Essence Make Me Brow

Five Under £5 For March 2017

- Vicki 6 Comments
Five Under £5 For March 2017

Five Under £5 For March 2017

I haven’t joined in with the Five Under £5 tag since last November, a combination of being busy and also I forgot all about it a couple of times too.So I got my butt in gear this month because I really missed taking part and there is nothing I like more that hunting out a bargain.

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in. It’s a lot of fun & you get to see all of the cute bargains that everyone finds, I always end up purchasing so many things from everyone else’s roundups.

The Little Paris Book Shop

The Little Paris Bookshop £4.49

One of my goals this year was to read more and 2 months into 2017 I have read 5 books, which is decent for me. I read The Little Paris Book Shop last month, I purchased it on Amazon for my Kindle and thoroughly enjoyed it and finished it super quickly. It is a story about love, loss and friendship. It is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and if you have a romantic soul like me then you will love this story. It is mostly set on board a book barge in the centre of Paris and that in itself was enough to make me purchase this book. I love that the main character Jean Perdu doesn’t let people pick their own books, he chooses their books for them almost like a prescription from a doctor. It follows his journey to try and mend his broken heart and you’re taken along for the very scenic ride. I 100% recommend adding this to your reading list for 2017.

Primark Wild Orchid & Honey Room Diffuser £1

I use these in my small downstairs toilet, there is no window and I don’t like to leave a candle burning in there as I am worried I’ll forget its lit. So a diffuser is a great way of giving the room a lovely subtle scent. These Primark ones are so affordable and this scent isn’t too overpowering or synthetic.

Aldi Fairy Lights

Aldi Rattan Ball Fairy Lights £2.99

My friend Hayley bought these for me and I adore them. I like the colours and just how sweet they look in the evening when it’s gone dark outside. I like to have fairy lights around my house and my motto is you can never have too many! So thank you so much Hayley, these are going to get a lot of love. I’m not too sure if Aldi will still have these in stock as they’re Special Buys seem to sell out pretty quickly.

Essence Make Me Brow £2.50

I am super lazy when it comes to my brows and I like to use products that are quick and fuss free. I love the Benefit Gimme Brow but I don’t like spending when there are such decent dupes out there. This tinted brow gel from Essence is a fantastic dupe, I get the darkest shade and that is a very good match for my bows. It provides a good amount of colour and covers any sparse areas and I like that it keeps those unruly brow hairs in place too. The brush is small and helps you to be precise with the product and only £2.50 everyone should add this to their makeup bag. If you haven’t tried Essence Cosmetics yet you really need too, it is available in Wilko Stores.
Essence Make Me Brow

Lidl Star Washi Tape 3 Rolls £1.99

Yes, yes we all know that I’m a washi tape hoarder but in my defence I have actually found a few uses for it and have started to use it in my Bullet Journal and also when decorating envelopes when writing to my lovely niece. So it is useful as well as pretty. I bought this pack from Lidl and they had a good selection of patterns and colours, I was quite restrained and only bought one pack, I liked the star patterns and bright colours so I am chuffed with this bargain.

Five Under £5 March 2017

Poundland Creative Colouring Book £1

This is an Easter gift for my niece. I bought her one from Amazon for Christmas and she really enjoyed it, so I was pleased to come across this more affordable one in the Poundshop. The pictures are really beautiful and the paper is good quality. I think there were 3 options to pick from and because she gets so much chocolate for Easter I thought I would be a little different and buy her something creative to do. I might have to colour in a page before I send it.

Let me know if you join in this month.

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Shopping My Stash August 2016

- Vicki 1 Comment
Shopping My Makeup Collection August 2016

Shopping My Makeup Stash August 2016

I have been de clutering my makeup stash for the past few weeks & the positive side to that is finding product you forgot you had. So I have been shopping my stash again, if you don’t already do this, I highly recommend it. Its nice to rotate your makeup so you’re not always using the same things.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo[+] Unifiant*

I have only just posted about this & its not a product that I have rediscovered, instead this is quite a new release and one that I have fallen in love with already. Its an extension of the already very popular Effaclar range from La Roche Posay they have added mineral pigments to give you a lovely even coverage. They currently only have 2 colour options & I have the lightest but this feels beautiful on the skin, very lightweight and lets your skin breath. I am excited to keep using it as I have been getting a few blemishes around my jawline and I am hoping this helps cover them and also clear them up a little quicker.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Seduction 

I am 100% not a lipgloss wearer, I only own two (which for a makeup junkie is quite impressive) this Charlotte Tilbury offering is simply beautiful. It gives my lips the perfect sheen and the colour payoff is impressive, also it has good staying power for a gloss. This is a pretty nude pink shade and I think its a nice everyday colour, every positive thing you have heard about these glosses is so true. They’re comfortable, great quality and this shade is pigmented. I am excited to rediscover this, I don’t wear much on my lips in the Summer, apart from a lipbalm with SPF, so I am excited to wear a few more autumnal shades.

Delving into My Makeup Stash

Essence Make Me Brow

LOVE this product, it is comparable to the Benefit Gimme Brow and this brown shade is a perfect match for my dark brows. It gives them a good amount of colour and covers any sparse areas and keeps them in place too. The brush is small and helps you to be precise with the product and only £2.50 everyone should add this to their makeup bag. Again as we head into Autumn I tend to fill my brows in a little darker and I will be reaching for this a lot more.

bareSkin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer

This is an incredible concealer, it has such a fluid consistency which makes a little go a long way and also means it feels very hydrating. I do have quite a few lines around my eyes and if my concealer is to heavy or drying it sinks in to them, this is one of the best concealers for not doing that. Thats not to say that after a long day its still 100% in place but it does stay in place for a very long time and its doesn’t accentuate my problem areas. Its great at brightening and offers good coverage for dark circles and redness too. This will be coming with me to my brothers wedding later this month as I know I can rely on it to coverup any imperfections.

Shopping My Makeup Collection August 2016

Rimmel Blush in 050 Live Pink

These are the sweetest little blushers & super affordable too. I have also been neglecting my blusher drawer since getting the Zoeva Blush Palette and I have not really used anything else. This is an easy to wear soft pink shade with a pretty of gold sheen. Its quite pigmented but not too bold, I love how tiny it is & I’m thinking I might take it to Amsterdam with me. Let me know what Rimmel Blush is your favourite

INIKA Mineral Foundation

I have been using my Jurlique Rose Silk Powder a lot over the Summer because its translucent and doesn’t give me any added coverage. As we head into the cooler days I do like to wear a powder that gives coverage too, the INIKA Mineral Foundation is a beautifully lightweight loose powder and I use it to set my foundation on days when I want my makeup to look flawless. This can be worn as your foundation and its really natural but also offers a good amount of coverage but as I said I enjoy using this as my setting powder & it does an amazing job. I have had this pot for over a year & I have used it a fair amount over that time and I still have so much product left. I am very excited to use this again. Oh & this is available in 8 shades.

LOreal Eyeshadow Quad in Eau de Rose

L’Oreal Eyeshadow in Eau de Rose

I have so many nice palettes that I very rarely use my smaller quads or single shadows very often and when I first bought this a few years ago I used it all the time. I love the dark mauve shade in this quad, its such a rich shade and you know its the perfect Autumnal shadow. All the colours in this quad are pretty, the lighter colours are nice worn alone all over the lid if you want more of a subtle look, or you can go to town and smoke it up with that beautiful deep shade. I love the packaging of this too & the way the shadows are all slotted together, the colours look so pretty together in the pan. I am very pleased to have this in my everyday makeup bag.

Shopping My Stash Aug 16

La Roche Posay Unifiant / bareMinerals Concealer / Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre / Rimmel Blush

Givenchy Mascara

Givenchy Phenomen`Eyes Mascara

This isn’t a rediscovery either, I’m just trying to use it up. It is the perfect case of not needing to splash out on a high-end mascara because price doesn’t always reflect quality. This is a very black mascara but i’d say that is the only positive thing I can say about it. The wand is just odd, the ball makes it very strange to use, and very hard to get used too. The formula smudges too, don’t use this on your bottom lashes at all as it ends up transferring so badly. I would recommend any of the Lancome or Marc Jacobs mascaras over this, if you want a high-end option but we all know that the drugstore options are incredible too! Not a fan of this at all.

What makeup products have you rediscovered this month.

Favourites Products June 2016

- Vicki 2 Comments
June Favourites 2016

June 2016 Favourite Products

Ooh! Oils Of Heaven – Cacay Facial Oil*

I hadn’t told my Mum that I’d found my HG facial oil but when she told me my skin was looking healthy and glowing I knew I wasn’t wrong about this product. I had thought to myself that my skin was looking and feeling brighter, my complexion more even and generally healthier but you never believe it until someone else points it out.

I’m completely sold on this 100% Cacay Oil Facial Oil from Oils of Heaven. It works so well on my skin and I’ve been wearing it day & night. I do like to apply a drop or two throughout the day too, when I’m not wearing any makeup. Cacay Oil has a high content of vitamin A, vitamin E and Linoleic Acid (omega-6) which are all proven to have effective results in skincare.

I did review these Oils of Heaven last week, if you’d like to have a read of that & get a little more information.

Essence Make Me Brow 

OK, so I really like my Benefit Gimme Brow but I live in a REALLY small town and its not that easy to get hold of & it can be a little pricey. So I had heard a few good things about the Essence Make Me Brow and had my fingers crossed that it could be a good dupe. Excitingly I can say, YES it is a damn good dupe & its only £2.50, I am thrilled with the quality and the colour match for my brows is so good. It gives good colour and hold to my brows, I bloody love it. I’s available in 3 shades and I have the darkest one. If you have an Essence counter near you then buy one & test it out for yourself. Its my number 1 favourite product this month.

Essence Blush Up in Pinky Flow 

I have a few of these Essence Blushers, this one is a really pretty everyday option. It’s a trio of pink shades from a deep pink to a light soft pink. Its not too pigmented but you can build it up if you like to a more intense colour. I don’t like to wear too much blush, simply because I have quite a rosy complexion & I don’t want to draw too much attention to it. This is a silky soft formula and it blends out well. I wouldn’t say its the longest wearing but I love this colour its so subtle and fresh on the skin.
June Favourites 2016

Chloe Love Story EDP

I like this perfume a lot, its such a fresh, feminine scent. It has notes of stephanotis jasmine, orange blossom, cedar and neroli. So it has a sweet, floral very fresh scent. I have been wearing this most days, its a really light daytime scent which lasts a very long time on me. I can smell it hours after I apply it. The bottle is also very pretty and sweet, I like to have this out on my vanity area.

Origins No Puffery Cooling Eye Roll On

Goodbye tired, puffy eyes! This is one of the first products I reach for once I’ve cleansed my skin in the morning. I like to keep it in my fridge so it stays extra cold & is soothing on my eyes. This is a roller ball that you apply to your under eyes to help de puff, wake up & hydrate that area. It feels so nice, especially when you’re struggling to wake up on those early mornings. It has Cucumber to cool and sooth, Yeast to de puff & Hoelen Mushroom Extract to calm. So for a little extra help banishing those under eye bags & dark circles this is a great product to have in your skincare stash.

Origins No Puffery Roll On

Nails Inc Gel One Coat Nail Polish in Chiltern Park*

This is truly a one coat nail polish, its opaque and vibrant without having to apply more than one coat. I love this bright pink shade and its gorgeous on my toes, its going to be my Summer polish of choice. It wears well and looks glossy and really vibrant. I do enjoy Nails Inc polishes but this was the first time using one of their Gel One Coat polishes & I was impressed.

*PR Sample