What is the first thing you do in the morning?

If you're anything like 80% of the population, you spend the morning's first conscious moments groping for your beloved phone. Emails, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter soak up our attention even before we've stumbled out of bed and usually before we've made any 'real' human contact.

Nurturing your notifications first thing in the morning can be great; you never miss a birthday, text or celebrity selfie. Keeping up with daily politics is a luxury that we can enjoy under the warmth of our duvets and browsing vine never fails to induce morning breath chuckles. Checking your phone can be a wonderful, mood-boosting way to start the day.

But not always.

Recently, I have come to terms with the reality that checking social media in the morning directly affects the rest of my day. A positive effect is infrequent. I love waking up to notifications and messages - we all do, and getting all my social media-ing done and dusted in the early hours is the perfect way to ensure that the rest of my day is spent productively. So why then, do I feel so depleted after this morning ritual?

The problem is not that I'm checking my phone, but it is that I am being exposed to a certain type of content. My feed on most social networks consists of Teatox drinking, Valentino wearing, sun-kissed mega babes. All with killer bodies. Most with brows on fleek. Although I know it's just a push-up bra and a few MAC products, I can't help but feel pressured by social media giants. And it's not just me. Individuals tend to share only the best snippets of their lives, but in doing so, they create an illusion of perfection. No matter the vastness of our influence, we all strive to create the best image of ourselves on the internet. Knowledge of this, it seem, is very difficult to remember when you're scrolling through a model's holiday photos. Especially first thing in the morning.

"I wish I looked like that!" "I wish I had that!" "Why aren't I that successful?" "You're so amazing!" "Perfect."

Getting consumed by the bubble of social media is effortless, and the further you go, the more difficult it is to remember that it is just a bubble. It's merely a screenshot of a handful of people's lives and you have no obligation to strive for their façade. Instead of being a slave to the media and internalising its ridiculous standards, I decided to do a crazy thing. I stopped checking my phone in the mornings. Astonishing. It made all the difference.

Your first waking moments are crucial in determining your mood for the day, and should be a time for positivity, love and appreciation for yet another 24 hours of life. Just a shower and a bowl of fruit is enough to get me in high spirits, and you know what, it's hard for social media to bring you down when you're bright-eyed with confidence in full grasp.

Thank you for reading - what are your thoughts? Does social media affect you?

Have a wonderful day

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Welcome! Today I thought I'd share with you some beauty goodies I've picked up for summer! I don't know about you, but I get a little over-excited during the lead up to the holidays, and my bank balance definitely suffers the consequences. For some reason, over this period I become infatuated with lipsticks and nail varnishes, as though they will somehow maximise my summer experience. Silly, right?

No.7 Summer Make-up Gift Set - Boots

Some of you may already be aware of my No.7 addiction. Ever since I lathered on their make-up for prom, I've been a little obsessed. The quality of their products is fantastic and they are one of the few beauty brands that caters for all skin types and tones, which is incredibly important. 

No.7 Stay Perfect Eye Shadow

No.7 BB Lips Beauty Balm (Blink Pink)

No.7 Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara

No.7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour

I adore the products in this set, and they are wonderful for creating that light and natural summer look. The Beauty Balm is the most gorgeous baby pink, and its glossy finish is perfect with a dewy neutral face. Also, let us take a moment to marvel at the colour of this varnish. Pastelicious.

I also picked up a few other items to get me summer-ready:

No.7 Moisture Drench Lipstick (Red Berry) - Boots

Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder (Rose Caramel) - The Body Shop

Suede Strappy Heels - Primark

Berry lip shades are among my favourites, and I could not pass up the opportunity to add this beauty to my modest collection. As for the powder, I swear by it. The heels were a bit of an impromptu purchase; I love this style, and have been lusting over Zara's strappy sandals for some time now. However, I am ashamed to admit that I'm a rather incompetent heel-wearer. So these are my practice pair.

I hope you enjoyed this post - have you tried No.7?

Have a beautiful day.

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We Want the D.

Deconstruction of rigid beauty standards, and a sprinkling of Diversity, please.

‘Diversifying is not difficult. The resistance to do so is intriguing.’

-   TheDiversity Coalition

It all started with a plaster.

A pinky ‘flesh toned’ plaster. As I stared at my boyfriend’s wounded arm, I noted the effortless camouflage of the little plaster. It was a perfect colour match. The satisfaction of seeing such a perfect match was quickly subsided by a single thought: what if I had to wear a plaster? I looked down at my caramel-cocoa skin and then back to the plush pink plaster. There was no way that was going to match, and they only make one colour. One colour is standard. Then I thought, but what about people darker than me? What about people lighter than my boyfriend? What of golden, freckled or chalky skin? They need plasters too.

Of course, this was a ridiculous reason to fret; nobody can expect a rainbow of plasters to pick from every time they get a papercut. The problem isn't with plasters. The problem is in the wider implications of standardisation.

Endless campaigns within the fashion industry for diversity have certainly challenged the rigid beauty standard mould. Vogue Italia led the way back in 2011 with their ‘True Beauty’ campaign featuring a trio of stunning full-figured models. Three years later, Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o graced us with her striking Vogue cover.

Despite these achievements, the world of fashion still lacks diversity. To tackle the issue further, supermodel veterans Bethann Hardison, Naomi Campbell and Iman Abdulmajid founded the Diversity Coalition: a campaign to diversify runways. In 2014, the coalition actively named and shamed design houses such as Versace for their ‘lack of conduct in being racially diverse’.

It seems the industry is strutting in the right direction, but progress is slow. Diversity on the runway is but a façade. Just 21% of models used during New York Fashion week’s Fall2014 showcase were non-Caucasian. This is surely an unacceptable misrepresentation of the vibrant metropolis whose population, according to the 2008 U.S. Census, is 55% non-Caucasian.

The demographics of New York and its runways may seem a world away, but as always with the fashion industry, what starts at the top infiltrates its way to the bottom. High-street beauty favourite Rimmel London released a campaign video for their Match Perfection foundation. Alongside an afro-haired beauty and a lusciously locked ginger, Georgia May Jagger poses proficiently, enchanting us to ‘get the London look’. Three beautiful models depicting different takes on beauty standards is a rather effective advert, and shows a glimmer of diversity in the industry. Unfortunately, the glimmer is just a glimmer. Rimmel’s Match Perfection comes in eight colours, yet the darkest is just two shades lighter than May Jagger - the exact shade of my boyfriend’s pink plaster. The façade of diversity strikes again.

H&M, one of the leading high-street brands for racial diversity uses models originating from all over the globe. This is encouraging within the industry, but what about different types of diversity? The company boasts a superb plus size collection, however, it contains 10x less clothing than their ‘straight size’ range.

The esteemed Mango also offers a selection of larger clothes in their Violeta range. While this is fantastic, it is astounding that their plus collection begins at a UK size 12. When the national average is a size 16, what exactly are the implications here?

It seems there’s a long way to go, but ‘diversifying is not difficult’. So while we wait for the industry to step into 21^st century and sort itself out with more racial and body representation and the deconstruction of the beauty archetype, let us remember our individual beauty. Let us celebrate ourselves and each other. In an ideal society, clothes would come in more than 5 standard sizes, and plasters would come in more than one standard colour.

Eventually the fashion industry will catch up, and recognise the beauty of diversity.

As I get older, I appreciate more the age-old fashion proverb: less is more.

When it comes to clothing, I must admit to being a sucker for the bold, bright and obnoxious, but I think I'm finally growing out of my teenage extravagance, and maturing towards a more refined minimalist style. So I like to think. I'm endlessly inspired by the likes of, Ivania Carpio, Janelle Monae and Helen of The Lovecats Inc. Their polished black and white minimalism exudes elegance, and although I'm a born maximalist, simplicity is always tempting.

It's hard to pretend to be a sophisticated minimalist when there is a distinct lack of sartorial 'staples' in your wardrobe. So, I went on a little shopping trip. I picked up items with versatility that would last through all seasons, and of course I couldn't help but purchase some cute lil beauty products too. 

Cigarette Trousers - H&M

Jeans - Zara

These are my first pair of blue jeans. Yes, you read correctly. My first pair of plain, skinny blue jeans. I would always shy away from wardrobe 'essentials' such as these, as I found them somewhat limiting and rather boring to style. Goodness, I was so wrong! Rather than retract from an outfit, these jeans add a touch of casual class. The colour is beautiful. The fit is beautiful. The versatility is beautiful. Zara, you beaut. As for the cigarette Trousers, you can't go wrong really.

Top - H&M

Shoes - Topshop

Much like my pursuit of a plain white shirt, it took me rather a long time to find a white tee worthy of being added to my 'essentials' collection. Fortunately, H&M came to the rescue with their basics range. Never would I have guessed that I'd be so excited to find a plain white t-shirt (they are harder to come by than you'd think). Alongside my lil white tee are my lil snakeskin slipons. They are cute, comfy and make every outfit look cooler.

Extra Virgin Minerals Loose Powder (Rose Caramel) - The Body Shop

Beauticology Shower Crème - Boots

Rimmel London Exaggerate Liquid Liner - Boots

Finally, I thought I'd pick up some beauty goodies! I have what some might call an obsession with sweet smelling products, and I could not resist this fragrant delight! The Beauticology shower crème is so wonderful: the strawberry and pomegranate scent is gorgeous and who can deny the charm of the packaging! I love trying out new products, so I also purchased this liquid liner to replace my shamefully dried-out gel liner. I must say, this product is perfect for clumsy makeuppers! Application is so easy to fix when you mess up, and it's waterproof and long lasting.

My final purchase was my go-to loose powder. I'm firmly in the minority of loose powder lovers, and adore them for setting foundation. This particular powder contains a tiny bit of shimmer, which gives your skin beautiful radiance - perfect for summer.

I hope you enjoyed this post - what are your wardrobe essentials?

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