A Photo a Day Challenge Collab with Ellie
Lifestyle

A Photo a Day Challenge Collab with Ellie

paigebwrites3 Comments

Hello there m’lovelies,

Today’s post is in collaboration with the lovely Ellie Phillips, you can check out her blog here and I will be linking all of her socials at the end.

Ellie had the amazing idea of setting each other a fun little challenge and while I am not going to disclose what challenge I set her, you will have to read her post for that, but let me explain to you a bit about what challenge she set me.

I was set the challenge of taking a photo every day for a whole week but not just random photos … there was a set prompt for each day.  However, the prompts were very open and allowed me lots of creative freedom because she said I could interpret them how I wish.

Here is the result.

Day 1: Black and White.

Black and White

 

Day 1 was probably the most difficult for me because I have never really experimented with black and white before. I thought maybe some different textures might be good but they ended up looking pretty crap honestly. Then I opened the door and the wind causes the net to flow which I thought looked beautiful, so I seized the opportunity.

Day 2: Morning

Morning

My morning routine is letting my dogs down the garden as soon as I wake up because they will go absolutely mental until I do. The morning I took this photo, the sun was shining and my beautiful model Honey decided that she wanted to pose and enjoy it.

Day 3: Beautiful

Beautiful

Does this really need any explanation? My cat Snowy is an absolute beauty and so I had to use her for this prompt. Her markings, her nature … everything about her is beautiful.

Day 4: Tall

Tall

I could not leave one of my babies out now could I? so meet Hugo. He is a French Bulldog but he is an incredibly tall boy. Most French Bulldogs are very short and stocky but Hugo is very tall and skinny.  So I used this prompt to include him but he also fits it very well.

Day 5: Reflection

Reflection

I was really hoping that the sun would my glasses a little bit more but I then remember that I live in wales … so, what is the sun?. I am pretty sure that you guys get the concept of this image and what I was trying to achieve. I do think the picture still turned out pretty cool and I learnt that it might be time for new glasses as they are hella scratched.

Day 6: Flowers

Flowers

In the interest of social distancing, I decided not to hunt for flowers and the ones in my garden were non-existent. Instead, I decided to take a picture of the artificial ones that sit in the middle of my kitchen table and it turned out to be one of my favourites. I ended up thoroughly impressed with my phone camera after this as I did not need to zoom in.

Day 7: Favourite.

Favourite

I really couldn’t think of what my favourite things were but eventually decided to take a photo of my favourite way to start my morning … a cup of coffee and a book. I love the contrast of the book against all the white, there are so many beautiful colours in the cover and they really pop out in this.

I had so much fun with this challenge and am really proud of the photos I have taken; please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Ellie’s socials. –  Twitter 

Instagram 

Go and send some love her way by chucking her a follow and checking out her fantastic blog.

Paige

x

Let’s get organised.
Lifestyle

Let’s get organised.

paigebwrites3 Comments

Hey M’lovelies,

Now I know that everybody is going through an incredibly difficult time right now with the horrific outbreak of COVID19 and nothing seems important anymore. But while you are staying at home and doing your part to protect yourselves and others, it is vital that you remember to take care of your mental health too.

Most of us are going to be finding anything that we possibly can to keep ourselves occupied and that means completing all of those menial tasks that we’ve been avoiding. Today’s post is going to be about getting a little bit of organisation going on and not necessarily because you have to … but because you can’t think of anything you need or want to do.

90% of the things I am going to mention are going to seem completely pointless but if you’re anything like me … you’ll get some satisfaction from seeing thing just be a little more in order.  I repeat, these are simply things to pass time and NOT remotely important. If you can’t be bothered (and who could blame you) or would rather chill on the couch cuddled up, watching Netflix … then that’s perfectly okay too.

That being said, let us jump in.

 

  • Start that bullet journal. 

I know many people who always say to me that they have been wanting to start a bullet journal, but they don’t have the time or are not creative.

However, bullet journals do not have to take up that much time and they certainly do not have to be creative which I know because I do not have an artistic bone in my body. I add a bit of colour to headings and outlines but that is as far as it goes, I am all about function.

Everyone knows I love my bullet journal (because I don’t shut up about it.) and I truly believe they are the best way to keep on top of everything. They are totally tailored to you and the best way to maximise your productivity.

Head over to my Instagram (@paigebwrites) to see my April set up and hopefully gain some spread inspiration.

 

  • Don’t need, want or use it … chuck it. 

I don’t feel like this one really needs to much explaining but if have no use for something then what is the point in keeping it?

Go through all those boxes under the bed, the bags of crap in the attic and the draws that contain God knows what.  Separate them into piles of stuff to keep, donate or throw away, it may seem like effort but you’ll be glad when it is done.

please donate where possible instead of throwing it away because the likelihood is that somebody else will have a use for it. If you do have a lot to throw away then bag it up ready but wait until this has all died down to actually throw it; our services have enough going on right now and we don’t want to create extra work for them.

 

  • Get folding.

I am sure that most of us have our pyjamas stuffed into the draw and the towel rack we neatly organised when we got it isn’t looking too hot right now.

Just folding things like your bedding, pyjamas and the clothes that won’t quite fit in the wardrobe, will automatically make things look a lot neater.

It may seem like a pointless task but you’ll be glad when it is done.

 

  • Cluttered desktop? … Yeah, me too. 

Most our desktops are gonna be covered in so much shit and we arent going to have a clue what most of it is for.

Trash anything that you know you’re never going to need again and then pop the rest into some categorised folders. You will know exactly where everything is and you’ll no longer have to search through hundreds of documents to find the right one.

 

  • File all of those important documents away.

There are so many important documents that we need to keep, such as bank statements and legal certificates, that it can sometimes be tough to keep on top of them.

The likelihood is that we all have them stored somewhere but they’re a nightmare to navigate because they’re all mixed up.  Buy yourself a divided storage folder, categorise each section and then pop the appropriate documents into the right category.

while you may not need them often, you will know they are safe and you will exactly where to find them when needed.

 

They are just 5, easy, things that you can do to feel a little bit more put together and have your life made just a little easier.

Before I end this post, I would just like to say a massive thank you to EVERYBODY who is an essential worker for putting themselves at risk to make sure we have some semblance of a normal life. Thank you to our NHS workers for working tirelessly for help beat this horrific disease and for continuing to save lives. Finally, thank you to everybody doing their bit by staying at home and reducing the risk to those around you.

If you are refusing to stay at home and are not taking this seriously then please reconsider your decision because you could be responsible for helping this virus spread. Make good decisions.

To those who are currently suffering from the virus, I pray for your quick recovery and send my condolences to the loved ones of those sadly taken during this pandemic.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post and I will be posting a lot more frequently during all of this to hopefully give people a rest.

With love,

Paige x

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why I will no longer be using the term ‘beauty influencer’ or ‘beauty community’.
Beauty

Why I will no longer be using the term ‘beauty influencer’ or ‘beauty community’.

paigebwrites

Hi there m’lovlies.

I know it’s been a while and I don’t really have any excuses apart from the fact that I have been in a bit of a creative rut and assignment season kicked my ass. I don’t have a full plan of where I want this blog to go and I know I’m feeling a little bit more stable but there is no telling how long that will last.

I’m just hoping for the best.

Today I wanted to talk to you guys about something that’s been playing on my mind for a little while and why I find the terms ‘beauty influencer’ and ‘beauty community’ quite problematic. It isn’t the terms ‘influencer’ or ‘community’ that I have a problem with but the association that they have with ‘beauty’.

Placing the word ‘beauty’ in front of those two words is suggesting that beauty comes through following trends set by people. That somebody has the power to influence how people see beauty or what it means to be beautiful.

Now I do not believe for a second that anybody has any malicious intentions when using these terms; or that people who are ‘beauty influencers’/ members of the ‘beauty community’ set out to cause any harm, or aim to do anything other than help people feel more confident through makeup and skin care.

However, as human beings we naturally hear the term ‘influencer’ and think that means that they are leaders/teachers or that we need to do what they do in order to be that way. So how else is our brain supposed to respond when we hear the term ‘beauty influencer’.

Those usually given that title are those who run a YouTube channel or Instagram page that focuses on the latest makeup, skincare or grooming trends. This further enhances our feelings that in order to be beautiful we have to wear makeup or always have our nails perfect.

Now I am a huge makeup lover and I do feel more confident when I wear it but I don’t feel like you have to wear it in order to be ‘beautiful’. I’m sure that nobody in the ‘community’ does either but that is the association with it now. Make-up + perfect skin + being perfectly groomed = beauty. Right? Wrong.

I personally feel like the terms ‘makeup influencer’ or ‘makeup community’ would far more accurately describe what it is about. There is nothing wrong with teaching the latest makeup trends or being passionate about it but we need to put that disassociation from beauty in place.

There are definitely people out there on social platforms that go above and beyond to make sure that their viewers/followers never get the two crossed. A perfect example is ‘Sophdoeslife’ who is a massive part of the reason I decided to write this post. She is constantly making sure that her viewers know makeup is just a bit of fun and nobody should feel like they have to wear it. She often puts the term ‘beauty influencer’ in air quotations too.

I hope you guys see my points in this post and all have a fantastic week. Remember, beauty is not something that can be influenced and it is not defined by looking a certain way or following trends.

I turned 21!
Lifestyle

I turned 21!

paigebwrites2 Comments

Hey M’lovelies,

So, a lot of you that follow my blog regularly will know that my birthday was recently (October 29th) and I turned the big 21. Naturally, I thought let’s write a post about it and my plans for my 21st year because people will definitely give a shit about that … right? Well tough because I’m doing it anyway.

It feels so weird to say that I’m now officially into the start of my adult life. When I was 20 I could still kinda fit into the teenage age bracket and teenage-like behaviour is still expected from 20-year-olds (on less extreme level). Now, I feel like I’m considered an actual adult and supposed to have the maturity that comes with that. However, I am so excited for what my twenties will bring me because I do believe that’s when life really starts. Most of the big events you go through in life will happen during those years and you grow into who you’re truly supposed to be.

My birthday this year was a very quiet affair but that was exactly what I wanted. I had a group of my friends around the flat for some pizza (it was two for Tuesday … I had to!) and then we headed to karaoke which was pretty dead but my friends made it insanely fun. Particularly my friend Dan, who is usually very quiet, because he’d had a few drinks and was screaming off the top of his lungs to ‘Bassline Junkie”.

However, the highlight of my birthday was when I was in work visiting one of my fresher flats (officially we aren’t supposed to have favourites … but they’re definitely the favourites) and they had decorated the flat with balloons and baked me cupcakes. I have never wanted to bawl my eyes out so much because it was such a thoughtful gesture and I will never forget it.

Now, I thought I would share my goals for my 21st year with you guys.

Take better care of myself – I know for a fact there certain ways in which I need to improve when it comes to taking care of myself. An example of that being that I never drink enough water which is affecting my ability to concentrate properly and probably contributes my insomnia as well.

Blog more frequently – Recently, I have been letting things get on top of me which means that I have been neglecting things that I really love doing.  I haven’t really done anything that I love to do if I’m being honest. However, I have a lot of posts preplanned for the blog and they are ones that I am incredibly proud off, I can not wait for you to read them.

Be consistent with my bullet journal – Bullet journaling is one of my favourites things on the planet, but I have certainly been falling behind on creating new weekly spreads and coming up new spread ideas. December will be an amazing month for spreads because Christmas requires so much planning.

I didn’t want to set too many goals for myself because I’m a firm believer in doing a small bit at a time. However, I am very deadset on sticking to the ones that I have set myself because I truly believe it will make a difference.

I hope you guys have enjoyed this post. Monday marks the start of my Christmas posts which I am so incredibly excited for and I hope you are all going to love them!

Paige x

Current Favourites
Beauty · Lifestyle

Current Favourites

paigebwritesLeave a comment

Hey M’lovlies,

So my last post was a bit of a downer and so I thought that I should probably do something a little bit more light-hearted. Positivity is key and all that.

I was initially writing this as a September favourites but then I realised after being gone for so long , current favourites was probably more appropriate. I’ve discovered a lot of new things over the past couple of months and I have fallen totally in love with a lot of it. I mean, I hated a lot of it too but that is for another time. Let me know if a ‘Stuff I hate’ post is something you’d be interested in reading in the comments below.

Rightio, let’s get into it.

Chamomile tea and honey – It is a well known fact that chamomile has an insane amount of benefits and one of which is that it can aid and improve sleep. To say that I agree with that claim would be an understatement. Sleep is something that doesn’t come easy for me and being an aneamic insomniac isn’t going to end well for anybody. Well, recently I was doing some shopping and I found myself drawn to a magic box that read ‘Twinnings chamomile and honey’ and I could not pull myself away until it was in my basket. It was a total ‘fuck it’ moment but I’m so glad I bought it. I have a cup before bed while reading some blogs and I’m knocked out in half an hour. Plus, I’ve been waking up once a night instead of the usual 5/6. It is a drinkable sleeping tablet … I swear it.

Nyx Honey Few Me Up Primer – oh! Another honey related product? Maybe it’s my good luck charm. While this is slightly on the pricier side of the drugstore scale … It is something that I feel is totally worth the money as I fell in love with it instantly. You guys all know I love a hydrating primer but I generally find they lose their benefits when you set the foundation. However, not only does this hydrate and plump the skin but it gives you a ‘glow from within’ look that still comes through set foundation. It leaves you looking healthy and fresh. Who doesn’t want that! Be warned, the application can be a messy process if you don’t remove the excess from the wand before putting it on your face.

Vanilla Cupcake Yankee Candle – ‘oh my good god!’ were my exact words when I smelt this candle for the first time. Imagine you’re back in year 8 food tech class and you’ve just opened the oven to remove your proud work where the smell of freshly baked cake whacks you in the face, filling the entire room. That’s exactly what the candle smells like and it’s not too overpowering either so it only gently fragrances the whole room. I also love that it comes in a decently weighted glass jar as it means it is very difficult to knock over. It also makes a beautiful shelf decoration.

White Mesh Heart Fairy Lights – I was on my way to the bus home from town when my legs very rudely walked me into Primark. While in there, I spotted a set of 10 absolutely stunning fairy lights and they decided that they’d look stunning behind my bed and so they jumped into my basket. My card then naughtily jumped out of my purse to pay. I put them up as soon as I got home (it would have been cruel not to!) and my room suddenly came together. It was the decorations I had no idea I was missing. I now have them on every night as I lay in bed sipping my chamomile tea and reading blogs. Totally transformed the entire room.

Gel Nail polish – Up until recently I never really cared about nail care or painting them but then I started filling them and then attempting to paint them. I quickly learnt that I would never master it and I decided to get them done while on a weekend away in Cardiff. They recommend gel to me because of how long it lasts and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to normal polish. I feel like it looks so much better on the nail and they last absolutely ages on me which makes it worth the money. Something as little as having my nails done has brought me so much confidence which I know sounds a bit silly but it works for me.

Benefit 24hr brow setter – if your brows are anything like mine then they enjoy growing in different directions, lengths and thickness. Just piss you off. Well, I went into TKMaxx recently and found this magical item on sale, only the travel size of course … Naturally. But, it has been a total brow game changer and they now stay pointing in the same direction all day. I adore the fact that it doesn’t make your brows feel like cement and I got the clear one which makes them look so natural. Also, for a travel size you get quite a lot of product as its the same size as any brow gel you’d find at the drugstore.

Always night-time pads – omg! a female talking about sanitary products on the internet! Gasp! Shock! Horror! Are we done with the taboo silliness now? Thank you very much. Since I had to switch pill, mother nature doesn’t like me very much and these have become my daytime pads as they seem to be the only ones that can keep me relatively safe. They are the most ‘comfortable’ ones I have found and I feel a lot less likely to leak in them. I recently saw online that Sophia Bush has partnered with Always on their #endperiodpoverty campaign. I always admired before but I admire her even more now as she does her best to help anyone with a menstural cycle that are unable to access sanitary products.

I’m sorry that there were not more items and the post is going up late. I tried to think of more but then I realised that if I has to think about them … then they aren’t favourites. I really hope you enjoyed the post and feel free to leave me any feedback in the comment section below.

All my love,

Paige x

Let’s chat!
Lifestyle

Let’s chat!

paigebwritesLeave a comment

Hey M’lovlies,

So after a very sporadic couple of months I felt like it was time to give you a little update on what’s been going on in my life and why things have been so off with me. I am going to put a little warning here that there will be talk about mental health so if that is something that might upset you then please leave the post now and I will see you in my next one.

Around April time I started to notice myself becoming anxious over stupid little things like walking into my world lit lecture because the amount of people in there terrified me. Especially as they all had a habit of turning straight to the door to see who was walking in. There was a lot of things that my brain was trying to work through and they were things that I had no control over but my brain didn’t want to accept that. They were things that had already happened or things that can’t be changed as much as I want them to. I’m not going into detail about what they are right now because they’re very personal things that I’m not ready to put on the internet but I’m sure I will one day. I spent most of my time in my room panicking about leaving the flat and it became all I did which meant I was falling behind on work and the blog. It all just kind of built up to a massive shit show. My brain was taking to me some dark places but I didn’t want to talk about it anyone because I believed that I was just being stupid and people would laugh at me for it but my stepmum and me had a long conversation which really helped me put things into perspective.

On top of that, at the start of summer I started to find myself becoming ill and permanently exhausted again which I started to realise meant that anemia was probably back and in true ‘my body hates me’ fashion … It is. I couldn’t concentrate on anything and I had absolutely no creative ideas coming in which broke me because I don’t want to be doing the same as everybody else … I missed my ideas. I was napping for hours during the day and waking up so late which is just not me at all. My energy was gone but the iron tablets are finally kicking in and Im starting feel a lot better … Minus the dizziness and nausea (fun times!). I’m napping so much less but my concentration still isn’t fully there but it’s getting there slowly.

I also found that I lost a lot of my motivation because I just wasn’t seeing any interaction with my blog and I don’t mean that in a ‘omg I’m not getting veiws’ way but the aim for my blog is to be an escape for 5 minutes for people who may not be having it the easiest but I didn’t feel like it was doing that. It’s a blog about silly, trivial things like makeup because sometimes you just need to read something like that to take your mind off the big things. I couldn’t see my blog helping anyone but I’ve now realised that it is helping somebody … Me. It’s my break and it’s my escape. Obviously I hope other people are enjoying reading it and I hope people start interacting with me more but I can’t base how my blog runs off that or I may as well shut it down.

I found myself falling out of love with makeup as well which obviously hindered my ability to write as 90% of my content is about makeup. Well, I didn’t fall out of love with it as such but totally lacked any motivation with it and just didn’t feel like I had the energy to put it on. I wasn’t feeling confident with or without it and so I just didn’t see the point in bothering to wear it.

Now, 5 months down the line, I am back in London for university and already feel so much more positive. Im excited to start my new modules and meet new people rather than being scared at the prospect of it. Im still physically not in best place but my mental health is certainly on the up. My relationship is going so perfect and we have now been together almost a year and a half; Jack was absolutely amazing in supporting me through all this even when he wasn’t in the best shape himself. I’ve started to feel so much more confident in myself again and am wearing makeup more frequently while also finding myself so excited to try new products. I’ve completed a lot of the planning the my novel so I am now in the process of starting to properly write it out which I am so excited for as it has taken me years to get to this point.
I started a new job working as a residence ambassador for my university and while the first two weeks were very intense, Im enjoying every single second (plus my bank balance is going to love me at the end of it!). It’s made me ready to meet new people and help then as they start the scary transition of being in their first year of uni.

I hope you guys are not too annoyed at my upload situation but I promise you that I am going to be uploading atleast once a week from now on and they will become more frequent as I adjust to my new mindset and get even more positive about life. I know it doesn’t seem like I’ve said much but I didn’t want to get into things too deep as that is now who I am but I thought I’d give a brief explanation.

Please leave any ideas that you may have for me in either my Instagram DM’s or in the comment section below.

All my love,
Paige X

Foundation for ABSOLUTE beginners.
Beauty

Foundation for ABSOLUTE beginners.

paigebwritesLeave a comment

Hey M’lovlies!

Well, it turns out that my ass isn’t lazy after all and is just in need off another good dose of iron tablets. I’ve started taking them as of Thursday last week and am on them for three months but I should be on the way to full health again very shortly.

All misery aside, I wanted to talk to all you makeup newbies about the beauty of foundation. When starting out with foundation it is very easy to get it wrong because there is so many things that have to work in harmony for it to look right. You have to get the colour right, the finish that’s best for your skin and the coverage you desire.

So, generally foundation will have one of three finishes; light, medium or full. Light would be for those who just wanted to cover a little bit or just even out their skintone. Medium would be for those who have a little bit more to cover but don’t want to totally wipe out their face. Full coverage would be for those who want to make their face a totally blank canvass and cover EVERYTHING but I only recommend full for special events as it can look heavy for everyday.

My first piece of advice would be to start with something light coverage and work your way up because lighter coverage is a lot more forgiving if you get it wrong. Besides, If you wanted more coverage you can always use concealer to go over the areas you want to hide a little bit more. My personal favourite light coverage foundation is the Rimmel Match Perfection as it has a gorgeous finish and an even better price tag.

My second piece of advice would be to always use a primer! They can honestly transform how a foundation sits on the skin and often help to keep it on all day. If you have dry skin then you’re going to want something very hydrating like the NYX hydro touch primer and If you have oily skin then look for something a little bit more matte like the L’Oréal infallible mattifying primer. It is okay to double prime! There may me multiple things you want to sort out about your skin before you move on to foundation like hydrating your skin and maybe filling in some pores. It’s okay to use two primers to do this as it will mean your skin will be totally ready for foundation.

When it comes to matching your foundation shade, the most important thing is to get the correct undertone as you can’t hide that if you get it wrong but you can always blend the foundation down your neck if the shade is slightly light or dark. Getting the right undertone is probably the most difficult part which is why I have a little tip for you because the one about looking at the colour of your veins or what jewellery suits you don’t work!. Think about what happens to your skin in the sun because if you are :-

Pink toned – you’ll go red all over.

Neautral – you’ll go red in certain areas.

Yellow – you lucky buggers will tan so easily.

Once you’ve worked out your undertone then finding the shade shouldn’t be too difficult because all you have to do is test 3 shades you think it could be on your jawline and remember that it is the one that disappears into your skin. If none of them do then keep testing.

I can’t tell you what finish is best for your skin as everyone is going to prefer something different but what I can do is tell you a few different finishes that foundations tend to suffer and that is dewy, matte, natural and satin. Natural and satin tend to work for most (not all) skin types whole dewy works better on dry skin and matte works better with oily skin … generally. Dewy foundations tend to make oily people look like they’ve dunked their face in a bucket of olive oil and matte foundations tend to cling to dry patches or look cakey on dryer skin.

Now when it comes to the application of foundation, I recommend using a beauty sponge like the real techniques one because they’re a lot easier to work with than brushes. I personally way prefere the finish of a sponge anyway! Start in the centre of your face, working out to the jaw and use gentle bouncing motions to really work the foundation in. Always bring in down your neck.

Finally, I always suggest setting your makeup with a light layer of powder and the one I recommend for this is the RMCA no colour powder as I have found that it works for everyone and because there is no colour, it’s fool proof. Just dust a light layer over the skin with a setting brush and you’re good to go. You can spray some setting spray over the top if you find you went a bit overboard but I always use a spray anyway as it melts everything together.

I hope you guys found this helpful. I am hoping to get back into regular posting now that I know what is wrong with me and will have lots more coming soon. Let me know what you guys thought in the comments below.

See you soon 🙂