my (cruelty free, affordable) basic make-up

This is sort of a follow up post to going cruelty free. Basically I'm just going to take you through my 5 basic make-up "essentials" I suppose you could say and they are all affordable (in my opinion for make-up they are, although it was still kind of hard for me to buy some of them as I don't really like spending lots of money, I'm quite stingy!) and cruelty free (my two favourite things)! Please note that I am no make-up expert and am actually still pretty new to the whole thing! I haven't had a lot of experience so can't really compare any of these products to anything else. Also I'm not amazing at describing things but I've tried my hardest!

First we'll start with the base. I use the Barry M Flawless Matte Finish foundation in I think shade 1. It's £5.99 which is cheaper than a hell of a lot of foundations on the market! It's what I'd call light coverage (doesn't cover my freckles or anything) and just evens out my skin tone and gives me a little bit of coverage. I don't tend to get bad spots so I can't really judge anything there but I'd say it also helps blend the little spots I mostly into my normal skin tone. I like that I definitely don't feel like I'm wearing any foundation and doesn't change my skin too much because I'd say I'm overall pretty confident in that department.

Next is concealer and I use the Barry M Flawless Light Reflecting concealer in I think also shade 1. This one is £4.49. My first concealer was the Collection one everyone still raves about (which isn't cruelty free!) but I felt that just always looked cakey and unnatural on me whilst this one just brightens areas like under my eyes and my nose and stuff without looking thick or cakey. If you can tell I really just like light coverage just to even things out a little! 

Next is mascara! This is a very new addition to my collection (as in I literally bought it today!) and I already love it. It's the Barry M Showgirl Extra Lengthening Mascara and is £4.99. Previously I had some random volumising mascara from another company that tests and I just didn't like the way it made made my eyelashes look clumpy and spidery as I just want a more natural, fluttery look I guess you could say. So I came home and put this on and I just really like the fact that it just lengthens and flutters my eyelashes in a natural way. I'm normally really bad at mascara but I definitely found the wand on this one easier to use.

Next up the essential of all essentials: lip balm. I just use this Superdrug's own one (all of Superdrug's own products are cruelty free!) and it works well for 99p! I used to use a Nivea one I think which isn't cruelty free and I swear this one is exactly the same and isn't tested on animals so you can't really go wrong!

And last but not least, I don't actually have any cruelty free coloured lip products at this moment in time aside from the Zoella tinted lip balms. I think these may have been Christmas exclusives though so this probably isn't very useful but I do really like them! I'm not sure how much they were as they were a Christmas present but this Sweet Mint one just gives my lips a really nice pink colour that's very natural on me. I'm pretty sure these are cruelty free but I can't find anything about them online. It says they are on the back and as they're made under Superdrug whose products are cruelty free I can only assume these are too!

Okay so those are my 5 basic, cruelty free make-up products! I promise this wasn't sponsored by Barry M (as much as I'd loved it to have been) they just make great and affordable products that haven't been shoved in bunny's eyes! I'd definitely recommend checking them out if you haven't already. Also I currently only have an animal tested powder that I'm working my way through before I can buy another one so that's why powder wasn't included on this list.

Goodbye

:)

favourite summer pictures

I wanted the title of this post to be "my favourite pictures i've taken over the summer holidays" but that felt very long winded. I mainly wanted that title because some of these pictures look quite Autumn-y. We're nearly at Autumn though and I am hyped. Anyways these are just some pictures that I've taken over the summer holidays that I really like and am proud of! I actually took a lot of them whilst out hunting Pokemon so I'm definitely not one of those people that thinks Pokemon Go is the biggest evil this world has ever seen!

(Also I didn't write this post to promo my instagram but since loads of these pictures are on instagram I thought it to be an appropriate time. Also some are on my aesthetic tumblr too ;))

These three are from when I went out Pokemon hunting by myself (which was quite daunting). I also apparently really like taking pictures of my feet in different settings. I'm not sure why I just think they look cute and are a nice way to say "hey I'm in a cool place!"

These next 5 are from a lovely day out with my family. The strange looking bug on a bike to the right was actually a Pokemon gym that I managed to take (but lost not too long after)! I just really like the colours in all of these and especially like the one of my feet as it looks very Autumnal which makes me happy (I promise I have other shoes I just happened to be wearing those ones again).

These two are from my picnic in the park with my friends and I love the one on the right. They also just remind me of that really nice day!

These last ones are miscellaneous. The one on the left is once again from a Pokemon hunting trip with my mum and I just really liked the way the water was glistening.






And this last one was a really really pretty sunset and I can't get over how much I love the colours in this sunset. I wish they would look like this every day.

There were a few more but it's quite a pain to get all these pictures in the places I want them so I decided to stop here (although they are on my instagram ;) - I really need to stop the promo sorry). But yeah, I really like taking pictures of just things I think look pretty. It's just something that makes me happy and I find it nice to be able to look back on pictures from nice days. People say to not live your life through a camera and as much as I agree, I still love capturing lovely pictures and moments. Just be sure to actually look at what's right in front of you sometimes!

Goodbye

:)

i will not fail BEDA

So I was looking through my YouTube subscription box and some people's VEDA videos popped up. As it is currently gone 11pm I immediately thought "OH SHIT BEDA what do I do" and in all honesty I still have no idea what to do. I have no idea where this post is going.

Today me and my family went out and I of course used this opportunity to stare at a screen and catch Pokemon and I caught a Lapras which is pretty cool! It literally took about 30 Pokeballs but it was worth it. Also got a white chocolate Magnum and damn it was nice.

I also took over a gym but by the time we walked back to the car it had been taken over by someone else. Seriously.

I also brought my bubble wand with me and of course played with it like the 5 year old I truly am.

I'm really tired and don't know what else to write so I'm sorry but there was no way I was failing this.

Goodbye

:)

my GCSE results 2016!!!

I did not get a wink of sleep last night and am currently running on coffee and honestly I'm not quite sure what else so if any of this doesn't make sense that's why. At first I actually tried to get to sleep, then I tried distracting myself and by 4am I just accepted the challenge to stay up all night really.

I got my GCSE results today and I am a happy bunny. Overall if you don't care about my rambles and the actual lessons I got: 2 A*'s, 5 A's, 2 B's and a C (and a free ice-cream - thanks school for getting an ice-cream van every year).

(Also I don't really mind making this public because 1. I'm excited and proud 2. If potential employers are reading this it's going to be the exact same on my CV so I don't have anything to hide and 3. If I ever lose the piece of paper I have this too-I don't think that'll happen but you can never be too safe)

And if you care in more detail here are my results (lowest to highest):

Art and Design - C
Mathematics - B
Computing - B
Core Science (took in year 10) - A
Additional Science - A
Business Studies - A
Media Studies - A
English Language - A
Religious Studies - A*
English Literature - A*

Honestly I never would have guessed I would get an A* in English Literature. Even my teacher came up to me and said it's difficult to get an A* in Lit so I'm quite excited about that! And I was quite honestly expecting a C in Maths at best so when I saw that B I was definitely ecstatic.

And for A-Levels next year I'm (hopefully) taking:
English Language (which was always the one I was better at too until this exam apparently!)
Media Studies
Business Studies
Sociology
(spare option Government and Politics)
And the 3 of those which I took at GCSE I got A's in meaning I'm going into 3 with A's which I'm obviously very excited and happy about.

So yes, two years of stress and work went towards a piece of paper. But I'm glad I can say that I'm proud of what's on it!

I really hope you got the results you wanted today! If not remember that you are worth more than that piece of paper and as long as you tried your hardest what more can you really do? There are plenty of paths for you to take out there.
And if you did get the results you were hoping for, don't be afraid to be proud of yourself, even if other people are saying how you could have "done better" or whatever. You worked for this and you deserve it.

Goodbye

:)

pre-GCSE result nerves

If you've been on twitter at all today you'll probably know that across the country, we're getting our GCSE results tomorrow. And if you look through the hashtag you'll see just how nervous everyone is.

Honestly, I've been kind of excited up until just now when I've suddenly become very nervous and scared for the results. Especially after hearing that the maths grade boundaries are high because I'm not amazing at maths.

One thing I do want to talk about is that not everyone is going to be expecting the same grades as you. I see tweets like "if anyone complains about getting an A instead of an A* tomorrow I will scream" but that's by your standards. Honestly there are some lessons that I will be quite disappointed if I don't get an A* because it's what I've been getting regularly throughout my two years of doing them at GCSE level and want to take them at A-Level (not that you need A*'s to do them at A-Level I'd just like those grades for myself). And I know some people will be overjoyed tomorrow if they get A's (trust me I will too) and I'm not trying to take anything away from you by wanting to have got a higher grade because I know that everyone works differently and at different levels naturally, I just have a few quite high expectations of myself.

I know friends who are expecting higher grades than I am and I also know they're not trying to take anything away from me by wanting these higher grades. They're just better at maths and science than I am. They'll likely be upset with B's in maths whilst I'll probably cry with joy if I get a B in maths. And that's not them looking down on me for my grades it's just that we work at different levels.

It kind of pisses me off honestly because of course someone is going to get a higher grade than you at something and it's not a reflection of you, it's a reflection of them. And if anyone looks down at you for your grades then fuck them honestly. Hold yourself to your own standards and if you're proud of yourself then fuck what anyone else thinks.

I'm not sure if this has made much sense but please let people be happy/sad for their results no matter how you would feel if you got those grades because at the end of the day they are their grades and their expectations and a B to you probably doesn't mean the same as a B to the person next to you.

But at the same time please do remember that there are other paths you can take no matter what you see when you open that envelope tomorrow. You can do college courses and apprenticeships and even some A-Levels no matter what you get. There is something for you, I promise. It's not just going to A-Levels then off to University for everyone, as much as school does seem to make you think that it's the only path. As long as you did as well as you could at that moment in time with the resources you had then, in my eyes, that is the most important thing.

And yeah, I'll be disappointed with a B in Media Studies/Business Studies tomorrow but that doesn't take away the fact that I worked my butt off and I know I did fucking everything I could. I tried and what else can I do?

So tonight, I know it's easier said than done but please try to distract yourself. Watch your favourite movie/show. Listen to some music. Take a bath. Eat your favourite food. Read. Draw. Scroll through Tumblr. Do whatever. Just relax yourself and I'd definitely try to avoid the hashtag on twitter because seeing other people be nervous will only make you more nervous.

And if your school is like mine and gets an ice-cream van each results day where you can get free ice-cream then call it "free ice-cream day" and not "results day" because I can assure you that's what I've been doing.

Also don't forget that it is okay to be happy and proud of your results. Just because the people around you may be upset with what they got, that shouldn't take away from your happiness. Don't be afraid to be a little selfish tomorrow.

I wish you the best of luck and remember that you are a human being with so much potential and value beyond the piece of paper you'll receive tomorrow.

Goodbye

:)

going cruelty free (is hard)

I've been trying to go cruelty free for a while now and it's not been easy. But it's something I really want to do so I'm still going at it.

The reason I personally want to go cruelty free is because I just don't like the way they treat animals. I'm vegetarian and the reason for that is because I don't want animals to die for my benefit and they can die while being tested on so in my eyes the two things just go hand in hand.

As a little disclaimer: as much as I would encourage vegetarianism/veganism/going cruelty free/eating veggie one day a week etc. I do not care what you choose to do. If you want to eat meat that is 100% fine by me. It's your life and if you let me make my own decisions about my life then I'm completely happy to let you get on with yours however you choose.

I know quite a lot about animal testing and alternatives (in vitro and in silico methods are a good thing to look up if you don't believe there are any alternatives) as I did my GCSE English Language speaking and listening exam on animal testing. I've been trying to be cruelty free since even before then and I'm still not quite there. It's quite frustrating actually.

The things I use most regularly on my face are all cruelty free. I use Barry M foundation and concealer and Superdrug's own skincare stuff because all of these products are affordable and 100% cruelty free. Also my shampoo and conditioner, nail polish remover and heat protect spray are all Superdrug's own (I would definitely recommend checking out their own stuff as it's cheap and it works). However, my mum likes to put little make-up products like nail polishes, eye shadows etc. in my Christmas sack each year from Avon - a brand that does indeed test on animals. And because I don't actually use these things incredibly often, it's gonna take a while to get through them (although I am of course grateful for the fact that I get anything and am not just going to waste the products).

Also, a lot of cruelty free products are out of my price range. I can't afford to regularly shop at Lush, it's more like a once a year thing maximum for me. And I can't afford too much make-up. Even Barry M nail polishes are something I'd have to splash out on. I don't even own any to my name at this point in time because 1. I have so many nail polishes and 2. I just can't really afford them as a regular thing.

I try to focus on the fact that at least I'm trying but I still slip up. I'll still be shopping with my friends and I'll buy a lipstick from a brand that's not cruelty free because it's cheap and in front of me.

So for right now I'm going to focus on one thing at a time because I think it's overwhelming me to think about using everything up, researching affordable brands that I can access and then actually buying them and not getting distracted by cheaper brands. So first things first I'm going to try to use everything up (which could take a while, especially the nail polishes) and not just mindlessly repurchase the same products.

I'm going to use this list to help me find brands which I can buy in my local Boots and Superdrug and not just mindlessly buy the cheaper, easier to access make-up that all my friends are buying (not that you can't find affordable cruelty free products, it just takes a little more work).

I'm not going to choose the easy option any more. I want to do this. I am going to commit. I'm going to educate myself and I am going to really fucking try.

Goodbye

:)

whoops (almost)

It's 11pm, I saved Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and went "oh shit blog post". I'm not sure what happened today I just completely forgot about BEDA and haven't given it a single thought so now I'm left completely stuck on what to write and also very tired (once again, I really don't know why I've been getting a good 8-9 hours sleep every night). So I almost missed one day but I caught it at just the right time!

Since I'm not sure what to talk about and almost forgot about today, I'll just talk about random things.

On the topic of memory, I fairly often forget things. Friends will say "oh do you remember this thing" or "haha do you remember when -blank- said -blank-" and everyone seems to remember apart from me? Maybe I don't pay enough attention or I just don't have an amazing memory. Maybe it's both. I kind of wish my memory was better though since I can remember random facts but not really specific events or things happening or things for school. But oh well I work with what I've got.

I really love nail polish. I own so many and bought another one today. I'm planning on doing a post on my favourite nail polishes but who knows when that'll come honestly.

Maisie (my rabbit) went for her check-up after she got ill (as you can read in previous blog posts that I can't be bothered to link sorry) and she's just seem to have got completely better! Which is lovely as we were 100% prepared for the worst. I'm so happy my little bunny is back to her greedy, bitchy, adorable self.

That's all the random things I can think of today-sorry posts have been a tad lacklustre recently. I need to try to write a better one soon.

Goodbye

:)