Leopard Print Love

Hello lovelies!

This is just a quick post to share my happiness on finding my purrrfect winter coat. A gorgeous faux-fur, leopard print jacket - the perfect length,  the perfect print, and most amazingly of all, the perfect price.

My search for the perfect faux fur coat has literally been going on for a few years now. Each winter I think how gorgeous they look paired with party dresses on a night out, and equally as beautiful with a pair of leggings and some pretty flats for the day. I looked at all the offerings from the usual suspects: Topshop, Warehouse, Miss Selfridge - I even searched through some vintage shops in Manchester and just could not find the right one for me. Then... on this gorgeous summery day where it is absolutely scorching hot here in Manchester, I finally found what I was looking for <3

 

This little beauty was a brilliant £44.99 in New Look, where they actually have 20% discount for students at the minute, but sadly my university days are long gone. However, if there are any students with their eyes on this coat I would advise to snap it up now as its only £36 with the discount. Brilliant.

It's a super flattering fit, unlike some other faux fur coats that I've tried on, it does not make you look twice your size or give you that unflattering boxey shape that some coats can.

I checked on the New Look website and it's not up at the minute. I don't know whether it's sold out or what's going on, so go and have a nosy in your local store and I promise you won't be disappointed. 

I'm so excited to wear this coat, and I never thought I'd say this but I cannot wait for the colder weather to come now! Having said that, hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous sunshine :)

xxxx

Top 5 Series - Blusher

Hello again, 

Time for the second installation of my new top five series, and next up is my second favourite product which is blusher. I can already tell how this series is going to go, I'm subconsciously doing it in order of how much I like the product so by the end of the series I may not be as enthuasiastic to do posts on say... hand cream? I don't know lol but bear with me and I will probably just do posts on products that I enjoy using otherwise I guess there is no point.

Anyway, ramble over. Onto todays topic which is blusher, again none of the products I have chosen are really expensive in fact I think the most expensive are the Topshop cream blushers at £6.

L-P: Pink Cloud, Head Over Heels and Pinch, Suede, Pink Rose

Clockwise from bottom left: Topshop 'Head Over Heels', Topshop 'Pinch', Sleek 'Suede', Rimmel 'Pink Rose', Natural Collection 'Pink Cloud'

Again, scroll to the bottom for swatches of all five blushers and I'm going to discuss each product in the order I've swatched them on the picture, starting with the pinkest on the left to the most neutral on the right.

So first up, is a blush that is absolutely not a neutral colour and that is Topshop's cream blusher in 'Pinch'. A bright, scary looking hot pink in the pan which actually blends out really nicely to leave a pretty flush to the cheek. You do have to apply this with a light hand as it can leave you looking a bit doll-esque.

Next is another Topshop cream blusher, which is 'Head Over Heels' - a much more wearable colour on the cheek. A really pretty peachey/coral shade, which is a lovely light cream which blends to a powder finish. I've been applying both of the Topshop blushers with an ELF stipple brush, as I find it picks up and distributes the right amount of product and allows you to blend in your own time - rather than a mad rush to get it exactly how you want it before it dries to a dodgy line giving you rather strange looking cheek bones. I also think it leaves a really natural finish, and because it dries to a powder finish it has really great staying power. I really cannot say enough good things about these blushes, and at £6 a real bargain.

Number three is Natural Collection's 'Pink Cloud'. This is a matte blush, which is a gorgeous light pink which I think suits a pale complexion really nicely. These blushes are so affordable at £1.99, they have four in the range and I would definitely recommend picking any one of them up. 'Pink Cloud' is really pigmented and only requires a light dusting on the cheek to pick up the gorgeous rosy pink colour.

Next up is Rimmel's Powder Blush in 'Pink Rose', which I have to say I have had for longer than I should like to admit. I think it could possibly be the first blush I ever owned, but I reach for it every now and again and I just really like it. It's a really natural colour on the cheek - unlike 'Pinch' which I would find really concerning if somebody turned that shade of hot pink. 'Pink Rose' is a deeper pink, with a really subtle shimmer that photographs really beautifully. It could have been discontinued for all I know, but I hope not cause it's definitely a product I would repurchase - if i ever get to the end of it!!

Last but not least, is a new purchase of mine and a new offering from Sleek MakeUp's Nude Collection - which is the Suede Blush. It's not something I would buy off my own back I don't think, but I'd seen swatches and reviews of the product online so thought I would give it a try. It's quite a deep brown shade really, and could actually be used more like a bronzer or contour product but I've used this a few times on the cheeks, and I really love it. It's another really natural colour, so great for everyday make-up looks. Sleek's blushes are around £4, and as expected from Sleek they are super pigmented.

L-R: Pinch, Head Over Heels, Pink Cloud, Pink Rose, Suede

So there we have it, part two is done and dusted. Hope you enjoyed reading it and let me what you think of the blushes I've mentioned or any blushes you think I might like!

Next up... eyeshadows. See you next time :)

xxx

Product Rave - Tundra by Topshop

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to do a quick post on a product that I've been really liking lately! It's the eyeshadow mousse from the Topshop 'Sandstorm' collection, in the colour 'Tundra'. I believe this collection was released in February 2011, so I do realise this is a bit of a silly post as you can no longer find the product online =\ but perhaps you could keep a look out on blog sales or possibly eBay if you like the look of it! In fact, I bought this in... August? So maybe some Topshop's still have a stash of this gorgeous product!

I had never really tried a cream or mousse consistency eyeshadow before Tundra came into my life, and I wasn't really that keen on trying them until, of course, I set my eyes on this little beauty.

A gorgeous metallic olive green, that is absolutely packed with a golden sparkle. It is such a pretty colour, the consistency of the mousse makes it so easy to apply - you can use your fingers or brushes to apply this product and the effect, in my opinion, is just stunning.  The mousse can apply quite sheer at first, but if you want a more intense look you can really easily build up the product or blend it out as you wish. The photo below shows the product blended out on the right and heavily swatched on the left.

Just a little note on the packaging, as the product was part of the limited edition Sandstorm collection it looks a little different from Topshop's core range. The frosted glass base and the rose gold decorative strokes look so pretty, which I think just adds that extra special touch to the product.

xx

Top 5 Series - Lipstick

Hey everyone, 

I'm starting a new 'Top 5' series to get me into a bit of a routine with blogging, and hopefully will have one up a week for the next month or so! Starting off with my absolute favourite product, lipstick. Now I have been a wee bit naughty and included an extra, for no other reason than I could not narrow it down to five - but I promise in subsequent posts I will play by the rules and have just five products to share.

L-R: Shy Girl, Beehive, Snob, Shade 03, Cassis, Cherry 80

I think I've picked a good mix of drugstore and higher end products, although none of these products cost above £15 so none are too pricey! Scroll down to the end of the post for swatches of all six of the lipsticks

So I'll kick it off with the lightest shade of them all, which is the very lovely 'Shy Girl' by MAC. These lipsticks are £13.50 I believe, and come in a range of finishes such as a matte, creme sheen, satin finish and a few others. Shy Girl is a gorgeous nude, that has a peachy tone to it and is warm enough to not give you that awful concealer lips look!

Number two... 'Beehive' by 17 which is around the £5 mark. Out of all the formulas of the six lipsticks I've chosen, this has got to be my absolute favourite. It's creamy and moisturising and glossy and just gorgeous! The colour is a lovely neutral shade, it is quite sheer really and is really great for layering over other lippies for the gorgeous finish that it has!

Next up, 'Snob' by MAC. My first ever MAC lipstick, and to be honest I hadn't heard as much about this one as other MAC cult classics but it just seemed to jump out at me and stand out from the many, many other lipsticks at the counter. It's a lovely cool-toned pink, almost a lilac shade, that is really pigmented so has a lovely finish on the lips. Although it has been described as a 'Barbie' pink, in my opinion it is very wearable and you can definitely wear this in the day or night time.

Number four, Shade 3 by MUA at an extremely bargainous £1! I've tried a few of the MUA lipsticks out and to be honest they are a bit hit and miss with colours, but this one is just beautiful! It's a gorgeous fuschia pink, it isn't shimmery at all but  has a really high gloss finish. Creamy and so pigmented, what more could you ask? The packaging is a little cheap looking? But for £1 who cares or expects any less really.

Number five, I guess I could do without in my top five line up - however I love the packaging and it is a lovely colour. It's an Elizabeth Arden lipstick in 'Cassis', which is a gorgeous deep rasberry shade that I just love wearing. It feels so luxurious on application and has really great staying power, its a little darker than MUA shade 3 and being honest I prefer the MUA formula but I think its the packaging on this one for me! 

And last but not least, I had to include a red lipstick as it's one of my favourite looks - simple black eyeliner and a classic red lip. I absolutely love No7 Stay Perfect in 'Cherry 80', its a deep red as appose to a more orange tone, and I find it has really incredible staying power. It's super flattering on my skin tone, and like I said worn with a flick of eyeliner it completely transforms your look!

And below, as promised, swatches of each of the six lipsticks in the order that I've spoke about them! I'm aware that the bottom two look... well, the same... but they are very different in person I promise you :)

Top to Bottom: Shy Girl, Beehive, Snob, Shade 03, Cassis, Cherry 80

So that rounds up the first installation of my Top 5 series, next up... blushers perhaps? I hope you enjoyed this post :) 

xx

Glossybox - Hits and Misses!

Hello strangers!

It's been quite some time since my last post so thought I would do a quick 'hits and misses' post on the products that I have received with the July, August, and September Glossybox's to get me back into the swing of blogging :)

I've picked out my top three favourite products, and three products that I have been a bit disappointed with or I haven't liked at all - bearing in mind there are quite a few products that I'm just not fussed about either way! Just in case any of you haven't heard of Glossybox (not likely) - its a £12.95 monthly subscription where you receive a beautifully packaged box full of beauty samples and sometimes full sized products!

So I'm going to start with my least favourite products, so I can end this post on a positive note! 

First up is the Ciate Nail Enamel in Mojito, which I received in the July box. In all fairness it is an excellent product to receive considering sample sizes are expected, in addition to the fact that Ciate are pretty pricey polishes - it was a nice surprise to see this in my Glossybox. However, my problem lies with the colour. It's an apple green colour which I just could not for the life of me make it work! I thought I'd try it on my toes as a nice summery colour and my mum actually commented that it looked like I had infected toe nails - not the look I was going for. The formula of the nail varnish is really great, so I would love to try other colours and as a brand I've heard really great things about Ciate!

Next up is another nail product, and my problem lies again with the completely random colour choice that I was given! It was the Rebel Nails Nail Wraps, that were in the August box. I was quite excited when I saw some spoilers on Twitter that they would be in that months box, and there were some really pretty designs - but once again I appear to have drawn the short straw on colour choice! A bright, fluorescent yellow/green colour, think high visibility jackets, yellow highlighters and 80s rave gear - definitely not a colour I would choose for my nails!

Finally we have the Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara, which was also in the August box. Now this mascara was... okay. However, I love super long and voluminous lashes and this mascara failed to do anything too spectacular. I also found it to clump quite easily so it's definitely not a mascara that you can layer up to produce longer length or more volume.

I think on the whole, its pretty fair to say I have never been majorly disappointed with any of the products that I've received considering the first two were because of the colours I was sent and the third product is a personal preference I suppose! I really love the idea behind Glossybox and I love that you get to try out products that you would probably never come across or purchase off your own back, and that you can come across some holy grail products that you can now unfortunately cannot live without!

So, with that in mind, onto my favourites... 

I'll start off with the Orla Kiely perfume sample that I received in the July box! I think I've mentioned before how bad I am at describing scents, but it is a really pretty and fresh floral perfume, and in my opinion quite unlike anything I've ever smelled before! I would definitely consider buying the full size version of this perfume. I also really love that the sample was in a miniature version of the full size bottle, as appose to the little tubes that perfume samples usually come in.

Next up, is the Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether which was also in the July box. This was my first Illamasqua product so there was a lot of obvious excitement over that, but it's such a gorgeous product! It's a shimmery golden powder that can be used as a subtle highlight or, as you would expect from Illamasqua, it can be built up to an extremely dramatic metallic finish to create a pretty spectacular look. I love using this product on nights out to give my skin a lovely shimmer, using it mainly on my shoulders, collar bones and on the top of my cheek bones.

Last but not least is a product that I have only just received in the September box, but I have already fallen in love with - which is the L'Oreal Professional Mythic Oil. This product is to be used either on wet or dry hair and gives hair a gorgeous shine and feeling lovely and nourished. As I have bleached my hair in the past, my hair is so dry at the ends and the Mythic Oil really puts some moisture back into my hair giving it a really nice shine without it looking greasy or oily in the slightest!

So to round up this unexpectedly long post, I really can't see me ever wanting to cancel my Glossybox subscription as I've enjoyed every box so far and I have found the customer service to be really fantastic. I know a few people have had problems with their HD Brow Palette, myself included, and Glossybox have already replied to my email and have already popped a replacement in the post. 

Keep up the great work, Glossybox :)

xxx

Mid-Month Favourites

Hello again :) 

Sorry I've not blogged in so long and then have uploaded two posts in one day, but I thought whilst I was on a bit of a roll I'd do my favourites.

First up is the new 17 Falsifeye mascara, which promises to give 'voluptuously thick, curvy lashes' and I've got to say that for me, it absolutely delivers! It's got a really over sized brush which helps to coat every lash and prevent clumping, the only down side to this is that I really struggle to apply this mascara on my lower lashes as it tends to just go all over my eye! The formula is quite dry really which suggests I won't have this mascara for too long =\ but I guess it helps to prevent clumpiness.

The next product is my Heaven and Earth MUA Professional palette. I've done a full review which you can find here. I just wanted to add that I've used this palette nearly everyday since purchasing it and I'm still really happy with it :)

The next product is another one that I have mentioned before, its the Natural Collection Colour Foundation in Porcelain. I just think for £1.99 it's absolutely brilliant, it's the perfect colour match for my skin tone and it blends really nicely with my new ELF Powder Brush or with a traditional foundation brush. It doesn't last all day and does need touching up at times, but for a day to day foundation to wear to work, college or out to the shops I think its really good. However... I think they have a very limited variety of shades so I think a lot of people will struggle to get the perfect match for their skin tone.

The next product is an old one that I go through phases with, I tend to fall back in love with it after I've given it a good wash and a bit of TLC, and that would be my ELF Total Face Brush. It just seems to get better with age, it never sheds any hairs and it's still really fluffy. Love this brush.

And last but not least are two products from Boots Botanics Range, a Skin Brightening Toner and also the Organic Cleansing Balm, which is on the same lines as the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish. I haven't used toner for years it's just been a step that I've completely bypassed in my skin care routine, however I thought this one looked quite nice and I was picking up the Cleansing Balm anyway so thought I'd try it out. So far so good with this product, its got a lovely scent - as all of this range do - and feels really natural and just a nice product.

The Cleansing Balm is so so nice, I've not tried the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish yet, but I aim to do so when this one runs out. It comes with a little Muslin cloth to buff the product onto the skin which helps to remove make up and give your skin a really deep cleanse. I've noticed improvements to my blemish prone skin after just a week or so, so I would definitely recommend this product.

That rounds up my favourites for the past few weeks, its not quite on time for July favourites but didn't want to wait till the end of August so its a middle of the month job I'm afraid! 

Hope everyone is well and let me know  any products that you're enjoying in August!

Hannah Elizabeth xx

ELF Haul

Hey everyone, got lots of things to talk about today so I'm going to split into two posts - an ELF haul and also a very late July Favourites!

ELF had a 50% sale off on all products on their website around a month or so ago, I missed out on it last time but kept checking their twitter page to see if they had a similar offer on - and lo and behold, they had another 50% off code which clearly is too good a deal to resist!

You had to spend £30.00 to qualify for the voucher so I got a few things that I've wanted for a long time, such as the stipple and powder brushes! I received my order last week so have had a good opportunity to test out these products and make my mind up on what I think of them.

From left to right on the photo, I'm just going to mention what the product is and my first week thoughts :)

1. Waterproof Lengthening and Volumising Mascara in Black. I wanted a waterproof mascara for work really, cause it can get really warm at my work and sometimes my mascara kind of melts off a bit so thought a waterproof one may do the trick! It certainly doesn't melt off, but I only really found it lengthened my lashes rather than add volume too. The wand is really long too, which helps to apply the mascara as you can get close enough to coat every lash. For £3.50, or £1.75 that I paid, it is a good mascara but I don't think it's one I'd go for again, as I prefer more dramatic lashes than this particular mascara creates. 

2. Studio conditioning lip balm SPF 15 in Mellow Melon. This lip balm is so different to what I thought it would be, the consistency is much creamier and more pigmented and opaque than I had thought! It's a lovely glossy finish, and it also contains an SPF to protect lips from the sun, and natural ingredients that help to repair dry lips and leave them in a lovely condition.

3. Studio Blush in Pink Passion. I love this blush!! In the picture below, I've really heavily swatched the blush on the right and blended it out to the left - you can see how pigmented these blushes are they're incredible! You do have to have a light hand when applying it but it blends out like a dream, it's a really lovely true pink colour that and really brightens up my make up routine!

4. Mineral Lipstick in Natural Nymph. I have completely ruined this lipstick already :( it has snapped off so I've not been able to use it much. I'm gonna try and find a little tub to put it into and just use a lip brush. With the few days I had with this lipstick, I was starting to really like it! Its a really creamy formula but with a matte finish, its a peachy toned nude so it doesn't leave you looking really pale which is always a win :) Definitely would look into picking up more of the lipsticks from ELFs mineral range.

Top: Gypsy
Bottom: Natural Nymph

 

 

 

 

5 and 6. Studio Powder Brush and Studio Stipple Brush. Since buying the Powder Brush, I have used it every day to apply liquid foundation or tinted moisturiser. It makes applying these products so quick and hassle free, not having to worry about the streaks that a traditional foundation brush can leave. It leaves skin looking really polished, and on someone who has better skin than mine probably quite perfect. It's a flat top brush that is so dense, ELF recommend using this for liquid or powder products and also suggest that it is perfect for contouring. Definitely a new favourite of mine :)

Sorry it's so dirty - you can see its already so well loved :)

 

Now onto the Stipple Brush... I'm just not 100% sure what to do with it really it isn't particularly dense, so for me its no good for applying liquid foundation. I've also tried it with a cream blusher and it seems okay, but yeah I'm not really sure about this brush I may just need a bit more time to play around with it.

7. Matte Finisher Clear Nail Polish. I've tried this out twice now, once with a dark navy and then another time with a red and I really like the effect! It was a bit of a quick and messy application both times, so I didn't really do it properly but I like what I've seen so far!

8 and 9. Eyelash and Brow Wand and Blending Eye Brush. The eyebrow wand is pretty basic really but does its job nicely! The blending eye brush is really good, I've had the eye shadow brushes from ELF before and was pretty impressed so thought I'd pick the blending brush up as well.

10. Lipstick in Gypsy. This lipstick is from the basic £1.50 range and the website says that it's a 'deep cool pink sheer' and has a rather different looking swatch to my lipstick that has been delivered - it's more of a raspberry colour and I wouldn't say its sheer its quite a strong opaque finish, as you can see in the swatch above with Natural Nymph. In fairness though, it's a really lovely lipstick - a pretty colour and a nice formula.

That's everything that I ordered from ELF - all for £15 with the 50% offer on! Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well and I'll probably be doing my Favourites post after this one so keep an eye out for that :)

Hannah Elizabeth xx

MUA Heaven & Earth eye shadow palette

Hey everyone!

MUA have recently brought out a very exciting new 'Professional' range of products, to complement their original line of products that are sold at £1 each. If you have read my blog before, you will know how much I love MUA eye shadows and lipsticks so I couldn't wait to get my hands on some of the new palettes that they brought out with their Pro line! The products are a little more expensive, but still an absolute steal as the palettes are £4 each and the mascara just £2.

I was lucky enough to pick up the 'Heaven and Earth palette', as it was the last one in my local Superdrug and considering how popular this palette has been I couldn't walk away from the very last one! This palette consists of 12 lovely neutral brown shades, with some really gorgeous highlight colours as well, allowing you to create the perfect smokey eye!

 

I swatched all 12 colours for you, the top photo being with flash and the bottom without. As you can see none of the shadows are matte, they all have a lovely shimmer to them which I understand isn't for everyone and in my opinion, why the Sleek palettes are so great as they have a combination of matte and shimmery shadows! But none the less.. £4 for all these beautiful colours is such a bargain! 

Another brilliant product from MUA who are increasingly becoming one of my favourite drug store brands!

What does everyone think of this palette then? Let me know if you've picked up any of the other palettes or have reviewed them as I would love to give them a read! 

Hannah Elizabeth

July Glossybox - worth the wait?

Hey everyone!

Today was a very exciting day for me... my first Glossybox arrived! I saw quite a few tweets and blog posts this morning from other girls saying how amazing this months box is, so as you can imagine I was willing the postman to come to my house!! 

I really do love the idea behind this product, it's the surprise aspect that I love and that different boxes contain slight variations on samples which I also like. I'm really pleased for Glossybox, that they have had such a positive reaction to this box after a rather disastrous month where a lot of people unsubscribed because of the increase in price, and also disappointing products in the box itself! I think a few people may be kicking themselves for unsubscribing after some of the gorgeous products that are in this months box!

However I do hope this standard continues and it's not a pattern of a good month and then a bad month and then good again, because I think consistency is really important especially because you can cancel your subscription at any time, and also that Boudoir Prive are releasing their first box in the next month! 

Anyway... onto this months box. I know loads of blog posts and YouTube videos will be popping up here, there and everywhere in the next few weeks so I won't go into loads of detail, I will just do a quick introduction to the products and then I have a blog post planned to do a comparison when I receive my first Boudoir Prive box in August.

Just to repeat what everyone has already said, and you will know if you have received a Glossybox yourself, is the presentation is just gorgeous! Even the outside cardboard box has the little symbol printed onto it, and the box itself is really sturdy and a lovely pink colour - which is perfect for using for storage! 

 

The products that I received this month are the:

1. Ciate Nail Enamel - I've never tried this brand of nail varnishes before, and being honest I'm not too crazy about the green colour but I will definitely give it a go!

2. Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether - A full size Illamasqua product!! I've never tried anything from this brand before, and I don't think this goes as far to heal the pain I felt on missing out on the Nars highlighter in the first Glossybox, but it's a gorgeous gold shimmery powder which can provide a subtle sheen on the skin or can be built up for a dramatic metallic finish. It's a lovely golden colour that I think would look great with a tan!

3. Orla Kiely Eau de Parfum - I really struggle describing specific tones of perfumes, but I will just say that I do like it! The little sample bottle is really cute, its shaped like a flower which makes sense as it is a floral scent. The card says that it has "light floral notes, with natural extracts of rose geranium and bergamot, subtly balanced with fresh fig and a hint of chocolate".

4. Ultra Sun Face 30 - I don't tend to use a separate sun cream on my face, as my foundation already has SPF in it so I might pass this one on to my mum!

5. Weleda Pomegrante Regenerating Body Oil - I LOVE the smell of this it is just beautiful! I applied this after my shower this morning, a little sceptical as I thought it wouldn't absorb into the skin nicely as it's an oil but honestly it is such a nice product! It's a massive bottle, considering they are supposed to be sample products, and I can see this lasting me ages.

I am delighted with this months box and I hope everyone else is with theirs. You can sign up to Glossybox here for £10 a month, after the August box it goes up to £12.95 which in fairness I think is still really reasonable, especially when you receive full sized products worth more than £12.95! I'm now even more excited to receive my next Glossybox and also my Boudoir Prive box which arrives at the start of August, so keep your eyes peeled for my first thoughts on that!

Thanks for reading if you got this far, I know Glossybox posts are definitely not the most original but I was too excited not to share this lol and I'm sure all bloggers and YouTubers feel the same way!

Hope everyone is okay xxx

Fragrance Direct Haul/Review

Hey everyone!

I thought I'd upload another post that I've been planning on doing for a couple of days now, which is a haul of some products that I ordered from Fragrance Direct! I was looking to pick up some new make up brushes, I really wanted the ELF stipple brush and powder brush but they've been sold out for a while now, probably because of the 50% discount code from a couple of weeks ago that I failed to take advantage of *sob sob*.

Anyway, I looked online at Fragrance Direct, and saw that they stocked Royal brushes so thought I'd try them out! As always, I couldn't stop myself at just the items I was looking for and ordered a few extra goodies :)

So I'll quickly talk through the brushes and then move onto the other products I ordered!

Left to right: Royal Enhance 'Powder Brush', Royal 'Foundation Brush', Royal 'Blending Brush', Royal 'Eyeshadow Brush', Revlon Vital Radiance 'Brow Brush', Revlon Vital Radiance 'Concealer Brush'

I'll go through the brushes from left to right, as they appear in the photo above! So starting with the powder brush at £2.50, the bristles are super soft and I've been using this for powder blushes rather than for a setting powder or mineral foundation. It's made from synthetic fibres and the domed shape also really helps with application as it distributes the perfect amount of product. I love this brush, definitely a new favourite of mine!

Next is the foundation brush, also at £2.50. Now I don't have a lot of experience with different types of brushes for applying foundation and have only really used make up sponges, a traditional foundation brush and my trusty fingers to apply it! But as far as foundation brushes go, I like this one. It doesn't shed any bristles, it's 'stiff' enough to apply all over the face in areas around the nose and eye. The ELF one I've had before is a little too flexible really, so this one is much better in my opinion!

Next up is the blending brush with is £1.50, I'm not 100% sold on this one. I think it's a little too stiff to be able to blend out eyeshadow without kind of stretching out or irritating the skin around the eye!

The eyeshadow brush is definitely one of my favourites, and probably will be my go-to brush for eyeshadow from here on in! It's super soft and the brush head is quite large really, and perfectly shaped allowing you to sweep all over the lid. I recommend this brush, and would definitely re-order as its so affordable at £0.99!

The next two brushes are from Revlon, the first one being the Brow Brush at £1.50. So far I really like this brush, I've been using it with 'Boxed' from my Oh So Special palette from Sleek and it's the perfect combination for me! It's momentarily replace my ELF eyebrow kit, but I will definitely be returning to using it at some point because I do really love it. It's really great because its angled and quite firm, so I reckon this brush would be perfect for detailing around the eye as well, such as running a colour along the bottom lash line!

The next brush is the concealer brush, again from Revlon at £1.50. I've never actually owned a concealer brush before so I think I need to have a bit more of a play with it to figure out if I like this one! I think maybe I've been applying too much product and the brush isn't really blending it out enough, we shall see!

The next few products are just a mix of things I felt like trying, and they were all super cheap so why not! The first item is a lipstick from Bourjois for £1.99, its the Docteur Glamour Lipstick in Rose No17. It's a lovely summery pink colour, and it's very moisturising on the lip which is great. I think some of the products on Fragrance Direct, including this one, are products that discontinued from the main lines of cosmetics companies so definitely go and check out the website for any favourite products that have been difficult to find or have been discontinued over the years!

 

The next product is from Calvin Klein, Fragrance Direct actually stock a load of CK products such as foundations, lipsticks and loads of other stuff, and they are all at really discounted prices! The product that I picked up is a primer, the 'Whitening Treatment Make Up Base' in matte and it was £3.99, reduced from £19.50 -bargain! I've used this a couple of times now, and I have to say when I first tried it was a bit disappointed that the product itself is actually shimmery, even though it says it's a matte finish. I have to say though when applied to the face, you use the tiniest amount of the product and it blends out beautifully over the skin. It's not shimmery at all once blended in and is the perfect base for then applying foundation. I've never used a base primer before, and I'm so pleased I picked this one up as it really helps your make up stay in place throughout the day! This product also comes in a moisturising base and pearly base.

The next two products are Ciate nail varnishes, the first is just a base coat and the second is a Nail Paint in Victoria. I've done a really shoddy job of applying 'Victoria to my thumb nail that you may see featured in some of these photos lol! I am doing my nails properly later and will apply the base coat and then Victoria on top. Being honest, I'm not too excited about it as it's a colour that is very similar to some nail varnishes I already have but never mind! The base coat also worries me a little as it looks almost gloopy but like I said I'll give it a go!

The final thing that I ordered is this amazing packet of tissues, with Lady Gaga as a cat!!! I actually ordered these for my friend, as she was looking at a top with this design on and when I saw these on the website I just had to order them for her. Not too exciting I know, but I just think they're really cute!

Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this post and I definitely recommend you check out the website as they've got some really great products on their at really great prices! You can find their website here: http://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/

Another thing I would say it that delivery is super fast and only £1.99!

Hannah Elizabeth xx

Haul

Hello again! Just thought I'd do a quick post on some new purchases I've made lately and a quick review perhaps on some of the cosmetics I have picked up. I've recently started a new job in the centre of Manchester which has done really terrible things for my bank account! I just go shopping on my breaks and dinner, so my first months wage won't stretch very far when I actually receive it! Never mind... on with the haul!

I saw these bags recently in Primark and thought they were so cute, they had three different prints and I picked up the floral one and the Aztec style one as well - which by the way I'm really not one of those girls who needs the same bag/shoes/dress in one of each colour but these bags were £3! They're a super pretty summer clutch which will brighten up any outfit, they're also really spacious which is great for me because I carry so much junk around!

  

 

The next items are all from Boots, I've heard some really great things about Natural Collection recently - in particular the tinted moisturiser and the lipsticks! They were out of stock on the lightest moisturiser so I picked up the Colour Foundation in Porcelain instead, and I am so surprised at how much I love this product. Its the perfect shade for my skin tone, I would actually go far as to say it is the best matched foundation I have ever tried. It has great coverage, blends really nicely and it is an absolute bargain at £1.99! I think they do six shades in this foundation, so it might be hard to match it up to your skin tone but for me it really is just perfect!

 

The next two products are lipsticks, and I actually picked these up after watching The Persian Babe's favourite lip products over on YouTube, they are 17 Mirror Shine in Beehive and Natural Collection in Rose Petal. I love both of them so much - so thank you Barbara for bringing them to my life lol!

Left: Beehive, Right: Rose Petal

Left: Beehive, Right: Rose Petal

As you can see from the swatches above, Beehive is a really glossy and moisturising formula in a really pretty nude colour! Rose Petal is more matte, but still has a slightly glossy finish when applied.

The next product I picked up was a 17 powder blush in China Doll, this is a really bright pink colour and I've swatched it quite heavily in the photo above, but once blended out it adds a nice shimmery pink flush to the cheeks! It's really pigmented and a great colour - perfect for summer!

The final products are skin care and tanning bits and pieces! I've really wanted to try St Moriz self tanning mousse for so long, and I saw it recently in a local shop so I picked it up for a very reasonable £2.99! I've just tried this out today, and already I'm a fan! I really like how it is instant and the product itself is a quite dark brown colour - which frightened me at first - but blends out to a lovely even tan. I think its so much easier to apply when you can see how it looks straight away, I dont like the non-instant type where you can wait hours for it to develop and then realise how streaky it looks - eek!

I also picked up the Soap and Glory fragrance mist, its the classic scent of all the products in their range, and its just really nice as its quite hydrating as well once you rub into your skin! The smell lasts all day so yeah, very happy with this product!

The final product is the Jergens Skin Firming Moisturiser, which I actually won from Fluerdeforce, so I was really happy to receive this yesterday! I haven't actually tested it out too much yet, but Jergens claim that skin will feel firmer after two applications of this product so i'm very excited to try this out properly!

Thanks for reading and hope everyone is doing well! Let me know any recommendations or if you've tried any of the products i've mentioned because I'd love to hear what you think!

Hannah Elizabeth xx