Hello!
It’s been a while since I made a post! So much has happened since my last post in 2016… and now it’s 2019. YIKES.
My new year resolution to myself is to post more frequently, because it is something I really enjoy, and is more stimulating and productive than watching Netflix all day.
So pardon my extended break, but stay tuned 🙂
During a shopping trip the other day I stumbled upon this Collection Eyes Uncovered
Palette in Nude Rose (by Boots). This palette is basically all my favourite shades taken from the Naked 3 palette, put into one little cute palette. Yeah ok… so it’s not the full Naked 3 palette, but for £3.99 (or £2.99 introductory offer up until 10.03.16…) its not bad at all – plus all the best colours are there;)
This palette contains dupes for burnout, buzz, trick, liar and blackheart. The highlighter shade in this palette is shimmery, compared to Naked 3’s shade called strange, which is matte, but apart form that the other 5 shades are extremely similar.
In my opinion, very few eyeshadows could compete with Urban Decay’s high quality, unique colours and amazing creamy texture, however these colours are very similar and are good quality! The shadows blend relatively easy and aren’t that powdery compared to other cheaper eyeshadows I’ve tried in the past. I would recommend using a primer with these to get the most vibrant long-lasting colour because they aren’t that pigmented, especially once blended.
Top: Collection, Bottom: Naked 3 (L-R: Strange, Burnout, Buzz, Limit, Liar and Blackheart)
As you can see it comes with 6 different eyeshadows, in varying shades, but all in pink tones, similar to the UD palette. The UD eyeshadows glide on with little effort required however the Collection palette takes a little more effort and ‘layers’ to achieve the colour.
Overall it’s good value for money and once the colours are on your eyelid its very hard to tell the difference between the brands. I think this would be a good palette for you if you’re unsure whether pink shades suit you or if you don’t want to splash out and get the Naked 3.
Hello everybody!
Kiss Proof Lipsticks (L-R: 5,6,8,9 & 15)
It feels like I haven’t posted in ages (because I haven’t). I’ve settled in at university now, I’m currently in the second term of my first year! I’m really enjoying it and honestly, the work load isn’t as much as expected…
Anyway, during the past few weeks I have really been enjoying these matte lipsticks I purchased from eBay (…I know right) and I wanted to share them with you all because I’m really impressed.
They’re made by the brand Menow Pro and are called Kiss Proof Soft Lipstick (click for link). They’re described as being ‘powdery matte’. They ‘lift and hydrate lips and give rich, creamy, long wearing colour’ according to the packaging. They’re incredibly long lasting, and don’t completely dehydrate your lips unlike other matte lip products I have used. I wouldn’t say they hydrate your lips as such.. but they’re not horrendous and I haven’t found that they crack or dry out my lips.
On application, they do feel sticky… but resist the urge to scrub it off and wait. They dry in less than 5 minutes and then last for ages and are not sticky in the slightest. I have also found that they wear relatively well compared to other matte lipsticks which crack and flake off after a short amount of time. I’d say these lipsticks are a pretty good dupe for the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.
In the UK they’re £1 per lipstick including free postage. I can’t believe how cheap they are for the quality. I definitely recommend you try at least one, and if you hate it, it won’t be an expensive mistake. 😉
Obviously, as I ordered online I only had pictures to go by. I can’t say they’re 100% accurate, but I like all of the colours that I ordered. I have the shades 5, 6, 8, 9, and 15. I’m not a person who suits many red or dark lipsticks so I stuck to fairly neutral colours. My favourite is probably 5, although 6 is also lovely.
L-R: 5, 6, 8, 9 and 15.
I hope you enjoyed my little review/recommendation. If you try these and love them let me know. Thank you for reading! 🙂
Until next time, Hannah xxxx
Hi guys!
So exams are over (yay) but unfortunately so is my holiday.
I spent 2 weeks in Portugal and as well as getting sunburnt I bought more make up than I know what to do with.
As well as relaxing at the pool/beach and eating, we went shopping, a lot. So I thought I’d share what I bought because, well, why not.
First up, DUTY FREE PURCHASES – or as I like to call them, guilt free😉
The first duty free purchase was the Benefit ‘They’re Real – Push-Up Liner’ in black. This was about £15-16, I can’t remember exactly. I had tested it in Debenhams a few days before I went abroad and knew it was something I wanted, so I chose to buy it at duty free as I knew it would be a couple of pounds cheaper than the retail price of £18.50. I’m certainly not the best at applying eyeliner, but this product does make it a lot easier as it has a flexible tip and as its gel it glides on really well. It lasts for ages, but the only downside of that is that because it is so long/hard wearing, its hard to remove if you make a mistake. (Unless you buy their own remover which is £14.50)
Second duty free purchase was a MAC lipstick in the shade ‘See Sheer’. Again, this was cheaper than normal at only £13.99, but not by much. It’s a really lovely colour and the lustre finish gives it a nice effect. I don’t really know how to describe this shade, so be prepared for the most unspecific description of all time: pinky/nude/looks coral on sometimes in some lights? ..Wahh, judge for yourself, I’ve included a picture;).
Moving on from Duty free, to purchases made in Portugal (basically all in Kiko). The shopping centres we visited all had Kiko Make Up Stores. I adore Kiko because it’s extremely reasonably priced and their products are such good quality, although the packaging is pretty basic the products inside are fabulous and I really rate them all. We do have a few Kiko stores in London which I have visited before and bought things from, but the ones in Portugal seemed SO MUCH BETTER, so I spent/bought lots.
During the first visit to Kiko (yes, there was more than one) I picked up 2 eyeshadows and 1 lipstick. The first eyeshadow was called Cream Crush lasting colour eyeshadow, and I got this in the shade 01, which on the website is called ‘Pearly Vintage Rose’. (SIDE NOTE: I find the swatches on the Kiko website to be very accurate so if you’re thinking about buying online, 95% of the time the swatches are true to colour). This eyeshadow was 6.90€ in Portugal, and in the UK it is £6.90 (therefore slightly cheaper abroad). This eyeshadow is quite long wearing, however I normally use it as a base to build on for a more vibrant colour rather than alone.
The second Kiko Eyeshadow I bought was in stick form. It is called Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow on the shade 07, which online is called ‘Golden Beige’ and it has ‘8 hour no-transfer performance’. Again, this was 6.90€ (£6.90). This is certainly easier to apply compared to the first eyeshadow as it takes very little time and you don’t need a brush for application. It also lasts so much longer. This is a very good dupe for the Make Up Forever Aqua Cream in the shade Warm Beige 13, and is much cheaper too. In my swatch it looks very golden, but in real life it does come out more like the colour looks in the stick.
The first lipstick I purchased was a Kiko Smart Lipstick in the shade 907 ‘Orange’. This was 3.90€ (£3.90), SO CHEAP, the quality is amazing, and to be honest it lasts longer on my lips than the MAC See Sheer I purchased in the duty free. I wore them both on holiday in such high temperatures, so it allowed me to see how long they last in heat, and this Kiko one was definitely the best.
During the second visit to Kiko I bought another 2 products, another lipstick and a lip liner. The lipstick I bought this time was the Ultra Glossy Stylo, which has SPF15 in the shade 806 ‘Tangerine’ can you sense an orange theme with the lipsticks?. This is much glossier than the smart lipstick, as the name suggests, but still lasts for quite a while without sliding off and provides a ‘healthy shine’. This was 4.90€ (£4.90). This one looks like more of a lipgloss when on, but is perfect for summer. This is a tad more pinky/coral compared to the smart lipstick 907.
Finally, the last Kiko purchase, the Smart Lip Pencil lip liner in 712 ‘Rose Mauve’. Apparently this is a dupe for MAC ‘Soar’ (according to a Youtuber who’s Kiko haul I was watching, I can’t remember who’s – sorry), but I have not compared the 2 myself as MAC completely out of stock of ‘Soar’ they didn’t even have a tester. But if you were looking to buy Soar and can’t find it – try this! Plus it was ridiculously cheap at 1.20€ (£1.20).
I did make one last purchase on the plane coming home, which I suppose counts as duty free and it was the Benefit They’re Real Mascara. This one was ridiculously cheap. We got a good exchange rate for our euros, therefore it worked out £2 cheaper to buy it with euros and on top of that it was 20% off, I can’t remember the price it was in euros at first etc, but I got it for about £12. Like I said.. duty guilt free;) As I’m sure most people know, the brush is simply amazing, and I would recommend this to ANYBODY.
So there you have it, the make up bought on holiday.
Thank you for reading and I hope I have inspired to you go and spend your money on lovely make up you don’t need ❤
Until next time,
Hannah x
*disclaimer: all views are my own*
As exams draw closer, my posts will be getting less and less often due to the dreaded revision *cue crying and tears*
Anyway, I thought I’d share my recent fave purchases with you guys because I always love seeing what people have bought, maybe its because I’m nosey… but hey, maybe I’ll inspire you to spend some of your money, haha.
First up, I bought this Topshop Space-Dye Boyfriend Jacket. I saw this at work, and basically decided that I couldn’t live without it, so I went in the next day and bought it. I got this for about £35 because of staff discount, aaannnd to be very honest I probably wouldn’t have paid £46… BUT this item basically completes any outfit and will be a perfect lightweight jacket for spring/summer, plus it looks great with either blue or black jeans.
As a major fan of Benefit Cosmetics, I couldn’t not buy their new mascara Roller Lash. IT IS AMAZING. I have quite short eyelashes, and I was amazed at how long this made them. It is also not clumpy at all and doesn’t make it look like you have 5 eyelashes unlike some mascaras. Also, I have sensitive eyes and this doesn’t hurt them in the slightest. I would definitely recommend this to anybody who is in the market for a new mascara. The packaging is the cutest, and when this runs out I will be buying more thats for sure.
I apologise for my unplucked eyebrows and bags under my eyes;) – but YAY and this is with like a few swipes, only one layer, so you can really build on it and make them POW.
I also bought a book which I saw in Urban Outfitters which looked fab. How To Be Parisian is basically a book about.. well the title says it all. I just looked like a good book to read and also I thought it would look good on my book shelf haha
I nearly died when I saw these beautiful bags online and all over the press. During a trip to London yesterday I was surprised to see quite a few people with them. The beautiful Chloe Drew bag is such a unique shape and an amazing design. The twist lock fastening makes it super desirable as it looks so classy. However, myself, a 17 year old student, could certainly not justify buying it. The number one reason being I’d probably ruin it, and then cry because I’d wasted about £1,000.
BUT, browsing around on the internet this morning in an attempt to find anything else to do but school work, I discovered this link. eBay..AKA a major god send. Of course I shall by buying one in black, and maybe even more if the quality is not too bad. 
Obviously the quality will be nowhere near as good as Chloe, but I’ll probably have moved on in a few months, and won’t want to use it anymore because I would have bought yet another bag, haha. But anyway.. the basic concept and overall look for a small fraction of the price. £1,000 or £12.97.. your choice;)
**UPDATE** 04/06/15- So I never actually received the bag, so I can’t tell you about the quality, etc, which sucks – there was apparently an issue with the shipping…
I wanted to share with you guys these 2 skin care products because I seriously cannot get enough of them! Compared to most people I don’t really use that many products on my face, so these 2 are really my ‘skin care routine’, but titling it that would be pretty lame considering there are only items 2.. haha anyway
First up is the ‘Purifying Facial Cleanser’ by bareMinerals. I have really grown to love bareMinerals skin care products, because they actually work; compared to other brands which show no results and in some cases make my skin worse, BUT this has not disappointed. I have combination skin and it cleared up my face in about 3-4 days, with use every morning. Its also fab of sensitive skin, as it doesn’t irritate your face and make it seem dry/red/itchy. I love it, and at £15 it isn’t over-expensive either.
Before I started using this product I was using another bareMinerals product, but after about a year of use I stopped working for me, and just dried out my skin. According to the lady at the BM counter in Debenhams, it was because ‘it is a deep cleanser, and only for everyday use if your skin is very oily/acne prone’. The purifying facial cleanser is definitely my new favourite.
The other product I 100% recommend is the ‘Mattifying Gel Cream’ by Boots Botanics. It is a moisturiser which makes the appearance of your skin matt. Having a shiny nose is the absolute worst. It is for oily/combination skin, and contains Willowbark which is a natural source of salicylic acid which helps to ‘refine skin texture and actively target imperfections’.
The texture of the product is exactly what it says. It is a cross between a gel and a cream and as soon as it is applied you can feel a difference. Plus the price is ridiculous. Only £4.99 for a product which will last ages, as the pot is massive and you don’t need to use that much.
Hello!!
So I thought I’d share with you guys my current wish list.
As half-term is coming up I seriously feel the need to spend basically all of my money, as it feels like I haven’t shopped in ages..despite the fact I spend every Saturday in a shop working..anyway haha, here goes:
MOTO Borg Western Jacket – Topshop £58
I’m having a really hard time deciding which colour jacket to get; black or ‘light stone’ as they call it, but I seriously adore these jackets.
Secondly, what wardrobe would be complete without jeans…
To be honest I hate the idea of jeans because I love to be comfy, but I fell in love with these ‘biker’ jeans as soon as I saw them. I feel the zip detail gives them extra sass and they’re better than just basic black leigh jeans, which is what I normally would buy.
MOTO Low Rise Zip Biker Jeans – Topshop £40
Another pair of jeans that have caught my eye would be the MOTO Blue Vintage Wash Jamie Jeans (Topshop £42). I have never really been that excited by ripped jeans, but seeing them at work, on a mannequin really changed my mind about these!
Long Sleeve Multi Stripe Top – Topshop £22
Although this top is pretty basic, I really like it. Stripes are very in now, and I think this would look so fab with black jeans.
Long Sleeve Sweat – Topshop £18
From having seen this top at work it is rather thin and quite sheer, and this isn’t really shown in the image BUT that is what I really love about this jumper, its not too heavy, and is flattering – cheap!
The next item on my list is a Gold Tone Skinny Knot Torque Necklace (River Island £8). This is very dainty and is très céline;) I would love to wear this with the Topshop jumper listed above.
The last item I have been seriously lusting after is the Medium Pink Perforated Bag (Zara £40 £12.99 yay sales). I feel this would only look good with certain items though, because I wouldn’t want it to clash with other colours.
So during the pre-christmas sales I picked up this little Benefit Sweet Tintations set for under £20. I had wanted to buy the Bene Balm for a while, but was reluctant to pay £14.50, but I couldn’t resist when I saw this.
I also wanted to try the Erase Paste because I have horrendous dark circles under my eyes that demand to be hidden.
I really really love the balms, they have such a good consistency and stay on my lips for longer than expected. The pink is slightly creamier than the red, and they glide on easily. As they are tinted balms, and not a full on lipstick these would be good for everyday use, and wouldn’t look odd with no other make up. I adore the packaging of the balms as well! The tubes are metallic and have sweet little patterns on them, they look so pretty in my make up bag. I would 110% recommend these.
The lip tints are also very good. They are similar colours to the balms, however are a bit richer. They last on my lips for ages, and the swatches I did on my hand were still there the next evening, (despite me obviously washing my hands). Again, the pink one (Lollitint) is much creamier compared to the red one (Benetint). Benetint smells strongly of roses but Lollitint doesn’t really have much of a smell. I like these, however I prefer the balms.
The Erase Paste wasn’t amazing, but it wasn’t terrible. It matched my skin colour quite well (Fair No1), however is quite oily, and doesn’t seem to sit that well on my face. It sat in the wrinkles underneath my eyes, and the rest wore off pretty quickly. The instructions do say to ‘apply 10% more paste than necessary’, which implies it does wear off slightly, however even after putting on more than 10% extra, it still didn’t prove effective. This would probably be better for people with dry skin.
I have fallen in love with these little guys.
EOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balms are probably the most colourful and innovative lip balms I have seen in a while. Although many brands claim their lip balms are ‘100% natural’ these actually are. They are also 95% organic, which means no nasty chemicals unlike many other lip balms I’ve become addicted to over the years.
They come in a variety of flavours (…or are they called scents?!) and I couldn’t resist getting one in practically every flavour.
In the USA they retail for between $3-5 (that’s £1.97-3.29) according to numerous YouTube video’s I’ve seen, however in the UK they are slightly harder to find, and therefore are much more expensive. In Selfridges they retail for £6.50 for one balm.
I found mine on Amazon for about £22 including postage. This was for 8 lip balms (Lemon Drop, Medicated Tangerine, Honeysuckle Honeydew, Sweet Mint, Blueberry Açai, Strawberry Sorbet, Summer Fruit and Pomegranate Raspberry).
My favourite is definitely Summer Fruits. It smells so sweet and makes my mouth water! I also LOVE Lemon Drop as it is zingy and fresh. It would be perfect to take on holiday or for in summer as it has SPF 15 to protect your delicate lips form the sun, unlike any other of the flavours.
I really like these lip balms because they are very moisturising and don’t add a colour to your lips which looks unnatural. They glide on easily and ergonomic design of the pots makes them easy to clip open and use. I have found them to be very beneficial for my lips, especially in this cold weather. They prevent my lips from chapping and looking all dry (which is my pet hate).
I would totally recommend these lip balms to practically anybody. I love them so much, and will no doubt be buying more when mine run out.
Any thoughts on them? Drop a comment! x
radicalsomething 