Lessons you learn after leaving further education

I'm now into my second year as a working person (I say person, as I definitely don't feel like an adult) and thought I'd share my thoughts (you could even call them life lessons) with you, on life after further education.

A weekend with no plans is actual bliss. Loud clubs, late nights and poorly heads VS well rested and binge watching Gilmore Girls = No competition. Plus the occasional night out you go on will either be a) more fun as you haven't done it in a while or b) a reminder you how great your life and bank balance is now you've stopped going out every week/night.

Nobody actually cares what you do/say/wear! They're too busy thinking about themselves. (To be honest, this still counts at uni too.) What counts now is how you act! If you're hard working and dedicated, no one will care if you have your hair scraped up and no make-up on.

Building up a savings is hard, but you should always try and save as much as you can each month.

Reading is actually really fun, when it's not forced.

A 10am lecture is not early. Starting work at 7am is. Speaking of which, there are two 7 o'clocks in a day, just F.Y.I.

Having lots of Facebook friends doesn't mean you have lots of friends.  Culling my friends list was the most cathartic thing I've done. A good rule of thumb is, if you don't recognise anybody in a picture, delete them.

You don't know how lucky you are with all the free time you get. One, three hour lecture a day is nothing; try an 8 hour day with an hour long commute, five days a week. However you do get a sense of pride for actually doing something with your time.

You'll realise that missing an episode of TV is not life or death! You may even find you don't have time for TV, and don't even miss it.

Your first job may not be your dream job, but take what you can! It's tough at the moment and any source of income is important. You can always apply for other things after.

There's more to life than make-up, hair, clothes and shoes! (Who knew!) 

The real world isn't that bad!

Beginning to Budget

When I first got into blogging I was in the middle of university so had a hefty student loan grace my bank account at the start of each month and lived slap bang in the middle of pretty good town centre. These two really don't mix, as I always found a reason to go have a mooch around the shops; 'I'll just go for a little walk around, stretch my legs,' 'oh I only need a few things,' 'I'm just going to Sainsbury's to get a banana, but there's no harm in popping into Boots' were regular sayings out of my mouth. Couple that with the fact that I was hooked to my laptop devouring blog post after blog post and watching video after video, I knew there was so much I wanted to buy. Once after watching a YouTuber rave about a product I walked into town at 6 o'clock on a Friday evening and picked it up. I was a woman obsessed.

Now that I actually earn my own money and don't have the safety of my student loan or interest free student overdraft (I actually have to pay it back now, sob! Although I've managed to pay off my overdraft in less than 6 months which I'm proud of) I've learnt to be a lot more careful with my money, and thought someone else may learn(!) from the budgeting tips and tricks I've picked up.

1) Set yourself a weekly/monthly budget and stick to it - Each time I get paid I sit down and work out how much money I want to put in savings, outgoings that will occur in the month (think phone bill and any other standing orders) and then see how much I'm left with. A then give myself a weekly budget which I use for food, petrol, meals out and the odd treat. If you are a student trying giving yourself monthly allowances rather than spending your loan all at once, it saves the beans on toast for tea meals that occur at the end of the month.

2) Set yourself a small amount for treats - Being on a budget doesn't mean you can only buy budget items. I still love treating myself to a fancy brand lipstick or blusher, but because I've budgeted it for it I get to enjoy it guilt free, which is even better. I like to see how much money I have at the end of the week and then treat myself to the item I want. Much better than buying it and having to scrimp for the rest of the week.

3) Read in-depth reviews and don't impulse buy - Hands up how many of you have purchased an item because your favourite blogger has mentioned it (raises both hands and feet too)! It happens. It's easy to get lost in a blogger hype however what works for some doesn't work for others. There are lots of bloggers whose blogs I love to read but know we don't have the same skin type/tone so I approach the products the mention with caution. However with bloggers I know have similar skin types as me I tend to focus on buying those products. If there is a product I'm thinking about trying I try to find reviews before purchase and try not to go into Boots or Selfridges without knowing what I want to buy as it stops me buying items I don't need.

4) Keep note of what you're buying/keep receipts - This is slightly anally retentive and probably not for everyone but I like to write down each night how much I've spent that day in a diary and keep track of how much money I have for the rest of the week. I also like to keep my receipts to prove to myself how much I've been spending. I great thing about keeping receipts also means that any impulse buys I make can be returned. Especially useful as I hate trying things on in shops but always used to misplace my receipts.

5) Shop your (and your friends) stash - Chances are you've already got a big stash of make-up hidden somewhere (so your mom doesn't see and shout at you)! Go through your stash and re-live some old gems, and consider how similar they are to new items you're coveting. It's really easy to think you need new items to blog about, but finding old ones and creating new features, for me, is much more appealing then reading the 100th review on the new Urban Decay palette (sorry peeps!) I also love seeing what's in other people's make-up bags, so why not see what you're friends are using too? Chances are they could have some products they no longer want and you could do a little swap?

Obviously these tips are not profound and have more than likely been said countless times before, but they are the ones that I really find have helped me focus and curb my spending. Of course I still have the odd splurge every now and again after a crappy day (or when I'm in the mood) but they're much more controlled and save me from a massive panic at the end of the month.

What are your budgeting tips?

Laura xoxo

How to Extend your Reading List

Sometimes it's easy to find yourself getting stuck in a bit of a rut, both in life and in the blogging world. I for one fall into ruts on many occasions. It's always the same I have a good handful of unread blog posts in my bloglovin' yet I still find myself wanting a new blog to read. To me, a good blog is the same as a good book, I want to find one and get lost in it. I know I've found a good blog when I find myself scrolling through it's archive. The same goes for videos too, I can have plenty in my watch-later folder and still want someone new to watch. The idea for this very post came whilst I was hunting for something new to get lost in and thought I'd share some of my tips (if you can call them that!) with you.

1) Search Key Words - whether it be in Google, bloglovin' or YouTube type in key word you're looking for and scroll through the results. I love watching Get Ready with Me videos so type that into YouTube to see what videos there are out there. If you like a certain type of blog post search for that too, or even just search 'beauty blogs' to see what's out there.

2) Scroll Through People's Blog Rolls - Many bloggers tend to keep a blog roll full of their favourite reads. If you search through a blogger you really enjoys blog roll you're more often than not likely to find some more blogs that you'll like too.

3) Take Advantage of 'Popular Posts' and 'Top Videos' Sections on Social Media Sites - Bloglovin is great at showcasing what is popular right now, as is YouTube, take some time to scroll through and you may find some new favourites. I also really like bloglovin's 'up and coming' feature.

4) Look at Recommended Twitter Suggestions - You know those people you see on the side of your Twitter feed where they suggest people you might know? Well if you follow a lot of bloggers on Twitter it's pretty likely those people will be bloggers too. Have a scroll through their tweets, see if you like their personality, then go take a peek at their blog.

5) See What Others Are Liking on Instagram - I'm always looking for new people to follow on Instagram (I love looking at pretty pictures) and find seeing what other people are liking through the 'News' section. Nine times out of ten the person is a blogger of some sort (I follow a lot of bloggers) so if I like their insta-snaps I'm pretty sure I'll like their blog too.

Finding new blogs not only is a great way to use your free time but I find it also inspires me in my own blogging as it opens my eyes to new features and image layouts.

How do you like to find new reading material? Who are your favourite bloggers/vloggers?

Laura xoxo 

Friday Fact

Keep products that could melt in the fridge.

When it gets warmer the products that we used to have out on display can start to melt (Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm, I'm looking at you.) So it's useful to keep your balms, lipsticks and creams in the fridge. Not only does it stop them melting, it also makes them more refreshing to use too.

Happy Friday :)

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

Put your skincare on, lightest first.

This is another fact taken from the wonder woman that is Ms Caroline Hirrons. If you want any skincare advice, go to here blog, here!

Happy Friday :)

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

Exfoliate before you fake tan.

I'm no fake tan expert, but I do dabble in the stuff from time to time. What I've noticed makes a massive difference is a good exfoliation beforehand. This is because the exfoliater removes all the dead skin cells leaving soft smooth skin for you to apply the fake stuff too.

Happy Friday :)

Laura xoxo

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Bronzing Brushes

Tis the season to bring out bronzer, and I thought I'd share with you my favourite tools for the job!

For the Heavy Handed : The RT Duo Fibre Face Brush. We've all been there (too many times) where we over apply and end up looking like we've rolled in wotsits; but not anymore. No matter how much your cake onto the brush, only a fine layer will make it to your face. Whether it be contouring or full on bronzing, this brush will be your best friend.

For the all over Bronze: The Sigma F20. To be honest, any large brush will do this job, but this one is my fave. Sweep it in the product, then sweep it all over the face in the usual spots. Simple really.

For the Precision Piece: The RT Multi Task Brush. If you want to be more precise with your bronzing, maybe more contouring, then this brush is your guy. It fits the hollow of my cheek perfectly, whilst still blending to give a bronzed glow.

What are your favourite bronzing brushes?

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

Use your ring finger to apply concealer and eye cream underneath your eye.

I couldn't find an appropriate picture....

This was one of the first things I learnt when I started blogging. Apparently this finger applies the least amount of pressure so it doesn't 'drag down' on your skin.

Happy Friday :)

Laura xoxo

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Friday Fact

Apply your eye-cream first!

Ok so I didn't know this until I read one of Caroline Hirons' blog posts, I'm sure you're well aware of who she is, and her insight into skincare is truly amazing. 

Back to the tip, I didn't relaise this, but it totally makes sense, if you put this on after everything else, it isn't going to be able to target the bags. Who knew? (apart form Caroline.)

Happy Friday.

Laura xoxo

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Friday Fact

Apply your eye make-up with your eyes open.

By applying your eye make-up, especially the contour colour, apparently it makes it easier for you to see where the shadow is going. It makes sense I guess, as what can you really see with one closed eye, and one half squinting?

Do you do this?

Laura xoxo

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Friday Fact

Take your brow highlight under the whole of your brow bone. 

This fact/tip is actually taken from the lovely The Beauty Department, and can be found here! It was something I never considered, but seeing the effect it gave is something I'l definitely be trying.

Have you tried this?

Laura xoxo

Friday Fact

So, I haven't really done a Fashion Friday post in a while, mainly because I'm kind of at a loss as of what to do for them, and I'm not very good at it. So whilst I'm not binning the idea for good, on the Fridays where I should post, I'm now going to do a 'Friday Fact' along the lines of beauty/fashion that I've picked up from my blog reading, YouTube watching, and magazine drooling days. Now that that's cleared up, lets get on with the fact.

Take your eye make up first!

This is because if you clean your face first, then take off your eye make up, the grime from your eye make up will then fall down onto your clean face, meaning you'll have to clean your face first.

What do you think of the new feature?

Laura xoxo

image from weheartit.

How I Fight Blemishes

I've had spotty skin for as long as I can remember, they have always been there. I don't think there is a time where my face has been perfectly clear of them. It has, however, gotten a lot better. I mainly just suffer from hormonal breakouts and I thought I would share with you the way I deal with them.

The first product I want to mention the this Avene Cleanance K Gel Creme. I did a full post on this here, and I am still singing it's praises. I tend to use this every other day, but I know the morning after I use it, any blemishes that look like they may scare are gone, and my skin just looks so much clearer. 

If I just have the odd spot, I like to dab a little bit of the Origins Super Spot Remover onto it, in the morning and evening. I really think this product is worth the hype, it is a product you can feel working, and it also reduces my spot size in no time. 

A final product I like to keep around is the Clearasil Daily Clear Pore Cleansing Pads. I don't use these daily, I mainly just keep these around for those times where I feel under skin spots starting to brew. I just give the area a good scrub with these to either bring it to the surface or banish them. I also use these on days where I can't use water to take my make-up off.

This is a new product to my spot fighting collection, the Good Things Miracle Mattifier. I firmly believe that even if you have spotty/oily skin, you should still moisturize. I love using this underneath foundation as it really mattifies my skin, and helps foundation last, it is almost primer like. I find that I can cover blemishes so much easier if I use this as a base.

Finally, I fall on make-up to cover up the little buggers. I first go onto them with my Double Wear Concealer. I like to apply it straight to the spot, and then blend in the outer areas so it blends into my foundation. I then like to take a small brush, like this No.17 Blending brush to apply powder onto the area also.

What are your spot fighting tips and tricks?

Laura xoxo

Three Ways To: Apply Foundation

Before I started blogging or watching Youtube I always just used to apply my foundation with fingers. I could never work with the type of foundation brush I bought and it was just simpler that way. I then moved onto brushes, and was amazed at the flawless finish they could give, and also that a foundation brush wasn't only the flat paint brush type. Now I know that certain products need different techniques, so I thought I would share the three ways I apply foundation.

A brush is probably my favourite way to apply foundation. I just know that afterwards I will be left with a flawless finish. I also feel that using brushes give you better coverage too. Obviously a different brush will give different coverage because of it's density, for example the Real Techniques Stippling Brush will give lighter coverage than the Buffing Brush, both however are great brushes.

'scuse the dirty sponge, but I actually use it, shock horror! I love using this with my Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation, and find that when using a damp sponge it makes my foundation look extremely natural and second skin like, which is a look I love. But I do find it takes longer to get the stuff on my face, so it's not an everyday technique for me.

And finally fingers. This is probably the easiest way to apply foundation to your face, but make sure you clean your hands first so no germs get onto your face. Also make sure everything is blended thoroughly to make sure you aren't left with tell tale lines.

So these are my three favourites ways to apply foundation, what are yours?

Laura xoxo

Dry Hair Saviours

I feel like I've done quite a few hair posts over the last couple of weeks, and I'm sorry if you're getting slightly bored, but my friend asked me some advice on dry hair the other day and I thought I would also make a post about it.

I've mentioned these two products together before, but I really, really rate them. If I apply these to the ends of my hair, put my hair in a top knot, sleep, then wash it out in the morning, I am left with such soft hair, and my ends look so much better.

I wouldn't do this daily, maybe twice a week, and my hair really thanks me for it. I feel like it really nourishes whilst also making my hair softer and easy to manage.

These two products have been re-purchased a lot, before and whilst I blog. I recommend using the 3 Minute Miracle every time you wash your hair when it is dry, that is what I do. I shampoo and put my usual conditioner on, then put this on top of it too, and my hair is sooo soft when I leave the shower.

As soon as I take the towel off of my hair, I spray a liberal amount of this leave in conditioner in, then brush my hair through, and I just feel like this gives and extra bit of protection, and locks in the softness.

Finally I think the best thing is to invest in a good hair oil. I only picked up this Loreal one the other day, but so far so good. Moroccan Oil is expensive, and I would only recommend for special occasions, as it is more silicone based then nourishing, but for a quick fix is great. Finally the Coconut Oil from Superdrug is just brilliant, and so affordable, and as it is natural I feel like it is definitely benefiting my hair.

I hope this hasn't been a repeat of information that I have reeled off before and I hope it has helped.

What are your best dry hair tips?

Laura xoxo

Three Ways To: Waken Tired Eyes

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Tired eyes are something I deal with a lot, numerous people comment on how tired I look, unfortunately it is genetic so I have to rely on the magic of make-up to make my eyes look more awake in the morning. So for another 'Three Ways' post I've decided to let you in on my tired eyes tricks.

First up, a good highlighting concealer is key. I love, love, love this one by Maybelline, it really does a great job of concealing dark circles and brightening up my face.

A nude eyeliner is great for eradicating any redness and also brigthening up the eye area.

Finally a bit of highlight in the inner corner of your eye is a sure way to brighten and make your eyes look wider.

What are your eye brightening tips?

Also, my favourite eye creams are the Good Things Eye Brightening Cream, and I love Garnier Roll On eyeball.

Laura xoxo

Fringe Fall Out

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with my fringe, I loved it when I first got it cut in, but to be honest, it was a lot of hassle, and nine times out of ten, I would wake up with an unruly mess that would not play nice in the morning, and often look like this:

In light of this, I had to find a solution that I knew would work, time and time again. Enter the Lauren Conrad side plait. You've probably seen this on me lots and lots, but I thought it may make an interesting post to show you how I do it, plus, who doesn't love photos were I make a complete idiot of myself?

(Well done Laura for cutting the top off :/)

Anddd 'cause I'm stupid, I forgot to take a picture of the finished look, but here is what it looks like in a older picture.

I hope this was helpful? Or at least gave you something to smile at. What is your fringe saviour?

Also, I got the idea of doing the images like this from Kat.

Laura xoxo

Outake?

Morning Sunshine!

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In the morning, the one thing that get's be out of bed is the prospect of doing my make-up, yes I am that sad. But I realise that for many, the usual morning routine of hitting snooze one too many times, laddering your tights and getting toothpaste down your top doesn't leave much room for make-up, and you leave the house already waiting to crawl back in to bed. 

Now I'm not offering a way to make that disappear, but what I thought I would do would be to share some tips I've picked up to help you look more awake on those days where you are anything but!

I've found that since using a energising morning face wash, my skin instantly appears more bright and awake in the morning. I follow with this lotion as it helps to keep the shine at bay, making me look slightly more polished.

Base:

Loreal Lumi Magicque Base - Adds a nice healthy glow to the skin

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - Blemishes

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - I like to use a damp sponge and dab it onto my face as it gives a nice sheer, yet full coverage, but looks very simple.

Rimmel Match Perfection Highlighting Concealer - A shade lighter than my foundation and blended down quite low under the eyes to brighten them up.

Eyes:

MAC Naked Lunch and Quarry

Maybelline Khol Liner - Placed on the upper lash line and smudged out to make eyes look bigger and wider

Gosh 015 Eyeliner - Waterline to cancel out redness and brighten the eye

Max Factor High Definition Mascara

MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle - Inner tear duct to brighten and widen eyes.

Face:

Chanel Bronze Universal

MAC Dainty - Nice simple colour to add a flush, but a colour that can't be too heavy so no mishaps happen

MAC MSF in Soft and Gentle

Lips:

Carmex.

So they are just a few tips I've picked up since I started blogging. I also tried to use as little products as possible, and ones that you can't really mess up with, as liquid liner smudging all over your eye is not what you want to be dealing with in the wee hours.

What are your morning tips?

Laura xoxo

Beauty Tips

I'm sure most of you are aware, and to raise some awareness if you aren't, on a Sunday, the beauty blogging world takes to Twitter with the hastag #bbloggers. Through this we are able to meet new blogs, find new friends, and most importantly discuss and share topics around this area. This weeks topic was Beauty Tips, at the time, my mind froze, just like when you are asked to tell people an 'interesting fact' and for the life of you, you cannot think of one, then after, loads come flooding to you. So, here are some of the tips I've picked up from blogging, and tips I read on Sunday.

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Face:

- Take you're make up off at night! I know it sounds very, 'I've heard it all before' but honestly, I've noticed such a difference in my skin since I started to ensure all make-up traces were taken care of.

- Drink enough water. I am one to not follow this, but honestly I can see the good it does when I do. Everything feels better 'cause of it.

- Give your face a break whenever you can. It likes a relaxing time off just as much as you do.

- Oily or dry skin, don't be afraid to moisturize, just make sure it works for you.

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Hair

- PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT. Heat defense spray should be your best friend. Find one that works and utilize it.

- Try and let it dry naturally as much as possible.

- Try not to wash it too often either. I used to wash mine daily, but with a little dry shampoo, and working around days were I don't need to go out, I can now go for at least two days.

- I sleep with my hair in a top knot on my head, and it gives a nice volume and curl to it the next day, and keeps dirty hair off of my face at night.

- Blow dry your hair upside down for some extra volume.

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Make-Up:

- So many people bought this up, but clean your make-up brushes, the bacteria build up... is all I need to say really isn't it?

- Always keep cotton wool pads near to clean up any mistakes.

- A clean mascara wand, from an old mascara can be good for grooming eye brows.

- Less is more, you can always add but you can never take away.

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Nails:
- Use a base coat. I've noticed with some colours, even with a base coat, it still stains.

- Give them a break every now and then. Too much colour is bad for them!

- A good cuticle butter is a godsend.

So these are just a few tips I've picked up, but my main tip I can think to give you is, don't be afraid to try something new. What works for others may not work for you! Give things I a try, what's the worst that could happen?

What's your best make-up tip?

Laura xoxo