Beauty | Hair-care Routine for Thick mid length hair ~ Wash, dry & style

I'm pretty low maintenance when it comes to hair-care, I have mid-length, thick hair which grows like nobodies business and I've never had it dyed. I probably get it cut twice a year max but when I do, the hairdressers always say that my hair is in good condition, so I thought I'd share the very small amount of products I'm using on my hair at the moment! 

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo £3.99 LINK |Garnier Ultimate Blends Conditioner £3.99 LINK | Tangle Teezer £11 LINK

Wash

When it comes to washing my hair I'm not overly loyal to a brand, I look out for products which are good for sensitive skin and smell nice! I was using The Body Shop's banana shampoo but at £6 a bottle it's a bit over my budget at the moment. Recently I started using Paraben-free Garnier Ultimate Blends shampoo and conditioner in Delicate Oat. Firstly it smells amazing, really comforting! And secondly it's great for sensitive skin as oat milk is a natural cleanser with anti-inflammatory powers. At £3.99 they're still quite pricey but I managed to find mine in Savers for half the price and as I am writing this they're currently half price in Superdrug too! Once I've put conditioner on the ends of my hair I use the Tangle Teezer to brush my hair, this makes it smooth and gets rid of all the knots, so when it comes to drying and styling my hair it takes half the amount of time. I've written an entire post about my Tangle Teezer so make sure to check it out. I wash my hair around three times a week, sometimes more if I have an arrangement etc.

ghd Final Fix Hairspray £8.49 LINK |Josh Wood Hair Oil LINK

Dry

If I have time to let my hair air dry I will always opt to do that as I find drying my hair a draining task! If I don't have the time then I just rough dry it with a hairdryer. I then straighten my hair with ghd's (which stands for good hair day, I know, mind blown). I only straighten my hair after washing it and even then not every single time so on average I straighten my hair twice a week. I have just seen that Garnier have a heat protective spray in the same delicate oat range so that may be something I'll add to my routine. I then use a hair oil on the ends of my hair and if I'm done I'll spray with some hairspray, If I'm going to braid it etc then I'd spray the hairspray after. Again, I'm not loyal to a hair oil or hairspray brand yet and I was very lucky to be sent both of these and as I like them I'm happily using them! 

Tangle Teezer £15.00 LINK | Invisibobble £4.49 LINK | Scunci 2mm Silicone Elastic £3.20 LINK

Style

When it comes to styling my hair I normally opt for one of four style, straightened and left down, ponytail, braids (fishtails/french braids) or half up and half down. All of these styles require a good brush to smooth my hair and make it easy to manage and my Tangle Teezer brush is the best thing for the job, I also featured this brush in my Tangle Teezer post so make sure to check that out to find out more about it. Then when it comes to putting my hair up I use bands which are gentle for your hair and don't leave kinks. The hair ties are a little pricey but the Invisibobbles do last ages and they're plenty of brands who have created their own now and are a bit cheaper and I managed to find the other bands in Primark for £1 as they had a sale for all of their Scunci products.

There we are that's my hair-care routine in a nutshell! I hope you enjoyed reading this and finding out how I look after my hair and keep it clean with minimal effort.

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Beauty | 5 Skincare and Beauty Summer Essentials

I am yet to have gone on holiday yet this Summer but I have been enjoying the hot days we've been getting in London and I am a lover of the sun. I am not a sun worshiper, when I'm on holiday I'm more interested in jumping into the pool and eating! But when the Sun makes an appearance in London I do like to spend a few hours relaxing outside with a book, so here is a little selection of Summer beauty/skincare essentials!

It Cosmetics CC+ Cream is my go to base product all year round but it lends itself particularly well to the Summer season as it has SPF 50+. It has a light weight coverage but gives you an even complexion and a healthy glow, it's also so quick to put on as you can apply it like you would a moisturiser

Caudalie Beauty Elixir spray is a wonderful cooling spray which your skin that much needed burst of hydration on a hot day. This can be sprayed before and after make-up too.

Rosie for Autograph Amazing Radiance Body Glow is a delightful scented tinted lotion. This adds a beautiful glow to your skin and has the most wonderful scent. It gives you an instant light glow so you don't even need to sit in the sun and it just washes off!

Nivea Sun Cream 50+ When it comes to sun cream I think everyone just sticks to the brand that their family has always used and I'm no different! I trust this brand and I always use 50+ as I'm very pale to start with. This keeps your skin safe and also allows you to catch some rays and get a healthy looking glow.

Glossier Dot Balm I always make sure my lips are really moisturised when in the Sun as it completely dehydrates your skin and lips! I would advise using a lip balm with UV protection in it if possible, I shall by buying one before my holiday!

What are you skincare musts in these hotter months?

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Beauty | The top 5 concealers for blemishes

When it comes to my make-up I like to keep it simple and focus on making a nice base as I'm not blessed with the clearest skin or best complexion! I like to use a very light coverage BB cream and then use concealer where needed and here are my top finds!

Nars Creamy Concealer in Vanilla is a great light/medium coverage and I like to use this underneath my BB cream to add a slight glow and cover any redness.

I used to always use the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer for everything but now I actually only use this for carving out my brow / highlighting my brow bone. It's very similar to Nars Creamy Concealer with the consistency and they both have the same wand too.

I love the Maybelline Age Rewind concealer, it's very light weight and creates a glowy and bright under eye. It doesn't completely cover dark circles however, so you do need another concealer underneath, which brings us nicely onto the next one!

I am an It Cosmetics fan, I just have loved everything I've tried of theirs and their Bye Bye under eye is no exception! This is a great incredibly high coverage concealer, it's almost quite sticky and thick once on your finger but on the skin it just works. It covers dark circles, blemishes and redness and doesn't crease at all.

Vichy Dermablend SOS Cover Stick has some serious high coverage! This is your winner for spots, the only thing is I don't really love the stick form because it's not overly hygienic.

 Top | No Flash - Bottom | Flash

(Right to Left) Nars Creamy Concealer Vanilla | Collection Concealer 1 | Maybelline Age Eraser Fair | It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Medium | Vichy Dermablend SOS Cover Stick Light |

I hope you found this post interesting and helpful for choosing your next concealer.

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Beauty | Makeup Splurge vs Save

I'm a sucker for makeup, all the pretty packaging and sleek marketing gets me every time but it's got to the point where I am starting to see through the #fomo and I know what makeup my skin gets on with and what makeup I actually need and use. So I thought today I'd share with you what products I think are worth splurging for and which you can definitely save your pounds on.

Base Makeup Splurge

When it comes to base makeup we are covering your primer, concealer, foundation and setting powder and these are four vital steps to your look, especially if you have problematic or oily skin. I've tried many drugstore base products throughout my teenage years and if it didn't oxidize and turn me orange by 2pm, then I was sweating it off and waiting for my forthcoming breakout. Now that I've found products which work for me I know that I won't try anything else unless the brands go kaput and I'm forced to!

Eyeshadow Splurge

If I had told you my thoughts on this subject a few years ago I would have straight away said to save your money on eyeshadow but after trying multiple brands I can definitely see the difference between a real cheapy product and a high end eyeshadow. The high end shadows are buttery and blend-able whilst a lot of the cheaper ones are chalky, impossible to blend and have 0% colour pay off!

Mascara/eyeliner Save

Mascara and eyeliner is something that you should be dispensing of rather frequently for hygiene reasons, so you don't want to be spending too much money. There are plenty of great drugstore mascaras to choose from and I'm sure most eyeliners are pretty similar anyway! Look out for Magazines giving away free mascaras too!

Nail Varnish Save

You can find some fantastic nail varnishes in the drugstore which mean there's no reason to splurge on a designer version. As there are so many colours to choose from and now you can even buy gel polishes which don't need a UV lamp you can forgo your monthly nail appointment! Again,  magazines always seem to have nail varnish as a freebie! 

Lipsticks Save

The drugstore brands are constantly duping higher end products, it only takes a quick search on bloglovin and you'll be able to find a post showing you all the dupes, so you'll find that Mac lipstick you've always wanted but for half the price! 

I hope you found my tips helpful and they'll stay in your mind next time you're makeup shopping!

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Beauty | Tangle Teezer

Hi, my name's Sophie and I'm a Tangle Teezer convert! I got my first Tangle Teezer around 5/6 years ago and since then I haven't used a traditional hairbrush and I just can't even imagine using one again! I've been saving up my Boots points for awhile and I wasn't really sure what for but I decided my first Tangle Teezer had seen better days so I should invest in a new one, but oh not just one, I got two and here they are!

The Ultimate Finishing Brush £15 LINK

Original Tangle Teezer £10 LINK

If you're new to Tangle Teezers here's the 411, they have a few different products which include; detangling brushes, blow-drying brushes, styling hairbrushes and special Tangle Teezers for thick and curly hair. The Teezers use an 'innovative two-tiered teeth system technology, it detangles with minimum fuss, breakage and damage, leaving hair smooth, soft and shiny'. They come in a huge array of colours and designs including a Disney collection and you can even customise your own Tangle Teezer for £20 by uploading any photo onto their website HERE.

The teeth do look rather spiky but they're soft on the tips making them easy to glide through your hair.

This is Tangle Teezers first brush with a handle and I definitely appreciate the addtition! It definitely makes it a lot easier for brushing dry hair and doing hairstyle like pony tails, adding volume by back-combing and I also don't accidentally fling it into the air!

I am still a fan of the original design and decided to get this one to keep in the bathroom and use on wet hair. It's made such a big different to the quality of my hair when it comes to drying it that it has already been brushed whilst wet. I also absolutely love this colour combo, it's so pretty!

Tangle Teezer also do a compact travel sized brush which has it's own case which is definitely the next one on my wishlist once my boots points have added up again!

Let me know if you're a fan of the Tangle Teezer and what brush and colour you have!

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Beauty | Essie Gel Top Coat Nail Varnish

I love me some shiny nails and in an ideal world I would go and have shellac done every month! But of course that would be a tad expensive and it's not ideal to have to fit in nail appointments either, so today I am sharing with you the next best option!

'Go Ginza' (Lilac)

'Lovie Dovie' (Hot Pink)

'Cocktail Bling' (Grey)

'Mixetaupe' (taupe)

Essie Gel Setter Top Coat Nail Varnish £9.99 LINK

Essie have brought out a collection of gel nail varnish which has a special top coat but this gel setter top coat can actually be worn with any Essie nail varnish and I'm assuming any brand of polish! This seems to help your nails dry a lot faster and adds an amazing shine. Having had shellac done previously this really does make your nails look very similar and they look and feel like you've had a professional manicure! My nails last about 4/5 days before chipping, however, you can add another thin coat of top coat every 2 days to add even more shine and to prevent your nails from chipping. 

Make sure to check out Boots before buying the top coat as they often have buy 3 for 2 across their beauty/skincare and nail varnish so you could get one nail varnish for free! Let me know if you've given this top coat ago and what you recommend.

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Beauty | Skincare for oily and blemish prone skin

I have spent a small fortune on skincare as I am prone to spots and I try anything and everything to keep my skin calm and happy and I actually think I have now found some lovely products which are helping, so it's about time I updated you on what I've been using!

Face Wash

I love this Clearasil Rapid Action Scrub  which is tough enough to clean your pores and rid of any dead skin but also soft enough to be able to use twice everyday. I use Mario Badescu Acne Facial Cleanser in the evening and I normally just use this on my chin and forehead.

Cleanser

I tried so many cleansers without noticing any difference so I made the decision to start using Apple Cyder Vinegar, I soak a cotton wool pad with water and then tip a small amount of this onto the pad. Apple Cyder Vinegar containing the mother is a natural antibacterial and has massively helped to clear up my chin acne because it keeps the area clean and infection clear! It does however stink and I don't know how anyone drinks it!

Face Mask

As most of my skincare is based around stripping my skin from oil and controlling my blemishes I do like to and have to give my skin an intense burst of hydration which I do with the Fresh Rose Face Mask, this is made with real rose petals which softens, smoothes and hydrates your skin. The rose petals also help to calm irritated skin. If I still am trying to control my spots then I use the Caudalie Instant Detox Mask which tightens and cleanses your pores.

Lips

This is a step that I definitely don't have the time or interest to do everyday but if I'm having a full out pamper evening then I'll use this Bubblegum lip scrub from Lush. My lip balm of choice at the moment is the Glossier Rose Balm dotcom which is so moisturising and has a subtle light pink tint.

Cream/Lotion

Last but not least I use Mario Badescu Drying Cream which is a God send! It has a bit of a medical scent but it's not offensive! You pop on the tiniest amount on your spots and over night they just dry up and go so quickly! Then for the rest of my face I apply a thin layer of Boots own traditional skin care cream which is a good old fashioned moisturiser!

There we are, let me know if you use any of these products and what you recommend!

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Beauty | Glossier Boy Brow vs Benefit Gimme Brow

Two cult products, in the right corner we have Glossier Boy Brow and in the left corner we have Benefit Gimme Brow. Both products promise to enhance your brows making them fuller and more defined with a quick swipe and as someone who isn't blessed like Cara Delevingne in the brow department I am all for a product which will quickly create the illusion of thick and luscious brows. I've used Gimme Brow on and off for a good few years and I've used Boy Brow for around a month and here are my thinky thoughts!

Benefit Gimme Brow (1)

 LINK £20.50 3 shades

Gimme brow+ tinted eyebrow gel contains tiny microfibers that adhere to skin & hairs, creating natural-looking fullness and definition. The custom tiny, tapered brush provides easy, mess-proof application. Poof...fuller-looking brows magically appear!

Glossier Boy Brow (blonde)

LINK £14 4 shades 

All brow needs have been considered to create THE brow product: one to thicken, fill in, and groom brows into place. The creamy wax formula is inspired by traditional hair pomade for soft, flexible hold that doesn’t stiffen or flake. 

So before we get into the actual product it would be rude to not chat about the packaging! They seem to be the same size although looking at the measurements Boy Brow has 0.12 net wt (whatever that means) more. Both of the packaging is quite minimalist and I neither love nor hate one or the other, although I probably prefer the Gimme Brow. This product is obviously very similar to a mascara so I think it would be great if it could come in the same size as a mascara! Boy Brow is a very reasonable £14, whilst Gimme Brow is a little pricier at £20.50. The wands are basically the same size too and the tiny brushes are perfect for swiping through your brows.

I use the Gimme Brow in 1 and Boy Brow in Blonde which are the two lightest shades available. The Gimme Brow has tiny fibres in which is really handy if like me you don't have a lot of brow hairs to start with. The fibres cling to my brows and make my brows look a lot thicker and bushier and it also keeps my brows in place. Gimme Brow's consistency is a lot thinner and runnier and although it does give a good colour to my brows it doesn't make them look fuller and it doesn't shape the hairs as well. When I use either of them I have to go in after with a powder or pencil to make the shape a bit sharper and add a few more 'hairs' near the outer edge of my brows.

So overall my favourite is the Benefit Gimme Brow as it makes my brows look so much thicker and is a fantastic colour, I highly recommend using this if you have sparse brows. So even though this is more expensive I'd rather repurchase this. Boy Brow seems to be a winner for the gal who already has perfect brows and just wants to quickly groom them!

Let me know which one is your favourite or if you use another brand altogether!

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Beauty | Easy work makeup for oily/blemish prone skin

Who wants to faff around in the morning before work? erm not me! I give myself 40 minutes to get ready and run out the door so the night before I try to always have my clothes out (which is easy for me as I wear a uniform), pack my bag and sometimes if I'm winning at adulting I'll even have my pack lunch made! Then when my alarm wakes my little ray of sunshine up at 8am I can bound out of bed straight into my uniform and gracefully float onto my dressing table chair and get my face on!

I work in retail  and my makeup has to withstand running to and from the stockroom (which in one store I worked for was underneath the entire shopping centre and would take a good 10 minutes to even get to), carrying heavy boxes of over stock and replen and all of the cleaning! So here is my easy work makeup for oily/ blemish prone skin.

As someone who's been blessed with oily skin my makeup relies completely on what base I use and the only one which seems to work for me is the Urban Decay De-Slick primer. I pat this onto my T-Zone and whilst that's sinking in I apply some lip balm and then get right on with tackling my brows. I first go in with the HD pencil in Vamp and then I use Benefit Gimme brow in blonde to add some more volume.

Now it's time to pop a little bit of concealer on problem areas, eg my mess of a chin, I've recently enjoyed using Nars creamy concealer in vanilla. Then I pat on CC+ Cream in light and then go in with the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer in medium under my eyes and over any still visible spots. I'll set all of my makeup with Mac Skin finishing powder in light. My last step is a swipe of mascara and if it's hot I'll spritz my face with Caudalie beauty elixer. 

So there we are, I hope you enjoyed finding out how I make my face look somewhat presentable in the early hours in a short amount of time!

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Beauty | A Massive Glossier Haul ~ First Impressions

Unless you've had the misfortune of having no WIFI for an unthinkable amount of time I'm sure you're aware of the makeup and skincare brand Glossier, if it's not for their infamous pink bubble wrap packaging then it will be for their ethos of creating natural makeup which accentuates your skin with a healthy glow, rather than caking your face with high coverage makeup. If you've read my blog for awhile you'll know that I stay far away from glowy products as I prefer a very matte base so I haven't tried any base products but most of the rest of their makeup collection made it into my basket!

Before I even get to the products I have to give a shout out to Glossiers' website, buying makeup online is profoundly difficult and something I usually wouldn't do as I like to see the colours in person, however being in London buying Glossier online is my only option. Glossier has obviously thought about this and for every product they sell they have it photographed on models of different races so you have a good representation on how they'll look on your skin, such a simple idea but one so many more makeup brands should imitate! 

Everything arrived in a pretty pink reusable bubble wrap bag, I do wish they had sent them out in a few bags instead of one big one! They also sent a cute sheet of stickers which I assume is to decorate the pink bag, that's my night sorted!

Generation g Lipstick £14 each LINK

I was most excited to try the Generation g sheer matte lipsticks as they create a really natural matte sheen and I like to wear lipstick without people actually thinking, wow she's gone all out with her lipstick! They currently have 6 shades and I chose 'Cake' a subtle peachy shade and 'Like' a pale pretty your lips but better pink. They are easy to apply but make sure you heavily moisturise your lips beforehand as it tends to cling to any dry patches. 

Boy Brow £14 each LINK

One of their most raved about products is their boy brow which promises to fill in, thicken and groom brows. This comes in 4 shades, blonde, brown, black and clear. I've just started using this and I shall be writing a blog post about this soon so I can have a little more time to test it out properly!

Lash Slick £14 LINK

One of their newest products is this Lash Slick mascara and as I was in the market for a new mascara and I am yet to be loyal to one I thought why not give this one a go! When it comes to mascara I normally like to be quite heavy handed and create thick, very black big lashes but I knew buying from Glossier would mean this mascara would make a more natural prettier look. Firstly, I love that the packaging is millennial pink, how perfect is that for this brand! I have a feeling and I hope that all their old white packaging will soon become pink too. The wand is plastic and quite narrow which helps to lift all your lashes and the formula has tiny fibers in which cling to your lashes. I can't believe how lengthening this mascara is, it created a really dramatic difference and it also separated my lashes making them appear even longer and fluttery. It's also water resistant, not water proof, which means it doesn't smudge throughout the day but it's easy to remove when you actually want to! It does promise to not flake and this is something I don't ever have a problem with but I actually found this mascara did flake a little bit and left a few black marks underneath my eye.

Cloud Paint £15 LINK

Their Insta-famous Cloud paint blush is a light weight liquid blush which is perfect for anyone who likes to use their finger tips to apply their makeup and anyone who doesn't like a heavy blush look. You need to use the tiniest amount and then pat it onto the apples of your cheeks to create a healthy glow with a subtle amount of colours. I chose 'Beam' which is a natural peachy shade. It's quick and easy to apply and definitely does everything they promise. The colours seem quite similar so I think all of your makeup looks would be covered by just choosing one!

Balm Dot Com £10 LINK

The last product I bought was their Balm which is just basically a highly moisturising all purpose lip balm which can be used on your cuticles, lips, elbows and any other dry patches of skin you may get! There are 6 shades to choose from and I bought their birthday balm which is clear with glitter and their rose balm which has a soft scent or rose and a subtle light pink tint. They're both lovely balms and make a nice natural look if you don't feel like wearing lipstick and they are highly moisturising, hopefully they'll bring out with SPF in. Also the packaging is just so lovely!!

I got to choose a free sample to be sent and I chose to have a sample of their perfume 'you' and oh my it's so dreamy and is now on my wish list!

So there we are there is my Glossier haul! I hope you enjoyed seeing everything I bought and reading my initial thoughts about the products. So far my favourite product is definitely the lipstick and I haven't worn another brands lipstick since buying them!

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Beauty | Mac Nude Lipstick Collection

Since the start of this year my Mac lipstick collection has grown quite dramatically (from 3 to 8), I bought myself one of their Holiday kits which had three mini lipsticks and my brother very kindly treated me to two lipsticks! As you'll be able to see they are all nude shades and I thought this would be helpful for anyone looking for swatches of nude Mac lipsticks, as I spent a long time trying to find blog posts just like this!

Cocktail Kiss (matte), Boca (satin), Kinda Sexy (matte)

Brave (satin), Velvet Teddy (matte), Mehr (matte), Twig (satin), Clouds in my coffee (liptensity)

 Cocktail Kisses, Boca, Kinda Sexy

Brave, Velvet Teddy, Mehr, Twig & Clouds in my coffee

In the packaging the lipsticks look very similar so I decided to swatch them all together to help you see the difference and choose which nude colour to choose.

For a 90s nude with a brown undertone Velvet Teddy and Clouds In My Coffee are your best bet. The latter is a liptensity product and it has great colour pay off and longevity.

For a pretty natural pink Brave, Mehr, Twig and Cocktail Kisses are all fab choices. The satin finishes give a more natural easy look, whilst the mattes create a more 'I'm definitely wearing pink lipstick' look.

For a peachy nude Kinda Sexy is your go to.

Finally for something really natural, which basically feels and looks like you're wearing nothing but you have a healthy glow your best bet is Boca!

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! Let me know what your favourite Mac nude lipstick is!

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Beauty | BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlight 'Moonstone' Review

When I went to DisneyLand Paris I popped into Sephora and treated myself to a Becca highlight. I am sure that you've all seen this shimmery powder of goodness floating around the blog-asphere and it's been on my wish list for a long time, so I took the financial plunge and treated myself!

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlight 'Moonstone' £32 LINK

The packaging looks nice but the matte black edges and metallic top do get very dirty! I do also struggle a little with opening the lid, but then I can't open most doors so that could just be me!

Moonstone 'A pale, incandescent gold that illuminates the complexion' 

I spent a crazy amount of time swatching all of the highlights in the store trying to decipher which one was a healthy glow and which one was I just got hit in the face by a Unicorns tail and after many umms and ahhhs I went with Moonstone. This is the third lightest shade of highlight but the first of the lightest shades to have a more natural glowy tan finish, the other two were much brighter white/pink and more obvious.

I absolutely love the whole highlight trend but at the same time I try to create a very natural matte finish, so I tend to use this sparingly on the tops of my cheekbones and if I am feeling more adventurous it does sometimes find itself on my brow bone too! I normally use a fan brush to apply it but if you want to make more impact you can pack this stuff on with your fingers to get the ultimate glow.

I am very pleased with this purchase and with my limited makeup skills and for the natural healthy look I aim and hope to the makeup angels that I will achieve, it definitely does its job nicely!  Let me know if you have any BECCA highlights and what you think of them!

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Beauty | Eylure Lashes RosieBea Review

One of my favourite parts about makeup is creating fluttery 60's worthy doll like lashes, but I like to do this in the most subtle way possible. For my day-to-day makeup I stick to fibre mascara but every now and then I like to stick on some cheeky lashes.

Savers -  £2.99

I'm a huge fan of Eylure lashes as they offer a huge variety of styles and they always seem to be collaborating with celebs/Youtubers which means they offer lots of new limited edition collections. I loved their collab with RosieBea, she's a Youtuber whom I love to watch as her style is perfection and the lashes she created with Eylure are beautiful! They are fluttery, delicate, subtle and the packaging is so cute!

I apologise for this gross close up picture but I thought including it would be beneficial for you to see the lashes! Here I am wearing the 3/4 length Kitty lashes, as they don't cover the entire lash line they create a natural look whilst adding volume and length to your outer lashes. They were as easy as lashes can be to apply! I think they blended into my own lashes easily and the band was near invisible once stuck to my lash line and I added a thin line of eyeliner.

What do you think of Eylure lashes and what brands/lashes do you use for a subtle look?

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Beauty | It Cosmetics CC SPF 50 Review

This is one of those products which I am very guilty of buying because of seeing it around the blogersphere and Youtube, in particular from seeing Lily Pebbles and The Anna Edit using it! They both have perfected the natural 'no makeup' makeup look and it's something I'd like to achieve, so after seeing that they both love to use this base, I knew it was something I had to try!

'Developed with plastic surgeons, IT Cosmetics™ creates products that are game-changing and, when in the hands of real women everywhere, become life-changing. We believe you’re an IT Girl™ the moment you try IT.'

Your Skin but Better CC Cream - £30 LINK

This product is in-fact their number one best seller and I can see why! This is a colour correcting cream which has anti-ageing hydrating serum, 50+ SPF and foundation worthy coverage. They have 7 shades to choose from and I went with 'light' which is the second palest.  The colour is the only part which I am not mad about, it strangely looks a smidgen grey when first applied but as you pat it into your skin the colour does go to a skin tone, however, throughout the day I do sometimes notice myself looking a tad orange (when I ask people they say I don't). So this shade is probably better suited to my skin in the Summer and I should wear their shade 'Fair' now!

I have found applying this with clean finger tips gets the most even and natural coverage. It's easy to build upon with another layer or the addition of concealer. From a distance and in photographs it gives me flawless skin, however up close it doesn't cover blemishes/scars on my chin like they promise. It does however correct my complexion and make the rest of face look glowy, healthy and slightly tanned!

I am a big fan of the tube packaging and the pump, it's great for travelling and it's easy to store within my makeup collection. Of course I'd prefer it to be cheaper but looking at how this CC cream differentiates from cheaper drugstore products I can understand the price point. It also seems to be lasting me a long time as you don't need to use a lot.

Let me know if you use this and what you think of it!

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Lifestyle | Glamour Beauty Festival 2018

Ever since going to the 2017 Glamour Beauty Festival I had been eagerly awaiting this years festival to be announced and as soon as the tickets were released I treated myself! 

I didn't take any pictures whilst at the event as I wanted to enjoy it and just have a mooch but I thought I'd share a little about the day if any of you were thinking about going to it next year. This year the festival was on from Friday - Sunday and you could get tickets for either the morning slot, afternoon slot or the entire day. I went on Saturday 10th March and chose the morning slot (9:30 - 1:30), I'd advise aiming to get to the venue for 9am so that you're near the front of the queue so when you get inside you don't have a huge line for whatever you choose to do first! I think that half a day is plenty of time to look around the entire festival and listen to 2 talks, I do hope that next year there will be more stands. I also went alone, like I did last year, as I liked having the freedom of wandering around and doing everything I wanted to when I wanted too, although it is nice to have someone to chat to and take pictures with etc.

They had nail, hair, skincare, beauty and wellness stations. First up I went and had my hair braided, then I had a skin consultation, I picked out a goody bag from Look Fantastic, I went to talks about well being and makeup and finally I picked up the amazing Glamour goody bag (worth £180) which was included in the ticket. 

Glamour Goody Bag, Look Fantastic Goody Bag & Caudalie purchases

I am so excited to try all of these amazing beauty and skincare bits and bobs! I bought the Caudalie Detox Face Mask as I've gone through a few samples of this and it agrees with my skin and the Beauty Elixir mist after hearing fantastic things about it in the Wellness talk. Keep posted as I am sure I'll be reviewing some of the products soon!

I had a fantastic day and I am pleased that this year I made the most of the talks and I enjoyed mooching around and being introduced to new products. Roll on Glamour Beauty Festival 2019!

KEEP SMILING

Lifestyle | A Pamper Night Routine

I have recently moved flat and now we don't just have the luxury of an en-suite but we have a BATH so pamper nights are becoming a daily ritual and nothing could beat it, especially after a long day at work. So if you were wondering how I relax and spend my pamper evenings you're about to have all you're questions answered!

The first thing I do is go through my little beauty/skincare stash and pick out the products I want to use. Today I chose Lush snow fairy shower gel and The Body Shop Strawberry Bath Bomb for my bath water to add scent, bubbles and a pretty colour! For my body I chose to use the Ritual Yogi Flow foaming shower gel and Soap and Glory Scrub of your life for my feet! I then decided to use this Mad Beauty Disney Princess Jewel of the Sea Ariel face mask. 

Before having my bath I painted my nails with Nails Inc polish in 'Southwark', I find the entire process of painting my nails relaxing and therapeutic as it gives you a reason to just sit down quietly and have 'me time'.

Whilst I run my bath I pop the face mask on and normally spend time looking at myself in the mirror and scaring myself with how terrifying I look! Seriously sheet masks are something out of horror films!

Then it's bath time! I set my laptop up on the toilet next to me (classy) and queue a few Youtube videos to watch, shout out to the Ingham family as watching their vlog here!

Then it's time to get into my pjs and settle down with a book, at the moment I'm reading 'some kind of wonderful' by Giovanna Fletcher and it's really great. The writing style and subject is reminiscent to Sophie Kinsella's books and she's my absolute favourite, so I am really enjoying this book! It's an easy read and one you can stop and start so it's perfect for commuting or for a chapter here and there too.

And there we are, that's how I like to rewind in the evening! I hope you enjoyed this post.

KEEP SMILING