WELCOME TO 2015! | Zahra

Hi.

Hope you all had a really good Christmas and ate loads of food and spent time with great people :)

It hasn't really occurred to me how we've already reached the end of 2014, I'm pretty sure I started secondary school like 2 minutes ago or something, but OMG has time flown by.

But really, this year has gone so quickly and so many good things have come out of it:

~I started a blog with my sister

~I started youtube

~I feel extremely happy (most of the time) *cringes*

~I went on holiday (even if it did get so hot I cried)

There have been a few bad things though...*'The Haircut'*...but to be honest this year's just been positive and full of sunshines and rainbows.

Next year I have some resolutions that I am DETERMINED to accomplish because I think nearly everyone makes a list and ten goes 'oh I'll start tomorrow' but in reality they never get round to it.

Well....Here's the list:

Dress size 10-12/8-10
Drink more water
Do NOT overeat
Eat clean- maybe try being a vegetarian
Be happy :)
Keep working- don't get distracted
Try something more adventurous and new
Enjoy myself
Save money (pfft, that's really likely)
Be more active on YouTube and ze blog
Look after my skin more
Finish 'The Book' (the one I'm currently writing)
Be more confident
Read more 
Don't be scared to wear dark/ bright lipsticks (random but true)

These are most of them, I would include them all but I have a feeling that this would be a very long post and I don't want to bore you all to death, so technically I'm doing you a favour.

Maybe this post has given you some inspiration as to what to add to your lists.

Tell me what your New Year's Resolutions are in the comments :)

Happy New Year, hope it's a good'un

And yes that is my writing that I can't read

Merry Christmas | 2014

This post is purely just to say...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Picture from Google.

:)

The healthy blog post | Ayesha

It's been a whirlwind of commuting and working some long days in the run-up to the holidays, which is why I haven't posted in a while! Hello again!

This isn't something I like to talk about much, but I'm in serious need of motivation to do some exercise and cut down on chocolate. Where we lived before, it was just over a mile away to work which meant I was able to get in about an hour a day of walking. The weight I had before dropped off quite quickly, and motivated by this, I even did extra toning exercises in the evening. I lost about 3 inches on my waist and I didn't even have to try very hard! Then, the summer holidays came. Now, I still kept active by doing some sort of exercise, but I did also meet friends and have the odd coffee from Starbucks. 2 WEEKS LATER, yes, 2 weeks, I had expanded and some of my clothes felt tighter on me. I couldn't believe it. I'm really conscious of weight as diabetes and high blood pressure run in my family and if I want to have a baby, I need to be at a healthy weight to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes, which could cause lots of problems later in life.

It's been hard trying to shift the extra weight I've put on and since I've been commuting on the trains, I am not getting the exercise I got before. This has resulted in me feeling quite sluggish and not as confident as before, but it's helped me understand my body more. I am somebody who puts on weight very quickly. It's easy for someone to say, "oh, go on, a slice won't hurt!" but this is the most frustrating thing, because it does hurt and I start expanding dramatically. What also annoys me is when people say "oh, but you're fine, you don't need to exercise!" Everyone knows what their limits are and a way I have felt really good about myself is when I've exercised and felt stronger because of it. Exercise isn't just about losing weight, it's about keeping fit and it does your body an amazing amount of justice. 

I can't stand calorie counting, and want to enjoy life, and food is a big part of that. This is why I need some serious motivation to cut back on the more calorific fatty things and introduce more exercise. My husband and I generally eat quite healthily, but we both have a sweet tooth. A day cannot go by where we don't have a cookie or something after eating some food. It's like someone who loves to smoke a cigarette after their meals; I never understood it until now - sweet things are my vice. 

What is going to change is my outlook. I love eating sweet things and instead of having a massive slice of cake, or a whole bar of chocolate, I'll just have a bit. My husband and I have started what we call "1 bad thing a day" and we wait until we are together to eat that bad thing. It means we still get the fix we need but without going overboard. 

The other thing is to keep up with healthy eating and fitness blogs. I discovered Blogilates a while back but every time I visit her site or YouTube page, I feel all the more motivated. She posts all sorts of videos on ways to make food more healthy without sacrificing on taste, and also loads of exercise videos. I've downloaded her beginner's workout plan which gives you a daily exercise video to do. Something like this will help keep me motivated and get into a good habit of exercising daily. The great thing is that her videos are actually a lot of fun and really short - 10 minutes maximum! 

So, here's to trying. Wish me luck!

*Just to point out that in no way am I trying to tell anybody that they should give up sweet things or lose weight themselves. This is purely about me and what I need to do to make myself feel like I did before the summer holidays, and to avoid weight-related problems that run in my family. You do what you want!*

The Wishlist- Winter 2014| Zahra

I just want pretty much everything ok?

On the CT wishlist, I have quite the number of wants (so quite frankly, everything) but I've managed to narrow it down to 5 which is....MINDBLOWING....yep

Charlotte Tilbury

1. Eyeshadow Quads:

The Dolce Vita

The Golden Goddess

The Dolce Vita- Charlotte Tilbury website

Lipsticks:

Glastonberry (ha ha, very funny)

Very Victoria

Love Liberty

Glastonberry- Selfridges website

MAC

.........(please stop increasing your prices by 50p, that would be greatly appreciated thanks)

1. Eyeshadows in: 

All that glitters

Amber Lights

Bronze

 Patina

Cranberry

15 eyeshadows palette-warm

Amber Lights- Mac website

2. Lippies in: 

Creme Cup

 Dark Side

Show Orchid

Hang Up

Russian Red

Snob

Show Orchid- Mac website

3. Lip Pencils:

Spice

Whirl

Nightmoth

Brick

Nightmoth- Mac website

YSL

Rouge pur couture lipstick: 205

Rouge Pur Couture 205- Selfridges

  Nars

Ingrid Lipstick

Tanya Burr Instagram- Ingrid Lipstick

Mekong Eyeshadow

Mekong- Selfridges website

Et voila.

My MAHUSIVE wishlist.....this could take a few hundred £££...

Charlotte Tilbury Vintage Vamp review

Can I also just mention that Mockingjay is an amazing film and if you haven't already, go see it and brig me the cat!

Capiche

My GCSE Art Project 2014 | Zahra

    

Right now. I'm currently in year 10 and I'm starting my GCSEs *sigh* which means a bigger increase in workload and the difficulty of it.

Now this isn't a post to say how hard school is, but to just show you my ideas for one of my GCSE art projects.

(photos from Pinterest/tumblr)

As you can see, my inspiration is very Arab/Indian inspired, purely because the topic I've chosen revolves around is culture and light. I feel that I like the Arabic culture more than my own purely because it's different but still quite similar.

I've chosen artist too: Annika Sylte 

I chose her because some of her drawings I feel are easily associated and compatible with wat I'm planning to do with my project.

 I like the way she's incorporated different elements into her art but it still looks put together eg. the henna on the bright yellow hair.

I'm not sure when I'll be done with my project (at the rate tat I'm going, I'm sure it will be quite a while) but I hope to keep you up to date wit it as art is one of my favourite subjects. 

Brow this way | Ayesha

A few weeks ago I blogged about a new brow gel by Rimmel called 'Brow this way.' I've had a good few weeks to try it out so I am now going to write a quick review about it to help inform you if you have been thinking of buying something like this!

First of all, it is a great dupe for Benefit's Speed Brow gel. They look very similar in that they both look like a short mascara tube, with different shades depending on your own eyebrow shade (I went for dark brown, their deepest shade, as I have black eyebrows naturally) but Benefit's speed brow is £13.99 - pricey considering you will use it every day! I used Speed Brow a long time ago but the deepest shade was not dark enough for my eyebrows, so I just finished off the tube and stuck to eyebrow pencils and clear mascara to fix them up after that. Here are my pros and cons list of Rimmel's version:

Pros:

1. Cheap at £3.99 from Boots or Superdrug.

2. Decent dark shade for the dark haired.

3. The formula is good quality as it lasted on my eyebrows all day.

Cons:

The only con I can think of is that the brush is a bit too big, so some of the formula gets on to the skin underneath my eyebrow. It can be cleaned away quite easily and quickly, however.

So, only one con, but for me personally the con might be a big one until my eyebrows grow out. I had them threaded 2 days ago and the lady did them TOO THIN! I loved having fuller eyebrows with an arch and I only wanted them tidied up as I am useless at plucking but she has rounded them off AND did I mention they are too thin for my liking?! Sigh. This, coupled with having to commute on the tubes from my new flat next week (I was lucky enough to live close enough to walk to work, which meant I had more time in the morning to look presentable) means that as much as I want a very quick brow product to aid my getting ready in the morning, I am not sure this product will deliver because of the big brush - perhaps I will extend this review next week? #firstworldproblems 

Despite all of this, I will continue to use this until it runs out as it is a very handy thing to have if you have good eyebrows and just want to neaten them up and give them the illusion that they are fuller very quickly. 

Now its time to have some lunch and then continue packing and cleaning! 

Seasonal favourites - Autumn (2/4) | Ayesha

You might remember when I posted during the summer featuring my beauty favourites from that season. Well, it's gone 3 months since then and I now have a new set of my favourite things for Autumn!

L-R:

1. Chanel Le Vernis in the shade 'April'.

2. Essie nail polish in 'Take it Outside'. Don't be put off by the grey colour, my husband coined it 'as natural looking as cement', but I think it is GORGEOUS. 

3. Barry M nail polish in 'Mustard'.

4. Garnier Ultimate Blends oil - this stuff is very light and smells amazing. 

5. MAC lipstick in the shade 'Plumful' - this is a pale berry shade and my new favourite lipstick shade ever! It's very wearable for every day use as it leaves a nice stain on the lips, and is super moisturising too.

6. MAC lipstick in 'Rebel'. I bought this in the summer but I'm getting more wear out of it now. It looks really scary and dark in the tube but when applied in a very thin layer, it looks how Plumful does in the tube. It can be built up for a very strong berry red shade with a purple undertone which is so satisfying.

7. Benefit Dallas blush. This is a mix of a bronzer and blusher, but it is more on the blusher side. It looks amazing in Autumn/Winter on my skin when I don't have a tan, but somehow when I do have a tan it makes my face look really red like I've just travelled on the tube at rush hour.

8. Lush Ultrabalm. Now this has all of 3 ingredients - organic jojoba oil (does anyone else have trouble pronouncing that? I always want to say 'jojoba' with an actual 'j' but I think its meant to be like 'yoyoba'. Both sound equally weird.) and 2 types of wax. So it doesn't smell great but it hydrates my skin really, really well and isn't greasy. I had a full face of makeup on 2 days ago and I was rushing around on the tube, and when I came home my face had a little bit of shine but not so much that I thought I couldn't use this on my face at all. 

So there you have it! My next installment will be in the spring, but spring is questionable in the UK... Might be May!

On a side note, I am moving to a new flat tomorrow and once I've settled in will be doing some more home-style blog posts, and also more baking/cooking ones. I don't know how I have survived without an oven this past year! 

Enjoy whatever you're doing!

The Wishlist - Charlotte Tilbury | Ayesha

Sigh.

Charlotte Tilbury is a relatively new makeup brand/person (as far as I am aware). I have tried on the colour coded eyeshadow palette in 'The Vintage Vamp', and it is BEAUTIFUL. You may think 'oh it's just an eyeshadow', but when you apply it, there is an amazing wash of colour, so pigmented and creamy with something a bit special about it, that I can't quite place my finger on. 

On my wishlist from her collection is the eyeshadow palette 'The Dolce Vita', here. 

Matte Revolution lipstick in Love Liberty, here.

Lip cheat re-shape and re-size lip liner in Pink Venus, here.

Sadly with these special items comes a special price, too! 

What will you be enjoying from her collection?

A little secret to gaining longer lashes | Ayesha

Two weeks ago, I decided to do a little experiment involving mascara and wearing none of it. I heard on the radio a long time ago that not wearing mascara for 2 weeks would improve the condition of your lashes so when you wear mascara again, they would be very voluminous. 

Before

After

After

As you can see in the before and after photos, it might be a very small difference (or perhaps you can't see any difference at all; however, in person I can!) but I feel that my lashes are now slightly longer and also a bit more fluttery. Both pictures were taken first thing in the morning with no makeup on, nor had I curled my eyelashes. 

In truth, the mascara challenge was difficult and I wore it on 2 occasions during those 2 weeks. However, I had gone a week and a half without wearing it the first time.

In comparison, Zahra also tried the no mascara challenge and completed the full 2 weeks. However, she felt there was no difference. I feel mine grew longer because I have been doing some extra things to help them along the way, but I promise these things are what I have been doing anyway for a few months!

1. I have been taking a multivitamin every day.
2. I have been applying coconut oil all over my face, including eyes, every night before bed.

With the combination of the three, perhaps giving my eyelashes a rest from mascara and nourishing them inside and out has helped them out.

Give it a try for yourself to see if it will work for you!

*Please make sure you're able to take multivitamins - check with someone first in case you're pregnant or have allergies! 

To subtle down the festive season - the nail way | Zahra

I don't really wear nail polish a lot purely because it frustrates me so much and my school practically hates it...but when I do wear it, it looks a little something like this.....

                              

                                            The Halloween nail:

                                            Ciate: 'wait until dark'

                                       Barry M: 'mango'-accent nail

   I originally opted for black and orange to go with the pumpkin look but then decided       that it's not the right time or me to wear black because well...I just didn't feel like it, so      I went for a dark, shimmery purple and an orange accent nail just to fit in with the                              pumpkin look (and I just really love orange)

Is it too early to think about Christmas?

I think not.

Now Christmas is the season where you get to wear garish jumpers and socks with pom poms and glitter and it still looks great, but I decided to tone it down a bit because we're not quite there with the months yet.

Barry M: 'crush'

Barry M: 'watermelon'-accent nail

The Chop | Zahra

My hair length

Me being an idiot

So I went to the hairdressers.....she cut a fair amount off.

What happened was she measured out an inch but (I actually measured this) instead cut off 5. I was super emotional (my exact words: 'I want my hair back', 'she cut it off', 'can I wear extensions?') because it had taken me about a year and a half to get it to the length I wanted it to be. I know that all of my split and dead ends have gone and that my hair can grow out to be healthier again but it didn't occur to me how quickly my hair actually grows. I've found a few hair growth tips to see if they help and hopefully I can have my old hair back (I'll probably have to re-ombre it too) :)

My Topshop Lipstick Collection | Zahra

 

Just to show what my TS lippies look like on.

Autumnal accents | Ayesha

Recently, after watching Essie Button's video on her favourite MAC lipsticks, I fell in love with the shade 'Plumful'. It looks like a fun berry/plum colour with pink undertones, and apparently looks different on everyone. That excited me. However, not being close to a MAC store and not being able to be for a while, I decided to tide myself by with a dupe. After trawling the internet to see what I could find, someone mentioned the Revlon lip butter in Berry Smoothie as a good alternative. So, I went to Boots to get it, much to the bemusement of the Mr.

Here's what I came back with:

Berry Smoothie layered over MAC Rebel lipstick

So the lip butter was slightly disappointing. It's a lovely colour, however it is very, very sheer. Even after building it up there was only a hint of colour, but not the same consistency as some other lip butters I own and definitely not the same as plumful. However I am still keeping it, because it looks lovely as a glossy overcoat to MAC Rebel lipstick (the one that looks dark purple in the tube!).

After I picked up Berry Smoothie, I naturally found myself scouring the aisles to see what else I could find. I owned a Soap and Glory 'Archery' eyebrow pencil, but sadly after travelling in my suitcase a lot it did not hold up well and I found the last 1/4 broken up in the lid. Hence the Rimmel Brow This Way eyebrow gel (the short dark brown tube in the haul picture). I would say this is a great dupe for Benefit's Speed Brow - in fact, even better than it! The gel is tinted, but I'll test it's longevity out properly on Monday after being out for 11 hours of the day.

The mascara is Seventeen's Va Va Voom. I have heard some good reviews on this as a cheaper mascara to add lots of volume. Again, will be testing it out on Monday properly.  I have been on the lookout for a cheaper mascara to add volume, to replace my favourite Lancome Hypnose, so I will let you know how it goes!

Check out the fat brush!

Lastly, this was a complete impulse buy. I've been intrigued by greyish colours but felt they may make my nails look dead (Barry M's Prickly Pear was a no-go for me sadly!). I was so impressed with this one and couldn't find a similar colour in any other brand:

Essie 'Take it Outside'

As my husband would say, it's 'as natural looking as cement'. I think it's very cute and quite smart for work. Can I just point out that the colour shown above is only ONE coat? 

I did spend last week with yellow nails which I thought were very fun but even some children in my class did double takes. Maybe I'll save it for the weekends...

Having said the above, this was another colour I thought would make my nails look dead but it was a surprisingly perky colour, but in person was not over bright. Mr F didn't even notice they were there! 

I'm loving all the Autumn stuff on the shelves at the moment. What are your favourite autumnal beauty colours to wear?

The Khloe Kardashian Look | Zahra

As it's turned Autumn (sort of...it's still getting up to about 17 degrees), I've been going heavier on the eyes rather than the lips and I saw a picture of Khloe Kardashian and I sort of just fell in love with her makeup.

I know it's not exactly the same, it's more inspired than copied.

I went for more of a nude lip, and a slightly smokier eye (from what I could tell from her photo) which is what shes wearing.

Eyes: 

Charlotte Tilbury 'The Vinyage Vamp'-the shimmery gold and the top right purple

Sleek 'Storm' palette- the dark brown (under my eyes)

Smashbox black eyeliner

Maybelline 'The Falsies' (top lashes)

YSL 'Mascara volume' (?) (it's just a little tester)

Eyebrows:

The dark brown from the Sleek 'Storm' palette

Face:

Collection 'Lasting Perfection' concealer-medium 2

Rimmel 'Wake me up' foundation-200 Soft Beige

Mac Studio Finish concealer-NW25 (under my eyes)

Barry M blush-206.

Lips:

Carmex

Who's excited for winter? Because I am!!!

My 5 MAC Hearts | Zahra

*Barbie voice* 'Oh I love you MAC!'

Top to bottom:

'Shanghai Spice' lipstick

'Bare Study' paint pot

'Satin Taupe' eyeshadow

'Woodwinked' eyeshdow

'Studio Finish Concealer' (NW25)

5. Shanghai Spice:

To this day, it's still my only Mac lippy, but I am planning to expand on it (that is if Topshop doesn't bring out more shades...)

The colour of this is more of a 'your lips but better' colour on me as my lips are quite pale...it's a sheeny, shiny nude-y/ peach colour (creamsheen finish), perfect for all skintones I reckon because it's not too pale or nude or opaque. I like to wear this when I've gone a bit more peach/brown/heavy on the eyes.

4. Woodwinked eyesadow:

Probably one every eyeshadow lover's favourite eyeshadows. I wrote a little review of it HERE.

It's a shimmery 'suits all' gold colour, with the perfect amount o gold in it-it's more on the warm side, but it doesn't look like you're ill at all, also with a bit of blending, you've got yourself a pretty quick, subtle smokey eye.

3. Bare Study Paint Pot:

This and 'Satin Taupe' are my everyday colours.

I've actually done a whole review on this if you want to see it HERE.

It's a shimmery, champagne that looks super pretty on it's own, or paired with other eyeshadows.

2. Satin Taupe eyeshadow:

Wow.

I love this eyeshadow to bits- it's quite shimmery, but not glittery and is like the perfect shade for this season, hence why I wear it everyday. It's a grey/purple/taupe sort of colour, and I think this looks so pretty on darker skintones.

1. Studio Finish Concealer:

Lastly, my most used and loved Mac product that I couldn't go a week without (I've gone several days without using it). The concealer. The shade I'm in is NW25 which I only use under my eyes as it's too orange (I reckon I'm probably an NW20 all over the face)- I can use it all over the face in the late summer though.

This has the best coverage ever - paired with the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer and any foundation, you've got yourself some flawless skin. It blends out so easily and gives a full opaque coverage (it basically covers up my horrid dark circles), although I will warn you that it hasn't got the best look on dry skin

Ant MAC recommendations?

I Did It! Zahra

I made it...

Nice thumbnail....

The Most Gorgeous Quad- Charlotte Tilbury 'The Vintage Vamp' | Zahra

 This.....is the prettiest thing I have ever laid my eyes on

Typical for my phone not to pick up the purple....'Pur'fect

Why so dead?

Why do my fingers look so short :,)

Lets just appreciate the rose gold packaging (I have an addiction to rose gold), and then look at the colours.

The pigmentation of these are incredible, I manged to create a very natural smokey eye (which WAS in fact purple-y but my phone doesn't have the best front-facing camera) but it looked SO SO pretty and I'm super excited to wear this look during the Autumn/Winter.

I used the lighted shade all over my lid, then the lighter purple in my crease, the darker purple on my lower lashline and the gold patted in the center of my lid.

Story time

My sister bought me this palette on her birthday: we were in the Bullring in Birmingham and obviously Selfridges wasn't going to be left out. For her birthday, I bought her Mac's 'Ruby Woo' and she then asked me what I wanted so I panicked and said Charlotte Tilbury. I have no regrets of panicking. We were originally going to go half and half for it, then she decided to pay for it as it was my birthday exactly 3 weeks later (I had to live with the torture of it being wrapped up in my room for 3 weeks-it was painful). It took a pretty long time for me to choose between this and 'Dolce Vita' but you can clearly see which one I chose.

What else is on me...

Face: 

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' foundation- 'Soft Beige'

Collection 'Lasting Perfection' concealer-medium cool

Mac 'Studio Finish' concealer (under my eyes)- NW25

Nars 'Orgasm' multiple stick thing

Eyes:

Charlotte Tilbury: 'The Vintage Vamp'

Collection brown eyeliner

Rimmel 'Retro Glam' mascara

(eyebrows)- that brown colour in the Sleek 'Storm' palette

Lips:

Topshop 'Chuck' sheer lips (blotted slightly)

Jumper:

Primark (only £6 as well!!)

*I you're wandering why I look so tired, it's because I had a very eventful day in London before I took these photos :)*

Considering the 'Lob' and Getting the Chop? | Zahra

                                            [All photos from google]

     Even though my hair is ridiculously long (it's not that long)...

...I keep considering getting it cut off because it annoys me so much sometimes (people with long hair will probably agree with me- you practically want to shave it all off).

I don't know if I would suit getting a 'Lob' (it would help if my layers were still short enough to hang just below my shoulders so I could actually see what I look like, but unfortunately they don't.)

Even though I probably won't suit it, the 'Lob' does look really nice all the same (the photo of Lily Pebbles is something that I would be more likely to do with my hair as it's a bit longer) and maybe I might be able to pluck up the courage and part with my hair soon? (probably not.)

I really like how it gives you a lot more volume, rather than using 2023 different voluminising products at the top of your hair and did I mention how quick it would be to dry?

I you've had hair like mine and actually cut it off, leave a comment down below how it went and what your thoughts were on it...