Makeup forever in the UK!

Just a quick post of something I wanted to share with you guys! Makeup forever is now avaliable here online at Debenhams!

I was super excited when I saw this as Makeup forever is really hard to get in the UK unless you are a makeup artist. As far as I can see most products are online and I hope they will branch out into stores soon, or at least they haven't in my local Debenhams stores. One thing i've never seen before is this new 'try before you buy' scheme so if you purchase the HD powder, Aqua smoky lash mascara or Aqua eyes waterproof eyeliner in matte black in full sizes you will receive a free sample size to trial first. Then if you don't like the product you can send back the unopened item, such a good idea especially at these prices.

In honour of these new find I thought I would share with you the Top 5 products on my Makeup forever wishlist:

1. Beauty pro box £30

Okay, so I did kind of cheat here but for £30 this is such good value and has everything I wanted to try! Here's their description: 

• 1 HD Primer (travel size) : prep your complexion
• 1 HD Loose Powder (travel size): finish and mattify your makeup
• 1 Smoky Extravagant mascara (travel size): dramatic impact mascara
• 1 Aqua Eyes 0L (travel size): creamy long-lasting eyeliner pencil for intense non-stop matte black color
• 1 Rouge Artist 43 (full size): glamorous red lipstick
• 1 Aqua Lip pencil 8C (travel size): highly pigmented waterproof red lip liner pencil
• Reusable case
• Mirror included

2. Artist plexi gloss £16 in Golden pink

I'm not going to lie here I totally want this gloss for the wand, how cool is that?!

3. HD Foundation £29

Here's what Makeup forever say:

HD Foundation is an oil-free medium-to-full coverage liquid foundation which covers skin imperfections, while remaining invisible on-screen and in real life.

4. Full cover concealer £21

A little bit pricey for a concealer in my opinion but apparently this stuff can even cover tattoos.

5. Artist Diamond shadow in Creme Brulee £13

These are really well priced and just look at that shimmer! I'm in love.

Let me know if you check anything out from Makeup forever now they're readily available in the UK!

Thanks for reading,

Lauren x

*Disclaimer- I do not own any of these products. I am simply sharing my honest opinion. I am not affiliated with Makeup forever or any other brands mentioned. These images were sourced by me from Google images and I do not own them.* Don't forget to click the follow button! x

Birchbox unboxing +First impressions- May 2015

This week I got my first ever box from Birchbox UK through the post and I couldn't wait to do a first impressions of the brand and concept as a whole.

Birchbox UK is £10 per month plus £2.95 p+p

This month's box theme was 'Free your mind' based all around the idea of being creative even in adulthood, they even included colouring pencils in the box so you can colour in the lid of this month's box. If you do upload a picture to their website you can win upto £500 in vouchers for Birchbox!

So onto what I thought of the box contents...

Wah London Nail art pen in lilac RRP £7

This pen comes with a nib end and a striper brush inside the polish. The colour is really vibrant and applies opaquely. 

On both the nib and striper brush the grip on the bottle makes it super easy to control which is a massive bonus for me.

Next up, Lumiere d'hiver by No 4 reconstructing hair masque, RRP £36

I was a bit disappointed when I saw this as there's a lot of product in this sachet but it's in an annoying foil packet. I could probably get 3 generous uses of this on my hair (which is mid-length to long) but, when I read that this was an 'extra' from Birchbox and I saw how expensive the full size is I was actually really happy! I suppose I was just being picky really.

Parlor by Jeff Chastain Moisturising Sea salt spray RRP £17

This smells amazing, kind of fruity but with a freshness to it. I love the packaging and a 30ml size of this will last me a very long time. I am yet to use it but i'm sure i'll report back when I do!

Nude Progenius omega treatment oil RRP £58

This smells like a moisturiser my mum used to use, a very classic skincare scent (if that makes any sense at all). If i'm honest I probably won't use this as when I tested it on my hand it felt really greasy which was a huge warning sign for me and my oily skin! Anyway, the packaging is really nice and comes with a cute pump bottle.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish RRP £14

Look at how cutely wrapped this came! I have to admit I already own this cleanser and I love it as a makeup remover so I was really happy to have a travel size of this to take away with me on holiday this year!

The sample is a really generous 30ml and you get another muslin cloth which I am so happy to recieve as they get so dirty with mascara and things so quickly! In a nutshell the cleanser is supposed to be applied to dry skin and is a cream formula, then removed with a warm damp muslin cloth which both exfoliates the skin and removes makeup and dirt. It can be used as a daily cleanser or just as a makeup remover on all skin types.

Finally, Jelly pong pong Caribbean sun duo bronzer RRP £15.95 and Stila lip glaze in glow RRP £15

I was so happy to receive these especially the Stila lip glaze as I'd been wanting to try one for ages!

Apologies for the rubbish swatches, this bronzer duo really doesn't swatch well but when the blush is applied to the skin it is so pigmented! I was so impressed it's a deep pink/berry toned blush and it has just the right amount of shimmer. My only downside to this product is the bronzer for my skintone is just a bit too yellowy but I do think it will work great for me in the summer. Also, it really was a huge struggle to get my brush into the one side of the compact.

(bad lighting issues :( so annoying)

The lip gloss on the other hand was really nice but does have a really strange consistency. It it's sticky at all but it does have that heavy feel which makes it last hours on the lips even eating and drinking I can still feel this on my lips. The colour is just beautiful a sheer nude with gold glitter running throughout.

Overall, my thoughts on Birchbox are mixed here's the verdict...

Pro's-

Luxury samples for only £10

Themed boxes

Luxury sized samples/full sized products

Personalised products for your skin type/hair type etc.

Birchbox point's system*

Con's-

I'm still not liking the surprise element, for me it's like wasting money until I know what i'm getting

The drawstring bag inside (currently in the bin)

As a whole I really do like Birchbox and especially like their *Birchbox points system where you can review products, refer friends etc to gain points towards money off your next Birchbox which I have been using and really enjoying collating points. (sad, I know) I suppose I just can't get my head around the surprise element of these boxes but if I were to subscribe to one of these boxes fulltime I would definatley choose Birchbox. They have the best range of products and best service I have found, I also have to add that unsubscribing was fuss-free and I can still use all aspects of their site even the shop. 

If you would like to try Birchbox I would appreciate very much if you could use my link which means I receive some points and a very big smile on my face:

https://www.birchbox.co.uk/invite/53ph6

Have you tried Birchbox UK?

Thanks for reading!

Lauren x

*Disclaimer I purchased this Birchbox with my own money and I am not affiliated with the brand in anyway. All opinions and pictures are my own and are 110% honest. I would appreciate very much if you would like to use any of my images from any of my posts if you could ask/notify me first.* Please don't forget to press the follow button it means alot, thank you x

Essences arrives!

I cannot tell you how long I have been waiting for Essence to come to the UK. I discovered this brand around 3 years ago in Spain and I've been dying to get my hands on some more!

First of all these nail polishes caught my eye immediately! L-R (Tip painter in white, Colour and go in bejos de brazil and Nail art special effects topper in Get the party started) Unfortunately I've only been able to play around with these on my toes as I have acrylic nails on, however I will be purchasing more and will do an in depth review of the brand very soon!

This next product was a purchase purely because I wanted to test one of the most difficult shades to create. This is the eye shadow in Blockbuster and it is a Matt cream colour. The formulation is amazing and using this all over the lids gives me a 'no makeup look'. Now that's the problem, the pigmentation on every other eye shadow was amazing except for this. Why the heck did I choose this shade? Grrrrrr.

Finally I picked up their lip liner in Cute pink, a medium warm pink shade. I'm pretty sure this was only 99p and although this is the only lip liner I have ever owned I can tell you for that price it is worth it! This isn't a majorly hydrating, creamy product but the pigmentation is great and let's face it i'm only going to apply lipstick over the top?

Unfortunately I can't tell you the price of these products as silly Wilkinson had offers on their cosmetics and only put the reduced price on my receipt, sorry. However, all of these goodies only cost me £6.50, BARGAIN ALERT!

Have you tried any Essence products?

xoxo

Free eyeliner?!+ First impressions

 I must admit i've never been an avid magazine reader myself but I have been tempted recently by some of the freebies inside of them.

I'm not afraid to say it i'm one of those girls who can't resist a bargain and this was one of those times! This months June Glamour magazine is currently on sale for £2 with a FREE! full sized Eyeko Skinny liquid eyeliner in Black or Navy Blue, which is usually £12 that's a £10 saving!

I opted for the Black as I figured i'd get more use than Navy blue; to be quite honest I was shocked that Navy blue eyeliner was back in fashion i'm sure that was a 90's thing? 

First impressions:
Well, personally i'm extremely impressed with this product when I first saw the nib though I was slightly skeptical. I mean, come on it's not exactly 'skinny' is it? Especially in comparison to my Rimmel precision micro liner I thought this wouldn't even compare. Well, wasn't I wrong. I actually think ease wise there both entirely equal however having a slightly thicker nib makes it alot quicker to attempt a winged eyeliner look. The eyeliner it's self was very pigmented and is a complete black, with not an ounce of those horrible chunks of glitter in them, yuck!

The slightly thicker nib makes it easier to create a winged look whilst the tip of the nib is very precise. The actual formulation itself is quite smooth and seemed to just glide across my eye. One of those nice formulations which is not too wet or dry.

My First impressions of this product are amazing and i'll be keeping my eye out for more freebies in magazines this summer! Pssttt... There's Clinique freebies in next months Glamour.

Lauren

x

May favourites!

L-R Top row:(Tresemme Split Remedy, Soap and Glory Heel genius, Frozen!!!)
Bottom Row: Mac Swiss Chocolate Eyeshadow, Estee Lauder Advanced night repair for eyes, Barry M Gelly hi-shine in Greenberry, Real Techniques Buffing Brush.)

This month I really wanted to jump aboard the favourites post band wagon, let me know if you like these and I shall continue them as a monthly thing. As a new member of the blogging world I love the idea of noseying into people's makeup bags (is it just me?) and stealing some of their favourite staple products as my own new favourites.

However, this month has held the month of 2 weddings (one of which I was a bridesmaid for arghhh!), family parties and the arrival of good old Mr sun! My first favourite is my Real Techniques buffing brush which can be found here as part of the Core collection which is £21.99 for 4 staple base brushes. I love this set but have found an amazing difference in using this buffing brush to apply my foundation. Just one problem; how the heck do you clean this thing!!? I've tried shampoo, soap, brush cleaner you name it and i just can't seem to get this squeaky clean. It always feels clean but never looks it. Anyway, if you are a master brush cleaner yourself this is amazing for stippling on and buffing in liquid foundation and i've found myself needing to use alot less product.

My second favourite for this month is the nail polish i'm currently wearing, Barry M's Gelly hi-shine polish in Greenberry. Which you can find here for £3.99. This I can see being my go to summer nail polish this year, purely because of it's ease to apply and wear. I can wear this for at least 3days before I have to take it off.

For a few month's now i've been extremely conscious about keeping my hair healthy and especially split ends. So I purchased Tresemme's Split Remedy Leave in treatment which is avaliable here for £5.75. This leave in cream leaves my ends so soft and it smells amazing! Aswell i've noticed my ends getting seriously stronger, which for me is a miracle, they were so dry!

My only skincare favourite this month is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night repair for eyes which was actually in a gift with purchase which I was given by a family member around Christmas. It's avaliable here but it's a little pricey at £38 a pot, Ouch. However, this product is amazing I think this is the only eye cream i've tried that has actually reduced my dark circles and hasn't irriated my eyes. I've had this tiny tester pot since Christmas and i've been using it day and night and still have half left.

Please excuse the awful swatch, my camera is broken so i'm using my phone for the time being. But this month my favourite crease shade has hands down been Mac's Swiss chocolate. Which is a matte medium brown and super easy to work with. I love pairing this with All that Glitters such a natural everyday look, it's avaliable here for £12.50.

My final beauty favourite is Soap and Glory's Heel genius. Yes you heard it, a foot cream. But now that summer's approaching us I figured I needed to take it upon me to make my feet sandal ready. I won't harper on about a foot cream because it does it's job, it's avaliable here for £5.50.

Now onto the non-beauty favourites...

My fashion favourite of the month hands down has to be my new Juju Jellies sandals in white which were a present for my birthday. These are £25 and are avaliable here and in most of the high street stores at the moment. Despite these having a heel these are so comfortable, I can seriously see these becoming a summer shoe trend.

My electrical favourite this month has got to be my GHD's. I got these as a gift for my birthday and i'm in love with them!

These are £125 and avaliable here but is currently on offer for £103.99. But hurry because these are limited edition for breast cancer awareness.

johnfreida

My final favourite has to be Frozen the movie. I am obsessed! I'm currently watching it actually now.

Please leave your requests for future posts and hit the follow button,

Thanks Lauren x