How to Make the Best First Impression

I don't know about you (but I'm feeling twenty-twooo.. okay sorry.. back to blogging..) but I find meeting new people kind of scary. I don't understand why as most people would probably describe me as quite confident. I mean, I've been acting since I was about 7 and been performing in shows since I was 4, so really one thing I should be is confident. But the idea of meeting new people seems quite daunting to me. There was even a time when I was apprehensive to even approach shopping assistants in supermarkets...
Since then, I have had no choice but to meet new people through joining sixth form college and acting work, but I still get nervous. Yesterday I had some training to do with some casual work I do at my local theatre and I knew I would have to meet a large group of new people and my heart started pumping. But why did I feel this way?
I think it is because I really just want to be liked. In this large world, I have no enemies (that I know of anyway). Of course, I have people that I dislike through them being mean to me or my friends but I don't hate them. I just stay away from them. But if a person is nice to me, I am nice back. So when it comes to new people, I just want them to like me.
I think it also comes down to self confidence. When I was younger, I was quite fat (I am actually the same weight I was when I was 11 believe it or not!) and I was very aware of it and a lot of my friends were thinner then me. This meant I had quite low self esteem and would hide it by being the 'funny' or 'loud' person. But now I still sometimes feel aware of people looking at me and a little voice in my head tells me that they are thinking horrible things about me when really they might be saying nice things like 'ooo I like her top' or 'hmm when's lunch?' So when I meet new people, I always think they might have a bad first impression of me based on my appearance. (I know that's ridiculous but surely I am not the only one right?)
But yesterday, in the morning before I had to go to my training course, I had an epiphany. It hit me like lightning striking a tree in a sudden storm (okay I realise I am just being dramatic now..). Anyway, I realised something. Who cares? Who cares if they don't like my top? Or that maybe I should have had fruit for breakfast instead of leftover cake because now my thighs look fat? The fact is, if people are so quick to judge a person by their appearance then maybe they don't deserve to be your friend. Life is too short to spend time worrying about what people think of you. If you like that 'vintage' top you are wearing that really is your mums and looks like your playing dress-up, then good for you.
And I am going to tell you a secret, they say first impressions count and that they effect show that person thinks of you from then on. Well honestly, that is rubbish. People will always make assumptions about others. Don't say you don't because you do, whether they are good or bad. But first impressions can change. You have the power to change them. And I will now tell you how.
SMILE. That's it. Smile. Because if you walk into a room full of strangers and give the first person you see a smile, they will smile back and they will create a first impression on you through that smile. And that is how you make the best first impression.
But another tip is confidence. Wear something you love and you will automatically feel more confident walking into a room. Maybe if you have some earrings your best friend complimented the other day, pop them in your ears and think about that compliment and you will feel better about wearing them.
And now I will share with you my favourite poem. This is a poem I memorised in my high school that I looked at twice a week for 4 years whilst lining up for P.E class. (Yes I was that geeky kid ;)) And I love this poem so much because it is so simple and true and to this day, I still know it word for word.

Smiling is infectious,

you catch it like the flu,

When someone smiled at me today,

I started smiling too.

 

I passed around the corner

and someone saw my grin.

When he smiled I realised

I'd passed it on to him.

 

I thought about that smile,

then I realised its worth.

A single smile, just like mine

could travel round the earth.

 

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected.

Let's start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected!

 

 

Hope this wasn't toooo cheesy for you ;)

Love Just Al xxx



PROM! My Face Products

My year 13 prom was last Friday so I thought it would be a good opportunity to share all the products I used on my face that morning.
My skin type is combination. I tend to have dry skin during the winter but oily skin in the summer but get breakouts all year round. (Whoopie!) Because it was prom I wanted to try and have perfect skin (well as much as possible anyway) so I prepared my skin all week by eating fruit for breakfast and for snacks and drinking as much water as possible. I also avoided spicy foods and made sure I cleansed my face every morning and evening. This meant that on the day of the prom, my skin was fairly good with only a few blemishes.

So I started off by washing my face with my favourite face wash of all time, 'No7. Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser'. Many people say that foaming cleansers are bad for your skin because it strips your skin from its natural oils and ironically can make your skin 'too clean'. However I found this product to be quite mild on my skin. It washed away all my leftover make-up and troubles of the day and left my skin feeling soft rather then dry. I have been using this product religiously for nearly two years now and have never looked back. It has been the only drug store product that I have used that has been successful on my skin and has decreased the amount of blemishes I used to get, stopped my skin from being oily and also stopped it from going dry. Yep, it really is a miracle worker. And as you can tell, I am going to be running out of this product very soon! But the great thing is, it lasts for ages as you only need one pump of this baby every time you wash your face!

As it is prom day (i.e.. a very special occasion!), I decided to treat my skin with a face serum. I tried out 'No.7 Lift and Luminate' day serum and applied a pea sized amount after I had cleansed my face. Even though this product is aimed to stop the signs of aging, my motto is 'you're never too young to use anti-aging products' and considering I am now 18, I have noticed a few winkles on my face and I might as well stop the process now to help my skin later! I found this serum to have beautiful results on my face. It made my face feel super super soft without making it greasy. It also made my skin look healthy by adding a slight glow, perfect for my prom princess look!

And now for my favourite thing since discovering mascara, 'Freederm Fast Track Spot Gel'. I have tried every product under the sun to get rid of my blemishes from tea tree to toothpaste, but this product has been the only one to make a real difference. It promises to reduce the appearance of spots in 3 hours, and I honestly believe it does. I apply a blob of this beauty to my spots before moisturising and it immediately soothes any particularly irritating blemish and in a day or so, 'POOF'- Gone! The only thing I would say about this product is to be careful if you have sensitive or dry skin as it can irritate your skin. But I would still recommend this product 100%

To moisturise my skin, I used 'Nivea's Light Moisturising Day Cream' which has SPF 15. It says it is for normal to combination skin so hopefully it will be able to tame my oiliness and dryness. This product is light and easy to use as well as being cheap. I think it does what it says on the tin (or tube.. whatever..) and who can argue with that?!

Okay I know my last product isn't exactly for your face but just call me a rule breaker and be done! But I thought I would include it in this post just because I used this on my prom day and thought it was a great product. I thought it smelt amazing and it promised to keep me smelling wonderful for 48hrs. Admittedly, I did top up on deodorant before leaving for prom for safe measures so I can't be sure whether it would have kept me 'protected' for 48hrs but it smelt so good and fresh, I still think it is a great product :)

So that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Please comment and follow.

Love Just Al xxx

Dresses I Have Been Loving at the Moment!

With attending several parties this month and having my year 13 prom last week, I have been wearing more dresses then ever! So I thought I'd share some of the dresses I have been wearing and loving with where I wore them and what accessories I paired them with.

So this is a plain plum coloured dress I brought from Topshop that is fitted at the waist and comes just above my knees. I love this dress because you can dress it up with some heels or wear it casually with some brogues or ankle boots.
 I recently wore this dress to go to watch 'Three Phantoms' at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham. I wore it with black tights and black dolly shoes.
For accessories, I wore it with a small heart necklace from Dorothy Perkins, a collection of gold and pink bracelets and some ball-shaped earrings from Forever 21.
Make-up wise, I created a purple smokey eye which is written in more detail in 'My Concert Look' post :) (http://justaldreamer.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/my-concert-look-featuring-purple-smokey.html)

This next dress is one I wore for a bin bag fancy dress party. It is from New Look and has a fitted, corset-like bodice and skirt with POCKETS! (Don't you love it when you discover secret pockets in your clothes!) The floral design made this look feel summery and fun. I teamed it with blue heels from New Look.
(Note: I put my own twist on the bin bag theme by creating fairy wings from twigs and a blue bin bag and plaited bin bags together to create my head piece and wing straps.)
My make-up was quite natural however I used glittery eye-liner to go with my 'fairy' look.




Okay so I know this outfit is not technically a dress however I still think it is super cute! The lace top and floral skirt are both from New Look. I paired it with nude coloured dolly shoes and pink flower earrings. I kept my make-up looking fresh with a light brown smokey eye and natural coloured lips. This look was perfect for a birthday meal with all my friends and kept me feeling girly and cool in the summer season!

 

This next dress is from Dorothy Perkins and I wore is to an 18th birthday party this month. I teamed it with black heels from Dorothy Perkins and a gold coloured clutch to match my gold jewellery and eye shadow. This dress also had pockets and it was a great find as it was in the sale!

 I wore this dress for my boyfriend's birthday party. I purchased it from a boutique called 'The Wardrobe'. It is a nude dress with a thin black netted material over the top with gold flowers embroidered on. The bottom is black lace and it is elasticated at the waist. The dress made me feel very sophisticated and I love it because it is very girly!
I paired it with a black clutch that I found in a charity shop and black heels from Dorothy Perkins.

I kept my make-up simple with a gold shimmer over the lids and black flicks. I pinned one side of my hair back with a gold feather shaped clip from 'Accessorise'.
For jewellery, I wore gold dangly earrings which my mother gave me and a heart shaped necklace.








And now from my prom dress (drum roll please!) The theme for my year 13 'Leaver's Ball' was 'Casino Royal'. I chose to wear a short dress because I wore I long one for my year 11 prom so I wanted something different. This dress is from 'The Wardrobe' and is a halter neck which flatters my pear-shaped body as it makes my shoulders match the width of my hips (making my body look as if it is hour-glass shaped). The black skirt has wire along the trim giving it more movement. The blue in the bodice helped to bring out my blue eyes and complimented my light skin tone. I paired it with a black clutch and heels and a light grey and black smokey-eye with hints of navy blue.



So that concludes my 'Dresses I have been loving' post! If there is an outfit you particularly love, I would love to hear about it in the comments below!


Love Just Al xxx

The Sweet Feeling of Freedom

I know there is that really dramatic phrase, 'Today is the start of the rest of my life' which is very cheesy and hyperbolic. However I am a drama student and therefore I feel like I am allowed to say hyperbolic phrases, perhaps with an over the top hand gesture and a dramatic voice. So I will start my post with this:

 

 

Today is the start of the rest of my life.

 

 And now I will begin to tell you why.

 

Today was my last A-level exam (drama funnily enough). I sat there after the two and a half an hour exam, feeling drained and with a numb and a new blister on my middle finger. I suddenly looked around the room and met the eye of one of my best friend, Daisy. I saw this glint in her eye and suddenly I felt light. The weight from the stress of all the exams slowly fell off me as the realisation that I was free became clear. I felt like how Dobby felt in ‘The Chamber of Secrets’ after being given a sock. I was free. No more school. No more exams. All the drama students in the room suddenly laughed. It was literally like we were in some cheesy film. We all just laughed and couldn’t stop and it was because for the first time in months, we did not feel any pressure and felt pure happiness. In that moment, I did not have any negative thoughts. All worries about money and grades seemed far away and only happiness filled my mind. If I was Peter Pan, I’d have easily lifted into the sky and flown straight past Neverland and to the moon with all my happy thoughts!

 

“And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.”

I have felt that feeling a few times in my life. Recently being at my 18^th birthday party where my best friend Emily and I were the last ones on the dance floor after nearly everyone had gone. Our hair was a mess after dancing all night and our make-up had slipped, yet we felt so so happy! It was as if we were 12 years old again dancing in our bedrooms. We sung our hearts out to Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong with Me’ and felt so... at peace. And I felt that feeling again today sitting in that exam room after my last exam knowing my high school years were over.

 

Because now my adult years can begin. Independence calls me and for once, I am not afraid of it, I am excited by it! The future seems bright! The possibilities are endless! I feel like I am young enough to still make mistakes and learn from them and to try new things with an open mind. But I also feel old enough to be responsible and independent which are no longer boring traits to me. It means I can go further with what I want to do and become a more rounded human being.

 

I am looking forward to this beautiful, long summer and also looking forward to what lies after it!

 

 

 

 

 

The Day After Fix

With all my friends turning 18, one thing that is frequently recurring is the hangover the next day. So I thought I'd share some of the things I do to make 'the day after' a little bit more bearable.

 So usually, most people do the pampering before they go out, like having a bubble bath, face mask, hair treatment etc. But what about after the event?
Alcohol always affects me badly. My skin gets dry and I am more prone to breakouts which is why I like to treat myself the day after the event as well as before (you can never pamper yourself too much surely?!) So these are a few products I use to make myself feel more human and less zombie.

So the next morning (after staying in bed for as long as possible), I like to have a nice long shower to wash away the grim and dirt from having danced the night away. I tend to use a lot of heat products on my hair so to make it still look healthy and shiny, I use Aussie's 3 Minute Miracle Reconstruction which is a deep conditioner for damaged hair. You can use this product regularly, however I like to use it once a week because I feel like this makes more of an impact on my hair then if I use it every other day. This product leaves my hair looking shiny and feeling ultra soft as well as smelling sweet and fresh. It is not too expensive and I would definitely recommend it!

After I have got out the shower and towelled dried my hair, I like to use a serum to prevent split ends. My favourite at the moment (and I do change products regularly) is John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Hair Serum which also protects your hair from heat damage. I use a comb to work a pea sized amount through the ends of my hair to the mid lengths (never to the roots as I find it makes my hair greasy). Using a comb instead of a brush stops your hair from breaking because your hair is more vulnerable when it is wet. I try not to use heat on my hair so I let it dry naturally.

Because I find my skin to be quite dry from the dehydration that alcohol causes, I like to use my trusty Soap and Glory 'The Righteous Butter' which is specially made for dry skin. This is a product I don't use every day because it is quite a luxury product for my skin. It definitely leaves my skin feeling soft without being greasy and the smell is not too over powering.

I love wearing heels when I go out because I am quite small. However this means my feet end up killing me by the end of the night. So to beg my feet for forgiveness, I like to use E45's Foot and Heel cream onto my feet and massage it in after I have had a shower. I then slip on some fluffy socks and let the cream sink in.

Throughout the day, I like to drink lots of water to hydrate my body after the dehydration that alcohol causes. This also will stop my skin from getting dry and prevent break-outs! I also try and eat healthy because alcohol has so much sugar in (particularly is you prefer the sweet tasting drinks like me!) so I snack on fruit rather then biscuits and other bad things I shouldn't eat but I do!! I also like to avoid wearing make-up for the day and if I do go out then I only wear a bit of mascara and powder. Another thing I do is wear comfy loose clothing so I feel more comfortable. And after all this, I like to stick on a chick flick and curl up with a blanket after taking a tablet to reduce that ever growing headache! Oh, and try and avoid Facebook to see if I've been tagged in any embarrassing photo's!!

Happy hangover day! And remember to be safe when drinking!

Lots of Love,

Just Al xxx

My Favourite Shower and After Shower Products

 

Hey there! I hope you are all having a lovely day and better weather then what I've had today! It's been heavy raining for most of the day :( So when I got home, I warmed myself up with a lovely, long shower!

So I thought I'd share with you some of the products I use in and after my shower because I think they are great!

 

So to start of with, I'll begin by saying one of my favourite products that I have ever used and have been using for about a year now without changing because I think it is wonderful! And that is my No.7 Perfect Skin Foaming Cleanser. My skin type is combination. Because I am a lovely (*cough*) teenager I tend to get quite a few spots. These are mainly on my chin and forehead. Yet I do get some dry skin too, particularly in the winter time. This cleanser has calmed down my breakouts dramatically so I only have to odd one and my skin no longer has dry patches!

Now, as I mentioned in my 'Serious Addiction' post, I love 'Soap and Glory' products and this post will stay true to that. I use the 'Clean on Me' moisturising shower cleanser which has this creamy smell (if 'creamy' can be an adjective to describe a smell?) which is not that over powering. Then every week I use 'Scrub Your Nose In It' exfoliating scrub for my mask that also can be used as a mask.

 

 After my shower I use my trusty Freederm spot gel which I discovered a year ago and now religiously use. I think this is the only drugstore product that has successfully got rid of my spots and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is prone to break-outs! For moisturising my face I use Nivea's light moisturising day cream which has factor 15 in (very important as I am extremely pale and freckly!) Because this product cannot be applied to the eye area (always check the label folks!) I use Q10 eye cream around my eyes. I only use this product once a day (either morning or at night) because I tend to find that it can make my under eyes feel greasy and therefore make-up refuses to stay on. However this product was really cheap as I got it from Home Bargains! So if you know any good eye creams that are available from drug stores and aren't too expensive, please let me know in the comments below!! And of course, my last moisturising product would have to be 'Smoothie Star, Deep Moisturising Body Milk' by of course, 'Soap and Glory'. Now if you haven't melt this product, please drop whatever you are doing and run to your nearest drugstore and take a whiff of this beauty! It literally makes you smell like a smoothie! If you want to smell of honey and other sweetness- try this baby! You won't regret it! And it makes your skin feel mighty fine too!!

 

Another product that has changed my life (okay.. maybe that was little bit of an exaggeration.. but it is amazing!) is this deodorant. It is called Mitchum's and can come in different fragrances (or no fragrance at all). I do a lot of dancing.. which means a lot of sweating (nice..) and this has been the one deodorant that has stayed loyal to me. It keeps you smelling like a daisy all day and is definitely the best deodorant I have ever tried.


So that's just a few of my many products that I love! If you have a product that you swear by, I would love to hear about in the comments below!

Forever being a pampering Queen!

Love Just Al xxx



 

My 'Concert Look' featuring Purple Smokey Eyes!

Hi guys, so last night I went to The Symphony Hall in Birmingham to watch 'Three Phantoms' which featured Earl Carpenter, Matthew Cammelle and Stephen John Davis who all played the 'Phantom' in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Phantom of the Opera' in the West End. They performed songs from 'Phantom of the Opera' and other musicals and it was a fantastic night for a theatre geek like myself! :) (if you want more details about this show check out http://www.three-phantoms.com/index.html)

 

So I thought it would be a cool idea to post a blog about my look for this formal concert. I decided to create a purple smokey-eye look to match my plum coloured dress that I wore. So this is how I achieved it!

Base! (Foundation, Powder, Contour, Blusher, Highlighter and Eyebrows!)

So these are the products I use for my base after I have cleansed and moisturised etc. My primer is from a range called 'Mally' and came in a set including a foundation and concealer. My foundation is from the No.7 range from Boots and I use the matching powder. I use a highlighter called 'High Beam' from 'Benefits' and my blusher is from the 'Body Shop'. My contouring power is from Daniel Sandler and so is the contouring brush (the grey one on the far right). My other brushes are from 'FASH' which is available from Boots.

So firstly I apply my primer all over my face which stops the make-up from running off my face and making me look like a clown! Then it's foundation time! After shaking the bottle, I apply a pea sized amount onto the back of my hand and dot the foundation onto my nose, chin, forehead and cheeks and then blend in. I don't use a brush or sponge for blending purely because I always find that the sponge/brush seems to absorb most of the foundation! So if you know any sponges/brushes that you use  that don't absorb your foundation I would love to hear about it in the comments!




I then set my foundation using powder which I just dab all over my face (dabbing won't disturb the foundation as much as sweeping/circling will). Next I contour my face. I start by sucking in my cheeks (as shown... looking like a fish...) and apply the powder onto my cheek bones. I then sweep it across my jaw line to give my face more definition.





I then pop my blusher on. So I form a cheesy grin and dab it onto the apples of my cheeks and then use a circular motion to blend it in. After this, I apply my highlighter. I do this by putting a cross of the highlighter onto the back of my hand and then dab it onto the tops of my cheeks, onto my brow bone and in the corner of my eyes.







Then it's eyebrow time! (I realise I look way too happy about this in my photo..) For my eyebrows I use the 'Sleek' eyebrow pencil. I apply it by using short strokes onto my brows. I don't want my eye brows to look too dark as it will take the focus away from my eyes which I want to be the most noticeable in my look. So therefore I use the lash brush seen in the picture (which I got from Boots) to blend the colour in.



Eyes! (Eye shadow, a lot of Blending, Eyeliner and Mascara!)

Now it's time for my favourite bit: Eyes. I love doing the 'smokey eye' look because I love the way it makes my eyes really prominent and instantly glams up any outfit!


So here is all the eye shadows I use to create my purple smokey eye look. (Note: I only use the dark brown from my pallet!)
The cream coloured eye shadow is from a brand called 'Bourjois' in the shade 01 which promises to stay on for 16 hours! The deep purple eye shadow is also from 'Bourjois' in the shade 13 and both this eye shadow and the cream are glittery as opposed to the dark grey/blue matt eye shadow from (you guessed it!) 'Bourjois' in the 06 shade. The duo eye shadows is from the 'Natural Collection' in the shades Black Currant/ Violet. My pallet is from Boots and I have had it for around 5 years now and it is fabulous because it has so many different colours, including matt eye shadows and glittery ones and is great to create any look! My slanted eye shadow brush is from 'Ms Make-up' and the smaller make-up brush is by Daniel Sandler. The rounded tip brush is from the 'FASH' range is Boots and the thicker blending brush is from No.7 brand in Boots.

So I begin by putting the cream coloured eye shadow into the corner of my eyes and blending out to the middle of my eye lids. I use the curved brush for this as it allows me to be more precise on where I put the eye shadow. I use the lightest colour into corners of my eyes as it opens them up to make my eyes appear bigger and brighter!

 

I use the darker shade of the duo eye shadows as a base on my lids using the blending brush because it gives my lids more coverage.

I then put the purple eye shadow in the outer corner to the middle of my lids. To create a darker colour you could use a slightly wet brush.

I then use this beautiful grey/bluey colour on the outer corners of my lids and slightly in the outer edge of the crease of my eye using the thin rounded brush.



For my crease, I use a dark brown eye shadow and apply it with my blending brush. This just makes all the colours come together.

Then it's blending time! This look involves a lot of blending to make sure all the colours merge together to get that 'smokey' effect.

This is the point where you may need to add more colour or blend to make a colour look lighter.

Then I use a damp sponge to get rid of any excess eye shadow that may have fallen when I was applying it onto my lids. 

I then use a pencil eye liner (mine is from Model's Own) in black and line your upper and lower lids.

 

Then line your lash line and use a slanted brush to blend the line in to make it more softer. Do this for your bottom lash line as well.

Next it's mascara time! I use 'XXL Curl Power' by Maybelline. It has two brushes, one that I like to describe as a 'primer' for your lashes and then a regular black one. This is my favourite mascara ever! You can build it up to create a more dramatic look or just a few stroke for a more natural look! It makes my lashes look so long!

I use several coats of mascara because I want my lashes to look extra black and dramatic!

My Final Make-up Look!

I finish off my make-up by applying some lip gloss. I don't like to use a lip stick when I do smokey eyes as I like all the attention on my eyes and I don't want my make-up to look too 'busy'.

My lip gloss is from 'L'oreal' and called 'Glam Shine'. It has this really cute triangle brush that makes it really easy to apply. I think this colour goes really well with my purple smokey eyes as it almost has this plum coloured under tone.

 

 

Hair Time!

 

I don't like to wash my hair everyday and as this is my 'other day', I use TRESemme's dry shampoo just to freshen up my locks!

 



 



To curl my hair I use a curler by 'Remington'. I just curl the ends of my hair and then run my fingers through it to make the curls looser. After this, I pin the sections closest to my head back.

I then use my trust 'WELLA' classic hairspray and spray is all over my hair.

To finish off, I spray on my favourite perfume at the moment- Taylor Swift's 'Wonderstruck' which has this lovely fruity fragrance.

So this is my finished look! I have teamed my purple smokey eyes with a plum coloured dress from Topshop and black tights and dolly shoes to make the look a little less formal then heels would have. I have kept my jewellery very minimal with just some earrings from 'Forever 21' and a necklace from 'Dorothy Perkins'.

I hope you have enjoyed this post!

Lots of Love!

Love Just Al xxx