Clothes & Beauty: Recent purchases #8

Another haul... really Alice? Yes, I've been shopping again and these are a few of the things I've bought. I've been shopping for clothes a lot and not really make-up/beauty which is very unlike me but I wanted some clothes for summer as I'm going on 2 holidays! 

Shorts - Primark

Grey Crop Top - Missguided

Checked Skort - New Look

Kelly Brook Bikini - New Look

Cardigan - New Look

T-Shirt - Primark
Necklace - H&M

White Swing Dress - Missguided

Jumpsuit - New Look

Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer - I had a £20 voucher for Boots so thought I would splurge on something nice. I've always wanted to try a Smashbox primer and the 'Blemish Control' type suits my skin perfectly. I didn't know that it actually had skin benefits as well as making foundation look seamless. My skin looks so much clearer I can't even believe it. Review coming soon!

Collection Nail Polishes in 'Coral Reef' and 'Antique Rose' - I wanted some new polishes and liked the shades in Collection (formally known as Collection 2000). These are gorgeous colours and I think they'll look great in summer.

Clinique Eyeshadow Quad in 'Pink Chocolate' - I got this from a friend who got the free gift set from Clinique. The shades are gorgeous and I don't really have those shades of pink so it makes a nice addition to my collection.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye paint in 'Rich Russet' - After hearing Lily Pebbles talk about this loads, I knew I needed to pick it up. I'm so glad I did. On days where I want a subtle make-up look but want to make a bit of an effort; a sweep of this across the lid is perfect.

Hope you've enjoyed my haul and link me to any of yours, I love reading those kind of posts.

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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The No Make-Up Selfie

If you haven't seen the no make-up selfie going around the internet, where have you been?!

Many people have been posting a picture online of themselves baring a naked face to raise awareness for cancer, particularly breast cancer. I think it's a brilliant cause but at first I thought it was a load of old cobbles. After reading it had already raised £1 million, I did it myself, as well as donating twice. I am really pleased with the celebrity participation, however many of them ARE actually wearing make-up. We're so used to them having tonnes of slap on due to being on TV etc, so when they just put a small amount on, we are all fooled. Why use make-up and instagram filters and soft lighting? Just be happy and confident with your make-up-less self!!

As a make-up and beauty addict, I know how easy it is to fake a beautifying natural look with make-up, which will look like 'no make-up' to many naive males and probably some females. If I were to cheat, I would use eye shadow on my brows, a bit of eye liner in the tight line and a thin line on top, highlighter and mascara. (and soft lighting). This seems to be the case with a lot of these selfies. The point of a 'no make-up selfie' is NO MAKEUP. AT ALL.

Here's me baring all sat by natural light coming from the window with nothing on at all.

If you want to support this amazing cause text 'BEAT' to 70007 to donate £3. Every donation counts!! 

Here are some celeb contributions:

I'm sorry but Rosie Huntington Whitely does NOT look like this without makeup on. She has mascara and bronzer on alongside a ridiculous lighting filter. Stop making us all feel like sh*t girrrrrrl.

It's no secret that Cheryl Cole is extremely beautiful so why does she need eyebrows, mascara, eye liner and probably some sort of skin product on? We saw you with no make-up when you were on Pop Idol and you were still beaut!

Fearne Cotton knows know to do it properly! Naturally beaut as we all knew!

Helen Flanagan's body is amazing and her face is so pretty but this lighting is a bit silly and very obvious. 

Michelle Keegan is my girl crush but those eyebrows are so obvious. She's recently been to Dubai so is naturally very tanned in this, but the mascara and eyeliner are too obvious gurrrrrrl.

I know I sound a bit picky, but it really annoys me when we go barefaced and people cheat. It gives such a false impression. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, fair enough. You can do your bit (probably more so) by actually donating :)

...and if you decide to do the whole selfie thing yourself, scrub your slap off and feel confident: don't cheat yourself!

What do you all think to this whole selfie business? I'd love to know!

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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Primark Workout Gear!

I've never being a big fan of exercising and despite going to the gym last year for a few months, recently I have been very slobby and as a result have felt slobby too. So I decided it's time to get my butt in gear!! I can't really afford a gym membership, however there are plenty of places to run where I currently live and youtube videos go a long way! 'Blogilates' is definitely my favourite as she does so many exercises to tone your abs, bum, arms and legs using pilates where no equipment is needed. She also does some cardio but it's fun dance cardio so I never feel like I'm really working out! She also has videos about eating clean and lots of those recipes are on her website, it's worth a look. I also recommend checking out the app 'Pump Up'. It creates workouts for you depending on your goals and your size.

So with my new workout gear from Primark (so cheap and so good!) I go ahead and squat and plank in my bedroom where noone can see my ridiculous expressions as my abs become on fire! 

I got the grey with bright yellow lining sports bra for around £4 and it looks really nice underneath another top or just on its own. I like pairing it under to bluey/lilac top I bought which has quick dry technology for those of you who sweat quite a bit during exercise! My favourite bit of the outfit has to be the cropped tight yoga pants which are sooooooo comfortable and reaally get me in the mood for exercising. I think these were £6 which is flipping amazing if you consider in sports shops where they reach the £30 mark. I really feel like these are good quality too. Finally I bought some trainers, again only £6, and these are nice just for doing exercise classes of pilates in my room. I don't think they would be great for running long distances but I have some real brand trainers for that.

Overall, I'm super happy with the Primark workout gear and allows those who cannot afford sports gear usually, to be able to get some and get them motivated to exercise! I'd love to know: Do any of you guys run or are you into exercise? What form of exercise should I try?

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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10 Beauty Mistakes I Used To Make

Hiya everyone,

In the prime of my teenage years, I made many mistakes when it came to looking good. The '10 beauty mistakes I used to make' tag is one I have been wanting to do for a while to share the embarassing things I did back in the day. Here are the 10 mistakes I made. Be sure to do this tag.. I tag whoever reads this!

- Strip my skin of all oil
As a teen that struggled with acne and very oily skin, I used to buy lots of oil free skincare and products that completely dried my face out. I laid in bed at night feeling like I couldn't move my face thinking that it would be benefitting my spots. However, as I have learnt, drying the skin out makes the oil glands produce more oil and sebum therefore making the skin oilier and spottier. Mmmm.

- Take antibiotics for spots
I will never understand why doctors give antibiotics out like sweets to those suffering with acne. They're not strong enough to get rid of the acne and are just damaging your tummy! Stay away from the antibiotics guys and just have a good diet and skincare routine and plenty of patience :)
- Dying my hair almost yellow
Home dyes aren't always the best for making your hair lighter at the timid age of 13. I had blonde hair when I was younger but as I have got older, it's got to a mousy colour. I have red undertones in my hair so putting on a blonde dye made my hair go ginger-ish. My friend then kept putting more dyes on to try and correct this, but it just got more yellow. If only I just went to the hairdressers sooner!
- Brush wet hair
People say you're not supposed to brush wet hair with a brush. I have a Michael Mercier brush now which is like a tangle teaser so I hope that's not too damaging. My hair gets super knotty and I need to brush it before I dry it! I should maybe brush it before I get in the shower though...
- Over treating spots
This kind of relates to the one before when I over dried my skin. I find now that leaving spots is a lot easier than trying to pick/squeeze/treat them. To be fair, I never squeezed my spots and that has helped a lot.
- Not using conditioner
I used to just shampoo my hair and be done. I realise that brittle ends were the result of this. I now use either an intensive conditioner or a hair mask. 
- Not using a base coat under my nail varnish
My nails went a dodgy colour, yes. And when I used yellow nail polishes.... Oh dear!

- Not cleaning my make-up brushes
I'm talking months and months worth of foundation in one brush. I get such a satisfaction out of washing my foundation buffing brush now as soooo much make-up and bacteria comes out and it really shows you the importance of washing them!

- Put MAC concealer over my face
This is probably my biggest sin? Not actually sure what it looked like but I can imagine my skin would look severely clogged. It was MAC's Select Cover Up and instead of covering up blemishes and spots, I just spread it all over my face. In all fairness, my face was covered in blemishes but I think an all over foundation would've looked better.

- Having a full thick cake face
After the concealer face stage, I got a little more sensible and moved on to Estee Lauder's Double Wear. This stuff is great for special occasions but when you're wearing it every day in probably the wrong shade, it looks quite grim. If only I went a bit more au natural on the face make-up. I blame acne and insecurities for this one but nevertheless it was a big beauty mistake!

I'd love to hear your beauty mistakes of the past, I find these posts hilarious!

Lots of Love,

Alice

♥

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