Review: Feel Unique Pay day treats!

Review: Feel Unique Pay day treats!

Thursday, 30 April 2015

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I recently made my first little purchase from Feel Unique and I’m really really excited by what I picked up. They had an offer for 20% off a basket over £60, so I took advantage of that and bought some things I’d been pining after for a while. 

The first thing I chose was the Lancôme Teint Miracle foundation. The foundation itself is easily the best i’ve ever used and I was really excited to get the full sized product after sampling it for a while.  I’m happy to say I love it as much as before. I got a slightly different shade as I thought I could do with something a little bit darker, and I can honestly say that it’s the perfect match to my skin tone and it looks really natural. It’s pretty light coverage but can easily be built up for a heavier coverage if you need it, so I’m sorted for during the day and for nights out with just this one foundation! 

I then had a little YSL splurge after lusting over their counter for months on end. I chose the YSL Touche Éclat highlighter which is possibly one of the best products I own to this date. It covers dark lines and blemishes effortlessly and blends really easily into the skin. The packaging is to die for and just oozes class so obviously that’s an added bonus. I also decided to give the YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick a try. I chose the shade Rouge Roxane and I cannot worship this lipstick enough. I am a lipstick lover, I own far too many and until I bought this particular brand, I was a MAC addict. I’ve now been 100% converted over to the YSL lipsticks and I don’t think I’ll look back. They are ridiculously hydrating, very pigmented and just look flawless on the lips and as far as I’m concerned, the extra cost is more than worth the results. I think I went on about how much I love this lipstick to everyone I met whilst wearing it and I received so many compliments from friends about it as well. It is expensive for a lipstick, but I do think it was worth it as a little treat. The packaging again is really beautiful and just looks so sophisticated compared to other brands. I’m seriously having to resist buying more for now, but I know I’ll definitely splash out on a few other shades when I’ve saved up a little money! 

I've never used Feel Unique before but I'll definitely be going back to them. Delivery was very quick and absolutely no issues with my order, everything was in amazing condition and it was packaged up safely!

Did you take advantage of the 20% offer? What did you buy? Let me know down below. 

List: Five things I'm currently VERY happy about

List: Five things I'm currently VERY happy about

Sunday, 19 April 2015

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I'm having a pretty positive week over here in France and so I thought I'd share the top 5 things that I have to be happy about ! What is making you chuffed to bits at the mo? xoxo

1. THE WEATHER 

Strasbourg has never been more beautiful than it is right now. The weather is boiling- between 25 and 30 degrees most days now, and it’s only April- so I’m really enjoying getting my summer clothes on and whacking my pegs out! I’m almost sad to be almost finished with my work placement - almost.

2. I FINISH WORK IN A WEEK 

I’ve been working in 2 different schools in France for nearly a year now and quite frankly, I’m tired. I’m tired of 5.30am wake ups and 8am classes. I’m tired of getting woken up by the school kids in the school next to my house on my only day off. I’m tired of going full days without hearing a word in English. I love my job so very much most of the time but it’s really time to finish up and go home for me now! 

3. I HAVE JUST COMPLETED A 5000 WORD DISSERTATION… IN FRENCH 

Generally speaking, I quite enjoy writing essays. In English. If you tell me to write an essay in French, as I have to do quite regularly, I’ll put it off for as long as I can and probably do the least work possible to get a decent grade. I’ve actually put SO much effort into this essay and I’m quite chuffed with how it’s come out so far. Definitely one of my proudest life achievements so far. 

4. IT’S ALMOST SUMMER 

And summer means holidays! And sunbathing! And bikinis! Do I really need to say much more?

5. I’M HONESTLY HAVING THE BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE SO FAR. 

And if that’s not something to be happy about, I don’t know what is.

Haul: Feel Unique

Haul: Feel Unique

Friday, 17 April 2015

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As you fellow bloggers are probably aware, feelunique.com had a little offer on their website over the last few days, where if you spend over £60 on selected beauty products you get a 20% discount. 

I’ve been wanting to treat myself to a few little bits and bobs, including the Lancôme foundation that I trialled and reviewed in one of my previous blogs, so I thought this was the right time to buy!  

Obviously, I got myself a bottle of the Lancôme Teint Miracle Bare Skin Perfection Foundation in the colour Beige Porcelaine. It’s normally £30 but with 20% discount I got it for £24, which isn’t much more expensive than my normal No.7 foundation so I’m quite happy with that one! 

I then bought myself a few little Yves Saint Laurent goodies. Living in France has been quite difficult for me as a makeup lover, and especially as a lipstick lover, because there are YSL counters everywhere- in Sephora, in the department stores, in some supermarkets and even in pharmacies. I’ve been finding it really difficult to resist so thought with this little discount it was the right time to treat myself to some of the things I’ve been eyeing up all year.  

The first thing I bought was their Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick in Rouge Roxanne. I loved the colour and it was MUCH cheaper buying it online (even without the discount) than getting it on one of the French counters so I really couldn’t say no!! It cost £26 without discount, so £20.80 with the discount added. 

My final purchase was the acclaimed Touche Éclat Highlighter- I got the original one as I wasn’t  sure what shade I’d need in this as I’ve never actually sampled it before. This one seems like a staple makeup product for most bloggers so I thought I’d give it a go. It was £25 (so £20) which isn’t too bad really. I recently lost my entire makeup bag in a train station (and had to repurchase practically everything) and hadn’t got hold of a highlighter yet so this will have to be my replacement. 

I’m going to do a little review of the three products when I receive them and I’m very excited to see if they’re worth the pennies!! 

Have you ever used any of these products? What do you think of them?? 

Review: KIKO Milano

Review: KIKO Milano

Thursday, 16 April 2015

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I was first introduced to KIKO Milano in Milan itself by some of my Italian friends. I spent 4 months out in Italy the summer before last teaching English to Russian expats and Italian kids, and consequently spent all of my free time shopping, eating pizza and having aperitivo’s with my new Italian pals. On one particular shopping trip they took me to the KIKO store in the city centre and I was actually amazed by how amazing this brand is, and particularly by their nail varnishes. I can’t really speak about their other products, because I’ve never personally tried any of them (although I did buy my mum one of their mascaras and she seems to like it). 

They have a store in London but not in Liverpool where I live, or in Manchester or anywhere up north, as fa as I’m aware. When I arrived in Strasbourg I definitely wasn’t expecting them to have a store here, but in fact there are 3 in Strasbourg alone! Luckily for me, their polishes are extremely reasonably priced and actually keep getting cheaper- they’ve gone from just under 4 euros down to 2 euros 50 over the last few months! I’m not sure if this is a promotion or not, but either way, I’m not complaining. 

Their formula is amazing and usually only need a coat or two for shiny, bright nails. I use their gel top coat as well and it is excellent! I currently own a whole range of different colours, although I’m planning on getting a few more before I move back to the UK at the end of the month! 

Which are your favourite nail varnish brands? I honestly encourage you to check out their website, nail varnishes are currently on sale for between £1 and £2.50 over at www.kikocosmetics.co.uk 

Wishlist: let's go to the beach-each!

Wishlist: let's go to the beach-each!

Thursday, 9 April 2015

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I’m planning my holidays away this summer at the moment, and obviously, beach holidays = new swimwear. I have certain bikini styles in mind, mostly because I have a very boring shape so here are my choices for this summer’s galavants. I’m off to Barcelona for a few days with a bit of luck in a few weeks as one of my friends lives there, plus I have my yearly Malta trip with my brother to look forward to at the end of summer. 

I’ve already bought a bodysuit for lounging around on the beach sunbathing, from Hollister. I couldn’t resist it as it was an absolute bargain in the sale for £12, but I obviously won’t be swimming in it. I love the black and white stripes and it’ll just be lovely to sit on the beach in! 

I’ve been having a scout around for the perfect high waisted bikini, as they suit me the best of all of the different styles and I really like this red-orange triangl stye bikini. I love the bold colours against the black outlining and I think they look really lovely on. The same can be said for the white swimming costume- I think it looks really classy and sophisticated for the beach. This one’s from River Island and retails for about £30! 

Finally, I really like this floral bikini top from ASOS. I wasn’t too sure about the matching pants so I’d probably just wear it with a pair of similar blue pants that I already have - they’re actually almost exactly the same colour, from what I can tell, but I think the balconette style is really flattering and this will be a lovely addition to my bikini wardrobe.

What are you planning on buying for the beach this year?

Review: Foundation Samples

Review: Foundation Samples

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

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I’m currently searching for a new foundation, as my skin is in bad shape at the minute and I can’t think of anything other than my makeup that has made it this way. Recently I received a few foundation samples and thought I’d try them out individually and do a little product review of them! I’ve received four samples; Garnier’s “BB cream”, which offers “beyond flawless skin”, Lancome’s “Tient Miracle” which is a bare skin foundation with SPF15, L’Oréal’s “Infaillable 24h matte”  and finally Sisley Paris’s “Phyto Teint Éclat.” They’re all French samples so the names are in French, but a quick google will find you the British equivalents. 

Every day I’ve used a base of Biotherm’s Skin Best Serum, which I’m also trialling at the moment. It’s a youth protecting serum and makes you skin feel like heaven. It has a pretty similar texture and feel as a primer base, so I’m hoping that just using this and skipping the primer won’t make much of a difference. It’s readily available in Sephora in France but is a tad expensive, at 50 euros for a 30ml pot. However, you don’t need to use a lot and the results are amazing. 

Day One: I gave the Lancôme “Tient Miracle” a go today. It’s a light coverage foundation from what I can tell. My face feels really smooth, but I think you’d need to build it up to cover any imperfections or spots as I have a few at the moment and they’re still visible. However, this said, I prefer it to my usual foundation from No. 7 so assuming none of the others are any better this one will probably be next on my purchase list- the coverage is significantly better and I didn’t need to use anywhere near as much as I do when I use my No. 7 foundation, and the colour is a much closer match to my skin tone. You can buy it in Debenham’s for £29 so that’s not too badly priced.  It had enough in the sample for a few days worth of use, so it was also my sample for Day Two. I wore it out to dinner last night with some friends and one commented that it didn’t even look like I was wearing any makeup, but that my skin looked really good. It hasn’t caused any breakouts as of yet and I have pretty sensitive skin so this is amazing. I’m really happy with this foundation and I think I’m most likely going to purchase a full sized version at the end of this little trial! 9/10

Day Three: I’m using the Garnier BB Cream today, which claims to be a “miracle skin perfecter.” It smells very fresh and the formula itself is quite thin, which is good. It doesn’t feel heavy on my skin which is nice, but my olive (currently tan-less) skin looks a weird yellow colour. I don’t know if I’m using a shade which is too light for me, but I would say it probably isn’t the brand for me. Coverage isn’t too good either- I have a few spots and the foundation has just caked over them, rather than hidden them. I feel that the only way that this one could be a “miracle skin perfecter” is if you already have miracle perfect skin. However, all of this said, my skin has photographed best out of the two I’ve used so far. 6/10

Day Four: Today I used the Sisley Paris sample and I really do not like it. When I first put it on, I was sure I looked like a tangerine, even though I used the shade Natural. The smell is horrible as well, kind of like one of those moisturisers your granny buys you from M&S, all musky and weird. On closer inspection, the colour isn’t too bad and it has blended quite well, but the smell alone is enough to put me off buying this. 5/10

Day Five: My final day was the last sample I’ve got for the moment, and that was the L’Oréal Infallible 24hour matte.” While I liked the matte feel (I hate looking shiny) the formula wasn’t thick enough for me and gave very little coverage. The colour didn’t really match my skin either, despite it being the one that the woman in Sephora thought suited my face the most - it was much too light and made my face look almost white. I used it in Sand which I’m assuming is a medium colour but it wasn’t dark enough for my skin at all. 5/10

So, I think I’m going to be going out and buying the full sized Lancôme foundation as soon as I get paid at the end of the month! 

Which foundations do you swear by??? 

List: What I'm ...ing this week!

List: What I'm ...ing this week!

Thursday, 2 April 2015

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I've seen this done before but in a slightly different format, but here is my "What I'm... ing" this week! 

What I’m watching at the moment:

I’ve always been a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to TV Shows so needless to say, until recently I’d never watched ABCFamily’s Pretty Little Liars. I started watching it at the beginning of last week and I’ve been having a little mini binge session since then, as I’m already almost finished with Season 1. I haven’t taken to a program quite as quickly as this one in a long time. I avoided watching it for so long because it just sounded too much like Gossip Girl, but now I can see how there are differences and I’m really enjoying watching it. 

What I’m listening to at the moment:

As per usual, I’m listening to 1989 by Taylor Swift. She is absolutely my style icon and I love her music so much, I have a ridiculous obsession with her early stuff and her new album is also pretty damn fantastic. I particularly love Style and Blank Space although as a whole the entire album is wonderful. I’m also really enjoying the songs Hold Back The River by James Bay and I Follow Rivers by Lykke Li. Of course, I still like a little dance around my room to Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars & Mark Ronson as well. 

What I’m wearing at the moment:

I’m back at work at the moment so I’m back to boring uniforms and smart dress, but at weekends I’m absolutely loving swinging mini skirts. I just bought the most gorgeous striped dress from Hollister and it makes me feel really French so I’ll probably be getting a lot of wear out of that one! 

What I’m using at the moment: 

I’m using quite a few new products at the moment because I’m reviewing them for this blog, but I’ve started testing some French-made products as well to see if they’re as good as they’re hyped up to be. One of my French friends always has a tube of the Le Petit Marsailiais lip balm on her. I spied it in the supermarket aisles while I was doing my food shopping this week, and because it was cheap (less than 2 euros) and because she wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t at least try it, I bought a tube. It makes your lips feel amazing, as far as I can see so far my chapped lips have more or less completely gone after only a few uses and it smells amazing as well- it has argon oil in it. I’m not sure if it’s sold in the UK but if you’re ever in France I definitely recommend buying this product. 

What I’m reading at the moment: 

At the moment I’m reading a political autobiography, which is kind of outside of what I’d normally read but I’m finding it surprisingly interesting and thought provoking! Its called This Boy by Alan Johnson, who is a former Chancellor of the Exchequer. It’s the story of his life in poverty in 1950s Notting Hill and is definitely worth a read, especially at the moment in light of the upcoming parliamentary elections. I’m not far from finishing this, so my next read will be Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I’ve been trying to read this book for years so I’m giving it yet another go. I’m also reading The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis on the side, in French. 

What I'm loving at the moment:

We have a lovely long four day weekend this week which is great for someone who works in a school! 2 extra days away from the kids goes down well in my books! 

What I'm hating at the moment: 

I'm currently in the midsts of re-enrolling at university for my final (fourth!!!) year! The module choices are ridiculous so I'm hating the thought of going back to uni right now!