Appreciating My Surroundings

Since adopting Ruby, my gorgeous rescue puppy late last december, I've been going on two walks a day and  for the first time in 7 years of living in a small country village I've began to notice how truly beautiful the English Countryside can be. We moved here when I was 12 from South East London, slight culture change, and I admit I didn't enjoy living here for quite a few years and missed the hustle and bustle of London life and up until recently I would still refer to London as home and where I felt most content being. Owning a dog is such a rewarding thing in more ways than one and for me, suffering from anxiety and depression and at one point agoraphobia (I didn't like leaving my house) my confidence has grown and I feel so much calmer all thanks to our daily walks. I love nothing more than walking through the woods at half 7 in the morning hearing birds singing and on the odd occasion We've even seen a herd of deer in the distance, something I feel very grateful for witnessing. Now i don't want to turn this into a rant about social media and constantly staring at screens all day, because I think the internet is great and  I am definitely partial to an internet shop and a scroll through instagram in bed, but everything is good in moderation, and i greatly appreciate walking through an open field in my wellies and being able to forget about my bank balance or work and not reading another article about what designer Kim Kardashian will be wearing on her wedding day.. ( I cant wait to see the pictures though!) Sometimes its great to just take a walk and notice what's around you and have a little breather from modern life! 

My Favourite Youtubers

I've been into YouTube for about 2 years now and definately go on youtube almost everyday to see if any of my favourite YouTubers have a new video up or a new vlog that I can watch and enjoy. Before I started subscribing to Youtubers who do this as their career I had this perception that YouTube was great to watch funny video's of a baby biting his brothers finger or a labrador  chasing a herd of deer in Richmond park with his owner desperately chasing him shouting "Fenton!!"   From watching YouTubers I've learnt how to apply my MakeUp a lot better,been introduced to skincare products that have radically improved my spot prone skin, and generally made me see life in a much more positive way. So onto my top YouTubers who are also quite different from each other in their video's so hopefully there's something for everyone. 

 Fun for Louis: Louis does daily vlogs and has been for the past couple of years now and is a really chilled guy who has amazing dreadlocks who literally has had more adventure in a week than I have in my whole 19 years of life. Obviously if you're doing daily vlogs people want to see you doing something with your day and his motto is "Peace out enjoy life live the adventure." and he certainly lives by that, he constantly travels around the world meeting people from all walks of life and hanging out with friends and other YouTubers. And to post vlogs every single day shows such dedication and hard work and if you're looking to watch someone who travels a lot and has such a positive attitude and appreciation for life Louis is your guy! 


SacconeJolys: The SacconeJolys are an Irish family consisting of Jonathan, his wife Anna and their two children Emelia who is 20 months and Eduardo who is only a few weeks old. They daily vlog and they're such a loving and friendly family and their children are so adorable and they're just a joy to watch as a family. I started watching them when Anna was pregnant with Emelia and Sina they're dog was in labour so its really nice to witness that journey because now viewers know and love Emelia and they have six dogs, Sina's puppys, and to me its a very heartwarming channel to watch especially if you're feeling a bit down because they really embrace their viewers and make them feel a part of their lives. 

ThatcherJoe: Joe Sugg is definitely one of my favourite YouTubers ever, he only started making video's less than a year ago but I think the quality of his video's are so good and original that he's definitely made for this. I discovered Joe thanks to his popular sister (more of her later) but I think he's really become so popular because of his hilarious and original video's, nobody has made me laugh as much as Joe Sugg. He is an amazing impressionist especially of other YouTubers which led to hysterical phone pranks, Innuendo bingo's (a la Scott Mills) and The Sugg Awards. Defiantely subscribe to him if you want a good laugh! 

Charlotte Tilbury: Charlotte is a leading MakeUp artist who works with the like of Kate Moss,Cara Delevingne, Victoria Beckham and has done MakeUp for numerous Vogue covers. She recently launched her own MakeUp range and does Makeup tutorials with lots of tips and tricks that you can apply to your MakeUp. She has so much passion for MakeUp and can talk about it all day and is amazing at the feline flick if you are looking to master that cat eye look. Great channel if you're just getting into MakeUp or you're interested in perfecting your look, she's a MakeUp genius!

Zoella: Zoe does a bit of everything on her channel, she does hauls, MakeUp tutorials, Fashion, and great collaborations with other YouTubers. She also has bravely talked openly about her struggle with anxiety and panic attacks which a lot of people can relate to. She is very natural and funny in front of the camera and I think every subscriber, 4 million of them, can imagine being friends with her as she's so down to earth and chatty. Some of my favorite video's are with her best friend Louise (sprinkle of glitter) where they sing and do silly things and just have a laugh together. Its not hard to see why she has 4 million (and counting) subscribers. 

There are my top YouTubers, I hope you check them out and enjoy them as much as I do! 

                                       Lucy x    

My Top 5 Beauty Products

                         


         These are my top 5 beauty products that i am using on a daily basis and loving at the moment. First off is something I discovered a few months back after hearing of its beauty benefits as well as its nutritional uses. Coconut oil can be used on your skin, hair,  and of course you can eat it. I like to use it as a body moisturiser after my bath and find it sinks into the skin nicely and helps keep my skin soft especially in the naturally dry areas like your elbows and knees. An additional benefit I've found is that it makes my nails a lot stronger and less brittle. The one I use comes in a 125ml pot and costs £2.29 from Superdrug, which lasts me about 3 weeks using it daily. 

My next Beauty must have is something I recieved in a Glossybox last August and is the Emite Eyelash Curler. I had never been very interested in eyelash curlers or purchasing one as I thought they wont make much of a difference to my eyelashes and I would rather spend money on a new mascara than a good eyelash curler. So thats why beauty boxes are so good at showing you products that you might of never considered using. After using these eyelash curlers I can definitely notice my eyes look a lot bigger and they lift my eyelashes at each corner of the eye that would usually fall a bit more downwards and i'm surprised at how much of a difference that makes after you apply mascara when those lashes are lifted and curled. So if you are doubtful as to if eyelash curlers are worth purchasing I would definitely recommend investing in a pair. 

My last blog was a review of this Hand Cream that I've only recently purchased but I noticed such a significant difference so fast that its definitely a firm beauty favourite. The Superdrug Hand Therapy 2 in 1 Hand and Nail cream. I had been suffering from dry hands over the winter that were getting worse and other hand creams weren't working so I bought this after reading really positive reviews and am really happy I did because literally within a few days this persistent dry patch on my hand that had been bothering me for weeks had disappeared completely. Its super affordable at £1.89 for the 150ml tube and since using it nightly my hands are soft and smooth without a dry patch in sight. 

Onto Makeup, I have been using the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to apply my foundation since last year and am loving it. Its a domed shaped, quite dense brush and it gives a natural coverage while making foundation really easy to blend into the skin. The Real Techniques range was created by Samantha Chapman who is a successful Makeup Artist who has a YouTube channel where she gives demonstrations on how to use each brush and shows the finish they give, as well as hundreds of makeup tutorials. 

Finally is a product that has been in my MakeUp bag for a couple of years and is the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze. Its a gel eyeshadow that claims it can last up to 24 hours (although I have never stayed up for 24 hours to try and test that.) I love how easy it is to apply I just apply it with my finger on my eyelids just by smudging it on and its really blendable and easy to rub off if you get it somewhere you don't want. And then i take an eyeshadow brush and blend it underneath my eyes. The eyeshadow stays on for a good 12-14 hours which is the longest I've ever had it on for which I think is pretty good for day to day wear without re applying which could probably take you through to the night if you were going out, although it does tend to build up around the crease of the eye by the end of the day so I would need to just blend that but still wouldn't need to reapply the eyeshadow again. Its very pigmented and you don't need much at all on each eye as it blends very well and i think gel eyeshadows give off a more natural effect than matte eyeshadows and are a lot easier to apply if you are in a rush in the mornings you can literally just sweep it over your eyelids and it will be there until you take your MakeUp off that night. Its very affordable at £4.99 and lasts me about 6 weeks using it daily. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog and that its given you some inspiration for things to try out :) 

                                                                    
                                                                        Lucy x