International Women's Day

Today, March 8th, marks a special day for me. Not only is it my best friend, Holly's birthday, but also international women's day. It is SO important, to celebrate and acknowledge women- our struggles for equality, from discrimination (which we still face now), politics and patriarchy. One of the things which FRUSTRATE me is the assumption that feminists hate men. No. You don't have to be a woman to be a feminist- you can be a male, female- anybody- to support the equality of women.

It is often I see/hear the annoying phrase of women 'belonging in the kitchen'. It is surprising to me that I still hear this- we are in 2017, not the 1950s. I am proud to be surrounded by a society where women are respected, women have unions, we are able to voice how we feel without being suppressed by a man. We are all born the same, regardless of gender, none should be considered less inferior. We, however, still have a duty as a society to help other countries where discrimination is worse and to also help improve and fight for equality until it completely disappears. This can also be seen with education- males being educated whilst women are expected to stay in their domestic role. No wonder some feel threatened when a woman earns more money than them.

As a female, I fight and help educate the misinformed on gender equality. Our mothers raised us to become queens, do things for OURSELVES, not just for the man. My mother- my inspiration- has taught me the hardships of being a woman. As a breadwinner herself, I respect my mother's ambition, work ethic and motivation to do well for herself and the family. My father, on the other hand, works too but earns less. There is no problem with that. I am so proud and inspired to do better for myself and not limit myself or my dreams because of my gender. Even her not changing her surname, during the period where it was conventional to take a man's surname, made her my role model. Not that it is seen as a problem if you do take a man's name, but it depends on your reason behind it. If you justify this by 'because its traditional', 'a man defines me', then you should rethink. This is something I feel SO passionate about. We have a collective duty to educate our future generation- our daughters and sons on the importance woman play.

I would like to say those who have inspired me (alongside my mother):

Holly Thompson- My dearest friend, has taught me how to be genuine, kind and passionate. Her work ethic seriously motivates me to be a better person. Since I've met her, I was deep down a vulnerable and lost myself but I found meeting her made me feel so confident and proud of what I wear and how I act.

Lulu- One of my oldest friends who I consider like my sister. Her brutal honesty has made me a stronger person. I am incredibly honest and often brutal, but I also combine this with doing what is best for others. Her open-mindedness is like a breath of fresh air. I am so thankful for her friendship and without her, I wouldn't be the person I am today.

Haroon's mother- I have, over the past 2 years, have gotten to know my boyfriend's mum quite well. Her handwork never goes unheard of, I have the utter most respect for her, I consider her like my second mother. When you speak to her, she is so caring, endearing and an all round fabulous woman. She probably doesn't know it, but she motivates me to be an independent woman, who doesn't depend on any man. Kudos to her!

My sister- Between myself and my sister, she has been known for being the outspoken, loud sister, whilst I was a quiet, shy girl. She is politically aware and woke of issues surrounding today's society and can tear down anyone in an argument. I certainly think that as I grow as a person, I see myself being able to speak out on issues that I would be usually be scared to speak out to.

                                                                  Thank you.

JANUARY FAVES!

Good afternoon and a happy Sunday to you all! How are you all? January has REALLY dragged for me and I just kinda wanted the month to end in all honesty, haha. Since January has now (finally) finished, I thought I would share my jan faves with you all. 

First things first, LIZ EARLE. I have heard SO many bloggers and friends rave about this skincare brand. The thing is, I was introduced to Liz Earle by my boyfriend's mother, who gave me the Instant Boost Skin Tonic. Oh. my. gosh. I never turned back after that experience. My skin absolutely LOVES this stuff and is suitable for sensitive skin (like mine, which is impossible to find a good product which won't break you out). My boyfriend later brought me this set for my birthday (love him)! and I was shown how to put this products on properly by one of their lovely staff. Thank you, Rachel (i think)! In this set, you also receive two muslin cloths which really help exfoliate your skin and i have seen such great results with my skin! *thank you god*.

The Cleanse & Polish is applied first to start your skincare routine off. I like to combine a pinch of water with this and it makes your skin feel really smooth, then take off with a muslin cloth. This also helps take off makeup and you can apply this product to a dry face, so you don't have to wet your face before. Amazing, right? 

Secondly, the skin tonic. This is personally my fave, not just in January but since I ever first received this (last year). I personally think God sent this to me because I am now HOOKED on Liz Earle. You use this product with a cotton pad and you honestly don't need much. You just wipe off all the dirt and excess from your face and you would be shocked as to how much dirt is actually on your face-yuck. This makes your skin feel sooooo fresh, I can not even deal. 

Last but not least, the moisturiser which smells heavenly and ensures you are ready to either start the day off or to end the day. I apologise for this little Liz Earle passionate speech I just gave, but I am hooked on Liz Earle, it honestly deserves the credit given to her. This set was £45, including a Liz Earle exfoliator (which is fab too, but this post will be way too long if I carry on). I am all for natural products! 

For Christmas, I received this cute jewellery plate with the letter 'E' from my cousin, and I have been putting little hairbands, rings, necklaces on it and i just think it glams up the room a little. I had actually spotted this in Marks & Spencers for £6, but I didn't actually want to buy it myself, hoping somebody would for me. 

Also, lets talk about this NYX Baked Blush. Okay, I haven't seen much rave about it and to be very honest, the blush colour is a little scary, but when applied its more shimmery than anything. It's subtle and a little goes a very long way. It's not sensational, but I find that it does add a good colour to my cheeks. I also recently purchased the NYX lingerie in Satin Ribbon, a nice nude colour. Initially when I applied this to my lips (when there were no testers so I had to risk buying it), I HATED IT. It made my lips look white and I honestly wish I never brought it. It made my lips look SO dry, you can see the skin and it was not a good look. However, I actually grew to like it, but not by itself. I use my Bourjois Paris in Praline lipstick (my ultimate nude), you can see my rave about that here and it makes a great nude colour! LOVE. What I will be critical about is make sure you moisturise your lips and bring it with you if you're going out because it isn't very long lasting on the lips, and we all know dry lips ain't cool! 

The Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel is HEAVENLY. It smells, obviously, like papaya and makes your skin feel so refreshed and ready for the day. You place this on your skin and leave for 10-15 mins then wash off with lukewarm water. Sometimes, i get lazy because of the wait, so I always use this when I feel relaxed and want to treat myself. Sometimes you need a bit of 'me time', you know? This was actually a present from my boyfriend's mum (I think she was hinting that i need to fix-up on my skin), haha. 

On the top of the picture above is an Origins facial cleansing brush. Oh. my. gosh. This, used with a cleanser, (i like to use the Origins checks and balances) and it makes your skin feel so flipping' good! You honestly feel productive using great skincare, and in return, your skin thanks you for treating it so well. 

Lastly, the Benefit products. They are amazing! The High Beam highlighter is the shiz. It gives you the perfect glow, but it isn't too 'in your face' highlight. It comes looking like a nail-varnish applicator but I find this great in choosing how much you want to apply to your cheekbones. Amazed. 

Secondly, the Benefit 'they're Real!' mascara. Hm, I mean this mascara is life-changing for me in the sense that I have never seen my lashes look that long in ages. It is great in volume, but can also create this 'spider lash' effect, which some people don't like. I personally don't mind, but obviously, not an excessive amount. The problem I have with this mascara, is taking it off. It is SO hard to actually remove all of it. You will assume all is gone but you will wake up in the morning with panda eyes. The thing is, you can not use a basic drugstore make up remover for this, I like to use my Lancome Bi Facil make up remover, which does a great job. Also, I have heard and have seen often, a few eyelashes fall out when using this mascara, thus I occasionally put this mascara on. Be warned if you are planning to buy! 

The next two is the Benefit Dandelion blusher which I find to be quite light, subtle and great if you want a natural look and the Benefit Hoola, which gives you a great bronzed, tan, golden look. This would be great in the summer, more than the winter. It also makes me wish it was Summer again, am i the only one? 

I hope you enjoy this post, happy sunday and have a great week! 

Big love, 

Elaine Chu 

feeling stressed

I guess I have been feeling this way for a while and I'm not really sure how to describe it. I think everybody goes through this horrible phase of just feeling quite empty? I don't know what it specifically is if i'm truthful, but it makes me stressed that i am stressed or empty that i feel empty? Moods turn into horrible tantrums and tears and you feel like everybody is moving on and you're stuck in the same place. I need to feel a little bit more stressed or shall I say, now relieved, like Barack Obama? 

A lot has happened in 2016 and even now, politics in 2017 isn't looking bright. I mean, what the hell is going on in America? We should all unite against division. I apologise that this is the first post of the new year which happens to be a negative one. I guess this is the reality, we can not all live bright days and everyone has a blue day. I have been trying to calm down, looking forward to cleansing and washing my face, being in pyjamas and just having some me time (the little things we take for granted), which is one of my new years resolutions. You can see that post here. I am starting to love walks and using this blog as a place to relieve my stress. I also want to get back into reading. There is so much going on, I apologise if this post is not clear or positive, but I promise I'm on my way to positivity. I guess this is what people would call a slump, huh?

I hope everyone is having a lovely day, I think I am going to start putting on some makeup- does anyone else need makeup to help you start the day off? Oh, I will go through all of my clothes ( i have waaaay too many) and give it to charity and throw away my ratty-holed tights which are a disgrace to humanity. Please forgive me. 

One day I will be as happy as Obama, but for now, it is a journey to positivity.