Wednesday 30 November 2016

Five Everyday Make Up Products I’m Currently Loving // November 2016 | Beauty

Wednesday 30 November 2016


                            





I thought that I would share with all of you some of my favourite make up products that I use every day. I have a lot of Make Up that I love and tend to only buy make up that I am in love with, but these are the ones that I use every day and are a part of my staple look.






Chanel CC Cream Correction Complete  – I bought this CC Cream before I went overseas earlier this year. I wanted something that was going to be moisturizing and felt really light on my skin. I honestly didn’t think this was going to turn into a product that I would start to use every day, mainly because I didn’t believe this product wouldn’t be worth the price (I was proven wrong). The amount of coverage is also pretty impressive, which I wasn’t expecting but am really pleased about because my face has a tendency to break out.




Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow 157 Beige Doré  – I love this eye shadow, the main reason being that it takes 30 seconds to put it on, meaning my makeup routine doesn’t take as long. The staying power of this eye shadow is also somewhat impressive and can last really long days. My longest day starts at 7am and finishes around 1 am, and it lasts intact the entire day. If you would like a blog post on how I use this eye shadow comment below. (This eye shadow is limited edition and has sold out in this colour)




ColourPop Ultra Matte LAX  – This was a rush purchase and I definitely didn’t know that it would become a favorite of mine. I have always been and probably always will be a staple lip kind of girl and this definitely achieves that look. It also has a really nice formula.


Vanilla Cupcakes with White Chocolate Frosting Recipe | Recipe



These are potentially the fluffiest, softest, most delicious cupcakes I have ever make, and will ever make. The icing is rich and delicious and not for the faint hearted. 

Prep time – 30 minutes
Cooking time – 20-40 minutes
Makes 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes
225g butter, at room temperature
2 cups caster sugar
3 free range eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons natural vanilla extract
Seeds of one vanilla pod
2 ½ cups plain flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup milk
¼ cup cream

Icing
200ml cream
200g white chocolate, chopped
4 1/2 cups icing sugar


Method

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 170c bake . Line 2 standard cupcake trays.

2.Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, stir with a whisk and set aside.


3.Cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, gradually beating on a medium speed between each egg. Add the Vanilla and beat for a further 15 seconds.

4.Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, then beat to combine. Add 1/3 of the milk. Repeat these steps until all of the flour and milk mixture is used up. The mix should be nice and smooth.

5. Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners ¾ full, and bake in middle of the oven for about 18 – 20 minutes.  Cool the cupcakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.



Frosting

1.Melt White Chocolate and Cream together and leave to cool in the fridge for approximately 30 mins. 

2.Slowly sift in Icing sugar. 


3.Ice cupcakes.










What s you go to cupcake recipe? Have you made these?
Let me know in the comments below.

Niue

Niue is an amazing place to visit. The scenery is incredible and the people are lovely. It's definitely different to anywhere else I have been.


I love how untouched the Island is, in comparison to Rarotonga; Niue isn't commercialized and has only a small shopping area that is really only for necessities. Everything is very down to earth. 




The fish while snorkelling are amazing, as is the coral. There are also coconut crabs all over the island that predominantly come out at night, but are amazing if you see them. The fishing is on a whole other level. We went on a fishing charter early one morning and three of us caught 8 Tuna within an hour, yea when I say the fishing is a whole other level I mean it!






The pools and the caves are incredible all around the island. You could literally spend a three or four days just going to all the pools and caves.... and We did. Once We were in some of the caves I started to regret the amount of horror movies I have watched, but nonetheless they were beautiful.


Whangarei Falls

Whangarei Falls is one of those touristy walks that people do when they come to Whangarei, although I'm not technically a tourist because I lived there for two years I do love going to the falls. The best time is to go right after it has rained then you a guaranteed that there will be heaps of water flowing from the falls.



While the falls are magic, the walk there is as well. It takes any where from ten to fifteen minutes and it is a fairly flat walk. I love this walk because of the scenery and nature. Who doesn't love to be indulged by nature?


Depression // November 2016 | Mental Health


Mental illness is an issue that is close to my heart, particularly depression because of my own battle with it. A lot of the time people don't understand the facts and how depression affects people, thus I thought I would share some facts on depression with you. There isn't just one black and white type of depression and it is important to note that just because people have the same type of depression it doesn't mean they are affected in the same way.

Depression is an illness that can affect how you feel for weeks and months at a time. Depression is a lasting low mood, that can affect work, school, relationships hobbies and everything in between. It is important to seek help early. The early depression is treated the sooner you can feel like yourself again, there are plenty of resources you can access which will be listed at the end of this post.


Depression comes in all shapes and sizes and doesn't discriminate.

                                              


How do I know if I have depression?
Anybody can get depression and it is important to know what the symptoms are in order to know when you should seek help. If you ever feel as though you have depression you should contact a healthcare professional. There are some helpline numbers listed at the end of this blog post.

   Continuous low, sad or depressed mood. The person may describe this as as feeling empty, having no feelings, or they may complain of pain.
                       
   Loss of interest and pleasure in usual activities. This one is basically a reduction in enjoyment from things you once got a lot of joy and happiness from.

   Irritable mood.This may be the main mood change, especially in younger people, and in men (especially from Maori and Pacific ethnic groups).

   Change in sleeping patterns. Most commonly reduced sleep, with difficulty getting to sleep, disturbed sleep, and/or waking early and being unable to go back to sleep. Some people sleep too much. Most people with depression wake feeling unrefreshed by their sleep.

   Change in appetite. Most often people do not feel like eating and as a result will lose weight. Some people have increased appetite, often without pleasure in eating. This is often seen in those who also sleep more.

   Decreased energy, tiredness and fatigue. This can be so severe that people find it difficult to do the smallest tasks.

   Physical slowing and/or agitation. Often comes with severe depression. The person may sit in one place for long periods and move, respond and talk very slowly; or they may be unable to sit still, but pace and wring their hands. The same person may experience alternating slowing and agitation.

   Thoughts of worthlessness or guilt. As a result of feeling bad about themselves, people may withdraw from doing things and from contact with others. This is a dangerous sign of depression and it is important to seek help.

   Thoughts of hopelessness, harming themselves and death.They may feel there is no hope in life, wish they were dead or have thoughts of suicide. If you ever feel suicidal or suspect somebody is suicidal or hurting themselves, you should get help immediately and phone 111 if someone is in danger to themselves or others.  If you are worried about somebody you can visit the Mental Health Foundations page on ‘Suicidal Thoughts: Worried about someone.’ You can access it here.


   Difficulty thinking clearly. People may have difficulty in concentrating. They may not be able to read the paper or watch television. They may also have great difficulty making simple everyday decisions.





Treatment:
'Treatment of depression can involve a number of aspects, each of which can be tailored to your individual need. For most, a combination of medication and talking therapies such as counseling can be effective. It is also important, that if you decide to get counseling that you find a counselor that is suitable for you and that you feel comfortable with.


Some Facts:

   Depression affects 1 in 5 New Zealanders.
   1 in 4 young adults will suffer an episode of depression before age 24.
   Women are twice as likely to experience depression than men.
   Globally more than 350 Million people live with depression.
   Many creative individuals experienced depression, including Ludwig van Beethoven, John Lennon, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Georgia O’Keefe, Vincent van Gogh, Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sylvia Plath


What to Study // November 2016 | Life


It was always a big deal to make sure you knew exactly what you wanted to study at university before you got there. I definitely had that pressure but because I chose such a versatile degree that pressure left once I started university. I found out there was a lot of people who didn't know what they wanted to study and that made me feel so much better. Do what makes you happy, and don't stress about it because you can always change. Here are my top tips for choosing what you want to study:



1.     Don’t stress over what you are going to study.

 Don’t stress, you ultimately have your first year to really decide what you want to do and if you change a few times during the year that is okay. I have personally changed my major I think three times this year. I have always known I wanted to do psychology but this year I made the decision to do a double major and my other major I have changed several times and that is oaky.



2.     Just because it’s a hobby doesn’t mean it can be a career you will enjoy.
 Originally I was going to do a double major in Psychology and English. However, while studying English at university I found as though the passion that I had for English and writing had evaporated with studying English. That terrified me because I relate my identity and writing so close together. Making the decision to drop English as my major was a huge decision but I am so happy I made that decision I have since decided to do Security studies as my second major and I am really excited about that because it challenges me in a way that writing never did. I have also found that since I stopped doing English as my major and dropped those papers, I have found my passion for writing and also have found my passion for my blog again.