HD Brows....

Ever wanted THE most perfect eyebrows ever! Well the answer is HD Brows by the talented Aline Kaloudi!

I organised a day of pampering today round my mother's house where we had different friends come round and have their eyebrows done. 

This is an amazing technique where your brows are - Tinted, Threaded, Waxed and Trimmed - only done by professionals who were trained at a HD Brow school. You will end up with custom tinted brows that suit your face and personality. They are like having an eye lift and can take years of your age - I'm addicted!!

Here are the before and afters of the ladies who came today, mine is the last one, I was taking photos and then forgot to take a photo of my own before so have used the photo Aline took -

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L'Oréal Paris || True Match Foundation...

Like a lot of people I still haven't found the perfect foundation, I have an oily T-zone and have as of yet still on the hunt for a foundation that controls my oil and doesn't melt off my face when I sweat.

However things might have changed, today is the first time trying L'Oréal Paris True Match Foundation and I have the colour N2 - Vanilla. I have quite yellow based skin and I found that W1 was too light for me. I would have gone for W2 but they didn't have it so I was helped by a lovely lady in Boots to help find which colour I would be. We agreed that N2 was best, as W3 was a shade or 2 too dark for me and had a bit too much of an orange undertone.

The 'W' stands for warm, for people with yellow undertones, 'N' is neutral and 'C' is cool, people with pink undertones in their skin.

With this foundation you get 30ml which is the normal amount with most foundations. It is oil-free which is good as I don't need to add oil to my already oily skin. It feels really smooth and today I buffed it into my skin with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and I found, like it claimed, that it blended really well. 

I really like the coverage evening out skin tones and it covered the pink areas on my cheeks. Under it I used Milk of Magnesia/Maybelline Baby Skin Primer and set it with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder in Transparent. I also used Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer to go over any blemishes I have. 

Don't worry you did read that right, Milk of Magnesia, on my face... Kinda gross I know but I shall do a blog post soon about why I use it and how I apply it.

 I forgot to take a before picture of my face so I shall update this post when I do my make up again doing a before and after picture. But so far I really like the way it looks and the colour is a perfect match for my skin. I will also see how it wears during the day and update you on the oil and sweat situation.

UPDATE! Here is my visual routine on how I applied my foundation. In the first pictures there's nothing on my face. Then I add a thin layer of Milk of Magnesia, dry with hair dryer then put my primer on top which gets rid of the white ghost look. Fifth picture is just foundation and concealer and then 6th & 7th is finished face with foundation set with powder.

I found this foundation held up amazingly well compared to what I'm used to using (BB creams). I love the final look and found I didn't need to blot or powder during the day. The only thing that happened was it rubbed off a bit around my nose but that was due to cold weather and a runny nose!

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Glossybox November...

This is my second to last box from Glossybox for this year as I want to try other subscription boxes, everyday I'm finding new ones I need in my life!

I really liked the colour of this box and love the super cute inside packaging.

Let's get into what I received ... I knew I was going to get the Lollipops Eye Pencil as it was in last months 'next months sneak peak. It very pigmented but I don't think it works too well in my waterline not like my smokey eye baton pencil I got in my Wantable box. I do however LOVE the packaging of this pencil, pale pink with black leopard print, also really like the fact you don't need a pencil sharpener as it is retractable. 

I was quite excited with receiving the Burt's Bees Lip Shine however upon first application I was disappointed. I did not like how sticky it was, the smell is nice and I really like the colour but it is just so damn sticky! I can't handle how my lips get glued together so I very much doubt I will be using this product. 

Next product I used was the H20+ Hydrating treatment, I really like this product as I have oily skin and it is oil-free. Even with oily skin you have to keep your face hydrated. It comes out like a blue gel and I do like how it absorbs into the skin. You don't need much to cover the face and makes my face feel well looked after so I think I would purchase the full size. Full size product is £27.50 for 50ml.

I used the MONU Hawaii Facial Oil... Oh my gosh it has such a strong smell. It contains Cardamom, Sandalwood and Lavender oil, all super strong smells so I wasn't too happy going to bed having massaged it into my face. Saying that though the scent did fade a little after a while. But after I got over smelling like old people I did like how it felt on my skin and woke up with a soft face. Highly doubt I will be buying the full size as the smell is just way too strong.

The last product I got was 2True Glitter for adding gold sparkle to nail varnish. I wear shellac most of the time so may end up playing with it nearer Christmas to create some festive nails. 

As much as I was happy receiving these boxes and that they are good for trying new products I don't think I'll miss getting them. I may end up subscribing again in the future but for now I am excited to try other boxes to see which I like best!

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November Wantable..

OH MY GOSH - I was a little bit excited when the delivery man came with this box! I have never bought anything from America before so I was very eager to receive and open it.

This was my first box from Wantable, they do 4 different boxes - make up, accessories, intimates and now the new fitness box. I only ordered the make up box as that is the one I'm most interested in.

It costs $36 for the subscription which is around £22, you get 4-5 FULL-SIZED products and can skip a month or cancel at any time. Like other beauty subscription services you do a questionnaire about what you do and don't like. 

  I received 4 products, all of which I am very pleased with.

Firstly I would like to say how well packaged it was with foam padding inside to make sure they didn't rattle around and get broken on their journey from the US to my house. 

The first product I picked up was the make up brush by Vincent Longo, super soft and perfect for applying blushes. I have used it to apply my cheek highlight and it applies that nicely without it being too much.

Next was the Vincent Longo Duo lip pencil, 2 nude shades with one darker than the other for creating the perfect lip shape and base for any nude lipstick or lip gloss. Really creamy and easy to apply.

The lip gloss came next, a red shimmery lip gloss by (PLA) Beauty called Ruby Slippers. I found it quite sheer and sticky but I feel like it will be good for adding sparkle to any red lipstick and will stay on for a long time.

My favourite product I received was the Surratt Smokey Eye Baton. AMAZING! It has 2 ends (which took me a very long time to figure out) one end has a super creamy black eye liner and the other side is a smudger with black shimmery shadow in the lid. I have been using the eye liner on my waterline and it is one of the first liners I have used that doesn't fade much/at all during the day, no touch ups!!

Here are swatches of the products all super pigmented and am really happy with all the colours.

All in all I CANNOT wait for next months box!! So far this has been my favourite subscription box!

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Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade...

My brows like most people are nowhere near perfect, I have a scar in one and have started growing them back after over plucking for years.

This year I started having HD brow sessions, where I let my eyebrows grow then have them tinted, waxed, trimmed and threaded to perfectly sculpt them. There will be a proper post about HD Brows coming soon.

Onto the Dipbrow - BEST product I have ever used. 

I have the colour Blonde which is a perfect neutral shade with no red or ashy undertones. So really good for any shade of Blonde and Light Brown hair.

Obviously these two pictures were taken on different days, having 2 colours of make up is probably not the best look.
Eye shadows are from the Makeup Revolution Palette.

The brush I used is from the Ecotools mini essentials brush kit. The small angled brush thin yet firm, perfect for creating the perfect brow shape. I only got the Dipbrow recently and still need to perfect using it. What will help is having my 3rd HD brow session so will have a good base to start with and can fill in the sparse areas and my scar. I have oily skin and the pomade stays on amazingly all day, even it I forget and itch my eyebrow it doesn't move. Not that I need it but I sometimes use the Maybelline Brow Mascara to set my brow hairs into place.

I shall be purchasing a darker colour, medium brown, as I have recently dyed my hair dark brown and will use both the colours of Dipbrow to create an ombré brow look. 

The pomade is £15 and you get 4g/0.14oz or product and due to it being so pigmented you barely need any. So I definitely think it is worth the money and should last me a very long time.

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October Birchbox...

It took a super long time for me to finally receive my Birchbox in October, so long in fact in nearly became my November box.

Not going to moan about delivery people (grr!) so onto the box itself...

Last month's box was Breast Cancer Awareness month.

First product I saw was the Benefit eye cream, so mini and so cute. I have never used anything from Benefit as it a bit out of my price range so was really happy that it was included in my box. I have been using it morning and night but so far haven't really seen much of a difference to my eye area. I doubt I will be buying the full size when I finish this one.

Pixi Lip Balm was the next product I tried, I love it!! Definitely more pigmented than I ever thought it would be and it makes my lips feel really soft and moisturised due to it containing shea butter. Lastly I really like the way it smells, definitely not for people who don't like strong sweet scents.

I was curious to try Shaveworks The Cool Fix, I get my legs waxed monthly and I thought this might help with the itchiness I get a week after waxing. I like it's cooling effect and it has a pleasant cucumber-like smell, I do think it helps soothe my legs.

The product I don't think does what it says on the tin is the KMS California Hair Play. It says 'playable texture' however I feel it is and smells just like hairspray and not even a hairspray that holds well. As soon as it runs out I won't be buying it as I have other products I use for texture and hold.

The last product I received was an RMK periwinkle blue eye shadow. I love the sleek silver packaging and it has THE cutest brush ever. I really like the colour for adding a pop to a brown smokey eye.

Pretty happy with this box, I haven't subscribed for this month (November) as I have ordered a Wantable box which I am just a little bit (very) excited for as it is from America so it will contain products I couldn't buy here.

UPDATE - I have momentarily cancelled my subscription for November/December so I can test other boxes!

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October Glossybox...

Last month I decided I needed to try some subscription boxes so I did a lot of research on YouTube and looking on other blogs of which would be best. I LOVE make up so naturally I picked 2 of the beauty based subscription boxes - Birchbox & Glossybox.

I shall talk about Glossybox first as that is the one which arrived first. October had a pop art theme, the box itself is super cute and great for keeping bits and bobs in.

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I was super excited and pleased with most of the products when this arrived, a surprise present to myself.

First product I tried was the Nuxe Masque which has been the least messy face masque I have ever tried. I put a layer onto my freshly cleansed face, let it soak in for 10 minutes and then gave myself a face massage with excess. Then used a toner to wipe away the rest. My face felt super soft and refreshed afterwards. It is scented and I found that smelt very organic- like cucumbers and green vegetables so I thought 'this must be good for my skin..' Overall very happy with it!

I like to wear BB creams so was happy with receiving the baby size Rimmel Matte BB Cream. I had never used this product before and so far I have enjoyed using it. I have oily skin but have yet to find the perfect BB cream which has good oil control.

Ciaté Nail Polish - Always wanted to try this but a little bit expensive for nail varnish. However saying that it is very very good. I only really needed one layer and it stayed on really well. I'm also very glad a received this colour as I love wearing dark colours on my nails.

The perfume I wasn't too happy with, not saying it's a bad perfume but I wouldn't wear it.
It says on the website - 'This scent encapsulates the feeling of falling in love through fusing notes of Damascus rose, guaiac wood and patchouli.' I find it a bit too musky, I like sweet perfumes. I will most likely be giving this away as a gift at Christmas, which is what I planned to do with any of the things that weren't really for me in these boxes, so that they aren't wasted.

I found the So Susan mascara was not that great. I like wearing waterproof mascara as it holds curled eyelashes well, whereas non-waterproof mascara doesn't. It has good pigmentation but I feel I will only be using it if I'm staying in and don't want to do a whole face of make up.

The last product is the Être Belle Liplift Peel, a moisturising lip exfoliator. I really like this product, very simple to use, just rub in circular motions on your lips and it takes of the dead skin layer leaving lips super soft.

That is it for this box and I am look forward to this months box as I have had a sneak peak at the 2 full size products I will be receiving!

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Halloween...

It took me so long to figure out what kind of Halloween make up I wanted to do this year. However with the help of Pinterest and a few visits to YouTube I finally found what I was looking for. I fell in love with the 'Killer Clown Couple' look by Nicole Guerriero. I loved the bright colours and lets be honest who doesn't want to get messy with face paint!

After a bit of internet shopping I came across a cute clown costume and ordered it along with a Snazaroo face paint palette. I was like a kid at Christmas when they both arrived and wanted to play dress up immediately (...I didn't). 

I probably should have tried the costume on before Halloween, but like most people I like to leave things to the last minute. I had had a minor dilemma when purchasing this costume which was sizing... Other fancy dress websites sold this costume but had a different picture, I had to judge which model was wearing what size as on one site it looked baggy and on the other skin tight. I was ambitious and went for a size small, hoping that if it was loose fitting that it would be a nice figure-hugging-but not-too-tight look... Oh how wrong I was. It fitted a bit too well(!), if you know what I'm talking about, playsuit wearing ladies.

After a bit of costume alteration by adding a petticoat on top I felt decent. 

Anyway back to make up. The video shows you step-by-step what to do so I won't go into great detail about what I did. Using the Snazaroo palette I sponged on the white base & rainbow effect, then set each colour using my enormous Makeup Revolution eye shadow palette and translucent face powder. I made sure all the colours blended together well and that there were no harsh lines in between them. I then moved on to adding the details. I used what I have in my make up bag, a black pencil eye liner and a red lip pencil. Obviously I had to finish the look off with a pair of false eyelashes.

I found this look super simple to do and I love the final outcome, as did everyone else. I think I'm going to have to make excuses to play with face paint more often!

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