I’ve Moved!

ANNOUNCEMENT 

 

Hey everyone,

I’ve been working on something a little different over the weekend.

Cookie and Creams has been up a while now, which is great, but I’ve decided I want to take things to the next level and become more serious about blogging. I love to write, especially about makeup, and I love coming here when I’m having a bad day to vent to you.

But this simple site wasn’t really doing it for me anymore. I really wanted to experiment with different plugins, themes and ideas. I wanted to take things to the next level for you guys, and me. I really wanted to be able to look back at the end of 2016 and say that I’d achieved something.

So with that in mind I set to work this past weekend. I deleted the posts I didn’t like anymore, created a new signature and moved everything to the brand new site: The Rachel Cooke.

My social media links are all remaining the same – so you don’t have to hunt around for a new Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read here at Cookie and Creams please take a second to head over to the new site and subscribe because after today I won’t be posting here at all anymore.

Thank you for all of your amazing support, encouragement and advice. I love you all, and I hope that I see you over on the new site.

Makeup Shaming Rant!

Hey everyone,

You may or may not have noticed that I’ve been absent since the beginning of December. The reason – there isn’t really one. I didn’t feel like blogging and I had a lot going on at work so I thought what’s the point in forcing it.

Anyway on to today’s topic ‘makeup shaming’ as I’ve called it. I hate to jump straight into a rant at the beginning of the year but to be honest this really has been grinding my gears for quite a while now.

‘Makeup shaming’ as I call it is the act of criticising and attacking others for the amount of makeup they wear; however much or little. 

Let’s get one thing straight here. I do not tolerate bullying, name calling or small minded attitudes. On my blog or in my life. Calling someone a bad example, a whore, a slut, ugly or whatever else your nasty little mind can conjure up because you are of the opinion that they wear too much makeup is just plain ridiculous. I’m sorry if I’m wrong but as far as I am aware there is no rule book or list of commandments that predetermines what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to your beauty regime. If you feel beautiful and if you’re happy then it’s nobody else’s goddamn business.

The only limitation here is yourself. You only feel beautiful when you’re comfortable in your look and the only rules that determine what your look is are the ones you set. You can wear nothing or everything and don’t ever let anyone tell you different.

Makeup is whatever it means to you, and to me it’s an art form. To me it’s a way to enjoy and express myself. I’ve never been bothered what people thought about my makeup, in fact just the opposite. The more people criticise me the more it encourages me to keep doing me.

Here is just one example. I went to my local pub on New Year’s Eve and I was completely digging my style. I wore a black cami, oversized faux fur coat, ripped jeans, dramatic eyeshadow and bold black lipstick. I felt fierce as hell, and I took a tonne of selfies to prove it. This older gentlemen clearly misjudged the situation, and me, so he approached me and cracked the joke “you do know Halloween has already been love?” His mistake. I turned, smiled and said “I don’t expect someone of your age to know much about fashion LOVE.”

Yeah it was harsh, I’m sure he thought he was making a harmless joke. But guess what fucker, wind your neck in and think before you speak. NEVER make comments or rude remarks on someone’s appearance just because it’s not your cup of tea. And this goes the other way too, NEVER EVER let anyone put you down when you’re feeling your look. Fashion is so subjective and if they really want to try and criticise you they’re probably just a miserable prick anyway.

Rachel x

What Christmas Means To Me

Today is the first of December, which means that I can officially start to natter on at you about Christmas!

This is without a doubt my favourite holiday, and my favourite season, for so many reasons. So naturally I’m going to be updating you a lot over the holiday period. I’d like to promise that I’ll post everyday – but you never can tell with me so I’m not going to make a promise that I’m not certain I can keep! However, I can promise that I do have some very exciting things coming up this December including collabs and tags so watch this space.

Anyway, on to today’s post. At first I wasn’t too sure what would be best to kick off the month, but then I realised there would be no better way to start than to explain to you what Christmas means to me – besides the commercial event of the year.

What Christmas Means To Me

Family.

The first thing I think of when someone says Christmas is always family. I have always spent Christmas with my family and I hope that I will always be able to do that. I know far too many people who don’t get that luxury; so every Christmas that I do I like to make sure I love and appreciate them to the best of my ability. We watch movies, give gifts, watch old videos and spend time together just enjoying the company.

Giving.

I know what you thought when you read that, and no I’m not referring to giving in the commercial spoil your child rotten with expensive toys that were probably made in some third world country by poor families and cost 50p to make. I mean giving something else. Christmas really is about giving something back. Donate to charity, lend a hand to your neighbour, give way to that jerk that won’t stop papping his horn. It’s all about having the patience and grace to accept others needs and help them whole heartedly.

Forgiveness.

Ah yes. The dreaded F word. It might be difficult to swallow but Christmas really isn’t the time of year to be holding onto grudges and bitterness. It’s a time to put our differences aside, be a little more accepting and replace conflict with love.

Love.

Speaking of which; love. Whether you’re religious or not this should resonate with you. The giving, the festivities, the message; it’s all about love. Love your friends and family, your colleagues, people in need, strangers in the street and even your enemies. I promise, you will enjoy that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Awareness.

Despite all of the joy and the laughter it is important to remember that not everyone will be so fortunate this Christmas. Just around the corner people will be spending their Christmas alone with no gifts to give or receive and there will be families that can’t afford their Christmas dinner let alone presents. Remember these people at Christmas, love them and give generously. The true beauty of Christmas is this.

I have included a list of charitable causes to donate to below.

What does Christmas mean to you?

Rachel x

Extra Special OOTD💖

I don’t really get to share my outfit of the day with you guys very often so when I do it’s always special. However, today’s outfit is extra special because it means I get to share an exclusive discount code with you!

My style is girly, gothic, minimal, trashy and everything in between. One day I’m in a cocktail dress and stilettos, the next I’m in a slouchy tee and converse; you really can’t predict what the next day will bring when it comes to my dress sense. But that’s what I love about style; it’s fluidity. You can wear whatever you want for whatever reason. Whether it be art, comfort or just because it makes you feel pretty. I think that this is why my outfits are always so varied; because I view it as a form of expression.

Anyway, on to today’s outfit.

I went to the Louth Christmas Market with my Mum, Dad, Auntie Pat and Uncle Derek today so I wanted to look put together but still with a bit of my signature ‘mess’ in there. To achieve this I thew on my favourite CAT boots, a pair of black skinny jeans and a slouchy grey jumper. But I think that the thing I really loved most about this outfit was the accessories.

Outfit details:

Studded Leather Jacket – Glamorous last season

Slouchy Grey Jumper – Next last season

Black Skinny Jeans – ASOS Petite

CAT Boots – Blackleaf.com

Chunky Statement Necklace – Lylia Rose

Karl Lagerfield Glasses – Specsavers

Now on to the exciting bit! The amazing Victora of Lylia Rose was kind enough to give me an exclusive discount code for all of my readers just in time for some last minute Christmas gift shopping, and it never expires. Just head to http://www.lyliarose.com and pick out some of the gorgeous accessories (all of which are already under £15,) head to the checkout, enter my code COOKIECREAMS and bag yourself 20% off!

What did you wear today?

Rachel x

 

7 Things That Happen In A Long Term Relationship

I’m sure that we all define a ‘long term’ relationship differently. But, one thing we can all agree on are the things that happen to us once we’re in one. As we grow more comfortable with and accustomed to each other’s company our behaviours inevitably change. This is a normal response.

Naturally when we’re less tense around someone our walls begin to fall down and we find ourselves putting on less of a ‘show’ for them. Perhaps we stop wearing a full face of makeup everyday, we burp and fart or we complain more.

Liam and I have been together for almost three years and I’d personally define that as long term. Over this time I think we can both admit that we’ve noticed a few changes. Seven, to be precise.

7 Things That Happen In A Long Term Relationship

1. You develop inside jokes.

   This is an inevitability of any long term relationship; platonic or romantic. You spend so much time together, laughing and joking, that you develop jokes that no one else can understand. Utter extreme in our house and you’ll notice me and Liam exchanging smiles.

2. You’re not afraid to be disgusting anymore.

   I’m sure there are some exceptions to this rule but this definitely applies to my relationship. There’s only so long you can go without pooping; let’s just put it that way. Then, once the gates open and you become comfortable with each other, there’s pretty much nothing you haven’t seen, heard or smelt that your partner has done.

3. You lie to your friends to have a night in.

   This is true of everyone I know who is in a long term relationship. I’m sorry but sometimes I really don’t feel like dancing on the bar and shouting “SHOTS” at innocent bystanders. This means that if we’re friends I have probably lied to you at least once about being ‘ill’ or accidentally ‘double booking’ your slot so that I could have a night in on the sofa with Netflix, pizza and Liam.

4. You develop religious routines.

   I don’t mean this like you get up at 7am, drink coffee at 7.05am etc. When I say routines what I mean is your own little relationship routine. For example Liam will get in and wash up , I’ll make dinner, we’ll eat together and then we’ll binge watch TV shows until one of us decides it’s time to slope off to bed. That’s our religious routine. Rain or shine, in sickness and in health; you can guarantee that is what we are doing.

5. You notice more things about each other.

   Good and bad. When you spend a lot of time in close quarters with someone you’re bound to pick up on their habits. I for example have noticed that Liam is incapable of putting the cap back on the toothpaste and he has noticed that I pretend that I can’t see the dog ripping a twig apart on the carpet so I don’t have to tell him off. But I’ve also noticed that he likes to surprise me often and do kind things for me, and I hope he has noticed that I will sacrifice the things that I need for the things that he needs when our budget gets tighter before payday.

6. You start to value someone else’s happiness more than your own.

   It’s true. For most of us a long term relationship is loving and healthy, and when you care about someone a lot you do find that your own happiness can depend upon making them happy. It’s not nice to see the people you love sad or hurt, and naturally we’d rather take that pain for them if we had to.

7. You grow as people.

   Being in a long term relationship teaches you so much; regardless of the outcome. It might make you realise not to change who you are for anyone, or it might make you understand your tendency to be overprotective. I think that being with Liam has taught me a lot. I’m not as organised, or smart or perfect as I had first thought. I make mistakes and I look a mess sometimes but I have learnt that it doesn’t change the way that I can be loved.

So there are seven changes that Liam and I have gone through in our relationship. Have you noticed anything different since being with your partner?

Rachel x

My Piece on Paris.

Generally I try to steer clear of writing things like this on my blog, but you guys are my friends and I feel comfortable with you so I’d just like to air a little something that has been grinding my gears lately.

Just as a disclaimer I’d like to point out that I do believe everyone is entitled to their opinion which they have the right to express, this is merely me stating mine, and that this is not personally attacking any of my readers. The tone of this article may come across as quite aggressive but please do not misread my passion as anger. I still love each and every one of you with my entire heart. 

The negativity surrounding the Paris attacks is literally infuriating to me.

“Was it a conspiracy? But people are killed all over the world everyday! Your Facebook filters don’t change anything! It was Muslims that attacked Paris and therefore I now hate all Muslims.”

Who gives a shit.

Even though we are going through a time of great sadness let’s take this opportunity to CHANGE what we are doing. Why do you have to be so negative about everything and be so self righteous in the face of such tragedy? Because you’re an idiot.

Who gives a damn if it was a so called “conspiracy” or not. People died for God’s sake, and the only thing you can focus on is whether this was some sort of government cover up? Get a grip.

Yes, people are killed all over the world by terrorists everyday. It is never right. It is never fair. It’s a shame that it takes something like this to bring our attention to the situation across the globe, but honestly what does it matter how we got there as long as all eyes and all minds are now focused on fighting terror?

My Facebook filter doesn’t change anything? What a disgustingly negative view to take. For you maybe it doesn’t change anything, but in that first moment that I saw my newsfeed filling up with the filter all I felt was warmth and love in my heart. At a time of such sadness and tragedy and when terrorism tried to break us apart; we were united despite our sadness. In that moment people all over the world were connected. Not only does that filter you deem as stupid mark our respect and condolences for the people affect by the Paris attacks, but it also brings us together in the face of terror.

If you think that RACISM, STEREOTYPING and SCAPEGOATING is the way to fight terror then may God help you. Because you, you great big buffoon, are giving terrorists exactly what they want. They want us to turn on each other, they want us to be afraid and push each other away, they want us to start segregating and stereotyping our fellow man and woman simply based on a religion that was hijacked and twisted into an unrecognisable mess. That is exactly the point of terrorism; to insight terror into the population. Grow up, grow a backbone, LOVE all of your neighbours, don’t blame an entire religion for the foul nature of extremists, come together and unite forces in the face of terror and most of all CARRY ON as usual. I’m not saying you should forget what has happened, no not at all. But, show them that we might be afraid and confused, show them we grieve for the loss of life all over the world and most of all show them that we DO NOT COWER in the face of terror and we as a world DO NOT BOW DOWN TO TERRORISTS.

Rachel x

Announcement – My YouTube Channel

Drum roll please…

The day is here people! I finally managed to get my first video up on YouTube. After 2 attempts at uploading and much frustration it is now officially live on my channel.

As you can tell I was a little bit nervous about filming this video but I think my geeky streak came through!

So for those at you who haven’t been here that long I’ve actually been hinting at this for quite a while. I’ve always wanted to get into YouTube and create a channel that could be joint with my blog. Obviously at the moment I don’t actually have a channel banner, so if anyone has any tips for me in that department please let me know! But other than that I’m quite happy with how everything has turned out.

If you’d like to see more videos from me please don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and like the video. For my next one I’m thinking about doing ‘My Eczema Story’ what do you think? Does that sound like something you’d like to watch?

If you’re already on YouTube please leave a link to your channel below so that I can check it out!

Rachel x

5 Things You’ll Relate To If You’re The Big Sister

In case you didn’t already know, I’m a big sister. There’s only 3 years between me and Rebecca which can be both a blessing and a curse in disguise. We talk like best friends, fight like cat and dog and laugh like hyenas; but isn’t that what sisters are for?

Today I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learnt about being a big sister recently. Of course, Rebecca is 18 years old so we’ve been partnered up for a while now, but it’s only recently that I’ve been able to sit back and reflect on our relationship. I think this is due to the fact that a lot of things have been going on around us lately. I moved out, she’s headed off to uni and now we seem to be getting along better than ever.

5 Things You’ll Relate To If You’re The Big Sister

• Being the ‘Guinea Pig’ of the family.

  Yep I said it! Us big sisters are always the first to experience new things, and with that comes the fact that your parents will be experiencing for the first time too. Your first sleepover, your first night out and your first boyfriend are all things that you’re more than likely to experience before your little sister. Our parents are just finding their feet when it comes to these big steps in our lives, and this means that they tend to do things a little differently the second time around! In my household this means that my parents were a little more lenient with Rebecca.

• Arguing with your little sister, and then worrying about her.

  Ah yes, she scribbled all over YOUR colouring book. She ruined your new top. She’s pestering you when you’re with your friends. We can all relate to these squabbles, and you might have even lashed out at your sister! There are many occasions where I’ve lost my temper with Rebecca and hit her or shouted. But you can guarantee that the minute she’s gone you worry about having upset or hurt her.

• Fighting the urge not to get involved in her playground arguments.

  Nobody tells me sister what to do except me, and nobody gets to say anything mean to her. It’s the typical big sister attitude. I mean, it’s your job right? No doubt when she starts getting into little tiffs at school, as many young girls do, you’ll be biting your nails and using all of your strength not to get involved!

• Coveting each other’s wardrobes.

  This might not apply to everyone, but Rebecca and I are very similar size wise. Admittedly she’s a little taller and thinner, and she does have bigger feet (I really drew the short straw,) but generally we’re able to share each other’s clothes. For some reason she always wants to borrow my clothes and I always want to borrow hers! I guess it’s a sister thing.

• Being able to really laugh with her, more than you can with anyone else.

  You’re sisters remember! It’s not always bad, in fact most of the time it’s pretty great. I’m a firm believer that no matter how much you argue right now one day you’ll reach that age where you’re more friends than sisters. When that happens, you’ll have years of memories to look back on together and you’ll know each other better than anyone else. So when you get together and start laughing trust me you’ll struggle to stop.

So there’s a few things that I’ve learnt recently about being a big sister. If you’re a big sister can you relate to my points? Or alternatively if you’re the little sister; how are things from your point of view? Head over to Facebook and Twitter and let me know!

Rachel x

10 Blog Post Ideas For When You’re Stuck ★

Yes I know today’s post is very late, but I did feel like a little break was deserved after my last post; Sharing a Secret – Skin Conditions and Mental Illness.

You’ll be happy to hear that today’s post is a lot less emotionally draining. The final Blogtober challenge is ’10 Blog Post Ideas.’

I’m a pretty creative person, or you could say I’m a pretty crazy person, either way I’m never short of ideas. Hey, they aren’t always great but it takes a lot to stop my creative juices flowing. I guess this is probably due to my excitable nature.

So, in the name of Blogtober I’d like to share a few of these ideas with you. Next time you’re stuck and you really want to get something written up, think of your old pal Rachel and head on over here. I’m always happy to help where I can.

10 Blog Post Ideas For When You’re Stuck

1. Share one of your collections with us.
   This could be your shoe collection, handbags, stamps, baking ingredients, craft tools. Everybody loves a good collection, and it gives us inspiration to upgrade our own collections.
2. Teach us something.
   Really. Teach as anything. Think of your talents and then share them. It could be a makeup tutorial, crafts, a recipe or even a blogging how to.
3. Try a ‘follow me around’ style post.
   This doesn’t have to be fun filled or packed with adventure. Show us what you get up to on a lazy day. These posts are so relatable, and it really helps your readers to understand who you are.
4. Try something new, and document the experience for us.
   Again this could be a new craft, a new recipe, a new product or a new makeup tutorial; anything that applies to your niche really. It doesn’t have to be a big success either – if you didn’t like it then tell us why and give us a recommendation for an alternative!
5. Create an up to date wish list, everyone loves a good wish list.
   Wish lists, for some, are the blogger’s bread and butter. If you blog about travel create a list of your dream destinations, if you write about makeup write a list of your dream products and so on. This is a great way to inspire others, and hint to the ones that you love around Christmas and birthdays!
6. Tell us about something that annoys you.
   Oh I know, it sounds like such a sin. But I promise this will not ruin your blog. Tell us about your beliefs and values, or even something trivial like that man who was rude to you on the tube earlier. People will respect your honesty, after all we are all human and social media only shows us one side of someone’s life.
7. Tell us a story.
   Story time seems to be a very marmite topic amongst many bloggers. I personally love it; especially when it’s done well. This could be a sad story, something funny that happened to you a few weeks ago or even something from your childhood. I think you will find that plenty of your readers will be able to relate to you.
8. Share some throwback pictures.
   On those days where you’re feeling a little lazy and you can’t really be bothered to type up a whole post throwbacks can be your saviour. These could be pictures from your childhood, a trip you took last year or even a throwback to your very first blog posts. Everyone loves to see how far you have come, and again it makes you more relatable.
9. Introduce us to some of your friends/family.
   I understand that some of you will want to keep that part of your life very separate from your blog, and that’s fine. However, if you’re given permission from friends and family introduce us. Show us a few pictures of you together and tell us what you love about them. You could even throw in a little story.
10. Use your experience to create a relatable ’10 things that happen when’ or ‘5 things that happen when’ post. Check out my ‘8 Things That Happen When You Don’t Go To University‘ post and my ‘5 Things No One Tells You About Being A Grown Up‘ post for examples.

So there you have 10 blog post ideas for the next time you get stuck. I hope this helps some of you next time you’re lost for ideas and you’re really wanting to get a post up! What are your suggestions for blog post topics? Let me know on Facebook and Twitter!

Rachel x

Sharing A Secret – Skin Conditions And Mental Illness

Blogtober day thirty’s topic is very appropriate, and you’ll know why if you were tuned into BBC Radio 1 at around 6pm yesterday.

Today I’d like to talk to you about the link between skin conditions and mental illness. I’d like to share with you a secret – my own struggle.

If you’ve been here a while, or know me personally, then you’ll know that I have battled with pretty severe eczema for a couple of years now. You’ll probably know that it caused me a lot of physical pain. But, what you probably don’t know is that my mental wellbeing also suffered as a result.

My Eczema Made Me Depressed

During the worst periods of my eczema I battled depression, anxiety and complusive behaviours. In fact, I spent a short while on anti-depressents before I decided that it wasn’t the right route for me.

The problem with skin conditions is just that, they affect the skin. This in turn can effect our perceptions of ourselves, and the way that we think others percieve us, thus lowering our self confidence and increasing our anxiety in social situations.

This is exactly what happened when I was suffering badly with my eczema, and it still does happen to me. I struggled to get out of bed in the morning, I was disgusted and reduced to tears at the sight of myself, I felt hopeless and worthless, I became anxious at the thought of difficult social situations and I developed repeptitive behaviours as a way of coping with this. I still do now. Even now I find myself getting nervous and itching at my feet, or pulling fabric between my toes as a sort of way of soothing myself.

Things Need To Change

You probably wonder why I’m sharing this. I mean, I know Blogtober required me to share a secret today. But why did I choose to share this particular, sensitive one?

Well, it’s time for things to change. We need to remove the stigma that surrounds mental illness. Because mental illness is all around us. Fact: 17 in 100 people experience suicidal thoughts at some point in their lifetime. Fact: A 2009 study found that 9.7 in 100 people experienced mixed feelings of anxiety and depression that year alone. And these are just the figures that are reported, the real numbers are likely much higher because of the stigma that is attached to mental health.

The fact of the matter is that having a skin condition affects the way you feel about yourself. Eczema, psiorasis and acne are very visible conditions. It is true, occasionally people aren’t very understanding and can be mean about your condition. But the truth is that there isn’t enough support out there for people with these conditions. I battled with eczema for two years before I was placed on anti-depressents. Not once in that time did anyone ask me how I felt. Not once in that time did anyone notice that something was wrong, even when I broke down in tears in the nurses office having my feet bandaged one Friday night.

Even when I decided it was time to ask for help. When I couldn’t sleep and I was starting to cruise through life, days at a time, emotionless and lost. I was simply placed on medication and sent away.

I have decided to share this secret with you today because I don’t think it should be difficult for us to be able to talk about our mental health. I hope that this helps some of you to speak out, or listen, when it comes to your own and others mental health.

To learn more about eczema and depression, visit this article on netdoctor.co.uk.

Rachel x