Feel Unique and Cult Beauty

I've been meaning to get my hands on the Becca Jaclyn Hill collab, Champagne Pop highlighter but I didn't want to get it in Sephora as it would have cost me a lot to get it shipped. So when I heard from Kaushal that it's now available at Cult beauty, I knew I had to place an order. 

But then I also remembered that Huda Beauty just launched her lashes on the Cult beauty site so it was appropriate for me to purchase one of her lashes. I decided to go for one of her most loved items which is Giselle #1. I think they're a bit too big for me but I'll just trim them down. I really cant wait to try these two products out!

From Feel Unique, I finally got some items that have been on my wishlist for a long time. The first is the setting spray that everyone raves about and now it's finally mine! I also show a couple of youtubers wear the Matte Revolution lipstick in 1993 and I thought it looked really pretty, like an everyday nude toned colour which is something that I've currently been obsessed with. The last Urban Decay I brought was the Glide on travel set with 5 shades of eyeliner. I'm really gutted that I missed out on the 10 piece set that they had last year as I would have gotten a lot more colours with that one but I'm still really glad that I finally have some of the most talked about eyeliners ever! 

I seriously can't wait to use these products in everyday life and tutorials. 

Cult beauty:

1. Becca: Champagne Pop- £30

2. Huda Beauty: Giselle #1- £12 

Feel Unique:
1. Urban Decay: All Nighter Setting Spray- Original Price: £21. Sale Price: £18.90. I got it for £17.22 because I get an extra 10% discount for all urban decay products which I was able to chose after doing a little survey about myself on the feel unique website. 
2. Urban Decay: Matte Revolution Lipstick in 1993- Original Price: £15.50. Sale Price: £13.95. I got it for £12.27.
3. Urban Decay: 24/7 Travel Size Pencil Set in Cosmic- Original Price: £25. Sale Price: £17.50. I got it for £15.82. 

I LOVE SAVING MONEY! 

Thank you for reading and see you next time!

Designer Wishlist

As you can tell from the title, I am going to be talking about my top 5 designer products wishlist that I have always wanted. 

1. Christian Louboutin So Kate: Need I say more? But seriously, one day, I'm going to have a kylie Jenner collection of these heels and that is the dream. Truly, I've told myself not to set goals on what I want in my life as a career because that always changes depending on circumstances but the dream is to be able to afford your own louboutins.  Price: £425

2. Valentino Rockstud leather Pumps: Just look at them! What can I really say about these? They are studded, they have a very flattering style to them which helps you feet look pretty and they make you feel confidence. So, why wouldn't you want to splash some cash on something that will boost your confidence and make you stand taller? Price: £650 

3. Alexander Wang Rocco: Most beauty bloggers have this bag and they are not wrong to like it. It's got gold studs at the bottom, it's oval shaped and the interior is beautiful. Price: £775.

4. Chanel No. 5 Perfume: This is such a cult perfume that all women know of but it doesn't necessarily mean that we can all afford to buy it. My theory is that it is only perfume so do I really want to spend £70-£100 just a spray? The truth is, I want to but that feels like a slap in the face to spend so much money on perfume. The highest I've ever spend on perfume is around £25 and not a pence above it. I have mixed feelings about this because part of me wants it and the other part of me, thinks its absolutely ridiculous to spend so much on just a bit of fragranced water. Price: £70

5. Michael Kors Rose Gold Watch: This is a beautiful watch! It would be amazing if I could hopefully buy this for my birthday! I love how the rose gold and the white plated design clash together and the watch blings with silver stones embedded into the wheel of the watch. It just looks so classy and sophisticated and worth the drama! Price: £229

I hope you enjoyed this and let me know what your designer wishlist is. I also hope you're enjoying my Top 5 series as I have a lot more of them coming soon. 

Thank you and see you next time!

Female Youtubers

Well, hello, and welcome back to my blog. So today, is a continuation of my Top 5 series and as you can tell by the title, I am going to be talking about my top 5 female youtubers. Now, you have to keep in mind that I do watch a lot of youtubers but the channels I am mentioning today are what got me into blogging and youtube. So, in no particular order, I shall start. I've decided to even go through my Like videos playlist on youtube to kind of get an idea of when I started watching each of the youtubers I will mention (mind you, there is around 2500 likes so it will take me a while).

1. Zoella AKA Zoe Sugg- I've had my youtube subscription since 2010 but I'm pretty sure I started watching her videos around 2011/2012 but from my liked list, the first video I did like of her's is her How To: Milkmaid Braid Up do- which was the hairstyle I did for my birthday on 28th May whilst she had posted that on the 14th of May 2014.

2. PixiWoo AKA Sam and Nic Chapman: So based on my like video playlist, the (unofficial) first video I watched on their channel is the Mystique X-Men inpsired Makeup look that Sam did, that was uploaded on 19th September 2013, but I'm pretty sure there were several others that I watched before I started liking their videos and by like, I mean the thumbs up. I remember being confused by seeing two different people on their channel because from other videos I watched there weren't any duos that worked on a channel together but now it's common for friends to do a youtube together. 

3. Tanya Burr: The first liked video from Tanya, is her What's In my Bag video which was uploaded on 23rd August 2014. I think I was introduced to her channel by a suggested videos from either Pixiwoo's channel or Zoella's. But I remember watching a ton of her videos in one sitting because I was so interested on her makeup tutorials. 

4. Fleur De Force AKA Fleur: I'm pretty sure Fleur was one of the first beauty bloggers I watched. I rmember when she had an intro for her channel that consisted of her giving a kiss to the screen so based on that I'm pretty sure she was one of the very first bloggers I watched. My first liked video of her is her Beauty Q&A with Sprinkleofglitter and Zoella video. This was uploaded on 5th April 2012. 

I'm pretty sure that the like videos aren't the official first videos that I did like as I know Youtube likes to skip a few etc. so this is just based on what is there but for the most part, I've watched these youtubers well before I liked their videos- at the time, I wasn't really aware of what it meant to thumbs up a video so I didn't do it often. 


5. Kaushal Beauty: Now Kaushal Beauty is someone that I had always watched but never subscribed to and I don't even know why but finally around October/ November, I did in fact, subscribe to her. My first liked video of hers that actually appears in the playlist is her Indian Wedding Get Ready With Me. 

Thank you for reading and see you next time!

What to Wear on a Date

Welcome back to my blog and today is a huge event as I'm starting a new series. I've decided to call it 'The Closet Truth' where I will be talking about certain fashion issues (in terms of outfits etc). For the first of the series, I will be talking about what to wear on a date. 

So, I want to start off by saying that I'm a huge feminist and as a feminist, I don't think we need to get all glammed up for a man- that doesn't mean that he's not deserving of it but simply if he cannot accept you at your worst then surely you shouldn't allow him to see you at your best, right? 

To begin with, let's start off by saying that the whole purpose of a date is to get to know each other and what better way to get to know each other by what you wear. I love to sleep. That's one of the biggest things you need to know about me and rather than tell you that I could always just rock up to a date wearing my pyjamas and honestly, I would very much like to do exactly that just to show you that although it is pyjamas, you can make it look super smart and casual with the way you accessorize it. But when I say pjs, I actually mean a shirt and bottoms not sexy lingerie otherwise he'll get the wrong idea so be careful in what you chose to wear. So, if you're a lover of sleep then I challenge you to wear pjs on a first date with someone. However, if you're not fond of that idea, you could express your feelings in a t-shirt like this one: 

Another great way to express who you are is with slogan shirts and jumpers. I mean, they're cute and funny so why not. You honestly cannot go wrong with some of these! I just think that these sorts of outfits shows that a) you're fun, b) you have a sense of humour and c) you're not being your artificial self. So one of my favourite foods is pizza- I live and breathe that cheesy goodness and if I wore a shirt with a pizza slogan on it, the person I'm with will be more open to what I actually like to eat rather than just guessing. If pizza by itself isn't enough, throw in one of your favourite singers and that there is a conversational starter. 

Naturally I'd say wear something casual, not over the top because you have to remember that it is just a first date and if it is meant to be, it'll be your personality that clicks with him not your outfit. Jeans and t-shirt are what most wear everyday, the way to change that up is by accessorizing it with pieces that makes it look like you're making an effort even if you aren't. 

I kind of miss the old day where men would 'court' a lady for months before finally becoming official. I honestly think that if this person doesn't have to try hard enough to 'get' you then he can just as easily 'lose' interest in you so ladies, please, keep your high expectations and just compromise on minor issues because you deserve the best and you deserve to be treated like a queen. 

Thank for reading and see you next time!

Inspirational Designers

Hey and welcome back to my blog, so today is my first attempt at trying to bring in my fashion background into my blog. 

I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better. As a fashion student, we are required to look at previous collections and analyst what the designer has done in order to make the collection so appealing, we have to reference our work based on what image inspired us and we are to note down themes that we think will link together.

At the moment, I am now working on a deconstruction unit which has me analysis the works of Maison Martin Margiela, Vivienne Westwood and Commes Des Garcon. But, for this particular post, I will be talking about my all-time favourite inspirational designers who I always look up to regardless! This has been done in no particular order. 

*Some words are linked to what it talks about... Check them out to understand what I'm talking about.

1. Alexander McQueen: I always knew he was such a big name in the fashion industry but I was never really struck by his work until I went to the Savage Beauty exhibition in July 2015. I was at awe at the experience and I couldn't believe how much of his work was so innovative (you'll be hearing this word a lot!). McQueen was always focused on the story behind his ideas, the inspiration of where the idea came from which he conveys to his audience through his garments. 

2. Alexander Wang: Both himself and McQueen started young and have made such a huge astonishing impact to the world of fashion and there is no denying their innovative ideas. Wang is a lot more subtle in what he produces if compared to McQueen. In a way, Wang's history is what really inspires me as he started at the age of 19 whilst still at university and he made it. This sort of story makes me believe that I can do it too. And hopefully I will. 

                                                                                                       
3. Hussein Chalayan: He studied at Central Saint Martins and his final BA collection was amazing. He decided to put the fabrics that he wanted to use and put them into the ground to soil them. He wanted to show decomposition in his work and it really paid off as his collection was placed in one of the Brown Fashion store. After that, he went on to experiment more with technology and started to tell more of a story rather than just a show of things. 

4. Issey Miyake: I started looking into Miyake in my first year of college as inspiration for my first unit. I think it started off as just another designer to research but he soon became a designer I needed to know more about. One of his collections that really got to me was his Pleats Please collection which was just a way for him to show different methods of using pleats in garments. 

5. Viktor & Rolf: Honestly, I only just started to really look at their history in fashion for my new unit but I had known already that they were quite popular with their fragrances. One of their recent collection was the Autumn/Winter 2015. This is such an epic collection! I am so impressed by the way they really executed this. The inspiration behind this whole collection is a canvas. That's it. That's essentially it and not only that but they proved it to be that by hanging 5 garments up on the wall whilst it was still being on the catwalk. I love how they took one idea and created a whole collection on it. This one collection has really made me obsessed with them and now I really need to buy one of their perfumes. 

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the rest of this series.  

xx

Sharin

My First Youtube Video

Hey, and welcome back to my blog.Today, I have some exciting news, I uploaded my first youtube video. From the video, you can tell I'm a little nervous by the way I cannot pronounce or form any sentences but it's a start! I'm finally ready to take the plunge! 

Before I began filming I first decided to sort out my youtube channel. To begin with, I had to make a very important decision regarding my profile picture. I believe this is one of the easiest ways to grab someones attention so I made sure I did my hair and make up as well as put on my bow headband to take a picture worth clicking on. 

I know a couple of youtubers who are know for a phrase they might always use but I decided that I didn't want a phrase, I wanted something that was going to always be in my videos and pictures and that my dear friends, is the bow headband. At the moment I only have two but soon enough, I'll find myself with a collection of them. I think this is a great way to make your mark. 

I then went on to do my channel art, the first thing you can do is research and by research, I mean, look at how other youtubers who are in the same field as you have set their channel art. It doesn't mean you have to follow strict guidelines but at least it lets you know what you should think about adding. 

At first, I was stumped on what to have as my background image as a lot of other youtubers have their face and text, but I went into my drop box account and found my folder full of images of the sky. I thought this was perfect as it wasn't over the top (being just a newbie) but it wasn't unprofessional. 

I then used a website called Canva which allows you to edit and personalize your banners and other sorts of platforms for images by giving you the right measured space to do it in. They also have some of their own creations which you can use and alter. 

I decided to add my name and what I will be doing on the channel. I think it's just simple and straight to the point. I was debating on putting down times, I would upload but my schedule is a mess. I chose two different fronts because I think it stands out better and I also added a line underneath it to accentuate it.

I'm really happy with my channel art and I think it links well with my profile picture too. Once that was sorted, I went onto the film a little something to begin my channel. I decided to start off with a haul as that way, I can continue to mention those products throughout the next few videos and kind of give my review on it. 

I started the video by talking a little about myself and what my channel will consist of to give people an understanding of where my channel is going and went straight into filming the haul. When it came to editing the video, I was using iMovie to do this task. It was my first time using it so it was a little difficult to begin with but I did it, I managed to edit the video, crop, add transitions a title, an ending credits and also add some music too. I'm pretty happy with my first time and I'll only get better with time (hopefully). Please check out my video and I hope you enjoy it. 

Thank you for reading and see you next time!

Meeting Tanya Burr and Zoella!

So I recently entered this Superdrug competition on a whim and actually won. This competition wasn't broadcast as much as you'd think otherwise I wouldn't have won because I actually entered after the deadline but I'm assuming that they didn't have their targeted amount so I was invited. When I got the email, I was really confused, reading it and immediately I sent a screenshot to my friend. My head was reeling in with the fact that I actually won. It was a weird out of body experience. The date was for two days after I received it at West field in London. I was able to invite a friend along so she came with me. 

I actually had university that day however it turned out to be a half day so I managed to get to Westfield at 4pm which gave me an hour to relax before I had to meet them. I was nervous. When it was 5pm, I went to the superdrug store and found there to be only 5 winners waiting and I had already found out that there were 25 winners, plus 25 friends who were invited too. I was in line, just behind 5 people when I was told to wait outside for my friend who was running late. 

At this point, it was already 5.30pm and Tanya and Zoe were also running late, but a lot more winners were there so we had a good 20 people who were in front of us. It took forever for us to meet them plus it was really hot in the store so people were getting restless. I think the first 10 people got a good 5-10 minutes with them and after that, it was much more fast paced and we were only given a few minutes with them. 

When I finally did meet them, I said, Hi and hugged them both. Tanya asked 'Sorry, what's your name?' and I told them. After that, I got Tanya to sign her Candy Glam Palette and Zoe to sign her Blissful Mistful spray and I told her that it was my favourite product of hers and she 'awwed' and said 'that's so sweet' to me. Tanya asked 'how my day went' and I told them about university, and said that I have a blog and it's all thanks to them'. I was a mess and I was so shy to even look at them but I did get a selfie with them. I was disappointed that I didn't get to put them on my snapchat story or even get to ask them any questions but that was all down to me because I was nervous. 

They're both gorgeous and I still cannot believe that I met them. It's funny because I remember when I first started watching them on youtube which was at least 3 years ago and thinking they were so relatable and were like a sister I never had. I only have brothers so a lot of my favourite female youtubers have kind of taken the role as my sister and I take what they say or have said as serious advice. 

I would like to thank Superdrug for holding this competition, and thank Nicole who sent me that very email saying I had won. I also want to that all the members that were there helping out with the event for trying to make it as smooth as possible. Thank you Tanya Burr and Zoe for meeting me and I hope we can be friends. 

Oh yeah, and I got a gift from Zoe which had some of her Christmas Range in it, so thanks for that.  I did try to get a better image of the Christmas grotto that they had but I wasn't allowed to plus, my friend wasn't allowed to film me meeting them which is disappointing as I would have loved that as something to look back on. 

Thanks for reading and see you soon!

Tanya Burr Cosmetics

So I recently purchased the Tanya Burr Candy Glam Christmas collection Palette from Superdrug. This is my first time trying her face make up as I already have one of her eyelashes and two of her lip glosses. I also brought some individual Tanya Burr lashes as well to compliment this look. 

To begin with, let's talk packaging! I think the packaging is cute and very girly which is a smart move on Tanya's part as most of her followers are younger viewers aged between 12-15 perhaps. The colours she used compliments each other and works well. In terms of how the package functions, I like the flip up concept and the little drawstring. 

When you open it up the back of the front cover has a heart shaped mirror with is cute but slightly small compared the to the size of the cover.The products have been laid out with the mini lip-gloss on the left hand side with the 9 eye shadows on the right and a blusher and bronzer at the bottom. However, the set doesn't come with a brush which is unfortunate as this would have made it the perfect travel palette but that being said, not everyone prefers to use the brush that comes with palettes so maybe it isn't all bad.

Let begin with the eyeshadows, from left to right, we have Snowflake (white), Chandelier(smokey grey), Plumberry (berry), Crème Brulee (rich shimmery pink), Date Night in Paris (mocha brown), Ballet Slippers (gold shimmer), Baking Brownies (dark brown), Teddy Bear (light brown), and lastly Starry Night (shimmery bronzey brown). I think that each eyeshadow is pigmented and is so diverse that you can always create different looks whether it's a night out or a day time everyday look. My personal favourites are Crème Brulee and Plumberry.

The blusher that the palette features is called Pretty Peony which I believe is from her original collection as well as the bronzer which is called Beach Bronze. I think that these two colours will work well with a lot of skin tones. I have a medium brown complexion and I find that the bronzer is just right in terms of being slightly visible on the skin.

The lip gloss, is however just a slight let down, not because of the formula but the colour. As this is a Christmas collection, I would have chosen perhaps a berry colored gloss or a pink one. The reason I am not impressed with this lip gloss is simply because it doesn't appear on my lips as a gloss but only holds a shimmer, I think it would work better on a fair complexion.

Overall, I think for £10, you really can't go wrong with this palette, it has most of the things you require to create a make up look and is diverse in what you can create. Regardless of the lip gloss, the products work and are for sure, worth the price. Get it at Superdrug now. 

Now let's move onto the two lashes I have from her collection. I have the individual lashes and Pretty Lady. To be completely honest, I found it difficult to get these lashes on and I have no idea why but I can now finally put them on with confidence. Pretty Lady is slightly fluttery but not over dramatic and is a great everyday lash for those of you who do wear lashes everyday. The individual lashes were on sale for £1.50 because they were getting rid of the old packaged products so I thought I'd give these a go as they are the same style in the new packaging. I think that a lot of use really need medium length lashes a lot more than we need long however the option is appreciated. 

The lip glosses I have is Vampire Kiss which is a blood red and Chocolate fondant which is brown toned. The packaging is okay and thee glosses feel great however I don't really like the applicator and I found that the Chocolate Fondant doesn't appear the right colour on my lips but that's only because my lips are dark. 

Overall I think her collection is great and there are some really great products, albeit I haven't tried a lot of products but I think it is worth the money and looks great too. Well done, Tanya! 

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

New Beauty Purchases

Welcome back! So I've decided to quickly update you on new products that I have recently purchased

To begin with I have to talk abut this amazing Smashbox Shape Matters palette that I brought from Boots. It comes with 3 different brow colours and a wax, contour, bronzer powder, highlighter and a glow powder. It also comes with a double sided brush and 9 eye shadows. 

I also recently purchased the Mary-Louminzer from feelunique and it truly is amazing. The glow that you cheekbones get cannot be denied. I also brought a lancome infinite eyeshadow in Timeless Taupe.


From T.K.Max, I got some Stila products. This is an eyeshadow called Kitten which is a shimmery white shadow. I also got a lip glaze called Mejesty and it honestly smells like raspberry. Lastly we have the waterproof eye liner in brown. The last products I want to mention is from Barry M and its their Sunset Daylight Curing nail polishes in topcoat and Dark side of the shroom. 

Hope you enjoyed this and thanks for reading. Check out my instagram and twitter account which you can find in the contacts page. 

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

Sleek Goodies

So recently I went a little crazy and purchased 6 items from the sleek collection, I got two eye shadow palettes, a concealer palette, a highlighting palette, a contour kit and their seven set brush collection. In boots, they were on sale for 2 for £10 and I couldn't miss such an opportunity. So let's begin.

1. Sleek i-Divine Original palette.

This palette has 12 different shades. I think that the only shadow that's matte is the black one which is called Black Cab. All the names used in this palette links in with London and Britain. 

2. Sleek i-Divine Storm palette.

There are three matte shades and the rest consist of shimmers. This is a great smokey eye palette that has greens, blues and purples to create a sultry smokey eye. 

3. Sleek Highlighting palette- Precious Metals.

This is a collection of four different highlights- three of which are in a cream format and one is a powder finish. This palette has such a sexy metallic packaging with a magnetic clasp. 

   

4. Sleek Corrector &Concealer palette. 

There are two cream shades and a powder. I have yet to try this out but I hope it works great!

5. Sleek Face & Form

This is a contouring and blush palette that has the contour shade, a bronzer and a blusher. Mine is in medium. 

6. Sleek 7 piece brush set

This is the item I am most excited about because its retail price is £12.99 but I got it for £5 which is a bargain an it's a perfect travel size where its not complete small but a reasonable size for my hands.  It comes in its own pouch which has a clear wallet at the top to keep your brush from getting other things dirty as well as having it underneath so it doesn't get the pouch dirty. Smart thinking, Sleek! 

     

I'm super happy and excited with all my purchases and I can't wait to create looks for you on my youtube channel! 

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

New Lip Products

New Lip Products

I recently went slightly crazy on my purchases and I seem to have accumulated a lot of lip products which I wanted to share with you. These products were brought during this summer holiday! 

Rimmel London: 

Kate Moss Nude Collection:
I've become slightly obsessed with nude lip products as I am trying to find the perfect shade for me and to start this nude collection, I purchased the new Kate Moss Nude Collection lipsticks in shade 43 and 45. The darker nude is shade 45. At first, I didn't like these and perhaps that was only because I wasn't use to see nude on lips and i did start to appreciate it more and now, either one of the two is a definite handbag essential. 

Rita Ora- Oh My Gloss: 
As I am starting university soon, I thought it was highly important to carry around lip gloss and ever since these glosses came out, I've been wanting to try them so I got a nude (no surprise) shade and a pink shade- just to mix it up a bit! The nude shade is 330- Snog and the pink shade is 110- Keep A Secret.

Bourjois:

This product came in one of my www.latestinbeauty.com boxes. I am slightly disappointed in the colour I got as I don't think it really suits my complexion however this is probably the only way i would actually experiment with a colour like this. 

This is called 04- Peach on the Beach which as you can see, it's a coral peach with a heavier pink undertone. 

Maybelline:

This is another product from a Latestinbeauty box and again this is a colour which I think does not suit my complexion however I think it's a great way to tone down a bright colour by putting it on top of that. This is 710- Sultry Sand. 

Revlon: 

This was a recent purchase from boots as they were having a sale for 2 for £10 on all lip products by Revlon! I decided to purchase a Matt colour burst that was  a very nice dark nude and I also purchased a red lipstick because honestly, who doesn't need one of those! The red is from the Revlon Ultra HD collection in the shade 875- HD Gladiolus.

This is from the ColourBurst collection in the shade 225- Sultry Sulfureuse. This is a matte balm and I absolutely love this- I want more!!

Swatches:

Thanks for reading! Follow my instagram to find out more: www.instagram.com/sharin.hussain

Lush

Lush Love

Over the years, I watched a lot of Lush hauls on YouTube and walked past a lot of Lush stores but I never went in to see the store nor the products. 

But I finally decided to go for it! I went in on 2nd September 2015, around 2pm with my little brother.

On entering the shop, we caught a whiff of different fragrances and to be honest it was overwhelming. We were then approached by a young sales assistant who asked if we needed help. I said 'yes' and expressed my dilemma in what I should buy. I also let her know that it was my first time in the store and my first time buying so I needed help in what to chose. I mentioned that I wanted to purchase something for my mum so she can relax. The assistant was very helpful and told me a lot about the different bath bombs and their scents. She also demonstrated how it works. 

I must have sniffed five different bath bombs and five different bubble bars before I decided what to chose. I decided to stay safe and chose one of each. 

Bath bomb: This was the one I chose for my mother. It's called 'Tisty Tosty' and smells like roses! It is heart shaped and has seven rose buds mixed in it.

It cost me £3.35 and for the price it is worth it- however I am unaware of how it looks in the bath... 

Bubble bar: I chose 'A French Kiss' which smells like lavender and Rosemary. It looks very appealing with a lavender steam stuck inside the pyramid shaped bar. The bar has been pigmented with purple and white and I assume that it will turn purple in the water. This is a crumble type of product so you get more use out of this therefore it cost £4.25. 

I thanked the assistant for helping me (wish I got her name but don't worry, I shall find out) and went to check out. The cashier asked if I would like a catalogue and I thought- what better way to see what I want! 

I think my first time there was a little magical- the scents I smelt has something to do with that and I can't wait to try more... I think a lush haul may be on my cards in the very near future... 

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

Collection Contour Kit & Speedy Highlight

Welcome back to my blog and today I am looking at Collections contour kit and speedy highlighter. 

The contour kits' retail price is £4.19 however you will be able to find deals in both Superdrug and Boots. So far, Superdrug is much cheaper only costing you £2.79 for the product whilst in boots it cost £3.99. But, you get more points from buying at boots, so which deal is better for you? As for the speedy highlighter, it retails at £3,99 and can be purchased at superdrug for only £2.66. 

The packaging of the contour kit is basic. It is black cased plastic that had two clear windows which showcase the highlighting colour and the contour colour with the brand name above it and the products name below it. For this sort of product, I don't particularly mind that it is very standard which is fine because for the price, this is well worth the money. The Charlotte Tilbury in comparison cost £49 which has a rose gold packaging and holds imprinted powder in them. The collection contour kit also holds a small rectangular shaped mirror inside the top part of the packaging. Some people might think that the mirror is too small to even be able to use and therefore might disregard it however, the knowledge of knowing that you have a mirror is more than enough just in case, you are out and about and you need to touch up on your makeup. Its's better to have a small mirror than no mirror at all, right? 

The speedy highlight is in stick form and has been packaged by the same shade of the highlight colour which I do like. It had a silver barrel at the bottom which you twist and I personally think that this highlight has a lot of product. Some people don't like stick form highlights however its just so much easier to use and carry. You can either apply it directly, use your finger or a brush, the choice is yours to make.

Swatches:
Based on first impressions alone, I am really impressed with the swatches of each colour, the contour kit has a very nice, soothing texture, which glides on easily and the highlight has a much thinner texture which allows the product to have a slight sheen to it. 

I personally am really impressed with these products based on price and swatches. I cannot wait to use these and share images with you. Be on the look out for them and check out my instagram for quick scoops of new products I try! 
www.instagram.com/sharin.hussain

Thanks for reading and see you next time!

30 Days Squat Challenge

30 Days Squat Challenge

This was an impulsive decision to make as I know the kind of person I am but I wanted to try out the 30 day squat challenge. I actually hate the size of my bum (its big but not round) and don’t see why people are so overly obsessed with having a big bum but I got a lot more understanding of why it was such a trend when I started doing a college course called Extended Project Qualify, where you chose a topic, research it and list the information you found in a logbook and write a 5,000 word essay on what you researched and found out. You also have to do a short presentation to your class after you have completed your research.

As I am a Fashion student, I wanted to incorporate something that related to fashion for my question and finally decided to go with the history of the female body form and how it has changed over time. One of the things I mentioned in my essay was fitness and health: I talked about the detox tea that is trending, the waist trainer and squats!

When I was researching information on squats, I was intrigued by it and discovered the 30 Day Squat Challenge. At the time, I didn’t feel particularly interested in trying it out however after writing 3/4 of the essay, I decided to try it out. After giving it a go, I decided to stick to trying out the 30 day challenge and see where it takes me. I should warn you that this is like a diary entry so it was written on the day mentioned and there will be reference of me ‘updating you’ about this even though I have posted it. Also note that the italic writing is a quote that I either remembered or just made up to kind of motive me and you.

Here’s how it went...

Day 1: 14th April 2015                      

As I didn’t intend to do the challenge but wanted to try it out, I decided start off by doing 30 squats. At first, I did it completely wrong (this was before going on their website), my feet weren’t touching the ground and my legs weren't apart. I did about 5 of those before I felt like I was doing it wrong (my EPQ research reminded me of that as I had images of the 'proper' way to do squats on my essay).

When I did finally get it right, I did 30 then searched for the 30 day challenge image and did another 20. The first 20 was okay, I was out of breath  but I expected that (I'm really not fit, but I'm trying), the next 10 was tough as my thighs began to  pins and needles, I felt my hamstring justifying away at my fat and I literally felt like my thighs were burning. This got a lot worst by the time I got to 50 squats- I was sweating like never before (who knew?) and really felt dehydrated. Overall it was tough, but all things start tough; you just got to make the most of it and adapt yourself to new things.

Day 2: 15th April 2015

I went to bed after my first squat challenge and I can tell you now that I woke up with heavy thighs filled with pain- it got better during the day however it wasn't just my thigh muscles that were aching though; my arms were shooting pain throughout my body. By the time, I did the next 55 squats which were around 11. 20pm, I didn't think I could do it. It was rough but it certainly wasn't as bad as the first day. Time will tell what will happen to my body between now and when I update you tomorrow. Just remember, do actions that make you proud and happy, never make intentions about yourself for others if it isn't something you want for yourself.

Day 3: 16th April 2015

When I woke up this morning, my thighs weren't hurting until I stretched. The struggle is real ladies and gents! I found myself stretching as much as possible during the day to release the pain and make sure that my joints and movements didn’t stop.

I've decided to actually do my squats in the afternoon around 5pm and then go for a walk. I feel as though, perhaps doing the squats and then going to bed wasn't such a good idea- that's probably why it's so painful but we'll see how this plays out. There is no beauty without pain.

Day 4: 17th April 2014.

Today is a resting day! Thank God for that! Luckily, it isn't so bad but I'm still struggling to strength my legs fully without the pain. Tomorrow I have 70 squats to do. Wish me luck. Resting and relaxing are two different things- make sure you know the difference.

Day 5: 18th April 2015.

That relaxing day made me nearly forget about my squats and I ended up doing them last minute just before bed- luckily the pain in my thighs had gone and I was all better until I went to bed when the pain would occasionally welcome itself into my life. Tomorrow, I will be doing 75 squats but this time I won't do them together at the same time. Pace yourself for good things come to those who wait.

Day 6: 19th April 2015.

Today was a busy day! I had so much coursework to do as well as take a relaxing bath using bath salts to relax my muscles. I ended up doing them just before I went to the bath- and now it turns out my thighs are OK but my lower back is starting to become painful. The end result is worth all the pain... Hopefully.

Day 7: 20th April 2015.

Today's squats turned out to be OK. I ended up doing them all at once which by the time I was done- I felt like my body was burning and I was sweating. I went to my brother's room and just opened the window and let the air wash over me- It felt good. Let it rain on my parade.

Day 8: 21st April 2015

Today was a day off- didn't really need one but who am I to complain! If you're given the time for freedom- spend it wisely, for once you get back into working, you'll wish for that freedom again.

Day 9: 22nd April 2015

I'm a bad girl- I didn't do my squats today! I just got lazy but to keep up to track I will do the extra 100 tomorrow alongside my 105 squats: surely my thighs are going to kill! Once you make personal plans- stick to them because you'll only be disappointing yourself when it doesn't go according to your plans.

Day 10: 23rd April 2015

So basically today I'm going to be doing 205 squats. Sound like fun? Not! I first did 105 squats to get today's ones out of the way and took a 15 minute rest as my thighs were starting to ache badly and then went on to do yesterday's 100 squats. I had to pace myself and move positions quite often to keep going and not having to strain. It was tough but it's been an eye opener to what I should expect near the end of the challenge as they range in above 200 squats a day. I want to make sure that when that time comes I will see the change in how I perform the squats. I'm hoping it will be much easier to stimulate the squats and finish them with minimum pain. When you know you could have done better- always be sure to do exactly that the next time round so that you don't disappoint yourself.

Day 11: 24th April 2015

I did the squats just before I went to bed. By bed, I don't mean sleep but just going to bed and browsing on my phone. It turned out OK- but again my thighs started to ache as a lot of strain was being put on them with the lengthy squats. As expected when I started the challenge with the 50-80 squats, I believe that over time I will also get used to the strain that goes to my thighs with longer squats I'm taking. I remember feeling so tired and weak when I started this challenge and the pain was numbing. But you adapt and grow and evolve yourself. That's what the challenge really is to me. I'm not a fitness kind of girl but once you get into fitness it does make you realise how unfit you really are. My body was so used to not doing any exercise aside from walking and running (mainly for the bus) that when I began doing the squats only then did my muscles untighten and become more loose and free. Change is scary but ideally, it is life changing.

Day 12: 25th April 2015

Today is another day off! I woke up feeling no pain to my thighs and legs which is a good thing. Tomorrow is going to be 130 squats. Not dreading it like I thought I would. I'm kind of indifferent about it now. Life goes on.

Day 13: 26th April 2015

Another day, a new beginning. I have to get through coursework and a bunch of house chores and then I will be able to do the squats. That's a lie- I didn't get to do the squats. I'm a bad person but I want to be honest about this whole experience. I've been slacking because of coursework and deadlines. I know it's no excuse but honestly o just can't be asked after boring myself with coursework stuff. Don't give up.

Day 14/15: 27/28th April 2015

I got busy with coursework deadlines again and just didn't make time for my squats. I don't know if I should make up for them tomorrow or am I just defeating the purpose of the challenge? I promise to get back on track seeing as I've missed 3 days worth of squats! Someone's getting lazy over here. Always be the one to pick yourself up, not everyone is going to help you- only you can help yourself.

Day 16: 29th April 2015

I'm getting back on track! It's supposed to be a rest day but instead I'm doing 140 squats! I've noticed that having had far too many breaks will affect your performance. I feel like I'm redoing the whole squat challenge. Pick yourself up when you fall down.

Day 17: 30th April 2015

I did 150 squats. It was okay but I can see that not keeping up to the schedule has taken its toll on me and made me weaker in keeping my momentum. Some things are better left undone.

Day 18/19: 1st/2nd May 2015

I feel like I'm giving up- I just can't be bothered. There's a time and a place for everything. Right now clearly isn't the time.

Day 20: 3rd May 2015

It's a day off but I ended up doing 160 squats that was technically Day 19. I had done it just before I had a really cold shower. It felt great! Perhaps this is the way for me to continue to do squats.

Day 21-30: 4th May 2015 - 13th May 2015

Over the course of the next 9 days, I tried to do some squats but honestly this isn’t the sort of life style I want. I do want to be fit however my bum isn’t my biggest issue. There are many ways to keep yourself looking fit and I think, first and foremost, it begins with what you eat. You may be one of those people who eats a lot and has no weight gain however overtime it will affect you so it’s important that you eat a balanced diet and keep track of what you eat. The next step to looking fit is trying different exercises such as yoga, Pilates etc. to find what works best for you. As you can see, squats do not work for me but I will be trying out yoga next. There are also some great apps which you can use to keep yourself in shape.

You’ll find that somethings won’t work the way you want it to but it’s up to you as to how you deal with the situation. Remember, you are in control.