Why I'm no longer shopping at Boots and I advise you to do the same

Now first of let me quickly explain that this occurred last year in the Summer, and I'm doing this of memory but it is 99% accurate, I'm not doing this for attention but I'm doing this to talk about how customer service is decreasing and I totally understand that not everybody wants to be working retail but honestly what happened to me is honestly digesting, and boots customer service was awful and I want to let you know what happened. I also want to say that I do shop in boots if there is not another option, I used to shop there a lot a lot a lot but now I am really reluctant to. If I need something and boots is the only option I still will shop there but I am incredibly off putted.

Like I said this happened quite a while ago now, and I believe it was in the summer holidays but I could be wrong. So, I was going to the cinema with my two friends and it was after the film had ended and I had needed a new concealer and it was during that awkward time frame where the shops are fifteen minutes from closing and the staff are clearing up. Let me just say you are allowed to shop during this time, and the staff were honestly very rude. So they currently had an offer where all beauty products were 3 for 2 so it seemed natural to pick up three items, I had chosen two and then this time (ten minutes to closing) the staff were saying we had to go pay now and were basically harassing us three. It was only me intending to purchase something and my friends were just standing behind whilst I was trying to choose a third product to purchase. I noticed a lady peering at us and thought noting of us however I still don't know if this was the women that reported us. I then decided I could just wait until the next day,and choose my three products without being harassed and in peace. So I put both the products back in their place and left.

We then went to leave the store and came up to the exit and actually walked out of the store when a lady working there came running after us. I belief she was shouting stop, so we turned around and she walked up to us and said that a member of the public had seen us steal something and I was about ready to choke on my spit. All the people around us were giving us dirty looks, after all she had said it to three teenagers in a crowded place. She then bought us into the OPENING of the store and searched our bags. Of course nothing was found, because neither myself or my friends would  do such. Surely, if we had stolen something then the alarms would have gone off. So first of she committed three offences all at once, she was not a police officer or security guard but a staff member, searching a minor without an officer or parent present, searching a minor in a public place (should be taken into a back room not in the doors of the store) and also for staff to accuse you of stealing something and checking you they must have a reason to belief you have and none of the staff members or security guard actually saw us she had said it was a member of the public had seen us. So rather grudgingly she told us we could go, and we all walked off a bit confused and upset that we had been falsely accused of STEALING!

Around a week later, my dad sent them a formal complaint letter, explaining the situation to customer care, explaining that they were not allowed to do that and basically wanted compensation for it, The customer care was absolutely awful, they told MY parents that they had in fact found something on us, and our parents were called and we were dealt with. My parents of course having heard this went ballistic (and rightly so, stealing is awful but as I said none of us did) after a while I managed to convince them that I did not steal, and my parents had no reason to doubt me. They then called my friends parents to ask if they had been contacted by boots to say their daughter had stolen something and of course both said no. So my dad replied saying this was not the case, no parent had been contacted and reiterated the fact that nothing had been found on us. This went back and fourth, boots still saying we had stolen something. We then said check the CTV and speak to your staff, they claimed CTV is recorded over (which means after a week or two the footage is over recorded so you can only see the previous weeks recordings, which is ridiculous for a store to do..) and that the security guard was just a cover for that single day and we should talk to the security company. The security company then also claimed as with boots that we were found with items. At this point amy parents were really doubting me, because two big companies were continuing to claim that we had. I find this so disguising to continue to lie about three young teenagers stealing items. What company does that? My dad then proceeded to call the HEAD OFFICER OF CUSTOMER CARE who again was just as bad. We had to wait an incredibly long time for the call to even begin, and they then continued to claim that we had stolen something but said it was not me. My dad said well I have spoken to their parents and it was not them either, so who was it. They would not give a name but still reiterated it had been one of us. At this point, my dad gave up because it was taking up so much time and we were getting no where.

So this leaves me to conclude, that boots lied. They continue to claim that we had stolen an item, police officers had been there, we were taken into a separate room and not searched in front of the public and carried out all procedures. This makes me incredibly disgusted by their customer care, three innocent girls! There is no way that three girls (matching our description) were at the same store at the same time and day, in the same place and had stolen something. For now I will not be shopping at boots, I was a loyal customer to boots and spent a lot of money in that shop. I now avoid it as where possible and shop in places such as Selfridges or House of Fraser whereI know their customer service is excellent. This also actually happened to one of my mums friend in Primark who dealt with the situation quickly gave her considerable compensation and to a much better standard. All boots really had to do was to issue an apology which they did not do.

I don't really know why I wrote this but I feel like you should be aware of the awful customer care Boots gives, and why I no longer shop there!

The Difference Between Contouring and Bronzing

(I hate hate this photo)
Ever since I have started this blog I have noticed the reluctance to begin bronzing or contouring, and the confusion between the two. Up until a few months ago I was still pretty scared of contouring but now it one of my favourite parts of my routine. I thought I would do a post on the difference between them both, and how to contour and bronze to try and help some of you out.

I see so many videos and blog posts where they alternate between using the words bronzing/contouring and basically don't use them correctly, which is incredibly infuriating! So first of I thought that I'd explain the difference between them both. Contouring is creating an 'outline' in order to define the particular shape or form of a structure, where as bronzing is used to make a person or part of the body suntanned. There is not a particular way to contour or bronze however there are ways in which I find work better than others in order to define my cheeks or give my face a gentle glow. However, first of all I think that the most important part is to find a suitable shade and product.

For Bronzing, I like to choose a shade thats a single shade darker than my own skin tone and I also like to choose a shade that has a warm glow with tiny specks of glitter as I find it brightens my complexion and gives a natural warmth. (My personal favourite Bronzer is the Marc Jacobs O Mega Bronze, or the Mac Bronzing Powder in Golden). I use a powder brush to apply bronzer (Real Techniques if your wondering!) and brush it across my temples, cheeks, jaw, and chin. (In a '3' formation) - You can apply bronzer almost anywhere, but you want to focus your attention in the areas where the sun is most likely to tan your face! But you don't want it to be too dark as you would like it to look natural so make sure you sweep a clean powder brush across your face to blend it in and dust any excess.

As for Contouring, I choose a shade thats two shades darker than my own skin tone and in terms of glitter I keep it as minimal as possible - none, if possible. (My favourite contour is Benefit Hoola but a drugstore alternate is the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer! - Again see what I was saying when products are branded wrong!) I use a small doomed brush that fits into the hollows of my cheeks - although I personally don't like angled contour brushes! I apply my contour in the areas that I want to define and make apparent. To contour my cheekbones I apply it just below my cheekbones as it creates a shadow just below them and they begin to look more defined. As for my nose I use a small lip brush (what are brushes if you use them for there two purposes eh?) and create two parrell lines from the end of my eyebrows all the way to my nostrils and create a 'v' at the end of my nose to join them together. I then use the brush which I had previously used for concealer in order to blend the harsh lines. If required I use a bit more concealer to ensure that I've completely blended it together!

I find that a lot of products are advertised as 'bronzers' when in actual fact there contours, and vice versa. Typically contour shades look fairly 'muddy' and are matte and smooth where as bronzers typically have glitter and are a warm shade of brown. The pigmentation in contour is also a lot stronger than the likes of bronzers. It's also very easy to define the difference when you try out the products, once bronzer is applied it should give a warmth and glow to the face. Alternatively, contour should come across a lot stronger, darker and define the bone structure of the face far better. Almost like a shadow effect!

So I hope this helps, please leave me a comment letting me know if this was helpful and let me know what your favourite bronzer and contour are! Also please forgive me that this post wasn't updated when it was planned, it was quite a long and difficult post to write as there was so many ways you could write it! Also I now have a twitter for my blog so if you wish to follow me (which you totally should because I upload sneak peaks, photos and it allows me to talk to you!) It is @daisyteenbeaut in case you were wondering!

Sephora Sydney Haul

Three weeks ago now my brother and his lovely girlfriend went to Australia for the holidays to see her family since she is Australian and since they are both so kind they said they could pick some products up for me from the Sephora in Sydney that has just opened. I was so excited especially because I had been planning on making a order around this time and it would have worked out incredibly expensive so that saved me some time and most importantly money! I was also super excited because in the end they decided it would be my christmas presents! Since he's been there naturally I can't wait for them to get back, and also because I miss them very much! He arrived very early yesterday morning and I was super excited! The only thing that I'm a little bum-ed at is that fact I didn't know they were selling 'it cosmetics' - a brand i've been longing to try!

1. Antonym Powder Brush
I had originally asked for a Sephora Pro-Airbrush Powder Brush but unfortunately they had it out of stock so lucky for me my brother picked out this one instead. (Yes, I have the best brother ever!) The brand Antonym is a brand I've never before heard of. I did some research and it's a brand thats cruelty  free whilst being eco friendly! The brush itself is incredibly soft (softest brush I know of) and from first impressions it pacts on product very neatly without leaving it cake-y.

2. Makeup Forever HD Concealer
Makeup Forever is a brand that is not very easily accessible in the UK, even though it is an incredibly loved brand around the world and known by many make up artists it still won't be accesiable until Spring of this year. Large Debenham stores shall be stocking a few of there products and I am really hoping they stock the foundation and eyeshadows because I am really hoping to get my hands on those! Anyway as for the concealer, it is extremely high coverage and a little goes a long way and although it is very thick I like this concealer. I am still trying to figure out how I like to use this, so I will keep you updated and do a full review in the future. The only thing I would say is if you blend it lightly it offers much better coverage and does not look as cake-y but does not last as long where as if you blend it lightly the coverage isn't as good and it sinks into fine lines and can come across cake-y. Which is kind of confusing to say the least!

3. Marc Jacobs O Mega Bronze!
Oh my god, oh my god.  Those are the only words I can honestly use because I am so so excited. I had first come across this when Essie Button used it and raved about it in so many videos, and since then I've decided I needed it. It made even more sense when I hit pan on two bronzers, and of course I 'needed' a new one for when I've completely used them up. This bronzer is so amazing, it's soft and subtle but still gives a beautiful glow and bronzed look. It gave me a very relaxed contour across my cheekbones and lasts all day. It is very pricey but the compact and product is huge, I do not see myself hitting pan for at least a year! Totally recommend this!

4. Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturiser 
Yet again another Essie Button induced purchase! I've had quite a few Tarte products by now and loved the brand. Having seen a lot of reviews of this product I new I wanted to try it out. I needed a product that would give a light coverage since I hate foundations and heavy coverage products as I feel so aware that there on my skin and I just feel like they look cake-y. This product conceals redness and gives the skin a radiant glow and looks almost undetectable on the skin.

So I hope you enjoyed this post, please leave me some recommendations below on what I should purchase from Sephora next! If you would like to see a full in depth review for any of these products do let me know below!

Sugar Cookies Recipe

(This is not my complete own recipe, I have changed a few things but cannot take full credit!)

Hello Everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful new year! I am incredibly sorry that my first post of 2015 is at the end of the month! I explained in my previous post about my short absence so if your interested in that then I suggest you read that! I thought to kickstart the new year I'd do a baking post, as one of my targets for my blog is to hopefully begin posting cooking posts at least once a month and since I made some delicious cookies with my best friend on the weekend I thought this was a great opportunity!

What you will need:
225g Softened Butter
140g Sugar
1 Egg
1tsp of Vanilla Extract
280g Plain Flour
Icing sugar
Choice of decoration

Method:
Preheat the oven to 190 Degrees and line two/three backing trays with either butter or greaseproof paper - either works fine. Then begin by placing the butter and sugaring a large bowl and mix firmly together until the mixture has turned white and should be light and fluffy. Then crack the egg into a small bowl and beat the egg before pouring in the mixture, along with the vanilla mixture and stir until the mixture has combined. Then sift the flour into the mixture gradually, each time fold in the flour - you do this by taxing the mixture from the outside and folding it over, keep doing this until the flour has been completely folded into the mixture. Using your hands take the mixture and squash it into two separate balls. Then begin rolling out the dough until it is fairy thin. Using shape cutters cut the dough into large hearts (any shape is fine) and place them onto the baking tray. Place the trays into the oven and cook for about ten minutes.

Whilst the cookies are baking you can begin to prep the icing. Firstly decide whether you will be creating royal icing or buttercream. I personally like to use royal icing for cookies, however if you want to use buttercream replace the water with butter and mix together as usual until it is a light white colour and has a fluffy texture. Place a large amount of icing into a bowl and add water slowly until the mixture starts to become runny. Make sure the mixture becomes thick as this will prevent the icing from dripping of the cookies. After the cookies have come out of the oven place them onto a baking tray to cool, and once they are cool you can begin icing and decorating them. I used sprinkles for mine just because I love the look of them! You can use anything you so wish to! Altogether this should take between forty-five minutes and an hour!

I love this recipe (I most definitely have a sweet tooth!) And I'd love to hear if you recreate them in the comments! Let me know if you'll be attempting this! I hope you enjoyed the first post of 2015!