So when Benefit released the Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer- I was pretty damn intrigued. It had never even crossed my mind that you would ever use a BB cream on your eyelids. I liked the idea of the soft CushionCalm tip which looked so lovely and squishy.

The Air Patrol primer contains a SPF 20 and is designed to help protect your eyelids against the sun, smoke and pollutants with its EnviroDefend complex. It also doubles up as primer to keep your eyeshadow from budging. I found that it does prevent the product from creasing and the you can apply it with the cushioned tip, but I find it's easier to blend in with your fingers.

I says only one click is needed per eye but I found it dried out really quickly and the cream of stuck in the tube, so you had to click more to push out the dried gunk- not nice! I'm sure that this would be a perfect applicator if the product was something like an eye cream for under the eyes and not a primer. It would be much easier to use in the evening or morning as a clear gel or moisturiser formula. As there is only one shade of this product- if you had super fair skin, it would be too dark for you- and if you had very dark skin then it would look super pale on you. 

I definitely wouldn't pay full price for this and I'm really disappointed as it has a lot of potential, it just fell a bit flat for me.

Often something new in the beauty world will come along and we will either love, hate or simply don’t give a toots about. However once in a blue moon something truly amazing will be discovered and it changes EVERYTHING!

This is it guys, I’ve just found my new beauty must have. I genuinely can’t live without it after using it everyday for a week.

Younique’s Moonstruck 3D Fiber Lash Mascara transforms my short, non existent lashes in 3 easy peasy steps! I mean seriously, it’s a game changer. It’s completely altered my daily routine and I don’t think I can ever go back to just using my regular mascara on it’s own.

So the 3D Fiber Lash Mascara is pretty straightforward. You get two products in your kit, 1 x transplanting gel which you apply over your normal mascara and 1 x natural fibers which you apply after applying the gel. You will see an instant boost in length and volume after applying the fibres it’s magic! Then to lock down your new amazing look, simply apply another coat of the gel to seal. The best part is that you can build with more fibres to get an extra boost- great for when you can’t be bothered with falsies.

I find the the product gives dramatic results without the clumpy mess you often get with regular mascaras. My lashes were lengthened up to 3x longer than normal and the finish is very natural.

I feel my rubbish photos are not doing this product the justice it deserves but if you look at my lashes without mascara, you will struggle to see them as they are that short and sparse. Least with this mascara you can see that I don’t have a bald eye…imagine what this could do for the lucky ladies who already have longish lashes?? Omg! :O

You will have to trust me on this one. If you want obviously longer, fuller, fluttery lashes – then this needs to go on your wish list!

So, although no a full review, I desperately urge you to order this palette, you will not regret it! 

I have finally dipped my toes in to the world of Colourpop, I don't know what took me so long to be honest? $5 eyeshadows that have so many rave reviews, I knew I would be in for a treat. So after deciding on a selection of eyeshadows and blushes (which I will review separately), I eagerly awaited my parcel.

I decided on four warm-toned eyeshadows that I thought would be all be suitable for Autumn: La La, On The Rocks, Mittens and Hustle. 

La La is a true rose gold in a ultra-metallic finish. This is just so pretty and looks great just blended across the lid or paired with one of the other three shadows for a more intense look. It is highly metallic but is still lovely and smooth to apply and blend. 

On The Rocks is a vibrant true bronze with gold and violet glitter. If you like bronzy gold shadows then this is a must as it is great shade for all seasons, and looks beautiful when the shimmer catches the light.

Mittens is a deep warm brown with red violet undertone in a matte finish. This look amazing with green eyes used in the outer corner and blended through the crease. The perfect shade for fall and quite a unique shade for a matte shadow.

Hustle is a burgundy violet shadow again with a matte finish. This is a deep plum shade which is intensely rich and again makes the green in my eyes really pop. A lovely color for the coming months.

These shadows are something else, I know the word buttery gets used a lot when describing eyeshadows but these truly are. The swatches above and below are literally one dip into the pan with my finger and then swiped once on my arm. They are unbelievably creamy and intensely pigmented and can be applied either with fingers or brushes depending on preference. As they are a cream to powder formulation, there is no fall-out from these and are very easily blended. They are also incredibly long-wearing and last all day without creasing, which for a budget eyeshadow is so impressive. I can't get over how beautiful they all are!

I have only had this palette for a couple of days now, but am already in love with this collection of shades, it really is a winner for any an occasion. Mac eyeshadows are just the best too, they are my fail safe brand that I can always rely on for great pigmentation, ability to blend easily and longevity.

I am so happy that I got my hands on this palette, I think it was the selection of shades that was missing from my collection. Although now I am seriously lusting after the Amber Times Nine Palette, so think it is only a matter of time before I cave, it looks like the perfect palette for summer!

As I've been running more and more I've been on the lookout for some new gym-wear, so the Superdry sportswear launch couldn't have come at a more perfect time for me. The collection consists of 17 items, ranging from sports bras (one of which Kylie Jenner was spotted in!) to cosy gym hoodies. 

While there is obvious branding across both items, it doesn't really bother me, and I love the neon green and grey combo! There are two other colour options and you can also get each item in fluorescent pink or navy. It's also worth mentioning the vest top has a clever eyelet on the strap (which you can't see in this photo) which is perfect for holding your headphone cable in place.

I would usually write a mini review on each lipstick regarding the formula, application etc. but I'm only going to comment on the actual shades since every single one applies really well. The consistency is really creamy, and they all have a slightly glossy, healthy sheen to them. I haven't tested them all out for 10+ hours but I've had no problems with them disappearing before I expected them to in terms of eating, drinking and so on. I think the packaging is nice but also definitely drugstore territory as it's plastic. Overall I really, really like all of these, the formula is great, they don't have an off-putting scent like some cheaper lipsticks (although this is on the higher end of the high street price range at just under £8) and there's bound to be a shade to suit everyone's tastes! The affordability and the quality of these has really impressed me and I'd definitely recommend having a look at a few shades you like the look of the next time you're perusing your local Bourjois stand! I honestly don't think I could pick a favourite  

What are your thoughts on the Bourjois Rouge Edition lipsticks?

As far as make-up goes, Clarins strength is in their lip products – they don’t do eyes nearly as well as they do lips. But, this palette genuinely does spring to life if you use it as a wet application. As a dry palette, it’s unremarkable really – I like the fact they’ve included a purple shade but otherwise, the shades are all conventional nude spectrum colours.

In terms of quality, the shimmering golden shade is very soft – do NOT dive in hard with your brush.. it needs gentle treatment not to kick up a storm of shimmer. Clarins is really having a charitable moment right now – this palette offers (unspecified) proceeds from the £35 price tag to Povos de Floresta which is a reforestation project aiming to plant 7,000 fruit trees to help Ashaninka Indians maintain their culture and economy.

If I'm looking for a bold lip colour or simply a lip that will last all day then I almost always reach for a lip liner. Liners offer great lip definition, helps avoid any lipstick bleeding as well as prolonging the wear time of a lipstick plus they don't mean you'll end up with Kylie Jenner lips!I have a good selection to choose from at the moment but my favourite drugstore ones and some of my most used are the Rimmel Exagerate Lip Liners, particularly in East End Snob.

To celebrate the launch of Rimmel's new The Only One Lipsticks (more on them another day) they have increased their liner range and added five new liners. Apart from being really affordable at only £3.99 I love that these liners have a fine slanted tip and that their retractable as they're much easier to carry in your handbag with no need of a sharpener.

When Clarins announced that they were revamping their iconic Joli Rouge Lipstick range, I was excited to try the new formulation as I already own three shades from the original line up and I love them so I was intrigued to see how the new formulation would compare. Not only have Clarins reformulated the lipsticks, they’ve also revamped the packaging as well as adding 25 new shades which is pretty exciting. Even though Clarins have relaunched their Joli Rouge Lipstick range with an improved formula, the price hasn’t changed (yet) which I love, and they retail for £19.50 on the Clarins website or on counter.

Packaging wise, the Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks used to be packaged within an oval shaped silver casing which was pretty weighty (you can see the old packaging here). The packaging is now much sleeker, with the casing being slimmed down and are now slim cylinders which are much easier to store than the previous oval shape. Clarins have done away with with the silver, and have plumped for gold which makes sense as they use gold packaging for the majority of their eyeshadow quads, blushes and powders. The packaging still feels weighty, and the inside of the tube is red as well as the base which fits the Joli Rouge name perfectly.

The lipstick bullets have the same shape as the original Clarins Joli Rouge Lipstick formula, with a slightly curved tip which hugs the contours of your lips perfectly and allows for a super precise application. The formula is extremely smooth and creamy, and they really do remind me of a lip butter than a lipstick as they’re so effortless to apply. They glide across the lips, and you can choose to wear them sheerly or you build up the colour with an extra swipe or two depending on your preference.

The formula is enriched with organic Salicornia extract and mango oil, and claim to intensely moisturise the lips for six hours whilst providing suppleness and comfort. Just like the original formula, the new Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks have a delicious mango scent. Due to the balminess of the lipsticks, they’re not the most long wearing but they last for around two hours which I think is pretty good for a lipstick with a formula as creamy as these. They really do leave my lips feeling soft and smooth once the colour has worn away, and I think they’ll be my lipsticks of choice come Winter when my lips are in dire need of moisture.

The 25 shade line up is seriously amazing, and there is a shade to suit absolutely everyone. I particularly love that the range includes so many wearable pinks and nudes, as they’re my favourite types of shades to wear. I have three of the shades, and I’m already lusting after further shades as they’re just beautiful. The three shades I have are; 707 Petal Pink, 750 Petal Pink and 752 Rosewood.

Petal Pink is a medium pink shade, and it has the glossiest finish from the three shades. All of the Joli Rouge Lipsticks are very glossy and balm-like on the lips, but Petal Pink is definitely the one with the most shine from the shades I’ve tried. Lilac Pink is my favourite shade, and has become my new favourite replacing MAC’s Creme Cup as my go-to pinky nude. It’s the most gorgeous pinky nude, but it does have a subtle lilac tone to it which looks so incredibly flattering against my pale skin tone – I absolutely love it. Rosewood has a very subtle shimmer within the bullet, but you can’t detect the shimmer once on the lips.. it just looks shiny which I prefer, as I’m not a fan of shimmery lipsticks. Shade wise, Rosewood is a rosy pink, and it is the most pigmented from the three shades that I own. If you like comfortable, hydrating lipsticks, you really must give the new Clarins Joli Rouge Lipsticks a try as they tick all of the boxes and more…

Every brand seems to be jumping on the liquid lipstick bandwagon, and Essence have released five shades of Liquid Lipstick and they retail for just £2.50 each from Wilko. The new Essence Liquid Lipsticks are described as being a 2 in 1 formula which combines the coverage of a lipstick, with the shine of a lipgloss. The packaging is very obviously inspired by the Dior Fluid Stick packaging, with a lipstick bullet shape within the centre. I really like the packaging, and that the lids are colour coordinated to reflect the shade inside which is perfect if you own multiple shades.

From the five shades on offer, I have three of the shades; 01 Colour Party, 04 Show Off! and 06 Make a Statement. Even though the shade range is pretty limited, I’d like to think they’ll add more shades in the future as Essence usually have really great shade ranges across their makeup line, but the shades do cover all bases with nudes, pinks and a couple of reds so there’s bound to be at least one shade that’ll suit everyone.

Each of the Essence Liquid Lipsticks have a doe foot applicator which is quite narrow rather than the rounded shape you usually get with a doe foot applicator, and I find this narrower shape makes for a much more precise application, and the middle of the applicator features a small well which holds extra product so you don’t have to keep dipping the applicator back into the tube for more product which again is similar to the Dior Fluid Sticks.

Colour Party is my favourite shade from the three that I own, and is a pretty light pink which looks a little bubblegum-esque in the swatch above but on the lips it’s a lot more muted I can assure you. Show Off! is a bright reddy coral shade which almost looks neon on the lips, and Make a Statement is a dark reddy brown shade which isn’t particularly flattering on my pale skintone, but I imagine it’d look lovely on darker skintones. They feel quite smooth on the lips, with no detectable scent whatsoever and the weartime is around one to two hours, with Show Off lasting the longest from the three shades that I own.

I’m not entirely sure I’d describe these as being liquid lipsticks, as to me they’re more of a pigmented gloss. I do have to do quite a lot of swipes to build up the colour for an opaque finish, and I’d definitely say even then they don’t give the coverage of a lipstick like they claim. Due to their glossiness, they are a little sticky but not uncomfortably so, but they’re not perhaps the lip product of choice if you have long hair on a windy day as it could get a little messy. I would recommend using a clear lipliner with the Essence Liquid Lipsticks as they all have the tendency to bleed a little; especially Make a Statement but for £2.50 each, I think they’re really nice glosses but don’t buy them expecting a full on liquid lipstick like the Lime Crime Velvetines or the Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks, as I think you’d perhaps be disappointed.

The shade Velvet Teddy is described by MAC as a “deep toned beige”. I think this is accurate, you can see the shade on me in the photo above. The lipstick does look different on different people, for example on me it looks almost like a purple-brown (see photo above).

 

The formula of Velvet Teddy is matte, but it isn’t really drying and can be worn comfortably. The matte finish means the lipstick lasts quite a long time, which is especially good for a nude shade.

 

 

 

Overall I do love Velvet Teddy. The shade is an amazing dark nude and the matte finish helps achieve the ‘Kylie Jenner’ look. The colour can be worn for a minimal look during the day or paired with dramatic eye makeup for the night. So… is it worth the hype? YES!

 

 So have you tried Velvet Teddy yet?

 Do you think it is worth the hype?

 Let me know in the comments below.

 

This MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy costs £15.50 and is available to buy directly from MAC or from department stores such as Debenhams.

 

EMILY XXX

 

Vera Wang Princess is a fragrance which I’ve always wanted to try as the notes sounded like my kind of fragrance, and I’d read nothing but rave reviews. I finally took the plunge and purchased it when I noticed the 100ml bottle within the Feel unique sale for only £23 which was crazy, especially as the 30ml version retails for £39. The bottle is really beautiful, and girly which is very fitting considering its name. The glass bottle is shaped into an heart with the perfume being purple to match the box. The lid of the bottle is a gold crown shape with purple crystals, and there’s a gold ring which can be detached and used as a ring – if you have super small fingers that is, as it’s teeny tiny.

 

Vera Wang Princess is described as an oriental floral scent which celebrates youth and femininity. The top notes feature water lily, apple, mandarin and apricot, whilst the heart consists of guava, tiara flower, tuberose and dark chocolate. Finally, the base contains vanilla, amber and wood. It’s actually a lot different to what I expected it to be, and I’m not entirely sure I know how I feel about it – I really am on the fence. In the many, many reviews I read of Princess, it was described as being a sweet and fruity scent but to me it’s actually quite powdery and it smells like baby wipes on first spritz but it does sweeten, just slightly.

 

It’s definitely not an horrible fragrance, but it’s just ‘nice’ in my opinion, and nothing special… and definitely not worthy of its super inflated price tag. When it comes to fragrance, I’m easily pleased but there’s just something about this scent that doesn’t work particularly well with my skin as I’ve smelt it on other people and I’ve really liked it so I’ll perhaps use it layered over scents to see if it makes any difference. It’s really funny how fragrances smell so differently on different people as I know that so many people love this, but sadly my love for it goes as far as the packaging.

 

Nothing excites me more than a brand new Makeup Revolution release.. what can I say? I’m an addict. When I saw that they’d launched a collection of matte blushes, I was extremely excited to try them, especially as I don’t like shimmery blushes. The Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection consists of six shades, with each shade costing just £3 which is insane as each of these blushes contain a very generous 8.9 grams of product.

 

 I really love the packaging of these blushes.. slim, circular plastic compacts with clear lids so you can easily see which shade is which. The packaging feels very sturdy, and has a nice and secure closure so I’d be more than happy to carry one of these in my makeup bag without worrying about it getting broken or opening and getting damaged.

 

I really like the range of shades they’ve chosen for the collection, as they’ve not gone for the typical pinks and peaches.. there is genuinely a shade for all skintones, and as you can see from the photos above, there’s some seriously bright shades which you rarely see within the drugstore and certainly not at £3 a pop. I really hope they extend the shade range even more, and perhaps consider ‘duping’ some of the crazy shades within the new Urban Decay Afterglow Blush Collection.. I’d love to see Makeup Revolution create a purple blush like Urban Decay’s Bittersweet.

 

 

All six shades of the Makeup Revolution Matte Blusher Collection are incredibly pigmented and you only need to tap your brush into each blush very gently as the pigment is so strong. The blushes all feel really silky and smooth, with an almost velvety consistency which only kicks up a little bit of excess powder when using a fluffy brush which really surprised me, as cheaper blushes tend to be quite powdery. I find all six shades easy to apply, but the three bolder shades (New Rules, Dare and Divine) do need a little more extra work, but that’s the same for all brands with bright blush shades in my experience. The weartime is very impressive at a minimum of four hours across all shades, but I can clearly see them on my cheeks upto six hours later, albeit a little faded but for £3 you really can’t complain.

 

Until trying these blushes, Sleek were my favourite drugstore brand for blushes but these have definitely taken over.. they are incredible blushes, and the shades are all so pretty. My favourite shade from the collection is Beloved as I love a good peachy coral, but I really like how Divine looks against my pale skin. I have to admit I’m a little intimidated by New Rules as it’s almost red, and reminds me of a slightly pinkier version of MAC’s Frankly Scarlet Blush. I cannot recommend these blushes enough.. £3 is beyond amazing for blushes of this quality, and you can buy all six shades for £18 which is the price of just one MAC Blush, and the pigment and quality really does give highend blushes a run for their money. Even though I’m a real matte blush girl, I’d love to see Makeup Revolution release a collection of shimmery shades too, especially after being so wowed by their Matte Blusher Collection.

As I finished YR11 over a month ago, I have had a lot more time on my hands and tried to do more things that I never do. One of these things is baking. The recipe I'm about to share with you is my perfected chunky chocolate cookies! - They are just THE BEST COOKIES EVER!

 

 

 

200g butter

300g caster sugar 

1 large egg

275g self-raising flour

75g cocoa powder

a little dash of milk 

a large bar of  [any kind] chocolate ( I also use chocolate buttons as well ) 

Sometimes I add Daim bars instead of choc for a yummy toffee crunch!

Pop your oven on to 200 degrees celsius 

Cream together your butter and sugar 

Crack in your egg

Stir in all the dry ingredients

Add a dash of milk if your mixture is looking dry

Break up all of your chocolate and throw it in, using your hands to get it into the dough

Line 2 trays with baking paper (the cookies will spread in the oven so don't place them close together)

Pick up a 10 small handfuls of cookie dough and place them onto your trays

Pop them into the oven for 11 minutes - I have found this to be the perfect baking time.

 

When you get them out they will not look cooked, it is vital you know this, as it will be very tempting to leave them in for longer and then they'll be hard and overcooked once they are cool. Just take your cookies out after 11 minutes and leave them to cool for about 30 minutes.

 

Now enjoy a deliciously warm, melt in your mouth cookie.

 

Hope you enjoyed this different type of post I would normally write. If you enjoyed this, leave me suggestions of posts you would like to see in the comments.

 

I’ve tried a lot of different beauty boxes over the years, and so far my first Cohorted box has impressed me the most; and one I will be purchasing every month.

 

 I had so much trouble trying to order the box last month, as the site crashed over and over again, and by the time it was back online all the boxes has sold out. I was really disappointed by this, but tried again this month and was lucky enough to get July’s Cohorted box. This month the boxes didn’t sell out even nearly as quick as the previous months, it seemed that they had added more boxes available to buy. I hoped that this wouldn’t affect the quality of the items in the box, but I fear it might have slightly…

 

July’s Cohorted Beauty Box Contained;

 

This palette by Diego Dalla Palma is my favourite item within this months Cohorted box, and one that I’m really impressed with. It contains 6 eyeshadows, a lipstick and an eyeliner – a beautiful collection inspired by Snow White & The Huntsman. This isn’t something I would usually pick up myself, however I actually love it and know I’ll get use out of everything within this palette – and I think that’s the beauty of these kind of boxes. The lipstick, which is aptly named ‘Wicked Queen’ and is worth £15 alone, can be picked up separately from here. It’s a bright, blue toned red, which is great for making your teeth look whiter, and would look lovely on all skin tones. This has very quickly become my favourite red lipstick, due to its gorgeous shade, high pigmentation, comfortable formula and great wear time. The 6 full sized eyeshadows included in this palette are also right up my street, with 3 shimmery shades, and 3 mattes – perfect for both a day time or night time look. I love how they’ve named these shades – Snow, Shield, Mirror Mirror, Fairest, Destiny and Battleground, as they fit really lovely with the theme. A black eyeliner is also included, named ‘Dark Night’, which has a long wearing formula and is soft enough to apply comfortably, but also hard enough to get a good, defined line. This palette retails for £25, which is more than the cost of the Cohorted box, but if the contents were sold separately, it’s actually worth over £100, which is incredible value.

I’ve never actually faked tanned before (shock, I know), but it’s something I’ve been wanting to try out recently, so I was glad to see this St. Tropez lotion within this month’s Cohorted box. It’s a gradual 4 in one tan, which is said to help with tanning, toning, firming and moisturising your body. I’m trying to lose some weight at the moment, as well as toning myself up so this again, has come at the perfect time. St. Tropez are one of the biggest players in the Tan ‘game’, so I think it’s a great brand to be included within the Cohorted box. I’m impressed that it’s a full sized bottle (150ml) and is worth £20 – considering the box itself is the same price, so you’ve already made your money back with this product alone. I’m really looking forward to giving this a try, I’m hoping it will give me that summer glow that I’ve been yearning for. 

I’m a huge fan of anything matte, whether that’s lipsticks, eyeshadows or sports cars, so I was excited to see this nail polish from Nails Inc within the Cohorted box. This bright, hot red shade is from their London collection, and is named Gatwick – after the airport, which is the one I actually usually travel from. As all matte shades, this won’t last as long on your nails as a regular nail varnish, as the consistency is completely different. It dries really fast, so you need to be quick when applying so you don’t get streaks, but again this is another general trait of matte nail varnishes and isn’t specific to this Nails Inc polish. You’ll only need two coats of this as it’s really pigmented and is fairly thick. I really love this shade and the finish, so I’m looking forward to wearing this, and pairing it with the Wicked Queen lipstick from the palette also in the Cohorted box.

 

This Gucci body lotion is my least favourite item within the Cohorted box, and one that I’m actually really unimpressed with. Firstly, mine was really dirty, and seemed like it had been sat in a box in mucky, dusty box in a warehouse for years – I don’t think that matches up to the ‘luxe box’ that Cohorted offer. Secondly, this size lotion isn’t actually available to buy alone, which makes me think that they’ve just separated all of the perfumes and the accompanying body lotions from a gift set (like this) and sent those out. Since there was no sample of the fragrance, I think that defeats the object of the lotion, as it’s supposed to be used to layer up the scent. I’m not a huge fan of body lotions anyway, and I don’t like the scent of this at all, it’s too floral and over powering for me. Unfortunately Cohorted, I’m not impressed with this product and won’t be getting any use from it.

 

I’ve got mixed opinions on July’s Cohorted box, I really can’t make my mind up on it or not. The box itself retails for £20, and this month’s it is worth over £63. That is great and all, but I don’t think that it compares to a lot of the previous boxes, usually worth about £90. Don’t get me wrong, I really love the palette, and I know I’ll use the nail varnish and the St. Tropez tan, however I just don’t think that this box matches up in terms of quality and products to the previous months. Cohorted have had a lot of complaints about how quickly the boxes sell out, and how they’re aren’t enough available to everyone. I fear that they may have compromised the products inside this month’s box, so there was more available to sell. Good business for them of course, but not as good for me as the consumer. I’m going to try and get my hands on the August box and see how that compares, I honestly hope that this month has just been a blip, but we’ll have to see…

  

 

What do you think of July’s Cohorted box? Would you have been impressed with the contents? What’s your favourite beauty box?