Back to School Blues

For many people all around the world, tomorrow is the day that the Easter holidays end :(. The routine begins again, along with the sadness of having to wake up early in the mornings, and not having enough time to make yourself look socially acceptable (or is that just me?...) So i thought it would try and make a 'morning help guide' to try and get you awake, refreshed, looking half decent and ready to spend the day learning. So here it is, my 'morning help guide' just for you, enjoy!

Waking up

We know the drill. For me, its half 6- the alarm goes off, i smash my phone against the wall, and pray that today is Saturday and i just forgot to turn off my alarm. But, of course, its a school morning. This is usually the point where millions of people cocoon up into their duvets and possibly weep a little. 

Waking up and feeling groggy is quite common, and lets be honest, no one likes it. So to make your self feel as awake as you possibly can, try these:

• Wash your face as soon as you step foot out of bed. This will help you become a tad more alert and ready.
• Eat a warm breakfast (which i will speak about next)
• Take a shower. Possibly start cold, then get warmer. This will DEFIANTLY work. If you don't have a shower, run yourself a lukewarm/cold bath. Don't make it too hot, otherwise you WILL fall back to sleep:).
• Drink water. It will make you feel hydrated, which means more awake.
• This last one isn't really recommended, but drinking lemon juice will wake up your facial muscles as struggle to swallow making your face look like a scrunched up piece of paper:)

       Breakfast

Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, so having something that will fill you up until your next break or lunch is very important. 

• Try eating a carb; these are good for keeping you going all day, and taste good too. Porridge is a carb, and is very popular among people who have to keep going all day without food.

• Fruit is also quite a good morning starter. Try experimenting (possibly on a weekend) some of the breakfasts you could have with could have added fruit, or could be eaten with fruit. 
• Eating something heated will warm up your insides. (I'm fully aware of how weird and wacky that sounds, but its true.)
• If you have to eat on the go, toast with a topping of your choice and a banana is always good.

        Hair

If you're a lucky person and you get time to curl or straighten your hair in the morning, then i suppose you don't need to read this step unless you want some no-heat hairstyles, which is what i am going to talk about. Most people don't have time to wack out the straighteners and make their hair look nice, but for some easy ways to quickly throw up your hair or something that you leave in overnight, then click here.

Makeup

I don't care what anyone says here, but wearing tons and tons of makeup for school is wrong. For one, you don't NEED it all, and for two, whats the point? Wearing alot at school will mean that when you go out with friends from school, they won't notice a difference with your face, because they're so used to seeing you with it on. This is all you really need:

• Concealer. You can put this under your eyes with a brush, finger or egg sponge, as long as you remember to blend. No one likes orange stains around your face, do they?
• Mascara. Both of these steps are optional, but give off a polished look.
• A tiny bit of blusher if wanted. This makes you look healthy and radiant. 
• Chap-stick/lip gloss.This is to ensure your lips look moisturized and healthy all through the day.

          Clothes

      

       Here in the UK, schools have uniforms. However most places in the world let their children dress in whatever clothes they like.

• Make sure your clothes aren't too tight or short. Make sure they're 100% appropriate for school.
• Layers! Layering things (especially in Winter) can make your outfit look snazzy and warm at the same time!
• Accessories. This step is also for the UK, as accessories can be anything from a bracelet or necklace, to a funky tie or even trouser braces.
• Make sure your colours don't clash, and also make sure that your outfit actually matches. Try asking your parents or even sending a photo of what you're wearing to one of your friends to see what they think.

Okay so this was my 'morning help guide' for you all, i WILL be doing another post about my bag and what i take to school so i also hope that helps in advance as well. I hope you all had a good holiday and i hope you all did your homework;). 

TQ xo

Morning Cleanse Routine

Cleansing your skin in the morning as soon as you wake up is one of the most important things to do in your day, because after all, this is what your skin will look like for 24 hours! Washing the proper way can make you feel hydrated, and make you look and feel more awake to start the day, and it gives you a healthy glow. Have you ever woken up and looked in the mirror to see your skin really greasy and oily?(grim, i know). That is the sweat you have developed over night without even realizing you were doing it, which is why it's so important to get your face clean and hydrated ready for the day.

☼ To start off with, you may want to tie up your hair or clip back your fringe to avoid getting your hair wet and so it doesn't stick to your face, because i don't think anyone would want that.

☼ Make your way over to your bathroom, or, if your posh, en suite. 

☼ A common mistake people make at this point is putting the plug in the sink and letting the water run. Don't do it. If you have the same water being thrown back into your face, that isn't going to help clean anything. Let the water run so its fresh and clean.

☼ Get a washcloth (CLEAN) or whatever cloth you will be using, and run it under the warm tap until lukewarm, not scolding because that wont do your skin any favors. Ring out the cloth until there are no drips, and pat it onto your face. The warm water will open up the pores so you can wash.

☼ Reach for your chosen cleanser, or face wash and spread evenly along your face. I recommend the Clean and Clear Morning Energy Skin Energizing Daily Facial Wash (That was a mouth full). I like using this one because it has bursting beads that exfoliate your skin whilst putting vitamin C into your pores, and its oil free, so really, this has no downsides.

☼ Some people like to leave their face wash on for a couple of seconds to let it sink into the skin. You then wash off the product with warm water at first, then a splash of cold to close the pores. Make sure none is left on the face or anywhere else. 

☼ Grab a towel and gently pat your face until its dry and there is no wetness or residue on the face. Your face should now be smooth and possibly even silky.

☼ This is the point where you can go 2 ways. You could either stop, if you're having a good skin day, and just moisturize then apply makeup, or you could choose to apply a separate exfoliater or spot treatment to your face, then moisturize. I recommend the Soap and Glory Dr Spot Gel for if you have a pimple or spot you need to treat, as it claims to have a fast acting formula, which is what you want when you have a spot. 

☼ Moisturize your face. I use the Nivea Pure&Natural Moisturizing Day Cream, which also gives a good base for my makeup.

☼ Apply concealer to any blemishes, spots or dark complexions you may have, and your skin will now look flawless!

I hope this helped, please remember to wash your hands before you start as the bacteria on your hands will transfer its self onto your face, making the whole cleansing a waste of time. You may want to change your pillow case that you sleep on too, sometimes this may collect sweat and even oil/grease. Thanks for reading:)

TQ xo

Having a spotty day?

Hello lovelies! Today i'm going to talk about something everyone in the world loathes with a passion, and that is SPOTS. I'm actually really lucky as i don't get spots that often and i have quite clear skin, but growing up, spots invade everyone's face at one point. So i thought i may help some people out by doing some research on how to stop the spots before they take charge!

Do-

Cleanse properly morning and night

use products that contain acid (salicylic, lactic, glycolic)

Eat well, and stay clear of any white, starchy foods e.g. flour, sugar, bread, pasta.

Don't-

eat too much sugar (NO MILK CHOCOLATE)

use any products which claim to rip the blackheads from out of your skin.

wash with a dirty flannel / wash cloth.

Other tips are as follows:

Don't smoke. This doesn't just affect your body, but your skin too.

Don't drink any alcohol, as its loaded with sugar.

If you suddenly break out, and have no idea what to do, take a anti-histamine (only if you're taking no more medication). This tablet is meant to take the 'fireiness' out of your face, therefore calming the spots down.

Try drinking as much water as humanly possible.

Apply a face oil, ones with Aloe Vera are the best as they sooth the face as it works ( and the smell is bliss!)

Try not to touch your face. There are many reasons for this, one being if you touch your spots and don't wash your hands, the spot will spread to where ever your hand goes (not 100% sure if this is true or if its just an old wives tale, still, don't take any chances)

For acne, research some home-made recipes to try and sooth your skin (i shall be making my next post about these with some recipes so keep a look out!)

Don't use water from a bowl, make sure that the water you use is from a running tap and don't reuse. Otherwise, the dirt is just going back onto your face, so whats the point?

As simple as some of these may sound, i hope that i managed to help someone out there who is struggling with a bad breakout at the moment! And if you are, don't worry, it will pass :). I will be posting some home made remedies to help acne and more breakouts soon, so keep a look out! If you're in need of further advice on spots, facial care or anti aging, then go to http://www.carolinehirons.com/ for some professional help on skin! Seriously, shes a genius.