5 Things I've Learned About Life

 In 4 days, I'll be turning 22. 22! I realize it's still very young but I feel as though 22 means I'm an adult and no longer under the forgiving umbrella of age. That's deep.

I decided for this week I'd throw out my scheduled beauty related posts for something about me and related to what I've learnt in my 22 years. So without further ado:

1. There will always be someone better than you. While this is a depressing thought, it's certainly humbling. There will always be someone smarter, prettier, taller, richer, etc than you. But that's okay - do the best you can do given your means and circumstances. While life makes others prettier or taller or smarter than you, you can work harder than anyone else, you can be nicer than anyone else. Just do what you can to be who you want to be and the rest will fall into place. Which brings me to my next lesson...

2. Don't worry about the things you can't control. There really isn't any point in wishing you could change the things you can't. What has to happen will happen and while you can (and should) try your best, there will always be things you can't do anything about. No amount of guilt will change the past and no amount of worrying will change the future.

3. It's okay to be sad. This has been a common theme lately but I can't stress it enough. I've had hours and days and months of being sad - it comes randomly, in waves and it can't always be explained. A close friend of mine died in a tragic accident over a year ago and I was sad every night for months. But sometimes I'll get sad just because it's dark outside! Sometimes I'm just in a funk and that's okay. As long as you realize how blessed and loved you, it's okay to not always be happy all the time.

4. Life goes on. Whatever you're going through may seem like the end of the world at the time but it never is. Breakups, failed tests, lost friendships - they're all a part of life. Look around you, life goes on. The drama I cried over in high school seems so trivial now. Had I realized when I was younger that everything will always be okay in the end (it really and truly will), I would have been a much happier teen!

5. Be humble, be grateful, be kind. Be humble to know that everything you have is a result of someone's (or your) hard work and isn't something you deserve just because. Be grateful for everyday you spend in good health and with loved ones. Be kind to everyone around you and strive to be the bigger person at all times. Being kind (and still strong) will always be the right decision.

If you have any tips or life lessons, please let me know below! Let's all help each other out for a happier, kinder world. 

Autumn/Winter Lips

I love the transition from summer to autumn - especially in terms makeup. Autumn calls for darker shades and bold colours - plenty of (badly executed) smokey eyes and dark lips for me. My favourite autumn lip colour is often paired with oatmeal coloured sweater and ivory blouses. I love mixing the dark make up with light colours just so I don't look too vampy. 

The lipstick is Covergirl and in the shade 360 Euphoria. It's applied over the Annabelle Waterproof Lipliner in Boisenberry which ensures me long lasting colour with minimal mess.  Boisenberry is a deep purple and Euphoria has more of a red tone - the combination gives way to beautiful berry lips.

I wanted a picture of the combination on my lips but I was having a bad selfie day and the lighting wasn't doing the colour any justice! 

What are your favourite lipsticks this season? Any lipliner/lipstick combinations you can recommend?

Autumn/Winter Lip Essentials

Being a full-lipped girl has its advantages and its drawbacks. While most lipsticks suit my lips, one shade too bright can easily have me looking a bit drag. Also a disadvantage of full lips: having bread crumbs stuck to it after eating a sandwich. Ugh.

As soon as the weather gets cooler, my lips are the first to show signs of dryness. Here are the products I use to keep these bad boys looking at its best.

My first step is brushing my lips: after I take off my make up, I brush my lips with a soft toothbrush to really take my lipstick off as well as any gross skin. I do step almost every day in fall and winter.

Once a week I use a sugar scrub: I'm not picky when it comes to this - I generally use whatever body scrub I've been using, my favourite being the Shea Moisture Argan Oil & Raw Shea Hand & Body Scrub. I prefer smaller grains to scrub my lips. I just put this on wet lips, scrub with my finger and wash it off.

My last and favourite step is using lip balm: after months of riding the EOS bandwagon, I realize that nothing hydrates my lips as much as Burt's Bees. I love the scent of the Refreshing Lip Balm with Pink Grapefruit and use it at least twice a day.

PSA: DON'T lick your lips! This just makes everything worse - though it provides temporary relief for dry lips, all it does is dry out your lips in the end. Just don't it, okay, promise? (Anyone get that reference?)

What are your favourite autumn/winter lip products? 

The Tag for Makeup Addicts!

Happy November bloggers! This is exciting - it's my first tag as a blogger! Thank you to Iqra from The Blushing Giraffe for this tag! Her blog is really lovely, great pictures and reviews on all things beauty and fashion. She also has great ethical purchasing principles which I truly admire.

Let's dive right in!

1. Which product do you still keep buying more of despite having plenty in your collection?
Eye shadows. I absolutely adore palettes and continuously shop for eye shadows even though I don't wear it so often and haven't yet perfected a smokey eye on my tan skin tone.

2. What's the one product you can't live without?
Eyeliner. And lipstick. And lip balm. And foundation. But if I had to choose just one (this is a mean question!), I'd say lip balm, especially this time of year (shameless promotion: check my autumn/winter lipcare here *coming soon*).

3. Favourite makeup brand?
Another mean question! I have to say if it's in terms of quality and environmental friendliness, it would be Tarte. Their foundation has the best coverage and doesn't make me oily! But I do love Nars in terms of blushes and lipsticks. Sephora does a great liquid liner and their brush quality is fantastic. I can't choose! 

4. How big is your makeup collection?
The pictures show just a fraction of my makeup but it's small compared to most. I like using make up till the very end unless it's abysmal. And I'm an animal of habit, I can't let go of the things I love. 

5. And how do you store it?
There's no Muji in Canada so I've bought clear drawers from Amazon and brush tins from Ikea.

6. How many items of makeup have you got in your handbag at the moment?
Lip balm, lipstick, mattifying power, eyeliner, and blush make 5. With my brushes make 7.

7. If you could raid another blogger's stash, who would it be?
Probably Amelia Liana's because though she doesn't wear a tonne of make up, the products she uses are expensive and luxurious.

8. How long does your usual makeup routine take and how many products do you use?
For work I wear minimal makeup - it's all done in ten minutes! I use foundation, bronzer, blush, mascara and lipstick. When I go out with my friends or family, it's the whole shebang: primer, eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, foundation, blush, bronzer, highlighter, lipstick - the whole thing taking over a half hour.

9. Have you ever bought makeup knowing you wouldn't use it?
Yes - a smokey eye palette from Quo. I knew that I wasn't good enough with makeup to pull off a purple smokey eye with my skin tone but I bought it anyway. It ended up looking like a bruised, black eye. I later dropped and smashed the palette, thank God.

10. Tag a few other makeup addicts to do this tag!
I'd like to tag the Velveteen Rabbit from BF GF Does Blogging, Rikki from Luscious Lane and Mikela from Simply Davelyn, as well as anyone reading this post: you're up!