How to be a Shit Housemate

 What do we want? Passive aggressive lists about people
When do want them? Now 

During my four years of uni, I lived with some pretty insufferable people. From the weird to the downright bloody nasty. So being the generous little princess I am, I thought I'd collate my experiences to provide the ultimate guide on how to be the worst housemate anyone could ask for!*

1. Label all your utensils with green tape and keep them separate from everyone elses. Being super possessive in such an obvious way is FAB.
2. Conversely, don't bring any cutlery, pots, or pans apart from one spoon and a butter knife.
3. If you decide to do this, make sure when you borrow/steal your housemates' pans to cook with, NEVER wash them. Wash your plate and spoon, but not their pans. 'Cause why should you?

Is Primark Makeup Cruelty Free?

I've been investigating again, guys.

Why do brands make it so hard to find out whether they test on animals? Especially when they don't test on animals? Like... What? Why is it hard to find out if Primark makeup is cruelty free?

My "Is Topshop Cruelty Free" info post is one of my highest viewed posts, so hopefully it is helping some of you! I thought I'd post my findings on another high street favourite whose cruelty free status is a bit more difficult to verify.

I sent them my standard list of questions (which you should definitely check out and ask to brands if you want to do some investigating of your own), and this is the reply I received:

"Primark does not conduct and does not commission any animal testing. 

Our terms of trade with our suppliers make it clear that cosmetic products 

and their ingredients must not be tested on animals. We trust this has answered 

your queries and we thank you for taking the time to contact us."

Well that hasn't bloody helped at all.  No mention of whether products are sold in China, which is often the deal breaker as testing is illegal in the EU but mandatory in China. So I asked again.

"Primark does not conduct and does not commission any animal testing.  Our terms of 

trade with our suppliers make it clear that cosmetic products and their ingredients

 must not be tested on animals.  Please also note we do have outlets in China.

 We do not have any Primark stores in China."

Well this didn't make any sense to me at all. What does that mean? No Primark stores in China but outlets? What? So I asked again.

It turns out that the woman I was chatting to made an error and there are no Primark stores OR outlets in China. So I'm happy to say that Primark cosmetics ARE cruelty free! Which is pretty great because it looks like they're really stepping up their make up game!

Teri-May xx

 

Is Blogging & Social Media Bad For Your Mental Health?

This post is a little bit different. I've been reluctant to write it as I'm planning to conduct research into this for my PhD when the time is right, but as that's happening no time soon and my post on the goods and the bads of social media is one of my most popular, I thought some of you might be interested in reading about some of the theory my idea.

I promise it's more exciting than that intro. Honestly. Stay with me.

Research has suggested that writing about your emotions and experiences can make you feel better, improve your mental wellbeing and all that kind of stuff. It's kind of general knowledge now (one of the things I love about psychology - people don't realise how much psychology informs the general knowledge of everything!).

People keep diaries and writing about negative experiences/emotions as part of therapy or counselling is pretty commonplace. It turns experiences that may be hard to think about or talk about into more "organised" thoughts that might be easier to understand and deal with. There's pretty good evidence to support this, even though it's not clear why it works.

Things to do in Edinburgh | Off The Beaten Track

Edinburgh is my all time favourite city, and I love it more and more each time I visit. Luckily I get to visit fairly often, as Martin is a native Edinburghian (??? no?). That also means I get to see the non-touristy side, as he shows me some of the hidden gems and his favourite things to do in Edinburgh. Which in turn become my favourite things to do!

A little google search of "things to do in Edinburgh" will inundate you with suggestions to see the castle, St Giles Cathedral, Holyrood and Princes Street gardens. Which is cool and you defo should make sure you see them.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER THINGS THOUGH? Once you've had your fill of the castle and you want a bite to eat or to sit down and chill with a cuppa, where do you go? Edinburgh isn't exactly renowned for being the cheapest of places, and it can be so tempting to stay in the confines of Princes Street and the Old Town. But fear not - add these little faves of mine onto your iternary and don't break the bank while seeing something a lil' bit different.

GOSH Lumi Drops | 4 Ways & Review

Over the last couple of weeks, I've picked up a few pieces from one of my favourite affordable, cruelty free brands, GOSH. Most I've been pretty impressed with! The most versatile (and exciting) of my new toys is definitely the Lumi Drops Illuminating Highlighter in Shade 002 Vanilla.

I took them with me on my recent trip to Edinburgh and used them most days. I'm definitely a cream/liquid highlighter fan in summer. I don't find they give as intense a highlight as my favourite powders but it gives a really natural look. Like you're genuinely glowing with no help from make up.

~~Cue Lumi Drops.

There are 4 ways I've been enjoying wearing this which I'll talk through in a sec. Before I get there, though; a general review and important info -

Why I Say "No Thanks" To "Positivity Only Please"

I feel that I am a generally positive person IRL - I'm smiley, I make people laugh and I generally try to live my life in a positive way by not holding grudges, being kind to everyone I meet and not getting bogged down by anxiety and sad thing (of which there are A LOT in todays world, like, have you seen the news?).

But I'm no cupcake fairy sparkle unicorn. I have opinions on everything, and I like to tell everyone my opinion on things. Because I am a dick. I love to start discussions and have debates on "negative" topics, because they're the ones that need to be discussed.

My family don't really get this (no hate, fam. I love you). I'll discuss the systematic racism of the entertainment industry, the (in my view) irrational fear of immigrants and Muslims and my slightly elitist view of university system. These things divide opinion and conversations surrounding these issues are intrisincally negative. And arguments are started where people get upset. But that's why they are important and interesting to talk about.