The 30 Beauty Questions Tag!

Anyone that knows me at the minute knows I am becoming increasingly (and somewhat worryingly) addicted to makeup. I am into trying so many different styles at the minute, it's something I just really enjoy playing and experimenting with. So seeing one of my best friends post her answers to the 30 Beauty Questions Tag I couldn't think of anything more appropriate for me to indulge into.

1. Do you remember your first makeup item? I have the worst memory so the odds of me remembering specifically what my first makeup was would be impossible. I'm going to say it was a bronzer or a mascara. I remember the bronzer being a like brush that you pushed up and when you shook it upside down the bronzing product magically appeared on the brush. Ahhh them were the days before contouring.

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications? Mascara is my holy grail, for me it has to be one that cause me to have spider lashes. I am the biggest lover of Benefit's They're Real, I don't even care if it's £19.50 a shot, I cannot live without it.

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation? I am a full coverage girl, any day, any weather, any event, if I'm going for a makeup free look then I don't even use a BB or CC cream. I have always been 

self-conscious about my skin and it's always been important to me to cover my acne scars and any spots.

4. Favourite high end brand? Nars all day, everyday babyyyyy! I see that counter in Selfridges and I'm like a fly to shite, I just cannot resist.

5. What cosmetic brand have you always wanted to try but still haven't? Oooh I'm torn between bareMinerals and Smashbox, both of which I am still yet to try even though I have read so many good reviews about them!

6. Favourite drugstore brand? NYX. I cannot get enough of NYX cosmetics, I am in absolute adoration of their entire brand. Granted there are many products I am yet to try, but I do rave about the products I have tried like their eyebrow pomade and the Lingerie lipgloss collection.

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes? Unless I want to glue my eyes together, then no. I tend to stay away from things that will only make me need anger management.

 

8. Is there any kind of makeup you can't leave the house without? I cannot leave the house without putting a bit of mascara on, it probably makes no difference to the people that see me but for me I feel lost without a coating of mascara. 

9. What is your most cherished beauty product? My most cherished beauty product and I mean it's a case of "you can look but not touch" would be my Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow kit, it is honestly the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my eyes upon.

10. How often do you shop for makeup? Do you like to pick up an item here and there or get loads of goodies at once? Oh god, too often! I am forever pining over new makeup and I can never just buy one thing, it just never works that way.

 

11. Do you have a beauty budget or do you spend freely? I tend to spend quite freely (which my bank balance likes to cry about) but for something worth it like an Anastasia Beverly Hills glow kit, I found it was so easy to justify spending £40 on. 

12. Do you utilise coupons, reward cards and sales when you shop for cosmetics? I try to and I'm always looking for offers, however, like many people those offers seem to happen when my bank balance is saying no and my BODYYYYYY, MY BODYYYY KEEPS TELLING ME YESSSSSSSSSS.

13. What type of products do you buy the most? Eyeshadows and lipglosses, the collection grows every time I blink at a makeup stand. (Highly recommend Morphe Brushes eyeshadow palettes, they are my absolute world) 

14. Is there a brand that you absolutely cannot stand? I can't really say there is one, each to their own with makeup. It's all about finding what works for you. 

15. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulphate? I'm no scientist so for me to say I know what that means would be a lie, I think I am a big ignorant about all that stuff and it is something I should read more into. 

16. Do you have a favourite place to shop for makeup? Online I love to browse on BeautyBay, in store I would say it's between Boots and Selfridges. 

17. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine? I tend to stick to what I know when it comes to skincare. I have such weird skin, so the simplest of products work best for me, some brands cause me an allergic reaction and I have to sit there with a red face for a good 2 hours. 

18. Favourite bath and body brand? I don't think I really have one, I do like a Lush product as much as the next person but I wouldn't say it's something I always shop for. 

19. If you could only buy from one brand, which brand would you choose? For starters if I could only ever buy from one brand ever again I think I'd cry at having to choose.

20. What brand do you think has the best packaging? Oooh I would probably have to say MAC, I'm a big fan of simplicity and who can deny how lush a load of MAC lipsticks look lined up.

21. Which celebrity always has great makeup? Khloe Kardashian, like not enough people appreciate Khloe's change. I know it's all down to a makeup artist but her makeup is lush!

22. Do you belong to any online makeup communities? I don't! I would love to establish myself as a MUA but for me it's just something I enjoy doing. 

 

23. 5 favourite beauty gurus? Manny MUA, Nikki Tutorials, Huda Beauty, Shaaanxo and Jaclyn Hill! (Also, shoutout to Manny for liking my tweet, I had genuine tears)

24. Do you like multi functional products like lip and cheek stains? I can't say I've really used any to make this judgement. I do, however, love watching videos of people using matte glosses as eyeliners, so good to see how versatile these products can be!

25. Are you clumsy when putting on makeup? Never! It's the thing I spend the most time on in the morning, I will purposely choose my outfit for the next day just to save time and donate it to the time I spend doing my makeup.

26. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes? I do! I'm a lover of Urban Decay's eyeshadow primer, a little really does go a long way!

27. How many hair products do you use on a typical day? Zero, unless hair straighteners count??

 

28. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation? Foundation always, concealer next and then bake that shizzzzz!

29. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes? I really have, but at the minute I'm just sticking to watching makeup tutorials on youtube and then practicing when I'm bored before bed, call it a waste I call it dedication.

30. What do you love about makeup? I love how makeup can change my whole mood, complete my outfit. I'd rather have a good makeup day over a good hair day. It's something you can experiment with and think "damnnnn you done good". For me it's given me so much confidence, especially when I feel like my skin is getting me down. Anddddd, if ever you feel like some lil person is tryna make your life difficult and you feel like crying it's good to remember how much your makeup cost and that stops any tears.

All this talk is inspiring me to give an update on all my beauty products, so bare with and hopefully a post will follow soon! Thank you for reading :) 

Gemma xxx

Twitter - @gemm96

Instagram - @gemmaprice_  

The second year lessons...

It's definitely been a while since I found myself on this blog, so much has changed within the past year and university continues to be something I am more than glad I did. Around a year ago I wrote a blog post about the things I had learned in first year. It's safe to say last year was a big learning curve, cliche as it is, I was a fish out water. There were many moments where I questioned my sanity, but there were so many moments I'll treasure forever.

So many people will tell you that university will be the best years of your life and to be honest, they're not far off it. I don't think I've ever woken up thinking the day was going to be the same as the one before. Second year certainly has made me realise how you can grow up in such a short amount of time and it was crazy to be packing away my stuff from halls and shipping it back home to then move back to university in September and think "oh my god, I have bills to pay". I suppose in a follow up to last years blog post I should continue with telling you what I feel second year has taught me! (so thank you if you do stick with this post!)

1) Eye opener
It's crazy how things can change within the matter of the year, how you can grow closer to people and how people will drift away from you. Friendships are something that I've always found easy to make, sometimes though its not the same when it comes to keeping them. In my secondary school years I blamed myself, but I've came to the realization that it all happens because it's just not meant to be. Saying this though, I am more than happy with the way things worked out.
For those people that may feel like friendships aren't worth it, know that they are. As tough as they can be, they are life lessons, they are the moments that will make you realise who you want to be and more than likely the kind of person you don't wish to be. You are always going to have friends who will always have your back and it is definitely better to remember that quality is far more important to quantity, so I would like to say a little thank you to the friends who have kept me sane (well encourage me to be a little bit insane, but the good kind!)

2) Finding your feet
There are many things that I didn't do as a "typical" teenager and I won't divulge into details in such a post but from my experiences I know that everyone has their moments, when these moments will be no one can decide but yourself. All I know is that I took my time to feel confident and knowing there is no rush in life was one of the most important things when finding your feet.

3) You will feel like you're going insane
I think when people told me "second year is going to be your toughest year" I was kind of hoping they were joking, but boy they weren't! I'll happily admit I can be an emotional wreck at times and I have definitely had more than my fair share of moments this year. It's saying something when you find yourself crying at a mother and son audition on Britain's Got Talent because "it's cute", safe to say I was in dire need of 12 hours sleep that night. It's also safe to say on nights like those I'd probably cry at a puppy learning to swim, but those nights never last. The stress of university should be temporary, its not gonna be there to make you life difficult all the time and it is okay to be stressed! Just don't forget that you do have a life outside of assignments and assessments, taking a breather is important (just try not to make it a 12 hour breather).

4) Organised? Nope, no chance!
I always thought I wasn't too badly organised when it came to my academic life, ask me to be ready to pre-drink at half 8 and the odds are I'll still be contouring my cheeks and putting on enough highlighter to look like a Krispy Kreme glazed donut. I'll hold my hands up to knowing I've been so unprepared, this year I have been the most unorganised person. Don't get me wrong I did know what lectures I had, but when it came to January I was so buried underneath work that I chose not to look at it, the same way a dog won't look you in the eye when they've just peed on your leg.
There was one point in our term where we had an assignment due every other week, to say that was a bit overwhelming was an understatement. However, I'm very lucky that my friends are so strict and refuse to let anyone fall behind. I pulled up my socks and thankfully all my work was completed to the deadlines and I have passed this year! 

5) Work, work, work, work, work 

I'm fully convinced that in first year I had cabin fever, I rarely had anything to do outside of lectures and finally in second year I got another job. A job is a job at the end of the day and whilst at uni, I have found it miles better to have a job and let my mind focus on something that wasn't university or personal worries. There's a lot of finding a balance between work for both uni and a part time job and relaxing, but there's nothing better than seeing a healthy bank balance (well as healthy as it can be as a student).

6) Home time
During my first year I rarely went home, a big reason for that was I knew I had to adjust to taking on this life away from everything I knew. The good thing is at home nothing ever changes, so many times I'd find myself saying "I wish I was at home" but I know that at home I'd probably still be lounging around and everyone stays the same and works the same old grind. I must say though this year I did come home a lot more, for the first couple of months I still struggled with the adjustment of coming home and not having everything at my front door like I did back at university. Independence at home was something I always had a battle with, it's not that my parents didn't give it me because they definitely did but going somewhere like town was a 40 minute bus journey there and another 40 minutes back, it just seemed like an even longer day. However, due to changes in circumstances I acquired a car, my first ever car! I feel like my car is my child, I'm honestly so grateful for it and how I can now take myself here, there and everywhere and the responsibility of it is something I love!

7) Set goals and dreams
I can't say that before this year I set myself many goals, I've always had dreams and of course going to university to become a primary school teacher was top of the list. Now I've gotten my head around taking on new responsibilities and I've been able to organize my goals and aspirations, those that are personal to my professional career and those that I would like to reach just in life in general. I don't think writing a bucket list is something I'll ever get round to doing, but somewhere in my mind I'll create a collection of things I want to achieve in my life. One of my goals since I was little and would sleep with 5 different novels under my pillow was to write my own story! My life is full of moments where I find myself saying "it could only happen to me" so I thought in a comical way it would be fun to write about my little average life, I can't guarantee I'll ever finish this "book" but maybe one day it'll find its way to an unlucky audience!

8) All you need is love
Love - a thing I am pretty unlucky in, sometimes we get lost in our ideas and the things we find ourselves daydreaming about that we forget we've got a whole lifetime ahead of us for such adventures and mistakes! I do truly forget that I am only 20 years old and that some of the things I find myself crying and whining about aren't going to matter in 10 years time. 2015/16 has taught me a lot about understanding when someone is a temporary part of your life, they're there for you in that moment and everything can be clear skies and rosy cheeks, but then something shifts and your gut usually notices this first. I'm a firm believer in everything happening for a reason and to believe your heart over your head, your heart tells the truth and sometimes our head tells us things in order to protect our hearts from being broken because after all as humans we are programmed to feel every emotion going. We are designed to feel pain and suffering and it's healthy to have a cry about something but it will never do you any good to continue this suffering by holding on to something that isn't there, we all have to find a way of letting go. Letting go is a gradual process but one day you'll look back and realise you were in love with a memory, with the happiness it made you feel and you shouldn't feel at a loss but know it is an opportunity for bigger and better things to happen.

9) Find your peace
Sometimes being so busy means that when you do have some peace you almost feel guilty for it, I know the past couple of weeks without university and work I've felt like I'm abusing my time off when I decide to have a day of doing absolutely nothing. When I title this one as "finding peace" I'm not suggesting you have to go shave your hair off and train as a monk, I mean taking time to just be alone and watch a film, read a book, organise your clothes, just do something that is completely mindless! It's only when I do such things that I realise how quickly my life is going, before I can blink third year will be on its way and it will almost be time to find a job doing something I absolutely love. It's during these times where I realise how much I do love my life and everything that makes a day/week/month a new memory. For anyone who likes little keepsakes I highly recommend a "Line a Day diary", the entire year is mapped out in a small book which allows you to write a small diary entry for the next 5 years. It's such a good idea and often enough I like to read back and think about how much things have changed or stayed the same. Being at university and in an experience where there is so much going on, it's easy to forget little memories, but this diary allows you to look back and smile at the past!

I've decided now that if anyone did keep with this post then their unfortunate eyes must have had enough now! (That's my excuse for having ran out of things to say anyway!) Thank you if you have kept with this post, it's certainly taken me a long time to writing a blog post. Memory isn't one of my strongest points if I'm honest, but I can always remember enough to write a long as a piece of string post. I hope that anyone currently at university can maybe find some relation to this post and that anyone thinking about going to university thinks my experience doesn't sound that bad and they would maybe like to venture out into the big world too!

Thank you for reading! Have a lovely summer xxx

p.s. Keep with me, maybe my book will be updated on here!