Haircare

Hello Everyone!

Week 6 (well it is currently week 8! :/) of #BritishBloggerSelection and the theme for this week is haircare. Six weeks have gone so quickly (It's like the whole of the summer holidays, woah), I have loved being part of a blogging community sharing ideas on the same themes. It has also helped me to stay on top of writing at least one blog post each week, as sometimes struggling with what to write is very common for me.
I do love my hair, it's so long which means I have to take extra care of it. Saying that.. I haven't as of this moment had a haircut in about 2 years, I have just let my hair grow to the length it is today (No, it isn't down to my bum, aha). But do not panic, I am getting it cut very soon, and am awaiting the hairdresser to moan at me! However, when I was talking to my friend about this topic- she too was shocked about how long it's been since my last trim- she said that my hair doesn't look like it hasn't been cut for 2 years which I suppose is a good thing. It must all be down to the products I use;

The first product I use in my hair is Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Shampoo. As you can probably guess from what I said above, I have split ends, so many that my hairdresser might have a breakdown! aha :/ So I like to think that this shampoo will help to protect my hair from further damage. It smells of raspberry, which I LOVE (it's my favourite fruit!) and it leaves my hair smelling gorgeous for days inbetween washes. This shampoo is my fave, the herbal essences collection, as it makes my hair feel and look so nice and shiny.

Another product I use to protect and repair my split ends is the Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Split End Protection Cream which is like a conditioning lotion that you put through the ends of your hair. You put it either on dry hair, or towel dried hair and leave it in to work its magic. As this is in the same collection as the shampoo, this also smells amazing and it doesn't make your hair seem greasy or sticky like how I imagined it be.

The last product I use in my hair is the Alberto Balsam Sun Kissed Raspberry Herbal Conditioner (Yeah that's right, it's Raspberry again!) This is such a nice conditioner, as it too smells amazing and leaves your hair so silky and smooth. I never really used to use conditioner, it was just something that seemed to take too much effort to use. So since then I have come up with a solution to this and it was recommended to me by a friend. Wash your hair with shampoo and then when it comes to the repeat section I use shampoo and conditioner mixed together.

That's everything I use in my hair, it's not a lot, but I guess I like to keep it simple! Either that or I'm just lazy ahaha :D

Skincare

Hello Everyone!

It is week 5 of the #BritishBloggerSelection and this weeks theme is all about skincare. This is something that some may treat like a chore as it can take up so much time which you could be spending doing other, more exciting things. But this is not the attitude to be expressing if you want to have great skin! I think most people suffer from/have suffered from spots or dry skin patches at some point. It can be very hard to find a ‘get rid quick scheme’ that’s right for you, as everyone’s skin is different.  

For me, the first product I use is Simple’s Kind To Skin Purifying Cleansing Lotion to cleanse my face, to clean my pores and remove some of my make-up that is blocking the pores. I use Simple for this task as I have very sensitive skin, my skin is so often irritated by every product I use, and this seems to really work with my skin. I use a cotton wool to smooth this around my face in the morning, when I wake up and at night before I go to bed to remove my make-up. Mainly I cleanse my face around areas prone to break outs.



Most people use face wipes to remove their make-up, I go through phases of using them and then not. If I do I would only use it around my forehead, avoiding my mouth as the face wipes have always brought me out in a rash. (Ooo how lovely.. aha) When removing my make-up after a long day, I tend to use a flannel and some warm water as I feel that this is a really good way of not irritating the skin.



I'm really bad when it comes to using moisturiser, as my skin can get so dry and irritated by the simplest product, so I have to be careful what I use. (Even Simple's products have caused a reaction many a time). The doctor once gave me some prescribed cream to use as a moisturiser- Aqueous cream which can be very watery and can sometimes bring you out in spots. I have tried Garnier's moisture match moisturiser (the start a fresh one) which is for normal to dry skin types. This did work, however I sometimes get lazy with things like this.



When I get a break out of spots I find sudocrem a great go-to as this works wonders on spots. I use it mostly during the night, putting it on the individual spots and sleeping with it on my face (kind of like a face mask). For when my spots get very bad I either use Lush's Cosmetic Warrior natural face mask 2-3 times a week or Garnier's spot roll-on.

Another skincare (if you can class it as skin!?) product I use is Vaseline as in the winter I get super dry lips, they're always chapped. I go through pots of this like no-ones business, people always seemed shocked at how quickly I use them! This is a must have in my bag at all times of the year, my lips really do suffer without it. When my lips are so dry, I cake my lips with Vaseline. Then I use an exfoliating hand glove to rub off the dry skin and make them smooth.

Favourite Make-Up Brand

Hello Everyone!

Wow, it's week 4 already and I'm actually on time- just!!
This weeks #BritishBloggerSelection theme is about your favourite make-up brand and an explanation as to why you love it so much.

I am not much of a make-up wearer, having only just started to wear it 'everyday' since last summer (2012). I never really needed to wear mascara to enhance my eyelashes as they were already super long, and for quite a while my skin was pretty clear from blemishes and spots. However, if I was having a bad day with spots or any redness then I would use a small bit of my mums concealer.

Looking through the make-up products I do own, it seems evident that I am a big fan of Rimmel, as the majority of my items are from this brand. I think more often than not I self-consciously buy products from the brands stall in the make-up department without thinking "oh hello another Rimmel purchase". Maybe what draws me towards buying them is the stylish packaging which is engaging and partly makes you want to purchase it due to the overall look. As Rimmel is a high street drug store brand it is a conveniently great price, making it all very affordable (even for students, like me). I have found that the individual products seem to all last a long time too, which makes it worth every penny you spend. A little goes a long way with Rimmel.

I am a huge fan of nail varnishes, maybe it's because I'm into art and painting. Basically here I'm trying to say that the wide variety of colours available in nail varnishes are very similar to acrylic paints used in art, which is very exciting! My nails are always different colours, I love painting my nails! It can express a mood or a feeling, for example around Christmas I like to go for dark/glittery colours as I love Christmas sooo much!! However, it can take quite a while to paint nails and get them neat, I always end up with varnish all over my fingers. :/ I decide when to paint my nails a different colour when my present colour starts to chip, which for me happens very quickly as I do not apply a top coat. 


Favourite Products:
* Rimmel London Match Perfection Foundation; I love this foundation, as the consistency of it is very thin and very quick and easy to apply to your face with fingertips or a brush. This foundation comes in quite a few different shades, which means there is one out there for everyone, I use the Ivory 001. It is also a great price at only £6.99, and the quality is amazing- this is a favourite with many beauty bloggers. This foundation has a slight shine to it, when it is on your face, but it's not OTT and it gives you a nice glow.



* Barry M Nail Polishes; These are my favourite nail varnish brand as they are so affordable, being usually only between £2.99 and £3.99 each and they seem to give you so many uses. Barry M have a huge range of colours and even types (for example; the gelly polishes and the effects- crackle) that you'll be spoilt for choice. When wearing one of their polishes they tend to last a long time without chipping. For me I find that the coverage and amount of coats depends on the colour as sometimes with a dark colour you can get away with one coat. 

* Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer; I know that this is none of the brands I previously mentioned, but this is a god send. This is the best concealer that I have used as it has such great coverage on any spots, blemishes or redness completely for up to 16 hours (so it advertises). It is in packaging very much like lip-gloss, with the applicator being the same as a lip-gloss brush. With this product there a fewer shades to choose from, I firstly picked up a light 2, as in the shop lighting it seemed to blend into my hand. When I got home, I became all patchy where it was too dark for me, so I purchased the fair 1 (oh the joys of being pale!)


This is all of the make-up products that I have been loving, what are your favourite brands?

Favourite Clothes Shop

Hello Everyone!

This weeks actual #BritishBloggerSelection topic is about your favourite clothes shop. Oooo, I love clothes so very much, so this is quite a toughie choosing a favourite.

I work in a clothes retailer, and some people when getting a job in certain places can make them hate the things they sell. Like if you worked in a chip shop, you may become sick of the smell of greasy chips. However, this is not the case for me. I love my job, even if it is only 4 hours on a Saturday and 4 on a Sunday. I don't know whether it is the clothes, working on the till, being able to help customers or the lovely people who also work there that make me LOVE it!? Oh.... I’ve just realised that I missed out saying where it is I work, that place is Primark!

I know a lot of people talk down about Primark, saying because it is cheap it will break easily. I'm not trying to defend it just because I work there and have to be positive, but yeah it is cheap, but the selection of lovely clothes is amazing. When I am often working on the tills, I see all the nice things customers are buying and secretly in my head I think 'when I get paid, I'll buy that'. The Primark in my city, Portsmouth, has just recently been extended, making the shop bigger in size. 

My other all time favourite shop is H&M! They too have such beautiful clothing designs for a fairly decent price, I would say the majority of my wardrobe is from H&M. Infact, the top I am currently wearing whilst writing this post is from H&M a few years ago. It's still going, and is still one of my favourite tops.

Every now and then I go through phases of loving everything in Dorothy Perkins to loving a few items, to absolutely nothing at all. I thought I would include it in my list of favourite clothes shops. I would say that my love for Dorothy Perkins has come from my mum, as I remember she used to like shopping in there, but it now seems quite expensive (especially for a college student, saving up for car insurance and university).

Of course Topshop is a favourite, but maybe just to browse as I can hardly ever afford anything from there on a frequent basis. I often find myself scrolling through their website finding sooo many clothes I really like and want to add to my wardrobe. As it is getting so close to Christmas, I will be asking my mum and dad very nicely for just a few clothes from here >_<

Thank you for reading about my favourite shops. Where are your favourite places to buy your clothes? If you would like to tell me then please feel free to leave a comment below.

Q&A/Interview

Hello Everyone!

This is a bit late compared to other bloggers posts, I have just got confused with the weeks and when the #BritishBloggerSelection posts are supposed to be published! :/ arhh So I think this was supposed to be up last week, but here goes.

This week is a Q&A set up, with 'Little Vintage Camera' asking 9 questions to all bloggers taking part. By answering these questions I hope you get to know me a bit better.

 

1) Why do you like blogging?

I like blogging as it is a way of expressing yourself through writing and sharing moments in your life with others. You can get across your personality through blog posts, by the way you write. It is also great experience for my future to become a journalist, to practice writing skills. Sorry for the long answer, aha :/

 

2) How did you come up with your blog name?

My hair is blonde (ish, it's gradually getting darker) and curly. Back in school I used to say some really stupid, silly things so my friends kept making fun of me calling me a stereotypical 'blonde'.

 

3) Where from the UK do you come from?

I come from Portsmouth, in Hampshire. Portsmouth is at the very south of the UK, along the South Coast.

 

4) Favourite colour?

I'm really into mint/jade green at the moment. I used to absolutely love pink!

 

5) Do you like Lana Del Ray?

I'm not really fussed about her; she has a lovely voice and some great songs. I'm just not overly amazed by her.

 

6) Hidden Talents That You Have?

I can touch my nose with my tongue, ewww ok thats disgusting! :P Ermm, I'm quite good at art (like drawing and painting) if I take my time, I got a Distinction (An A) at GCSE.

 

7) Celebrity Crush?

Oooo, that's a toughy! At the moment I have 'a thing' for Alex Turner (from the Arctic Monkeys, if you didn't know!), I went to see them at the iTunes festival in September and the image I took of him is now my phone lock screen. Oh and of any member of One Direction, how could I not include them ahaha ;)

 

8) Favourite Blog Of All Time?

Standard options would be; Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter

I also like reading http://www.stylishbutskint.co.uk/ by Nicola and http://keepcalmlookpretty.blogspot.co.uk/ by Sophie.

 

9) What made you want to join #BritishBloggerSelection?

I thought it was a great idea, for British Bloggers to come together and publish posts based around a common topic. It would be great to hopefully make some friends along the way :D

 

Thank you for reading this post, I hope you got to know a bit more about me! Don't forget that if you want to join the #BritishBloggerSelection, you can do so by contacting Ellie via her blog.... http://littlevintagecamera.blogspot.co.uk/

Alternative Halloween

Hello Everyone!

Halloween has been and gone for another year, and for this blog post I will be talking about how I spent my night. This post on 'Halloween' is part of a #BritishBloggerSelection topic.

I don't normally celebrate Halloween as my mum and dad never thought it was 'morally right' to go trick or treating, as to them it's 'give us sweets or we'll do horrible things to you/your house'. :/ So I think during my 18 years of life I have only been trick or treating once with friends. I remember being invited to my best friends Halloween party when I was about 7/8 and my parents wouldn't let me go, I cried as I was so upset! :'( aha As a child me and my sister had a fancy dress box, full of princess dresses, and somehow we also had a scary vampire mask which terrified my mum, so that got thrown away!
In my house we even go so far as to put up this sign in the front room window. Halloween is a no go for my family!

This year however, we actually did something on Halloween night (that to my dad’s delight, avoided any trick or treaters at the door). My dad took part in a panto (for children as an alternative Halloween night) as an evil henchman, this involved acting stupid, being picked up and thrown on the ground, having a moustache and wearing women’s leggings! Yes, that's right I said WOMEN'S LEGGINGS, on my dad's legs, which are slimmer than mine! :/ Despite all of these embarrassing factors, it turned out to be a brilliant performance by all the cast.  

The story of the panto was based on Jack and the Beanstalk. Men dressed as women and women dressed as men. It was £1 entry to get in, this included free popcorn, sweets and drinks. If I'm being honest I didn't think many people would turn up, they’d be too busy actually trick or treating. Why would they come to see a group of amateurs fool around on stage!? I was totally wrong as on the first night they pulled in 370 people to watch, and then when it was extended to a second night they brought in a further 300, making the two nights total 670 people. My sister and I had seen all of the rehearsals over the weeks, seeing it all come together, as we helped out with the costumes and props which I found very fun! It was a great achievement seeing all the costumes and props I'd helped out with being used on stage. To top it all off on the last night, they congratulated everyone who had helped out (from directing, make-up, hair, costumes and props), they called them up on stage to give flowers or chocolates. Me and my sister were called up, it was such an embarrassing experience looking out, only being able to see the kids at the front due to the power of the lights. :/
Thanks to anyone who has chosen to read this post, about how I spent my 'Halloween' night. This is the first topic in the #BritishBloggerSelection and in the coming weeks I will continue to write more posts on the topics set out. :D

British Blogger Selection

Hello Everyone!

This is just a quick post to tell all of you lovely people that I have recently joined a group called #BritishBloggerSelection' along with 200+ other British Bloggers. Exciting times! This amazing idea came from Ellie Fortley (http://littlevintagecamera.blogspot.co.uk/p/britishbloggerselection.html)

If you are a British Blogger and would like to take part in this group, then all you have to do is contact Ellie and she'll add you straight away.
Contact Ellie here: littlevintagecamera@gmail.com with your blog name, blog URL, your first name and last name.

It's that easy! :D