food overhaul!

since my last post, i am officially a graduate. this september is going to be really manic as i am a) going to bestival, b) winding up working full-time, and c) beginning a new degree. gulp. i need to figure out what my new timetable will be and what my general weekly routines will be like, as i am also going to join a gym and need to figure out when i can fit that in, because having an office job has made me fat. they're pretty slow most of the time when it comes to paying me so i've been in agony as of late as there has been SO many things my heart has pined for (HELLO NEW ILLAMASQUA COLLECTION? THAT RUBBER NAIL POLISH? GIVE.TO.ME.)

i've been watching what i eat and begun a food overhaul since yesterday morning, although i still somehow think i eat too much. yesterday i had bran flakes (which tastes like cardboard), a handful of rice, chickpeas and watermelon. oh, and some pimms (i may/may not be hungover as i type this). so that's my general sort of routine going. start the day with cereal, have a vaguely carby lunch, and then spend the rest of the day snacking on watermelon, water, or green tea. for some reason i've been feeling dizzy and lethargic all week and so i haven't been exercising, but i think i will do an hour today. i shall report any signs of weight loss on here!

yesterday it was my friend's birthday. i am elusive but showed my face briefly. i haven't changed my make-up much recently but i'm really enjoying being silly with it and mixing blushers with lipsticks, using lipsticks on my cheeks and basically just putting things where they shouldn't be. could be the early markings of a breakdown really.

for some reason the lighting in my house is completely off - you'll just have to take my word for it, but there are a lot of gold tones on my face and my cheeks were a nice apricot colour. i'm not really liking my face much at the moment either.

face: no 7 lift and luminate day cream, sephora base sublimatrice, illamasqua skin base foundation (no 10), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), no 7 illuminator (peach), nars highlighter (albatross), mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).
eyes: urban decay primer potion, urban decay eyeshadows (virgin, naked, buck, hustle), rimmel exaggerate liquid liner, maybelline gel liner, max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud).
cheeks: nars bronzer (laguna), illamasqua blush (lover) and a touch of sleek blush on the cheekbone (rose gold).
lips: urban decay primer potion, sleek blush (rose gold), tiny bit of old no 7 gloss (smile).

brush out those curls and ta dah! a result channelling something between a marcel wave and a cavewoman.

review: maybelline dream touch blush.

recently i've been venturing out of my usual pink and coral blushers (hot pink, baby pink, deep pink, you name it) and going for different, more subtle shades - more towards peach and apricot. i still prefer the pinks but shades such as these are more universally flattering. i have a very yellowy olive skin tone (i'm not pale by any means, as you can tell) and so i think that because of that, i can get away with the crazy pinks. peach tones lift my complexion but in a different way which looks more natural.

my newest shade is maybelline's dream touch blush in peach. it has recently been reformulated and i have heard echoes of dismay but this is the first time i'm trying the product and so i can't comment on whether it has been improved or not. i never used to notice maybelline, but they are really impressing me this year - their gel liner has definitely been my all-time favourite make-up purchase... quite the claim.

pros? i like its texture. i absolutely hate applying cream blusher with my fingers because it just doesn't feel right and looks very blotchy half the time because the product will be so pigmented. this is so smooth and lightweight that it's really soft, and therefore feels nice to touch. it's also very easy to build up! i also like the shade, but feel that it's perhaps a little *too* natural for my liking and gets lost within my complexion - on paler skin (such as the underside of my arm), it would look absolutely delicious. (excuse how blotchy i am, i have bad circulation and bad skin).

best hairstyle.

there is only one con, and it is a bloody massive con: its lasting power. i usually have a combination skin type and this just won't last nowhere near as long as i would like. i can't even dismiss it due to the fact that it's a high-street brand - blushes by sleek and topshop actually cost less and still do the job. i like the colour/texture to much to say that i regret buying this product completely, but i do think that i will mainly use it if i'm having guests over or popping out for an hour or two and don't want to use any of my expensive stuff. suffice to say i'm still disappointed by it though... alongside the fact that my eye make-up is a lot crazier and more 80s than the photo above depicts, with my camera refusing to take a proper photo of it.

face: 17 primer, mac studio fix fluid (nc30), clinique airbrush concealer (03 light), collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, mac mineralize skinfinish (medium plus).

eyes: urban decay primer potion, benefit creaseless cream eyeshadow (get figgy), urban decay eyeshadows (twice baked and oil slick), illamasqua cream eyeshadow (hollow), max factor false lash effect mascara, mac eyebrow pencil (stud). 

cheeks: bourjois bronzing powder, maybelline dream touch blush (peach).

lips: sephora (no 72).