creativity and positivity: March 2017

NYX COSMETICS HAUL!

First of all, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you who got in touch with me after my last post was published. The level of support I've received since then has been phenomenal and I am so grateful to everyone who messaged me or spoke to me about it, or who even read it. To think my words resonated with so many means a whole lot, so thank you. Today's post is going to be a little different.

When NYX not so recently opened up their store in Belfast I couldn't wait to head down and try out some of their infamous products myself. After previously hearing rave reviews about their liquid lipsticks, naturally, I had to pick some of those up, as well as a foundation too! So in this post I'm going to show you all exactly what I got and what I think of them.

STAY MATTE NOT FLAT FOUNDATION

Pale girls rejoice! When NYX called this shade "Ivory" they were not kidding. The first time I applied this foundation I felt like a milk bottle because I was so used to wearing darker shades on my skin, but this foundation matches my actual skin colour perfectly.

The formula is designed for people of oilier complexions, who struggle finding a foundation to truly mattify on the skin, and this formula mattifies so much on my skin that it can often end up making my skin look dry and cakey. For me, the coverage isn't too heavy, its more light-medium which is exactly what I need to cover noticeable redness and pimples, without being too much. In terms of feel, the foundation is almost a mousse-like consistency, which is why its much easier to control the level of coverage I need.

PROS: I can finally stop my search for a foundation that matches my skin and doesn't make me look too dark! Its also really long-lasting and doesn't melt off of my face.

CONS: This product is definitely not suitable for those with drier skin, because my skin was never dry at all before I started using this foundation and now I deal with a lot of patches on my nose and cheeks!

LIQUID SUEDE LIP CREAMS

I've started to accumulate quite a small collection of the infamous Liquid Suede lip creams now, and I have to say I love the variety of shades that NYX offer. Everything from classic reds, to subtle nudes and bright vibrant oranges and blues. You definitely can't say they don't give their customers a lot of choice!

The three shades currently in my possession are Cherry Skies, Sandstorm and Brooklyn Thorn; here are some swatches in that order.

Out of the three, Sandstorm and Brooklyn Thorn would be my two most worn shades, Sandstorm is the perfect nude shade to me; it's dark but not dark enough that it makes me look vampy like BT does (a look that I also adore). Brooklyn Thorn itself I can't quite categorise as a colour. On my actual lips its dark enough to look almost black, but when I swatch it, its like a weird mauve / brown colour, but whatever it is I absolutely love it. Cherry Skies just doesn't suit me!

The formula is quite thick so it takes a lot to time to dry in, but when it does boy do these colours last. I usually only have to apply them once throughout the day to keep the colour topped up and looking full. I've also never noticed them be drying on my lips, naturally I have quite dry lips anyway but I haven't been aware of any significant change. However, if you are going to wear liquid lipsticks a lot please make sure you always top up with some lip balm to keep your lips hydrated.

PROS: Long-lasting, with a variety of shades to suit everyone, these lipsticks are a winner in my eyes.

CONS: If you're impatient or suffer from very, very dry lips you might want to give these a miss!

COSMIC METALS LIP CREAM in "SPEED OF LIGHT"

I've never tried metallic lipstick before, and when you work in an environment that's filled with colour and glitter you can often be left longing for a little bit more sparkle in your life so I thought I might as well pick one up! I decided to be plain and go for this rose gold shade.

The formula is much thicker than any other liquid lipstick I've ever tried, so as you can imagine, it takes a really long time to dry. However, it didn't leave my lips feeling as sticky as I imagined it would which really surprised me. I absolutely love the colour and the feel, so I might be a bit more adventurous and try some of the brighter shades on offer.

PROS: The perfect product to spice up any plain look and add a bit of sparkle!

CONS: I honestly don't think I can find a genuine fault with this product, no matter how hard I think about it!

Well, there you have it. There's my brief review of some of the NYX products I picked up and tried for myself, and in the future I hope to expand my use of their products. If you get the chance to call in to your local store or order some products online please do! You won't regret it, trust me.

Until then,

Rachel

March 21, 2017
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A VERY PERSONAL UPDATE

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I rarely stray from my set "type" of blog posts, however I feel like it's important to have these little personal "intermissions" now and then, so that I don't always appear like a soulless, robotic writing machine. I've also mentioned quite a bit that I haven't been doing too well personally lately, and it would be a disservice to both myself, and all of you if I continue posting and pretending that it's not really affecting me that much. One thing I need to learn is that it's okay, not to be okay and that I shouldn't be embarrassed about expressing how I feel. Here's hoping I don't get flustered and delete this post like I do with every other one.

I'm burnt out, completely. It's like a supernova explosion has occurred in my brain sometime in the last two / three weeks and now everything is black. Everyone has noticed. My housemates, my parents, those who are around me frequently. But I can't admit that anything is wrong because nothing has been wrong for such a long time. I truly believed that I had been completely clear of any mental health issue, and trust me I've fought with plenty of them throughout my life.

However, at this point in my life I really do not need this. I've been working harder than ever at uni, when it comes to my work and completely immersing myself in trying to succeed in everything. I have so much going on, probably too much, and in a sense that has definitely contributed to everything that has led up to this moment. But that's why it hurts so much that I've reached this point again, I had forgotten what it felt like to feel lower than my lowest ebb, because everything was so positive and I felt great. The irrational side of my brain is trying to tell me that I should have expected a sudden downfall in my life, because that's what always happens when things go well for me because I don't deserve to be happy. However, now I'm at an age where I can say, "Hey, fuck you, irrational voice in my head," and fight my absolute hardest to push it away back to the hole it crawls out from occasionally.

But I'm still struggling, thankfully not as much as I have before, and that's another reason I feel so down. I've gone through so much worse, so why is it affecting me so much now? Maybe because I feel like at 20 years old, I shouldn't still have to go through this? Is it because the other day my boyfriend said to me "I haven't seen you this sad in such a long time," and trust me he has seen me at my absolute worst? How am I supposed to motivate myself again when I can barely move out of my bed?

This post is both an apology and a thank you. First of all, an apology to those who have had to deal with me the last few weeks, when I've been trapped in my own hazy, dark world. To my housemates, my colleagues, my friends and to all of you. I'm sorry I've isolated myself from all of you. I'm sorry I haven't been as involved in the things we like to do together. I'm sorry I haven't let you all know how bad it's gotten again. I haven't wanted to disappoint any of you. Secondly, a thank you, for those of you who have been patient enough to understand and wait. Even though I know you don't read this, this particular thank you goes to you Daniel, for your love, kindness and willingness to hold me, hug me and take me out of harm's way.

I'm trying, I truly am. I don't want this to happen again, I want to get back to how things were three months ago, six months ago, even a year ago. I'm going to keep going, keep pushing and learning to understand how my brain works. I need to learn how to take a break, how to love myself again and how to truly appreciate all of the wonderful people and things I have in my life right now. I can't guarantee things will turn out okay, or that I won't be back here in a year's time writing another post like this, but I can sure as hell hope that I can do it.

I know there are some of you who will relate to this and my message for you is this - if I can fight so can you. No matter how low you feel, or how much you have given up you can do this. I've fallen from such a great height and I'm not totally broken yet. I remain hopefully optimistic about my future, even though I can't quite picture it yet, but you should feel the same way about yourself. We all deserve the best life has to offer us, no matter how badly we've been treated before.

If you're still reading this, I want you to know that I truly appreciate it, no matter how you feel about me after reading this. Whether you pity me, sympathise with my words or you're just here because you're bored. I don't care about your reason for reading, but the fact that you cared enough to read this post says a lot, and for that I thank you for that. I hope this has at least explained part of my isolation and erratic behaviour. I hope you can get behind me and root for my slow, but steady recovery again.

Thank you,
Rachel

March 18, 2017
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PLUM RAIN SHOW GEL + CREME DE MENTHE MOUTHWASH TABS REVIEW!

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I'm sure if you've been reading my blog for long enough you'll have become quite used to my unreliable promises when it comes to posting, and inevitably this week has been no difference. My mental health has been somewhat unstable the last wee while so I hope you can forgive me. However, as you can imagine I've fallen behind when it comes to my Lush reviews and updates on new products, and both a Mother's Day and Easter haul are coming (slowly but surely)!

In today's post, I thought I would focus on a couple of regular line products that seem to have been overshadowed by the new seasonal ranges. Both are previous Oxford Street exclusives and both have made their way onto my all time favourites, "Holy Grail" of Lush list, another post that will make it's way onto my blog at some point. Introducing, Plum Rain shower gel and Creme de Menthe mouthwash tabs.

PLUM RAIN SHOWER GEL

When I first found out that this product was going to become a regular line item, I'm not going to lie, I squealed a little. I had heard nothing but good things about this product from my colleagues so I couldn't wait to finally get a sniff of it myself.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Tart and citrusy sweet, Plum Rain contains fresh plum juice, Sicilian mandarin oil and umeboshi infusion - the Japanese art of pickling a food, in this case plums! This shower gel smells like freshly dampened grass after it's rained, if that rain was the juice of sweet, ripe plums. It also contains carrageenan seaweed extract making it a lot thicker than other shower gels, which means that it's a little bit harder to lather up on a sponge / shower floof. However, it leaves your skin feeling indescribably soft and refreshed, which makes it the perfect shower companion for this bizarre weather transition the entire country seems to be experiencing right now. The scent also doesn't linger as much on the skin as other products do, but the euphoric sensation it provides is instant. It will brighten up your darkest days, and leave you feeling raring to go on your most productive and it has become a firm favourite in my shower routine.

PROS: The scent is rich, indulgent and instantly makes me want to hop out of the shower and eat every piece of fruit in the nearest vicinity. It's left my dry winter skin feeling hydrated and conditioned more so than any other in-shower product I've used.

CONS: I can't help but wish the scent lingered on the skin, as I find it tends to get lost when I use other products over the top of it,

OVERALL: Very rarely do I rate products I review a 10/10, but in Plum Rain's case I feel like it's justified. If you get the chance to pop into your local store, to check it out for yourself because it's been very sadly overshadowed by some of the newer additions to the range.

CREME DE MENTHE MOUTHWASH TABS

If you have zero experience with Lush's mouth range, you may be unaware of the likes of Toothy Tabs and Mouthwash tabs, so here's a quick rundown. It's very difficult to find cruelty free oral health care on the high street, and even when you do, we've all had an incident in our lives where we've used just a bit too much toothpaste and desperately thought of a way to squeeze it back into the tube. And then of course there's the whole issue of microbeads, too much abrasivity ruining enamel etc. (There's a very helpful article here!) Lush offer a cruelty free, solid and easy to use way to improve your dental routine.

BUT HOW DO I USE THEM?

All Toothy Tabs / Mouthwash tabs are made with a sodium bicarbonate base, just like the bath bombs, which means that when they make contact with water, they begin to fizz. Simply pop one in your mouth, let it fizz, chew it, add water (in the case of TT's wet your toothbrush and start to brush as normal), gargle, swoosh and spit it out!

WHAT DO THESE TASTE LIKE?

Creme de Menthe contains peppermint oil, powder and menthol crystals so it doesn't stray too far way from the typical mouthwash taste you may be used to. They're my personal favourites, but there are other flavours for those of you who like to be a bit adventurous - Ugai combines anti-bacterial tea tree oil and seal salt, whereas Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster tastes like lemon and aniseed. CdM leaves my mouth feeling fresh and smelling great for such a long time after I use it.

PROS: These mouthwash tabs are the perfect pick me up to add to your morning routine, and they're also great to keep on you at all times. Just make sure you have some water handy!

CONS: The texture is a little strange to get used to at first, and can initially feel quite gritty on the teeth, but stick with them.

OVERALL: 8/10. These aren't a part of my everyday routine, I use them more when I wake up in the morning and I have SERIOUS dragon breath, and sometimes I just cannot get over the taste when I bite into them, but they're a wonderful invention made in minty heaven and I adore them and how fresh they leave my mouth feeling.

There you have it folks! I hope you have all enjoyed this post and if there are any items you want to see my review or posts you really want to see please let me know.

I promise more posts will be coming this weekend as I desperately procrastinate from the three (!) essays I have due in two weeks time and I will do my utmost to keep that promise.

Until then,

Rachel