Cheap Chanel Mademoiselle Dupe?!

  The other week I was in work and my friend Olivia smelled amazing and I asked her what perfume she had on expecting her to say Chanel or YSL and she said it was from Lidl of all places. Now, I'm a massive perfume snob and would never normally dream of picking up a perfume from a supermarket let alone a bargain store like Lidl but this perfume happens to be a gobsmackingly good dupe for Chanel Mademoiselle so of course I had to buy myself one.

The actual name of the perfume is 'Suddenly Madame Glamour' which is the kind of cringeworthy name that you would expect a bargain supermarket to stock. It's also hinting at how close it is to the Chanel Mademoiselle perfume by taking elements of the luxurious perfumes name into it's own. It is one of my pet hates when brands copy other brands and just alter the name slightly but with this being such a good dupe I wasn't going to let that stop me buying it.

 It cost me £3.99 for 50ml compared to the Chanel one which costs £67.50!!! On top of this the Lidl one is frequently on a half price deal so you can really smell like Chanel for £1.99...who'd have thought?! Now I know you're instantly thinking yes but it won't be as good quality as Chanel but that is where you are wrong. This scent is surprisingly long lasting, it lasts on my skin for most of the day, I can often still smell it in the evening which I was impressed with because lets face it for £4 you don't expect much and you can afford to be spray happy.

 The strength of the smell is very strong but not as strong as Chanel Mademoiselle itself maybe more like a very good eau de toilette version but stronger than a lot of perfumes still. It contains pretty much the exact same notes though so much so that in tests many people could not tell the difference between the two fragrances.

 Obviously the packaging is nowhere near as luxurious as Chanel's but for under a fiver what can you expect. Lidl's version is just a glass bottle with a tacky looking white plastic lid and the liquid is an orangey shade compared to Chanel's square glass bottles with their pretty lids and the pale pink liquid inside. There's no denying that Chanel Mademoiselle looks a lot prettier on your dressing table but is that reason alone to pay an extra £60 plus? I don't think so!

 I have heard that this perfume can be quite hard to get hold of because people are quickly realising how close this matches with Chanel and Lidl can't get the shelves stocked up fast enough. However, at my Lidl which is luckily only ten minutes down the road (never before have I appreciated this... who'd have thought!) had so many of these on their shelves so possibly they're catching on!

Have you tried this? If not and you're a Chanel Mademoiselle fan then pop in to your nearest Lidl and give it a whiff!

Lots of Love,

♥

Costa Chic || MAC Mondays

Hellooo lovelies,

 Now that we are mid Summer, I've been cracking out one of my old favourites again which is the frost lipstick 'Costa Chic'. Costa chic is a stunning coral shade but it does get rather neglected in my collection during the colder months of the year so when it's warmer I really enjoy wearing this.

 This is actually my only frost shade from MAC because generally as a rule, I'm not a massive fan of the finish. The frost finish pretty much looks as the name suggests 'Frosty' so it has almost a shimmery look too it and isn't as creamy as a cremesheen. I don't mind the formula, it is still creamy and gives a pretty finish but I definitely prefer cremesheen finishes.

 It is quite long lasting, slightly more so than the cremesheen colours because it is less creamy. Depending on how much eating, drinking and talking I'm doing I could get up to 6 hours out of this. It's a really pretty shade for everyday, work or even for a night out (although I definitely prefer my bright pinks on nights out!!).

This is the perfect Summer coral shade so if you want a coral lippy then try this beaut! What's your favourite Summer lipstick?

Lots of Love,

♥

L'Oreal Super Liner || Review

Hellooo lovelies,

 When I started out in makeup liquid eyeliner was one of those challenges that made me want to throw a tantrum and give up because I could never get it right. It was always too thick so I looked like I had no eyelid or it was squint or both eyes were drastically different - the list goes on. What actually helped me learn how to do my eyeliner properly was the L'Oreal Super Liner, this liner is a present from the gods for eyeliner newbs.

 The applicator of this is basically like a spongey pen nip so it gives the most easy and precise eyeliner application possible. It's also not massively thick which is a huge help if you a) have smaller eyelids so don't have the room to have a thick line or b) are new to eyeliner and want to build up the thickness slowly.

 Another massive plus to this for me is it's really long lasting so I never ever find myself having to top up my liner unless I've had a really long nap or been crying. The magical thing is though if you make a mistake with it'll buff off with a little cotton bud so easily yet it doesn't affect it's lasting power throughout the day. Magic eyeliner? I think so.

 The best part of all though of course is that it is a drug store product so it's available from Boots and Superdrug for only £6.49, fabulous. Be careful to read the label on this product though because it comes in 'Black' which is what I recommend but it also comes in 'Black crystals' which is like black and sparkly.

 I've used this eyeliner for years now and I don't think I will ever go for another liquid eyeliner because this is so cheap, so easy and so reliable!

Lots of Love,

♥

Priti NYC nail polish || Review

Hello lovelies,

 So a while back I was contacted by the lovely Lucy Rose and asked if I would like to review a product from her website which I shall link below. I was very kindly sent the Priti NYC nail polish* in the colour 'Blush Noisette'. I was super excited to try it because I'm pretty certain Priti NYC is an Australian brand so I don't have access to it in the UK and therefore have never tried anything from their brand before.

 I'm finally getting around to trying out this product because I've had gel nails on for a few weeks and I've had this beauty sitting waiting to be tried! So the first thing I did after taking my gel nails off was apply this and it is a really pretty colour. It's very similar to Essie Fiji but slightly pinkier. It's one of those shades that I like to call a tan enhancer because it's so milky that it makes your skin look lovely and tanned even if it's really quite pale.

 The consistency of this nail polish didn't wow me, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't amazing which I would expect from a slightly higher end nail polish. I still found myself having to do three coats of polish to get it to look opaque but then that is usually the case with lighter polishes

 What really impressed me with this though is the brush size because I am the worst person at painting my nails, I don't have the patience or a steady enough hand to get it right. Therefore I like a brush that isn't massive but isn't bizarrely thin either so that I can try and paint the nail in three strokes and avoid painting half my finger too. This has that brush so I had a rare moment where I actually succeeded in painting only my nails and keeping my fingers polish free.

 It does say online that this nail polish is meant to be chip resistant which I don't know how far I agree with. A nail polish with a base coat and top coat for me usually will last around three days without chipping which this one also did but I would not call that long lasting. Although my nails are in really bad condition from acrylic nails which I think is why nail polishes always seem to chip on me within a few days. If nail polishes normally last a good length of time on you then I'd imagine you'd get the same with this one!

 A massive benefit of this polish is it's non toxic and it's also suitable for vegans. I didn't even know a nail polish could not be suitable for vegans..I wonder why?? You learn something new everyday!!

Overall I do really like this and if you don't mind spending £12 on a nail polish then this would be a good one to try.

Lots of Love,

♥

http://www.lucyrose.biz/

MAC Foundation Shades Explained || MAC Mondays

Hellooo lovelies,

 One thing I'm frequently asked is 'how do I know what shade of foundation I will be in MAC' or 'How do MAC foundation shades work' so I thought I should do a blog post explaining how it works.

 MAC do their foundations C for cool and W for warm and they sort of do it in reverse of everyone else. So if you have warm toned skin with yellow/olive undertones then you want to go for a cool foundation to counteract this. If you have cool toned skin with pink undertones then you need a warm toned foundation to counteract this. Alternatively if you have a pretty even skin tone already you could go for one of MAC's neutral shades which is represented by the letter N.

 Also with MAC, all their foundations are different shade range's because of their formula's so just because you're a NW15 in Studio Fix doesn't mean you'll be a NW15 in Face and Body or their other foundations. So always get matched and get a sample of each different foundation you want to try! 

 If you're ordering online though or just don't trust the person who's matching you then the first thing to do is work out the skin tone that you have. There are two ways of telling whether you're warm toned or cool toned and the proper way to do it is by looking at the colour of your veins. If you have blue/purple veins then there's a good chance you have a cool skin tone and if you have more greeny blue toned veins then you're most likely warm toned. The easiest way however is to work out which skin tone you have though is what jewelry do you suit most? People who have cooler toned skin always suit silver jewelry better whereas warmer toned skin goes best with gold metal. Think of tanned Spanish woman.... gold jewelry flatters their skin better doesn't it? compared with someone who has a paler more translucent skin tone who will suit a silver piece of jewelry more. So once you have your skin tone sorted you just need to pick a number, the lower the number the paler the colour. A little bit of guess work may be needed for those ordering online based on your usual foundation shades but if you live near a counter definitely get yourself matched up! 

Hopefully that's helped clear up some of the confusion over how MAC foundation shades work and how to work out which skin tone you are.

Lots of Love,

♥

Essence UK Launch || Haul & Review

 Hellooo lovelies,

 So a month or so back I was invited by the lovely people over at Essence to their UK launch event in either Manchester or London. However, both these cities are so far for me that the travel expenses of getting there were just unjustifiable. I was so happy when they contacted me again saying they would send me out some of their new goodies to try!!

 The first thing I was sent was their pure skin moistuizing make-up which I would say is between a BB cream and a foundation. It doesn't quite have as long lasting properties as a foundation but I would say it gives a lot more coverage than a BB cream. I've been loving wearing this on days where I don't really want to wear foundation but I don't really want to be bare faced or if I want coverage but I'm not really going out for very long. It lasts around 4-5 hours on my skin which is still really good for a drugstore product and I would imagine it would last longer on drier skin and with a primer used underneath it. I was also very impressed that Essence managed to give me the correct shade for my skintone as I noticed someone paler than me has been sent a paler shade. I really like when PR companies take the time to look at the bloggers blog and pick things out suitable for them etc, not really relevant to the product but just something I really like. Mines was in the shade 02 sand.

 I don't know how this does with fighting spots but my skin certainly has not been breaking out and the product has a very anti-septic smell so it smells like it would keep spots away. I actually do really like this product and will continue to use it.

  The next thing I got was the Essence all eyes on me mascara which I actually didn't hold out high hopes for. As I've mentioned previously I'm very dubious when it comes to drug store mascaras and the packaging although cheerful doesn't automatically scream that the product will be great. However, I was very pleased to see that it actually works really well. If I'm completely honest it won't replace my all time favourite mascara but I've loved using this for top ups to my regular mascara, for bottom lashes and for those days where I don't really need make-up on but just want that little something. I really like that it's waterproof too because my everyday mascara isn't! It's definitely the one to buy for those on a budget though as you can pick it up at Wilkinsons for only £2.00 which is an absolute bargain.

 I love liquid eyeliners so I was really excited to see that Essence have one to see if it's good because we all love a bargain! I like this packaging a lot better than the mascara's because it looks less cheap with just the black and the blue. The liner nib is a thin black brush and I usually prefer a pen nib type eyeliner but this actually worked really well because the bristles don't split apart so it gives the same effect as a pen nib. I really really liked this product, it lasted well and it came out black which even more expensive eyeliners often fail at. Overall I think this is a steal for only £2.50 and it's also waterproof which is fabulous at helping it last longer than a normal liquid liner.

 I was also sent their regular black jumbo eye liner which I was slightly worried about because jumbo products are usually never as good in quality. However, although being slightly trickier to use than a smaller liner pencil it's quality is still fab, really black and really long lasting. I also like the packaging of this with the black and the pink.

 One of my favourite things that I received though was this xxxl shine lipgloss in bright side of life which is a gorgeous shimmery peach shade. I am in love with this gloss, it's the perfect Summer colour and the name is so cute and I'm a sucker for cute names. I've also been loving using lip glosses a lot more in the Summer weather because there's less wind to blow my hair into it! The best part of these is they only cost £1.80 so if you need a good and cheap lipgloss then get yourself over to Wilkinsons!

 My most favourite product though is this blush up powder blush in heatwave which again has an amazing name which suits the blusher really well. I love blushers like these because you really get your moneys worth when it's a three/four shade in one blusher. You get the orange shade on it's own, the middle coral/pink shade on it's own, the dark pink on it's own or swipe across all three and get a mixture. I've used this every single day without fail since I received this so if you've liked my blusher in any recent pictures then this is what I've had on. I usually go for the middle pinky shade or all three together. This only costs £3.50 which I think is great for effectively four different blusher shades!

Bright side of life lipgloss and blusher shades 

Overall I'm so impressed with Essence products and I can't wait to try out more of them. Have you tried any of Essences products?

Lots of Love,

♥

Empties Explained #1

Hellooo lovelies,

 Today I have my first ever empties products post and I've been collecting these for a while so don't think I've gone through all these products all at once. The first empty I have is a duo and it's the Bedhead Tigi shampoo and conditioner, level 2 which you might recognise from way back in January when I showed my hair care routine. This is in fact the same bottles and I've actually had them since last March!!! They've lasted such a long time but that is partly due to the fact that I stopped using them for about 5 months of that just because I wanted more variety. I really do like these, I love the smell of them and they made my hair feel lovely and soft but I found the conditioner had a tendancy to leave my hair feeling clogged up. I'm not sure if I'd buy them again just because they are expensive and I think you can probably get just as good cheaper but if I don't find something cheaper then I probably would buy the shampoo again!

 Any one else find that their conditioner always runs out soooo much faster than their shampoo or is that just me?! I go through conditioner almost twice as fast as I run out of shampoo and this one is the Mane N Tail conditioner which I also showed in my hair care routine. I really like this product, it smells lovely and it feels lovely but the one thing I hate about it is that it's a bright yellow liquid which leaves lovely looking stains in the shower. I don't know how great it is for making your hair grow longer because I already do have and always have had really long hair so it's quite hard to judge but I think the real test will be when I stop using it if I notice a difference.

 The next empty I have is Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Wash which I feel like I've had in my shower for absolutely ages. It certainly lasts a really long time and I do like the smell of it, it's very citrusey (is that a word??..is now!) and fresh so I loved using this in my morning shower to help waken me up. Although I liked it I didn't love it so I won't be rushing out to buy another one right away but when I need a new shower gel (I have many stocked up) then I would definitely consider picking it up again!

 The body cream that I have been using which has now ran out is Superdrug's Cranberry & Pomegranate body butter. It smelled lovely, like sweeties and I did really enjoy using this. It had an okay texture, it wasn't amazingly soft, creamy and smooth but it was when you rubbed it into your skin. Again it was alright but I don't think I'd repurchase it again unless I was looking for a cheap moisturiser that smelt nice and did the job!

 Of course I have run out of my favourite mascara at the minute because I wear this every single day. This is the only drug store mascara that I have ever tried and actually liked using. It has a massive bristle wand which is great for catching all your lashes and coating them. It gives impressive length and volume and for a decent price. If you haven't tried this mascara and you're like the old me thinking the only way to get good lashes is by buying high end mascara- fear not! I will definitely repurchase this again and again and again.

 Sadly I have run out of my Urban Decay Primer Potion too which you can tell has been very very very well loved! I really love this, I won't wear eyeshadow without it underneath because the difference in the colour pay off without a decent primer underneath is draw dropping! I would definitely repurchase this again because it's fab and I couldn't wear eyeshadow without it.

Lots of Love,

♥

Happy Go Lucky || MAC Mondays

Hellooo lovelies,

 If you're a MAC addict like me then I'm sure by now you'll all have heard of MAC's playland collection which mainly consists of pinky shades with a red shade and a gold shade thrown in there too. Being a pink lipstick junkie it was never going to last me being able to resist this collection.. I tried and I failed. I waited for so long that they were all mainly out of stock but then Selfridges got some of them back in stock and it would have been rude to not buy a few!

 I was initially drawn to Happy Go Lucky because it looked very much like it was the same as Candy Yum Yum from their permanent range which I've always wanted to try but had heard it was quite drying which put me off. I'm not the biggest fan of matte lipsticks at the best of times but if I'm going to like them they generally have to be quite a creamy matte. Since Happy Go Lucky is an amplified finish I knew it wouldn't be drying so it seemed like the perfect Candy Yum Yum substitute for me. Obviously I can't say if they're a dupe for each other because I've never tried Candy Yum Yum but they definitely look very similar.

 I absolutely love this colour, it's so bright, girly, barbie pink but it also has almost a tint of purple to it. I get compliments when I wear it because it is such a stand out colour that it will grab peoples attention. It obviously isn't the most wearable of colours and it definitely isn't a colour for bright lipstick phobes but if you love your bright colours then you'll really enjoy this one!

 As it's an amplified lipstick it's long lasting so there's no need to worry about having to top up your lipstick and it also means your lipstick will run out slower because you're needing to use it less. Even when the lipstick does start to fade it leaves a stain on your lips for hours. It applies opaque in one go too because it is so super pigmented.

Swatch on the right is Happy Go Lucky

 Like all MAC lipsticks it has the gorgeous vanilla scent/taste and it retails for £15.50...yes MAC have put their prices up AGAIN (sigh).

Happy Go Lucky on the lips

Have you tried any of the Playland lipsticks? What were your favourites?

Lots of Love,

♥

Tea Tree Skin Clearing Foaming Cleanser || Skincare Saturdays

Hellooo lovelies,

 I'm back with another skincare Saturday post and this week I'm reviewing the Body Shop's tea tree foaming cleanser. This is targeted at people with blemish prone and oily skin and usually I'm really dubious of foaming cleansers for oily skin because they usually do more harm than good. However, since it came with a set and I have normal to combination skin I thought it would be worth giving it a go. Foaming cleansers are usually the worst thing for oily skin because they completely strip the skin of oil, good right?! wrong, it's bad because the skin panics and produces even more oil.

 I did find that this product dried my skin out a little which I fully expected with it being a foaming cleanser but to combat this I always moisturised after using it which I do morning and night anyway so it wasn't a problem. After doing this I personally never found my skin to produce excess oil so that seemed to work for me but might not work as well on a really oily skin tone. I think this cleanser would suit normal or normal to combination skin best because I think if you have really dry or oily skin it would dry the skin out too much.

 With skincare it's always hard to tell how well something is fighting spots and blemishes because so many other factors can come into play with your skin but it never broke me out at all and seems to be helping my skin stay clearer. It has organic tea tree oil in it which is well known for it's healing properties when it comes to spots and blemishes.

 This retails for only £5 online at The Body Shop which is really good value for a cleanser that's beneficial to your skin and it's 150ml too so should last a good while. Packaging wise I think the Body Shop have done a nice job, it doesn't look cheap and it suits the tea tree theme. I like that the liquid inside the bottle is green but then the foam comes out white too, it's the small things in life!

Have you tried anything from this range?

Lots of Love,

♥

My Favourite Boy

Hellooo lovelies,

 I went a walk a few nights ago and I took my 'big camera' as I like to call it because with the warmer weather I've been going a lot more walks to try and make my lifestyle a bit healthier. On these walks I often see beautiful sunsets, or just something that would make a pretty picture and although iphone cameras are great, they're not quite as powerful as a DSLR.

 You're probably now wondering why this post has the name that it does and that is because I obviously take my gorgeous little doggy on these walks with me which ended up in most of the photos being of him. I have a few other ones but he certainly hogged the camera and some of them were just too cute not to share and he is my favourite little guy in the whole wide world so hopefully you'll all love him as much as I do! So let me introduce you to my spaniel cross Eric....

Eric loves to jump and it took ages to try and get him in focus jumping the fence! I know it's slightly blurred but it's still cute.

My failed selfie attempt hahaha.

 I hope you enjoyed this little snipped of my life. If you like posts like this then do let me know cause I would love to do more of them.

Lots of Love, 

♥