VIDEO: 10 Basic Beauty Tips Pt. 1 - 5 Things I Do

Hi Everyone!

I was watching Avia (The Sparkleicious)'s 'Top 10 Basic Beauty Tips' video, which inspired me to create a little 2 part series. It was the emphasis of personal preference that really triggered this. I realised that there are a number of things that I don't do but could easily be classed as pretty basic! With this in mind, I decided that I would film Part 1 as a 'Things I Do' video & Part 2 as 'Things I Don't Do (But Probably Should!).

So here is my 1st instalment!

I'd love to know what your basic beauty tips are! 

Tania Xx

Why I Wear Precision Tinted Lenses

Hi Everyone!

So you may have noticed a little change to my profile pic. What’s more obvious than the change in the length of my hair is that I’m wearing my precision tinted lenses. I thought what better way to address this than in a post on my health blog.

You may have already read my 'Embracing My Differences' post, discussing the blogging persona I created & why it wasn’t a true representation of myself. I was going to wait until launching my parenting blog to change my profile pic (along with a new blog design), but a couple of things made me re-think this. So I thought I’d use this post to tell you a little about the three reasons I wear my glasses. Where relevant, other posts will be linked. I don’t want to talk too much about the lenses themselves & the colourimetry test that is used to determine the colour of the lenses, as I am planning a video to focus purely on this.

Me on the way to an event - I'd never have been able to go had it not been for my glasses (the hat helped minimise the amount of light my eyes were exposed to aswell!)

Migraine – I suffer with Photosensitive Basilar Type Migraine, a rare form of migraine that affects the area of the brain situated at the base of the skull that is responsible of consciousness. What this means is that my chronic migraine (I’ve had a constant migraine since I was 11) can cause me to loose consciousness. The photosensitivity is the trigger that aggravates my migraine & is the sole reason for my loss of consciousness. I have two migraine posts, one on 'What Are They?' (symptoms) & 'Casuses & Triggers'. I plan to write a post specifically about Basilar Type migraine soon.

My migraine was the initial reason for my getting precision tinted lenses.

Mears-Irlen Syndrome – A visual perception disorder where the visual pathways between the eyes & the brain are interfered with by certain wavelengths of light. This condition is also known as Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, Pattern Glare & Visual Stress.

Dyslexia – Dyslexia is specific learning difficulty. I am both visually & aurally dyslexic. For me, this means that I have difficulty processing both written & spoken communication. As a result, my memory is poor (not helped by my migraine & other chronic pain either!). I can read a passage out loud or listen to spoken instructions & remember very little of it. I filmed a video on 'My Experiences With Dyslexia' for #DyslexiaAwarenessMonth.

I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that my symptoms for each of these (symptoms is probably not the best word when referring to dyslexia but lets roll with it!) are at least twice as bad if not more when I’m not wearing my glasses compared with when I am.

So that’s why I wear my glasses! I wouldn’t have been able to do numerous things if I didn’t have them. I count myself lucky that I was able to get them & that my family, friends & school were so supportive.

I wanted to be able to share the real me with you all, as you’ve always been so supportive of me!

Tania Xx

P.S. Precision tinted lenses can be used for a number of other conditions too!

Follow 4 Follow Anyone? My thoughts On The F4F Culture

Hi Everyone!

So just to warn you, this is likely to be a controversial post. The subject of which is the F4F/sub4sub culture. This post may come across as a rant. It isn’t meant that way. Neither is it aimed at anyone in particular. I’d also like to ask that, while everyone is entitled to their own opinion, if you wish to express yours in the comment section, please keep in mind the feelings of others. So with all that being said…

I have received a growing number of follow4follow & sub4sub requests (on Instagram & YouTube). Some of these take the form of ‘follow4follow?’ others are along the lines of ‘I really love your account! Follow for follow?’ These in particular annoy me. The person has stated that they like my account. But, they don’t like my account enough to follow it. Unless… I follow them first.

Is it just me or, reading between the lines, does this actually say ‘I’d like to have you as a follower & in return, I’d be prepared to follow you’? Lets assume you were to follow them. How do you know that they won’t unfollow you a week later?

Let’s take another example. I posted a picture on my Instagram account related to a YouTube video that had gone up that day. I received a comment saying something along the lines of ‘I’m a YouTuber too! I’d love it if you’d subscribe to my channel. I’ll subscribe back.’ Interestingly, I looked back at the comment for this post & it’s has been removed by it’s author! I recognised the name & checked my YouTube subscription & low & behold I was already subscribed. I swiftly unsubscribed.

There are also those comments that try to disguise with compliments the fact that they are, essentially, F4Fs. I received a lovely message from a YouTuber with a significant number of subscribers. She had taken the time to message me to thank me for being the only person in the whole week not to have asked her to check their channel out or subscribe to them. She then went on to say that as a result, she had gone to my channel, checked out my videos & subscribed!

We, by nature, seek the company of others. When at school we there’s an emphasis on being popular. This continues, all be it more subtly, into adulthood. I understand that naturally what happens in ‘real life’ transfers into ‘internet life’, as it is what the individuals in question know. What I don’t understand is the need to validate yourself by asking people to follow you. Is it not a little desperate? Personally, I would much prefer to converse with others & allow my thoughts & opinions (one of the reasons I love Twitter chats is that you get to chat to loads of people to talk to!) to be the reason people check out my material & if they like it, subscribe/follow.

I really hope this hasn’t offended anyone. I appreciate all points of view (you never know – there might well be something I haven’t factored in which changes my mind!).

Do F4Fs/sub4subs put you off?

Do you do F4Fs/sub4subs & if so, what are your thoughts & experiences?

Tania Xx

VIDEO: Chatty GRWM & OOTD

Hi Everyone!

So Dan & I were invited to a get together at a friends house for a 'Games Evening' & I thought I'd film a chatty GRWM & OOTD for you all!

We had a great time! We started off playing games inspired by TV show 'The Cube'. The instructions & timer were put together from YouTube videos that our host had on her phone & played via Apple TV to her TV screen. Getting a coin out of the bottom of each leg of a pair of tights & flipping 2 teabags onto the brim of a baseball cap were probably the most hilarious! It ended in a tie break - this was decided by one team member throwing marshmallows into a plastic cup on the head of their team mate. The team who managed to get the most marshmallows won.

We then moved into the dining room & played the 'Game For Fame' which I can highly recommend! Another team game in which accents, acting & lyric writing were among the tasks to be carried out! As well as working with your team member to move round the board, you also work against them to get the largest amount of money (in the form of cheques) by winning tasks. My genius moment came when my team had to write a poem to advertise new fragrance 'Stench'. My team member came up with a two liner that rhymed 'stench' with 'wench'. Being less than confident with most things literary, I decided to use a poem from Blackadder Goes Forth - Balderick's 'The German Guns'. Everyone was creased over laughing before I'd got 1/2 way through & once everyone had settled a bit Dan made me continue so that he could do Blackadder's line to finish the skit!

Have you ever been to a games evening?
What type of games did you play?

Tania Xx


Products used:
Benefit Porfessional
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ocre
Estee Lauder Disappear Smoothing Creamy Concealer in Light
Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder in 01
Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eyeshadow in Alloy
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Holy Smokes from The Sexiest Nudes Ever eye kit
Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe
Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush 03
MUA Clear Mascara
L'Oreal Glam Shine Stain Splash in Lolita

Makeup Revolution Blushing Heart in Candy Queen Of Hearts - Review

Hi Everyone!

I’ve had my eye on the Sweetheart blushes from Too Faced for the longest time, but couldn’t justify parting with £24! I’ve not used a ‘3-in-1’ type colour product before & didn’t know whether I’d get on with it. So imagine my delight when I found that Makeup Revolution’s I <3 Makeup range contained dupes of all three of Too Faced’s offerings!

I picked up one of these, the shade Candy Queen Of Hearts – a dupe for Too Faced's Candy Glow.

The pigmentation of the three colours is fantastic & the powder feels so soft! My concern about mixing the three colours together was unfounded. When applied this blusher gives a healthy glow - I’m so glad I picked it up! Application is smooth & the three colours blend together beautifully.

For your £4.99 you get 5g of product. In comparison to this, the Too Faced blushes are £24 for 5.5g! Quite a jump in price!

I found the packaging, again a dupe of Too Faced’s blushers to be cute but lacking in quality. When I bought mine the paper covering the cardboard was not fully stuck down (admittedly it was the last one of this shade on the shelf!). This is something really small & can be fixed with a little glue, I’ve seen worse from more expensive brands.

As well as the Candy Queen Of Hearts blusher, I <3 Makeup have two other shades in their range – Blushing Heart (Something About Berry) & Peachy Keen (Peach Beach). I’ve heard people complaining that Makeup Revolution & their I <3 Makeup line don’t do anything new & just copy other brands. I would argue that actually this in itself is their unique selling point (USP). No other brand replicates products to such high a quality for so little money. If Makeup Revolution were available when I first started wearing makeup I don’t know whether I would’ve even looked at highend makeup – a bold statement for me!

Have you bought one of the Too Faced blushes? What do you think of them?

What have your experiences been of this blusher & other products from the I <3 Makeup brand?

Have you purchased both the Too Faced blusher & the I <3 Makeup dupe? If so have you found them comparable?

I’d love to know your thoughts!

Tania Xx

INGREDIENTS:

Mica, Talc, Dimethicone, Nylon 12, Magnesium Aluminium Silicate, Mathylparaben, Propylparaben (+/-) CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 77499, CI 15850, CI 19140, CI 15985, CI 77742

VIDEO: Empties #3

Hi Everyone!

I've collected all the interesting products I've used up so I could show you what I thought about them & whether I'd repurchase them or not to help you all make informed decisions about your purchases.

I hope you find it useful. If you've had a different experience to me, please do let me know in the comments, I'd really appreciate it!

Goodwill Hair Serum review
Spot The Difference: L'Oreal Skin Perfection Cleansing Wipes post

Tania Xx

Walk A Mile In My Shoes Before You Judge Me (Or Anyone With Chronic Illness)!

Hi Everyone!

The aim of this post is two fold. I want to get my feelings down on paper & then move on. The other it to let people know that they are not alone – whether it be people judging them as to how sick they are, commenting on their weight or anything else where one person is made to feel bad about themselves. I’m also hoping this post will get people thinking about how their actions might be perceived by others, even if it is not in the intended way.

I’m in the initial throws of another phase of fatigue. I’m sure you’ll all be able to understand how much the situation I found myself in upset me.

I popped in to Lidl to pick up some chocolate, as it’s the only place I can get chocolate that doesn’t contain dairy & is a reasonable price! I buy in bulk so I don’t have to walk down too often, particularly in the cold.

The staff know me by sight as I’m in there at least once a week. The assistant on the till today asked me if I had a sweet tooth, a friendly question. He followed it up by saying he was surprised I had any teeth left! Still in a friendly manner. I told him that I crave sugar because of my meds. “Fair enough” he said.  “Not really” I replied, “I’ve put on 2 & 1/2st as a result!” All very friendly. It was at this point the woman behind me tutted!

I know looking back on it, she could have been tutting about anything. It really felt it was aimed at me though.

As I walked home, my brain was going into overdrive with thoughts like like ‘how dare she?’ & ‘what does she think gives her the right to judge me!’ It was this last thought that prompted me to write this post.

She doesn’t know me. She doesn’t know how ill I was before I started on Gabapentin. She also doesn’t know that I have lost 12lb & at my heaviest was 11st 10lb!

At the end of the day, if I dwell on her judgment of me it will only upset me, which won’t solve anything. This was something my Dad used to tell me when I was upset & I’ve only just been able to understand its importance!

So I’m going to put my Dad’s advice to good use by writing about my experience & then forgetting all about it. My friends & family accept & support me. Why should I care what other people think of me!?! After all, you could be the juiciest, ripest peach & there’ll always be someone who doesn’t like peach!

Have you found yourself in a situation where you’re being judged because of your condition?

How have/would you deal with it?

I hope you’re all having a low pain, low fatigue day!

Tania Xx