IMPORTANT: LAST EVER POST

Hello, so this is going to be my last post on this blog, however I shall keep it up and online, it just will not be active.

Linked below is my YouTube channel. Please head on over and subscribe to see content from me!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB_PujeslLBqnBnbry6MkrQ

There will be all my social media on there so make sure to follow me on those!

I want to say thank you for the support you've given me, i'm incredibly grateful and I hope you shall come along and support me on my YouTube journey.

Lots of Love

BeautyyByLauraa 

or just Laura X 

Exams...// Taking A Break

Well Hi! It's been a while since I wrote just a blog post without including my YouTube. I wanted to let you know what's been going on in a little sit down blog post. 

As my exams are creeping closer and closer (My first is on the 11th of May), I thought I would just focus on YouTube videos for now. I will return to my blog for those of you who prefer reading my blog, but for now, YouTube is easier for me to manage round my revision.

I hope you understand and when my last exam is done, (15th of June) I will be back, with plenty of blog posts

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Acne // Skin Care Chat

The skin is something we sometimes take for granted and is ALWAYS something that people look at. Whether you have 'good' skin or 'bad' skin, people notice your skin, it's normal for people to notice things about you. Acne can make you feel more conscious and more aware of your skin and how it looks and can drop your confidence dramatically. So this post is gunna be for you, whoever you are, if you have acne.. this one is for you. 

First thing you really need to know is, it's not always gunna be like this. Your skin WILL improve, just give it time. Acne is normal and very common, so you're not the only one and you are definitely not alone! 

You can try endless potions and so called remedies for your skin but it won't work because first, you need to get your skin care routine under control. If you haven't already, read my Basics To Skin Care blog post. 

Skin care is incredibly important in keeping your skin clear and healthy. Your new skin care routine is not gunna work wonders over night, because lets face it.. if you have acne, your gunna need to be patient for it to clear up. One thing I would MAJORLY suggest is to NOT keep switching products up. You are meant to try it for up to 30 days before you see a result. If of course, your skin has a bad reaction to the product, then obviously.. get rid straight away. But if you throw a product out because you don't see results instantly, then it is a waste of money.  

Take your time to find products that work well with your skin and products that you love, don't go all out spending ridiculous amounts of money on products if you think you might not like them. Do your research, check the ingredients and see if there are any ingredients that you know will disagree with your skin. 

Once you've found your ideal skin care routine, stick to it. Remember to wash your face every night, EVEN if you don't wear make up. You can find various acne treatments in the drugstore.

Tea Tree Oil - This is a common one, it's an antiseptic oil that is good for treating acne. 

Witch Hazel - This is very similar to Tea Tree Oil.

Salicylic Acid - This is the standard acne treatment, if you have mild acne - this usually clears it up. It can be found in most drugstores.

Benzoyl Peroxide - Now if you live in the US, you can buy small percentages of this product. In the UK, you have to get it over the counter or get it prescribed to you by your doctor because it can be very irritant on skin and can bleach clothing. However, it is very good at clearing acne and usually I would say, is used in extreme acne or as a last resort. 

You should be able to find the first 3 ingredients in acne clearing products. I'd say stay away from face washes or scrubs with these ingredients in them because they will dry out your skin (which will make your oily skin worse). I would just look for a blemish treatment, with any one of those ingredients in them, although I would also stay away from Benzoyl Peroxide unless it was a last measure. 

If none of these have worked, if you have a solid and regular skin care routine and you also have used a blemish treatment and it has mildly worked on your skin. Then go to your doctor or dermatologist. I had to do this and I tried a prescribed Benzoyl Peroxide treatment which cleared most of the harsh acne but there was still a lot of acne left after I finished the prescription length so I went back to the doctors to be prescribed an antibiotic to clear my acne (yes I will do 'my acne/skincare story' but I'll probably do a video of it instead). I would highly recommend you go see your doctor if your acne is longer than 6months-a year. They can prescribe you an antibiotic or whatever you think will work for you and your skin. 

(This is gunna get deep so get your snorkel on)

Lastly I want to talk about the knock on effect that acne can have on your confidence. It can make you feel like everyone is looking at it when they look at you, like they can see how bad you see it. I know for me and probably a lot of other people... You often see right past it, it's not something that defines us or puts us in a category that makes us 'ugly'. It's completely normal for someone to have acne and your skin doesn't define who you are. Don't any of you, ever think that you are ugly or whatever because you have acne. You are beautiful in your own unique way and no one is perfect and everyone has flaws. Embrace them, it's what makes you, you! Everyone is different and people need to start embracing all the good things about them. You are beautiful, no matter what anyone says. In your own, unique way.. you are beautiful!

Sorry that it got a bit deep there at the end but hey, it had to be said! 

I will do a more in-depth talk about my acne and skincare stuff, but like I said, i'll probably do it in a video! 

Hope you enjoyed this post and sorry for it's ramblyness! 

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

 

UPDATE: YouTube

So I've decided i'm going to do videos alternately on my blog. One week i'll do blog posts and the next i'll do a video and so on.

NOT MY IMAGE.

So if you're interested in seeing content from me on YouTube here is the link to my channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB_PujeslLBqnBnbry6MkrQ - go on over and subscribe, that would be great!

I'm going to upload my first video soon, hopefully tomorrow, if not some time next week so look out for that. If you think you won't remember to check my YouTube channel for uploads then don't worry because i'm going to link all my videos into blog posts on here so you can still see them in your bloglovin' feed.

Hope you come over and support me on YouTube!

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Dry/Damaged Hair Care Routine

My hair can be a pain in the butt most of the time. It is not thick but not thin and it is also fairly frizzy and wavy which means it can be incredibly dry around the edges and it can often look like I have a ton of split ends but it's just because I have curly (ish) hair. As I've grown my hair longer, the frizzy-ness and curliness has kinda grown out, but unfortunately I still get the dry, frizzy parts of my hair.

Since I dyed my hair (only twice and the colour has held on quite well) my hair has been a little dry and dehydrated and really, just needed a little hair care lovin'.

I use the Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo & conditioner. I love these, they smell great, makes my hair feel smooth and hydrated. The only downside to this is after a couple of months of using it, my hair got healthier and this meant it got more of a 'shine' to it. To me, the shine can sometimes make me hair look greasy when it's not. But, that's a small price to pay for healthier hair.

Next I use the Goldwell Dualsenses Rich Repair Thermo Leave-In Treatment. Now I can't guarantee that you'll be able to find this easy as my sister (who is a hairdresser - and my hairdresser) buys this for me when she orders products for her hairdressing. But this product is just a dual spray, it usually is separated into two liquids (so you usually shake it too mix the liquids - I shake it anyway before spritzing it on my hair). I spritz this on every time I wash my hair, all over my hair. As the name suggests 'thermo' treatment means you can then blow dry or straighten your hair and this will also protect it.

Lastly I use a hair mask once a week (usually on my pamper evening). I have two (again Herbal Essences) masks. A Hello Hydration one that goes with the shampoo & conditioner. I also have a 'Beautiful Ends' - split ends treatment mask. These are great and make my hair feel so healthy. If you are wondering, I use my shampoo, then apply this and leave it to work it's magic for 5 minutes.

These are all drugstore products (with the exception of the Goldwell Leave In Treatment) so they should be all widely available. I hope this helped some of you if you have dry/damaged hair.

If you have any blog post recommendations then comment below. Also check out my previous post, as I need opinions from you guys!

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx 

The wonderful world of YouTube...

Hello! I know it seems odd for me to be doing such a short post but I wanted YOUR opinion.

NOT MY IMAGE.

I started my blog because I wanted to talk about the things that I love, beauty.. skincare.. and so on. I felt like a blog was much easier to manage than a YouTube channel so that's why i'm here. I was thinking of maybe alternating my blog posts with YouTube videos. So one week I do 2 (possibly 3) blog posts (when I get back into the routine of doing it again - ps sorry about that) and 1 video the next week? If you get what I mean?

Let me know what you think and what content you'd like to see from me!


(My current YouTube channel - click here)

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Blog Swap: Full Face of Favourites

Hi everyone, my name is Maria and I have a little space on the Internet called in1997.blogspot.com. There I share everything that I love and occasionally things that I dislike beauty and fashion related. Laura and I decided that we would share our favorite drugstore makeup products to achieve a beautiful look. If you want to see her post you can check my blog!

   

                                                                   Face: 

I prefer wearing BB Creams instead of foundation because I feel that I’m still young and I don’t need that much makeup so I save foundation for special occasions. I use Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream; I’ve had this since it came out is amazing, it doesn’t feel like makeup on your skin and sometimes I can just get away using this with my favorite concealer the Rimmel Match Perfection. 

   I’m a fan of bronzer but I haven’t found a bronzer from the drugstore that I really like I usually use the Nars Laguna Bronzer but this product is far away from drugstore price. To give a beautiful color and glow to my face I use the Milani Blush in 01 Dolce Pink. 

Eyes:

   The best eye-shadows that I have ever tried from the drugstore are the Loreal Infallible eye-shadows and for this look I’m using the shade 899 Endless Pearl for my inner corner blending it towards my lid color which is 892 Amber Rush a beautiful copper color. For mascara my favorite is the Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Mascara and I also love The Rocket Mascara.

   Lets not forget about eyebrows!! I used to never fill my eyebrows but one day I decided to try the Revlon Brow Fantasy and I love the way my eyebrows have been looking lately. This is the only eyebrow product I have ever tried but since I discovered it I don’t feel the need to look for something else. 

Lips: 

   I have been using the Rimmel Kate Lipsticks a lot but if I had to choose one my favorite is the shade 17 and for those who prefer Lipgloss I’ve been loving the Maybelline The Elixir Colorsensational in the shade 010 Celestial Coral. 

Thank you so much Laura for letting me write for your blog!! If you want to read Laura’s post check my blog. 

- María

Basics To Skin Care

Now i'm no expert to skin care but I do know my fair share of skin care tips and tricks. This blog post is for you out there who are either just beginning in skin care or you just have no clue what to do.

I'll start by running down the list of different skin types and what they are like:

Normal - not oily, not dry.. your skin doesn't really do much or have too many problems.
Dry - flaky, tight skin. Dehydrated and you're face may feel tender and you have to regularly moisturize.
Oily- oily t-zone, your makeup always needs setting with a powder and your makeup can often slide around your face. Your face feels 'greasy' and you may experience acne.
Combination - this is usually a mix between the 3 stated before; for example, you can have dry patches but have an oily t-zone.

Okay so once you have established what skin type you have, you can now decide what skin care routine is best for you. People always say that the 3 main things you should be doing is cleanse, tone and moisturize. So for beginners out there, this is usually where you should start.

CLEANSING.

• This step is SO very important. You should always cleanse(wash) your face morning and night and especially to remove makeup. After a long day of wearing makeup, your skin just wants to breathe and be clean... So removing your makup is VITAL. 
• I would advise using something that isn't face wipes or micellar water to remove your makup. Micellar water is probably better than face wipes, but isn't going to remove all you're makeup, it's just going to break down your makeup and not fully remove it. Especially if you are someone who wears a full face of makeup often. I would suggest using a facial cleansing oil, balm or hot cloth cleanser to remove your makeup. These products break down the makeup completely and remove all makeup, and you can use them again just to cleanse your fresh faced skin to make sure all oil, dirt and makeup is removed.

MOISTURIZING 

• I highly recommend searching for a moisturizer that suits your skin. DRY skin people, go for a heavier moisturizer so you can get the hydration you need. OILY skin people, go for a light moisturizer and NEVER not moisturize because you think it will make your oily skin worse, in fact not moisturizing it will make it produce more oil. NORMAL/COMBO skin people, your best bet is to go for something light too, just to moisturize it and keep your skin healthy and hydrated.

TONING 

• Now I don't recommend toning for dry or normal skin. This is because toner is usually used to balance out the PH in your skin. If you have dry skin, you won't want a toner drying out your skin even more. If you have normal skin, you don't want to unbalance the already balanced PH level in your skin. Oily skin usually doesn't have a balanced PH in their skin, hence why their skin is usually oily because the oil levels in their skin are overproducing oil. 
• However, if you do decide to tone your face, do it before you moisturize and make sure the toner doesn't have alcohol in it. Alcohol drys out your skin so isn't a good property of toners, they are usually in most toners but it is fairly easy to find one without. 

Tips, Tricks and Things you should know

 Exfoliate 2-3 times a week.

• Don't over do it though. Often oily skinned people think by scrubbing away at your skin it will help clear it or reduce oil. No, it won't, it will just make your face more irritated causing it to probably produce more oil or result in a lot of redness. People with dry skin often think that exfoliating will worsen the already dry skin. No it won't, use a gentle exfoliants and do it 1-2 times a week. This is just so that the dead layer of skin on your face can be washed away so you're face can regenerate. Exfoliation is good for everyone, we all produce new layers of skin so exfoliating can remove the old, dead layers to give you a clean, brighter face. 
• However, do not use an apricot scrub. These are usually the harshest exfoliants so aren't recommended. AND if you do use an apricot scrub, use it once a week so that you're skin isn't being put through to much scrubbing.

ALWAYS moisturize.

• This is SO important. Moisturizing is key to healthy looking skin and especially good for the harsh winters some of us experience.

Check ingredients of skin care.

• Now this one, i'll admit is easier said than done. Usually the ingredients have hints in their scientific names as to what they are. Stay away from alcohol containing products. Vitamin E, C and Aloe Vera are good ingredients as they are gentle and brightening. Try and stay away from products which have harsh chemicals.

ALWAYS do your research.

• This is super important. Before trying any skin care product or something you haven't heard of before that you're interested in trying, ALWAYS research reviews. These are KEY to finding out if a product is going to benefit you or is going to be right for you. I know everyone is different but try your best to do some good research. A website I like using is - http://www.makeupalley.com/ - this is because you can create an account to fill in your skin type and other information and you can see what others, with the same skin type as you have loved or hated. 

Don't use too much or try too much.

• Again, easier said than done when you have a skin problem you want to cure. Too many products will send you're skin crazy, it will unsettle your skin and your skin won't know where to start on what product. Too many products are never good, you can never be sure what is and isn't working. Stick to simple, minimal products that won't send your skin into a frenzy.

And lastly, it has to be mentioned.... ACNE

Now lets get this straight, acne is NOT caused because you wear too much make up, don't cleanse your face properly or because you are 'dirty'. Acne is usually hormone related, genetic or puberty related. Acne is totally normal and yeah, it's not nice but most people, once recovered have pretty good skin.

Acne runs in my family and my mum had it pretty bad at my age (unfortunately why I have it) but now her skin is in such good condition and is so clear. It's just something we have to live with but the bad thing is it can really knock your confidence. (will do a blog post on this at another time)

My advice for you out there who are experiencing acne is to try and find a spot/acne treatment in your local drugstore/pharmacy and try it out, give it over a month to work and if you aren't seeing results, go to your doctor/dermatologist.

My options were, I could either be prescribed Benzoyl Peroxide or medication. In the UK you can't buy benzoyl peroxide in drugstores or pharmacies as the percentage of the cream is usually to high to buy, whereas in the US you can buy it.

The doctor could prescribe you this and benzoyl peroxide is usually the best, quickest and most effective for clearing acne. It's acne clearing properties are A LOT stronger than your standard over the counter salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is usually found in most acne clearing products and usually works best for most people but for those of you out there with strong, stubborn acne, benzoyl peroxide is the one for you.

If, however you decide to take medication, then it usually takes longer to kick in and work and for you to see results. But has been proven to have better skin for longer once your skin is clear. I will be doing an acne post, as I am a sufferer of it but this post is long enough as it is.

My last piece of advice to you, once you've seen a doctor/dermatologist OR even if you haven't, is to keep things SIMPLE. Simple and straight forward is the way to go, whether you have acne or not. Keep products to a minimal and don't use any harsh products. Your skin is extremely sensitive and needs to be taken care of. Take your time, perfecting your skin care routine. Your skin will thank you for it later.


Now, we have finally reached the end I think. Any questions, feel free to ask.. I might not have the answer but i'll try!
I hope this has helped some of you beginners out there and don't feel daunted by the skin care world, just stick to the basics and you're skin should thank you for it (not literally :P )

I hope you enjoyed this post and let me know what more you'd like to see!

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Latest Favourites

It's been a a couple of months since I done a favourites post. I figured it was about time I did another one. As you may probably see already, the common theme of my favourites is skin care. I feel like skin care is probably one of the MOST important things in your daily routine because let's face it, good skin makes you feel good! I don't have the best skin, but i've learnt to love what I've got and in doing that, I've spent time perfecting my skin care routine.

I've been loving the Superdrug 'Naturally Radiant' range. Now having oily skin, I was unsure about trying some of the products in the range. The only reason I picked these products was because they claim to 'brighten and even skin tone', which my skin majorly needs! I love these products, they are brilliant, my skin tone looks evened out and it makes my skin feel smoother. They aren't to harsh either which is a major bonus for my acne. All good right? But what makes these products even better is they are pretty much all under £5-10!!!

Face masks, oh how I love face masks. Always been a favourite of mine but recently, I've been using them regularly! I highly recommend to anyone who doesn't use face masks regularly, to step up their face mask game. They have so many benefits to your skin and they are also so pampering.

BB Creams. Oh the wonderful selection of BB creams. Now I picked this up a couple of weeks ago and it is for oily/combination skin. It gives a pretty matte finish, which is pretty good and lasts matte for a good 4/5 hours. I do love this BB cream, not just because it's a matte finish, because it has really good coverage for a BB cream! I obviously, don't have the best skin but it gives a decent coverage for everyday wear and it feels so light on the skin!

I used to love the Revlon Colour Stay concealer, but went off it for ages and didn't bother using it. I've rediscovered my love for this product. I love how yellow toned the concealer is and how the formula lasts all day. It's a light-ish coverage concealer but it's great for just the odd spot conceal!


I hope you enjoyed this blog post. I have hopefully another one coming later today.
Comment below or let me know if you'd like to see a blogpost about skin care for beginners and the skin types.

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx 

A Few Birthday Gifts

**this post isn't to brag or whatever**

So my birthday was this week, the 3rd actually. I turned 16 :D yay! I went for a meal with my family, which was a surprise meal! I had a really good day as well :D


 I thought I'd share some of my gifts as I haven't updated a blog post in ages! I'm so sorry I haven't been active, I've had a lot on recently and I know I keep using school as an excuse but I have something like 40 school days left (taking out half terms or breaks and weekends) till my REAL GCSE exams start! So I will prioritize school stuff over my blog.
Hopefully I'll be posting two blog posts this weekend, one that is something i've never tried before! So look out for those!

Any requests for blog posts, comment below.. all suggestions are welcome :D 

Sorry it was short and sweet!

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Mega Maybelline Review

Oh how snazzy, little bit of alliteration in the title there :D

These are some great Maybelline products I have discovered recently. I am in love with these products, well I only love one of them a little compared to the others.

Foundation - 

Oh holy moly, this foundation... AH something that keeps me MATTE for pretty much the WHOLE day. Yeah I said it, pretty much the whole day. This foundation is like the god of foundations for oily skin. I love it and the best bit is the coverage is pretty decent without being cakey like woah is this real life?? Yes people, it is! The only bad thing I have to say about this is that it doesn't have a pump but its kinda handy in a way, just because you can balance it out and I feel if you used too much of this foundation it would then become cakey. Also, a tip if you buy this foundation.. shake it well before you use it just because the foundation, being very liquidy, tends to settle at the bottom. This foundation wasn't too expensive either and the shade range is pretty good, don't get put off by the packaging and the shades. My shade is 10 Ivory.

Brow Mascara - 

Oh how weird to say, 'brow mascara' haha. But that is literally what this product is. Except it has a little round,, ball like spoolie at the end so you can shape your brows a bit better. I really like this because it adds subtle colour to your brows which is something I want, it also shapes them and keeps them in place for the day which is good too. My shade is 'Medium Brown'. I think they have 4 shades as well as this one. It's a nice product and wasn't too expensive either which is always a bonus. What I like is that it doesn't make you're brows look molded down and the formula doesn't go flaky throughout the day, which some brow mascaras do! So all in all, its pretty dandy :D

NOT MY PHOTO: GOT OF GOOGLE
CLOSE UP OF MASCARA WAND.

Mascara - 

So I bought this to try this the other day as it interested me. The wand of it caught my eye on the Maybelline stand and I thought 'I'll try it out'. Its okay, I like it and I do use it. It's just the formula seems to make the product clump on the want which makes it difficult to brush through your lashes. Especially as the wand has different sides to use for different lash definition. So it being clumpy on the end doesnt help. This is what I mean, the wand has different edges but the formula makes the product clump at the end. Its an okay mascara and gives nice, subtle, fluttery lashes but the only thing to let it down is the clumpy wand.

Thats it for this blog post. Hope you enjoyed reading :D

Let me know any amazing Maybelline products to try? or some of your worst Maybelline products that I should stay away from.

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Oh L'Oreal...

So if you came to this blog post to have an amazing chat about these L'Oreal foundations, then you best click away, but if you want to see what I have to say... Welcome, it's going to be a long one :)

These foundations, ah the pain of spending £27 (in total) on these 3 foundations. Yes it pains me to say that because I could have bought a MAC foundation for that price and one that I might actually like at that! I endlessly wish these foundations were the perfect foundation for me but nope, they aren't. The L'Oreal Infalliable Foundation, Matte and normal. The matte one has only just been released in the UK, whereas in the US it's been out for a month or longer I believe? but none the less, still don't get on with the foundation :(

The original Infalliable foundation had Lauren Curtis raving and Shani Grimmond as well. I was super hyped for trying it as I am a drugstore foundation junkie. Obviously, testing a foundation in store is never the best way but I usually know whats the right shade and what isn't. I bought the shade 120 Vanilla (Right) and it was WAAY too orange. Bummer, I know. So baring in mind this was the second shade I decided to go for the first shade which is 015 Porcelain. I came home thinking 'yeah this is great, finally a colour I need'. Decided to see if the shade matched, pumped it out and started applying it. At this point I had already noticed it was MAJORLY pink toned, which shocked me so much, but none the less, I wanted this foundation to so badly work for me but nope, made me look like a ghost. You think I'm joking? I'm the palest person out of my family as they all have olive skin tones and I don't but even I looked like a ghost so I think you can kinda guess how pink and pale toned it was. It shocked me so much because of the contrast between the first two shades in this collection. It amazed me as well how L'Oreal, known for the True Match foundation (one of the well raved about foundations as well) had such an amazing shade range of pink, yellow and neutral undertones yet these first two shades had completely different shades in skin tones! 

By now I bet you're thinking 'why doesn't she mix the two shades together?' - yeah okay, great idea... until you try it. I don't know if it's just me and this foundation but they do not mix well together at all, plus you feel so cakey because of the double texture of the foundation. I mean the foundation on its own is pretty cakey and the best of it is, it's for normal to DRY skin! Someone with dry skin would probably hate this as I imagine it's thick formula would stick to dry patches all over! So to say I disagree with this foundation A LOT is probably an understatement.

Next, the matte version. Having oily skin I thought i'd give this a whirl. Tati loves this foundation and recommended it A LOT. So I decided, yanno what at £7.99, i'll give it a go! I should have known better considering my battle with its sibling, the normal one. Again, shade range.. not the best but hey ho, didn't expect it too be! I got the second shade 11 Vanilla. This shade did match fairly well, if I had a tan. I could have blended it out to match but that if it would actually blend. And here we have got to our first problem. Blending. I like to take my time when possible, blending my foundation, always have, unless in a rush. This foundations formula is sooo thick that it is SO difficult to blend and that was using a blending brush! Another thing I found, after attempting to blend what I could of the foundation, was that it set streaky. Like seriously? AH, this foundation!! 

So any of you out there who love this foundation and have no problem with it, you go girl because I fricken tried and this just isn't for me! But those of you wanting to try it, don't quote me on everything, it's probably just me! Hey, it works well for others so why not for you! 

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and sorry it was so long. Let me know if you like more detailed blog posts like this. 

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

An Apology

I felt like you deserved a blog post explaining my lack of blog posts....

I have had a lot of school work to be done; I had a media assessment to complete worth 30% of my final grade so it kinda needed all my attention. I also have been learning stuff for my English Language exam which is tough and I've had 1/2 exam questions each week for homework to complete too. I don't mean to ramble on and attract attention about how much work I've had to do but I felt like if I gave examples you would understand.

I've also been revising a lot too, any time I can fit in a little bit of revision I try too, even if it's looking at a revision book.

I do however have 2 blog posts coming and possible 2 more if I can think of any to do. I've had a lack of ideas on what to blog about so if any of you have any suggestions or even questions to ask for a Q&A blog post that would be good too!

I hope you understand and I'll try to be back to blogging once a week as soon as I can :D

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

My Go-To Make Up For School

So my go to look at the moment has literally involved these 3 products and about 4 tools (makeup brushes). I have been loving the Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation. It's good for school because as the name suggests, it keeps you matte all day. Even on my oily skin it stays matte for the majority of the school day. I also have been powdering with the Seventeen Stay Time pressed powder. I have loved using this as it's a light weight powder that is handy to touch up with throughout the day. I have been using this instead of my Stay Matte (from Rimmel) because I haven't been liking it recently! And last but not least I have topped my lashes with a thin coat of the Rimmel 100% Waterproof mascara which you all know(if you've been reading my blog) that I absolutely LOVE.

Sorry it's short and sweet today but I have a lot of homework and revision I need to focus on at the moment. My real exams begin in May so if I neglect my blog a little, I hope you can understand that it is because I'm working hard so I can pass my exams.

Hope you have a lovely rest of the weekend.

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

The Liebster Award

So I was nominated by Lucy and here it is.

Thank you Lucy for the nomination (https://lucyslifeandbeautyblog.wordpress.com/)

The aim of this Award is to help blogs with less than 200 followers so lets get into it!

Here are the questions Lucy set me:

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

- everything. Knowing people read your blog and enjoy your content is probably the best thing but I love writing posts and taking pictures for the posts. Just everything really!

What are your ambitions for the future?

-To become a teaching assisstent and to leave Sixth Form with decent grades! I don't like to set myself too big ambitions or goals, I like little, workable goals :)

If you were marooned on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?

- Can I say my mum? haha - how sad, but I would want my mum. A bikini as well - might as well get a tan! & Ice cream - because it's like food but also refreshing like a drink? haha how random. 

What’s your must-have BEAUTY PRODUCT?

-Mascara probably, OH or lip balm. Either one! My faves are Rimmel 100% Waterproof mascara & the Carmex lip balm.

How would your friends and family describe you?

- Urm, funny (I hope - I do like to make people laugh), friendly?, bubbly? I have no idea *texts bestfriend*.... she said 'I would describe you as, your own person... so your free going and do things that make you happy and not care what others think...and your funny, and very lovely and kind and just a bubbly bundle of joy :)' (aw thank you my lovely :D) *now asks my mum* she said 'got a wicked sense of humor, able to turn most things into something funny, slightly weird with my sense of humor, caring/loving natured person, kind hearted, focused and determined, clever although I don't believe that in myself...' My mum could go on because of course she is my mother and has plenty of wonderful things to say (her words not mine) AND she also said 'can I say I love you very much and I'm very proud of you'... aww mumsy <3 bless her. 

If you could be anyone/anything for a day, who/what would you be?

- A dog because they sleep all day hahaha. Probably someone like Demi Lovato, just would be really cool...

Marmite, love or hate it?

-Never had it but I hate the smell so I imagine I'd hate it.

Roughly how long do you spend doing your MAKE-UP each day?

-10 minutes probably 

What was the last song you listened to?

- I'm currently raving out to Professor Green so I'm listen to his song called Monster 

Favourite YouTuber?

-For beauty videos - Nicole Guerriero - https://www.youtube.com/user/nguerriero19  and Tati from GlamLifeGuru - https://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru/videos 

For comedy - DanIsNotOnFire - https://www.youtube.com/user/danisnotonfire

and Lastly for gaming - ThatcherJoeGames - https://www.youtube.com/user/ThatcherJoeGames

Books or films?

-Films for sure.

The Liebster Award rules are that you must:

Link back to the person who nominated you.

Answer the questions given by the nominator.

State the Liebster Award rules.

Nominate 11 blogs with less than 200 followers.

Create 11 questions for the nominees to answer.

Notify the nominees via their blogs.

I nominate:

Leah - http://leahhlou.blogspot.co.uk/

Beth - http://perksofbeingbethany.blogspot.co.uk/

Leah - http://prettyperfectxoxo.blogspot.co.uk/

Caitlin - http://www.lovefromcat.blogspot.co.uk/

Jasmine - http://blogsallbeautyy.blogspot.co.uk/
Lauren - http://lifeoflaurenx.blogspot.co.uk/
In 1997 - http://in1997.blogspot.co.uk/
Chloe - http://chloegpyke.blogspot.co.uk/
Caitlin - http://idkcaits.blogspot.co.uk/

I can't think of any other blogs who haven't done this award and who are under 200 followers so I nominate any of you reading this, that has a blog, and hasn't been nominated yet :)

My Questions:

Top 3 Skin Care Products?

Favourite Songs?

Favourite hobbies?

Favourite Apps?

Most used foundation?

Most used blusher?

Best powder?

Favourite Perfume?

Favourite TV show?

Most used mascara?

Any skincare or makeup tips?

Thank you again to Lucy for the nomination :D

Hope you enjoyed this blog post! 

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Recent Favourites

Well, hasn't January flown past, I know it's not over yet but it is the 17th already! Time flies when you're doing mock exams! -.-
Anyway on with the blog post. I figured I'd share some of my recent faves.

Starting with the Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom perfume. Oh how I love this. I've been using it everyday and it's such a light fragrance that you can smother yourself in it and it wouldn't be overpowering, which I always love. The packaging is beautiful too and who doesn't love pretty packaging?

I've been loving the Vaseline Aloe Fresh light moisturiser recently. I love aloe and cucumber scents so I've been loving this. I've also kinda wanted to feel fresh faced and this has been doing the trick nicely!

Baby Lips. Oh how I have a love//hate relationships with these lip balms. Recently I dicsovered two that I didn't have in my collection so I went out and purchased the 'Mint Fresh' one and the 'Dr Rescue - Coral Crave' one. I love them both and I didn't think I would. I've never usually liked mint smelling lip balms but I am in love with this one. The Dr Rescue one has (I think) a medicated formula to nourish you lips so I've been loving that one too.

BATISTE. Oh how I used to love this dry shampoo, then hated it and now we have re-gained our love. I bought this mini size to just give it a try again and I have just fallen in love with it again. It gives me the quick little refresh that I need and it's so handy to have a mini size :D

I thought I'd try these out and give them a whirl - Boots Eye makeup Remover pads. THEY ARE LITERALLY AMAZING. I love them, they come in a pot of probably 30 or 50? (I have no idea) and they are so handy for removing stubborn mascara! The only thing I don't like is they are a little greasy, but I wash my face afterwards anyway so it doesn't bother me that much.

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer.Oh my goodness. I thought I would never, ever like this but it is my go to concealer at the moment! I love it so very much. It's just amazing and I can't explain why I've been loving it but just honestly, try it out for yourself :)

Rimmel 100% Waterproof mascara. This is ALWAYS my go to mascara but recently i've been wearing it just on it's own and oh man, My lashes look fab. I hate to be so vain about it but oh this mascara is the queen of mascaras. Please just go out and buy it, you won't regret it!!


I know this was a long post but I felt like I should make an effort. I was going to do 2 posts this week and didn't so here is one long one! Hope you enjoyed it!

What are some of your recent favourites?

PS- thank you SO much for 40 followers on BlogLovin <3

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa 

xx

New Year means a Fresh Start

Not my photo.

I didn't want to put off doing a 'New Year's resolutions' post but unfortunately I couldn't really think of anything that I'd want to stick to. I mean I love setting goals for myself, creating challenges but sometimes I think 'what's the point in New Year's resolutions when people always complain that they never stick to them'. I like to set myself small, achievable goals throughout the year so I stay motivated and positive. People often set huge goals for themselves on New Years that really aren't all that achievable and they wonder why they fail?
I wanted to do a post none the less about my New Years goals. This year is obviously going to be very different from the last, but this time, I'm going to make it my own.

• I want to achieve true happiness. Now this may sound quite sad and depressing but in reality, it's not. Everyone has their bad days and I feel it's important to regain that happiness again. 
• I want to do more of what makes me happy. I'm always re-telling my self that but this year I really do, including blogging more! 
• I want to try and conquer some small fears (because I'm not a major risk taker lol).
• I want to try and loose a little weight but not much, mainly try to tone up. 
• I want to make new friends and experience the usual 16 year old adventures.

I could go on endlessly about all the good I want to do in this New Year but we both know that by the end of 2015, there are going to be things on this list I haven't done. I want to do a little at a time to keep me motivated but not bored by it all.

I hope this has helped you think about your New Years resolutions.

Comment below some of your resolutions, it'd be interesting to see!

Thank you for reading.

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Sleek Individual Blushes

Left: Rose Gold 926
Right: Flushed 935

Starting the new year off with a good review. What's worse than being negative the first couple of weeks into the new year. Today's review will be on the Sleek individual blushes. You can get the set of 3 blushes in a palette and also other palettes that include blushes too.
 I wanted to try these blushers because I am more of a blusher girl than bronzer or highlighting and they are so small and easy to fit into a makeup bag for travel. Whereas the Sleek Face Form palette is a bit more chunkier and if I just decide to use the blush, it's space wasted really. I have heard so many good things about these blushes. They are amazing quality and SO pigmented (watch out - light hand is needed). The colour pay off is amazing as you'd expect from a highly pigmented product. Sleek have a range of shades on offer which is so versatile for EVERY skin tone or shade. I have two shades.
Rose Gold and Flushed. If you are looking for a single blush for the one in the Face Form palette.. Rose Gold is exactly it! It is a truly beautiful shade. It's a light pink with shimmers of gold throughout it and you could easily not wear a highlighter with this blush because the gold shimmers really brighten your complexion.
Flushed is a gorgeous colour and something that I wouldn't normally go for, it is a deep shade but I wanted to try it out as the shade intrigued me! I would describe it as a deep pink colour. It has a slight shimmer throughout but on the face, it looks more matte. I fell in love with this colour when I tried it out and it really brightens my complexion and adds the finishing touches to my face makeup! Be careful though. Like I said before, the pigmentation is very high so make sure to have a light hand, especially with a blush this colour.

I highly recommend these blushes. They are so beautiful and handy and the packaging is just stunning.

If you own any of these blushes - what shades do you recommend?

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Reflection

2014

What a year. It's had it's ups and downs but today I wanted to reflect on the good. It's so easy to forget the good when there is a lot of bad and unfortunately for me, theres been a lot of bad this year. I think it's nice to remember all the good and forget about the bad. There might be small, silly things which you may think are odd to be in the good, but they make me happy and the small things matter too! These aren't going to be in order because my memory is shocking but here goes.

• I went to Lake Side shopping centre with mum.
• Saw Professor Green live.
• Went to Tunisia on holiday with my mum & her partner.
• Went to Cyprus on holiday.
• Got 2 marks off an A in my English coursework.
• Did well in my mock exams even though I had a lot of time off for health reasons.
• Did well in my Science exams - passed :D
• Decorated my room.
• Did work experience and worked at a Special Needs School - this helped me find what I want to do once I've left school.
• Found out the problem to my health problems which means I don't have to take so much time off school.
• Expanded my make up collection.
• Got my first 2 MAC products

My mind has gone blank so I will add to this when I find more and more things I've done.

I ask any of you do do this blog post. It can help you look back in the future and see all the good that happened.

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Top Beauty of 2014

What a great year 2014 has been for beauty products. Here are just a few that I have loved.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation,

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer,

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder,

Sleek Face Form Palette,

Collection Extreme Felt Tip Liner,

Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara,

Natural Collection Lash Definition Mascara,

Real Techniques Buffing Brush & Expert Face Brush

Powder Brush (RT dupe)

ELF Complexion Brush.

Short and sweet.

Love From

BeautyyByLauraa

xx

Current Favourites

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year.
Today I thought I'd share some of the current things i've been loving!

This is a collaboration with Beauty Girl.
Click here to go over to her blog and see what she's been loving!

Here's a sneak preview:

Photo Credit: Amanda - BeautyGirl

 Check out her blog & instagram because she has amazing posts and she is such a lovely girl!
Instagram - http://instagram.com/_beautiegirl
Blog- http://www.beautiegirl.blogspot.co.uk/


On with some of my favourites:

Products:

Dirty Works Hot Cloth Cleanser

Yes To Tomatoes Daily Clarifying Cleanser

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom fragrance mist

Sleek Face Form Palette 

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Natural Collection Lash Definition Mascara

MAC Eye Kohl in Smolder

Professor Green - Growing up in Public

Made In Chelsea

Dirty Works Hot Cloth Cleanser - I bought this to see if it'd improve my skin. I figured it'd be good to completely remove all my makeup without tugging away at my skin. It does exactly that. It's nice because it makes you feel pampered but all you're doing is removing your makeup!

Yes To Tomatoes Cleanser - This is great and has been really improving my skin which is just a life saver. It's a nice face wash and make's my skin feel nice and clean by the end of using it!

The Body Shop fragrance - I asked for this for Christmas and was lucky enough to get it. I love the smell, it's difficult to describe scents but it is truly beautiful and I can't stop wearing it!

Sleek Face Form Palette - You know I love this! But I have been recently, really into bronzing and this palette has been so quick and easy. Love, love love.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Oh how I love this brush again! I went from the Expert Face brush, to this, back to the expert face brush and now back to this! Just really regathered my love for this brush.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum - I have been loving this foundation for pretty much the whole of December! Whenever I was wearing makeup, this would be my go to foundation! Love it.

Natural Collection Mascara - hadn't used this for a while then decided to go back to it and fell back in love with it. It makes my lashes look wonderful!

MAC Eyeliner - Have recently been loving lining my upper lash line and this has come in handy. Been loving a Rimmel one (you can find it in previous posts) but I got this MAC one for Christmas and have just been loving it!

Professor Green Album - After seeing him in concert, I got this for Christmas and I love it. Obviously already knowing the songs on it but still love it!

Made In Chelsea - Oh I love this show. I only started watching it for Millie Mackintosh (who is married to Professor Green) but I have truly fallen in love with it!


Thats everything!
I hope you enjoyed this post and want to see more posts like this!

Remember to go over and check Amanda out! 

Love From 

BeautyyByLauraa

xx