10 Ways To Get Clearer Skin

I recently cleaned out all of my makeup brushes thoroughly and was incredibly shocked by the amount of old powder that I got out!

Disgusting I know!

Post-Cleaning

Using them afterwards, they felt like new and it made me realise that I should really be cleaning them much more regularly. They need to be cleaned with a gentle shampoo in warm water every few weeks, this way you’ll use much less makeup because it won’t get clogged up in your brushes and you’ll have much clearer skin. This got me thinking about other ways you can get clearer skin without having to spend loads on treatments or expensive products that don’t work at all. So here’s 10 ways I’ve thought of to get clearer and spot free skin:

1. Use a gentle exfoliator at least every 2 days

http://www.tilthbeauty.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/exfoliating-skin.jpg

The keyword here is gentle. A rough exfoliator, although it seems like a good idea, will actually do much more harm than good. Gently exfoliating will remove any dead skin without damaging too many layers.

2. Drink plenty of water

http://www.yalwah.com/admin/editorphoto/1359215162_Glass-of-water1.jpg

Now this is a controversial issue as so many people say different things. However, with a bit of careful research, the amount that kept coming up was roughly 1.2 Litres per day.

3. Avoid touching your face throughout the day

This will transfer oil and bacteria from your hands onto your skin and can cause blackheads and spots.

4. Get lots of sleep

http://www.sleepnbeauty.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/sleepingBeauty-femmewise.jpg

A good eight hours every night will help your body to repair your skin from the inside out (they don’t call it beauty sleep for nothing)

5. Moisturise regularly

http://www.nyccosmeticdermatology.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Retinoid-Face-Cream.jpg

This will not only help to stop any UV damage caused by the sun and congestion from pollution but will help to lock in all of the goodness from the exfoliation.

6. Wash your face every day with warm water then close pores with cold water afterwards

http://www.facebeauty702.com/face_washing__2_.jpg

Once you’ve exfoliated make sure you splash your face with cold water to close up your pores so that no unwanted dirt gets in and creates spots

7. Make sure your fringe is kept clean and ungreasy
Grease from your fringe is sometimes one of the worse contributors to bad skin on your forehead. The grease transfers onto your face during the day and, as there is no air getting to it, can create the perfect environment for spots to break out. So if you’re prone to it getting greasy and don’t want to be washing your hair every day, just wash your fringe over the sink in the morning with a small amount of shampoo.

8. Maintain a healthy diet with plenty of vitamins

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/PublishingImages/T%20to%20Z/vitamins_364x200_122602017.jpg

• Vitamin A is useful for repairing damaged skin so will get rid of any dryness or scaliness. Good sources of it are egg yolks, leafy greens, milk and carrots.
• Vitamin E is a brilliant antioxidant so will help to remove toxins caused by your environment that are in your body. Sources of this include nuts, green vegetables and vegetable oils.
• Vitamin C is another antioxidant and also stimulates collagen production. This means it will help to keep your skin looking healthy and young for a long time to come. Thankfully everything that’s high in this you probably already have in your diet: oranges, red peppers, blackcurrants, strawberries, broccoli and (this one I was surprised by) potatoes.

9. Don’t use makeup wipes with alcohol in

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It’s best to try to avoid using makeup wipes all together but if you’re in rush or on the go make sure they are free from alcohol as this will undo all of the good work from your diet and cleansing routine.

10. Exercise for at least 15 minutes a day

http://www.lafitness.co.uk/content/images/facilities/clubs/bury%20st%20edmunds/gym2.jpg

This will not only help to make you healthy but make your skin look a lot healthier too. Just make sure that you cleanse thoroughly afterwards to get rid of any sweat.

One myth that I will happily bust for you though is that chocolate is bad for you skin! There is actually no proven scientific link between chocolate and breakouts. 

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I hope these tips are useful to you! Please comment back on this post with any questions, advice or success stories!

Ombre Nails

Someone once told me that ombre nails are easy.

They lied.

Fortunately for them, I can’t remember who it was, but either way they couldn’t be further from the truth. Here’s the shoddy mess I came up with, and the various methods I attempted:

The Wet Sponge Method

The first method I tried was applying varnish onto a damp sponge and then dabbing it onto the nail. This left a tiny little hint of colour on my nail and a massive varnish stain on the sponge. So that one’s a no.

The Smudge Method

Method #2 was to paint the two colours, let them dry a little, then smudge the middle together with the edge of a paper towel … which just wipes is straight back off. No.

The Smudge Method #2

#3 was to attempt Smudge Method #1 with the better smudging agent of a cocktail stick. Same conclusion. Anyone noticing a pattern here?

The asdfghjkl;’ Method

This one is when you get really angry that you can’t do it and attempt to do it with your finger. Then shout to the empty room at the person who told you this would be easy and the annoying pictures on Pinterest where everything is perfect, followed by storming off for an hour to cool down …

The Topcoat Method

This is the only one that kind of, sort of works. I say that because by this stage I would have passed a massive black spot on my nail as ombre. Like the Smudge Method, you apply the two colours, let them almost dry, but then apply a topcoat to smooth them together. I found I had to do a lot of blending of the two colours, and it still has a lot of flaws – i.e. you can only really do one coat, so the colours aren’t very strong and chipped pretty easily – but to be honest, I really can’t be bothered to think of anymore techniques. Sorry!

Does you have any better methods? Have you ever accomplished the ombre nail?

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Have less. Do more. Be more.

*WARNING: This could get deep*

So I was browsing Pinterest today. Who doesn’t? It’s like Tumblr but with less anorexia. Anyway I came across this little image. To be honest, I looked at it because it was a pretty picture. I love the sea as much as the next person, especially if it’s looking hot and colourful.

http://pinterest.com/pin/179299628887382684/

It’s pretty simple isn’t it? Have less. Do more. Be more. But unfortunately for me I’m a bit of a thinker. And I’ve thought about it and realised that not only is it true, but it’s also kinda hard.

Have less. I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty well off. I’ve never had a situation where I can’t have something because of a lack of money (just a mother who probably knows best). I live in a big house in a nice area, and went to a nice school with nice facilities. I also have a lot of stuff, mainly stuff that I have absolutely no need for. But I probably live less than a mile away from someone who has none of those things. And here I am sitting with an excess of things that I don’t even use. Surely, if I went through all my things and sorted out the excess from the necessities, I could not only have a lot more space in my house, but have helped someone who really does ‘have less’. Now the person who wrote this quote may have just meant, ‘live a simpler life’ but to me, having less would mean to give others more.

Do more. I have no excuses for this one. I deferred my first year in sixth form back in December (for medical reasons, I’m not pregnant thank you) and since then I’ve done …. well nothing much. Started a blog? So I have the ability to do basically anything I want for the next 3 months before I go back to college. And I should really do something about that. Okay, so I live in a pretty dull area, but 20 minutes on the train and I’m in the center of the second biggest city in England.  So no excuses, and look out for the exciting plans for those 3 months post soon … ish.

Be more. So combined with having less and doing more, my life would be a lot more exciting and happy and generally of more use to me than sitting around looking at Pinterest ….

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Made in Chelsea Catch Up Time!

Series 5, Episode 8

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7

Firstly on an unrelated note, we’d like to apologise for the missing post yesterday. It’s all my (Hannah) fault because I got too into wedding planning and completely forgot.

In other news, Made in Chelsea got a Bafta. An actual award for glaring and being awkward. Congrats MIC.

Also. sorry for no images this week, 4oD broke on me.

Awkward Silence Count: IIIIIIIIIIIIII

It doesn’t bode well if the start of episode quote is ‘see you around Spenny’, but that’s what we were given this week.

Louise is adding another emotion to her CV. She can now do angry as well as annoyed and upset. She seems to be angry with everyone nowadays, even poor little Andy when he asks her why she keeps crying every time she sees Spencer. But how can you be angry with someone who has a face like that?

Spencer calls Andy from his car in a terrifying sort of way that kind of makes him look like he’s about to do a hit and run. Fortunately he only organises (well tells Andy he’ll organise it – they never actually get round to saying dates, times or places in these things do they?) a drink to ‘smooth things over’.

Louise and Andy paint a white wall more white. with rollers that don’t have any paint on it and talk about their bed.

Mark Francis and Victoria walk in on Spencer and Jamie in their underwear in a suit shop and talk about chest hair while Spencer and Victoria get a little flirty. Spencer doesn’t seem too into it afterwards though …

Rosie lets herself into Louise’s apartment – why do they always leave their doors open? They’re all proper rich and probably should have better security.

For those of you who are still on the quest for the discovery of Proudlock’s job – we have a mention of t-shirts. Not sure how that fits in with all the other clues we’ve had.

So Lucy and Stevie are moving in together. Not as a couple, but Spencer thinks that Stevie has a thing for Lucy and he seems to confirm that with some shameless flirting about having to sleep in her bed the first night. Lucy doesn’t seem that into it though and cues an awkward silence with even more awkward hair flipping.

Instead of hanging out with Stevie, Lucy chats up a guy at a bar and invites him to her house party. He looks like he’s reading his lines off his hand. He says he’ll drop in, and that’s the end of the conversation. He walks off and Lucy looks surprised that she didn’t get a one-night stand out of it.

This weeks end of episode party is a housewarming at a bar. Something to do with Lucy’s dad buying the bar, but it’s probably because they couldn’t fit the whole cast plus extras into Stevie and Lucy’s new flat.

Lucy and Louise agree to have no drama and actually manage a small smile at one another. But where will we get our end of episode drama from then?

Lucy talks to Spencer and tells him once again that it’s all or nothing. Spencer does his best pained expression/puppy dog eyes. But then cue Alex, the pretty hot guy Lucy met in the bar. Spencer gets a taste of his own medicine and doesn’t really seem to enjoy it. Instead he walks off looking like a teenager that’s just been turned down by the hottest girl in school.

Oh what’s that noise? Yep, it’s the sound of the end of episode drama train pulling into the station. Turns out Alex is one of Phoebe’s many ex’s. Funny how he’s dated the one person that Lucy hates the most. Phoebe and Lucy have a nice little bitch off with Olivia joining in for a couple of hits at the end. Once again I strangely find myself on Lucy’s side, mainly because I really don’t like Phoebe.

Poor little Spenny runs straight to Jamie’s arms, and confesses he has feelings for Lucy. He then does the typical Chelsea thing of saying that he needs to ‘get away from Chelsea’ for a while to sort it out. How very upper-class. As in the classic words of Jay-Z “If you’re having girl problems … go on holiday.”

But ending the episode on a cute but slightly cheesy note, Andy tells Louise he’s in love with her while looking extremely sexy in a well fit blazer. Aww.

So Louise needs therapy, Andy’s hot and Phoebe is a piece of male genitalia

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My Week in Photos #3

Welcome to our 100th post on this blog! Yay!

If I had known this sometime earlier than today, I probably would have though of something exciting and different to do. But I didn’t. So ……….

Monday:

 

Because there’s nothing better than having a whole new pile of books to read. Not that I’m doing too well. I’m still on page 4 of the first.

Tuesday:

 

My mother has told me time and time again to put some kitchen roll down when I paint my nails, but do I listen? Of course not. What sort of teenager would I be if I obeyed her? I’m always right and I definitely wanted a nail varnish stain on my leggings.

Wednesday:

 

On Wednesday I attempted some exciting hairdo-ness, and I kind of liked it until I started to take pictures for you guys … I can’t be the only one who thinks something looks really nice, then as soon as a camera is turned on it, it becomes really horrible. Well there’s only one thing to do in those sort of situations, and that’s make yourself a hair moustache.

Thursday:

 

Full moons are just pretty aren’t they. Tell you what else is pretty. The abilities of my zoom.

Friday:

 

I think Katie’s post yesterday would give you a better example of what … this … is.

Saturday:

 

On Saturday I actually went to visit my grandparents on a camping holiday they’re on. But I didn’t take any pictures of lots of old people in deck chairs. Instead I took a picture of an orange next to the sky. Mainly because I wanted to show just how blue the sky was to celebrate the fact it’s actually warm in England today, but partly because I was about to eat and orange.

Sunday:

It’s my mama’s birthday today! I won’t tell you how old, but I’ll just tell you she has a 26-year-old son and let you guesstimate. Anyway, I got up at 7:50 (!) to create this wonderful little breakfast area for her. Okay it was almost 8, and it was only an hour before I had to get up for church anyway, but there was still a 7 on the clock and I haven’t gotten up at that time for ages! Happy Birthday Mum!

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Our Attempt At Taking Photos Together…

If you knew Hannah and I well, or even if you didn’t to be honest, you would know that as soon  as we’re together, we just start to laugh hysterically every time we look at each other. This was exactly the case on Friday when we attempted to take photos together for this lovely blog so that you lucky people get to put a face to my name (extreme sarcasm there).

Could you please show us some of the hilarious photos that you took? Well, if you insist here are 10 of the best (though we did end up taking 105)!  Also, please realise, I’m that person that pulls the stupid faces whilst other people keep smiling and looking pretty so I do look awful in the majority of these pictures…

As you can see, the laughing has already begun…

This is one of those times I pulled a face and the other person didn’t…

Hannah rewrote her name 6 times to get it perfect

Not even sure why?

This was before I realised that whichever I held my sign, the arrows would always be pointed upwards….oops

I found a lion in my room. It is called Clarence. Bit posh I know. But look at him, he is fabulous!

We will probably have to try to take some more photos soon because barely any of them, as you can see, are even usable!

HOW TO: Survive Revision

Woohoo!

There’s two reasons for this woohoo – we don’t give them out lightly. Firstly, this is the start of a brand new series – a ‘How To’ series. They won’t be coming on any sort of schedule so you’ll just have to keep your eyes open.

Secondly, it’s exam season again, and we all know what that means – procrastination. Which is what you’re doing right now. Don’t lie, even if you’re not revising, you’re avoiding doing something right now aren’t you … (I won’t lie either, I just procrastinated writing this by going over the last season of 90210 on Wikipedia)

But to make it worthwhile to your future, here’s a little guide of good advice for all you revising … people.

Source: http://canoland.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/run-7272011.html

1) Go for a run

According to the internet, going for a run in the morning will awaken you brain and make it easier to remember things. According to me, it’ll make you so f*cking tired that you’ll have no choice but to stay sitting on that desk chair.

2) Eat food that’s tasteless

When you’re revising, your body will try anything to get away from the mind-numbing boredom by distracting you with your stomach. So you just need something to chew absentmindedly while watching the cat from next door try to catch a bird you revise. I’d say crackers because 1) they’re so dull you’ll give up on eating anyway and 2) they’re practically cardboard, so you’re not going to come out of study leave looking like Chris Moyles (pre-weight loss obviously)

3) Always have a book open

That way, every time your mum comes in to check you’re working, you can chuck your laptop under your bed and stare intently at it. Just make sure you change the page every time she leaves.

Source: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/no%20parents%20allowed

4) Keep away from the parents as much as possible

Teenagers and stress don’t really make a good mix , so keep a wide berth from the ‘rents and/or any other extremely annoying person in your life because they will make you angry and chances are, you’ll end up in tears.

5) Don’t be THAT guy

If you don’t know one of those guys then count yourself very lucky. Don’t be that guy that looks at people doing exams in the year below him and constantly tells him how they can’t possibly understand how hard life is for them and how their exam is a million times harder. No one likes that guy. Okay, if you’re in your final year of uni, GCSE kids look like the lamest thing ever, but this is the first time they’ve sat exams and their still at the stage where they care so don’t be mean.

Source: http://instagram.com/katie__bullock

6) Instagram the shit out of that textbook

Who doesn’t love a good lying-across-some-books-with-a-sepia-tint photo? I do.

7) Don’t lose your books – but if you do, just steal stuff

I know this from experience. It was around this time last year that I realised that I had lost all of my history books from a two year course. I then stole a textbook and preceded to revise the wrong subject (there’s another tip, always know what your exam is actually about). So keep track of your books and if you do, remember to thoroughly check the drawer where you keep them all. That’s where I found two of them four months later. There’s still two missing though …

8) Don’t paint your nails, then re-paint them, then take off the nail varnish because it wasn’t that good anyway

Don’t lie. You know you’ve done it at least once. Unless you’re a guy. In which case … don’t lie.

Source: https://twitter.com/twitter

9) Get off all social media sites

Don’t even bother looking at them because no one will have messaged you – all your friends are probably also pretending to revise. And now is not the time to look through every single photo on that guy you like’s Facebook page. Especially because by the end, he’ll start looking extremely young and not very attractive at all, so it’s a lose-lose situation.

10) Stop reading this

Get off Bloglovin’ and open a book. Read at least one page before you start to find other things to distract your time with. And who knows, you might even achieve something in your life. If not, there’s always McDonalds.

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I Think I Fell In Love …

Let’s just take a moment shall we, and appreciate the beauty that is handbags. If you’re a guy or a girly that doesn’t like this sort of thing, firstly, why?! And secondly, I suggest you run away right now because there’s only one way this post is going, and that is into handbag territory.

Let’s start at the very beginning, because according to the Sound of Music, that is a very good place to start. Whilst on my crying-with-excitement holiday to Wales, we went to visit a castle for a day, but discovered when we got there that this ‘castle’ was actually just two walls. Okay, originally the walls were part of a castle but there’s not really much you can do on a day-trip to some walls is there? There was a museum that you could pay £1 to look around … but hey, I wanted a castle not a room of old pictures. So we dumped my dad in there and my mum and I went shopping instead. Because that’s what girls do.

And there, in a remote Welsh town with like two shops in it, we found a lovely department store that was closing down and was selling everything off. Let me tell you now, I think everyone in Wales was in that shop. It was like being back in dear old Birmingham, except everyone was really polite and said excuse me a lot. So nothing like Birmingham, there was just a lot of people.

Wow, that was a very long and overly detailed explanation.

Basically, Wales, shop, I bought a bag, it’s pretty and cheap. (It’s David Jones don’t ya know, not that I’d brag or anything)

And in case you’re sitting there thinking ‘Hey Hannah, what was originally on that small table before you put your rather beautiful bag on it?’

I’m glad you asked.

This. This was on that table. Some dead branches with glittery pine cones (I think?) hanging on them. Why? I have no idea. My mum made me sit and paint them all, then put glitter on them all, then tie the most stupidly thin thread around them and hang them. Took me like two weeks, and ruined two paintbrushes. Just saying.

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Welsh ‘Adventures’ – Part 3

Part 1
Part 2

So Part 3 will unfortunately be the last part of this as I didn’t manage to get my deleted photos back. Not because my brother didn’t know how to do it, but because I’m so lazy that I didn’t actually bother to phone him. Oh well, you can just imagine them. But you don’t have to imagine these! Here’s part 3 of the amazing and never-to-be-matched again excitement of Wales *cough* lies *cough*.

 

Moving away from moody ocean shots now, this is the most exciting room in a national trust house we visited on the way back. Apparently, after the owner died, some nuns bought it turned it into a private school, which later became a comprehensive, and this was their art room.

And some stupid hats that has no relation to this whatsoever.

 

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Made in Chelsea Catch Up Time!

Series 5, Episode 7

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6

Awkward Silence Count: IIIIIIIIIIIIIII

So Andy and Louise are official, but Louise is still pretty bitter over Lucy and Spencer. Anyone else pretty sure where this storyline is going?

Lucy immediately runs to Spencer to tell him all the gossip about Andy and Louise. Apparently Spencer doesn’t give a shit, which is strange because last week he had a little shout to Andy about how he definitely did give a shit. Changing the subject, he tells Lucy that he wants to keep their relationship ‘casual’. ‘You’re like on the same page right?’ Haha, Lucy doesn’t look happy.

Ollie and Cheska have a weird sex conversation while hula hooping/looking like their having a fit. Three or four times a day Cheska?! Really? No wonder she’s so good at hula hooping …

Spencer invites Lucy and Binky to another extremely quiet bar … with Jamie. Oh so awkward. But Binky knows how to handle the situation and breaks the silence by inviting them all to a barn dance. Then Jamie storms off because he just can’t handle Lucy’s face.

Ollie and Ashley are STILL together, but this time I think they really do break up in a very emotional, tea-filled discussion.

Phoebe asks Jamie to ‘hang out’, which is Chelsea code for a date. They’re teenager-ly flirty which is kind of disturbing.

Lucy tells Spencer that she’s not getting with anyone else, and ask Spencer if he is. He tries to avoid the question but then admits he’s being a bit of a whore, which she doesn’t take too well. They break up. If you can count it as a break up because they weren’t really together in the first place.

More clues on Proudlock’s job. He now has a gallery with photos and arty stuff, which doesn’t seem to relate to the previous clues we’ve had. And his mother is a terrifying cougar that looks like she’s going to eat Spencer up.

Phoebe and Jamie have blown off Proudlock’s exhibition and are on some sort of date … at a pig farm. She’s telling him that she likes her relationship with Proudlock being ‘casual’. Wow, her and Spencer should get together.

Lucy runs off to Binky’s mummy for some advice about Spencer. She can’t tell why everyone likes Spencer, and she’s got a point. Personally I can’t see it either. Binky’s mum thinks it’s because he has a massive dick which makes Binky gag …

Louise eats with her mouth open, and continues to take things REALLY FAST with Andy, and tells him she wants to tour around Europe with him. Woooh Louise, you’ve been together for like two weeks. Then Stevie calls him and Louise continues to be the most annoying girlfriend ever, continually asking him what he’s saying.

Yay, it’s the compulsory-end-of-episode-party and this week it’s Binky’s barn dance. However, despite the fact there’s a guy shouting out instructions, all they seem to do is jump up and down.

Lucy and Spencer have broken up and Lucy and Louise manage to make even that into an argument about how Louise is a pushover. Proudlock tells Phoebe that he doesn’t want to continue their ‘relationship’, which, let’s be honest, wasn’t really a relationship to start with. Then rounding off the episode with some moderate drama, Spencer tells Louise once again that he has ‘no hard feelings’, but Louise tells him just being with him makes her upset and storms off and sits in her car on her own while everyone else has lots of fun. Good on you Louise.

So Ollie and Ashley broke up, Spencer and Lucy broke up, Proudlock and Phoebe broke up, and if I was dating Louise, we would have broken up too.

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