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Archive: April 2014

We could be here for a while as this is a touchy/important topic for me and probably many others.

When I started writing my blog, I told you guys that I have had trouble with my skin since my teens and it was the thing that got me down the most.
I've tried and tested everything you could imagine. But in this post I want to tell you the whole thing about how it started and how I battled through it and came out at the other end where I'm fighting it still to this day. Sorry if this bores you but I know there will be lads and lasses out there that have this problem so I would love to help.

It started around year 10 when I would have been about 14? I think. This one week I grew this minefield of spots on my chin and only on my chin. I thought it was a rash or something but it turned out to just be spots and a lot of them. I went to school in hope nobody would notice and obviously it was school, everybody noticed! You've always got those loud mouthed lads that speak whatever they think and this one lad literally said "wtf ewwww your chin is minging what the hell is that?!". I went home and cried and stayed off school until the spots went which was about a week later. Stupid but I needed to do it or my confidence would be none existent. So anyway this is where it all started at it continued from there. Apart from it wasn't just my chin they conquered, it was my whole face. And my back, and my arms. It was horrible and there was nothing I could do. It was probably my hormones and it was around this time that I went on the contraception pill. I had a steady boyfriend at the time so it was something my mam wanted and my doctor said it would help with my skin. BUT HE WAS WRONG. It made me skin worse. So much worse. But I battled through because I thought I had to be on this pill up until I started getting bad heads every time I had my pill. So I stopped. 
I still had bad skin though so I tried acne creams lotions and potions. But I'm one of those people who have a spot I need to pop it. Minging as it sounds it's true. They say DO NOT POP YOUR PIMPLES. Who listens to that when you've got a bulging spot? I would rather have a red mark than a whitehead anyday.
So thorought my teens this was my day in day out battle. Right up until before university when I was 19!!! 
I'd went to the doctors about my problem and they gave me spot tablets. I'm not saying what they're called but if you go to your doctor and state your worries and problems they can help with that. When I started taking them I loved life. Literally I was the happiest girl because my skin would gorgeous. It even cleared my back up and everything!!! 
And then in my second year at uni I went on a different contraception pill and I should have known it would do the same thing but I wanted to try. I tried it for about 3 maybe 4 months as it says your body needs time to adjust. Well my face did adjust, it adjusted to breaking out every single day!! So I came straight back off it. And then I had the task of getting my skin back to normal, and at this time I was still taking my spot tablets but by now I'd been taking them every day for a year so I think my body had got used to them so they weren't doing anything now. So I took a break from them and try to do things naturally. 
I googled natural skin remedies and how to get rid of acne like I think everyone does even though they don't know if they actually have acne. I found a recipe and tried it out.
It was to mix a teaspoon full of Manuka Honey with a teaspoon full of lemon juice. Mix it up and using a makeup brush (blusher brush to be precise) I layered my face in this whilst I had a bath and at the end of the bath wash it off. I done this every night I went in the bath and I can honestly say it works! 
Manuka Honey is meant to be verrrrry good for you, not just for your skin but it helps with colds etc as it's antibacterial so kills any germs. The lemon juice is to get rid of spots and the honey is to heal your skin and heals spot scars. If you put lemon juice in your face by itself this also works and the other way around. 
My skin was finally making it's way to being normal again now. YIPEEEEE. But now I'm left with slight red marks when scarring.
So when I seen this on JEREMY KYLE I was very intrigued. It was one of those shows on Jeremy Kyle where he's got plastic surgens on or something and they were showing the audience about Micro Demabrasion Roller. It was a little roller with lots of tiny needles and you roll it on your skin to repair your top layer of skin which repairs the scarring and redness. Obviously it was very abrasive as they were doing it professionally and they had numbing cream on so they couldn't feel it as I bet that would kill!
So obviously me being the crazy mofo that i am I went and googled this micro dermabrasion roller. I found that you could buy them on ebay but put it off for a while because i didn't like the thought of buying needle things off ebay. Eventually I'd bought one anyway and thought I'd give it a go. 
When it came I was a little bit scared to try it but I went ahead and done it every night for a week. 
All you do it apply as much pressure as you're comfortable with and roll it over your skin about 20 times over the same area. For example I'd run it down my cheek and roll it over this same line 20 times. Do this with the whole of your face.
Obviously you need to wash it, so to make sure all the germs were washed away I poured boiled after over it into a cup and mixed it about to give it a good clean and simply rinsed it under the cold tap.
It made my skin very dry if I didn't apply a night oil after I done it. So I bought some Rose Hip oil off Amazon and applied this (one drop on some cotton wool) to my whole face. This is what helps it repair the skin and adds moisture to the skin.

After a week I noticed a difference and my skin felt radiant. But I carried on doing it but just once a week until I was happy with my skin. 
After that I only done it when I had a couple of spots and it makes them disappear! And also gets rid of the scabbing and scarring.
I literally love it! It is meant to help get rid of stretch marks and wrinkles too. I used to do it on my stretch marks that I get on my inner thighs and it's help fade those too!

I'm in a happy skin zone and have been for the past year because of this little scary tool!

If you are going to buy this Micro Derma Roller then please wash it properly as you don't want to spread the germs onto your face and make the situation worse and don't go overboard with this as it does dry out the skin so use an oil after you've done it.


I still get a few spots here and there and I've got a few red marks but they're off new blemishes. This is my skin off using the roller which is what makes it red and looks like you've got a sun tan. I can't believe I'm posting this image of my skin because it's something that I'm paranoid about but it's no use if I don't show you as you could think I'm being over dramatic about nothing. And I know it doesn't look that bad but this is my happy skin time. I don't have pictures from when I was going through my bad skin times.

This image is me using Sudocrem when I'm having a bad skin week to reduce the redness as I feel like it work without drying out or adding moisture to the blemish. I just dab the cream into the blemish or red mark and leave it on over night and hopefully by the morning it should have dulled down!

I really hope this helps and please comment if you've tried this or going to and if it works or doesn't work! Would live to hear your skin story! 


LLC x





If you follow me on Instagram (lauracranston1) then you will know I've been buying a lot lately due to being paid. I am literally obsessed with shopping and especially since I work in a shopping centre it's getting out of hand. Whhoooops. Anyway I thought I'd show you guys what I have been buying.

Firstly it was my big purchases at Primark which I've done a Primark Haul for so check that out.


Then it was my purchases from Zara..

Zara is on top form lately! I want EVERYTHING from that shop. I spotted this LUSH yellow jacket on Instagram and instantly wanted it. Went into Zara and it wasn't there so I bought these two lovely tops (top pic) and then went back for more. This time the jacket was there!!! Omg you should have seen me. Literally ran towards the jacket because it was a Saturday and I know how crazy everyone is on a Saturday so I grabbed that and some other things to try on. I tried the small on but thought it was a bit too poofy on the shoulders so bought the xs. (£59.99) which I realised it a splurge but I thought I'd treat myself. Not that I treat myself everyday like.
Also bought this lovely white top which is lush material and 3/4 length arms. I bought this for one reason, to tie into a knot on the side as I think this look looks so cool with a tan. (£19.99).
And this other white tank top which has a knot already on the front but I thought this looks good for those hot summer days (12.99). 
Finally I bought these washed jeggins which I've been after the right ones for ages now as I wanted ones that are the right colour. These are them. (£19.99).

I then stumbled into Miss Selfridge..

I bought this cropped cami to go with high waisted denim shorts for my holidays. I realise everything I buy from now will be for my holidays. I love to plan and be prepared epesh when it comes to clothing. This was (£12.99) BARGIN!

AND THEN.. The postman dropped this lovely little parcel off!

I found this clothing brand somewhere on Instagram I think..wow isn't Instagram amazing.
It's called One Nation Clothing and it's only small but sometimes the small brands have the best things. I loved this co-ord and have been after one for a while now and thought the bright orange with the navy stripes would look heaven with a tan. The material of this is great because it doesn't look like it will crease easy which is perfect for the suitcase and it's textured so it gives it that little bit more detail to it. It's kinda stretchy too which makes the shorts so comfy. This co-ord cost (£36). So go check them out on Instagram which will have their link to their site in their bio. Search for One Nation Clothing.

What do you think of all of this? Yes I know stop shopping Laura! 


LLC x




















This was sent to me by Superdrug to feature in a post I done for them which will be live very soon!

I wasn't a white nail girl before this and I don't think I'd ever buy myself white nail varnish just because I have always thought it looked like tipp-ex. We all know this isn't a good look but if you get it right it doesn't actually look like that.
I've never had a Models Own nail varnish before but I have been turned! They're great. Especially these new collection called Hyper Gel. They're meant to last longer and look glossier and they totally do! Honestly I've been loving this. 
I have used the shade White Light which isn't totally bright white and I think that makes a difference into it not looking like Tipp-ex.

I have used a top coat which adds to the glossiness.
It lasts longer than normal nail varnish and doesn't chip easily which is every girls dream polish. How annoying is it when your polish chips and you've just done it. Urghhh so annoying.
So this is welcomed with open arms and will feature in a lot of my holiday images as I cannot wait to wear this with a tan! Ooo and my new Primark sandals. 
OO La La! 

Make sure you don't miss my holiday images by following my blog in bloglovin.. You can click on the button over there on the right that says 'follow with bloglovin'. Also I'm obsessed with Instagram so check me out on there too! Search for - lauracranston1

What do you think of white nails? Yay or nay? 

LLC x
I have been loving Primark lately! Tbh I always do. I've always been that one girl that can always grab the best steals from that shop. I never have to rummage or fight the crowds because I word in a shopping centre I get to go at the quiet times and them times tend to be when they're putting the new stock out before the hectic Saturday crowds come and it all sells out.
There is nothing wrong with shopping at Primark. If anything it makes you a better fashionista for being able to shop with a budget and still look good. Don't get me wrong I love a good quality shop but I'm the kinda girl who loves a bargain and I'd like to be that blogger that shows you what's out there for everyone and not just show you the expensive stuff that some bloggers do.

So anyway, pay day came and I went a bit wild. In Primark and in Zara. Here is what I bought..
When this whole scrunchie craze came about I didn't like I'd end up being one of those girls. But I can't resist bright colours and especially for my holiday. Just imagine, sitting on the beach with that salty hair getting in your face and being able to pull it back with these two little dudes. Don't worry i will post a selfie haha! I hate flat hair and these scrunchies have got wire in the ends so you can bend them do whatever you want with them so they'll add a bit of oommmfff to your look.

I'm obsessed with little cute gold necklaces and I'm always scruggling to find them! So when I spotted this beauty for £1.50 I grabbed it and loved it as soon as it got on my neck. I also bought these stack rings which I've been loving lately but I'm not a ring fan. They add that extra bit of something to your look. Plus I like gold jewellery with blonde hair.


This is from my second trip. I originally went to grab another one of them necklaces and those rings but the rings had gone (told you you need to be quick). This is what I ended up with..oops!



White sandals with a tan and gold buckles. Wowza. This is my love right here. They are SO comfy and I cannot wait to wear these. I'm also obsessed with white if you hadn't noticed! Bargain at £8. 



Grabbed another one of those necklaces and bought a similar one! And since they didn't have the rings I wanted I bought these midi rings. Which I will wear with my gold stacked rings.


I'd seen these trousers on someone's Instagram but in the blue colour. I loved them but didn't think they were very me as they're abit too quirky for me. So I spotted these bad boys in black/grey. I love that they're high waisted as I find Primark jeans a bad fit as they fit on the legs but too slack on the waist so because these are meant to be tighter at the waist they're a perfect fit. (£13.)
I will wear these with a white top and those white sandals. And for back here in the UK I will team with a leather jacket on those chilly typical British days.


Prints are all in. So when I spotted this palm tree print top I was in loooove. More at the fact that it was £4!! This is something that I will wear through the day on holiday with denim shorts. I also think this will look cool at a music festival and since I'm going to VFestival this year I thought I'd get a second wear out of it.


Don't think I'm mad for shopping in the kids department. Because it's cheaper and sometimes they have nicer stuff! Like this dress..they don't have one in the adults department and it's lush. It's a neon pink with a texture print on it. It's a drop waist dress so it's flattering and girly. Which both of those is what I look for in every dress. (£9).
By the way, I've only started shopping in the kids department since I started working at H&M kids and realised I fit into them.


I bought this top to go with my checked pants. I like the draping detail on the back as it gives it a twist to a plain white top. (£6)


Expect a lot of these posts because I love shopping in bulk at Primark and I feel we all need to pass on info of what's on offer at cheap prices because it all goes so quick.

Have you bought any these products? 
Anything else you've  spotted at Primark?

LLC x






Pastels have always been a must every spring/summer, but this year I feel they're out in force. Which I'm not complaining as it's my fab trend! Can't get enough of pastels. Even the cosmetics are turning pastel crazy.
There has been a few brands to attempt the pastel nails and my god they've got it right. Two brands that I've been loving has been Barry M pastel Gelly Hi Shine collection and Rimmel Rita Ora collection. These are two go to brands for my nails. They've got it so right I don't even think I will get my nails done for my holiday (second holiday) because I want to change them every day. And I did with my last holiday (check out my Holiday Looks post). 
And so here I am attempting a battle of the two brands and colours. So you don't have to go out and buy the two, I'm here to test for you so you can buy the best one. 
You can purchase the two at Superdrug if you did want to go and test them both for yourself. 

So here goes..



This is the Rita4Rimmel collection in shade Lose Your Lingerie. I am in love with this. I can't tell you how much, okay i will try. It is the perfect colour as I'm always trying to get a nice colour pink on my hands without looking like Barbie. And here it is. It has little bits of some would say glitter but it doesn't come out glittery as I think they're more like light reflectors to make it look glossier! And they work. The brush on this is great as it's angled to fit the shape of your nail. I feel like I already know who is going to win this but I will give Wor Barry M a chance ey. (Silly Geordie talk).



This is the Barry M Gelly hi shine in Rose Hip. The Gelly Hi Shine are amazing and I feel they're glossier and last longer than their normal nail varnish so this is an instant plus. Howwweverrrr when I have put it up against its competition I found this more watery than the Rimmel Rita Ora one. Also their brush is a lot thinner which is good if you've got small nails like me but they ain't that small c'mon. I found this needed one coat more than the Rimmel one which means you use more in the long run. Although, the colours are almost identical! It is so hard to tell the difference.

As you can see I have Rimmel on my left hand and Barry M on my right. (Sorry for the poor picture quality it was a really dark day!).


Try and spot the difference?! Hard isn't it. So there isn't a winner for colour as they're both in the lead for that one butttttt who passes the quality control?

I thought there is no better way to test the quality than to try it out at work where I and constantly battering my nails again cash desk, crates and scratting in the till. So I wore this for two full days at work and lays had a bath (which we all know is the real test). And here is the outcome..
This is what my Rimmel hand looked like. Not bad is it!

 And here is my Barry M hand. There is more chipped nails than my Rimmel hand and I feel it's more flakey than Rimmel but this may because I had to apply more layers to make it look consistent.

So my winner is..... DUN DUN DUN.

Rimmel by Rita Ora in Lose your lingerie! 

It lasts longer, colour is perfect, glossy and doesn't flake as much.

Hope this helps. 

LLC x
You may already know that I'm a Benefit lover, always have and always will. I think what started my love off was their beautiful packaging. I love anything that looks cute and all their makeup does. It either has an amazing bottle of comes in an amazing box. I think you're either a Benefit fan or a Mac Makeup fan. I've only ever had three things from Mac so I'm still waiting to be transformed. So here I am trying to sway all you Mac fans to the beautiful side to the Benefit side :). There has always been that stereotype that I've had with Mac makeup..the caked look. You go to a counter and they all look liked they've dipped their face in a paint pot. No offence. And I know that's not what I would do so I wouldn't look like that but that's what's always stopped me.

Anyway back to my love for Benefit. I'm surprised I haven't got more of their makeup to be honest but I'm sure that will change because I've seen a lot of their new stuff that seems very appealing such as their hello flawless foundation. 

So here I have created a step by step tutorial of how I have done my makeup to achieve this look..

So first of all you need to have with you these products: Posie tint, High Beam, Erase Paste, Benefit Cream Eyeshadow in Get Figgy, Gimme Brow, Sugarbomb Blusher and Hoola Bronzer.



STEP ONE: After applying foundation take you're Erase Paste (I'm using shade medium) (£20.50) and dab you finger into the pot and apply a generous amount in a triangle under your eyes. You want the point to come down to the the top of your nostril. 

STEP TWO: Apply to eye lids.

STEP THREE: Blend by patting it into your skin. Don't rub as this is what stretches the skin and your under eye skin is very thin.


STEP FOUR: Take your highlighter High Beam (£19.50) and draw a line above and below your cheekbones, under and above your eyebrows, down the middle of your nose and in the middle of your chin.


STEP FIVE: Take a clean foundation brush and blend it in.


STEP SIX: Apply your Gimme Brow (I'm using it in light) (£17.50) brush to your eyebrows and follow the shape. To make sure you apply the colour to each and every hair then do this backwards and then brush them back down again. You want to brush along your brow until you reach your arch and when you reach your arch then brush down. Wipe any excess off your skin.
I'm loving this product ATM as it does two things at once and it's hard to over do the brow look with this little stick of magic.

STEP SEVEN: Take your Hoola Bronzer (£23.50)


STEP EIGHT: Apply this to your cheek bones with either the brush that comes with it or a rectangle brush. I'm telling you, I will be using Hoola til I die. This no shimmer no nonsense just pure bronze bronzer is the bomb! 

STEP NINE: Apply also to the corners of your forehead and down the sides of your nose and under your chin.


STEP TEN: Using your Benefit Cream Eyeshadow in Get Figgy (I don't think they do this colour any more!) dab your finger into the pot and apply all over lid. Using a clean finger, blend the line just above the crease of your lid. I love this eyeshadow as it's so easy to apply but it does crease during the day.

STEP ELEVEN: Take a cotton bud and dab this into the pot and apply this to the bottom lash line right up to the corner of your eye. Using the clean end then blend this.


STEP TWELVE: apply eyeliner (mine isn't benefit) to your top water line and lower water line and mascara to top and bottom lashes.

STEP THIRTEEN: Use your Posie Tint (£24.50) on your lips to give them a dewy pink look.
I love this either on your cheeks or on your lips. If you apply this to your cheeks then make sure you apply before your bronzer. 

STEP FORTEEN: Using Sugarbomb (£23.50) apply this using the brush that it comes with to the apply of your cheeks. I totally I forgot I had this and have just fell in love with it all over again. It had a bit of a shimmer to it so it makes you look healthy and gives you a glow.

STEP FIFTEEN: Taaaa daaaa! All done.


Hope you enjoy this look as much as I do. 

What's your fav Benefit products? Or any Mac products I NEED to try? 

My Benefit Wishlist: Hervana blusher, Hello flawless oxygen foundation, Lemonade, Coralista, High Brow Glow.

LLC x



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