It's always a lovely post day when my Glossybox arrives.
Essence Lash Princess Mascara
Glossybox have sent me an Essence mascara before, a few months back. It was okay, but I wasn't completely wowed by it. I am however, wowed by their cheap prices. This mascara costs £3.30! Yes, really! What a bargain! I'm quite pleased with this. It's got a good, thick wand and it leaves my lashes looking volumised and lifted without making them look like spiders' legs.
Another plus point was that there was minimal smudging under my eyes, which, if you're a regular reader, will know is one of my biggest bug bears. The only negative I've found with this is that the wand felt a tad 'sharp' upon application.
Another plus point was that there was minimal smudging under my eyes, which, if you're a regular reader, will know is one of my biggest bug bears. The only negative I've found with this is that the wand felt a tad 'sharp' upon application.
Sleek Pout Paint
I'm becoming quite a fan of the Sleek range, but haven't tried any of their lip products yet. I received this in shade 'Peachy Keen - 156' - which is quite a bright orangey-coral colour.
Sleek say:
'Pout Polish is a tinted lip conditioner that nourishes and feels like a lip balm, whilst providing the look and colour of a subtle gloss'
It is really pigmented, but I'm really not keen on the shade as it's a bit too orange for my skin tone. It just doesn't really suit me. However, I'm impressed with the high pigmentation that this has to offer and the fact that a little goes a really long way! One thing that I really love about Sleek is that their products are high quality, but also reasonably priced. This product retails for a mere £4.49!
Naobay Moisturising Peeling
When I read the description of this on my card, I wasn't quite sure what is was... Is it a face mask? Is it a moisturiser? Is it an exfoliant? No idea, so I had to Google it.
Apparently, it's an exfoliating face peel. Naobay say:
"Facial milk with natural peeling particles from the Acai palm tree. This face peel gently exfoliates the skin, removing surface cells and impurities. It helps reduce the appearance of fine lines by combining Olive oil, Shea butter and Sweet Almond oil with Gotu kola extract that soothe the skin after the peel. 98,82% of the total ingredients are from natural origin. 29,1% of the total ingredients are from organic farming."
I haven't had to chance to try this out, as my skin's in an awful state at the moment; but a full review of this will be up once I've tried it!
NCLA Nail Polish
Again, I haven't tried this yet, but expect to see it popping up in a Mani Monday post sometime soon!
Dove Youthful Vitality Shampoo & Conditioner
Right, so these are anti-aging hair products. Not quite sure what you're trying to say there, Glossybox... I'm only in my early twenties. Having said that, I really love the scent of Dove hair products. I used it anyway, and it made my hair lovely, clean and soft. Not sure it looks any younger though...
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VERY Belated Favourites time!
Sleek Blush in Rose Gold
I did feature this quite recently in my latest YouTube video (which you can watch here.) I bought it a while back as it's a dupe for a certain NARS blush. The NARS one is £23, whilst the Sleek version is £4.49 and they're really pretty similar!
It's lovely, with a little bit of gold shimmer in it to make you look a little more radiant. It looks quite dark in my photos, but it doesn't look remarkably red once applied. It's actually quite a pink colour when on your cheeks. It's highly pigmented, so you don't even have to apply loads to get a good coverage.
You can buy this online for £4.49 from Superdrug by clicking here.
MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Crosswires
I've been using this lipstick quite a lot lately! It's been described by MAC as "clean pinky orange". Because it's Cremesheen, it's quite moisturising, which is great for this time of year when it's still pretty cold outside!
You can buy this from any MAC store or online for £15.50 by clicking here.
Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
This is an exciting new mascara from Benefit, which I'm sure everybody's already heard of! It came free in a recent edition of Elle Magazine and I'm really happy with it! I prefer it to They're Real and Bad Gal to be honest!
As usual with Benefit mascaras, it's going to cost £19.50 and if you fancy trying it, you can get it directly from Benefit's website by clicking here.
La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
Yes, I know I keep banging on about this, but it's been a bit of a skincare saviour of late. I've been suffering from horrible spots and has been my go-to moisturiser to deal with the zits. I wrote a full review of this last summer, which you can read here, so I won't go into too much detail here.
You can buy this from Boots for £15.50 by clicking here.
Vo5 Smoothly Does It Serum
I'm not normally a big fan of using serums on my hair, but I love this! I picked it up a few months ago when it was on offer in Boots, but only started using it recently. I'm really pleased with how smooth and sleek my hair looks with this.
Seriously, taming my hair is usually a big job... It's normally an arduous battle with the frizz, but it's nowhere near as bad with this. And it's relatively cheap too!
You can pick this up from Boots for £4.19 by clicking here.
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Here is a video on my Quick & Easy Makeup Look!
It features only high street/drugstore products and my face is in it. A LOT. Sorry...
Okay, so I'll admit that I filmed this just over a month ago... But I've only just got round to editing and uploading it!
(I totally procrastinated on the editing thing, because my own face kept on making me cringe so much that I had to stop.)
Be gentle with me, because filming/editing a video and putting my face on the Internet like this (for the first time) is pretty scary and nerve-racking. I'm no Zoella, but at least I've tried!
Hope you like it!
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A girl can dream, right?
1. Lancôme Grandiose Mascara - £24.50
2. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation - £33
3. Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter - £13
4. Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette - 'The Dolce Vita' - £38
5. MAC Cosmetics Lipstick in Ruby Woo - £15.50.
What's on your beauty wishlist?
 |
| Just a tad too dark? |
I've become a bit of a fan of Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation, so will the concealer live up to the same standards?
Erm... No.
It's way too dark. Pictured is the lightest shade of concealer (Ivory) with the lightest shade of foundation (Light Porcelain). Why bother bringing out a super-pale foundation if you don't make a concealer to accompany it?
I've heard so many people raving about this so I thought I'd give it a try. I really wish I hadn't bothered because it's just a waste of money if you're pale.
I honestly can't comment on whether it's got an 'anti-fatigue' effect or a 'radiant glow' because as soon as I've applied it I'm too busy staring at the mirror going: "Ahhh, I've got orange panda eyes!".
It looks like I've got orange dark circles. (Please try not to laugh at that image.) Every spot and blemish is encircled with an orange hue that makes me look like I've developed some kind of horrendous skin condition. What are pale people supposed to do? It's bad enough that we look like death warmed up due to our pallor, but to have such a lack of products to conceal our dark circles and blemishes just adds insult to injury.
Please, cosmetics companies, is it really so much to ask for that pale people need concealer too? Please. Don't bring out pale foundations and then forget about creating a super-pale concealer to accompany it. That's just silly. Isn't it?
Rant over... Do you know of any really pale concealers? If so, comment below or tweet me!
It's Foundation Friday again! So here are my thoughts on Loreal's True Match!
Loreal have brought this foundation out in loads of different shades. I've been using the lightest, N1 Ivory, which can you see pictured above!
It tends to give medium to heavy coverage. Although, it's still a tad too dark for my deathly pallor. As you can see from the picture, it is noticeably darker. Having said that, I am really pale, so this shouldn't be an issue for most people.
The staying power of this foundation is pretty impressive. I normally have to touch up my foundation during the day, but this stays put! It doesn't really get oily on my skin either. A lot of foundations do, so I normally carry blotting papers around with me just in case! I wouldn't recommend this to people with really dry skin though, as it can be a little drying.
True Match has a high SPF, which is good! But perhaps not if you're wearing it on a night out, as there's probably going to be a bit of flashback.
Loreal claims that this is 'Super-blendable'. It is quite easy to blend in. I've been using my trusty Real Techniques Face Sponge, but it also applies really well with a brush or your fingers too! It does seem to settle quickly on my skin though, so you do have to blend it quite quickly. It's also quite watery, but not so much that it'll run off the back of your hand when you're applying it.
Price-wise, it's not the cheapest of high street foundations, but I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a good quality foundation on a budget.
If you fancy trying this, you can buy it from Boots for £9.99 by clicking here!
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Now, I haven't done a favourites post for quite a while, ashamedly. So here are my favourites from November!
Costa Coffee Orange Hot Chocolate
I'm not normally a regular drinker of hot chocolate, but this is amazing! When you first take a sip of this, it's just like normal hot chocolate but after a couple of seconds you get this whopping orange kick!
So, at just over £3, it's quite expensive... But it's a gorgeous wintery treat!! And it's nearly Christmas, so you're well within your rights to: A.) eat and drink as much chocolate as possible and B.) treat yourself. So there.
You can pick this lovely drink up at Costa Coffee. You can't order it to be delivered to your house, unfortunately...
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 110
I am really getting into my lipsticks at the moment and this is one that I recently picked up in Boots. I was looking for shade 111, because I read somewhere that it's a fantastic Mac Ruby Woo dupe, but they didn't have it, so I picked this one up instead.
For saying it's a matte lipstick, it's not drying, which makes it perfect for this time of year! It's also so much cheaper than Mac Ruby Woo (about £10 cheaper...) so I would definitely recommend this one for those of you on a budget!
Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick costs £5.49 from Boots; which you can buy by clicking here.
VO5 Nourish My Shine Bedazzling Oil Heat Protector
Oh my goodness, why have I only just discovered this?! It's brilliant! I bought it a few weeks ago and I've used it pretty much every day since. It was a lifesaver when I was on my BBC work placement because I spent quite a lot of time outside, and this stopped my hair from descending into a frizzy mess.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
You spray it on your hair before blow drying and it adds shine, but also conditions as well as being a heat protector! It's a jack of all trades, this one.
This costs £4.99 and you can buy it from Boots by clicking here.
Zoella Beauty Body Lotion
Everybody's been raving about the Zoella Beauty range since it came out in September, and I must admit that I bought a couple of goodies on the day they were released (yes, I'm a saddo, I know...)
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
I've been meaning to write about them for ages. Literally. Sorry.
I love this body lotion. For starters, it smells wonderful. Secondly, it lasts all day on your skin. It's not overbearing or greasy; but it's still really moisturising. This would also make a brilliant stocking filler for someone!
It costs £5 and you can buy it from Feel Unique by clicking here.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara
I must admit that I didn't like this to begin with (back in those halcyon days where I shunned natural-looking lashes and went around with ones like spider legs instead...) but recently I've been using this as my every day mascara.
It's perfect for creating a fantastic day look. It's not over the top, but it's definitely enough to give your lashes lift and volume. It's nothing too showy, but it's just a great 'traditional' mascara.
Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara costs £7.99 from Boots, which you can buy by clicking here!
I am going to be writing about my top 2014 favourites very soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
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I have been soooo busy lately that I just haven't had chance to try most of what's in this box. (Excuses, excuses...)
Burt's Bees Lip Shine
This is a lovely little lip gloss from Burt's Bees. The only problem is, I'm a bit odd and every time I use lip gloss, I develop a tickly throat and cough until I have to wipe it off... So, I've not really given this a test run. Can you blame me?
Lollipops Eye Pencil
How pretty is this? It's a retractable eyeliner pencil in 'Black: Goodbye Moon'. Lollipops is a brand that I've never stumbled across before, it's French. This pencil is supposed to be anti-aging... (Quite offended that Glossybox think I need that yet.) It also has Vitamin E, so it's nourishing and it doesn't contain preservatives either.
The fact that it's retractable is great because you don't need to sharpen it! It costs 14 euros, which is just over £11.
Green & Black's Organic Butterscotch Chocolate
Now this didn't last long. Yum.
(It was a special treat from Glossybox for being a subscriber for a year! That's lovely of them, isn't it?)
Monu Face Oil
This is Monu's Soothing Hawaii Facial Oil, with Cardamom, Sandalwood and Lavender.
My skin's been spotty recently, I don't want to risk making that worse by smearing my face with oil... So I've not tried this. I have tried Monu's bath oil though; which is gorgeous!
A full sized bottle of this, which is 100ml, costs a whopping £26.
H20+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment
Again, this is something super-nourishing and hydrating for skin. Which is great, if your skin needs it. It's not, if your skin is already spotty. Glossybox do say that it's oil-free, but I don't really want to risk it.
H20+ is also quite a premium/expensive brand. A full-size tub, which is 50ml, costs £27.50!
This is also 'age prevention', as it reduces the appearance of fine lines. What are you trying to say Glossybox?!
OGX Argon Oil Conditioner
Okay, confession time: This is another thing I ashamedly haven't got round to trying yet! A large bottle costs £6.99 from Boots. I've seen this in shops for ages and keep on meaning to try it!
I will try to write reviews of all the products that I've not been able to try yet in the coming weeks!
My Glossybox December review will also be up soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!
This week, I've been on a work placement (with the BBC) so I thought I'd take you through the skincare and makeup products that I've used whilst being a busy BBC bee. Ha.
I've opted for a fairly natural, light look that's absolutely ideal for work or school. Working 40 hours this week has meant that everything's been a bit of a rush, so I've spent less time on my makeup than normal. All of the skincare and makeup products that I've used are high street/drugstore brands, so this look won't be expensive to recreate. Obviously it's catered for my exceptionally needy skin and pale skin tone; so alter it accordingly to suit your skin.
♥ Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser with Muslin Cloth,
♥ Olay Day Fluid for Sensitive Skin,
♥ Carmex Cherry flavour lip balm,
♥ Boots Simply Sensitive Eye Cream (Optional).
Base:
♥ Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer (Optional),
♥ Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 001 Light Porcelain,
♥ Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in 1 Fair,
♥ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent,
♥ Real Techniques Expert Face Sponge (Optional).
Contouring:
♥ Boots Natural Collection Bronzer,
♥ Rimmel Mono Blusher in 010 Live Pink,
Eyes:
♥ Max Factor Wild Shadow eyeshadow pencil,
♥ Rimmel brown kohl eyeliner,
♥ Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara in Brown/Black.
Firstly, I start by cleansing my face with the hot cloth cleanser, using the warm muslin cloth to gently exfoliate my skin and then rinse with cold water. If you're in a hurry, skip toner and go straight to moisturiser; I'm currently using the Olay one pictured above. If you've got time dab a little eye cream under your eyes.
If you want your makeup to have extra staying power throughout the day, add some primer. The best high street one I've stumbled across is Rimmel's Fix and Perfect.
I then dampen my Real Techniques sponge slightly and add about one pump of Wake Me Up foundation over my face; add a little more if you want a heavier coverage. If you're after a really light coverage, swap the foundation for a BB Cream or CC cream instead. Pop some concealer under your eyes and over any blemishes and then seal in place with a light dusting of powder.
To simply do a little bit of contouring, suck your cheeks in and add some bronzer into the part where your cheeks are indented. Apply in a 'three' motion around your face (forehead, under cheeks and jawline. Apply some blusher onto the apples of your cheeks too.
Finally, for your eyes, add some of the Max Factor pencil over your lids. I'm using this lovely pink colour, but if you fancy being a bit more Autumnal, use a brown shade instead. Line your upper lash line with a little bit of kohl eyeliner and apply a couple of coats of mascara... And you're done!
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Am I the only one who's wanted this sought-after eyeliner for ages?
December's edition of Elle is all about feminism, and even if gender equality isn't your cup of tea, this eyeliner makes it worth buying alone. Yeah, you have to pay £4 for the magazine, but you get a mini version of a seriously expensive eyeliner too.
The full-sized version of this product retails for £18.50, so if you're tight like me, but have wanted to try this eyeliner for months, this is your chance!
(As an aside, I've given this eyeliner a go and will be writing a full review ASAP.)
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Just a very little post to discuss some goodies I recently picked up from MUA.
I've never bought anything from Make Up Academy before; but I read somewhere that their 12 Shade Undressed Palette is a super-cheap dupe for the £37 Urban Decay Naked 3 palette (And I mean SUPER cheap...)
12 Shade Undressed Palette - £4
Elysium Palette - £6
E3 Blending & Shadow Brush - £1.95
Lipstick in Shade 5 - £1
Lipstick in Shade 15 - £1
E9 Socket Blending Brush - £1.95
(It's been a few days, hasn't it? Sorry about that. My Internet connection has been awful recently.)
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... Because you're all just dying to know, aren't you?
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Firstly, let's start off with the bag itself, shall we? It's a satchel that I bought in the Accessorize January Sale either this year or last; it cost £22 instead of £32 and it's been one of my staple handbags ever since.
(I own a lot of handbags. Far too many. When I buy my own house, I'll probably have to dedicate an entire room to handbag storage...)
Canon Powershot A810 Digital Camera
It always helps to have a little camera to save carrying my DLSR around or just in case my phone decides to act up. Which it does. A lot.
Owl Purse
This is one I picked up in Accessorize a few months ago. I honestly can't remember how much it cost me, but it's quite cute, isn't it?
Apple iPhone 5
Yeah, I'm one of those smug idiots that's addicted to buying Apple products. I understand if you stop reading and never visit my blog again...
PNY Portable Phone Charger
Oh my goodness, this is a lifesaver. If you've got a smartphone, you'll know how awful the battery life can be. This is a wonderful invention that charges your phone up on the go! It's fantastic if you're out of the house for a long time! It cost me about £10 from Currys PC World.
Car Key
Where would I be without Clive the Corsa? Stranded probably. Which is where I am with Clive the Corsa anyway because he has a pesky habit of breaking down a lot... Complete with a Winnie the Pooh keyring because I'm still a child trapped in an adult's body.
Carmex Lip Balm
I know I've raved about this before, so I won't go into too much detail. It's probably my favourite lip balm right now and I carry it around with me everywhere I go.
Benefit Boi-ing Concealer
Again, I've mentioned this before. It's brilliant, but expensive, so I only save it for those days where nothing else shifts those nasty dark circles.
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
Another one I've already raved about. It's the best liquid concealer that I've ever stumbled across. I've used it for years. Try it!
Boots Intensive Eye Drops
Bit of an odd one, I know. I'm supposed to use eye drops four times a day because my eyes are weird and these are the best value ones that I've found. They stop my eyes from feeling icky but they don't cost the earth. Wonderful.
Mac Lipstick
I've mentioned this before too! My favourite lipstick. This is in 'Coral Bliss' which is a gorgeous subtle pink shade.
Cath Kidston Travel Card Holder
I'm obsessed with Cath Kidston stuff, I hold my hands up. This is a lovely bird print travel card holder that I keep my Railcard, Bite Card and Mango cards in.
This post is really handy if you were thinking of mugging me. You'll know exactly what you're getting now, won't you?
Cookie doesn't stay in my handbag, but he wouldn't let me take photos for this post without sticking his nose in front of my camera.
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A 50p brush can only be described as a bargain, but will such a cheap product live up to my exceptionally high standards?
In a nutshell, unfortunately not. This brush cost so little that I honestly didn't expect the world from it. Although, I did kind of expect to be able to use it for a while before it fell to pieces. Sadly, it fell apart as soon as I started using it.
When applying powder with this brush, several bristles fell out and got stuck to my face. Not ideal, eh? After pausing, I tried to pull any loose ones out so that they wouldn't stick to my face too... That's when a clump of bristles came out in my hand. So I put it down and swapped it for an ELF Brush instead...
I'm not sure I dare use it again. Mainly for fear of people thinking that I've got a hairy face.
If this review hasn't put you off and you still fancy buying this brush, you can pick it up in your local Wilkos for a mere 50p.
(The only brushes they have on their website are paint brushes or toilet brushes...Which are utterly useless for applying powder with. Trust me.)
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I'm a picky lady when it comes to mascara. Will this new offering live up to my very high expectations?
For starters, there are two different types of this mascara. The silver, which is a lengthening one, and the pink, which is geared towards offering more volume. I'm going to be talking about the silver one!
It costs a mere £4.99 for 7ml, so it's an absolute bargain!
The wand's quite thin and made of plastic. It easily combs through your lashes without leaving any clumps. The volume version of this mascara has a fibre wand, I think... Although, don't hold me to that, because I haven't tried it!
Unfortunately, I did have a little issue with smudging under my eyes (one of my pet hates...), but it wasn't too bad; and for £4.99, you can't really complain.
It's not the most dramatic of mascaras out there, but that makes it great for daytime wear. For nights out, you might want to opt for something a little more striking though. Showgirl is currently only available in black and there isn't a waterproof option to date, if that's more your cup of tea...
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