The Problem with the word "beauty"

I'm going to be honest with you guys, because a lot of you have been with me for some time. But, I have to confess that I've been feeling quite negative towards this blog for quite a while. It's not hat I don't like writing it, because I really do. I just feel a little...hmm, fake. Let me explain...

I often read other people's beauty blogs, and watch videos on YouTube, and I look at how pretty and attractive most of these other women are, and I feel quite inadequate at times. Being a larger person, there are a lot of things that I can't do. I can't, for example, talk about an actress' style, because I couldn't replicate it on myself, because I don't have the body shape. And I often find myself thinking that I'm not pretty enough to be writing a blog about beauty, because 99% of modern society probably wouldn't class me as a physically beautiful person. And, in that sense, I feel quite fake.

But then I have to sit down and realise that "beauty" isn't about being the perfect size, the perfect figure, with the perfect face shape etc etc, because when you delve deeper, you quickly realise that these girls that I consider to be a million times more attractive than me don't necessarily consider themselves to be as pretty as I consider them to be. They have hang-ups, just like I do. They have crooked teeth, imperfections on the skin, wonky noses and they still write about all this stuff.

I guess the moral of this story is, that I realised, that I have to keep writing this blog, because there are other young women, just like me, that are constantly being made to feel inadequate because they don't fit into this stereotype, or into that Size 4 dress! Who get questioned why they wear make up, because they still look ugly. The answer to which is that we don't wear make up so that you'll think we're pretty, we do it for ourselves, to boost that confidence a little. We do it so that we can accept ourselves, not so that you'll accept us (although it does sometimes help to feel accepted).

The whole "beauty is only skin deep" is of course a big cliche, but quite often, the really beautiful people are not the ones with the seemingly perfect skin, but the ones that admit their flawed, accept their imperfections, but refuse to hide away from them.

I've spent too much of my life, wasted, because other people made me feel bad about my large forehead, how thin my hair is, and even my weight. But, you know what, I do have issues with all of those things, but they're my issues, and they make me who I am. I'm not necessarily proud with my weight, but if I was the person that I thought I wanted to be, I don't think that I'd be where I am today. And here's a little secret, I am VERY happy with where I am today (although I'd like to be earnign more money ;))

Max Factor Goodie Bag Review

What is the one good thing about getting rubbish presents at Christmas? Knowing that other people got rubbish presents too, which means that the Charity Shops are practically bursting, during January, with unwanted Christmas beauty gift sets. For scavengers like myself, who just love a good bargain, well, it's like Christmas and Birthday all rolled into one...well, minus a feast or a meal at Nandos, but hey, we can't have everything can we?

So what lovelies did I manage to pick up? Well, this cute little pink package is what I picked up, and inside it was a "Max Factor Summer Beauty Essentials" kit!

Okay, so maybe it isn't quite summer, but with all the miserable weather we've been having, I think I need something summery to cheer me up, even if it is a little too much pink for my liking!

Inside this little bundle was:

• Masterpiece Mascara in Black (5.3ml)
• Nailfinity Nail Varnish in Disco Pink (hmm, lovely....)
• Colour Collections Lipstick (you guess it, in pink!)
• Kohl Pencil in Black
• Earth Spirits Eyeshadow in Ultra Aqua (Not pink! Hurrah!)
• Second Skin tester Sachet
• Second Skin save £3 voucher (out-of-date! Someone seriously got a rubbish Christmas present!!)
• Pink Toe Seperators

Masterpiece Mascara in Black

When it comes to Mascara, I am often quite picky, and tend to find that the only brand I actually like is Rimmel. I'm not really sure why this is, but I just tend to find other Mascaras are clumpier in consistency than Rimmel, which as a rule I don't like.

But, then I tried this little gym, and I have to say that I could be very tempted to invest in a fall sized version of this Max Factor mascara.

I really liked the tiny bristles, that seem to open apply just as much mascara as I needed, and it just felt light, almost as if I wasn't wearing any at all.

Disco Pink Nail Varnish

This was never going to be my favourite product, really, was it? Not being an overly big fan of pink, I really would have been happier not using this, but for the sake of my blog, I pushed myself to at least give it a go.

Yes, the pink was too much for me, and no it didn't matter how long I left it, I was never going to get used to wearing it, but in all honesty, it wasn't that bad a colour, and I didn't feel too big of an urge to take it off again. In fact, it lasted several days!!

As nail varnishes go, it was nothing amazing, but nothing less that you'd expect from a polish. It applies nicely, takes a couple of coats to look it's best and it's just a bright pink nail polish.....yup! I have now officially worn a pink nail polish *gulp*

English Rose Lipstick

After the bright pink nail varnish, I had little hopes for this lipstick. Nevertheless, I gave it a try, and was amazed to find that this is actually a much more subtle colour than I initially expected.

The actual product is very creamy, and applies very smoothly. I'm assuming that it's because the lipstick is creamy, but it certainly does dry my lips out at all.

The overall colour is very pretty, and even though it's still pink, I kinda like it...but shh! No one needs to know that ;)

Black Eye Liner

As my regular readers will already know, I am incredibly fussy when it comes to eye liners. In fact, I have a little test that I always do with my eyeliners.

Initial Smudge Test: It didn't smudge very well, but instead faded quite a lot, which means that this eye liner is not suitable for smokey looks.

How easily it faded at this point also highlights another key flaw in this liner, it probably doesn't have very good longevity. I want an eye liner that is actually going to stay on, not fade into nothingness.

Nevertheless, the inital application went quite nicely, mainly because the product is creamy, so it doesn't feel like it's trying to rip my eye lids off, like some eye liners do!!

Being a plain and simple black liner, there isn't really much that I can say about the colour, except it appears to have a little bit of glitter that makes it sparkly.

Ultra Aqua Eye Shadow

I don't really have that much to say about the eye shadow. It's a very nice colour, that looks pretty on, but it doesn't really shout "wow" at me. There's nothing wrong with it, I just didn't click with it, I suppose.

It applied as an eye shadow should, but I haven't yet worn it long enough to test it's longevity, which like eye liners, is incredibly important to me.

I don't really have anything else to say about that really....


Foundation and Toe Seperators

I shall confess that I haven't had chance to test out the foundations sachets, and what exactly can be said about toe seperators? They go between your toes, are pink as they normally are, and just serve their purpose. Nothing more, nothing less! I did have fun experimenting with my camera though. For toe seperators, I think I got a little too fascinated with how slightly more interested I could potentially make them (sad! I know!)

I guess the moral of this blog is again bigging up Charity Shops. And, remember that just because you don't necessarily find everything in a gift set appealing, it is still worth it, on the whole, sometimes, for a couple of real gems!

Oh, and by the way, this only set me back £3! I wonder how much it really cost? If anyone has this gift set, I'd love to know :)

On a lighter note, I'm trying to update this blog more frequently now that things seem to have settled down into a more regular routine. So, I promise to have more reviews, tips and general rambling soon!!

Make Up Tidy Ideas

I am almost always looking for new ways to hold my various make up bits-and-bobs, especially now that I've moved into my new flat, and space is a tiny bit on the short side. So, when I made this little discovery in Paperchase, for just £2.50, I was pretty excited (I'm very sad, I know, but I'd been looking for something exactly like this, for a long time!)

The reason this little Pen Holder was so nifty, was simply because it has four different "areas" so that I can seperate different make up items.

So, eye make up brushes could be seperated from bigger brushes. And I could seperate all types of brushes from my eye liners. I can even store my detangling comb in there too...yay!

I know some of you might be thinking: what's wrong with a normal Pen Holder, and that's what I'd been using before I found this. But, my problem was, that sometimes I struggled to find some smaller items because they kind of drowned in to the midsts of the larger items, which got a little annoying.

This way, with everything kept apart, I am finding it easier to just glance at the box, see what I need, take it and go, instead of having to spend time delving into the depths of mayhem!

It's just tidier okay? And I recommend this neat and funky-looking holder to anyone looking for a neater way to store make up brushes :)

Being Big, But Smart

Hey Guys,

I know that this is a little bit (okay, a big bit) late, but Happy New Year to all of you. I hope that everyone had a great Christmas in the midsts of the snow, and that you all entered the New Year as well and healthy as possible! 

To kickstart this year, I've decided to focus a little on fashion for the larger lady. I don't focus on fashion very often, so I really wanted to share this look with you all.

For me, the biggest problem about being "bigger", is that it becomes increasingly difficult to look smart, without wearing a suit. Suits are just not something I wear. It feels too much like a School Uniform, and I just don't feel comfortable wearing them anymore. Plus, when you don't have the perfect figure, looking smart is an issue anyway.

So, I attended a Family Christening over the weekend, and I have to admit that deciding what to wear was an absolute nightmare! Let's just say, I changed my mind several times over the space of a few weeks, and then again just the day before, but here is what I wore:

Long Sleeved Two-Piece Top. Ah, the old cliche about black being slimming, but in this case, the cliche is actually true. The fact that it has long black sleeves helps, but I think the way that it pulls in at the hips is incredibly flattering, alongside the contrast against the cream top underneath.

The long sleeves helps to hide "bingo wings", whilst the cardigan hides any lumps and bumps around the middle.

From: George @ Asda
Price: £12.90
Sizes: 8 - 24

Black Bootcut Cords. I loved wearing cord trousers when I was at Uni, mainly because they were so comfortable. But, a lot of you probably associate cord trousers with casual wear, as did I. But, these are a little smarter than the cords that you'd normally buy, perhaps because they're  made from thinner and softer material. I'm not sure.

If, like myself, you are large around the bum and tummy area, wearing bootcut shaped trousers helps to "shape" your legs, in a way that draws attention away from your bum and tummy, and makes it look a little slimmer.

From: George @ Asda. I actually bought these over a year ago, so I don't know if Asda still stock them.


Accessories:

Since I'm not really a heels-type of girl, I finished this look with a pair of smart, black flat pumps, but it would also look great with a pair of black boots if you prefer. The pumps that I wore cost £2.50 from a Charity Shop, so it really does pay to check out your local shops for some good bargains.

With the weather still being quite chilly, I also wore a black pashmina around my neck that kept me warm, but was a really nice finishing touch to the look. I borrowed the scraf from my mum!

And finally, I picked up a gorgeous pair of earrings, from the George @ Asda Sale, for just £2! Yet another bargain, if I do say so myself!

So come on girls, just because you're bigger, doesn't mean you can't look and feel great!