Being A Typical Blogger ft. My New Fave Skirt

Be prepared for your typical blogger photos on the streets of London.

Is it just me, or are denim skirts insanely hard to buy? They are either too tight at the waist and flick out after the booty, or they're huge and give you no bum. I was so close to giving up on ever owning one, and then I found an absolute gem from Missguided.

This skirt is made from a very stretchy denim, so it is almost like a bodycon fit, which means it hugs you in all the right places (not to mention it does wonders for the booty!). I'm normally a size 10, or occasionally an 8, and I ended up ordering both sizes in this, but kept the 8 as it is stretchy anyway, and the 10 was a little too big round the back. 

I really wanted to pair it with a plain black crop, but typically, on the day of shooting my stomach decided to bloat like a bitch, so I decided against wearing a super cropped top. I love the look of the black denim with the white converse though, and I can imagine this skirt looking lovely dressed up with a pair of black or nude strappy heels, or with an oversized black denim jacket in the colder months.

Black Denim Skirt - Missguided - £20

Sunglasses - River Island - £14

Top - New Look (old) 

Shoes: Converse - £50

I hope this helps out my fellow denim-skirt strugglers! I believe this skirt also comes in a gorgeous khaki colour (which I am definitely tempted to).

MY Sort of Trainers

Warning: todays post is short, it's basically just an appreciation post. 

I'm not going to lie to you all, these trainers squeak like a bitch...but they're so beautiful I can deal with it. You have to wear little 'pop socks' or something with them, else they are a little painful to start with, but they do break in, thank the lord!

I love wearing them with an all black outfit just to add a pop of fun to the outfit. I'm also dying to wear them with my new black denim skirt and a blush pink crop; I think they'll look so cute together.

Link  - WAS £35, NOW £28 

If anyone has any other pretty trainer recommendations please let me know!

I've Graduated and I Feel Lost...

I'm sure I am not the only person in this position, but hey, I just graduated and I feel completely lost. University has, without a doubt, been the best experience of my life, but I cannot help but feel slightly overwhelmed at the sheer number of opportunities available, and be disheartened by the number of jobs I have applied for and not heard anything back from. I feel as though I am the only person who feels this way, as I have many friends who have just graduated but have found their path. 

Let me share some photos from my graduation day before I ramble any more...

Graduates, in my opinion, are given really limited help when it comes to finding jobs after they graduate, and no one really tells you that you're pretty much going to be earning the same as someone who didn't go to University. It is such a myth that those people who go to University get "better paid jobs" than those who don't (in a lot of cases). The majority of the jobs I have been applying for haven't even required a degree, and are paying no more than £20,000 - excuse me if I don't think that's a huge amount considering I've spent £27,000 on studying alone?! Don't get me wrong, I don't at all regret going to University, it was the biggest learning experience for me, and not just in the sense of lectures etc. I learnt so much about myself as a person, and developed hugely in terms of confidence, and for that, the debt of going to University will always be worth it to me. Oh, and I also met the best friends I could ever ask for.

I know I am not the only one in this position, although it may feel like everyone around me has moved on and isn't struggling with this, but I wanted to write this little rant/post so that others of you out there don't feel alone. I think I am going to take the rest of August slowly, applying for jobs which I am generally interested in, and if it comes to it, I will just get a part time job on the side. I'm a firm believer in 'good things come to those who wait', so maybe if I am a little more patient something will come my way.

P.S. Congratulations to those of you who have also recently graduated!

My Thoughts: L'Oreal Fine Flowers Cleanser & Toner

I'm a sucker for new skincare and I'd be lying if I said the colour of these bottles didn't make me buy the new L'Oreal Fine Flowers Cleanser and Toner. I was in the market for a new toner anyway, as my Pixi Glow Tonic ran out, and I wasn't quite ready to fork out another £18 whilst I'm floating in the unemployed sea. These two were on offer at Superdrug, at only £3.99 each, and I have to say, so far I am very impressed.

I found the cleanser in particular to be very hydrating on the skin, which you would expect from a product which is aimed at dry skin. I've not used a cleanser that you don't need to wash off before, so this was a new experience. The instructions tell you to put the product on a cotton pad and wipe gently over the face, and let me tell you, I over-pumped the first time, a little goes a very long way with this. Overall, I feel that this cleanser removes my makeup, however there is always still a tiny amount of foundation that comes off when I use the toner, but that is probably down to stubborn foundation rather than the product. My skin never feels stripped after using this, and any excess moisture left behind always soaks in quickly.

Both the cleanser and the toner have a rose and jasmine scent, and I'd have to describe it as a very clean and not an overpowering scent, which is ideal on the face. I wouldn't say I have particularly sensitive skin, but it does lean more on the dry side so I can vouch for it being perfect for those of you with faces on the drier side of life. 

The toner has a very bizarre texture, it's not as liquidy and watery as most other toners I have used in the past, it has a slightly thicker consistency. Similarly with the cleanser, it does leave the skin feeling super moisturised, but any residue left on the skin soaks in fast. As I mentioned before, after I use the toner I really feel that all my makeup has finally been removed.

Overall my skin always feels so silky after using these two together, and that's before I apply a moisturiser on top. There's not been any drastic changes to my skin since using these, but I can definitely say my skin feels more hydrated, and much happier with me. 

I believe that there are four products in the Fine Flowers range altogether, including the Toner, Cleanser, Face Wipes and a Gel Cream Wash. I think I will be heading back to Superdrug to pick up the Gel Cream Wash if it's half as good as these two! 

The Power of Photoshop...

I think we all need to address something, the power of Photoshop. I'm sure we all spend hours scrolling through Instagram and flicking through magazines and seeing these beautiful women, with the smoothest skin and the tiniest waists, yet the most voluptuous curves. It's so easy to get caught up in the "why do I not look like that?", that we forget a lot of editing has taken place on the majority of images we see these days.

Here's a picture of me at the beach, which I was actually quite happy with, considering I had been in France for the past three days eating Croissants, Baguettes and god knows what other delicious carbs. I began to edit it to show you just how much someone can manipulate and change the way their body looks, in just a few seconds. I managed to get rid of my hip-dips I'm not so keen on, make my butt huge and my waist tiny in literally a few taps, it's mad.

How different does the picture on the right look? Aside from being rather inaccurately proportioned, it isn't actually to obvious that it has been edited. If I can edit this photo to manipulate my body shape, then just think how easy it is for others to do so.

Here's an example of my face, before and after being lightly airbrushed. 

I think we can confirm, that Photoshop has its perks.  I'm not saying that everyone in the world Photoshops their photos before posting them online, but we are all partial to at least a cheeky filter, and even those can completely change an image.

So next time you find yourself scrolling through social media and wondering why 'everyones skin is nicer' than yours, please remember, most people are probably airbrushing their photos, and I for one do, especially when I'm having a bad skin day. Embrace yourselves as you are, and remember that everyone has the same insecurities as someone else, just because someone may not appear to, it doesn't mean they don't. Oh, and if you want to Photoshop your photos guys, GO FOR IT, I'm in no way bashing it, I'm just reminding you all to embrace yourselves and your 'flaws'.

The Iconic Illuminator EVERYONE Is Talking About

If you don't watch Youtube and you for some bizarre reason don't have Instagram, you probably won't have heard of the brand 'Iconic'. They're a hugely popular, new, cosmetics brand, mostly known for their liquid illuminators. I found a discount code which gave me 40% off, if I recall correctly it was 'BAEDAY' (no idea if it still works but worth a try!), so I decided to see what all the hype was about.

Firstly, the illuminator drops come in three colours, Shine, Glow and Original, which is the shade I went for as I felt it would suit my skin tone more. After swatching I do have to say that Glow would probably have suited me more at the moment as I am still very tanned from holiday.

Iconic Illuminator on its Own 

Iconic Illuminator + MaryLouManizer

The pipette applicator makes the product really easy to apply, and let me just say that one drop goes a hell of a long way. I highly recommend applying the product to the back of your hand before applying it to the face, as it just makes it a little easier to blend out. I used my mini Real Techniques sponge to apply the illuminator, and I was shocked at the result. I've also used it mixed in with my moisturiser on a no-makeup day, and it made my skin look amazing.

The product blended out really well, and leaves a gorgeous sheen to the skin. It's not a glittery highlight as such, it's definitely more of a glow, which is what I prefer. However, if I am after a more intense look, I do go over the illuminator with a highlighter powder, and let me tell you I glow to the gods!

If you're after these Illuminator drops I highly suggest you buy them from the Iconic website, as although they don't offer free delivery, they always have discount codes which make the product a lot cheaper to buy directly through them rather than through other distributors.

Overall, these are definitely worth the hype!

Have you tried anything else from Iconic? I'm so keen to try some more from them.