Happiness Is a Choice

Okay, firstly I'm gonna start by saying that this post does not apply to people who have depression. For some people being happy really is a struggle, and depression is not just a state of mind but also can be a mental illness. Now and then some people do just mope around and feel a little sorry for themselves- but someone who has depression is not just someone you can pull out of their house to go see a cheesy movie, eat some sugary foods and cheer up in a couple of hours. Sometimes it's a struggle, and people need help and support and time and medical care, and that is something fundamental we all need to understand and appreciate in this day and age.

BUT

Then there are those of us who do not suffer from any such illness.
Lately in life there's been a lot of confusion, a lot of fighting and a lot of negativity around. It's easy for every little things to start building up, and suddenly without you realizing you have a mountain of problems. Things in your house stop working, random expenses, fighting with your friends, self confidence issues- it's something that everyone goes through.
Lately all those little things have been really overwhelming, and negative thoughts have been consuming every part of my day and making it really hard to focus and appreciate things in daily life that would usually make me smile. It weighs me down and makes me feel worse and worse, to the point I'm so frustrated I want to just stay in bed, not deal with my problems, or cry or just blame someone else... we all do it.

But today I came to the realization that happiness is a choice.
How? Well, the honest and cheesy answer is 80's movies. Truth. One morning last weekend after a mountain of homework and feeling tired, and fat, and ugly and upset about my workload from school, and worried about relationships with friends, and worries I was boring my boyfriend and pissing off my family- I found a movie: Steel Magnolias.
I watched that movie for the first time since I was 13 and cried, as always, like a baby at the end. (If you watch that movie and you're not an emotional wreck by the end of that movie, you must have nerves of steel.) People often get caught up in their lives, their little problems and cliques and families and friends- and the baggage and issues that come with it. Steel Magnolias puts things into perspective for me, I know it's old and cheesy and cute, and I am fully aware it's fictional- but watching it through by yourself on a Sunday where everything feels blue, it all feels very real- and it makes quite the impact.
I recommend that every person should watch that movie at least once in their lives, and to let themselves cry and think about it and feel for the characters- it's good for human beings to feel something sometimes. Julia Roberts, Sally Field and Dolly Parton are perfection in the movie- and if you like a good 80s movie, it's perfection.

The main thing abut happiness that I took away from the movie?
Life's too short. It's an overused and cliche line, but it's the truest thing I ever heard. Life is too short to obsess over the little things. It's too damn short to flip through those glossy magazines looking at women who spend 50% of their time with their personal trainers, 20% with their stylists and 10% with their fabulous husbands and 20% at red carpet events and photo shoots. There is MORE TO LIFE THAN BEING A SIZE 2. And you as a person deserve to live a little.
There is also more to life than obsessing over that one little thing your friend said to you that bothered you so much. You cannot waste time just hurting and feeling sorry for yourself when you could be sorting it out, talking to your friend and fixing what's broken.
It's too short to worry and over think every decision you make in your life. Some people in life will live life, others will just worry their way through it.

Be happy!
Love your family, care about your friends, be crazy and weird, wear those too bright shoes, but do it all and look out on things positively. Positivity changes your whole life, your whole outlook.
It'll reduce your wrinkles, make your skin better, help you live longer- it is your choice to seize the day, love life, do something that you love!

You can just sit there and mope around and be sad and depressed- okay sometimes we need that, self pity and high calorie foods and crying. But after a while, you need to pick yourself up, wash your face, have a shower, sing a song really loud, and go do something with your day! You are the only person who can choose to be happy, because that's what happiness is- a choice. So choose it.

Winter Skin Worries

Summer is coming to an end, the bronzers, fake tans and bikinis are being hidden away again and the cool weather is coming!
If you're anything like me the cold weather means my skin will decide to play up and fuss. It's understandable, it comes as a nasty shock to many when the cold weather comes around. But never fear, this is my cold weather products for skin!

1. Washes and Cleansers!

Okay, so teenage years are infamous for being the ones spent desperately trying to sort out various issues with appearance, one that affects us the most? Your skin. The only way I've been able to battle my skin over the last couple of years has been trying a variety of different face washes and finding ones that work for me. My skin is fairly average, although it gets oily around my nose and T zone in the summer, and dries right out in the cold weather! (Basically my skin just hates me...)

So, I use Neutrogena's Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit wash for my everyday in the morning. I had to try it because I used Neutrogena's regular orange coloured wash- and this one was pink. Pink. What can a girl do?!

I love this product because if your skin is feeling oily, not fresh and just a little bit meh, it's really great for getting rid of that without drying out your skin completely! I always find any facewash with microbeads in it make my skin finish up feeling really clean and scrubbed and soft afterwards, and this was no exception. The product smells great, looks very cute but most importantly works for me! The only thing I would say is I wouldn't use this product more than once a day on myself, simply because my skin would dry out so quickly! For removing impurities this product is my number one sking product, but I would say that the product claims to sort out your blemishes... it may do an extent but I havent found it to fix my blemishes completely! *Sigh*...
To conclude: great smelling, leaves my face feeling super soft, clears impurities super well, and doesn't dry out my skin! It's only about £3.00 at Boots, and such a bargain!

2. Moisturisers

This moisturiser was the easiest thing to pick, and yes- I am going to gush about it.
My mum has always been a great believer in the goodness of The Body Shop. I grew up on fruity soaps, sweet perfumes and am the proud owner of every lip balm flavour The Body Shop can offer. My mum left me the Vitamin E Moisture Lotion as a little pre exams present (because she knew I was stressed, and my skin was also in a sad state, and just also because my mum is a wonderful lady...) so I had no hype or expectation for it to be fabulous.

I fell in love with this moisturiser straight away. Why?
Well firstly, it smells subtly wonderful. The scent isn't super strong and overpowering, just slightly sweet and fresh enough for you to just appreciate it and think "ahh".
Secondly- it's light. Now i'm usually useless with moisturising- I hate it. It's tedious and boring and I forget to do it. Due to this product I now remember and (this will sound really very sad) look forward to using this product. It's very very light and has a kind of "whipped" quality to it, so it doesn't sit on your skin for hours and make it look oil.
Thirdly, you only need a tiny bit of the product and it goes a long way- I've had mine since April and it's still going strong with me now, and I use it every day! I absolutely love it, and even though it looks like a very small tube for a £7 product- it's 100% worth it.

Now I keep skin simple and with washes and moisturisers, so part 3 would be my regular foundation/ tinted moisturiser/ BB cream things- and as those change so regularly I won't put all the ones I use on here!
So that's it really, if your skin is getting a bit boring and sad, and just generally neglected- these are my little skin pick me ups for when the weather gets grey and you skin needs a little happiness!

If you have any suggestions about any  reasonably priced foundations that are good for every day please leave me any comments, or if you have anything to ask/ say about the products above I would love to see it so let me know!
That's all from me,
Love Matti X

Sweater Weather, Better Weather!

SO. Finally, it's happening- sweater weather has arrived!

Disclosure: living in England do not think that I don't treasure and wish for and love every tiny second of sunshine that we've had this summer, don't think that I don't totally and completely appreciate every ounce of vitamins and goodness from the sky, and the heat and the fluffy white clouds and days at the beach and generally soaking up those rays... I do. Trust me, I appreciate every bit of them.

But... it has been a long summer, and it began getting to the point a few days ago, where the mugginess was setting in. Where we were all packed off back to school and shoved into stuffy classrooms and overcrowded buses with the all too familiar and pungent odour of teenage boys after PE classes, and girls spraying an entire ozone layer of body spray. It was sticky and uncomfortable and no one was prepared. School

buildings in the UK aren't built for Indian summers, school uniforms are designed for the bitterly cold winter months, for icy winds and snow and sharp little droplets of rain. So needless to say everyone has been melting for about 4 days now. And for those who, like me, are lucky enough to be in a sixth form that allows home clothes, have nothing to wear. Because we all thought we were being incredibly sensible in shopping Autumn/ Winter for our back to school kit. Little did we know the weather had other plans...

But then- Plot Twist: I woke up this morning tucked right into the covers of my bed, not wanting to stretch out my limbs too far... and why? Because it was too cold. And in some insane way this pleased me. Why?

Because in my personal and humble opinion, sweater weather is better weather.

This first crispy fresh Autumn day is my favourite kind of day. Sweaters and leggings and boots and scarves are all things I love. Hot chocolates on cool Sunday's and walks all wrapped up in the crisp September air- what's not too love? Don't get me wrong, the summer was fabulous- bikini's,shorts, summer dresses and cute little tops is a season I love. But as much as I love soaking in the sun, I can't deny it- being tucked up in a baggy jumper or my favourite jumper of chunky scarf has been all I've wanted for the last week.

So bring on the cool days, the warm clothes and the hot chocolates!