The quick five minute face

I've come to the conclusion recently that I can't be bothered spending 30 minutes in the morning on my face - it's just too much effort. So, I've transitioned my face to use just the bare essentials and it's been really working out for me. It takes me about 15 minutes in the morning and makes me look a little bit more alive than if I just left the house totally au natural.

After falling in love with the original La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo I thought I'd give the tinted one a try. Although it's a bit dark for me (I have the lightest shade - light) I can make it work and just squirt a bit in my hands and smear it on my face, hoping I rub it in enough. It's a very light coverage but I prefer it to not using anything but concealer. Speaking of concealer, since the base is a bit darker than my usual go-to, I've been using the darkest concealer I have which is the Maybelline Eraser Eye in Light. I go full out under my eyes and then just dab little bits on my finger to put on any spots. To finish off my base I tap a little bit of the Pixi Glow Booster in Peach Gold on my cheekbones and dust a bit of powder to prevent a massive oil slick gathering on my face throughout the day.

Everything else is really simple. I run the Eyelure Fleur de Force Brow Gel in Medium through my brows and the L'Oreal Paradise Extatic Mascara through my lashes. I finish off with a bit of the Tanya Burr Illuminating Powder in Champagne Sorbet on the tops of my cheekbones for a bit of extra glow. Lip wise I don't go too OTT and just put on a bit of the Glossier Birthday Balm Dot Com - which site note: I'm totally obsessed with!

What's your favourite barely there makeup product?

Watching something a bit different | YouTube recommendations

I love watching videos on YouTube. It's my go-to form of entertainment. But in and amongst the beauty videos and chatty vlogs I find myself falling down deep holes where I become obsessed with something a little bit odd and binging them all at once. We're not talking about watching people's loads of washing or destroying lipsticks (*shudders*) but these videos are still out of my usual watch list.

Buzzfeed is a place I find myself going from video to video without any signs of stopping but there's one series that I binge over and over again every couple of months - Worth it. Now if you don't know what this is it's basically two guys going round different places eating a certain type of food, like pizza, in three different eateries to see which is the most 'worth it' for the price. I love watching videos about food and once I eat one I honestly cannot stop. One of my favourites is the Buffet episode, partly because they go around Las Vegas which is somewhere I like to see but also because they eat some amazing foods in those restaurants!

The Super Carlin Brothers are another binger for me. I can go months without watching any of their videos but then I have an urge to sit through their entire back catalogue. They're brothers who make videos about Disney theories and Harry Potter quizzes and I find them really easy watching. If you love Disney, Star Wars or Harry Potter then I recommend watching these as you'll find out some interesting facts you may not have known otherwise. My favourite videos of there's are the quizzes they do against each other - it's great to join in and attempt to act like I know more than I actually do!

Recently I've been all about Brad Mondo. He posts reaction videos to America's Next Top Model makeovers, really bad bleach jobs and other hair related videos. They're so addictive and if you like people reacting to things then this is right up your street. My favourites are the reactions to people bleaching their hair at home - it goes downhill fast.

What other random videos / channels do I need to add to my watchlist?

Products I need to use more

Contrary to what my dad may think, I don't actually own that much makeup (she says looking at the overflowing drawer of products). But I am definitely guilty of owning really good, sometimes pricey, bits and pieces that I just never use because for one reason or another I just don't reach for them. So I thought I'd pick a few out from my stash in the hopes that it will revive my love for them - let's see how it goes.

Pretty much this time last year I made the splurge, and my very first and only Space NK purchase, and picked up the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter in Champagne Pop. Talk about giving into the hype. It's so stunning, even thinking about it gives me chills, but at the end of the day it is not my shade. Like at all. I am quite a pale human and this golden glow is definitely meant for someone with a bit more bronze and although I knew this when I bought it, I thought I could make it work. In the summer time I got a fair bit of use out of this but right now it's a total no go. What I should do though is use this as an eyeshadow because it's seriously shimmery, a great gold and would work amazingly on my lids. If I do this then I may not feel as guilty for having over £30 worth of highlighter sat gathering dust (the shame!).

The reason I don't use this next product as much as I should might be because I'm using it totally wrong - any advice would be gratefully received. Now, I have two Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks in two gorgeous shades but me and this formula are not the best of friends. I have Sexy Sienna and Super Cindy and although I have used a fair bit of them I can't get on board with this formula. I find it bitty and drying and it doesn't last very long on my lips for a product which is supposed to be matte. Now am I using it wrong, do I need to do a really thin layer or dab it on in a special motion. Someone please help me because I love these lipsticks, they weren't the cheapest, and I desperately want to make them work!

The next product I haven't used since my first application again partly because of fear and also some not so great reviews. The Maybelline Tattoo Brow seemed like such an amazing product when I first heard of it. A DIY brow tint that is so easy to use a dog could do it. I gave it a go and was pleasantly surprised with the results but when I started watching and reading other people's reviews it really put me off. The main issue people seem to have with it is that its too warm, bordering on orange, and although I didn't immediately look at my newly tinted brows and think they looked like wotsits but there was definitely a bit of heat going on. Since then I'm afraid that if I use it again I'll end up with orange eyebrows but I've used it and I know it won't. I just need to bite the bullet, get a grip and give this product another chance.

Another Charlotte Tilbury product that I don't give the time of the day is the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Bronzed Garnet. It's a stunning bronze-y eyeshadow pencil that lasts all day on my lids but I barely use it because I'm terrified it's going to dry up! I've heard stories of people not putting the lid on tight enough and the product drying out and becoming unusable and I really don't want that to happen. To the point where I actually stopped using it. Stupid, I know. I need to pull myself together and use this because it might not be drying out in my drawer but it's not living life to the full.

What's a product you think to you need to use more often?

L-R: Super Cindy | Bronzed Garnet | Champagne Pop

What to binge and when

I'm all about binge watching, it's like a hobby. One of my proudest achievements in life is watching six series of Pretty Little Liars in 12 days - the fact that it was just a giant procrastination exercise and I had exams to revise for is besides the point - I love me a binge. Over time I've collected a nice little list of programmes which I feel will be enjoyed most when watched all in one go. Here are my favourite box sets and when you should watch them.

For the background binge: How I Met Your Mother passed me by when it was first on. I never saw an episode and didn't really have an interest in picking it up because, let's face it, the familiar Friends was always on anyway. But when I was in my third year of uni it came onto Netflix and with days to kill and an urge to watch something I gave it a try. It was three weeks of background bliss. When I wanted to give it my full concentration it was a good way to pass a few hours and when I switched off and had it on in the background, I could dip in and out of it without any issue. I got a bit bored of it in later series (especially the last one) but if you're looking for some background noise that you can tune into once in a while this is a good one to go for.

For the murderous binge: I am a MASSIVE Endeavour fan. Huge. So big that I squealed more than a normal person should at last week's edition of Radio Times when it featured on the cover (come on Abz, get a grip). We are currently on series five so there are four series worth of four hour and a half episodes so plenty to keep you going. Each murderous episode is wrapped up in that time so although there's no cliffhanger to keep you wanting more I find them so addictive and interesting to watch that I could just keep going.

For the 'on a roll' binge: As I mentioned before, watching six series of  Pretty Little Liars in 12 days is literally one my life's crowning moments. I was totally hooked and could not stop watching it - pretty much every waking minute where I was by myself I was watching it. Such a good programme with twists that really suck you in. The reason I think you should watch this when you're on a roll is because after I caught up, I didn't pick it back up again and I must confess that I haven't finished the series. I tried to start up again after the 'five years later' thing happened but I found it a bit boring and just didn't carry on. So if you haven't seen Pretty Little Liars yet and want to, definitely watch it in one big batch.

For the catch up binge: I didn't watch Doctor Foster when it was on the first time round, but when series two came I felt the need to catch up. Wow was that an intense watch. If you have a few days to spare and fancy getting your teeth into something then I really recommend this. Pre warning though: You will get annoyed, feel tense and confused throughout but trust me it's worth it.

For the sashay away binge: If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Ru Paul's Drag Race yet then stop whatever you're doing right now, sit yourself down and get watching. I watching series one to six all in one go and after that I've binged each series individually which is totally what I recommend. Waiting a week just made me crave it more but spending a couple of days binging them means I can get out all of my drag race cravings at once.

Honourable mentions: America's Next Top Model, Granchester, How to Get Away with Murder, Friends, Dance Academy, Happy Valley, Last Tango in Halifax, Silk (this list could be about fifteen pages long so I'll stop here).

What binging boxset do you recommend?

Glitter lids and hyped soundtrack | January Favourites

January has gone unusually slowly this time around. Normally it's "where has the time gone", "soon it's going to be 2019", "how do we slow down time?!", but I've just been here twiddling my thumbs waiting for Feb to grace us with its presence. Maybe it's because my birthday is in February and I'm just counting down the seconds until I reach the big 23! Anyway, here's what I've been obsessing over during the last month.

Day to day I've been really low key in the makeup department. In an attempt to make my skin better (at the end of last year I'd been having serious issues) I've been going light on the base and that's extended to pretty much everywhere else. So when looking for something none existent for my lips I settled on the Tanya Burr Lipstick in Pink Cocoa. It has a buttery formula and I do a couple of swipes and then smudge it in - job done. It's pretty much the same colour as my lips so works well on days when I'm going light. But I also like to use it with the Pixi Lip Gloss in Honey Sheen applied on top. This plumping gloss makes my lips tingle (tick) and gives a shimmer to my lips without leaving them sticky (tick and tick). I got it in my Look Fantastic Advent Calendar (click here to read other products I loved from that) and it's a great 'chuck in your handbag' product.

For Christmas one of the only things I asked for was the Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow and Santa delivered! I got it in the shade Golden Goddess and it literally the best glitter I've ever seen/used/experienced. A product which had some hype around it, it totally delivers. If you don't know what it is, it's a liquid glitter that you can apply to your lid easily with a concealer type applicator. I've been using it with my Mac Eyeshadow Palette (click here to read my thoughts on that - get me plugging all the posts today!) and it's been perfect for the post festive period.

As a family we have become obsessed with the iPhone game Tsum Tsum, like totally obsessed. It's a Disney connect the characters game and you have a time limit and can collect different characters. There's a lot going on but it's totally addictive and we're hooked. If you're going on a long journey and need to pass the time then I recommend downloading this.

Last but not least, over the past three months I've been into drinking peppermint and liquorice tea before I hit the hay. It's like a better version of peppermint tea with lots of minty-ness but with a kick of sweet at the end. At the minute we have the ones from Pukka but Morrisons do a good one as well.

Quick mention: As I said in my last post, I've been listening to The Greatest Showman soundtrack and I'm hooked. It's so feel-good and easy to listen to, two thumbs up from me.