Yearly Archives: 2016

Shadow Switch- Dry Brush Cleaner review

19th December 2016
I’m not one of those people with a huge collection of makeup brushes and more often than I care to admit to I end up spoiling my makeup by trying to apply a neutral base eyeshadow with the same brush that carries the remnants of last night’s smokey eye- or even more frequently than I care to admit to dip my brush in to the wrong shade shadow when using a palette (I can’t be the only person who forgets which one they’ve just used right?). So when I heard about a brand new product called Shadow Switch, a dry brush cleaner designed to remove makeup from your brushes quickly and effectively meaning no more getting your shades mixed up or applying some strange hybrid colour you never knew existed I was more than a little bit excited to get the chance to try it out*!
Shadow Switch is a compact little tin (although once released properly the packaging will look different) containing a black sponge. To remove makeup from your brush you simply roll it over the Shadow Switch sponge in a circular motion until all the colour has disappeared. It sounds too good to be true, right? That’s what I thought at first, but since it’s arrival I’ve been using this every time I do my makeup either during the process if I’m using the same brush for more than one colour or before I pack my brushes away to ensure I have a clean slate for next time and it’s a game changer. I’ve gone from often having to take my eye makeup off and start over to getting it all done in one go (mostly, I am prone to the odd sneeze whilst doing my eye liner or prodding myself with my mascara wand) and it adds barely any time to my routine at all.
At £5.99 this has definitely become a welcome addition to my makeup box and with good maintenance in the form of cleaning the sponge with warm water and fragrance free soap each Shadow Switch sponge should last you two months before it needs replacing.

Beauty Essentials, the brand behind Shadow Switch are new to the UK and this is the first product they’ve released. Based on how impressed I’ve been by this one I can’t wait to see what else they have up their sleeves.

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Product sent to me for blog consideration, all thoughts are my own.

Posted in beauty, make up, review

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Keeping Cosy with Bows Boutiques*

15th December 2016
I don’t do things by halves, it appears I’ve gone from posting pretty much no outfit posts in ages to bringing you one today that has three separate looks in it. I do love dressing for winter weather though, there’s something about layering up and keeping snug that is infinitely appealing and thanks to some new arrivals in my wardrobe from Bows Boutiques I’m keeping cosy in style.

Coat c/o Bows Boutiques | Skirt: New Look | Boots: Long Tall Sally

I think this might be the warmest coat I have ever owned (and that’s saying something as I currently own a lot of coats!) It’s taken me a while to embrace parka style coats but right now I can’t get enough and this one is just perfect. It’s super padded and has lots of faux fur details to make it extra snug and the quality is amazing. I’ve been wearing this non-stop since it arrived- my other coats are starting to feel quite neglected but my loyalty currently lies with this one.

Cardigan c/o Bows Boutiques | Jumper: New Look | Skirt: New Look | Boots: George at Asda

My friends and family call me the cardigan queen as it’s very rare I’m seen without one. I’ve been a little un-inspired by the high-street’s offerings this season though, especially when it came to finding a new black cardigan. This studded cardi from Bows Boutiques ticks all of the right boxes for me- decent length, super warm, pockets and something to make it stand out in the form of the silver stud detailing. This comes in one size suitable for sizes 8-16 and it hangs like a dream, it comes in three colours (grey and khaki) and I’m tempted to buy one of each come payday.

The skirt and jumper are both fairly new acquisitions from New Look- the skirt has become yet another wardrobe essential for me- a more subtle way to embrace the velvet trend with it’s quilted texture and I really like how it looked paired with these over the knee boots that I admit I forgot I owned, oops!

Jumper c/o Bows Boutiques | Jeans: New Look (old) | Boots: New Look (now half price)

I’m not usually one to share my more casual outfits on the blog, there isn’t often anything exciting to show when I’m slobbing around in jeans and a baggy jumper but I make exception for this jumper as it dresses up my one and only pair of jeans perfectly. I’m a big fan of oversized knitwear especially when I’m struggling with my body confidence and feel the need to hide. The embroidered detail is bang on trend and the jumper itself is so soft and snuggly that I just want to live in it. Again it’s a one size fits all (8-16) piece that just hangs like a dream. It comes seven different colours and I’m starting to think that one for every day of the week might not be a bad idea. I actually really like how this outfit turned out. The pewter boots finish it off wonderfully although I am slightly resentful that they are now half price at £14.99.
This post has been my introduction to the brand Bows Boutiques and I have to say I am seriously impressed. It’s hard to know what to expect when you’ve never experienced a company before but I can hand on heart say I’ll be shopping with them from here on out. The quality far exceeds that of many a high-street shop and the prices are very reasonable (£85 for the coat, £31.99 for the cardigan and £28.99 for the jumper). Watch this space for more pieces arriving in my wardrobe very soon- well, once I’m back at work and have had a chance to recover from the expense of Christmas that is!

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P.S. sorry the photos aren’t very exciting. The one and only opportunity I got to take them and the weather decided to chuck a sudden downpour at me!

Posted in brands I love, fashion, life, outfits, review, shoes, shopping

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Party Makeup with Essence

14th December 2016
Party season is in full swing and last Friday saw me pop on my glad rags for my one and only festive knees up this year. I’ve never been on to splash out and invest in expensive clothes, shoes or makeup for a night out but at the same time I do want something that’ll go the distance. This year I sported a £10 playsuit and £5 jacket from Primark as well as my pewter boots from New Look (now half price). My makeup came courtesy of my friends at Essence who sent over a few new pieces for me to try out- despite their purse friendly prices the products in this post impressed me enough to make it to the top of my party makeup list and were still going strong long after I left the dance floor.
Up until the package had arrived I’d actually been struggling to find exactly the colour eyeshadow I wanted to wear so it was fortuitous that the metals eyeshadow in shade 02 frozen toffee (£2) was exactly what I’d had in mind. This is a gorgeous frosted brown that blends beautifully, the colour payoff is amazing and it didn’t crease or fade at all which is frankly amazing for the price. I used this colour as a base before blending in a smokey grey pigment and finishing off with the extreme lasting eye pencil in shade 04 nighttime in the jungle (£2). Again this shows impressive longevity for the minuscule price tag and applies like a dream- no dragging or catching at all.

I’d already decided I wanted to go with a dark lip for the party and the long lasting lipstick in shade 21 très chic (£2.30) turned out to be perfect. Once again this is an essence product that lives up to it’s claims and unlike many long lasting lip products doesn’t suck all of the moisture out of your lips by half way through the night.

Finally a product that was completely new to me was the blush ball in shade 30 cinnamon candy (£3) which I used along with highlighter to give my skin a healthy glow. I love how portable this product is although I did find it a little harsh when applied directly so used my soft blusher brush for a gentler approach. It’s a lovely way to package a product though and the colour creates a warm glow for pale winter skin.

After getting caught up in the party prep madness I didn’t actually manage to get a decent photo of the end result…but you kind of get the idea from this shameless instagram selfie right?

Are you all partied out yet? What are some of your favourite budget party makeup pieces?

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Posted in beauty, brands I love, christmas, fashion, make up, review

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The New Beauty Wonder Oil- Cacay Naturals

13th December 2016
I’ve been a fan of using oil based products in my beauty regime for a few years now. I first picked some up whilst on holiday in Spain- my hair was feeling the wrath of 40 degree heat and having spied Argan oil in a shop I grab some out of desperation and the rest, as they say is history.

Since then it’s not just been on my hair that I’ve used oils. Although I’ve not ventured in to the territory of facial skin care I do use coconut oil on my very dry elbows and knees with excellent results. When I received an e-mail about a new oil on the beauty block that is suitable for all skin types, is 100% natural/organic/vegan, is cruelty free and contains more benefits that my old faithful Argan oil I was intrigued.

Cacay oil claims to be the purest anti-ageing oil out there, rich in vitamin E and linoleic acid and with skin healing properties I was really eager to try this for myself.

But first, what is Cacay oil? Not something I’d ever heard of that’s for sure. Apparently it is an oil made from the highly nutritious nut of the Cacay fruit. This edible, protein rich oil has been used for centuries by indigenous Amazonian people to treat skin irritations and to help with wound healing.

Sounded good to me!

There’s not much to say about the oil itself, I was a bit surprised that it doesn’t really have a scent to it but that’s not a bad thing. I really liked that the bottle comes with a pipette dropper which makes application really easy and precise. Over the last week I’ve been using this oil in all aspects of my beauty regime- and that includes, out of interest on my hair.

Does it work? Well, I can’t claim to look ten years younger after such a short space of time but the fine lines that insist on appearing around my eyes are less noticeable to my eyes. My elbows and knees have never been so soft and my hair is loving this (applied with a light hand before blow drying) and feels silky smooth and nourished. Being somewhat haphazard whilst making mince pies the other day I also popped a drop of Cacay oil on to a rather nasty burn on my hand that was driving me mad and although it didn’t magically heal up it did sooth the searing pain and scorched skin feeling.

So overall I’m impressed. As I mentioned it’s really hard to gauge the anti-ageing properties after only a week but I am happy to report back if anyone wants to know.

Cacay oil is available to buy on amazon (direct link) at £32.75 for a 30ml bottle which strikes me as reasonable given a) the sheer number of ways you can use this and b) you only need the tiniest amount so it will last forever.

Let me know if you give it a go or want a more in depth review of any of the claims.

Posted in beauty, hair, review, skincare

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Not Listening

12th December 2016
You may remember that over the Summer I became a little bit obsessed with slogan and logo tees, to be honest they were pretty much all I wore on a daily basis for a good few weeks solid, paired either with a denim skirt or my old faithful denim pinafore. It’s been a while since I added to my collection but when my friends at Lush T Shirts got back in touch (you may recall I’ve worked with them several times before) with some Christmas gifting ideas I decided it was time to get a bit cheeky.

Tee c/o Lush T Shirts (here) | Skirt: Urban Outfitters | Boots: Banana Republic | Coat: Mango (similar)

I think I’ve mentioned before that I am a very sarcastic person once you get to know me and this tee sums up that side of my personality perfectly. There really is a t shirt for everyone on the Lush T Shirts site though, I’ve popped together a few of my favourites for Christmas gift inspiration- at £14.99 they make for an affordable and fun way to get your message across, or you can shop the festive range for an alternative to the Christmas jumper (and you can get any 4 for the price of 3 too so great if you want to stock up).
If you had to pick a T Shirt to represent you what would it say?

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Posted in brands I love, christmas, fashion, gifts, outfits, shopping

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