My Favourite Drug Store Makeup

Concealer
My favourite concealer has changed over the years several times. But I finally found one that suitef me perfectly and I have never looked back and I would never change it. It is a popular concealer. It is the Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer. I just find the consistancy of this incredible. Having the odd spot or two during my time of the month, this is perfect to cover those blemishes and under eye bags also. It comes in very cheap so is affordable because if you're like me and use much more concealer then you probably need, then it is very cheap to buy one or two every couple of months. I use this in the colour 1- Fair.

 Foundation
My favourite drug store foundation is a classic Rimmel product. It is the Lasting Finish 25 hour with comfort serum, skin perfecting, full coverage foundation. This is a new product I discovered at the beginning of 2016 but it has slowly made it's way into my everyday makeup routine. The coverage is fantasic and although I have never needed to use it for 25 hours, it really does last for a long time. I have had this product for about 8 months and have yet to need to repurchase this so the quantity you get for the price is great. I use this in the colour 100- Ivory.

Face Powder
The face powder is also another Rimmel product which has been in my makeup bag for a long time now. It is the Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder. I like to use this with the Real Techniques Bold Metal 103 face brush. I like to use this with a big powder brush as I feel like the powder goes over the face and creates a perfect matte finish. I do think the shade I have is a little too dark for me but I have this in 002- Pink Blossom.

Eyebrows
Now I have tried what feels like every brow product, high end and drug store but nothing quite compares to this product. I use the Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Precision Shaping pencil. This has two sides to it and I use the pencil/wax side more then the brush side but that has changed recently as I used to use the brush side way more. I feel like I am in control of this product and I can have my brows how I want them. Now I'm not saying that my brows are pefect because they are far from that but this product helps me to keep a good shape to my brows. I use the shade Love Is Blonde.

Eyeliner
And I yet again have another Rimmel product to add to my collection. I have never been able to do liquid eyeliner (or eyeliner of any sort in fact) but I found this product which is really easy to use if you are not great at eyeliner. It is the Rimmel ScandalEyes precision micro eyeliner. I find this really easy with the pen end that is easy to go along your lash line. I am very impressed with this product having attempted other eyeliners in the past. This is in the shade 001- Black/Noir.

Contour/Blush
So if you haven't already guessed, I visit the Rimmel counter regulary. So my next Rimmel product is Kate Moss Sculpting palette in 002- Coral Glow. I use the highlighter and contour sculpter in this palette and very rarely use the blush. But as a whole I love the palette. It's not too intense which I love. The only issue is the size of the powders. They could be a bit bigger but this is only a minor issue.

The next item is my trusty blush which I have used for years and wouldn't change for the world. This is a Sleek Makeup Blush in 926 Rose gold. This is a very beautiful pink colour with gold flecks in which appear beautifully on your cheeks. When it catches the light it just looks so beautiful. I would repurchase this again and again and I would never want to be without this.

Eyeshadows
The first eyeshadow product I have is a palette. Now this is great value for money coming in at £8 for 32 eyeshadows. It is Revolution Ultra Professional Eyeshadow in Flawless. The colours you get in this palette are beautiful and the pigmentation is amazing. You have your mattes and your shimmers in a vartiety of colours. I would recommend one of these if you are looking for something affordable with great colours.

The next product is By NYX and is a jumbo eye pencil in 605 Strawberry Pink. This a lovely baby pink and I think these are great for just putting all over the lid if you are in a rush. These do come in a variety of colours and I know I will be picking up some more.

Lips
Okay, my last Rimmel product (I promise). Lips are definatley my favourite part of a makeup look and I have been experimenting alot lately. So everyone must of heard of Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks especially in 107. Now 107 isn't the one I'm going to be recommending today, because *shock* it is not one of my favourites. My favourite Rimmel Kate Moss is 111 - Kiss Of Life. This is a much brighter red. I would almost describe it as london bus or post box red. I am obsessed with this. I would also just like to add that these actually smell incredible as well.

So my last product is a liquid lipstick. I have been loving liquid lipsticks lately and this is one of my favourites. It is Revlon Ultra HD matte lipcolour in Seduction. Now this is a nude colour which I have been obsessed with. It drys into a nice matte colour on the lips and lasts for a long time.

I hope you enjoyed knowing what my favourite drug store products are and taking a step into my makeup bag.

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest xx

18 things I learned by the time I was 18

I did this post last year when I was 17 and I really enjoyed writing the post and it's a favourite for me to look back on, so as it's less than two weeks until I turn 19, here it is again. 18 things I had learned by the time I was 18.

1. Failing does not mean that you have failed at life. You just have to move on and find something else which you will achieve at.
2. Friendship is the most important thing. Cherish all your friends, you never know when you may need them.
3.  It's okay to talk to people about your mental health. It should be widely spoken about in society so keep speaking about it.
4. Love truly does exist.
5. Talk to new people whenever you can. They may become a big part of your life.
6. It's okay to have days where you may feel down. You may feel as if getting out of bed is the world's hardest mission some days and that is okay. 
7. You have the power to make an impact on somebody else's day. Whether you smile at somebody in the street or have a conversation with somebody. You can brighten someone else's day, just by being you.
8. Always take photos. Whether that'll be a good ol' selfie with your best friend on a spontaneous day out or whether it be of a beautiful view, it's good to always have a picture to look back on. 
9. Find something or someone that sparks something inside of you. You will know when you find it.
10. Music is definatley the best medicine.
11. Change up the beauty products you use or try something completley new. It's good to have change and you might even like it better.
12.  Don't listen to anyone when they say that you should be somebody that you're not. ALWAYS BE YOU!!
13. Go for walks to places you've never explored.
14. It's good to like things that other people don't. It makes us who we are.
15. You get treated how you treat others.
16. Self belief is key.
17. Goodbye doesn't always mean forever
18. Life does not stop for anybody or anything. You have to push through and keep going because even if it seems like everything is over, it won't be. Life goes on.

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest xoxox

Your Mind Is Important Too: A Post about Mental Health

Growing up in the 21st century has been difficult. The pressures to be perfect are so extreme that the mind starts to work in crazy ways leading a lot of teenagers to struggle with mental health illnesses. As well as going through puberty and all the crazy emotions of that, there is also the thoughts you have dragging you down. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. We wouldn't ignore a broken arm so why do we ignore an illness of the mind? I can only talk from my own experiences but this is also a problem that occurs with males as well. Mental health statistics are rising every single day and it doesn't just affect you temporarily but for your whole life.

What is a Mental Health Illness?
A mental health illness is a problem that can affect everyday living through the works of the brain. It is psychological problems which can include; depression, eating disorders, anxiety, bipolar, OCD, schizophrenia and personality disorders.

Facts and Figures

• In 2014/2015 the number of people accessing Mental Health services was at the highest point it had ever been. 
• 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem.
• 1 in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem.
• Nearly 3 in 4 young people fear the reactions of friends when they talk about their mental health problems. 
•  9 out of 10 people with mental health problems experience stigma and discrimination.  

My Story
So, this is the part of my blog post that I've been dreading the most. This has taken me 3 days to actually come back to write. Before I start, I just need to do a disclaimer that this could be triggering to people suffering and I am not going to go in to a great amount of detail just to avoid influcing anyone. So, this is my story, a secret I've kept for years.
I must of been 8 or 9 when I first remember looking in the mirror and thinking I could be skinnier, prettier, less me. One day sticks in my mind in particular. I remember sitting on the sofa and my mum doing the ironing. I turnt to her and said 'Why are my thighs so fat?' Being young at the time, she assured me that it was normal. Sidenote, I was in no way a fat child. I had no idea that this one comment would change my life. I never forgot how I felt.  When I went on to secondry school, everything got worse. I feel like I always seemed like a 'happy child' but what lyed beneath was a much deeper issue. I hadn't quite got in to my bad behaviours when I was 11, but the years ahead would soon start them. So here is where my story really starts. I was 13. I hadn't been completley happy for a while but nobody had noticed. I had friends, a loving family, good grades, I was always laughing - what could be wrong? Well, the thoughts in my mind that controlled my every move was what was wrong. One morning, I had just woken up, did my normal routine before going to school, but for some reason this morning was different. I was ready earlier then normal, I had at least half an hour before I had to leave to get the bus to school. But this morning was anything but normal, because it was the start of my never ending addiction. This morning was the first morning I self-harmed. I didn't know why. I had never even heard of anyone else doing this before. I didn't know what it was, but I felt a release. I promised myself that I should never do it again. It was a few months later by this point and I had kept to my word. But I had an awful day at school. I pretty much cried the whole day and missed all my lessons. It was October. It was lunch time, I decided not to eat that day. The cycle of not eating just continuted. I'd eat every so often when I needed to, to show that everything was fine to the outside world. But it wasn't. I was in this awful cycle and I couldn't get out of it. This went on for months, people started to realise and I got down to such a low weight. I had an eating disorder. I had also got back into a habit of self-harming. But who cared? Because I was in control. I could control my food, my weight, the calories. I was fitting in and I was getting skinnier. One fatal day, the secret was released. I passed out while doing PE. Some assumed it was because I was exercising, but all I did was bend over to pick something up. That's when I knew it was bad, but what did my mind tell me? That I was fine, that I was now pretty, that I needed to carry on. So even though people knew there was an issue, I didn't. It was my new normal. I was just more careful this time. I carried on not eating. When I got to my final year of school, that was the hardest time. I was so weak, but I was doing exams. My brain wouldn't work to it's full potential. I had to slowly start eating, even though my relationship with food was well and truly broken and would possibly never be 100% fixed. People had realised more by this point. Even though I am a lot better now, there are still times when I relapse. I don't think I will ever be okay with food. But when I was struggling, what I needed more then anything was some time to recover, but because it was an illness that couldn't be seen, it was almost invisible to some people. It was there, my mental illness was real. Am I recovered? No, not completely. Will I ever be completley okay? Who knows? But I try really hard, but sometimes I slip up. My mind was damaged to a point where it couldn't be fixed. I kept this secret for so long, it became my own, it was just a part of me. I think it will always be a part of me. Every day is a struggle. But my mind is important too and it will be daily work for the rest of my life. So that's it. It's not a secret anymore. I have an eating disorder and struggle with self-harm. But I will not let it defeat me.

When struggling with mental health, the one thing I found hard was speaking out and asking for help. But it's okay to do that. I wish I knew how much support I could have had but I didn't ask for the help. If you are struggling, seek help, whether it be a doctor, teacher, friend or parent, someone will be there to help you. Im going to leave some links below on places to get help.

Mental health is something a lot of people struggle with, Your mind is important too. You deserve the help and you do not deserve to be unhappy even if your brain is telling you something different. It may be a daily struggle but you will and can get through this. Just remember to stay strong.

 Find Help Here
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/your-mental-health/getting-help

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/mental-health-and-stigma/help-and-support

http://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.rethink.org/carers-family-friends/what-you-need-to-know/getting-help-in-a-crisis

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/mentalhealth/Pages/Mentalhealthhome.aspx


Thank you for reading my story.

Until next time

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest ♡♡♡♡♡♡

Abandonment

So, it's official. I abandoned my blog for several months. Not even just several months, SIX MONTHS. Half a year!

I don't have an excuse for this but as summer is apporoaching, I want to write all about it. I live in the best town for summer to take place so I guess this is kind of a relaunch?

A lot has happened since I've been away. (Of course it has Mary, you haven't updated this for six months) and I can't wait to update you all on my life which has been incredible and quite recently not so great either.

So sit tight, because in the next few days, my first proper blog in a while will be uploaded.

Let's get this going again.

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest xox

What an amazing year!!

So the end of 2015 has come and I have had the most incredible year ever! So much has happened and I really wanted to record this year on my blog so I can look back on it some day.

The first amazing thing that happened this year was I TURNED 18! wow. You know when you're 12 and it feels like a world away until you become an adult, that day came for me in 2015! I had the best day with my parents and then I went on my first night out with my best friend. It was incredible to be surrounded by my nearest and dearest.

The second amazing memory of 2015 was going to see the X Factor at Wembley Arena twice. If you follow my social media accounts or have read my previous blog posts, you'll know I am a big fan of Cheryl. When it was announced she was doing the X Factor 2015, I knew I had to go to at least one show. To have the opportunity to go twice was amazing. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

The next amazing acheivement in 2015 was finishing my college course. I worked so damn hard even with people around me saying I couldn't do it. You always get people in life who say you can't do something. But you have to surround yourself with people who believe in you. I finished with a grade which got me into univeristy and I was so proud of myself.

That brings me on to Univeristy as my next top time of 2015. I was so excited to move away to univerisity. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty homesick. It was difficult to move away from your surrounding and live with people you don't even know. I can honestly say now, I made the best decision. I packed up my bags and ventured out. I now have incredible friends and I live with 7 other amazing people who have become like a family. I am working towards my career and I can't wait for the next three years of my life at uni.

Lastly, is the internet. The internet has been a big part of my 2015. One of my best friends, Keely,  I met through the internet and this year we have become even closer. She is always there for a quick little chat or if I need a deep heart to heart. I am so proud of her and she is hoping to follow in my footsteps to uni in 2016 and I know she'll get there. 100%. 2016 will hopefully be the year we finally get to meet in person after all these years.

And of course, this tiny little blog has been a huge part of my life. I am sometime inconsistant with blogging, but I love it all the same. I can't believe how many people have read this blog in 2015. When I wrote my first blog post of 2015, I had about 60 views on my whole blog. I now have over 1200! It is crazy how many people read it. I was even put onto the Akinator this year! I am proud of this blog and here's to a great 2016!

2015 is definatly a year I will never forget.

Happy New year everybody.

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest ox

December Favourites

I haven't done a favourites post in such a long time, but December was a month where I discovered a lot of new products, clothes and random favourites that I wanted to share with you.

The first thing I have been loving this month is scarves. I have purchased two new scarfs this month. The first scarf was from New Look. I love the autumn colours in this scarf and it goes with a lot of the clothes I have purchased during the autumn period. This scarf was £14.99. The next scarf I purchased was to go with the black and white clothes I own. I picked this up in primark for £8. If this isn't your style, Primark had a lot of scarfs in, so it is definatley worth popping in to check them out.


The second product I purchased this month is a favourite among a lot of bloggers and I just had to try it. It is MAC Velvet Teddy. This was £15.50. This is a beautiful nude shade. I have always been a bit worried about wearing very nude shades like Velvet Teddy as I didn't know if they'd suit me as I have extremely pale skin, but I absolutley love it and I will be repurchasing this again and again.

The next purchase I made this month and have been loving is the Zoella Beauty new products. I have the handcream, which is so moisturising and I carry with me everywhere. I also have the room diffuser which smells so good and is so fresh all the time. I also have the collar little bag/purse, which is just the perfect size for anything. I keep hair grips in mine but actually used mine when I went home last weekend to take essential bits of makeup with me.

I have discovered some different palettes this month. They are all drugstore palettes so they are very affordable. The first three are from Tanya Burr cosmetics. The first one is the brow palette. This comes with three different coloured shades and a beautiful highlighter for the brows. Now eyebrows have become a big fashion statement I thought I'd give this a go and I love it. It has a perfect shade for my brows and I love the highlighter. This was £6.99 from superdrug so it is super affordable. The next two are eyeshadow palettes from her collection, the Hollywood palette and the galaxy palette. I love nude shades so these two palettes are perfect. I have had these for a while but I have been using them a lot this month. They can be used for a casual say look or a smokey evening look. These were both £6.00.

The other palette I picked up this month is one I have been looking for forever. I have seen it in American magazines and I had no idea when it would be out in the UK. I look every single time I go into superdrug and there was 1 left on the shelf. It is the Maybelline The blushed Nudes palette. This palette is full of beautiful rose gold nude shades and I have fallen in love with it. The colours are incredible and look amazing on the eye.

There is also a few youtubers and bloggers I have been loving this month. Firstly, I have been loving watching Emily Canham and Jake Boys vlogs and main channel videos. They live together in London but each have seperate channels and both daily vlog and I just find watching their video's so interesting. Emily also writes a blog which I read all the time. Emily is only a few months older then me which is something I also love as the video's she does are really targeted to my age range. Jake does a lot of challenge videos, tags and just general funny videos which will always make me laugh. They are just both such positive people to watch.

The next youtuber I have been loving is Eve Bennett. I have watched Eve for a while now but have still been loving her throughout November. Eve is 15 and does beauty videos, school related videos, Q&A's, Hauls, if you want to watch a type of video, Eve has probably done it. She has such a positive atmosphere. You can tell how much she loves the videos she makes, even though youtube isn't her full time job. She has just reached 100,000 subscribers which is incredible. She is also does vlogs every so often on her second channel.
I will leave all the links to Eve, Emily and Jake down below, so you can go over and say hello.

Let me know what your December favourites are in the comments

Love,

HappiestEqualsPrettiest xx



New Look Scarf :  Yellow and Blue Checked Scarf
MAC Velvet Teddy: MAC Lipstick
Zoella Beauty Handcream: Zoella Wonder Hand Moisturising Hand Cream
Zoella Beauty Reed Diffuser: Zoella Hey Roomie Reed Diffuser
Zoella makeup bag: Zoella Lace collar purse
Tanya Brow Palette- Tanya Burr Perfect Brows
Tanya Hollywood Palette- I was unable to find this online.
Tanya Galaxy Palette- Tanya Burr Galaxy Eye Palette
Maybelline Blushed Nudes- Maybelline New York The Blushed Nudes

Emily Canham:
YouTube: Emily Canham
Vlog Channel: Emily Canham Vlogs
Twitter: @EmilyCanham
Instagram: @EmilyCanham
Snapchat: imhereforever
Blog: www.EmilyCanham.co.uk

Jake Boys:
Youtube: Jake Boys 
Vlogs: Jake Boys Vlogs
Twitter: @JakeBoys
Snapchat: Jake Boys
Instagram: @jakeBoys

Eve Bennett:
Youtube: Eve Bennett
Vlog Channel: Extra Eve
Twitter: @evebennettx
Snapchat: evebennettxx
Instagram: @EveBennettxx

1000 VIEWS

I have been writing this blog for nearly a year and a while ago....

I HIT 1000 VIEWS!!!!!

I am so so grateful for people that take the time to read my blog and I love to write it and this is such a huge milestone.

I so happy people are reading my blog and enjoying it.

Thank you so much

-HappiestEqualsPrettiest