Products I can’t live without – Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

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Hello my little buttons!

There are several items I find myself rephurchasing over and over again, no matter what other products I try, I always have as a backup and always go back to. I really enjoy hearing/reading about other people’s “must haves” so thought I would start a mini series on my own must have skin care and beauty products.

I’m really enjoying my skincare at the moment and noticing a big difference in my skins completion and texture. One of my favourite cleansers is Garnier micellar cleansing water. Nothing fancy or expensive but I just love this stuff!! It totally gets the job done, it removes every inch of my makeup, even water proof mascara and gel eyeliner. It’s gentle on my skin and doesn’t irritate my eyes which is a big plus for me as they are very sensitive so I have to be careful what I use. It’s also fragrance free! Afterwards my skin feels clean, fresh and ready for the rest of my routine. It costs between £3.99-£4.99 for 400ml so you get lot of product for your money. It claims on the packaging there’s 200 used based on 2ml per cotton pad, I’ve not counted how many pads I’ve used per bottle as no one has time for that lol but it does last me at least a month using it twice a day. Sometimes just to cleanse, other times to remove make up as well. Because it’s so affordable I don’t mind going to town while trying to remove heavy makeup as it’s not breaking the bank. There’s nothing worse than finding a product you love but it being so pricey that it breaks your heart everytime you use it!

If your looking for a cleanser to remove makeup and gently cleanse your face without rinsing this might be the product for you!

Becca xxx

L’oreal Infallible Matte Foundation – is it worth the hype?

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Hello my little buttons!

I was in the market for a matte medium to full coverage fondation, I mainly use bb creams or lighter foundations but I do like to have something with a bit more coverage for events and bad skin days. One of the first products that came to mind was L’Oréal Infallible Matte liquid Foundation, I’ve read amazing reviews and from what I’d seen in photos it looks gorgeous on the skin. I ordered mine online so took a bit of a gamble on the shade, I went for ‘natural rose’ as I’m fairly pale and have a lot of pink tones. As I’m getting older instead of covering up the pink I’m just going with it! Turns out the shade was perfect, it blended in lovely with my skin tone. I love the packaging, it comes in a tube with a small nozzle so you have full control over how much product comes out and you can see how much you have left as it’s mainly clear packaging. The black and red writing/detail looks awesome together as well.

Ive been using the foundation for a few weeks now and I have to say I absolutely love it. I’ve been buffing it in with a foundation brush, no I don’t have a beauty blender I realise I’m the only person alive who doesn’t lol. That a side even with the brush it blends in beautifully with my skin and layers up really well so I can take it from medium coverage to full coverage. It doesn’t cake up and still looks surprisingly natural for such high coverage. Even though it’s matte it’s not drying on my skin at all and even after a whole day of wear still looks fantastic. I have been using a primer as I always do and a light powder to set the foundation and my concealer. I’ve not needed to powder through the day what so ever which is a new thing for me!!! It mainly stays matte throughout the day but what I actually do like is as it settles you can see a natural glow through it which I think is what makes it look so subtle and real-skin like. I would definitely agree it’s water proof and steam proof as even when I’ve been out in the hammering rain it’s all still been in place when I’ve got back.

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In the photo I had been wearing the foundation for around 6 hours and had been rushing round sweating getting all my jobs done, it still looks great! I highly recommend this foundation and at £8.99 it’s easily replaceable when you run out.

Here’s a few more photos of the foundation:

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What’s your favourite affordable matte foundation? Comment below!

Becca xxx

Freedom Makeup London Pro Studio Moisture Cream

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Hello my little buttons!

I’ve been on the lookout for a good moisturiser for some time now, I have fairly oily skin but due to the cold weather have started getting dry patches which my foundation is loving sticking to. I normally use really light products such as hydrating gels or mattifying creams to stop the oil slick thoughout day but this wasn’t helping the dry patches. I tried a few other creams that I had samples of and although it was helping the dry patches the rest of my face wasn’t thanking me for it, they were too heavy for my combo skin type. I noticed that one of my fav brands, Freedom Makeup London had a half price sale on so thought this would be a great opportunity to try some of their new skin care and hopefully find a moisturiser to be a staple in my collection. I chose the Pro studio moisture cream, normally £7 but as it was half price I paid £3.50. (the offer is still on at http://freedommakeuplondon.com) I was happy with the price as if I did like this product it would be easy to replace. There’s nothing worse than loving a sample size skin care product and finding out the full size is £50, I know you know what I’m talking about lol.

The cream came on a big glass pot, simple white and silver packaging, I liked it. Under the lid is a smaller removable lid that fits right over the opening of the jar which I have kept to keep out air and bacteria as much as I can. I usually go for creams in tubes so I’m not touching and contaminating the product inside, but my hands are clean whenever I apply my skin care products anyway and I don’t share them with anyone so it’s not put me off. The cream contains ‘skin nourishing’ ingredients such as ‘olive derived squalane and shea butter’ to ‘firm, protect and rejuvenate’ and you get 50ml/1.69Fl. Oz.

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I have been using the cream for a few weeks now and think I’ve got a pretty good feel for it. This cream is awesome!! I’ve been using it daytime as well as night, my dry patches have gone and i’m not a dripping greasy mess. I can wear it alone or under makeup, it’s a great all rounder! Even my makeup is going on smoother, my skin looks so much better than it did and the fact I’ll cream my face up before makeup is a testament to the brilliance of this cream. I’m so pleased to have found a cream that I can use everyday that is affordable and works with my skin, I’m 28 and I’ve not started wrinkling up yet but it is inevitable so the more I can do to help my skins elasticity and texture, the better!!! I also think it’s going to last me for ages, as you can see in the photo after 2 weeks I’ve hardly made a dent, a little goes a long way and it sinks in nice and quick too. Its got a lovely light scent to it, it’s fresh but not over powering. A lovely little cream I will happily recommend! 

Have you tried this cream? I’d love to hear in the comments below! I’ll be reviewing a few other Freedom skincare items I bought throughout the week so of you’d like to read more scroll down my blog until you see this:

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Becca xxx

£5 dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow?!

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Hello my little buttons!

Recently I purchased Anastasia Beverly Hills dipbrow in the shade blonde for £15, soon after that I found out Freedom Makeup London also did a blonde brow pomade for £5, naturally I ordered it lol! The past two weeks has been the battle of the brows, to see how these both perform side by side and if Freedom Makeups version could really be a good dupe for me to recommend. I blogged a first impression of the dipbrow and long story short I loved it, so easy to use, great colour, lasts litrally all day. It really does something magic to your brows, if you have used it you know what I mean! It is avaliable in 11 shades, you receive 4g of product and it has a 6 month expiry after opening. I ordered mine through http://beautybay.com and received free delivery (I’m in the UK)

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The first thing I noticed about the Freedom Makeup brow pomade in comparison to dipbrow was how similar the packaging is, both are cute little glass pots with sleek black lids. The next thing I noticed, that really shocked me was how similar the colours were!

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Freedoms was a hair darker (do you see what I did there haha) but the similarity is impressive. Anyone with blonde hair/brows knows that most drugstore ‘blonde’ products really aren’t blonde, and even if they look blonde in the pan when you apply them they seem far darker. Don’t get me wrong these are still a darker shade of blonde but thats perfect for my brows and I imagine if you had lighter brow hair it would appear lighter on the skin. Getting back to my original point it’s hard to find affordable blonde brow products but the Freedom pomade was spot on. They felt very similar in texture and throughout the day both swatches lasted equally as well on the back of my hand, once they had set they didn’t budge. I also thought it was fab that Freedom also carried 11 shades, which again for drug store is a rarity. There is less product though, you get 2.5g but the product expires after 12 months instead of 6 so if you didn’t use it every day it’s still good for twice as long as the dipbrow and it is £10 cheaper. I ordered mine through http://freedommakeuplondon.com

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Next up are the brow swatches, again super impressive! They both acheive a very similar result which I wasn’t expecting. I found the Freedom pomade adhered to the hair slightly more than the skin but after good comb through with my spoolie it evened out nicely. I found the dipbrow adhered to skin and hair more smoothly but I would still brush them through so really it doesn’t matter too much. With both products you can lightly fill in your brows or go full on defined “instabrow” depending on what you prefer.

In conclusion I think the Freedom pomade is a brilliant dupe for the more pricey dipbrow, both are fantastic and get the job done. They both wear well and last all day with no flaking or running all over your face in the rain (nothing worse than loosing your brows!). The shade range in both lines is unbelievable there really is something for everyone, what more could you want for your brows? What’s your fav brow product? I’d love you hear in the comments below!

Becca x

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Anastasia Beverly Hills ‘dipbrow’ first impressions!

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Hello my little buttons!

I finally gave in, after months and months of seeing the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow everywhere the hype became too much for me to contain… and I bought it! For those of you that don’t know, dipbrow is a  brow pomade that claims to be waterproof, smudge free, creamy, perfect for oily skin and as well as gliding on the skin it adheres to the brow hairs. Big claims for a tiny pot! Its also avalible in a whopping 11 shades and is priced at around £15.

First impressions of the packaging were good, it has a high end feel to it, simple but cute. I ordered the colour blonde, I would say it’s a touch darker than I though it would be but a lot more blonde than most of the ‘blonde’ products out there and it still look fairly natural.

To apply the product I ended up using a real techniques eyeliner brush as my brows are fairly thin, due to over plucking as a teen!!! (don’t do it girls!) I think for a first try it worked fine but in future I will definitely be using a stiffer brush for more control and clean lines.
True to its word the product was super creamy it applied smoothy and evenly, filling in all my brow gaps with ease. I was amazed how quick and easy it was! I like my brows fairly natural but it’s great to have the option, with the correct brush of course, to really shape and define them. What amazed me most is how well it lasted, it’s insane. Today was wet, windy, cold and just horrible. All my make up has either disappeared or is half way down my face,  but the brows are still perfect. Seriously, they look the same as they did this morning. Just incredible. I even had a few of my friends comment on how neat and tidy they looked, which as we know is in the top 3 favourite compliments of all time. Here is a pic I snapped earlier, sorry it’s not 100% in focus I didn’t realise until I uploaded it. So professional I know!

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In conclusion, if you don’t have this product you need it in your life, buy buy buy!!! I’d love to hear what you think, do you have this product? What’s your favourite brow product?

Becca xx

Starskin, my first sheet mask experience

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Hello my little buttons!

In 2015 sheet masks were everywhere, amusing photos of people ‘masked up’ flooded the beauty community as well as discussions of the benefits.
I love a good face mask, and without regular use I can really tell the different in my skins texture so for me it’s an important step in my skin care routine.

Recently I received a Skinstar sheet mask worth £8.50 in my glossy box so thought it was a great opportunity to have a play! I really liked the packaging, as well as being a cute pink colour it looked like a movie poster. In place of the star filled cast was all the things the mask boasts to do to do your skin, such as hydrating and firming. So far so good!

I ran myself a bath, and lit my woodwork candle to get the full ‘spa at home’ experience, I then cleansed my face and patted it dry. I moved the serum around the packet so it was evenly spread, I then opened the packed and tried placing the gigantic mask on my face. I thought I was going crazy, it kept slipping down my face and I couldn’t get it to stick all over. I kept thinking this doesn’t look right what is wrong with this mask how could anyone find this a pleasant experience?! How on earth will it stay on for 20 whole minutes?! I was then invaded by my other half and our 2 children, everyone got a lovely shock as I looked like I was wearing a hockey mask. I explained the dilemma to my other half, who then very sensibly asked “did you read the instructions?” to which I quietly replied…. “no” on further inspection turns out I haven’t removed the plastic around the mask!!! Once the plastic was removed it made a lot more sense lol it easily stuck to my face including the nooks and crannies around my nose. It did feel more like a second skin, made of jelly lol. After around 5 minutes my face started to feel freezing, I was also couldn’t relax as I was very aware how close the product was to my eyes and mouth. I managed to keep it on the whole 20 minutes was it was such a receive to take it off and try and heat my chilly face up. As instructed I rubbed the rest of the serum into my face and neck.

Once the product had sunk in I noticed my skin was very nourished and quite bouncy actually, it defiantly had a glow to it. After a few hours i did start getting very greasy,  I have combo skin but think this mask would be great for really dry skin as I do think it was a bit heavy for mine. One benefit I really did notice and enjoy was that my pores around my the next day seemed to have shrunk making them less noticeable.
Overall I don’t think sheet masks are for me, I didn’t like the cold slimy feeling as I suspected I wouldn’t and I didn’t feel the mask benefits were worth it, for my skin anyway. I can think of a few people that would love this mask it’s just a shame it made me so greasy!!! I’d love to hear what you think, have you tried this mask? What’s your favourite sheet mask?

Manna Kadar conditioning lash primer review

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Hello my little buttons! 

Recently I have been reviewing a lot of mascaras so I thought after received this Manna Kadar Conditioning Lash Primer in my August Glossy Box it would fit in nicely. As next week I’ll be reviewing an eyeshadowpalette, while trying to use up all my new mascaras! I haven’t really dabbled with lash primers so wasn’t sure what to expect. I decided the test this with my current favourite mascara, Rimmel Extra 3d Lash, I thought the rubberised brush would be handy for separating my lashes if the primer stuck them together.

The primer applied smoothly and evenly with very little clumping, the product is white so although it was harder to see I could already tell it had added length. I left it for a few seconds to dry slightly then added my mascara. I instantly noticed a difference in volume especially towards the roots of the lashes as well as toward the ends. There was some added length and it really helped hold my lashes up almost like lash hair spray!!  I was really pleased with the finished look, it was just enough umph to make a difference. 

One tip for the product, don’t apply your mascara when the primer is too wet or too dry, the best result I found was when it was somewhere in between! This product was $24 for 4grams and is avalible from 

http://www.mannakadarcosmetics.com

 

The world scariest mascara ever???

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Hello my little buttons!

Welcome to the frightening world of Avons Mega Effects Mascara. I have been literally itching to try this for the longest time. The cute little brush and novelty of this mascara had me intrigued, I wanted to see how it would apply and if it was as fun as it looked. A good friend didn’t use hers to offered it to me, I bit her hand off!! 

I was surprised how small it was for some reason I thought it would of been bigger, which is a bit daft really as it goes near your eyes lol. After removing the grey lid it reminded me of a brush in a pot of paint, you give the brush a wiggle and out come the bristles with a flexible handle so you can get at the right angle. I thought this was awesome, in the same way you might like looking at a pointless little ornament or miniature dolls house furniture. 

I went straight the the mirror to try it out, it was then I realised how impractical this mascara is!! It felt as unnatural as pushing a new born baby back up yourself. From a young age you train you hand and eye coordination to use a mascara wand a certain way, it takes time, dedication and a lot of messy black dots on your face. Using this mascara felt like someone else was waving the wand near my eyes, I had to move super slow and couldn’t take my gaze off the mirror for even a second. Another thing that was irritating is there was no where to wipe the excess off so I was worried about big clumps but it was fairly easy to brush them through. I do have to say I did kinda like the end result, my lashes looked longer and the mascara itself was super black which is something I love in a mascara. I will definitely keep trying this crazy contraption out to see if I can get used to it but as it stands today im just baffled lol. 

I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts on this mascara! Please comment down below and subscribe if you’d like to read more! 

My HONEST review on Younique Moodstruck 3d fibre lashes + mascara! 

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Hello my little buttons! 

I was sent the brand spanking new Moodstruck 3d fiber lashes + mascara from a lovely presenter called Asia I met on Instagram, her account is @asiamwh. Asia started selling younique so she could stay at home with her 7 month old gorgeous baby, she has been selling since May 2015 and lives in the USA. 

I was really intrigued to see how this mascara would perform as like most people on the online beauty community I have seen it EVERYWHERE!! I was also rather sceptical as some presenters (please do understand I do only mean some) are incredibly pushy, and flood my page with ‘check out my new mascara!’ I almost didn’t want to like it!!! But as the open minded person I am I didn’t want to punish presenters such as Asia and the product itself because the actions of others. I also loved that the new formula is gluten, soy, paraben and sulphate free and is 100% hypoallergenic. The wand is now cone shaped to reduce clumping and it’s made in the USA.  

I really liked the packaging, the product was presented in a lovely black box and the two mascara tubes came in a soft black bag which is great for storage to keep them together and for travel. It’s a nice added little luxury that made it feel very high end. There was one tube of transplanting gel and another tube of fibres. The tubes had a rubberised feel and were matte black which looks awesome. There is also windows on both tubes to show what was inside and how much you have left. There was a handy instruction sheet of how to apply the mascara step by step with pictures. 

  

I had heard from several people that ‘at first it can be tricky to apply’ and ‘you’ll need a bit of practice’ but first impressions I was surprised how easy it was!! The transplantation gel even on its own looked great it felt like applying any other normal mascara and really lengthened my lashes. I then applied the fibres, which I was fairly nervous about as I didn’t want to get any in my eyes and wasn’t sure how they would adhere to the gel. Again I was surprised as they stuck perfectly on the gel, they were scattered all over my lashes with zero in the eyes. I then used the gel again to smooth the fibres over and to stick to my lashes and seal them in. I repeated the process again and was really impressed with the final result. They didn’t look like big chunky spider legs, it’s looked gorgeous! Adding volume and length and really lifting the lashes up. I didn’t use the fibres on the bottom, I added a touch of gel and I felt that was enough. 

 
The next time I used it I tried out one coat and was pleased with the natural look the mascara achieved. On lot of photos on Instagram I had seen huge built up lashes which for a dramatic or night time look is great but for day to day I prefere something lighter and wasn’t sure this mascara was up to the job but I was pleasantly surprised at how diverse this product is. 

  

For this smokey eye I wanted to added lots of volume to my lashes so I added 3 coats of the mascara. It layered up great with very little fiddling and playing about. The most time consuming thing is chopping and changing tubes but even then I think it is well worth the added few minutes. 

Now for some pros and cons, I liked the finished look it was better than I expected and I really liked that you have control on how big you want your lashes to go. Several times I was asked if I was wearing falsies and that’s a big thumbs up in my book. I didn’t notice very much eye irritation, although after maybe 10 hours or so I did have some fall out and my eyes did get a bit itchy but then again even with normal mascara my eyes get sore and tiered by the night time. On the odd occasion I did get a fibre in my eye it’s wasn’t painful and was easy to remove so this wasn’t an issue for me. I did notice that during the day I had to keep my hands off my eyes, if I accidentally knocked my lashes I was at risk of loosing the extention of fibres that were on the end!! 

Overal I think this mascara is a big win, I’m not sure if I’d wear it every day but for an event, big day out or night on the town I’ll definitely be using this when I don’t fancy wearing lashes. It was comfy to wear and you really can get the look you want with this product it’s not just for big crazy lashes, although it’s very good at that too!! I can see why it’s so popular and how several of my friends (in real life) swear by it. Such a clever idea that doesn’t take long to master. I can also see how it wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea as it does take longer to use than regular mascara but as I said before the final look far out weights the additional effort! 

If you’d like to give this mascara a go for yourself you can order it from: 

http://www.youniqueproducts.com/asiaholcomb  
  
Disclaimer: This was sent to me to review but that doesn’t remotely effect the honest review I have given I have not been sponsored or paid to promote this product. I would not sell my soul for makeup. 

My July favourites!! 

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Hello my little buttons!!

Here’s a count down of my favourite products from the month of July 2015. This month for me has all been about trying new things, as well as lightening up my makeup for the summer. I’ve been super busy with work and the kids so I’ve needed practical products that get the job done fast. 

  
The Pro Decadance Magic eyeshadow palette from Freedom Makeup London has been a staple in collection, I have done an in depth review on this on my blog recently so if you scroll down it should be there! To keep it short and sweet, fantastic quality all shades are pigmented blendable and just stunning I really can’t praise it enough. For £6 I was bowled over.

  
Blush highlight and contour palette from Makeup Revolution £3.50 I have owned for a while but rediscovered this month. Beautiful shades that are easy to work with, I would say use a light hand with the contour shade (I would use this more as a bronzer or for suble contour) as it’s highly pigmented. The highlight is pretty and also works very well as an eyeshadow, the shimmer is to die for! The blush is a dupe for the sleek blush rose gold, side by side there is very little difference. 

  
I might have found my Holy Grail liquid eyeliner, again a Freedom Makeup London product, the brush is perfection. It’s a rubber tip that is mainly firm to get your line straight but the end is flexible to get your wing on!! It’s really helped with my eyeliner application  and as you can do very fine lines with ease I can do for a lighter look without it going wrong and ending up super thick, you all know what I’m talking about!!!! 

  
I will have a review up soon on this product as I have bought a few other colours, this is the Bourjois Color Band eyeshadow and liner 2 in 1 pencil. I LOVE this pencil, the rose gold colour is so metallic and smooth to apply no matter how I wear it im always happy with the result. It’s sets really well and lasts most of the day even on my oily lids. Can’t wait to try more looks with the other colours they are quick and convenient, great for if your in a rush. 

  

Another Boujois product that I can’t believe I’ve not mentioned sooner in a favourites as it lives in my handbag and this is my second one!! Color Boost Lip crayon in Proudly Naked. Balmy, creamy this glides on the lips with just the right amount of colour. It’s sheer but packs a punch it’s my perfect pinky nude and the best thing is you don’t need a mirror to apply, it also goes with nearly every makeup look so it’s very diverse. 

  
 
I have an in depth review on this product too which I wrote recently. The swatch speaks for itself, if I could paint my whole body in this I would. Super affordable, the cream to powder formula feels good on the skin and works well over liquid and powder foundations. 

  
Last but defiantly not least is House of Glam Dolls lashes, here I’ve used the half strip. I’ve always struggled with applying lashes, mainly getting the glue tackiness correct. The glue that goes with these lashes is the bomb, it applies blue and is ready to be instantly applied. It also holds them in place all day with zero slippage. The lashes are made with natural hairs and are light and comfy to wear there is also a huge range of styles to suit everyone and anyone. At £5 a set these were my deal of the month!