Kate Burns: June 2014

Tuesday 24 June 2014

My everyday make-up routine

Disclaimer: I was very scared to post this photo as my skin is breaking out really bad lately, however, I decided to because I know i'm not the only person in the world to have spots, and it has been alot worse!

I’ve decided I am going to share my everyday makeup routine because I enjoy reading and watching YouTube videos on other peoples. I just love to know what other people are loving and using. I always get a little inspiration from what other people are carrying in their makeup bags. I’m not an expert, and am definitely not claiming to be! So if you don’t like how I do something, or use something then that doesn’t bother me aha. I have been using makeup since around 12 years old and have learned from trial and error. I also have my older sister to steal makeup from and to tell me if I look a state aha! ‘Cos she will. I use my makeup in the order I like and I probably don’t do it correct according to professionals but I am happy with the finish so there isn’t a problem.

Step 1: Face primer

The first step to my make up is applying primer to the oily areas of my face. I use this as a base for my make up for longer lasting foundation. Oily areas tend to be my T zone, chin and under my eyes. I just squeeze a pea size amount on the back of my hand and apply with my pointing finger. Once this has all sunk into my skin I move on to

foundation.

Step 2: Foundation

I have currently repurchased an old favourite foundation which is Rimmel London Match Perfection. I use the shade Ivory because I have rather pale skin. I had been using Seventeen Miracle Matte but became less fond of it, because when my face gets wet (in the rain, or from tears) it tends to go almost like a milky consistency on my face and left patches. I had only bought it because I fancied a change but I would not buy it again. I used to use Match Perfection in college and decided after being recommended it again to go for it.

I press one pump onto the back of my hand, and with my finger I take some product from my hand and dot it around my face. When I have done this I use my Real Techniques stippling brush and evenly blend the foundation all over my face until I am pleased with the coverage. This particular foundation gives me medium/full coverage.

Step 3: Concealer

When I am having a particularly bad skin day I apply Collection 2000 concealer to blemishes and spots. I use my ring finger to blend it in using small circular motions. I also use the same circular motions to blend in the concealer under my eyes. This can make me look more awake and fresh on days when I could curl up in bed for an extra few days in bed!

Step 4: Eyebrows

Next it is time to do my eyes brows. I have tried different products for them over the last few years. I started off with eye shadow, moving onto pencil and now I use Seventeen’s Brow’s that, brow kit. The first thing I do is tweeze out and strays that may have appeared. I then very gently draw on an outline using a pencil of the shape I am going for. I find that my brows can look different everyday because I don’t really know what I am doing to be quite honest; I just make it up as I go along. When I have done this I use the brush from the kit to apply the wax, and then the powder. I only highlight under the brow bone if I am making a special effort because I can

never be fussed.

Use a pencil to outline the shape

Apply the wax

Apply the powder

Step 5: Powder

To set my foundation I use the Stay Matte Rimmel powder in the shade 003 Peach Glow. I use a brush to evenly apply this all over my face. I also use this to secure my brows even more. This is an important step in my routine as I have oily skin and struggle to have a matte finish without this.

Step 6: Blush

I apply MUA in the shade Marshmallow to the apples of my cheeks blending it with a brush.

Step 7: Eye shadow

I don’t always wear eye shadow, but when I do, during the day I always wear something subtle. For this look I used the Sleek palette. I used Nubuk on the entire lid and moss in my crease. For something a bit girly I used a little bit of Taupe for a shimmer effect.

Step 8: Eye liner

For eyeliner I have stopped using pencil on my waterline so much as I feel like it makes my eyes appear smaller. Now I use 2 True effortless eyeliner on my lash line. Depending on how thick it ends up when I have it matching on both sides determines my entire look aha! I can never keep it thin which is really annoying. For this look I went for a cat eye flick. I think this is such a simple step but can really flatter my eyes.

Step 9: Mascara

The final step of my makeup is to curl my eyelashes and apply mascara. At the moment I am using Scandal Eyes rockin’ curves by Rimmel. I really like this mascara as it leaves my lashes looking long and unlike other mascaras it doesn’t leave them clumpy and clogged with too much product.

I’d love to know what you’re using in your basic routine. Let me know in the comments what you are loving right now.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday 15 June 2014

Is Happiness a Cultural obsession?

I was inspired to write this post when I came across this short extract...

First of all, when I was inspired to write this post I had no idea how it was going to turn out. It is not supposed to be a History lesson and I am definitely not claiming to be an expert, however everything is relevant and I like how it turned out so I hope you enjoy reading it...

As a sufferer of depression I have always been obsessed with the idea of a happy life. I know that it would be insane to think that a person can be happy 100% of the time, but I do believe that some people lead happier lives than others. Is this down to internal or external factors? As a psychology student I believe that a person’s mood is determined by their thoughts and attitudes on an event or situation. Therefore, the situation is somewhat involved but the attitude a person has towards it holds the most importance. Attitudes can be pre-determined by previous experiences and changed by new experiences.

‘The Happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts’ – Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD)

Can Happiness be defined? The term happiness originates from Old English from the noun hap, with the suffix ‘y’. Hap is the sense of luck and good fortune. In this context happiness is defined as an individual being lucky and experiencing good occurrences in one’s life. However, if you were to ask someone what they would define as happy I guarantee everyone would say something different.

Ancient people believed that we have no control over our happiness. It is in the hands of Gods, dictated by fate or fortune, controlled by the stars, not something we can influence and determine ourselves. Happiness is literally just what happens to us. Socrates (460 BC) argued that happiness is in fact obtainable through human effort. Greeks had beforehand accepted a pessimistic view of human existence. They were punished if they were seen to obtain personal happiness, as it was considered hubris (extreme pride and over confidence that leads to offensive behaviours towards the Gods). Happiness was only reserved for those the Gods favoured, and this is what they believed.

Critics have suggested that our preoccupation with happiness may actually be causing people to be unhappy. If a person feels they’re falling short of an ideal happiness it can interfere with the happiness they do feel (Gregoire, 2014). This is supported by Iris Mauss who proposed that the more a person strives for happiness, the less likely they are to obtain it. People who strive for happiness set their standards high, and when these are not met a person can experience feelings of disappointment. This same idea is also referred to as a New Disease of Western Societies. This disease is our obsession with the pursuit of happiness. We, as a society, begin to fear or devalue pain, negative emotions and challenging experiences. Which according to McKay are essential for wholesome. Aristotle, the Ancient Greek Philosopher, built on previous proposals that happiness can be earned. He also believed that to live a good life, dealing with a good amount of pain was vital.

A friend once said to me ‘Stop trying so hard to be happy, stop trying to force it’. Initially, I had no idea how intense my search for happiness was, but she made me realise that I was constantly on the look-out for the next thing to make me smile. I can’t say this is not a habit of mine but now I can acknowledge when I am doing it, and by doing this I can stop myself and prevent myself from becoming disappointed.

Rick Hanson a Neuropsychologist uses an analogy to explain how the human brain views experiences. He stated that the brain is like Teflon for positive experiences and Velcro for negative ones. His research led to the belief that a person’s happiness level is increased by maximising life’s everyday simple pleasures and small joys. This gives me the motivation to linger around the small positive things in my life, such as my morning coffee, a hot bubble bath and new makeup. As crazy as it may sound, by focusing on the small things I notice myself having more positive days. Also, when I am having a bad day I try not to beat myself up over it and just accept that I need to endure the bad to appreciate the good. Because, how are we supposed to feel a sense of gratitude if all we know is good.

The attitudes and behaviours my friend noticed in me can be known as me ‘running on the hedonic treadmill’ of pleasure and joy. I was constantly seeking something to gain happiness and my expectations were never met because the things I thought would provide me with long term happiness were short lived (Diener, 2006). This may possibly make me sound like a fatso but one example I can think of is comfort eating. At the time of consumption I might feel like the food is making me happy but in the long run I would usually regret eating so much and the feeling of joy has been dominated by guilt. Another extreme example would be a person that aims to earn a lot of money, when they reach the goal they may feel elation, however when they have adapted to the situation these feelings won’t be at an optimum level, they will flatten out and become the norm. This may be where the term ‘Money can’t buy happiness’ comes from. Which is obviously not true because it can buy Ben and Jerry’s, but there I go again with my obsession for food? When actually I do think it is true, money can only buy so much to help us live comfortably but beyond that it can’t buy much else.

"Imagine I could wave a magic wand to ensure that you would have the approval and admiration of everyone on the planet, forever. What, in that case, would you choose to do with your life?"Once you've answered honestly, you can start taking steps toward your ideal vision of yourself. You can tape positive affirmations to your mirror, or you can cut up your advice books and turn them into a papier-mâché project. It doesn't matter, as long as you're living consciously. The state of happiness is not really a state at all. It's an ongoing personal experiment. (Flora, 2014)

So, if you're like me, stop trying to be happy all of the time, and accept the bad days. When you are feeling particularly down, express this. Cry, shout, be angry. By pretending you are okay only makes matters worse. I find by talking about it really helps, a problem shared is a problem halved! This post is now full of cheesy quotes, aha! I don't even care. If someone is truly your friend they would be there to listen and I always am, for anyone that needs it. I can't promise I will be any good at helping but still a listening ear. So, stay strong, be true to your self.

Thanks for reading. If you got this far you must be mad! If you did actually read it all (Which will really shock me) comment below something small that makes you smile.

Monday 2 June 2014

Freshers year!

Hey gurl heyyy...

My best girls

I literally cannot believe how fast this academic year has gone! WAY TOO FAST.

This time last year I was revising day in day out trying to cram in all of my A level exam information, not knowing if I was going to Uni, staying at college or doing something completely random. I spoke about how daunting this was in my 2nd ever post. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but I certainly didn't think I would be sitting here now 141 miles from home writing this blog post. If someone told me that this would be the case I would have probably laughed right at them. I had absolutely no confidence that I was going to pass my A levels and even when I did pass I cried in a state of horror not knowing what I wanted to do with them.

Now I am living 2 and a half hours away from home, living with some of the most beautiful friends ever in University halls. Weird to think that I moved in with these girls 8 months ago, and in July of this year I will be living in a house with 6 of them, and we're all now as close as sisters. I was pretty nervous when I moved to Uni as I didn't know what to expect but I come across thediaryofapoorgirl.blogspot.co.uk and Hannah who writes this blog shares alot of advice and information from her own experiences. I found this very helpful and reassuring.

My first year of Uni has been the best experience of my life hands down. I have now completed all of my works and exams and am leaving University Halls on 7th June forever!I am really going to miss living here with all 24 girls. Living on campus has been so much fun. Our Uni held Dining in Nights once a term and this is when we all got the opportunity dress up and get together with everyone for a FREE meal and wine! What more can a girl want. Free wine, i'm there! I actually really struggled with my anxiety at these nights because of the pressure to look good and it was such a cramped hall but I did enjoy myself and forced myself to go to every single one. Everyone always looked gorgeous.

Moving away from home

I think moving away from home has been easier than I ever expected. I am such a child at heart and love my family to bits. I always miss them but when I go home for Holidays I have the best time catching up with them as well as my friends. I think the first few weeks you are running off adrenaline and I noticed this dominated any feelings of home sickness. I started to feel more home sick when I returned to Uni after Christmas but I guess this is expected. I miss home when I am at Uni, but miss Uni when I am at home. So I guess it's pretty balanced and I will just get used to it the longer I live here. If anyone is thinking of moving away for Uni, I would definitely say do it! It's the best decision I have ever made.

Living on your own for the first time makes you grow as a person. You become alot more independent, and grow as a person. I have gained confidence to do things and go places on my own, and not ask my mam to do things for me that I would get anxious of the thought of in the past such as making phone calls or ordering at a restaurant. Moving to Uni has definitely helped my self esteem and confidence. Although I still struggle with my image I certainly feel more comfortable in my own skin. Unlike School where there are people who only care about their looks and not their education, Uni is very much the other way round. I'm not saying people don't look after their appearance but when it comes to the work people definitely don't think twice about going to the library in their comfy clothes and messy hair with no make up. It's so more relaxed. It makes it that more exciting to scrub up well and go out!