My Spring Essentials...

First of all, Happy Easter! Hope you had a lovely time off school/college/uni etc. and that you got plenty of chocolate!♥

I've seen post's like this floating around all month and I think it's interesting seeing how different (and sometimes similar!) people's 'spring essentials' are, so why not share mine?

An obvious one, Easter Egg's! What is Spring with out Easter & loads of chocolate? Lindor is my favourite so I got this egg & bunny from my mam & dad, YUM!♥

Soap & Glory 'Mist You Madly' Fragrance Mist, Boots, £3.50 100ml OR £6.50 250ml 

I actually wear this scent all year round because it smells SO good, but I definitely wear this more in Spring as it's so floral and just so Spring appropriate! Also, I often get compliments or people ask what I've got on when I wear this so that's a bonus.♥

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette, Debenhams, £37

I think everyone is familiar with this ever so famous palette so I'm not going to go into too much! But all the colours included are pretty pinks/plums/rose golds, which in my opinion are very Spring colours! You can create so many different looks with this palette (day & night) so it is definitely worth the money, I have all 3 naked palette's and I love each one, they're such good quality & in my opinion, they're worth the 'hype' they have, but definitely go test one before you buy it so you don't end up spending almost £40 on a palette that doesn't suit you or that you'll end up not wearing!☺

Maybelline 24HR Color Tattoo in 'Pink Gold' £4.99, Boots

If you have the Naked 3 palette or any pink coloured eye shadow's that you like to wear, you need this! This is a cream eye shadow so you can wear this alone (which looks pretty still!) but it actually makes a perfect eye shadow primer, putting this underneath with make the colour's stand out so much more.♥

Benefit Hoola Bronzer, Benefit, 8.0g £23.50

If, like me, you're more of a medium skin tone, then this bronzer will be more light on your, if you're more pale, this won't be the same for you (sorry!). Anyway, this is great for a more gentle contour & all over bronzer, for me, it makes me look naturally 'sun-kissed' I guess & just give a healthy colour rather than looking a little ghostly!☺

MUA Blusher in 'Marshmallow' £1, Superdrug

This is a subtle, gentle pink blush that gives you just a slight pop of colour to your cheeks, I don't like a lot of face make up on in Spring so a little bit of this just looks really pretty & natural! Also, for £1, you can't go wrong!☺

MUA Matte Lipstick in 'Peachy Keen' £1, Superdrug

I'm actually not keen on wearing this by itself as my lips are quite darker than this & also my lips have a lot of lines (and are slightly cracked atm). However, with any kind of lip gloss over the top, this looks really nice & since it's a matte lipstick, I find it lasts a lot longer. If you have nice lips that are naturally quite light, this would look super nice on it's own!☺

Benefit Dandelion Lipgloss, Benefit, 15.0ml £14.50

This is a really gentle pink lip gloss which actually looks really good over the MUA lipstick I just mentioned, but it still looks nice on it's own if you're looking for a nice glossy, soft colour!☺

Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter in 'Strawberry Shortcake' £7.99, Boots

I absolutely love the Revlon Lip Butters, they're so soft and moisturising but still leave a long lasting pretty colour, this shade is a really light pink which looks so perfect in Spring & Summer!☺

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Polish in 'Dragon Fruit' (Right) Greenberry (Left) £3.99, Superdrug 

I've has these 2 colours on my nails A LOT this Spring, as well as last Spring too! Dragon Fruit is a coral pink colour & Greenberry is a unique green colour. The formula of the Gelly Nail Polishes are amazing, you can get away with just one coat of colour, they're super shiny & really thick but they're not gloopy at all.♥

I know I've kept this quite brief, but I didn't want to make this post too long!

Feel free to ask questions about any products in the comments!

 Thanks for reading!☺

D♥

My Top 5 Favourite Drugstore Mascara's...

Since most people who are reading blogs (including myself) are students, or people who might not work or don't earn a lot, so I really want to focus on more affordable items on my blog rather than basically reviewing things that people can't afford or have to save up for. I find that a lot of of 'drugstore' products can be better or just as good as high end products anyway.♥

So let this be a beginning of many posts to come based on cheaper products!☺

I've tried soooo many mascaras over the years as it is definitely my number 1 beauty product I couldn't live without. So here are my top 5 favourites...

1. L'Oreal Miss Manga

Boots, £8.99

This comes in close first as my favourite, it applies so nicely and is a really dark, rich black so it really looks like you're wearing false lashes, if you want a natural looking mascara I'd stay away from this as you won't get that with it. It adds quite a bit of length and volume to your lashes without being too clumpy or anything. 

2. Maybelline The Falsies

Boots, £7.99

This mascara is so popular, I've seen so many Youtubers and Bloggers rave about it, even though it is a really nice, daytime mascara I wouldn't say it's my top favourite, but I would 100% recommend it whether you're looking for a natural look or not, it is really build-able and will probably suit short, stumpy lashes as well as really long thin lashes. It's definitely a mascara that I'd recommend you pick up if you don't quite know what you're looking for but you just need something new!

3. Soap & Glory Thick and Fast

Boots, £10

I came across this mascara a few years about and I wore this mascara pretty much the whole way through my last year at school because I loved it so much, but I think after my third or fourth tube ran out I never ever came back to it and lost my love for it, but then I ended up with this again as it was included in this years giant Soap & Glory box that they bring out each year over Christmas and sells out after a day (you know which one I mean?). So after I'd dumped it, I'm glad we have been reunited again, I like this for something to quickly apply that will look nice and natural but still quite thick, I also found that it takes ages to run out or get dry as over my year(ish) phase with this as I only bought about 3-4. Definitely recommend!☺

4. Revlon Lash Potion 

Boots, £9.99

If you're a fan of big thick chunky brushes then you'll probably love this, I'm not keen on the brush as I prefer quite thin ones but the formula of this mascara is so nice that I don't even care about the brush! Like the Falsies mascara, it can be used for a natural everyday look or for a false lash effect, it is so build-able and it definitely adds some length to your lashes. I don't have much to say about this one, it's just a really nice mascara!☺

5. Maybelline Big Eyes

Boots, £8.99

OK, so I saved the best till last! This is definitely my favourite out of the 5 and I have been reaching for this A LOT since I got it! What I love most about this mascara is the fact it has 2 brushes, 1 for upper lashes & 1 for lower lashes, they both do their job perfectly, the lower brush is a small thin brush that literally makes it so easy to get each bottom lash coated but without any mess under your eyes! The upper lash brush is more thicker and has a different shape but again, it makes it easier to coat each lash with little mess (I'm really messy with mascara lol). On the note of being messy with mascara, because this doesn't have a long wand I don't accidentally get a huge blob on my cheek when applying either! As well as the brushes being so amazing, the formula is really nice and I guess it does give you that look of 'Big Eyes'. I LOVE this!♥

Thank you for reading if you eventually made it to the bottom!☺

Feel free to leave any comments, I'd like to know if you use any of these or if you're going to try any, or even if there's any that you recommend for me?

D♥

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Laquer's Review with Swatches...

Happy April! Before I start this review I just want to apologise for the lack of posts in March, things have happened, I've been busy and generally a little unmotivated, but mainly because I've been planning upcoming posts and I don't want to give away what they're going to be about but let's just say, I can't actually write just yet as I'm still experimenting ;-)

Anyway... Onto the subject! I bought my first Rimmel Apocalips sometime last year and I've been a tad obsessed with them since, I now own 6... Oops!

(From Left to Right) Across The Universe, Stellar, Apocaliptic, Luna, Stargazer and Light Year

Across The Universe:

This shade is a gorgeous dark, rich red that probably suits some more than others, I sometimes wear just this with a red lip liner or I'll dab it over a red lipstick to darken it up a bit and give it a glossy look.

Stellar:

The colour of this is hard to describe as it's a mix between red, pink and orange in my opinion, kind of like a dark yet bright coral (if that's even possible?). It is a rather daring shade so if you're into bright, edgy colours, this will probably be your perfect summer shade!☺

Apocaliptic:

I think this is the most 'famous' shade from the Apocalips range - It's the one Kate Moss wears on the adverts! Also judging by the name I'm assuming that it's kind of 'the face of the range'. It's a really pretty pink, personally, it's not for me as I never wear pinks unless they're really light but if you're a big pink lipstick fan, this is definitely for you!

Luna:

Now, this is my favourite shade out of them all, it's a lovely soft peachy colour which is literally perfect for spring/summer, I think it suits my skin tone quite well and I have used this quite a lot & I will continue to use it until it runs out - then I'll buy another! Love Love LOVE!♥

Stargazer:

I'm not sure if this was an American exclusive as I can't find this on any UK website, but I actually got this from the Make Up Stall in the Metrocentre (if you're from the North East you'll probably know what stall I'm talking about) so I'm sorry if you can't find this! But I really love this shade, it's a sheer, sparkly nude which looks so good over a nude or brown lipstick or even just on it own, it will probably suit you best if you have a medium to dark skin tones so I'd probably stay away from this if you're pale.

Light Year:

Again, I got this off the Make Up Stall so more apologies if you can't get a hold of this! However I'm not a massive fan of this shade anyway, it looks better in the bottle than it did on my lips, I love a good brown lip but I just think this is a tad dark for me!

Overall, I really love the Apocalips range from Rimmel, they're definitely one of the best products that Rimmel have ever brought out. The formulation of them are so gorgeous, they feel super soft & moisturising on your lips and even though they give off such a glossy look they definitely are not sticky at all, but most of all, I love how vibrant the colours all are, they are so so so perfect.

If you haven't tried these yet then I really recommend you do, they're around £5-£6 - depending on the shop you go to, they're really worth the money and even if you don't like them, they aren't a big investment to lose out on anyway!

Feel free to leave any comments☺

D♥

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Review...

A while ago now, Herbal Essences launched their Bee Strong Hair Care Range and ever since I tried them I literally fell in love, my poor hair has been rather damaged over the years due to bleaching, dyeing and using heat, I have tried a lot of different products on my hair including brands such as Aussie, TRESemme, L'Oreal etc. but nothing had ever truly had a massive impact on my hair, even though other brands do fantastic hair treatments that you use once and leave your hair feeling great until the next time you wash, I'd never came across a good everyday hair care product until I stumbled across these wonders!

Strengthening Intensive Mask, Strengthening Cream, Strengthening Shampoo & Strengthening Conditioner

All of these products contain Honey & Apricot Extract which make them smell amazing, but also they work to repair the protective layer of each strand of hair to give it a gorgeous silky soft finish which it totally does! Using just the Shampoo & Conditioner has helped restore my hair's strength as well as repair some damage & with many Shampoo's & Conditioner's that are designed to repair your hair, I find that they normally make your hair greasy within a day (even hours in some cases) but that is definitely not the case with these products!

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Shampoo £3.99

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strenghtening Conditioner £3.99

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Intensive Mask £4.79

Herbal Essences Bee Strong Strengthening Cream £4.79

I use the Shampoo & Conditioner every time I wash my hair I never use any other Shampoo or Conditioner now, unless I've ran out! I have nothing to fault about them, so if you suffer with damaged, dry hair just go get these because hopefully you'll notice a massive difference like I have! 

I only use the Intensive Mask & Strengthening Cream whenever my hair is having a dull day or if I've dyed it as I don't need them too often when using the Shampoo & Conditioner! 

Overall, I really recommend these as they've been a massive help to me. They're always normally on offer in Boots or Superdrug so do check them out!

D♥

Sheer Cover Studio Review...

I got the chance to take part in Sheer Cover Studio's 'Make It Mineral/Makeup Tox' challenge, I was asked to give up all of my everyday make up products & use only Sheer Cover Studio for one week to see if they can convert me to a mineral make up lover; I have to say, they've done a pretty good job!☺

If you're a bit of a night owl like me then you've probably saw the Sheer Cover Studio adverts when all the channels are just playing teleshopping, I saw them numerous amounts of times and always kind of thought 'yeah right, I bet it's not that good' HOWEVER I was proven totally wrong as I have fell in love with these products! So keep on scrolling & I'll go into more details...

My first impressions were good as this was the package I received, which I immediately ripped open in excitement when the post man dropped it off. The packaging on these products are really plain & simple - which I really like! 

There were 3 brushes included in my box which are designed to work with the 3 face products. First of all, I really like the design & feel of the brushes, the bristles aren't too hard nor too soft. The concealer brush is the one I've enjoyed using the most, this really is the perfect brush for concealer, the size is perfect & it just blends so nicely! 

This perfect product is the Conceal & Brighten Trio in Light/Medium, I love this! It has to be my favourite out of all the products I received, the shades of the concealers really match my skin well, the coverage is amazing considering it feels so light, it blends perfectly & you don't need to use much as a little goes a long way, what more could you ask for? Also, the brightener works so perfectly with the concealers, it adds that extra 'lift' your face needs. Overall love love LOVE this trio!♥

Next is the Perfect Shade Mineral Foundation in Medium, I've never used a mineral foundation before so I was really unsure at first, it is perfect if you have oily skin but if you've got dry skin STAY AWAY, I have combination skin so my cheeks & nose didn't really love this although my oily forehead, chin & top lip loved it, I also mixed this with a light loose powder as it was just a tiny bit too dark for me, but I still tried it on it's own. Even though I liked this product a lot, I think I would just use this as a powder for when I need high coverage as it just doesn't work too well with my skin type!

Ahhh, now these Sun-kissed Bronzing Minerals are just so nice, the bronzer's really do their job well, the darker shade is perfect for a stronger contour & the lighter shade is perfect for a weaker everyday contour as well as an all-over bronzer, nevertheless they even work perfectly blended together! The highlighter isn't too shimmer or anything & is perfect for a subtle daytime highlight!☺

Sheer Cover Studio Lengthening Mascara in Black

Sheer Cover Studio Lash Extending Fibres

When I opened my box & saw 2 mascara tubes I was really confused, never mind when I actually opened the tube for the Lash Extending Fibres as it basically looks like cotton wool stuck to a mascara wand, I have never seen anything like this duo before! So how it work is you apply 1 thin coat of the Lash Extending Mascara then immediately apply the Lash Extending Fibres, I then would do my bottom lashes, then apply 1-2 coats of the mascara over the top.

This was the result! I also gave the mascara a go on it's own without using the fibres but it just wasn't the same as these fibres are just so brilliant! I'm not sure exactly how they work but they are fab! This is now my favourite daytime mascara duo!☺

 I actually had a reaaaaally bad hormonal break out the day I started my 'Make Up Tox' (typical!) so I was going to postpone this week challenge but considering I wanted to test the coverage of these products I just thought, why not try them when my skin is a mess & see if they really do work wonders...

Verdict: Yep! Make up magic! I couldn't believe how good the coverage was seeing as though it feels like you barely have any make up on! The only thing I want to criticise about them is that even though the coverage is good it doesn't really disguise redness so much, I still had to use my life saving green concealer underneath, other than that I cannot fault these Sheer Cover Studio products at all!

I apologise for the variety in lighting & the quality of my photos through-out but anyhow, these are a few looks I did throughout the week, I kept them natural since I haven't actually done much this week. 

Since it was a 'mineral challenge' I wanted to keep the mineral theme going in conjunction so I have been using Bare Minerals eye shadows on my eyelids & on my brows, as for blush I had been using a Maybelline Mineral Powder Blush that I bought years ago, as for lips, I didn't have any mineral products for them so I'm just been using natural shades.

I've really enjoyed my little challenge and I can't thank Sheer Cover Studio enough for sending me these products, I am so happy I got to try them out!

Check them out www.sheercover.co.uk and @SheerCoverUK on Twitter!

D♥

Haul/Reviews: Mac, Illamasqua, Maybelline & More...

Lately, I've done a little bit of make up shopping (not even sorry) so I thought why not share what I've bought and what I think of the them! Brace yourselves, this could be a tad long!

First of all, MAC...

MAC Pro Colour x4 Compact £6.50 and MAC Eye Shadow Infill in 'Grain' £10

I actually picked up the palette just after Christmas when I actually had money to spend on beauty bits, and I intended on filling it up straight away, but that never happened, but a few weeks ago I eventually picked up 'Grain' I picked this as I just want a nice neutral colour that I could just slap on for daily wear, when I swatched this in the shop it actually seemed a lot more pigmented compare to when I used it with a brush when I got home, I was quite disappointed, it's not exactly what I was looking for, I'm not using this as a highlight as I find it looks a little pathetic as just an eye shadow, so at least I'm still getting a use out of it! 

MAC Frost Lipstick in 'Plastique' £15

I also picked up this stunning lipstick in 'Plastique' it has a frost finish which is just lovely! It is such a metallic bronze colour which really suits my skin tone, I've been wearing it quite a lot since I bought it, I really love it! It will look even more perfect if I ever get my tan back! ☺

MAC Tinted Lipglass in 'Orange Descence' Retail Price £12, Bought for £6.40 

Now this beauty I actually bought off a seller on the Depop App! I believe this colour is now discontinued and is only sold at places which sell any discontinued MAC products, which is such a shame because this is such a beautiful colour, it's like a frosty light orange and is so perfect for everyday use! However if you don't like the colour or you can't get your hands on this, MAC have many other lipglasses and I really recommend them if you are looking for a high-shine lip gloss!

Illamasqua Lipstick in 'Pristine' £16.50

I literally bought this on the very last day of the Illamasqua sale! So I actually got this for about £6! If you're looking for a black lipstick, this is definitely the one, it has a matte finish but I find it's still a tad glossy (which I like!) the formula is beautiful and it is so pigmented so it would probably stay on your lips for a long time! I'm so happy with this lipstick, I will definitely be purchasing more from Illamasqua! 

Sleek Pout Paint in Peek-A-Bloo £4.99, Bought for £2

This is another product I picked up from a seller on the Depop App (I went a little Depop crazy) as I am quite daring when it comes to lipstick, but also I figured this could come in handy for fancy dress & things also, couldn't go wrong for £2 really! Anyway... I LOVE this, it is so bright and so beautiful, I put this over the top of my Illamasqua Pristine Lipstick to create a gorgeous navy, I've fell in love, I really want to try more Sleek Pout Paint's so keep an eye out for future posts!

Seventeen Mirror Shine Lipstick in 'Beehive' £4.79

I picked this up when I was browsing Boots, as when I spotted it I remembered the lovely velvetgh0st mentioned it in one of her YouTube videos (Drugstore Beauty Haul 2014 | velvetgh0st ♡) so obviously, I just had to get it & I'm so glad I did! This is such a lovely natural lipstick, it's really close to the colour of my natural lips so it just makes my lips look naturally perfect. What I love most about this though, is the packaging, I think it makes it look more expensive than what it is and the mirror is SO handy! I will definitely be trying more shades from this range!☺

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer in 'Apocaliptic' £6.49

I'm such a big fan of the Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers! The formula is just so amazing & come in a range of gorgeous colours! I don't have much to say about these, just buy them, you wont regret it!

OK, that is the last lip product I bought, but I'm still not done, sorry!

No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes £7

I got these when Boots were giving out the £5 off vouchers so I actually only got these for 42p (with staff discount at the time!) which is incredible, however, I wouldn't actually pay full price for these! £7 is too much for a pack of 30 wipes in my opinion, even with a £5 off voucher, I'm not sure I'd even pay £2 for them! In my opinion they're just like any other wipes I've tried! Very dissapointing (sorry No7!)

Maybelline Brow Drama in Medium Brown £4.99

This is the first brow set/brow mascara that I've tried & this nifty little brow mascara has became one of my favourite products! It just add that little extra something to your make up look in my opinion and it just keeps your brow powder in place all day! I love this perfect little product ☺

Maybelline Dream Smooth Primer £8.99

OK, I saved the best until last! This is UH-MAZING, it is such a good dupe for the well known Smashbox Primer, it looks like it'll be really oily on your skin because of the texture & appearance, but it's surprisingly rather matte, it makes my make up go on 10x better & makes it last 10x longer. It's quite small in size which made me think that it perhaps wouldn't last too long but I've use this so much since I got it and it hasn't gone down a lot at all, you don't need to apply lots as a small amount will go a long long way. I'm so happy with this product I really recommend everyone gives it a try! ☺

Please let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these product and what you think of them, or if you have any recommendations of product for me to try, I'd love to know! 

D ♥