E.L.F: Waterproof Eyeliner Pen, Lip Lock Pencil and Glitter Eyeshadow

E.L.F Waterproof Eyeliner Pen* - £2.50, Lip Lock Pencil* - £3.75, Glitter Eyeshadow in Night Owl* - £2.50

I used to be obsessed with Eyes Lips Face when I was first getting into makeup. Their affordable prices meant that I could afford to try out a large range of products like I was seeing all of these bloggers doing. I wanted a piece of that lifestyle that I was forever reading about and E.L.F gave me that. I was forever ordering in bulk whenever any great deals came up or discount codes and I was shortly becoming obsessed. Just like any other beauty blogger, I then became obsessed with the next best thing and started exploring into other brands and products. I still looked on E.L.F and fancied a few bits and pieces but I just never really got round to ordering it for one reason or another so when E.L.F recently contacted me asking if I wanted to try out a few bits, I jumped at the chance.

I love a good Eyeliner Pen and actually one of my old favourites was from E.L.F, so when I saw this in the package I was pretty excited. I am such a clutz when it comes to eyeliner, especially when I'm trying to give it a bit of a winged effect. I'm forever rubbing it off with a makeup wipe trying to get that perfectly even winged liner but I usually end up with super red skin underneath before it is achieved. These eyeliner pens make this chore so much easier as it feels like your literally just drawing it on. I usually apply this over a much darker black eyeliner as I like my liner to be super black! It lasts well and I would definitely repurchase this as it is super affordable!

I used to really like the studio range from E.L.F, it is affordable but still feels as though it is a little luxurious with its sleek black packaging in comparison to the cheaper looking plastic of the normal range. Slightly more expensive than said normal range but I like them both all the same. This Lip Lock pencil is a clear, thicker nibbed lip pencil. You apply it prior to the application of your lipstick and it works as a barrier to stop bleeding etc. I really like using this as you don't need a different lip liner colour for each lipstick you use - this is great for the lipsticks I don't have a matching lip liner for!

A glitter eyeshadow, who could turn that down? A beautiful gunmetal grey glitter perfect for using in a smokey eye for a night out. I haven't used this to go out in yet as I haven't had a big night out in a while, but the next time, I will be jumping at the chance to use this bad boy! It looks beautiful swatched and I can only imagine how gorgeous it will actually look around the eye! 

I have totally got my love back for E.L.F and will be bringing out some old favourites and hopefully making some new!

What are your favourite E.L.F products?

Lorna x

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Seascape Uplift Body Wash

Seascape Uplift Body Wash* - £16

I used to be obsessed with baths and would always opt for them over a shower but since moving into my new house I have an ensuite with a shower in it. I was faced yet again with not being able to relax in that nice hot bubble bath and I wasn't the greatest pleased although it was to be expected as it is a student house after all! 

This shower gel from Seascape was greatly welcomed, I love trying out new products like these as they are necessities for everyone. This one is quite luxurious and I love to use it in the morning because of the refreshing scent it carries. This includes notes of lavender, lime and eucalyptus - which would also be great if you have a cold. It cleanses nicely and does exactly what it is meant to. As a bonus it is also free from parabens, SLS, silicones, petroleums and artificial colours and fragrances. I love this as you know that you're not putting any of those nasties onto your body - this is definitely something I should look into doing more often.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a product to help wake them up in their morning shower! It does that and feels luxurious at the same time. Perfect!

Have you tried any products from Seascape? This was my first! 

Lorna x

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Introducing Smooch Makeup

Smooch is a new brand to me, and as a lover of makeup I couldn't wait to try it out! Each of the shades of each of the products are right up my street and so wearable! The packaging is sleek and black which I love and makes it look much more classy. It does get quite dirty easily, but this can be easily combated through just being that bit more careful.

The Duo Eyeshadow in Dare To Bare* includes two absolutely beautiful shades. Both quite muted filled with shimmer. They are shades that will work well blended into each other or other shades you may have in your collection - it works well with the Urban Decay Naked Palette! They brighten the eye beautifully and I think they work well for during the day with a light sweep of colour or during the night blended with darker shades for a beautiful smokey eye. 

They look beautiful don't they? The shade on the right looks gorgeous in the inner corner of the eye! The pigmentation is great but the shadows are a little chalky but I think this is easy to get over. 

The Blush in Glamour Puss* is a shade I actually don't have in my collection, I have a bazillion peaches and light pink shades but when I opened the box to find a slightly darker pink shade I was pretty excited. All I could think about was how perfect this is for A/W! It is matte which is great as you can use a separate highlighter without it being too overpowering, which could definitely be the case with a glitter filled highlighter. 

 My favourite thing about this blush is how nice it looks with my beloved purple lipsticks, my bright blush shades just don't quite cut it. A beautiful rosey pink shades that will work perfectly at this time of year!

The bronzer in Tan Queenie* is gorgeous! I usually steer clear from most bronzers and generally stick to my Benefit Hoola Bronzer mini. Some do often take my fancy but I usually end up too scared and leave it. I was excited to try this one out as I thought it was about time to add another to my collection. Tan Queenie is a lovely shade with a slight golden shimmer running through it. I usually prefer more of a matte bronzer like Hoola but actually this is a nice change. It works well with my skin tone and I really like the bronzed look it gives - this will look beautiful in the summer and will still work with my pale winter skin tone. It also comes with a super soft brush and although it isn't the type of brush I would use to apply this product with, I really want to find a use for it because it us super soft and lovely on the skin. 

I am so happy that smooch has been introduced to be as it is a lovely brand, I love the packaging and the quality of the products are really nice. I also love the shade range! I cannot wait to try out some more of their products as I can only hope that they will be as good as these!

Have you tried any products from Smooch? What are your favourites? 

Lorna x

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W7 Dot to Dot Nail Parlour

W7 Dot to Dot Nail Parlour* - around £3.95

I have always said that I wanted to get myself a nail dotting tool, but it was always just one of those things I never got around to picking up as either I would forget (which is generally the case) or it would be more than I wanted to pay - who needs to spend a lot more on a big branded one when you can pick one up from W7 for so cheap with 3 mini polishes included too?!

This set is beautiful, I am so in love with the colours - the pinks are super bright which is right up my street. I love the size of the polishes, which some people may not love, but I find that I'd never get through a large polish, sometimes I'd never even get through a mini one so small polishes like this are much more suited to beauty hoarders like me... W7 polishes aren't the greatest quality but that isn't what you buy them for - you buy them for their beautiful colour range. They do the job, they colour your nails and honestly I can't qualm that! 

The dotting tool works great, I'm a really clumsy person when it comes to doing my nails - honestly you should see the process I take to do it and make it look okay; and that's just painting the base colour! II was sat down with my friends the other week and they were painting their nails using some from my rather extended collection... I already had mine painted a lovely green shade from Nails Inc. and decided to add a bit on top. I wasn't really sure where they were going to go and what I wanted to do, but they ended up being themed to one of my housemates - Dina - a little in joke so won't bore you with the details! 

You can see the little flowers I did using the dotting tool! I'm a bit stuck for what else I can do with it, I've done dots all over the nail to look like polka dots - but it didn't turn out so good, practice makes perfect though and I'll definitely be giving it another go! 

What are you're favourite designs to use with a dotting tool? 

Lorna x

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Cosmetics A La Carte: Stay Put Intense Liner

Stay Put Intense Liner* - £25 

After seeing the products from Cosmetics A La Carte at their press day (which you can read about here) I knew their products would be amazing, and couldn't wait to try them out. 

They kindly offered to send me the Stay Put Intense Liner and a few other samples to try out. I love a good black liner and the pen format that this eye liner came in was right up my street. I love using pen liners like this to create a winged liner effect as I find it so hard to do with any other type of eyeliner. I can't ever seem to get it even, but with this it's a different story. It is well pigmented, but I like my eyeliner to be a little more black, so when using this I would usually apply my beloved Barry M eyeliner over the top, just to give it that bit more. It lasts well and does the job it should! 

As for the other sampled products, they seem great too. I love a good cream blush, so when they included a couple of samples of theirs I just couldn't wait to try. Great colors and pigmentation and they apply well onto the skin. The lipsticks I have are both 'your lips but better' shades, not really something I would wear every day as I'm more of a bright or dark lipstick kind of girl, but these are great to have just in case I feel like changing it up a bit. The brown eye shadow is great, it's matte and is great to add into the mix with my Naked palette. 

I would definitely recommend Cosmetics A La Carte, although it is a little pricey. You could possibly find similar products that work the same for less, so it could possibly be worth looking around if you can't quite stretch to their prices. 

Have you tried any products from Cosmetics A La Carte? 

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Ciate Velvet Manicure in Berry Poncho

Ciate Velvet Manicure in Berry Poncho* - £14 

I was given this to review by the lovely ladies at Baobella!

When I first saw this set all I could think was wow. This is definitely my favourite colour... I would say it's the exact same colour as my blanket which I totally love! I was a little dubious of how the velvet nails would actually look but the nail polish that came with it in the shade Cabaret was right up my street - I was in love!

When I tested out the kit on my nail wheel, I was actually surprised at how much I liked the velvet finish and how easy it is to do! You apply a layer of the nail polish and wait for it to dry and then when you apply the second coat you put a generous coat of the velvet on top and brush off the excess with the brush supplied in the kit. It's as easy as that - no top coat needed! I love the way it looks and actually I don't feel like it is gimmicky at all - like some other nail art polishes. I can't wait to find an opportunity to wear this on my nails as I can imagine it'll look great! 

Have you tried any of the Ciate Velvet Nails kits? 

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W7 Go West Matte Lipstick in Powder Pink

W7 Go West Matte Lipstick in Powder Pink* - £2.50

I love a good lipstick, which we all can probably tell by now... It's verging on to being an obsession, a 'I've got to have them all' kind of thing. I love collecting lipsticks, whether I wear them often or not. I'm not a massive pink lipstick wearer, but this shade is just beautiful! Perfect for the summer. It is a beautiful bright yellow toned pink, that is actually quite moisturizing and I wouldn't really describe it as being matte.

The only thing I would say about this lipstick is that if you have quite dry lips then this is very visible, so you have to make sure you use a lip scrub and balm before applying to give it a nice even finish. As it is quite moisturising, it doesn't wear for a crazily long time, but to be honest I would say that it is about the same as a lot of other lipsticks. It's a great affordable price, so even if you do purchase it and don't get as much wear out of it as you had hoped then it doesn't really matter as at £2.50 you can't really go wrong. 

Have you tried any lipsticks from W7? What are your favourite shades? 

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No7 Lift & Luminate Dark Spot Corrector

No7 Lift & Luminate Dark Spot Corrector* - £19.50

I'll start by saying that I haven't actually been testing this out myself as at 20, I would say that it would be kind of pointless! I gave it to my mum to review for me and she was pretty excited!

The Dark Spot Corrector is clinically proven to fade age spots, and when testing it out they found that 86% of women had a noticeable colour reduction. The product holds 15ml of product, which actually isn't enough to use for 3 months so I can't really comment much on whether it works or not as the product ran out pretty quickly. 

What I can say though is that my mum really enjoyed using it and that it felt nice on the skin. A great addition to her skincare routine, and I'm pretty sure that she would actually repurchase. Although, at the price and how quick the product does go down I'm not sure that it would though be a regular purchase. 

Have you or anyone you know tried this out? 

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Kleenex Eye Make-Up Removal Wipes and Shine Absorbing Sheets

Kleenex Eye Make-up Removal Wipes* and Shine Absorbing Sheets*

These were given me to review by the lovely ladies at Baobella. 

These products from Kleenex are very new to me, I didn't even know they did products like this! The first thing I liked about these products was how small and portable they are. Perfect to pop in the handbag and take out with you!

I know all about the face wipe debate, whether or not we should be using them and I know I probably shouldn't but I do... just for the ease of removing my make-up. I still cleanse, tone and moisturise etc afterwards but I just find it so much more comfortable and easy to follow on with my skincare routine. 

I haven't actually got round to using the Shine Absorbing Sheets yet as honestly, I don't generally have oily skin but I can imagine how handy these would be on a night out and with the portable size, you wouldn't even notice you have them in your bag! 

Have you tried either of these products from Kleenex? 

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Butter LONDON: Polish in Crumpet and Lippy in Hen Party

Butter London Polish in Crumpet* - £12 & Lippy in Hen Party* - £14

I fell in love with Butter London when I got the chance to try them at the press event I had the chance to attend and when I had the chance to try out this gorgeous nude shade, well I just couldn't say no. I'm usually more of a bright polish kinda girl, but I think this was because I just hadn't found the right nude. 

This is perfect! The finish, the quality of the polish, the shade - I absolutely love it all. I feel as though any colour could come along and I'd love it as much as the next. There's just something special about a Butter London polish and I just can't quite put my finger on it. 

Just like the previous Butter London polishes I reviewed, this last's amazingly well on the nails - the best quality polish I have ever tried and yes that is over OPI and Nails Inc. I just don't rate them as much as I do Butter London. I know that £12 is pricey for a polish, but if you're looking to buy a higher ended nail polish, then I would definitely recommend them over the majority of other brands. 

Then there was the lip gloss that I also received in the shade Hen Party. I will first say that I am not a lip gloss kind of girl at all, and it will take a lot for me to use a lip gloss. I do really like this lip gloss and actually I'm surprised, it smells lovely and sweet and I think that is what properly does it for me. It feels nice on the lips, still a bit sticky though, but it does the job a lip gloss does. I didn't expect to like the shade, but actually the fact that it has glitter running through it works, and the nude shade comes out very clear anyway. I doubt I would wear this on it's own though and would probably wear it over a lipstick to give it that bit extra. 

What are your favourite Butter London polishes or lippy's? 

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imPress by Broadway Nails

imPress by Broadway Nails* - £7.99

You will all probably know by now that when it comes to beauty, I am all about ease. I would quite often forgo painting my nails just because of the effort of taking the polish off and repainting it. It takes time, and I am quite the clutz when it comes to nail painting in general... I am known to ruining a couple of nails within seconds of painting them, or I will end up with that dreaded fabric imprint when painting them before going to bed. 

I had heard a lot about these before through bloggers and reviews, but really I didn't take any notice. I am a lover of short nails. Again this is due to the ease of it. I'll never forget getting nail extensions put on with my best friend before prom and we both struggled to even open our purses to pay for them! Every task was made a little harder, and this is the case with even growing my nails. I wish I could be that girl that has the perfect length and shaped nails, but honestly I am not. 

When an email popped in my inbox about these, I'll have to say I was a little sceptical at first as I couldn't quite imagine these working for me but when I actually started thinking about it, what isn't to love? The application is easy, you literally just peel off the underside of the nail and press them on. It's as simple as that, no nail polish all over your hand (yes, I do manage to do that nearly every time I do my nails... although I do manage to rectify this afterwards by peeling it off after a bath. I probably shouldn't mention this, wouldn't want to ruin the illusion! haha) and they're on, and they're perfect. 

The clumsy one in me means that they don't last too long, but I don't really have too much of a problem with that because of the ease of application. I would probably save these for when I'm in a rush and don't have time to wait for nail polish to dry, because let's face it, they're a little too pricey to use on a daily basis, but hey, if you can afford it then why not! 

Have you tried these before? 

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The Body Shop: Coconut Body Scrub and All-In-One BB Cream

The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream* and Coconut Body Scrub*

Coconut Body Scrub

The coconut body scrub was one I was excited to try. I have to say I haven't used The Body Shop's products for a long time. I remember being at Boarding School and we had a Body shop party in our house and I can remember spending all my pocket money, just so I could get a freebie bag with some mini products - my beauty addict tendencies were beginning! I used to love the body butters, so wondered whether this would be similar. I love a good coconut scent so this was perfect for me. 

A bit to my surprise, this didn't actually smell quite as expected. It reminded me of Malibu, and actually was surprisingly nice. Not the usual coconut scent I love but I did actually really like it. The scrub feel lovely on the skin and does just what it is meant to. Its creamy while still exfoliating well. I can imagine this big tub will last me quite a while too! 

All-In-One BB Cream

I absoloutley love the concept of this BB Cream. A white cream that matches your skin tone. I love a good BB Cream, the Garnier BB Cream always used to be my go to base. I chose the lightest shade but actually unfortunately it just wasn't light enough for my pale complexion. It looked very dark on my pale skin tone so unfortunately for that reason it is just unwearable. Although when putting it on I did notice how light and nice it felt on the skin. I can't comment on how well it lasted but I can tell that I would really love it if the shade was right. 

After trying these products I definitely want to get back on The Body Shop bandwagon and get some more products! 

What are your favourite products from The Body Shop? 

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LIP WEEK: Dainty Doll Lipsticks

L-R 001, 002, 003, 006, 007, 008 £1.99 each from Fragrance Direct

001

This and 002 would have to be my favourite and most used out of the bunch. We all know I love a good red shade and this darker red shade fit so well into my collection. I usually opt for a brighter red but as I've been getting into my darker purple lipsticks, a dark red had to be added to the ever growing collection of lipsticks I've got. 

002

A beautiful bright red that works so well with my skin tone. I have quite a number of bright reds but this one is just as nice as the rest. I love the formulation of Dainty Doll lipsticks as they are so easy to apply and wear. 

003

A lovely bright pink. This one reminded me a little of Topshop's All About Me which is one of my favourite pink shades. It has a very moisturising formulation and although I don't often opt for a pink lipstick, I will definitely get a chance to use this. 

006

Now onto the nudes in the collection. This is more of a pink toned nude and is lovely. I don't usually opt for a nude lip and if I do I would usually go for MAC Shy Girl but I really want to give these a go more often. 

007

This one is more of a golden and yellow toned nude. It has a bit of shimmer in it and I would say it is a lot less wearable than the other shades. It doesn't really suit my skin tone well and I prefer lipstick mostly without shimmer. 

008

A pink brown toned nude, I do like this shade although it does have a little shimmer. More wearable than the previous shade although I cant see myself opting for this that often. Perhaps I should try out my nudes more often! 

L-R 001, 002, 003, 006, 007, 008 (Thanks to Callum, my boyfriend for donating his arm for swatch purposes, so helpful!)

I really like the Dainty Doll lipsticks along with all of the other products I have tried from them actually. Very affordable (£1.99 for a lipstick?!!) you really can't go wrong, hence why I ordered all of the shades they had in stock. I think I may have made around 3 orders when Dainty Doll first appeared on Fragrance Direct. They don't actually have it all in stock at the moment, but I would keep checking back as I always noticed that there was more on there each time I checked, hence the 3 orders in only a couple of weeks. 

What are your favourite Dainty Doll lipstick shades? 

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Simple Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub

Simple Kind To Skin Smoothing Facial Scrub* - £3.99

This was given to me to review by the lovely ladies at Baobella - read my post on them here!

I am such a skincare junkie and love trying out new products. I used to always use Simple products when I was just getting into skincare and I would recommend this all the way for any Teens out there. I used to be such a big fan of their moisturiser, my boyfriend still uses it actually. I feel as though as my skin has got used to using other, more expensive products I do find that these don't work quite as well for me anymore but they do the job. 

I was needing a new facial exfoliator in my regime as I had run out of the one I was using already. It does the job and I am still using it now, I will definitely get through the bottle and then I will probably purchase one from Origins. I feel as though it doesn't work that well for my skin, but as skincare is so subjective it could work for others - my boyfriend also uses this! It does the job, but I would definitely recommend those a bit younger to use this as at that age, I couldn't live without Simple!

What are your favourite Simple products? 

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MAC Lipstick Collection

Top - Russian Red   Botton - Shy Girl

My MAC Lipstick collection may be a small one but it is definitely a good one! The first one I bought was Shy Girl after reading so much about it on Vivianna's blog. I bought it online when Debenhams had a discount, and honestly I was a little unsure at first. I wasn't sure whether it suited my skin tone but as I'd spent the money on it, and it was quite a lot of money for me to spend on a lipstick at that time I made sure I used it anyway. Through using it time after time I actually started to love it and actually it appears plenty of times in my early FOTD posts. I wore it all the time!

I started to get more and more into my makeup and as that happened I started to get a little braver. I now love wearing bright or darker shades and unfortunately my Shy Girl is a little unloved (I must change that ASAP!) and that was where I fell in love with Russian Red. I saw someone was selling it for around £9 on a blog sale, and well, I just couldn't say no! A more me shade at the moment, although I am currently loving my dark purples - Rebel is next on my list! 

I definitely want to expand my collection, and with a little gift card I received from my friend Dina for my birthday I am definitely going to be making that happen at some point soon! 

What are you favourite MAC lipstick shades? 

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