Charlotte Tilbury Lustre Lipgloss

So from the pictures you can see just how much I love this lip gloss from Charlotte Tilbury. It is definitely well loved and well used. This is part of their lip lustre line. I love the formula of these, you can tell that they have taken time and effort into making this perfect, which is what Charlotte Tilbury does with every release. It is light on application, not sticky and not too thick. I have tried and tested lots of lip glosses over the years, and I have found the main downfalls are often how thick the formulas are and how they often dry to feel tacky on the lips. I wear this lip gloss over the top of many different formulas of lip sticks. The shade is Blondie and it a light pinky shimmer with a slight nude and golden undertone running throughout it, which makes it very versatile. This feels light and smooth on application, it does have a slight stickiness to it but I think all glosses need stickiness to an extent. The finish is high shine and it is definitely a 'glossy' gloss. I also really like the doe foot applicator as it makes application super easy and fast. It also has the little curve at the top to help with accuracy.

It is 'that' lip gloss which lives in the bottom of my handbag and I can pull out on any occasion. I have always preferred a gloss or satin type finish to all lip products. I think it pulls together a look and makes me feel ready for whatever occasion I am heading too. In terms of pricing Charlotte Tilbury is a high end brand and this lip gloss costs £19. There is no denying that £19 for a lip gloss is expensive. However, every now and again we all deserve a little treat and I had wanted to try one of their lip glosses for so long. Therefore, one pay day I treated myself and I do not regret it one bit. I bought this at least two years ago and I wear it on a frequent basis, and there is somehow still a good amount of formula left in the bottle.

I know that one day soon I am going to cave and I will buy another shade to add to my collection. My sister owns Ibiza Nights which is a lovely pale nude shimmer. I have got my eye on Pillow Talk which is the best seller out of the range, it is a mid range pinky nude. Although, I might have to wait until a special occasion to buy it as I have got many lip glosses on the go currently. I feel that Charlotte Tilbury has definitely made a stamp on the beauty industry, and this lip gloss has definitely got my approval.

Lucy
xoxo

In a world where you can be anything, be kind

A few weeks ago I started to write a post about women pitting themselves against each other purely based on their looks. I only wrote a couple of paragraphs and then I decided not to continue. This year I wanted to ensure that all the heavy feelings which I feel I get off my chest as soon as possible to stop it building up inside me. I can be hot headed and I am trying to be less reactive and let myself thoroughly think about my actions, so I have no regrets. I think this an approach we need to undertake as an online community. If you have any source of social media, you have to be responsible for what you write. When I first got Twitter, Facebook and Instagram way over 10 years ago now, the internet was a very different place. From my perspective, it was a more positive place; however there was a lot less responsibility in what we wrote. In that aspect I think we have moved forward. Where we haven't made any progress is the nastiness that people choose to write online.

In the light of Caroline Flack's death it has taken a bigger toll on me than I ever expected. I was on a galentines night out with my work friends when we all woke up to the news. We were literally all floored and in these short few days later I am struggling to process just exactly how she must have been feeling. I just cannot fathom how we can allow this to happen time and time again. You don't have to have liked or even known Caroline to accept that some kind of change has to happen and fast. It will be a few weeks of sorrow and tributes and then the media will be finding someone else to circle on a daily basis stopping someone from being able to leave their own front doors.

We now live in a society of cancel culture, and I feel as though it has become such a toxic place to be involved with. When I first started blogging back in 2013, the internet was such a different place as to where we are now. I can't remember everyday seeing on my timeline, someone slagging another person off not even a celebrity but a standard Joe Blogs who has said something slightly controversial. People tend to jump on the bandwagon and set fuel to the fire and within an hour a whole hate campaign can be started against someone, this usually stems from a tabloid story which has provided a completely biased and unjustified point of view. I used to buy gossip magazines and then one day I thought as a forward-thinking female why would I ever want to be involved and be contributing to a culture of picking at another woman's flaws and putting them in the worst dressed category. These small changes and distancing yourself from this type of source can be really refreshing for your thoughts. I recently realised that I had been following lots of people on Twitter who consistently have something to say about any bit of gossip that might arise. It has been noticed and talked about quite frequently about how toxic the blogging community has become, and this is what saddens me the most. I started blogging to meet friends, and be involved in discussions about things with people who shared similar interests. It's very much okay to unfollow anyone who you feel may be spreading consistent hate or is ultimately having an effect on your mental health.

This for me all stems down to just being a little bit kinder. In my every day job role I see on a daily basis the effects of online bullying and the harrowing realities of teenagers attempting and committing suicide as they have no way of coping. When I started high school nearly 15 years ago now, social media was just emerging and I feel that within my social group it was used as a way to interact with my friends. However, apps didn't exist and you couldn't just get on it with a click as we do now. We had top ups on our phones and to use the internet it cost, it provided you with a break away from the online world. Now, this doesn't happen. We don't give ourselves breaks from social media, and we have all fallen down a rabbit hole. The rise of memes in the Twitter world has taken online bullying to another level. I am not acting innocent in any way saying I haven't had a private little giggle on the group text with my best friends about something relatable. Imagine though everyday constantly being tagged in something negative about yourself and having to block users consistently, it must become draining. When you are in the limelight there is to a degree as expectation that you are going to be featured in the media, but I really don't think I would have the strength to constantly battle the negativity which is found daily online.

I was thinking in depth as to what I could do to contribute to this change which is so necessary within society. I can't imagine how it must feel to spend your day being a keyboard warrior or consistently trolling someone. We need a forward movement in spreading a little more kindness, as things have to change we can't allow ourselves to continue like this. I feel helpless to some degree as to what I can do to help. Deep down I take pride in knowing that I do not spend my days spreading hate. On Instagram, I wrote a post about how lucky I feel to be surrounded by a group of girls who cheerlead me on in all I do and how grateful I am. I often show my appreciation to these girls as they have helped me through a lot. Imagine having no one to talk to, and all you read everyday is how people want you to die. No matter how strong you are, this will start to chip away at you and there is no doubt that your thoughts and feelings will start to alter. I am a very sensitive person and I myself have experienced people publicly staring and pointing at me due to my looks. I don't know when or where my strong-minded resilience to block out these people came from, but boy am I glad it did. I literally do not let anyone's negative thoughts or words to process in my brain. I literally let it in one ear, and straight out the other. There is no doubts this took time, but I normally just tell myself what sad lives they must lead, and I am sure they are fighting some demons of their own.

I am just so sad that it has taken yet another person's death for us to think about the absolute need for change. We choose how we use our social media platforms and we choose whether we choose to be kind or not. We are presented with these life choices and we choose whether to spread hate or comment on a trolling feed, or whether we share someone's achievement and champion on a campaign for change for women. This the opportunity for us all to make some changes if we need to, if you have said things in the past which you regret look forward with a new perspective and strive to change. We all make wrong choices at some point, but its ensuring we don't make those choices again is where the progress happens.

In a world where you can be anything, be kind. This quote has resonated with me and had been swirling around my brain. I have been thinking about my impact on how the words I say can affect others. I think this is where we need to place the emphasis on the impact of our actions. I promise being kind and sharing a bit of love can make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. We can use our kindness to help those who need it most, who may need a glimmer of hope in their lives. We have a choice about what choose to share and do online and let's all choose to be kind. Get rid of negativity from your timeline, and spread some positivity.

If you are struggling or going through a hard time, or you know so someone who is, I know it's so easy for everyone say to just reach out. I really think that is somewhere you can start so I will leave a few numbers and websites of charities who you may feel can help you.

Mind - 03001233393 / https://www.mind.org.uk/
Samaritans - 116123 / https://www.samaritans.org/

Lucy
xoxo

How I am planning on budgeting and saving in 2020

For 2020 I have made goals about what I want to achieve and where I want to go. I am going through some kind of mid-20 crisis and it has been a light bulb moment in where and want I want to be spending my money on.

I have tried to look at my wage each month and look at the areas where I can definitely make savings and places where I am spending and essentially wasting money. I have made end of year saving goals and also have adjusted it depending on what is happening in my life. For example, I am lucky enough to be going to Florida in May and it is going to be a holiday of a lifetime. Therefore, I am paying off the holiday and want to have money to spend whilst I am. However, after that from the mid until end of the year that it where I am looking at being able to save the most money.

I think you have to really look at the finer details looking at exactly what is coming in and going out. My monthly wage changes slightly each month. I have created an average which is a nice round figure which I can work off. My first tip is using the notes app on your phone. I have a list off all my out-goings that I pay month to month. I total at the bottom what I will have left. I then look at my calendar as to what social events or other things I have going on in the month and list those. Next to each item I give myself a budget, for example a meal out with my friends £20. I then finalise the total costs. You can then see what if anything is left over whether this is £20 or £200. That is your target for the end of the month. After this every time I pay the bill or buy something it goes on the list I deduct the money each time. Once you have done it for one month you will realise exactly what you are spending your money on.

Patricia Bright is the queen of all aspects of money. This YouTube video she did on her channel - The Break Platform on how she budgets her salary is fabulous. She uses an excel spreadsheet which lays out clearly exactly what she has coming in and out of her wage. She gives hints and tips as to what areas you can make little savings, and she talks about how should always be investing which is something which has never crossed my mind. She makes reference to how she suggests spreading your money around so you always have pots which you can dip into where necessary.

I think it it always good have an approximate end of year goal whether it is £1000 or £10,000. It is important to stay in your own lane and stay focused on your own goals as it can be easy to compare yourself to others. My end of year target is to have saved at least £5,000 to put towards my house savings. I have looked at all my outgoings and realised it is a realistic goal. There is no point saying you want to save a huge sum of money if you are literally going to have absolutely nothing left.

One saving tip which I have been doing since I qualified in my job three years ago is whatever I have left at the end of the month I move into my savings. Whether this is 10p or £100, I move it over in my savings so that each month I start on a clean slate. This means each month I can go through and make the list which I mention earlier, and budget for that month on what I have earned. I love doing this as you realise that you can actually make more savings than you realise.

Another way how I make little savings here and there is using apps. One which I have loved to the latter end of 2019, is an app called Airtime Rewards. You can attach all of your debit and credit cards to your account and if you shop in an shop which is attached to the app you can a reward to your account this may vary from 1%-15% cashback. Once your account reaches £5 you then cash it in and it takes if off your next phone bill. If you are wanting to join if you enter my code: WRPHF3MJ then we both get 0.50 added to our accounts. Other little saving regimes which I use all the time are the good old supermarket clubs. Tesco is always me favourite as there is nothing better than getting your clubcard vouchers through the post. I have found myself shopping in Morrison's recently so I have recently signed up for their points regime. It is so much easier now you can upload these cards to your phone so you don't have to carry them around with you. I also love the good old Boots and Superdrug cards as you can collect points and spend them. These little amounts of money add up and for real little effort.

So here's to 2020 and making the goals a reality. Let's stay in our own lanes and smash those savings goals!

Lucy
xoxo