5 Minute Reviews | Stila One Step Correct Serum

As a beauty lover, I don't always get around to or sometimes feel the need to review every product that I purchase in depth. Sometimes, they just don't stand out that much to me or I don't feel as if they require a detailed review. Sometimes even, I wont get the chance to photograph them and before I 

know it, I've used them up. So, with that, I've decided to start a series of quick, "5 minute" reviews on products I've used - telling you my opinions and overall thoughts on them in a quick, easy to digest way. 

The product I'm going to be reviewing is the Stila One Step Correct Serum** which is supposed to be a colour correcting serum that is meant to brighten and even out the skin tone due it's triple-swirled formula. This formula is targeted to counteract redness using the colour green, dark circles using peach and sallowness using lavender. Usually, I like to use this as a sort of "pre" primer or even a primer on its own prior to application of my makeup. I pump out a small, pea sized amount and apply it over the skin, letting it sink in for a while before the next step of my routine.

This product retails at £24.00 and can be purchased from BeautyBay. 

Upon dispensing the product from the bottle, it becomes obvious that the triple swirled formula isn't going to say separate and is going to mix together - for this reason, it's difficult for me to see how this would be able to affectively colour correct the skin when you may need certain colours only in specific areas. 

I didn't find a real difference made to my complexion other than a slight restriction in the redness of my overall face. My skin did however feel hydrated and plumped after applying this serum so for that reason, I do think it has really effective hydrating properties which would be very effective for dryer skin types. When my skin was particularly dry on a given day, this is a primer I would use and reach for in order to give me skin a soft, glowy and hydrated base for makeup so for that reason, I did really enjoy it.

From a colour correction standpoint, I didn't really find this serum to deliver anything over than the slight dulling of my complexions redness. I would and do much prefer to target my pigmentation utilising seperate colour correcting products so that I can specifically target my areas of concern. 

Whilst I did find this serum to be hydrating, this isn't the main purpose of the product and so from this perspective, I can't say that I would recommend this product if you're looking for something to colour correct your skin before makeup application. If however you're looking for a hydrating, plumping serum / makeup primer, Stila's One Step Correct Serum is actually a good choice! 




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Friday Feelings | Conformity and Following Your Own Path

In one way or another, we have all been and will at at least one point in our lives, be victims of conformity. Whether that be down to fear, pressure or the confusion of not really knowing who you are. For much of my teenage years, I in many ways conformed. Whilst I wasn't doing half the things the kids my age were at the time, I still followed along with my group of friends pretending to like the same things as them, laughing at jokes I didn't really find funny and worst of all, even being mean and bitchy when that wasn't really who I was. 

Why do we conform and why did I? Like I said above, there's many reasons and for me, it was mainly out of confusion and frankly, wanting to survive school which for me wasn't always that great. I didn't really who I was - much as most teenagers don't at the time. I was always very aware of what my interests should be, what my aesthetic should be - so that I could fit it and God forbid, not stand out too much. 

FACE OF THE DAY // Smokey Heat

Hello everyone! Happy Monday - I hope you've all had a good weekend and whilst I know it's a day most of us dread the arrival of, I hope your Monday is good too. Today I'm here with a face of the day post featuring a smokey look utilising my Naked Heat palette from Urban Decay. I love doing a smokey eye look on myself and I really think it's one of the most flattering and actually easy to axheive eye looks you can do. 

LIQUID LIPSTICK SERIES | JEFFREE STAR VELOUR LIQUID LIPSTICKS

Hello everyone! I hope you're having a good week thus far. In today's post, I'm going to be continuing my liquid lipstick review series and today, it's going to be on Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks. 

Now, I know there's a lot of controversy past and present surrounding JS to say the least, but this post is purely a review of the product itself, not of him. Perhaps I'll get into my thoughts and feelings on some of the people behind these brands in another post!

On these lipsticks, Jeffree Star's website has to say: 

"Our liquid lipstick goes on opaque, dries completely matte and stays on for hours! This product is 100% vegan & cruelty-free!(tips before use: exfoliate with lip scrub then apply to bare lips! Avoid food with oil… and no making out, kisses are ok!)"

 In the UK, JS lipsticks are available for purchase on the website Beauty Bay and they retail for £16.00 each. 

CHEMICAL VS PHYSICAL EXFOLIATION

Skincare is so important. The first key to beautiful makeup for me is beautiful skin and looking after it can make all the difference to how your skin both looks and feels. A key step in my skincare routine that I find helps to particularly make a difference for me is exfoliation.
For a long time, I was only really aware of physical exfoliation but in recent years I have discovered the wonders of chemical exfoliation and what it can do for the skin. In this post I'm going to discuss chemical vs physical exfoliation and tell you the benefits of each - enjoy!

REVIEW | ICONIC LONDON LIQUID ILLUMINATOR

Hello everyone and happy Monday! If there's one thing I love when it comes to makeup, it's beautiful glowing skin. Naturally therefore, I love using highlighters and discovering new ones. Whilst the go-to formula for a highlighter generally tends to be a powder, I've always loved liquid and cream based highlighters due to my dryer skin type. Whilst browsing Cult Beauty and screen-shotting beauty items I didn't have the budget for one day, I came across a liquid illuminator from the brand ICONIC London. For my birthday, I was gifted it by my beautiful best friend Heather and today I'm excited to review it for you all today - enjoy!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS REVIEW | URBAN DECAY NAKED HEAT PALETTE

Hello everyone and happy Friday! Today I'm bring you a review of the highly popular Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette. This palette was kindly gifted to me by beautiful friend Shazia for my birthday in July - the month it was actually released in the UK - I was excited to say the least! 

In this post I'll tell you a bit about the Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette and give you some first impressions and thoughts on it based on my time using it.

The Heat palette is the fifth palette in Urban Decay's "Naked" collection which started with Naked 1, 2, 3 and then Naked Smoky before the release of Heat this year. As with the other palettes in the collection, it retails at £39.50 in the UK and can be purchased from Debenhams, John Lewis and the Urban Decay website to name a few retailers. 

LEVINIA GOES TO THE MOVIES | JUNE & JULY

Hey everyone! It's been a while since I've done a movie post and so today I thought I'd continue the series combining a few months of movie releases together. I'm going to pick out a few movies that I watched in the months of June and July. I'll be giving you a short synopsis and review on each as well as a star rating. Don't worry, there's no spoilers here!

LIQUID LIPSTICK SERIES | LIMECRIME VELVETINES

Happy Monday everyone! It's been a little over a week since I last posted and I'm back today with another liquid lipstick review to add to my ongoing series. Today's review is going to feature are LimeCrime's Velvetines.

LimeCrime describes these lipsticks as the "original liquid lipstick inspired by rose petals".
In this inspiration, they are designed to be extremely pigmented with a velvety-matte, kiss proof finish. They can be purchased from multiple online shops in the UK such as ASOS, CultBeauty & Love-Makeup for £15.00-£16.00.

TIME TO TALK | BEING AN EXTROVERTED INTROVERT

introvert

noun

1. 1. 

   a shy, reticent person.

For most of my life I have always considered myself a bit of a loner - comfortable in my own company and content without the need of often forced, awkward social interaction. I've always had friends and good ones at that but keeping my circle small has always been what I have preferred. In large groups I tend to feel a bit suffocated and often I can come across as shy and quiet. On the flip side however, I'm strong minded and confident in my actions, I love to talk and enjoy going out and laughing with my friends. And so, I've come to accept that I'm an extroverted introvert and as annoying and confusing as that can be for me sometimes, I've decided that it's okay. We don't all have to be the loudest in the room to still be heard and it's alright to not always want to be around people. Being a introvert however comes with its misconceptions and in todays post, I thought I'd discuss some of the ones I encounter the most. Can you relate too?

#FOTD | NAKED HEAT

Happy Sunday, everyone! I'm bring you a Face of the Day in this post - this look features on my newest beauty additions; the Naked Heat palette which was gifted to me by my wonderfully generous friend, Shazia. Expect a review on the palette soon but to let you know my opinions in short, I do really like the Naked Heat palette and I'm really impressed by its quality and the colours within it. 

REVIEW | EMMA HARDIE SKINCARE

Over the past year or so, my interest in the importance of skincare has increased - I have become a lot more concerned with researching ingredients, products, brands and learning more about what works for my skin's needs. Within that, it has meant that there have been some changes in the products I use and the steps I take in my daily skincare regime. I've been trying some new brands over the past few months and today I'm going to be reviewing one of those for you; Emma Hardie. 

I first heard of the brand Emma Hardie whilst watching one of my favourite Youtuber's; Stephanie Nicole. It was a video about her PM skincare routine and in it she mentioned her favourite cleanser for removing makeup: Emma Hardie's Moringa Cleansing Balm. Not long after I'd watched this video, I happened upon the brand on sale in M&S and whilst considering purchasing the balm (which I did find to be on the pricer side initially), I discovered it being sold in a set. The set was a ridiculously good deal at around £65.00 for a worth of £130.00 in products so I decided to purchase this instead.

In this blog post, I will be reviewing 3 of the full sized items that were in the set; letting you know what I think of them and how they worked for me. 

LIQUID LIPSTICK SERIES | KAT VON D EVERLASTING LIQUID LIPSTICKS

I love lipsticks and in recent months, I've been specifically obsessed with liquid lipsticks. As my collection grows and I try new brands, new formulas and new products, I've decided to start doing a more extensive review series. In this series, I plan to provide in depth reviews of the different liquid lipsticks certain brands have to offer as well as compile a rated and regularly updated list of them too. 

As with my normal beauty reviews, I will provide information about the brand, discuss the pigmentation and application of the product as well as show you swatches and compare wear time.  

REVIEW | THE ORDINARY SKINCARE

Hello everyone! Long time no blog post I know, but today i'm back and with a pretty substantial review for you of some items from the skincare brand: The Ordinary. 

The Ordinary has been raved about recently in the beauty community and everyone is talking about their products. I did some research on the brand and read some reviews and made some educated purchases of products I thought I'd enjoy integrating into my skincare routine. After using these products for some time now, I feel that I'm going to able to provide you with some authentic opinions on what I think of them! Enjoy.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS | TOOFACED NATURAL LOVE PALETTE

Hello everyone and happy Monday! I hope you guys have all been enjoying the lovely hot weather we've been having these past few days in the UK. 

On hot days, neutral and more minimal makeup looks are a go to from both a practical and aesthetic level for a lot of makeup wearers. With that in mind, I thought I'd post a first impressions on a eyeshadow palette that's all about that neutral eye look: TooFaced's Natural Love Palette.

REVIEW | ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS MODERN RENAISSANCE PALETTE

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well today. I thought I'd bring you a review of a palette that I have had in my possession for a while now. It is none other than the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette.

  Spoiler Alert: I love this palette so much and in today's post, I'm going to explain to you why.

COLLECTIVE BEAUTY HAUL | STILA, TOOFACED, LAURA GELLAR

Hello everyone and happy Monday! I hope you've all had a good weekend and that despite it being Monday (boo), your day is going / goes well. Over the past few weeks I have accrued some fabulous beauty bits that I thought I'd compile for you into a collective haul post. Expect reviews to proceed this post as I get to know these products a little better and collect my thoughts on them!

REVIEW | PIXI GLOW TONIC

Hello, world! Long time no blog post, I know. But today, I'm back and with the review that I promised a few weeks ago Pixi's Glow Tonic.

Pixi Glow Tonic is a toner containing 5% glycolic acid. Whilst it's a toner by name, it can be considered more of a treatment in my eyes due to the fact that it contains the AHA that is glycolic acid. As mentioned in my more detailed post on AHA's, glycolic acid is one of strongest and most popular in the world of skincare. Glyolic acid has the smallest molecular structure of the AHA's and therefore is considered the most effective at penetrating and renewing skin on a deeper level. AHA's in their use as chemical exfoliants help to reduce fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation and dullness in the skin over long term use and are an amazing addition to your skincare routine.

On to Pixi's Glow Tonic specifically, 5% is a fairly low percentage of glycolic acid but as it is considered a toner for everyday use, it is not really intended to be too concentrated. For skin that is not used to the addition of acids, 5% will definitely do something more for you in comparison to those whose skin is more used to them. It therefore makes for an ideal introduction into using acids as part of an everyday routine.

In terms of my overall thoughts on the product, I definitely saw results from use. The tonic definitely helped renew my dead skin quicker and I also saw a fairly instant change in the brightness of my skin. What I will say however is that for me and therefore perhaps for all with sensitive skin, it's not ideal for everyday use and I would personally suggest using it once every other day initially. This may be because as aforementioned, newbies to chemical exfoliants such as myself have built up no tolerance to them and so they can be quite potent on the skin - especially if it's already sensitive. It's important to build up a tolerance so as to not have adverse results.

When applying the toner, you do feel some slight tingling - and some very intense stinging if applied to any irritated areas of the skin so definitely avoid that! Otherwise though, this tingling is not uncomfortable and as mentioned on the packaging itself, is to be expected. There is a slightly "chemically" smell but for the most part, I find the scent to be quite pleasant and definitely not off putting. Due to it's liquidly formula, I also find it to go a long way and not much is needed to cover your whole face. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend this product. During my initial use of this tonic, I received a lot of compliments on my bright and glowy complexion and I definitely consider this to be one of the reasons. I think this makes a great introduction to chemical exfoliations for those of you with younger skin who may not need more concentrated products as well as for those of you who are simply just new to them in general. 

Have you tried Pixi Glow Tonic? What are your thoughts on acids and chemical exfoliants?

Levinia

x

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GET A CLUE

Periods. For most women that experience them, they are annoying, painful and for quite a lot of us, they are often hard to track too. This can make for some unwanted surprises when P-day finally comes around. Some women do find it easy to track their periods and find themselves to be fairly regular each month - I, however happen to be one of those women who are irregular in their menstrual cycles.

Why exactly irregularity occurs has several answers. The answer for me and the answer too for a lot of women is stress. Stress can not only be an emotional affliction but it can manifest itself in physical ways as well - such as causing late and subdued periods. So, I recently decided that I wanted to look into better understanding my cycle and I came across an app called Clue. When I looked into its purpose and what it allowed you to do, I thought it was an amazing idea and just what I needed. 

Clue allows you to input as much or as little data about your cycle as you wish. This includes variables such as emotions, food cravings, sexual activity and sleep. The more you record, the more accurate Clue is at predicting elements of your cycle. The app also provides helpful "Insights" along the way as you use the app which provide interesting pieces of information about elements of the menstrual cycle.

Whether you're having trouble tracking your period or not, Clue is a fabulous tool to allow you to better understand not only your period but your body and its inner workings too which I think is awesome. It serves not only as a useful tracking tool but as something that educates and informs its consumers.

 And even better? It's totally free to download from your phone's app store.

Friday Feelings | Being Where You're Supposed To Be

At the age of 22 - as a University graduate, there comes to be a kind of silent (and sometimes not so silent) expectation from the world that I should now know what I want to do and how I'm going to get there.

Unfortunately, life is not quite as easy nor as a clear as that and it's very easy to become disillusioned and disheartened with your life if you're not where you expected yourself to be. The bottom line is, not everyone realises their dreams or goals straight away, sometimes there's a lot of short term things and diversions in the road to realisation - and that's okay.

Imaged sourced from Unsplash.com

Don't compare your progress to others. Stop thinking that you have failed because you're not in the same place as your peers are. Keep trying, keep learning and keep working hard and you will know eventually where it is you need and want to be. It's very easy to compare you progress to others and to feel disappointed if you don't appear to be progressing as fast as everyone else. But life isn't a competition - nor is it a race with others.

AHA's and BHA's and why you should be using them

Hello everyone! I hope you're all having a good day today. In today's blog post, I'm going to be discussing chemical exfoliation and AHA's and BHA's. This post can be considered a pre-cursor to a review on a beloved skincare favourite in the beauty community - Pixi Glow Tonic.

A key ingredient in Pixi's Glow Tonic is glycolic acid - which falls under the category of an "AHA" - also known as an "Alpha Hydroxy Acid". In simple terms, AHA's are great at detaching dead skin - they help to loosen up the dead cells of the skin allowing them to fall away revealing brighter, healthier and plumper skin. This helpful subreddit explains the main AHA's and the uses and purposes of each. As an ingredient in skincare, due to their focus on the renewal of dead skin, AHA's are popular for those of us who have drier skin types.

You may also be thinking of other acids that have not been mentioned above such as salicylic acid. Well, that falls under the term of a BHA instead. Unlike AHA's, BHA's focus more on purifying the skin and deeply penetrating and cleaning out the pores. Due to this, BHA's and salicylic acid as an ingredient is very popular with acne, oily and blemish prone skin types and it will often be an ingredient found in skincare products used to treat these skin issues. BHA's however are well known to dry out the skin which is why adding moisture back into the skin is important in order to prevent skin from once again overproducing oil and breaking out. Again, this subreddit contains more information on BHA's and their uses.

COLOURPOP HAUL

I love lipsticks - especially liquid lipsticks. They're long lasting, highly pigmented and most of them are pretty comfortable too. So, being a product that I love so much, it's safe to say that I'm always in the market to buy and find more! ColourPop has been a brand that I have seen around social media for quite some time and for a while now, I have been wanting to try their products. An indie brand however, Colourpop is fairly difficult to get in the UK - at least it was before I discovered the site Glammua which stock a lot of difficult to find, independent beauty brands.

OOTD | ALL BLACK EVERYTHING

Happy Friday guys! We made it. In today's post, I bring you a recent outfit of the day in which I went to watch Kong: Skull Island at the cinemas. I really enjoyed the movie and have to credit it for it's awesome CGI. It was scripted really well in parts and it had a nice balance of humour as well as some very nasty death scenes which of course is always popular with a horror fan like me!

As the title suggests, I went for a classic all black (well nearly) ensemble today. It's kind of difficult for me to steer away from the shade as for me, it's so wearable and timeless. I teamed the look with my beloved Dr Martens and ended up with a rather androgynous look which I really liked. I absolutely adore Dr Martens and I love teaming them with a more "feminine" aesthetic to create an edgy, unique outfit.

WHAT I'M WEARING

Bomber Jacket | Newlook

Cami | Newlook

Jeans | ASOS

Dr Martens | Schuh

POST WASH HAIRCARE FAVOURITES

As a serial hair dyer, haircare has always been a very important and necessary step for me. Damage is of course inevitable when dying the hair and whilst it can't really ever be prevented, it can be managed and proteins and nutrients can be added back into the hair to at least partly restore it back to health. 

Whilst trimming and the removal of dead ends is an important step in keeping hair healthy, I have also found some great products that I found to be effective (at least aesthetically). In todays post, I'm going to show you these products and tell you why I love them so much!

AUSSIE Miracle Hair Insurance Conditioning Spray

This is essentially a leave in conditioner - it can applied to either damp or dry hair and should be sprayed evenly throughout and combed through. I always apply this on my hair when it's damp as I personally prefer the results. I find this to not only be conditioning, but it also adds some much needed shine to my hair too once it's dry. It's great for detangling as well which I find can sometimes be an issue on my finer, long hair. I've repurchased this several times and it's definitely a cult favourite for me!

Lee Stafford Hair Growth Leave in Treatment

Whilst this product is meant to stimulate hair growth, I use it mainly as a source of nourishment and conditioning for the hair. It contains nutrients and proteins which I have found at least from an aesthetic standpoint have improved how my hair looks and feels. Does it promote hair growth? I can't really be sure but I have noticed steady, consistent growth in my hair and am continuing to do so.

Joico K-Pak Colour Therapy Restorative Styling Oil 

I love oils for my hair as moisture and a lack of it can be an issue when using colourants. The problem is, with locks on the finer side, certain oils and products in general can be far too heavy. This oil however is not and I find it to be easy to apply and weightless even in my hair. As with all oils, I keep this applied to the mid-lengths and ends - where the hair is driest and in need of moisture the most. I do find that this product locks into the hair well and it does help to define my colour and add a lovely shine too.

MoroccanOil Treatment - Light

The benefits of Moroccan Oil are well known and this is probably my favourite oil product for the hair. It has a wonderful smell to it that lasts throughout the day and I really find that it penetrates the hair follicle and provides my hair with moisture and visible shine. As with the oil above, I apply this to damp hair focusing on the mid lengths and ends but I do also occasionally also like to finish off a style with this too by applying a tiny amount all over. This product comes in two variations depending on your hair type - a normal formula for thicker hair and a light formula for finer hair making it an accessible and versatile product for everyone. 

There you have my current favourite post wash haircare products. 

Are any of these in your favourites?

Levinia, x

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NOTD | FIJI

Hello everyone! Happy Monday - I hope you have all had a very chilled and relaxed weekend. I can't lie; it's been so nice to do nothing this weekend after a stressful few weeks in the wonderful world of full time retail work. This week I am also on holiday from my job so I plan to get my blog into gear and get it back on track in terms of organisation and production of content. Today I'm keeping it simple and sharing a nail of the day post with you on a colour I wore a few weeks back.

The colour is called Fiji and it's from the brand Essie. I can't say I reach for this colour too much but I was in the mood for a simple, plain colour and when I picked this up it suited the criteria! This was surprisingly opaque for such a pale, creamy colour and I would say it was fully covered in two coats. 

As always, for a gel-like shine I used my beloved Seche Vite top coat - if you don't own this top coat you need to! It's amazing and I recommend it to everyone. 

PRODUCTS MENTIONED

Essie | Fiji

Seche Vite Top Coat 

  

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OOTD | PINK LADY

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday! I hope everyone is having a good week so far and today, I'm bringing you an outfit post. I recently went to the cinema - something I haven't done in far too long to watch the movie Logan. I really enjoyed the film and as a massive superhero fan, it was an emotional movie that really had a different feel than that of most Marvel productions. As Hugh Jackman's last appearance as the iconic mutant Wolverine, Logan was an awesome farewell to the actor 17 year portrayal of the superhero. Definitely give it a watch if you're heading to the cinema in the next few weeks.

On to the outfit; I gave myself Grease / pink lady vibes in this ensemble. I'm wearing a pink Zara jacket that I purchased a few months ago and had yet to wear - it's really comfortable and slightly oversized which is always something I appreciate. I'm also wearing a simple white came from TopShop along with one of my favourite pairs of skinny blue jeans. Lastly but not least, I'm wearing my newest pair of shoes - these beautiful Vans slip on plimsolls in a beautiful pink-nude shade. Whilst these aren't a typical style that I'd do for in shoes or trainers, when I saw these on ASOS I fell in love and had to get them.

WHAT I'M WEARING

Bomber | Zara Basics

Cami | Topshop

Skinny Jeans | Miss Selfridge

Shoes | Vans (from ASOS)

FACE OF THE DAY | RED VELVET

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Today I have a face of the day for you featuring my current favourite eyeshadow; TooFaced's Sweet Peach palette as well as a new liquid lipstick purchase from LimeCrime.

As with my Lady Danger look, I didn't want my eye look too be too overpowering but I did want to keep it warm and a little smokey with the more peachy tones of the Sweet Peach palette. I love a matte lip and a shimmery eye look so I utilised the shimmer shades in the palette as well as some of matte brows for a defined yet soft eye look. 

PRODUCTS USED

FACE

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation | Vanilla

L'Oreal True Match Concealer | Ivory Beige

Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder | Translucent

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Milani Baked Blusher | Luminous

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed | Moonstone

EYES

TooFaced Shadow Insurance Eyeshadow Primer

TooFaced Sweet Peach Palette

TooFaced Better Than Sex Mascara

Eye of Horus Brow Define | Dynasty

Maybelline Brow Drama | Medium Brown

LIPS

Limecrime Velvetine Liquid Lipstick | Red Velvet

COLLECTIVE BEAUTY HAUL

Happy Friday! I hope you've all had a good week so far. Today I'm bringing you a collective beauty haul featuring some of the recent purchases I've made over the past couple of weeks. Most of these items are things I've been eyeing up for a while and finally decided to purchase.

Firstly, I purchased a 115ml bottle of the Mario Badescu Skincare Facial Spray  - I'm very into hydrating facial sprays at the moment and use them mainly to refresh my makeup. An avid fan of MAC's Fix +, I'm always looking for sprays that give me the same or similar results to that. This one is infused with aloe, herbs and rosewater and has a distinct yet pleasant rose scent. 

Next I purchased my first Zoya nail polish in the shade "Brigette" - a beautiful mauve-nude. On the subject of nudes, I bought another Jeffree Starr lipstick this time in the shade "Doll Parts". It's a beautiful mauve-pink shade - it's very flattering and super wearable. 

I also purchased an Eye Of Horus brow pencil - it's packaging and design is very similar to that of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz pencil. I'm particularly excited to try this product and see how it performs! Last but not least, I got the above MakeUP Geek duo chrome eyeshadow in Mai Tai. It's a beautiful rose gold with a lilac sheen.


And that's my collective haul - look out for reviews on some the products above in future posts!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS | TOOFACED PEACH PALETTE

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Today I bring you a first impressions of a beauty product that is currently taking the community by storm; TooFaced's Peach Palette. I was gifted this palette by my beautiful friend Heather (I know, what a great friend right?) and since receiving it, I have absolutely fallen in love with it.

This particular palette was actually released back in early 2016 and was re-released later that year in December. This re-release was when the palette and it's subsequent collection really took off in the beauty community and created a huge buzz. As mentioned, with the palette's release, a whole collection of other products were created too included blushes, a glow palette and lip oils. 

Palette Overview

The palette contains 18 shades ranging from matte finishes to satin and metallic. There's a huge variety in colours within these shades too - all of which though are of course on the warmer side to fit into the overall peach theme. TooFaced say this about it:

Be sweet as a peach with these fresh-picked shades infused with the juicy scent and antioxidant-rich essence of peach. Create endless looks with 18 shades of peachy pinks, corals, bronzes, and pops of purples that will have you looking summer-fresh year-round. Includes our signature Glamour Guide with three looks to get your started.

So, the shades themselves are as follows:

Row 1:

White Peach: Matte. Light beige, yellow undertones. 

Luscious: Metallic. Medium golden brown, copper undertones.

Just Peachy: Satin. Bright, medium pink w/ gold undertones.

Bless Her Heart: Muted olive green w/ warm undertones.

Tempting: Strong deep brown w/ a black base.

Charmed I'm Sure: Matte. Medium-dark brown.

Row 2:

Nectar: Shimmer / frost. Light-medium yellow.

Cobbler: Satin. Medium brown w/ red undertones.

Candied Peach: Matte. Bright, medium coral. 

Bellini: Muted rose gold w/ a pink base.

Peach Pit: Deep brown.

Delectable: Matte w/ micro sparkle. Medium-dark plum. 

 Row 3:

 Peaches N' Cream: Matte. Light-medium yellowed peach. 

Georgia: Matte. Muted medium coral.

Caramelized: Medium, golden bronze.

Puree: Medium dark brown w/ caramel undertones.

Summer Yum: Matte. Dark, red brown.

Talk Derby To Me: Deep, blackened purple. 

Initial Thoughts:

My overall opinions on this palette are very positive. Whilst at first I didn't really get the hype surrounding this palette, since receiving and using it, I already know it's going to be one of my all time favourites. The colour collection is so versatile - there's a look for any occasion within it and you can easily go from natural to glamourous. As with most TooFaced shadows, I find these shades to be pigmented, buttery and easily bendable - they do work best with a primer and certain colours reach their full potential on a white base. As a girl with a warmer skin tone, I love how these colours look on me and I find them really flattering and wearable. If you're a TooFaced fan or just looking for a new eyeshadow palette to add to your collection, I think this is one you should definitely consider. And yes, it totally smells of peach!

You can get this palette in the UK from Debenhams or the TooFaced website, it retails at £39.00.

Do you have this palette / do you plan on getting it? What are your thoughts on it?

FOTD | Just Peachy

Hey! Today's post is another face of the day - this time featuring my current makeup obsession; the TooFaced Peach Palette. I was gifted this palette by my beautiful friend Heather and I have to say it's easily one of the best palettes I have ever owned. The colours for me are so flattering and so versatile and they really work well for my skin tone and eye colours - I think as a palette it's also one that can work for a lot of other people as well. Look out for a first impressions / review of this palette later on as well in another blog post!

So as this is of course a Peach Palette, it's safe to say that the peachy shimmers and browns have been my go to lately. I went for a smokey look with the matte browns and then added a pop of peachy shimmer to the center of the lids for a beautiful glow. I wanted to make the main focus in this look the eyes so opted for a peachy blush and pink lip to really compliment the shades on my eyes. As always, I need my fix of highlight so I went all out with Becca's Moonstone Shimmering Skin Perfector on the high points of my face.

I adore this look and have been wearing pretty routinely for the past 2-3 weeks. I've had lots of compliments specifically on the eyes so it's safe to say that the Peach Palette is a winner for me!

THE LOOK:

FACE

Benefit That Gal Primer

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation | Vanilla

Pixi Peach Corrector Concealer

Milani Baked Blush | Luminoso

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed | Moonstone

Rommel Match Perfection Loose Powder

Urban Decay De-Slick

EYES

TooFaced Shadow Insurance Primer

TooFaced Peach Palette

Still Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

MAC Gigablack Lash Mascara

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz Brow Pencil | Soft Brown

Benefit Gimme Brow | No. 3

LIPS

NYX Matte Lipstick | Tea Rose

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner | East End Snob

LUSH FOCUS | MAGIC WAND

Hey guys! Today's post is yet another Lush focus in which I review a specific goodie from Lush and tell you all about it. On the blog today is Magic Wand - a reusable, candy scented Christmas bubble bar, enjoy!

Here's what Lush has to say about this product:

Conjure up candy suds. Close your eyes, swish your Magic Wand in the tub as it fills, and your wish for mounds of sweet cotton candy-scented bubbles will be granted! There’s enough magic in this wand for several baths full of candy-scented bubbles and sweet pink waters, so pop it on the side of your tub for the next time you need a magical bathtime escape.

As the description states, Magic Wand is a reusable bubble bar - the bubbles themselves are created by swishing the bubble bar in running water until satisfied. The scent of the bar is much like that of the much loved Snow Fairy and this factor definitely makes it one of my favourite Christmas products from Lush. I'd say you can get around 3-5 baths from it making it also one of most cost effective bubble bars in the range which is always something that I look for!

The design of this bubble bar is also super cute with the glitter coating and the pretty little silver bow wrapped around the handle with a bell attached - it's festive yet still girly and cute which I love!

#FOTD | Lady Danger

Hey everyone, happy Monday! Today I have a face of the day post for you featuring the makeup look below. I decided to go for something simple yet with a pop of colour in the form of a bright lipstick - my favourite.

The lipstick I'm wearing is MAC's Lady Danger - a beautiful, orange based red with a matte finish. I'm in love with this colour and when wearing it, I received lots of compliments - it's certainly a striking colour that's bound to get attention. I teamed this red with a subtle, softly smoked out eye with plenty of mascara - this is my favourite way to wear a red (other than with a classic cat eyeliner of course). To match the orange base of the red, I went for a soft peach blush and as usual, plenty of highlight for that must have glow.

THE PRODUCTS

FACE

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation | Ivory Beige

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer | Light

Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder | Translucent 

Milani Baked Blush | Luminous

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed | Moonstone

NYX Blush | Taupe

Benefit Bronzer | Hoola

Urban Decay De-Slick Setting Spray

EYES

TooFaced Shadow Insurance Eyelid Primer

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Still Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz | Soft Brown

Maybelline Brow Drama Brow Mascara | Dark Brown

LIPS

MAC Lipstick | Lady Danger

LUSH FOCUS | THE COMFORTER

Happy Wednesday! I hope you guys are all having a wonderful week so far! Today's post is going to be a continuation of my Lush series in which I focus on a particular product from them and give you a short and sweet review - today we're looking at an old favourite: The Comforter bubble bar!

A berry scented supersize bubble bar, this is what Lush themselves say about The Comforter:

Sometimes you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world under a blanket of fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind to face the world. This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note.

Ingredients:

• Sodium Bicarbonate
 
• Cream of Tartar
 
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate
 
• Lauryl Betaine
 
• Perfume
 
• Titanium Dioxide
 
• Bergamot Oil
 
• Cassis Absolute
 
• Cypress Oil
 
• *Limonene
 
• *Linalool
 
• Colour 45410
 
• Colour 17200
*occurs naturally in essential oils.

This is easily one of my favourite bubble bars from Lush. The reason for this is not only does it smell great, but it lasts too. Due to the sheer size of this bar, you can easily get anything from 4-8 baths out of it if you break up the bar and use it piece by piece. This is my favourite way to use The Comforter because it's formula is so concentred that even using a piece of it still allows you to get amazing bubbles! The scent is gentle yet still really pleasant - it has a subtle but sweet blackcurrant scent which I personally really enjoy. In terms of it's ingredients, I wouldn't really say this bubble bar is overly moisturising but it certainly doesn't dry out the skin either - for that reason you would want to moisturise your skin afterwards. Overall, I think this bubble bar is one that you definitely need to try and it's easily one of the best priced products that Lush sell. The Comforter is available all year round and it retails for for £4.95!