Movie Star?

I must admit, that's a super misleading title. But I didn't know what else I could call this post. I've been thinking a lot lately about starting a YouTube channel. There's so many video ideas in my head and things I want to put on this blog that would be way better suited to a video rather than in writing. But choosing to start uploading videos is a big decision nowadays, what with this new YouTube celebrity culture.

I don't want to start making videos because I want to be super famous or anything, because I know that nobody would watch me, let alone subscribe. It's more for the aesthetic of my blog; to make certain posts a little more interesting and to make it easier for me to show and explain things. But starting a YouTube channel and receiving absolutely no views, comments etc is something super embarrassing these days, I just don't know if I can face people thinking I've started YouTube to be famous and completely failed.

I know that virtually nobody reads this blog so maybe it wouldn't matter.

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                           

Twitter: @leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

Homemade Hair Care: Coconut Oil Mask

Over the past few years I've experimented a lot with lightening my hair at home. But as a naturally almost-black brunette, it hasn't exactly been easy on my hair.

I've done the bleached streak

the peekaboo underlayer

the harsh dip dye

the ombre/balayage/colour melt

All the while trying to achieve hair light enough just so I could use fashion colours and pastels.

My hair tends to withstand bleach well until it gets to the brassy orange stage. This is when it starts to go knotty, gummy, dry and break off so much I lose inches in length. This is also when I usually panic, dye it back to my natural colour and let it strengthen again. 

This time I've bleached a good few inches from my roots and am in the process of lightening it past the brassy stage. my hair is stubborn and it's taking a super long time so at the moment I'm disguising the damaged mess with a lot of violet hair dye, which is helping to tone it out in the mean time. I'm aware it's a mess and I'm aware it's fried to bits, but salons are expensive and I, admittedly, do not trust anyone with my hair. 

I'm also currently going through the dreaded post partum hair loss, which basically means the hormones leaving my body are taking the extra hair they made with them. I mean it's coming out in huge clumps and I'm finding it everywhere; on my clothes, on the floor, in every room of my house, I'm even finding it between Eden's toes it's so bad. And I have really thin hair so every strand lost is dearly missed. So I'm trying my best to take the lightening process slow and condition my hair lots in between bleaching and toning. 

So this is a mask I mixed myself and I'm really happy with the results...

If you have dry, colour damaged hair or even if you just want to treat your hair to something a little more intensive, this is what you will need:

- Pure coconut oil

- Any moisturising conditioner that you don't mind using a lot of, I used TRESemme 

- A cleansing conditioner or treatment, I used WEN because it's brilliant

- A repairing serum, argan or morrocan oil is fine too.

- A measurer

- Mixing bowl

- Application brushes (Optional) 

I started by scooping out and measuring the coconut oil. Pure coconut oil comes in solid form so you have to melt it down. You can do this either in the microwave or in a pan. But just remember, it's oil and it gets extremely hot so be careful. I had just over an ounce of coconut oil once melted.

I added this to the mixing bowl, along with a few pumps of serum. I used the Garnier Ultimate Blends Strength Restorer Serum. I absolutely love it. It smells incredible and it works wonders on my hair. I was so surprised to find a high street product like this actually worked, but it does. And I'm actually kind of reluctant to tell people about it because I love it so much and want it all to myself!

Next, I added about an ounce of the Wen cleansing conditioner. I probably would have added more but I'm coming to the end of the bottle and it was all I could squeeze out.

You could probably leave this ingredient out to be honest because I know WEN is hard to get your hands on. But it's genuinely like nothing else and I added it because it's a cleanser (hence the name) which is great for bleached and damaged hair. There's also a conditioning treatment in this Sweet Almond Mint scent which is hands down the best hair mask I have ever used. 

Then I squeezed in the TRESemme. I only really used that particular conditioner because it was a large bottle and I didn't mind wasting it on a one off treatment. Any moisturising conditioner will do, or if you want to use something a little more special I'd recommend Lee Stafford's Breaking Hair conditioner. I didn't measure how much I put in, I just squeezed enough to stop the oil from curdling the mix, which it will do so don't panic. You have to stir an awful lot for the curdling to stop, be persistent, it will end up a nice creamy consistency like this. 

Also, if you have very light hair, you could add a few drops of whatever colour hair dye you wanted to this, something like Directions, Pravana or Crazy Colours to create a soft pastel tone. Remember the mix should always look a shade or two darker than the colour you're going for.

So here's some before pictures:

It doesn't actually look too bad on these pictures. But I can promise you it was. I couldn't run my fingers through it without ripping out half of my hair, the ends are split and fried. Overall it's extremely dry and I know, I know, the colour's all over the place right now. I'm in the middle of fading out the violet. 

I washed my hair as normal with my favourite shampoo and conditioner (you can apply this dry, but for me I feel my hair turns out better if I wash it and apply the mask to towel dried hair). Then I applied this with an application brush, sectioning and applying like I would a hair dye or bleach. You can just whack this on with your hands but for some reason, I always struggle to fully saturate my hair so I found brushing it on in small sections made sure it was completely soaked in the mix. 

Then you can basically leave it on for however long you want. And to be honest, the longer the better. If you can only afford a few hours, like me, then great. But if you have a shower cap or cling film, sleep in it. Heck, if you have a weekend with nothing to do, apply it the friday and wash it off Sunday night! You get my point...

               

I left mine on for about four or five hours before rinsing. Remember that coconut oil can be stubborn so make sure it's thoroughly rinsed out or your hair will be sticky and not very nice at all. If you have added dye to the mask then remember to rise with cold water. 

And here's the after.. 

Of course it's still insanely damaged, but it brushed through easier and had a natural shine. I've been getting huge knots in the back of my hair after washing it and I didn't have that at all after this.

The only thing I would say is that the top of my hair which is untreated with colour and bleach needed extra washing as the treatment was a little too rich and left it a little on the greasy side. In future I probably wouldn't apply directly to my roots. 

I loved doing this and will be sure to log my future hair care experiments, thanks for reading! 

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

Nars Sheer Glow foundation

I've been drooling over this foundation for years, literally. But being a girl with a budget, it's always been a product I've thought 'I'll treat myself to that' with a bit of birthday money, or when I've gotten a bigger than normal payslip. However, as well as a girl with a budget, I'm also a girl with a milk-bottle white complexion. And unfortunately whenever I've gone into Nars-stocking shops, they've never had the shade I need.

However, just yesterday I arrived at my boyfriend's mum's house and she handed me a package. And you guessed it, it was a bottle of Sheer Glow foundation in the perfect shade: Siberia.

First impressions were full of excitement; Nars' packaging is classic, and considering it was bought online, I was both surprised and relieved to see that it was the real deal.

I cleaned my makeup brushes especially to put this on for the first time. So sad, I know. But I was so excited to see what it reacted like on my skin. If you read my skincare routine post from a while back, you'll know I have super dry and dehydrated skin. This foundation promises to improve the skin's texture over time, making it softer, smoother and more luminous, and it's specifically designed for normal to dry skin types.

When I swatched a drop of this on the back of my hand, I did worry as it practically melted away and left no finish whatsoever. I find that can happen a lot with pale foundations; the lighter the colour, the less it makes an impression on the skin. But of course, Sheer Glow promises a buildable coverage so I went ahead and started with a single layer all over my face.

I used my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

First of all, I apologise for my choice of jumper. It's a very pale, sheer pink which obviously shows up as a Leigh-coloured potato sack on camera.

But back onto the foundation... All I have on in these pictures is the Sheer Glow, no primers, concealers, powders, nothing (which explains why I look absolutely awful). I buffed it in all over my face and down onto my neck. When I first applied it, I was pleasantly surprised by the coverage; I could still see freckles, yet blemishes were perfectly covered. It feels silky and dewy but not wet. A very comfortable foundation to wear.

However as time went on and the foundation developed on my skin, it began to darken which you can particularly see on the right picture. When I first applied it, the colour matched my hands, now it was at least a shade or two darker (not too noticeable though). Foundations being too dark for my skin is something I'm used to now though, and for the lightest in the collection, the darkening wasn't all that visible unless I were to point it out.

On the left picture, right between my eyebrows, you can probably see a very large, scabby, disgusting spot. At first, it was as if the foundation had airbrushed it away. I had the clearest complexion and could only see the flaws if I looked super close. However again, as it developed, it gathered and went quite orange in colour around the spot which you can see on the picture. This, however was easily solved with a touch of concealer.

Now, after wearing the foundation for a good few hours, I am still happy with how it feels and it looks pretty good as well. I would recommend Sheer Glow to fair skinned people who like a natural, barely there look. I'd also recommend it to people with medium to dark skin as well as I can imagine it to build up lovely and it does come in an incredible range of shades.

Leigh. xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

Belfast

So I've had this post on the backburner for months now, so much so that it's probably not even relevant anymore! I mean, writing about Declan and I reaching our one year anniversary when we're now closer to our second is a little stupid (very bad blogging, Leigh, shame on you). But it's a post I was really putting a lot of effort into and it seems a shame not to share it.

Basically, as a little celebration for us making a year, Irish organised a surprise trip away to his home city of Belfast. I was so excited to see the place he was born and where he grew up. And also to have a break away just the two of us. We went by plane which was perfect for me as I love flying, however he spent the whole thirty minute flight having a minor heart attack which I attempted to catch on camera. Instead I just caught my stunning double chin (and freshly pink hair).

When we arrived in Ireland at around seven in the evening, it was dark, cold and wet; everything I'd originally expected and looked forward to. The taxi ride to the city center was eventful -our driver slowed right down to tell another driver that she'd left her handbag dangling off her back window wiper as she sped down the slip road.

City Hall is absolutely lovely; all lit up with steel white lights. I failed to get a picture for fear of getting my phone damaged in the rain, so I'll add one in from the internet here

And as Declan led me through the city, we were shocked to find our hotel so fast; literally two or three minutes from City Hall. We stayed in the Fitzwilliam Hotel and it was the single most beautiful hotel I've stayed in for a really long time. It had lovely staff and a gorgeous, cosy lobby, a fab bar and incredibly delicious cocktails

Appletini

Left: Pinacolada  Right: Grasshopper

And most of all, an amazing king sized room...

I'm so upset I forgot to get pictures of the bathroom because that really was to die for!

We loved the hotel so much that we've decided to go back in January for a whole week. If you're ever travelling over to Belfast, I highly, HIGHLY recommend this place.

For the few days we were there, we wandered around the city centre, treated ourselves to some amazing lunches and did a hell of a lot of retail therapy. I became so sucked in by the place that my photograph-taking became less and less as the trip went on. However, I did get a few snaps of some of the highlights.

I was boring him.

An amazing warm goats cheese salad with red onion chutney

The beautiful handmade journal Declan bought me from the city market.

One of my favourite moments of the trip was when we walked along the waterfront on one of the windiest, iciest, most freezing nights I'd ever experienced, eating ice cream. Ice cream, of all things?



But honestly, the entire city was stunning and I felt so privileged that Irish took me over there to share a little bit more of himself with me.  

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

Still a Little Bewildered

I've been so inactive lately and it's driving me crazy. At least once a day I think to myself how much I really need to get back to all of these unfinished projects and blog entries I have going on. But I've been so unbelievably busy lately I've not had a second to myself. Literally!

Almost a month ago now I reached one of my biggest goals for 2014 (so early in the year too, v.proud of myself!). It was also a big one to tick off on my bucket list and that was... moving into my own house. Yes, after less than two weeks of talking about it, me and Irish moved into a little town cottage right in the centre of Ormskirk. Oh and for anyone who doesn't know what or where Orsmkirk is, it's a little old-fashioned town in England surrounded by farmlands. It's not too far from Liverpool so we can still visit family as often as we like, and our university's super close so it's pretty much the perfect place.

I realise I haven't really shared much of myself on this blog yet, which I really should do seeing as it's starting to become my little diary as opposed to a fashion/beauty/lifestyle page. Oops. But I really should mention that I'm the type of person who would much rather live in a little vintage cottage with character than a top of the range, uber-modern mansion. And that being said, our house is absolutely perfect for me.

We think it used to be a row of three houses which has now been converted into two, meaning that our lovely little red-doored home is deceivingly huge inside. Irish likes to call it the Tardis House. 

Anyway, all this being said: we're still in the middle of the moving-in process, there's boxes everywhere and the previous tenants' shoddy paint job has yet to be decorated over. And on top of all that I'm slowly coming to the end of my second year in university with piles of assignments and a lot of writing to do. So my head is pretty much up my arse and will be for another week or two, which means there will probably be yet more inactivity on the blogging front.

However once I get my act together I'm hoping to do a post, or maybe even delve into the world of YouTube (scary) and do a house tour along with a home wear haul which I'm really excited for. 

Does anyone live on their own or plan to? Let me know below how you have or want your home decorated; I'd love to hear everyone else's ideas!

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

Eyebrow Game, Strong.

I never plucked my eyebrows when I was younger. I was always that kid who looked like a cave girl with her black, bushy caterpillars while all the other girls looked so feminine with their shaped, over plucked wisps. As much as I hated it then, now I am so so thankful to past-Leigh for not touching her brows as now they're pretty much my best asset.

I do have a love for thick, strong and dark eyebrows. I've become a fan of that 'too big for your face' look a lot of people have going on at the moment too. Except 'scouse brows', ooooooh I absolutely despise drawn-on, Sharpie eyebrows! I may be from Liverpool but one thing I can proudly say is that my brows are 100% mine. I do try to maintain my brows as best I can; as well as looking after them with a few products and potions, I also make the most of them when it comes to makeup looks and fashion choices.

Here are a few of my own personal tips and tricks to 'the eyebrow game':

1. Don't over-pluck

I can't stress this point enough, do not touch your eyebrows with tweezers or wax unless it's to tame the strays. Attempting to re-shape or thin out your brows yourself can result in a loss of hair growth and hair strength, meaning you'll find even gentle tasks like combing them through will cause them to molt and become sparse.
Just please, please, please try and leave them alone as much as you can. I know how tempting it may be to want to add a little shape to them, or how paranoid you may feel about how they look when they've not been plucked. But trust me, unless you have a big, thick mono brow going on, you'll be surprised how little people actually take notice of them.
Just let them grow and strengthen for a while and you'll be amazed with the outcome.

2. Use a cream cleanser to remove product build-up

Using makeup wipes, I noticed, pulls out hairs. It also doesn't remove every scrap of product from your eyebrows which is exactly what needs to be done. I began using Liz Earle cleanse and polish some time last year and I have never looked back! It's so gentle on the entire face, let alone the hairy parts. And it honestly does the job so, so well.

3. If you can afford to, invest in this

Revitalash is a brand that is known for strengthening eyelashes and making them visibly longer. They also do an eyebrow version which has absolute rave reviews; most being 5 out of 5 stars. It helps achieve thicker, fuller eyebrows whether you've overplucked, lost the hair or just didn't have it to start with. Although it is ridiculously expensive, it's a worthwhile investment because it really does work!

4. Try eye shadow, or a pencil with a more waxy texture

Filling your eyebrows with an eyebrow pen or pencil can make them look quite false and drawn-on. Pencil with a far too shiny finish shows up very obviously and can stick the hairs down under the product; damaging them and also leaving you looking like you have even less natural brow hair than you started off with! Go for a powder that seems a shade too light, as this will darken amongst your brows and be a lot gentler, allowing the hairs to stay lifted and present. Also, opting for a pencil that's a bit waxier will mean you apply less and it blends better with the natural brow.

5. Use a setting gel or clear mascara

After you've filled your eyebrows in, brushing them into place, whether it's sleek and neat or up and bushy, will mean they stay all day. I've been using brow drama from Maybelline at the moment and I'm loving it! However before that I used a clear mascara when I didn't want any extra colour, just an amazing finish.

6. Spoolies are your best friends

combing your eyebrows through before and after tampering with them is the best thing you can do. It removes access product and lifts the hairs, making them look thicker and more shapely.

I'm no expert, these are just my tips!

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop
Instagram: leighgoodall

2013

Well the new year is officially upon us now, and what a year it's looking like its going to be! I'm not one for resolutions, and that's for the simple fact that I cannot keep them. But there's a lot I'm looking forward to this year and a lot I'm actually quite sad to see the back of. Which is very unusual for me.
I'm not going to start claiming that 2014 will bring about a new me. Because it won't. Let's face it, I'm going to be the exact same person I was last year, the only difference is that I'll be 21 by the end of this one. Scary!
I entered 2013 a very sad person; 2012 had been a really rough year, but it was also the year I finally began to let myself heal. By the time new year came around I was still very unhappy, and let me tell you, I was the last person to ever believe things could get better!

But they did.

On the 7th of January to be exact, Danielle and I went into town after handing in our uni assignments so I could get the other side of my nose pierced.

Which I did

As we walked around to the tattoo shop, we ran into two familiar faces: Declan and Kerry. We'd never spoken to either of them before, but we'd seen them around university, so instinctively we stopped and said hi. From this first meeting, we all began going drinking together almost immediately. Which slowly began to take up 3 or 4 nights out of our weeks, goodbye student loan, hello hungover in lectures :'( It was the most sociable I'd been in a long time and brought in the year on a really positive note.

Half of me, half of Kerry, all of Danielle.

Jazz got so drunk she fell asleep in a club

Love for this girl xxxxxx

Then at the beginning of February, Declan and I became an item. Cringeeeeee. But yes, After less than a month of knowing each other, I took the plunge and said yes to being Irish's girlfriend. I'd spent a very long time hung up on people who really did not deserve the attention, (maybe I'll write a blog post on that, I don't know) so finding myself liking someone who was actually worth it was... a good kind of strange. From that point onward my year got better and better. Trips away, family weddings, new babies, gigs, lots of parties, passing my first year of uni, finally getting a job and of course moving out, even if that one did only last a few months.

Having a good year has really made me look forward to what 2014 will bring. I have big plans; doing well in uni, going on more trips, celebrating a year together with Irish, going to more gigs, getting more tattoos, and hopefully actually moving out this time! This blog has become very lifestyle-ish which I never planned on. But I will definitely be writing about everything this year, hopefully I haven't jinxed myself by expecting good things!

2013 in Pictures

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop

Instagram: leighgoodall

My Current Skincare Routine

I've seen a lot of people posting about their various beauty routines lately, so I thought I'd hop on that lovely little band wagon and do a post about my own current skincare routine. Before I start I'd just like to say that I am no skincare expert, nor am I telling anybody to use these particular products. They are simply what I've found work for me and my skin (which is extremely dry and dehydrated by the way).

Let's start with cleanser!

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish in Grapefruit and Patchouli 

I've been using this cleanser for maybe just over a month now? Usually I'm terribly lazy when it comes to makeup removal, but I made an effort to let myself run out of makeup wipes and not replace them so I had no choice but to start using this.

Usually a pump onto the back of my hand is plenty; I massage it all over my face and clean it off with a muslin cloth soaked in hot water. Not only does it take off every scrap of makeup and leave my skin feeling clean and fresh, but it also smells wonderful. (Unfortunately it was limited edition and I'm not sure if you can get it anymore!)

After cleansing I usually tone...

 Tea Tree Toner Water from Lush

I like to pull my hair back and spray a few spritzes of this straight onto my face. It's lovely and refreshing but also great when I have spots because of the tea tree (duh...) I've never bothered much to tone before, however since purchasing this I'd be lost without it. Plus it's 100% vegan which is always a plus.

My moisturiser of 2013

For Daily Youth from Soap and Glory

I apologise for the awful quality of these pictures by the way. But yes, I first used this moisturiser when I got a small one in a Christmas gift set last year and since then, I've not been without it. This is my second lot and it's just wonderful. I like to pop this on after I've cleansed/toned, bathed or just before I put my makeup on like a primer. I have really, really, really dry skin which just refuses to hydrate, however this keeps a nice little bit of moisture in my face which is a godsend. 

Onto the lips....

Popcorn lip scrub from Lush

Just as I have dry skin, I have dry lips too, especially with the colder months upon us! There's nothing worse than your lipstick going funny because of dry, flaky lips. So I like to give them a good scrub with this. I literally dip my finger in to the sugary goodness, give my lips a good exfoliate and lick off what's left. Though as fab as I find this product, I must admit 'popcorn' isn't how I'd describe the taste. It is still  yummy though.

Finally!

Burt's Bees lip balm in Honey

Of course, my well-loved lip balm had to make a return. It's super hydrating and lasts a long time on the lips which is great. It's the perfect finish to my lip scrub as it protects the soft, new surface.

 So, as quick and slapdash as this little post was, I really enjoyed sharing my skincare routine. And if anyone who manages to stumble upon this post would like to leave a comment with their own routine, or even just a skincare staple, that would be awesome!

Leigh xo

                                                                                                                                                 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/leighbop

Instagram: leighgoodall