Coffee Chats: Feeling Inspired, Grateful, and Mindful

Hello my lovelies, I hope everyone is well and had a lovely Valentine's Day however you spent it. 

As you can see from the title, I am finally coming back to you with another Coffee Chats segment for the blog after two whole months of not doing one. What?! In this one I have quite a lot to make reference to so just bare with me. Apologies for not having a photo of the coffee I had, but I had the classic Katie J coffee, an Iced Latte. 

Monday, 5:40pm, Costa was the current day, time, and place that I began to write and develop this post in my notebook. Whereas now it is Thursday, 11:18pm, my bedroom is the current day, time, and place while typing this up for you guys all to read. Now all that's been established, how has this come about you ask? 

Well, I felt like checking in with you guys about some more life based and oneself thoughts and feelings etc. Over the past few days I've been feeling a bunch of different emotions ranging from happy, frustrated, and inspired. 'Inspired' being the main one on this occasion. I think it has something to do with my Live Art planning for my assessment in March. I'm creating a one on one meditation based piece which is going to focus on the mindfulness of oneself. Exhaling the stresses and worries of life in order to really connect deeply to the inner you. 

Speaking of inspired, the reason I felt the urge to do a Coffee Chats was because earlier that Monday afternoon I purchased a book, How To Be Mindful by Anna Barnes. This will come in handy for my Live Art performance as that way I can fully practice what I want to preach to others. 

mindful: to be conscious or aware of something

The book follows the structure of demonstrating different techniques on how to be mindful everyday of your life. For example writing a gratitude journal, doing a digital detox, and meditation techniques. 

The main concepts the book suggests is in order to be mindful you must see things that happen with fresh eyes. Which I find really interesting when you think of applying that to everyday elements of reality. Or, situations that do not occur every day. 

Being mindful is the main element I want to incorporate into my Live Art performance I decided to start straight away and practice what I preach. In the book there's a header called Getting From A to B which says to take your time to stop and appreciate your surroundings, where you are, what you're doing, what you see, hear, smell, touch etc. 

So once I'd finished my coffee I decided to take a long walk home. What would normally take roughly 20 minutes took me 70 minutes (i.e. 1 hour and 10 minutes). I walked on the outskirts of town and eventually led myself back to a familiar route to home. I also decided to walk my favourite way, through this park area. I love to walk through it, especially in the evening because it is extremely peaceful, no cars around, it's a family housing area; makes me feel super calm and relaxed. 

During my walk I took my time, I'm normally a brisk walker so for me to just stop and slow down meant I could really watch life going on around me. Which is weirdly quite a nice sensation. I really noticed how quickly people were rushing around me and how no one really takes a moment to breathe and be grateful of where they are right now, in this present moment. This moment in particular I really felt the need to appreciate the world. I'm more than lucky to be living the life I love everyday and getting to do those things that make me happy. No matter how big or small that moment is. Whether it's getting the opportunity to explore your favourite city because it's been your dream to visit. Or being able to have a cup of coffee every morning as you can't imagine your day without one. 

Every moment we experience defines us in ways we don't always understand. Nor do we actually appreciate. We focus way too much of our time and energy on the negatives in our lives and in the world when we should be focusing on the positives. 

Spending time with our family and friends, experiences done, memories made, photos taken, music played, the fact that we can smile, that we can eat our favourite food and drink our favourite drinks, cuddle our pets, express our opinions, thoughts, feelings, and ideas, sleep in a warm bed every night, have roofs over our heads, getting to read, having our imaginations run wild, colouring in pictures, having a passion and a drive towards a goal, bettering ourselves, writing in journals, smelling the roses, getting a good nights sleep, blogging, painting, dancing, writing, staying up all night with your friends just because you can, going out and getting drunk and dancing the night away as these will be the nights you'll remember when you're in your 70s, watching our favourite TV shows, travelling the world, going to concerts, falling in love and not being afraid to fall, taking chances, and just being able to BE YOU. 

I personally feel like the majority of the time we forget why these things happen to us. I don't always let myself fully appreciate all those moments mentioned above and there are probably hundreds more I could mention but we'll be here forever. I need to let myself get lost in the moment and love every second of it as it might never happen again. I've never stopped to fully appreciate what I have at this present moment right now. 

In relation back to Live Art as well as the book; it's reminded me that you should always live in this present moment now. Whatever it is you're doing, for example me right now typing this blog post. As even if you do it again it's never going to be 100% the same as it is right now at this very moment. You only ever really experience each moment of each day once and then that goes down in your history of living, whether you remember that moment or not. 

As a module, Live Art has done wonders for opening my eyes. Not just about performance, but about concepts to challenge, opinions to change, moments to seize, and most importantly about me. Who I am, who I want to be, where I want to strive to go in my life. It's been a vital learning experience from the very start in relation to me as a person - what I wanna discuss, challenge, and how I can relate to my inner self. And how I am able to do that in my own way. I feel an immense enlightenment when I look back at how far I've really come over the past few years. No one will ever truly know what that means, but I've never been more happy than to be the person I am right this present moment in time. Which I believe is something we should all aim to be. 

Which is why after writing this post I'm making a new edition to my blog... 

'MINDFUL MONDAYS'

Usually, every Monday I will go out and have a day for me. I forget about the stresses of the day and all these things I need to get done and just take a few hours out of my day for me. I go to town or on a walk or something of that nature and due to those days this is why posts like this one come to be. 

The posts under this category will not be every Monday but it means you guys can have some mindfulness advice and how I am being mindful in my everyday life etc. If you didn't already know, I'm a very balanced person in all areas of my life which basically means I need things in moderation but in equal balance. For example I need an equal balance of spending time with people and spending time on my own in order for me to not go insane. I am a people person but I've learned over the past few months that time on my own is personally key for my well being to live a happy life. 

This new idea of Mindful Mondays will definitely help me with a big project I want to work on at some point in the future for this blog and share with all of you guys. So when I figure out how I want to present it to all of you guys and how I want to experience it I will obviously let you all in on what it is.

As we come to the end of this post I just want everyone to know something and to just remember to stop the clock. 

We only have now, only this single eternal moment opening and unfolding before us, day and night.

Jack Kornfield.

This quote is from the book itself and it's one of the ones that really struck a chord with me. We really do only have now. It's so important to remind us all to just live in every unfolding moment as it may never come back to us again. It's so relevant to remind each and every one of us how important it is for us to live for now. Forget the past, forget the future, and be present in the present. This is a subject area I've always been passionate about but over the past few weeks it’s been all I can think about which is why I'm so happy I've finally done a post on it. 

Before I love and leave you, going back to being appreciative I just wanna say thank you. 

Thank you to each and every one of you guys who takes a moment to just sit and read these posts. You will never know how much it means to me and how much I love doing this. Thank you always for your endless support, lovely comments, for bearing with me when I don't post for months on end. But mostly, thank you for making me want to keep going with this blog. 

Thank you for reading and I will talk to you all again very soon.

Love,

Katie 

Gorgeous and Glam Shimmering Pink & Matte Brown Smokey Valentine's Day Makeup Tutorial

Hello my lovelies, I hope everyone is well, and Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone is having a lovely day or has had a lovely day. I've had a really nice couple of days, yesterday I had a day for myself in town just spending some quality time for me like I do every week. Today, besides all of the rehearsals for tomorrow, my bae, Jess and I went to Subway as you purchase a large drink and got any sub for free. It was definitely worth it. 

So anyway, today I present to you this look...

This is full on smokey glam; definitely more of an evening Valentine's look, but can easily be worn in the day as that's how I wore it. I love a good pink and brown smokey eye. So if you guys want to know how to achieve this for your Valentine's Day plans, please keep on reading. 

Firstly taking a Maybelline Colour Tattoo in the shade Pink Gold as a base all over my lids and just applying that with my finger. 

 Taking this warm pink toned brown from the Audacious 3 pallet from Freedom makeup on my Naked 3 brush - the fluffy side. And just blending that all throughout my crease and outer corners of my eyes. It does not have to be neat at this point. 

Dipping into the Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet and taking the shade Buzz on the other end of that brush used previously; using the flat end and applying that up to the middle of my lids. 

Continuing with the Naked 3 and taking the shade Factory on my Makeup Revolution E103 brush and blending that in from the outer V into that shade Buzz sitting on the middle of my lid (which you can see in the image on the left) as well as just above where the shades meet to get a flawless ombre of colour. 

I decided that this shade on it's own was not matte enough for what I was going for. So I took a bit of the shade Nooner on my Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush and blended over the top of Factory and this created a much more of  a brown matte finish which was what I wanted. I really loved the use of both of these shades together for the finish it created. 

Then I just took a makeup wipe and sharpened up the edges of my eyes. 

I decided that Buzz on it's lonesome was a bit too dark for the overall look, so I went in with a mix of Buzz and another shade from the same pallet called Dust. Applying that mix from my inner corners to the middle of my lid similar to before. I just used my fingers to apply that blend onto my eyelids. 

I then went back in with Nooner on the same brush as before just to re-blend it all together a little bit again. 

Then I just applied my everyday makeup that I always wear. 

• Maybelline Better Skin in 05 Light Beige 
• Then taking my go to concealer as always, the Lasting Perfection concealer in Fair from Collection under my eyes drawn in a triangle and taken down my cheeks, along my nose, on my forehead, around the sides of my nose, on my cupids bow, around my lips, and on my chin. Then of course on any blemish areas that I want to cover. Using my beauty blender from Real Techniques for both my base and my concealer. 
• Then using another holy grail of mine, the Rimmel London Stay Matte powder in Translucent. Powdering all over my face with my Makeup Revolution F104 powder. 
• Then I am taking my Ben Nye Banana Powder and baking under my eyes, down my nose, in the middle of my forehead, on my cupids bow, and on my chin using a makeup puff. Baking every where I am going to put highlighter just to really lighten up those areas. 
• Then moving onto my eyebrows, I'm taking my classic Maybelline Satin Brow and just filling in my eyebrows in their natural shape with the arch over drawn slightly. Then applying Brow Drama brow gel also in Dark Brown to just set them in place. 
• Then shaping my face with Makeup Revolution's Ultra Sculpt and Contour Kit in the shade Fair C01. Just taking the contour to sculpt out my cheek bones on an angled brush and buffing it out in circular motions and contouring my nose using my Urban Decay fluffy brush from their Smoky pallet. 
• Baked both my face contour and my nose contour with Ben Nye's Banana Powder. 
• Taking Makeup Revolution's F103 stippling brush to apply my blush, Bourjois Extrait 03 a glittery pink shade on the apples of my cheeks.
• Finally taking Makeup Revolution's F105 angled brush to apply my highlighter, MUA's Pink Shimmer. Placing it on the high points of my cheeks, my forehead, down the bridge and on the tip of my nose, on my cupids bow, and on my chin.

Once the rest of my face was applied, I took Dust and Buzz on my fingers once again and blended it up to the middle of my lower lashline. Taking a mix of Factory and Nooner on Makeup Revolution's E101 flat shader brush and smoking that out on the outer area of my lower lashline and then connecting it up to the outer V line. 

I also applied my current favourite inner corner highlighter, which is a matte creamy white shade from the Active Cosmetic interchangeable pallet. I just applied that with my finger. 

Taking my current mascara, the Maybelline Colossal Spider Effect mascara on my top and bottom lashes. 

(Sidenote: I'm not being big headed here, but I feel like my skin looks really flawless and glowy in my mirror light) 

I decided I wanted to go for a rosy kind of ombre lip. So I took my Active Cosmetics rosy pinky red lip liner and lined out my lips. 

Then, taking my pink nude lipstick from the same brand, I applied that all over my lips. 

And that is this look complete! 

I hope you guys enjoyed this Valentine's Day/Evening makeup look. I really enjoyed creating it, I actually love this smokey eye look. Especially with that lip colour. 

Thanks for reading guys and I will talk to you soon. 

Love, 

Katie 

How To Have The Best Valentine's Day When You're Single

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are all well and having a good start to February. 

As it's February that can only mean one thing, Valentine's Day is vast approaching! *gasp*

I know for some people that means spending the day with your loved one or (if you're like me) curled up on the sofa watching Netflix all day and night (currently obsessed with Once Upon A Time). I used to always think Valentine's Day was only for people in 'relationships', however over the last few years I've realised Valentine's Day is about expressing your love and gratitude to the people you love in your life: family, friends, pets, etc. 

You do not need Valentine's Day to show how much you love them but it's nice to have one day in the year where you get to fully dedicate yourself to loving or being in love with someone.

I've known so many singletons to be anti-valentine's, I personally don't think I ever can be anti-valentine's as I'm a romantic at heart. I love everything to do with hearts and flowers. 

So here are my top tips on how all of you lovely fellow single guys and gals can have the best Valentine's Day ever. Side note - you don't just have to do these on Valentine's Day, you can do them whenever you want to. And, of course, even if you're in a relationship you can still do all these activities for yourself or even with your partner. 

1. Go out to your favourite cafe/ restaurant for lunch/ dinner. 

I personally do this all the time anyway, when I want a bit of me time I like to pop to Costa as it's my favourite type of coffee and it's like a second home to me. You could go on your own, with family, or friends. Nothing better than enjoying good food with good company. 

2. Go on a shopping spree. 

Again, this is something I do with my own company as well as friends and family. But there's nothing better than popping down the high street and finding the latest style items to add to your wardrobe. Or, shopping round the sales to find the best bargains. Either way you can't beat a shopping spree! 

3. Treat yourself! 

Treat yourself to something you don't do very often or have very often. For example, going to get your nails done or going out for cocktails. It's surprising how these trips out either by yourself or with friends can boost ones spirits. 

4. Do Secret Valentine with your friends.

Similar to Secret Santa - set a budget, set a date, set a time, and a place - done. 

It's something cute and fun to do with your friends to show how much you all love and appreciate one another. 

5. Similar to that, spend the day with family and friends. 

No better day to remind all the people you love and adore that you do love and adore them! 

6. If no one is buying you a gift this year for Valentine's Day, get yourself one! 

There's no crime in treating yourself for yourself. Seen a top you've always wanted to buy? - get it! Seen an eyeshadow pallet that keeps catching your eye? - get it! Smelt a perfume and fallen in love with the scent? - get it! I can tell you now, this is what I'll be doing on Valentine's Day.

7. Have a movie marathon. 

Can't beat a movie day in your pyjamas. 

8. Start a new book. 

If you're a big fan of books and reading - purchase yourself a new one or get that one that's been sitting on your shelf for the last few months and get reading! 

9. Eat some chocolate! 

Valentine's Day is nothing without chocolate. Buy your favourite bar and munch away! 

10. Take a hot bath.

Crack ya' bath bombs, bubble bars, scrubs, essential oils, candles, and even bath fizzers out. Let the sweet scents and colours transform your mood. Who doesn't want ultimate relaxation on Valentine's Day? 

11. Go out and hit up the town! 

And finally, go out and party all night long dancing the night away, way past Valentine's Day. Why stay in when you could be out having fun with your friends? 

Well guys, I hope these give you some ideas of what you can do on Valentine's Day if you currently have no plans. I also hope that whatever you have planned, in a relationship or not, that you have a day filled with happiness, love, and joy. 

Well that's it for now guys! Talk to you soon. 

Love, 

Katie