Apologies, 500 Followers and the Top 10 Tag

So it's now been about a fortnight since I last sat down and wrote a blog post. I've had a lot going on within the past couple of weeks, including moving into my university flat and desperately trying to find a job. With both of those demanding tasks now tackled, I am eager to get back on track with my blog. After such a long absence, I feel there is little point in continuing with the 100 Happy Days challenge. This both saddens me and also makes me feel quite a bit of relief. The challenge could be a little stressful at points, trying to find the time to write a blog post every single day, and I felt that quality was sacrificed in order to meet the quantity demand. Therefore, I am now hoping to post regularly but allow myself the time to ensure my writing is of a higher standard.

Much to my surprise and elation, in the time I was away, my blog managed to acquire its five hundredth follower! I am always incredibly happy to reach a milestone and this was no different. I know that not every person follows you in order to read all of your posts, many just follow in order to encourage others to follow them back. But I know that there will be a portion, however insignificant, that actually follow me because they enjoy reading my posts and enjoy my content. Therefore, I feel that reaching a milestone is a justifiable cause of extreme happiness and does allow for a dance around your bedroom. The next milestone in my eyes is 1000 followers and I cannot wait to reach it...if I ever do!

Now, onto the most important part of this post. I was tagged by the lovely Jenny over at Jenny's Everyday Life (give her a follow, you won't be disappointed!) to do the Top 10 Tag. This tag was created by Jessica Vannan from Pretty Chit Chat and it's one of my favourite tags to read as I often find myself noting down a product I hope to try in the future. However, I am actually only just beginning to unlock my beauty guru side so I am writing this with little knowledge or range of products and, for that reason, may show myself up a little. But I'm hoping in a year or so, when I've developed my make-up skills, I will get the chance to take part in this tag again and show you all my vast improvement. So without further ado, here is my Top 10!

1. Foundation
My favourite foundation of the moment, scratch that, the only foundation I use at the moment is the Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation in Soft Beige. I just feel that this product blends onto my skin like a dream, leaving it baby-soft and smooth. Furthermore, the light mousse consistency controls my shine-prone skin for a good couple of hours more than other foundations I have tried. Its lightweight texture means I don't feel the 'cake-yness' I have experienced with many other products but, at the same time, it does a great job of covering up my acne scars and any breakouts. 

2. Concealer
Concealer isn't something I have used very often as I have been tackling acne for years now and I always felt that concealer did a great job of covering spots for an hour or so but then as it hardened and crumbled, it only made them stand out more. However, in the past month my skin has been settling down a lot but I have been left with a fair amount of scarring on my cheeks and chin. Therefore, concealer has been a godsend for covering up those angry pink marks. I haven't tried out many different concealers yet but at the moment I am loving the Rimmel London Wake Me Up Concealer. The consistency is perfect, smoothing onto my skin and covering those nasty scars nicely. My only problem is one I can put down to my own stupidity. I bought this product in a rush and opted for the Soft Beige colour when I know from experience that my skin warmly welcomes concealer when it is as light as possible and can then be covered with a darker foundation. I will be sure to rectify this mistake next time I am concealer-shopping.

3. Powder
This is probably my favourite thing at the moment. To couple with my foundation, I purchased the Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder in Peach Glow and fell instantly in love with it! The gorgeous substance leaves practically no residue, only a glowing complexion and smooth, oil-free skin. I am sure that this is a product that I will continue to buy again and again.

4. Blush
As you can tell from this picture, I am in desperate need of a new blusher and am still to decide which one I will opt for. However, there is a high chance that I will end up buying the same one you see before you as I LOVE it. The No. 7 Natural Blush Tint Powder is the best blusher I have used to date. It is incredibly easy to apply and (as the title suggests) gives the look of a natural blush, which is the main reason I love it as I am a major hater of bright red doll-like cheeks. I have this in the colour Cool Pink.

5. Bronzer
Okay, don't all hate me at once but I do not own a bronzer. It is something I desperately need to add to my collection but just haven't got round to doing yet. However, it is at the top of my list for next payday! 

6. Highlighter
See number 5.

7. Mascara
I know I find myself in a very small group of campaigners when I say that my favourite mascara is the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Diamonds Mascara. I've heard a lot of people complain about the lacking of this mascara, however, for me it's perfect. The plastic and straight non-curved design is something I actually like in a mascara applicator. I find that it makes the mascara a lot easier to apply and provides the effect I desire. I am not a fan of clumpy eyelashes, I know many people are but it just doesn't appeal to me, personally. I apply two layers of this mascara and it darkens my eyelashes and makes them look a lot longer and stand apart, without making them look extremely fake. My only criticism of this mascara would be that it does not do what it says on the tin (despite what it actually does being exactly what I want) and that it does not give my eyelashes a fuller effect. Therefore, I may have to look for one that will achieve that effect next time. Any suggestions?

8. Eyeshadow
My favourite eyeshadow of the moment would have to be my Glam'Eyes Quad Eyeshadow in Sun Safari . I'm loving nude eyeshadows at the minute, so this caters to my colour needs and it also has great pigmentation, increasing my love for it.

9. Brows
I've only just started applying products to my eyebrows. It took me a while to jump on the bandwagon as I had seen far too many photos of girls with block Nike ticks on their forehead, repelling me from the concept. However, after seeing lots of images and videos where women had applied products correctly and merely accented their eyebrows and made them look fuller, I decided it was time to give it a go. At the moment, I am loving the Kiko Eyebrow Expert Styling Kit for Brunettes, Redhaired and Blondes. It's super easy to apply and makes my eyebrows look a lot fuller.

10. Lip Product
I know this isn't exactly the answer you are looking for but I have to say my favourite lip product is just your average Rosy Lips Vaseline. If I am not wearing lipstick, this is my go-to lip product and is one that I find myself using on a daily basis. Not only does it hydrate my lips more than any other product I have used, leaving them soft and juicy, but it also gives the impression of a lipgloss, tinting my lips to a beautiful rosy pink colour and giving them a glossy sheen. In my opinion, it's better than any lipgloss I have used as it doesn't make my lips feel sticky.

If you've managed to hang in til the end of this post (I know I've droned on a little), I hope you enjoyed reading it!

Here are the people I am tagging, who will probably put my post to shame:

Rafiia at Mysterious Blogger
Lottie at The Trip
Shireen at Reflection of Sanity
Helen at Little Bits of Pixie Dust
Haná at hdotxo

Kelsey at K II R

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to reading the responses of those who I tagged!