Tough Decisions!- Make-up Clear Out and New Organization

We all reach this point every so often, the feeling completely overrun with make up and just having no more room. I have been very naughty this year by my 'just keep buying' attitude'.

I've decided on a few golden rules which have helped me condense my collection-

1. Is it in date?
We all do it, hold on to products for years for some reason or another. Lip gloss, concealer and mascara are products that do not get better with age! You can always buy again, and if you are keeping it for a reason, but not using it, it's just collecting dust and probably isn't safe to be putting on your face. Bin it, make that decision, you won't even realise it's gone.

2. Persevere
I'm terrible for having 4 of the same product open. One thing I've been doing is only using products that have very little left, in the past week I've finished 3 different products. This felt so good as finally I wasn't wasting money!

3. Would someone else like it?
There are charities out there that take lightly used make up. However I have many friends that look at my make up and drool! I filled a small Boots bag with make up I'd barely used and although it pained me, giving it to my friend Tasha felt great when I saw her face when she opened it up and found Ted Baker bronzer and eye shadows. That way it wasn't getting binned, and she could enjoy it too. 

4. Why am I saving this?
Finally, I've always saved my high end make up for special occasions. This is not a great idea as it just sits there going out of date. I am now making an effort to use my more expensive make up and get as much wear out of it as possible. For example, my Dior Addict lip gloss, at £24.00 it's not cheap, I was only putting it on before a night out and was too scared to take it out with me in case I lost it. I now try and wear it to work or on a weekend even if I'm just going to the shops!

Organization:

Once I'd got my collection down to what I actually used, it was time to try and get it back in the drawer! I felt it was important I could see and reach everything, that way nothing could get forgotten. I don't have any before photos, but I did have it in a great big basket with a lipstick holder. The lipstick holder was too big and got in the way far too much. I will sell this on Ebay as it's just not space saving. 

My new set out means I can get to everything easily and it's all in one drawer now. It may look very daunting but I now know exactly where everything is.

Palettes- I've now ditched all the single eye shadows that were hard to store and I didn't use for 5 staple palettes I was always reaching for and a few small quads. I always chose palettes over singles as it's all there in one place rather than rummaging and making a mess. 

The small miscellaneous bits- I don't really use lipstick so don't have many, blush sticks, cream eye shadows and liquid highlights just rolled around and got in the way. They all fit perfectly in the small boxes. These are actually from cotton buds so were free, and fit really nicely!

Lip glosses and Crayons- Layering is always good, as again, they roll! Ideally I'd like my lip glosses stood up but unfortunately can't find something big enough yet. This however works for now. the box is the perfect size and was from an old body spray set. Lip glosses are on the top as they are more most reached for over the crayons, I have a range of my favourite shades now and with less of them I can easily get through them before they go out of date as none of them are very old. 

SAMPLES!- Are completely free! I've been getting through the big pile I had and actually really enjoying trying out products without spending the money. Get your hands on as many samples as you can. I got my Dior ones by being cheeky to the man that sold me some products in Selfridge's, a handful for free! Don't be afraid to ask, specially if you're forking out a bit of cash. 

Pots- All shapes and sizes work, my smaller ones are from old broken pencil sharpeners, the square one an old pencil pot. They all help divide my products and make them all easy to find. Pencils were one thing I got rid of. Remember, they may be small, but they don't keep! 

Stacking- Blushers, bronzers, powders and a few other bits got completely gutted to this box. The box is from a Body Ship set. It fits in 2 nice rows and I refuse to get any more as this is still a lot of products!

Staple Products- We all have them. I had become a bit over the top with moisturiser and foundation. I now have a rule of one foundation for summer, one BB Cream and one moisturiser, along with make-up remover as that is essential.  My winter foundation is Dream Matte Mouse, but that is in the box with my powders to keep it out the way. 

Finally, take it all out, and have a play with how you like it. I laid mine all out and found what worked best. 

I'd also like to point out that no storage was brought as that's what I found worked best for me.

As always, thanks for reading. 

Instagram- http://instagram.com/ameliaaarrr
Twitter- https://twitter.com/Ameliaaaarr

My First Tattoo

About 2 months ago, I decided that after two years of considering it I would get my first tattoo. I had wanted one for so long but didn't want to make a decision I would later on regret. I had something small and meaningful and this has made it even more special to me. 

Before I go in to how I looked after it and allowed it to heal, I should probably say that in November 2011, my grandparents were in Portugal when my Grandad fell ill and had to come home. Before I knew it, at the age of 16, my Grandad had terminal lung cancer and 3 weeks to live. 3 days later he was gone. My Grandad was always very special to me, and I miss him more and more everyday so having a tattoo is my little way to feel okay when I'm nervous or scared because it just reminds me of him. 

From top to bottom was the day I had it done (hence the blood) on the 26th March 2014 to the bottom which is today 10th May 2014.

I found the best way was to take the cling film off after a few hours and air it out. I didn't apply any cream until I'd had it about 2 days to allow it to heal. You have to remember that it is a wound, so like a scab, you have to just leave it. I used E45 about 3 times a day after 2 days. I sis have some small scabs and a big one on the G. The scabs all fell off after about a week, however I did knock a large one off my G when I got out the shower one day so have got a small gap. I did get told to wash it with anti bacterial soap, but because I didn't want to knock my scabs off if they were too wet I washed my hands then patted water on it to keep it clean and let it air dry.

I really do love it and I'm very happy with it.

My Instagram where the photos are from- 
http://instagram.com/ameliaaarrr

Soap & Glory

I'm aware I've been a terrible blogger lately! But with life being so busy I barely have any time at the moment. I've decided to dedicate today's post to one of my favourite brands- Soap and Glory. I only have a few products, but they do get a lot of use! I think this brand is great because it's very reasonably priced for high quality products. They are slightly higher end for the High Street, but Boots always has offers on and I have had a lot from 3for2 deals. 

My first product is the 'One Heck of a Blot' pressed powder. This comes in one translucent shade and is much better than my Stay Matte Powder (Rimmel) It's long lasting, doesn't wash me out and also reduces shine really well. RRP £12.00

Peach Party is a blusher/highlighter. I like to think of this as a spectrum of colour. This product is lovely as you can try and stick to the lighter shades for an everyday look, or if you want to add a but more impact then go for a brush full of the darker colours. This can be a but messy as it's very glittery, so you do have to be careful you don't end up with a face full of glitter! RRP £11.00.

Thick and Fast is my favourite mascara and I've repurchased this a few times. It does look a bit scary to start with because the brush is so big. I also do find I have to be very careful with this or I'll get a black eyelid! However having such a big brush does mean it does what it says on the tin, it gives you thick, voluminous lashes very quickly. I do find with this the best results come from using a separating mascara first or you can get a bit clumpy. RRP £10.00. 

  Sexy Mother Pucker in the shade Punch Bowl. This was one of my first products from S&G. Again, this scared me at first because it is a plumping lip gloss. I felt like my lips were on fire, so I have found that putting a thin layer of lip balm down first takes the edge off this! The colour pay off is good and the shade isn't too intense but it is obvious which is nice as you can wear it in the day on it's own or at night with a bright lipstick. RRP £7.00.

Sexy Mother Pucker- Extreme Plump is similar to the normal Sexy Mother Pucker. I can't really compare colour pay off as this is a more natural colour than my other one. The tingling is probably a little bit worse, but it does last a long time and doesn't tend to get sticky like my other one. This shade is 'Pink Out Loud' RRP £10.00.

Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in 'Bashful' is one of my favourite lip crayons. It's a very sheer finish, so doesn't work like a lipstick. This is long lasting and feels nice on the lips. It has a slight glitter to it and is very buildable. You wouldn't want to try putting lip gloss over this as you don't need it. RRP £8.00.

The Kick Ass Concealer I can't really give an opinion as I haven't tried it yet. My sister brought me this for Christmas and I have to admit I forgot I had it! Maybe a full review one day! RRP £10.00.

I think it's clear this product has had a lot of love from me! Lid Stuff in 'What's Nude' is just perfect everyday. It's very subtle but helps contour the eye. With a good base it is long lasting and has lovely colour pay off. It's also nice to have some matte shades as I tend to go for glitters. The shade 'Vanilla' (top left) is a bit chalky so can be a bit messy but otherwise I swear by this palette! RRP £10.00.





I highly recommend this brand, and although it may be a bit on the pricey side as some if it isn't much cheaper than Mac, with so many offers on and a slow build up you can get some staple products.

Hope you all enjoyed x

Moving Forwards

I'm aware it's been a long time since any updates on here, and as far as I remember my last post was back in November 2013(?) when I was preparing to start my second job over Christmas.

I'm not normally one to put my whole life on the internet, which is the reason it's taken me until now to post again. At the end of November 2013 when I was about to start my second job (looking after reindeer) my whole life almost fell apart in a way. In that respect I mean my relationship of 2 years ended suddenly. I would like to think that my life changed for the good and gave me a lot of freedom. Unfortunately, when you have been with someone for a large amount of time, you almost feel like you cannot be yourself without them?  I soon learned that actually, I needed that push in order to have some freedom and enjoy myself.

I am now the kind of person who is out enjoying themselves every weekend, before I would spend my whole weekends on Netflix having cuddles, I am now embracing the age of 18 and really pushing myself to try new things!

Now I have also lost weight and have dyed my hair red, it is not only a new route for myself but I want to get myself out there and almost see everything I've been too scared to discover.

The point of this post is not for sympathy, but actually to point out a new direction in my life and almost keep you informed. I will be focusing on reviews and beauty again now after the very hectic Christmas period, but I feel I will now really be putting things to the test!

I now have a horse on loan meaning my hair and skin is getting a lot of abuse from the outdoors, so please look out for some fully tested reviews!

I would also like to thank everyone (well, the few people) who are continuing with their interest and helping not only my blog grow, but myself.

My cheeky new loan horse 'Mr Darcy' showing his cheeky side.

Feeling much more confident in my own body now I have lost weight and finally feel confident in myself.

The new red hair (not too obvious how red it is in this photo)

Pushing myself and enjoying the age of 18.

Mr Milo, showing me that patience and persistence are very important.