attention on that (whether it be just day-to-day or in broader terms with things like advertising), that we almost highlight leg hair more than we would if we just let it be.

And yes, this is a recent societal development (at least from what I know in the West). In the early 1900s, due to more modest clothing being in fashion, women didn’t concern themselves with hair removal on a regular basis.

Why I Decided to Embrace My Leg Hair

Of course, it isn’t just leg hair that ties into this. All forms of body hair have been warped and deemed as ‘unacceptable’ when it comes to women’s bodies but I will talk more about why I chose to specifically focus on leg hair, further on.

I will add here, that if anyone jumps in to suggest that it isn’t just an issue that women have to face, then I suggest you move along because I would rather you save the both of us time and energy for a more intelligent discussion.

At that moment, I nervously decided to say yes to the challenge to stop removing the hair on my legs. I didn’t give myself any rules and I decided that if I ever felt uncomfortable, I would do whatever it took to make me feel myself again. I allowed myself to conceal my legs however I pleased and I made sure that I was always asking myself if I was doing it for the right reasons.

I call it a challenge because I believe it was. After four years of consistently removing my leg hair (more so in summer, less so in winter), it was a strange feeling to suddenly stop and watch my legs develop and grow as they would do without interference. After all, why are my legs any different to my arms?

Why I Decided to Embrace My Leg Hair

Naturally, like all change, it took a while for me to adjust but I felt comfortable in myself after not too long (it was honestly a relief to not have to worry about when I next needed to ‘deal with them’) but then I became faced with displaying my legs to the rest of the world as the warmer weather crept in and trousers felt like they were beginning to suffocate me.

Perhaps the challenge wasn’t necessarily allowing myself to grow my hair out, rather, it was challenging myself to ignore what people might think because we do live in a society where it is deemed as the norm to have shiny-smooth legs. (Even in razor adverts, most of the time the model seen demonstrating the product is often shaving against bare skin, already.)

I started gradually, as I allowed myself to do. I wore a floaty maxi dress with calf-high Dr Marten’s so you could only see a tiny slither of skin when the wind blew. I wore a skirt with knee high socks so it was only my kneecaps showing (which are the least hairy part of my legs).

And then I went to the beach.

I took off my skirt and I wore shorts and socks until I was overheating in a start-of-spring heatwave. I looked around me, at the people oblivious to anything I was doing as they soaked up the sun and the sound of the sea rolling in. I finally removed my socks and I ran towards the shore and I realised, it was something I hadn’t ever thought I would see myself doing.

It may seem like a first-world problem to have to focus on this all so heavily but it felt so invigorating. I’d passed the challenge almost unintentionally and within a few weeks, I was walking around town with shorts on and arriving at the beach again in just a bikini.

Nobody stopped and stared like I’d been imagining. Nobody called out and laughed. Because honestly? Nobody has the time to stop and look and decipher whether your legs are disturbing or not. Only you do because it’s your body. Try it yourself; see how many pairs of legs you actually pay attention to unless they’re being covered by an amazing pair of printed trousers.

These sorts of thoughts started to enter my mind when I listened to an episode of The Guilty Feminist podcast quite some time ago, where the hosts discussed the fact that these sorts of actions towards our bodies are all part of a choice. The important part to remember is why you made that choice in the first place.

I didn’t decide to start removing the hair on my legs at 13 because I felt genuinely uncomfortable with how they looked or how I was being perceived. I just knew it was expected of me. However, when you make such a personal choice based on what you believe other people will think of you, that’s not your choice. That’s you letting other people decide for you and for the most part, they’re strangers.

Why I Decided to Embrace My Leg Hair

As you’ve probably gathered, I still haven’t touched my legs since December. This is not to say I don’t participate in any other forms of hair removal. For example, especially in the summer, I don’t enjoy having hair under my arms when I’m hot and sweaty. That’s just not for me, out of physical comfort.

Although, for any part of my body, my mind could change in a few months, or even weeks. This is why I hope this doesn’t come across as me preaching or making anybody feel bad for the choices that they make.

It’s almost been an experience in honour of my 13-year-old self, who didn’t understand why she was doing what she was doing other than that it was expected of her.

I still believe it is expected of me (not necessarily individually, but myself, as a woman) and I still know that there are many girls (and boys) who will grow up believing this is what should be done. It should always be a case of what you want, even if it takes you time and a bit of a challenge, to truly understand what that means.


Tolly Dolly Posh on GIPHY

For anyone who has contemplated taking this sort of challenge for themselves, I would like to point out that during all of this (and even now), I was using Instagram as a tool to inspire me.

By following along with people who embraced natural beauty and even artists who used body hair in their work, I was able to ease myself into it whilst feeling supported. I even took to painting a ‘leg self-portrait’ to capture the journey, which is, of course, still continuing.

I’ve even started to notice that if I see a pair of hairy pins () in my feed, I don’t automatically jump to assuming it’s a man.

This is also a chance for me to say thank you to anyone who has more directly supported me in this by responding to my Instagram Stories about the topic. Community is so important and in this case, it can do a whole lot of good.

Add this GIF sticker to your Instagram Stories by searching “@tollydollyposh” under GIFs. For all your hairy leg (or pin) needs!


 

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Music Genre Inspired Lookbook*

By May 15, 2014 Beauty, My Style

A while ago now, I decided that I didn’t want to do make-up or beauty related things on this blog, and I still don’t want too. I don’t enjoy writing about it and to be quite honest, the posts I did write, weren’t exactly proving popular, but (there’s always a but), when a cute perfume brand called Music To My Nose got in touch with me, I was intrigued. A little light bulb went off, and I broke the rule, but I hope you like my idea none the less 😉 Oh and do excuse the slightly delirious faces… who knew the wind could make me look so odd?!

music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nosemusic genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseWhat I Wore: Indie’ Perfume (Music To My Nose)*, Over-sized Sheer Tile Print Blouse (Jumble Sale), Polka Dot Dungarees £8.00 (ASOS), Cross Necklace (The Little Deer)*, Floppy Hat (Jumble Sale) & Black Jelly Sandals (Supermarket)

‘Indie’ is a slightly floral, fresh, light and calming scent. I would say it’s one of my favourites which I received. It’s a perfect everyday perfume, slightly on the darker side, but it is just heavenly. It’s notes are: Juicy Pineapple, Jasmine, Bergamot & Coconut. I think the Pineapple makes this sent that tiny bit more sweet, and the Jasmine adds the freshness.

The outfit I chose is actually one I have worn quite a few times recently! It’s super comfortable, but it has that slight unique twist to it, with the bold print clash and the vibrant colours. To me ‘Indie’ is casual, but with a vintage vibe, and I hope I have portrayed that well. I love my floppy hat too, it fits SO well (it feels like somebody molded it for my very own head), and it was an absolute bargain.

music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseWhat I Wore: ‘On Tour’ Perfume (Music To My Nose)*, Faux Leather Biker Jacket (ARK Clothing)*, Smiley Face Top (Hero & Cape)*, Printed Midi Skirt (Jumble Sale), Floral Garland (Claire’s)* & Black Jelly Sandals (Supermarket)

‘On Tour’ is full, bright, fruity and a lot stronger than I had expected. The scent’s notes are Fresh Strawberry & Cream. To me, that doesn’t exactly come across. It smells a lot more like sweets than strawberries, but I can just about find the vanilla in there somewhere. I would say this is quite a summery scent, and definitely not an everyday wear. Maybe you could wear it at a festival?

I wanted the whole outfit to be bright but with a little bit of edge (after all, who isn’t edgy when they’re ‘on tour’?). The biker jacket pulls it all together, with the yellow smiley top (LOVE this, I’ve been wearing it a lot with my dungarees), skirt and floral garland making it fun! This skirt was an absolute steal…. *builds up anticipation* It was… 50 CENTS! LIKE, WHAT?! It’s so soft, bright and up ma’ street. I lurrrrve it.

music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my nose music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseWhat I Wore:Biggest Fan’ Perfume (Music To My Nose)*, Stripey Crochet Cropped Jumper (Jumble Sale), Floaty Buckle Strap Dress (Matalan), Floral Garland (ASOS) & Blue Jelly Sandals (Sun Jellies)*

‘Biggest Fan’ is fruity, but not too overpowering like ‘On Tour’. It’s light, and perfect for summer. A great everyday perfume if you like fruity scents. The notes are Ripe Mango & Juicy Peaches It’s at a real tie with ‘Indie’ for my favourite scent!

For the outfit, I made sure it included a floaty item (not sure why…), and this Matalan dress definitely fits the bill! I do think I should have worn shorts though… way too short for me now! Oops! I love the top underneath though! It’s very cropped, but I think in the summer with a bikini underneath it will be fine! The colours are so vibrant in it, and match my jelly shoes perfectly! To make the outfit a bit more me, I of course added a hair accessory. This is one of my favourites, from ASOS… obviously!

music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseIndie//Pop//On Tour//Biggest Fan//Rhythm//Stage Dive
music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseCombo #1: Indie + Pop (Purse (Jumble Sale) & Infared Lipstick (Topshop))

One of the things Music To My Nose promotes, is layering perfumes. I’d never thought about it before, but now I can do it easily! I tested out some combos, and these are my favourite I found! Mixing ‘Indie’ & ‘Pop’, gives you that classic scent that you’d find on your friend’s mum… you know that stereotypical mum scent? I know it sounds weird, and it might only be me, but these on top of each other, smell just like that! It’s a simple, fresh and comfortable mixture to wear. Very pleasant!

music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseCombo #2: Stage Dive + On Tour

I. am. not. kidding. This combination smells just like a strawberry and chocolate crepe. ‘Stage Dive’ is actually a chocolate scent, so mixing the two, makes sense, right?! If you want to smell edible, GET THESE TWO SCENTS! Weirdly, the strawberry in ‘On Tour’ comes out more when you mix the two… maybe that was purposeful? It’s like perfume magic.

music genre inspired lookbook music to my noseCombo #3: Biggest Fan + Rhythm

If you’re thinking of toning down one of these scents, then just add them together! Some how the scent gets more subtle, and it’s just a really light and airy fragrance. I could definitely imagine wearing it to the beach… If only these were waterproof so it would still be there after a quick dip… hmm… This combination is definitely going to be a beach bag essential!

I really hope you liked this post! I know it was slightly long, but I think Look books can be such a nice way to gain style inspiration, or just find separate pieces which you fancy the look of! 🙂 My next post will be a blog studio tour.. so stay tuned 😉 If you really liked it, please don’t forget to vote for me as Best Teen Style Blog! Click here to do so! I’m on Page 8! Thank you so much! 😀

(This post is not sponsored or paid for. Music To My Nose ‘scent’ (get it?!) me some perfumes to try and I thought doing a Lookbook would be a cool idea! You can see my full PR disclaimer here.)

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Blogging Q&A with For The Love Of Lucie

By December 3, 2013 Beauty, Fashion

Woah woah woah, it’s December 3rd already?! This year has gone too quickly! Anyhow, today we have a Q&A with November’s advertiser, Lucie from For The Love of LucieIf you would like to Advertise next month (January) make sure you check out the packages here

for the love of lucie fashion blog teen blog style bloggers

What inspired you to start your Blog?: I have always loved reading blogs and YouTube videos such as: FleurDeForce and MissBudgetBeauty. So one day I decided to create my little piece of the internet! I also would love to be a make-up artist so another reason was to share my love of beauty and fashion.

Why did you choose Fashion?: I love keeping on top of designer fashion trends, and recreating outfits from high street stores. I really enjoy sharing my outfit ideas and makeup reviews online. It really satisfies me if people find what I write about useful.

What are you top tips on starting a Blog?: Stay organised! Buy notebooks or planners, just anything to stay on top of your posts! Also don’t write posts for views, write what you want to write about (I cant stress this enough!)

What have been your Blogging Targets for this year?: I wanted to balance blogging and school and do regular posting again! I also wanted to reach 50 followers on BlogLovin’ but I am so happy with the amount I have at the moment.

Who are your favourite fellow Bloggers?: I love to read you Tolly! I also love MissBudgetBeauty, A Model Recommends and Madame Gourmand Lifestyle

Where’s your favourite place to grab a bargain and why?: I love Primark, they have just about everything for amazing prices. Whenever I need something usually the first place I will go is Primark to see if they have what I want in (guilty).

What’s your personal style and what do you do to work it?: I wear what I like and I feel confident in it. My style would probably be girly/edgy. I love love love dresses but I also love throwing an oversized jumper over some comfy skinny jeans.

CHECK OUT FOR THE LOVE OF LUCIE HERE: 
Blog//Twitter//BlogLovin’

**Make sure to check out Let’s See, an amazing photography blog!** (This is a sponsored link)

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Blogging Tips & Q&A with Miss L J Beauty

By October 29, 2013 Beauty

One of this month’s advertisers, Miss L J Beauty, is here to talk beauty blogging! Enjoy…

What inspired you to start your Blog?: I have always loved reading blogs. To be honest I never thought I’d get any followers I just wanted somewhere to share my passion for all thing beauty.

Why did you chose Beauty as a topic?: Beauty is my passion and in my day job I’m not able to wear much make up and I love it so it’s nice to be able to chat about my passion. I share my make up looks on my blog.

What are your top tips on starting a Blog?: Just do it! I am a new blogger and I am learning everyday. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, the beauty blogger world is full of amazing and helpful people.

missljbeauty

What are your blogging targets for this year?: To be honest I don’t have goal and it was a huge surprise when I hit 20 followers let alone 100, so I would love to reach 250 BlogLovin’ followers by the end of this year!

Who are your favourite fellow bloggers?: Ooo I love so many… Kirsty from Yellow Brick Blog, Bethany Worrall, Tattooed Tea Lady and The Sunday Girl! Gosh I could go on for ever!

missljbeauty

What trend are you looking forward to rocking this A/W?: Tartan tartan tartan being a highland lass I love me some tartan!

What are your favourite make-up brands, high end and low end?: Ooo I have to say Superdrug because of MUA, and for high-end, MAC. It’s all about MAC!

What’s your personal style and what do you to work it?: My style changes so often I love experimenting but if I’m honest with my hour glass shape, I am restricted to more flattering pieces. You can’t get better than a skater dress!

Make sure to check out Miss L J Beauty here: BLOG//Twitter

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The Ultimate Guide To Being A Teenager

By October 5, 2013 Beauty, DIY & Lifestyle, Fashion

Just a quick sort of ‘letting you know’ post today! I have been thinking of doing this for a while (in fact I think I thought of it in June…), and have finally completed it! I’d like to give a few  one thank you, to my big sister for making me actually push the publish button on this one. Nothing in it is too personal, but I just wasn’t 100% sure on it, but it’s out there now! So here it is…

guide to being a teenagerYes, I’ve turned into a teenage guru apparently. Not really, I just wanted to give some advice to all you fellow teens, basically it’s a guide to being a teenager (a darn awesome one). I’m not going to give you the rules of how to be the perfect child, or how to deal with ‘girl stuff’, I’m simply telling you a few ways to feel more comfortable and positive about your own skin. In other words an ‘Insecurity’ guide. If you click on the above image or you can click here to read the guide. I popped it on a separate page so those of you who aren’t so interested don’t have a long ramble on teen stuff, slap bang in the middle of my blog posts. I do hope you enjoy it, and if you do please leave a comment with feedback/advice/your thoughts on what I had to say. It would make me very happy as I put a lot of effort into this one! For all non teen readers, posting will ‘remain as usual’ in a day or so!

Make sure to check out Anything Bas blog! It’s a great photography blog, full of inspiration. (End of post ad link)

 

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Autumn Inspiration: Fashion, Music & Life

By September 23, 2013 Beauty, DIY & Lifestyle, Fashion

Hello, ‘ello, ‘ello! So, I’ve been thinking of doing this post for a while, and after the recent #lbloggers chat on Twitter, it made me just go with it. I hope you enjoy this new post, and hopefully it can become a monthly occasion on my blog…

inspiration the xxThe XX I recently discovered this band, and I love them. They’re a British band which is very rare to come across these days (I think), and they are really quite good. They’re inspiring because they make me relaxed and just make me want to zone out and chill for a while. If you like indie, and a good bass, then this a definitely a band to check out.
Image Source: Chart Attack

inspiration cara delevigne and eddie redmayneEddie Redmayne & Cara When having a conversation with my best bud (her blog is pretty cool), I ended up looking through Eddie Redmayne pictures, as you do. I stumbled upon these, and WOW. Cara just looks… like Cara (i.e pretty darn awesome), and Eddie, just looks… cute ^-^ The reason these are inspiring is… well… um… just… they’re nice?!
Image Source: Rebloggy

inspiration baby feetA New Generation I’m getting ridiculously excited now. If you don’t know, I’m going to become an aunty very very soon! It’s going to be so weird for me, seeing as I have never held such a tiny creature of the same species, and I have never really been up close and personal with a bubba. I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to meet my niece/nephew (eek!)
Image Source: Embell

inspiration sunsetSunsets & New Beginnings FYI, no I have not fallen in love. Haha! First of all, I just love Sunsets. They’re inspiring because they are so beautiful, and they clear my mind when I see them. As of New Beginnings, it’s Autumn, which means only one thing… Winter. Winter means that it is nearing the end of a year. This year has been such an amazing year. I’ve moved to abroad, I’ve been told that I’m becoming an aunty, I’ve achieved so many things, and met some amazing people. I cannot believe that it has all happened in one year (and a bit). I know it’s not over yet, and I have had some amazing news which hopefully will pull through and I can let you know of, but I have a feeling that this year has been my best yet.
Image Source: Only HD Wallpapers

inspiration autumnSweater Weather Not only do I absolutely love the song, Sweater Weather, I actually love… Sweater Weather haha! I have a feeling that I will be wearing my good ol’ WOW jumper over and over again, with a few nice dresses underneath. I love the feeling of a nice sunny day with a fresh breeze. It’s inspiring because it makes me feel cosy and homely, which makes me feel like spending more time, just chilling.
Image Source: Pinterest

inspiration outfitCoral Tea Dress £22.00 (River Island Teens), Pink Marl Slouchy Top £22.00 (River Island Teens), Leopard Print Chelsea Boots £50.00 (River Island), Scallop Trim Satchel £22.00 (ASOS), Barry M Eyeliner £4.59 (ASOS) & Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick £7.99 (ASOS).

As for what I hope to wear this Autumn, I love layering different tones of colours. For example, berries and oranges are perfect! I love putting jumpers over collared dresses, with a nice satchel! I think it looks nice and vintage! I also love eyeliner in Autumn, and of course a berry lipstick!

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The Beauty Reviews #3: Concoctions & Heal Gel*

By September 1, 2013 Beauty

What up, peeps?! Today it is the 3rd installment of The Beauty Reviews. If you don’t know already this is the only beauty post I publish on this blog. It happens every month, and it’s basically a round up of some products I have been loving (or hating!). I’m not 100% feeling these posts, so please let me know if you like them or not, but yeah… enjoy…

thebeautyreviews

Concoction ‘ShampYou’ £14.00 & Creme De Conditioner £16.00*: I was really excited to receive these products. The concept of Concoction, is basically to personalise your haircare. You can choose from a variety of ‘bases’ for your shampoo and a choice of different ‘shots’ which are things like moisture boosts etc, just like a cocktail. I have the Bakhour ShampYou base, with the Turn Up The Volume & Back To Your Roots Superserums and the Cashmere & Water Lily Conditioner. First of all… The packaging; It’s sleek, and simple, but when wet, it is really slippery and hard to hold. The lids are quite hard to use because it means having to squeeze the slippery bottle to actually get the product out, of which I found hard to do with the conditioner. The Superserums; You add these to the shampoo. Snap the lids off, and unscrew the bottle of shampoo, pour in the serums and shake for at least a minute. I found this quite an annoying process in my opinion, but I like how personal it is. The outcome; To be honest with you, I think this is an over priced product.. eep! I didn’t see a massive difference when I used the products together. The shampoo did it’s job in making my hair clean, but it didn’t really make it fresh like some other ones I use. The conditioner again didn’t really do much, but did make my hair silky. I haven’t seen extra volume in my hair from the Turn Up The Volume Superserum, but my roots do feel a bit nicer from the Back To Your Roots one. All In All; I think I will need to keep trying this product even more to see exactly the changes, so I will report back to you! But for now, I’m not 100% feeling it. The concept is nice, but the product… hmm? Rating: 6.5/10

thebeautyreviews3b

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 640, Plum Luck: As it’s getting nearer to A/W, I’m using darker colours on my nails. This colour is a really nice, dark purple colour. It looks almost black, but with a nice purpley red tone to it. With a clear top coat it looks so shiny, and takes around 4 days without chipping. It looks a lot lighter in the bottle, so I would be aware of that. It’s actually one of my favourite formulas at the moment, and the colour too. Rating: 8/10

Clarins One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser with Orange Extracts: I found this amongst a load of products which I rarely use, and I decided to give it a go. This cleanser is a really nice, fresh exfoliater. I like to use this after removing any make-up, but this is probably only once a week. Although it is quite gentle, I think if you have quite sensitive skin, it could be quite rough for you. I find even if I go on my cheeks, it can start irritating around my eye area, because the grains are quite big. The consistency is a nice creamy one though. I think it would be good for oily skin types, and a nice summer cleanser as it is refreshing. Rating: 7/10

Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Foaming Face Wash: I bought this sort of on a whim when I heard of foaming face washes (sounds silly that I’d never heard of them, I know!), but it’s actually really really nice. It’s amazingly gentle, but it definitely soaks into the skin. If I have any blemishes or small spots, I like to wash my face with this as it seems to reduce the appearance of them. It’s nice and foamy at first and you only need one pump, after rubbing it in it goes into a more soapy consistency which is when you know it is really working. Simply wash off with water, and voila! I use this most mornings and nights, and I’d say it is a perfect face wash for anyone my age or in their teens. Rating: 9/10

Heal Gel for Eyes £32.00*: I’ve been really interested in buying an eye gel because of what the beauty blogging community has been saying about them. I’ve used a cream one before, but really didn’t see any difference, so when this came up, I was intrigued. It’s a clear gel which comes with a handy pump. It’s a great travel size and would be great for people on the go. I love the packaging, it’s very simple and quirky. What I like about this is the fact that you can get really close up to your eyes, and it doesn’t irritate them at all. It’s very gentle. When using it, throughout the day or in the morning, I do see a difference. I also see a difference when I’ve been using it for around 2 days, but if I stop, my eyes just go back to normal. It makes my under eye area, nice and soft, and also a little tighter, but I don’t see much of a difference. I’m going to carry on using it and see if it makes a difference in the long run, but for now, I call it my ‘under eye moisturiser’. Rating 7/10

swatches

I hope you liked these mini reviews! I’m sorry it was a long one, but I had to fit a lot in! If you do like these posts, do let me know because I don’t know whether to keep them as part of my blog, or not? 

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Blogging Top Tips: Gaining Exposure

By August 22, 2013 Beauty, DIY & Lifestyle, Fashion

You lot seem to be absolutely loving this series of blog posts?! I didn’t think that it would be so popular! Following on from the last post, you guys wanted me to do a post all about ‘how to gain exposure’ for your blog, so here it is, Blogging Top Tips: Gaining Exposure! *long post… sorry*

socialmediaSocial Media: Twitter, Facebook & Instagram
Social Media is one of the best places to gain exposure because literally everyone and their dog has an account on one place or another. Here is my little guide of why to join what!

Why Use Twitter?: Twitter is the place to be as a blogger. Not only can you promote your blog, you can connect with brands and bloggers in your area, bloggers who are the same age, bloggers who blog about the same things, literally anyone.
What Can I Do On Twitter?: You can promote your blog, talk to people and share your views on topics. For bloggers I would recommend using Twitter for self promotion and connecting with people.
What To Remember?: Add the hashtag chats into your schedule. Times are in GMT.

Monday – #fbloggers at 8pm – Fashion.
Tuesday – #fblchat at 8pm – Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle.
Wednesday – #bbloggers at 8pm – Beauty.
Thursday – #fbloggers at 8pm – Fashion.
Friday – #teenagebloggerchat – Teen Bloggers.
Sunday – #lbloggers at 7pm, and #bbloggers at 8pm – Lifestyle & Beauty.

Why Use Facebook?: Facebook is great for connecting friends, family and friends of friends etc to your blog. Although this seems scary and ’embarrassing’ it’s nice to know what people think if they know you. It’s also nice because it’s a more safe environment in my opinion.
What Can I Do On Facebook?: You can promote your blog, get feedback easily, and get your favourite blogs into your feed! You can also create a Facebook page which you can link up to your BlogLovin’ so your ‘likers’ can get every post you publish, in their feed.
What To Remember?: Join blogging groups. It’s a great way to get exposure for your blogs and also you can find some new friends! The groups I have joined are: FBL BloggersThe makers of the #fblchat on Twitter – & Fashion Beauty Lifestyle Bloggers (Very similar but different bloggers in each).

Why Use Instagram?: A LOT of people use Instagram on their phones, so imagine taking pictures from your blog posts and reminding people to read them? It’s a good idea. AND you can also connect with brands who have Instagram too!
What Can I Do On Instagram?: Connect with brands, share your new blog posts and find new bloggers to chat with.
What To Remember?: Use hashtags which are relevant. Brands will follow the blogger hashtags so they can find people who would be good to connect with. Plus, you might just get some likes and followers!

advertiseblogAdvertise On Other Blogs: This is a great way to gain exposure! Not only will you connect with your favourite blogs you will also get their followers interested in another blog! A lot of bloggers either do button swaps, or they have very low prices. Obviously paying £25 to advertise on a blog for a month might be a bit too much, look at smaller blogs who have quite a few followers of which are interested in the same things as you. This is also good because brands who connect with the blogs you advertise on, may just want to connect with you as well. It’s also super easy! Pretty much 99.9% of bloggers will allow payment through PayPal, so it’s simples. *meerkat squeal* You can find my advertising prices here! Cheeky plug, I know 😉

guestblogGuest Blog For Other Bloggers: This is a really great way of gaining exposure. Bloggers have lives, which means… if they are going away or are having a little break, then they might need the help of YOU (yes, you) to blog for them! It’s pretty much free advertising. Take the opportunity to show your writing skills to another audience. It’s also a nice way to make your ‘Features’ or ‘Press’ page a little bit more bulky. It shows you can write well for other people, and for what ever type of topic.

 I hope you enjoyed this post! Unfortunately I can’t tell you how to make your views ping up. As I said in the last post, numbers don’t matter! The only thing I would say is to keep blogging. Every day if needs be. It keeps your followers interested and they will keep coming back. It’s taken me over a year to get where I am, and to be honest… I don’t even get a 500 views a day. It takes time and effort so keep going. You’ll ‘get there’ in the end. I promise. 🙂 *cheese on toast*

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The Beauty Reviews #2: Alison Claire & Mavala*

By July 27, 2013 Beauty

BEAUTYREVIEW2A beautyreview2b

 Bourjois Ultra Shine So Laque Nail Polish in Bleu Fabuleux 60, Mavala Lipgloss in Bubble Gum 28*, Alison Claire Remarkable Mango Body Butter £7.99 for 50ml*, TRESemme 24 Hour Body Shampoo & Sleep In Rollers Princess Gift Set £19.96*.

Bourjois Nail Polish: I have been loving this colour! It’s such a beautiful blue colour. It’s bright, but it’s not neon, and it’s also muted, but not pastel, so it’s just perfect. I would say you could apply 1 coat for a light shade, and 2 for fully opaque. It does chip unfortunately, and quite easily, so if they could just improve the formula, it would be perfect, as it has a great size brush which means easy application. Rating: 7.5/10

Mavala Lipgloss*: I got sent this ages ago for a gift, and at first I didn’t really like it. I think it’s a marmite product, where you’ll either love it… or you’ll hate it. The colour is quite nice, and for me who isn’t generally allowed to wear such a bold lip, it’s great. I like to dab it down to stain my lips, then add a sheer lip balm over the top so it is less vibrant. On it’s own though, it isn’t too sticky and it isn’t too matte, so overall it’s pretty good. Rating: 8/10

Alison Claire Body Butter*: I have finally found a body butter I like, well actually, I think I love this one. There are several reasons, 1 being the fact that it doesn’t leave your skin feeling sticky, it seems to soak in well, and with this boiling hot whether, it’s pretty darn good that it doesn’t. Secondly, the smell is quite nice. It reminds me of the fruit salad sweets, sort of sweet but sort of sour. I like. Finally, it’s perfect for travel. The size of the bottle is great, and it has a handy pump so it won’t leak everywhere. Rating: 9/10

Tresemme Shampoo: This shampoo is amazing! I love it! On my hair, it doesn’t exactly add too much volume, but it does make it feel very revitalised and fuller than usual. The texture is like a gel texture so it actually soaks into the hair. It’s been helping my hair from getting tangled as much. Rating: 8/10

Princess Sleep In Rollers*: Okay. I’m not quite sure what to say. I’ve been interested in these for ages, and when I got to test them out, I was pretty glad I didn’t have to buy them. Unfortunately they didn’t work. I did exactly what it says on the pack, which was to use on dry hairroll them in and grip them in place, then sleep. I did this, in fact I did it well. I rolled them in tightly, and I gripped them in tightly, AND, I slept all the way through the night. I woke up, took them out, gently brushed my hair to de-frizz the, ‘what were meant to be curls’ and the below picture is the result. Yup, that’s me the morning after. I wasn’t satisfied, but I think perhaps it could be the fact my hair is so limp and thin. Rating: 4/10 🙁

photo-1Voodoo Girl Crop Top*, Zara Shorts, Peace Popband*beautyreview2d beautyreview2c

I hope you enjoyed this month’s ‘The Beauty Reviews’! I really enjoyed doing this one, because I got to do product shots with the new camera! Woop! Hehe, sorry I’m a bit over excited about it! I am actually not going to be here on Monday, well I am just not blogging, but a post will be up then to explain. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

(Any products which were sent to review, or were sent to be featured in this post are marked with a *. All opinions are 100% honest.)

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Blogging Essentials: Top Tips for New Bloggers!

By July 15, 2013 Beauty, DIY & Lifestyle, Fashion

Since I was featured in Mizz Magazine in March, I have had quite a few emails saying ‘How do I start a blog?’ or ‘What should I do for my first blog post’, and instead of ignoring them, I replied and helped as much as I could. Obviously I don’t want to give my personal tips and tricks away, but I definitely know that some people need that little extra boost to get started, so I have put together a few things you should know and have in one handy post! *Awesome* Even if you are not a new blogger, I hope you enjoy it!

blogging essentials

Notebooks: It may seem an obvious one, but until seeing Alex from Bambella Blog instagram a picture of all her blogging notebooks, I didn’t own any! It’s super duper helpful to have some at hand because when you are a blogger, you need to remember ideas, email addresses, when you are going to publish a post etc. A top tip would be to colour code or label them! Green is for Monthly Ads, Upcoming Features, Packages in the  post and email addresses. Yellow is for my Blog Post Schedule. Blue is for Blog Post ideas. I have found it really helpful since buying these and most notebooks are very cheap, so go pick up a few! This is also a brilliant way to back up contacts etc because one day you may just find your laptop dies on you… poop.

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Laptop or PC: Again, it is a rather obvious one! You are obviously going to need a device to publish your posts on, but don’t worry about what you are using! I am using a Netbook which is pretty much a mini laptop. It does the job, but it is just small! When my MacBook broke recently it was annoying but I guess it was pretty old anyway, so don’t worry if you either have to down grade or you have to use an old one for a while, because the only things you need are the internet, a blog platform and the laptop!

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Camera(s): A lot of bloggers worry about not having the newest camera and all the newest lenses, but really it doesn’t matter! Sometimes I look at blogs and am like, ‘WOW, how is that a good camera they are using?’. The pictures in this post are all done by the iPhone 4?! Pretty impressive, non? Sadly once again, technology wasn’t on my side, and my camera broke too 🙁 It was pretty good actually, so if you are interested it is the Sony Cyber-Shot N50.  I really don’t think it matters whether you use a fancy camera or an iPhone, because as you can see these pictures came out well! I personally think the editing you do makes everything better.

blog post about bloggingPhoto Editor: Speaking of editors! I use PicMonkey along with a lot of bloggers! It is free (Premium account available) and does a really good job. You can re-size images, sharpen them, add text or shapes, and even add pretty effects! If you want to take it a step forward, I would probably suggest Photoshop, as you can now get one of the old versions for free! My family has Photoshop CS4 which is pretty good and it does everything you need, but I have found everything on there on PicMonkey, sooo…? You can decide on that one! The one thing I would say is if you are using Google Chrome, make sure you get the Ad Blocker plug in, because the ad at the bottom of PicMonkey can be annoying!

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Blog Cards: These babies are by MOO, in which have THE best customer service, a shop where you can pick up your cards (…on the run to the Style Blogger Awards…), and choose from different sizes, finishes and even cases?! I ordered the mini matte ones as they were the same price as the ordinary sized one but you got 150, instead of 50. I really would recommend MOO because they are ‘fast and affordable’ (No, this is not a sponsored post!). I think VistaPrint and other places do good value ones too.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I am thinking of doing another one along the lines of ‘how to deal with..’ because I know it might be helpful. As I have said above, it really doesn’t matter what technology you use, as long as you are happy with the outcome yourself then don’t worry! I did all of that on an iPhone and I am definitely not worried about it! Good Luck and if you are starting a new blog make sure to link me! I’m a nosy parker! 😉

Did these tips help you? Are you thinking of starting a blog of your own? What are your top tips for blogging? Make sure to share your thoughts in the comments below!

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