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Ok, so Christmas is officially over for another year. I truly hope everybody had a lovely one filled with plenty of festive cheer and one-too-many mince pies, as well as, er, several glasses of mulled wine *hic*. Despite not asking for any gifts in particular, Santa certainly did well this year so I guess I must have made his 'nice' list - yippee! Some Soap & Glory body wash was lovingly welcomed into my arms along with a rather snazzy Fitbit and some cosy Christmas pjs... rather a random assortment but great nonetheless. As soppy and cliche as it sounds, I always think Christmas is more about spending quality time with loved ones and as much I appreciate the gifts, they don't have the same appeal to me now I'm a little older. That's also probably because you learn to appreciate people so much more after you have lost those who you were closest to, so spending as much time as you can with those who are most precious to you is so important to me now.

So after eating everything in sight on Christmas Day, I went to bed feeling fulfilled in every sense of the word. I had to drag myself out of bed the following morning though and head into work which I was completely ecstatic about as you can imagine! Busy was an understatement; there were people everywhere and I literally couldn't move without nearly stepping on someone. I can't understand who in their right mind would rush into town on Boxing Day in desperate need of new shoes (why on earth didn't they just ask Santa for a pair?!) Working in retail is certainly no fun at Christmas that's for sure.

My current to-do list goes pretty much like this:

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Boxing Day

New Years Eve

New Years Day (I have to work, boo!)

On that note, I wish everybody a happy and healthy 2016 and sincerely beg that it'll be a better one than this year. In terms of resolutions, I'll probably go with the one about toning up and magically turning into a  petite Victoria's Secret model for about the fourth year running... I cant wait to see how well that turns out!

Do you have any resolutions?

Chloë

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I've gone through quite a few drugstore foundations in my time, but I feel there are still more gems out there that are yet to be discovered. I tried the original True Match foundation last year, and while I got on well with it, I wasn't entirely convinced by its runny consistency and the way it liked to slide off my nose in the afternoon. Recently I discovered that this foundation is back with a BANG; it's been completely repackaged and reformulated, so I knew I'd have to give it a try.

Firstly, I'm impressed with the huge variety of shades that this foundation comes in as I know it's typically quite tricky trying to match up your skin tone with foundations from the drugstore/highstreet. I'm usually towards the lightest end of the scale (if not the palest shade) and I always find it such a task trying to find a shade that isn't too pink-toned to avoid looking like a porcelain doll gone wrong. I try and stick to yellow-toned foundations to counteract some of the redness in my cheeks but to also match up with my neck and the rest of my skin. Out of all the drugstore foundations I have tried, this is definitely the palest, yellow-est shade I have come across so far (Golden Ivory, BTW). Prior to this I fell in love with Bourjois' Healthy Mix foundation in Vanilla (no.52), but it's a little bit too dark for me now it's winter and I'm ghostly pale. 

In comparison to the first True Match formula, I can't say I've noticed much of a difference. It's still a very light and runny consistency that blends effortlessly into the skin, although L'oreal claim it's now "softer than ever, looks more natural than ever, and matches your skin's unique tone and texture even better than before." It certainly does look natural, though. I typically prefer a medium-high coverage foundation without it looking too fake and heavy, which is exactly why this True Match foundation is so perfect as you can easily build up the coverage without it looking cakey on the skin. 

Packaging-wise, the shape of the bottle has been elongated and it looks a little more modern compared to the old design. The chrome pump was seen on the previous bottle too, however it's now more square around the top which looks a lot neater but I found it almost a bit clumsy when trying to pump out the product. Besides from that though, the new design is really quite visually appealing as it sports an expensive feel and could easily be mistaken as being a product that is up there amongst some of its pricier, high-end competitors.

How it wears throughout the day is still a little bit of an issue for me. I applied it this morning after moisturising and priming my skin and by around 1pm I did notice my nose starting to look a little oily. If you carry powder with you then it's not really a big deal to do a two-second touch up, but I'd really rather not have to bother if I'm busy at work and my powder is locked away up two flights of stairs. Perhaps it depends on how you apply this foundation, though. I used a Sigma F80 brush this morning whereas recently i've been using (and loving) the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I used to love using brushes until I discovered a sponge - it gives such a light, flawless finish!

On the whole though, this foundation is a winner due to its huge variety of shades, its affordable price and its light-but-buildable coverage. Going from my personal experience though, I'd say it's probably more suited to normal-dry skin, but if you use a primer beforehand and set the foundation well it should see you through the day with minimal touch-ups!

It's a dark, dingy day here in England; the perfect opportunity to grab a cuppa and sit and write a new blog post! I should perhaps be spending my time a little more productively by wrapping the mountain of presents that seems to have just magically appeared in my bedroom, or maybe attempting to fetch the Christmas tree down from the attic, but right now I'm going to pretend that I don't have a list as long as Santa's beard containing all the things I have to do and crack on with this random, rambly blog post.

So I haven't spent as much time on my blog as I would have liked over the past few weeks, but I have a very *OMG* life update to share (well, it probably isn't that exciting to any of you).

I HAVE BRACES.

Dun dun duuuuuuun.

Ok, hear me out. I've been told many times by my dentist that I don't physically need braces, but over the past few years I've grown increasingly insecure about my teeth and I always think that if you have the chance to correct something then it's definitely worth pursuing. I'm currently sucking up saliva every 2 seconds like some freaky Henry Hoover and have a terrible lisp, but i'm trying to convince myself that, touch wood, it'll all be worth it in the end. 

Since i'm over 18, the NHS paying for my treatment was completely out of the question and so I am funding everything myself (I'm sure my poor bank account is currently in mourning). It's certainly very costly and unfortunately i'm not some millionaire who can pluck thousands of £50 notes from the money tree growing in the back garden, but I see it as a lifelong investment and that's the way I've had to come to terms with it. In terms of braces, I wasn't a candidate for Invisalign as I was told by the orthodontist that it would have no effect on my teeth. To cut a long story short, I've had to go with the gold old-fashioned metal bracket/train track braces which will hopefully give me the results I'm hoping for. I currently have an 'Upper Removable Appliance' which is supposed to widen my top arch and stop my front teeth from biting down on the train-track braces that are on my bottom teeth. Oh, it's all very complex! Much to my, er, horror, I've been told I'll have the URA for six months before then having train tracks fitted to my top teeth. Right now I'm a little bit frustrated at how silly I sound when speaking (good job I don't have to read that sentence aloud!!) Also, eating has become the biggest chore ever. I physically can't bite down anymore as I have to wear the URA whilst eating, but even when I take it out my top teeth hit the top of the train tracks on my bottom teeth so my back molars still don't touch. I understand this is completely normal and it's just something I'll have to get used to, but right now any solid food is out of the question so I've just accepted the fact that I am now somewhat of a smoothieholic.

Apologies if I just bored the pants off you; I just thought I might use my blog to document my 'braces journey' so I can look back in a couple of years time and laugh at my moany past-self.

Have you had braces? What was your experience like?

Chloe

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