Sorry

Hello everyone,

This is a quick post just to tell you that I may post maybe one or two blogs this week. 

My boyfriend is going through something really personal so I need to be there for him, hence why I'll probably not be posting. 

It's been going on for some time but I was told over the weekend so I haven't really had my mind in blogging mode ATM. As of next week (over the weekend) I should be back up and back to normal- apart from Wednesday as its my 20th so I'll be spending the day with my boyfriend and going to London. I'll try and take as many pictures as I can and will post about it! 

I'm really sorry for no posts lately, it's been a tough time. I hope you can understand!

Sara xxx

Forgot to say, I'll probably be reducing the amount of times I blog a week as its very difficult to blog everyday when I'm working full time. I'll keep Friday as a weekly reflection but combined the other 4 days into two days during the week- possibly Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I'll still be giving advice but it may only be a short blog from now on, and the other days will be all sorts of beauty related blogs now rather than keeping to tips, reviews and looks. I'll add in some DIYs, makeup looks, OOTD, and just changing it up slightly so it's not the same thing over and over again. That way it's not boring for you guys! 

Wednesday's Hot or Not- Dr Organic organic snail gel

Hello everyone, 

I know the title sounds really gross but trust me it's not. I've already given information about this product in my skincare routine so I'm not going to go into too much detail about it. 

Although the thought of putting snail gel onto your skin does sound disgusting and not quite nice, it's been developed and is only part of what a snail uses to fix its shell. That's where the got the idea from, they could see how well it fixes a snails shell that they thought it would work for humans too. It's an amazing product which does feel great on my skin, and it's actually been helping my eyebrows to grow! Since using it my brows have grown back quicker and fuller than before and it's taken me ages to find this product! 

Seeing as I didn't buy this, I'm not sure how much it cost. I got mine in May's YouBeauty Discovery box which is great value for £6.95. Unfortunately it's an English company and they don't post internationally (sorry). But if you can find this on the internet I'd definitely buy it! I love the stuff and it has a really pleasant smell.

I'd 100% recommend this product! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me-

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Tuesday's tip- drinking water

Hello everyone, 

Again I'm sorry for this post on being uploaded last night! I will however also be posting Wednesday's blog up later this evening too! 

Now a lot of you may already know this tip but ideally you should drink 6-8 glasses of water a day! Believe it or not, but water helps to clear your skin of any toxins (as well as keep your skin hydrated!) Water also helps with weight loss- now I'm not saying that you need to lose weight, but if you drink a big glass of water before every meal it helps to speed up your metabolism and helps you to realise you're full so you're not stuffing your face and feeling sick (guilty). 

I take a bottle of water to work with me which is a litre. I then go home and will either fill that bottle up again or I'll get a glass of water and keep topping it up. I've noticed that my skin isn't as dehydrated as before and I can tell a difference in the amount of spots I have! 

Drink Your Water!! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me- 

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Motivational Monday

Hello everyone, 

I'm sorry this wasn't posted yesterday, I was going to write it during my break at work but I had to go and buy food and by the time I was back I was just too hungry! 

Today's MM is about doing what makes you happy! If you find something you really enjoy then do it! Don't listen to what people say! If singing makes you happy then sing, if reading makes you happy then read, if baking makes you happy then bake! If you get pleasure out of something you enjoy then forget what people say! They probably are jealous that they haven't found anything which makes them happy. If someone puts you down because they don't like what you're doing and how happy it's making you, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM! 

I can't stress this enough, but guys, if you're happy then that's all that matters in life. No body wants to do something which will make them miserable! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me- 

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Weekly reflection

Hello everyone, 

So I know I didn't post yesterday, but with starting work so early it's difficult. I've decided that it'll be just regular makeup looks as well as celebrity inspired. I get every third Thursday off work so those will be the days I do celebrity looks. The other Thursday's will be makeup looks I've worn to work. 

Anyway this week has been very busy! I've been at work Monday through to Thursday! Now don't get me wrong, I love my job, but standing on my feet ALL day isn't great! 

Not a lot happened during the week, it was busy some days and others it wasn't. There are ways time where it's quiet but it's always busy around lunch time as everyone is on their lunch break. I found out that my training starts in September and this will probably be in London (wish me luck when traveling up there on my own!) 

This week I've been looking forward to the weekend as my boyfriend (Ollie) and I are going to his cousins wedding! I will be posting a quick blog post before about my outfit, makeup and hair. I will also be posting pictures on my Instagram so you can see previews. 

I'll post tomorow so you can all see my outfit! I can't wait! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me- 

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Wednesday's Hot or Not- Rimmel Undercover Shadow Primer

Hello everyone,

Todays hot or not is on the Rimmel Eye shadow primer. Now I love the Urban Decay primer potion, but I'm not willing to constantly spend the money on it when I need a new one. So I thought I'd give the Rimmel primer a chance and see if it could be a dupe for the primer potion. 

I wouldn't say this is a dupe as the consistency is completely different to the primer potion, but it's great under my MAC paint pot. I noticed with this that it lasted a lot longer than just the paint pot on its own, but it did still crease which was annoying- it took a lot longer to crease though. 

I would say this is a good alternative to the primer potion if you don't want to spend the money- £4.99! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me-

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Tuesday's tip- Serums

Hello everyone, 

This is a really short blog as the tip I'm about to give you doesn't need that much explaining. 

As you know people use serums but some people are actually using them wrong. When I say wrong I don't mean they're drinking it, I mean the application in which they're using is wrong. If you live in the UK (like I do) you'll notice that No7- no I'm not promoting the brand I work for, have released an advert for their serum which is still scientifically proven to work after a year. Now before I started working for No7, if I'd have been given a serum I'd have just applied as much as I wished and rubbed it into my face. WRONG! It's completely wrong!! 

When applying a serum, you need literally a pea sized amount. Trust me, it'll cover the whole face! Rub the product between your fingers to warm it up and to get an even distribution, then roll it into the skin. By rolling I mean placing your index finger on your face, then your middle and ring finger (while lifting the index finger slightly) then your little finger. When your little finger has touched the skin, both the index and middle finger should be lifted off of your face. 

This is a tip I learnt while on the job selling the serums which have been very popular and have had women come back for more tubes! At the moment boots are having a 3 for 2 and if you spend over £4, you will also get a voucher which enables you to get an extra £5 off No7 skincare. 

You can apply serums morning and night. This is another thing people get wrong. As most bottles do t state you can use it bothe morning and night, people only apply it once a day! You can apply it both morning and night!!! Make sure you apply your serum after your skincare routine and before your moisturiser to really help it sink into the skin. 

Sorry if this seemed rambling and short, I've not been able to chose what to write about so I picked this as its fresh in my brain. 

Sara xxx

Where to find me-

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Motivational Monday

Hello everyone, 

So I've decided that I'm changing motivational Monday slightly. I'll still be giving you advice but it covers all sorts of advice, from writing a blog, to jobs, even to relationships. I just thought it gives me something else to talk about instead of boring you all and repeating myself (which will probably happen!) 

Today's MM is going to be about starting a blog. I should be the best at giving advice seeing as this is my third blog I've had. I always thought about writing a blog and how easy it would be, but if I'm totally honest, it's not that easy! You have to keep a topic, writing at least twice a week to keep your viewers happy and have something to write about! 

For me it's always been beauty I've wanted to write about (and now I have a job on a beauty counter, it'll be easier for me to give you guys tips!) I have 6 bullet points for you guys and I'll break them down further so it's easier to understand. 

• Find a topic you enjoy. This seems like a really obvious point but it is important. If you start writing about flowers and then decide you're not interested in them anymore, what are you going to do? You could either change topic and really confuse everyone or you could continue and not enjoy it. Think about a hobbie or something you've been interested in for years and know you won't lose interest. 

• Plan when you're going to blog. This is also an obvious point but if you just think okay I'll write a quick blog now and then leave it for 3 weeks, you're readers will wonder what's happened to you. Start out at once or maybe twice a week to keep your readers coming back, and if you feel up to it slowly add more days! 

• Don't beat yourself up if you miss a day. I've done this loads and gotten myself into such a state where I've felt like quitting blogging altogether, but when I think about it it doesn't matter if I miss a day. I'm the person in control of the blog- yes the readers may get a bit unhappy if you don't blog when you say you're going too, but it's your blog! If you were busy that day and just forgot to write a blog or it was too late then don't worry about what writing a blog! 

• Invest in a notebook so you can plan on the go. If you're on the move a lot and a blog idea comes to mind, write it down! This will help you to remember what you wanted to write about, even if it's a key word like 'tulips'. It will help you to remember what you were going to blog about. It's also a good idea as it helps you see what you've written, what you're going to write and helps you plan it out better. 

• Be original and yourself. Don't follow the crowd. Do what makes you happy because at the end of the day, that's all that matters! 

• Don't copy people- adapt it in your own way. If you like an idea, see how you can change it. I changed some ideas from YouTubers and changed it to how I wanted too! If you copy what someone writes or take their idea then people will lose interest as they've seen or read it before. 

I hope this has been helpful to you all! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me-

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

My recent absence

Hello everyone, 

I'm so sorry I haven't posted over the last couple of days! It's not that I'm lazy or couldn't be bothered, it's because I started my new job! I got a call Monday afternoon offering me a full time job as a No7 Beauty Advisor. 

I have finally been given my rotor so I know when I'm off and can plan writing blogs around that. I'm off on Sunday so will write most blogs I was going to write this week then. Also if on Thursday I'm unable to write a blog, I'll write it and post it Friday as that's my day off this week. I'll try and get as many done as I can on Sunday but I thought I'd give you a quick update as to why I haven't posted. 

Thanks for being patient guys, I love you all! 

Sara xxx

Where to find me-

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Weekly reflection and blog changes

Hello everyone,

So I'm trying something different. I'm doing a weekly refection and I'm also going to be telling you about the changes that are happening to my blog.

This week has been a bit different. As I haven't got a job at the moment, I haven't been doing much apart from sitting around the house, thinking of new ways to change my blog and also how to get lots more people reading my blog so I can work from home just working on blogs all day! Now I know that will take some time, so in the meantime I've been looking for jobs.

On Monday I went shopping with my mum and sister. I didn't get much while I was there- I have a bluewater haul up! While I was up at bluewater, I got an email from Boots for a job interview. Tuesday I didn't do much apart from decide what I was going to wear for my interview and then wrote a blog. On Wednesday I spent the day Googling how I can make money from home, or from my blog, or even through doing vine! I was and am seriously considering starting vines. I have a channel already so it would just be thinking of what I could vine and how I would do it. Also who I would vine with.

On Thursday I went to my nan and grandads. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like too because we moved away when I was 14. We didn't move too far but it's still difficult to see them as I don't drive. If I drove, I would be over there a lot more to visit them as I enjoy spending time with them. Hopefully if I get a job, I will start saving for lessons and a car.

On Friday I had my job interview. The interview is for Boots, as a No7 beauty consultant. This is what I have been wanting to do for the longest time! I have wanted to work on a makeup counter, or in beauty for such a long time and hopefully I'll get the job!

When it comes to writing my blogs, I normally just start writing and see where it takes me. But on Saturday, I was at my boyfriends house and was able to have a think about what I wanted to do with my blog, how I wanted to progress it so it expands and more people read it. While I was thinking about how I was going to lay out my weekly reflections, I had an idea of how I could change my blog.

On Mondays I've decided to start doing something called 'Motivational Monday'. This will consist of advice for you guys and help if you're just starting a blog, or if you want to change your blog around.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are beauty related blogs. On Tuesdays I am starting something called 'Tuesdays Tip'. This is where I give you little tips and tricks to do with makeup or skincare or haircare. On Wednesdays I am doing 'Hot or Not'. This will be on products I have tried and tested, as well as recommendations from you lot who want to try a product but are unsure whether to buy it. On Thursdays I will be doing a 'Get The Look'. This will involve me finding celebrity pictures and doing a get the look on them. This will be my own spin on the makeup they're wearing, so its easy for you guys to recreate, and also finding outfits which are cheaper and more affordable. On Friday I will be doing my weekly reflection which I spoke about in a previous blog. This is just where I reflect on the week, set myself goals, find out what I have gained from the previous week and I will also be setting monthly goals.

This will mean that over the weekend I will be dedicating my time to writing some blogs for the week ahead, One I will be doing in particular over the weekend will be Thursdays blog as it gives me more time to find outfits, change the makeup look up etc.

Sara xxx

Where to find me-
Instagram- sara_harpum
Twitter- saralouise__95

L'oréal casting sunkiss jelly review

Hello everyone, 

I was going to do a MOTD blog today, but completely forgot and didn't take a picture before I took my makeup off, so I had to think of what I was going to post and then I remembered I wanted to do a review on the L'oréal casting sunkiss jelly! 

Now I first got this product a year ago. I saw it advertised on the TV roughly this time last year and thought to myself 'I want to try that!' So I went to the shop and brought it. I read through what I was meant to do with it and thought it was pretty easy. I was 100% right! It says you can use it on both wet and dry hair, so I decided to use it on wet hair as it said heat makes it more intense. 

I applied it after my shower, brushed my hair to make sure it was distributed throughout the whole of my hair and used a hair dryer. Now, it says it takes 3-5 uses, but after using it once I noticed a big difference! You can apply it all over your hair (like I did) it just on the ends to create an ombré effect. I haven't tried the ombré effect yet because knowing me it'll come out wrong and I'll look stupid, so I haven't braved it yet! I may try it when my hair gets a bit longer, but till then, I'll just apply it all over. 

This stuff is amazing, seriously I love it! I'm on my third tube of it, as I brought it near the end of summer last year and thought I'd only use it during the summer period. I've almost finished this bottle too, that's how much I love it and how crazy it works! The reason it lightens the hair is because it contain hydrogen peroxide, so you do have to be very careful. Although the saying that, I don't wear the gloves they supply you with as I don't feel a burning sensation on my hands, but if you have sensitive skin then I'd use the gloves to be on the safe side. I have also used it on dry hair, which is better in a way as you can see when you've got product and where you've missed hair out, but in my opinion, and this is my personal opinion, I found it didn't work as well and it made my hair go greasy. If you prefer to use it on dry hair then be my guest, I'm not stopping you. I just didn't like it compared to wet hair. 

I work in small sections at a time. I'll apply a small amount into my hand and work it in, making sure I cover all the areas of my scalp, and I then brush my hair to evenly distribute the product. 

I would recommend this if you don't have the money to go to the hairdressers to get your hair done, or if you want to gradually lighten your hair! 

Sara xx

Where to find me- 

Instagram- sara_harpum

Twitter- saralouise__95

Completely different post

Hello everyone,

I know today isn't a normal blogging day, but I was thinking about what blog I should write this week. I know this blog is dedicated to beauty but if there is anything you guys would like to see posts about then let me know. It gives us a chance to interact and it means I can post things you guys want to see. This can be things from celebrity inspired looks, to dupes, to Q&As. Literally anything!

I know this is a different post but I wanted to let you guys know that I want to take you into consideration when writing my blogs. I also think that maybe once a week, I will be writing a post about how I feel or what I've been up to in the week. I might call it something like 'weekly reflection' and I'll probably write it Friday and it'll be posted over the weekend. I will start this week so you can get used to it. I just feel like I have other things to talk about as well as beauty, and I have thought about making a separate blog for this, but I thought to myself, who would read just another blog about someone's life. This is why I thought about posting a weekly reflection on things I've done during the week,

Obviously I'll try this for a few weeks and get your feedback as to whether or not you want me to keep on writing a weekly reflection. If you decide you don't want me to keep it, I will make a new blog where I am able to get how I'm feeling out and about what I have done. If I start a YouTube channel (which in the future I plan on doing), I will post vlogs, which will act as my weekly reflections.

Sorry for this really random and different post, I hope you don't mind that this is what I've decided to do. I have a lot to say, but don't know where or how to express these feelings.

Sara xxx

Where to find me-
Instagram- sara_harpum
Twitter- saralouise__95
Email- contourinthecity@gmail.com

Bluewater Haul

Hello everyone,

So yesterday I went shopping with my mum and sister to Bluewater (my closest shopping mall) and I thought that it would be the perfect time to do a haul blog. I didn't buy any make up... Well apart from a primer. I actually didn't get a lot of things while I was shopping.

I looked in a lot of shops but didn't really see much I wanted. I did however know of some things I wanted from when I last went up to Bluewater on my boyfriend's birthday. I went into Jack Wills and brought socks. Now I know this sounds really silly, but honestly Jack Wills socks are really comfy. They are probably the most comfy socks I actually own. The pair I  Brought were a pack of 2 pink and light blue with white spots all over. They have the Jack Wills logo on the side (which is a pheasant in a top hat and a stick, imagine a rich man back in the 1800's) and have Jack Wills written on the bottom of the socks.

We then went to O'Neill and I brought 2 tops (as they were 2 for £29.99), instead of £45 for both. I got the same top but in different colours as there weren't many tops to choose from in the 2 for £29.99 offer. I wasn't sure how to describe the top so I looked on the website and it calls it Zig Zag Art top. I chose pink and black. When I went up to Bluewater with my boyfriend on his birthday, I saw the pink top and really wanted to buy it but decided not too.

While we were walking around the shops I thought to myself that I wanted to buy an eye primer. Now I love the Urban Decay primer potion, but I wanted to try some other primers to see if they worked as well for my oily lids. I brought the Rimmel Undercover Shadow primer. This is meant to make your eyeshadows waterproof and not smudge throughout the day. I wanted to try this to see if it does as it claims and if so, it means I don't have to spend loads on the Urban Decay primer potion. I suffer with oily lids and the only primer/base I've found which work is the primer potion. I use MAC's paint pot in painterly but my lids still become oily and my eyeshadow creases. When I use a primer and the paint pot together, it doesn't make my shadow crease, and it stays put all day. I will be writing a review on this primer once I've tested it out.

Sara xxx

Where to find me-
Instagram- sara_harpum
Twitter- saralouise__95