My top beauty products of 2013

This is uncharted territory, I've never done a beauty blog before, but the best thing about being a lifestyle blogger is that I can blog about anything, so here goes!

I've read a few similar blogs about favourite products of 2013, I tend to just use whatever I put my hands on, but did try out a few new things in 2013 and found some real corkers as a result. I've listed my five favourites in no particular order below. Apologies for not running this close to the start of the year, but it's taken me this long to get any decent daytime light for taking photographs! 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

I have to admit I'd been working my way through old half bottles of foundation, but after a breakout (probably caused by the prehistoric make up I was using!) I wanted something with better coverage. I went to Space NK and they helped me to find the right shade for me, which I was astonished wasn't actually the palest one. I love this foundation, the coverage is good without feeling too heavy, it lasts me all day and i like the satin finish. Even better, NARS apparently recommend that you apply this using your figures and I'm rubbish at sticking to using a brush. Definitely my new foundation of choice.

Milk_shake Hair Conditioning Whipped Cream

This product comes out as a mousse, but it conditions and detangles my hair and gives it body and control without leaving it sticky. When you've got hair as fine as mine, that's all good. You apply it to wet hair and then dry and style as usual. As well as making my hair look better, it smells amazing too. I started using this after it was recommended to me on Twitter and it's been a firm favourite ever since. 

 By Terry Touch-Expert Concealer

This was recommended to me in Space NK, they applied it to one side of my face only and once I'd seen the difference I couldn't leave it on the shelf. Terry apparently originally designed YSL's Touche Eclat and has subsequently produced this similar product under her own name. Much like the NARS Sheer Glow foundation, this gives a dewy finish but with good coverage and blends really well. It's a great product for under eye circles to brighten your face and make you look less tired, which I badly need having developed an aversion to getting to bed at a sensible time on a work night.

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant 

I probably bought this a couple of years ago, but it's only been with trying to improve my skin care regime over the last year that I've started to use this regularly. I now use it every day and it's certainly made a difference to my complexion. It comes out of the tub in a powder, which when mixed with water until it turns into a foaming paste. This then exfoliates your skin, but less aggressively than an exfoliator containing grains or beads would. It leaves my skin soft and clean, the only downside is the price, but when you only use half a teaspoon a time, it lasts for ages.

No. 7 Stay Perfect Mascara

I've started having my eyelashes tinted, but when I've let that lapse or just need a bit of a top up this is my current mascara of choice. I have terrible problems with mascara, whatever brand I try, I always seem to end up looking like a panda by lunch time. This one is different as it really did stay where I'd put it. It comes off fairly easily with warm water, but in fibres rather than by being dissolved. It really does do what it says on the tube, it may not give you the longest, most voluminous eyelashes, but if you have problems with panda eyes, this one is definitely worth a try.

 If you've done a post about your top beauty products of 2013 please leave me your link, I'd love to read it. I've quite enjoyed writing this post, so who knows, I may have more beauty posts in me!

Reuniting people with their lost possessions - the strength of social media

You may have noticed a tweet I posted yesterday evening. I'd been onto Facebook and a friend from Scotland had found a camera case containing a memory card. He found a picture of a couple on it and had uploaded it to the site in an attempt to track them down and reunite them with their holiday photographs. He doesn't use Twitter and so I offered to share it on there for him.

It turns out that social media users love feeling like they can help someone out. I often see photos of lost teddy bears, but this was my first experience of seeing how wide something like this can spread. The initial Facebook post was shared 7,225 times. He also posted it on the Lomond Shores page which had 2,185 shares and 570 shares from the What's on in East Renfrew site. 

On Twitter, the post is still being shared but has been retweeted well over 9,000 times, which is impossible to comprehend, and that's without thinking about all the modified tweets. The post also trended in Australia, New Zealand and America. I've picked up 150 extra followers, presumably all keen to hear the happy outcome.

The comments were worth a read, lots of people identified the glacier in the photo, with the top suggestions being locations in Alaska and New Zealand, and a number of jokers hoped the couple pictured weren't having an elicit affair. However, one author suggested he's use that as a plot for his new book, so some good has come of it! Some people managed to identify the man's ski jacket brand (and even glasses!) thus working out the couple were British. Honestly, it's amazing what you can work out from a photo. 

There were a couple of suggestions that you should take a photograph of your address in case you lose your memory card, or use the meta data so it can be traced to you, which I'll definitely bear in mind.

One comment suggested I'd hear from the Daily Mail, and ironically I have, as well as the Independent. It's not my story to share, but it's the sort of thing they love and I'm happy to say it was a success in this instance. My friend who originally found the card has been contacted by someone who recognised the couple and has spoken to them today and the memory card should be back with them tomorrow.

I do love a happy ending, now if someone can just tell me how to stop these retweets, so I can start using my phone again, that would be grand!

By way of an update, you can read more in The Independent's report here.