REVISION MOTIVATION

I'm sure you will be aware by now that I have my GCSE's looming and I am sure many of you have exams too, whether they are GCSE's like me, A Levels or another exam. At the moment I am having a phase where I would much rather spend my day watching Netflix, eating chocolate and under a blanket but I'm trying to hold out until the evening of June 18th as that's when my exams officially finish. 

So how do you keep motivated when the exams are so close? Here are some tips...

GETTING MOTIVATED 

I have days where I have zero motivation at all, but I find what helps is to think about what I want to do in the future and what I need to do to get there, and this just helps to spur me on for a few hours. I find what really helps is doing small chunks of revision. I know myself that some days I feel so unmotivated I would much rather spend the day with my friends watching films or going shopping but I can do that every day in July if I really want to, I just need to wait a few more months.

TRY TO GET RID OF DISTRACTIONS

I like to listen to music whilst I revise so put my phone onto do not disturb, put my ear phones in and turn on my playlist. I put my laptop and iPad into a draw and ask my family to respect the fact that I am revising. Sometimes having my phone and iPad in the room with me urges me to go on them so you could ask a family member to look after a distraction until you have done some revision and then you can reward yourself after you have spent some time on your school work. 

SMALL GOALS

Set yourself small goals, spend 20 minutes on maths for example, take a 5 minute break then do a few practice questions. If you revise in smaller chunks you will feel so much happier knowing you have done a small amount of work than doing none at all because you are not motivated.

REWARDING YOURSELF 

I like to reward myself in between revision chunks by watching one of my favourite programmes or a video from my favourite YouTubers. I try to do 3 smaller chunks of revision with smaller breaks in between then take a bigger break, then after try to do some more smaller chunks. This way you will get quite a few subjects done, you don't feel under pressure and your brain can input the information into your long term store without displacing the information because you are trying to memorise too much. 

This is the third revision themed post that I have put up in the past few weeks, to check out my revision tips, click here, and my unwind routine for the exam season, click here. 

I now have some sad news to share :(. From this week I will be reducing my two posts per week schedule to one post per week on a Sunday until the end of June. This will allow me to get my revision out of the way without stressing that I have to write a blogpost. I am sure many of you will understand that your hobbies go out of the window when you have exams coming up. 

How do you keep yourself motivated when revising? 

Lauren

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NEXT TIME YOU POP INTO BOOTS...

I am definitely one of those people that heads into boots to get some cotton wool pads and comes out with a bag full of new things to try. And after a few trips to Boots, I have accumulated a few products which I have been loving recently...

The L'Oreal True Match Foundation is a perfect affordable base for any make-up look. It blends really easily into the skin and adds a hint of coverage masking any redness or imperfections. The only downside is that it tends to stick to dry patches but with a good moisturiser, that problem is easily fixed. 

Currently the Maybelline Colour Show Mono Eye-shadows have been my go-to eye product. My favourite of the two I own is Copper Fizz, a very wearable copper which gives a gorgeous wet-look to the eye. But there is also a perfect matte warm brown shade 'Stripped Nude' which I love placing in the crease of my eye with similar hue shimmer eye-shadows all over the lid. I have reviewed both the shades I own here-link. 

Another Maybelline product which I adore is their 24hr Colour Tattoo's. I wear them on a daily basis either on their own or as a base for eyeshadow. My collection is fastly growing and I now own three, Pink Gold which was my first purchase a shimmery pink with silver shimmer, On and On Bronze which is a gorgeous shimmery warm brown and Creamy Beige a satin warm brown which is not as shimmery as the others. At the moment I am getting the most use out of the two neutral shades, Creamy Beige and On and On Bronze. I would certainly recommend buying one from the vast colour range because they are easy to apply and blend.

Want to achieve natural brows in two seconds? Yes please! Then the Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Precision Shaping Pencil is your right hand man. Surprisingly I love the felt tip end and use it to create small hair-like strokes in my brows. (Full review here). The only downside is that it only comes in two shades, but we can get over that. 

Oh how I love the Sleek face form-light and get use out of it daily. I love the contour shade and how easy it is to sculpt cheekbones which were non existent in the first place. The blush is a perfect coral packed with golden shimmer which adds life and colour back into your cheeks and the highlighter is subtle but gives an effortless lit from within effect. 

What products have you been loving from Boots (or the drugstore) recently? 

Lauren 

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THE UNWIND ROUTINE

Whether your exams are on the horizon or you have had an extremely tiring and stressful day, we all have our ways of trying to de-stress and calm down. I know myself that the thought of 22 exams during the period of May and June is freaking me out, so I am sure that I will be using this routine as a pre and post exam relax and it looks like I am going to have to make a huge lush order to get me through...

STEP ONE: SKINCARE

I really enjoy removing my make-up particularly on a pamper evening because I use it as a time to try something new or different. One of my favourite make-up removal products is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This literally removes your make-up in seconds in a fuss free and non-irritating way. I then use my No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser and apply it onto my face using my fingers in upwards circular motions and remove it with a warm flannel, then splash my face with cold water and pat it dry with a clean towel. To remove any impurities left on my skin I apply the Garnier Fresh Refining Toner using a cotton pad. I don't use this toner on a daily basis as I find it quite harsh on the skin so I try to remember to use it twice a week to control excess oil. Finally, I use the Garnier Moisture Match Mattifying Fresh Cream as a moisturiser. It's important to remove your make-up before going into the bath because the steam opens pores.


STEP TWO: RUN YOURSELF A BATH

This step is pretty self-explanatory, start your bath tap running and find yourself a bath bomb, bubble bar or bath soak, grab your pyjamas and a book or something to occupy yourself. I try not to take my phone or tablet as I use the time to switch off and relax. I personally love using a bath bomb and I have chosen Butterball from Lush. A small white bathbomb which is packed full of all kinds of goodness, so the perfect bath time treat for your skin. I picked Butterball as well as some other Lush bathbombs in this haul-link. I also like to give my skin a good moisturise when I am out of the bath so will most likely use a body butter from The Body Shop or Soap and Glory as they are also very beneficial for the skin. 

STEP THREE: RELAX

It's completely up to you what you do after your bath but I like to read a magazine and listen to some music whilst eating chocolate because who doesn't love chocolate eh? This routine is all about you, so find something you enjoy doing like watching a film or TV programme, I recommend The Fault In Our Stars and Pretty Little Liars but I am sure they will not be to everyone's taste!

This post is in collaboration with Emma who has written an exam themed motivational post about how to believe in yourself during the exam season on her blog, Have a Cup of Tea-link. It's a long one so grab yourself a cuppa, see what I did there? 

What do you like to do after a stressful day?

Lauren

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5 TIPS: FOR BLOGGERS

Now that I have been blogging for a year it's about time I shared the tips that I have picked up along the way. Blogging can be extremely rewarding but trust me it's not an easy road and there have been times where bloggers block hits (otherwise known as writers block) and I struggle to string a sentence together. 

That leads us nicely onto my first tip, keep going. Having the motivation to post weekly and have fresh ideas can be difficult so choose one or two days that you ant to publish a post on per week (on days that will work for you-which you can always change) and whenever you want to post more you can increase that number or decrease them when it's not going too well. I'm sure your readers will appreciate one amazing blogpost per week rather than two half hearted ones. 

Now this is a tip I don't often see mentioned and it is utilising bloglovin'. I love the bloglovin app, I browse for hours looking for new blogs to follow and I find it's a great way to find inspiration for new content. I use the option for saving posts and separate them into categories one for blog photography tips, blog content ideas and any useful blog related resources. 

I need to pay more attention to this tip, use social media. It is difficult to manage Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook accounts all for your blog, as well as keeping in the loop of your personal ones. On a Sunday afternoon I like to schedule all of my tweets for the week ahead using the Hootsuite app. Try and stay active on all of your social media, this just helps your blog links to be constantly advertised-allowing people to always find your content. 

Blue tac will be your best friend when taking photos. There's nothing worse when trying to take a photo of a product and it won't stop rolling around. I secure my products with a little bit of blue tac and they stay still so I can take the photo and it doesn't damage the product or background either.

Utilise your phones note page is yet another helpful tip. Whenever I am on the go and an idea for a blogpost pops into my mind the first thing I do is jot it down on my phones note page. Sometimes the ideas don't amount to much but it's useful to jot them down because it could add to another blogpost. It's always annoying when you have a great idea but forget what it was a few hours later.

If you're looking for another tips related post, check this one out, balancing school with blogging-link.

Do you have any blog related tips?

Lauren

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THE SUNDAY FACE

I always think of Sunday's as a day to catch up on some rest before a new week begins. I often spend my Sunday's taking blogpost photos, typing up my posts for the week as well as giving my room a little tidy (it's surprising how messy it gets in a week!) and of course school work. 

I don't really have to wear make-up at all if I am spending my day inside, but here are the products I put onto my face if my plans change...

At the moment, I have been really loving wearing the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation. It makes a great base and can be easily built up in areas that need more coverage, so I often use it instead of concealer! I don't see the need on Sunday's for setting my make-up, I much prefer having a natural glow to my skin, so I skip that step and move onto adding a bit of colour into my cheeks. I don't rave about the Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette 'Streak' enough on my blog. It contains all you need for pretty spring/summer cheeks. I start by sweeping the bronzer under my cheekbones for a natural contour and to add some warmth, then I add some of the gorgeous peachy pink blush to the apples of my cheeks and the golden shimmery highlighter to my cheekbones. 

Currently I have been loving wearing a subtle copper shimmer eye look as I find it really compliments my eye colour and is an easy look to achieve. I start by applying some of the Rimmel Kate Eye Crayon 'Rose Gold' to my eye lids and blend it with my finger, then I apply some of the Maybelline Colour Show Mono Eyeshadow 'Copper Fizz' all over my lid and it adds a gorgeous wet-look to the eye which lasts all day. I find this look really opens up tired eyes and makes me instantly look awake and ready to go. (It's also easy to achieve if you're in a rush as it takes two seconds to blend). Benefit's new launch the Roller Lash has been my go-to mascara recently because it adds lots of length to my eye lashes without making them clumpy or spider like. 

I have been really enjoying filling in my brows recently and even though they are not as amazing as Cara Delevingne's (and they probably never will be!) I have been experimenting filling in them slightly differently. One product which I have found works wonders on my brows is the Billion Dollar Brows 'Hint of a tint' tinted brow gel*. Although I found the concept of it slightly scary at first, the colour is a direct match to my natural hair colour and suits me really well. I also love the fact that it doesn't make my eye brows look or feel crunchy or stiff. 

Finally, I finish the look by using the Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon 'Proudly Naked' which adds a hint of colour to the lips-this has been another one of my go-to products recently because I love how easy it is to apply, you don't necessarily have to look in  a mirror to touch up and it's a subtle but gorgeous shade! 

What make-up products do you like to wear on a Sunday?

Lauren

*PR sample

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BEAUTY LOVES: MARCH

Another month of 2015 has flown by which means another round up of my monthly beauty favourites is on the cards. 

As I am a teenager, I don't see any need in caking my skin in a thick layer of a high coverage foundation. This month I have been wearing the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation-£7.99 frequently because it adds a layer of coverage to any redness and spots, not to mention how it sits weightlessly on the skin. Half a pump gives my whole face a light coverage and it is easily build-able to a medium coverage on any problematic areas. 

To achieve a natural base you need the right tools, therefore the Real Techniques Stippling Brush-£11.99 is my go-to brush when blending in foundation or concealer. It buffs the product really nicely into the skin and isn't harsh or scratchy when blending. I find that it works well with both cream and powder products, so if I go a little too heavy with blush or when contouring, I can go over it with this brush and it will sort out any mishaps. 

Eye-shadows are my one weakness and I am always looking for new ones to try and one that I can't stop wearing at the moment is the Maybelline Colour Show Eyeshadow 'Copper Fizz'-£4.99. It's perfect for those lazy days when you can't be bothered to blend out 4 different eye-shadows in the crease of your eye and makes a great throw on and go product. If you want to read more, I have written a full review which you can find here. 

I am one of those people that blushes quite easily and I often find myself going red about the smallest things, so when I am going for a blush shade I find I get on well will the subtle corals with a golden sheen, I love products which add a little something to the cheeks and I find that the Nars Blush 'Orgasm'-£23.00 does just that and it has been a product which I have been reaching for frequently during March.

For once I have a lip product to share and the Bourjois Colour Boost 'Proudly Naked'-£7.99 has been a shade that I have been pairing with every make-up look since I picked it up a few weeks ago. It's a lip crayon with the moisturising properties of a lip balm, the shine of a lip gloss and the pigmentation of a lipstick. It's very sheer, so perfect for the minimalistic lip lovers like me and it is another one of those throw on and go products which end up in the bottom of your handbag. 

Are there any stand out products that you have been using in March?

Lauren

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