Friday 20 March 2020

Remaining Positive


With the outbreak and overwhelm of the last week, I think it's very difficult to remain positive. The prospect of the unknown and also the feeling of knowing things have a potential to get a whole lot worse can be frightening. I have put together a little list of how I have being trying to keep a positive outlook and ways to keep my mind from wandering and worrying.

My number one has been keeping in contact with family and friends. This is the time where we all need to be checking in on each other and seeing if anyone needs a hand. My friendship group messages have never been so wild. There is no doubt there is an overall sense of worry and rightly so. People are terrified for their own families. The hardest thing that I have found is having to cancel all social gatherings. The way that my friends and I have overcome this is by using video chat. We have being using an app called Houseparty where you can have as many people as you want in the chat and also play games. Tonight we have a wine and video chat planned and I cannot wait.

It may sound obvious but reading has been an escape from reality. I have always loved reading, but I had massively got out of the routine of picking up a book. I bought myself some new books and every night before bed I have dedicated 30 minutes to reading. I have found it has massively reduced my anxious thoughts allowing me to sleep a lot easier and for longer.

I have dedicated some time during social distancing to start refocusing and dedicating time to blogging again. Finding something which you enjoy doing and most importantly something which you can focus your mind on can give you a sense of achieving. My biggest barrier has been that all my hobbies e.g. dancing have cancelled their classes meaning you can feel a little bit lost, which can easily lead to boredom and anxious thoughts. This could be the time to take up classes on YouTube, or like myself have put in my diary days where I going to get some fresh air whether that be going for a jog or just a walking around the local country park.

This is probably the most important of them all and definitely the hardest. Staying off your phone could be a daunting thought, but I have found that I have had to physically take myself off my Twitter feed. Honestly, this is the most damaging to your mental health. I think as I work on the front line of the NHS I know what to believe and what not to. However, I really worry for people believing so much untrue information which is re-surfing constantly on the internet. I have had family members and friends contacting me daily with worries as to what they have read. I understand how easy it is to be pulled into believing everything you read. I am not saying to not go on any social media, but I have actually found that Instagram has been the only platform which has been some form of escapism. Twitter and Facebook has been wild. A brilliant idea if you want to properly escape from it is to mute or ban all hashtags and word associated to the epidemic. It will probably leave you feed very bare, but it will allow for your mind to be free for a little while.

Even though I am carrying on with my daily work routine, whilst at home I have created a new little routine and I would encourage you to try and find one to suit yourself. Mine involves not staying in bed scrolling in the morning. Each night before bed I have made a to do list of what I need to get done the next day, and also a list of extra things I could get done over the week. This has kept my mind focused and actually leads to productivity. When I wake up I look at my to do list and organise it into a chronological order of rough timings for the day. Throughout the day I then re-look at the list and tick it off as I go which gives some sense of achievement.

I am no way trying to brush everything which is going on under the carpet. However, it is so important to look after both our physical and mental health. As things unravel and things change on a daily basis there it is definitely an overwhelming prospect of the unknown. I think this is why worry starts to build as we do not know what is going to happen next. If you are feeling lost or are filled with constant worry please reach out to someone.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 4 March 2020

My 10 minute everyday/work makeup routine


I feel as though my makeup routine since I started working as a nurse has slowly got less and less. I wake up at 6.30am and head out the door just after 7am.

I normally start by applying the Too Faced hangover primer I tried a sample size of this and loved it so took the plunge and bought a full size. It works really well with my very dry skin adding an early morning boost which is exactly what it needs.

Primark's glow foundation was one of my greatest finds of 2019. The beauty industry talks about dupes a lot and this is a perfect example. This is a great dupe of my holy grail sheer glow foundation from Nars. It really is a steal for just £6. I have been using this for over a year now on a daily basis, and I recommend it to my friends all the time.

In 2019, Fenty Beauty was the year that it took the brand to new dimensions.  Their stand out product is their pro filt'r concealer. I absolutely love this for adding brightness. I put it under my eyes as who knew that turning from 24 to 25 had such an effect on those under eye bags. I love the consistency of this, it is thin, light and their shade range is absolutely superb. Rihanna knows that there was a gap in the market and has filled this void well and truly.

The Sephora natural finish concealer was a find at the start of the year, and every time I or a family member had visited a European city in 2019 I asked them to pick me one up. I had read a review before going on a Sephora trip so I thought I would give it a try. The formula is a little bit thicker than the Fenty Beauty concealer which is great for covering blemishes. It is still light and easy to apply. The applicator is fantastic as it is flat and wide and speeds up the application process.

I have been a Beautyblender lover for years, but the Real Techniques real complexion sponge has recently taken prime spot in my foundation application routine. It is light and what sets it apart from the Beautyblender is its unique shape. It is round at the top like an arrow shape, but also flat on one side. I do a little combination of dabbing both sides to get the perfect coverage.

I saw someone on Instagram using this MAC blusher and I instantly bought it. It is a gorgeous pinky shade with a subtle shimmer through out it. I no longer apply powder in my everyday makeup as I found it dried out my makeup and takes away any kind of glow. I have being using Mac's blush in fairly precious for months now. I love the light amount of luminosity it adds to my face. Highlighter is not a part of my daily routine as the lights are already bright enough at work without my face dazzling like a disco ball.

I have been using this from Benefit religiously for years. I am yet to find an eyebrow product that does the job better than Benefit's goof proof eyebrow pencil. The formula is light and easy to apply, I have tried many eyebrow pencils which have a heavy formula which can be dry and causes tugging when trying to apply. This has a more waxy texture to it allowing a very quick application. It also comes with a spoolie which is always helpful for brushing the brows through and getting an even application of product throughout the eyebrow.

Lucy
xoxo
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