Natural Collection LashBuild Mascara Review

I thought I would upload a quick beauty review as I haven't written one in a while and some of my haul items still haven't arrived! 

I popped into Boots the other day just for a little pick me up really and to see what I could find. I wanted to get a Natural Collection blush as I had heard and read lots of good things about them. At the moment, Boots has a buy one get the second item half price offer on, so of course I had to find a second! I wanted to stay around the £1.99 range though (the cost of the blush) as if I bought an £8.00 item, they would have discounted the blush therefore only saving me £1.00 on an £10.00 spend! 

I bought the LashBuild Mascara, which was £1.99. I really wanted a primer for my lashes and thought at this price, even if it is rubbish it would be worth a try. The mascara was surrounded by lots of primers and clear mascaras, and as I was in a rush I picked up the wrong thing!

The LashBuild is just one of their normal mascaras, not a primer at all! I was pretty annoyed with myself, but wasn't going to go the effort of taking back such a cheap product. I have used it 4 times now. The first time I used it on its own and I have to say the result wasn't amazing. It was a little clumpy yet quite thin. You do only need a little on the wand for it to go on though. 

The other times I have used it as a sort of base. I put this on first as it does add a bit of length and then have used other mascaras which I know work for me over the top. 

The packaging is what you would expect from Natural Collection, plain and slick. Nothing special but it does what it needs to.

For £1.99 I must say you get what you pay for. Obviously the Natural Collection products are a good cause due to their morals as a company. However, I wouldn't buy this if you are looking for a good mascara to add length or volume. It may seem appealing due to the price, but the quality just isn't there. 

I hope some of you found this helpful! If there is anything in particular you would like me to review, or have any tips on how to do so as I am quite new to this... please let me know!

Lots of love, Amy xx

Why weight loss is so important to me

Hello my wonderful droplets! 
I hope you had a lovely weekend, please feel free to tweet me @amyj109 what you got up to! 

This post today was supposed to be beauty related but due to the mishaps of Royal Mail etc it will have to wait! I was getting withdrawal symptoms so I thought I would let you all in on something which is very personal to me.

I have had trouble with my weight for as long as I can remember. I was always the chubby one growing up and when a family member passed away it seemed to get much worse. I began to go to food for comfort, and this continued until last Friday. I am not in any way saying that there is anything wring with those are are a little curvier, this is about my personal journey and how it makes me feel. I believe that if you like the way you look and can find confidence in that, you can be who you truly are. I have never had this. I have never been comfortable with how I looked because of my weight. 

Being in a body that you hate can be challenging for various reasons. Worst of all for me, is that I have 3 younger sisters who are beautiful and while they don't in any way make me feel like I am the big, odd one out, it doesn't stop me from feeling like I am. I also feel like I will never be truly appreciated by anybody until I lose what I have to lose.

I have tried so many different diets - you name it, I will have tried it! None of them seemed to work for me, whether I was unable to adjust to them or no matter how much time and effort (and money might I add!) into them, I was getting no slimmer. 

After many long, emotional talks with my fiancee we agreed that I could try the Cambridge Weight Plan. I had seen an interview with Pauline Quirke who had lost a lot of weight through LighterLife. They are both very similar, apart from LighterLife is a lot more expensive and you have to attend counselling sessions. Anyway, I am not reviewing it now - I will probably do so when I have completed my weight loss.

I started the plan on Friday, (16.11.12). I have to eat a maximum of 400cals and a minimum of 4 pints of water a day. It was hard for the first couple of days but I am doing OK on it now! I am so proud of myself for having the confidence to start it, and also so excited to see what the end result is because I really believe I can do it. 

Things I cannot wait for!

• my hair and skin being in a better condition
• having more confidence
• being more independent
• wearing dresses without tights!
• exercising more often and more easily
• being able to buy beautiful bras!
• being healthier
• an improved relationship with my fiancee (Thomas)
• being happier

I am sorry if this didn't seem to have much structure and was a little more of a ramble than anything else but I wanted to share! Please subscribe, comment or tweet me if you feel like it!

I also have a new YouTube account, which you can find here: www.youtube.com/dropletsofcolour

Thankyou for taking the time to read! 

Keep Smiling xx

YouTube!

Just a quick note from me today droplets...

I would like to introduce you all to my new YouTube channel...

www.youtube.com/dropletsofcolour

It is VERY early days, but I will be using this channel to post things such as vlogs, quick updates, hauls and reviews. It will run alongside this blog but will be a more fun and interactive way for you all to see what I am about.

Please subscribe and like my videos - if you do like them! There is only one up so far, but I am to upload every couple of days so watch this space.

Stick with the smiles!

Amy xx

Puppies!

Introducing my two adorable pals...

Yvie and Jasper

These two are honestly the lights of my life. I know some people who don't have dogs struggle to understand the bond that can be built between humans and dogs but we have a very special one! They are such a big part of my life so I thought it only right to share them with you. 

When myself and my fiancee Tom moved into our first house I literally did not stop going on about wanting a puppy. I don't really think I knew what I would be taking on, just excited about the idea of having a cuddly friend. Tom was adamant we weren't getting one straight away, having only recently taken on a mortgage, bills etc at the tender ages of 18 (me) and 20 (Tom). Crazy, I know!

I worked my feminine charms, scouted down a breeder and two months later we had Yvie! We were living in Liverpool at the time and travelled 3 hours to Bridlington, Yorkshire to choose a puppy and then a month later went back to pick her up. Since I was a baby we have had Lhasa Apso's in our family; they don't malt and their scent isn't too strong so for new homeowners it seemed the obvious choice. We had actually seen a picture of Yvie and her sister beforehand and I hate to say it but we preferred the look of her sister! She had 'better features' health wise. When we arrived in Bridlington we held the other one first and then Yvie. Yvie was so much more responsive and wouldn't stop licking us; we had to have her.

Bringing up a puppy was much harder than we had anticipated, but you get out of it what you put in and we now have the most beautiful little girl! She is so cuddly and kissy but best of all very clever! I swear she knows what I am thinking most of the time, she is definitely a mummy's girl. It was only a year later when we decided to extend our family and get a little furry friend for Yvie. 

Back to Bridlington we went, and chose Jasper! He was the one we liked on the picture and he was the one we brought home. He was a bit of a scoundrel as a pup. He grew super fast too and is so clumsy! In many ways he is the complete opposite to Yvie, but we wouldn't have him any other way. They are best friends and play so well. She tugs at his tail just as much as he does hers - she is definitely the boss!

Jasper loves his Daddy, he is much more responsive on walks off the lead as we trained him from a pup whereas with Yvie I was to scared too! Yvie also loves to escape from our garden and Jaspie is very vocal in telling us she has done so.

Yvie is now just over 2 and Jasper is 1. It can be a little challenging at times having such a big responsibility, but I just have to look at them to remind me why I love them so much. If you are thinking about getting a puppy I would say go for it but be prepared for a lot of hard work and spending lots of pennies! 

I hope you enjoyed reading! Please comment and subscribe, it would mean an awful lot! 

xxx

Outfit of the Month. (November)

My favourite outifit for the moment!

Hello my little droplets! I hope you are all having a lovely day and that your weekend was all you wanted it to be. 

Although I am in no way a 'fashionista' I thought I would share with you an outfit I am loving wearing at the moment. Towards the end of October, through to mid-November I think it can be difficult to get it right! So, I tend to stick with autumnal colours and keep it simple, layer and wrap up just a little!

So first we have this Cap Sleep Flippy Tunic dress from Topshop, retailing at £20.00. I have it in grey, although there are many variations of colour available such as black, berry and deep purple. I love this dress. It is slightly more fitted around the top and waist, floating out around the bottom which is very flattering for my curvy figure! By wearing with dark colours and tights, it is perfect for winter but I also think it would be nice for spring/summer too. 



Secondly, we have my beloved converse. I have converted this past couple of years to the trend after months of staying away! I now have both converse and vans and I am forever adding to my collection. This shoe is a classic and I believe always will be. They can look chic and casual, but also if done right can be dressy too! I wear my burgundy (a typical but lovely autimn shade) ones with this outfit, to give it a little colour.



As it is getting colder, I cannot go anywhere without my jackets at this time of year. This is my favourite however, from New Look for £44.99. Now I am not the biggest fan of New Look really, I don't think the clothes last that long and they can get designs/patterns/styles very wrong sometimes. However, when I saw this I had to have it. Nobody believes me when I tell them where I got it from! It is a leather look, bikers jacket. The zip is slightly to the left, which is flattering for those with a bigger bosom like me! The sleeves are beautiful. A mix of black, white and grey fabrics with a slight glittery shimmer, in a sort of boucle material. This helps soften the look, as pure leather can be quite harsh sometimes. 



A classic accessory, the silk scarf. Again from New Look, for just £2.99! I love adding slim yet edgy scarves to my outfit over my jackets to be a bit different. As it gets colder the silk may change to wool however! 

These earrings were a bargain purchase from Miss Selfridge for £1.50! I love scouting amazing finds in sales and Miss Selfridge always have gorgeous jewellery in theirs. The cross seems to be a very popular theme for designs this season and I am slowly adding to my collection. I liked these because I think they look a bit more girly with having the drop and glass ball things!

That is the finished look! I tried to take a full length picture of myself to give my droplets more of an idea of how it looked altogether but I wasn't very successful! Let me know what you thought of this post, and any autumn pieces you are loving wearing at the moment!

Remember, stick with the smiles and add the colour as you go.

Lots of lovelies xx

Product Thoughts from October

:(

October was a strange month for me. I had a lot going on and chose this time to scout out some new products. Because I had only just started this blog when I decided to buy lots of new items I didn't want to do a haul with being so inexperienced. Therefore, I am going to ease myself into it! Out of the products I did buy I will tell you about my favourite one and also the one I wouldn't repurchase. 

I used to use No7 make-up and nothing else when I was a teenager. They always had great offers on and I loved their colours and formulas, (not so much with the nail varnishes). Since getting older and branching out shall we say I obviously have now found the brands that I love the most for various reasons and haven't used No7 in a while. Louise from SprinkleofGlitter recommended their Day and Night moisturiser which I wanted to try and of course they had 3 for 2 on! 

I decided on the High Shine lipgloss in 'Pink Veil' for £8.50.

I love the shimmer to this, especially over a soft pink lipstick. Unfortunately that is about all I did like!

 Swatched, it doesn't do it any added justice. It is gloopy and not much comes out on the applicator at all! After about an hour on my lips it was leaving a residue and did not leave my lips feeling moisturised at all, which I like lip glosses to do. It did shine though, so I guess you could say it does what it says on the tin! 

:)

On the other hand! I then ventured over to the Benefit counter (lethal!) and treated myself to a product I had wanted for a long time. 'High Beam' seems a little pricey at £18.50 but then it isn't something I would wear on a day to day basis. For highlighter, I usually wear a vanilla eye shadow on the tops of my cheekbones and on my browbone, to lift and add a glow. Benefit 'High Beam' looks beautiful for a more special occasion. 

As you can see it is a gorgeous pearly shade of pink and you literally need the tiniest amount for effect. It is described as a luminescent complexion enhancer and that is exactly what it is. I cannot rate this product enough! 

 I swatched quite a bit on my hand but when I apply I put 3 dots on my cheekbones and then 2 under my brow bone and the difference is amazing.  You can see how much shimmer and glow it adds to the skin. 

An instant uplift and highly recommended. 

Advice for my Teenage Self

I fell in love with the concept of this topic when I saw the lovely Fleur de Vlog upload a YouTube video on the subject!

So, what was I like as a teenager? 

(There are much worse than this but fortunately I cannot find them!)

In my opinion I was ambitious and motivated. I knew what I wanted and I knew what I needed to do to get there. I had a great love for my family (still do!) and my friends. I was bubbly yet reserved, funny then shy. I was a little deviant too HOWEVER very clever with how I covered it up. 

Looking back, this is the advice I would have given myself:

Fashion & Make-up

1. Stay away from the flare pants!
Lots of people thought these combat style trousers were cool. They weren't. The material tassles hanging off them should be enough indication! I think I had 3 different colours as well. Just bin them, in fact don't even buy them. Big mistake.

2. Wear less eyeshadow and more foundation
In high school, when everybody else was beginning to wear make-up nobody really gave me the heads up and said, "Amy, you should start wearing it" so I didn't. When I did it was just way too much pink eyeshadow and maybe a little bit of mascara?! I have a very strange complexion and my cheeks get very red. I should have worn foundation to get rid of this for definite!

3. Don't dye your hair
I had blonde, fair hair. My roots were coming through a dark brown colour. Therefore I let my Mum dye it bleach blonde? Not a good call. I was so young and it looked so unnatural. Consequently, we dyed it brown - only for it to go green. Wait until you know what you really want before you commit!

4. Invest in a pair of GHD's
No explanation needed really.

5. Wear simple clothes
I was so unconfident, so hard on myself that I let my Mum dress me as a girl with no personality who was bigger than she should have been. Let your inner self shine through what clothes you wear. Make a statement but for yourself. If it doesn't feel right then do not wear it. 

Boys

1. Boys can be your friends too!

I was so, so scared of being friends with boys. I just didn't think I could be myself around them. I didn't know how to act or talk around them. It took me a while until I realised that by being yourself did the trick!

2. If you like them, tell them

You know when you start to have feelings for someone, let them know. Life is too short to be in denial or worry about being humiliated. At a young age it can be scary but totally worth it.

3. Will be boys. 

Leave them to it. Sometimes it helps to laugh at their jokes - laugh harder if you are the punch line.

Girls

1. Are gossips

Every girl does it, even you. It may be hard to admit but we do. It can be very bitchy at school but the people that are bitches usually end up paying for it when you leave. 

2. Compliment each other!

Don't be afraid to tell your best friend she looks beautiful, or that her new dress is gorgeous. Try not to compete with anyone else because it isn't worth it and you will not win! Girls should stand up for each other and be able to put a smile on each others face.

Spirit & Mind

1. Be yourself
You will still be finding out who you are, I don't think we ever stop but embrace it and challenge yourself. At least then, if all else fails, you know you have been true to yourself.

2. Don't worry
People will gossip, laugh, question, ridicule and judge. THAT IS LIFE. You have to hold your head high and ignore it. When you walk into a room don't worry about who is looking at you, it is probably due to your astounding smile.

3. Have fun
You are only here once! Bad things will happen but you can't let them define you or how you live your life. Use the bad experiences with the good to make you stronger and live a little. Do crazy things, make mistakes and panic later. In 5 years you will look back and laugh.

-x-

If only, all those years ago, my current elder self, had sent me a blog post or a link to a YouTube video to allow myself to maintain a substantial amount more sanity I probably would have been grateful. But then again, where is the fun in that? You live and learn! Please leave any comments you feel fit below!

Keep Smiling.