What's In My Bag

Today I'm going to be doing an updated What's In My Bag because I love these sorts of posts and I love the handbag I'm currently using. I also thought I would do an updated one because the bag I'm using is very different to one I used in my first What's In My Bag, which was my first ever post on The Lipstick Insider. If you would like to read my first What's In My Bag the link is HERE

The bag I'm currently using is this tote bag from New Look. You might recognise the bag from my What I Got For My Birthday and Christmas post. I really like this bag because it's a great size and looks really cute, especially with the baby blue size. I tried to find a link for it but I don't think they do it anymore.

What's Inside

Phone- Obviously I have my phone in my bag in case I need to phone or text anyone or if I want to listen to music on the go or if I get bored and want to check Instagram (_louisecarter_) or play a game. The phone I have is the Microsoft Lumia 640 which I love and who cares that I don't have a iPhone?!?

Purse- I featured this purse in my old What's In My Bag and it's this massive purse from Primark. I really like this purse because it has room for everything and it looks nice so. I also sometimes just take this out and use it kind of as a clutch because there's so much room.

Earphones- I love listening to music and I always need to have earphones if I'm going in the car or on the bus because otherwise the journey is so boring. My earphones are from Amazon and are from the brand Betron and I would highly recommend them as they are such good quality.

Zoella Beauty Purse- This is the bag I use to carry around all my essentials in whilst on the go. I really like this as it's a good size and this one is gorgeous. You can get this from Superdrug or online internationally at Feel Unique. Inside I have-

-Maybelline Baby Lips In Melon Mania

-Silver Compact Mirror

-P.S. Love Anti Bac Hand Gel

-Barry M Showgirl Extra Volume Mascara

-Sweet Lips Lip Balm in Coconut Frosting

-Nail File

-Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

-Hairbands

-Zoella Beauty Blissful Mistful Solid Fragrance

Hairbrush- My hair has been super knotty recently so I have been carrying round a hairbrush in case my hair decides to not go my way. I love this copper hairbrush from Primark because it's so beautiful and I have been loving copper at the minute even though I didn't like the craze at first.

Cath Kidston Hand Cream- I carry round this hand cream as well as hand sanitizer because I'm not really the biggest fan of the scent so I carry round this Cath Kidston Hand Cream in Rose & Peony to make my hands smell really nice. This is the perfect travel size as it's only 30ml

Lip Balm- I like to carry round the eos lip balm in sweet mint because my lips have been super chapped and broken so to try and make them better and I have been using this and it really helps my lips so if you're thinking about getting one, it's definitely worth the money.

Glasses Case- My eyesight is really bad so I like to carry round my glasses case (without my glasses as I will be wearing them) in case they get dirty and I need to clean them. I wish my glasses case was more pretty as it's super dull and not exciting.

A6 Notebook and Pen- I like to carry round a tiny notebook just in case I think of a blog idea or any sort of idea. I could carry round a A5 notebook but I found this adorable tiny notebook in Tesco which is perfect for handbag use. Also carry round a pen as otherwise there's no point carrying round a notebook!

Body Mist- This is in replace of a perfume as I really like this and perfumes are typically more expensive. This is the Zoella Beauty Let's Spritz Fragrance Body Mist and I love the scent and the packaging. I also carry round a solid fragrance so that's a perfect way to use a perfume if you have a small bag or just want to be lazy!

I really hope you enjoyed this post and if you have any requests let me know in the comments and I will read them and take them on board. If you would like to stay up to date with me follow me on Twitter or Instagram (both _louisecarter_) as they are both my favourite social media platforms.

Thanks for reading,

Louise

xxx

Ways To Relax & De-Stress

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be sharing with you some tips on how to relax if you're feeling a bit stressed or you're just not feeling yourself. I feel like January is the month where everyone is a bit down as there is no high from Christmas as that's over, people don't have enough money and January is just a miserable month in general so I thought I would give you some tips on how to relax and de-stress so you can have a better month and be happier!

Put on a calming album or Spotify playlist

Every time before I have a bath and pamper afternoon or evening I have to put on some music on my phone. I like to put on my favourite albums (atm it's Little Mix's Get Weird). I don't usually put on a calming playlist but for most people it will be better when trying to relax.

Light A Couple of Candle To Set The Mood

This set isn't for me because I get paranoid about candles but for most people candles would relax them and help them to de-stress and make the room smell nice. Dim the lights, run a bath and light some candles and you will have the perfect mood.

Choose your favourite Lush bath bomb/bubble bar (or whatever bath product you want to use)

The thing that gets me most relaxed is having a bath with loads of bubbles and a bath bomb from Lush. The bath bomb in the picture is Big Blue but I personally wouldn't recommend it because once dropped there is all these twig-like things and it feels like you're bathing in twigs.

Choose a face mask to use in the bath

Face masks are a classic way to relax but they can help you de-stress and I love applying a face mask. I know you can look a bit scary but I would rather look scary than be stressed! Cucumber is also a great way to relax in the bath.

In the bath just relax and think of happy thoughts

You have your music on, candles lit, bath run, face mask on and now you can get in and just relax and soak. Just think of something that makes you happy or something that you're looking forward; forget about the bad things and be happy!

Afterwards just relax and put on your favourite film/program/YouTuber

Once out of the bath put on your cosy dressing gown and put on your favourite film (I like a rom-com or a comedy) or a TV program (for me Friends would be a must) or some YouTube. Just sit on your bed with junk food and watch!

Or read!

If watching something isn't your way of relaxing, read! You could read a book that you've wanted to read for ages but haven't had time, a gossip magazine if you're nosy like me or a fashion magazine like Vogue or Elle if you want to look at all of the beautiful clothes and shoes.

If you find painting your nails therapeutic, paint your nails! 

For me painting my toenails is really therapeutic and I always do it on my pamper afternoons/evenings so if it is like that for you. I don't paint my fingernails because I always get stressed when painting them so I don't want to make myself more stress.

Indulge

I always have my pamper afternoons/evenings on a cheat day because I love to eat cookies, doughnuts, cakes or just anything bad whilst relaxing but I don't care as I want myself to feel better (I know eating bad isn't going to solve any problems but I just want to eat)

I really hope you enjoyed this post.and maybe you'll put some of these points in action and you'll feel more happy and less stressed! 

Thanks for reading

Louise

xxx

Beauty Spotlight | Barry M

Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be spotlighting one of my favourite makeup brands at the moment which is Barry M. This is going to be a new series on The Lipstick Insider and I'm also going to be doing Fashion Spotlights featuring my favourite shops at the moment. If you like this style of post let me know!

A lot of people love the nail paints and they're probably the most famous product that they sell but there are also some really nice, good quality products. I love the nail paints, especially the Gelly Hi-Shine range, because there is a huge selection, they don't chip easily and you don't need that many coats for a great finish. The colours in the pictures above are Matt White (the white one obvs), Rose Hip (the pastel pink), Greenberry (the green one) and Fondant (the lilac one).

I have talked about the Showgirl Mascara a lot on The Lipstick Insider and I'm going to talk about it again as I am spotlighting Barry M! I really like this mascara because it doesn't clump my lashes together and it gives my lashes volume and length. I also really like the packaging because recently I've been loving metals.

Another product I have been loving from Barry M is the Natural Shadow & Primer Glow Palette 2. Barry M have a selection of palettes and as this is the first one I've tried, I've been very impressed. You get a cream, grey and brown matte shade and a tan, brown and brownish/grey shimmer shades. There is also a yellow-toned primer and 2 eyeshadow double-ended applicators but who actually uses them?!?

And finally onto lips! I'm only to be reviewing one shade out of many and the one I have is really good. The one in the pictures is Pillar Box Red and I have heard so many beauty bloggers and vloggers talk about it and I can see why. It's such a gorgeous red shade that is also really hydrating which can be hard to find when searching for the perfect red lipstick.

So I hope you enjoyed this post as it's something quite different and I will be doing more beauty posts as this blog is fashion, beauty and lifestyle and my blogger name is The Lipstick Insider so I love me some lipsticks!

Thanks for reading

Louise

xxx

Stationery Haul #2

Today I'm going to be doing Stationery Haul number 2! I did do a stationery haul in September last year (Link here) but I felt like I needed to do another because in the last couple of months of 2015 I wasn't very motivated to write blog posts so I thought I would change up my desk and it might make me more motivated and actually it's work! I'm back into the blogging spirit so I have some great posts coming up. 

I've also tried to include links where I can but some things I can't as the shop might not have a shopable website or I have linked the product to a different website but it's still the same product.

Sorry about all that rambling so lets get started!

(From clockwise)

A4 Floral Notebook from WHSmith 

This is the Katarina print from WHSmith which I think is so adorable and cute. I use this notebook to write my blog posts ideas in (like what I want to say) and I really like writing in it, which I know is super strange. I also like that on the end on the paper is purple but sadly you can't see that in the above picture.

This was £5.24 from WHSmith (Link)

B5 Neon Pink Notebook from WHSmith

This is my notebook that I write all of my random thoughts in and I take this a lot of places because it's really strong because of the protective cover and string thing that keeps the notebook together. This notebook is a bit of weird size because it's smaller than A4 but bigger than A5 but I still really like this notebook

This was £6.99 from WHSmith (Link)

Velvetgh0st A5 Notebook from Primark

YouTuber velvetgh0st (also known as Gabriella) has recently came out with a stationery collection for Primark and I was so happy when I saw it on Gabby's Twitter. I got this notebook because I have a notebook obsession and I really loved the design. I'm going to use this notebook to plan meals and write what I've ate.

This was £2.50 from Primark 

2016 Soft Touch Planner from Tesco

I did buy a planner in September but it was quite messy and didn't really like using it so I thought I would get a new one because Tesco had some really cute planners and mine wasn't the cutest. I like how this one is semi-professional as I like to call it because it's soft touch and has good quality paper but it is neon pink so not that professional.

This was £4.50 from Tesco

Anya A6 Exercise Book from Tesco

I felt like I needed an A6 notebook for my school bag, which you'll see later, in the front pocket in case I wanted to write a quick note or if I was carrying a smaller cross-body bag and I wanted to write a quick note. I really like the patchwork design of this notebook because it's super cute.

This was 75p from Tesco

(From clockwise)

Retractable Colourful Ball Pens from Tesco

I know it seems weird but I feel like my handwriting is nicer when using retractable pens so I thought I would I would get a new pack as I feel like my Zebra colourful pens might run out soon as I've had them for a while. I really like the colours of these and I'm going to be using these to write in my planner.

This pack of 10 pens was £1.50 from Tesco

Colourful Ball Pens from Tesco

I bought these before I got the retractable ones but I do still like this. I do like these because the colours are really vibrant and actually quite easy to write with even though they don't have a grip. You get 10 in a pack and the colours are- orange, red, pink, brown, purple, light blue, dark green, dark blue,black and light green.

These were £1.50 from Tesco.

velvetgh0st Pen Pot from Primark

So I didn't just get the velvetgh0st notebook I also got the pen pot from the collection because I needed a pen pot for my Sharpies and I hadn't been able to find any cute ones anywhere. This looks really cute with my Sharpies in. I also love how on the other side there is a cute quote of sparkle like a diamond which is a cute quote if you're feeling unmotivated.

This was £3 from Primark

Zebra Smooth 5 Pack Of Pens from Wilko

I needed a new pack of normal writing pens (I actually did!) so I thought I would give these a whirl because I normally like Zebra pens. These ones are a lot more darker and gel like without the smudging. I do like these but I feel like my handwriting isn't as neat as it would be with the normal ones.

These were £1.65 from Wilko 

Bic Kids Visa 18 Pack of Felt Tips from Tesco

In Stationery Haul 1 I included the 12 pack and I started using them in my neon pink B5 notebook above but I felt like there wasn't enough colours so I thought I would get the 18 pack so there's a variety of colours. There is some really nice colours such as a gorgeous green and a beautiful blue.

These were £4.50 from Tesco (Link)

Floral Backpack from Primark

This isn't anything to do with school or work for me (I don't even go to work!) but I thought it would be cool to include it for anyone who it might be ideal for. Like maybe you don't need to take a lot of stuff to work or school but you still want to look stylish or have a small-ish backpack. You might not be able to get this anymore as I got it half-price so I'm guessing it was the final chance to get it.

This was £5 in the sale from Primark

Hype Backpack in Colour Vision

This my school bag and I love it so much! I personally prefer backpacks for school as I like not having to carry anything on my arms. I got this Hype backpack off Amazon as a lot of people from my school have Hype backpacks so I knew it would be good quality and it is. There's a lot of space whilst still looking stylish.

This was £24.99 from Amazon 

Mint Merci Beaucoup Pencil Case from Forever 21

I got a bit bored of using my Superdry pencil case so I thought I should get a new one and I found this really cute makeup bag in Forever 21 which you totally use as a pencil case. Forever 21 have some really cute makeup bags which could also double up as a pencil case so look there if you want a cute pencil case.

This was £2.50 from Forever 21 

Wilko A4 Display Book with 40 Pockets from Wilko

I got this to use as my homework folder because my other one was really plain and had less pockets so I thought I would get this super cute one that has loads of pockets. If you're on a budget but want to get some really cute stationery go to Wilko as they have a lot of cute stationery for really cheap.

This was £2 from Wilko

Neon Ringbinder from Tesco

I needed to get a ringbinder for all of my random papers that float around my bedroom so I got this neon one from Tesco. Tesco doesn't really have that much cute stationery but I thought this ringbinder was cute and went with all of my neon sticky notes on my desk and it was cheap which is always a good thing.

This was £1.50 from Tesco

Floral Storage Box from WHSmith

As I write this my room is a mess so I got this storage box to keep random things in. I'm going to keep all of my beauty products in it (with the lid off so I can see everything) as I got so many products for my birthday and Christmas. This is in the same print as the A4 notebook at the beginning of this post and I love that print so much!

This was £4.49 from WHSmith

Neon Washi Tape from Tesco

I've wanted some washi tape for ages as a lot of American YouTubers mention it a lot and I've seen some really cute ones online (I know these aren't cute but y'anno) so when I saw this pack of 4 in Tesco I was so excited and had to get it. I use these to make things look cute and I love how they're neon so they stand out.

These were £1 from Tesco

House Memopad from Tiger

I saw this in Tiger and thought it was super cool and would look so cute on my desk so I got it. There for 4 types of sticky notes- green, yellow and pink page flags and white sticky notes and inside the house there is note paper, which is not sticky. This is so cute and a good essential to have if you take a lot of notes when at you're desk.

This was £3 from Tiger

Pink Pritt Stick from Ryman

My sister has been telling me for ages to get a glue stick as I kept using hers for school so I decided to get one. Obviously I got the pink one because pink is my favourite colour so now I won't get on my sister's nerve whilst having a pretty glue stick if you can call a glue stick pretty.

This was £2.99 from Ryman 

Pink Paperclips from Wilko

To carry on the pink theme from the glue stick I got some pink paperclips from Wilko because I always seem to need to put some random papers together but I lost all of the paperclips in my house so I got some pink ones so I don't loose them. Wilko had 3 colours (Blue, black and pink) and I had to take loads off packs off the shelf thing just to get the pink ones!

These were 75p from Wilko

So I hope you enjoyed it and liked the way I did the post as I thought it might be annoying with loads of pictures and I think it turned out quite nice so I might do my future hauls like this. Sorry for the lack of fashion and beauty posts recently but I have some planned so you'll be happy my loves!

Thanks for reading

Louise

xxx

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How To Have The Best Year Of Your Life

If you read my Happy 2016 post (which you should've because I included my new years resolutions) you would know that I was doing this post! I thought I would do this post because it's a new year and I'm sure a lot of you have failed your resolutions (I can't say; I'm writing this in 2015!) so lets have a fresh start and have the best year of your life! I just want to add if you haven't failed your resolutions I'm very,very proud of you! :) Enough rambling lets get started!

Write down your goals in a noticeable place because you're forced to see it and you're going to be reminded and if you haven't done it you're going to be haunted so actually complete your goals! I put my list above my desk as I will always see it every time I come into my room.

Following on from my last point, actually review your goals regularly. There is no point having goals if you don't review them. I would find it best to review them every couple of weeks or so and then you'll be more motivated to complete your goals. 

I also just want to add that I have no idea what I was watching but I know it's from YouTube as I know I was watching YouTube when taking the pictures for this post.

Drinking water is so important and lots of people forget to drink water and choose fizzy drinks instead. If you are prone to forgetting to drink buy yourself a reusable, travel tumbler cup. Primark do some really cute ones for cheap and there must be one that you would like or if you have a bigger budget Victoria Secret Pink have some really cute ones I've seen.

If you are prone to forgetting things or if using the planner on your phone makes you forget everything get yourself a planner. Everywhere have them in at the moment or if you're lucky you might be able to find one for cheap as it's gone New Years Day. I love Tesco planners because they're cheap, have cute designs and do the job well.

I'm sure a lot of you are students so if you are do your homework the night you get it because otherwise you might forget or something unexpected might pop out and you might not have time. This is something I'm still working on but hopefully soon I'll be amazing at this.

This is a tip not everyone might agree with because a lot of people don't believe in writing down what you eat but for me it works because I don't really want to be writing down bad food so I'm forced to eat healthy so it helps me. I like to write mine down in a notebook but if you are on the go you can use an app; I like to use Fitbit

I'm the worst person in the world when it comes to anything physical but recently I've heard people talking about workouts on YouTube which is great for beginners as they're easy and for people who might not be flexible (like me)

This is something I have been doing for a while now and I would recommend you make your bed every morning even if you don't feel like it as otherwise your whole room is looking messy and it makes me feel a bit more productive (I don't know how that actually works). In case you're wondering my duvet cover is from Amazon.

I organise my school bag every night before bed and check I have everything for the next day and check I've done all of my homework or got my PE kit. This will help you because otherwise you're not going to forget anything and you're not going to get a detention or anything.

To be completely honest with you this is something I need to work on because I always improvise my meals so this year I'm going to plan in advance and get more healthy things in the weekly food shop. I have made a basic meal plan in the picture because I usually have the same things (because of my picky sister)

I really hope you enjoyed this post and hopefully maybe you'll take some of these tips in and you'll have the best year ever! In my bonus post I posted on Friday I included my New Year Resolutions so if you haven't seen that check that out.

Thanks for reading,

Louise

xxx

Happy 2016

So this is just a very quick post to say HAPPY NEW YEAR! I feel like 2015 went by in a flash and I have a feeling that 2016 also will. I hope your year is filled with happiness and joy and you are well and you stay safe (I feel like a teacher at the end of term but I just want you to be the best version of you)! 

On Sunday I have a post being published on How To Have The Best Year Of Your Life so check back at Sunday at 7am if you would love to read that and maybe get some advice. 

I thought I should probably share with you my New Years Resolutions so I've put that below. I probably won't stick to them but in a year I'm going to check back and see if I have.

-Eat a lot more healthier and eat less junk
This past year I have been eating so much junk food and pizza which is really bad so I'm really going to try my hardest to eat healthier. I don't need to drink more water as I drink quite a lot so I'm good on drink, just not the food.

-Write more blog posts and write them in advance
Over the last 2 months or so I have been really slacking on the blogging front because I haven't been motivated but I been working my ass off to try and get some blog posts up because I don't want to miss a Sunday post, In my dreams I would like to have about 5 weeks in advance (I know crazy) just so I feel more positive and less stressed

-Get more creative, especially for my blog
I've never been a creative person but in 2016 I would like to change that because I want to post more creative and original ideas on The Lipstick Insider because it will make me feel more good about myself and it will make me a better blogger!

-Try and get more organised, especially my room
As I'm currently writing this my room is a mess because in complete honesty I can never be bothered. I'm going to devote a date to it soon (I have already written it in my planner) and hopefully I'm going to keep it like that!

-Try and save money and not buy things for the sake of it 
I'm the worst at saving money; if I have money I'm going to want to spend it which is so bad as when I really need to get something, I won't be able to as I wasted my money. I'm going to try and go shopping less so I'm not forced to buy something.

-Be more confident with makeup, especially with lip shades
I love wearing makeup as you guys probably know but the area of beauty I'm least confident is lip shades because I'm scared of messing it up and getting lipstick on my teeth. I had to wear red lipstick for my drama panto I was in and it went wrong the first time but after trial and error it looked so bomb!

-Get more fitter and watch workout videos on YouTube and actually do them
This links in with the eating more healthy point but as well as eating more healthier I'm going to need to workout to get fitter. I'm really bad at anything physical but YouTube has lots of videos for beginners so I'm going to be watching and doing a lot, hopefully.

I really hope you enjoyed this post and I want to wish all of my lovely readers a very happy new year as you guys deserve it! Hopefully everyone here will have a great year and everything goes your way! 

Thanks for reading

Louise

xxx