Things to do when you're having a bad day

We all have bad days. Some more than others, but everyone has them. Those days where even dropping something on the floor will have you bursting into tears. I've had my fair share of bad days, and obviously they don't last very long but I've come up with a list of things that will help you feel like it's not so bad after all. 

1. Have a good old cry. I've found that crying will make me feel better, maybe even watch a sad film to set you off. It helps, trust me.

2. Eat all of the chocolate. Chocolate is actually scientifically proven to lift your mood, just don't think about the calories.

3. Nap if you can, I'm always napping and it makes me feel better and less stressed.

4. Have a long hot bubble bath with your favourite Lush bath bomb. You'll feel like a sparkly princess who can take on the world!

5. Cuddle your partner, you know they give the best hugs so why not make the most of it!

6. If you can't cuddle your partner/don't have one, cuddle your pet, apparently stroking your dog is likely to relieve stress and anxiety, and it makes the dog happy too.

7. Curl up on the sofa with the duvet and a nice hot chocolate, get snuggled up and enjoy the warmth.

8. Listen to some of your favourite music, I have a habit of screaming along to power ballads to let some of my emotions out and it works perfectly!

9. Rant on Twitter, because usually everyone on Twitter will give you a boost and make you feel loads better. Especially bloggers, because they're the nicest people ever!

10. Paint your nails. I love just sitting down and painting my nails, I find it so therapeutic.

 If you’re having a bad day, just remember this feeling isn't permanent and you'll get through this! Now go cuddle your dog, get a cup of tea and watch videos of cats doing stupid things 'cause you got this!

Glossybox July 2017

Hey everyone, I thought it might be easy to get back into the swing of blogging with an unboxing of this month's Glossybox. This month's box is Summer themed, to get everyone ready for the hot weather and holiday season. 

The first item in this month's box is a couple of spiral hair bands from the brand Papanga. I've never heard of this brand before but I have tried hair bands like these in the past. They're designed to keep your hair in place without breaking your hair. I've found that these hair bands work wonders for me since I use a lot of heat treatment on my hair quite often. They keep my hair exactly where I want it but don't pull and give me a headache. 

The next product is one that I'm super excited about, the A10 small fan brush from Spectrum Collections. I've been eyeing this brush up for a while and when it was announced for this month's box, I was over the moon. Fan brushes are perfect for applying highlighter, giving you an amazing glow!  The super soft bristles are synthetic which means it's cruelty-free (another bonus) I can't wait to use this brush and have a gorgeous glowing face!

Up next is a product that is absolutely adorable, a lip and cheek tinted balm shaped like a macaroon. It's scented with crushed berry and smells amazing. This balm is perfect for throwing into your handbag when you're in a hurry. It leaves a nice sheer finish that is perfect for the summer months! I've never used a cheek tint like this before but I will definitely be trying this out!

The next product is one I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of this summer and it is a soothing after sun lotion. I have quite sensitive skin so even 10 minutes in the sun will make me go a red as a tomato, so having after sun is very important. This lotion is infused with aloe vera and shea butter so not only is it great for your skin, it smells amazing too!

Last but not least is a banana setting powder from Bella Pierre Cosmetics. Banana powder was all the rage a few months ago as the perfect under-eye product. I'd say my skin is quite pale so usually banana powder is a little too yellow for me, and I just look a little bit daft so I probably won't be using this product. 

Overall I'm very happy with the products I received in this month's Glossybox. I'll definitely get lots of use out of the after sun lotion and the small fan brush. I can't wait to see what's in August's box!

Life Update: Where I've Been

Over the past month, I've definitely been a bit MIA from both my blog and all my social media. I don't want to be that person that tries to make excuses for themselves and I'm disappointed in myself that I've been away for so long. 

I don't have a specific reason of why I've not been blogging. I haven't been on holiday, I haven't been ill (except one day last week) I got stuck in a rut, with writers block being a massive problem for me. I tried everything I could to find inspiration for new posts, I tried changing up my desk area and clearing it out but nothing seemed to work.

Blogging has never been about the numbers or followers to me, but it was nice to see that people were reading what I was writing and actually liked my blog. I was so proud of how well my little blog was doing, and of course I had a long way to go to compete with the big names in the blogosphere, but I was happy with how well my blog was doing and it was something I enjoyed doing. 

I put a lot of pressure on myself to stick to a Monday/Thursday upload schedule, being very strict on myself with what posts to upload on certain days. There's obviously nothing wrong with having a schedule or a blog post planner and it was working for me to start with but then something went wrong and I just ended up forcing content, repeating the same kind of posts over and over. I've only been blogging since October of last year so I probably don't have any rights to be complaining about writers block or the struggles it comes with in such a short amount of time but it definitely affected me.

When I noticed I was struggling with my content, instead of announcing a break or just changing things up a bit, I dropped off the radar. There's so many bloggers out there who are absolutely killing it right now and I take my hat off to each and every one of you, you're doing a great job! I really wish I could be one of those people who is super organised with posts planned a month ahead, but I'm not. 

I really liked the schedule and structure I had with my blog but it was really getting me down, to the point where I thought about just stopping altogether. I've decided instead of sticking to a schedule that quite clearly wasn't working for me, I'm just going to write and upload whenever I feel like it. 

So from now on, you'll hear from me when I have something (half) decent to write about, but I won't restrict myself to certain days or a specific schedule.

Thanks for reading

Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette Review

For the past few weeks social media has been flooded with beauty bloggers and YouTubers talking about Urban Decay's new release; the Naked Heat eyeshadow palette. They did a reveal recently of the shade names and announced that they'd be doing a one day only flash sale of the palette before the general release later this month. I managed to get my hands on the palette (I'm not sure how) and I'm going to be reviewing it for you today!

The packaging is amazing, the box is basically just a really big matchbox, obviously tying in with the 'heat' theme of the palette. I did notice that the edges of the box weren't glued together like you'd expect, they just sort of folded over and one corner isn't really aligned right so it sticks out a little. I can't really complain though as the packaging itself is great never mind anything else!

Onto the palette itself, it's a hard plastic case with a 3D effect on the front which I think is supposed to be similar to the sun coming through a blind on a hot day *correct me if I'm wrong* Compared to the Naked 2 and 3, this palette is roughly the same size but is a little bit thicker, which makes sense with the 3D effect on the front. 

Inside the palette are 12 of the most gorgeous shades I've ever laid eyes on, I've always been a big fan of warm tones so this palette is perfect for me! There are 7 matte and 5 shimmer shades included in this palette and all of them have amazing colour payoff. I did a couple of swipes of each shadow when swatching them and they look gorgeous, especially the shimmer shades! 

The shadows have such a nice formula too, very creamy and glide onto the skin so easily! You hardly need any product to get a good opaque colour on the eye. I've used this palette a couple of times and I'm so impressed with the shadows, I had a bit of an issue with the Naked 2 with the shadows having a lot of fall out but the shadows in the Naked Heat have hardly any at all! 

I can already tell this is going to be my new favourite palette, especially now Summer is in full swing! If you're a fan of warm shadows then I'd definitely recommend you buy this palette. I think it's available to buy online from June 30th but I could be wrong *sorry if I am*

The £3 MAC Lipstick Dupe You Need

After recently having a little clear out of my makeup, I stumbled across a lipstick I bought a few months ago and seemingly forgot about (oops)

Makeup Revolution brought out a range of rose gold lippies a while ago in *I think* 5 shades, I picked up the shade Chauffeur just for the packaging, not really expecting anything of it since it was only £3. On closer inspection and a million swatches later, I realised how similar the shade was to a couple of MAC lipsticks I own.

The packaging itself does look very alike, besides the rose gold which I absolutely love! The MUR lipstick does feel 'cheap' but that's expected for the price, but it looks beautiful on any vanity/dressing table. I definitely think MUR have opened a lot of doors for bloggers who might be on a budget and can't afford to be spending £15 a pop on a lipstick. 

Chauffeur is such a wearable shade, perfect for everyday and suits most skin tones. The formula is described as being a high-gloss but I'd say it's more of a matte finish. I've compared it to MAC's Half n Half which is an amplified finish, and MAC's Velvet Teddy which has a matte finish. I'd definitely say MUR Chauffeur has a finish that sits in the middle of these two lipsticks, it isn't too glossy or matte so is perfect for everyday use!

To anyone blogging on a budget, I'd definitely recommend this lipstick. It has great staying power and while it swatches with quite a sheer finish, it is buildable so it's easy to achieve your desired look. It's an amazing lipstick that rivals the high-end brands and is only £3!!