EMPTIES #3

Like any beauty-addicted human, I feel much more accomplished whenever I finally finish a product. I've saved these bottles and tubs up to write this review post, which I evidently never really got around to until now. After a while of being glared at from their box in the bathroom sink, I thought it was about time I put them to their last use and finally lay them all to rest.

Getting straight to it, the first item I have to talk to you about is the Dry Roots and Dry Ends shampoo by Lee Stafford. It's not a shampoo I would use every single day as it could be quite drying on the scalp, but I found my oily hair lasted a couple of days longer than it normally would using this. I probably wouldn't buy it again, as towards the end of the bottle it started to mess with my scalp and make it quite itchy but then again so does just about everything. You win some, you lose some.

Next up, something that actually didn't irritate my scalp (hallelujah), which is the Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Dry Shampoo. Let me start by telling you about the smell. It's such a lovely, fresh scent that does linger on the hair but not in a 'so strong that it hurts your nose' kind of way, but it's more of a subtle scent that you catch every so often. I think it was a mix of mint and citrus. Anyway, it did absorb oil, but best of all - it doesn't leave a white cast!

Onto the two conditioners. The first is the Tresemme silky smooth conditioner for dry, frizz prone hair. This seemed like it would be fitting for my hair, because it is both of those things but I didn't feel this was life-changing whatsoever. Yes, it helped my hair a little bit and left it slightly more manageable but no major changes. The next conditioner isn't something readily available, I think it's more of a salon brand.. and it's French or Canadian, or something. Basically, my sister who lives in Canada gifted me this, and it changed my hair's life - no, really! It's the La Biosthetique conditioner (or creme, if you're fancy) for fine hair. It totally smoothed out my hair, leaving it so much more manageable. I was no longer fighting all of the knots out of my hair every morning and night, and it just looked much less dry and damaged. Thankfully, I seem to have found an alternative now, though I am sad that I probably won't be able to find this in the UK. I urge you to give this a try if you do happen to see it!

I finish makeup products at a very slow pace, so it's really a miracle that I have four to show you this time. Let's start with the two mascaras. 

I quite liked the subtle finish of the Maybelline Great Lash mascara, for such a small tube, it really packs a punch in length. The brush is small, making it brilliant for getting close to the inner corners and all those little lashes you didn't know you had. There was one downside which totally ruined it for me though, and that's the wear of it. I would apply this in the morning, and by lunchtime, I would check the mirror and it would have ended up smudging under my eyes. I eventually gave up on this because I just couldn't get it to work. Such a shame! In contrast, the Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara had no cons really. It held a curl so well, and gave me seriously long and voluminous lashes. If I wasn't always trying something new, I would definitely give this another go.

The Fix and Perfect Pro Primer by Rimmel was pretty impressive in improving the longevity of makeup, but I didn't feel it lived up to the other claims. It didn't improve my skin's texture, or appear to blur my pores but what can you expect from the drugstore?

The last makeup item is the one I'm most sad about. It's the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony. This was perfect for filling in sparse areas, for shaping a whole new Cara Delevingne style brow, and it has a spoolie (!!) - which yep, I am keeping. My only bugbear about this is that I probably should've gone a shade lighter but that didn't really bother me too much when using it. 

Here we are, the last set of items and arguably the most boring ones. We all know about the Soap and Glory Clean on Me shower gel, it's moisturising, creamy and makes a great shower gel and it lasts forever!

Next we have the 'Cooling Glacial Scrub' by Sanctuary Spa. Not gonna lie, this initially confused the hell out of me. The first few times using this, I would scoop it out of the tub and attempt to scrub my body with it in the shower, only to have nothing happen. No grit, no real scrubby action - nothing. This was £8 which isn't breaking the bank, but it's pretty expensive for a body scrub. I was determined to make this work though, and I was using the Clean on Me gel at the same time, and on the back of the bottle it mentions turning off the water while using so, I tried that with the scrub and voila! Turning off the water actually made a world of difference. Maybe I'm just lacking common sense but just some advice for anyone reading this post for review purposes. Rant aside, this left my skin feeling so smooth, while remaining hydrating - probably something to do with the cucumber extract!

Finally, I leave you with the most boring of all these products - Garnier Express Eye Express 2-in-1 Eye Makeup Remover. Does what it says on the bottle. Perfect for even waterproof makeup, and lip products too! At around £3.50, it's a total steal.

I hope this wasn't too long for you, I really enjoy sharing my thoughts with you guys. Now, back to writing essays! -x

Long Time No Blog

Hey everyone, it's been a while. I've totally neglected this small space on the internet for quite some time (6 months, to be exact - eek). I think it started out with simply not knowing what direction I wanted to take. I know I don't have millions or followers, or anything but this space is special to me. It's somewhere I can come to write about things that I'm passionate about, and that make me feel good about myself, and I took time to focus on my studies and other important stuff but I'm ready to come back and bring you content. Hopefully some of you are still here! Anyway, let me share some pictures with you of what I've been up to so we can get started again.

Rare sighting of a sunny day in Aberdeen, which lasted approximately half an hour before it went back to being grey and rainy.

Yes, that might be the cutest puppy. ever. Unfortunately not mine, but that didn't stop me from trying to steal her from my sister!

Little cinema date with a friend to see The Witch the other month. Most people didn't seem impressed by the movie, but I quite liked it!

 Yeah, forget sunny days with a clear blue sky. This is what Scotland really looks like. Not quite as picturesque but still (slightly) photogenic.

REVIEW: Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony

Hi guys, today I'm here to talk about a product that I've been wanting to buy forever but was a little skeptical of due to a) the price and b) the shade range. £15.50 seems like a bit of a joke for a brow product, but I felt I just had to see what all the fuss was about. The huge shade range might make it sound easier to choose your exact match but since I'm unable to source this in store, it's almost impossible to see the difference between some of the darker brown colours. So, I ended up picking Ebony - it's slightly too dark for me but we make things work here. Oh, and if you don't recognise this product - it's the Brow Wiz from Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Let's start off with the packaging. It's a very slim, double ended pencil, one side contains the actual product, which is "ultra-fine" and retractable, which means no awkward sharpening. On the other end is a spooly, which I find a little harsh and scratchy for my brow area, I'm hoping that it will soften the more I use it but we'll see. I find this really easy to use because of how slim the packaging and the product itself is, you can get it precisely where you want it and it makes it easy to fill in sparse areas while leaving just a bit of colour in the more sparse areas of the brow.

Like I said, the shade Ebony can be a bit dark for me but that's only if I go crazy with it. The product itself is very soft, so I would be slightly worried about taking this anywhere with me without it's box in fear that it would snap on me (not literally). Despite this, my brows stay in shape and last all day - I've worn this to the gym before, and through the rainy days in Aberdeen and it doesn't ever budge.

The shade Ebony is a very dark, cool toned brown. The reason I picked this shade was because of it's cool tone. Since I have quite dark hair already, I didn't want to pick something that was too warm toned and this was pretty much perfect for that reason, and I kind of like that it's quite dark because it prevents me from going crazy with my brows and looking like I've just went crazy with a marker pen!

I do get the hype for this, and I love that you can pretty much fake any shape you want with it. I just advise anyone to do their research on the shades, and use a light hand with that spooly! You can buy the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz for £15.50 here - there's free postage over £15!

October Favourites!

I've always loved October, maybe it's because of Halloween, or maybe it has something to do with it being my birthday month... Either way, I love it when it starts to cool off but it's not completely freezing yet, you can start wearing boots and jumpers and fluffy socks (oh, how I love fluffy socks). 

I celebrated my birthday by going to a lovely Italian restaurant, and then went to see comedian Kevin Bridges later on. It was brilliant, I've never known anyone who doesn't find him hilarious! Anyhoo, I don't have the biggest variety of products to show you but I hope you like reading about them anyway.

I'm going to get the candle out of the way first because as much as I love it, it's so bloody difficult to get it in a picture so lets just ignore my lack of photography skills for now. I always crack out the Salted Caramel Yankee Candle during autumn, it's not sickly sweet as you would assume, it's more of a warm and homey scent, and the scent throw is brilliant. Perfect for lazy nights cuddling up on the sofa with a blanket!

I have two blushers to show you. The first is the Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lavish Mauve which is a pinky-mauve coloured blush which leaves the cheeks with a natural, soft looking glow. It's not the most pigmented colour but it can be built up if you really wanted to. The next blush is the Rimmel lasting Finish Mono Blush in Santa Rose. I use this when I'm wearing a bold lip and don't want anything to interfere with the overall makeup look, and this is perfect. The colour is a lot more pink than the picture above but just gives a little boost to the skin, without being at all dramatic.

Next I've been wearing the Maybelline 24h Colour Tattoo in On And On Bronze which I find really compliments my green eyes. The texture is so soft but it doesn't crease at all on me. It's perfect for those days where you have to rush to put on your makeup as it's super quick to use.

I do love a good dark lip, but I'm going to talk about the Maybelline Colour Drama Lipstick in Nude Perfection. This is the first brown based nude I've used, and I really love how it looks on me. It lasts a good time on the lips but it's not overly drying despite the product being more of a pencil than an actual lipstick.

Onto the trio of darkness. Haha. First is the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Va Va Violet which is a super dark purple shade. You can pat this onto the lips for more of a light stain, or you can really build this up to a super bold colour. This is a bit daunting to use because it does come off really dark but I love the colour on my fair skin.

The last products are ones that I featured in a recent haul. First is The Only 1 lipstick by Rimmel in One Of A Kind, a vampy red. It's got a pink undertone to it so I imagine it would suit everyone. It's very flattering and lasts quite a long time on the lips. Only downside is that when it dries on the lips, it can cling to dry patches so it's not one that you should top up during the day - you're better off taking it off and starting again. And lastly is the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Dark Night Waterloops which is a dark purple berry colour. It's super creamy and super pigmented so I prefer to outline the lips with a brush and fill the rest in. It glides straight over any dry patches but you don't want to wear it while eating or drinking, trust me. Although it doesn't bleed, you don't want to accidentally touch your lips because it will come off and it's pretty messy! I love the colour and the finish though, so it's not too much hassle.

Movies of The Month

Since it's Halloween, I had to crack out Hocus Pocus. It's obviously the best Halloween movie out there. If you haven't seen it (why!?) then I suggest you get moving! I love the humour in this film, Winnie is my spirit animal.

I also love the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie, it's kinda cheesy but I can't help but love that about it. I love Kristy Swanson as Buffy! Lastly I love watching the Halloween movies at this time of year, they're not super scary but I really enjoy traditional slasher style horror movies.

October Playlist

The 1975 - Love Me
Trapt - Headstrong

Selena Gomez - Revival (album)

The Japanese House - Pools to Bathe In (EP)

Unfortunately I'm working during Halloween so I must live vicariously through everyone else - what are you going as for Halloween?-x

Review: Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner

Today I'm here to give my two cents about the much hyped Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob. It's the perfect product if you like those pink/dark nude/'my lips but better' shades. It glides on like a dream and is perfect for those of us that like to ever-so-slightly exaggerate (as the name would suggest) the lip line.

The texture is very soft - so soft that the first time I used it, it crumbled a little bit (only time it's happened, but just thought I'd let you know). That's obviously why the tip is slanted, and the packaging is the same, probably to stop the liner from crumbling every time you use it - just don't twist the product up too much or you'll end up losing a bit of the product. Strangely enough, the slanted tip makes it much easier to create precise lines, and makes the filling in process a lot quicker too! I like that the liner is a twist up product - much less hassle than one you have to sharpen! Although, I somehow don't think this would work in a pencil form just because it is so delicate in texture. The packaging is very lightweight and slim, so perfect for chucking in the smallest of bags. 

I would say that this is a light dusky rose coloured lip liner, it's quite a good match for my natural lip colour so it's the perfect choice for when I don't want something bold on the lip but I still want to have something. I feel like this would work really well for those who are looking to add some pigmentation to their lips. The texture of this is really lovely, in the picture above, my lips are very dry but the product just glided right over them and seemed to do quite a good job of disguising the cracks - just don't look too close haha! I love using this to slightly overfill the lips, and the finish isn't obvious at all. Despite the soft texture, the lip liner really stays on the lips and doesn't come off through lunch!

Did I forget to mention that this is a total bargain? You can find the Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner in Eastend Snob here for £3.99!

A Wee Haul!

We all do it. Go for a stroll through Boots for some household essential like toothpaste or handwash, and end up leaving with your hands full of makeup that you don't really need, but you absolutely must have at the same time... It only seems right that I share my guilty pleasures with you! (Warning: I seem to be having a real Rimmel moment right now).

First bits I picked up were some of the worst (by worst I mean best) guilty pleasures that I can't quite seem to keep away from: lipsticks. 

I have a bit of a thing for wine-y, berry toned lipsticks - especially during this time of year so I picked up Rimmel's The Only 1 Lipstick in the shade One Of A Kind. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't tell you about the wear time or anything techincal (ha) like that but the colour really is lovely - I imagine this will give a vampy wine stained lip effect.

Next is the Maybelline Colour Drama Lipstick in Nude Perfection. It's a really gorgeous browny nude, that can be used to up the glamour or tone down a dramatic look. It wears quite well, and isn't very drying at all!

The last lip colour I picked up is the Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Dark Night Waterloops. What a name. I first spotted this in Winter last year but never really got the chance to pick it up. It's a very dark purple shade that's perfect for autumn and winter. Again, I haven't tried this one so I can't give you many more details: just that I'm excited to darken up my makeup with this.

I then picked up Soap & Glory's The Fab Pore 2-in-1 mask and peel - it's not a peel in the usual 'peeling off the skin' sense but I certainly felt and saw a difference in my skin. It's not harsh at all, and I can definitely see a difference after one use. I'll be sure to keep you posted with this one!

Last but not least, I picked up the Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer. I tested this out during a long shift at work yesterday. Usually, my makeup is sliding all over the place within three or four hours but this time, my makeup was only just beginning to fade away after five hours! I already prefer this to their Fix & Perfect Pro Primer.

Thanks for reading! Picked up anything new lately? -x

Love List + Catch Up!

Hey guys. Let me start this off with an apology. I haven't been present around here at all these past couple of months and I'm really sorry. From starting the second year of my course, to having some personal issues, I've struggled to find the time to just relax and just talk to you guys. I'd like for this post to be a new start, so it's going to be a catch up post regarding what I've been loving this last wee while. Some things that I've really been enjoying this past little while, so let's begin!

First off, lets talk about the product that I've been loving for natural, glowy skin. It's the Rimmel Sun Shimmer Tanning Mousse in Medium. I told you all about my love/hate relationship with the Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan but I only have love for this bottle of sun. It's super easy to use, dries quickly, doesn't transfer and leaves me a good shade of bronze that actually lasts!

And to go with that, I've been using the Superdrug Cherry & Macadamia Nut Body Butter to keep my skin smooth and to prevent any patchiness while the tan's fading. It has the most delicious smell that lingers on the skin (don't worry, it's not overpowering). It leaves my skin super smooth and hydrated, and it's currently on offer for £1.95 - brilliant.
My sister flew in from Canada recently and she brought with her a bundle of beauty goodness which included this hair mask for fine hair from La Biosthetique. It's a little tough to get a hold of but my hair has never looked or felt better. It's so much more manageable with less knots - it's basically the answer to my hair prayers.

After so much hype surrounding the Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob, I felt compelled to pick it up.. and I'm glad I did! It's a really gorgeous 'my lips but better shade' - think a neutral rosy pink. It lasts around 4 hours on my lips, and isn't drying at all. It's a really great shade for muting down a dramatic eye look, or exaggerating the lip line a bit (which I personally don't, I end up looking like a fish).

Next up, is the mascara that the Youtube community went crazy for - and I can totally see why. I picked up the waterproof version of the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara because I was looking for something that would thicken up my lashes and hold a curl. This mascara does just that! It separates the lashes really nicely, giving them a little bit of length and the best thing is - it doesn't smudge. I can always trust this to stay in place during long hours at work, super impressed!

And last  but seriously not least is the much coveted Mary Lou Manizer highlighter. It's a bit expensive but it's totally worth it. It's super soft but packs a real punch in terms of pigmentation. It can be built up if you're on a night out, or can be used for a subtle daytime highlight. Probably my most loved product in my makeup stash right now.

If you're not a fan of non-beauty things like tv/movies/music then it's alright for you to click away now - I promise I won't be offended haha!

TV Talk

I've being making my way through The Vampire Diaries fairly quickly - I'm currently on Season 4 and I am loving it. I love the different story lines, and the fact that it's fairly fast paced - I can't be dealing with story lines that drag out for so long without any twists along the way. It's not just the story that's great though - Paul Wesley, anyone?

I've also been catching up on Season 3 of Mistresses and Devious Maids. Mistresses is basically a drama series based on the lives of four friends and it follows their complex, and sometimes illegitimate relationships. It's basically a soap, so if you're looking for something not so hard hitting to take your mind off things for a bit then this is a good one to sit and binge on.

Devious Maids is more of a mystery/crime based drama that follows the lives of a group of maids within Beverly Hills. The first series revolves around an English Professor, Marisol, whose son has been jailed for the murder of a maid. She then goes undercover as a maid within the same neighbourhood in a bid to clear his name - the storyline doesn't drag on though, it's not like PLL where only fifty million series' on, you find out who the killer is. It's a really good watch if you like girly tv and something that's going to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Playlist

I've had so many music favourites so it's difficult to pinpoint all of them but here goes!

I've been loving the album Badlands by Halsey. I've been a big fan of hers for quite a while so I was super excited for her to finally release this album. She has such a distinct voice, and sound - give her a listen if you're into indie pop.

As for individual songs, I've been obsessed with Chvrches' new song Leave A Trace. Again, I've been such a huge fan of this band for quite a while and, since their first album was amazing, I was nervous as to whether or not they could do better but they definitely have. I still love this song even after listening non stop since its' release.

I've also been loving How Deep Is Your Love by Calvin Harris, and Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour - two totally different genres, and one is a reminder of my younger teenage years - oh, the nostalgia.

Again, I'm sorry for being absent for such a long time but I promise I'll try my best for you! This is something I really enjoy, and I will make more time to just sit down and chat. -x