Video || Empties #1

Hey guys,

I have noticed that my videos are getting slightly long and rambling so I am making a conscious effort to cut these down to a reasonable amount of viewing minutes.

Today I'm showing you guys my all used up products.  If you are unfamiliar with empties videos, to give you an idea of what to expect the products contained in this video will be products I have used up fully and I will also give a little explanation on what I thought about these products and if I would or have already repurchased these.

As a beauty blogger, there are a lot of products that I test but don't always have the staying power to make all the way to the end of their life (more often or not because something better comes along).  So that's why I personally always love watching empties videos because you know these products are ones which have got a good use and that's often because someone has enjoyed using them.

Hope you enjoy this week's video and if you want to get in touch then give me a little tweet @emsylous :o)

What I am wearing:

Top - £18.00 from TU at Sainsbury's

What's on my face:

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in Ivory, Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Light, Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory,  L'oreal Volume Million Lashes Noir Excess Mascara, Sleek Face Form kit (blush and highlighter), Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick in Taupe, Rimmel Apocalips in Celestrial.

Products Mentioned:

Mitchum deodorants : http://goo.gl/b4CIR1

Garnier Intensive 7 Days Daily Body Lotion in Aloe Vera http://goo.gl/KGZcWY

VO5 Plump It Up Volumising Spritz - http://goo.gl/iixG6b

No7 Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser for Normal / Oily Skin - http://goo.gl/4SQHNb

Soap & Glory 'The Ultimelt' Deep Purifying Hot Cloth Cleanser - http://goo.gl/bKk7so

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Fresh Balancing Exfoliator - http://goo.gl/jYbJpI

bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation in Light - http://goo.gl/jjgS63

NYC Smooch Proof Lip Stain in Champagne Stain (493) - http://goo.gl/Nc1gSb

No7 High Shine Intense Lip Crayon in Sultry Kiss - http://goo.gl/bxZEak

Life \\ Happy Birthday to.... My Blog & Getting Personal

Hey guys,

Today is the 6 month birthday of my little corner of the internet, my blog.

In view of the above I thought I would post up a little ode to the blog and also open up a little more to you guys about why I started blogging and why I love blogging so much.

I started my blog back at the end of January 2014 and this was a product of spending pretty much my whole Christmas cozied up in my pyjamas watching endless YouTube beauty tutorials, clothes hauls and favourites videos.   And I thought, you know what, I think I could give that a go.

It turned out however that I did not feel confident enough to plonk myself in front of a camera and start talking to myself so instead I grabbed my Dad's DSLR camera and started taking photos and writing up my thoughts on the recent make up products I had purchased.

Starting a beauty blog (as opposed to any other subject) seemed like a natural step to me because I am constantly buying new make-up products and I am also always nosing at beauty reviews before I buy.  I also love trying new skin care and I think I have a bit of an angle on that I suffer from blemish prone skin and so I thought I would try and concentrate on that aspect and helping out others by suggesting better products for skin related issues.

You see the thing is, I think it is a good time to share with you lovely readers why I suffer from blemishes constantly as opposed to occasional hormonal breakouts and that's down to the fact that I suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.  I have, up until now, completely avoided talking about it on here and in my videos simply referring to the reason why my skin has good days and then really bad days by calling this a 'medical condition'. I realise this is a very personal thing to share but I have been toying with the idea of sharing this information for a while now and I feel comfortable enough to talk about on the internet.

If you're unsure as to what exactly Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (hereon known as PCOS) is then to put it simply it means I have cysts on my ovaries.  This is not always the case for everyone that suffers with PCOS because you can suffer with the side effects of it (which include acne, unwanted facial hair, trouble losing weight and irregular or no periods) without the cysts being present but I know that unfortunately in my case they are there.  I don't want to go into too much of what this entails but I will in the future cover the subject in greater detail and I plan to do a whole post about how this affects my life and I also want to start including content about PCOS on my blog from time to time.  

The reason I'm choosing to share this now is I have done a few skincare posts and videos lately and I want you guys to know that when I'm talking about having bad skin that I genuinely know what it is like to suffer with really bad acne and that I don't suffer from only 'hormonal breakouts' but more of a constant battle to get my skin in a good place.

I don't want this to be a blog about PCOS because that's not all I am about but I want there to be some comfort in the fact that I know what I'm talking about and if you feel like you're really struggling with your skin that this could be a place of advice and guidance and hopefully somewhere to resolve some troubles you may be dealing with.  Having said that I would love this to be a positive place for fellow PCOS club members to come and get tips or helpful information and just somewhere where you're not alone.

I hope sharing this will make me, as a human being, slightly more relatable to beyond the pages of my blog, because to you I am just someone writing up a post every few days about an item I have enjoyed or a collection of my favourite lipsticks.  But I want you to think this is someone who knows what I am going through and can hopefully suggest some remedies, tips or products to try to help turn things around.

So, a full blog post will follow but in the meantime I just want to give a HUGE shout out to +Clare C whos blog inspired me many months ago to explore the possibility of even talking about this subject and she has been someone who has supported and encouraged me to talk about this since that time.  If you want to read an inspirational and amazing blog then head over to fightingthefear2013.blogspot.co.uk.

For further information on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome then please visit the NHS Choices website.

Now we've covered why I started blogging and my big announcement, lets move onto why I love this blog.  I originally started this blog because I was bored with life and my job and I thought it would give me something fun to do.

It has definitely done that and sometimes I don't think there is a enough time for everything because I film my videos and take my blog pictures over the weekend (because I work during the week and I miss the good light!) and sometimes I do run out of time or don't get something done that I wanted to but I try and stay motivated and organisation is so important.  If I plan what I'm going to blog about for the weeks ahead, I can then work this around my social life and if on the odd occasion it means I need to get up extra early to get things done I don't mind.  And I don't mind doing it because I enjoy my blog so much and I'm so proud of it.

This blog brings a sense of fulfilment to my life that wasn't there before and it's opened me up as a person.  Did I ever think I would be able to put myself out there on the internet and on YouTube when I was pondering starting a blog back at Christmas?  No.  But I have pushed myself out of my comfort zone which is not something I tend to do and it's totally gratifying because now I have this amazing thing that I'm so proud of and enjoy so much and it's all because I just pushed myself to make that first step.

Even though I have had some ups and downs, I feel like my blog is one of my favourite things about my life.  It is a place where I can express my opinions and write down my thoughts on what I hope someone else will find interesting but also it's a creative outlet for me.  I get to interact with people via social media and comments and they're people I would never have been about to talk with if I hadn't started this blog.

It's such a great feeling when I watch a video back or when someone leaves me a comment telling me how they have found my post useful or helpful.    The beauty blogging community scared me at first because I thought it would be too clique-y but it is so amazing and for the most part everyone is so encouraging of one another and positive about each other, it's a great place to be a part of.

Which leads me to my final point and that is if you thinking about starting a blog, GO FOR IT.  You won't regret it and if you do it then leave me your link :o)

I hope this post wasn't too long and I hope it was both positive and encouraging and hopefully you've got to know me a little bit better.

As usual, any questions then please feel free to tweet me @emsylous or comment below, as always I'd love to hear from you and if you want to leave your links feel free because I love reading new blogs :o)

Review : Eau Thermale Avène

Hey guys,

Another review is winging your way today.

If you watched my Boots Haul video on my YouTube channel then you may be familiar with these two products already.

Avène was a brand I first saw in my local pharmacy and I thought, if it's got a little ` over the e it has got to be French (what a genius I must be) and therefore it might be along the same lines as my beloved La Roche-Posay (if you want to watch me prattle on for 25 minutes about this brand then take a look at my video).  However, I didn't purchase it at first and I actually ended up ordering these products off of the Boots website with some various other bits and pieces because I wanted to come home and read some reviews first.

I don't base all my purchases off of reviews I have read but if there is a brand I haven't tried before or unfamiliar with then I want to do a little research into it before committing.  

Needless to say I read some great things and I was really excited to try these out.

First up is the Thermal Spring Water which, if you watched my recent Boots haul video, you will know I labelled 'water in a can', which is the basic idea of this product.  

I was slightly sceptical at first with this but I ended up buying it due to the fact that this was a similar concept to the popular La Roche-Posay Thermal Spring Water Spray.  If you have read my blog before or watched my videos then you may already know that I, like so many others, am the biggest fan of the La Roche-Posay range and therefore I'm always looking for brands and products that are similar to fall in love with.  

Having put aside my scepticism, I actually really enjoy using this product.  It is expensive for what it is but this has been really great recently due to the weather being so warm because you can use this as like a 'cooler'.  However, I tend to use this overnight after I have cleansed and applied whatever lotion / moisturiser I am using on, I will literally just drench my face so that it is practically dripping with water.  You probably don't have to use this much but it absorbs so quickly it is just nice to have a cool face before going to bed.  I love the results in the morning, my skin feels and looks hydrated and I think this is just a great extra in my evening routine because it just sets everything in place and helps everything just work together better than it would without using it.  

For instance I love applying this after using the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo and A.I. because I just find I wake up with better results in the morning because it's really setting the products into my skin overnight.  I also find after using a moisturiser then just giving a spray of this over the top just gives me a more hydrated face than normal in the morning.  This is also really great at calming down any redness on my skin; in the morning if I get out the shower and my face is looking a bit irritated I could use this and it will just take the edge off the redness. 

To summarise, this is a great product if you're looking for something extra in your morning or evening skin care routine but this is not what I would call 'essential'.  I could live without this but it's just a great little extra now I have found it.  Other uses for this would include using it as a treatment to help cool down on a hot day or using on skin after sunburn or alternatively you could set your make-up with it as a little extra refresher instead of your using a specific setter.

Onto the Skin Recovery Cream now and I should mention that the Eau Thermal range is targeted at sensitive, irritated skin but I think out of the two, this product is more so than the Thermal Water.  This is initially the product I actually wanted to try the most because I do suffer from a slight redness on my skin especially on the cheeks and around the nose.  

I was really looking forward to trying this product which claims to sooth irritated skin and calm down redness.  This product is actually made up of over 50% of the Thermal Spring Water so I was hoping to just get the best results EVER.

I have been applying this before bed as a sort of overnight treatment, but I have to be honest, I haven't really noticed any astonishing results.  I don't see any immediate results upon application (which I don't expect to but in a lot of reviews other people have said they do?) and I don't wake up in the morning after using this and think "wow".  It doesn't contain any SPF so I would not be too keen on using this on its own and a moisturiser over the top would be too much for my skin.  The formula is actually quite thick and it is does leave a tacky-ness to my skin where I can't get the product to be 100% absorbed.

Would I buy this product again?  Unlikely.  It isn't necessarily a bad product, it's just not one for me.  It is good in that it doesn't break out my skin but then it's also not too good because I don't really see any results from using it.  It's just a bit of a blah, which is a massive shame because I had high hopes.

Would I buy other products from the Eau Thermal range again? Certainly!  I would be inclined to purchase a cleanser or a toner in the future and I will let you guys know if I do.

The Thermal Spring Water RRP is £6.50 for 150ml and link is here.
The Skin Recovery Cream RPP is £12.50 and link is here.

Have you tried anything from the Eau Thermale range? If so, let me know what you think by commenting below or tweeting me @emsylous :o)

Life \\ The British Tag

Hello everybody!

I was blog browsing the other day and came across Rikki from Luscious Lane. (which is a seriously cool blog if you enjoy not only beauty but interviews and lots more) and noticed that she had done The British Tag in blog form.  If you are familiar with Sammi from Beauty Crush then you may have already seen this done in video form as she originally started this so big thanks to Sammi for starting a cool, original tag.

1. How many cups of tea do you have a day + how many sugars?

I am a total tea addict.  It is a cliché that British people love tea but it's true that nothing solves a hard day done like a good cup of cha.  I will have on a normal day upwards of 5 cups of tea and if I'm feeling very enthused about tea that day maybe up to 10.  I used to take it with sugar but can you imagine the effects if I still did these days ? I have taken it without sugar for a number of years now and I like it strong but milky.   

2. Favourite part of your roast

Well it's a no brainer isn't it?  Yorky puds all the way.

3. Favourite dunking biscuit

This is a very difficult question to answer.  I am partial to a bourbon but you can't beat a chocolate Hob Nob or a normal Hob Nob for that matter when it comes to a good dunk.  But don't leave that shiz in there too long. 

4. Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

Tea drinking, being sarcastic and moaning about the weather.

5. Favourite word?

I think my favourite British word is "bugger".  Like "oh bugger" not like "you little bugger".   It is just the epitome of being English. 

6. Cockney rhyme slang?

I think I know quite a few but here goes...

Apple & pears = stairs

Jam jar = car

Boat race = face

Tea leaf = thief

Sherbet (dib) dab = cab

Chicken oriental = mental

Dog & bone = phone

Skin & blister = sister

Trouble & strife = wife

Dustbin lid(s) - kid(s)

Adam & eve = believe i.e. I don't Adam and Eve it

Pete Tong = wrong

Porky pie = lie

Brown bread = dead

Ruby Murray = curry

7. Favourite sweet/ chocolate

Well my favourite sweets have got to be Liquorice Allsorts and my favourite chocolate is the one and only Cadbury's Dairy Milk (would it be anything else?).

8. What would your pub be called?

Probably keep it traditional, 'The Nags Head'.

9. No.1 British person

I interpret this question as who do I think is the No.1 British person according to the rest of the world.    I think that Beckhams (okay, technically one person, but it still counts right?) do a really excellent  job of representing Britain in their respective fields. 

10. Favourite shop / restaurant

I was going to say The Body Shop for favourite shop but that technically didn't originate in Britain so I will have to go for Dorothy Perkins.  My favourite restaurant is hands down Miller & Carter (for those not in the know, it is like a classier version of Harvester minus the salad bar), their burgers and steaks could induce tears.

11. What British song pops into your head?

Pulp - Disco 2000.

12. Marmite.

I like Marmite.  I neither love it or hate it.  I have to be in the right mood for Marmite and I have to crave it, it is not something I love to put on my toast every morning.  It is however good with cheese.  If you haven't tried a Marmite and cheese toasty, you haven't lived. 

I thought this was a really fun tag and I tag all you guys if you want to do the same.

What do you think the best thing about being British is?  What things do you associate with being a Brit?

Let me know in the comments or tweet me @emsylous :o)