Something we never give ourselves enough of is quality 'me time'. I always seem to get caught up in a busy world - constantly doing school work, revision, working, hobbies, Youtube and blogging, leaving me no extra time to myself. Inevitably, we are all guilty of putting ourselves through a lot of stress, leading us to insanity. This can all simply be fixed with scheduled, or even spontaneous, 'me time'. A time where you just be yourself, eat whatever and basically do whatever the hell you want - make yourself HAPPY! For me, this would probably be sitting in bed, all wrapped warm with a hot chocolate and watching youtube videos or a pamper night in. For others, it could be a relaxing bath, watching tonnes of shitty tv or eating a lot of junk food. Whatever makes you happy, just do it because you will feel a whole lot better if you make time for yourself.

One thing I do to treat myself is to indulge in an extended skincare regime or give myself an OTT pamper night. What can a girl love more than pampering their skin with a tonne of beautiful smelling products? Fortunately, I was able to team up with Nugg Beauty to share their incredible face, eye and lip mask range to help you feel amazing...

NUGG BEAUTY 

Nugg Beauty are a skincare reviving brand that create luxurious formulas and products at an affordable price. Luckily, I was able to get a taster of their 5 different face masks, as well as their under-eye De-Puffer masks. Personally, I think the packaging is fresh and innovative, the bright floral patterns make the products inviting. All products are free from all nasty paraben and chemical emulsifiers - allowing your skin to feel free, fresh and hopefully better than ever before. They have a wide variety of masks to cater for the buyer's skin needs, which is very attractive for a customer's perspective. NUGG beauty is sold online for American buyers and can be bought from places like Selfridges and Beauty Bay for us British buyers.

FACE MASKS

These masks have had an incredible effect on my skin -  the yellow-packaged soothing Face Mask has honestly helped to hydrate my complexion, as well as balancing out my skin tone. The feel of the product is so luxurious, considering you only pay around £3 for a pot. The formulation is thick, gel-like and super smooth - I felt like I was giving myself a little personal massage as I was applying this to my face. The first time I tried these masks I was with my best friend and she had a great experience from what I gathered with the purple De-Stress mask too. Each mask is designed for a different buyer so that everyone's skin care needs are met - revitaliser, deep cleanser, soother, de-stress and hydrating. My favourite thing about these face masks, and what makes them stand out for me above other face mask sellers, is that the product contains the perfect amount for face application. Most face mask brands either have too little or WAY TOO MUCH product in their packets, either leaving you with half a face untouched or you end up wasting product that could easily have been used to apply a second time. If you are looking for a compact little face mask to brighten your evening, I would definitely recommend these little guys!

DEPUFF EYE MASK

Throughout my teen years, my under eyes have been the worst. Struggling with school work and getting to sleep at a reasonable time, my eyes have formed permanent dark bags beneath them. This means I spend my entire life trying to find a concealer to hide all the darkness and puffiness. After testing so many under eye masks, I've never really found something that works for me because a lot of them end up drying my under eyes. I've been using this Nugg Beauty Depuff product one a week and so far, so good. My eyes, and skin, feel hydrated, my under eyes have deflates and make concealer application so much more pleasing because I don't have to sit and blend for 500 hours. 

"Like a cup of coffee for under your eyes" 

Lots of love

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This post is in collaboration with Nugg Beauty; however all opinions are honest and my own.

Brows are something I've always struggled with, throughout my makeup years. Unfortunately, I wasn't blessed with naturally full, and shaped, brows - I was cursed with sparse brows that are very difficult to shape. I've always found this confusing as I have very dark, thick locks and would expect to have the same darkness and thickness on my eyebrow hairs too. This has made it very challenging to not only shape, but tame my brows as well. Therefore, as you can see, I am endlessly neglecting my brows to try and let them grow out in the hope that they grow thicker (which they never do...). Thankfully, I was able to collaborate with B Perfect Cosmetics to showcase their brow kit to you and test it to see if they make brow forming that little bit easier.

THE BRAND

BPerfect Cosmetics are an Irish born beauty company based in Belfast. They are sellers of a range of versatile, easy-to-work with products that are fit for beauty experts to makeup amateurs (like myself). One thing I love about this brand is that they have dedicated time to cater for those who struggle with makeup, as well as provide unique products perfect for makeup artists too. However, the B Perfect team are highly renowned for their brow products so I thought why not give their Ultimate Definition kit a go to see what it was all about...

THE PRODUCT

Talking formulation, the main product is powder-based and relatively pigmented. I used to work with powder a lot before I got hooked on brow wax. For me, I think powder works extremely well for those who have full brows and just want to tidy them up, or to set brows into place after a wax/liquid formula is applied. Using their double-ended brush, I used the denser, angled brush to apply the product onto my eyebrow. Surprisingly, the powder wasn't chalky and I only needed to apply a couple of coats onto my brow - I was expecting more as powder is generally less pigmented than a wax. Onto colour, one thing I would like to point out is that I advise you to pick the colour up from what you think you will be. B Perfect Eyebrow kits have 4 colours - Brown, Dark Brow, Irid Brown and Charcoal. I opted for Irid Brown as I have really dark brown hair but not black (charcoal) so I thought it would be most appropriate. However, the actual product is slightly too warm for my hair and is much lighter than expected. This isn't too much of an issue as I can still use it to set product or use it on my inner brow for a lighter gradient, or even build up the product further. Finally, the lasting power is my favourite thing about this brow powder. I love how powders never seems to budge when you wear them on your brows.

THE EXTRAS

Alongside the product and brush, this kit is also equipped with 3 useful stencils to aid beauty babies when outlining their brows. I've never used an eyebrow stencil before so this was very different but so fun. Personally, I love thick brows as I am so used to having thin and sparse ones. Therefore, I was slightly disappointed that the thickest stencil didn't fit over my thin brows. However, the stencil still allowed me to get the general slick shape and then after, I thickened them up to suit my personal preference. Luckily, the kit also included a step-by-step guide on how to create the perfect brows so you can be led by experts without the pressure of an actual makeup course.

Have you tried B Perfect Cosmetics before? What product do you use on your brows?

Lots of love

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This post is in collaboration with B Perfect Cosmetics; however all opinions are honest and my own.

Looking after my skin is always a tedious process, although recently I've found myself getting into a solid regime, where I'm always remembering to give my skin some TLC before hopping into bed. Fortunately, my work friend, Emma, works with a company called Forever Living at promoting and sharing their products with friends and family. She offered me the chance to take home her Forever Living product for FREE (something you guys could do to) to trial the products, see which items worked well on my skin and just get an overall feel for the brand. If you wish to try these products or anything else within Forever Living's range, then don't hesitate to leave me a comment so I can get you in touch with Emma. That way you can get a more in-depth sight into the brand and potentially arrange a meet-up so you can test the products too!

Let's look at the brand itself...Derived from Arizona, in 1978, Rex Maughan founded Forever Living in hope to bring better health products to the people of America, and eventually the world. The products are primarily made with a specific type of Aloe, that is famously known for its 'magical soothing abilities'. This specific Aloe was chosen as it is one of the oldest recognized botanical products and works quickly by moisturizing, cooling and soothing the skin. Aloe Vera aids your skin in a way that helps it to regenerate itself. Forever Living sells a vast range of products including skin care, hair care, drinks, gels, supplements and makeup. Within the hamper given, I managed to narrow down to my favourite 7 products so I can share with you my experience with each.

Aloe Vera Gelly - A great product for those with sensitive skin. The thick gel formulation works its way into your skin to sooth and calm irritation. Aloe Vera Gelly moisturizes sensitive tissues to ensure your skin is soothed in the safest way possible.

Forever Marine Mask - A thick, almost transparent mask that moisturizes the skin on application. You are advised to leave it on for 10-15 minutes for best results - I left it on for the longest to hopefully achieve the best possible result. The rich formula, holding natural sea minerals from sea kelp and algae, helps deeply cleanse the skin whilst balancing the its texture and conditioning it with the aloe vera properties. This mask would be the perfect addition to a pamper evening, allowing you to relax and give your skin the best care possible. The Forever Marine Mask was 100% my favourite skincare product that I tried.

Aloe Propolis Creme - The one product that made the most significant difference to my skin's dry condition is this creme. A combination of the Aloe Vera range and Bee Propolis range ensure the skin is provided with ingredients that account as an excellent moisturizer and give a soothing relief. After applying a tiny portion of this to my face everyday has helped to hydrate my skin and make it feel much healthier, and happier. It also smells incredible due to the touch of chamomile added to the formula.

Aloe Cleanser - Cleansing has become one of the most important steps in my skincare regime. I find it almost impossible now to remove my makeup without a cleanser, and especially one that is made of all natural ingredients and 100% healthy for the skin. The Aloe Cleanser sinks into your pores, removing excess makeup, bacteria and dirt from under the skin's surface. The formula is light, non-greasy and is moisture-balanced. Being moisture-balanced, the product will dry without having to wipe excess cleanser off your face after use. A great cleanser that made a great impact in my skincare regime!

Rehydrating Toner - Toners are always something that I've neglected since being welcomed into the world of skincare. Fortunately, the product is alcohol-free, very rare for a toner, as well containing witch hazel and aloe vera to provide a secondary cleanse and moisturize the skin after the drying cleanse. These products work hand-in-hand to help tighten your pores and be rid of all remaining impurities left on the skin's surface.

Aloe-Jojoba Shampoo & Conditioning Rinse - Having a sensitive scalp makes it very difficult to find a shampoo that not only revitalises my hair, but soothes my scalp too. Using these products has not only improved the condition of my dry locks, but helped to condition my scalp. The aloe vera gel formula additionally contains Jojoba oil, a product I wasn't very familiar with until being introduced to this brand. Jojoba oil replenishes any lost moisture from both the hair and scalp, leaving you with healthy, fresh locks after application. The pH in the shampoo is also balanced to help both oily and dry hair types - removing any dead skin cells from the scalp and fortifying oils present in the hair follicles. Moreover, the conditioner enhances the shampoos advantages by providing a smooth and shiny finish - adding the perfect touch to freshly washed hair. 

Since using Forever Living, skincare specifically, I've been blemish-free. Obviously I cannot solely put it down to the use of the products, but it must say something about maintaining a spot-free face. My facial oils have slightly replenished, something I never thought I'd say having the driest skin EVER and my face feels so smooth after using the propolis creme. Overall, I would 100% recommend this brand to anyone looking to find healthy products containing all natural ingredients or someone who wants to try a luxury, high-end skincare brand.

Visit Emma and her family's facebook page to find out more by clicking HERE!

What are your favourite skincare/haircare products? Have you tried anything from Forever Living?!

Lots of love 

FACE

If you know me well, I love a high coverage foundation - simply because my natural skin colour is very red and unbalanced. I love to even out my skin tone with a good quality, high coverage foundation. This year, I've re-cooperated my love for the L'Oreal True Match foundation, which I had an obsession with back in the day. I neglected it for quick some time as it eventually started to reject my skin and cling to dry patches - NOT PRETTY. However, since repackaging the product and re-formulating the liquid, my skin has never been so healthy and glowy. During this time of year, my skin always seems to lose it shine and look extremely dull so having a product to brighten up my face is a must-have for me. Not to mention the incredible lasting power - I rarely have to touch up my face throughout the day. 

As always, my trusty Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess makes it into my favourites all year round. I literally cannot get enough of it and I don't think I ever will. Giving you a beautiful, soft bronze with a light sweep under the cheekbones or building it up to create an intense contour - this bronzer is 100% multi-purpose and worth the money. Honestly, I've had this product for almost two years and I've only just hit pan. Considering how much I use this (everyday I wear makeup), it has lasted a ridiculous amount of time, making ever penny worth it. Definitely grab this up if you are looking for a good quality, long-wear bronzer to help define your complexion.

Something I have a love-hate relationship with is blush. This is probably because I'm so heavy-handed and end up ruining my makeup by accidentally shoving heaps of colour onto my cheeks. As I've developed my makeup applying skills, I have learnt to lightly apply blush and build it up if necessary. I like to stick with subtle blushes, due to my heavy-hand, so MAC's Melba works perfectly. A muted peach-orange that adds a natural pop of colour to your face. Unfortunately, I can't rock the gorgeous rosy cheeks so MAC's Melba has saved me from looking like a ghost or a ragdoll.

Finally, a recent purchase of mine is the Sleek Solstice palette. After seeing endless reviews, photos and blog posts about this product, I just had to buy it! The palette contours a 4 incredibly glittery highlights - 3 powder and 1 cream. The ones I've been getting the most use out of since Autumn began, are the white-champagne and the peach-orange. These two always seem to compliment my makeup the most, especially collaboratively with the blush and bronzer mentioned above. For anyone as obsessed with glitter and highlight as much as me, add this to you wishlist right away!

EYES

Looking at eye shadow palettes, the one I've been carrying in my makeup bag and turning to the most on a school morning, is the Naked Smokey Palette from Urban Decay. I received this as a gift last year and honestly, this has saved my awful attempts of smokey eye days. All 12 shades are super creamy, easily blendable and highly pigmented - I wouldn't expect anything less from Urban Decay. The majority of the shadows are cool-toned, which I love to wear on my eyes in the cooler months (apart from gold, OBVIOUSLY). I'm trying to venture out into using more coloured shadows too, instead of always sticking to neutral so hopefully the purples and blues scattered in this palette will help to experiment more.

MAC Woodwinked is one of my first MAC products and first high end eye shadows. You will have heard me talk about this on a few occasions so I won't go into too much depth. However, I am insanely love with this shadow during this time of year. It goes with practically anything - any outfit, any lipstick and any occasion. This eased me into the high end makeup world smoothly because the shadow is so accessible with little skill. The eyeshadow can be applied straight to the lid and blended upwards into the crease creating a range of tones within. Therefore, although you've only used a single product, it looks like you've blended about 3-4 in there too. 

Now, moving onto the infamous berry trend that is loved by many a makeup hoarder during Autumn, I've decided to include Kiko's 204 shadow in this year's autumn makeup faves. Not only is this product aesthetically pleasing to photograph and look at, the shadow's intensity is strong and leaves a beautiful deep burgundy on the lid/crease. Personally, I think this is a great crease colour, either for a matte look, cut crease or to pair with a golden glittery eye. It's also a drugstore shadow so a lot more inexpensive but holding the quality of a high end product.

Hot drinks are my favourite thing about this time of year. I know tea and hot chocolate are around all year long, but there is something so much more special about indulging in a hot drink on a cold autumn night. One thing I've really gotten into this year is herbal tea. Being the fussiest person in the world, I never thought my taste buds would be able to stand something that tastes good, makes you feel good and healthy. Discovering my love for herbal tea has seriously helped my dieting over the past few months - choosing the healthier option instead of making a thick hot chocolate or throwing a heaped spoon of sugar into my tea.

After expressing my love for tea and trying to progress with my diet/fitness, I was kindly contacted by the wonderful people at Begu Tea. Herbal Tea always seems to be pretty expensive, preventing me from going out of my way to buy and fancy detox ones etc; therefore, I was so excited to be receiving so many to see if they live up to the expectation and actually work. Don't forget to stick around as the Begu team have generously send me a huge pack of 6 different herbal teas, all of which I will be talking about today, to give to one of you lovely bunch!

Begu Tea are a company who thrive to help those with weight loss ambitions, or those who wish to push their lifestyle into a more healthier form. They have conjured up beautiful blends of herbs, said to be most effective by highly qualified nutritional and fitness experts. Each tea contains the perfect ingredients that fits the criteria for each title on the packet. Something that has really stuck with me is the personalisation appeal and variety the brand holds. Begu have herbal teas to suit all of your needs - one to give you that bright morning buzz, another to ease sleep, one to get rid of all those cravings, one to calm, one to fulfill your appetite and the last to cleanse your system. 

Packaging-wise, the bags are sleek and flexible - allowing you to take these on the go, whether you want to take them to work or even on holiday. The font and logo are bold, colourful and unique, although at the same time very subtle. The colours are carefully chosen and fit well together, making the brand's overall look classy, professional and aesthetically pleasing. I am also a huge lover of the tea bags themselves - the tea's herbs are carefully encased with a silk layer (very fancy!) and a string holding the iconic 'B' logo at the end.

Morning Buzz 

Nightea Night 

Calm

System Cleanse 

Appetite

My favourite of them all would have to be Morning Buzz. This is the tea I reach for most frequently out of all six, simply because I love the flavour and feel I get after drinking it. It's such a perfect 'wake me up', especially for a school morning, as well as being enjoyable. The tea fills me up, preventing me from naughtily snacking, and gives me a burst of energy to start the day. Personally, I think the lemon and fruity essence of the tea help to give me such a positive, energetic start and I honestly look forward to waking up for one. Something I definitely think I would ever hear me say?!

Now for the exciting part - the bit you've all been waiting for. If you are a lover of herbal tea or want a kit to help with weight loss or an alternative, healthier lifestyle plan, then make sure to enter the giveaway. Rules are simple: Enter the rafflecopter below by simply following the guided instructions. Make sure you're following Begu on Twitter and subscribed to me on Youtube - extra entries are available as the Rafflecopter will show. 

The giveaway will end on the 23rd October, so you have 2 weeks to enter. Make sure to leave your email in the designated box so I can easily contact you when I announce the winner. Good luck <3

Lots of love

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This post is in collaboration with Begu Tea; however all opinions are honest and my own.

This space is somewhere I usually talk to you about makeup, fashion and all things pretty. I absolutely love sharing my favourites and all the good things in life, but sometimes I just want to sit here and type how I feel. I've already kind of set this out to be a depressing post but honestly, it isn't. It is simply a life update, where I write about how I feel and things that have changed in my life over the past few months. This post is documenting a poignant segment of my life - choosing my future. As I've said before, I absolutely despise making decisions - I don't mean 'what do I fancy for dinner', I'm talking deciding what I want to do for the rest of my life at such a young age. I think it is so ridiculous how, although I've matured, my grades as an 18 year old define what I can be in the future or who I want to be. A few months ago I wanted to go into theatre and dance yet now I want to be a forensic scientist?! Two completely different careers that cannot be any further from each other. Even though I have such a hatred towards this, I am becoming more and more accepting of it - I mean, I have no choice really. So...here is the journey I've gone through over the past couple of months and how I re-cooperated from turning into a coach potato.

OLD CAREER PATH

As many of you will know, I aspired to be an performer - whether it be a professional dancer, actress or performing on the west end - I wanted a career that involved being on stage. I absolutely love the buzz I get from performing - ever since the age of 3, I've spent my life rehearsing for local shows, dancing on a weekly basis and later, having singing lessons. Due to wanting to pursue such a tough career, I evidently wished to stand out - I joined local theatre groups, took graded dance exams, improved on my vocals and worked within my dance school to get some training. Although I believe it is never too late to change what you want to do, it caused me to have a major panic. My whole A-level options revolved around dance/theatre studies - I took Drama, Dance, English Literature and Biology at AS level and had no option but to drop English. I HATED English lessons and didn't want to put up with another year of strained essay writing, simply for my own well being. Anyway, more onto my mental breakdown later...

The whole reason my mind changed was because of many experiences I went through during summer 2016. I got into the finals for the National Youth Dance Company, which I am still so proud of, and started questioning a lot of things. I never actually made it into the company; however, this is in NO WAY the reason why I changed because of course, you will always have knocks and falls in this type of industry. The ACTUAL reason was because I saw the standard of the other dancers - I am not looking for sympathy, but they were incredible and beyond my skill level. It would just be ridiculous to compete against them and quite simply, a waste of time. I know a lot of people will tell me that 'I'm good' or 'you shouldn't give up' but honestly, you didn't see what I saw. I know my ability more than anyone and could not think of anything worse than wasting 3 years at university and not being guaranteed a job there. The final thing that completely swerved me away from this career path was attending my university of 'hopes and dreams' - Trinity Laban. If I were to go to a dance university, it would have been Laban because I was set on contemporary dance - it suited me the best and I loved it more than any style. I went to their pre-audition workshop in July and HATED every second of it. This university that I'd built up in my head to be my safe haven was honestly one big nightmare! Don't get me wrong, the architecture and grounds were beautiful, not to mention the beautiful places in Greenwich, the course and atmosphere was NOT for me. I struggle with ballet on a personal level - I naturally have thicker thighs and I always will, so I am very self conscious when it comes to such a strict aesthetic style of dance. The course consisted of more ballet than you could ever imagine; I was always behind everyone else and felt ridiculously out of place. The ballet session ended with me changing clothes as quick as possible whilst I heard girls laughing about 'the fat girl who couldn't do it'. I burst into tears and forced my mum to take me out of the building. You may also think I'm being stupid but I'm a very sensitive person, and I know wherever you go you will always come across bitchiness. However, my experience was just ridiculous and it has seriously hindered my confidence by 1000%. From this, I knew I didn't want to pursue a career that was so difficult to make a living from, make a break through or be surrounded by a bunch of girls who think they are better than you. 

THE BREAKDOWN

I was so confused and annoyed because I made my options so specific to my 'performer' career choice that I was worried I wouldn't be able to pursue a career any other way - not to mention my huge knock of self-esteem. Honestly, I felt helpless, worried, stressed and paranoid. I don't think I've ever felt that way before in my entire life - it ruined a lot of my summer because I was scared to go out the house, wear certain items and make me lose a lot of confidence. It sucks how people can make you feel that way! Alongside my personal issues was my lack of energy and motivation; it was such a struggle getting up and being positive when I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I'm a girl who loves ambition - I find it one of the most attractive traits in a human and without my own ambition, I felt useless. Thus, my mind was in constant limbo over July/August due to the horrific aftermath of the 'London' incident and whether I wanted to even go to university (of course I did, I was just being so lazy and annoying!) My parents were being so loving and supportive, along with my boyfriend, who were all trying to help me find some sort of new, exciting plan that would bring back my determination and happiness. Regretfully, I kept pushing them all away - my mind was in a bad place and everything was getting on top of me. Overload of work is no excuse to treat people like this but for some reason, that is what my mind and body decides to do. Apologies to all who tried to help and I am very grateful to have such caring people in my life.

THE NEW ME

On my birthday (4th September), the day before I went back to school to start my second year of A levels, I had an epiphany. It was late Sunday evening and I randomly decided to flick through a university prospectus (Derby's to be exact). I wasn't really paying attention to what I was doing until I saw the Forensic Science page. Biology is my favourite subject to study at school; I love learning and revising new concepts that are so relevant to everyday life. Science seriously intrigues me so I was surprised I never even thought about it before - probably because I was wasting too much time feeling sorry for myself and eating tonnes of fast food. As soon as I saw this Forensic course, I was well underway to discovering my love for the subject and content behind it. Literally, I am so happy with my decision to study science at university, optimistic about the future again, ambitious to achieve the best I can at the end of the year and most importantly, feeling less pressure. My options only require me to have BBB-BBC so I feel a lot less stressed and am excited, already, to fit in to university life. Visiting universities has been my priority over Autumn and I've had such a fun time doing so. Alongside seeing amazing universities, I've been able to explore new places in the country I've never been, as well as spend some well-needed quality time with my mum. For anyone wondering, in choice order, my university options are : Kingston University, University of Lincoln, University of Derby, Bournemouth University and University of West London to study a Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Science. I am looking forward to my next steps and will update you in the near future. 

Apologies for my new upload schedule. I am currently only posting twice a week - surrounded by books and deadlines is not my favourite, I can assure you. I shall hopefully post more in half-terms and holidays!

What is your dream job? What do you want to study at university? What are your plans for the future?

Lots of love