Makeup For Glasses Wearers

I have worn glasses since I was five years old and I am so used to them that I don’t like people seeing me without glasses on. They are like a security blanket and I feel vulnerable and naked when I’m not wearing them. I prefer glasses to contacts for this reason and also because I don’t like the thought of sticking my fingers in my eyes. In all the time I’ve worn glasses they have gone from geek to chic and are now considered cool. Glasses can be an extension of a person’s style or they can be worn purely for aesthetics.

I currently have two pairs of glasses (one black and one light purple) and funnily enough every past pair of glasses I’ve had have been purple. Purple seems to suit my fair skin and hair colour and it just works. I tend to go for metallic, metal frames and violet, indigo hues. I had been thinking about getting black frames for a while because I wanted to be bolder and they go with everything. My black glasses are slightly heaver than my purple ones but I do get even amounts of wear out of both (it may not look like it from Instagram but I do!)

I always like to make an effort to do my face nicely for work and when I go out. I came up with  some tips I stick to when it comes to applying makeup, which you might find useful if you also wear glasses.

#1. Think About Your Frames

Colour, whether they’re metal or plastic, shape of lenses, how big the lenses are and most importantly the style of makeup you’re going for. If you don’t wear a lot of makeup you’ll have an easy decision but I like my glasses to work with my makeup not be the main attraction. For example, if you’ve got gold metallic frames, you could pull that metallic shimmer into an eye look by applying a gold shadow and pairing it with a red lip.

When I wear my black frames I either pair them with a shimmery, neutral eye look and bold lip or a dark, smoky eye and a lighter, glossy looking lip colour to balance everything out. With my purple frames I can’t go too light with lipstick or eyeshadow otherwise I look washed out. I love to play up the purple and bold lips and colourful eyes actually work together with these frames because they’re a neutral shade of purple.

#2. Really Get To Know Your Face and Features

Since I started my admin role towards the end of 2018 I have been doing my makeup at 6am nearly every morning so I don’t have natural light on my side and I rely on my bedroom light. I don’t wear glasses when I apply makeup or use a magnifying mirror because I am so used to my facial features and the products I wear. I know how much to apply out of practice and instinct.

#3. Decide Whether You Want Eyes or Lips To Be the Focus

Unless there’s an occasion or I’m doing a themed look I will pick either eyes or lips to be the focus. It’s all about balance and streamlining what you want to draw attention to. I usually go lighter/neutral on the eyes and bolder on the lips but that’s just personal preference. Depending on your frames, colour on the lips and eyes can work – there’s no hard and fast rule.

#4. Go Lighter With Your Brows

If you have dark, thick frames you don’t want it to look like your eyebrows have been drawn on with a Sharpie. Natural brows look less harsh and will help to break up the different areas of your face and make your glasses stand out more. If you have lighter coloured frames don’t over compensate by making your brows darker, this will only make them stand out more and make the frames look more stark.

#5. Don’t Feel Obliged To Wear Eyeliner

Again, if you have dark frames thick liner will draw attention to the eye area. If eyeliner is a must try going for a brown or a thin line to give the eyes shape. I don’t wear eyeliner, I personally don’t feel I need it. I also can’t apply it to save to my life!

#6. Don’t Put Glasses On Straight After Applying Mascara

Don’t make mascara the last product you apply and put your glasses on straight after, chances are you will get little streaks down your lenses and have to take your glasses off again to clean them. My advice is to leave the blush/highlighter/setting spray step of your routine until after you’ve applied mascara to give it that extra minute or so to dry. You can thank me later!

#7. Setting Spray/Setting Powder Is Your Friend

Don’t forget this step if you often find smudges on your glasses throughout the day from makeup. Powder around the nose where nose pads sit, near the brows and under the eyes where the rims of frames can touch your skin if they sit close to your face. Being a dry skinned gal I tend to reach for setting spray more than powder but both products do the trick.

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Let me know if you enjoyed this post! Do you have any tips of your own to share?

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Tips For Staying Safe On Tinder

Hi, my name’s Chanelle and I use Tinder. People will make jokes about others who use it and yes at one point I was embarrassed to admit I use it for that reason but I’m not ashamed to say I’ve put myself out there and would like to meet someone new.

Honestly, I’ve never gone into using Tinder with expectations and whether or not a friendship or relationship comes from it, I don’t mind either way. I use it simply because the world has become so digital. As well as potentially looking to meet someone day to day, it’s not doing any harm looking online too.

I’ve talked briefly before about not wanting to use Tinder for casual hookups (there are people who do use it for that, which is fine – I’m not going to shame somebody for wanting a bit of fun) but I’m the type of girl who prefers to be exclusive and focus on giving my all to one person. I also think using the app makes me feel more confident and I’m not afraid to message guys first and initiate conversation. Dating is surprisingly one thing that I don’t stress about a lot, I’ve got quite a relaxed attitude towards it. The dates I’ve been on have never ended with animosity or made me feel like I was in danger – they just haven’t worked out and that’s okay.

I’m lucky that the dates I have been on have always made me feel safe and I don’t associate negative feelings with meeting a guy for the first time. There are horror stories out there, not everyone is trustworthy and things do go wrong but if you take precautions to keep yourself safe the positive experiences outweigh the negative ones. I like to think I’m a sensible girl and I make logical decisions. I wanted to impart some of my Tinder dating wisdom to ensure other people like me who are looking to meet someone genuine do stay safe.

TIps:

Tip #1: Don’t Meet Straight Away (I.E. the day of the first message)

You’ll know by having a few conversations with a person over the course of a week or two whether you do actually want to meet them. You’re able to ask questions and gauge their responses and if they disappear for days on end or different things they say don’t add up you haven’t rushed into meeting them. If someone really wants to meet you they won’t mind waiting until you’re both ready.

Tip #2: Don’t Reveal Personal details on your profile

I don’t share the location of where I work or any links to social media on my Tinder profile. If I’m messaging someone and they ask what I do for work I will say but it relates to Tip #1, you’re able to gauge the conversation and decide who you let know where you work. Workplaces are an obvious location for stalking to start and for people you haven’t matched with to be able to see that information makes you more readily available to them.

There is an option to link your Instagram account so Tinder can show recent photos but I don’t want my pictures getting taken and I don’t want everyone to follow me on Instagram. Instagram usernames aren’t included on Tinder profiles and if I’m talking to someone, we get along and Instagram comes up as a topic, I can decide whether to give it out or not.

Tip #3: Always Let Someone KNOW if YOU Plan To MEET up With a Tinder Match

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICE I want you to take from this post! Every date I have ever been on my mum has known about. It doesn’t have to be a parent but telling a friend, family member or a co-worker where you’re going ensures if anything goes wrong they have an idea where you are or where you’ve been.

Tip #4: Meet In a Public Place

I don’t like to meet someone for the first time in a secluded area or a quiet part of town where no one is around. Usually I will be the one to suggest where to meet and generally always pick somewhere to eat where there’s guaranteed to be other people and witnesses around. I haven’t had to do this but if you’re in a cafe or restaurant and you do feel unsafe you can make an excuse to head up to the counter and let a staff member know what’s going on. You could even arrange with a friend before the date to casually ‘bump into them’ where you’re meeting so they know you’re okay and help you get out of the situation if you don’t feel right about it.

Tip #5: Arrange Your Own Transportation

I have been offered to be picked up on dates before but I have never accepted for the simple fact of getting into a car with a stranger. If you make your own way there via bus or driving yourself and the date doesn’t turn up you know the person’s intentions weren’t true and you are still safe and you can turn around and go home. I have let a few dates drop me home as I’ve spent a couple of hours with them to know I don’t feel uneasy in their presence. My mum always offers to pick me up or tells me to call her if I need anything and I know I can rely on her.

Tip #6: You Don’t Have To Give Out Your Phone Number

This relates to Tip #2 – if you don’t feel comfortable giving someone your phone number, don’t! If someone tries to question you, be honest and upfront and explain you only give out your number to close friends and family members. If someone wants to keep talking and getting to know you, it won’t matter and they won’t make you feel guilty. In time you can decide to change your mind.

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I hope you found this post interesting! There are plenty of other safety tips out there like carrying a whistle or pepper spray or downloading an app that tracks the location of your phone so friends and family can see where you are. The ones I talked about are personally things I do and I would love to know if you have any tips of your own – leave them in the comments!

Happy dating!

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The End of Blogging?

No, don’t worry I’m not saying goodbye yet… you’re stuck with me a while longer, but have you ever thought about what happens when you decide to stop blogging? Do you remove content? Do you leave your blog up? What would happen if blogs didn’t exist anymore? Over the past wee while I have had these thoughts pop into my head and I wanted to use this post to explore them.

As some of you may know I started this blog in June 2014 and I have stuck with it for over four years! My blog is where I share what’s going on in my life, what I’ve been buying, the makeup I love and some of my most personal thoughts – it’s almost like a diary. During the four years I have been blogging I have seen many bloggers come and go, others segue into more of a YouTube presence and some stop because of something that’s happened in their life.

I have wondered when’s the right time to go and if blogging ever became unenjoyable and felt like a chore that would be a sign it may be time to move on. During my four years I have had a few breaks here and there and they do help me feel refreshed and miss writing again. If something major happened that meant I couldn’t blog anymore I would be sad but it wouldn’t be the end of the world.

One of the biggest things that puzzles me is what happens to all the words and the posts you’ve written? I know there’s an export tool through WordPress but does that keep all the posts in one place or does it export your site and your theme only? It’s sad to think all of the comments and the words each blogger has carefully written and crafted could just disappear with the click of a button. Personally I don’t draft/write my posts in a program like Microsoft Word then copy them over to WordPress. I draft in WordPress and once that is done posts are scheduled and published. Do people keep backups of all their posts?

If you do decide you want to stop blogging, would you delete your site and remove all the content? If you choose not to delete your site, after a certain amount of time does WordPress do it for you if there’s been no activity? I’ve never heard these things talked about in the blogging world before and maybe I’m naive for not looking into them myself but I’d rather have discussions with my readers than read through articles on Google and not have any personal experiences to go off.

With the likes of Snapchat, Instagram stories and IGTV, micro-blogging is becoming more of a trend. I can see the appeal and it’s quick and easy but I believe there is still a place for blogs. You can’t beat hopping on your laptop and scrolling through a bunch of posts from your favourite bloggers! There’s something about Instagram that seems polished and there’s definitely a certain aesthetic that lots of people follow and stick to. I also feel that you couldn’t write as many words as you can for a blog post because let’s face it who wants to sit there and scroll through Instagram if your captions are 1000 words long. With a blog post it’s easier to digest the length because often words are broken up with pictures. If you don’t read the post straight away it’s easier for you to go back to later, there’s no algorithm that puts certain posts above others.

The rise of social media has no doubt been a contributing factor to the popularity of blogs and the number of people creating a blog in the past 5-6 years. People who choose to start a blog have their own reasons for doing so and I started mine when I was unemployed and looking for a job. Over that time I have grown and learnt so much and while I’ve never seen my blog as super popular, I have come to know of so many lovely people and the people that do take time to read and comment make my day. I don’t blog for money, popularity or freebies. I blog because I enjoy it and it’s my own little place on the internet.

I’m not sure what will happen with blogs in the future but for now I think they’re here to stay! Blogging full time has turned into a career for a number of people and I say good on them for being so dedicated and working hard to do a ‘job’ they love. I put job in inverted commas because there’s a quote that goes, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” If you truly love what you do day to day you feel fulfilled and working hard comes easy because it’s fun.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I don’t intend to stop blogging soon. To all of the people who currently blog or those who are thinking of taking the plunge and starting, enjoy it! Once it stops becoming enjoyable it may be time to assess and re-evaluate if it’s still what you want. It’s cliche, but write a blog you’d want to read!

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What are your thoughts on how blogging has changed and have you thought about stopping at any point? What would make you stop blogging?

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First Peek Inside My Bullet Journal

On January 2nd I bought myself a Bullet Journal. On New Year’s Day I was looking at different layouts, watching YouTube videos and reading blog posts on how people use theirs. I do have a weekly planner but I use that more for appointments. My aim for this journal is to use it to house organised lists (called ‘collections’ in the Bullet Journal world) and write in it every day – how I’ve been feeling and what my day has been like etc.

MY bullet journal equipment:

1. Leuchtturm 1917 Hardcover Medium Dotted Journal (Navy) – The journal is close to A5 size. I originally wanted a black journal but shops were sold out. The last shop I went to had navy, red, light blue or green. I went for navy as it is closest to black.

2. kikki.K Slim Ballpoint Pens 5pk – kikki.K stationery is lovely and they always have packs of these pens in cute designs. Lots of people like to use fineliners or calligraphy pens but quite often they bleed through the pages. Ballpoints don’t do that and I already had this set of pens so I figured I would use them up.

3. kikki.K Notebook Elastic – The bullet journal doesn’t have a pen loop but this elastic has space for two pens and fits perfectly around the Leuchtturm. These elastics are made to fit A5 and A6 notebooks.

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I filmed a video showing the pages I’ve created and how the key and index works. I figured it would be easier to include a video rather than write a post with lots of pictures. I was very nervous about the video and I hope it’s okay. Enjoy!

I thought it would also be helpful to include some tips in case you wanted to start your own bullet journal:

• Decide whether you want dotted pages, lined pages or blank. I knew I wanted dotted. I can’t write straight on blank paper and dots help keep things tidy when you’re doodling and ruling lines.
• A key and index are essential.
• Keep it simple!
• Don’t plan all your pages at once. Allow for spontaneity.
• Be sure to number your pages or get a journal with numbered pages (like the Leuchtturm!)
• Watch YouTube videos and use Pinterest to search for layout ideas and collections* to include in your journal.

*Collection = Every topic in your journal on it’s own page, e.g. gift ideas, goals, reminders, recipes, blog post ideas, places you’ve visited. The more you journal the more you’ll learn what you want and come up with your style. The page numbers of each collection are added to the index so you can flip through and easily find them.

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Feel free to leave any questions and let me know if there’s something you’d like explained further. Thanks for reading/watching!

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10 Ways To Improve a Bad Day

Hello, I hope your week’s going well so far! Today I wanted to share some tips and ways that always help me if I’m having a bad day. Bad days are inevitable; we all have those moments we’re not feeling our best, we’re stressed, we’re rundown with a cold or we’re feeling sad for no particular reason. I hope this post helps you find something you can do next time you’re having a bad day and helps you feel better! This post also served as a great opportunity to make a list, which is always satisfying and something I love doing! (BONUS: #11. Make a list).

#1. Smile

This is something so easy yet we often forget how effective it is. To make you smile think about a happy memory or your pet and your face will instantly brighten! People looking at you will be thinking, “what are they smiling at?” and it will add mystery and intrigue.

#2. Listen to music

You all know by now music is my favourite thing in the world and it is for a lot of other people as well. Whether you have a particular song, artist, album or playlist that makes you feel good, press play and sing at the top of your lungs! If you want to dance around in a goofy manner too, why not?!

#3. Light a candle

I don’t know what it is about lighting a candle but it makes everything feel calmer and therapeutic. It’s nice to just chill out and have a candle burning in the background. If you’re feeling particularly stressed opt for a calming scent like lavender or jasmine.

#4. Read a book

When you’re not feeling the best you want a distraction and a book is a wonderful way to distract you from your thoughts. I love going to the library and spending time browsing and searching for books to read. If it’s a particularly cold day, it’s also good for snuggling up in bed or on the couch with your book!

#5. Do something with a friend

If you’re feeling lonely or don’t want to be by yourself, arrange to meet up with a friend and do something together. You could go somewhere nice for lunch, or go to the cinema. For the budget conscious: bake or cook together and rent a movie to watch or spend the day watching trashy TV.

#6. Have a shower (or bath)

I find showering one of the most boring, mundane tasks but if I’ve had a bad day, I always feel better after showering. It’s almost as if the water is a metaphor for washing your troubles away. It feels even better if you have nice products to use in the shower and after showering as well.

#7. Sleep

Not only if you’re feeling tired physically but mentally as well, it’s very rare you won’t benefit from a good night’s sleep. Rest is important and even if that means you have a nap during the day to get by, so be it.

#8. Do something new

Whether that be a change in your normal daily routine, trying a food you haven’t before or learning a new skill. Our tastes are constantly changing and who knows, you might discover a hidden talent and something you really enjoy!

#9. Exercise

That’s not to say you have to spend all day in the gym. You might change up your usual exercise regime and opt for something more gentle and calming like yoga or a walk.

#10. Write down your highlight of the day

Pick your favourite moment from the day and keep track of it in a journal or on your phone along with the date. When you look back at it, you’ll be more likely to remember that about the day than anything negative.

I think it’s incredibly important to remember bad days are normal and it’s okay to not feel like you have it together all the time. “Everyday may not be perfect, but there is something perfect in everyday.”

My Blog Writing Process

Happy Monday everyone, welcome to a new week!

Today I thought I’d take you through the process I use when it comes to writing up my blog posts. If you’re new to the blogging world you might find this post useful along with My Top 5 Blogging Essentials I discussed a few weeks back.

My Blog Writing Process:

1. Think of an idea. Often this can be one of the hardest parts of blogging. Always keep a list of posts you want to write and have a notebook or an app on your phone as you never know when inspiration for a post may strike. You can also get ideas from your favourite blogs and blogs you follow. Once a post is live cross it off your list. Through BlogLovin’ recently I actually found a list of 100 post ideas and there are plenty more posts like this so an idea is never far away!

2. Take photos. I’ve said before I’m no expert photographer but I do genuinely enjoy taking photos. I take photos before I begin writing as they help me to visualise a post. I like to take a few different shots so that when I look at the photos on a bigger screen I can pick the right ones.

3. Plan what to write. Before I start writing the post I decide what I want to talk about and if need be bullet point or make notes. Personally, I don’t write my posts out before typing them up or type them in Microsoft Word then copy the text over to WordPress, I go straight into drafting on WordPress. I like to get straight into writing and edit as I go. One thing I always ensure is that I click ‘Save Draft’ REGULARLY so I don’t lose what I’ve written.

4. Semi-schedule. I’ll admit when I first started my blog I had no schedule whatsoever and technically I still don’t. I try to post about three times a week and for the past little while I’ve only been posting on weekdays and using weekends to write upcoming content for the week ahead. This has been working well as my blog seems busier during the week and it gives me a chance to write a little in advance but not too far in advance that the content becomes irrelevant. If I have been nominated for a tag post I tend to write those up within a day or two of the nomination and hold back publishing one of my planned posts.

5. Post analysis. Once posts are live mentally keep track or take note of what posts, tags and categories are popular or your readers enjoy. You can find all of this information on the WordPress stats page. This may help you with post ideas for the future, and help you find your blog’s niche. There are also Top Posts & Pages and Top Rated widgets you can use to direct readers to the most popular content on your blog.

Tip: Create a little blogging space of your own! It doesn’t matter whether you like to be armed with a notepad and pen, a cup of coffee or be snuggled up in bed in your pyjamas. Listen to music, light a candle, do whatever makes you feel inspired and ready to write!

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I hope you enjoyed this post and reading about the process I go through when it comes to writing up a blog post. Do let me know if you found this useful or you do something similar!

Chanelle x

My Top 5 Blogging Essentials

Do you find yourself wanting to start a blog or thinking of starting a blog but don’t know where to begin? When I first created this blog in June 2014 I felt very similar, I didn’t really know what I wanted to write about and I didn’t know if anyone was going to read my posts. One thing I was sure of though is that I wanted to help people in any way I could; whether it be a review on a beauty product or posts like this sharing tips I’ve picked up along the way. It doesn’t matter if you’re a newbie, expert blogger, part-time or full-time blogger, the following are all things I turn to when composing a post.

1. Camera

I don’t know about you but I really enjoy taking photos for posts. I feel using your own images makes a post more personal. By no means do you have to invest in a fancy DSLR camera, many bloggers use the camera on their phone. I use a Sony Cybershot W810 which is a standard point and shoot and it works fine. Photography is all about lighting and it’s well worth taking time to try out different angles and camera settings to get the most out of your images!

2. Laptop

This one is pretty obvious. You can pretty much use anything to type up a post nowadays – your tablet or iPad – there’s even a WordPress app. For me though, I love the feeling of sitting at my laptop and typing up a post. You never know where inspiration may strike and the portability of technology makes it so easy to connect and start writing.

3. Notebook, pens

Who doesn’t love cute stationery?! If you’re a stationery addict like me you will jump at the chance to buy a notebook and pens specifically for your blog. You can use the notebook for whatever you like, post ideas, a blogging schedule, maybe you prefer to write the post out rather than type it up straight away. I use my kikki.K notepad to jot down bullet points I want to discuss in my posts. I also keep a list of post ideas in my Filofax.

4. PicMonkey

PicMonkey lets users edit photos using a bunch of tools. You can add filters, frames, text, effects and even make collages with this free online photo editing site. There are a lot of advanced features as well which can be accessed for a small fee. If you just want basic photo editing this is a really useful site and again it doesn’t cost a thing.

5. Enthusiasm

I think this is probably the most important thing when it comes to blogging. If you enjoy what you’re writing, your reader will enjoy reading it and they’ll be able to tell you’re passionate about each of your posts because your passion will shine through. Write about your interests rather than what you think people want to read.

For beginner bloggers it can be quite daunting to jump straight in to the blogosphere and it may take a little while to find your feet and your voice. Looking back at some of my earlier posts I can see how far I’ve come already. Just keep at it and keep developing as a writer. Your enthusiasm for wanting to blog will help and hey, if you find blogging isn’t for you, don’t worry, at least you can say you tried it!

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The aim of this post is to provide insight on some of the tools that make me tick as a blogger and what I use to help me compose the posts you see. My five essentials are all relatively basic things that come in handy for the day-to-day running of a blog. Hope you enjoyed this post! Thanks for reading!

What are your blogging essentials?

Chanelle x

9 Simple Fashion & Beauty Tips

I have been working on this post for the best part of a month now and I finally felt ready to hit the publish button and get it out there today! The inspiration for this post comes from something Karen (Confetti and Curves) suggested to me in a comment on her blog. She suggested I put together a post with tips for colour-phobics (people afraid of colour). I loved the idea but at first I was unsure how to turn it into a post and what I wanted to say. After much deliberation I have come up with nine pretty simple tips for all you fashion/beauty lovers! These are things to hopefully help you as well as a combination of things I do personally when I’m thinking about my style.

Tips:

1. Never be afraid of a red lip!

2. If you’re not ready to take the plunge with a bright red lip, try experimenting with both ends of the spectrum; darker wines and plums or coral, pinky-reds. This will also help you identify your skin’s undertone and what types of shades will suit you.

3. If you feel like your lipstick is too bold on its own try wearing items of clothing in a similar colour. If you don’t have clothing the same colour accessorise with bags, scarves or even your nails!

4. Take time to ask people behind make-up counters for help, recommendations, samples and tips, that’s their job.

5. When you consider buying make-up scour the internet for reviews, swatches and even watch YouTube videos. This really opens your eyes to a product and may make you think twice before buying it.

6. If your wardrobe consists of mostly dark colours and neutrals inject a bit of colour with a subtle print or pattern. Start with pastels then work your way up to a solid colour.

7. Dress for your shape and what you feel comfortable in as opposed to what’s on trend.

8. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so why not jump on Google and find someone whose style you admire and try to put together a similar look. (Make-up or fashion).

9. Experiment. Don’t be afraid to try different styles and looks to see what works for you.

Do you have any tips of your own? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! 🙂

Chanelle x