Friday 25 April 2014

Fresh - Sugar Lychee Perfume Review


Hii Lovelies!
This is one of those "Youtuber's made me do it!" kinda purchases. I've had and loved the Fresh lip balms in the past but after hearing in countless videos and blog posts about their Sugar Lychee perfume i just knew i had to get my hands on it! Oh and it does not disappoint!

I made my poor boyfriend trek around London earlier this year just to find the Fresh store, so i could grab myself a little bottle of this gorgeousness and repurchase my most beloved lip balm. The Fresh store isn't particularly hard to find and is a 5-10 minute walk from Selfridges which isn't too bad. I had to be very restrained and only pick up the two bits i wanted which is a near impossible task in this store. The have so many lovely products and the sales staff are so friendly!

As you can probably tell by the name Sugar Lychee is a gorgeous, fruity, fresh (i know, i could have used a better word...) scent and its safe to say I'm well and truly in love. Its on the citrus side and i really pick up the lovely lemon notes to it. I'm a scent happy kind of person and certain fragrances really can brighten my mood, to me it really is an uplifting, light, refreshing scent that i can see myself happily repurchasing over and over again. My one gripe with it is the lasting power isn't the greatest, after about 4-5 hours i can only faintly detect it lingering around, which is a shame since it is priced around £35 for a 30ml bottle. But it is lovely enough to overlook the slightly shabby lasting power for a scent that literally makes me happy every time i smell it.

"Sugar Lychee Eau de Parfum is a fruity fragrance inspired by the exotic and luscious lychee fruit housed in an artisanal glass bottle.

Top Notes: grapefruit, Italian lemon, lime blossom
Middle Notes: lychee, lotus lower, freesia
Bottom Notes: sandalwood, tonka bean, amber." (Source, Fresh.com)

Gorgeous!

Overall this little beauty is nearing the top of my all time favourites list and one i would repurchase in a heartbeat. I just wish they had an online store here in the UK! I believe Fresh only have one London store but they will take mail orders over the phone if you are that desperate to try some of their stuff. If you love sweet, citrus scents this is one i really recommend giving a sniff!

Have you tried any Fresh products?

xox

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Florida Shopping List!

Ello Lovelies!

I am like a broken record when it comes to all things Florida and Disney World. There are no words to describe how much i completely adore the place so I'll keep my raving about it to a minimum for now... Well as much as this Disney nut can manage!
 
 I have just 30 days left on my countdown and i am beyond excited to finally get back to my happy place! I'm not gunna lie, I've been writing (and rewriting) my shopping lists for a good month or so now. But  I've taken the time to properly sit down, work out my budget and have a look at the goodies i am desperate to get my hands on. So i thought I'd make a little collage and share with you some of my most lusted after products!
 
1. Crest Whitening Strips
We all know that us Brits get a bad rap for our teeth in comparison with our American friends. After trying a few pretty shite UK whitening treatments i thought I'd give these as bash. At around $38 in Walmart these are definitely worth a shot!
 
2. Bite Beauty Lipsticks
If you watch Youtube i doubt you'll really need to hear my reasoning for wanting a few shades of these. They look absolutely gorgeous but are a little on the pricier side at $24 each. I'm hoping to snag one of the much more purse friendly mini duos for $12 each or some sort of collection. *fingers crossed*
 
3. Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 Foundation
I am really enjoying the Max Factor equivalent and considering the price difference between Covergirl and MF makeup I'm slightly tempted to pick up a backup or two.
 
4. Anastasia Brow Powder Duo
Still my all time favourite brow product and mine has more pan then shadow in it so a replacement is definitely needed. Their BrowDip Pomade is well and truly on my radar too!
 
5. Lorac Pro Palette
I don't think i actually need to explain this one....
 
6. Zoya Polishes
Zoya are hands down my favourite polish brand and they aren't really easy to get hold of in the UK. I may have placed a sizable order online already to be delivered to my hotel during their 50% off sale today. Oopsy!
 
7. Bath & Bodyworks Candles
I'm coveting the autumn/winter scents i already have and refuse to burn my remaining two until i have some new ones. That seems logical, right? Summer scents will (somehow) be flying home with me by the end of the trip!
 
8. Tarte Matte Lipsurgence Lip Tint
This is one of those items that has been on my lust list for quite possibly more than two years. Do i really need it? No. But i bloody well want it! Fiery looks like the perfect matte red.
 
9. Disney World Cookware
I spotted these cute measuring cups on my last visit and regretted not picking them up. I've got my eye on a few cute home/kitchen bits and bobs so who knows what I'll actually come home with!
 
So that's it, for now!
 
Would you guys like a little mini set of posts about my trip or Disney World in general? Let me know! I'd be more than happy to do a few!
 
I'll be sure to do a travel makeup post and there will be a good few hauls coming your way at the beginning of June!
 
Are you a sucker for Disney World like me?!

Tuesday 15 April 2014

Kat Von D Poetica Palette Review + Rose's Beauty Store Experience

Hii Lovelies!

 
I think every beauty addict in the UK has been lusting over a variety of Kat Von D products since their Sephora launch a few years back. But up until recently Sephora did not ship in the UK, so there were limited options for us addicts to get our swatch stained hands on Kat's makeup goodies. 

I'm a little late on the Rose's Beauty Store bandwagon but they are a UK store selling those hard to get USA goodies we've all been lusting over. Some are more reasonably priced than others but if you factor in shipping and what taxes you'd pay most items work out pretty reasonably priced. The beauty of Rose's is that what you pay at the checkout is what you pay, no pesky import tax slips through your door. So if you don't fancy spending over £75 on the Sephora website, or just want to pick up a couple of bits, Rose's Beauty Store is a more affordable option. The palette is priced on their store at £38.99 with 99p shipping per item, but a quick google search gave me the coupon code "100" that deducted a lovely 10% off which is always nice to have.

I've had my eye on Poetica for a long long time. But it wasn't until i spotted the shade names i knew i had to have it. Long story short one of the shades, Skiba, is named after one of the vocalists in my favourite band. So fangirling aside... we'll get on with the review!

Forgiveness, Sand Timer, Chandler, Tijuana, Wonderland, Skiba, Babe, You Alone 

The shades in this palette really are stunning and the range of shades is what really drew me to this particular palette. I would say i don't have anything like  at least 5 or 6 of these in my collection (i really am still justifying the purchase to myself). To be a little cliche... Most of these shades are soft like butter. They really do have a gorgeous soft texture to them that makes them blend superbly. I have had a little more trouble with the purples in the palette as i find these have a stiffer texture but apply to the eye better than they swatch. Oh! And i nearly forgot to mention the Autograph Pencil in Puro Amor! I haven't reached for this a ton yet as I'm not a big pencil liner kinda gal, but it is one of the blackest black liners i have seen. 

I think these are awesome summer colours and i am determined to get a lot of use out of these especially that gorgeous orangey copper Chandler. I think its fair to say I'm a little bit in love with this palette as a whole and I'll need to really restrain myself from picking up more of her collection... The foundation is next on my list!

Forgiveness, Sand Timer, Chandler, Tijuana, Wonderland, Skiba, Babe, You Alone

Overall this is a absolutely beautiful palette and well worth every penny. If you are in the USA go give this absolute stunner a swatch in Sephora or if you're based in the UK or Europe you can find this on Rose's Beauty Store here (Priced at £38.99).

Have you tried any of the Kat Von D line?

xox



Tuesday 8 April 2014

Sleek Blush By 3 - Pink Lemonade - Review

Hii Lovelies!

I'm a little late on the bandwagon with this one... Long story short: I'd been waiting on some free Superdrug vouchers (through the Sun+ sign up offers) and they took quite some time to arrive. Oh and nearly every time i saw these in stock in store someone had shoved their grubby fingers in every bloody one! Mini rant over... Onto the review!

I picked up both recent Blush By 3 releases; Pink Lemonade a gorgeous pink trio and a coral cream trio called CallifornIA, which I'll review later this week. This little beauty, as the name suggests, holds three blushes. Two are powder and the middle is a cream perfect for layering or wearing on its own for a more subtle look. I'm not normally a fan of powder and cream in the same palette because of fall out, but I'm pleased to announce I've had absolutely no problems with this particular one.
Icing Sugar - Macaroon - Pink Sprint 

Icing Sugar has definitely been my most reached for shade. Its the perfect subtle flush of pink on my fair skin tone, but could easily be built up for a more dramatic look. I've found it layers quite beautifully over Macaroon too for a little more oomph! Pink Sprint is a much warmer pink compared to the other two shades but is an equally gorgeous shade. I think I'll get a little more use out of this when the weather (eventually) gets warmer here. Texture wise these apply and blend well and i find them just pigmented enough that i don't fear of overdoing it and looking like Aunt Sally...

Overall Pink Lemonade gets a huge thumbs up from me and priced at £9.99 it doesn't break the bank either at £3.33 per blush... bargain! If pinks are your thing then you need to give this gem of a blush palette a quick look next time you're in Superdrug!

What is your favourite Sleek blush shade?

You can find these on the Sleek Makeup website or in Superdrug stores in the UK.

xox

Friday 4 April 2014

MAC 15x Cool Neutral Palette Review


 
Hey Lovelies! 

I thought i should get this little beauty out of the way following my review on the Warm Neutrals Palette which you can read here

As i mentioned in the last post i really couldn't pick between the two and very naughtily picked up both palettes when they launched on the MAC website. Both are priced at a semi reasonable (for MAC) £65 and contain 15 nearly full sized eyeshadow pans which is a steal considering the £170ish price tag to create your own. As i mentioned in my last post the palette contains 19.5g of product making each shadow 1.3g rather than the regular 1.5g per pan advertised on the MAC website. But again the price difference really makes up for the slight lack in product.

This palette contains an overall more cooler variety of shades (stating the obvious) but does have the addition of a few warmer ones which make the palette a little more versatile. Personally, i think out of the two this has to be my favourite shade selection. I also found the textures of these a little better than the Warm option as these swatched and applied beautifully.
I find MAC shadows a little drier in texture and these all feel of the same quality of the MAC eyeshadows i already own. My favourites from this palette are Crushed Love and Sun Tweaked,  i always tend to steer towards more bronzey/gold shades so these are right up my alley. After Dusk and Blackberry are going to make really lovely winter smokey eye options, a nice alternative to using Cranberry. My camera (or should I say my lack of photography skills) likes to wash the lighter shades in the palette out quite a bit. So onto the swatches!
Flounce (M). Sweet Allure (S), Sun Tweaked (F), After Dusk (VXP), Blackberry (M)
Pick Me Up (M), Cozy Grey (M), Crushed Love (F), Deception (F), Brun (S)
Silver Fog (L), French Clay (F), Cumulus (F), Pearled Earth (VXP), Black Tied (V)

Overall i think this is a pretty well rounded palette. It would have been made perfect for me with the addition of a transition shade... I know, i know, I'm like a broken bloody record, i just wish more palettes would have one! If you like MAC shadows i think you'll love these so i highly recommend giving these a little swatch at a counter or store near you!

What do you prefer? Warm or Cool?

You can find these at MAC counters and online here.

xox

Tuesday 1 April 2014

MAC 15x Warm Neutral Palette Review

Hey Lovelies!

We all know by now i am a palette fiend, so passing the new MAC neutral palettes up was always going to be a hard task. So hard in fact, that i couldn't choose between to two... So i got both! *slaps wrist*. Naughty, i know!


Since seeing Temptalia review these earlier this year i knew i had to have them and eagerly stalked the MAC website for their release. And praying they were going to be priced reasonably. Now MAC have a naughty habit of just swapping $ for £ with a lot of their products, which really annoys me. These were priced at $100 in the USA and i was pleased to see they are reasonably converted to £65 here in the UK. Now we all know £65 is still steep for a palette but if you were to create your own palette you'd be paying over £100 extra for the pleasure. They also contain a good few shades that are exclusive to each palette.
So enough rambling. Onto the review! 
 
I personally find MAC shadows on the drier side and these for the most part live up to the quality of the other singles i own. I'll probably do a post about my own made MAC palette in the near future. The shadows come in a variety of finishes, some having nicer textures than others but overall they performed pretty well across the board. Honey Lust swatched a little patchy and although it is a stunning colour i found it the only shade to take a little more effort to make it work on the eye. Dance in the dark (top far right) also swatched a little patchy but works much better actually on the eye.

It is also worth pointing out, as far as i can see from the MAC website these hold a little less product per shadow than the regular MAC pans. The entire palette contains 19.5g of product making them 1.3g per shadow rather than the 1.5g stated on the website for pans. But with how discounted the price is compared to a full 15 MAC shadows of your choosing it's still really worth the money (if you like all the shades that is!).

This palette would have been made perfect for me if it had a lighter matte transition colour and a chocolate/bronze Veluxe Pearl shade, but i have a ton of them elsewhere in my collection. But would have been nice to have something complete i could use rather than dipping into a few palettes for a look.
Hey (VXP), Warm Breeze (S), Gingersnap (F), Dark Brew (V), Dance In The Dark (M)

Brule (S), Vanilla Extract (F), Honey Lust (L), Amber Lights (F), Saddle (M)

Lemon Tart (VXP), Creative Copper (L), Butterfudge (S), Divine Decadence (V), Unwind (VXP)

Overall if you like MAC shadows then you are going to love these palettes. But i personally think there are brands with better textures out there (Urban Decay, Inglot). These live up to the MAC shadow quality (well, compared to the shades i own they do) so this is going to be a must-have for all those Macaholics out there!

Cool Neutrals review coming soon! 

You can find these at MAC counters and online here.

What is your favourite MAC shade?

xox



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