The Confessions of a Beauty Blogger Tag

Hello and welcome back to the Student Beauty Bag, i am aware for the past week i haven't posted anything, and i am really sorry about that i had all my blogs planned and i had taken all my photos, but then on sunday i came down with a horrible kind of stomach ache illness, that to be honest just wanted me to sleep all day, to the matter of fact that i literally did sleep for 4 days in a row and didn't get out of bed at all. It was horrible, and to make up for it, instead of giving you one of my average beauty posts, i decided to do a tag post. I realised you didn't really know much about me and this blog, so i picked the confessions of a beauty blogger tag, lets get started!

1, How many hours a week do you spend planning/ writing/ uploading posts?

Well i had to think about this question quite a lot because i post three times a week, with each post roughly taking me an hour to plan and write. But then i also take pictures, and at the moment to reduce the amount of time i spend taking photos, i am trying to get into the groove of taking all my photos in one sitting, that roughly takes me 30 minutes but then i have to sort out which photos to choose, then i edit the best ones, so all in all i think it takes me about an hour to complete everything photo wise for all three posts. I then also finally research, advertise, comment and generally talk to you guys on social media sites, so i guess if you add that, i most spend at least 6-7 hours a week doing blog related things!

2, Are you a spender or a saver?

I am definitely a spender, what beauty blogger isn't! I am really addicted to beauty products and fashion and shoes, basically everything, so i rarely ever save, apart from if i know there is something i want, and i have to save up for it!

3, When is it easiest for you to write your posts?

I think it is easiest for me to write my posts in the evenings in between doing college and my free time i manage to conduct 3 posts a week, which i think is quite an achievement. Obviously i don't take the photos for the blog in the night, i normally do that on a weekend morning when i have plenty of time to slowly take the pictures. I also do if i have time on the weekends basically plan and sometimes i get round to writing the posts, but i have to admit that is pretty rare!

4, What makes writing posts comfortable for you?

I think getting feedback and knowing that you have helped someone is the best, and most comfortable thing for me, it really encourages me when some of you contact me and i love making new friends through it too, so don't be shy and come on in!

5, Whats your worst makeup/ hair habit?

I think my worst makeup habit is chapped lips, or dry skin, this is a real problem for me, and i find it very hard to treat it, and whenever i look in the mirror i am always like why do i allow my skin to get so bad. I suppose i do have some really bad hair habits, i also have very dry hair, which means i have never had the need to really wash my hair lets say more than 3 times a week because it doesn't get greasy, but i need to starts washing it more often and keep my hair down, not scrunched up in a top knot!

6, Whats one quote you wish the world would live by?

I am not a massive fan of quotes, and i don't really know that many, but i think i prefer the more heart wrenching/ sad kind of quotes that make your realise what other people feel like. There was once this quote about bullying and it was talking about would you ever want to go through what you are doing to someone else and it was really sad but i cant remember it now, it was really beautiful and sad.

7, How long do you spend getting ready everyday?

Oh no the question i dread is coming! I think because i have to leave really early in the morning on a weekday for school, i tend to not spend as much time as i would on a weekend, but saying that i take at least 30 minutes to do my makeup in the morning, so to get dressed and sort out my hair if i am not straightening it, it will take me probably an hour! On the weekends though because i have time i often spend nearly an hour doing my makeup because i get very easily distracted, and have no attention span!

8, What your favourite post on your blog?

I think my favourite post on my blog is my blog is my review of the Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Carnation because it was one of my first blog posts and i took so much time writing it and the finished post really made me fall in love with blogging. 

9, Who is a beauty blogger that you think deserve more subscribers that they have?

I think there are many beauty bloggers on twitter and Instagram and other social media platforms that don't have as many subscribers as they deserve, i have started to interact with lots, and many of the new generation of beauty bloggers like me deserve more followers because some of them are truly inspirational and well written!

10, Whats one thing you're excited about in the coming year?

There are many things i am really excited about in the next year, and one of them is definitely building up this blog, getting more subscribers and teaching more people about student friendly beauty items and products that are safe for your skin, there are many things!

11, What has been your favourite blogging moment?

As you know, i am fairly new to the world of beauty blogging, so i haven't experienced that many things beauty blogging related, but one of the best things about blogging, and my best moment was when i finally realised that people were actually reading my blog, even though it wasn't  very many people, its still someone who can learn from me!

12, How long does it take to prep for a post?

As i said in question number one of this tag, writing and planing a post can take around 1 hour, but it really depends on the post, this post didn't take very much preparing because its just me answering questions, but another post with photos that i need to edit and crop may take much longer.

13, Are you wearing jeans/ skirt right now or are you wearing pyjama bottoms?

At the moment i am wearing an old t shirt and some running leggings because i have just come back from the gym, but normally i would just be wearing pyjamas or even a onesie, the benefit of blogging instead of being on Youtube!

So that was the last question for the confessions of a beauty blogger tag, i hope you enjoyed and learnt more about me and beauty blogging for me!!

Izzyxxx 

Review: Grace Cole Strawberry & Kiwi Body Spray

Hello, its Wednesday, and there is only two more days to the weekend, Yay. As I kind of feel like reviewing everything I own at the moment, I have decided to review this new product I brought less than a week ago, four days ago to be exact because I have fallen head over heels with. Ahhhh I am so exciting. 

This mystery product that I am talking about, which isn't very mysterious if you have read the title of this blog post, is the Grace Cole Strawberry & Kiwi Body Spray, which smells so amazing, and fruity and delicious I could eat it. I had never heard of Grace Cole products before I wondered into House of Fraser one day, and saw a massive stand on all of them and I couldn't resist to smell all the different scents, but my favourite was the strawberry and kiwi flavour, but some of the other ones were really nice too!

The scent is so sweet, and sickly it is all most a bit too overpowering, but I feel the actual spray, and what it spritz's out to be quite light, and not too concentrated like a perfume. In a way that is a really nice quality about it because I get quite annoyed when a body spray smells to concentrated, and too much like a perfume. When I spray it onto my body I usually use around 3-4 spritz on my whole body, and I feel that is just enough so it doesn't choke everyone who will go past me during the day! But I also spray my room with it when I put it on if i am not on the go, I feel around 4-5 sprays per smallish/ medium sized room like a bedroom fills the room up with a really nice summery scent, that isn't to overpowering, and just makes your room smell or fruity. I do also feel that this body spray doesn't have the best staying power though, it lasts a while if you spray quite a bit on your body, around one to two hours, but I wouldn't use it if I want something to stay on all day, but it is really easy to just keep in your handbag, and you can top up throughout the day so I suppose it is not that bad.

The next thing I am going to comment on about this body spray is something that always kind of sells the product to me with fragrance items, the packaging, and even though this packaging is quite 'average', it does have some really cool stuff on it! Okay so the main really cool thing on it is that the lid on the bottle, the spray part is this really gorgeous dark red chrome colour, that is really shinny, and as soon as I saw that small feature it sold the product to straight away because other things don't have that detail on! Okay I am going a bit mad now on this shiny lid now, also the res of the packaging is quite nice, it is bright red, with strawberries and kiwis on it, which is good because you only had to look at the picture to figure out what it smelt like, you didn't have to read it!

So finally, I think for the £3.50 this cost me, it was originally £5 but it was on offer, this is a really nice product, well worth the money, and i even think I may go out and by the shower gel version of this, and even maybe another few body sprays because they all smelt so nice and delicious they were irresistible!

Izzyxxx

http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/Grace+Cole+Strawberry+Kiwi+Body+Spritz+250ml/192204049,default,pd.html

Where has The Student beauty Bag been??

Hello, and welcome back to the Student Beauty Bag, i really can't believe it has been 6 weeks and 1 day since i last posted on here, and it truly only feels like 2 weeks, which was the original amount of time i was going to take off. I never mentioned this on my blog, apart from me finding it hard to post 3 times a week because of all the schoolwork it had, but i had started to think of writing and keeping this blog a bit of a chore, and i hated myself for thinking that. I decided, if i took 2 weeks vacation from this blog, planned some posts during that time, took lots of pictures, and just started to love this blog like i did when i created it, keeping it would be a lot easier and less stressful. But the thing was after around two weeks, my half term started, and i thought that would be a perfect time to restart it, i assumed i wouldn't have much homework and revising to do, but i was completely wrong. I had so much to do, and i was on holiday in north wales for a bit with my family, and there was no internet connection, so i could prepare some posts, so i put it off, week after week, until i decided last week that i missed this blog, and decided if i don't start it up now, i don't know how long it would be until i started it again.

So, today is Monday 10th March, and from wednesday on, i am going to hopefully start blogging again on a monday, wednesday and friday schedule again. I never said that i was posting on those days, but i kind of adopted those days, and have decided to stick with them, however if i am really busy one day, and can't post, i will make up for it in the week, resulting in ever week posting 3 blog posts.

I am really sorry about this, and when i was away for six weeks i did miss you guys tremendously but couldn't get my self to start it all up again. Also, sorry this isn't a proper 'beauty' post, but as i said i will start properly on wednesday. I love you guys lots and thank you for being here for me and supporting me, love you!!

Love, Izzyxxx

My Top 5 Pamper Evening Essentials: Volume 3

Hello, i hope you realise, but you are very lucky today, you are getting two posts in one day, only because i thought I had posted these posts a few days ago, but for some unknown reason, they didn't publish or save, so here I am today, on sunday afternoon, when I should be planning next weeks posts, I am rewriting the posts I wrote earlier this week! Its a hard life ehh.

So todays post is my Top 5 Pamper Evening Essentials, and did you know, this is my third volume of this, how time flies! So today I have chosen 5 of some of my favourite pamper essentials that i will be using today to prepare myself for the next week ahead, and that will help me relax tonight. I have chosen all drugstore products so you will be happy, and I have chosen one lip product, one hair product, and three body products! I hope you enjoy!

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- £5.50 

I think this is probably one of my top 5 lip products ever, even though I have only ever had one tiny 25g tub before, it lasted me ages, even with some sneaky eating of it because it tasted so nice!! I know everyone talks about this scrub, and it heavenliness, but for the £5.50 price tag, it is completely worth it, i feel that everyone should have it! The gorgeous bubblegum taste and smell, I feel is nicer than actual bubblegum sweets, and it the sugar grains are surprisingly good at removing all that disgusting dry skin of your lips. Another benefit of this product  is that it is really easy to use, you just take a small pinch, (or more if your hungry), scrub it around your lips for 10-20 seconds, and for the best bit, lick it off! For me this is a real life saver product, I cant live without it, and i will be definitely using it this week!

https://www.lush.co.uk/product/67/Bubblegum---25g

Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter- £10.50
Oh my god, this is one of my all time favourite body butter/ creams in the whole world, i know it says that it is a after sun, that you use after you have been in the sun for too long when its hot, but this product is also an excellent everyday body butter! I first brought this product nearly two years ago, just before I was going to go on my holiday to Sri Lanka, to keep my skin soft, and not burnt while i was sunbathing in the sun. During that holiday, I used it religiously, and even when i burnt my shoulders once, it was so soothing, and did bring down the redness, but most of all it was a perfect after swim pamper essential. After my holidays, I had some left over in the tub, so i started using it when my skin was extra dry, or it just felt like it needed a pick me up, I became obsessed and used way too much of it! When the holidays rolled around a couple of months ago, and i was going back to Sri Lanka, i knew this was a definite product I was going to take, and again became obsessed with it all over again, and i still have a bit left in the tub, so i have started using it again, and it is the perfect reminder of summer! Bring on the summer time baby!
http://www.boots.com/en/Hawaiian-Tropic-After-Sun-Body-Butter-Exotic-Coconut-200ml_954962/

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Hair Healer Leave In Conditioner Sample- £1.99
You may have heard of this product as it is very popular in the Charles Worthington Moisture range, but i always thought i had way too many hair products so I never brought the full sized bottle for £5.99. But when i saw this little sample sized packet of it in Boots the other week, I couldn't resist buying it, and it was only £1.99. It turns out i love this product, and i probably should buy it while Charles Worthington is on sale at Boots, I am really glad i brought the sample size, and even though it is 'sample sized', it did last me three uses. It is a leave in conditioner, that after i showered, especially if i had no intention in washing my hair in the next couple of days, and wanted my hair to stay nice, I used a small dollop of it, and rubbed it into the areas of my hair that were particularly frizzy. It calmed down my frizz, and I definitely recommend this if you have really dehydrated, frizzy hair!
http://www.boots.com/en/Charles-Worthington-Moisture-Seal-Hair-Healer-Leave-In-Conditioner_1330137/

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturiser in Cocoa Radient- £4.99
I sure do love convenience, and you sure don't get more convenient in the body moisturising group than a spray and go moisturiser! When i first saw these advertised in a magazine, I knew instantly I had to get them, and then I realised they hadn't been released yet, i practically cried, i was so upset! When i did eventually get it, I was seriously obsessed with it, and for those couple of weeks, my skin had never been softer, but then after the summer i stopped using it so much, and since then i have kind of become un touched with it! I really want to start using it again, not just because it is so convenient, it is also a really nice cream, just like the original cocoa butter creams, and I would definitely recommend this product if you sometimes feel lazy in the moisturising front!
http://www.boots.com/en/Vaseline-Spray-Go-Body-Moisturiser-Cocoa-Radiant-190ml_1336204/#maincontent

Baylis & Harding French Lavender & Cassis Foot Balm
I got this foot balm as part of a set a couple of years ago for christmas from Baylis & Harding, and I think you can no longer buy the exact set I have anymore, instead i think they rebranded the foot balm, and changed the idea of the gift set, so i do recommend getting that, and you can find it pretty cheap online. In the gift set was this really nice, soft, luxurious foot balm, that smells heavenly, really sweet, and kind of makes you fall asleep! Also in the gift set was some really fluffy white socks that you got free, and if you do find a similar foot balm to the one i have, i definitely recommend thickly layering it on your feet, so they feel slightly soggy, and then carefully putting on the socks, it makes your feet feel so dreamy. Even if you don't have this foot cream, just put any cream on them, and some fluffy socks on after a warm bath, it will literally relax you slightly too much, its perfect!

http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/sainsburys-price-comparison/beauty_gift_sets/baylis_and_harding_french_lavender_foot_set.html

I hope you have enjoyed volume three of my Top 5 Pamper Evening Essentials, and if you feel in need of some pampering or relaxing, i would definitely recommend you setting some time aside for you to complete a few of these steps, it will be worth it, trust me!

Izzyxxxx

New Look Black Metal Trim Ankle Boots

Hello and welcome back to the Student Beauty Bag, it feel ages since I last posted but in fact it was only on Tuesday! So today I have different type of post than i normally have, it is not beauty related, it on my second most favourite thing in the world, shoes! I love shoes so much, and I sure have my fare share of them, from ankle boots, to high leg boots, to heels, to flats, to sneakers, i have everything! 

I don't know if you still remember, but on one of my first ever posts, I posted my December favourites, and included in that were some high heeled black cut out ankle boots, they were really nice, but slightly to high for me on a everyday basis. So just after I brought those, I saw these really nice simple black ankle boots with some really effective gold detailing on them, and the best thing about them they weren't very high. As you can expect I immediately fell in love with them, and couldn't resist them, so i had to buy them!

These are some of the most comfortable boots i have ever tried, they are the perfect height for someone like me who needs to wear high heels because she is so short, but doesn't want her feet hurting all day, and for them to be too high and uncomfortable, but also wants her feet to look semi decent! When I tried them on i was very impressed how comfortable they actually were, and because the pair I have our wide fit, they have enough room for my feet, without making the length way to big. Even if you don't have particularly big/ wide feet, and just want some comfortable boots to wear everyday, I would definitely get them!

But it isn't just because these boots are so comfortable why I love them so much, they also happen to look really nice and casual, that you can easily dress up for a more formal occasion. I personally love to wear these boots everyday if I am just popping out to the shops, or just running errands, and they are also very suitable if you are still in school or college, as they are not very high, and very simple looking. They are a black suede/ leather ankle boots, with a 2-3 inch block heel, that is very stable and comfortable, they also have a simple gold zip down the inside of the shoe, and a simple gold line across the back of the heel. The little, simple details surprisingly add lots of detail to the shoe, and make it look also surprisingly pretty, and attractive.

I hope you have enjoyed this mini shoe review, would you like me to do more, i have found it quite enjoyable, and easy, as shoes are one of my strong obsessions!

Izzyxxxx

Review: Revlon ColourBurst Balms

Hello and welcome back to The Student Beauty Bag, and just a quick sorry before I start, I am sorry that i haven't been posting on a regular/ normal schedule that i have kind of picked up because I have been so busy with all my schoolwork, and I cant seem to get organised, so for the rest of this month, I am planning to just blog three times a week. I will try and keep to my Monday, Wednesday & Friday schedule, but i don't know how well that is going to work, so can you just be patient if I am slightly uneven with my posting, sorry, but I will try my best, and will be back on form for February, i promise!

Sorry about that mini, weird paragraph there, i was just trying to tell you my plan for the rest of January, and if you don't get what I mean, feel free to email me at TheStudentBeautyBag@Gmail.Com if you have any questions, or just contact me on any of my social media profiles on the right of this page. Anyway back to todays post, if you haven't guessed it by the title yet, I am reviewing the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, in the shade Honey, and the new Revlon ColourBurst Lacquer Balm in the shade Demure.

So lets start of with the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in the colour Honey, this is a very popular product of Revlon, and when it came out, it seemed every beauty blogger had it! I was different though, and even though I have wanted it for months, i only recently brought it, a couple of weeks ago, and boy am I obsessed with it! For the first two weeks after I brought it, I used it most days, and especially if i was going to school and things, because it is a really nice pink- mauve colour, even though the packaging suggest its a nude- baby pink colour, its not, its actually quite bright! I love the colour, i think its a really universal shade, and perfect for anytime of day, but the colour isn't the end of my happiness for this product, oh no! This product is exactly what it says on the crayon ( pun intended!), it is perfect mix of a lip balm, and a lip stain, I personally love the fact that it feels like a lip balm on the lips, but really does stain the lips as well. Also unlike some Lip Stains, it doesn't feel like it is tugging on your lips when you wear it, and especially when you apply it, its so smooth and soft. All together, I think this product is excellent, and well worth the £7.99 price tag, I feel like I couldn't live without it now, and I definitely want more colours! 

The other Revlon product I am reviewing is the new ColourBurst Lacquer Balm in the shade Demure, I only recently brought this last week, and to be honest it was surprising i didn't buy it sooner! After buying the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain a couple of weeks ago, and when I found out there was a new line coming out similar to those products, i knew I had to try some, and when I saw the colour Demure online, it seemed like the perfect colour for me. Similar to the Balm Stains, these are really nice build able colour balms, that feel like you are not actually wearing anything on your lips, but these are slightly different, the Lacquer Balms have a slightly smoother, more velvety texture that the Stains, which when I tried the stains, I thought was impossible. But i think may favourite thing about this product is the amazing colour it gives, I am truly in love with the colour, and as I said earlier is a really me colour. It is a gorgeous baby pink colour with a lovely, but not to overpowering pink and silver glitter/ shimmer to it, that naturally blends into the lips, and produces a beautiful natural shimmer to them, which you can easily build up to a heavier colour.

So, that is the end of todays post, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you haven't brought any of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains/ ColourBurst Lacquer's yet, i definitely recommend them, and they have a new range out called the Matte collection, that I will need to get soon! Thank you for reading this post, and have a good week.

Izzyxxxxx

http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-Just-Bitten%C2%99-Kissable-Balm-Stain_1208067/

http://www.boots.com/en/Revlon-ColorBurst-8482-Lacquer-Balm_1416270/

My Top 3 Spot Blasters!!

Hello, and welcome back to The student beauty bag, and if you are also anything like me, the thought of any recommendations in how to blast those pesky little spots (or big spots in my case), you just can't resist to try. Also, I think reading recommendations in spot blasting products is one of my favourite types if skin care posts to read, so let's get started!

1, Origins Super Spot Remover Gel

I defiantly think this is one of my favourite spot fighting products I have ever tried, yes it is very expensive for a spot gel, but I think when it's a product that has the possibility to save your skin forever, you can't resist buying it, and I can say this has definitely been worth the £14 it cost. When I brought this gel a couple of weeks ago, I was expecting it to be good because it's from Origins, but I never thought it would be as good as it actually is, and for it to overcome my next favourite in the spot blasting top 3. It is a clear gel that is really simple to apply to the skin, and doesn't burn the spot when you put it on, and it dries up quickly, and starts acting fast. It also may seem like the smallest bottle you will ever see (it's a tiny 10ml), but it really does last forever, and in the couple of weeks I have used it nearly everyday, I still haven't used barely any!

http://www.boots.com/en/Origins-Super-Spot-Remover-Blemish-Treatment-Gel-10ml_1212570/

2, Soap & Glory Dr Spot Gel

Before I discovered the Origins spot gel, this was by far the best spot blasting gel I had ever tried, and trust me I have tried quite a few! In many ways it is very like the Origins one also, it too is a clear gel based formula, that dries out quickly, and starts too work super fast, but one thing I have never really like about this one is that I feel the gel has a strong anti-bacterial smell too it, and it puts me off slightly when I use it. All together though this is a good spot gel, that definitely works, and is just a cheaper version of the Origins spot gel, and is well worth the £8 price tag. Also I just have to add that its on offer at £6.00 in Boots at the moment, and if you are thinking on buying it, definitely buy it when its on sale!

http://www.boots.com/en/Soap-Glory%C2%99-Dr-Spot%C2%99-Super-Strength-Breakout-Clearing-Gel-15ml_1364152/

3, Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream
This may seem like a really random thing that will help get rid of spots, and something that you will never think of, but if you have tried it, you will say with me that this cream can be a real lifesaver when it comes to those pesky spots, especially the scars they leave. I was first introduced to using a tiny bit of sudocrem on a spot by a male teacher of mine a couple of years ago, and no one ever believed him, until one person tried it, and then swore by it that it had made all her acne spots and scars become unnoticeable! I use just a tiny little dab of it on a spot or scar on my face, and leave it overnight for around 8-10 hours, and it reduces the swelling, redness and noticeability of the spot straight away, and is a perfect solution if you have a couple of pesky spots that you want to practically fly of your face overnight!
http://www.boots.com/en/Sudocrem-Antiseptic-Healing-Cream-125g_1666/

So that is my Top 3 Spot Blasters post finished with, I hope you have enjoyed it, and found it very useful, these are my personal favourite 3 products that i feel get rid of spots for me, but they may not work as well for you, or they may work even better, but I just hope it has given you a bit of inspiration on a couple of products that may help you. Also sorry this post is being posted on sunday, instead of my usual friday, but I am still getting used to all my schoolwork, and trying to get organised again after the Christmas Break!

Izzyxxx