Every Vote Counts

  Unless you don't live in the UK or live under a rock, you'd know that today was the General Election. Most people I know in Birmingham (as in students) actually decided to not bother voting today, which i found really sad, especially as they're more likely to be hit hardest by the outcome of this election. So here are some reasons why I decided to vote today:

1) If I'm going to have to endure at least 3 months of politicians back stabbing, lying and leapfrogging over each other to get to Number 10, you can bet I'm going to vote on it. I did not sit here for weeks and listen to politicians whine and lie for nothing, I thought if it shut them up long enough I might as well do it.

2) I like to complain, everybody does. But what gives me the right to complain about the embarrassing way this country is run if I don't vote on it first. I hear a lot of students complaining about how things aren't fair at the moment, but the minute someone asks them to register to vote they suddenly all have something better to be doing with their time. 

3) It's my first time. Like all things new it's exciting the first time and I have to say I enjoyed feeling like a responsible adult when I went to the polling station, which by the way, is a mere 5 minutes walk from my flat and I still managed to get lost. And that was with a GPS and signposts.

4) I will do literally anything to keep out UKIP. Or Labour. Or any other party and idiot who is either racist, has no idea what they're on about or spent previous governments getting the country into insane debt or dragging it into wars that didn't need to be fought. No judgment, but yeah, we all know who didn't get my vote. And even though I'm just one person voting, at least I can look back on this and say I tried to make a difference. 

  Obviously I'm sure there are loads more reasons I could think of, but they're the first that come to mind. And that is why I decided to vote today. For those of you that haven't yet, polls were due to close in half an hour, and you just wasted half of that time left reading this blog. 

  And to all those politicians waiting to hear if they got their seats...

The Eyes Have It

  As some of you know, a couple of months ago I was admitted to hospital with suspected papilledema, also known as optic disc swelling. In other words, I was having eye problems. Well, after weeks of being subjected to an MRI, tedious field vision tests with even more tedious doctors, eyedrops, and a lot of blinding lights being flashed unceremoniously in my poor eyes, I am relieved to share with you that today my test results all came back as normal. My doctor told me that although my optic nerves did in fact look like they had been swollen previously, and still remained slightly abnormal, this was actually just the way I was made, and therefore didn't require any kind of treatment.

  Today my doctor also raised an important point I feel I need to share. I spent the New Year in Ghana, and while I was there I was taking the drug Doxycycline, as an anti malarial drug. In my naivety I opted to buy these drugs online without a prescription, as the nurse doing the rest of my vaccinations had advised me it would be cheaper to do so. However I wasn't aware until today that in high enough doses, Doxycycline can trigger the symptoms and pain I started experiencing with my eyes after taking the tablets, and while there's no way of knowing if it definitely was the cause of my problems, the timeline of events would suggest it played a part. Of course I felt like an idiot when my doctor explained this to me today. It can be really appealing to purchase these kind of drugs online as it's often much cheaper, but I learnt today how dangerous it can be to purchase drugs online or without a prescription, you don't actually know what or how much you need to take without one.

  Finally, I know a lot of the people who read this blog are close friends who have been concerned for me during this time, and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you guys that I am so grateful for the way you have kept me in your thoughts and prayers throughout, without your support I definitely would have had a Britney Spears meltdown by now. So thank you for keeping me sane and with a full head of hair, and please know I have so much love for each and every one of you!

xx

The NAKED Truth

Naked 2, eyeshadow palette

Now we get to the heavyweight of the brand, one of the renowned Naked palettes. This particular one is Naked 2, and any one from the range will set you back a hefty £38, so it's definitely an investment piece, and only if you're serious about eyeshadow. I bought this one on Black Friday last year, and in the short time I've had it I now swear by it. The palette is formed of 12 shades, oozes luxury, and while I'm usually sceptical of brushes that accompany eyeshadow palettes, this is the best brush I've ever owned for applying and blending. Just be careful to use the right end, I once dipped the blending end in Blackheart and it took me forever to clean it. The shades seem bottomless, and with these colours the combinations are endless. Every shade in here is able to compliment each other, and is perfect for those who shy away from the bolder colours in Urban Decay's range. Unfortunately I have to deduct a point as it seems Urban Decay marketed this with white girls in mind. For those of you with a darker complexion such as myself, I would advise you to always put on a white eyeshadow as a base before using these colours, otherwise they won't show up nearly as well! Unfortunately, this does negate the effects of some of the lighter shades in the palette. 8/10

I'm going to do a quick one line review of all the colours in here though, as there are so many. Bear in mind these reviews are all based on my skin tone Here we go:

Foxy- disappointing highlighter, but could be worse 4/10

Half Baked- slightly grainy, bold,makes a really good look on a night out 7/10

Bootycall- even more pointless than Foxy 1/10

Chopper- for those feeling a bit more daring 8/10

Tease- Not too bad when applied thickly, works well with YDK 7/10

Snakebite- You know my views on this :) 10/10

Suspect- good when used as a highlighter 8/10

Pistol- Gunmetal just with less glitter 7/10

Verse- again, good highlighter but can work as a main colour 8/10

YDK- darker version of Chopper, doesn't show up as well but a subtle look 8/10

Busted- I use this a lot as a transition colour between Snakebite and Blackheart 10/10

Blackheart- the ultimate black, necessity for a good smoky eye. A little goes a long way and heavy handed usage will result in being mistaken for a panda. Approach with caution, and not for the faint of heart 10/10