My Experience with Too Faced! Sneaky Peek at my Too Faced Haul!!

So recently, I bought some Too Faced Products from the U.S., which arrived yesterday and I just wanted to share with you guys what I bought, and my Too Face experience before I did a review and swatches post.

I don't know how many of you guys in the UK know this, but Boots used to sell Too Faced products, and I think it was only recently that they decided to discontinue sales. I had previously purchased a couple of Too Faced products before as 'luxury' products such as the Leopard bronzer, the Shadow Insurance eyelid Primer, a small eye shadow palette, I believe it was a limited edition 'Joy' palette, and Natural Eye Palette (and possibly a few others, but I can't remember off the top of my head), and I've never been disappointed. I think that Boots was the only retailer in the UK you could purchase Too Faced cosmetics from.

The products have always been such good quality, and never having a full time job (I've worked part time since I was 13/14) I value money as I've never had a lot of it, and this brand is definitely worthy the money you pay. The products are so pigmented, and easy on the skin, they always give a lovely finish, and are so light on the skin. 

I've always loved Too Faced products because they're so different to the rest. Quirky and have pretty packaging. The only other cosmetic company I can really compare them to, is Benefit.

SO! Here's the fun part! What did I get?!

So I got three palettes, the Beauty Wished and Sweet Kisses palette (top left), the Cocoa Contour Palette (top right) and the Bonjour Soleil palette (bottom).

Now I only went onto the website with the intention of purchasing the Cocoa Contour palette which retails at￡28, however, the sale pulled me in, so I purchased the Beauty Wished and Sweet Kisses palette at￡12 from￡24 (I think), and the Bonjour Soleil palette at￡14 from￡28 (I think), totalling at￡54.

Now I'm not going to give too much away as I will be doing separate posts with swatches on each individual palette, but here are some photos of each of them.

Beauty Wishes and Sweet Kisses￡12 sale price

Predominately pink with vibrant and fancy decoration such as 'lace' and pearls. It kind of reminds me of the dress Cinderella made with the pink sashes and green pearls...but then it also reminds me of a really fancy wedding cake. Both of which relates to beauty and sweetness. Although I think that the packaging is a tiny bit too girly for me, it is really pretty.

Cocoa Contour￡28 full price

I think that the use of browns and gold for this packaging is so appropriate. Like when you think of contouring, you think of brown shades and gold highlighters. I absolutely love how the overall packaging looks like a really fancy box of chocolates. 

Bonjour Soleil￡14 sale price

Now we have our French themed palette! Blue and white stripes, obviously, and the use of hot pink for that feminine touch. It's quite simple, but very eye-catching. A touch of gold to highlight the sun (soleil...clever right?!). Overall, it's very neat and put together, I could definitely see this as a big hit in France.

Okay, so as you can see, they're all so beautifully packaged, lovely colours, with a set theme, which highlight the name of the palette. But I'm not going to lie to you guys, I didn't get drawn in by the packaging of these palettes, it was the amazing colours inside! (Just wait until next time, you'll fall in love!)

Too Face also give out two samples with every order, and I think they change on a daily basis, and I got a sample mascara and a bronzer card.

Chocolate Soleil and Endless Summer. 

Lash Injection mascara.

I think it's so lovely that Too Faced give samples to their customers. This really makes shopping (spending so, so, SO much money) a more enjoyable experience, and it makes me feel like I'm getting more for my money! It also gives me more incentive to buy again from the site, because introduces me to new products which may suit me!

Now, I'm going to talk about my experience with ordering online from Too Faced.

As soon as you go onto the Too Faced website, there's a pop-up which tells you that the site will now cater to YOU. Geographically. Prices will be altered to your country's currency, and shipping and tax will be altered according to your country's policies, which are included in the final total. I don't think that this was possible before as there were retailers which sold their products internationally. 

But this also means that you have access to ALL the products on the site (with the acceptation of a few due to country policy). I don't think that this was possible before as there were retailers which sold their products internationally. Whereas at Boots, there were a lot of products, but only a select few (lipsticks, foundations, bronzers, primers and mascaras). 

So your tax is calculated from your country's tax rate. Here in the UK it's about 20%...I think, so 20% of my total was￡13.

The total for shipping was just over￡20 (I got the quicker 4-9 day delivery which was a few pounds more than the standard 9-15 day delivery), I think that the standard was about￡14, but I'm not totally sure about that one. 

I can't believe shipping and tax came to over￡30! That's more than 1/3 of the total! (￡87!!!!)

Anyways, the processing and shipping process was probably the most annoying thing (for me anyways) as I'm pretty impatient. Keeping the 4-9 shipping period in mind, I looked up on the site, that this included processing time, and that due to sale and promotional periods, there may be up to 3 days delays.

I placed my order on the 2nd September. I got an order confirmation within the first half hour of ordering, and then a processing confirmation not long after that. These emails both said that payment isn't taken until the order has been shipped, and once it has been shipped, I would get a shipping confirmation. I didn't get one for 7 days, so I sent an email to their customer services team explaining that I was worried that my order might have been forgotten or even lost. I didn't get a response (probably because it had already been shipped at this point) but still, I kind of found this annoying, as no one was replying (I had been tweeting them too). I didn't get a shipping confirmation until the 11th...9 days after I placed my order. So I did get a but annoyed but I remembered that there would most likely be a 3 day delay.

Anyways I got my order yesterday (14th), and I'm honestly quite surprised at how quick the delivery was 3 days is pretty quick, especially from overseas. I can't believe how impatient I had been!

Over all, I've had a pretty good experience with Too Faced, and I would definitely purchase from them again! It's so handy how they've included everything in the total, so there are no surprise custom charges on delivery.

I'd give my experience two thumbs up, and I would recommend Too Faced to anyone looking for high quality cosmetics.

If you want to find out more about what I got, look out for my individual reviews and swatches soon to come! You'll definitely fall in love!

xoxo

Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Hello my lovelies! Apologies for my recent lack of posts! Having to pay for birthdays and other events has drained my purse completely, but lucky for you, I've managed to save some notes, and make a purchase at Estée Lauder! 

So a few months ago, I found out that my favourite foundation (L'Oreal True Match in shade Golden Vanilla/D2 W2) had been discontinued, and after weeks searching for a similar substitute, including MAC, L'Oreal, Clinique, and a mix between other high street and high end brands, I came across Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation at my local Boots Store for￡30. I know it seems a lot, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

(Let me just give you some insight on why it's SO difficult for me to find the right shade of foundation. I'm asian, so my skin is yellow toned, like, no pink tones at all. I also have combination skin: dry cheeks and forehead, with a super oily t-zone and chin. Most high street brands only stock foundations and concealers with pink tones, to cater for caucasian skin tones. MAC have a foundation which matches my skin tone pretty well (even with some pink tones) however, I've experienced what a lot of other people have, breaking out! I never really get pimples until I used MAC Pro Longwear Foundation. But yes, the search seems to be never-ending.)

Thank goodness they gave out samples, and the lady at the desk was really helpful and helped me match a foundation to my shade (in this case, she just confirmed as I already matched myself). 

If you can get a sample, I really would recommend doing so!  It's a good way to test if the formula is right for your skin, as well as the colour. It'll give you some time to see if your skin will react too (breakouts, drying, even allergies).
Indoor lighting and natural lighting are very different, so if you swatch foundations, it's a good idea to then go outside and see how it is in natural lighting, you can also see how the foundation looks in other different lightings. 
Estée Lauder do offer a small bottle of foundation for samples, which they call a '10 day tester', but in my opinion, it can last way longer! I was able to get about two and a half weeks out of my little bottle...a little goes a long way!

Just give you some insight on why it's SO difficult for me to find the right shade of foundation. I'm asian, so my skin had strong yellow undertones, like, hardly any pink tones at all. I also have combination skin: dry cheeks and forehead, with a super oily t-zone and chin. Most high street brands only stock foundations and concealers with pink tones, to cater for caucasian skin tones. MAC have a foundation which matches my skin tone pretty well (even with some pink tones) however, I've experienced what a lot of other people have, breaking out! I never really get pimples until I used MAC Pro Longwear Foundation. But yes, the search seems to be never-ending.

Now, I know there are at least three different variations of their Double Wear foundation, but I discussed oily and combination skin with the lady at the desk, and she recommended the Stay-In-Place foundation, which mattifies oily areas, and it doesn't cake on the skin because it is so light. Saying that, it also gives medium to full coverage.

So this is the outer package: Navy blue with gold text, typical Estée Lauder colours. I do like it, it's simple, professional looking, and also very sophisticated. I feel like a city woman purchasing this. 

But yeah, you get the picture, it's simple but effective. 

It is SPF10, which is great for when you're going out and about. Protecting your skin from the Sun is so important! 

The shade of foundation is found at the top of the box, on a gold label. The Blue on Gold makes the text clearer, in my opinion. As a whole, it's pretty snazzy!

This is the foundation bottle. It's a matte glass, with gold and black text, and a gold lid. Holding the bottle, it seems quite small for 30ml, but it's actually quite large (sideways). The lady told me it lasted around 3 months. 30ml is the standard amount for foundation, and usually they do last around 3 months.

The foundation shade is found at the bottom of the bottle.
So, as you've probably guessed, I got the shade 'Bone' which is a light foundation with yellow undertones. Having already swatched, and used the sample for a couple of weeks, I can undoubtedly tell you that this shade if perfect for yellow toned fair skin.

This is the top of the bottle. Now, I'm not going to lie, I expected some sort of pump, or wand for this product, as it was quite pricey. It's just an open top. 

In experience with MAC Studio Fix Fluid foundation, I've found it quite difficult to get product out of the bottle, but this foundation is lighter in texture so it will come out reasonably easily...just be patient or it'll go everywhere! 

Remember to wipe the top clean too before putting the lid back on, or you can get build up, and in a few weeks, it can be really messy!

Here are two swatches. The one on top is a lighter swatch, and the one on bottom is a heavier swatch. 

You can see that it has some strong yellow undertones, but after a bit of blending, it does blend in well with skin with some pink undertones. (Just want to clarify, my face and neck, are NOT the same colour as my arms.)

I don't recommend buying this foundation online if you haven't watched before/if you don't know your shade already. I found that on the Estée Lauder website, the 'swatches' they have, don't accurately represent the foundation. 
As shown above, this foundation is quite warm and yellow, however, the website swatch shows this foundation as pink!

As you can see, I've selected the same shade I've purchased, and it's completely a misrepresentation! Completely different to what I swatched! But yet, same shade???

'W' in the shade code stands for 'Warm' which usually means yellow, orange or olive shades. Where are 'C' which stands for 'Cool' are for pink and peachy shades. It's as if Estée Lauder have switched swatches completely!

Basically, if you have yellow undertones, go for something W, and if you have pink undertones, go for something C!

If you don't know your shade, I would definitely recommend going to an Estée Lauder Makeup counter and asking someone to help match you, or swatch them yourselves if you're comfortable with that! 

The texture of this foundation is so light, easily blendable, and sits so well!

Now, for the question you're probably all asking...'Does it stay all day? Even on oily skin?'

I can honestly, say...

YES! One hundred times yes!

 It does exactly what it does what it says on the front!

My T-zone stayed matte most of the day (it gets very oily, so I'll take it!) and longer than with any other foundation I've used before! 

The coverage is beautiful, matte, and gives an light, even finish. I've never used  foundation like this before. It's so easy to work with, blends into the skin beautifully, and because it is a matte foundation, it sets soon after applying, so there's no need to rush with setting powder. That also means there's less chance of it sliding around throughout the day. 

The quantity of product itself lasts so, so long, and you need so little of it. Just dot some drops around your face, and blend with a brush in circular motions, and because it's such a lightweight foundation, you can build up layers and coverage with not trouble at all! 

In my opinion, it's definitely worth the money you pay. You can feel the quality on your skin, and you can definitely see it too! 

I give this product two thumbs up! If you're looking to treat yourself to a new foundation which stays all day, go pick this foundation up!

Thanks for reading, andI hope you found my review useful!

xoxo

My M.A.C. Order!

So today I received my order from M.A.C. cosmetics, and I've bought two products, both of which I've used before. 

Fix+ and the Pro Longwear Concealer.

First of all, I wanted to talk about the packaging of my order.

From the experience of my previous orders of lipsticks and concealer, they have all arrived in a black, bubble-wrapped envelope, through my letter box. This time, these two products were delivered in a black box, and heavily padded with black tissue paper (I did not take a photo of the outer box because it had my delivery information all over it). 

In my opinion, I think that the box presentation is much more professional and sleek looking, whereas the envelope looks, or can look, rather tacky. I also think that the box is a lot better for keeping the products intact, but the envelope can be bent and squashed etc.

Now, for the products!
This order came to a total of ￡34.50. The Fix+ was￡17, and the Pro Longwear Concealer was ￡17.50. Now this is my 3rd time buying the Pro Longwear Concealer since December, and the price has increased by 50p. In my opinion, I don't feel the need to increase the already expensive concealer, it's not as if M.A.C. is in high demand, but whatever, I was running out of my current bottle.
Anyways, Fix+ came in a sparkly box which I wasn't expecting. For some reason, I just expected it to be matte black, but then again, I've only ever purchased lip and foundation/concealer products. 
I have purchased Fix+ once before many years ago, but I lost it at a friends house after only using it two or three times, so I can't remember exactly how it feels etc, but I don't think I disliked it.

I have only ever heard good things about Fix+ and am expecting good things from this product. Reading the back of the bottle, it said that you could used this before and/or after makeup, and it's purpose was to refresh the face and skin, and I'm assuming that it's SOLE purpose is to keep the makeup on all day too. 

For a 100ml, the bottle is pretty big, but I think that's because it's narrower at the bottom than it is at the top. It's lid and spray nozzle also adds a bit of height to the overall bottle.

Pretty basic printing and presentation on the bottle. Pretty consistent with the rest of the brand, which is very professional.

Again, clear printed text.

I'm yet o use this, but from the reviews online, it is very good for dry skin, I have combination skin; dry patches on my cheeks and forehead, however I've got an oily nose and chin, so I'm excited to see if it'll keep makeup on those areas...

I saw online on Instagram that there were flavoured/scented Fix+ products.

Lavender, Yuzu (no clue what that is), Cucumber, Original (unscented), Rose and Coconut.

I had a look for these on the UK M.A.C. website, but they are only sold on the U.S. site (I believe), which is really disappointing because I would really like to try the Rose and Coconut ones.

Anyways, Pro Longwear Concealer! My go-to concealer.

The outer packaging is really simple, clear, black, bold printing. Easy to read, blah, blah, blah. You know, it's simple...not much to say, but nothing bad to say! 

I absolutely LOVE this product. I've been using it since December, and I am yet to find any other concealer even remotely like it. It's a fairly thick liquid, but yet it feels so light on the skin, and blends in beautifully. It also gives an amazing coverage, I would say medium to full coverage...but it really depends on the condition of your skin. I have pretty clear skin, so it's going to sit better than if I had acne or scarring. 

It generally gives me a satin finish before setting, and using a powder on top of it will turn it matte. 

I'm shade NC20 which is a shade lighter than my foundation shade, I use it to conceal imperfections and highlighting. NC20 is light and yellow/warm toned, which is perfect for me, as my skin has strong yellow tones, as well as being fair.  

Most concealers in UK drug stores, and a lot of high end stores, only supply and sell pink or neutral toned foundations and concealers. 

I don't think that I use much of this product (only one to two pumps a day), I only put it under my eyes (brought down for highlighting), forehead, chin and on the tip of my nose. A little goes a long way. Each bottle lasts me around 3 months, which is an average period in my opinion, most foundations only last around 3 months.

I apply this product with my finger, and use a damp blending sponge to blend it into my foundation and skin. For me, it doesn't really crease or slide around the face, but it's really dependant on how and if you set it, the type of primer you use (or if you use one at all), and the fixing spray. When I wear makeup, I usually wear it for around 12 hours, if not, more, and I've got to say, this concealer lasts all day! 

I can't really fault this product. The only thing I can say is that the excess left on my hand oxidises to a deep orange colour, however, only my face, it doesn't seem to oxides. 

I think that the price increase has put me off purchasing this product a bit, because it was pretty expensive anyways, but for my makeup routine and kit, it is pretty essential. Like I said, I'm yet to find a concealer like it. I hope that M.A.C. will bring out a larger size for this concealer. I would pay ￡20-￡25 for a slightly larger bottle of this (maybe 17ml?). 

I definitely will continue purchasing this product because it is honestly so, so amazing. I have never used a product like this, and until I am able to find and purchase another product (cruelty free), I will continue to use this product.

Once I have used the Fix+ enough times to be able to speak about it, I will do another post purely on it! I am looking forward to using it, and seeing how I get on with it! So keep your eyes peeled for that!

I just wanted to add a little disclaimer to this post.

I DO NOT support animal cruelty, and I try my hardest to ONLY purchase cruelty free cosmetics. However I do purchase M.A.C. products from time to time because of two reasons.

1) I potentially want to pursue a career in makeup in the future and a lot of clients  favour artists with well known brands such as M.A.C., Krylon, Makeup Forever, and many other high end cosmetics.

2) I have not been able to find many alternatives to products I have already purchased prior to knowing they are not cruelty free. Most alternatives I have found are for lip products. Until I am able to find alternatives which are both similar in colour, quality, and maybe even price, I will continue to use and purchase M.A.C. products.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! 

If you would like to read a review of Fix+, please stick around and keep your eyes peeled! 

xoxo

Makeup Revolution Ultra Base Corrector Palette!

So, let me just fill you in on a little background info. I discovered Makeup Revolution about a year ago when I was visiting a friend who lived about half an hour away. The Superdrug there had stocked Makeup Revolution, whereas my local one didn't.

I fell in love with the presentation of the layout of the makeup, the packaging (I'm a sucker for black and gold), and most importantly, the prices. But what caught my eye the most, were the eyeshadow palettes, which were complete dupes of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes (I have Naked and Naked 2). I ended up buying 4 of them. I found that a lot of their products were dupes of high-end or designer brand's products, at near enough, the same quality, but for only a fraction of the price.

Since then, I've bought Makeup Revolution almost on a regular basis, and recommended the brand to all my friends. Not only is their makeup super affordable, but the quality they provide is amazing too. 

Last week, I did a shop online on their store site, and saw that they had brought out a new correcting palette. Normally, I'd only need a green one as I have a couple of red/pink patches on my chin, I never really felt like I needed to try any other colour correctors, but I thought for £6, I could give it a try. 

Let's have a look at the outer packaging. 

Looking at it, it's pretty much the same as any other palette they have. Shiny black, with gold lettering, very sleek and professional looking. I must admit, they're very consistent when it comes to their look...although I always manage to pick up the wrong palette! 

On the inside, we are exposed to 8 beautiful correcting colours, although my iPhone camera doesn't do them justice...and excuse the little marks on them, silly me swatched them before I took a photo.

So each of these colours have a different purpose.

Pink - Brightens

Lavender - Neutralises Yellow Tones 

Green - Neutralises Redness

Orange - Neutralises Blue Tones 

Peach - Helps Balance Discolouration

White - Highlights and Brightens 

Yellow - Neutralises Dark Areas

Brown - Balances Ashiness (for Medium/Dark Skin)

Like I said earlier, I only really ever used green concealers before, and occasionally a yellow-based concealer (my skin is yellow toned, and it's hard to find a yellow toned concealer). 

Before I show you some swatches with you, I'd just like to talk about the quality and texture of the product...

So, they're cream products. Normally, I steer away from cream concealers, and they can be heavy on the skin, and can slide all over the face if not set properly. But when I came to swatch these, they were really light, and I can only describe the texture as...balmy. Kind of like if you froze a body butter from 'The Body Shop', and it melted a bit on your finger. I'm genuinely surprised at how light and smooth these concealers are. They're so pigmented too, you'd only really need a small amount to cover up any bits, easy to set too. 

I also wanted to mention that these concealers aren't fragranced, which means that they've got less chemicals. 

As you can see in the swatch, you can see just how pigmented the concealers are.

I'm not sure how many of these shades I'd actually use, but definitely green, orange, yellow, and possibly the white. 

I literally cannot get over the pigmentation of these! 

I just wanted to talk about the white shade (this photo shows it a bit better).
I know I've been calling it white, as does Makeup Revolution on their website, but I'd say it's more of a silver. At first, I thought that this would be like a pure white concealer, you know, which lightens highlighted areas matte. But it's so shimmery, it'd be great for a cream highlighter for a dewy look. 

I'm sure that if you only used a small amount, you wouldn't even need to set it, they dry pretty quickly, but I would rather be safe than sorry. I want to mention that because they are so light and creamy, they would be good for people with dry skin, but maybe not so much for those with oily skin. 

Overall, I am very, very impressed with this palette. The quality of these creams are incredible and so beautiful on the skin. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who was looking for a colour correcting product. It gets two thumbs up from me!

I'll be posting more about my Makeup Revolution products soon! This is one brand that I have definitely fallen in love with, and would recommend to anyone! 

xoxo

My Weight Loss Journey!

A little embarrassing, but I thought I'd share my weight loss journey with you. The last couple of years have been really hard and have had a huge impact on my weight, but I want to express how proud I am of myself. If you're interested in my story, my progress, and any tips on food and working out, please continue reading! 

Coming from a Chinese family, there's always been an underlying pressure to achieve, or maintain, a slim body, if you ever visit Hong Kong or China, you'll notice that a lot of females are extremely thin, and their clothing sizes are completely different to our UK sizes...XL/XXL = 10/12. My parents haven't exactly been shy when addressing my weight and appearance, especially in the last couple of years. I can't remember a day where my mum especially, hasn't addressed my weight and how "it'll be too late soon, and you won't be able to lose it".

I'd say I've been a bit larger than other girls since I was around 13 or 14, but I've never been skinny or slim. I've found myself comparing myself to other girls quite a lot, whether they're my friends, girls I see on the street, on TV, or even on social media, and I've also found that I've been trying to look for similarities of body image in them too, in an attempt to try and make myself feel better.

In 2010-2011 I lost a lot of weight as I changed my lifestyle to vegetarianism, but at the end of 2012, I got into a relationship with someone who himself, and his family only really ate meat, they didn't really cook for me whenever I was there...which was at least twice a week. Alas I was effectively forced into eating meat again. As much as this sudden intake of meat and fats, this person was emotionally abusive, I turned to food for comfort. It seemed to be the only thing that made me feel better. 

July 2013, one of the only images of myself I have from this year.

At the end of 2013, after a messy break up, I decided it was time for me to change, more specifically, shed this weight which has made me miserable. If I could be in-charge of one thing, it would be my weight. At this point, I had also heard that working out and exercising released endorphins (a hormone which makes you feel happier), and if there's anything I wanted at this point, it was to be happy.

My two week progress from 11/11/2013 until early December. I'm not sure of exactly how much weight I lost during this period, but it was around 7lbs. 

I achieved initial weightless by purchasing a cross trainer, or elliptical machine, and I exercised everyday for at least and hour, on the highest resistance. I made sure I drank lots of water throughout the day, and I ate almost nothing but toast, eggs, maybe some fruit and green tea for breakfast, fruit and green tea for snacks, chicken and vegetables for lunch and dinner, and of course, as much water as possible (as previously mentioned). 

Soon after these photos were taken, I relaxed on the exercise...for reasons I cannot remember...and just focused on the foods I ate, which was really just chicken or fish, and veg, and I prepped my lunches for uni so I wouldn't have to worry about spending money on fatty and unhealthy foods. I pretty much put off exercise until June 2014. That's almost a year and a half of putting off exercise...BUT I didn't put on any weight. I maintained my weight at around 10 stone 4lbs, which is a healthy weight for someone of my height and age. I also know that the BMI measurements a lot of people use are inaccurate as it doesn't take into account muscle mass. 

In June 2014 I decided to join the gym after breaking up for summer for uni, I had a lot of free time on my hands, and I had a friend who wanted to join too, so we both joined the local gym and we became gym buddies. I think that going to the gym with a friend motivates you a lot to work out. Both supporting each other and having friendly competition at the same time. I remember spending almost 2 hours at the gym at a time, four to five times a week, focusing on cardio and some muscle work outs too (I fell in love with the leg press). Despite all this, I reverted back to eating badly...I'm a sucker for McDonald's...

A few weeks later, I met a friend who I had gotten close to. We spend a lot of time together during the summer, and we bonded over the shared interest of fitness. She encouraged me to eat better again. 
She was vegetarian so whenever we cooked, we were more likely to make healthy, low fat, and nutritious meals. She knew a lot more about fitness and nutrition than me, so she taught me a lot about what to eat and what not to eat. 

Left: April/May 2013. Right: August/September 2014. I don't know about you, but you can see a definite sign of weight loss in my face. My cheeks aren't as chubby, and there a lot less dimples in my face. It's generally less plump.

Left: November 2012. Right: August/September 2014. A lot less bloated, and slightly more toned. Still a lot of tubbiness.

I never really kept track of how much weight I lost, I honestly prefer judging by sight. There's a lot of factors your scales don't tell you like water weight, and muscle mass...unless you have those fancy new ones which cost a bomb. 

At the end of September, and beginning of October, I started Pole Fitness lessons, which helped me a lot with my upper body strength, and core strength. It helped a lot too that at the end of every lesson, Charlie, the leader/teacher, would set aside 5-10 minutes for planking, sit ups, dish holding, and push ups. 

I have to admit, since I've been back at uni, I've definitely slacked exercising. It's hard to get into a routine when you've got to go to uni every other day, and work weekends, and sometimes during projects, I could be in 3 times a week, and the only day I get off, I want to relax in bed. I'd end up going to the gym maybe two or three times a month. Pathetic, I know, but I always told myself "well, it could be worse, I could not be going at all..." which is no way to think about exercise when you're wanting to lose weight. Being busy with uni work and projects, I've lacked photos from this time, but I can assure you, I haven't made a lot of progress. 

Fast forward to around March/April 2015, I came across Joe Wicks on Instagram (@thebodycoach) who promoted the #leanin15 movement. I fell in love with his 15 seconds videos, condensing 15 minute meals, which are healthy, easy to make, and looked incredible to eat. I took inspiration from him and started making a lot of meals for myself, following his recipes. 

Joe's Instgram page (@thebodycoach).

Peri peri grilled chicken with salt and pepper couscous.

Stir fried garlic courgette and peppers with chicken. Cooked in coconut oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

These are a couple of the dishes I made with inspiration from Joe, but you get the idea. The dishes are really simple to recreate and so, so tasty too. I'd been reading a lot of Joe's testimonials too, and with the photos he was posting of his client's progress too, I was unbelievably envious (in a good way of course) of everyone's progress, and although I'm poor, I really wanted to sign up to his 90 day plan. I didn't, but I was determined to use his tips and tricks when it came to exercise. 

After a couple months of eating better, and following Joe's recipes, I shed a lot of fat and gained a bit more muscle.

July 2013 and November 2014. I'd lost a lot of weight at this point anyways because of Pole Fitness. and May/June 2015.

A couple of months ago (June 2015) I upped my game when it came to exercise, and decided to aim to go to the gym at least twice a week. I did more ab and core exercises at home too, such as sit ups, leg raises, planks and I also started to do squats too. 

I've noticed too that in the past month, my skin has cleared up so much, I've hardly had any issues with spots, and I honestly believe that it's because of the healthy intake of nutrition recently.

Here is a comparison photo from April 2013, to June 2015.

I've changed my body shape around completely, and I couldn't be more proud of myself. I'm a lot more confident, and I generally feel a lot better about myself both mentally and physically. 

It's now August, and I've decided to push myself to go to the gym at least three times a week, and doing more HIIT sessions. I've got a lot to make up for, and I want to be the best version of myself that I can be. I want a body which I can be proud of, and if there's anything I can do to achieve that, then I will. 

There's only a few bits of advice I can give, because I'm still learning myself...

• Stay focused and motivated
• Eat healthily, and drink lots of water
• Don't be afraid to push yourself
• You don't get results from sitting on your bum
• If there's something you don't like about yourself and you can change it, change it.
• Do it for you, no one else.

I hope you enjoyed reading through my Weight Loss Journey, and maybe picked up tips too!

xoxo

The Cutest Photo Printing Company!

Okay, so I had been meaning to print off some photos to decorate my room, and I've been putting it off until recently...seeing as I've got so many photos of myself with friends!

After searching for 'Polaroid printing' on Google, I came across a site called 'Polargram', which specialised in printing Instagram and Facebook photos, Polaroids, button badges and magnets, and even canvases! 

I searched through quite a few sites, like snapfish and 'photobox' (or is it 'fotobox'?), and I found that Polargram offered the cheapest deals at £5.95 for 12 prints, £8.95 for 24 prints, and £11.95 for 48 prints. At these prices, I had to go for the 48! As a former photography student, I know a good deal on photos when I see one. 

The delivery page clearly states that products would be delivered within 3-10 days, and I'm incredible impressed at how quick delivery was, as it only took TWO days!

After you've placed your order, you're taken to the recipt page (you're also sent a confirmation email with a link to this page too) and there you can keep track of your order, see when it's processed and dispatched. Very handy if you're a worrier like myself. 

This morning, I came downstairs to a small box with all my photos in, and a sweet little surprise (pun intended).

I was way too excited to open the box neatly, but check out the Maoam, my favourite flavour too!

Looking through these photos, I'm really impressed with the quality of paper and printing. Not one image is blurry or smeared, or grainy.

I decided to put these photos onto the space behind my door, and across from my bed so I can see them all the time. They look pretty good against my grey and black damask wall paper if I do say so myself! 

The only thing which let me down about using this site, is that it only allowed access to your uploaded photos on Facebook, when I'd like to have used some tagged photos too. I guess I save/screenshot them and re-upload them to Facebook or Instagram myself, but that's a bit...'out of the way' I guess. 

Overall, I highly recommend using Polargram if you're wanting to print off a bunch of photos for a reasonable price. I am thrilled with the quality of photos and customer service! 

10/10 would recommend. 

Website: www.polargram.com

Instagram: @wearepolargram

xoxo

Hello and welcome to my new beauty and lifestyle blog!

So, I've been anticipating creating a beauty blog for a very long time now, and I feel like the time has come with it being summer and having a lot of extra time on my hands.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Maisie, Mais for short. 
I'm 20 years of age, currently living in South East England, and studying Digital Television Production in London, UK. You could say that makeup and beauty is the 'bit on the side' to my T.V. passion, so here, I will be posting my latest makeup, and beauty purchases and reviews, along with swatches.
So look out for up coming posts, and I hope you enjoy! 

xoxo