What's in My Bag | University Edition

During summer time I got so used to wearing small handbags that I didn't know what to do with my big black H&M bag I use during my time in university. It suddenly seemed huge even though it has a perfectly reasonable size and I can fit all my things in it. I thought I would put a twist in the usual What's in My Bag thing and show you my bag I take when I have a class.

Here's my gorgeous H&M bag which I got almost 7 months ago.

Obviously I have my essential school items which are; my text books, a big yellow notepad, my agenda(Love this one since it reflects my acting dreams in a way) and my soft pencil case which has far too many pens in it.

Then I have my daily essentials which are; my purse(which is a very good Chanel imitation haha), my keys(I have a huge obsession with keychains, I feel like they just tell my story; my tiny chocolate mug shows how much I love coffee, my I heart NY one shows how much I love NY, a keychain has my name on it which my sister got me and lastly my time turner an essential for when I have no breaks between classes), a hair time from Topshop, headphones, a phone charger (which I got from Primark which isn't the best one out there but it does the job in dire situations) and a pack of gum.

Beauty wise the things I keep in my bag are very simple; my lipstick of the day(sometimes I take two; a nude and a bold lip choice), my trusty Sleek FaceForm palette, a Real Techniques stippling brush, Victoria's Secret Body Mist and a hand cream which will soon be replaced with Zoella's new body cream!

♥

So these are all my bag essentials I take to the campus with me everyday that get me through a rough day. Sometimes I think I secretly have Hermione's bag from Harry Potter because I have absolutely no idea how I manage to fit all this in my bag! 

Blackheads 101

I have read quite a lot this week about blackheads and I felt it would be appropriate to share what I've learned with you. There are some old things I already knew of and some that I learned which were pretty interesting. So I hope this will be a little helpful to all those who are annoyed with their blackheads as well.

A little disclaimer beforehand; If you're looking for a post which is all scienced up and has very technical terms, this is not the post for you I'm afraid. I'll just touch on some general facts as I've never been good at science :D

• Blackheads are caused by your hair follicles getting clogged. 

• They are most common around the nose but they can also appear on someones chin, ears, back and shoulders/arms. 

• They can range from a yellowish colour to black. They don't always have to be black. 

• The difference between a blackhead and a whitehead is that the whitehead is underneath the skin. When the area is open(blackhead) the oil reacts to oxygen which turns it brown/black. Like when you bite an apple and leave it outside, it turns brown.

• Contrary to popular belief a blackhead is not dirt. The main action is going on under the skin so if you're cleaning your face daily it's not because your face isn't clean enough. 

CAUSES

• Food doesn't have an effect on blackheads. Unhealthy, sugary or oily foods aren't the cause of your acne. 

• As I said, the action goes on under your skin so not cleaning your face enough isn't the source either. On the opposite, if you cleanse your face more than necessary it might irritate your skin and worsen your blackheads.

• It's proven that smoking can worsen blackheads.

• Touching your skin a lot during the day may also be the cause.

• In some cases over-using foundation, sunscreen and moisturisers can also create blackheads as you block your pores and create a surface for a blackhead to develop in. 

HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM BLACKHEADS

• Wash your face twice a day; when you wake up and before you go to bed. 

• Look for cleansers, exfoliators and other products that contain salicylic acid, glycolic acid or benzoyl peroxide. Exfoliators with these ingredients work more effectively than usual exfoliators with a grainy texture. 

• Clean your phone and your laptop(any gadget you use daily) daily. Otherwise the dirt and oil on the gadget will be on your face.

• Try keeping your hands away from your face. This is something I do a lot, I always touch my face or rest my head on my hand and that is just the first ingredient for a blackhead recipe. Stop.

• Try using makeup and skincare products that are water-based and oil-free. 

I hope this helped you in the tiniest way, I'm not the skin expert of the blogging world but there are certain things we should all remember to do to have a clean unclogged face :D 

If you have any thoughts on the subject feel free to tell us in the comments and also if you have any tips on how to get rid of them. Have a lovely day :)