Nivea Men Post Shave Balm || Primer

Before anyone thinks I've gone mad and bought a mens shaving gel thinking it's a primer, I've not, I did intentionally pick this up as I had heard it made a really good primer. The product contains a lot of glycerin which is perfect as a primer because it locks in the skins moisture and provides a smooth, non-greasy base for make-up application.

The packaging of the product is quite simple like most Nivea products, although it does feel more luxurious than most as its in a glass bottle. Which is fab because it makes the product look nicer but a bit of an inconvenience for travelling with.

I don't usually bother with primers because I've never found one that doesn't leave my face feeling like it has some kind of film on it and I personally have never really noticed much of a difference. However, this one was entirely different - potentially because it hasn't been designed for use as a primer, it just sinks into the skin like a cream. You also only need a teeny tiny bit because it is extremely runny which is something to bare in mind when pouring it out to use. 

I apply it after my moisturiser has sunk in but before my foundation/base make up which tends to be the way this product works best. That being said, one time before a night out I forgot to put it on but wanted it on so I applied it on after and just blended it over my foundation with my foundation brush and it still worked and didn't affect the way my foundation sat on my skin. My make-up usually lasts really well anyway but it was still perfectly in place after nights out and I also wore it to work and went to the gym straight after and my makeup still looked as if I had just done it. So I am really impressed with this products ability to prolong the longevity of makeup.

The best part about this product is that it cost me £4 in Tesco which is cheaper than most drug store primers let alone high end ones like Benefit's porefessional, wh

ich I have tried and didn't think it made the slightest bit of difference. You can also pick this up in Boots or Superdrug as well. 

The only potential downside to this product (apart from it being easy to spill with it's runny consistency) is that it smells like a mans product which might irritate some people but after a few minutes the smell fades away so I personally don't think it's a problem.

Lots of Love,

A

♥

Zoeva Rose Gold Brush Set || Volume 1

I've made a really exciting purchase and yes it is volume 1 of the Zoeva rose gold brush set collection. I have wanted these for absolutely ages but put off buying them because I know they're ridiculously expensive for makeup brushes but I've been working so hard that I decided I deserved a little treat! Although they are expensive, just look how beautiful they are, as soon as they arrived I forgot alllllll about how much they cost. 

All of the brushes have stunning matte black handles, with rose ferrules at the top and really soft bristles, which are I believe a mixture of natural pony hair, natural goat bristles and Vegan Tacklon bristles depending on which brush. They are genuinely the softest things I have ever felt and probably the prettiest things I've ever felt too hahaha. They also come with a gorgeous, chocolate brown make up bag/clutch bag. It has a pocket on the inside and is really big so I'm definitely going to be adorning this on nights out.

I decided to go for volume one because I was torn between the full rose gold eye set and the rose gold face brushes set and this set seemed to be the perfect in-between as it incorporated a bit of both. Volume 1 comes with six face brushes and nine eye brushes and although there's a few in the set that I'm not sure I'll entirely get much use out of, I know the others will make up for that.

Firstly the face brushes which are the 106 Powder Brush, the 103 Defined Buffer, the 129 Luxe Fan, the 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek, the 112 Face Curve and the 109 Luxe Face Paint brush. All of the face brushes have a large proportion of the brush in the rose gold metal which you can see really makes them stand out especially in a pretty jar on your dressing table.

♥ 106 Powder Brush - 

The powder brush is a big fluffy, soft brush with a thick sturdy handle that makes blending and dusting powder over your forehead really easy. This brush is so soft, well to be honest they're all extremely soft but especially because this one is so big it's really pleasing to use on your skin. I have been using this to dust a little powder over my forehead and to blend out any extra bronzer or blusher for an airbrushed finish.

♥ 103 Defined Buffer

This brush is really dense and is slanted, I think it would be amazing to contour with if you were using a cream bronzer because of its slanted shape and it's ability to buff in a product with it's densely packed bristles. I've also been using this to buff in my foundation as it isn't worlds apart from the Real Techniques buffing brush (my favourite foundation brush), it's just like a slanted version of it but it still works just as well!

♥ 129 Luxe Fan

I've never owned a fan brush before, I've just never really had or seen a need to go out and specifically purchase one but it was a big influence in picking the Volume 1 set because I wanted the fan brush in the rose gold. Despite having got through 21 years of life without one, I absolutely adore using this and think I'd struggle without it now. It's amazing for sweeping away any fall out from glittery eyeshadows (Urban Decay I'm looking at you!!) and also for dusting a nice delicate amount of highlighter on your cheekbones. It's a definite winner from me.  

♥ 127 Luxe Sheer Cheek

Another brush that heavily influenced my purchase of this set is this beauty because I had misplaced my Real Techniques blusher brush and no brush I owned was coming close to doing as good a job. I didn't want to repurchase the RT one though because a) it'll probably turn up and b) I knew that I'd end up buying this set and not having a need for it anymore anyway! It is the perfect blusher brush or bronzer if you're bronzing up your face rather than contouring, it applies the perfect amount of product and blends beautifully. 

♥ 112 Face Curve

I wasn't so sure on the Face Curve brush because it reminds me of those old school foundation brushes where people used to paint their foundation onto their face (admit it, we've all been there!!) but I was pleasantly surprised. I decided to give it a go this morning because in my excitement I wanted to try as many of the brushes as possible and I used it to apply the foundation from the back of my hand to my face. It did blend in the foundation really nicely, much better than I expected it too and I think this is because it's slightly thicker and longer in length than most of the 'paintbrush' foundation offenders. I did however go over my face with the Defined Buffer lightly just to make sure my foundation was completely buffed into my skin, nobody likes a patchy face! 

♥ 109 Luxe Face Paint

Another massive influencer for me in buying this specific set was this beauty here, does it or does it CLEARLY look like a very good dupe for the Nars Ita brush which ladies and gentleman is £43 for just the one brush!!! This screamed like the perfect contour brush to me for either cream product or powder and I think this is a brush that would be Kim K worthy. It is literally the perfect shape for defining your cheekbones without leaving you with a muddy thick stripe down your cheeks and it's really easy to blend out with too. It's fab for contouring the nose and forehead too with it's shape so this brush has me massively impressed!! I'd definitely go to say it's one of my favourites in the set, if not my favourite. 

Now the eye brushes, the eye brushes in this set are the 142 concealer buffer, the 317 wing liner, the , the 322 brow line, the 310 spot liner, the 226 smudger, 227 luxe soft definer, 228 luxe crease, 230 luxe pencil and the 234 luxe smoky shader.

♥ 142 Concealer Buffer

This is a double for the Real Techniques concealer buffer which I'm glad about because I absolutely love that and now have one for my handbag (the RT one, these babies are far too precious to be carried about!) and one for my house! It buffs out concealer quickly and beautifully no matter how thick the product is and it clogs the actual brush much less than the RT one which is a massive bonus because less cleaning to do always wins! It's very dense but still very soft and flexible. 

♥ 317 Wing Liner

I'm not sure how much use I will get out of this one because I don't tend to do wing liner looks very often and if I do then I would use my liquid liner. However, if I do ever want to venture out into gel liner or even a cream/gel eyebrow product then this would be fab for that.

♥ 322 Brow Line

This is your standard short, angled brow brush however it is slightly shorter than most others I've tried. This makes it so much easier and more precise when drawing on lines but I found that once I had drawn the outline of my brows I preferred my Revlon eyebrow brush to fill them in because it just made it much quicker to do. Whereas with this one you could really create a 'on fleek' brow if you had the time and the patience to spend a little longer filling it in neatly (which clearly I have neither...)

♥ 310 Spot Liner

This is again one I'm not entirely sure how much I will use because I never have a lot of time for lining my eyes that close to the lash line with eyeshadow (or eyeliner) but that is what this brush is for. It is quite possibly the smallest brush I have ever seen, I may even have had to double check when I got it that there was in fact hairs actually on the end of it. As it's so delicate and tiny though it will be fabulous for applying black eyeshadow or liner to really thicken your lash line and give that invisible liner look. 

♥ 226 Smudger

This small, short and dense brush is a smoky eye essential. It will be fabulous for smoking out the crease or for smoking out a shadow along the eyeline or even for applying black shadow to the lash line and smoking that out. I think I will also use this for my lower lash line to smoke out some eyeshadow under the eye for more dramatic looks.

♥ 227 Luxe Soft Definer

The main reason I wanted more eye brushes was because I never wash my eyeshadow brushes regularly enough, I have all my Urban Decay ones and my Real Techniques ones but I wear eyeshadow most days and never the same shades everyday. Often I use 3 brushes on my eyes in one day so it was only taking me a few days before I needed to wash my eyeshadow brushes again and having clean blending brushes around is always handy. This is super fluffy and probably a really good  dupe for the much loved Mac 217 brush. It blends out eyeshadow really nicely without scratching your eyelids which is of course a massive bonus.

♥ 228 Luxe Crease

Another soft fluffy blending brush which is ideal for blending and shading into the crease or the outer corner of the eyes. There is not a massive difference between the luxe crease and the luxe soft definer, both essentially do the same task of blending out either loose pigment shadows or pressed powder ones. The 228 is slightly taller and thinner but it really doesn't make a massive difference to the performance of the brush but if I could only have had one I probably would have picked the 228! 

♥ 230 Luxe Pencil

This is a very precise small tapered brush which would be really good for any accurate shading and blending that's needed with your eye makeup. As it is shaped like a pencil it would be able to apply eyeliner smoothly and precisely, if you like wearing black eyeshadow as liner. 

♥ 234 Luxe Smoky Shader

The standard eyeshadow application brush, the brush is rounded and smooth to give good application. It's very dense so is perfect for packing on the colour and if you spray the brush with a bit of Mac fix plus first it will work well to apply loose pigments too.

I think make-up brushes have to be viewed as an investment because they will last you a long time (or should) and if you wash them and look after them properly then it should end up being well worth the money. So although this set was £110 and I fully understand that for some people this amount to spend on brushes seems ridiculous however I do think they are worth it given the quality professional brushes you get and the amount you get in the set. They're definitely worth saving up for or putting on your birthday list!

I bought mine from Beauty Bay for £110 and because you're spending so much money you get to pick a sample (albeit a tiny one!) and get next day free priority delivery. So if you order now you could have your very own set by tomorrow evening... apologies in advance for being an enabler but least you now have somebody to blame ;-).

Beauty Bay Zoeva Rose Gold Volume 1

Have you tried Zoeva brushes? 

Lots of Love,

A

♥

My HD Brows Experience || Zen Lifestyle

So a couple of weeks ago, I was invited by Zen Lifestyles to get HD brows done and I've never had them done before so I was really unsure but all the celebs get HD brows so I didn't want to pass up the opportunity.

HD brows is a unique process of waxing, shaping, threading, tweezing and tinting to create the perfect, unique eyebrow that suits both your colouring and face shape. Even if you have very sparse brows, HD brows can work on a re-growth programme with you, re-shaping every 6 weeks to create a thicker, fuller brow.

The salon that I got my brows done in was the Hanover Street salon and inside it is gorgeous, currently it's decked out in Christmas garlands and gorgeous red flowers. They have really nice silver baubles dangling from the ceiling with the most amazing mirror that I most definitely wanted to steal for my bedroom. Another thing I loved about the salon is the gorgeous spa smell it had and they had the nicest water on the table infused with lemon and cucumber. It's just one of those places where you instantly feel relaxed when you walk in the door and I guess their salon name is pretty apt for how it makes you feel when you're there.

Close up of my eyebrow before HD brows 

Naturally, I have quite a good eyebrow shape so manage to look after them myself without getting them waxed or threaded and because I like my natural shape I'm always very paranoid about letting someone else touch them. The lady who did my brows (who's name I can't quite remember, sorry!) was very good, she asked me what I liked and I showed her a picture of how I like my brows when they're at their best (I'd let them grow in a bit for the treatment) and she said she would stick to my natural shape, just enhance it.

I have to say it wasn't the most painless experience, the waxing part is okay although painful when the tail of the eyebrow is being waxed and threading made my eyes water but it was bearable and I'm a complete woose so if I can hack it, anyone can! The lady also asked me how dark I like my eyebrows, I chose quite dark because that's just how I like them. I had that sick feeling as she raised the mirror, paranoid that I was going to be left with no eyebrows or a shape that I detested but I actually loved them! It was like my natural brows, with a slightly more defined arch, she managed to make my good eyebrow even better and my bad eyebrow to match it (admit it we all have one good eyebrow!) and they looked like I had filled them in but I hadn't. I was completely wowed by how much thicker and higher my eyebrows were, I have no idea how my lovely therapist managed it but I was very impressed.

The first week and a half were absolutely amazing, I had no pain afterwards and my eyebrows were amazing, I had that extra 5 minutes in the morning because I didn't need to fill in my brows. Now I do have to go back to filling them in because the tint has worn off my skin but they're much quicker to fill in because the shapes already perfect, it's just filling in the sparse hairs. 

Close up of eyebrow straight after getting HD brows done

I would without a doubt get HD brows done again at Zen Lifestyle, I've always had compliments on my brows but now I get even more and it takes me much less time in the morning in perfecting them. They are slightly more expensive than your usual wax treatment (£38) but I've had my eyebrows waxed before and I never looked at my eyebrows for weeks after and still admired them like I have been with my HD brows.

My brows yesterday in work, two weeks after treatment

If you're wanting to get HD brows done I completely recommend Zen lifestyle, I always think its better to get your eyebrows done somewhere you've had a recommendation from than going in blind cause lets face it nobody wants to be fixing their eyebrows for months after a botch job.

Also top tip if you are planning on getting them done, don't wear face makeup or eyeshadow to your appointment because it does come off with the waxing which leaves awkward patches. It's not a good idea to fill the patches in with more make-up either because the pores are open from waxing so it's tempting spots if you put make-up over freshly waxed skin! 

If you're wanting to buy a voucher for HD brows at Zen lifestyle either for yourself or a fabby Christmas gift then you can do so here.

                                  Have you had HD brows done before? What did you think of them?

Lots of Love,

A

♥

* This treatment was complimentary but as always all opinions are my own

Lipstick Haulin' || MAC Mondays

If there's one thing I love, it's lipstick, especially MAC lipsticks. The formula, pigmentation, wear time and scent of them are all incredible and although they're on the pricier side for lipstick, they're worth it because you don't have to re-apply them as much. I actually won one of these in the lovely Kizzy Hearts giveaway as well so check out her blog! 

The first shade that I picked was Sin because it'll be absolutely perfect for this time of year. It's a gorgeous deep burgundy almost brown toned reddy purple and I've already worn it so many times, I actually wore it on Halloween as well so I'll insert a few pictures of me wearing it below. 

Close up, this was actually at the end of the night so it's worn off a bit but you get the idea!

Another A/W inspired shade that I picked up is Rebel because every single year, around this time, I always say to myself that I need to buy it so this year I've eventually done it. The colour is a berry toned purple, it does show up a lot lighter and brighter than it looks in the bullet but on me it still looks quite purple.

Slightly different from the other two I bought is the third shade that I choose which is the nude shade Patisserie. It's just another shade that has been on my wish list for ages because so many bloggers and YouTubers rave about it. It's a lustre finish which isn't my favourite finish but it's a typical nude shade that just adds a nice nude sheen to the lips. It reminds me of a browner version of Pure Zen which we all know is a massive favourite of mine.

The last one that I ordered was another nude favourite which is the classic Kylie Jenner lip 'Velvet Teddy'. I put off buying this one for ageeeeees because I didn't think it would suit me and I'm not that interested in the Kardashians (I know, I'm the only girl out there who isn't, pls don't hate me) so didn't really feel a need for me to own it. However, when I tried it on in Mac, I really liked it as an everyday nude shade so picked it up. It's a matte formula so will be really long lasting and it's a brown toned nude, definitely one to pick up if you like the nineties lip trend.

The final lipstick is the one that I won and I picked Kinda Sexy because it's another nude shade and at the moment if I don't want a dark, Wintery lip then I just want a nice nude shade. Kinda Sexy is also a matte lipstick and it's very similar to Velvet Teddy but lighter and more peachy/orange toned.

Swatches R-L- Rebel, Patisserie, Sin, Kinda Sexy, Velvet Teddy

P.S apologies the lighting in these pictures isn't fab, I had to work with the best light that Winter would give me!

Have you got any of these shades? What ones do I need to pick up next?

Lots of Love,

A

♥

Pretty Little Thing, River Island, Elegant Touch, Clarks & More || Haul

Firstly I'd like to quickly say... massive apologies for my unexplained disappearance from my blog, suddenly life got very busy and I have been under massive pressures in my final year of my law degree so that's had to take a fore front. However, I have not lost my love for blogging at all and have got plenty of content to share as soon as I get time so thank you so much for those who have stuck with me!!

I had my 21st birthday in September so I bought a lot of dresses for that because I had several nights out for it. These three are all from Pretty Little Thing which if you don't know about you should because they do amazing dresses for so cheap. They aren't the best quality in that I don't think they'll last as long as say a Topshop dress would but definitely still good value for money. These ones cost me £15 each but the mint one is now discounted to £10 and you get 15% student discount on top of this, sometimes it's 20% and their delivery is like a pound and quite often they have a free next day offer on. This site is literally my new go to for dresses and they have a similar thing to Asos premier too which I've also paid for because I use the site so much now. I done my usual trick of buying one dress that I like in just about every single colour it was available in and when they're so cheap it would be crazy not too. The style of the dress is a skater style with cross over straps at the back, it is really low cut and because of the style of the back of the dress you can't wear a bra with it. I usually never go out without wearing a bra because it isn't comfy and my boobs just don't feel supported without one however these ones it's absolutely fine so the dress must have good support in it. It's super flattering because of the skater style it nips you in at the waist and I got it in a mint green, a coral and a pastel blue shade. 

From River Island I also picked up these leggings which I am in love with, they're more like a riding pant than a legging because they're super thick (nobody will be seeing my pants) and they have the elastic panels at the side. My friend recommended these to me and I am a convert, they're so comfy and just look that little bit more dressy than regular leggings. The only problem Ive had with them is that they are a total bitch for hairs sticking to them, I constantly have to roller ball myself as I'm running out the door but they're worth the extra effort. These were more expensive than your average pair of leggings (£22) but they fit more like a pair of trousers so will last much longer too and they fit really true to size as well.

Everybody knows I'm a shoe girl and I've gone quite crazy on shoes lately. The first pair I got as my uniform for my work, I work part time in Clarks so one of the perks of that is I get lots of shoes. The first pair I got is called Griffin Monty in black leather which is just a plain black buckled shoe, it's quite different for me but I thought I could make it work. I love these, they're so old school and look really cute with frilly socks. I think they'd go with a variety of different fashion styles, they're really versatile and hard wearing, mines haven't scuffed at all despite using them for work. They do take a while to break in though especially if you plan on wearing them bare foot so definitely one to wear blister plasters with at first. They also come in a black patent and a burgundy patent which is gorgeous but I wasn't brave enough to pull them off haha!

The second pair of shoes I got from my work are actually for out of work but I get quite good discount on that too. These ones have gone into the sale now from £70 to £50 so if you are interested in picking them up in this taupe colour or the black then head over to Clarks website before they go out of stock. These are super comfy, perfect for those days where it's not too cold but not that warm either, these were amazing in the Autumn but will be ideal for Winter and Spring too. They look fab with bare feet or frilly socks again, these are really comfy and are an easy pair to dress up or down. I've had so much wear out of them already and I like the taupe shade of them, it's just a bit different to the usual black or brown boot. 

The last pair of shoes I picked up are actually a pair of high heels. I only had one nude pair of heels and they were extremely hard to walk in because the straps at the ankle were far too lose so I decided to get a new pair. I picked these ones from River Island because they're absolutely stunning and although they're expensive for heels (£58), they'll go with so many outfits because they're nude and hopefully last a long time. They have a gorgeous gold plated toe but I did find that this made them fit up a bit smaller, I have size 4 and a half/5 feet and I had to go up to a 6 so that's something to watch out for. 

I also got two sets of Elegant Touch fake nails because I've been hearing so much about these and I love having my nails done but stopped a while ago because it was completely ruining my natural nails. I picked up the black 'Twinkle' set which is pretty and sparkly for my birthday and a set of natural ovals so I could paint them whatever colour I wanted. I have actually tried the Twinkle ones now so can give a mini review on them, if I'm honest I wasn't really a fan. They looked amazing once I'd done them, really professional and a gorgeous shape but they kept pinging off after only 24 hours and they felt really unnatural so I was totally aware of them being on my nails. The twinkle ones are pre-glued so it could be that the oval ones will work better with me manually applying the glue myself. 

I also got sent this hip flask from SWIG London which I thought I would share with you because it came in very handy on my 21st birthday as I'm sure you can imagine!! I love that it comes in a pretty case and isn't just a boring metal hip flask and you can get a variety of different coloured cases for the hip flasks. There's now a gorgeous pink one out that I wish I had chosen! I think they'd make a really good Christmas gift especially if you have an awkward person that's really hard to buy for. It is a luxury hip flask so slightly more expensive (around £89) but they do have a sale on at the moment with £20 off most flasks and the flasks are high quality so it's worth it if you're in the market for one.

I also picked up more frilly socks because as everybody knows I'm the frilly sock queen and they're basically the only socks I wear so not much more needs to be said about them! I actually got a mint green pair and another grey pair as well but they're in the wash because I wore them already, sorrrrry.

I picked up two clutch bags too because I only had one nude one and it has a strap attached which I used to prefer but now I'm preferring ones that don't have straps because I think they look better. I got this nude one from River Island because it's an exact match for my shoes and I also picked up a mint green one from New Look. The mint one does have a strap but it's a detachable one at least if I do decide I want a strap I can clip it back on. 

I hope you enjoyed this haul and I've already done a lot more shopping so keep your eyes peeled for another one soon.

Lots of Love,

A 

♥