Relocation

Moved to https://hayleythecomet.wordpress.com/

Sleek's Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette

Until I bought this palette, I did my contouring with a brown eye shadow. This was a little dark for me and while I could do it, it took a lot of blending and it wasn't really giving the sort of look I wanted because I was scared of putting too much on.

So I was actually on the look out for an eyeshadow with a lighter brown shade, when I came across these contour palettes by Sleek Makeup.  I thought there wouldn't be a contour palette out there for me because my skin is quite pale, so I thought all the shades would be too dark for me.  However, I noticed this palette was in 'Light' and when I tested it on my arm, I thought 'Yeah, this could work'.

I'm very pleased with the shades.  The brown is exactly the right colour for me, it's quite cool in tone, so it works well with my pink undertones.  The highlighter and blush work well too.  I think that overall it achieves a 'dreamy' sort of look, yet it's very subtle, which is perfect for that 'natural' look.

Before contouring

After contouring

The only issue I would take is that the highlighter might give a shine that you might not want.  You can see this especially on my nose.  So I may still look out for a liquid highlighter that will give more of a matte finish.

Since my cheeks are really rosy, and this still shows through my foundation sometimes, I probably won't use the blush that much.  But it will be good for if I do have paler days or if I want an extra rosy look.

I added the blush in this photo.
I took these photos before doing my hair for the post below hehe.

What are your thoughts on this contour palette?  Have you used it?

If you liked this post, please don't forget to click 'Join this site' in the right sidebar or sign up for email alerts!

|*|

Photos by Hayley☄

Written by Hayley☄

Using Toni&Guy hot rollers

I've been trying to get the hang of rollers for a while, I built up a bit of a collection of velcro rollers, foam rollers etc. But I seriously could not get the hang of them.  My hair would somehow end up all over the place and the result could be summed up in one word,  

Frizz.

I'd seen hot rollers on a few Youtube hair tutorials and I thought of maybe looking into them, but I was hesitant over how much I would need to spend for a good set.

Then this beauty came down in price on an offer and it was too good to miss!

|*|

The set consists of ten heated rollers - four 'large' and six smaller ones - and a lidded case, which is also the heating device.

The rollers have this lovely, velvety texture.  To be honest, I was expecting the large rollers to be bigger, more like the jumbo size rollers that are about. But, nevertheless, I am impressed by their performance, they make a really nice, volumous wave. The smaller rollers are good for getting right to by your roots if you want more volume. But I prefer the larger ones.

The rollers heat up fully in one and a half minutes and take at least ten minutes to cool down - which is really good for me, because I sometimes take ages putting them in right! 

The thing that's great about heated rollers is that you use them on dry hair, unlike velcro rollers, which you use when you're hair is damp. This is good for me because, 

1. By the time I've put them in right, I've had to take them in and out, which makes my hair frizzy.

And

2. I can't make that sort of commitment to my hair right after having a shower.

Also, it doesn't matter if you get it wrong, because you can just start over again! Or correct bits of hair you aren't quite happy with. 

The plating on the clips holds the heat as well and gives a shiny, smooth look to the hair. When I use velcro rollers, pulling my hair away from the roller always makes a bit of frizz, so this aspect of the heated rollers is amazing in my opinion. The only thing I would say is that the rollers still fall out a little, or out of position, even when the clip is on. I've seen that some heated rollers have a sort of teeth clip on them, and I wonder whether that would be better. But I don't know if this is just because my hair has a very fine texture? I'm getting used to using them in a way which suits me anyway. 

|*|

I re-watched a few tutorials and tried out their instructions, but they weren't really working out for me. So I've kind of been teaching myself and developing ways of putting them in.

I straighten the underneath layer of hair (my hair goes too full and poofy otherwise). I only do this a little bit, so it's still a bit wavy. I put the large rollers in the top layer and smaller rollers on the middle layers.  I leave them in for about ten mins and do my make up or something.  The rollers aren't fully cooled when I take them out, so they could be left in for longer, but I find it's enough time to set the curls.

After I've taken the rollers out, I shake out the curls a bit by putting my fingers at the roots of my hair and then I sort of blend the curls into the position I want.

Close up, a bit of frizz can be seen, but much less than when I use velcro rollers.  Really happy with this purchase!

|*|

Photos by Hayley☄
Written by Hayley☄

September 1st mini haul

As I was passing through Cardiff yesterday, I stopped by to buy myself a few treats! 

I was aiming to get a pair of shoes, but nothing tingled my fancy enough.  However, I did get a book I've been intrigued by recently, which is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Rings. Here is the blurb:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children;, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Fascinating or what?! 

It's quite heavy for the size of the book. There are photos throughout the book, which are part of the story. I won't post them in case there are any spoilers. I really can't wait to get reading!

|*|

I had these two gel nail varnishes by Barry M. I haven't gotten around to using gel nail varnishes, as I've been living in a cave apparently, so I'm quite excited to see what they are like. 

The blue shade caught my eye right away because it's such a gorgeous colour. It was the last one left so I was lucky there!

|*|

I bought this contour palette by Sleek for light skin. I've previously done contouring with a brown eye shadow, but it takes a long time to blend because it's a little bit to dark for my skin really. So I'm hoping the shade in this set will be better. I'm also interested in trying out the highlighter shade and seeing what that's like.

|*|

I wasn't aiming to get any t-shirts, but when I saw these in Primark, I just thought they were amazing. I'm not normally one to get t-shirts with slogans on the front and such, but I love Disney and these sort of sum up my life.

|*|

Photos by Hayley☄
Written by Hayley☄

Music I've been listening to

Here's a roundup of some things I've been listening to this month(ish) and new bands I've come across (new to me anyway!).

Muse - Drones (album)

I've been a long time Muse lover, so I was super excited when I heard they were releasing a new album this year.  There is no song I dislike on Drones, my ears were more and more pleased with each song.  I was pleasantly surprised by the development of Muse's style, which you can hear in tracks like Defector (video below).  But the trademark fingertapping and solos are still there and superb as ever.

Led Zeppelin - D'yer Mak'er (from the album Houses of the Holy)

Led's always been one of those bands I never looked into properly when I was younger, for some reason.  I'm getting into them more now, after learning the intro to Babe I'm Gonna Leave You on the guitar.

I love D'yer Mak'er because it's got such a chilled vibe to it.  I can just imagine sipping cocktails on some Caribbean beach and dancing to it.  I'm not sure if that was the intention or if anyone will get what I mean, but that's what I feel anyway!  So I play it to make me feel happy and relaxed.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze (from the album Are You Experienced?)

I've admired Hendrix's guitar playing for a long time, but I've really been appreciating it more since focusing on learning the electric guitar and having lessons.  Purple Haze is one of the songs I've been learning a bit of.  This song has such a cool, somewhat dark sound to it.  It fascinates me because I think it sounds quite grungey, which is really interesting since that type of sound gained popularity so many years later.

The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea (album)

I'm not typically into electronic music, but I came across this somewhere - I can't remember where - and I just really liked it.  I found that it's good to have on in the background if you need to concentrate, because it helps me focus for some reason.  It's quite ethereal, and this mixed with the deeper tones gives an interesting sound.

I also love the artwork on this album.  Coincidentally, I have the geometric triangle design on my phone background, which I set before I'd come across this! Weird!

Hey Violet - Smash Into You (from the I Can Feel It EP)

Again, this isn't something I would normally listen to, but I came across Hey Violet, who just seem a bundle of cuteness and fun.  I will admit, I wasn't sure if it was going to be something rude from the title! But I like this song because it's a feel good, upbeat tune. I'm pretty excited to see how Hey Violet are going to progress.

|*|

Written by Hayley☄

Navigating the tumultuous sea of social anxiety: 5 things I've learnt

I know how it feels to have social anxiety. That way your mind goes blank and you can't focus on a single thought. The way your stomach feels sick, your mouth goes  dry, your heart beats faster and faster. Every movement feels like it's weighed down with lead and clumsy. The sweating, the shaking.

If you have social anxiety, please take a moment to appreciate how much courage you have to go out every day and live through your worst nightmare.

For the past year or so, I've been scouring the web on how to get over social anxiety. I even bought a self help book based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

I've pretty much accepted that I will never not have social anxiety. But I've learnt that I can ease its impact and allow myself to be happier.  

Although this journey has been filled with a lot of discoveries and various complexities, I'm going to try my best to condense these into five areas to explain the techniques and thoughts I've found most helpful.

1. Identify exactly what it is you're afraid of

I knew I experienced anxiety in social situations, but I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was that I was afraid of.  This is because the assumptions we've made about people and social situations have become so ingrained that we don't have to put these thoughts into words, they come to us automatically in an abstract way.   

It wasn't until I really thought about it and wrote things down, that I realized that most of my fears revolve around thinking that people will talk about me behind my back - about everything! The awkward way I walk, the way I speak, things I do, things I don't do. Everything.  I could then see how ridiculous that would be:

Did you see that stupid way she was walking? She's so weird.

Who even talks like that?  I could see how out of proportion my mind had made this.  And even if someone does talk about you behind your back, it's not going to be the end of the world.  

Just reminding myself of this makes me feel so much better when I feel awkward in a situation. And I really do have to remind myself a lot.

So have a really good think and write down exactly what it is you think will happen in social situations.  You will probably find that your mind has really exaggerated the possible negative outcomes. You can then use this knowledge to help to question you're assumptions and to guide how you can deal with your anxiety in a way that's best for you.

2. Always assume the best

This was actually a bit of advice I read about romantic relationships (I don't remember where).  The point it was making is that people make negative assumptions about their partner's behaviour.  For example, your partner doesn't text back for ages -- you assume that they're ignoring you, or they're up to no good etc.  So you angrily confront them on the matter.... but it turns out their phone had died, or they were driving, or they had no signal, or any number of innocent reasons.  You got all worried and anxious over nothing.

I decided to apply this advice to all of my interactions. So, if I say hi to someone and they don't say hi back, I used to think "They're ignoring me/they hate me" etc. whereas now, I think "They just didn't hear me/they might be having a rough day".  You can save yourself so much worry by just assuming the best of people and reminding yourself that that person's life is just as rife with worries and complexities as yours.  Remember that you are not a mind reader I've underlined that because that could be a whole point in itself!  You might think that someone is focusing on you stumbling over your words or walking really awkwardly, but actually they are most likely focusing on their own world, their own problems - Am I going to finish work on time to pick the kids up from school?  I really want to go to that concert but I can't afford it? I'm hungry. I want to to dye my hair. etc etc.

Another thing is that people forget things much quicker than you think.  You vividly remember that time you embarrassingly stammered or that time you said something stupid. But for the other person, it's gotten lost amongst the numerous events and conversations of their day/lifetime.  Do you remember embarrassing things that other people have done? If you do, do you think badly about that person because of that moment, or do you still like them?

I now try my best to have a generally more lighthearted view of everything.  If I do something silly, I laugh to myself about it and remind myself that people aren't going to remember it anyway.

People can't read your mind either, which leads us to point 3...

3. People probably can't tell that you're anxious

I used to think that everyone saw me as this anxiety ridden, timid, clumsy mess and that they thought less of me because of it.  It made things worse while I was talking to people because I would think things like "they can just tell I'm so anxious/they can see me going red" and I would get even more anxious and frustrated in myself.  I had such a negative view of it... only to find out when I actually asked people, that I come across as confident but abrupt.  I couldn't get my head around it! 

Even if they can tell that you're anxious, it doesn't necessarily mean that people like you any less.  The study I've linked found that while those with social anxiety rated their friendships negatively, their friends rated them positively.

You can use this knowledge to reduce worrying about whether or not your coming off as anxious and roll with it as best you can.

4. Don't put pressure on yourself to be something you're not or do things you're not ready for.

Some advice that I've read emphasized just putting yourself out there as much as you can, don't even think of what you want to say, just say stuff etc. so you force yourself to get over the anxiety.  When I put this into practice, I found I was forcing myself to act in a way that wasn't natural for me and this made me even more anxious and my progress deteriorated. 

Instead I decided to learn how to feel comfortable and anxiety free in social situations when I wasn't saying anything or doing things to 'put myself out there'.  To do this, I focused my attention outside myself, I took notice of what my surroundings were like, what other people were saying or doing, thinking about how they may be feeling etc.

When I got to a point where I felt comfortable with this, I could then say things I wanted to say, when I wanted to say them (instead of forcing myself unnaturally to say things), and feel less anxious about it.

Remember: If you have something you want to say, go ahead and say it.  But if you feel in a withdrawn, quiet mood, that's ok too.  You don't have to force yourself to be outgoing all the time. 

5. Write down your progress 

When I started putting the advice I had read into practice, I found I would remember the times I didn't do so well, even though I may have had loads of positive interactions during that day.  This would give me the impression that it was a waste of time even trying and I might as well give up.

By writing down the progress you've made, you turn an abstract thought into something more solid and clearer in your mind.  In turn this helps you to remember it more easily and hopefully more vividly.

It's also helpful to write down improvements you think you could make or different things you can try out, as this will help you develop exactly what you want to do and how you're going to go about it.

|*|

I've come a long way from the anxiety I used to feel, but I've still got a long way to go.  It might be difficult, it might push me out of my comfort zone, but every positive step I take brings me closer to feeling happy and accepting of myself, to connecting with and understanding other people, to calming the sea.

I hope that by sharing this, I can help someone who feels similar to me.  Let me know your thoughts on this or things that you've learnt which have made a difference to you.

|*|

Photo by Hayley☄
Written by Hayley☄

Eczema and SLS? My experience of using Ogx shampoo

I decided to use Ogx shampoo and conditioner after learning about Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, while watching BBC's 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor'.

On the show, it was pointed out that SLS, a common ingredient found in shower gels and shampoos, is a skin irritant.  When handling it in laboratories, protective clothing is used to prevent harm. But it's added to shower gels to help oils mix with water.

To explore this, one of the show's presenters applied a shower gel containing SLS to the same location on his forearm for three weeks.  At the end of this time, his forearm had become dry, red and appeared similar to eczema.

It was explained that for people who don't have any issues with eczema or other dry skin conditions, SLS would not generally be a problem, especially since it's only applied to the skin for a short amount of time before being washed off.  But for people who do have issues with dry skin and eczema (like me!) it may dry the skin out even more and exacerbate the problem.

|*|

I've suffered on and off with eczema on my scalp since I was about eight years old. Sometimes I can go a long time with no problems, but other times, particularly during stressful times, I have to use a coal tar shampoo (used to treat scalp dryness) often and can only go a few weeks using any other shampoo before it becomes a problem again.

So when I learnt this information about SLS, I hunted around for a shampoo that didn't contain it (conditioners are generally free of it, it seems). Apart from the coal tar shampoo I use, Ogx was the only brand of shampoos that was free of SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate). It's a little more expensive that your typical shampoo brands, but I thought that if it can be gentler on my scalp, it'll be worth it, and it's still cheaper than the coal tar shampoo anyway.

I bought the Kukui Oil version because it emphasized preventing frizz.

                      It is so luxurious!

It's absolutely divine to use. It's so creamy and smooth, and a little goes a long way. My hair feels lovely and soft, but I do still get a bit of frizz.

But in terms of my scalp; two very small dry patches have formed, but I was able to use the Ogx shampoo for longer than other shampoos before this happened. These patches are also staying less severe for now - even despite going through some very stressful events at the moment! Almost as if being kept at bay, rather than just going wild.  I haven't experienced any itchiness, which has been a problem with some previous shampoos.

So, for me, I think this has been a little bit of a success. It's an improvement on other shampoos I've used and means I'm able to have a longer break from using coal tar shampoo. However, I will keep the coal tar shampoo on the sidelines, just in case the dry skin gets any worse or won't clear up.

|*|

Obviously I'm not an expert on SLS or other shampoo ingredients, and my test was by no means controlled, so I can't definitively say that it's the absence of SLS that has helped my scalp stay clearer. In fact, there are still ingredients in these shampoos which others may say are just as bad.

Additionally, the eczema on my scalp is definitely not as severe as it is for some, so I can't say if a shampoo free of SLS will work for everyone.

But, in my case, I have seen a little improvement (and the added bonus of gorgeously soft hair!), so I thought this information might be helpful to someone. 

If you've used SLS free shampoos or shower gels, let me know what you thought of them. Did you have a positive /negative experience? Or maybe you thought they made no difference at all?

I'm going continue using Ogx shampoos (or other SLS free shampoos) for now and will post and update on how things are going.

|*|

Written by Hayley☄

Photos by Hayley☄