4 Reasons Why I Wear Makeup (and only realising them when I couldn't wear it)

Hey!

For the past 8 years, I've worn makeup, I've experimented, tried new things and realised somethings just don't suit me, like trying to perfect winged liner on hooded eyes. I never really thought of it more than that, I wore it to have confidence and to be my own canvas and create art. It wasn't until recently where I was recommended to stop wearing makeup and go back to a basic skincare routine to help clear my dermatitis that I noticed that skincare and makeup weren't as self-care as I thought.

Here's what my skincare routine looked like before

The reason for this epiphany was dermatitis that developed on my face, around my mouth and eyes. It's super embarrassing how long I just ignored it. I remember it being there in November 2019, 8 months ago, but at that time it kinda just came and went. In February, it had finally decided to move in fully on my face and for the last 6 weeks, made itself very well known. I put it down to being aggravated from wearing a mask at work and being stressed, definitely ignoring the situation and covering it with makeup so anyone other than my family could see it to the extent that it was. After some persuasion from my Mam, 2 doctors consultations, I had a treatment in hand ready to fight this off like fighting the final boss of a Mario Bros game but I was told by both doctors to have a simple skincare routine and try to avoid makeup. I was totally fine with the whole simple skincare routine as I had simplified mine a lot to try and help my skin but makeup, on the other hand, I wasn't so chill about.

A simple skincare routine and no makeup felt a little foreign to me as either of these things I regularly do and haven't done for a couple of years. Going from a 5 step skincare routine down to a 2 product skincare routine felt a little weird but I knew it was for the best as really want to get my skin back to its usual self. Makeup, on the other hand, wasn't as straight forward in my mind. At first, I was a little nervous to leave the house without it as if I was leaving with a piece of me missing.

This is my very basic skincare routine now

I've worn makeup since I was 13 and I wasn't the person that would wear it every day of the year but if I was leaving the house to go on a trip or to go to work, there would be some amount of makeup on me if it was some concealer or a full beat face. I never questioned why I wore it other than I liked playing with colour and that was that. The first thought I went through my head when I was told not to wear makeup, I thought about going to work and how self-conscious I'd feel, would someone point out how tired I looked or my more prominent dark circles. Then I realised that makeup wasn't just about the colours and the artistry. It gave me self confidence and hide the things that needed hiding. I was nervous about going into work for this reason alone. I wanted to just stay at home while I didn't have the option to wear makeup.

My boyfriend was up for a visit while this was going on and he insisted on going to Dublin for a day out, I was a little reluctant as I normally would spend the guts of an hour putting on different colours of things just so I could feel confident and pretty. Instead this time, I couldn't do that and I feel that I tried to compensate by doing my hair more than I usually would and wearing a super cute outfit. During the day away, I kinda forgot the whole not wearing makeup thingy and had a really good day besides the weather. 

Reasons Why I Wear Makeup

1. Simply put, I like putting colours on my eyelids

2. It gives me confidence, more than fashion has. Especially as someone who doesn't fit the model aesthetic at all. I feel that there is more positivity around being more than a size UK 6 in makeup than in fashion.

3. Until recently, I didn't notice that there is pressure to wear makeup every day and always look practically perfect. It was staring me right in the face and the only one I didn't notice.

4. It's art. I used to be huge into doing art up until the age of around 12/13 when I realised that I wasn't really the best at it. I feel like my love for art and being creative transferred into doing makeup and creating makeup looks.

This isn't me giving up makeup, it's actually the opposite. I look forward to being able to use my makeup collection properly again but in the future, I hope to wear it because I want to not because I think I need to.

See you soon,

Róisín

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A Wishlist - Social Distancing Edition

With nearly everything being closed and wanting to kill some time, it's been really easy to do a little window-shopping online and end up buying a load of things, I'm referring to myself who bought another set of Golden Ratio stickers, 100% don't regret though. So I am bringing it back to 2015 and doing a good auld wishlist as I need to stop spending money mindlessly.

Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing Edition €379.99

I have been eyeing this up since college closed on 12th March, I've even dusted off my 3DS and giving New Leaf some well-deserved attention. I have always been an Animal Crossing fan, I've had both DS versions, Wild World and New Leaf. I feel like it would be a great time to get it as I'll have plenty of time to play it and I just love the relaxing nature of the game, I even have the Animal Crossing chrome extension on right now, it's great study music. It would be ideal if I could get my hands on the limited edition version but I'd be happy enough to get a regular one as I feel like the whole world has the same idea as me and it's impossible to get them anywhere.
Update: I've pre-ordered one! Unfortunately, it's not the Animal Crossing Edition but I don't mind. Let's hope it arrives soon.

Kroser Laptop Bag £20.99

My current college bag is kinda getting a bit old and battered. I've had it since 2015 and it just is too big for college now especially when I normally just use my laptop. The quest to get a nice backpack that would fit a 15.6 inch screen laptop has been hard and I think I finally found something that fits both requirements.

Free People Ilektra bralette in black £32
Me, with clothes on my wishlist? I honestly didn't think I'd see the day. This bralette is so cute and as I have become more confident in my skin, I really want to get a few cute clothes. Originally, I wanted this for when I go interrailing, that's kinda all up in the air at the moment (thanks coronavirus). I have seen this on different models and I've either loved it or hated it. I think the only way for sure to know if I like it is to try it on for myself.

Lush Silky Underwear Dusting Powder €12
I am a member of the thick thighed community and when Ireland does get warm enough to wear some summer clothes, I nearly always get chub rub. I got a sample of this dusting powder in Lush a few weeks ago and I found it fab for stopping chub rub when wearing tights. It smells fab and feels really nice and smooth.

The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer €4.95
I am very sceptical on how effective primers are, I never notice a difference really and hate the price tag that comes along with it. So, I want to try this out mainly due to the price, it's hella cheap and also I've heard so many positive reviews. I have noticed recently that my makeup has been becoming shiny towards the end of the day and I am not about the reapplying life so let's hope that this can help.

The Ordinary Natural Moisturising Factors and HA €5.95
I bought this for my boyfriend along with a couple of other skincare essentials as I think everyone should take care of their skin regardless of who you are. I tried some of the products too as I was curious and I ended up really liking this as a day moisturiser as it is light and doesn't leave me looking greasy.

What's on your wishlist at the moment?

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Uncertainty

There's a lot of uncertainty going on at the moment. I am currently writing this on a Tuesday evening in my bedroom in my family home where everything is more than a 5-minute drive away. Usually, this wouldn't be my reality, I would usually be in Cork going to college, possibly chilling in my house after a long days work. I am uncertain when that reality will come back and it is slightly frightening.

Coronavirus is on the tip of everyone's tongue as every day another country goes into shut down and another franchise closes its doors during these times of uncertainty. We are constantly hearing that people aren't obeying the social distancing rules and that the consequences will be bad. I have tried to write this blog post 4 times but each time I failed mainly due to not wanting it to sound negative or scaremongering and not thinking it was 'good enough'. I'm not a news writer so I'm going to step away from the rabbit hole of statistics and possible realities for what is about to come.

Top: Vero Moda

Belt: Penneys

Jeans: Marks and Spencers

Shoes: Adidas

I'm stuck in a weird reality, I am back working at a pharmacy, trying to do college work and social distancing. I love my job but it's a strange environment at the moment and a lot more hectic than usual, I go home at the end of the day ready to collapse into bed. Thankfully I am only working 2-3 days a week so I have time to do college work. On days off, I do college work and try to be socially distant from the world as I know I am more at risk than others due to where I work.

Like everyone else, I miss a lot of things, I miss my lectures, my boyfriend, in-between lecture chats with the girls, my housemates, the freedom of walking anywhere and being so close to everything. There's much more to add to this list but you get the gist. Everyone is missing the freedom of their usual routine. I have noticed a few advantages to being at home, I get to spend time with my family and my dog, I have time to do things I usually wouldn't be doing, like blogging, I have time to slow down as normally that doesn't exist for me.

It's hard for everyone, and I hope you are taking care of yourself. I've been keeping sane by doing several things. Keeping a routine for me is so important as without one I end up doing nothing for the whole day and feeling miserable. I usually get up at 8am, do college work from 9-1, have lunch and then do more college work until 5 or 6. After that, I have the evening to do what I want. I'm trying to put in a lot of exercise too, before college finished I went to the gym twice a week. I know I am not a gym addict but it helped me stay sane. Now I am trying to do some yoga in the mornings and I've decided to start doing a couch to 5km programme. It's an 8-week programme so it'll be something to work towards. Of course, I want to get back into blogging. I have been saying this for fair too long but I have tried on many attempts and failed so let's hope I get back into it. I might be a little rusty but it'll be grand.

One main uncertainty was going back to college but in the past couple of hours, it has been announced that schools won't be back til April 19th and I presume college will follow along with that. College exams will be held remotely which will have some challenges but they all will be ironed out as time goes one. I still have all my stuff to move home so I will be making a return at some stage as I can't wear the same 5 t-shirts forever.

Another point of uncertainty at the moment for me is my interrailing trip. I am supposed to being heading off the middle of May and as another day dawns, it looks like it may not happen. I am devastated as this has been in the works for nearly three years and I've worked so hard to save the money. I had hoped to make all my posts this year about interrailing, I had even written a post but now it looks like it might be on hold. I suppose that's the bright side to it, if it needs to be the trip can be rescheduled and I won't lose too much money either as the majority of things, I can get refunds or reschedule. So, it's better than nothing. For now, I like to think that it is going ahead but I am not gonna buy any more stuff for it until closer to the time.

There's a lot of uncertainty at the moment but this too shall pass.

I know the photos aren't great quality but I really like how they turned out.

Please stay home, for everyone's sake.

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A Students Guide to Saving Some €€

Hey!
With New Years behind us and the new college semester just starting for some, everyone wants to save a little money, if it's from your pocket being a little tight from Silly Season or you have a resolution for the year to save some extra cash. I thought I'd share a few things that I have been doing that has helped me to save money, I am no financial expert so there are probably a hundred and one other ways of saving. I found when I stuck to these few things that I wasn't restricting myself. I just need to give you the heads up that I mention Revolut a lot in this post, I am not sponsored in the slightest but I find it personally helps me to save and use my money more wisely. If you are thinking of joining Revolut here's a link where you can get your card for free. It is my referral link but I get nothing from it.

Budget!

I spent more in my first semester of first year than my first semester of second year which is kinda crazy but it shows how much better I've become with money. Last year, I only had to buy lunch while this year I have to get enough food to last me 7 days a week for 3 meals and also pay bills so there is a little difference. I give myself a budget of €100 a week, I use my Revolut account for my weekly spending as it puts my purchases in categories and has vaults available to put extra coin that you save. At the end of the week, I put the remainder of my €100 into the vault for savings, this has worked amazingly for me as I feel like it's nearly a game, I'm a really competitive person.

Buying in Bulk (within reason)

I don't mean become one of those people who hoard stuff and all their stockpile takes up a room in their house. I love making overnight oats for breakfast and at first, I got a really small 200g bag of oats that didn't last very long and it would have been much cheaper per 100g to get a 1kg bag and it is great not having to purchase it as often as it's less packaging going into the bin.

Bring your own lunch

For me, I used to spend at least €20 on lunch in a week when I would go grab a sandwich from the shop or a hot chicken roll from a shop or cafe. I decided to change to bring my own lunch as it wasn't that hard to do and it only cost me less than €10 a week. Over the semester that's €100 saved. I still an odd time would buy lunch when I'm out and about but it's never every day. I am now getting into drinking coffee but I try to only treat myself to one once a week or if I'm doing a lot of studies, I also bring my reusable coffee cup to get 50c off.

A Wishlist

This can be written or a note on your phone but a simple list of things you want can help you curve some impulsive spending, I love looking around the shops when I have some spare time especially to get ideas with how I can style the clothes I already have. Sometimes I spot something I love but don't really need at this moment so I look at my wishlist and see is there anything else more important and normally there is. I don't always do that sometimes, I just wanna treat myself. I nearly did some impulse spending when the Jeffree Star x Shane Dawson collection dropped I was contemplating about getting the Conspiracy palette, I was on the Jeffree Star and Beauty Bay websites when it launched but I decided to wait for the restock and now I realised that I don't want it and I really don't need it as I can dupe it from my collection. I am a sucker for a good red lippie and I really want to get Are You Filming? Velour Liquid Lipstick, I have a similar shade though so I want to get some wear out of that one first before I buy another. This lipstick has been out of stock and I don't think it will be restocking until the new year.

Track Your Spending

I swear I am not sponsored by Revolut but I use it to track my spending, especially since I only put in a certain amount of money each month. I make sure all my spending is in the correct categories and see where I've spent on things and how I could improve for the next month. I used to have an expenses list in my bullet journal and it worked out great but I would always forget to put down all the expenses.

Saving a Little at a Time

If you know something expensive is coming up like a birthday or Christmas, it's best to start saving before as it means you won't be completely out of pocket when that time comes. You can do it simply by putting a certain amount of money into a money box or another bank account. I use a Revolut vault that automatically takes out a set amount a week from my account. I used it to save for Christmas, from June I had it set to take €3 out of my account every week to put into a vault. When it came to Christmas shopping I had €50 to put towards it, it made the whole season much less of a financial stress.

Know Your Student Discounts

You are only in college for 4 years so make the best of your student discounts. My favourites are Unidays and Student Leapcard. Unidays has plenty of online student discounts for Superdrug, Deliveroo and Urban Outfitters. Leapcard as well as being a travel card in Ireland also has some exclusive discounts with Boots and McDonalds. Other companies that offer student discounts are Spotify, Apple, Amazon (6 month free Prime), New Look just to name a few. I always ask when I am in a shop if there is a student discount available.

I'm definitely not perfect when it comes to money management but I like to try my best.

What're your best money-saving tips?

Thanks for being awesome,

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