Everybody makes mistakes | My Biggest Ever Beauty Blunders

Even make up artists can get it wrong sometimes. When I was a children boy did I make a good few facial doozies when it came to my make up application, technique, product choices, let's just say, if it could go wrong it did. So today in light of my recent trips down memory lane (i.e. my old Facebook profile pictures) I thought I would share my biggest and baddest ever beauty blunders and hopefully prevent some of you younglings from making my mistakes.

Liquid liner in my waterline

In what world is this a good idea, particularly for an individual with me who has watery eyes? Liquid liner and damp areas simply do not mix, it's a recipe for gooping, running, smearing and unfortunately coloured eye gunk, my goodness the eye gunk! Don't follow in my footsteps, be smart, pick the pencil!

Using only my right hand to apply mascara

I'm not sure why I regarded my left had as the inferior helper when it came to mascara, but when I first ever got my hands on that coveted Rimmel Volume Flash mascara I refused to let my left hand do any helping. Resulting in overly coated lashes which unfortunately flaked all over the sink (sorry mum) as well as my school uniform through the day, and if I was REALLY unlucky a big blob of thick black mascara over the bridge of my nose, guys it's called goth mascara chic okay?

Ill coloured foundation

Top of every 20 something girls list of beauty blunders seems to be the highly sought after Dream Matte Mousse by Maybelline,  which I bought in seemingly every colour BUT the one that made my face match my neck! Not only did I completely miss the mark where my skin tone was concerned but I totally misread what my skin wanted and needed, and that my friends was intense moisture which, clue in the name, a matte foundation just wasn't going to give me. Woops, sorry face! 

Using my fingers as application tools

You name it, I applied it with my fingers, be it foundation, be it concealer, eyeshadow (what a mess!) you name it I had it ALL OVER MY FINGERS! Now I'm not saying using your (clean and sanitised) fingers isn't great for really warming the product up and pushing it into areas that need that coverage (i.e. eye primers, concealers etc) but when you're smearing your black as night eyeshadow and hot pink glitter pigment across your lids like war paint, it might be time to invest in some finer tools.

Using frosted eyeshadow to fill in my brows

Forgive me fleeky for I have sinned. It could be said my under plucked, non waxed or styled brows were absolutely not on fleek, and this carried on until I was about 20! That's how recent my blunders are bringing me. I would (sigh) dust brown eyeshadow with a cheapy applicator across my brows all to match my hair..... enough said really right? Don't do this! Get your brows shaped and invest in a brow pencil at the very least.

Dazzle dusting all of the things

Who remembers the Barry M dazzle dust pots? I know my mum does since I spilled an entire black pot on her pristine and clean flooring at the tender age of 15 (I've said sorry okay?!) At the time, of course being a hardcore advocate of using my fingers as my primary make up tools I would get this stuff everywhere, I always applied it dry, and for some reason it always seemed to be black! To be quite fair though the fallout did sometimes make me look like I had chic, high fashion black freckles, though most of the time it did just look as though I had been chimney sweeping. If you're going to use a pure glitter pigment I seriously suggest using a damp brush to pick it up and press it on to the area you want it (and you know put down a tonne of black bags to protect your floors)

Hopefully in some way this has helped you, saved your adolescence perhaps or maybe even just made you cringe laugh at my misfortunes, either way it's a win! I'm sure in future I'll look back at myself in my early 20s and cringe at whatever I'm doing now, who knows maybe winged liner and bold brows will be ridiculed in future (NAT!) Make sure you leave your biggest beauty blunders and downfalls in the comments below, if at the very least to make me feel like a bit less of a twat, come share them with me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or you can just keep up with my recent cringes on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, blundering my way through the MUA world!

H.Elizabeth

Do you even lift? | Things to expect as a newbie weight lifter

Who would have thought that weight lifting could come with such drama? I mean come on really it's just like lifting and putting down, reset and repeat right? Wrong! Ever since I ventured into THAT part of the gym many dare not go I have noticed a number of things that happen when you start lifting weights, from unfortunate gym misogyny which you can read in a bit more detail about here, to the dramas you actually take home with you. So if you are considering venturing as I have maybe take note of some of the following things you'll be sure to notice.

1. Drying your hair becomes the struggle of all struggles. Whether you have long hair, short hair, thick or thin you'll struggle to keep your arms up long enough to become bone dry, in fact any holding your arms above your head becomes a daily struggle. Want to put that tin of soup in the top shelf of the cupboard? Nope! Want to reach for the stars and your dreams. NO!

2. Flexing your new, albeit teeny tiny muscles becomes your new obsession. You're sitting at your desk, flex. In for a coffee, flex. Everyday you'll see how much more you can flex and hey you'll still be working a muscle of some description.

3. You develop all new and anger inducing pet peeves. Think the most annoying thing about the gym are machine hogs? Oh honey it's about to get so much worse. I give you the weight hoarders, the hiders and my personal favourite the dumbbell ditchers who don't seem to know how a weight rack works!

4. Sweat isn't just a disgusting bodily function any more. Instead think of it as a glistening medal of your achievements from that hard hour of weights! 

5. ALL OF THE PROTEIN. Got to repair those growing muscles yall, where before you thought protein bars smelled and tasted like hamster food you'll suck it up and it's all for the gains. (Trek bars are my best friends just FYI!)

Well guys as I'm sure you can tell this post contained a few satirical undertones, but not about the hamster food, that shizz is real! But I hope you have found it entertaining, informative or maybe even true to your own experiences. If you're a newbie weight lifter a bit like me I'd love to hear what you have found to be true? Have you struggled to reach and stretch to your tall cupboards after a workout? Maybe getting dressed is your real struggle, whatever you have found be sure to leave your experiences in the comments below, come have a laugh and a natter about them on Twitter with me or if you'd just like to keep check of my expanding muscles and major gains (ha!) be sure to keep track of Granite City Girl on Bloglovin.

Until next time folks, girl do you even lift?

H.Elizabeth x