Let's Talk About: Makeup AND exciting news

Hello, welcome back to my Let's Talk About series. Today as you can tell by the title I am talking about Makeup. Disclaimer this is not a tutorial (I'm not that good at makeup) this is just me talking about what I think on a general scale of makeup.

I love makeup, unfortunately I'm not that good at makeup but I still do like to wear it. Before I did my makeup today I took a picture of me wearing no makeup, and then a picture of me wearing makeup. The difference shocked me a little bit.

Before:

 After:

I wear makeup because I love wearing it. I just love how you can do so many different looks with it, and how it can completely change a look. I also love it because it makes me feel more confident on for eg a bad skin day, or if I'm feeling crappy I'll just pop on some lipstick and I feel better. I don't wear makeup everyday because let's face it, I'm the laziest person you're gonna meet. I wear makeup if I'm going somewhere (besides school) special occasions and for practice. I am still not as good as I would like to be with makeup, but I guess practice makes perfect and you learn more and more as you go on.

At the end of this post I will list the products I used, if you're interested.
I always knew that of course makeup can completely change how a person looks, obviously because you are putting things on to your face to cover blemishes, cancel out redness, highlight your cheekbones etc.
However I feel like the girls/boys that wear makeup can get a lot of criticism for wearing makeup, or even how the makeup looks and people who don't wear makeup can get some criticism too.

Personally, I always believe that you should do/wear what you want. If you want to wear makeup everyday, great! If you only want to wear makeup for weekends, or special occasions also great! And if you don't want to wear makeup at alll, that's completely okay! Do you, and do what makes you happy. I find it so irritating when someone degrades someone just because of their choice to wear makeup or not! I have heard people being called 'sluts' because in someone's opinion they wear too much makeup, I have also heard people being called arrogant because they choose not to wear makeup, or they don't wear enough makeup. You can never win, so you may as well do what you want.
I am guilty of saying people wear too much makeup, I do it and then I'm like they could say the exact same thing about me, which is why I just tell myself that if that person feels comfortable with that amount of makeup that's none of my business and to stop being so judgmental.

I also believe that if you choose to wear makeup, wear what ever makeup you think flatters you and that you feel makes you feel good. Don't not wear a particular lipstick shade, or eye-shadow shade because someone says it looks bad on you. If you like it, wear it.  

I don't personally know of any boys that wear makeup, I do know of YouTube boys who wear makeup eg Manny Mua, who flippin kills it! I know that any men you work on television or go on television do wear makeup to tone down shine and stuff, but I feel like boys have just as a right to wear makeup. So if you're a boy who wants to wear makeup, do it. You only live once (I did just go there) so you may as well! Don't just leave the contouring to the girls, own it.


Moral of this blog post, do what makes you happy, and wear makeup if you want to. SLAY.

Products I used:

• Foundation: Boirjois Healthy Mix Serum (52)
• Powder: No7 Light Pressed Powder
• Concealer: Maybelline Eye Eraser (Yes I know it's an eye concealer, but I also use it for blemishes) (light)
• Highlight, Contour, Blush: Rimmel London Kate Moss Sculpting Kit (Coral Glow)
• Bronzer: Rimmel London Sun Bronze (022)
• Eyebrows: w7 Brow Parlour
• Eyeshadow: Sleek In the Storm and W7 Shades of Grey (I used the white shade in my inner corner) 
• Eyeliner: Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajel Eye Pencil (white) I use this in my waterline to open up my eyes. 
• Lipstick: L'Oreal Paris Privee Color Riche Lipstick 721 Eva's Nude. This is my absoloute favorite nude.
• Mascara: Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless. 

Thank you so much for reading, here is my exciting news. I am starting a YouTube Channel soon. Yes ME. Which may not be exciting for you, but it is for me. I can't wait to start and see what it's like. I will give you more information when the time comes.

Lots of love,

                   Fiona xo

Let's Talk About: Exams

I'M BACK, BACK AGAIN.. (sorry). It's been over a month since my last blog post, and I'm just so excited to be back in action! So, over the last two weeks I've been doing exams, more specifically my Junior Cert. If you're not from or living in Ireland the Junior Cert is basically an exam you do three years into secondary school, it's not that important. However I was still really nervous and scared about it, because teachers make it sound a lot worse than it actually is! My friend Joe has a YouTube video on 'The Junior Cert Rant'. It is so funny and definitely worth a watch he almost has 1k views which is amazing!!! Go over there and watch it, and subscribe because his videos are great! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Kx5krgMM80

Before I go into my rant about exams, I would just like to say that I'm doing a 'Let's Talk About' series. Anyone who may know me will know that I'm very opinionated and I argue a lot. I might do these every once in a while. If you want me to talk about something in this, please let me know.

My Experience With Exams:

Okay, so since the start of secondary school I've been plagued with 'you need to know this for your junior cert' 'your jc is important' from teachers. And it's really annoying and daunting, since first year they tell you that the Junior Cert is a big deal! So when I got into third year, the junior cert was pretty much awaiting me. This sounds stupid to say now looking back on it, but at the time this was a really big fear of mine, every night in third year at the beginning I would come home crying realizing how close the exams were and I was terrified that I would fail my exams, and do really badly. This was a re-occuring fear of mine. It would just never go away. I'm not going to lie, I am definitely not the smartest in school.. I struggle with a lot of things and I'm also not good at studying which doesn't help my case. So going into the mocks (a pre- exam, to give you an idea of what the actual exam is like) I didn't study as much as I thought I would, to be honest I did hardly anything. There was some subjects I did really badly on, but these are the subjects I struggled with. After the mocks I began to realize that I badly needed to pull up my socks and study. I did a little bit of study, nothing massive just a tiny bit. Definitely not enough.

The week before my exams, I was an anxious mess. I have anxiety and panic attacks anyway ( Blog post on this: http://lookitsfifi.blogspot.ie/2016/02/my-struggle-with-anxiety.html ) so this was nothing new, except for the fact that they were much stronger, the simplest thing would make me fly over the edge and it wasn't pretty.
Someone I really loved died the night before my exams, and that really pushed me over the edge. That night I just had a major breakdown, I couldn't handle it. I think the fact that I was so unprepared mentally and physically for the exams just made me really scared!

I just want to say that my exams were definitely not as bad as I thought they would be. I definitely didn't get any A's or B's or anything! But they were not bad!! So here I am, living AFTER THE EXAMS. I wished for this day for a really long time. I thought my exams were the be all and end all, but they're not, I'm still here.

My Opinion On Exams:

I know that exams are important, they are! In my opinion the education system is so fucked up, I am so grateful for the opportunity to be educated because I know not many people don't get the chance. However I think having exams at such a fragile age, isn't fair.  We should be figuring out what kind of people we are, figuring out what we want to do with our lives not stressing and crying over exams. It is so easy for someone to say 'don't worry just do your best', but sometimes when you try your best it still isn't good enough. Like I've said before I find school really difficult, I'm not smart education wise. However there are things I love that are not tested for example, photography in our school we don't have the chance to do this, I know that other schools in other countries do have the opportunity to do this if they wish. They also don't test emotional intelligence which is something I love. There are so many things that are not tested in school, which you could be amazing at. If you're like me and aren't booksmart that is OKAY. It is, everyone has something they are good at. Follow your dreams and do the thing that is your passion! I know that if you want to be a doctor or a nurse or a layer or anything like that you have to pass a serious amount of exams. But if that is the thing you want to spend the rest of your life doing it will be worth it!!

Exam months can be really terrifying, and can definitely be anxious times. I know that this is so much easier said than done, but just do the best you can and try not to worry too much! At the end of the day they are just exams, and they don't matter that much. If you fail your exams and can't do the thing you want to do there is other ways of doing that thing! Don't loose hope, there is always other ways! It may take longer, it may take a lot of work but if it's the thing you love it will be worth it!!

I am just so happy to be back blogging again! I may also be doing another exciting thing this Summer, that I may (if I go ahead with it) be telling you guys about soon! I hope this helped you if you're going through exams or if you know someone going through exams! I wish you the best of luck getting your results!

Lots of love,

                        Fiona xo

My Pamper Evening

Hey there, I decided today to have a bit of a pamper day. I have never had one of these just because I don't know I've never really thought about it. Today was very productive I did all my homework and even a little bit of study, so I finished up early and decided to have a pamper evening. I did a blog post yesterday (and if you have not read that it's just after this one) but because I haven't blogged in like three weeks, I decided to do another one. 

So, from eleven o'clock this morning to like four o'clock (I had a break in between) I was doing homework and revision, so I was pretty productive for me anyway. 

Showering 

Whenever I've had a stressful day I love to relax by having a shower, I don't think anything in the world will ever feel as nice as a shower. It's just a great way to relax, and as a bonus you smell great! Some people like to have their shower before their productive day, but personally I like to have it after because it means I can just relax and take my time with everything. 

1. I condition my hair first using the L'Oreal Paris Elvive Smooth Intense Anti-Frizz Conditioner. I know conditioning your hair first before shampooing may sound weird (unless you do it) but honestly it makes washing my hair that little bit easier, it tames my hair. I have extremely frizzy/curly hair and I find that conditioning it first softens it and makes it easier to shampoo. 
2. I wash my hair with the Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo. I love this shampoo so much, because I find it so easy to lather and I feel like it makes my hair really soft, and it smells so amazing! I wash my hair every three/four days and on day three/four I can still smell the shampoo, which is amazing! 
3. I wash my body using Soap & Glory Foam Call. I love this so much, it's so soapy and smells amazing! The smell lasts a really long time and its just great!
4. I wash my face with Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash. This is tailored for people who have dry skin, and let me tell you it is amazing! It leaves my skin feeling so soft and I can't get enough! 
5. On Sunday, I use Simple Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub. This leaves my skin feeling so soft and clean! It's amazing. 

Comfy Clothes

When I'm having a comfy/lazy day I love wearing pajamas and having a no makeup day! The top is from River Island and the bottoms are from Penneys/Primark. Excuse how bad my skin is lately, I'm having the worst breakout and also my eyebrows badly need to grow back! SO please excuse.

My favorite scent is the Zoella Let's Spritz. I love this so much! It is perfect for this time of year, it is from her Tutti Fruity Range it is just beautiful. Nothing is better than smelling amazing. 

FaceMask

My friend got me a a facemask ages ago, I've never used one before and I didn't use half enough product as I was supposed to but that's okay I'll know next time. I used the 7th Heaven Creamy Coconut. I love this because even though I only used a little bit my skin felt so moisturized and soft. I left it on for fifteen minutes. And to add it was so relaxing and calming. 

Painting My Nails 

 

  

Unfortunately I am really bad at painting my nails, but nevertheless I still love painting them! I used this beautiful silver by Rimmel London in 239 Your Majesty. Can we just take a moment to appreciate that name! I love it! This color is so beautiful, I can't get enough! Painting your nails can be such a relaxing and calming thing, and I love it. 

I have incredibly dry hands, and showering can make my hands so dry so I use my trustee Zoella Wonder Hand (I have a review on this if you would like to read, after this of course: http://lookitsfifi.blogspot.ie/2016/01/zoella-wonder-hand-moisturising-hand.html ). I love Zoe so much, and all of her products that I have! I cannot wait to get my hands on her new range Sweet Sensations. This hand cream is so moisturising and amazingly scented. I can't get enough! It makes my hands feel so luxurious and they smell amazing. 

Lounge Time

Lounging around and relaxing is my favorite thing to do, I love it. After dinner I treated myself to Zoe's

(I have mentioned her so much throughout this post, I love her) new video! Please excuse how low quality that photo is, you can even see me through it which is really embarrassing but what can you do. I made some Chamomile Tea which heads up I don't like, I just said I'd try it because I've never tried it before. 

Lighting candles is so realxing, and slightly romantic and I am a romantic person I love everything like that! I feel like it adds a really nice atmosphere and it's so relaxing. 

One of my all time favorite books is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I have read this three times already, I LOVE IT. Reading is something I have loved since a child, now I'm so busy with school I don't get the time to read as much as I would like. 

Enjoy your day!

This morning when I was contemplating having a pamper day or not I was questioning if I deserved it. Honestly I haven't done much revision yet (which is so bad) so I was like really Fiona you shouldn't be taking ANOTHER day off. However it's not like I took a full day off, because I was working from eleven to four on school work (I'm still not finished) but I found myself getting really anxious and just blah, so I just did it. 

Honestly I felt a little bit selfish doing it as well, but you know what I've never in my life done anything like this, and it was so nice. I could just relax for a few hours and it was lovely. I would highly recommend it if you have not yet tried it. You deserve it, it is important to take breaks and relax! It's good for you. 

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post. This is probably the last you'll be seeing of me on here until the end of June, just because I have exams really soon. I do have my social medias which you can follow me on if you like. Twitter: @ lookitsfifi Insta: @ http.lookitsfifi Snapchat : fifimc99

Until then, best of luck in exams if you have them and stay strong.

Lots of Love, 

                     Fiona x

If you need to hear this

I haven't done a blog post in what feels like ages, because I've just got caught up with piles of school work. 

I was briefly talking to one of my friends about the month of May being horrible/stressful (hey girl). I was talking to her about how stressed I was this month because of exams, and she said she was also stressed as well, so that led me to think about positive vibes for a crappy time. 

So I know that a lot of us are doing exams at the minute, and not going to lie I am the worst for dealing with stress especially exam stress. To say the least I am so unprepared for exams, but that is not what this is about. I'm just so bad at studying, and I also struggle alot in school, so I'm just genuinely stressed all the time. Even if you're not doing exams, you can still be going through a bad time and that is perfectly okay and perfectly normal. 

I feel like people don't get told how well they are doing enough! People can be so quick to criticize but are so so slow to compliment. That shouldn't be the way it is. I love complimenting people because it could really make that persons day, when I get complimented I get really awkward, but it can definitely make my day. 

If you feel shitty or just unmotivated and drained from life I just want to remind you:

•  You ARE enough. 
• You're trying and that's what matters.
•  Everyone goes through different things so do not compare yourself to other people, because that just leads to sadness and more stress. 
• You survived today and that in itself is amazing, some days can be amazing and some can be unbearable but it's all about believing in yourself.
• Exams are only for the next couple of months, you can get through them.
• You can only do the best you can in exams, and that is all that matters. As long as you know you did as good as you could, you shouldn't compare yourself to other people. This is one of my many flaws, I compare myself to others alot, It doesn't help in the slightest. 
• You are loved, sometimes it can seem like no one loves you, but that's not true at all. 
• You're doing great, it can feel like sometimes you're just crumbling and everything you're doing is just not working out. Remember that, that's okay not everything will work out at first! 
• Do things because you want to.
• I love you. 

You can do this, and you're doing great! Know that everything won't go your way, and that's okay! For me at the moment I've been telling myself in school that with ie. science I won't need this in my  life or I won't be doing it after the junior cert, I'm bad at it I know that, and that's okay. I'm just focusing on the subjects I do like ie English. 

I feel like this is very rambly, but I hoped this helped. 

You're doing amazing, 

                                 Fiona xo

 

My April Favorites

I love watching and reading these type of videos on YouTube and Blogs, and I have been enjoying a lot of products this month so I though I'd share them with you guys.

Skincare

This is the Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash. I loooove this so much. This is for dry and sensitive skin, and from a dry skin gal I can tell you it is amazing. After I use this my skin feels so soft and clean and so refreshed. On boots it says this is €5.19. I would give this a 8/10.

Makeup:

This is Mac Mineralize Foundation. I love this. I got this off my sister maybe two months ago, and I have been using it a lot. I would say it is a medium to full coverage foundation. On Mac's website it says that 'lightweight foundation that instantly nourishes skin with mineral-rich hydration'. I 100% agree with this. It feels really light on the skin, hydrates my skin really nicely and looks great! This covers blemishes really well, and doesn't cake me up that much. On Mac's website it says this is €36.00, that is quite the splurge, but definitely worth it. For us dry skin beauts this is sooo good! However, if you have oily skin I don't think this is for you just because it is such a dewy foundation. I would give this a 10/10.

This is Maybelline Lash Sensational. Since this came out, most of the beauty guru's have been raving about this. I got this a few weeks after it came out, and since then it is my go to mascara. It is amazing. As you can see the want is curved, one side has shorter bristles and the other longer bristles. I use the short bristles just to coat the mascara on first and the longer bristles to curl my lashes. I love the size of the wand because I have very small eyes and most mascaras are difficult to apply for me. I find that this lasts all day without drooping, however sometimes I can end up with little specks of black on my face, but it's not too bad! Overall I would give this a 9.5/10.

This is a blush from L'Oreal Paris. This is in the shade Rose Santal. I love this a lot, it is such a beautiful rose colour. I find that it is so natural, and not a barbie pink at all. It adds such a nice glow to the face, and I've been obsessing over it. I can't find this on the website, but I bought this in Boots for €10.99. I would give this a 7/10.

This is L'Oreal Paris 379 Sensual Rose. I love this so much, I wear this on natural makeup days. It is so moisturizing and lasts a long time. I have a blog post on my top 5 favourite lipsticks if you would like to check that out. This one is included in it.  http://lookitsfifi.blogspot.ie/2016/03/my-top-5-favorite-lipsticks-rimmel.html

I would give this lipstick a 8/10. I believe I got this for around €10.

Makeup Brushes:

This is the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, I love all of the real techniques brushes. I think they are great quality and quite affordable brushes. I love this brush, it blends the foundation really well and doesn't leave streaks! I got this in the Core Collection Palette, I believe for €22. I would give this a 7/10.

This is another Real Techniques Brush, this is called the Contour Brush. Please excuse how dirty it is, I really need to clean it. I don't actually use this for contouring, I love this for blending concealer! I think it is too small to contour, I find it hard anyway but for blending concealer it works amazingly. I got this in the Core Collection Palette as well as the Buffing Brush. I would give this brush a 9/10.

Body Fragrance

This is the Zoella Let's Spritz. If you've been reading my blog for a while or if you know me, you may know that I am obsessed with Zoe so much. I think she is amazing. So is her beauty range, I love everything I have from her range so far, and this is definitely no acceptation. It smells like Summer in a bottle. It smells amazing. I got this for €10.00. I would rate this 10/10.

Hair:

I am the laziest person when it comes to my hair, I don't really use that many products in it. I wash it twice a week with shampoo and conditioner and  I use this Frizz No More serum. If you have frizzy hair like myself you know the struggle. My friend got me this for Christmas, it tames my hair really well. It smells really nice and works amazingly. I would give this a 9/10.

Choker:

My sister got me this gorgeous choker from Claire's. I really like this, it's so different and unique. I love it. I'm rating this a 10/10.

Music: 

Music is my life. I cannot not listen to music. Over this month I have been loving:

This is BlackBear's I don't fucking care, I'm not sure when this song came out, but this month I've been obsessing with it. I love BlackBear as well. 

I have been loving this song by Ruelle, it is called War of Hearts! I am so obsessed with this it is so enchanting I can't get over it. I have also been loving her Album Up in Flames. 

That is everything I have been loving this month. I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you've been having a great week. Next week I want to do a Review on The Rimmel London Kate Moss Sculpting Palette. If you would like me to do that please let me know.

I also can't believe it is the 1st of May already, my exams start roughly this time next month, that is actually crazy and really scary. Unprepared is an understatement. Anyway, that's it for now,

 Lots of Love,

                Fiona xx