Lazy Make Up Removal w/ Garnier

Currently in the middle of preparing for upcoming exams, attending the last of my classes and sorting out student finance related admin, as well as trying to stay on top of blog, exercise regularly, see my family, participate more in my local community and find some time to actually - you know - breathe, at the end of the day, things like make up removal go right out of the window. 

I'm a massive fan of cleansing balms and oils such as the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish and The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil, but when I'm stood in the bathroom at the end of a long day, staring at my cleansers, all I want to do is go straight to bed, make up removal be damned. That's where these two Garnier products have saved the day. Two products and two cotton pads later, I'm make up free enough to slap on some moisturiser and go to bed. 

First I use is the Garnier Express 2-in-1 Eye Make Up Remover, which I initially picked up because it claimed to be suitable for contact lens wearers, so I assumed that it would be less likely to irritate my eyes all the while doing a decent job since it claims to be 'ultra-efficient'. So far, my assumption has been correct. Unless I'm really tired and get a little too product heavy on the cotton pad (there is such a thing as too much eye make up remover), this removes all of my eye make up for the day in a couple of gentle swipes without irritating them or leaving an uncomfortable oily residue. I've yet to wake up with panda eyes from this which is always a good sign.

I then go in with the Garnier Micellar Water Combination & Sensitive Skin (400ml) to remove makeup from the rest of my face. I'd heard so much about the Garnier Micellar waters and intended to pick up the one with the pink top, but when I saw that this was aimed in particular at those with sensitive combination-to-oily skin, I had to have it. It doesn't completely cleanse my face as a face wash or cleansing oil would, but for my lazy post-revision "it's been a long day" make up removal it works just fine, meaning that at least I don't go to bed with an full face of make up. 

Do you have any go-to make up removal products for those days when you just can't be bothered? 

The Perks of Being A(n Extreme) Morning Person

There's being a morning person, and then there's being a morning person. For the past couple of weeks, I've been making an effort to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning. Not because I have to (when I have to, it's so much less enjoyable), but because I want to. And I wouldn't have stuck to it as long (and be planning to stick to it permanently) if there weren't some perks to being such an early riser, and today - on what is ironically my lie-in day, for Sunday is a day of rest - I thought I'd share with you the perks of being an extreme morning person:

• You've already completed half your to-do list by the time most people are just waking up. Cue feelings of hyper-productivity, elevated motivation and just a touch of thinly-veiled self-satisfied smugness. 

• It's a daily strength workout for your willpower. If you can get up at five a.m. on the daily simply because you chose to, then you can probably do anything.

• Breakfast. You have more than enough time for it, meaning you can get all creative and savour it without having to grab and go (or just skip it all together). 

• If you're an introvert, then you're always guaranteed to have some time yourself to replenish your solitude reserve, so that when it does come to socialising later in the day it won't feel intrusive or way too much because it's been too long since you had some Alone Time. In fact, since you've been up since five doing your thang, seeing people actually feels quite nice.

• People think you're insane - in that genius-like, determined, brilliant kind of way. 

• It's a great time to get on with your creative endeavours. It feels like the rest of the world is still asleep, the sunshine is slowly filtering in and growing brighter, the smell of coffee fills the entire room and progressively perks you up, and as you get settled in you feel more inspired than you've ever been.  

• Sunday lie-ins feel absolutely glorious. And since a lie-in means getting up at 8 or 9, you've still got the whole day ahead of you. 

• You have more time to procrastinate. I can watch four episodes of Pretty Little Liars, and it's still only 9 a.m. Yeah, that's right - productive procrastination is possible.

• You have more time for everything. All the things you didn't have time for before suddenly just become a question of scheduling. Carpe Diem, right? 

What about you? Are you a morning person or a night owl? 

Five Tips For A More Productive Revision Session

As I mentioned in this post, for me May marks the beginning of an intense revision sessions before exams roll around with the month of June, and I'm doing my my best to keep my revision at optimum levels. Some days are better than others, but what's important is to not stress and beat myself up about all the things I didn't do or could have done and didn't do, but rather stay focused and determined to get to the end of this exam period having done the best that I can. 

Today I thought I'd share with you five ways I've found to have a more productive revision session. 

I. Break your time up into chunks || I've noticed that I work much better when I break down a three hour revision session into smaller chunks of anything from 30-50mins, rather than attempting to sit down in front of my books for three hours straight. Chances are my mind is going to start wandering after an hour, and instead of taking in new information, I'll be desperately hoping for the time to be over. Keep your breaks to 5-10mins between each study chunks (but no more or you risk never coming back!), and get up to to stretch your legs, maybe dance to your favourite song to get your mood back up, or reach for a nice cup of green tea to help with an energy slump. To help set your times, I recommend using the 30/30 App, which has to be one of the best productivity apps I've used to date. 

II. Start your revision in the morning || You may not be a morning person but for the sake of your revision, you are now! When you get your revision over and done with earlier in the day, it leaves you with the late afternoon and the evening to chill out rather than having to push yourself to revise when you've more than likely already used up all your reserves of motivation. Plus chances are your exams won't be at one in the morning, so being a night owl doesn't actually do you any favours! Which brings me to my next tip:

III. Make sure you get enough sleep || This is a no-brainer, so obviously it's one of the hardest things to do. I often catch myself procrastinating on going to sleep, finding a whole host of different things I just have to do before I go to bed, only to wake up the next morning still tired, groggy and in absolutely no mood to get stuck into my textbooks. If you can't get the sleep during the night, then don't be afraid to take small naps during the day and incorporate them into your revision schedule so that you're actually alert enough to take in what you're studying. If you're sat in front of your textbook falling asleep, taking a small nap is much more productive than telling yourself you've studied just because you stared at the text for the amount of time you'd set yourself.

IV. Learn the structure of your course || I have this one lecturer who since I first had him in first year when pressed for advice on how to pass his exams, had only this to give by way of advice: "Learn the table of contents". Naturally, I thought he was a little...eccentric until recently it finally clicked in my mind as to what he meant by that. When you know the structure of your course, it allows you to place information within that structure. This makes it just that bit easier to recall the information, especially when you're in the exam, sat in front of your exam paper and your mind is going blank on you. Even if you aren't able to recall the little details, you'll at least have the general framework, and usually, the more you relax, the more information your brain will give you as it remembers the connections you made between the details and the overall structure.

V. Don't give up on your hobbies || This might sound like strange revision advice but experience has taught me that nothing causes revision burnout faster than having nothing to look forward during each day other than...more revision. If, however, you schedule a coupe of hours where you take the time to do something that you enjoy or renews you, revision will feel more like something that you just happen to have to do in preparation for your exams as opposed to something that is slowly but surely taking over your life and sucking the joy and energy out of you. Remember, revision is important, but revision isn't life, and doing your best isn't about pushing yourself until you're miserable.

What are your tips for a more productive revision session?

My Daily Face

I don't wear makeup every day (and take conscious breaks from a full face when it begins to feel like I'm wearing it to hide behind rather than because I enjoy it and find the process fun and relaxing) but on a day-to-day basis I'll gravitate towards the same products.

After moisturising I give my skin a glowing boost with the The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost. If I'm wearing foundation, particularly liquid foundation, I'll add The Body Shop All-In-One Instablur on top just to make sure that everything stays in place as long as possible. Despite always thinking that a matte finish was best, and as a consequence resenting my oily skin for never being completely matte, I have been enjoying the more dewy finishes of late; they give my skin an overall healthier, and brighter look. My current foundation of choice is the Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation in the shade 355 Coconut. 

For covering them "I've been up all night revising" dark circles, I use the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in the shade 30 Cafe  which is my absolute favourite concealer to date. It's lightweight, blends easily and when patted into place with a powder like the L'Oréal Nude Magique BB Powder for Dark Skin  has incredible staying power. I prefer to set my foundation in place with a loose powder like the Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder, as the BB Powder quickly becomes cakey when layered on too much. Though if I'm having a no-foundation day, it's great for wearing alone.

For my eyes, I usually reach for the Make Up Revolution Euphoria Palette - Bare. Not only is the packaging just gorgeous, the 6 eyeshadow shades are all complementary, and perfect neutral tones for every day wear. I used to think that I was more of a matte eyeshadow kind of girl, but I've since realised that a little shimmer goes a long way to bringing out my eyes, usually hidden behind glasses. I then reach for my Make Up Revolution Double Flick Thick and Thin Eyeliner  to create a chunky cat-eye or a subtle thin flick depending on my mood thanks to the double ends. 

And then it's onto my eyebrows. In a recent post I confessed that I was more of a brow pen kind of girl, and in a dream world I'd have my Make Up Revolution Ultra Brow Arch & Shape in Darkest , but as it stands, I'm using the Eyelure Ink Brow in Dark Brown. It's not my favourite product, and I'm fairly sure it's drying out on me already (I haven't even had it a month), but it does the job. I then set them into place with the e.l.f Essential Wet Gloss Clear Brow & Lash Mascara (which has now turned that lovely gunky brown). To set my face into place, I spritz on the Kiko Cosmetics Face Make Up Fixer, which I absolutely love. I never thought I could get through a day without my make up melting from my face until I tried this. As far as affordable setting sprays go, I highly recommend this. 

Last, but not least, I'll try to add a little something to my lips. I say try because I'm not really a lip product kind of girl, but I'll sometimes add some colour to them with something like Yves Rocher Automatic Lip Liner in Red. I'll then just pop on some lipbalm or lip gloss and call it a day. Otherwise I find myself gravitating towards nude shades - either the traditional nudes like the e.l.f. Studio Matte Lip Colour in Praline, which gives a peachy, "Kylie Jenner" nude, or nudes for my skintone which is actually a brown like the Yves Rocher Lipstick in Chestnut which is a perfect "my lips but better" shade for me.

Then that's me done!

What products do you reach for in your daily make up routine? 

Thoughts on Sunday | The Difficulty of Following Your Own Advice

Thoughts on Sunday is back! It's a feature that I had when I started the blog, but eventually, perhaps because I was impatient for a response, my interest faded slightly and I convinced myself that it wasn't something that I wanted as a part of euhnella. Oh, how wrong I was. It turns out I actually really missed those weekly reflections on things in life, and every Sunday since I stopped writing the feature, I've been asking myself "Why don't I bring it back?" With no reason not to, Thoughts on Sunday is officially back. 

This week, I wanted to touch on the difficulty of following your own advice. As I was scrolling through the archives, looking at my past posts on this feature, I realised I had some good advice, or at least pieces of motivational tidbits, that if applied to my life could make it just that bit easier (and hopefully those who eventually read it). So why wasn't I following any of it? It wasn't like it was some stranger who had written a post and said, 'Hey, you - go and do this' - it was me. I had actually taken the time to ponder through all of these things and processed them enough to write them out into a coherent text.

Apparently, just because it's your own advice, it doesn't make it easier to follow. Sometimes it might even make it harder, because you know what you're doing, so you think that's enough: you don't realise that implementing your own advice, more often than not, requires a change of habit, and that usually takes about thirty odd days of consciously trying to to change that habit.

It's like this: most of us know exercise of some form is good for us. Actually doing that exercise? That's something else. Similarly, putting into practise advice or motivational ideas is another step up from just knowing it, and one that's not always easy (or we conveniently forget) to take. And just like exercise, it's not something that you can think about once and put aside. The thing with advice or motivation, if you don't regularly re-contemplate them, you eventually forget that you were following them in the first place. 

Now that I've determined that it's not just about writing out these thoughts, and leaving them to one side, but now and then reminding myself of them, what useful thoughts have I had in the past?