Hello you beauties!

Today's post is a little different than usual. I've been thinking a lot about the past year and what has changed. And one significant change in my life has to be my attitude towards body confidence - mine especially. It probably helps to think about it now because it is being talked about a lot in the media these days

For anyone who knows me well, they will know that I am not happy with my body. And I know that I'm no where near skinny or slim, and yes I am medically overweight. But should that stop me from doing anything though? No. But does it? Yes.

I used to hate looking at myself in the mirror and would always avoid places like fitting rooms, and if I ever walked past a mirror in a shop, I'd hurry up. I'd hate when people took pictures of me, so I'd avoid it wherever I could (yes, that does mean me and my boyfriend have very few pictures together). I also haven't been swimming for years - not because I can't swim but because I don't have the confidence to wear a bikini or a one-piece. To some people, lack of body confidence might not seem like that bad a thing but to someone like me, it can massively affect your life.

I've seen a lot in social media with celebrities encouraging you to embrace your natural beauty and encouraging body confidence. But in my experience? That doesn't help. These celebrities are always stunning and I KNOW that I look nothing like them but there always is that pressure there to look like them.

And when you know that you definitely look nothing like them, it can be damaging. You're always thinking you're not good enough. There's been many times where I've thought my boyfriend deserved better just because of the way I looked. Why should he stick with me when there's skinnier girls out there? Isn't skinny what all boys want girls to be like? Of course it's not. Every guy has their own preferences (most just don't care at all what your body looks like) and it's just the media making us think that we all have to be skinny like the supermodels that are shown on TV, in newspapers and magazines.

I used to hate looking at my body. Every inch disgusted me. The fact that I don't have a flat stomach. The fact that my thighs are actually quite large and covered in stretch marks. I hate many things about my body, as do many other women/girls that I know. A year ago, there were many many things I would have changed about myself (basically everything). But that has changed.

In April, I met my boyfriend and I will admit that meeting him really helped me with my body confidence. Before I met my boyfriend, I was actually in a very on-off relationship with a guy who finally decided that he didn't want to get back together with me because I was too fat. Getting comments like that really does hurt and makes you feel worthless. That all changed when I met my current boyfriend.

He's always encouraging me to love myself as I am rather than trying to impress anyone else. And obviously that is the sort of support you need from someone. And because of that, I am definitely a more confident person now.

So how has my body confidence changed? Well, I'm no longer finding it as hard to go into fitting rooms and actually do it more often now so that I'm not risking buying clothes that don't fit or don't suit me just because I'm too scared to look at myself in a mirror.

I've also started wearing clothes that I would not have worn before because I was too self conscious. I've started wearing skirts a lot more recently and even bought myself a new dress at the weekend. Yes, I do still wear really dark tights to cover my legs as I do still feel very self conscious about them but my confidence is improving, hence why I'm wearing skirts more often.

And I'm actually starting to appreciate my body more in general, especially my stomach. It definitely isn't a flat stomach (and probably never will be) but the more and more I look at it, the less disgusted I feel by it. I think it helps that I have actually lost weight and that's helping me be more positive about myself. But the most useful thing is knowing that I shouldn't care what other people think and my boyfriend loves me for who I am.

If you want to share your experiences with body confidence with me, then feel free to by either commenting on this post or emailing me at instaurabeauty@gmail.com.

I'll be back next week with another post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

Even though this is supposed to primarily be a beauty blog but I do realise that recently I have been writing about everything but makeup. That's mainly because recently I have not really been wearing much makeup so I've not really felt like I can talk about makeup. So today I have decided to answer 20 questions I have seen around the internet to really get me thinking about makeup, why I like it and what's important to me. And I wanted to share it with you.

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?
I can't remember the exact first item but I can remember a couple of things. I remember when I was around 12 my mum took me out shopping for makeup for the first time, for my birthday. Obviously I was young and my mum always encouraged me to be confident and comfortable with who I am so she didn't really encourage the use of makeup. So the first items of makeup I can remember buying/owning is a brown mascara from Asda, a nude lipstick from Miss Sporty and a nude lipstick from NYC.

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found 'The One'?
I don't think I've found 'The One' yet but I've definitely found some mascaras I am very impressed with. I want a mascara that will curl my lashes and add volume (not too much but enough for them to give life to my eyes). The mascara that I have found that does the best job for this is definitely the Maybelline 'The Colossal' mascara.

3. What coverage do you like in a foundation?
Although ideally everyone would love a full coverage, I personally feel like I would prefer a medium coverage. Something to cover up my imperfections but not something that will literally create a mask. The best one I have found so far for this is the L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation.

4. What's your favourite high end brand?
There are many high end brands that I like, but I'd probably say BareMinerals. I usually only buy my high end products from T K Maxx as it's the only way I can really afford it, and the BareMinerals items I have bought from there (which is quite a few) have never disappointed me.

5. What cosmetics brand are you desperate to try but haven't yet?
Definitely Morphe. I've always wanted to own one of their amazing eyeshadow palettes. I'm currently trying to use up some of my other eyeshadows first before I can justify buying one of the Morphe palettes.

6. Favourite drugstore brand?
I am obsessed with Makeup Revolution. Most of the items in my collection are actually from Makeup Revolution and some of the first makeup items I actually owned in my current selection were Makeup Revolution. Why not!? It's such an affordable brand!

7. Do you wear fake eyelashes?
No I don't actually. But I've always wanted to try them and see if they'd make any difference to my look. I just don't feel like I would have the patience for them!

8. What is your most cherished beauty product?
Probably my Stila eyeshadow palette. I worked in a pub for about a week and saved up all my tips specifically so I could buy this palette so I honestly believe it is the product I should treasure the most.

9. How often do you buy a makeup product?
Not a lot anymore but I think it got to the point where I was buying a new thing every time I was going anywhere near a shop, which could be every week, sometimes twice a week. It was obsessive, and I now own so much makeup that I don't know what to do with it all. I actually had to get my boyfriend to ban me from buying makeup because I was buying so much of it.

10. Do you have a monthly beauty budget or spend freely?
I don't have a budget but I won't let myself spend too much. If I feel like I'm starting to spend too much, I'll just stop myself from buying anything new.

11. Do you utalise coupons, reward cards and sales for your beauty products?
Of course! Reward cards are my favourites. In fact, my purse is just filled with them. But I don't see why you wouldn't want to use them. It's free to sign up to them and you can get so many free things with them.

12. Which beauty product do you buy the most of?
Definitely lipsticks! I'm obsessed with them and love exploring different shades that I could possibly use. I am particularly fascinated by the range of lip products from the NYX brand.

13. Is there a brand that you really don't like?
Not really, as there are items from most brands that I like but also items from those same brands that I don't like.

14. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulphates?
No I don't but I usually avoid makeup from places such as pound shops because I find that they usually cause a break out on my skin.

15. Do you have a favourite place to shop for makeup?
For drugstore makeup I prefer to shop at Superdrug and for high end makeup I tend to go to T K Maxx.

16. Do you like trying new skincare products or sticking to a routine?
If I'm completely honest, I'm quite naughty when it comes to skincare and tend to neglect it. But when it comes to face wash and moisturiser I tend to stick to the same thing every time as I know what works for me and what doesn't.

17. What's your favourite Bath&Body brand?
Definitely Treaclemoon. I religiously buy my body washes from their brand.

18. If you could only buy from one brand, who would you pick?
Makeup Revolution 100%. It's a great price and I know it works for me. Plus most of my makeup collection is Makeup Revolution at the moment anyway.

19. What do you love about makeup?
The fact that it allows me to experiment and be crazy while learning to love myself for who I am. And for me to be able to share my love of makeup with many people around the world.

20. Is there any makeup you can't leave the house without wearing?
Surprisingly not as I have been going out of the house without wearing makeup for a while recently.

Why don't you think about these questions with regards to yourself and let me know what your responses would be?

I'll be back next week with a new post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

It's not very often that I actually write fashion posts as for some reason I tend to focus more on beauty, so I'm trying now to bring more fashion related posts to you all.

Today I want to discuss colour, and what colours I like to wear and what I usually avoid. Everyone always talks about what colours suit certain people and what colours they should avoid, and I always believe it depends on your eye colour, hair colour, skin tone, etc... I don't know if you all believe that too but that's my opinion on it.

Colours I usually tend to avoid are green and yellow. I just don't believe that they are very flattering colours on me. I have blue eyes so I feel like if I ever wear green then it clashes too much and just doesn't look right.

Also, I'm a very pale person so I feel that whenever I wear yellow, especially a light yellow, then it washes me out. Which of course is never very flattering - who wants to look paler than they are!?

However, there are many colours that I love to wear and feel very comfortable and confident wearing. My favourite colour to wear is definitely purple, but that is probably more due to the fact that it is my overall favourite colour and not the fact that it actually looks good on me.

One colour that I especially love wearing is red, because with my blue eyes I just feel like it is very complimentary and also makes me feel confident and empowered.

I also love wearing blue, especially a dark blue because I believe that blue (just like black) is a colour that anyone can wear and not have to worry about. It works with anything but can still brighten up an outfit if you don't want to wear black, or want to wear a black top but do not want a whole black outfit.

What colours do you like/dislike wearing?

I'll be back next week with a new post for you all.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

While I am mainly very positive about the Christmas period, as it is my favourite time of the year, there are just a few things that I don't like too much. I'm not to keen on being negative on my blog but I thought this would be an interesting post to write for you all.

Day 9 of Makeup Revolution Calendar: Lipstick in a peachy nude shade

1. The Build Up
While I love counting down to Christmas, I hate that some people (especially shops) start their countdown back in August. I hate seeing Christmas cards in the shops so early on, and the Christmas decorations follow not long later. The countdown should be saved until 1st December!!

2. Delayed Deliveries
With how busy I can often get, I often struggle to find time to go out to the shops and do my Christmas shopping. So I rely on buying presents online. However, even if you order something early December, it's not always guaranteed to be with you by Christmas. Everything just seems to take so much longer during the festive period and it's really frustrating.

3. Christmas Shopping
Linking with my previous point, sometimes I do manage to get out to the shops to do my Christmas shopping, but immediately regret it. The crowds are horrendous, and no one seems to care about anyone but themselves! You have to fight your way through the shopping centres just to get to the one shop you want, just to find out that they item you want has either sold out or is extremely expensive! Sometimes it's just not worth it.

4. TV Adverts
I can understand a company/shop wanting to advertise their Christmas stock (etc), but I personally find it ridiculous when people become obsessed with these adverts and are constantly judging them (e.g. which one makes you cry more, which has the cutest animal characters). I don't mind Christmas adverts, I just don't like and don't understand why people make such a big deal out of them,

5. Boxing Day Blues 
Of course, the worst part to anyone's Christmas is when it's over! I am not a fan of Boxing Day. Christmas Day was literally just the day before, but now you have to admit that Christmas is over - for another 364 days at least. And you know that year is going to take forever to come around, and you just wish it could be Christmas everyday,

So only a few things I hate, but I know some people do actually share the same views as me. Feel free to share your opinions about what you love/hate about Christmas in the comments below!

I'll be back tomorrow for day 10 of Blogmas!

If you liked this post, be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with friends.
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

We are well into the autumn season now, and so I thought I would give you a break from beauty posts and tell you my favourite things about Autumn.

1. Hot Chocolate - I am not usually a fan of hot drinks, as I don't drink coffee or tea, so when the weather cools down, I love spending my nights in front of TV with a mug of gorgeous hot chocolate.

2. Cardigans - I love those big, cosy, knitted cardigans, and they're perfect for the autumn and winter months.

3. Wearing Uggs - Despite people's negative opinions of these shoes sometimes, I really do love wearing uggs to keep my feet warm.

4. Rainy days - While rain isn't the best for me now seeing as I cycle everywhere, I do love it when it rains sometimes. Not thunderstorm rain, just gentle, relaxing rain.

5. Blankets - these go perfect with the hot chocolate too. Sometimes the heating in the house may not be enough, and I need to cuddle up with a nice fluffy blanket too.

6. Crisp Air - the one thing I hated most about the Summer was the fact that the air always seemed stuffy, so I love the nature of the crisp air throughout Autumn. I can breathe again!

7. Scarves - We need something to keep our necks warm! I love going out shopping for new scarves every autumn and of course I love wearing them too!

8. Cinnamon Candles - While I usually light these scents of candles more during the winter months, I do love having cinnamon candles during autumn as I just relate it so much to the colder days.

9. Bonfires - While I'm not a fan of fireworks, having a nice bonfire is something I always love. Is there really a better way to spend time with friends during the dark nights of autumn?

10. Toffee Apples - Especially where I live, we get a lot of fairs visiting the city during autumn and I love nothing more than eating a toffee apple as I enjoy absorbing the exciting energy around me.

And one thing I hate about autumn: Halloween! This may be an unpopular opinion, but I just genuinely do not like Halloween. I was very shy as a kid, so Trick-or-Treating was not always something I enjoyed, and as I have gotten older, I have either been working on Halloween or just not been bothered about doing anything. This year I will be going to my first ever Halloween party so maybe this will make me love Halloween, but until then, I really do not like it.

So those were the things I love about autumn. Let me know what you love about autumn! Also, let me know if you hate Halloween too - I've never met anyone who doesn't like it.

I'll be back on Saturday with the last post of the month for you all!

If you liked this post, be sure to follow/subscribe, comment and share with friends!
Byeeee!

Hello you beauties!

This is a post that I was supposed to write a few months ago, but decided to prolong it so that I would have more to write about. There hasn't really been many items that I haven't liked, but there are still a few so I'm still going to write this post for you all. I usually avoid being negative in my posts, but I suppose it doesn't hurt just this once to have something different on my blog.

1. Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter
I think this is the one product that put me off using powder highlighters for a while. At first, it looks really pretty and it swatches great, but during application I found that there was a lot of fall-out (everything landed on my clothes rather than my skin!) and that it definitely just looked TOO purple. Maybe other people would have more luck with this product, but this is a product that definitely isn't right for me.

2. Natural Collection concealer
When I was younger, I used to only ever use Natural Collection makeup, thinking this brand was the best thing ever. But since I have started exploring with makeup more, I have found that, in general, Natural Collection makeup really isn't good at all. I struggled to find the right shade for me, as there were a limited range of shades anyway, but it was also very runny and hard to blend, and creased extremely easily under the eye after a few seconds. I would rather spend a bit more money on the Bourjois Radiance Reveal concealer, knowing that it'll do a good job.

3. Natural Collection bronzer
Again, another Natural Collection product. I hated this bronzer. No matter what brush I used, hardly any of the product would be picked up and it would take ages just to make any of the product seem visible on my skin. Whilst in the pan, it looks like a lovely light bronze-y colour, but once on the skin it actually turns disgustingly orange, which was often prominent around my neck and hairline. You might find it'd work better for you, but I will never be using this bronzer again.

4. Natural Collection mascaras
And yet again, another Natural Collection product! These were the only mascaras that I ever actually used, but I would never use them again as they hardly do anything. If you get the black ones, then they may add a little bit more colour but other than that, they do nothing! I suppose if you were going for a very natural look for your makeup then these mascaras will work great, but because I love adding extra length and volume to my lashes, then these mascaras just aren't right for me.

5. Velvet 59 liquid lipstick in the shade 'Pink Cadillac'
Liquid lipsticks are something that I don't really get along with well generally, but this is the one I hated the most. The colour is just WAY too bright and gross and just washes me out, and also the formula is dreadful. They're supposed to be matte products but they never actually dry out, they just get really sticky. Also, the lipstick is so incredibly runny that its just so hard to work with and leaves it looking streaky on your lips. No matter what I did or how hard I tried, I never once managed to get this lipstick to look right -  it's supposed to be worth around £16 but, honestly, I wouldn't even spend £1 on this product.

So they were the products that I do not really like. If you've had a more positive experience with these products then let me know. Or alternatively, also let me know any products that you don't really like either.

I'll be back on Wednesday with another post for you all.

If you liked this post then be sure to subscribe/follow, comment and share with your friends.
Byeeee!