50 things about me

Hullo. I've seen this doing the rounds recently, I think it started with the wonderful Charlotte of Lipglossiping, and thought I'd join in because I love writing lists like this and can't find my camera lead so proper blog posts are delayed :P

I must say it was very hard to think of 50 facts but here we go!

1. I can't ride a bicycle.

2. I once won a karaoke competition while drunk singing This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both of Us by Sparks.

3. I can stretch all my fingers backwards at a right angle from my palms. 

4. I couldn't blow bubblegum bubbles until I was 18. Now I love doing it.

5. My favourite colour is the pink of the pink snooker ball.

6. I've lived in London (specifically Merton) my whole life.

7. I have an odd voice. People from other countries usually get that I'm English but other English people often think I'm foreign or at least not a Londoner.

8. I have a fear of going underwater so am not a very strong swimmer.

9. I don't ever want children. I don't like them much and have a phobia of pregnancy. 

10. I absolutely love dancing. I'd like to take classes but I'm too shy.

11. I have a sort-of fear of rubbing flour and butter together.

12. I took German for GCSE instead of French. I can't really speak it at all anymore but I can sometimes translate it to English (I did this for Claire with Herr Lipp in the League of Gentlemen).

13. I collect Mickey Mouse ears and have about 30 pairs.

14. I have a lot of Monster High dolls and mini LaLaLoopsy's.

15. I really like watching bad bad films. Some favourites are Grease 2 (one of my favourite films!), Blood Feast 2, Absolute Beginners, Can't Stop the Music (the village people musical) and The Room.

16. The first gig I went to was part of Blur's Parklife tour when I was about 6.

17. I have a small heart shaped birthmark at the top of my left boob.

18. I have a yo-yo weight problem. I've been as small as a 14 on top 12 on bottom and as big as a 22/20 and everywhere in between.  

19. When I was a small child I wanted to be a lady Farmer like Sophie from the Dick King Smith books. 

20. I mush prefer drinking through a straw than the alternative.

21. I do practically all the cooking in my house.

22. I've been a vegetarian since I was about 8.

23. I'm attracted to skinny and slightly chubby men, I really don't like muscles. 

24. I spend a lot of time making up band names.

25. I have inexplicably managed to become friends with members of 2 of my favourite bands. Now I need to do the same with Ron and Russell Mael!

26. I'm in a band with one of them except we have only come up with our name.

27. When I was little I had a speech impediment that I just grew out of. I couldn't say 'k' sounds so 'duck and snake' became 'dut and snate' or 'l' sounds so 'Lillian' came out like 'Yeeyan'. And I had a lisp.

28. I really like computer games. Some of my favourites are Shadow of the Colossus, Final Fantasy 9, The Sims, Just Dance, Skyrim, Arkham Asylum and various marios, sonics and Zeldas. 

29. I'm a huge Harry Potter fan.

30. My favourite artists include Peter Blake, Manet, Degas, Dr Seuss, Liselotte Eriksson and David Hockney. 

31. I can quote practically the whole of Labyrinth off by heart.

32. I have a small gap between my top front teeth. It used to be a lot bigger and I feel sad now it's so small.

33. My family basically never call me 'Lillian'. It's always 'Squill' or 'Squilly' or similar. 

34. I'm a very fussy eater. I mainly like Italian food and sweets.

35. I don't drink tea or coffee and rarely have fizzy drinks.

36. Possibly a result of this is that I'm a caffeine light weight. If I have a glass of Coke I won't be able to sleep for hours and hours.

37.  I can kick 5 feet in the air. I know this from practicing kicking the top of Claire's head.

38. I have severe social anxiety and depression and also general anxiety and agoraphobia.

39. I don't like being in the dark but find it much better if I close my eyes.

40. I am a huge cry-baby. Everything makes me cry. I even cry when I am really angry which makes arguments awful as people think I'm doing it on purpose.

41. I really like the idea of getting married and having a lovely wedding but I think I'd be too shy and anxious to walk and say my vows in front of people.

42. My Mum and Dad split up when I was a kid but never got divorced because they couldn't be bothered.

43. I have an extreme hatred for spirit mediums such as Colin Fry.

44. I have an obsession with David Bowie. I like doing an impression of him. At one point in my mind he was in the Bratz film.

45. I love Batman but wasn't keen on the Christopher Nolan films (Dark Knight was OK because Heath Ledger was amazing). I love the Tim Burton films, the animated series and The Brave and the Bold best and read the graphic novels but can't get into the actual comic books.

46. I am allergic to pineapple, Kiwi fruit and some sweet ingredient which is in Pear drops and green Jolly Ranchers. If I eat any of them I have breathing difficulties.

47.  As a child John Shuttleworth once threw me a chocolate bar as he feared I had missed my tea because I was watching his show.

48. I've never watched a James Bond film. I plan to see some soon though.

49. I met a Possum while on holiday in Florida and I'm sure he smiled at me.

50. I was dropped on my head just hours after I was born. Luckilly it was only onto a bed.

 

Where's my medieval knight?

Tag Tag Tag Tag

My Mum has fully recovered from her operation, the huge deluge of Birthdays in my family that hits the late march/early april is over and a very stressful meeting to do with my social anxiety has passed.  Ahhh I can relax! So I'm hopping back up on the blogging horse and hope to be posting more regularly from now on. I actually have a proper review coming up! (Hopefully tomorrow, I just need to take some swatch shots when the light is nice).

To ease me back in I thought I'd do a tag post because I find them really fun to write. I stole this from Jansara's amazing, fantastic blog. I ain't tagging anyone because I wasn't properly tagged myself, so just do this if you wanna! 

1. What Sparked your interest in Makeup and what made you decide to start blogging? 

I honestly can't remember what originally drew me to makeup, I just remember being about 8 or 9 and raiding my Mum's makeup stash for lipstick and eyeshadow. I have a vivid memory of jumping up and down on her bed listening to David Bowie, having just slathered my mouth in bright red lipstick and lots of black eyeliner. My guess is that my sister Lydia inspired me to play with it, she was 5 years older than me and had a sort of Britpop/indie/goth look going on (lots of eyeliner, burgundy lipstick, bindis etc) and I idolised and loved her. The first time I can remember going out in public in makeup was to a Christmas school disco. My friend Xenia and I bought some makeup together from Miss Selfridge (who used to have AWESOME makeup!) and wore matching faces with one eye in electric blue mascara and the other in bright green with bright orange lips (I still own that lipstick!). 

(Lydia and I circa 1998ish)

As for when I started blogging,  again I can't really remember. I started in 2009 just after I'd finished my art degree and think I was quite depressed. I didn't get the results I was hoping for and felt disappointed with myself and let down by my Tutor and I just didn't feel like painting much at that time. But I still needed an outlet for my creativity so wanted to start writing some sort of blog. Since starting to wear makeup I've always been creative with my looks (i.e. not particularly good at it) and loved buying and playing with it so thought it would be a good thing to concentrate on.

2. If you could only use one monochromatic set of colors of eyeshadow what would it be? I.e. only shades of blue.

Probably pink as it's my favourite colour and looks nice with my blue eyes. 

3. Do you prefer playing with eyeshadow, lipstick or nail polish?

Lipstick.  I just looove lipstick. 

4.  What do you want to be "when you grow up"? 

An artist or illustrator.  

(Painting by me)

5. Favorite band/musician?

Sparks they're just the greatest band ever. I could go on for hours about why I love them (drop me an email if you're interested in hearing my babble! :P) but basically this is why:

I also love David Devant and his Spirit Wife, ABC, David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Kate Bush, Pet Shop Boys,  Aqua, Abba, Adam and the Ants, the Smiths and Morrissey, Rammstein, The Beatles, Art Brut, Bruce Springsteen, The Divine Comedy, Pulp, Oingo Boingo and many many many more!

 6. Favorite guilty pleasure?

Watching bad bad bad tv (Toddlers and Tiaras, Eastenders, Neighbours, Judge Judy etc). Also chocolate.

7. How do you like to spend your days (you know after you've played with makeup xD)

I paint/draw/sculpt etc, look after the animals, tidy the house, cook,  listen to music, watch TV and at the moment I'm making my own makeup!

8. Do you have any pets? If so, names and pictures! 

The only pet in the house that is actually mine is Sir Digby Chicken Caesar, my miniature Daschund

but I also look after and love my Mum's dog Minnie, Claire's dog Perry, my sisters 3 ferrets Yetta, Rikku and Feargal, Mum's guinea pig Portia and the communal cats Mr Darcy and Weevil. You're not having photos of all of them because it would take too long!

9. Do you prefer indie companies or cooperate companies to buy your makeup from?

If you'd asked me this 6 months ago I definately would have said indie companies but since then I've been stung by a lot of them and tend to prefer big companies in general. There are of course exceptions and I still love the whole indie makeup thing! In my opinion a good company is a good company regardless of size.

10.  The most rewarding thing about blogging for you?

Just interacting with other people, sharing opinions, inspiring each other and just talking to people I wouldn't have met had it not been for the beauty blogging world.

11.  Who inspired you?

Mizzworthy, Phyrra and Pixiwoo were the main people I looked at when I started blogging. 

Fun fun fun!

A,B,C,'s of me-tag

I've seen this doing the rounds, no-one tagged me specifically but I've seen a few 'I Tag Everyone' posts, and I love surveys like this so I thought I'd do it. I'm insanely tired with a sore neck so it's not like I'm up to a proper post anyway! Sorry i haven't replied to comments in a while, I've been busy and then today I'm too sleepy to make any proper sense :P

A. Age: 23

B. Bed size: I think it's a double. It seems a little smaller than normal doubles, but it's very old (possibly antique) so maybe they were smaller in the olden days.I sleep on my own though so I've got plenty of room :)

C. Chore you hate: Washing up, emptying the bin, cleaning the hob and fridge, basically anything where I have to touch bits of old food.

D. Day: It's Sunday.

E. Essential start to your day: Cleaning my teeth.

F. Favourite colour: Light pink (the shade of the pink snooker ball). I also like bright red, green and silver.

G. Gold or Silver: Silver. I'm getting more fond of gold than I used to be though.

H. Height: About 5 foot 8 or 9, I'm not sure.

I. Instruments: I used to play the bass and regular guitar, I can play the ukulele and melodica a little. I'd love to be able to play the theramin.

J. Job title: Unemployable artist/illustrator.

K. Kids: No. No no no never. No.

L. Live: London, I've always lived here.

M. Mum’s name: Linda, but she prefers to be called Lou.

N. Nicknames: Ooshie, Cookie, Squill, Squilly, Squillina, Squillicent and so on and my Mum calls me Funny Face.

O. Overnight hospital stays: None luckilly.

P. Pet peeve: People who don't get back to you! It's just bad manners.

Q. Quote from a movie: The Queen promised to ream us with twenty inch cattle prods, and I'm still waiting!

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: Two older sisters.

T. Time you wake up: About 10 - 11 in the morning.

U. Underwear: I'm in my pyjamas, I'm always sleep in my bra but I've got no knickers on. Usually I wear proper knickers, I only like pretty ones. Sometimes I wear girdles or shapewear.

V. Vegetables you dislike: I loathe and despise Mushrooms (do funghi count as a vegetable?) and I've only tried Okra once so it might have been the way it was cooked, but it was absolutely disgusting. I also dislike cabbage, sprouts, parsnips, sweet potato, and lots of others!  I only like broccoli raw and I hate raw tomatos. I don't hate peppers but I'm allergic to them.

W. What makes you run late: I'm always losing essential things like my shoes and keys.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth and my chest when I was very small.

Y. Yummy food you make: I make very good tomato and vegetarian bolognese pasta sauces and vegetarian lasagne (the secret is to make a cheese sauce instead of a plain white sauce) and I can make souffle with no problems.. I like baking too and make tasty cakes.

Z. Zoo: I haven't been to the zoo in years. There's a lovely one up in the North called Southlakes Wild Animal park where they keep the animals really well and keep their behavious as natural as possible. 

I tage anyone who wants to do it :)

Three Things Survey

Three names I go by:
1. Squilly (or Squill, Squillina, Squillicent, etc.)
2. Cookie
3. Ooshie

Three jobs I have had:
1. artist
2. illustrator
3. admin and payroll duties at my brother in laws tree surgery business.

Three places I have lived:
1. Wimbledon Park
2. Merton Park
3.  somewhere else in wimbledon

Three favorite drinks:
1. Chocolate milkshake
2. Passionfruit juice

3. Strawberry ribena

Three TV shows I watch:
1. Mad Men
2. Eastenders
3. Neighbours

Three places I have been:
1. The USA
2. Italy
3. Ireland

Three places I would like to visit:
1. Japan
2. More places in the US
3. Sweden

Three people who text me regularly:
I don't have a phone at the moment. When i did i would mainly get texts from my Mum, Claire and my best friend Xenia.

Three favorite old TV shows:
1. The Ren and Stimpy Show
2. Knightmare
3. Friends

Three favorite dishes:
1. My vegetarian lasagne
2. Tomato pasta
3. Margherita pizza

Three makeup/beauty products I cannot live without:
1. Red lipstick
2. Black mascara
3.  black eyeliner

Three things I'm looking forward to:
1.  Dinner! (I'm SO Hungry D:)

2.  My Morgana Minerals order arriving

3. Going dancing (dont know when this will happen though)

Again i'm tagging anyone who hasn't done this and wants to :)

40 skincare and beauty questions

No looks or reviews today as i decided that i had to finally get around to washing my brushes. I'm terrible at it, i put it off and put it off but my brushes were just too grungey to use now and i just wasn't happy using my fingers to apply my slap. I actually rather like the process of cleaning my brushes (i like seeing all the grime coming out and turning the water icky murky colours), but just can never be bothered to do it. So today i finally got around to it (my palm is a little sore from swirling brushes on it :P) and then decided to do some more organisation and have got my makeup all sorted into my new storage system (will show you photos soon if anyone is interested :) ) and now i feel all at peach XD

So today i'm going to be getting on some tags and awards that i've been saving on my computer for when i got a minute. I only have 3 Illamasqua reviews left to do before i'll have reviewed every product i own so Illamasqua Week will definately be over by the end of his week :)

I'm a bit fed up because i bought a beautiful playsuit from Topshop and it arrived today and doesn't fit. Not because it's too small or big but because i am too tall for it :( Still i reckon if i find some similar fabric i can just make a cheaper version at home. And now i'll have £45 to fritter away on nail polish and lipstick save responsibly.

Now let's do a tag or 2! 

How many times do you wash your face daily?

...daily? uhhh.... i wash my face once a day if i've been wearing full face makeup, but much less if i haven't.

What skin type do you have?

Dry and possibly sensitive (i'm not sure what sensitive skin means. I don't break out often at all but my face seems very sensitive to certain things and will sting and hurt)

What is your current facial wash?

Soap and Glory Clean Mary. It's pretty good.

Do you exfoliate?

Yes, about twice a week.

What brand do you use?

Currently Soap and Glory The Greatest scrub of all. Again it's good

What moisturizer do you use?

I'm currently using Avon 24hr moisture in the morning, Skin MD shielding lotion throughout the day and Avon Winter night cream when i go to bed.

Do you have freckles?

Some but they're quite light. I have darker ones on my shoulders. I really like freckles.

Do you use eye cream?

I usually forget it, but i have an avon brightening eye cream which i use very occaisionally if i remember.

Do you or did you have acne prone skin?

Not really, when i went through puberty i had more spots than now of course, but still they were quite rare.

Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?

Uhh i don't even know what that is. 

Make-Up

What foundation do you use?

I don't usually wear it, but when i do i use either Nyx liquid foundation in LM01 pale or Dainty doll mousse foundation in Ivory. I have also just started using a Cargo one i won in a blog sale which is working quite well, and i just picked up a new one by Gosh which i think might be the best match for me yet :)

How about concealer?

I have ELF Studio line concealer and highlighter (i don't usually use the highlighter), Dainty Doll concealer in Fair and Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch in Naked.

Do you know your undertone colour?

I'm pretty certain it's pink, my skin is basically pink.

What do you think of false eyelashes?

I really like them and the look, but i'm usually too lazy to faff around putting them on. I'm ok at applying them but just hate getting the corners to stick to my eyes.

Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?

I do know, but i do not do it.

What brand of mascara do you use?

I have a lot of mascaras waiting to be used, but at the moment i'm using my holy grail which is Lancome Oscillation and sometimes Too Faced Lash Injection which i don't like much.

Sephora or MAC?

Well it would be Sephora if i could get there! :(

Do you have a MAC pro-card?

No, but i've bought pro stuff before because there's a shop near me.

What make-up tools do you use in make up application?

Illamasqua and ELF Studio brushes, some other super old brushes, a Lancome lip brush, powder puffs and my fingers.

Do you use make up base/primer for the eyes?

I try to but sometimes just forget.

For the face?

No, because i rarely wear foundation and when i do i always forget to put on my primer, i must try!

What is your favourite eyeshadow (colour or shade)?

Ugh too many! Ok i like neon brights of any shade, any shade of pink and neutrals with a duochrome or glitter or something to make them more interesting.

Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?

I generally wear liquid eyeliner (apart from my waterline which is always done with pencil) but i also use pencil at some times.

How often do you poke your eyes with a pencil eyeliner?

I don't think i've done that, i have poked myself in the eye with mascara many a time though.

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?

I really like them but do not like the fall out. But then pressed shadows have fall out too.

Do you use mineral make-up?

I have some Indie makeup with minerals, Aromaleigh shadows and blushes and Morgana Minerals lipstick.

What is your favourite lipstick?

Oh god this cannot be answered! The one i wear the most is Mac Kanga Rouge though.

How about lipgloss?

Illamasqua Intense lipgloss but i can't choose a colour!

What is your favourite blush to use?

Currently Illamasqua Nymph

Do you buy your makeup on Ebay?

Occaisionally.

Do you like drugstore makeup?

Yes i do, i like high end too but i find lots of drugstore brands are just as good as the high end.

Do you go to CCO's (cosmetic company outlets)?

No because i don't know of any near me.

Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?

No, i love doing makeup on myself but never considered a career in it.

Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?

I'm pretty good except for matching the wings of my eyeliner, they always turn out wonky.

Name a makeup crime that you hate

I really don't hate any makeup looks or think of any makeup as a 'crime'. I like that people wear what they want to wear and see makeup as a kind of self-expression so it would be horrible to mock other peoples techniques or choices. But there are some things i don't like on myself, particularly nude lips, which i think looks awful on me, long nails and a dewy look.

Do you like colourful shades of makeup (lipstick, eyeshadow) or neutral ones?

I only like colourful lipsticks as, like i've said, nude lips look bad on me, but with eyeshadows i like both. Bright colours are great fun, but i also like neutrals to go for a vintage 50s look paired with lots of black eyeliner.

Which celebrity always has great make up?

Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, Klaus Nomi

If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item, what would you use?

Red lipstick.

Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?

Yes, i do when i just go walk the dogs or something, i don't feel attractive though.

Do you think you look good without any make up on?

No, i look a lot worse and a lot less feminine.

In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?

I couldn't say, they all have different qualities and pros and cons.

What do you think of make up?

It's fun and often makes women feel better and more confident, it can be used for artistic expression, to enhance your features or just to play and have fun.

I tag anyone who hasn't done this yet :)

What i'm using now

This has been doing the rounds for a long time, but i've never done it and i felt like completing a survey.


Shampoo: I live with my Mother, who hoards things. She has a stash of shampoo that i doubt will ever run-out, so basically i just grab anything and use it up. At the moment it's a L'oreal frizz-serum thing, but i certainly wouldn't choose to use it. It's fine, but i don't like using anything tested on animals (my mum bought it not knowing they did, and i figure it would be more of a waste to just leave it) and it's nothing special anyway. When i buy my own (which happens very rarely) i like Original Source White pear and avacado.

Conditioner: Same as above.

Styling products: I only really use hairspray, at the moment it's a small can of silvikrin i got free in a goody bag. I need to get myself a good heat-protection spray but just never get round to it.

Shower Gel: Ah, i can actually answer this one! I use Miso Pretty Cassis shower gel. It's supposed to smell of blackcurrants and kelp, but to me it smells like rhubarb. whick i love.

Body moisturiser: I have a few i alternate between. Recently i've been using primarks 'i <3 fruit' body butter in lime and... something, but it smells like sherbet! I also have a big bottle of avon body firming moisturiser.

Deodorant: Sure crystal dry. It does it's job alright.

Fake Tan: I don't use it.

Cleanser: At the moment i'm using Neutrogena's wave the most. I really like it, but because you have to dunk it in water and then hold it to your face you do get horrible cold water dribbling down your chin :/

Exfoliator: For my body one from Ikea family. For my face Soap and Glory's the scrub of your life.

Primer: I don't use it very often, but when i do i use Avon Magix

Foundation brush: I have 2, a QVS one and a ELF one, but i never use either as the only foundation i have can't be used with a brush. I use my fingers.

Concealer: Collection 2000 illuminating touch or Dainty Doll concealer in Fair.

Powder: Illamasqua loose powder in LF005 or Avon Personal Match Mineral Powder in Ivory.

Blusher: Depends, but at the moment i'm favouring Illamasqua powder blush in Nymph.

Bronzer: I don't own any!

Highlighter: Illamasqua illuminator in Odyssey.

Eyeshadow base: I don't have one actually :( Sometimes i wear my girlfriends Too Faced Shadow Insurance, or else i just put concealer on my eyelids.

Eyeshadows: Recently i've been using a lot of Mac Vex and Gesso, ELF eye transformer and various TKB trading micas.

Eyeliner: If i want plain black i use Rimmel Glam eyes eyeliner, but recently i've been wearing Sleek glitter eyeliner in pink.

Curler: A Mister Mascara, when I remember to use it!

Mascara: Currently Sleek manitude double ended.

Lipstick: Oh goodness, there's far too many! But at the moment my favourite red is: Mac Kanga-Rouge, favourite pink is: Revlon Show Orchid, favourite orange is Barry M 117, favourite purple is Mac Violetta, favourite Berry is Mac Night Violet.

Lipgloss: Illamasqua intense lipgloss in Indulge or Mac Dazzleglass in Funtabulous.

Nail Colour: french manicures but with bright bright colours. And i usually use Barry M nail varnish.

And that's it :)