January Favourites.

January has finally come to an end after what feels like two months rather than one, and so I thought I would share the products and other things I have been living for on this very long, dreary month.

These are the things that made the January blues a bit more bearable. 

The Greatest Showman - in cinemas now

The first film I’ve seen of the year and already it is my favourite! Being slightly aprehensive about movie musicals, I trusted the stellar reviews and handsome Hugh Jackman and went to see it and honestly, it will change your life. 

The cast, the plot, the soundtrack, all amazing components that fit together like an all singing, all dancing, tear jerking glove. It tells the story of a man named PT Barnum who wants to live his dreams and entertain the world by putting on ‘the Greatest Show’. The film took 7 years to make and with a completely original, very addicting soundtrack to listen to straight after you’ve watched it. Trust me, go and see it!

Soph X Makeup Revolution Palettes - Available at TAM Beauty and Superdrug

I discovered these palettes at the end of last year and I’ve not used anything else in my makeup bag since. The eyeshadow palette is highly pigmented, blends well, has a great range of shades and has a decent size mirror without being too bulky. 

The highlight palette, although it doesn’t have a mirror, has amazingly large pans and a variety of highlight shades for every skin tone. Again, it is highly pigmented and blends like a dream. The eyeshadow palette is £10 and the highlight palette is £8 which I feel is incredible value for money for the quality. 

If you own Makeup Revolution products already, these formulas are a lot better than their core range and you can really tell a difference and that they’ve stepped up their game on these. Buy them now and you’ll definitely thank me later!

Pink Old Skool Vans - Available at ASOS

My best friend got me my first pair of Vans for Christmas and I am in love! (Thanks Hannah!) I’ve always wanted to be more fashion aware and more daring with my outfits, so rather than wearing white Converse with every outfit I thought I’d change things up and go for pink trainers. They’re super comfy and although they haven’t taken the place of Converse in my heart, they are a close second!

Zoella Beauty Winter Range - Limited Edition

Despite being an avid watcher of Zoe’s videos for a long time now, I had yet to try any of her products. So with her new winter range selling like hot cakes and with huge savings on at Superdrug for the box bundle, I decided I’d pick one up and give it a go. It came with body wash, body lotion, body butter, body scrub, a shower lily, hand cream and various bubble bath options which at the discounted price of £20 was amazing. The products work surprisingly well and also smell fresh and sweet - so overall a win win! Which is a good thing as I’m now set up with bathing products for a little while yet..

White and rose gold Converse - Available at Schuh

My final favourite is an upgrade of a staple fashion item of mine - my white converse. I used to own all white leather low tops, but over time became grubby and so I upgraded to some beaut ones, also leather but they had the added touch of rose gold detailing on the eyelets! They’re also exclusive to Schuh so if you want them, that’s the place to go! I’ve loved converse for years and years, so I always know they’ll be durable yet comfortable to walk in all day - if you don’t own a pair of converse, you should!

Review: Simple Water Boost Hydrating Sheet Mask.

Apologies for the week off - last week I was baring a pretty rough hangover and after facing a very unproductive work shift for four hours, I came straight home and didn’t move from my bed. 

But now I’m back in the swing of it, I thought I would review one of the two new face masks created by Simple skincare. 

Simple is a brand I have stuck by for a long time, mainly because it is one of the brands which products work with my psoriasis and don’t make my skin even worse. So when I heard they were bringing out their own version of sheet masks, I knew I had to give them a try. Keep reading to find out what I thought of it.

The mask I tried was the Water Boost Hydrating Sheet Mask. It’s designed to fight the first 5 signs of dehydrated skin - dryness, dullness, dehydration lines, tightness and roughness. Fair to say with psoriasis, I have a few of these constantly. 

It’s created in Korea, which is known for having some of the best skincare products in the world. 

Just for reference, here’s a before picture: 

The mask is a sheet mask which I find so much better than mud masks as you can just place it on your face and peel it right off afterwards. 

This mask came with plenty of product. I’m not kidding, it was literally dripping when I opened the packet.. which is better than hardly any product at all, so that was a good start. Despite its slimy and dripping wet features, I eventually got it on my face, and let it sit for the recommended time of 15 minutes. Again, hassle free and better than waiting half and hour for it to dry. 

Here’s a beaut picture of the very wet and almost too big mask on my face: 

At least my neck got some tlc too I guess. 

After 15 minutes, the instructions say to peel off the mask and to massage any excess liquid, then towel dry your face. There was plenty left over so I massaged it all into my face as much as possible and then dried off the rest. 

And here is a picture of what my skin looks like after the mask: 

Not a lot of difference from before as it’s not meant to be life changing, but my skin definitely has a glow and feels a lot more hydrated and plump - and soft! 

Overall, it’s a really nice, hassle free mask you can use any time you feel your skin is a little dry or dehydrated. No mask is going to transform your skin after one use, but with weekly or biweekly uses of this mask, Simple have said it can boost and maintain hydration levels in your skin, so I’ll definitely be buying a few more of these to keep up the treatments!

Goals for 2018.

After a week of settling into the new year, I thought it would be a good idea to sit and think about what I actually want to achieve this year. From keeping fit to keeping note, here are some tasks I'm going to attempt to upkeep for more than a couple months.

Take better care of myself.

After coming home from university last summer, it really hit me how in awful condition my body was. I had gained a ton of weight, my skin wasn't in the best condition due to my psoriasis, my roots were growing out and my eating habits were enough to make you feel ill.

Now i'm home, those days of takeaway every day (yes, some weeks that really is what I did) are far behind - it would be amazing to go the whole year without a single McDonalds, KFC or Pizza Hut, but I don't know how well that will pan out! At least for January, that is the aim. So far, so good! I also want to up my fitness levels, so maybe joining a class is something I'll consider.

I also need to keep on top of moisturising, exfoliating, all that jazz. Having psoriasis, an incurable skin condition which makes my skin dry and patchy, I need to keep my skin hydrated and taken care of, otherwise I start to look like an unfinished puzzle.. And in doing so, I also need to drink more water! I'm terrible when it comes to drinking water, so maybe I'll invest in a snazzy water bottle that will make me want to drink it.

Make more memories with my friends.

Having an 'adult' lifestyle means I hardly see my friends as we're always working, but this year I hope to make more of an effort to get out and live my life on the occasion i'm not working. I won't bail on plans like I used to - as much as my bed is comfy, my friends are also just as important. There's no point staying in, otherwise that's all I'll remember when i'm grey and old.

Visit the theatre more.

I recently got to see the incredible Aladdin at the Prince Edward theatre on the west end, and it has sparked my old love for musicals and all things stagey. When I was younger, my mum would always try her hardest to make sure we went to the theatre every so often, and I'm so glad she did. It's such an underrated experience - yes it can be pricey, but you're never disappointed with the show, its part of London culture and you always leave in a great mood. As much as I'm a cinema buff and love going to watch movies, musicals on stage with live music and live singing, dancing and acting is just that much more immersive and heartfelt.

Work hard, apply hard!

I've recently got my degree in multimedia journalism, but I am yet to get my break in the industry. I'm keeping on top of my writing and editing skills with this blog in the meantime, but I would love to land my first journalism job by the end of the year. I currently work in retail, but it's not where my heart lies. Or what I studied for three years for!

And mostly, this year I need to be happy and have the confidence in myself I used to have. Losing someone you gave so much of yourself to is actually draining of your own worth and happiness. I need to build it up again and be myself. Love will come around when I've learnt to love myself.