Beauty Blogger Awards

Hello everyone! On Sunday I was very kindly nominated by Love Rosiee for the Beauty Blogger Award. It's an opportunity for bloggers alike to learn more about you as a person as well as what interests you within beauty. Personally, I love tags and answering questions, it's one of my many favourite things.

1. What is your beauty must have?
My beauty must-have is Urban Decay setting spray. I could mention so many more products, but for me it's my holy grail setting spray. There's just no life without it in my eyes!

2. What is your most common beauty empty?
Probably Liquid eyeliner as this is a staple in my collection, I'm always wearing it and finding that this is the product I mainly re-purchase more than others. 

3. How long have you been blogging?
I've been blogging on and off for about two years and a bit. I would love to get into it more as I love talking but I get distracted very easily so find it hard to concentrate on writing posts frequently. 

4. How would you describe your fashion sense?
My fashion sense varies A LOT. I can be very plain Jane or I can be quite out there. I love my monochrome colours and very rarely venture into colour. My makeup generally makes up for the lack of colour in my fashion sense though. You'll often find me in black leggings and over sized tops with slip-on vans or chunky heeled boots.

5. Drug store or high end?
I love both equally. You can find some absolutely amazing products in the drugstore but there's just something about high end that brings me so much amazement and satisfaction. I feel like drugstore products do lack quality in some products as well as their packaging but then again so can high end. I think it's safe to say I'm a bit of an in between kind of girl! Sorry for not giving a straight answer, I just can't decide! 

6. What made you start blogging?
I just love talking, sharing my opinions somewhere, being able to talk to people about what I love or anything that's happening with my life. You know when you run out of people to tell stories to? Well, I turn to my blog to share them.

7. If you could work with one beauty brand, who would it be?
Again, this is extremely hard to answer because I love so many brands. But I would absolutely adore to work with Urban Decay as I love colour and going 'out there' with my makeup. I feel like companies such as Bare Minerals are a bit too safe for me and are more focused on the natural side of things. I love to be a bit of a daredevil when it comes to makeup nowadays. 

8. What inspires you?
I'd say colour as I am genuienly a very creative individual and I feel like colour can make up such a big part of someones personality as well as colours having no limit to what you can create with them.

9. What’s your favourite skin care brand?
My favourite skin care brand is Soap and Glory or Simple. I have quite sensitive and dry skin so finding something that doesn't irritate the two
is quite hard, especially when you don't have all the money in the world to spend on skin care. Simple is what I use for my everyday routine - Soap and Glory is what I use on my pamper evenings. 

10. What’s your biggest beauty regret?
My biggest beauty regret would be not realising my passion for it sooner. I was so focused on forcing myself to love Art and Design that I lost sight of what I really loved which resulted in me not studying beauty/makeup at college or even at degree level. It's something I would have love to have done earlier. 

Here are my ten questions:
1. What is/are your beauty pet-peeve/s?
2. What beauty brand best represents you?
3. What is your beauty staple?
4. Most recent beauty product you've purchased?
5.   What inspired you to start a blog?
6. What do you love most about the beauty blogger community?
7. Favourite beauty YouTubers or bloggers?
8. Overall, favourite beauty brand or store to shop at?
9. A brand you wish would expand their range of shades or products?
10. Your current go-to makeup look?

I nominate the people below to answer my questions:

Katie
Nishi V 
Shazard

Kirsty

Lauren
Megan

Emmy
Jodie
Ashleigh

Ottilie

Emilie x x x

My Mental Health Story and Journey

Okay so before I start I just want to say that in no shape or form am I seeking for attention or sympathy. I am simply sharing my mental health story.

So as a child, home life was somewhat hard. 

 -

Living in my house was a nightmare, a downward spiral. Things only ever seemed to get worse. My dad AND my brother had undiagnosed bipolar and if you know a lot about this condition already, you’ll maybe see how hard it was for me growing up. I was scared of my dad, no… terrified. I couldn’t face him to ask questions and I barely even spoke to him because of this so would always go straight to my mum.

In my primary and secondary education I got ever so slightly bullied. Name calling, people hiding my things, taking things off of me and not giving them back. This all affected me massively. People saw me as weak and an easy target because it wouldn’t take much for me to break down and cry or even to storm off with anger. People used to laugh at me crying and I just used to want to run away. Whenever, I cried at home I’d get laughed at too so I felt like I never had an escape.

A LOT has happened in my life but luckily, my family are all okay now or are getting better, as am I. Especially things with my dad, I can talk to him now, laugh and just have that father-daughter relationship I never really had before.

 Mental health is MASSIVE and should never be brushed under the carpet because it not only effects the individual who suffers but also everyone around you.

-

To this day, I’m still not quite sure whether my mental health state came from the happenings of my childhood or it was always just there – or of course, a bit of both.  I could never go a single place on my own, always had to be with someone or else I’d feel like something awful would happen to me. I felt I was at more risk of having panic attacks when on my own. But I remember the nights of me crying, crying until I gave myself a migraine, crying until my eyes were so swollen I couldn’t see, screaming so much out of anger that anyone would think I was being attacked, skiving off of school because I didn’t want to be around anyone. I just hated everything. My attendance at school was bad; 60-70% was my lowest. At the time, I had no idea there was anything wrong with me, but now I realise.

Countless times I’ve wanted to take my own life, asking myself if there’s any point in me being here still, wondering if anyone would miss me. Of course they would, my family love me and I love them too – why would NO ONE miss me. 

Even though I’m on medication now, it doesn’t make everything magically disappear which I know it’s not meant to. It has helped me realise things about myself I never saw before. I’m stronger and braver than I thought and loved way more than I thought I could ever be loved.

There is so much more that has been left unsaid but I could be here forever writing about my life. If you do want to know more about my experiences or even talk to me for some support just email me or send me a message on any of my social medias. I'd love to talk.

 -

So, never for a second, doubt your abilities. You are so much better than you think. No matter how big or small, I am sure you’ve achieved something great in your life so far. That’s evidence you’re more than worth it.  You can really do some great things with your life, you really can. You can do anything no matter your struggle. Use your struggle to do the things to make your life a happier and brighter place. Tell yourself you won't be that sad person who doesn't do anything, tell yourself you will be that happy person that spreads joy everywhere. 

Aliexpress Collective Haul

I've been meaning to do this post since last summer yikes!

I love a bargain - I mean who the heck doesn't.

I have been eyeing up Aliexpress ever since I heard about it on the wonderful world of YouTube but had always been too skeptical to place an order. 

I took the plunge and placed my first order which was a bikini, a Triangl dupe to be exact. I was going on holiday with my boyfriend in just over a month and a half so thought it would be the perfect time to order. These were around £10 each and took just under a month to arrive. What I love most about these sets is they're neoprene material. There are an awful lot of Triangl dupes out there that are just the normal soft material - but these are so flattering, they don't bunch up, get twisted AND you can remove the straps. Overall, I love these both so much and will be ordering more for my future holidays!

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Swimwears-Triangle-Women-s-Fashion-Neoprene-Bikinis-Woman-New-Summer-2015-Sexy-Swimsuit-Bath-Suit-Push/1935324604.html

My second order involved these absolute gems. I'll admit I never really wear falsies but when I do, I love to wear the Ardell demi wispsies as they're so natural and comfortable. Due to having weird shaped eyes, I find that the black lash bands dig into my eyes too much so the invisible lash band is perfect for me. I got five pairs for £1.05 so they're a lot more affordable than the Ardell ones. I will be buying more once I have used them all as they're amazing!

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/5-Pairs-Lot-Black-Cross-False-Eyelash-Soft-Long-Makeup-Eye-Lash-Extension/32280802576.html

These brushes are A-MA-ZING. They're possibly one of the best cosmetics items I have ever bought and owned. In this set you get fourteen synthetic brushes. The majority of the set are for the face but there are a couple that can be used for eyeliner which is fabulous in my opinion as I find most sets lack these. If you love contouring and highlighting, get this set - it's a must-have!

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Luxury-14-pieces-set-super-soft-hair-blue-makeup-brush-kit-for-make-up-Eye-Face/1732685783.html

If you're looking for set of blending eye brushes, look no further. These are perfection. You get a tapered brush, some larger fluffier brushes and more sturdier ones for packing on colour as well as applying eyeliner. They're only £3.66 so I would definitely recommend these for such an amazing price. 

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2015-New-Arrival-Makeup-Eye-Brushes-Set-Synthetic-Hair-Cosmetics-Foundation-Blending-Tools-8Pcs-BLACK/32268471392.html

                                               

So that's all for now! I'm sure I will be ordering more in the near future so keep your eyes peeled for another Aliexpress haul. I hope your enjoyed this haul and feel free to leave a comment below or email me at: cooper-e@hotmail.co.uk.

Emilie x x x 

My recruitment process experience for Benefit Cosmetics

I am doing this post as the recruitment process has changed in the last year/6 months so all of the posts you may have already read are not what you're going to be going through. At least, it wasn't for me.

If you know me, you’ll know I absolutely love makeup. I love wearing it, learning about it also applying it on people. I have had a passion for makeup and beauty from a young age so have always loved the idea of working on a counter. For some reason, I always looked up to girls that worked on them as I thought they were like goddess’.

As my confidence has improved massively over the past couple of years, I began looking for counter jobs at the beginning of the year when I moved house.

Okay, so onto what this post is purely about.

Applying for the job online

I applied for three different beauty consultant positions online, directly on their website. I spent ages on the application, making sure everything was grammatically correct, my passion for makeup, beauty and selling came across excellently and talked about my relevant experience. Relevant experience would be anything to do with makeup or customer service.

Remember, that before applying to any beauty counter jobs – really ask yourself if you are confident at applying makeup on others. If you don’t feel confident now then don’t worry, get your makeup and brushes out and start doing peoples makeup – friends, family, work colleagues etc! Obviously if it’s going to take a while to get confident then maybe look at applying at a later date when you feel ready.

So me being me, I wasn’t expecting to hear anything back from Benefit any time soon but to my surprise I was called the very next morning! Unfortunately, I missed the first call as I was working but my boss let me ring them back. I get a lot of scam calls so I searched up the number and it said ‘Benefit Cosmetics’. I was like ‘WHAAAAAAAAT?’ my heart just dropped so I instantly rang back because I had such a rush of excitement and any anxiousness just went straight out the window.  As I didn’t get through, I had to leave a voicemail with my name, position I’m applying for and location I wish to work at.

About 10 minutes later they rang me back. The lady asked if I would like to do the 5 minute phone interview now – at this point I was too excited so said yes straight away! It was really easy, she asked why I would like to work for Benefit Cosmetics, what do I like about the products, what product would best describe me and I think there were a couple more but I can’t remember for the life of me. As I was really excited you could hear it in my voice so made me seem really happy and well… excited!  Wooohooo I passed the phone interview!  She then invited me to a sit down interview with the area manager the following week which I was ecstatic about. I was told to bring my passport and wear all black.

♥

The sit down interview 

This was only my second ever interview so you can imagine the pre-interview nerves. But I felt really confident at the same time as I researched on the company and really knew my stuff. I’m the type of person that can talk to you like I’ve been friends with you for ages.  It’s really important that when going for a Benefit Cosmetics job, to always be yourself. So the questions were similar to the phone interview but it was more general talking about my experience in depth and my availability.

I couldn’t believe it! I passed the sit down interview *OMG*. The area manager invited me back in 2 hours’ time for the audition which I had already prepared myself for so it didn’t catch me off guard. I went home to change my shoes as my loafers had blistered, rubbed and cut my feet to bits and there was no way I could do my 2 hour audition being that uncomfortable.

This is where the disaster striked. I get home, have a drink, change my shoes (obviously), touch up  my makeup. Everything is fine until I walk out the door and realised I had left the car keys in the house along with the house keys with NO ONE ELSE HOME. Oh god, panic time! I frantically searched on Google for the Benefit Cosmetics number to contact the area manager. No luck, I then thought to search for the Boots beauty department which was rather good thinking of me as I got through to the area manager. Phew!  I explained the disaster and she calmed me down, told me not to panic and that she’d simply re-schedule my audition. I was thinking to myself like ‘WHAT, a second chance, are you serious omg!!’

Exactly, two weeks from then I had my audition. 

♥

The audition

 The whole process of this has actually changed now so don’t take word for word on some of the older blog posts.

 I turned up 15 minutes before my audition to get to know about the products, prices as well as any of the other girls auditioning with me. Finally, it was time. The other 5 girls and I were told to go and put our bags away along with any coats/jackets. After this, the audition had begun. Eeek! We got into a circle and introduced ourselves by saying our names then taken on to talk about the products. We were shown a lot of skincare products as this is something not a lot of people know that Benefit do. The area manager stated the benefits of each products as well as some of the natural ingredients.  This was then done with the makeup but as Benefit have award winning products we were told about that.

We were shown a wide range of products but could choose what we most felt comfortable with. We could also choose the way we approached the customers which is a lot better in comparison to how they used to ask people to do it. As here in the UK we hate all the false scripted stuff.

I generally found the whole audition process really enjoyable and I loved approaching the customers to come over the counter to demonstrate products on them. I was in my element to say the least. They no longer pull people to the side to tell you if you were unsuccessful which I think is SO much better as it seemed quite a harsh way of telling someone they hadn't got the job. 

 I was one of the last people to finish up on my customer. The area manager actually asked me to finish up with what I was doing as all of the other girls expect me and another had been told to get their bags etc to go home. The other girl and I were saying how we didn't want to go home.  The area manager let us know she would be in contact with us in three days.

I walked out of the audition feeling really good and with a grin on my face like a Cheshire cat as I would never had imagined myself to go through with something so confidence based. 

So it was three days after the audition, I had my phone on the highest volume possible and I was waiting for the phone call which I got at 12pm. As you can imagine my heart was racing, hands shaking. Firstly, the area manager asked me how I was then asked how I felt the audition went to which I replied, I absolutely loved it, I didn't want to go home! She just laughed and said that she could really see that. I had a really good approach to customers and engaged with them excellently when applying products on them. AND GUESS WHAT???

I GOT THE JOB!

I was close to crying because it's something I have wanted for so long and my time had finally come. She asked me to text her the dates I was available for my store approval which was for John Lewis. I was absolutely thrilled when I found out I'd be work for JL as they take care of their employees. 

♥

Store approval

The store approval was actually really nice, it was more like a general chat about my experience and found myself having an actual conversation. I have learned that John Lewis is MASSIVE out the back. I was thinking how the hell am I going to find my way around here - it was like a maze!  So the store approval went great. I officially got the job! 

It was back to the counter to discuss and confirm my shifts which I couldn't believe I was doing.

The lady who did my store approval got back to the area manager and was telling her how genuine and bubbly I am. It made me really happy to hear that as it's not often you get to hear about what people think of your personality - especially on a first impression basis.

♥ 

Overall review 

The process did take a month due to my disaster but it was all worth it in the end.  If you are thinking about applying, I would definitely recommend it as I personally found it a great experience. If you're at any stage of the process then congratulations and keep going! Believe in yourself and good luck! 

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to comment below or email me at cooper-e@hotmail.co.uk and I'll be more than happy to help you out.

Emilie x x x

Holy cow...

I just looked through my posts and realised I haven't done an update for well over a year! Well all I can say is A LOT has changed. 

Since my last update I have:

- Ended my education (although I am currently studying to become a qualified makeup artist!)
- Moved house 
- Started working as a carer
- Started working at Superdrug (i have two jobs)


Ending my education  was sad and it did make me miss socialising but I went through a heck of tough time with myself and knew that the path I was forcing myself down was just making me ill which is why I knew I had to just pack it in. I've always been the creative type and never saw myself as an artist or anything arty farty but it was later that I discovered I could finally do something with my passion for beauty - YES! I want nothing more than to be a makeup artist - I want to be able to be an artist that is open to different types of makeup such as special occasion, day and night makeup. I would eventually, much later in the future when I am more experienced to be able to teach makeup artistry. I love applying makeup on myself and others because I feel good and hopefully my model/client does too! 

Moving house was pretty tough at first because I had lived in the same house for 18 years, but funnily enough I don't miss it at all. However, I do miss the location - close to shops, my friends, family and I had my boyfriends house around the corner from me. But really, my friends and family are all an hour away from my new house so it's not too bad at all.  I stay a lot with my boyfriend now so it's not a problem, if anything it has made us even closer and inseparable!



I started working as a carer as I enjoy looking after those who need help. I find that this type of job is so rewarding because not only do you become helpful to that person, you also become a friend and to think you're giving them so much without realising is the best feeling. I'm the type who loves to help and make others feel good about themselves so me wanting to become a makeup artist and being a carer are the perfect duo! I also work at Superdrug as the 'cosmetics girl' although I don't have the official title of a beauty consultant, I consider myself to be one as I am the go-to-girl for all things beauty in my Superdrug store. All I can say is, I love working there, all the staff are so friendly and I love spending my shifts in the cosmetic isles! 



I should probably stop typing now because I'm pretty sure that's enough for now!

Emilie x x x

Dreamland, Margate Opening 2015
I'm just going to jump right in with this post because I simply cannot hold on anymore!

I went to the opening of Dreamland in Margate which is a vintage themed fairground with three of my friends. We intended on going on the rides before Marina and the diamonds came on - yep, that's right, you read it right - MARINA WAS PLAYING AH!

If you know me and are reading this post you'll probably know I'm a big fan of Marina and have been for the past few years. I play her songs so much that even my poor boyfriend knows all the words! (eek)

She was A-MA-ZING. Breath taking, I was three rows from the front *faints*. She's so flawless, I am literally becoming speechless typing this. 

In the hour she was on she played: Happy, Forget, Bubblegum Bitch, Primadonna Girl, I am Not a Robot, Blue, Can't Pin Me Down, Better Than That, Froot, I'm A Ruin, Hollywood, Mowgli's Road, Savages and more!

I loved the way that she introduced everyone to her band and treated the audience like friends. 

Now onto the good stuff, your typical mobile phone photos...

Bye for now

Emilie x x x

NYX all-time Favourites

Today I have a NYX favourites post for you as I do have a NYX collection consisting of about 30+ products but I thought I'd choose the products I always find myself reaching for and why that is. Keep reading to find out more...

I'll start with the lip liners as these shades are my definite favourite -  my favourite lip liners ever for that matter

These shades are my go-to colours. I just love that they are completely matte and aren't too drying at all. 'Mauve' is meant to be a dupe for Mac's Whirl liner famously worn by Kylie Jenner.

Here you shall see why I love these shades so much. The Deep Red is exactly what the shade name says it is and I sometimes even use this shade with a pink lipstick to add extra depth and to contour my lips. Mauve is a beautiful darkish plum shade which is great for a darker nude lip look. Natural is... well, very natural. It's the perfect shade if you want the 'no makeup' look as it's not too striking but still adds colour. Lastly, Rose. Now, I love this colour, not only because it's pink but because it goes so well with my complexion (pale). It's such a versatile colour that I can pair with pretty much any pink shade of lipstick I have, no wonder it's the shortest one out of these 4!

Here I have the Round gloss in Deep Red, Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Tea Rose, Black Label Lipstick in Dusty Rose & Diva and lastly, Round Lipstick in Paris.

Before purchasing these glosses, I never really wore gloss just because I didn't like the feel of it on my lips. It's safe to say these two gems have converted me. They are so creamy and not sticky at all which I love. If you're anything like me and hate sticky glosses then you MUST try these formulas out. The shades themselves are so wearable and I find that even the applicators are great on these.

As you can see, I have gone for quite nude shades then obviously have to feature in a pink somewhere. Duh, that would just be so unlike me to not feature a pink. Anyway, here we have Dusty Rose, Diva and Paris. They are beautiful shades to say the least. They are super creamy and have no glitters. I wouldn't call them matte as they do have a shine to them but ah, I just can't get enough of these.

Swatches left to right:

Deep Red Gloss, Tea Rose Gloss, Dusty Rose Lipstick, Diva Lipstick & Paris Lipstick

Where do I start with these?

I mean I'm sure you've all heard about the Jumbo Pencil in Milk which is super pigmented right? These 3 white products are a-maz-ing. The eyeshadow base (swatched on the left) is so pigmented and really makes your eyeshadow pop when placed on top of this. It's also so easy to blend and a tiny bit goes a long way. Seriously, I've had this pot for about 4 months it's not getting any close to the bottom and I use this daily! Next we have the Individual Eyeshadow in White. Now this is a colour I also use daily to blend into the inner corners of my eyes to make my eyes pop even more. I sometimes even you use a small dusting of this on my brow bone to also make it go POW. 

Last but not least. The oh-so wonderful Mosaic Powder in the shade Highlighter.

1st swatch is all 5 colours swirled together, 2nd is the purple shade, 3rd is the pink, 4th is the golden/yellow shade and 5th (bottom) is the white shade.

As you can tell from hitting the pan this is hands down, my go-to highlighter to add to my contouring. I can't even describe this highlighter - there are no words. It has no chunks of glitter and is buildable depending on how much of a define look you're going for. I'd say it's a pearly finish and is so blendable. I personally love to add this to the tops of my cheek bones, cupids bow, nose, forehead and chin. Despite loving this product to pieces, it does smell a lot like crayons, kind of makes me reminisce a bit as I used to draw a lot with crayons growing up. But other than this minor downside, I'd say it's the perfect highlighting shade. (I also recommend their other Mosaic blushes too) 

I hope that you enjoyed reading about my NYX favourites.
Why not share yours in the comments section below, I'd love to see what they are!

Emilie x x x