Superdrug haul

Hello!

Here are some bits I picked up at Superdrug today. They have a 3 for 2 offer on all make up items, plus you get a free make up bag! It's not really my style but it's a good offer. I normally pick up most of my make up and beauty items in Boots but was impressed with some of the offers on in Superdrug.

 The free make up bag.

I dye my hair red and I saw this on sale which is the same conditioner that you get in the dye packet. It always leaves my hair super soft so thought I'd give it a go.

Both of these were half price. I've used the make up wipes before but not the eye make up remover, but I'm giving it a go.

I was so excited when I saw these! These are Max Factor lip balm/lip sticks that they used to sell in different packaging, then discontinued them. They have been gone for at least a year, and then when I saw them in store today I had to get 2! They are perfect for me as they are soft like a lip balm but give a bit of colour. It's not too bright though so I can wear this on any occassion. I'm so glad they have brought them back!

In my 3 for 2 I managed to get this Sleek eyeshadow palette for free! I already own about 5 of these palettes, but I couldn't resist this one. I think its the pinks that did it for me! This is the vintage romance palette and it looks lovely! I don't tend to use my Sleek palettes anymore as I use the Naked 2 and 3 palette a lot, but hey, this was free! And it's so pretty!!

So I picked up quite a few bits today - some things I love and some things I haven't tried before. 

Thanks for reading!

Greta xx

Being a glasses wearer

Hello!

Today's post is something I only thought about writing earlier today, as I was putting on my make up. Or trying to. Yes, stating the obvious, I wear glasses. I have worn them since I was 7 years old. That's almost 20 years. And I don't really remember much of the time before that, so it feels like I've been wearing them my entire life. 

Wearing glasses is a big part of me, but it's one I never really think about. They literally are like a part of my body. The first thing I do when I wake up is put on my glasses, and the last thing I do at night is take them off. If I'm ever not wearing them (rarely) I still try to touch the frames to push them up my face! I don't think I could imagine my life without glasses. When I visit the opticians they ask me about laser eye surgery, but I don't think I would ever do it. For one, I can't even touch my eye to put lenses it, let alone think about having a laser in my eye. If they could do it while I'm unconscious I would consider it! But really if I had a spare few thousand pounds lying around I would be much more likely to get a boob job!

I haven't always liked wearing glasses. When I first got them, I was bullied a lot by girls in my class who have always disliked me (and vice versa!). I got the whole 'four eye' thing and although that would never bother me now, it does knock your confidence as a 9 year old girl. I could also never find a pair of frames that suited me. I remember having these round frames when I was about 12 that made my face look even more round. For a chubby 12 year old, this was not a good look! It was only when I got into my late teens I discovered lens thinning, and I was able to pay hundreds of pounds to get thinner lenses. It meant I could have nicer frames, and for the last 5 years I have had 'bottomless' frames which don't look as obvious on your face as some glasses can look.

One of my main difficulties is actually how blind I am. Some people who wear glasses don't need them all the time, but if I have my glasses off for more than 15 minutes I get a head ache. I literally can not see anything clearly unless it is an inch away from my face. This of course causes problems. Make up being one of them. I'm not the best at applying eye make up, and not being able to see properly is a major hindrance. The amount of times I have poked myself in the eye with mascara because I couldn't see properly! I think I've got eye shadow down, but don't get me started on eye liner! If there was any time I wish I could see properly, it's when I'm putting on make up! When I dye my hair, I literally cant do anything but sit with my phone an inch away from my nose!

Prescription sunglasses

Another downside to wearing glasses is that I have to pay for prescription sunglasses too. Not only are they expensive, but it also limits me to one pair. Oh how I long to buy 5 pairs of sunnies for a holiday!

I have also had problems with buying glasses too. I find that I need new glasses at least every 2 years. And boy they are expensive. I used to go to Specsavers but in the last 5 years they never have any frames that I particularly like. The last 3 pairs I have bought were from Optical Express, which I like a lot, but I have had problems. The last time I got new glasses my prescription had only changed ever so slightly, but with how blind I am, any small change requires new lenses. Unfortunately the optician wrote down my prescription wrong, so I was given new glasses that made everything blurry. I could only wear them for 5 minutes at a time! I persevered with them for 2 weeks as every time I get new glasses it takes me a while to adjust to them. I took them back and they said to keep trying with them, but the second time I took them in they realised their mistake. It was a very stressful 2 weeks!

So, another long rambly post from me, but considering glasses are such a big part of my life I think I have done quite well not to go into more detail! Would I change wearing glasses if I could? Yes, I think I would. Mainly for the cost of buying glasses, the hassle of opticians, not being able to buy sunglasses and the general hassle of wearing them. But I don't think I will ever not wear glasses. Unless I win the lottery and develop less fear, I think my glasses will stay with me for the rest of my life. A scary thought, but I've managed nearly 20 years, I think I can last some more...

Do you wear glasses? 

How do you feel about being a glasses wearer?

Greta xx

Me and my fellow glasses wearer Sophie

 

A risky swap with a stranger - I couldn't see a thing!

The problem with rain and glasses! With my contact wearing brother Karl.

A standard selfie - the glasses are just a part of my life!

Maxfactor clump defy mascara

Hello!

Today I thought I'd share with you one of my favourite mascaras. It's the Maxfactor clump defy black mascara, and I think it's wonderful! 

Maxfactor is probably my favourite 'cheaper' make up brand. The only foundation I use is from Maxfactor, and they also sell my favourite lip products. I normally use a Lancome mascara (to be reviewed soon!) but as a much cheaper alternative this one is amazing. 

I like that it has a plastic wand, as most of my mascaras are fabric, so this is quite different. It is easy to put on, even for me - a girl who is as blind as a bat and always end up poking myself in the eye! I don't think I've found a mascara yet that doesn't clump at all, but this one does a pretty good job of staying clump free. 

This mascara has been with me for at least a year now and I will have no hesitation replacing it when it runs out. Well done Maxfactor!

Do you have a favourite mascara?

Greta xx

Let the good times roll (or cleanse)

Hello everyone! 

For my first proper post I thought I'd talk about one of my favourite beauty products. I have been a huge fan of Lush now for about 5 years. I always liked them when I was younger but being a teenager in a house without a bath limited my choices! I never really shopped in there properly until I got my own flat with a lovely bath. It was only then that I discovered that Lush aren't all about bath products (annoying I know - all those missed years!). 

I started using the Lush cleansers about a year ago. Now being the grand old age of 26 I should have had a regular skincare routine for years. But naughty old me didn't reallly think it was important. I've always had reasonably good skin anyway, although I do seem to get spots off and on. Anyway, I decided to seek out some help for my occassional spots, and on the search I came across these things called cleansers. Yes, I do realise for someone who was 24ish that it is a little ridiculous not knowing what a cleanser is! That aside, I started using a Clinique one but I didn't feel like it did anything for me. 

So here's where I turned to good old Lush! (I sure like to use the word 'old' a lot in this post!) At first I used the Herbalism cleanser, which didn't smell amazing but seemed to do the job. Then I went down to Cornwall and left it at home (oops) so a trusty trip to my favourite Lush store (Truro - love it there) and I had a brand new spanking pot of cleanser. Let the good times roll. I believe it was originally a limited edition Christmas product but they made it permanent, probably due to its awesomeness!

What attracted me to it at first is the smell! It has a gorgeous warm honey/a hint of cinnamon smell. It's really lovely. The unusual thing is that the cleanser contains whole pieces of popcorn! You do have to pick these out, and frankly I would prefer the cleanser without it. So this is how I find the cleanser works best for me -

1. I scoop out a small piece (about the size of a 10p) of cleanser and keep it on my fingers.

2. Add a few drops of water and mix the cleanser into a paste. It is quite tacky already in the pot, but this makes it more workable.

3. Rub the cleanser all over your face, avoiding the eyes. 

4. Rinse off with water. I normally do this in the shower so that I have had a chance to leave it on for a few minutes.

And that's it! I don't use this every single day as I have other products that I use, but when I do use it, it feels like a treat! Have I noticed any noticable improvements in my skin? It always feels softer after I have used it. Unfortunately I still get spots but I treat those with other products. The point is that I enjoy using this product and it is one of the nicer skin care products out there.

Well if anyone is reading, well done for getting to the end of an incredibly long rambly blog post! 

Apologies for the weird lighting - it looks like I have one brown eye and one blue! Plus the spots, urgh. I'm only human!