March Favourites | 2015

Sooooo, it's APRIL! Hallelujah!!
Finally we are escaping the greyness of winter - and it feels so good!
This year so far has been super busy for me (hence my little hiatus) - there is lots of change on the horizon, and I am very excited to start a new chapter of my life!
But, one thing I don't think will be changing is my love for the 5 products that I am about to tell you about. I have been using each of them obsessively through March, and I have no doubt that they will come with me through April also.

I think I've done it! I think I have found a drugstore dupe for Benefit's Roller Lash Mascara. If you read my last post, you'll know that I loved trying out the Roller Lash, and adored the lift and length that it gave to my lashes. This mascara - Maybelline's Lash Sensational, is a very close copy. The head of the brush has a similar curve to it, allowing the brush to fit the shape of the lash line perfectly! The bristles pattern is also similar to the Roller Lash. The short bristles capture the teeny lashes, whilst the long bristles create volume on the longer lashes, ensuring no lash is left behind. For £7.99 this mascara works wonders for the lashes! Oh, and this stuff DOES NOT clump - even after 3 coats.
Need I say more?

I bought this mini fix+ with a MAC gift card at the beginning of the year, and as much as I loved it as a setting spray, it's taken me a few months to figure out how the spray works best for me. I find that this formula works best for me underneath my base. Once I have washed and moisturised my face, I give my face 2 or 3 sprays of Fix+ before I apply foundation. I have really enjoyed this routine and have noticed such a difference in both the radiance of my skin and the lasting power of my make-up. The full size is definitely on my shopping list!

I'm not sure what it is about using a blush palette that makes me feel very fancy and profesh - but I love it! I bought this Make Up Revolution blush pallete in Superdrug at the beginning of the month and I have used it almost every day since. I chose the 'Hot Spice' palette and I am very happy with my choice. The blushes are wonderfully soft and beautifully pigmented. There are 8 shades in total - 6 mattes and 2 shimmer/highlight shades, and there is not one of them which I am unhappy with. I love how using a different shade of blush can totally change your face of make-up - and at £6 this palette lets me experiment with colours without breaking the bank!

I still haven't quite moved on from my 90's nude lip obsession, and finding this gem of a lipstick only added fuel to my fire. This lipstick is life. I'm beyond obsessed. It is from the Kate collection by Rimmel London in shade 08. A gorgeous cool toned mauvey pink shade with a satin to matte finish and amazing staying power - it is definitely my new favourite. For all day staying power I apply a coat of this lipstick, blot the excess with a tissue, reapply a second coat and have a final blot - beautiful!

My last favourite for this month is this Big Blow volume spray by Mark Hill. I am on an everlasting search for a blow drying spray that will give my hair copious amounts of volume without coating it in stickiness. Aren't we all? This spray gives my hair a noticeable boost in volume without clogging it up with stickiness and gooeyness- SUCCESS! I spray it to the roots of towel dried hair, brush it through the length and blow dry as normal. I don't even find that I need to blow dry my hair upside down as this spray does all the hard work on its own!

Thank you for reading!

Until next time

x

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

When I saw that Elle UK were spoiling us girls with a sample size of Benefit Cosmetics's newest creation, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on it. 

It's predecessor, the 'They're Real' mascara, was probably the most talked about mascara of the past few years...but I just didn't get on with it. I found that the formula would crumble and flake after a few hours and that my curl would be weighed down. How disappointing!

Hooooweever, this mascara is a total game changer! Benefit claim that Roller Lash will 'grab, separate, lift and curl' the lashes, and they are not wrong! The brush on the mascara is inspired by Velcro hair rollers (hence the gorgeous retro packaging)- hooking on to the lashes and pulling them upwards for a beautiful lifted curl. The various lengths of the bristles ensure that every individual lash is attended to, spreading the lashes and creating that much desired 'wide awake' look. 

Roller Lash is an absolute pleasure to work with and wear! One coat is more than enough for beautiful long and lifted lashes. The mascara stays put throughout a full day without flaking, smudging or crumbling. And most importantly - the curl does not fall at all...amazing!

I am beyond impressed with this mascara, I can really see a difference in my make up when I am wearing it - and others can too! I am enjoying feeling slightly smug every time I am asked 'are you wearing false lashes?'

If you were toying with the idea of purchasing this wondrous product when it is let loose on us in March - do it!

                                       x

nails inc. polish set review

I have seen and heard about Nails Inc. nail polishes for the longest time, yet I have never really been tempted to give them a go. Before this set came into my life I wasn't big on painting my nails regularly, but I was gifted this stunning seven piece set for Christmas, and surprisingly enough I am completely OBSESSED!!!

This beautifully packaged nail polish set includes 7 delicious shades; 5 adorable mini polishes, and two full sized beauties. The set includes four mini standard collection polishes - 'Savile Row' is a deep and vampy, berry-like  purple, 'Tate', a classic and sexy pillar box red shade, 'Old Bond Street', a vibrant, true purple colour, and my absolute favourite from the set, 'St. Ann's Lane', a stunning dusky pink nude shade that looks so beautiful and effortless on the nails.
I adore the formula of these polishes; the colours glide on easily, providing an even and fairly opaque colour after only one coat. Another reason I am so happy with these polishes is that they dry fairly quickly - within one or two minutes of application.

                                                                                               A single coat of 'St. Ann's Lane'.

Another one of my favourites from the set is the miniature 'King's Road'. This is one of the foil polishes from Nails Inc. and although I was sceptical at first, I am completely in love with it! This polish needs only one coat for a spectacular metallic silver colour that will definitely win you compliments! Despite being bold silver shade, this polish is so easy to wear and looks fabulous both with and without fake tan - Bonus!!

The last two polishes are full sized - a fun fuchsia pink glitter polish, namely 'Derby Gate' (pictured below), and a bottle of the luxuriously glossy 'Caviar Topcoat'. Despite being a clear polish containing hundreds of pink glitter particles, 'Derby Gate' is neither lumpy nor uncomfortable on the nails. The brush provides just the perfect amount of glitter per brush stroke and the polish dries evenly. As top coats come, 'Caviar' does a lovely job - sealing the polish quickly, and drying to a high gloss finish.

                                                                                                     'Derby Gate'
The brushes on the polishes are long and thin - perfect for my narrow nails! The thin brushes on these polishes are not at all a draw back as each brush brings plenty of product to the nail.

If I had to give one downfall of these Nails Inc. polishes it would be this: without a top coat, the polishes begin to flake and peel away from the nail after around 2 or 3 days. However, with use of the 'Caviar Topcoat' the polishes tend to stay firmly in place for 5 days or so before showing signs of wear.

Personally, I am kicking myself for not having tried these fabulous nail polishes sooner! Everything from the formula, to the colour selection, to the adorable names is perfect! Although these polishes are a little on the pricey side, the quality of them speaks volumes and I can't wait to try more colours and collections from Nails Inc.!!

Nails Inc Regular Polishes £11/10ml

                                                                     

 x

Make Mine a Matte...

At the beginning of this month I turned 22 years old. As it turns out, turning twenty two is far less glamorous and invigorating than Taylor had me believing it would be.  There was no breakfast at midnight, and I’m not sure I’ve mastered how to ‘dance like I’m 22’…give me time and I’ll be a pro.

Despite twenty two not quite living up to the infamous song, it did come with some dazzling positives – positives in the form of two brand new, beautiful M.A.C lipsticks. I don’t know about you, but I am certainly not ready to let go of the ‘Kylie Jenner Lip’, I am still loving everything matte, cool toned and 90s and these two shades definitely do not disappoint.

The shades I received were ‘Pink Plaid’ and Viva Glam III.

                                                                        MAC - Pink Plaid

                                     Close Match/Alternative

                                                               Top - Rimmel Kate Moss, shade 101

                                                Bottom - MAC, Pink Plaid

 First up is ‘Pink Plaid. MAC describes this lipstick as a ‘dirty blue pink’ and I do agree. This lipstick has undeniable strong blue undertones and is very cool toned – which I love. My skin tone is somewhere between an NC20 and NC25 and I really think that this shade of pink is a gorgeous everyday colour for me. It is a very ‘pretty’ pink, yet its coolness provides an edge that I do not find in warmer toned pinks.

I do find this lipstick to be a little drying, however it is long lasting, easy to work with and looks stunning both on its own or teamed with a darker shade, such as Topshop’s ‘Armour’ for extra dimension.

It is worth mentioning also that a possible dupe for this shade is Rimmel Kate Moss, shade 101 (pictured above). Although the Rimmel shade is slightly less matte, and perhaps a little warmer toned than ‘Pink Plaid’, it is a close alternative at a far more budget friendly price.

                                          

                                           MAC - Viva Glam III

Next, comes Viva Glam III. This lipstick is very bold for me; it is a dark, almost brown shade of plum and it is completely matte. Typically, a red lip is the most adventurous I will be with my lipstick, however, this shade has opened my eyes to the world of plum and even BROWN lipstick.

I find the formula of this lipstick to be less drying than ‘Pink Plaid’, and on me, it stays put for around 3 hours before a touch up is needed. To get the most oomph from this shade I find it most effective to apply one layer, blot the lips, and apply a second coat. This lipstick is also very easy to work with, and can be applied smoothly either with or without a lip liner base (if I do use a liner with this colour, I tend to use ‘Currant’ by MAC).

Not one for the faint hearted, this raisiny coloured lipstick means business!

Both of these lip colours were gifted to me, however I am so completely won over by the colour pay off and quality of these lipsticks that I will definitely be spending my own money on more MAC matte lipsticks very, very soon!

                                                                          

                                                                                 x