Monthly Favourites: March 2016

I hope you all had a fantastic month & had a great Easter. I'm super excited for April & to see what it has in store for us all. I wanted to quickly mention that you'll probably notice that this monthly favourites is a lot shorter compared to other months & that's because I'm going to be separating them into two separate posts. I'll have one going up at the end of every month, like usual, that is very similar to this one & then every couple of weeks I'll have, what I'm going to call 'Love List' & that is where I'm going to be talking about all the other bits & pieces that I've been loving. The reason behind wanting to do it like this is so that I can go into so much more detail without creating an incredibly long post. I think all the things that I'll be covering in 'Love List' will be a lot more appropriate to do every two weeks or so rather than every month like I'd normally be doing.

MAKEUP 
For the month of March I have been loving a couple of Maybelline products. The Maybelline Dream Terra Sun Bronzing Powder & The Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil.

Let start with the bronzing powder. I brought this bronzing powder along time ago off NZSale & when I first tried it I wasn't to fond of the colour. It is definitely very warm toned & my guess is back then I was applying it incorrectly, maybe I wasn't blending it properly, I'm not a hundred percent sure what my issue with it was but never this less I love it now! I think it blends beautifully, it warms up my complexion really nicely, it blends amazingly & it leaves my glowing in all the right places. From what I can see on the back of the packaging I have the shade 02S Cheetah, if you were interested. By the looks of the Maybelline website I must have old packaging & an old shade, but if you check out the website it'll give you all the correct & current information.

The next product I've have adored this month is Maybelline's Colour Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencil in 630 Nude Perfection. Trust me, it is perfection alright! It has a semi matte finish, it's super smooth to apply, the pigment is amazing & it's so moisturising on the lips. This product exceed my expectations by a long shot. I wasn't expecting the formula to be so pigmented & moisturising. I was kind of expecting it to be dry & hard to apply, but Maybelline proved me wrong & I'm so glad that they did! I look forward to try some of the different shades.

SKINCARE 
I guess you could say that this is a skincare tool that I have been loving this month. I tried one back in 2014 & was amazed at how well it worked however I never followed up & got a new one once I had to get rid of my original one. I was in my local chemist what for a prescription to be filled & I got was to excited when I saw the Konjac Sponges sitting on the shelf. I grabbed one for my Ma & one for myself. I honestly can't recommend these enough, even if you don't want to purchase anything you should definitely still check out their site! I'm not going to go into to much detail now because I'm going to do an in depth review soon, where I'll talk more about my experience, the different sponges & options & all that jazz, keep a look out for that.

NAILS 
For the most part, I've had acrylics on my fingers because I was a serious nail biter & I wanted to stop & I've been wanted to for a long time now. I had started off really well but I was scared that I would end up biting them so I went & got my nails done & fingers crossed once a see my natural nails at a decent length I'll fall in love & never bite them again. Well heres hoping anyway. However, on my toenails I have been loving Sinful Colours polish in 1052 Endless Blue. I love Sinful Colours polishes, the have such beautiful colours & I love the formula too.

CLOTHING 
I brought this incredible little shirt for Supré, maybe at the beginning of the month I have have gotten so much wear out of it already. I love the colour, it's super flattering. I think its dressy but causal at the same time if that makes any sense! I adore it very much.

B x

Self Care: For Those Who Struggle To Switch Off

📷  // www.weheartit.com

Self care is something that I've talked about on my blog before, it's something that I'm really passionate about &I think it can be something we all tend to ignore or forget about sometimes. I believe that there is nothing more important than looking after yourself, your body & your mind.

I'm someone who naturally puts others before myself, I'm incredibly critical of myself, a perfectionist in everything I do but I've learnt that I can't help nor be there for others or passionately invest my absolute best into  the tasks & things I do if I don't look after myself first. It's taken me an incredibly long time to actually be able to take a step back & realise that if I don't look after myself then the people I love & the things I love doing are going to suffer.

Taking the time for personal self care still isn't something that I'm 'perfect' at by all means & I still occasionally feel guilty about taking time for myself. I tend to think of all the other things I could be doing that would be a hundred percent more productive & I have a feeling that some of you might occasionally feel the same way too & that's why I wanted to share I few things I like to do when taking time for myself & self care.

TURN OFF ALL TECHNOLOGY 
Don't get me wrong, I love the internet, the online world but sometimes it can be extremely suffocating. Simply turning off your devices for an at least an hour is going to help you switch off & focus on the present moment. If you're a little anxious about the fact that people won't be able to contact you, you can always just let them know that you're taking some time for yourself & that if you're needed, you'll get back to them as soon as possible.

THE GUILT
You mostly definitely should not feel guilty for taking the time to look after yourself. When we see others looking after themselves, putting themselves first, we are generally to quick to judge & think that they're just being lazy, or not working as hard as the rest of us are. In reality, they're doing what is best for them & that's the most important thing. It's important to look after yourself because if you don't, then who is?

MAKE IT PART OF YOUR SCHEDULE
My excuse was that I never had time & the truth was I needed to make time. Allocate an hour or two every week, or as often as you need, to look after you & only you. If you have a routine in place that'll help you unwind then you are more likely to do it. We have to remember that we are all human & we all get stressed & run out of steam, & the truth is if we don't look after ourselves everything else begins to suffer too.

CREATE YOURSELF A SPACE 
Just like you have a desk for work, a dinning room table to eat your dinner at, create yourself a space where you know you're able to just relax. It could be anywhere you wanted. For example, my bed is a laptop free zone. I know it can be tempting to work from your bed but it's just not ideal when your bed is naturally a place for you to relax.

DO WHAT FEELS GOOD
There is no specific way or routine for self care. Everyone is going to find different things relaxing. For some it might be a hot bubble bath, for others it might be working out. There definitely isn't any right or wrong when it comes to self care. Just do what feels good.

YOU A HUNDRED PERCENT DESERVE IT - NO MATTER WHAT
No matter what the circumstances are, we all deserve to take a step back, unwind & take care of yourselves. Please don't feel guilty because we all know you deserve it!

B x

10 Things That Go Through My Mind While Cleaning My Makeup Brushes

📷  // www.instagram.com/copper.and.kohl/

I find that makeup brush washing is something that you have to really be in the mood for & to be quite frank I can never be arsed. However there is just something about freshly washed brushes, they look amazing & feel amazing. I try to wash my brushes every two weeks then sometimes that turns into a month but never the less I do finally get around to cleaning them. Brush cleaning just takes forever & watery foundation & shadows splatter everywhere, it's just not my idea of fun! Here are some of the things that go through my mind when I get around to finally 'em.

1. Maybe I could just do them next week? I mean they don't look that bad do they?
2. No, Bonnie just do it now!
3. Put some YouTube on, it'll make the time go by quicker.
4. Maybe I should just buy a new beauty blender? I mean will it ever return to its original shade.
5. I really needed to do this sooner.
6. My hands look like prunes.
7. Maybe I shouldn't use makeup brushes.
8. What would I use instead, my hands? People do that right?
9. Oh, what the heck! I've only done like two foundation brushes & I've been standing here for what feels like a hour.
10. I really need to make this a regular occurrence, a weekly occurrence.

You feel me? Does anyone actually like cleaning their makeup brushes?

MY FAVOURITE BRUSH CLEANING VIDEO BY SHAAANXO >> http://bit.ly/22zgB0i

B x 

5 Tips On How To Say Inspired

Inspiration is a funny thing in the sense that one day we can be absolutely be full of inspiration, feeling like we are just on top of the world & then the following day we are essentially pulling ideas out our butts, just trying to make something work.

📷  // www.tumblr.com

When I hit an inspiration rut I tend to take myself through a few steps that will bring my mind back to a creative & inspirational state. Generally when I hit a rut in the sense of inspiration it is a sign that I need to take some time to myself & just organise my mind a little bit. Often when I have other stuff clouding my mind then that's when the inspiration starts to decrease. It's totally up to you how you would like to interpret theses tips because I they can mean something slightly different to everyone.

BE TRUE TO YOU 
More often than not, I'll take some time to sit down either with my laptop or a notebook & I'll write absolutely everything, things that I love & that I'm passionate about. From there I can generally get a vague idea of any bits of inspiration. I might then do some research or whatnot to further that inspiration & my own personal knowledge.

GO BACK TO THE BASICS
Going back to the basics is something I think we can all benefit from once & awhile. I like to get out my camera & capture the things around me, even if I don't even up using the images, I think it's nice to be able go back to the basics & enjoy them simply for what they are. I have a passion for writing & occasionally just sit at my desk & write & write, until my heart is content. By going back to the basics, I mean simply appreciate those small things for what they are, I don't think we all do that enough.

NEW PLACES & SPACES
I find new places & spaces always kick a spark of inspiration in me. I don't necessarily mean travelling to the other side of the world, even just exploring your own country & your local cities can be really inspiring too. I always love going into little interior boutiques & just getting some inspiration that way.

TRY NEW THINGS
This applies to everything & anything. You know that home project you've always wanted to do or the recipe that you have been dying to try, why not give it ago? You'll be learning a new skill, something new & I mean you'll be having fun while you're at in right? You've got nothing to lose girl!

MOVE ON 
Last but most definitely not least, let that shit ago. If you're sitting down wrecking your brain for ideas it's just not going to work! Move onto something else & come back to that task at a later time or date. I always find doing some housework or just cleaning up a little bit great to take my mind off things & sometimes our best ideas come to us when we least expect it.

B x 

Making The Most Of Your Evenings

We all know that once we get home in the evening, whether it's from school, work or elsewhere, we should be making the most of the time we have on our hands but we don't necessarily do that. It can be tempting to just put on comfy clothes & watch Netflix for the rest of the night. I don't know about you, but when this happens I don't tend to feel to great about myself. I'm going to talk about some of the things that tend to make my night a lot better & leave me feeling amazing.

📷  // http://bit.ly/1XtVNQY

EXERCISE 
I know that exercise is probably the last thing you want to do when you get home but I've always been someone that prefers working out in the evening rather than the mornings. I always walk away from a work feeling so much better about myself & also working out in the evenings makes me a little bit more tired meaning that I tend to sleep a lot better. It doesn't have to be anything to intense if I'm not feeling to up to it I'll go for a walk or a jog just something lite, something is better than nothing.

SOCIAL 
When I say this I'm talking about a couple of things. You could go out for dinner or coffee with someone you haven't caught up with in awhile, maybe you want to have a friend over after school. I think surrounding yourself with positive people then that's really going to beneficial to how you feel.
In the evenings I take time to check social media, I'll chat with you guys & chat with friends that I don't have to chance in see in person for multiple reasons.

ANY LOSE ENDS 
I think it's important to finish up any lose bit & pieces from your day before you go to bed that night. I work from home so I make sure everything is left in convenient place to then start on again the following day. This could be for a variety of things, even around that home. I find it really soothing to wake up to a reasonably clean home. Remember, clean place is a safe place, especially when it comes to hectic mornings!

RELAX & TREAT YOURSELF 
When you've had a hard day, that then requires some time to relax. This can be absolutely anything, we all find different things relaxing, I tend to have bath, put on a face mask & then take sometime to read. Again, like I said this really varies between people. Just do you boo!

These are just a few of the things that I like to do to make the most of my evenings. Obviously it changes everyday depending on what I'm doing, whether I have plans or whatnot. But let me know some of the bits & pieces you do to kind of rewind & take sometime for yourself, I'd love to know!

B x

Bathroom Inequality

If you are subscribed Ingrid Nilsen on YouTube or follow her on any of her social media then you may have seen a recent video of hers, 'What if YOU couldn't use the bathroom? #OwnYourVoice'. If you haven't seen I'll link it here for you but is one of the many videos I have felt like I have been able to really connect with & it's definitely a video that I think a lot of people need to watch.

Ingrid goes into a lot of detail about gender inequality specifically in regards to public bathrooms & bathrooms is general.

I wanted to share this with you all because equality is something that I think is really important & there is still an incredible amount of change that needs to happen in our world in regards to equality but small change is better than no change right? It's not all going to happen over night but the fact there is change happening at all, is a great start.

In Ingrid's video she says everything I wanted to say in a post & more. She's says it better than I ever could myself & I think that's why I feel it's important for me to share that with you.

Let me know you thoughts on inequality in our world & how you feel about the whole bathroom inequality situation.

'What if YOU couldn't use the bathroom? #OwnYourVoice' video >> http://bit.ly/1VaP4Ni
Gender Identity & Expression Article >> http://bit.ly/1VaPHGH
Gender Is Not Just Genitals & Chromosomes Article >> http://ti.me/21uhtgU

B x

Current Makeup Routine

I believe the last 'current makeup routine' that I shared with you guys was in late November 2015. I will link it here if you are interested in reading what I loved using everyday at the end of 2015. But with that being said lets jump into what I have been loving these past couple of months.

Product #1

Brows are something that I think really complete a look, whether you're going for a basic everyday, light, neutral look or whether you're going for a night out, clubbing with the girls, heavier makeup look, brow are essential people. I mean, I think they are anyway. The product that I have been using is the one trusty product I've been using for a long time now & I'm sure I've talked about on my blog before, it's the Natio Brow Kit. I adore this product an incredible amount, the colours match my brows perfectly & the formula is just so easy to work with. 

Product #2

Again to do with the brows but this time it's a brow gel. I don't know about you guys, but it's super frustrating when you spend way to long on your brows to then not have any brow gel on you. I don't know about your brows but my brows will never stay in their natural shape without an eyebrow gel. I have been loving my Maybelline Brow Drama. I have mine in transparent but I believe that they have a few different shades depending on what colour you aim to achieve with your brows. This has to probably be one of my favourite brow gels that I have tried in a long time & the thing I like most about it is that while it hold my brows in place, it doesn't turn them crispy & like I've could've just put cement through my brows.  

Product #3 

Mascara. Bonnie loves herself some thick, long lashes & to achieve that I like to layer mascaras. Of course, rather than layering fifty million layers of mascara on your lashes you could use falsies but I'd probably end up getting glue everywhere & sticking my eyes together so for now I'm keeping it safe with tones of mascara but never say never right? The three mascaras that I have been loving lately are the Maybelline Falsies, Maybelline Lash Sensational which I actually did a review on & I'll leave that  linked here & I've also been loving Jordana Best Lash Extreme. I sometimes will curl my lashes but with using all the mascara that I do, I usually find my lashes hold my slight natural curl pretty well. 

Product #4 

It is just a good ole basic lip balm. In New Zealand we are starting to come into the colder months meaning that my lips start dying out & sometimes end up cracking. I don't use anything in particular generally just whatever easiest to get my hands on or whatever is in my handbag on the day. 

You'll notice that I have mentioned any face products like foundation, concealer, powder, contour, blush, highlighter & all that jazz. This is because I haven't been wearing any of it. Over the past few months I've been really happy with how my skin has been looking & I'm a hundred percent taking advantage of that. Also, although we are coming into the colder months we still every now & then have extremely hot days, whether I'm going out or not, my makeup just literally runs down my face & to be perfectly honest, I just can't be arsed really. Every now & then I might wear a little bit of concealer but even then I still need to carry powder with my while I'm out. I found the past couple of months, I really have to be in the mood to do a high coverage, full face go makeup however I'm really looking forward to Winter & that fact that my makeup won't move south in all of ten seconds.

If you had to pick three makeup products to use for a month what would they be?

B x 

Beauty Rules I Don't Live By

Rules, who needs rules right? These are some of the beauty rules that I don't necessarily stick by. Every now & then I'll changes things up a little bit but I usually I don't stick to these rules, but who said we had to right?

RULE: Apply your eye makeup & then your base.
ME: Nah ah girlfriend, I've always applied my base before my eye makeup & for no particular reason  either.

RULE: Not to prime is a crime.
ME: It's not that I don't like prime, I just don't use it nor have I found one that has made a big enough difference to use everyday anyway.

RULE: A brush is best.
ME: Fingers or even a beauty blender is just as good.

RULE: Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks.
ME: When applying blush, I like to applying it to the apples of my cheeks but also blend it back towards my ear. I find that it looks more natural that way.

RULE: Liner before lipstick.
ME: A lip brush & my favourite lipstick does the job just as well.

RULE: Curl lashes before mascara.
ME: I don't always curl my lashes & I find that the mascara I use holds the curl of my lashes really well.

At the end of the day who cares what you wear, how you wear & apply your makeup as long as you feel amazing about yourself & that you're having fun, that's all that matters!

B x 

Inspiring Kick Arse Women

International Womens Day is celebrated worldwide on March 8th & in regards to that I thought it was only appropriate to mention a few on my favourite kick arse women & there wise words.

"Whatever it is that you think you want to do & whatever it is that you think stands between you & that - stop making excuses. You can do anything." - Katie Beauchamp // Co-Founder & Co-Cheif of Birchbox

"Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default." - J.K Rowling // Novelist 

"Human rights are women's rights & women's rights are human rights. Let us not forget that among those rights are the right to speak freely & the right to be heard." - Hillary Clinton // Former US Secretary of State

"I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be." - Diane von Furstenberg // American Fashion Designer & Founder of DVF

"I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that's how you grow. When there's that moment of 'Wow, I'm not really sure I can do this,' & you push through those moments, that's when you have a breakthrough." - Marissa Mayer // CEO of Yahoo 


"Dreams are lovely but they are just dreams. Fleeting, ephemeral, pretty. But dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It's hard work that makes things happen. It's hard work that creates change." - Shonda Rhimes // Creative & Exective Producer of Greys Anatomy & Scandal 

"Success isn't about how much money you make; it's about the difference you make in people's lives." - Michelle Obama // First Lady of The United States

"Learn for every mistake because every experience particularly your mistakes, are there to teach you & force you into being more of who you are." - Oprah Winfrey // Entrepreneur & Philanthropist 

"Because today is my day, your day, our day. And I'm going to seize it like my last." - Meghan Rienks // YouTuber 

There's an incredible amount of inspiring women in our world & these are only just a few. I'm always constantly being inspired by women in our world today & International Womens Day is just one way we can show our appreciation. Who are some of your favourite kick arse women?

B x 

Organise Your Life No.002

This is my second instalment of Organise Ya'll Life & today I want to talk about how I keep organised digitally. I'm an incredibly organised person which you may already know if you have been following me for awhile now.  Last month I my first instalment of Organise Ya'll Life went live, which you can find here, & I talked about the general overview on how I organise my life & keep in order. I also briefly mentioned that I prefer to organise digitally rather than using a paper planner. I didn't go into much detail then but I thought in this post I would go into detail about what apps I use daily to keep my life in order & make sure I'm completing & meeting the deadline I need too.

📷  // http://bit.ly/1UjFGI7

iCal //
iCal comes with all Apple products. Using iCal means that I can sync everything between my phone, laptop & desktop. I put literally everything in iCal, in there I have, appointments, school, birthdays & anniversaries, blog uploads, TV shows, when the rubbish gets collected & so on. I also set alarm notifications for everything in my calendar & depending what it is will depend of the alarm notification for it. For example, for appointments & blog uploads I would have a notification pop up an hour before hand but for birthdays & anniversaries I would have the notification pop up at 9 o'clock that morning. It really does just depend on what the specific event is. I like using iCal because I can easily remove or change things & I have several specific calendars inside my main calendar, such as, home, friends, family, birthdays, blog & heaps more, theses are colour coded & just help me keep more on top of everything. I also like the fact that you can share calendars between other people. You might want to have a combined calendar with your partner so that you guys know what your both doing or maybe your flat mates. I carry my phone with me all the time & that means I don't have to worry about carrying a planner with me. I think having everything in one place in very helpful.

Notes //
Notes is another app that comes with Apple products & my notes gets used very often, let me tell you. Notes is the place where I have all my brain dumps, if I have any blogpost ideas I'll write them in my notes, I have a list of movies I would like to watch & a list of books I would like to read, just that kind of shit really. But again, I find it helpful to have it all on my phone & I also have it syncing between my devices.

Reminders // 
Another app that comes with Apple products. The name is pretty self explanatory but this is the app that I keep all my to do lists in. Also I keep shopping lists, travel packing lists & just more lists really.

Those are the top three apps that get used daily without a doubt. There are obviously lots of other apps that you can download that would do that same thing but I just fancy using that apps that come with my phone.

Let me know if you have an great apps that I should download.

HAVE YOU READ THIS BLOGPOST // bit.ly/1oUtSPA

B x

Makeup Removers

Finding a good makeup remover was something that I struggled with for awhile because any kind of makeup remove that I would use on my skin would sting & make my skin feel incredibly tight. Over the past few months I have found three products that I'm really loving, they make my skin feel great & remove my makeup at the same time.

COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil is great for your skin & is excellent for removing your makeup, especially waterproof makeup. I use coconut oil to remove face makeup as well as eye makeup & I find the coconut oil helps nourish my eyelashes at the same time. 

FACE WIPES

I like to use face wipes to remove face makeup however not my eye makeup just because I find that it is to much pulling & tugging & this girl would like to prevent as many eye wrinkles as she possibly can. My favourite to use are the Swisspers face wipes or the Simple face wipes are really nice too. 

GARNER SKIN NATURALS 2 IN 1 EXPRESS MAKEUP REMOVER

I mentioned this in my recent favourites post, which you can see here, if you would like too. I've been  seriously loving this makeup remover & it is excellent at removing waterproof makeup. It's an oil based eye makeup remover meaning  the product does seperate, which is easily fixed with a quick shake & I think this could be why it's such a great waterproof makeup remover. 

B x

Before Bed & First Thing In The Morning

I've talked about how much I love a good morning & evening routine & I've shared different updated versions serval times on my blog. I'll link the most recent update version here if you haven't seen it or would like to check it out again.

Todays post is going to be focusing on the things that I do right before bed & first thing in the morning. Rather than doing a full morning &  evening routine, which hasn't really changed since the last time I updated it, I thought it might be more useful if I go into more detail about a few of the things I do right before bed & first thing in the morning. I love starting & ending my day in a good & positive mind set & these set of things really help me achieve that.

I'm going to start with what I like to do in the evening time. There are five things that I like to do in the evening time that really put me in a good & positive mind set for the following day.

TIDY TIME // 
I like to give myself about 20-30 minutes in the evening just to tidy. Whether it's my work space that has got a bit messy throughout the day or if it's something I didn't manage to do that day. Whatever it may be, this is the time that it'll get done. I find waking up to a clean house & space means I'm waking up with a clear mind & I'm ready to start the day straight away without having to worry about tidying up before hand.

TO DO LISTS // 
Create a to do list. Creating a to do list means to know exactly what needs to be done on that specific day. You'll be able to keep on top of everything & feel confident knowing that you haven't forgot anything important. Plus who doesn't love the feeling of crossing off tasks from their to do list? Best feeling ever right?

TAKE TIME FOR YOU // 
Take time for yourself, look after your skin, do some yoga or mediation. Do something that you find relaxing. This is an important part of my evening, it's my time to relax & de-stress after a long & busy day. I'm positive you'll thank yourself at the end of it.

I am most definitely not a morning person by any means. I'm someone that is way more productive at night rather than in the mornings. Many of us have several bad habits when it comes to the very first thing we do in the morning & trust me, that was me awhile back but I've adapted to healthier habits & that want I would like to share with you.

LEAVE YOUR PHONE ALONE // 
We all want to be updated straight away on everything we missed out on while sleeping but instead of check for updates take time to make some coffee or tea, brush your teeth, make your bed & grab some breakfast before you dive into multiple emails & updates.

HYDRATE // 
This is one of the first things I will do in the morning. I keep a water bottle by my bed & I will always drink as much water as I can. There is just something about drinking water first thing in the morning, it leaves you feeling wake & fresh.

STRETCH // 
By this I don't necessarily mean anything to crazy, just some light simple stretches. Even yoga or mediation would be great too. Again I find stretching is great for helping wake up the body & making you feel great.

B x