The secrets to clear skin

Over the past few years I have tried so many different products for my face to get rid of spots and break outs and NOTHING ever seemed to work for me. It used to drive me insane because I used to spend so much money on buying products.. so I thought I would look more into what I could do or what I need to stop doing in order to get spot-free skin so I thought I would share with you some of the things I have done that have really helped me out over the past few years and I have included things that are REALLY important and what you should always do if you don't want any spots!!!

Number one: ALWAYS keep your face clean.. that seems silly but try and wash your face more than twice a day such as in the middle of the day too. Sometimes it is best just to use water and use a simple face scrub. 

Number two: Never keep touching your face with your hands!!!! Your hands will contain all sorts of germs and dirt and that will cause spots.. every time you touch your face you will be rubbing that into your skin and grease and dirt lead to spots so try not to touch your face through-out the day even though it may be tempting.

Number three: This may seem silly.. But what you eat and drink has a big effect on your skin. Greasy food and obviously things like chocolate contain things that will break you out in spots! Try and eat healthy things and stay away from greasy foods and that will keep your spots under control.

Number four: Always change your pillow cases regularly. When you lie on your pillow at night the grease and dirt from your hair go onto your pillow and if you lie on your side it can end up on your face! It is really important to change them regularly so your face will stay clean over night.

Number five: when you wear make up always make sure you get it all off properly at the end of the night. Make sure you use make up wipes, and clean your face well making sure that all make up is off your face because over night it will irritate your skin and that is another way you may get spots.

Number six: DRINK WATER!! if you drink enough water can be so good for your skin.. It actually does help. Water is your best friend if you want to have nice skin!!

Be careful what products you use as some can contain oils which can irritate your face even more! Also if you have sensitive skin you can use ones that are kinder on your skin :)

Your spots will not disappear over night.. it will take time but if you look after your skin, eat well and drink water then they will get better!! Spots don't make you ugly either. We're just human and everybody gets them.. if somebody bullies you because you have spots then ignore them. A lot of teenagers get them as our hormones change so do not worry if you suddenly have a break out of spots. Remember, spots aren't forever and you will get rid of them.. don't let them bring you down.

Anxiety and depression.

 14.02.2014.

What is anxiety and depression?

I don't like calling them a 'mental illness' even though that is what they are. Anxiety is a feeling where you worry an extreme amount.. even if you're going out for the day.. It makes you feel really nervous and it makes you over think even to the extent where you start thinking things that aren't even true. You start to have 'panic attacks' which is where you start to panic that much you start shaking, sweating and experience breathing problems which can be an extremely scary experience for you, and those around you. Depression is a feeling where you just feel empty and all alone even if they are people around you. You can even get symptoms where you stop eating or you start to have insomnia or you begin to sleep too much. You start to spend most of your day crying and just feeling extremely down. There are a lot of different symptoms for these and many more.. It certainly affects people in many different ways.

Anxiety and depression is something that I've always suffered with through my life and I think it is something that isn't taken seriously enough. I know that I am one of many that suffer from these and it really does affect your life an extreme amount.. even if you don't have severe anxiety and depression it can make life really difficult for you and it can be even worse if people don't understand how you feel.

My anxiety started when I always felt extremely nervous with even the most normal day to day things and some times I just couldn't cope with things and I'd make any excuse just to stay in and get away from it all because staying in was where I was most happy and felt most comfortable. It was worst in public places or around people that I didn't know.. I'd start to feel extremely panicky and I'd just automatically feel like I didn't fit in, even if that wasn't the case and it was all 'in my mind.. Then it began to get worse and worse and I realised that this wasn't a normal thing, but I felt so weird telling people about it that I tried to keep it all to myself and that didn't help at all. 

Depression can mean so many different things.. It's when you feel empty in side and every-day is just effort and there is nothing at all that can make you happy. I first realised I had this last year (2013) and it was such a hard thing to deal with.. Nobody understood how I felt and I didn't really know who to turn to, so I tried to deal with it all on my own. Leaving college and finding it extremely hard to find a job made things difficult for me and then an extreme hard break up where the boy liked somebody else just started it all off and because it all happened at once I just hit rock bottom, after a while I just couldn't cope any more. I stopped eating, and sleeping was so hard at night and it actually got to the point where I thought.. Do I want to live any more? Because I really didn't see any way out of how I felt. Going to the doctors was also a complete waste of time.. I got told to ring this number and they said I'd have an 'over the phone' appointment with some woman in around 2 months time.. for somebody who has depression hearing that you are going to talk to somebody in 2 months time does not help in any way at all and it was completely useless. When the woman actually did ring she asked me a few questions like "what starts your depression" and absolute pointless stuff that was no help at all. Then I was told I'd have an appointment to see a counsellor in a month or two. At first I thought wow, I am going to see a counsellor... I can't tell anybody about this because people will think I'm such a weird person etc so I kept it all to myself (even from my parents who had no clue about this) the only person that knew about it was a friend who I spoke to at the time. It was such a horrible experience for me, every day was such a drag and I'd feel so empty inside and every minute felt like an hour. But I can tell you now.. it doesn't have to be forever, you can get over it, all it takes is time. 

If you know somebody that suffers from anxiety or depression:

Be patient with them, don't get angry with them!!! Don't just say "oh cheer up" or "it will be alright" and expect them to feel 10000x better because that won't work. You need to sit them down and talk to them.. If they are having an anxiety attack give them water and don't over-load them with questions.. Just sit them down in a quiet place until they feel better again. If you are close to somebody who is suffering with depression or anxiety then it may be a good idea to do some research. Try and understand what they are and what can be done to help them. Remember to give them time, these things don't just go away over night and can be really difficult to over-come so the key thing is being patient. 

What to do if you have anxiety/anxiety attacks?

Take it step by step.. Think about what starts your anxiety off. If you get anxious about going out on your own.. Take short trips alone such as going to the shop or just for a quiet walk around the park, if you start to feel nervous stop and take a few deep breaths and think to yourself that you can do it and that nothing bad is going to happen to you. It can be a hard thing to control so don't feel angry if you feel as though you can't do it. Whenever you feel like you are panicking.. just take a few moments to breath and tell your self that you are going to be alright and do something to take your mind of it. Take a drink of water with you. In the end, things will get better and you will be able to control it! 

What to do if you have depression?

Never ever ever give up. You never know what the future may be like and things will get better for you! Keeping busy is a really good thing to do.. Go out with your friends as much as you can.. If that isn't possible take walk at the park and listen to some music. Start a new hobby or join a gym, read a book or do a new college course. Don't sit at home and think about everything because that will make it worse! Never be too hard on your self, these things take time to get over but you will do it eventually. Think of the future and write down things that you would like to achieve in life and think of ways to get success. Talk to people about it, don't be ashamed.. It is a common thing and happens to a lot of people and you aren't a bad person if you suffer with this. Family and friends will always be there for you because they love you.. Try and make them understand how you feel because you will feel so much better when you feel like you can talk to somebody about it.

If you ever feel down or upset and have nobody to talk too I always am available to talk to any of you. Please tweet me my username is @amieylaureenx you never should feel alone.

My favourite make up products and techniques.

I love make up and I am obsessed with trying different brands and I am forever trying new techniques. But, One thing I hate about make up products are the price! I know in these days there are a lot of people that struggle to be able to afford 'expensive make up' and all these designer products that all these celebrities seem to use. It doesn't have to be that complicated because I have found some pretty affordable make up products that you can all use and it won't break your bank account! So if you're interested in make up, or you simply just fancy a read.. Check this out. 



Cheap and amazing products that I love! 




Firstly, I'd like to start off with recommending the Rimmel London foundation. I have been using this foundation for such a long time.. I just love it. There are plenty of different shades so you can find your perfect one and also it gives you a good coverage for bad skin and it doesn't start to feel 'heavy' and 'greasy' through out the day. It also is kind to your skin and won't bring you out in spots if you use it every- day like me.. which is what I love about this foundation! It makes your skin look smooth and it does not make you look 'orange' like some foundations do!! It is defenitly a must buy and also.. wait for it.. It's only £7.99. How brilliant? A perfect foundation that keeps your skin looking fresh throughout the day for under a tenner? Yes please!

Yes here is a picture of me with the foundation on! I use the 'nude' shade.

 Another favourite of mine are the MUA make up products which are available from Super drug (and probably every store that sells make up in your local town) but if you are unable to find any then they do have a website that you can order them off! But superdrug forever have a buy one get one free sale for these products so I would recommend that shop for these products!!

I have recently tried the eye-shadow palette and I was so impressed. The colours are strong and they blend really easily. The darker colours are my favourite and I use them on a day to day basis and I will usually blend a few darker colours together. Every colour is strong and even the lighter colours stand out clearly which I love.. The 'blue' is perfect for a nice summer day when you want your make up to stand out! The darker colours are also perfect for a winters day when you want that 'smoky eye look' so this palette has a lot to offer and can be used for many different occasions. The palettes are only £4.00 and have a range of different colours. Personally, I think that these are just as good as the 'naked' pallete at a much affordable price. The eye-liner is also really effective and I prefer this one to the Rimmel London eyeliner and it is a lot more affordable! 

Calling all Nail Varnish lovers!!!..

As a girly girl, I love trying different nail varnishes and I'm forever painting my nails different colours.. So i thought I would share my favourite brand with you!!

It was a certain must that I mention my love for 'Models-Own' Nail varnish!! This is a really popular brand and I've heard a lot of people rave about all the different varnishes so I thought I would give them a go!! With nail varnishes I find that some just don't stay on and easily come off but with this brand I've found that it does last a long time! They also do a good range of different colours which I love so you have a good choice of what to buy (the ones with glitter are on certainly my favourite)

Have you ever dreamed of dark smoky eyes but are too afraid to use liquid eye liner? Well I have just the trick!! 

So for ages and ages, I've practised using liquid eyeliner and I can never get it in a 'straight line' or one eye would be different to the other.. Or i'd just look like a complete freak. So I decided to try something different. Here is a step by step guide on achieving  that perfect eyeliner stroke!! :-)

Things you will need: Black eye shadow, the number 6 No7 Make up brush (or any thin make up brush that will allow you to a straight line)

Step 1: Get your make up brush and add some black eye shadow on to the brush 

Step 2: Close one of your eyes and gently run it across your eye where the eye line is ( just above your eye lashes) 

Step 3: Add some more black eye shadow on to your brush and then add a flick on to the end.

Step 4: Repeat this on the other eye (obviously) and then go over it until it is dark enough!

Then you are DONE!! It's a lot more simple that having liquid eyeliner as that requires a lot of patience(something I don't have) I'm sure this technique will be a lot easier!!

If you are wondering.. Where do I get the black eye shadow from? Where do I get the brush from? Then don't worry. There is a black eye shadow included in the MUA Make up palette but they are also available from different make up stores. I use the No7 Make up brush set which is also available from boots/super drug or any beatties store(They are really worth the price!)

Blending eye shadow..

This is something I always get asked about.. It can be really tricky and it does require a lot to get the right look! First what you need to do is make sure that you have the right brushes.. as some will not do the job correctly. My favourite make up brushes are the No7 brushes.. (they aren't even that expensive for the set - check them out). The second thing you need to remember is picking the right colours.. you need to think about what is going to blend right as some will just create a really weird colour and you don't want that. My favourite colours to blend are dark browns and cream colours. Start off with putting the dark colour just above your eyelashes and then use your blending brush and gently rub the colours together on your eye.. be careful not to use too much of the darker eye shadow as this will take over the lighter colour and then it will just look a little crazy. If you want a summer look a pink and blue really go well together. Start off with putting the blue above your eyelashes and then put the pink just above and mix them together in the middle (this is so hard to explain) But trust me it works and looks great in those summer days.. Or even if you're off out with your friends and need a bright colourful look! Try them out.

What eye-shadow is best for your eye colour?

It is always best to go opposite to what your eye colour is on the colour wheel. If you have blue eyes.. darker colours will make your eyes stand out more such as dark browns/dark green. If you have dark eyes go for something bright like a pale pink. I also think that practising at home in your spare time is always useful.. Practice blending and try different colours. Don't be afraid to try new things! It may end up looking really nice.

I've tried to keep this blog pretty simple and just give you a few idea's.. Please leave me a comment on what you think and what your idea's are I would love to know! 

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