How I Clean My Make Up Brushes

To make your brushes last a lot longer than they should then it's very important to take care in them by washing them regularly when they get dirty as you would with your own hair. I like to give my brushes a deep clean every few weeks and nothings more therapeutic than watching all that dirty foundation wash down the drain. If you don't clean your brushes than this can lead to bacteria build up causing clogged pores and breakouts, the next time you get a breakout, it might not be from a product you've applied that morning but from the dirty brush you used to apply it.

I haven't really explored in buying fancy brush cleansing products as I like to use something which I've found does the job really well for a low price and that is Johnson's Baby Shampoo. This stuff not only cleans your brushes but also makes them soft and conditioned like they were when you first bought them. I recently picked up the Real Techniques Cleansing Palette which is designed to clean all size brushes and it comes with a free sample of they're cleansing gel which if I'm honest. I really would not recommend as I went back to the baby shampoo because it wasn't breaking down the make up well making them white and clean again. So to begin I lay out a towel for me to lay the brushes as a drying station making sure it's on a flat surface, I then run the tap to lukewarm making sure it's not hot and wet my brush in a pointed down direction so no water gets inside the base which can cause the glue to become loose making the bristles fall out which is not what you want!. I add a drop of baby shampoo onto the palette and swirl it around in circular motions until I am happy it is clean. I then give the brush a rinse again in a pointed down direction and watch the make up wash away, before laying it down to dry I squeeze the bristle to the centre shaping it which removes an access water and makes sure it's back in the correct shape once dry. One thing you must never do is let your brushes dry bristle side up in the air as this can make water run down the brush putting you at risk of the glue becoming loose. I let them air dry overnight and they are dry by morning depending on the time you washed them.

This can sometimes be a daunting task but you'll soon get used to the routine and thank yourself in the morning when you go to use your soft clean brushes

How I Stay Organised

 


Whether you have a job or you're at uni/school/college or even if you're a full time blogger, It's important to keep on top of things with a schedule and be organised.

Decide which days work for you

At the start of this year I wrote a Goals & Resolutions post where I decided to be a lot more organised with my blog and start a schedule to try and post 2-3 times a week if my life allows it. So the first thing I did was think of days which worked best for me and that is Thursdays and Sundays.

Buy stationery or printables

Next it was time to buy pretty stationery. I would definitely say I am a paper nerd when it comes to stationery as they are my favourite shops to visit and the cutest designs always catch my attention, which is why I love paperchase, rifle paper co and other brands so much. I went all out with this and bought a new notebook which I handwrite my posts in as I tend to flow better writing than typing, sticky notes for things that pop in my head like ideas or 'don't forget to mention this' etc highlighters for my lists as I write way too many and most recently a weekly desk pad planner which helps loads in seeing what needs to be done. If life gets in the way which I'm sure it does then I can shift my schedule around to next week. You'll already feel like you have your shit together doing all this.
Photography sessions

Spring is slowly creeping up on us now which means lighter/longer days so taking photos won't be as bad in a few weeks but as we aren't quite there yet I still save my photography sessions for the weekend, with my weekly planner I can see which posts need photos for the following week making sure I can be ready to hit publish. Bulk photography is the only way for me as I work full time.

Make notes for all your ideas

Make sure you always have a list of blog post ideas written down somewhere as this helps me always have a post ready. If your blog is set in different categories like mine Beauty, Fashion & Lifestyle it really helps to break down ideas for when I go to publish as I can pick and choose the topic of the post so I always have a list in my phone or in a notebook as soon as I get an idea. Having a list of post ideas helps if you want to start posting regularly.

How do you stay organised? I'd love to get more tips or if this has helped you in any way I'd love to hear about it

How Im Dealing With Eczema and Tips

I've mentioned my suffering for eczema before on my blog and I know I'm not alone when I say, I'm an adult with eczema.

For those's who are lucky enough to be blessed with normal skin, I'm going to ramble about how frustrating it can be.

So for around 6 years!! I've had to deal with this skin condition, I've had it as a child which then went away and came back in my late teens. Winter is a terrible time for any dry skin as it's a fighting battle with constant temperature changes.

Think about what it feels like when you get an itch, now remember how nice it is when you scratch that itch and then it's gone. Okay, imagine having a constant itching feeling, yeah you can distract the mind from it, but it's still always there. When you go to scratch this itch, it's just the best feeling in the world as it gives you that sense of relief for maybe a few minutes until you start to experience the hot burning, bumpy flared up skin which then has left me with bleeding, red raw skin and a wave of frustration as I just can't cope with how stressful this whole cycle is. So that's been my life for 6 years!

I haven't got rid of my eczema but I have managed to control/reduce these nasty flare ups and I'd like to share my tips that I've found helpful over the years.

I do research on how to get rid of eczema and I got sick of trying so many creams which is going nowhere that I decided to change things in my lifestyle, diet and hygiene products.

Cod Liver Oil Tablets

So a while back I read an amazing post from London Beauty Queen about her boyfriend's eczema which you can read here about how he started taking cod liver oil tablets and within a few months it started to clear up. I started to take cod liver oil tablets to see if it made a difference and after a few months things did improve but not to the extent that it made it go away, but it's worth a try.

Alpro Soya Milk

I have always my whole life drank semi-skimmed cow's milk (green top), but seeing people cut out dairy and how it's improved their skin amazed me this is a good top for acne. I simply cannot cut dairy out my life completely because I love it too much so I decided to switch my milk, that way I can still enjoy my tea and cereals but see if my skin benefits using Alpro Soya milk. At first, I hated the taste but I knew that was something I needed to get used to.

Honestly, I didn't notice a massive difference but that could be partly from the fact I was still eating cheese, butter, and yoghurts but I'm still not experiencing flare ups and that's good for me.

No Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

I think Sam got sick of seeing me stressing out that much over my flare ups which have brought me to tears before, he decided to help out with the research and found that most shower gels contain the ingredient  (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) this chemical is what makes them lather up and you'd be surprised how often this ingredient is used in products even the ones that claim to be all natural and good.

So it's bloody hard to find a shower gel that's SLS free but I recently discovered there are alternative chemicals which are used to make it lather for a more gentle wash. I've been using the Dr Organic Aloe Vera Body Wash £5.56 from Holland & Barretts. I've been using this combined with coldish showers, it's much easier in summer but I can't do this now we are approaching the colder weather, I noticed from first use that I didn't experience tight dry skin when I got out the shower. I've now moved on to using soaps as these contain no SLS, I'd recommend The Body Shop & Lush.

Hydrocortisone 1% Cream

Desperate times call for desperate measures and that's exactly what happened, I only turn to this when I'm losing the will to live with my eczema, you get to a point when you've tried everything and nothings helping so that's why this steriod cream which you can buy from the chemist is the best thing ever to calming down your red raging flare ups. You can get a stronger one from prescription if needed and this is only a short term thing as it can cause your skin to thin overtime.

Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion

After using my steroid cream you can't just stop using moisturiser because it looks like the eczema has disappeared well not for me as it came back within 2-3 weeks so this Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion I'm using and I've mentioned it before on my blog, I've been literally applying this to my inner arm crease and neck by the hour or as much as I can as this bottle goes everywhere with me and it really has helped loads as it's brought the redness down which I used to be self conscious about. This cream has natural ingredients including oats, shea butter and 24hr moisture.

I hope anyone who reads this post comes away with something new to try as I know how much we all wish for eczema to just disappear from our lives. If you're interested in other products I've tried then click here.

Let me know if you have any tips?

How To Drift Off To Sleep Easier

For some people It's hard to just switch off and sleep and I can be one of those. I've had many nights just lying awake with my thoughts racing away in my mind which then stresses me out as I look at the clock and see it's 2am and I need to be up at 6am/7am, which then makes me worry about how the hell am I going to get up in the morning. Can you relate?

A few years ago whilst I was doing my A levels I suffered really bad with insomnia. I think this was caused by stress and pressure of getting into uni and I used to lie awake almost every night at 3am, just nothing helped me sleep and I used to cry about it because I'm not a morning person and I really need sleep to function well. Luckily I grew out of this once I had my life on track because I didn't get into the uni I wanted it did all worked out in the end. I'm a firm believer of everything happens for a reason. If this sounds like you right now a good tip someone told me was to stay away from your bedroom as this is the room I practically live in so I only went into my bedroom to sleep not chill. I feel like I have gained enough experience on trying to get to sleep since then which is why I want to give you some personal tips on how I wind down for the night to avoid this nasty insomnia.


Have a bath/pamper night

Having a bit of me time relaxing in the tub really helps the state of mind to calm down and start feeling sleepy before going to bed. I read that having a bath an hour before bedtime helps your body temperature drop faster and is more likely to put you in a deep sleep.

Turn off electronics before getting in bed

Okay, I am guilty of this one. As soon as I get into bed I was always on my phone when the lights were off checking Twitter, Facebook, Instagram as we all love social media and before you know it, it's gone past 12 and I then hate myself for what's going to happen in the morning the same applies to watching tv so I needed to change this routine by not going on my phone once I'm in bed.

Read a book, magazine or blogs

I've started reading my kindle at night again and I've noticed many things by doing this, yes it makes me sleepy which was the aim but by keeping my brain active I now think less at night and drift off much quicker and I've gotten back into reading books again which I love, especially when you get hooked and can't put it down which then you need strong will power to call it a night am I right bookworms?

Fresh bedding

This is by far one of my favourite things when I climb into bed, I don't know what it is about freshly washed scents off my sheets and how fluffed my pillows are just really help me feel relaxed and comfortable. Being comfortable is key to drifting off as there's nothing worse than tossing and turning because you can't get comfy

Lavender oil/mist

I don't do this every night because I don't want to get used to it but when I do use it, I wake up and can tell I've been in a deep sleep if that makes sense, because I'm a much heavier sleeper and find it harder to wake up. All I do is spray a few pumps of this on my pillows or my new favourite which is burning a lavender candle whilst reading and this helps you to drift off quickly and for some time I got put off the smell of lavender but now I love it again.

Exercise regularly 

Either Mondays or Wednesdays I do Zumba sessions for an hour and because of this I feel really tired and achy afterwards which always helps me to sleep well, so by doing exercise weekly can be so beneficial for your body and mind not just to sleep well.

Use an sleep eye mask

I recently picked up a lovely new eye mask which was from River Island if anyone was wondering, what drawn me into to buying this was 1. IT HAS A CAT ON IT yes I'm a crazy cat lady and I literally ran to this when I saw it and 2. it's black. I have so many flashing lights and things in my room at night whilst my life is on charge and this can be quite distracting, so by sleeping with an eye mask on at night blocks all light which can lead to waking me up this is going to be great in summer.

Hope these tips help you and let me know of anymore in the comments