Quick and Easy Hairstyles

I have to admit that my hair is the one thing that I sacrifice in the morning to get that few extra minutes of shut eye. I'm right in the middle of one of my grow-it-really-long-then-chop-it-all-off cycles so it's a funny length to style. This means that it tends to be left down and to its own devices, sometimes still wet (ultimate laze!) or shoved up in a (genuinely) messy bun. Recently I've been trying to be a bit more adventurous and have put together some quick and easy hair dos. These literally take 5 minutes or less so hopefully they will inspire some of you!

A fishtail plait

If you don't know how to do one of these there are plenty of tutorials on Youtube. It's a plait using two strands of hair rather than three. Once you know how to do one it's really simple and quick and makes it look like you've put a lot more effort into your hair than you really have! Tie with either a clear elastic band or mix it up with a bit of ribbon.

Beachy Waves

This is a super quick look to achieve. I slept with a plait in my hair and then spritzed some Schwarzkopf got2b Texturizing Salt Spray through my hair in the morning. Et voila!

Half up twist

The ten second hairstyle, just twist the top half of your hair into a bun and secure. 

A plaited fringe

You can get away with this being a bit messy so depending on how much time you have you can make it as neat or keep it as messy as you want! I started right round at my left ear and french plaited across my head, pinning at my right ear. 

Big fringe

This is actually a bit messier than I would usually want it but I was in a real rush this day! Just back comb as much of your fringe and top of your hair as you want, spray and pin.

Amy x

Review: Benefit's Feelin' Dandy

I'm certainly not an excellent writer of beauty reviews, but I received this for Christmas and as it creates such a lovely delicate look I fancied putting fingers to keyboard and telling you all about it. I'm certainly more of a minimal make up look lover (mainly for the low maintenance aspect of it to be honest) and Benefit's Feelin' Dandy is the perfect little kit to help me achieve that. 

The set includes miniatures of High Beam, Posie Tint, Dandelion blush and Dandelion lip gloss. Also included is a handy 'Tips & Tricks' booklet, which tells you how you can use all the products at the same time if you wish and also which ones can be used for multiple things (clever eh?). The packaging, as is usual with Benefit products, is so pretty and bright, making the kit the cutest addition to your dressing table (or your floor if, like me, that's where you apply your make up). 

So, I'll run through the products individually as some I definitely like more than others:

High Beam // I've used High Beam for a long time because it's the perfect coloured highlighter for my skin tone and I'd just run out of my full sized version when I got this kit. I love how subtle it is, while still giving a lovely highlight and slight shimmer to the face. 

Posie Tint // Despite being able to use this on both lips and cheeks, this is probably my least favourite product in the kit. I find that when using it on cheeks it doesn't really blend very well and can look a bit streaky so I much prefer it on lips, where it does create a nice tint, albeit a little drying.

Dandelion Blush // I have quite porcelain skin so this is such a lovely pale pink shade for me. I use my own brush for it, as the one that comes in the kit is quite small and stiff and doesn't cover a big enough area for it to look natural. I'd definitely invest in the full sized version of this blush as it's perfect for me.

Dandelion Lip Gloss // I'm not usually a lip gloss person, but I absolutely love this one and wear it pretty much every day. It's so smooth and moisturising and tastes really good too (although I am aware that's not a particularly good reason for wearing it). It's got a very subtle colour and isn't at all sticky, which is really nice for everyday wear. 

Overall I'd definitely buy full sized versions of High Beam and the Dandelion Blush and the only reason I wouldn't buy the full version of the lip gloss is because it's not really a product I throw a lot of money at! This is a fab little kit for paler skin tones.

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Amy x

Can We All Be A Bit Nicer Please?

If you make one New Year's resolution this year...then maybe stop the hate?

Photo by Ethan Hoover on Unsplash

Happy new year folks! 

I'm going to do something a little different for my first post of each month this year and write about an issue that's been on my mind and got my little brain whirring. 

After starting this blog back in November I've been thinking a lot about how I might be perceived by others and how I could be stigmatised for what I write about; fashion, beauty and lifestyle, which are primarily viewed as fairly 'shallow' topics.

I recently read an article in a magazine in which a teenage girl had written in to say that her peers at school were making her feel thick just because she was interested in fashion. It's safe to say the reply the article offered was exactly my reaction; it's outrageous that a young girl should be made to feel that way simply due to her interests, whatever they may be.

Assuming that you're reading this blog because you're interested in fashion and the like, I imagine you're feeling the same sort of despair as I am, yet I think unfortunately we're up against quite a common opinion. If girls or women are interested in fashion and beauty they are seen as shallow and yes, often perceived as 'thick'. 

This is an issue I hadn't really given much thought to until I read the article, but it's evidently quite a big one and I think it's even partly the reason why it took me so long to start this blog. I didn't want people's perceptions of me to change and in fact I haven't even let anyone read it yet who isn't just a stranger on the internet stumbling across it (thank you guys and big love if you are reading, pls don't take the stranger on the internet thing as an insult, I'm sure you're lovely).

Nobody should be made to feel bad because of their interests and hobbies. Fashion and beauty hasn't got anything to do with being shallow; it's a creative outlet that people just don't seem to be taking seriously yet. But when you think about it, pretty much every hobby has a stigma attached to it; if I was writing a blog about science I would just as quickly be branded 'a geek' or if I was writing a blog about politics I'm sure I'd be labelled 'opinionated'. 

Why do we even have to attach any sort of negative connotations to things people enjoy just because we might not enjoy doing those particular things so much ourselves?

That girl's letter shows us that there is a long way to go before fashion is considered as a legitimate hobby and creative interest rather than something to be sneered at. I for one, however, am going to keep on doing what I enjoy and I most certainly won't discriminate against anyone who has contrasting interests to my own because it's just bloody nice to be nice isn't it?

Amy x