NOT NORMAL, NOT OK - CREATING A SAFE SPACE FOR ALL MUSIC LOVERS

Stopping sexual aggression at gigs isn't just about keeping people safe at shows, it's boycotting the people who are known to be part of the problem. Using an industry worker who you know has done wrong because it's easier for you - because of price, availability or convenience - makes you complicit, you're supporting them wether or not you mean to. You may be doing it to further your career but you're also furthering the career of the wrong people and adding to this problem that seems to be consuming the music industry. The only way to stop sexual aggression is to stop the people orchestrating it, then we have a safe place for everyone.

These problems happen all over the world, no one expects it to happen until it does. In my hometown this was no different, we had a lovely music venue that everyone I knew attended weekly to watch shows and have a good time but when it was announced that someone who worked there had sexually assaulted someone, no one knew what to do, some people didn't even recognise what had really happened. Sometimes you may not want to believe what you're hearing but when irrefutable evidence is placed in front of you all you can do is the right thing. While some people carried on to use this particular venue most of the people I knew made a conscious effort to find new places to watch and perform live music. This is when everyone started using our long time favourite pub/venue which we have made many new memories in. This new venue is now the hub of music in our hometown with big names such as 'Slowthai' and even 'Skepta' playing there, and in good news I haven't even heard the name of the individual that caused the move in over a year now.

We must stand with anyone who has been a victim of sexual aggression. A sexual assault victim who wants to attend a show may be discouraged if they see support for an abuser there, it's not fair that they should miss out. Music is meant to be a way to bring people together, shows should be a safe space for everyone and to do this we have to take responsibility and remove dangerous people from these venues. Being complicit discourages people to share their stories and then the problem continues to grow. A good friend of mine shared her story that just makes me outright disgusted, she was attending a hard-core gig in Bristol where some guy grabbed her crotch and rightfully so security kicked him out. Afterwards other gig goers caused a scene and got mad at her for getting him kicked out, even though he had sexual assaulted her. How are people meant to feel safe in this environment when there are people who will ultimately shame you for speaking out and keeping yourself safe.

I was recently introduced to the 'Not Normal, Not OK' campaign which is an organisation started by music journalist Ed King and is in conjunction with the west midlands police. The campaign aims to bring awareness and stop sexual aggression at shows and make all venues safe for everyone. The campaign is gender neutral as sexual aggression isn't gender specific and everyone deserves to have a safe and fun time at all music events. The 'Not Normal, Not OK' campaign encourages gig goers and performers to take actions as small as wearing one of their campaign stickers while attending a show to show their support and solidarity in stopping sexual harassment at gigs. Stopping this problem lies in the peoples hands, in my hands and in yours, we all have to work together and create a safe environment to perform and listen to the music we all love so much.

To hear more about the 'Not Normal, Not OK' campaign head over to their website (http://www.notnormalnotok.com) to read more about it and sign up to support their cause. This is our problem to solve and the only way to solve it is by standing together.

MORNING SKIN CARE

If you know me you will know I absolutely love skincare, I am constantly trying new skincare and having pamper days where I just treat my skin to all the goodness I possibly can. I don't always use the same products every single day, I use different products but I keep the order of my routine the same. I don't have very problematic skin but I do have some areas that I focus in on, I have quite dry skin so I like to use products that will hydrate my face and leave it feeling soft and moisturised and I have a little bit of hyperpigmentation and some acne scars around my cheeks and nose which I aim to even out as much as possible.

To start I wet my face and use a the VitiminRoseBeauty Antioxidant Jelly Face Wash to clean my skin. In the mornings I don't like to use anything harsh on my face, I just want to gently take off my night time products and wake up my skin a little. This is why I have been really enjoying the jelly face wash as the product is so smooth and doesn't aggravate the skin at all, it is perfect to just leave a clean, smooth canvas behind. I wash off the face wash with a small sponge I bought from Primark, this sponge is really soft and for me is less messy than splashing water everywhere and getting it all down myself to be honest.

That's all I do to cleanse my face in the mornings so I then gently pat face dry, I don't drag the towel against my skin and this would make my sensitive skin all read and angry. To tone I use a Rose Quartz Face Mist, I still am not sure on the benefits of toners but this one gives me a little hydration and it smells really nice so I am enjoying it at the moment but I still need to try out a couple different toners to see what they really do.

The next step is my favourite, serum. I absolutely love serums, I have so many different ones but I currently do have two favourites that I use every day and night and don't think I could live without! Once my toner has sunk into my skin I go in with the Glow Lab Complexion Facial Serum which smells SO good and leaves my skin feeling so soft. After using it for a couple of weeks I have notices a change in my skins complexion, it's much more even and even the texture across my face is significantly smoother than it was before. The only downside of this serum is that GlowLab products are only available in TK Maxx in the UK and sometimes they don't carry the line at all so if you come across a bottle I'd definitely pick one up. Just because I'm extra I then go in with another serum, I use the Nip and Fab Dragon Blood Plumping Serum and focus this only on certain areas of my face. This serum is so hydrating but it's main purpose is plumping so I focus it on my smile lines and around my mouth as well as under my eyes, this leaves my skin feeling so hydrated and does leave my skin feeling plumper wherever I use the product.

While my serums sink in I hydrate my lips using Palmer Cocoa Butter which is so moisturising because my lips get so incredibly dry and if I don't use lip balm they will literally crack and bleed throughout the day so Cocoa Butter has been a lifesaver for me. I then go in with the Bean and Body Eye Cream which is perfect for the mornings as it gives my eye bags a little lift and makes me look slightly more awake, I like this eye cream as it doesn't take ages to sink in - I used to use the ELF hydro eye cream and it would take so long to sink into my skin and it added way too much time onto my routine. I do really want to try the Ola Henriksson Banana Bright Eye Cream, I've seen such good reviews of the product and it look beautiful but it is £40 so maybe someone wants to buy it for my birthday that's only in 4 months? (that's a hint).

To finish off and moisturise I use the Skin Therapist Day and Night Hydro Boost, this feels so light on the skin but is still so hydrating and soft. If I'm going to be wearing make up I tend to use a much thicker and heavier moisturiser to prep my skin but today I wasn't wearing any makeup so I wanted a lighter moisturiser to keep my skin from looking greasy. After I've moisturised I spray the Nip and Fab Hydrating Dragon Blood Fix Essence purely because it smells really good and gives a really nice glow to my skin.

This may seem like a tonne of steps but I enjoy having my me time in the morning and showing my skin a little bit of love before I go about my day, obviously you don't have to use a million products to have nice skin but it's all personal preference and this is mine.

TRYING NEW MAKE UP

The other day I went into town to buy my sister some birthday presents and because I have no self control I ended up buying myself a variety of new makeup. I was really excited to try them all out and thought I may as well justify my purchases by turning this into a blog post. I hope you enjoy this type of post because then I can buy more make up guilt free to do more blog posts like this. 

To start my make up I primed my face with the 'NIP and FAB dragons blood fix essence mist'. I've been contemplating the need to prime recently, I just don't feel like they actually do anything to improve my make up at all but maybe I just haven't found the right one yet. I like this spray as it hydrates and gives my skin a really nice glow but its more skin care then make up really.

I was really excited to try the 'Wet n Wild photo focus foundation' as I have heard such amazing things about it recently plus it's vegan and cruelty free but I was so disappointed for so many reasons whilst applying it. First off it smells absolutely disgusting - literally like paint and the smell didn't go away at all, that was the first strike for me. The second problem is the coverage isn't really there, the foundation is very thing and watery and didn't cover everything I would've like it too but I have watched other people use it and they've look amazing? I applied two layers but maybe I should've used a brush instead of my beauty sponge but it was really underwhelming. The last strike was that it started to separate and look very dry on my skin, the products clung to my drier areas of skin and made my face look very textured even though I used many moisturising skin care products prior to applying it. I even went back in with my 'L'Oreal  Paris Infallible 24 hour longer liquid foundation' to add some more coverage but it didn't help much now that the foundation underneath was dry and patchy. I will try this foundation again, using different products underneath and applying it with a brush just to see if I can find a better way to wear it and actually look nice.

After foundation I went in with my ride or die 'Maybeline instant age rewind concealer' to add some more coverage under my eyes and to highlight the high points my face as always, I don't think I'll ever use a different concealer as this one literally changed my life. To contour I used the 'Max Factor miracle contouring palette' and applied this with my Real Techniques contouring brush just in the hollows of my cheeks to make it look like I have cheekbones and then I set everything in place with a little bit of the 'C.Y.O fixing powder'.

The next new products I tried was the 'Bourjois Delice De Poudre Bronzer' and the 'C.Y.O angled face brush'. I really like the pigment and colour of the bronzer, it's perfect for gently warming up the face without looking muddy or orange but the C.Y.O brush was a little too dense and stiff for the powder but I do think it'd work really well for blending out a cream contour or concealer as it is so dense.  I switched over to a fluffier, pointed brush to blend out the bronzer and it worked perfectly plus the bronzer actually smells like chocolate! I tried yet another new product for blush, I love peachier toned blushes as I think they compliment my skin tone really well and when I saw the 'Make Up Obsession Isn't It Peachy Palette' I new it was basically made for me. The pigment is amazing and the colours are gorgeous so I mixed the brightest blush in the palette and one of the more neutral toned blushes to create a gorgeous shade, I will definitely be buying more make up by 'Make Up Obsession'.

To highlight I used the 'E.L.F Jelly Highlighter' in 'Mist', I've never used a jelly highlighter before but they seem to be very on trend at the moment and I like to keep the amount of powder products I use to a minimum as I have SUCH dry skin. This highlighter is so, so pretty and gives you that perfect glow that just blends seamlessly into the rest of your make up, it isn't sparkly or shimmery its just super glowy. Once I was basically done with the skin I used the 'NIP and Fab illuminating fixing spray' to set my make up and then I went over my highlight with the Highlighting shade from 'The Balm Cosmetics travel palette' just to intensify that glow.

I haven't gotten over the soap brow trend yet so I used my transparent Pears soap and a spoolie to brush up my eyebrow hairs and then I used a 'Revolution' eyeshadow to fill in brows, I have dyed my hair quite dark now so I started with a dark brown colour and then went back over gently with a black eyeshadow just to match my eyebrow colour to my hair. I use a very thin angled brush to create hair like strokes as I prefer a bushier, thick brow. (off camera) I went back in with the soap and a spoolie afterwards just to push up the hairs even more especially at the tail of my brow. Now, I don't normally wear eyeshadow but I didn't want to wear eyeliner today so I tried to work up the confidence and do some eyeshadow but I got a little nervous and only used one colour on my lid, whoops. I used the 'Morphe 15N Master Artistry Palette' and placed the colours 'Shook' and 'Va Va Voom' which are warm brown tones on my bottom lash line and then placed 'Custom' a light, earthy pink colour all over my lids. Not very exciting I know but the eyeshadow formula is gorgeous, I have never used Morphe eyeshadows before but I was expecting high quality and that's what I got.

To finish off the look I again had two new products to try, again I don't really wear lipstick too often but I am trying to expand my beauty horizons at the moment. I used the 'Hema Lip Pencil' in shade '24' which is an orangey brown shade and I attempted to line my lips which was a bit messy but good for a first attempt if I do say so myself. I then went in with the 'Revolution Pro Supreme Matte Lip Pigment' in 'Affection' which was surprising creamy for a matte lipstick. I definitely could've applied it a little neater but I did really like the colour and the formula didn't feel drying or sticky so I was pretty happy overall.

I hope that I can make the 'Wet n Wild' foundation work for me as I loved all the other products I tried this time. If anyone has any make up recommendations, specifically foundations for dry skin, then please tell me!

MY FAVOURITE MUSIC OF 2019 SO FAR

Somehow we are already halfway into 2019, time is going too quickly. To mark the past six months I thought I would share some of my favourite music that's been released so far in 2019. I will admit outright that I have had a little bit of a pop obsession this year, I don't apologise. I will also say that I am definitely a song/playlist person compared to an album lover, most of my favourites are just single songs. 

7 RINGS - ARIANA GRANDE and MONOPOLY - ARIANA GRANDE AND VICTORIA MONET

Of course these are my go to party playlist starters, if I'm getting ready to go out these songs just put me in such a good mood and make me feel so confident. 

FEEL IT SOMETIMES - HUNGER MOON

This song is so beautiful and is perfect for them chill evenings - just light a candle, read a book and listen to this song.  

KILL THIS LOVE - BLACKPINK

Yes, I listen to KPOP, well just this one band really. I heard this song first from their performance at Coachella and just thought it sounded really cool, they're the perfect girl group to be honest. 

HYPERSONIC MISSILES - SAM FENDER

Sam Fender's music is a nice change of pace with more political and social themes running through the lyrics. Rather than singing about girls and stuff he actually writes music about interesting subjects. I saw him live earlier this year and it was amazing, the music is just awesome and I can't wait for his album in August. 

NO SHOW - SOUER

Souer supported Orchards when I saw them earlier this year and I kind of preferred them to the headline act. I personally think that angry girl music is always good but this duo blew me away and their music is one of my go to's now. 

LOVE LETTER - NINA NESBITT

I mainly love this song because it gives me intense cheetah girl/early 2000's throwback vibes which is the era I wish I was still in. 

SLOW DOWN - MAVERICK SABERE AND JORJA SMITH

Jorja Smith's voice is the smoothest sound to every hit my ears and I will forever be in love with her. This pairing (Sabre and Smith) was a perfect vocal match and I love the soulful pop-py feel of the song, easy to listen to and easy to love.

LOTTERY - JADE BIRD

Jade Bird reminds me a lot of Courtney Barnett but a lot more country. Her lyrics are so witty and her music is easy to listen to plus her voice is super powerful and it's just nice to listen to. 'Uh huh' is also on her album which I also love, but if you don't like country-esque music I would't recommend. 

WELCOME TO THE END OF YOUR LIFE - THE DRIVER ERA

I didn't know Ross Lynch could sing until I googled him after watch 'Sabrina' but wow, I like his voice a lot. I would definitely class 'The Driver Era' as easy listening or radio pop but I do really like this song.

MERCEDES MARXIST - IDLES

Releasing new music just after releasing such a highly raved about album is a scary thing I imagine, but of course IDLES killed it. They will always be one of my favourite bands and I will love anything they release.

NOTHING GREAT ABOUT BRITAIN ALBUM - SLOWTHAI

How can you be from Northampton and not get excited about this album? Making it big outside of Northampton is the dream of anyone from there (within the music industry or any other industry) and Slowthai is proving that it's possible, giving us some hope that we have a shot. Aside from the hometown pride, this album is one of the most impressive debut albums I've ever heard but did I ever expect anything less from Slowthai?