why doesn't everything come in spray bottles?

 Spray bottles are the goddamn business. Always, always keep them when you finish a product which is #blessed enough to come in one. They are my holy grail of beauty-liquid packaging, and they should be much more prevalent, for a multitude of reasons. Vive la Spray!
 The first product which should be sprayed and only sprayed is body oils. Why should I have to bend over and reach places when a spray could do it for me? Dumb. Luckily I have a multitude of old spray bottles because I'm a dirty dirty hoarder, so I decant my body oil of choice (at the moment avocado, because I have it and I want to use it up) and spray in all over my bod. Voila - glowy, moisturised skin without having to do any annoying rubbing.
 Obviously, obviously all hair products should come in spray form. Who can be arsed to even attempt to disperse product evenly using hands alone - it's impossible and it makes you feel like a fool for even trying. Also, it's a good litmus test for products: if it's too thick to get through a spray mechanism, it's going to weigh my hair down and I don't want to be involved. Oils, textursing things, leave-in-conditioner and serums alike MUST be MISTed.
 I'm out of the toner game, but on the occasion I do a liquid exfoliate with the Bravura London Purifying Calendula Toner. Why oh why doesn't it come in spray form? Spraying toners onto cotton pads puts a little amount across the whole pad surface instead of completely soaking one corner, which is a much more economical way to rub it evenly over your face. And if you're fearless and immune to eye pain, you can spray things directly onto your face, skipping the need for a cotton pad and therefore saving the planet. Good job, you.
 Finally, setting sprays, which do, obviously, come in spray form. But if, like me, you're looking for a dewy-finish setting spray, there is no better way to go than rosewater. It gives your face an immediate, verging-on-shiny glow. It's also pretty great for your skin and smells like roses (duh). I buy mine from Amazon and decant into an old sprayer. Its the best, cheapest, best-for-you facial spray I've ever used, and trust me, I've used some overpriced ones.
 So, big companies who definitely read my blog: why doesn't everything which can be sprayed come in a spray bottle? Good for being lazy, saving money, saving product, saving the planet and saving your hair from being too flat - I rest my case. 

some cool girls with cool makeup

Just a place for me to put a bunch of photos of ladies I think are badass, wearing makeup I think looks badass.

I have been hopelessly devoted to this photo of Rihanna for several months. The lipstick! The eyelashes! The plaits! The lipstick! I'm obsessed, and my brown lipstick enthusiasm has been fueled. Is Rihanna a good person? - I honestly have no idea. I know next to nothing about her, but I'm obsessed with her style. She always dresses all crazy and DGAF and I love that. Also, I read a Buzzfeed article about her meet and greets and based on that she seems like a top laugh.

My first, my last, my everything. No matter how many people she calls a bitch on Twitter, I just can't quit Azealia Banks. I still dream about one day owning the Yung Rapunxel lipstick. I love this photo because of the red lip / purple hair contrast and the big infectious smile. Flawless.

We all know that young (and, indeed, current) Nigella Lawson is a total dream, right? I can't get over the teenage-witch vibes of her wild hair and OTT eyeliner. She's reminding me of those spooky photos of the Manson girls in court but much much sexier. A cool girl who grew into a pretty cool lady.

 My fringe-spiration: Grimes. I find her a very cool and inspirational girl, too, because she is so independent and self-motivated and just worked really hard by herself for a long time. I also am v into her mix of natural and artificial vibes, she gives good contrasts which is my MO. Look at her lil baby face compared to her grumpy scowl. Look at that lipstick! I'm in.

turns out boring, old fashioned skincare advice works.

There are some things which are and will always be eternally true: vanilla things smell good, Mathew Gray Gubler is a hot guy, and that some boring but easy things can really help out your skin. These tips aren't revolutionary, exciting or glamorous, and certainly aren't as fun as buying nice smelling pretty things in containers. They are boring old habits, and they work.

1) Drinking water. Your body needs water for all of the "important" organs (brain, liver, kidneys ... yawn), and if there isn't enough in your body, it will steal it from your skin. Skin without water isn't so cute: dull, liney, un-plumped. So by constantly putting lots of water into your body, you can prevent this from happening really really easily. Also, water is free (unless you're buying it which is dumb) and good for your whole bod. 
2) Exercise. I hate exercising as much as the next man but getting really sweaty about twice a week seems to be helping out my skin. I imagine that all the sweat coming out of your pores stops them from getting clogged (sort of like a facial laxative, and I am sorry for that image). Also, the attractive big red face that follows exercising means there is lots of blood circulating around your chops, which is almost certainly a Good Thing. Also it might help you live longer, etc, whatever.
3) Facial Massage. At night when I moisturise, I always try to sculpt my face into shape using the Lisa Eldridge vid as my guide. This does things I don't fully understand such as improving circulation and draining lymphs (?) but makes your face glowy and will hopefully help the descent into old age be a little easier.

Boring but beneficial, and also free and good for more than just your face. Turns out common knowledge becomes common for a reason - it is usually pretty solid advice.

when things are really good

I'll just preface this post by saying I don't have anything particularly subversive or clever to say here. I don't have a link to a wider social point, or any sort of interesting overriding theme. I just have a few things which I think are really fantastic and I wanted to talk about them, ok? Usual service will resume soon.

 This Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eyeshadow (also mentioned here) is just a cool little thing. It paints on a longlasting metallic colour which looks so cool.I have the shade called "Rio de Rose Gold" which is a perfect warm, neutrally colour. Luckily I wasn't too fond of the shade range so I wasn't tempted to buy them all, but this one seems to walk the fine line between very extravagant and somewhat subtle. I love this with v little other makeup to suggest you have made an effort, but it was a small one because you're a bit too cool.

Don't look at the mad eyebrows, look at the SKIN!!

 I'm actually amazed by this Wet n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation. I paid $2.33 for it and it outperforms every other "drugstore" base product I've tried. Glowy and covering, but most importantly, when buffed in it is completely undetectable, thus tricking everyone into thinking it isn't there.

 I bought the Lorac Pro Palette and I'm bloody glad I did. Unfortunately the only picture I've taken while using it was the most plain eye look ever (Lt. Bronze all over and Champagne to highlight), but the QUALITY is what is so pleasing about this palette. The shades are all buttery soft and really pigmented, AND I like all of the colours! If you are a very streamlined person this would be a great one eyeshadow palette to have. If you like good quality eyeshadow this is a great palette to have. This is a great palette to have.

Mad eyebrows AGAIN!

 After lots of fannying around in the world of liquid exfoliants, I decided to bring out the big guns and got the Make Up Artists Choice 25% Mandelic Acid Peel. I've only ever read rave reviews about this and I can see why. It has made my skin so much brighter, more even, softer, nicer. I put it all over with a Q-Tip every ten days and then wash it off after 3 minutes. I've never had any flaking or anything (but my skin is pretty hardy when it comes to acid) and I just feel confident that this is working. See: my makeupless and unedited face (taken with flash because I'm not that brave). Apart from extremely sensitive, I think pretty much any skin type could benefit from this - and you all know that using acids means you have to use sunscreen, ok? Definitely a great product: I'm very happy to have it.

beauty hoarding

When beauty shopping gets weird - complete with pathetic rationalisations. Proof both that I seriously stand behind these prods with all I have, and that I have some issues.

 Got the Neutrogena Clear Face Sunscreen, realised I couldn't get it in the UK, so got the Target own brand version for when I run out. This stuff is so bloody good; it's SPF 55 while retaining a lightweight feel on the skin and without interfering with anything else, like a mysterious but well-intentioned neighbour. Backed up both my CeraVe cleanser and moisturiser, because I am so reliant on the two of them. Like two really great mates, they are reaching irreplaceable status. UK guys - you can buy these on Amazon, although they are annoyingly a bit more expensive than from the US "stores".

Found a really great deal on the Kiehls Creamy Eye Treatment so got two. This is the first eye cream I've ever had strong feelings for, because it immediately makes my eyes look less dry and crinkly. Because I love using it so much, I'm going through it at a rate of knots, and afterwards I'm considering just using some shea butter as eye cream. It's the top ingredient in the Kiehls and I think it's what gives it such a balmy texture, but shea butter is mad cheap. Got three of the Superdrug Killer Volume Dry Shampoo on a 3 for £3 deal because this is basically the hair product that does everything I need - volume, grease-absorption and hold. Smells like paint flakes but works, and that's what counts really.

 Here's where things get a little bit worrying / embarrassing. Nine different tubes of various-branded 10% benzoyl peroxide gel. I just knew this was a pain in the arse to get in the UK, and it was about $3 a tube in the states, so I let my inner hoarder take over. I'm going to consistently use this for probably a long time, so it makes sense (to me - a crazy person) to have mutliple back-ups. It's easier to sleep at night knowing you have a years supply of benzoyl peroxide - or so the saying goes, right? I also know I will consistently be using rosewater as a setting / facial spray, so I bought 3 to get free shipping on Amazon (#justification). I pour this into a spray bottle and it makes your face glow (or, as my mum says, shine).
So, now I have a pretty signifcant what bloggers would call "stash", and what normal people would call "hoarding problem". It's quite nice knowing I'm set up for the worst case scenario (Amazon ceasing to exist, for example). Now I'm stopping this mad stockpiling before I end up trapped in a room full of lipstick and micellar waters. If anyone else has things squirrelled away for no proper reason, please tell me and make me feel like a rational human being...

waterline brighteners for suspicious eyes

I am a sufferer of some of the most naturally red eyes I know. I think it a combination of wearing contact lenses and crying all the time (kidding, kind of). Unlike all the other "problems" with my appearance, however, a red eye is really easily "fixed" with makeup. You can literally draw over the red and make it a different colour.

Taking photos of myself makes me aware how weird my face is - I'm discovering I have a lazy eye and a really weird overbite. But my waterlines look cute, right??

 Even if you don't have red there, putting a light, pastelly colour inside your eyes makes them look about 65% bigger and 78% brighter, which is a good look. It tricks people that your eyes don't end where they actually end, but extend to the top of your eyelashes. Any pale colour will work and give slightly different effects.

 The Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils are really good for this purpose. The two I have are slightly iridescent which brings even more light to your peepers. Cottage Cheese (a gross name, right?) is sparkly white and Lavender is sparkly lilac, which counteracts the warm, red tones by being a cool colour - and a "cool" colour, too. These last pretty well and come in all manner of shades. In a pinch, they also work well as a cream highlighter on the tear duct, brow bone, cupid's bow etc. Not bad for $5.
 I also have the famous Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal in Nude. This is very well loved, but it has recently got somewhat of the shaft because I err more on the side of pale and pastel nowadays. You can see that by comparison, this shade of "nude" is actually pretty dark, so it doesn't give my eyes the lightness I want. It lasts well and is a good product otherwise, so I think this is probably a good one for those less deathly pale than myself.
 The one I'm proud to have discovered is the Korres Eyeliner Pencil in Green-White. I found it through a series of investigative Google searches (starting with "mint green eyeliner" and ending with "Nars barrow street dupe".) My extremely limited knowledge of makeup led me to believe that using the opposite colour works to counteract the colour - and the opposite of red is green. Therefore, a pastel green colour doesn't appear greeny, just pale and not-at-all-red! See for yourself, it is what I'm wearing in the pictures. Other bonuses include it;s long-lastingness and the face it doesn't contain any poisonous eye chemicals. 
 This "trick" is one of those mythical 30 second fixers which makes you look healthier, prettier AND more engaged with life. I wear it on lots of makeup days and "no makeup" days alike. Who doesn't want bigger, brighter eyes? That's a rhetorical question because the answer is no one.

some exciting news

Sorry, no "funny" thoughts about lisptick today, just quickly letting you know I've been allowed to do some blogging at the Huffington Post - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/annie-walton-doyle/. I should be posting at least once a week but don't worry, I will save my more stupid ideas and keep writing here too. YAY and also THANKS. xxxxxx