Learning To Love Myself

Loving and being happy within yourself seems to be something that gets harder as years go on.

Society tells us how we should look, what we should wear and how 'skinny' or flat our bodies should be, all the while protesting that we should love ourselves just how we are, makes sense?

Not really.

I have struggled with this myself for a while, and I long for the time when I was younger and didn't worry about what I looked like or what even I should be wearing, but then back then I also had no sense of style...and nobody wants to go back to that aha.

I'm not here to use this post space to talk about how the world needs changing (I'd be here for the rest of my life) but more to share how I've personally started to overcome fears, become myself and completely love it and benefit from it.

Point Out The Good Bits, 

I never really subconsciously decided I wanted to change anything that drastically, I just knew and I think everybody does when something in your life needs to be different in order to make you happy.

With maturity and growing up becomes your outlook on life growing with you and your opinions and views changing also.

I found myself channeling this onto views on myself rather than the rest of the world or things going on around me.

So for example, I've taken time out to - literally - look at myself in the mirror and point out things I like about myself - on down days this can completely change the way you see the rest of the day and make it a much more positive one.

Even small simple things like, 'my hair looks great' or 'that shade of eye shadow really suits my eye colour' can transform your day.   

Think Positively & Spread The Love, 

Whether this is when looking in the mirror, trying on a new outfit or just generally, filling your head with positive thoughts makes such a difference!

Doing this myself I feel like has made me a happier person completely.

Rather than seeing a situation one way - the negative way - I've changed it round to make it positive, and not just with things about myself but general day to day happenings. 

For example if I were to have a falling out with a friend or my sister etc rather than sitting and stewing in 'what a bitch' thoughts (we all do it lets be honest hehe) I try to think 'they're probably having a bad day and feeling like rubbish and I've caught them at the wrong time.' Simple things like that not only calms a situation but I find just clears your head and keeps negative thoughts at bay.

Thinking this way about yourself and your image can be more difficult. Nowadays you can't compliment yourself in front of others without being accused of being 'vain' or 'up yourself' but I feel theres a fine line between what makes you arrogant and what makes you self-confident. 

I have always had a real complex with my nose. It's bumpy and big in the middle which looks fine from straight on, but not so nice from a side angle. The self-consciousness that comes with having my nose isn't great, and its been a big (excuse the pun) part of my life for as long as I can remember. But more recently I'm starting to think - who really cares?

I've seen plenty of other people in my life with a nose the same shape as mine and I think it's suited them, and I'm certain more than anything that even people with the perfect little button noses are self-conscious of something else on their own body. We all have things we're not happy with so don't take time out of your day to point out someone elses, instead find something you like about that person - and tell them! If someone were to tell you your eye colour was amazing it would make your day right? Pass on the love peeps.

Wear What YOU Want & Do What YOU Want,

This for me was and still is so important.

I wouldn't say I'm at a stage where I am completely confident within my self but one of the best ways to get there, and the one I have found the most helpful is doing exactly what you want to do and wear what ever the hell you want!

You love black? Wear all black!

Mixing patterns is your thing? DO IT.

How can you be happy within yourself if you can't even be yourself?

I was always one to wear what I thought other people would think looked nice rather than exactly what I wanted. Yet within the past year or so I've thrown that out the window and started buying clothes in the style I like, and what I think I look nice in. The best example being glasses. I've always wanted them, think I look good in them but don't need them. So went online and purchased a pair of fake ones, because why the hell not? They make some outfits look even better, and even though I've had people - who know they're fake - telling me it's silly, that makes me want to wear them even more. 

Some days I want to look cute in a pink jumper, mom jeans and converse. Whereas others I'm feeling A bit badass, so black jeans, chunky black boots, a turtle neck top and bomber jacket it is! 

You don't need to categorize yourself into a box labelled with what you think your style is. Why stick to one style when theres hundreds of different ones out there?! Fill your wardrobe with every colour under the sun and do what you want with it.

Theres no better feeling in this world than putting together your own outfit, feeling confident and receiving compliment after compliment. You could be wearing the ugliest effing skirt someone has ever seen (Regina George perhaps?) but if you're wearing it in a way you like and wearing it with confidence, who on earth is going to have the courage to put you down? And if they do? Turn into something positive 'she probably wishes she could pull it off as well as I am.' 

I want to finish this post with listing three things I like about myself and it would be great if this post has inspired you to try out a few positive thinking techniques or even going out and buying that piece of clothing you've been unsure about for days to also comment below three things about yourself you like.

And if you think the person who commented above you has a great blog or latest post - go over to them and let them know.

Spread the love, think positive and love who you are - you'll feel a difference.

o I love how thick my hair is and although it can be a pain to style - I am grateful for how healthy it always looks.

o I like the colour of my eyes! They are very blue and when the light shines on them they look even bluer.

o I love when I wear high necked jumpers and tops. I feel like they suit me a lot and compliment my body shape :)

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Affordable Starting Out Makeup Products

I personally joined the makeup bandwagon quite late and only really started wearing a proper full face between the ages of about 17-19.

When I was a lot younger of course I bought bits and bobs of makeup with my pocket money - but this usually meant a 2 minute trip into Boots with £5 in my hand to buy a blue eyeshadow and 'ultra black waterproof mascara' all from The Natural Collection. 

Oh the good old days hey.

(I also remember a silver and glittery eyeshadow my Nan gave me once which I used to use my finger to awkwardly spread over my eyelids with no sense of shape or blending..)

I feel like now I have a sturdy makeup collection and all the products I use I love and am always recommending to others, so it only feels right to share these products with you guys - especially for those of you who are starting out and want a little help choosing where to start or maybe you just want a little change up of your products.

(Side note - some of these products I know longer use but I am including my 'firsts' as they are more affordable than some I now use - but each one I have used before and loved).

To help you out, I'm also going to list them in the order that I put them on when applying my makeup so it gives you an idea of how to get the best use of each one (or what I can only assume anyway), plus each product is linked!

Every good makeup look starts with moisturising. 

It balances out your skin and makes a lovely smooth surface for concealer and foundation to be applied on to.

Simple make lovely little affordable bottles of daily moisturiser each one different depending on your skin type.

They are also a very good dupe for higher end creams.

I personally used the Kind To Skin Replenishing Rich moisturiser, and its super affordable in a nice sized bottle.

[Picture taken from Superdrug website.]

For concealer Rimmel Wake Me Up is always the winner.

It comes in a variety of shades so you can find the perfect one for you (use the testers in store and blend into the back of your hand - I am very pale and am the shade Ivory). 

It has a wand so its easy to apply and covers up not only under eye circles and red blemishes but also spots as well. 

I love this product and still use it religiously.

When first starting out with makeup I knew foundation was important and finding the right shade was also something that needed to be right - you don't want to end up looking like an Oompa Loompa.

After watching a lot of YouTube reviews and tutorials I settled upon Rimmel Match Perfection in the shade Classic Ivory.

This is a liquid foundation with a pump and has a lovely buildable coverage. It also applies smoothly over concealer and covers blemishes and spots.

During the summer or maybe even for a pick me up in Winter an alternative to Match Perfection is Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation. This has a subtle glittery look to it which I LOVED when I first started using. 

It gives your skin a radiant and healthy look without being borderline fairy. 

[Pictures taken from Superdrug website.]

I love bronzer. It gives your face that extra bit of natural glow and colour rather than the kind of ghostly and plain look foundation can leave you with.

For me the Barry M Chisel Cheek palette is perfect. 

It's super affordable and comes with three useful shades.

The lighter shade acts as a highlighter and the light brown in the middle I use as to add colour to my cheek bones, (the darker shade on the right may make a better bronzer shade for you if you are not as pale as I am!).

Be warned though - both bronzer shades need to be blended with a tiny bit of foundation as the shades are not that subtle.

But for the price you pay for this set it's not that much hassle, plus it comes with a helpful little guide on the inside of the packaging directing you the best places to use each shade.

Another bronzer suggestion if you fancy something a bit different and slightly cheaper is this little gem I found - MUA Pixel Perfect Multi Bronze in the shade Terracotta Glow.
It looks a bit funky (as well as cute on your dressing table) and works not as well as Barry M but still adds a bit of colour to your cheeks.
I tend to use a big powder brush which I rub evenly around the palette to mix the colours together and generally brush this along my forehead, chin and tops of my cheek bones. Its a bit lighter than Barry M Chisel Cheeks to they work well together as a pair, this one acting slightly like A mild highlighter.

Moving onto eye shadow.

I LOVE eye shadow palettes. They are so pleasing and pretty to look at and own waaaay more than I actually use.
In fact at the moment - during this week January/February time where nobody really knows what season it is - I'm finding myself reaching for the same one everyday, and it is actually one of the first palettes I ever purchased!
Maybelline - The Nudes.
It has a lovely variation of nude shades some with a little bit of sparkle and others just normal block colours - and each colour blends perfectly with another to create different looks.
My most used shade is on the top line second from the right (they don't have shade names unfortunately), which I sometimes like to blend second from the left on the bottom layer with.
This palette is great for starting out with eye shadow as there arn't any colours too daring (apart from maybe the black at the bottom) but all in all you can't really go wrong! Get yourself a couple of blending brushes and you're good to go.

Mascara is one of the parts of makeup that I love the most. As soon as it's applied it opens up your eyes and generally finishes off any makeup look, so having a decent one is important - and it's even better when it's at an affordable price!
And of course it's Maybelline Lash Sensational.
What sort of blogger would I be if I didn't mention this mascara right?!
I'm not going to go on too much because you all know from every other blogger in the world that this product is amazing.
Use this mascara along with some eyelash curlers before and after applying and your eyes will be popping! (In the best way possible haha).
In my opinion it beats the higher-end Benefit Lash Sensational by a mile!

Finishing off with lipstick.
I've gone with a nude shade to share with you as I feel like when you start out with makeup you don't necessarily want to try anything too daring until you've figured out what colours suit you and your style.
For me my perfect nude is Kate Moss in the shade 45.
This can also be used over the top of Kate Moss 101 to create a lovely natural pink shade for a cuter look!
I love both these lipsticks 45 being the ultimate nude that I loooove and definitely use on a  daily basis, whether that's on it's own, over the top of a pink or even to lighten up a red shade.

All these products in my mind form a lovely quick and easy makeup bag for anybody wanting to start out with makeup with affordable products.

If you were to buy all the products I've suggested (minus the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation and Kate Moss 101) the overall price would be around £52 which could buy you one bottle of high end foundation and shops like Boots and Superdrug always have sales on so you're more than likely to get most of these half price!

As for applying makeup I will always recommend the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge  for concealer and foundation. These are about £5.99 or £9.99 for a pack of two.
As long as you keep them clean (use your own shampoo about 3-4 times a week) they last ages and blend perfectly!

Bronzer, eyes shadow, highlighter, etc etc I use brushes to apply (and the sponge above to blend out the bronzer once applied) and the B Collection contains everything you need.
They may not be as soft or accurately shaped as higher-end brushes but they do the job and help you work out what type of brushes you like using for certain products.


 I hope this has helped you guys out in some way or another and you may have spotted a product you fancy popping into your makeup bag.
Either way let me know below and leave your blog links!

Molly
xox

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