Everyone has moments when they don't feel worthy or feel like shying away from something great, but insecurity is a way of growing into your own person. But what happens if you're so fed up of feeling like this and you want to speed the growing process along? I have some pointers that i'd love to share which have been collected from my own and my friends' experiences that may help you to learn and grow from these uncomfortable feelings. The good news is that if you work at it, a lack of confidence is a temporary state. I hope these pointers help along the way.

I I got handed a tip-off by my friend that these L'Oreal Paris products are really great. After purchasing these two with high hopes, I am in a good place to give an honest review of these. I am still not sure whether the Micellar water is classed as a toner, cleanser or purely a makeup remover because it seems to do all three, which is never a bad thing. The Eye and Lip makeup remover is solely for the makeup removal purpose, but it does tend to soften the sensitive skin around my eyes.

What are the best qualities of these products? 

-The eye and lip makeup remover is very good for sensitive eyes. I wear contact lenses and my eyes get pretty gooey so swiping this over my lower lash line in the morning dissolves all the dried goo built up over night. At night, it dissolves eye-makeup whilst softening the skin.

-The Micellar water can be used as an eye and lip makeup remover too. On my face it has a very soft formula which is really moisturising for my skin.

-Lots of products like these tend to burn my skin and leave redness but this doesn't happen with these so I am really happy. Plus, the Micellar water is a toner so it is great to remove makeup and tone.

-They are both non-scented, so there are no unnecessary ingredients that can cause allergies in people who are sensitive to these.

-Both of these have been tested under Ophthalmic supervision and they are Hypoallergenic, so pretty clean ingredients.


Are they worth the price? 

-Yes! I got them on offer at Boots, 2 for £6. If this offer wasn't on I would probably have bought just the Micellar water which can remove eye makeup too, as I had spent too much money that day already.  So the Micellar at full price is £4.99 at Boots.

-I couldn't find the actual price for the Eye and Lip makeup remover on Boots online, but in Superdrug it is only £3.65.

So, both of these are very affordable and well worth the small price to pay. If someone used this on my skin and asked me to guess the price I would've expected them to cost upwards of £10. So you're really getting a bargain!


What could be improved?

-Nothing! Seriously! They cleanse and leave my skin feeling soft and clear. I have acne-prone skin and the Micellar water has soothed and unclogged my pores, so no problems or complaints.

Would I repurchase these?

-I won't need to for a while as only a small amount of product is required. But I will be repurchasing when they both run out. I don't need to worry about that for a while!

L'Oreal have some great products out at the moment and these are just a few of them. I was in desperate need of proper makeup removers and these do the job and more! So happy these were recommended to me.

Have you tried these? Are you a fan of Micellar waters that have hit the market in the last few years? Which is your favourite?

Plain black Converse's are so versatile and although they are casual trainers, they aren't clumpy, they're just understated neat canvas shoes. So, they keep the outfit from looking too casual, but they feel super comfy, best footwear item I have ever worn. I apologise for the dirt, but they will not clean-up well anymore, I have had this pair for seven years (yes, seven!!) and they have been well-loved. My jeans are from H&M and I have turned them up at the bottom so they don't crumple over the trainers, with pumps or Converse's which are cut off at the bottom I would roll them down. 
I hope you liked my outfit and it has given you some inspiration as that is what I intended.
My battery is about to die so I had better post this rather swiftly. I look forward to reading what you think of it. Do you have a casual item that you just can't live without?

Ps. I have joined Pinterest this week which I have slowly become obsessed with, I've been pinning literally everything in sight. Check out my well-thoughtout boards here! See you there.

Here's another honest review, as you will know from the title it is a Chanel Coco Shine review. I adore Chanel makeup and nail polish so this lipstick was something that I had high expectations of. This shade is 54 BOY, and as I have already mentioned it is from the Coco Shine range. When wearing the shade is rouge with the subtle warmth and depth of rosewood pink. I should add that this range has many light-reflective shades to match all skin-tones.

How long have I been using this for?

I have been using this lipstick about twice a week since October. I admit I have been using it sparingly because it is too indulgent to waste. So, I reapply only once.


What are the best features of this lipstick? 

 It is so moisturising. If I have dry lips in the morning I don't grab my lip balm, instead I put this on just before I leave the house.

The colour is lovely and natural. It gives my lips a bright and healthy sheen. It is not glittery but it is just subtly shimmery which makes the lipstick look glossy.

A little goes a long way. There is no need to layer the lipstick on to get a good shine, a thin layer is enough. This is a lipstick deal breaker for me, I like to forget I have any on which is what Coco Shine achieves. This makes me very happy.

What are the not-so-goood features of this lipstick?

This is a really great lipstick, so it was hard to think of something that is not great about it. The only thing to be noted is that it doesn't last as long as I expected. This is because the Coco Shine range aims to moisturise and revitalise lips whilst providing a pop of colour.  This suits me because my lips get so dry, but I know that some people need a longer lasting formula. If this is the case, I would strongly recommend looking into the Chanel Allure Long-Wear range.

Would I repurchase this lipstick? 

Yes absolutely it is really worth the price as my review reflects. I would love this lipstick in a deep red because it would be balmy and healthy looking whilst repairing my constantly chapped lips.

Overall rating? 

8.5/10. Considering I could only think of one point that may be disagreeable to others this Coco Shine lipstick this is a high scoring lipstick. It meets my dry-skin needs whilst providing a comfortable balm finish that makes my lips look healthy.

Have you tried any of Chanel's lipsticks in the Coco Shine range? Is there a particular shade of lipstick you couldn't do without that you can recommend?

 Bit of a different post today but I thought I would share my experience of giving up (most) refined sugar. Did it made any changes, or is giving up sugar an overrated "fad".

What were the effects?

INSTANTLY: Sugar. Cravings. Bad habits take a while to break. It was worth it for a few weeks because instantly my attention span improved, I had gone from not being able to revise for more than 20 minutes to concentrating for 30 minutes. Although I haven't kept it up fully, even with my greatly reduced sugar intake I can concentrate perfectly for 40 minutes. That was enough to keep it up.
My energy increased too because I was replacing the refined sugar which reduced my energy on the 'come down' with protein in the form of nuts and bread products.

GRADUALLY: No sugar cravings after a few weeks! Yey! My acne which was classed as moderate-severe transformed into very mild acne and has continued improving with my reduced sugar diet. It improved in about 2-3 months with less small bumps from about 2 weeks. At this time I hadn't changed anything in my skincare routine, so it shows the importance of carefully choosing what you put IN your body.

NOW: As I've already mentioned, I haven't gone back to the high refined sugar diet and I am in the process of packing in the carbs so I can gain my weight back before I remove the sugar again. My energy is still alleviated daily, I feel fuller for longer which is great too, my skin isn't perfect (because chocolate is my longtime weakness) but it is still so much better than it was, my blemishes are only mild. Plus, I could never go back because high sugary foods make me feel nauseated now I have got used to a different diet.

What did I give up?

-I gave up eating cakes with more than 10g of sugar in per serving. It doesn't sound like much, but in a MrKipling cherry bakewell (my weakness) there is .......g sugar.
-I said goodbye to coco pops and opted to Weetabix and Shredded Wheat. Although the latter have sugar in it is greatly reduced.
-And the rest: no sugary drinks, ice-cream, yogurt, chocolate (sob!) etc.

What did I replace these with?

-Bagels make a good substitute for cakes when I feel like a snack.
-Nuts also make a good substitute.
-I ended up eating a lot more fruit too, buying more exotic fruits than the usual apples, opting for cherries, pineapples and blueberries.
You may be thinking: well fruit is loaded with sugar. However, fruit is great for minerals and fibre. Also, it is not refined sugar which is processed in the body in a different way. Natural foods feel better in your stomach for a reason.

How long did I give it up for?

-I gradually introduced the foods above, and decreased the sugary snacks and meal items, so I don't count that.
-Then, I kept it for a few months, but I couldn't carry it on because I ended up losing weight accidentally which would be good news to some people, but for me, I don't like to lose weight I am so much happier with a few extra pounds.
-But I haven't completely gone back to my old ways I have greatly reduced the amount of high-sugar rubbish I eat.

Would I recommend doing it?

YES! YES! and YES!!! You'll be healthier inside and it will show on the outside. Plus, your taste for sugar will never come back, often when I'm eating out I will have an Eton Mess and think "woah this is sweet" whereas before I would think it wasn't sweet enough.

I would love to hear whether you have tried anything like this before, and if so, how did you get on with it? Were you able to keep it up?