25 make-up mistakes i've learnt in 25 years.

I have seen a lot of posts recently that are 17 things I've learnt in 17 years or however many facts that correspond with that persons age. Well as much as I live for these posts I thought I'd share something similar but not quite the same.

25 makeup mistakes I've come to learn of in my 25 years on this planet. Most of these are something that I've experienced first hand but some are a few I've just noticed in the last few years.


                                                                      

Lets get started,

1. It is NEVER okay to have foundation lips. Use it as a base if you have no primer before your lippy, otherwise use a lip scrub and take it off.

2. If you have a pale off white complexion, avoid wearing dark lipsticks as these wash out your face even more so.

3. We've all gone mad for the contour but please remember to blend. Too many girls walk around with stripes across their faces. It's more side burns than cheek bones.

4. Keeping to the non blending error - smoked eyes. Blend for your life or risk resembling a panda.

5. Fake tan is great. Unless it's raining, which is most of the time here in Wales. Avoid fake tan if you can!

6. Being tanned is great, being orange is not. A big tip from myself  here - don't use spray bronzer ment for your face for your entire body!!

(When Bourjois Delice De Soleil Bronzing powder spray my was life) 

7. Mascara is a necessity but ten layers is probably taking the p**s. Most people (including guys) are afraid of spiders. Let's not give them a heart attack!!

8. Blend your foundation down your neck or risk looking like a walking face-in-hole meme.

9. Natural lighting is extremely important when applying the base!!

10. A little blush goes a long way. Unless you want people to think your constantly embarrassed?

11. The wizard of oz was a great film. We know this. The tin man however should not be used as a role model. Highlight don't blind.

12. Spend time finding foundation more suited for your skin or risk having patchy dry, caked skin. Want some face with that cake? Blurghhh!!

13. Most of us know the phrase "eyebrows should be like sisters not twins" but let's at least make them look as if they're related!

14. Black eyebrows are a big fat no! Even people with black hair avoid this!

15. Don't waste your hard earned cash on eye shadows from China. As great as a bargain it sounds when you find all those eye shadows on eBay, you'll get more pigment from a brick wall.

16. Less is more! Especially when it comes to eyeshadow. We all love smoked eyes and lots of colour. But looking like a contestant for the next RuPaul drag race is not flattering.


                                                                           

(What are those eyes?)

(Blush much?)

17. Makeup does not last forever. Believe it or not make up has a use by date so keep this in mind.

18. Wash your make up off at the end of the day. If you have bad skin, leaving makeup on is only going to make things worse for you.

19. Whilst we're talking about cleanliness, clean your brushes. Make up applications will be a dream. Plus, there's no point washing your face just to add dirt again. It's a no brainier.

20. Colour correcting pallets are fab. They deminish redness which for me is great. However, only apply what is needed otherwise green will show under your foundation. Unless you want to look like you've escaped from Area 51.

21. Accept the fact that some days are a no eyeliner day. Not because you might sweat it off or because it's raining but because they will not match for all the money in the world. These days are usually called Monday's.

22. If problem 21 occurs and eyeliner is a necessity to complete your look, I suggest you invest in eyeliner tape.

23. Prep and prime! This will make your make up stay on a lot longer and look more flawless.

24. If your thinking if wearing lipstick on your travels/ nights out. Always remember to take that lippy in question with you, along with a compact mirror. It's scary how easy lipstick transfers to your pearly whites. Keep an eye on them!!

25. Hairspray is not a make up setting spray. It might freeze your expressions but it will not freeze your make up in place. Sorry.


That's all from me folks. If you enjoyed this content, please follow my blog. If you can relate to any of the above, let me know in the comments.

Lots of Love
Natalie xx

What's your fashion hates right now??

As of yesterday the Inevitable happened, Autumn approached. With that, came a long list of fashion trends. Some old and some, well some being attempted as we speak. One things for sure, my whole Autumn experience will be full of burgundy lipsticks, mustard long sleeve tops, mittens and woolly hats. One thing that will not be on the agenda of wardrobe purchases are UGG boots. Now this isn't because UGG boots have a rediculous price tag or because they're unsuitable for vegan fashionistas. Nope the reason why I hate these so called 'boots' is because of their unflattering appearance. I mean just look at my picture, I am yet to see a pair on a persons feet that doesn't resemble this gastly image. Hideous!! 

Before anyone says, everyone used to love these boots a few years ago because they were the trend. Not me!! In fact I remember being the most ungrateful person at Christmas when I opened a large box from my parents with a brand new pair in. Thinking I'd appreciate them because I loved trends, they figured I'd like these too. Nope. I couldn't even hide my fear of them and just quickly moved to the next gift. I'm not a very good lier. 

I remember laughing hard at an ex boyfriend who told me he thought they were the best things ever and proceeded to prove he owned a pair. Mate really? Well safe to say that relationship was doomed. 

Anyways, apologies for my long conversation about ugg boots but I thought I'd share somethings that I don't like as apposed to actually liking in the world of fashion. 

Does anyone have any fashion hates right now?? Let me know in the comments 

Lets support each other - promote your blog!

Hello Everyone, hope your all doing amazingly well!

As you've probably guessed from my lack of blog followers, I am relatively new to this world. As a newbie, I am still figuring out how this all works so bare with me as I try to find my bearings.

Anywho, I understand that there might be a few of you out there who would also like to be noticed. If this sounds familiar, please comment below with your blog link and I'll take a look. it's understandably a difficult world to get noticed in but at least we can support each other!

If you like my content then please follow,

Love Natalie xx

Time flies when you have - children

Evening everyone, How the devil are you all?

Isn't it strange how quick the day goes when you have children. One little task turns into a full blown list of things to do and nothing ever seems to be getting done. Even when your in the middle of doing something it just does not seem to be getting done. I'm sure the clothes pile is growing in front of my eyes. Clothes that need to be put in the washing machine, clothes that need ironing. clothes everywhere. It really isn't fair. where's the cleaning fairy  (alternatively known as mother) when you need her?

So Today, I had an entire list of pampering goals that I wanted to get ticked off. You see, it had been arranged all week that mini me would spend all day with her grandparents today and stay the night. With her Gran picking her up at 3pm after she'd finished work, I counted down the minutes until I could get some valuable me time.

Of course I absolutely love spending every minute of every day with Cerys but I sometimes forget about what I need and I definitely need some TLC.

Before I get some alone time with me, myself & I, we get some stuff done. When I say stuff, what I really mean is next to nothing. If you have a baby that is quite clingy you'll know my difficulty. Before I can get her baby bag packed, I have to somehow occupy her. I could have a million and 1 toys in my arms, the only thing my child wants is to be picked up. For some things this is fine but when your trying to run around the house looking for hidden clothes and objects, carrying a baby makes this task harder than it needs to be.

Luckily for me, we have things called Naps in our house. Thank goodness for those!!

After her bottle, she's out for the count. of course I still have to sing something to prove I'm there. I swear babies have a sixth sense. I can now get on with some things. So I pack her things, I organise her outfits and do some tidying.

At 2pm I figured, you know what, I'm going to whiten my teeth, I was feeling productive. That was until Cerys woke up. If you've ever looked after a child of any age in your entire life, you'll know that they only want what you have. So when she took one glance at my blue light dangling out of my gob, she had to have it. I left it in my mouth for as long a it needed to be though, but the difficulty of attempting to b-e-a-utiful when your a mamma is 11/10!!


Her Grandmother came to pick her up, and as glad as I was to see
her go I couldn't wait for her to come home. Until then, I was going to take this time to shave, wax, blowdry, curl, paint etcetera. UNTIL, I sit down for a self promised five minutes, that's turned into back to back episodes of the big bang theory followed by a well deserved long nap.

Now the whole day has vanished. and the only pampering I've managed to fit in is a quick shower. luckily for me, my thoughtful other half has decided to cheer me up with a takeaway for dinner. how could I say no?

Anyway, as I ramble my way through to the earths core I just wanted to share with you the difficulty of being a beauty blogger when you have a young'un. I do this for me because I love to write and I'm a creative person. I just hope that people don't mind me being a little less, 'full makeup' faced on some occasions because some days, I value naps more.

Love Natalie xx

10% off MAC, Urban Decay, Too Faced | UK only

Hello everyone,

Just a quick post this morning for make-up lovers in the UK!!

Debenhams have 10% off across their full priced make-up, which includes MAC, Urban Decay and Too Faced. How amazing is that! This amazing sale is only available online and for Today only. So if your planning any makeup hauls or if you just need an extra lippy (like we need an excuse right?!!)) then head over to www.debenhams.com

Have fun, Natalie xx

what happens when this mom gets sick?

Good Morning, Evening or Night, depending on your current location.

Today has been a very chilled day for me and Cerys. As we're both spread across the sofa, (well I am and she's cuddled into me) we're also both full of sniffles, heavy eyes and we have the most annoying tickly cough - Today is not a day to be productive.

We are watching back to back episodes of my little pony, getting plenty of rest and getting all snug like a bug in a rug. I have little to zero energy to pick any toys up from the ground. I should probably make a start on the washing I've accumulated since I returned from my travels. lets just pause and think for a slight moment how amazing life would be if the washing fairy actually did exist.

As we both battle against this vile infection we will do nothing. nothing at all. Yes, that's right. you are currently reading a blog about me doing nothing. I know what I will do though. I will make tomato soup- okay so I might do a little Today.  Anyone else have tomato or chicken soup every time they were ill when they were younger? or was that just me?

As I am still on maternity, I feel lucky that I don't have to fight this off in my place of work. Before princess Cerys arrived into the world, I didn't have time to be ill. even when I was ill I was too busy to dwell. now I'm on the sofa, I feel the effects of this cold a lot more but I get to rest (as much as Cerys will allow) and have lots of cuddles. win win.

Of course, as all moms will know. we don't really have time to be ill so I am now going to end this blog and have a few zzz's while Cerys sleeps and before my partner in crime comes home from work. Men never understand that woman also get ill so I shall not try to confuse him too much by not being productive enough to cook his dinner and doing the bare minimum when it comes to cleaning. moms never really have a day off.

What do you like to do when your ill? let me know in the comments below,

Love Natalie xx

Say it how it is Sundays - Being the perfect traveller

Hello everyone,

As I have been busy soaking up the sun in beautiful Majorca and as I couldn't quite commit to taking any personal technological devices to a foreign land I have been offline for a few days...but I'm back now. 😍

Back for a second instalment it's, Say it how it is Sunday's. As I have not long come back from my holibobs you can probably guess what this weeks topic will be about. So without further a do, here is my top ten dos and don'ts of being the perfect traveller, with out the sugarcoating!!

1) For those travelling by air, if your seat allocation is towards the back of the aircraft & the only door that opens is the front, remember rows 1 exit first, then rows 2, then 3,4,5 and so on. Don't be rude you'r all going to be walking to the same place anyway so be patient and sit your ass down.

2) we're all excited about going on holiday, there's no need to become leary. It's off putting for the cabin crew trying to do their jobs. Also as we all have different opinions as to what we all consider fun be wary of the people around you. Some people may not react well to overly excitable child like adults singing various football chants or using the F word more than once in a single sentence. We can all hear you! Be respectful.

3) If a person in a row before you lets you pass, you treat them like royalty or at least say thank you. It goes a long way!

4) when waiting for your luggage - if you see your case on the conveyer belt, the most appropriate words to use are, excuse me. A rugby tackle to the front of the queue will get you nowhere fast.

5) when travelling by air - when you see that seatbelt sign light up above your head that means sit your ass down and fasten up. It does not mean time to go to the toilet. Although I do enjoy seeing these people fall over in the aisles when encountering turbalance. They won't be doing that again!

6) when it comes to taking liquids through security, don't be surprised when your asked to put your liquids into a clear plastic bag. We all know the score there. *hint* if you have to take liquids for any reason, put these in a clear bag before you go or in a separate compartment to your other items. Nobody wants to stand around waiting for you to pull your life out of your hand luggage.

7) if you did not pay to select your seat, don't expect anyone to move for you. Unless your parted from your child or helping those less able before, during and after the flight nobody's moving for you.  I don't care if your an A-Z list celebrity if I've paid for my seat - it's my seat!

8) Being pregnant is not classed as a disability. If your in your last trimester don't ask for airport assistance. It's meant for people with actual disabilities. If you are traveling by air because you have to, walk slow and rest as much as you can. Some airports have a small amount of wheelchairs, someone who is less mobile may suffer because of your actions. Think about it.

9) Nervous passengers- you will not and never will be sat in the extra space seats. I don't care if sitting at the front calms you. If your not capable of flying with out your nerves getting the better of you, you are not capable of saving my life in an emergency. Forget it!!

10) getting drunk on a plane - remember, the altitude will change your alcohol tolerance. Don't risk your flight being diverted because your trying to keep up with the lads. The pilot has the right to divert his aircraft if he no longer wishes for you to be his passenger. So be mindful and don't get too drunk. It ruins your holiday and delays everyone else's. Think before you drink!

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed,

Love Natalie xx

Full Face of makeup for under £10 ??

Hello Everyone,

So today I had the scariest of thoughts. If I was to go to an event that requires me to put on a face full of make up, how would I survive without my makeup bag and if I only had say £10 to my name. Would I be able  to create some sort of miracle?? 

In a bid to find out and to prove to myself that it is indeed possible, I took to the shops and searched the shelves for product that I could use. 

I was quite please to find a branded section in my local pound store. The last place I'd think to find the products that I ended up with. Happy Natalie. 

I didn't get much and most of the products I bought came from the pound shop but the products that I did buy are as follows:- 

💜Rimmels concealer in Ivory £1 for 10ml (no longer sold in boots but latest Rimmel concealer is only 7ml for £5.50)

💜Rimmels gel eyeliner in emerald £1/ boots price - £6.99

💜 Maybeline colour tattoo in endless purple £1/ boots price - £4.99

💜 unbranded eyelashes duo pack £1

💜 Barry M single eyeshadow In brown duo pack £1/ boots price - £3each x 2 = £6

💜Collection 2 in1 blush and highlight £1/ boots price £4.19

💜Natural Collections eyeliner pencil in black £1.99 (only product I purchased in boots) 

After the amount of money I saved just by paying a little visit to a pound shop I think I'll be paying them a little visit in the near future. In total I saved £22.67

Well I've just finished filming a video where I go through the products and try and come up with a look for you guys. It's not the best and I definitely needed a mascara but I tried my best and this is the final look.... There is 100% room for improvement but I enjoyed my experience. i'll definitely pay another visit to my local pound store for some branded make up but I wont give up my usual make up in a hurry.

Hope you enjoy and keep an eye out for the video to follow. 

Lots of love, 

Natalie

Today I will be introducing, 'Say it how it is Sundays', which as you've probably guessed will be every Sunday (hopefully.) The aim is to write about something, without having to sugar coat it.

Yesterdays post was all about getting to know the person behind the blog. All though there wasn't much interaction with that one, but that's fine we have time people! Not that I didn't want to write everything down about my day yesterday but a full day of being a mum at a wedding was quite tiresome.

So here goes.

At 7:30 am yesterday morning, I wake up with a crying baby as my alarm clock. My princess is hungry, so I must go to the kitchen and prepare her bottle. I open the bedroom door and her grandfather is waiting to collect her and orders me to go back to bed for an hour. Brilliant. We have a wedding to attend today, it's not for a while but an hours sleep will do me a world of good. I hoped that the whole day will be this kind to me.

It's now 9am and do you think I was able to go back to sleep? of course not, my brain is thinking of the most ridiculous topics. What will I do once I finally win the lottery? I should probably start buying lottery tickets? I've been dreaming about a what if scenario and now I'm grumpy that my brain didn't co-operate. I decide it's probably best to go downstairs to see what's what.

Sat in her walker, my little one is overly excited to see my face. I pick her up and squeeze her tightly. her fat cheeks look good enough to eat. I missed her. she starts to cry because I didn't pick her rattle up at the same time. I don't miss that so much.

I put her back into her seat, and bribe her to keep quiet with a pack of wotsits. She's beaming but then after 30 seconds realises that she's no longer sat in my arms overlooking the world. I may have gone deaf for a moment. DIVA.

I really need to start getting ready. Her gran is ready to feed her. Brilliant. I make the most of this time by getting ready as quickly as  I can. We don't have much time until we must go the church. My final dilemma is the competition between 3 ladies and one pair of straightners.

Once we're all ready to go, we set off. It's pouring with rain. I hoped we'd be able to find a space close to the church. I don't want to look like a drowned rat before the event even begins. Luckily, were not too far and I remember my umbrella. As I push the pram I order my partner to hold the umbrella over my hair. Instead he covers himself and gives an indepth explanation of how much rain fell on his suit. cheers babes.

The wedding ceremony went as smoothly as it was supposed to. Of course Diva starts to make a fuss when the vicar asks all guests if we had any objections. my heart sinks and my cheeks burn bright red as I quickly stand up and edge to the side. Aside from that, all went well.

It's now time to head back to the car and drive down to the reception. Its down the marina, close to the centre of town. It takes us 5 loops of the same car park to find a spot but we make it. Hallelujah.

Now is the most difficult time, keeping a baby entertained without rattles, toys or wotsits. I manage, I must. Its time to eat now. we all head upstairs to the seating area. There is a long staircase and a lift. It takes us ten minutes at least to go upstairs because of all the lazy people waiting for the lift. They really start to p*ss me off! I'm tiered and hangry.

Its not long till we can go home. Both myself and my partner agree that we should probably stay for the first dance. However, little madam decides otherwise. She grabs the cutlery, and throws it on the floor along with her dummy, her shoes and anything else that she can get her hands on. She interrupts the bests mans speech and cries her little heart out when her bottle wouldn't warm up as quick as she hoped. so we end up leaving once our desserts are finished with.

I've had a lovely time, despite being tiered most of the day but it's definitely time to head home now. Plus I don't think I can handle my drunk partner telling me anymore about how he missed his football match. I'm excited to leave but I'm happy we made it.

We survived our first ever family event. WE DID IT!!



does anyone else have any stories that they would like to share?? 

Hello Everyone,

Today has been a rather eventful day to say the least. It was the first time I'd ever taken my baby girl to a formal event - a family wedding. It was eventful to say the least (more on that one tomorrow). any who, as my pyjamas are calling my name, and there's a cup of tea waiting to be drunk, I thought it would be a nice change to get to know more about the people behind the blogs. So no articles about beauty from me tonight but rather a series of questions. If you too would like to get to know each other, then please comment with your answers. I'd like to get to know you all on a more personal-ish level.

Here Goes...
1) What is your name? Natalie Charmaine Carroll

2) Where do you live? Swansea, Wales

3)Why Blog? Personally for me, I blog because it keeps my mind active, it is great for offering way's of promoting my creativity and of course I love to write.

4) Do you want more to come from blogging? Well I hardly think I'm going to be the next Zoella but you know what, I've only been doing this for 3 days and it makes me so happy, paid or not paid I'd happily do this as a hobby for the rest of my days! ha bit dramatic.

5) Something interesting about you? I don't really see myself as being an interesting person. In fact I am not sure if I should include this question, simply because I have no idea what to put here but I'd love to hear about your stories! The most interesting fact about me would probably be the fact that I have a bachelors degree in Tourism Management. (yawn!!!)

6) What do you do in your spare time? Apart from changing dirty nappies, juggling bottles, rattles and of course my daughter whilst singing the theme tune of my little pony, I don't really get up to much when I'm not writing. Most days it feels like I am dealing with a natural disaster so when I have five minutes to my self, I usually cut out and drift away into my own little bubble. Although, if I'm not overly tiered, I enjoy long walks, cooking, practising my make up and being silly with good friends.

7) Do you work anywhere else? I work for a tourism company. Nothing special, I just take a lot of inbound calls from people who ask silly questions and complain about the smallest of things. Those complaints are the best, I feel like I could write an entire article on that one day, but as a little taster - I was once asked to offer a refund of a holiday because the colour of the walls at the hotel was one shade darker than what was advertised in the brochure. I wish I was kidding.
 

8)How long have you been blogging for and do you enjoy it? I'm on day three and I'm having a lot of fun so its a big thumbs up from me!

9) How would you describe your blogging style? I find it difficult to pin point the exact category for my blogs. sometimes I like to chat about beauty, sometimes cooking and sometimes arts and crafts but always about my certain lifestyle so on that note, I'd say I'm leaning more towards lifestyle blogging!

10) How active are you? Well this is my third consecutive day on here. I like to post at least one article a day, whether it be big or small. Hopefully this motivation stays around for a while!

Thanks for reading, and again lets get to know each other!

Love Natalie,

Faux Freckles & Red Lips

Good Morning, evening & night - depending on where you lovely people are reading this.

Today's post is going to be all about Faux Freckles. This past week alone I have found them to look perfect when attempting to achieve a sunkissed, fresh skin look. unfortunately for my self, my skin is far from fresh looking, which is exactly why I absolutely love this little trick.


Enjoy!!

If you haven't already figured this out, I am a bit of a glitter junkie. So for my first arts & crafts project, I inevitably incorporated grains of shimmer to my 1st publicly visible DIY post.

Soon to be a sleeping beauty in her own sleeping quarters, my 6 month old daughter's bedroom needed redecorating - sharpish.

I've seen a lot of name signs for children's bedrooms but none that I admired. None that I would happily hand over some £££'s for. Then I had an idea to make my own & boy am I pleased with the outcome.

To make this yourself you will need the following items: -

1) Mache letters! you can buy these from your local arts and crafts suppliers. I purchased 20cm sized letters at £2 each.
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/20-cm-mache-letter-e/568537-1004
2)PVA Glue
3) A paint brush or spatula
4) lots and lots of glitter
5) Artificial flowers! you can purchase 20 foam rose heads for £2 at: http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/pink-wired-rose-heads-20-pack/574442-1004
6) Glue gun - if you don't already own one of these, you can purchase one from Hobbycraft for just £5.

Method
1)First you'll want to cover each Mache letter in PVA Glue using a paint brush or spatula & then it's time to sprinkle that glitter over each letter until they are completely covered.

2) while this dries, take out your artificial flowers and cut off all the stems (I kept the stems on the tulips).

3) Once the letters have completely dried, its time to take out your glue gun. Before gluing anything down, I would highly recommend that you lay out your design before commiting to your chosen design - yah know just in case! Once your happy with your design, all you need to do now is to glue everything down.

and voila, there you have it. Homemade décor fit for a princess.