7 things I learned from watching Mean Girls

I've seen Mean Girls enough times to know the words from start to finish. I quote it about 4 times a day as there are several every day situations that can be resolved with ''boo you whore'' or ''I know right?'' Aside from being funny I feel I learned many of my life lessons from it and it has totally helped mould me into who I am today. Not only did I learn that butter is actually a carb despite science saying otherwise but also dating your friend's ex is totally against the rules of feminism. That is totally what the suffragettes were campaigning for right?

1) Ashton Kutcher is not a band. He's not even in a band. After some time researching him on Google it would appear he's an actor who was once married to Demi Moore. Who knew.

2) It only counts if you saw a nipple. Any pubescent 13 year old school boy will confirm this. 

3) If you have sex, you will get chlamydia. Best way to avoid this is stay half a virgin (but still give him everything, if you know what I mean). 

4) You can't just ask people why they're white. People can be from Africa and be white, and people can be black and be from Michigan. Crazy. Also it's wrong to assume all black people speak Swahili)) Jambo!

5)You don't need to dumb yourself down to get guys to like you, I know how would I know right?
(not a drug dealer)

6) In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it. Your dad may hang his head in shame and despair but at least you won't be mistaken for a guy in a wedding dress. That's a scary mask bro.

7) How many times is it socially acceptable to watch Mean Girls? The limit does not exist. It may become unbelievably annoying to everyone around you but just roll with it. Ask yourself, what would Glen Coco do? 

So you can go shave your back now, bye Jason. 

New makeup products I'm loving

Anyone that knows me or follows me on any form of social media will know I buy a lot of makeup. In fact way more than any sane human being actually needs. I am constantly looking for the next big thing and as a result my makeup bag has a revolving door as I consistently change things up. Recently I've been getting a few compliments and questions in regards to what I'm wearing on my face - so I thought why not blog about it?

First things first - foundation. I was always really hesitant to try a powder foundation because I had visions of it blowing off in the wind leaving me looking like a milk bottle. In hindsight that is pretty ridiculous. Recently I've been using bareMinerals Ready Foundation in shade R310. A pressed powder that provides exceptional coverage (especially when applied with the Precision Brush) this foundation gives a natural finish without compromising on coverage. Winner! The finish is quite matte making it ideal for oily skin types but for me I like to add my own illuminator afterwards to give back a bit of a glow. This foundation is ideal for everyday wear because it literally takes 2 seconds to apply and due to the skin-friendly ingredients (Sea Nutritive minerals) is hydrating too.

The Precision Face Brush (although looks like it's had a nervous breakdown in the picture) is a synthetic brush that is angled allowing you to achieve full coverage with any foundation to all the contours of your face. My favourite bareMinerals brush I see this brush as an investment that, if cared for will last bloody ages.

Next onto blushers. Most people faint at the sight of the blushers I wear when they're in the pot because it does look like something Coco the Clown would wear but when applied lightly can look gorgeous. The two I've been loving lately are Stila's Self Adjusting Pink Blusher and bareMineral's Fruit Cocktail.

Stila's is a ''self adjusting one-size-fits-all'' blush but I take anything with ''self-adjusting'' in the title with a pinch of salt. Supposedly it reacts with the wearer's PH level to achieve the right shade of pink on the skin, however on me it looks pretty much the same as in the pan which is why I love it. A very bright, youthful pink this helps to make my face look a lot more youthful and healthy especially when wearing such a matte foundation. I'm all about the Barbie look so sue me.

Fruit Cocktail is again, very bright pink. A lose formulation with a slight shimmer this one looks lovely on the apple of the cheeks but a very small amount goes a very long way. I have in the past made the fatal mistake of applying way way too much of this and looking very china doll/clown like so a light handed approach is strongly advised. 

Also on the topic of complexion my new absolute favourite thing ever is bareMineral's new bronzing & highlighting palette - California Bronze. I can't help but feel like they may have got their inspiration for this from the likes of cough Smashbox's Contour Kit cough (although not specifically advertised as a contour kit it may as well be). With two of bareMineral's lushest bronzers and illuminator you could use this to contour your face by applying The High Dive on the contours of your cheeks with The Shining Moment on the cheek bones. Lovely stuff. And for £25 it's a bargain. 

Finally eyelashes. I wear false eyelashes every time I leave the house with the exception of the gym. For the past year I've used Primark's eyelashes religiously but recently I've discovered Red Cherry lashes on Amazon which consist of natural hairs meaning you don't get a synthetic/shiny flash back in photos. For £2.40 a pair they're still drastically cheaper than Eyelure lashes. The only downside of these is they don't come with any adhesive.

What products have you tried and been using recently? Would you be brave enough to wear these blushers?

Fifty Shades of Grey

I have to start by saying I was not a fan of the books. Not by a long shot. Probably the most poorly written book I have read as an adult I had to check a few times I hadn't read the same chapter twice based on how repetitive it was. I didn't even make it onto the second or third book. I thought ''if I have to read the words ''my inner goddess'' one my time I swear to god...'' so decided against it. Having said that I hoped the film was going to be worth the hype. Typically movie adaptations of books are always pretty poor but I figured the fact the book was dire to begin with the film can't be much worse. I was wrong.

Now I realise the premise for the books/movie is a touchy subject in itself. If there is one thing I will say to defend it is that actually the main character Ana is fully consenting to all the kinky stuff that happens to her. I know many domestic violence charities are up in arms about ''glamorising domestic violence'' but I think that's the least of the film's worries. BDSM is relatively mainstream these days (sorry dad) and what happens between consenting adults in the privacy of their bedroom is pretty much their business. Ana is fully consensual so I don't feel that's the issue.

For me, the issue is how Ana is as a person outside the red room of pain. (cringed to death typing that). This girl needs to be rescued in every possible scenario. I took my poor-long suffering boyfriend to watch this with me and even he was thought the way she was portrayed was borderline insulting to women. Not to mention the hilarity of her having an orgasm the second Christian touches her arm. I mean come on. I've read interviews with Dakota Johnson (who plays Ana) who describes her as being '' a strong independent woman'' and I find that statement more laughable than the scene where she refuses anal fisting. Ana is the stereotypical weak ''Disney princess'' type character that requires a man to rescue her constantly. While enduring the odd spanking to satisfy this weirdo's needs. What kind of message is that? I'll let you spank me/buy me lavish gifts while you save me from being a poor little woman incapable of looking after myself. I'm female after all.

I'm no psychologist but it's pretty clear to anyone that Christian Grey is bat-shit crazy. It's supposed to be a part of his appeal presume. A self-made billionaire at the age of 27 who supposedly knows his way around the female form so well he can cause Ana to climax at the slightest touch. Come on now. Let's be real. It takes most men decades to get good at that (sorry dad). Aside from his penchant for wanting to hurt women he's a crazy one-eye-bigger-than-the-other stalker who if existed in real life would have more restraining orders against him than he would notches on his bedpost. How any woman can find this character appealing is a mystery to me. Yes he's moderately attractive but the idea of a guy tapping your phone, letting himself into your house and selling your car for you without your consent is pretty messed up. What woman on earth would want that? Even in a fantasy scenario? Jesus Christ get a grip people.

Overall this film was pretty hilarious but in a ''laughing at it not with it'' type way.  Ana still has a flip phone for Christ sake. It's 2015. The sex scenes were relatively artistically done with a decent soundtrack to distract you from the lack of chemistry between the two leads. The whole thing was pretty wooden, if you can excuse the pun. The entire film could be condensed into 20 minutes as the script is about 50 words long. Consisting of ''laters baby'', ''stop biting your lip'' and ''have you signed the contract yet?'' over and over again.

The one thing I will say however (and anyone who's read the books will understand), I'm glad they skipped the scene where Mr.Grey removed Ana's tampon for her. I count myself lucky I didn't have to witness that on the big screen in a room full of horny middle-aged women. Yikes.

Have you seen the movie? What did your inner goddess make of it?

The beauty scenario tag

Yay a tag post! I eat sleep breathe make up so having an excuse to write a post purely dedicated to it is perfect. I was tagged by the beautiful Esther !

1) You have to get rid of all your foundations and keep one high-end and one drug store. Which do you keep?
Tough one. I have to admit in recent months I've been having an exclusive relationship with high-end foundations only and don't actually own anything else...saying that if I had to pick one based on past experience it would be Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. Pretty decent for a fiver! Out of my high-end options it would have to be the newest edition to my makeup bag - NARS Sheer Glow in shade Barcelona. Light enough that it can used daily (unlike MAC Studio Fix) but good enough coverage for nights out. The lack of SPF is also great for nights out and relentless selfie-taking. Failing that any of the 3 in the photo below would suffice.

2) You go for an interview and the lady interviewing has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?
Christ. First and foremost if someone had lipstick on their teeth it's one of the first things I'd notice. Downside of being an overly observant person is always spotting things you'd rather not notice, as it means it's all you can think about/stare it for the duration of the conversation. I'd personally try ignore it all together and then tell her to read my blog post - 7 things more embarrassing than getting lipstick on your teeth. That should get the message across.

3) You're not feeling yourself and need a pick me up lipstick. Which do you go for?
This again is tough. When you own enough lipstick to paint the entire front of Notre Dame there are quite a few options. Having said that a stand out winner for me is MAC's Rebel. A rich purple shade it looks dark red on me but I always get compliments on it. Not really appropriate for everyday wear but is a firm favourite of mine for nights out.

4)You go back in time to your teenage years, how do you do your hair and makeup differently? 
This list is endless. Dear 15 year old Natassia:
1- Do not dye your hair black for Christ sake
2- Wear foundation that actually matches your neck not 4 shades darker
3- Step away from the pink & green eye shadow combo
4- Don't attempt to dye your hair blonde by yourself. It will go orange. Anyone that went to high school with me will remember this epic life fail

5) You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut but they hear wrong and give you a pixie cut, what do you do? A) Smile, say thanks, leave and call your mum crying hysterically. B) Cry in the chair and things get awkward. C) Complain to the manager and demand a refund. D) None of the above
I'll avoid confrontation by any means necessary so I'm definitely the type of person to pretend I love it then go home and have a nervous breakdown and write angry tweets about it.

6) Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have one hour to pack. Which ‘Do It All’ palette do you pack in your make up bag?

I'm not big on eyeshadow - in fact I barely own any. I did however cave in and buy Urban Decay's Naked 2 Palette a couple of months ago which is what I'd take just in case. Very wearable colours I'm pretty fond of this palette.

7) Your house has been robbed – don’t worry, everyone is safe – but your beauty stash has been raided. What’s the product you really hope is safe?
My perfume collection. Easy. 

8) Your friend borrows make up and returns it in an awful condition. Do you: A) Pretend you haven’t noticed B) Ask them to repurchase it C) Secretly do it back to their make up

One of the benefits of having naturally beautiful friends is they don't want to borrow any of my makeup. If they did and returned it in awful condition I'd just buy it again and never ever let them borrow anything in the future. 1 strike and you're out betches. 

I tag my beautiful cousin Jess!

The drunk girl's guide to makeup removal

It's all very well writing endless posts about what make up to wear, but half the battle is taking it off at the end of the day. Having used everything from baby wipes to Liz Earle I've finally found a cost-effective solution to makeup removal, especially tricky mascara that usually leads to panda eyes in the morning.

I am notoriously slack for removing my makeup after a night out. I will always manage to brush my teeth, but due to the fact my skin has always been pretty unproblematic I often can't be arsed to spend 10 minutes removing 35 layers of mascara and eyelash glue after 11 rounds of cocktails.

Cue Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water. This stuff is incredible. A tiny bit on some cotton pads removes all my makeup and doesn't sting my eyes at all which is often a problem with other eye makeup removers. I've had some absolutely horrific reactions to other more high-end products so the fact I'm not blind in the morning is actually a victory in itself.

Garnier is a skincare brand I trust. Although not exactly premium I don't mind paying a fiver for any of their products and I've never had a bad experience. I should probably mention that I have pretty normal skin so I can be quite flexible with the range of products I use. I don't find this remotely drying on the skin, although saying that I wouldn't say its overally hydrating either (despite what the bottle says.) Typically, unless absolutely obliterated by vodka I'll always moisturise after use.

The great thing about this as opposed to other alternatives is there's no rinse required afterwards. So basically, after a night of cocktails makeup removal can be done in 30 seconds before you pass out, no trying to stand/balance over the sink while you do it. 4 cotton pads with this stuff on will remove a full face of makeup pretty easily allowing you to let your skin breathe while you sleep off the Mojitos. It will also prevent you waking up to a bright orange and black pillow, which is an added bonus.

I've been using this for about 6 months now and it's never caused me to breakout and I'm pretty confident in it's ability to cleanse the skin as well as removing tough eye makeup.

As for the Micellar market, it's becoming increasingly saturated with all sorts of companies developing their own, but for £4.99 from Boots you can't go wrong.  So now you know. The best way to remove makeup after a night out is to actually take it off, who knew?

Goodbye Page 3

First things first, this isn't a light hearted, make up related post. This is me defending my opinion in regards to celebrating The Sun pulling Page 3.  I've received a lot of adversity about my opinion on social media by people I view to be grossly misinformed and felt it appropriate to air my opinion in a way that doesn't limit me to 140 characters. I first signed the 'No More Page 3' petition started by Lucy Holmes in 2013 and have closely followed the progress since.

I am baffled. What concerns me the most is the amount of girls, women and friends that have said they feel sad page 3 has gone. ARE.YOU.SERIOUS. As a woman of the world and someone very passionate about women's rights, I for one am horrified that my fellow females are disgruntled by this huge breakthrough in equal rights for women. Nudity and nipples are not the issue here. The issue is the damaging effects this desensitisation will have on children and the way women are viewed by men. It isn't the pictures themselves that are they issue, but the negative connotation associated with having your cheerios with a side of ''Leanne From Bolton has E cups''.

The Sun first started running topless images of women in the 1960's, and since then women have worked harder than ever for equal rights in the workplace. Despite this, there is still a huge gap in what men and women are paid for the same role and I feel 'Page 3 society' is partially to blame. If we as a society are ever going to make changes for both ourselves and our daughters we need to stop  accepting the objectification of women in the media and day to day life and start wanting more for ourselves than just being admired for having a nice pair of tits.

Boobs. Not a big deal. I'm not a prude nor do I find boobs remotely offensive. I understand they are nice to look at and are often a sexual stimulant for men, I get that. My issue in regards to The Sun is the casual way they are portrayed in the paper as if it's the norm. IT ISN'T. Women being objectified and being viewed as nothing more than sexual objects designed to sexually gratify men is the single most damaging message to send to both impressionable young girls and boys alike. Girls assuming getting their boobs out is a lucrative way to make their way in life and don't study as hard as a result. It's very much the ''I wanna be a WAG'' mindset that needs to stop. Girls should be aspiring to be CEO's, doctors, scientists and generally wanting more for themselves than making a living being half naked. You can be attractive and have a brain you know, it doesn't have to be one or the other.

On the flip side, if a fully grown female makes an informed decision to enter the adult entertainment industry, good for her. She's made that decision for herself, not because it seems like an easy option because she was exposed to it as a child by her father flipping through The Sun at the breakfast table. I'm not against pornography or top shelf magazines, each to their own. I believe these to be the appropriate outlet for these types of images not a family newspaper! Nudity is not a dirty word and I definitely don't believe women should have to hide their sexuality or dress modestly all the time, but raising the bar in terms of how highly we value ourselves and our bodies needs to be addressed. If a 12 year old girl is conditioned to believe she is worth nothing more than her physical appearance and soul purpose in life is to provide sexual gratification for men through her body and her appearance, how hard is she likely to try at school? What will she likely aspire for in life besides a flat stomach and double d's? What message will she then pass on to her children in regards to equal rights for women? And thus continues the viscous cycle.

Come on girls, wake up. Raise the bar, if not for yourself but for your children. 

Fitbit review

I was so excited to get my Fitbit for Christmas and I haven't been disappointed! What is a Fitbit I hear you ask? Well...
A Fitbit is a rubber wristband that has an electronic device installed that tracks your steps, calorie burn and activity throughout the day by recording your heart rate.  It then sends all the information to the dongle on your laptop/app on your phone that allows you to review your progress. Perfect if you're looking to improve your fitness or lose weight. (Plus it comes in pink - I was sold).

I've yo-yo dieted for most of my adult life. I go through phases of eating and exercising well the eating nothing but pizza and not moving off the sofa. So yeah my fitness journey peaks and troughs...but having a Fitbit has changed everything. By seeing what calories I've burned through normal day to day living and exercise it allows me to monitor how many calories I eat - thus resulting in weight loss. I've lost 3lbs so far since using the Fitbit and it's really just down to the fact it encourages me to be more active, making sure I get in my daily 10,000 steps but also make wiser choices with food relative to the exercise I've done that day. It's great if you are an athlete too (not that I know anything about that) as it'll track your progress on walks, runs and even swimming!

It. is. brilliant. The LED lights on the front will show you how close to your daily target you are (typically 10,000 steps, 30 active minutes and walking 5 miles) which is motivational in itself in encouraging you to keep going till you've smashed your target. An added bonus is you can comfortably wear it while you sleep, and once it's in sleep mode it can track your sleep pattern. It'll tell you next morning the duration you slept and how often you were restless. This is helpful if you're someone that suffers with insomnia or have issues sleeping and by learning what times during the night it happens can, over time eradicate anything that is interrupting your sleep. Game changer! (I'm a nerd and find this feature really interesting just because.)

It also has a silent alarm that when set can wake you gently by vibrating on your wrist at the time you set it to, I have yet to use this feature so I can't really comment but if you're someone that is sick at the sound of your alarm every morning this could be a great bonus and a much nicer way to be woken up each morning.


All in all I see myself and my Fitbit being very happy together. It's comfortable to wear and the electronic part can be removed and inserted into different coloured wristbands - hola colour coordination! Ideal for atheletes and anyone looking to get fitter/lose weight the Fitbit is £79.99 from Boots, Argos etc,