Lip Service: Minimalism and Pink Converse

So I was watching through some content on YouTube as I do on an almost obsessive basis, and I happened across Matt D'Avella, eventually finding my way to this video here:

Something about this video struck me. This idea that is perpetuated in elitist minimalist circles that you can't be part of their super exclusive club if you don't conform to strict ideals of what it means to be a minimalist.

You cant be a minimalist if you're a bookworm. 
You cant be a minimalist if you're a CEO. 
You cant be a minimalist if you're a beauty blogger. 
You cant be a minimalist if you're...

Heres the thing. I'm striving to be less cluttered and I find certain things, not everything now mind you, but certain things weigh on my mind. My clothing collection is one. I have three wardrobes on two continents. Fuck that. Who needs that? I should be able to happily store my stuff in one place. Not three.

If for me, minimalism is denoted by not having a bi-continental wardrobe, but rather having a few items I love dearly, and eight pairs of shoes, then that's what minimalism means.

Minimalism is relative. RE-LA-TIVE!!! If you are a clothing hoarder, and you cut your wardrobe down to half, and you staunch your shopping habit, then good on ya! I commend you for making a positive change in your life.

My motivation for minimizing is to declutter my space, both brain space and my surroundings.

I can be a minimalist if I truly want to move towards a lifestyle of less.

So how do I get to that end goal? To that lifestyle of less.

I've been ruminating on what actions I can take to get me to a place where I can feel I am functioning as a minimalist relative to my old self, and parting with things I don't miss, don't love and don't want anymore is going to be the first step. Starting with a fresh clean slate is important to me, and I want to be sure I get off on the right footing. Part of this means untangling the sentimentality that runs through each and every item I own.

If you're wondering why I have a picture of a pair of Converse in this blog post - a tatty dirty pair, to that end, I will tell you the answer is two-fold.

The first reason is that these were the first truly difficult item I came across. I know they hurt my feet now, they're past their best, and they need to go, but I love them. How can I get rid of a pair of shoes that served me so faithfully for so long? How can I just cast them aside like they don't matter? Like they mean nothing? What kind of person just dumps something she loves like this?

Do you see a pattern forming in the thoughts and questions here? Cause I do!!

I had to be very firm with myself and say, "Amy, they're shoes. They don't have feelings, nor are they capable of complex thought. They're literally some rubber soles, fabric and lacing to cover your feet. Get over yourself."

And the thing is, I know that is right. I know that it's true that they've served me faithfully, and that by continuing to cling to them, they are simply occupying physical space in my life, as well as occupying mental space. By continuing to keep hold of these tatty trainers, I am giving power to the part of my brain that forms silly attachments. They're shoes, not my childhood bear.

The second reason I borrowed from the gentleman above too, but from a different video. If taking a picture of them and keeping that picture helps to in some way placate the part of me that needs to be sentimental, then so be it. I can take these pictures, rid myself of the item, collate the item to a digital album that keeps them organized and safe while moving on with my life. I can keep a record of the things I have appreciated and loved in my life, while also being free to live my life unencumbered by stuff. 

I managed to have a stern word with myself, and then snap a picture and just... deep breath... let them go. Exhale. Immediately I felt lighter.

There are obvious areas in my life where I can't live a spartan existence. I have a very very nice record player and collection of vinyl, and while I might be able to donate or resell a few records, I wouldn't dream of slashing it down just to fit some idealized vision of a minimalist lifestyle. Again, this all just brings home the idea of minimalism being a relative concept, a relative lifestyle.

At the end of the day, you don't have anything to prove to me, to the elitist minimalists who only own 100 items, to anyone! You have to blaze your own trail and in doing so, you will come to learn what minimalism means to you and how it works best for your life.

I hope this has been useful to you, and I hope you are enjoying your journey!

Amy xo 

Twitter // Facebook 

Soap And Glory MAC Dupe???

As you all know, my newest obsession is MAC Cremesheen Creme Cup Lipstick. 

I have worn it daily since I got it and I can't seem to part myself from it. It's gotten so bad I feel like I'm letting my blog name and reputation down with the obsession formed over this MAC lippie. 

However with that said, I've found a dupe for Creme Cup if its not exactly in your price range. Enter, stage left, Soap and Glory Fabu-Lipstick in "The Missing Pink". This is a satin finish pink nude. 

Left: Soap and Glory "The Missing Pink"
Right: MAC Creme Cup

So, how does it stack up against MAC Creme Cup?? 

The Missing Pink smells the same, and has the same lasting power but has a slightly duskier tone compared to Creme Cup. The finish is the same, that satin-feeling, super moisturising texture. On the whole, MAC comes off slightly pinker on the lips whereas Soap and Glory is a slightly more muted nude. 

Top: MAC Creme Cup
Right: S&G The Missing Pink

MAC has a tendency to show up more imperfections on the lip, and The Missing Pink seems to fill them in allowing for a more polished look all around. For a fraction of the price, you can have almost the same product with the exact same finish. 

Soap and Glory The Missing Pink is 11.50 in Boots 
MAC Creme Cup is 19.50 in Brown Thomas

Have you tried any other dupes for MAC? 

Let me know down in the comments!! 

Amy xxx

Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest

June BBC Day 18: Favorite Make-Up Brand

Well, Girl Friday, you certainly set a toughie in this topic. I don't honestly know if I can choose one overall, and because I only really ever focus on my lips and eyes, I think I'll go for 2 different areas of the face! Is that cheating? It is? Ah well, I'm a rebel!

My 3 lipcreams and their matching liners!

Lips

For lipstick, I have raved time and time again about Essence Stay Matte lip-creams. I adore them. I have three of the four matte shades. They work for any occasion, and they're cheap as chips. Essence, in my experience make great quality products and though they may look like they're marketed to a younger demographic, they're used in some aspect by every beauty blogger at some point.

€2.49 for the lip color, and another €1.49 for the lipliner that exactly matches? Yes please, Essence, even some higher-up brands don't exactly match their lipsticks to the liners. Bravo!

Eyes

I can't say enough good things about my new favorite eye palette from NYC Cosmetics. Its a palette marketed towards those with brown eyes, but I adore it for a neutral brown/taupe look. It even comes with a primer and a highlighter! How good is that, for €4.99?!

The pigmentation and the consistency is amaze-beans for just shy of a fiver! You can find NYC in Penneys, and I urge you to get it, because despite what it says about being for brown eyes, it can be rocked by anybody!


What are your favorite brands? If you could recommend one product to me for each of my categories, what would it be? Do you believe in budget brand makeup? 

Amy,
xoxo

June BBC Day 11: A Bargain Buy You Would Recommend

Today I get to recommend bargain buys! This is what I'm good at, so strap in, it's gonna be a wild ride... In quite a gentle way, really!

Boots Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick - Crimson 

It saddens me to think that nobody willingly admits to owning these! I know plenty of people who dig their foundation, their powders, blush, every other part of the range, but overlook these beauties! At €3.09 a go, they are cheap as chips, and they're so comfy on! They have a cream finish, too! I am slowly accumulating a decent collection of lipsticks and these guys started the trend!

NYC Colour Expert Last Nail Polish - Bubblegum

I eyeballed this color every time I saw it for weeks until I finally bought it! €1.99 in Penneys hardly broke the bank, but it was more a stance on the amount of polish I had been buying in the lead up to my investment in this one! I had to be alone to get this one, because I had been with people who stopped me every time I tried to buy it in their company! It lasts pretty well, needing only two coats for opacity! Bargain polishes are good quality when you give them a chance! 

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Facial Wipes

I've spoken about these before, but I will just recommend these again because I can! These babies are 1.69 in Tesco and they rule!!! They take off every trace of mascara, and they don't irritate my face, which is super sensitive! I really can't say enough about these wipes only that you should try them! They're the bomb diggity!

What bargain buys do you recommend? What would you try from my 3 picks? Do you use budget brands? If not, why don't you dive in, and give these 3 products a try?

Amy,

xoxo

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Left-Wild Watermelon
Right- Candy Apple

As a lover of Revlon's "Just Bitten" Kissable Balm-Stain, I have to admit right now I had high expectations of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters since they started cropping up on every blog I've ever read, though I didn't know what shade to opt for. So, last night on the Twitter chat for Irish Beauty Bloggers, I put forth the question "What Revlon lip butter would you guys recommend?" and Dani, the lovely "Glamour Nazi" answered with "If you love a red lip, go for Candy Apple".

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter
035 - Candy Apple

Armed with a name and some good reviews, I headed for Boots, where the stand had just been restocked. Huzzah!! I swatched Candy Apple, hummed in approval, and decided to go the whole hog and see if the reviews of "Wild Watermelon" were as good as the Internet sad they were... I wasn't disappointed. That had to be mine too.

I must admit I did 3 laps of all the make-up stands, swatching and dabbing, but at €11.20 each, I had maxed myself out for one trip. I suppose the problem is when you're as attached to good quality budget brands like Essence and NYC, €11.20 seems excessive, but no matter.

I've been wearing Candy Apple all day (needing only 2 reapplications because of dinner and a cuppa) and it's immensely comfy. It makes a change from the drying nature of the matte colours I adore so much. The bottom left tile, on the photo illustrating the product shows swatches after one swipe (left swatch) and multiple swipes (right swatch). Its a beautiful buildable colour. A+!

Lush Loves Lips...

Its pretty much taken as Gospel that lipstick looks better on a lip that has been scrubbed smooth and slicked with something healing or softening before you slap on that color. The same goes with tan, foundation, even nail polish looks better on smooth nails!

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub

As a result, every time I've found myself in a Lush store, I've somehow managed to pick up a lip scrub and just stand there smelling it. They have 3 flavors, Mint Juleps, Popcorn, and Bubblegum! Mint Juleps is lovely, very strong but sweet somehow, Popcorn smells like just that - popcorn, buttery, salty wonderful cinema food! Bubblegum is the best. Vibrant pink, smelling like the love child between candy-floss and Hubba-Bubba, it's a complete throwback from those childhood days!

Ever since they released these beauties, I've been lusting after and coveting them intensely. I had to have a bubblegum one, but at the same time, I'm unemployed so money is tight. These lip scrubs are somewhere in the region of €8, which can be a lot depending on the look of my wallet... But last week I decided it was high time I got my hands on the highly-coveted Bubblegum Lip Scrub. So off I went, into Dublin, so I could get a few bits (I will be posting a haul soon I hope), with a stop into Lush being top of my list...

Change Doesn't Always Have To Jingle...

Change can come in many forms. It can come in the form of something radical, like a dramatic haircut, it can take the form of a newly decorated room, turning veggie or vegan, cutting out people from your life, or, as it has in my case, it can take the form of a revamped blog.

My blog, "My Happy Place", is a place on the Internet for me to escape to when I feel the need. I can spend an hour writing a post, publish it and feel like I have accomplished something, even when I'm just out to relax. Its the perfect medium for me, as a person who loves to write, (and bitch on the Internet when the mood takes me) to voice my thoughts and opinions. Many people choose to record vlogs, pod casts, keep a private journal, whatever works for them! This works for me. It's also a bonus that it may make someone smile, or inspire them to do something similar. Though even if this blog never reached the eyes of anyone but me, I would be OK with that too.

After 25 posts, you'd think I'd have the hang of it by now, but it has been a learning curve for me. As in life, nothing is ever perfect the first time around. 25 posts, and countless unpublished drafts later, and I'm only just getting around to making my web space a polished, easily navigable space. But I think its working out well.