A long time ago I received a couple of things from BornPretty to review but with the stress of University deadlines amongst other things, I haven't gotten round to it until now. As far as I know, these are cruelty free as the animal testing law in China does not apply to online shopping, but if you know any different please inform me - I wouldn't have accepted PR samples in the knowledge that the products were tested on animals.
First up, I received The Hotshop Eyeliner* which is a basic, black, liquid liner. It claims to be waterproof and long lasting, I didn't really test whether it was waterproof but it did pretty much stay put all day. I did find it flaked away a bit by the time I was ready to take it off but it had had a good 6-8 hours wear so I don't think that's too shabby. I like the nib of it as it's quite a lot like a pen so it would've been easy to apply my eyeliner flick (queue the cons of the product..) but I didn't find there was much liquid in the bottle at all, I'm not sure whether it's a bad batch, whether it wasn't sealed properly and dried up while shipping, or whether they just don't provide enough liquid in it. I kid you not, I've only been able to use this twice and it just won't cooperate because there's barely any liquid in there and some of it is quite gloopy. Furthermore, the packaging is a ripoff of a certain high street brand, which doesn't bother me much but I know some people would call the product out on its originality.. Considering it costs $5.10 (down from $7.28) which converted is £3.62 (or £5.16) I would not purchase this again just because I would not spend about a fiver on a product I could only get two uses out of.
Secondly, I received the 2 Pack Music Flower 24 Hours Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner* which comes in the shades Black and Brown. This claims to be smudge proof, long-lasting and waterproof. I'm not sure if I would agree with any of those claims. The gel is so creamy that it can slip around your face unless you set it with some black eyeshadow, however I do like how smooth it applies and the hard angled brush it comes with really helps in creating the perfect eyeliner flick. The packaging is plastic and looks quite substandard, but it is cheaper than any other gel liner I have tried so this is something I can forgive. At only $5.32 (down from $7.60) which converted is £3.77 (or £5.39) I do think this product is quite good value and it is something I have been reaching for quite often.
I actually have a discount code you can use if you want 10% off at BornPretty which is DNNH10 - happy shopping!
2015 has, by far, been one of the biggest years of my life so far. I feel like a lot of things changed for me, and after reading and taking inspiration from Maddie's post, I thought I would do an extremely similar thing and do a lil summary of the past year.
COMPLETED GRADE 8 PIANO - I started playing piano when I was 4 years old and I did my Grade 1 in about 2005, and doing Grade 8 was one of my goals for quite a long time so to do it was one of the most surreal things because I no longer had anything to work for. It also felt like quite an accomplishment for myself and my teacher who took me from grade 3 onwards because she had said since about Grade 5 that she couldn't teach me any further but we kept tackling the next grade up, and I became her first student to ever do Grade 8 which is pretty rad.
GOT OUT OF A TOXIC FRIENDSHIP (frigging finally, lemme tell you)- This is something I had been trying to do for years and years, essentially the entirety of my high school life. Without going into too much detail, I was 'friends' with a very manipulative girl and I had had issues with this friendship for a long time but was always manipulated into maintaining the friendship, and then other people had a similar situation but we didn't manage to sort it out until this year, and it was possibly the most drama our sixth form has ever seen, but I'm glad that me and my friends got out of it and we became closer than ever as a result of it.
FINISHED MY A LEVELS- A Levels were probably the most stressful exams of my life, it was such a relief to have them over and done with. I do miss my sixth form though, we were so close and then all of a sudden we went our separate ways, but that's life I s'pose.
PLANNED AND PARTOOK IN A HOLIDAY - I used to find travelling quite anxiety-inducing if it hadn't been planned for me or I didn't know the area or if I thought I might be late, but when me and my friends decided we wanted to do something to celebrate the end of sixth form, and after we failed to plan a trip to Alton Towers, I suggested renting out a cottage/holiday home for a week, and it seemed to be a perfect idea. After losing a couple of houses, we managed to find one that could cater such a big group and one that was close to the beach, as well as being in our budget. It felt like such a massive accomplishment because we planned it all ourselves with a limited budget and so it fit in with all of our schedules (believe me, it was frigging hard as we only really had one week where everyone was free and our group was massive). It was such an awesome holiday and I have really fond memories of those 5 days in Lytham (probably not the biggest tourist area, but the weather was amazing and we had the beach to ourselves for most of the days).
BECAME A TREE HUGGING HIPPY (a.k.a I became vegan) - I went vegan for a month in the summer just to give it a go and I absolutely loved it, I felt so much healthier and energised and happier, and it was pretty awesome. Then I went back to being a meat-eater (for the Lytham holiday really) for a few weeks and was really unhappy, so eventually I went vegan again and I've been vegan since about mid-August, and it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I've tried hard not to be a preachy, militant vegan, but it feels good to have my ethics aligned with my nutritional lifestyle. Plus, being a vegan gave me a fun fact to say at those goddamn awful University icebreakers. GOT INTO UNIVERSITY - This is a pretty big'un for me as well. The first University I looked at in Year 12 was Brighton and I immediately knew it would be a great area for me, outside of London so I'd get some independence and grow up a bit, but also close enough to home that I could visit pretty easily. It was my first choice when I sent off my UCAS form in Year 13 and I got a conditional offer. Although, me being pessimistic as always, after my exam results I was convinced I wouldn't get in and I had already looked at a bunch of Universities and different courses to apply to on Results Day. Then, interestingly enough, I actually got into Brighton onto the course I wanted (Psychology, if you're interested) and it's been one of the best things to happen to me this year. I adore my house mates, I love the big activist presence in Brighton, I love the town centre, and I love how popular veganism is there too! STARTED FRESH ON YOUTUBE - This is the most recent one, yup my YouTube channel is no longer. All of my videos are unlisted (I left them unlisted as I didn't want to leave the vlogs I made and I didn't want to abandon a channel I worked hard on) but this isn't the end of YouTube for me, but rather a new beginning (ew, cringe). I've made a new channel, and I'm planning to upload the sorts of videos I really want to make. So there will still be beauty videos, but I want to do music and talk about the sorts of things that I'm really interested in. I know I'm going to have to start again subscriber wise because rebranding and all that jazz, but I'm really excited.
How was 2015 for you guys?
This post is going up a little late because I've been busy at University and socialising and having to allocate more time to buying adult things like fruit and pasta sauce rather than sitting down and doing a blog post, but despite that, I have found some time to tell you about the music I've been listening to. As per usual, it's a bit of an odd mix.
1. Bite - Troye Sivan
I loved Troye's first album and when I found out he was coming out with another one I knew I was going to love it, I think the whole album is really good but this is probably the song I've been listening to most on the album. It's got a somewhat ambient, chilled feel to it but it's also quite catchy with a good beat - basically, Troye is super talented and I think he deserves all of the credit he gets for his music. I think it's great that his album is good in its own right rather than it just being popular solely because he did YouTube already. 2. Cry Baby - Melanie Martinez
My friend Antoinette got me into Melanie Martinez, she recommended Pity Party to me a while ago and I really liked that, but then she told me to listen to the rest of the album and I did and this is probably the song I've been singing the most from it. It's really catchy and I think Melanie Martinez has a really interesting and unique style of music. 3. Young Volcanoes - Fall Out Boy
In all honesty I've never been too much of a Fall Out Boy fan, I've liked a few songs from them before and I can see why people do like them but they just don't really click with me for the mostpart. However, I watched Evan Edinger and Dodie Clark's cover of this song recently (I don't know why I hadn't seen it before given that I've basically seen all of Evan and Dodie's videos) and I've had the song stuck in my head the whole month, it's a really fun one to sing along to. 4. The Blackest Day - Lana Del Rey
LANA'S NEW ALBUM - CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT???? Okay, I love Lana so much, I think her style of music is different to all of other popular music that's out right now and I've been looking forward to the Honeymoon album since it was announced. I think I might like the Honeymoon album more than Ultraviolence (although, as generic as it is, Born to Die is probably my favourite album). This is such a chilled song with a good beat and it's probably my favourite on the album, although I also like Art Deco and Religion - basically, Lana is amazing and I love her unconditionally (okay, maybe not unconditionally because she does some problematic things but I like her a lot) 5. Isolation - Joy Division
This month I watched Control for the first time and it got me back into Joy Division pretty massively. I've liked them for quite a while but I tend to skip them when they come up on my Spotify (except for Love Will Tear Us Apart Again because that's one of my favourite songs ever and probably, however cliched it is, probably my favourite song by Joy Division) but after listening to the songs in the film I decided to listen to them again and I've rekindled my love for them, I think Ian Curtis' lyrics are literally like poetry, they're just so beautifully written and it's just generally enjoyable to listen to Joy Division songs - like they're beautiful but sad, so it's enjoyable but in a sad way . . . if you feel me . . .
I feel like it's not been too long at all since the last time I did one of these but y'know I'm not really doing much at home and watching films distracts me from the fact that I'm going to be leaving the comfort of my family home in just a few weeks . . . okay yeah let's just get on with it.
48 HOURS (1982) ★★★ 48 Hours is about a cop, played by Nick Nolte, that teams up with a criminal, played by Eddie Murphy, in order to track down a killer in 48 hours before the criminal has to be returned back to prison. This film was entertaining and had a few funny moments in it (as any film with Eddie Murphy inevitably would), but I don't think it was anything special so I'm not sure if I would watch it again. THE BAD EDUCATION MOVIE (2015) ★★★★ 1/2 The Bad Education Movie takes place on a school trip to Cornwall that teacher Alfie Wickers, played by Jack Whitehall, takes his class on. One of the first problems that arises is that student Joe's Mother invites herself so she can make sure they're not getting up to any trouble as she has some sort of vendetta against Alfie. Whilst they're in Cornwall, they meet some of Alfie's old school mates and he gets involved with a Cornish Independence group which results in trouble for Alfie. I thought this film was really funny - if you like the series, you'll definitely like this and I think it was such a good way to end the series. I also think Jack Whitehall is hilarious anyway, but this film had so many laugh-out-loud moments and I think it would be one I watch again once it's out on DVD. IN HIS LIFE: THE JOHN LENNON STORY (2000) ★★★★ This film is about John Lennon's life starting from his teen years following all the events up until The Beatles went on the Ed Sullivan show, such as John meeting Paul at the Woolton Parish Fete in 1957, John's relationship with his Mother, The Beatles going to Hamburg and coming into contact with Ringo Starr, John's new relationship with Cynthia, and the birth of John's first child. I loved this, I think John's life was so interesting and I've watched so many biopics about him and I've read John by Cynthia Lennon so I knew I would like this. It's pretty historically accurate and I think the acting was pretty decent. If you liked Nowhere Boy, you would probably like this because it documents the same events (and more!). A must-watch for any Beatles fan or anyone interested in John's life. I loved how they included Cynthia in it because that was something that was missing from Nowhere Boy and I think their relationship was really interesting because they were so young and in love and all that jazz.
RUSH (2013) ★★★★ Rush is a biopic based on the intense formula 1 rivalry between English James Hunt and Austrian Niki Lauda who take different approaches to racing - Hunt living every day like it's his last and being somewhat of a thrill seeker, whereas Lauda is a perfectionist and trains all the time. This tests the women in both of their lives, and the rivalry becomes stronger and stronger until it inevitably causes an accident. I didn't actually know much about the real life story of Lauda and Hunt, but my parents were quite interested in it and she bought the DVD for my brother's birthday a while ago and we got round to watching it for my brother's movie choice. I have to admit I didn't think I was going to like it that much, don't get me wrong I enjoy watching racing sometimes but I'm a bit indifferent to the whole thing so I wasn't sure how much enjoyment I would get out of this, but it was entertaining and fast moving, and it has actually got me interested in the real life story so I'd definitely recommend giving it a watch even if you're not interested in formula 1. FIGHT CLUB (1999) ★★★★ Fight Club follows the story of an unnamed narrator who's an insomniac and is basically not in a great mental state, so he goes to support groups to help relieve this. He then meets a girl called Marla and his life becomes a little bit better. Then, he starts associating with a man called Tyler and gets dragged into an underground fight club and soap making scheme. However, trouble begins to arise when when Marla attracts Tyler's attention. I watched this film after being recommended it so many times by my friend Lizzie (she also lent the DVD to me so thanks for that Lizzie), and I also just thought it was strange that I hadn't watched it given that I'm a bit of a film buff and this is so famous - I also just wanted some context for the 'first rule of fight club' quote. The film had some interesting themes like individualism and consumerism and it was just generally entertaining and fast moving. You can't go too wrong with Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter (Edward Norton was pretty good too but I haven't really seen much with him in to compare it to). Basically, this was a good film and you should watch it - also Pixies' Where is My Mind? opens up the ending credits and I'm a big Pixies fan so that was obviously going to be a winner for me. What films have you watched recently?
I've tried to think of a million different days to drop this on my blog (I had a whole post prepared, I was going to slip it into one of my lifestyle posts, I was considering making a video . . . I had a lot of ideas) but as I'm becoming a vegan (permanently this time) I'm going cruelty free with my makeup and skincare and all that jazz too. I'm not going to be preachy about it because it's your choice if you want to follow that kind of lifestyle, but for me I just feel like I need to match up my lifestyle to my ethics.
I'm not planning on throwing out any of my makeup for multiple reasons. Firstly, I'm about to become a university student and I can't really afford to be essentially throwing away money - I know that sounds really bad but I'd be throwing out about half of my current makeup which comes up to a lot of money and mans is gonna be broke. Secondly, even if I did have the money to go and buy a whole new makeup collection, I would feel almost as if the animals were tested on for no reason. I've already funded the companies who test on animals and I can't take that back, throwing away the makeup would make it seem to me as if the animals were tested on for no reason - I hope that makes sense, I just feel as it would be silly to throw away my makeup even though that would make one heck of a cruelty free statement. So, here are the products I love but can't repurchase unless the brands stop testing on animals:
My favourite foundation - Maybelline Fit Me Foundation
As you know, this is my holy grail foundation. It matches my skin perfectly (and has a good shade range), it's easily blendable, comfortable to wear, has a nice medium coverage, and it's cheap, but Maybelline test on animals so I'm going to have to say goodbye to this foundation and hope I find a nice replacement - I'm considering going high end, so if you have reviewed any cruelty free foundations please leave a link to your reviews down below so I can check them out or just recommending some would be really helpful.
My favourite mascara - Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Mascara
This mascara has unfortunately dried up so I can't really use it now anyway, but this was the bomb diggity. Length, volume, and it held a curl too. Here's hoping I can find a replacement that's not too pricey - again, any reviews or recommendations would be helpful!
My favourite eyeshadow - Maybelline 24hr Colour Tattoo
I have raved on about these so much and I don't know what I'm going to do when these run out (think I've got a while yet, I've used them nearly everyday for well over half a year and not hit the bottom). These last all day without creasing, they're very pigmented and blend quite nicely as well as work as a base. I'm worried I'm going to have somewhat of a cream eyeshadow related dilemma - please recommend some cruelty free ones if you know of any.
My favourite gel liner - Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner 24hr
I love love love gel liner, I think it's easier to use than liquid personally and the formulation of this is great. Admittedly, I've not tried out any gel liners from any other brands so hopefully I should be able to find one that's just as good, but I am going to miss this one when it finishes - although I have a couple of these and one of them I've had for about half a year and I've not hit the bottom or anything so this should last me a while.
My favourite lipstick - Maybelline Coloursensational Lipstick in Velvet Beige
This is my everyday lipstick, the formulation is nice and creamy - it sticks around for a few hours before re-application and just the colour is perfect for me. I think good lipsticks are quite easy to find so hopefully it shouldn't be too much bother to replace this one, but I'm going to miss it.
My favourite brow gel - Maybelline Brow Drama (okay I promise this is the last Maybelline product)
This product has been a staple in my makeup routine now, it keeps my brows looking natural but bushy and it keeps them place all day with very little effort. There are quite a few tinted brow gels out on the market now so here's hoping I can find a decent replacement, but I'll miss this one when it runs out!
My favourite kohl pencil - Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Eye Liner (see it's not Maybelline this time okay)
These eyeliner pencils are marvellous - creamy, pigmented, soft but not too soft. Perfect for the waterline and the tightline at a low price, these will be sorely missed. Although, there are a few other kohl pencils I want to try out anyway so maybe I'll find one that's of the same quality or possibly better.
A hella good concealer - Revlon Colourstay Concealer
This is a high pigment yet creamy and moisturising concealer that sticks around all day and has a decent shade range, which is why it really sucks that I'm going to have to not repurchase it especially as it's not too expensive. It's looking like I'm going to have to go high end for foundation and concealer, which I was considering doing anyway because I'm tired of having to make do with the shades they have at the drugstore but now I'm probably going to have to do it anyway.
Some top notch lipsticks - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick
I think the Revlon lipsticks have such a great formula and their lipstick in Really Red is one of my favourite red lipsticks - it's matte but not drying, I also have one of their lipsticks in Smoky Rose which is a lovely sheer brown everyday colour for me. The lipsticks are around the £7 mark but they're so so good for the price, I'm very sad that I won't be able to repuchase any more from this range unless Revlon stop testing on animals.
My favourite nail polish - Essie Nail Polish in Licorice
This is my staple nail polish, I've used it so many times and about half of it is finished up. It's really black and glossy, dries really quickly, and only chips a tiny bit within a few days. This is a pricey nail polish so it doesn't hurt too much knowing that I can't repurchase this or any more from Essie (y'know unless they drop the animal testing) and I have tried other nail polishes of a similar quality (from Essence, cheap as chips and doesn't test - Essence is kinda bae) so whilst I'll be sad to let this one go when it finishes, I'm certain I'll find a good replacement.
Can you recommend any cruelty free brands/products?
I feel like I've majorly been losing my blogging momentum, so this post is rather overdue, but this time we have a mix of animated films, comedy and a 90s classic . . .
SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE (2015) ★★★★★
Shaun the Sheep is tired of the same mundane routine he has to go through everyday and he wants to take a day off, so Shaun and the other sheep form a plan to send the farmer to sleep so he can do this, but things go wrong and the farmer ends up in the big city with memory loss, so Shaun goes into the big city to save him but the other sheep follow him, and they have to try to get the farmer back whilst steering clear of the animal container.
I loved this film. I feel it's important to mention that Shaun the Sheep is a big deal in my house, my Mum and my brother love it and so we've ended up watching a lot of it and a lot of its spin-off Timmy Time (we have the whole Timmy Time box set and most of the Shaun the Sheep series on DVD, it's pretty deep) but we didn't get round to watching the film in the cinema, but then my brother got it for his birthday (his 15th birthday, I feel I should add) and we decided to watch it at long last. If you don't like Shaun the Sheep, you probably won't like this film, but I don't think I've come across a person who doesn't enjoy Shaun the Sheep. It's a lot of fun but there's the odd innuendo in there, and there was even a reference to Doge!! I'm being serious, there was comic sans and Doge references in one part of the film which made my lil heart beam with joy (I'm not sure if that's a thing, but if it is that's what it did). Even my Dad liked it and he's not so big on animated films, there were several laugh out loud moments and it's just a lot of fun - to summarise: it was very good.
PRINCESS MONONOKE (1997) ★★★★
Princess Mononoke is the story of a prince of a disappearing tribe called Ashitaka who's cursed by a boar, so he has to go travelling to the West to try and find a cure, in this world there is an ongoing conflict between the animal kingdom and the human race. He meets someone called San along the way who is a young woman (who grew up with wolves so she denies her own humanity) trying to protect the forest and the animals, and he also meets someone called Lady Eboshi who's trying to destroy the forest and the animals, and Ashitaka aims to resolve this conflict.
I've wanted to watch this film for quite a while given that I'm a massive Studio Ghibli film and this is one of their most popular films. It was definitely enjoyable and I thought San was a good character. Unfortunately, I watched the English dub of this because I recorded a bunch of the Studio Ghibli films during Ghibli season on e4 ages ago but they show the English dub 99% of the time. Don't get me wrong, this was a good dub (nowhere near as bad as the dub for Arrietty or Spirited Away, don't get me started on them) but I do just feel like English dubs ruin Japanese films. Probably not one of my favourite Ghibli films but it was enjoyable and I think it's one that would down well with a lot of people, and it's probably not as much as insane as Spirited Away (I love Spirited Away for its insanity but I know a lot of people just don't get it)
WHITE TEETH (2002) ★★★★
White Teeth is about different families growing up in England spanning from the 70s to the 90s, it focuses on different sectors of society in terms of race and religion. For example, you have Clara who's Jamaican and her Mother is a Jehovah's Witness, Archie and Samad were both in the army during World War II so they're old friends but Archie is British whereas Samad is a Bengalian Muslim, and these families all interlink and the story follows their children.
I quite liked the first few parts of this four parter, this was actually a series but Letterboxd counts it as a film on there hence why I'm including it, plus I did really enjoy it so I wanted to talk about it anyway. The first two parts were really good, I liked how they focused on Clara, Archie and Samad. I feel like when it became more focused on the children, it got a little bit mad and rushed. I liked the characterisation of the children, I liked Irie (purely because she reminded me of myself at times) and Millat was a good character although perhaps not a particularly nice one (I felt bad because he was really attractive but definitely not the type of guy I'd want to be with), and there's also a young James McAvoy in the children's episodes (very nice indeed). Also, in the first episode there's a young Russell Brand which is one of the reasons I wanted to watch this. This to me was a bit like Small Island meets Anita and Me, although I feel like Small Island covered each individual character story better whereas this one did rush it towards the end. I still really liked it though and I have recommended it to a bunch of my friends.
KICK-ASS (2010) ★★★★
Kick-Ass is the story of a stereotypical high school comic book nerd who wonders what would happen if a regular guy tried to become a superhero. He buys a costume and names himself Kick-Ass, but then he comes into contact with crime fighting duo Big Daddy and Hit Girl, and he gets involved with their dramas.
I really liked this film, it sort of made fun of the whole cliche superhero film (don't get me wrong, I love those but this made fun of the super unrealistic aspects of it and the cringey catchphrases). A favourite quote of mine from the film was 'with no power comes no responsibility'. I quite liked Aaron Johnson in this, partly because I used to have a major crush on him (okay, I still do, especially when I watch Nowhere Boy - Aaron Johnson playing John Lennon is a massive yes in my books). Something I simultaneously hated and loved was Nicholas Cage playing Big Daddy, as someone who's been on the internet for a long time I remember the Nicholas Cage meme and the second I saw him come on screen I literally started screaming (leaving my family in a bit of confusion) and the fact that he referred to himself as Big Daddy the whole time just made it worse. The acting in this film wasn't moving or epic or anything, and I'm not sure if that's because the actors were mediocre or if the people making the film made sure they acted that way to capture some of the mediocre, stereotypical acting you get in superhero films - either way, I quite liked it and I felt in mocked superhero films without being offensive necessarily. Something I need to point out - there is a fair bit of swearing and a hell of a lot of blood and violence and all that jazz, something I really wasn't expecting. That sort of thing doesn't bother me but I know it would bother a lot of people, it's sort of on the Sweeney Todd level of blood and violence so y'know beware. Overall, I really enjoyed this film and I can imagine it being one I return to again.
SPICE WORLD (1997) ★★★
Spice World is a mockumentary about the Spice Girls who are enjoying fame but becoming dissatisfied with the burdens of it. Meanwhile, newspaper owner Kevin McMaxford is trying to ruin their career to get a good story. The film follows the Spice Girls and the filming of their documentary.
First of, I know I'm nearly 20 years too late for this film - in all fairness, the Spice Girls were a bit before my time given that they formed in the year I was born and whilst I love them, I never thought to watch this film until I found the full film on YouTube (I'm so darn thrifty). This was basically an updated version of The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night which I love so I really enjoyed that, I do think A Hard Day's Night is better like I think the Spice Girls were a little bit unnatural on camera at times but it was a lot of fun and it has a great soundtrack, so it's a bit of fun but unless you like the Spice Girls I don't think you'd like this.
Another month has rolled past and I've fallen in love with a whole new bunch of favourites. In this month's favourites video, I discuss 'the Kylie Jenner lip trend' and how I don't like the phrase anymore, strobing and how I don't like how strobing has become a 'thing', and how I'm grumpy and generally dislike most things . . . Enjoy!
Maybelline Fit Me Foundation (review here) | I've probably raved on about this enough on both here in the review and on my YouTube channel but this foundation is the closest match to my skin I've ever found in a foundation, it's a medium coverage so even if I am a bit paler or darker on a certain day (my skin colour fluctuates tremendously) it still blends in and looks really natural. It also gives a semi-dewy finish which I really like especially around this time of year, in terms of longevity it really stays put if you powder (which I always do anyway to be safe). I also think the shade range of this foundation is pretty fab at least in terms of darker skinned people, like my friend has very dark skin and even she found a match with this foundation which is something that doesn't happen much with cheaper foundations . . . Revlon Colourstay Concealer | Again, a base product with a pretty decent shade range. This concealer matches my skin very well, has a medium-high coverage, is creamy, and it's pretty easy to blend, so it ticks a bunch of boxes. I like to use a lighter concealer mixed with this one for under the eyes, but this is generally a safe one all around the face and one I think would work on all skin types. eBay Brush Set | I mentioned this in this haul and I've basically been using it every single day. It has pretty much every brush you might ever need and it was really cheap, plus when you whip this out in front of your friends that's a conversation starter right there. In all seriousness, when I was on holiday with my friends and when I've stayed round at friends' houses since, this brush roll never fails to spark a conversation. Maybelline ColourSensational Lipstick in Velvet Beige | As you may have picked up on, I am a big nudes girl when it comes to lipstick. It's funny because I never used to be, I thought it was a bit of a waste of time to wear lipstick unless it was like a red or a pink, but I'm a changed woman, and this is now my favourite nude lipstick. It's the perfect mix of pink and brown, it's very a much a MLCBB shade, it's comfortable to wear on the lips and I've been reaching for it practically every day. Primark Egg Makeup Sponge | When YouTubers and bloggers alike started mentioning makeup sponges that were over £10, I immediately thought it was a ridiculous concept. I didn't understand why someone would spend nearly £20 on a sponge on all things, but after seeing them being used so much, I really wanted to try one and when I saw one in Primark for £1.50, I knew that was my opportunity. Now I can say, this has revolutionised my life . . . or at least my makeup base life. It blends in concealer and foundation like a dream, a well blended dream. It really gives you a flawless but natural looking skin like finish. I've never used it dry because anyone who's ever used one will emphasize how it must be used damp, it takes a bit longer to dampen a sponge and the whole process takes a little bit longer but it's really worth it for that flawless finish. Primark Eyelash Curlers | Up until the beginning of this month, I was terrified of eyelash curlers - genuinely terrified. I still look at them and think they look like glamorised torture machines, but they seem to make such a difference when I'm watching makeup tutorials or even watching my friends use them, so I decided I wanted to try out a pair and I remembered someone saying the Primark ones were pretty good for the price, at £1 I could hardly say no, and I'm so glad I picked these up. Firstly, they're pink and white so even if you're not into the whole curling-your-lashes-with-a-torture-machine vibe, it'll look pretty bomb with the rest of your makeup. Jokes aside, these curl my lashes so well, and the handle-lever-mabobby is quite firm so you're not going to slam down on your eyelids and injure them (as my friend did and she decided to tell me this story seconds before I curled my lashes for the first time, thanks for that one Ma'Suma . . .) - basically, these are chip as chips (quite literally), they look super cute, and they do a pretty decent job. Primark Facial Brush | As you can probably tell, I'm having a bit of a moment with Primark's makeup utensils. I picked these all these bits up at the Aisle of Doom in the Primark in Westfield, and I knew that Primark did both a makeup sponge and the eyelash curlers but I had no idea they did a facial brush, something I had been quite interested in since seeing the electronic Clarisonic ones. This one is manual (which I'm not too bothered about at all), pink and white again (important to maintain the #aesthetic in all areas of beauty utensils) and only cost £1. It's made such a difference to my skin, my skin is noticeably softer, smoother and I feel like my skin tone is more even. I only use the more abrasive brush side if I'm exfoliating my skin post-shower-lemon-sugar-scrub-time or if I'm putting on makeup (which is only a couple of times a week at the moment because in the summer people cut me off hence I leave the house less, I joke I joke, but seriously I haven't left the house in days), then I use the rubbery side everyday because it doesn't massively exfoliate, and this has just really improved my skin and it only cost £1 (and I've been using it in conjunction with the next product I'm going to mention . . .)
Simple Facial Wash | I got this because my morning facial routine has been a little bit poor, like I used to use a facial soap and a moisturiser which is fine but now I've amped it up with this facial wash, the facial brush mentioned above, and a moisturiser. This facial wash, even without the facial brush, leaves my skin feeling so soft and smooth. It's not at all abrasive and I can imagine this would work on the most sensitive of skins, plus it only cost about £1.50 so it's not going to break the bank either. Rimmel Lipliner in Tiramisu | I think I first heard about this from velvetgh0st using it in a YouTube video and I really liked the look of it then but for some reason I didn't pick it up for ages, this is your standard brown/nude lip pencil. I really like Rimmel lip liners, I think they're creamy but not so creamy that you waste a ridiculous amount of the pencil in a short period of time, plus they're pretty cheap. I've been using this a lot with the Maybelline Lipstick I mentioned earlier but I just think this goes well with any nude sort of lipstick, and I've been wearing it every day I wear makeup. Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights | As I mentioned when I bought it, one of the reasons I bought this product was because The Smiths covered a song called Golden Lights and it's on their Louder Than Bombs album so I was interested just for that subtle reference (despite the fact, the song is not all that good . . .) but I love this highlighter so so much. I do have another Makeup Revolution Baked Highlighter in Pink Lights but as the name would suggest, it's very pink and icy and it just didn't look great on my skin tone or at least nowhere near as great as this one does. This one is more of a yellow toned highlighter and it is quite pigmented but if you're using the right brush (I've been using a fan brush as of late) you get the perfect amount of glow (and not in an icky sweaty way), plus this only cost about £3 which is a bargain. Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara | I feel like 2015 so far has definitely been all about the tinted brow gels but I am a bit late to jumping on the bandwagon, I wasn't sure whether a tinted brow gel would be for me because my brows are far from sparse and they're not at all light, but this is really good for a more natural brow look. I like to run this through my brows and then add a bit of shape with eyeshadow, then use a spoolie to blend it all together. This gel does not budge until you use a makeup remover to get rid of it, and the tint isn't super strong so it's actually quite hard to go overboard on it. The brush is a bit weird because it has big ball at the top of it which did make me mess up the first time I used it, but once you've adjusted to the shape of the wand it's really not an issue, and this has really sped up my morning brow routine. MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal in Peach | I don't know if you remember but in my older YouTube videos (now unlisted) I used to use orange lipstick to correct my dark circles, this method works, but for only £2 you can get a proper corrector from MUA to do the same thing and it works much better. This is creamy and really does the job well, it's made it so much easier to correct my awful dark circles.
I tried to find other song lyrics for the title of this post, but I couldn't resist the Lana Del Rey reference (she is one of my favourite human beings, I like her a lot) but there are bigger things at hand than the sadcore queen . . . Okay, maybe not, Lana is important shiz but seriously I've found a foundation that matches my skin perfectly and, that too, is important shiz.
See if you can spot what's a little bit wrong with this photo, if you get it comment down below . . .
The foundation in question in the Maybelline Fit Me foundation which I haven't heard many people talk about on the bloggersphere or in the world of YouTube, the odd mention here and there but never any rave reviews. Here I am to fill the void. This foundation literally matches my skin's neutral-kinda-warm-but-kinda-not-sure-because-i-am-incompetent undertones and the consistency of it is like putting an extra layer of skin on the face, but not in a creepy White Chicks kinda way*. I hate to use the word dewy because dew reminds me of either grass in the morning or sweat, neither of which are things I really want on my face, but this foundation gives a semi-dewy finish which is really nice for the warmer seasons in my opinion. I usually powder afterwards anyway which makes it more neutral in terms of matt-ness or dewy-ness but this foundation just looks exquisite on the skin whether you use powder or not. It lasts pretty well on the skin although my oily nose eats it up, but my oily nose eats up most foundations, braver foundations than Maybelline's offering have tried and failed to stick around on my nose, however even against my nose Fit Me stands up pretty well, but I usually cook my powder around that area anyway so that's not too much of an issue.
One of the reasons I felt it especially important to inform you all on the amazeballs qualities of the Maybelline Fit Me foundation is because of the compliments I've been getting on it as well as how much I like it regardless. Basically, this foundation is under a tenner, has a pretty decent shade range, has a nice finish, and is generally just pretty fantabulous - this stuff is the shiznitz.
*Don't get me wrong, I love White Chicks but regardless of how many times I watch it, I still find their faces creepy. What's your favourite foundation at the moment?
I'm not going to do that annoying blogger/vlogger thing where I talk about how fast the month has gone, is it just me who finds that annoying? Am I just bitter? Unappealing personality traits aside, I have a bunch of beauty favourites to tell you about, and if you watch the video you'll hear about non-beauty favourites too - it's almost like an incentive to go watch my YouTube channel, y'know you might want to watch it. Max Factor Glossfinity Nail Polish in 119 Forever Glam | An extremely odd choice for someone who isn't a fan of loud colours in general, like my nails generally don't stray too far from black and red with maybe a glitter top coat around the festive season, but I really love this nail polish. The formula is ahmayzing, it claims to last up to 7 days and that's not a lie. I use two coats of this sans base coat or top coat, and it lasts me 7 days with minor chips - so if you did use a top coat or a base coat, it would probably last even longer. It also dries really quickly and you get a pretty smooth application, I think the formula's probably comparable to Essie, Essie's that tiny bit better, but then Essie is a couple of pounds more expensive. This colour is a bright raspberry sort of pink, which I like because I generally stray far from pink but this isn't a Dolly Parton kinda pink so it's definitely one to try if you want to venture into more bright nail colours.
Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty | I've actually owned this for a while but honestly I've been worried to use it because, like I said earlier I generally don't do pink in my makeup, but this is a really nice pinky nude sort of colour. It's a balmy consistency and it's sort of a MLBB lipstick deal, it doesn't last more than a few hours so you have to reapply but I've been wearing it nearly everyday this month.
InstaNatural Advanced Repair Scar Gel* | I honestly didn't think I would get any sort of major results from this scar gel when I received it, but it's actually managed to fade the few acne scars I've had on my face for a few years. My skin's pretty good but these few scars have always been there, however within a few days of using this day and night I noticed them fading and they're barely visible now which is almost unbelievable, but it works. It doesn't work on stretch marks though I might add, or at least not to the same effect it does on acne scars. Soap & Glory Butter Yourself Moisture Lotion | I've finally finished my tub of the Righteous Butter from Soap & Glory, it's taken me about a year and a half to finish this! Although. I think I might prefer this moisture lotion which I've finally been able to give a proper go. It smells sort of tropical so it just feels more summery, I also feel like it moisturises me a lot more than the Righteous Butter and I like the pump application, even though I think this might lead to be wasting more money. Rimmel 25hr Lasting Finish Nude Foundation | The first time I used this was actually in my first GRWM video on my YouTube channel (now unlisted, you can find it if you go all Sherlock though) and I hated it on first impression. To be fair, I was a bit paler because it was winter and I don't think using a brush to apply it was the best idea. However, I've been using this a lot now that my skin's getting a bit more tanned with the summer weather (don't let this delude you into thinking we get good summer weather in London, I just tan very easily) and I've been loving it. I'm still not a massive fan of the pinky undertones but if I blend it with my fingers it really meshes with my skin, and leaves a very nice looking base. *PR sample
Pictured are the shades: Forever Glam, and Snow White
. . . then you need to try out the Max Factor Glossfinity nail polishes. I'm not very good with nail polish whatsoever, so I need a quick drying, opaque, long lasting kinda deal when it comes to nail polishes otherwise they tend to get on my nerves, I'm sure you can imagine the struggle. The Max Factor Glossfinity nail polishes fulfil all my requirements and are quite possibly some of the best nail polish formulas I have ever tried. They claim to take 10 minutes to dry, and I verified this as I was about to film a makeup tutorial but I realised I had forgotten to paint my nails, so I decided to paint them and it lived up to the claim and was properly dry within 10 minutes. Super glossy nails that last 5-7 days, dry quickly and to an even finish? It's a winner from me, and it's going to take a lot of restraint not to buy the rest of the collection.
As you may or may not have picked up on, I cannot wear makeup unless I have somewhat of a cat eye going on. I don't care whether it's liquid or gel liner, I just need something on my upper lids to make me look a little less terrible (it's the main factor that helps me go from a generous 2 to a solid 4 on a day to day basis) but recently I'm just finding myself a bit bored with the eyeliners that I currently have.
Don't get me wrong, I've found eyeliners that I love but being the beauty blogger that I am, I just want to try out some new stuff that could possibly rival my current collection. I know that I love the Collection Fast Stroke Liquid Eyeliner which is matte, really black, pretty cheap coming in at £2.99 and fairly easy to use, and it's one that I've repurchased a fair few times. I'm also pretty attached to the Essence Waterproof Liquid Liner, which is also very black, very matte, waterproof, easy to use and it's also inexpensive coming in at £2.50. The most expensive one in my collection but one I really like to use is Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Black Chrome, it comes in at £7.99 but it's really easy to use and pretty long lasting, but it fails in the being-black-enough department, not that that's necessarily a bad thing because it makes for a slightly more neutral day-to-day look. These are all safe eyeliner options for me and ones I can, and have, repurchased.
But that's just not good enough for your average beauty blogger, I would really like to try more, I'd like to venture the aisles of Boots and Superdrug to try and find something to top what I've got. . .
Another month has gone by, I feel we're a little older, a little wiser, a little closer to our inevitable deaths and all that malarkey, so here are my monthly favourites . . .
1. FaceTheory C1 Cleanser*
I've only got the sample size of this because it was a PR sample, but I really like it! It really evened out my skin and left it feeling soft. What I really like about the FaceTheory products in general (I've got a moisturiser and toner sample too) is that you do a quiz on their website to establish your skin type and what works best for that, then you can buy skincare to match that. I didn't think much of the moisturiser and toner but they definitely worth bad, and it's definitely worth looking on the website.
I actually tried this out ages ago and I remember really liking it but for some reason I hadn't really used it since then, but at the moment I've been in some what of a rut with my makeup, I just really want to shake everything up products wise and try new things (I think it's because I'm stuck inside revising so I can't go out and buy or swatch things, roll on 16th June when my exams end!) so I've been shopping my stash and rediscovering products, and I've been using this nearly everyday - it's waterproof, very black, easy to apply, and it only costs about £2.50, brilliant!
3. Rimmel Lasting Finish Nail Polish in Double Decker Red (review here)
As I said in the full review of this product, when I first tried it about a year ago I really didn't think it was anything special - this was due to my own mistakes, I thought it was so opaque it only needed one coat and obviously this meant it chipped really easily - my stupidity really. However, I've tried it again and I'm having somewhat of a love affair. It's a bright red colour that's really nice for summer (although all year round would work too, it's just for me the brighter colours come out in the summer) and it lasts me 3-5 days which for a pianist is pretty decent. I only paid £1 for this as well because I got it from a market near my house, basically you get an even finish, longevity, and a nice bright summery colour.
4. L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Bois De Rose
I bought this a while ago but I hadn't really mentioned it on here before because I hadn't majorly used it until this month. It's a sheer, mauve, moisturising lipstick that I hadn't really worn much since buying it because I was very into my matte Kylie Jenner-esque lip colours, but now it's coming up to Summer I am just so off matte makeup whether it be lipsticks or foundation, so I decided to try this out again and I have been loving it. It's such a lovely everyday lip colour, it doesn't last all that long on the lips and I have to top it up throughout the day but that's to be expected with sheer lip colours. The packaging is also super classy too.
5. All Ways Natural Instant Oil Moisturizer Leave-in Conditioner
Something I get asked about a lot (more so in YouTube comments) is my hair, and I have been requested to do a hair care video so if you want that please let me know, I'm a bit on the fence about it because I don't do much, but something I have been using a lot for the past month (even last month but I didn't put it in last month's favourites for some reason) is this leave-in conditioner. Going to say right now, this would only really be suited to people with dryer hair or hair on the afro hair spectrum. My hair is a mix of afro and caucasian hair so I can get away with using this but I have to be careful not to go overboard, basically this is just super moisturising and just leaves my hair feeling soft. If I use too much, the next day it might feel a bit greasy and weighed down, but if I put it on my hair over the weekend and don't go out (revision life, ugh) then by Monday it's super soft and feeling healthy generally.
I haven't discovered a lot of new music this month (hence why there are a few rediscoveries in here) but there's a strange mix, so read below to see what I've been listening to!
1. Lonesome Street - Blur
I feel like I could put the entire of the new Blur album on here, but I think this is my favourite one. It sounds a little bit like Modern Life is Rubbish era and it's really catchy with some nice harmonies, plus even Liam Gallagher has said it's the best song of 2015.. if an ex-Oasis member is calling a Blur song the best song of 2015, you know it's good.
2. Martha My Dear - The Beatles
This isn't a new song to me but it's one that I always ignored a bit. The White album is an album that I've always thought to be hit and miss, there are some amazing tracks on there and some really crap ones on there (Piggies, for example..) so when I initially ripped songs from the White album to my computer a few years ago, I only ripped the ones I knew really well and Martha My Dear wasn't one of them. However, since then I've gotten a new laptop and a new phone so I had to rip all my music again and I have been listening to the tracks on the White album I ignored before, and Martha My Dear is one of them. The strings, the brass the piano, and the voice of Paul McCartney is just such a beautiful combination and I've been singing this song non-stop for the past month.
3. Feelin Myself - Nicki Minaj ft. Beyonce
Again, not a new song to me, but one I've been listening to constantly with all of the hype of the new video. Nicki Minaj deserves so much more recognition for what she does, she's a POC woman dominating the rap field at the moment (let's not forget Kanye West nearly took her part out of Monster because he thought she'd show everyone else did, then he didn't, and she did) and she does it in a theatrical way, and I think that aspect is lost on a lot of people. Also, need I get started on Beyonce? Me and my friend Isabella (who you may have seen in the various vlogs on my YouTube channel) have been singing this non-stop in the car journeys on the way to school, it's just pretty darn good.
4. One Great Song and I Can Change the World - Swim Deep
Swim Deep are a group who I only got into about a year ago, but I loooove some of their songs, and this new release is no different. It's just super groovy and catchy, it's a bit more upbeat than some of their other songs which are pretty chilled out.
5. Keep You - Wild Belle
I haven't the faintest idea how I came across this song, but I love it so much. It's got that reggae feel about it, I hate to use the word 'vibes' because it sounds so frigging pretentious but it's got those really chilled out summery vibes in it.
