New Year New Rules

I know, creeping in on the last day of January was not how I envisaged this post going. It's been a while since I last blogged but even though life got in the way a bit, I still missed it. Creating new year's resolutions is something I wouldn't normally do as I set goals all year round, yet the beginning of January saw me in a bit of a rut. Here's my list for 2015.

1. Spend less and use more

A particular highlight of last year was working at a high end beauty brand where I took advantage of their staff discount. My leaving gift was also quite generous and I probably could get by on those goodies alone. Needless to say, I still spent my hard earned cash looking for the next big thing despite owning a mountain of products already. This year, I'll be shopping my stash more - this goes for skincare, makeup and fashion where I often sniff out good deals on quality items and buy in bulk if the price is right.

2. Stick to what works

Again, this is related to beauty but could also be used across my entire lifestyle. I am a self-confessed product floozy, but when my skin broke out in a horrific way last November, I looked for a miracle cure whilst forgetting that my dehydrated skin likes oil. Especially in the winter. Also, trying to reinvent yourself completely when things aren't happening fast enough could also be a recipe for disaster. Sometimes it just takes perseverance and you'll get there by doing your own thing.

3. Do what you love

For me, 2014 went by so quickly but I still grew as a person. I grew in confidence. I made leaps in my career and figured out the path I want to take in life. But in some ways it was very unbalanced. This year, I'm going to seek out the things I enjoy doing - writing, going to gigs and taking the time to see family and friends more often. This also involves stepping out of my comfort zone, finally booking that musical bingo night and nurturing this corner of the web a lot more often.

I may have already indulged in the January sales, but making sure that I only spend on essentials has really helped. A post on products revisited is on its way, so here's to a more productive year!  

May Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been buried by work and general tiredness. This summer I'm hoping to achieve a few milestones, the obvious one is graduating this summer. The others involve gaining confidence, losing at least one dress size and jumpstarting the career I want so watch this space! The last few months have been beyond stressful, and I have already begun rewarding myself with little goodies that will be shared soon enough!

My skin has improved so much over the last year, but other things that I would have previously shrugged off, like the efect of foaming cleansers and the advantages of oils I have now taken  on board. Exam period has brought on some spots, but thanks to a few tweaks to my routine, it hasn't been as bad compared to recent years and the scars are fading faster. 

Expect more posts as I actually feel more confident about my blog and sharing my opinions on things. Let me know if theres anything in particular you want me to address, as I have been avoiding certain subjects like hair even though mine is actually in good condition. I have been in a negative headspace over many months, which probably has reflected on previous entries. So please consider this a fresh start as I look forward to what comes next!

Thanks for reading x

Makeup To Breakup: The Inspiration

  Well, this is awkward! All that build-up in my last post and I haven't updated in weeks. I'm determined to get serious and post more often, so now you can follow my blog with Bloglovin!

Basically between now and then, I became exceedingly poor and changed the name of the blog from the ever so tacky sounding "Ohsofrivolous". I only tend to do big purchases I think are worth it, and I wanted my blog to reflect that. Also compared to other bloggers out there, I'm a novice only in it for the learning curve and the chance to blabber about things I love. Pure and simple.

So, I decided to name my little space on the internet after a punk song, so it sounds a bit more like me. "Make up to Break up" is a song by Siouxsie and the Banshees around the punk era (circa 1977) that encapsulates my old mentality towards slap and hiding my features away. Around 2010 I looked backwards into their back catalogue and it was easy to relate to lyrics like:

"Shadow conjures cheekbones
 Hides a nasal disgrace 
A disfigured atrocity
J-j-jutting out of place"

As someone with a round face, chubby cheeks and a wide nose, I welcomed Siouxsie's artistic approach towards makeup, especially contouring as it offered me a poor substitute for her perfect angular cheekbones. To help sculpt my massive cheeks I use MAC blush in Raizin, Benefit Hoola Bronzer or the Sleek contour kit in Medium depending on how dramatic I want to go.


Growing up, I wasn't that interested in cosmetics (mainly because it was near impossible to be matched up to drugstore foundations, but that's another blog post) so I looked tomboyish and awkward next to the 'girls with eyes like swimming pools'. When I reached my twenties, my confidence dipped even more to the point where I had a cake face daily.



Siouxsie Sioux in '76

 

But despite the self-loathing in her lyrics, people like Siouxsie bring hope as all that disappears when she's on stage. Known for being brash, blunt and fearless, her onstage persona here as a relatively unknown act from Bromley never fails to inspire me. Her work in the Banshees reflects this - at their first gig they played an alternative version of The Lord' Prayer after not organising a setlist.

Before the Banshees, Siouxsie was part of the Bromley Contingent, the entourage of The Sex Pistols in '76 and was part of THAT Bill Grundy interview. In the 80's, along with the music her make up really came into her own as she developed the iconic dramatic looks she became well known for. The gothic image and the darkness of the music only added to her allure and to this day she remains a punk icon. Whenever things get a bit rough or I have a crisis of confidence, I think to myself "What would Siouxsie do?"




Now I don't really wear graphic eyeliner that often, but I have learned to embrace my features more as a consequence of having 80's musicians as my heroes. I've always liked the artistic aspect of beauty and fashion, so 2013 is my year to get creative. Other examples of 80's icons include Debbie Harry for her impeccable fashion skills, Kate Bush as my eyebrow inspiration (I still give mine a tidy, but I do love a strong brow) and Robert Smith circa 1981 is my biggest star crush of all time. Just saying.

It's only me..

As my first post, this should probably give an idea of what this blog should be all about. Firstly, my name is Candice and I have a current obsession with skincare and make-up. But this isn't set in stone. I only really got into beauty around 2 or 3 years back when my sister bought me my first foundation that truly matched my skintone (Mac Studio Fix in NC45 if anyone's interested). Even then, I wasn't as into it as I am now, but in my teens and twenties I've been the bare face tomboy as well as the made-up insecure wreck. Only in the last year I have reached a balance I am happy with and felt able to write about it on the internet.

So on the surface, this blog is about beauty and life, but the main thing here is not to take things too seriously! Looking forward to sharing my favourite products and tips - some of these have played a massive part in clearing up my skin. Since January, I started a new skincare regime which put an end to major scarring and hyper-pigmentation that I've had for yonks. Stay tuned for more posts, I might even show my face next time!  

Candice xx