Although I've never much found myself an interesting person, I realise getting to know one another is a great start to building friendships and to learning that even those behind the social media accounts are human, too! Without further ado, here are ten (perhaps commonly known?) facts about myself!

① I'm British-born, but have lived in the states for the majority of my life. While I still have my British citizenship, I lost the accent quite some time ago. It used to bother me immensely, but I've come to learn that something as silly as that doesn't define me.

I tried to be as diverse in my topics as possible, so I hope you found at least one interesting fact! Again, thank you to everyone who took the time to even read a smidgen of my novel, it's greatly appreciated.

With love, always,

Lucy

Have you ever experienced those days where no matter what you do, without explanation, things just don't quite seem right? You're unsure why, nothing substantial has happened that could cause you to feel so blue, yet every little thing seems to add up and bother you? If you're like me in that you have a tendency to be an all around positive, happy-go-lucky person, these days may bother you, especially when they present themselves without reason! In an effort to turn those days around, I've thought of a small list of bothers that I've noticed contribute to (my) bad day, things you may not have considered before!

First, hygiene: when was the last time you bathed? Changed your clothes? Even washed your hands? Although I bathe nightly, I don't wash my hair every day (as it can strip the healthy oils!), and that can sometimes leave me feeling unclean. While a little talc in the hair stops the shine, it doesn't stop the icky sticky greasy feeling that shadows the rest of me! Your body may still feel heavy, as if it feels dirty, because truthfully it probably is! Dead skin cells start to accumulate, just as the dirt, oils, and sweat do as they settle into your scalp, leaving the rest of you feeling just as greasy as your hair does. No matter how cute you may look, it's difficult to feel it if instead, you feel weighed down with filth! Try showering in full, hair and all, with as mild a temperature water as you can stand. Too cold will leave you shivering while too hot can make you swelter and sweat (not to mention, cooler water helps tighten pores!).

Now that YOU'RE fresh, consider the other factors that go along with it, like the towels you're using and the clothes you're changing into. Are they also fresh, or have you been using the same towel so long you can't seem to remember when it was last changed. I tend to use my towels 2-3 days before 'throwing in the towel' and give them a little sniff before use each night. If the smell is similar to stagnant water or there's not much smell to it at all, it's time to take out a new one. It's no good to use a dirty towel, so drop that one in the laundry basket and wrap yourself in the heaven that is a fluffy, linen scented, clean towel! Clean body, check! Clean towel, check! Now what about your wardrobe? Whether you're about to get dressed up to go out or dressed down to stay in, if what you're wearing doesn't feel right, change it! While the pants you wore yesterday may not LOOK dirty, they may feel it, which is equally as poor a feeling as them being physically dirty. The same applies to the pajamas that, although they may be your most comfy favourite pajamas ever, still need to be washed every now and then. Even just changing your lounge wear if you don't have the time or energy to shower does wonders for the body and mind! In desperate situations, ones where I find I can't just hop up and shower or change my clothes to catch a break from that greasy, grimy feeling, I simply wash my hands. We often forget how much we've touched in a short amount of time and frankly, how dirty even our own things can be! I find that a good, quick scrub over gives me temporary relief from even my grossest feeling days.

While your body may be clean, your environment may be a different story. I've noticed that on days where I spend a bit of time in my room, especially on weekends, I can start to feel a bit agitated. I glance around my room at a small space that, granted, should be easy to keep clean, looking an utter wreck. Laundry piles, both clean and dirty, start to add up, makeup all over my desk...I haven't made my bed in, what, a week? Maybe more? I promised myself I'd tidy up on the weekend and now the weekend is here! ...yet I can't find the motivation to get it over with or to even get it started in the first place. In an odd way, it almost begins to feel as if everything around is slowly closing in or even suffocating, and that most certainly doesn't make me feel very positive. Other than how much more convenient it is to have things put in their place, tidy and fresh, don't you feel an overwhelming sense of satisfaction after you see how lovely your room looks? I feel that if you constantly live in dirty conditions, even just looking at it can make you shiver and feel dirty as a whole. Though it may not be easy or particularly fine, do your best to keep track of your room as you do yourself, staying on top of it to keep it clean. Turn on your happy music, open up the window (weather permitting, of course!), and pick a place to start that often gets the most abused! For me, my go to starting point is always my desk where I get ready in the mornings or my closet that's stuffed to the brim, waiting to overflow. Once you get the toughest parts over with, the rest should be a breeze! The more often you're able to clean, the less often you'll have to set aside time for a spring cleaning bonanza, too (well, unless you're into that sort of thing~)!

Even during the most mild of winters, the chilly air can still nip at ones cheeks, drying out the skin. Flaky makeup, dry patches, and clogged pores result from worn out skin, makeup settling into crevices left exposed. Just as a flower with dry and withered petals, your skin can't possibly shine its brightest if it's tired, dirty, and weathered! Unfortunately, I tend to suffer with dry, sensitive skin that grows ever more irritated during the colder months. Even more unfortunate, I often tend to skip the extra, preventative steps in my daily skin care routine...

Unfortunately, a little of this product does not seem to go a long way. After using the conditioner a total of only three times, there's far less liquid in the bottle than I expected, especially with how difficult it is to get it out. The opening of the bottle is simply a small hole that leaks out one to two drops once shaken. I've found I have to shake it like a martini to get enough for a cotton wool ball! While this prevents accidentally spilling (perhaps a life saver for someone as accident prone as I am), it can be quite aggravating.

There are many reasons as to why moisturising is a necessity for healthy, happy, and glowing skin. Like water to a flower, we must nourish our skin that we so often forget is affected by every day factors: makeup, sweating after working out, even the air! I used to be under the pretense that one only needed to mosturise if there were obvious signs, such as rough patches. It wasn't until I noticed one day at work...my makeup was settling into my skin and flaking only in specific areas. I was certain the culprit was either my rather old primer or my rather cheap foundation until I noticed that even without either, the areas of my skin were still rough and flaking! I was horrified to say the least...

I couldn't bare to see my skin in such poor condition, especially something that overall I'm quite proud of! I drink predominantly water (with lemonade on the occasion), remove every visible ounce of makeup at night, and exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! It never occurred to me that perhaps with all the cleaning, I was potentially making my skin too clean, or rather, scrubbing just a tad too much.
I immediately began to use the Organic Rose Skin Conditioner Gel at the first sign of dryness, first at nights, then as part of my morning routine as well! Within just three days, my skin felt back to normal, almost no roughness to show.

Much unlike the normal conditioner (or toner), just a dab of the conditioning gel goes quite a ways! The formula is a white lightweight, gel like cream that glides onto the skin in a (slippery) stroke. While drying, your face may feel a tad moist until it dries to a tacky finish. I'll admit it took some getting used to, making sure my hair or other unwanted objects didn't stick to my face...however, the results are most definitely worth a bit of stickiness! After just one overnight use, I woke up feeling fresh and moisturised, like the petals of a flower, and might I add smelling like them, too!💐

Recently, I've been toying around with the lotion as a primer, and while I'll keep to my VDL primer, it definitely yields decent results for a light makeup day or for when you're simply in a hurry. Overall, I find this moisturiser/lotion/cream/conditioning gel/whatever you may call it to be extremely kind to my dry, sensitive skin! Priced the same as the toner, at $12.99 for 90g, I find this to be a much better value for what it's worth and find it will last me quite some time ~ I personally have no qualms about it, the conditioner deserves full marks!

5/5

I find blogging about smaller lifestyle topics such as this, recent coordinates or purchases, as well as inspirations will prove to be much fruitful! I hope you'll all continue to bloom alongside me in the future as we plant the seeds of our futures ♡
Lucy

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation from my nail artist to the Orlando Premiere Show, a trade show for the beauty industry. This is a private event that only licensed (or training) beauty industry guests are allowed to attend, of which I am not! In exchange for modelling his product, David extended the invitation to me and a friend. From the moment I stepped into the venue, I knew my wallet was going to be begging me to be cautious. Luckily (which these sort of things usually aren't very fortunate), my debit card number had been stolen just a few days before, and I was left with a measly $20 note in my pocket. Today I'll be reviewing with you my haul that I was able to score, all for right around $17 / £13!

While I do like to experiment, I'm usually one to stick with the cheaper cosmetics you can find at any local shop. I'm still developing my makeup skills and would hate to waste money on a beautiful product that I'm not skilled enough to use! When we (my best friend and I) stumbled upon the Modern Basic venue at the Premiere show, we knew we weren't going to walk away empty handed. While I had never heard of the brand, perhaps because the only sell to licensed estheticians, the mas amount of product and variety they had drew me in. I picked up a thing or two, tried it out, and remarked about the amazing quality, especially for such a steal...there had to be something amiss, right? But better yet, I noticed that every package was labelled with the international sign for "no animal testing", which for me, was a huge deal! To think, quality, affordability, and humanity all in arms reach...needless to say, hands, wrists, and forearms swatched later, the two of us made out like bandits! 

5 Shade Eyeshadow (Spicy Glam, i39) -  Perhaps because these are the safest colours, I've always been an avid fan of neutral eye shades; Browns, beiges and pinks that match well with my outfits and add a little pop to my eyes, without drawing too much attention. The majority of the Modern Basic palettes had some form of brown shade, but were either mixed with harsh blues or greens, or other colours that lacked depth. I was a bit hesitant at first with the Spicy Glam palette, mainly due to the green hue right in the middle, but I fell so in love with the other four colours, I decided to give it a go.

Chickadee - A shimmery yellow that is almost iridescent the first swipe. It is a very soft tone and easy to blend with a nice brown shade, such as Pixie Dust, in order to create a bright, fresh spring or summery look.

Pixie dust - A brown shade with an orange hue, this colour reminds me of the falling autumn leaves and the warmth you experience as you start to bundle up. 

Forest Nymph - A forest green that gives off an elegant, darker impression, without being harsh like a smokey eye. A perfect match for someone with green eyes, such as myself!

Carnation - A pink tone very similar to a carnation, like an angel has kissed on your eyelids.

Treasure - A darker, more rustic Pixie Dust, for the perfect crease, similar in shade to the setting sky.

Eyeshadow Cream (Pink Zest, ih308) - Never before have I tried an eyeshadow cream, yet this single pot caught my eye for the simple reason that it would be perfect for undereye shade! In recent editions of both Popteen and Larme, models are seen wearing a soft shade of pink just below the eyes...this trend was also decently popular among cosplayers trying to portray innocent characters prior to the fashion trend. It was a "two birds with one stone" deal for me, as it could be used for both fashion and cosplay.

When I purchased it, I wasn't sure what to expect from a cream...would it have a cream like consistency? If so, how does one blend a cream into something softer...luckily, this cream shadow has the texture of what I can only describe as a kittens small bean-like toes. That squishy, yet firm, feeling, almost like a whipped mousse...which makes blending onto the skin so simple! It's quite easy to get carried away and overdo the pink (Pink Zest is rightfully named!), as the pigmentation is so high, and is probably best to use one finger to smooth it out over or under the eyelid...

Single Eyeshadow (Blissful Blue, i224) - To probably no one's surprise, this blue eyeshadow was the last product I picked up, in a frenzy. Blue, of all colours. My logic at the time was that it was a light, glacier like blue that would go well with some of the blue outfits I've worn before...in case I ever take the single shade with me, it does open up to a very handy mirror, and a small eyeshadow brush which, let's be honest, no one ever really uses!

Blissful Blue it most definitely was! The shade, once worn, reminded me of a blue birds singing a lovely melody! It is a combination colour of frosty mornings and wedding antiques that's no where near as overpowering as I had imagined. My worries of having 70's eyes were dismissed and replaced with fantasies of daisies, cotton, and bubbles on a sweet spring morning.

Lip Liner Pencil (Risqué, k335) - If you follow my Instagram, you've probably seen me wear my favourite shade of lip colour before...an orange tint, the particular one being L'oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Lip Stain in 188 Coral Tattoo. When I first eyed the lip pencils, I almost immediately took a liking to Risqué due to it's colour similarity with my Coral Tattoo lip stain! 

The pencil itself is less of a pencil consistency and more like that of a crayon, easy to apply; by the same token, this means it's more likely to smudge...the colour itself is vibrant, a tangerine shade, and a very close match to Coral Tattoo, though I'll have to use it sparingly as not to smudge it all over my lips like a clown!

Forever Lips Matte Liquid Lipstick (Bonbon, FS42) - I suppose I'm a bit more adventurous in the lip shades than the eyes. With matte lipsticks being the new trend, what better time to try out a fun, avant-garde colour? Bonbon is as fun as it sounds, a strawberry or perhaps watermelon gelato colour that applies as smooth as velvet! The formula is not too thick, not too thin, and not overwhelmingly sticky, which is a plus for anyone with long hair or side pieces on a windy day...

Wear wise, I've found that with even just the lightest brush, this lipstick can last several hours, through the wear and tear of eating and drinking. Having said that, it does rub a bit onto drinkware and will most definitely leave a kiss mark on the cheek of your lover (perhaps good, perhaps bad?)... I'd say it's safe to call this lipstick a lipstain, for its shade still hangs around after the initial lipstick itself has worn off, staining your lips with where it used to be.