February Wishlist

These are a few things I have seen recently that have really caught my eye. 

Black Small Check Contrast Collar Tunic Dress - New Look. Cowshed Moody Cow Shampoo - ASOS Milli L/S Top - Vero Moda White Sleeveless Shirt - River Island Collection Little Mix Lipstick in Perrie - Superdrug Converse All Stars - ASOS

Battle Of The Brow Kits

Battle Of The Brow Kits

The contenders:

HD Brows in Foxy

Seventeen Brows That Brow Kit

W7 Brow Bar

MUA Pro Brow Brow Kit

The Results

HD Brows In Foxy

The RRP of this kit is an eye-watering £19.96! I refused to pay for this at full price as I find £20 for an eye brow kit very expensive.  I was happy to find it included in the Latest in Beauty Box, which made it Way cheaper than I could find it anywhere else, and worked out to cost me roughly £4 which I thought was very reasonable. I was really excited to try this kit as I had seen fantastic reviews online. Included in the kit are a nude and carbon shadow and two brown tone powders, and a small brush. There is also a handy mirror on the kit. There are three different coloured kits available - I was happy to find 'Foxy' in my beauty box as it is best suited for medium hair. The pigmentation for this is of a fantastic quality. Admittedly, only one shade is suitable for my brows (the darkest) but I do really like it. The other shades would make great use as eye shadows. It has great staying power, and makes the brows look defined and not over the top. 4/5. 

Seventeen Brows That Brow Kit

When I see new Brow products advertised I get a little excited, so when I saw this new product at the Seventeen stand in Boots for £6 I picked it up. Included in the kit is a powder, wax and highlight shade, as well as a small brush and mini brow pencil. The kit has a small mirror attached which is handy. The pigmentation of the powder is not the best, but this probably depends on your own preference on how bold and dark you like your brows to look. Personally, I like a bold brow, which I don't achieve with this colour. The staying power is quite good, lasting a few hours. The pencil is a handy tool which none of the other kits have, but it isn't quite as dark as I would like, and overall, this product lacks the colour range suitable for a darker brow. 3/5 

W7 Brow Bar

I was particularly intrigued with this kit as it included eye brow stencils, which are something I have never tried before. Also included in the kit are the four powders, an eyebrow comb, a slanted brush and also a mini brush. This is fantastic value for money as it retails for less than £5 (currently only £2.99 at Fragrance Direct if you like a bargain). There is a good selection of colours in the kit as well as a highlight. The quality of the powder shadows is great for the price. The brushes and brow comb are of a standard quality but nothing to write home about. I enjoyed using the stencils as they give a more definitive brow. The product lasts well for a few hours, the only thing I think the kit is lacking is some sort of wax or gel, but other than that I am really impressed with this kit. This is the only brow kit out of all four which doesn't include a mirror. 4/5  

MUA Pro Brow Brow Kit

The most inexpensive of the kits coming in at a mere £3.50 is the Pro Brow Kit by MUA. Included in this kit are three shadows, a setting wax, some small, slanted tweezers and a small brush. There is a small, handy mirror attached to the kit as well which is always a plus. The darkest shade is a dark brown, which is a perfect match for my eye brows. Also included are two highlight shades, personally these shades are a little too dark for high light for me, so I don't really use them for my brows, but I have used them for eye shadow and they are actually quite nice! The dark brown shadow is the perfect brow colour for me and lasts really well. The wax is the best part of this kit as it leaves my brows staying in place without that 'wet' look. I only use the brush for applying the wax as it is a great tool for this, and the tweezers are actually of a fantastic quality, and are the tweezers I use all the time. 5/5

It is a surprise to see that the cheapest product here won hands - down for me! I do like the other kits, but MUA have stood out for me for not only the price, but the quality of the product and the staying power. It just proves that you don't always have to pay for a more expensive brand name to get great results, as this is by far my favourite product which I use every day, and a great bargain make - up find!

What I Wore Today: White Lace

What I Wore Today

Half Sleeve Lace Top, Bonmarche*
Floral Skirt, Primark
Boots, New Look

I love anything lace as I find it is very feminine and girly. I spotted this beautiful ivory lace top which is new in at Bonmarche. I find it difficult looking for pretty tops which will go with anything in my wardrobe, but Bonmarche have a fantastic range of tops (you can find them all here) which are very pretty and would look great with pretty much anything. I have teamed it up with a simple floral skirt and some boots, for quite a casual look. I think this top is very versatile, and would look gorgeous with a leather jacket and jeans for a more edgy twist with the lace; great for a night out, and also with a pastel cardigan and neutral skirt which I think would look lovely in the day time.

Guest Post: Andrea's Twist On Skin Care

Hi everyone, today I have another great guest post from the lovely Andrea, who writes the blog No More Twist. Andrea is a fashion designer that creates beautiful clothing and does it all herself. She also has a Youtube Channel where she shares all her tips and tricks on being a fashion designer. Do check her out as her blog is interesting and a great read, and shes super lovely, too! 


Ohhh cleansing with oils....as weird as that may sound, it feels so right on my skin. I have oily/combination skin with a problematic chin area. (Curse being female for this!!) Oil cleansing has been the most beautiful way to treat my skin with some respect and gentility, finally! 

Images courtesy of:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/traditionalcraftsUK?ref=l2-shopheader-name

I discovered this method through hours of Youtube trawling and was dumbfounded! At first I thought no way man! That's just zit city. I was clearly wrong. 

Using oil as a cleanser does not cause spots or acne, would you believe. Those skin ailments are usually down to bad diet, hormones and bacteria. When you cleanse with commercial face products all those nasty soaps, chemicals and preservatives actually strip your skin from its natural happy face oils. Therefore your face goes into overdrive, panics and produces an obscene amount of sebum causing your over oily skin. "Oil dissolves oil." By cleansing your skin with lovely natural oils your face doesn't freak out and over produce, it feels it simply has no need to. It will help gently remove the dirty oil and replace it with good, nourishing, healing oil which you can tailor to your skin type. 

I use a beautiful smelling oil which I got from a lovely lady at Traditional Crafts, she is on Etsy, find her here:

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/traditionalcraftsUK?ref=l2-shopheader-name

She has so much information written under each of her products, so you can really tailor you oil choice to your skin type. As I have Combination skin I use the Geranium and Grapefruit All Natural Cleansing Oil alongside her Beauty Sleep Serum. I also use a little Olive oil on reusable cleansing pads just to get rid of the majority of my eye make-up, you can use the cleansing oil, I just don't want to waste it because I wear so much eyeliner! 

Images courtesy of:
https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/traditionalcraftsUK?ref=l2-shopheader-name

How beautiful is that packaging too! Traditional Crafts had my items out to me in no time and her shipping prices are really great. She makes everything herself and they smell amazing, all the cleansing oils are 100% natural and are handmade to order! I cannot describe to you how good these products smell! Just soooo very good!!! 

Anyway, how do you do it?

Simple really, I like to do mine at the end of the day, you don't need to oil cleanse too much, once a day should be fine. I get myself a nice hand hot jug of water with a lovely flannel in it. If I have stubborn eye make-up on then I will take a reusable cleansing pad with a little Olive oil on and gently wipe away as much of my eye make-up as possible.

After this, I take a small amount, like 10p sized, of my Geranium and Grapefruit cleansing oil into the palm of my hands and warm between my palms then gently massage into my face and neck in upwards motions. Do that for as long as you feel necessary, I find a minute or so is fine.

Leave it to sit there and be all natural and lovely for about 30 seconds then take your hot steamy flannel and place it over your face and let it cool. Then gently wipe away any excess oil. The steaming helps open the pores and draw out any impurities your make-up may have left behind. I then let my skin air dry for a little bit, before either patting a little bit more of the Geranium oil as a moisturiser or moving on to the Beauty Sleep Serum. This I spend a little bit of time working in, it will be absorbed overnight and you will be left with baby soft skin in the morning. I enjoy having dewy well-balanced soft skin now! 

Thanks Zoe for letting me post on your lovely site! I assume that if you like beauty, you may also like fashion! If that sounds appealing you can come see my work on my blog at:

http://andreabonnell.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks for reading guys, I hope you enjoyed it! 

January Favourites

w7 In The Buff Natural Nudes Eye Colour Palette: I picked this up back in December from The Clothes Show Live and have since been playing around with the colours. It is good quality for the price and some of the colours are simply stunning. They are easy to blend and last quite well. I love neutral eye palettes as I find those colours easy for me to use. This is definitely worth picking up if you want a great neutral palette but don't quite want to spend almost £40 on an Urban Decay one.

Loreal Paris Collection Privee by Cheryl in Cheryl's Nude: Anyone that knows me well will know I am obsessed with Cheryl, so off course I had to purchase this in hope it would turn my lips into Cheryls. I actually fell in love with the colour after buying it as I find it a really pretty nude which is great for every day. It lasts a few hours before needing to reapply it, and it is quite affordable too if you are after a nice neutral every day lipstick.

Soap and Glory Scrub Of Your Life: When I write Monthly Favourites posts there is usually a Soap and Glory product or two in there somewhere, I have wrote about this scrub many times before, I continue to use it again and again as it is just a great product. 

Topshop Lip Bullet in Rockabilly: I immediately bought this when I saw the name of it, as I have been brought up listening to a lot of rockabilly music, I was intrigued to try the lipstick as I don't often find anything or anyone that knows much about rockabilly. I again, brought this because of the name (shame on me) and not the colour, but I actually adore the colour. This is the first piece of make up I have had from Topshop and I was pleasantly suprised at how long it lasts on the lips and the beautiful colour of it, too. 

Have any products stuck out to you this January?

GIVEAWAY: MAC lipstick of your choice

As a thank you for your support I am holding a giveaway below to win a MAC lipstick of your choice (Must be in their permanent line). All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below and follow the entries!

Good luck :)

You MUST follow Publically on GFC to be in the chance of winning. I cant check if you follow me anonymously. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Hi everyone, today I have another guest post from a fantastic and lovely blogger, Amy. I really enjoy reading her blog, you can check it out here. I'll hand it over to Amy!

Hi guys!

First of all, many thanks to Zoe for letting me do a guest post for her lovely blog. :)

I thought that after checking out her product directory, it would be pretty fitting to talk a Soap and Glory product, since it seems she's a fan, and so am I!

I'll be reviewing the infamous Thick & Fast Mascara, which is both loved and hated in the world of beauty enthusiasts.

　

Anyway, here's what I reckon....

Packaging

In typical Soap & Glory style, the packaging is girly and pretty. What more is there really to say?

Price

This retails for £10, which isn't the cheapest you can get for "drugstore" makeup, but also not the most expensive by any means. I think it's pretty reasonable.

What I reckon....

This, for me, is totally hit and miss!

The formula is a nice jet black, but the brush is HUGE, which is usually fantastic, but can be a bit of a pain for dealing with teeny little lashes.

For me, it did live up to its claims of being volumising (and doing it fast, for that matter), but I do have a problem with my lashes clumping together a little, which sometimes happens when I add more than one coat, which is a shame, although I can usually fix this by giving it a thorough combing through with a spooly brush.

As for lasting power, I'd say this is pretty great! I don't have any problems when it comes to flaking and smudging, and my lashes seem to still look lovely and thick by the end of the day!

　

All in all...

I think this is a reasonably priced mascara with impressive results. Saying that, I wish Soap & Glory would perhaps downsize the brush to grab my teeny tiny lashes and save me from those irritating smudges on my eyelid.

Overall, a thumbs up, Soap & Glory!

Thank you for the fantastic review, Amy! Do check out her blog its a great read!

Have you tried this mascara too? What are your thoughts?