3rd Year Uni House - Room Tour

Hey everyone, I've returned! I've been so quiet in terms of blogging and social media because I was away at Reading Festival, then moving back to Nottingham for University, and starting my new job at Debenhams, but I'm finally back, unpacked and ready to return to blogging.

It took me a full day to unpack and organise my room, but I was so glad when it was done. In first year I was in halls, so there wasn't a lot I had to do in terms of choosing. Last year my housemates and I were determined to find somewhere nice, and as a group of 8 there weren't too many options, and to be fair the house was ok... by the time we moved out! All of the things that needed doing to the house were solved by the time we were leaving, so this time we were more careful. We looked at plenty of options, picked our favourite, and then went through and made a list of the things that might need doing before we moved, which sounds downright fussy but if you're paying for a house you may as well enjoy living there! Plus, as a group your rent is WAY higher than what a family would pay for the same sized house per month, so with the collective rent I'm sure the agency/landlord you're renting from can afford to add a lick of paint or changed a stained mattress (we'll get to that last one!),

When I moved in a few days ago there was already someone here, but she has since gone home so I'm alone for a few weeks, which means now the responsibility of getting the problems sorted lies with me. The first thing I had to deal with was the wifi, which is usually straight forward but apparently Virgin's automated line activation system decided I wasn't worthy of wifi, so I ended up spending hours getting it fixed (big thanks to big Steve at Virgin Media for sorting it for me).

Now to tell you about my room. In the last house we rented, I was delegated the tiny box room which we later discovered was COVERED in black mould. Wonderful, right? It was 'fixed' by the letting agency (they sent someone to repaint the walls and window frame which would apparently get rid of the mould, which we all know is a lie but what can you do). Then one of our housemates dropped out of uni (for the second time in 2 years, bants) and I took his room. Which had the boiler in it. Which sounded like a steam train every time someone flushed the toilet. Including at 3AM. So my housemates said I could pick my room first this year. Naturally I took the huge room with a bay window. There was another room the same size but with a corner sofa but another housemate of mine fell in love with that room, so I took the bay window and smaller sofa instead (generous of me, right?).

The room itself is lovely. A big space, with high ceilings with some of the old features (with it being an old house), such as the decoration around the ceiling light, and the old windows (look nice, not so practical).

Fancy ceiling, odd lampshade.

My favourite part of the room might be my bay window desk area. The windows give so much natural light to the room (but look onto a main road, so may remain mostly closed when I'm hanging out in my room). 

To the right you can see my reading fest stuff that needs to be returned to my mum

I have a few little knick knacks on the desk at the minute, like my Mickey Mouse mug which is useless for tea but great as a pen holder. Under the desk is a little section where I've put all of my textbooks. I also really diligently organised the drawers per section for different types of stationary. I didn't have anything else to do, ok!

Pretending to be an organised person

The bed is nice, it's actually a double bed this time as opposed to the three quarter bed I had last year. It sits in front of a fireplace, which would be a really nice touch if you could actually centre the bed to the fireplace, but due to the bedside table (which wont fit on the other side) I can't move the bed. I actually forgot to bring pillows, because I'm a genius, so I'm currently using cushions, so ignore that too. 

The wardrobe is a decent size too, but the drawers are broken.

I did have a photo for the other side of the fireplace but the frame broke in the move. I mentioned gross mattresses earlier, because the mattress I have as a little stain on the top. It's not a huge deal but I know the agency I'm renting from charges £150 to replace any mattresses with stains on, so if they charged the previous tenant I should have a new mattress. I also couldn't flip it, because the bottom is covered in rust stains! (Yes, that is a plastic chopping board underneath my bed that I unpacked and forgot to move).

To the left of the bed is a little table, which I'm going to use as a makeup table. It doesn't look like much now, but I'm going to get a mirror for it so I can make it into a cute little dressing table. 

Next to that are my drawers, which I'm using as my makeup drawers. 

I've put  my brush pots, perfumes and lipstick holders on the top. Then there are the 3 drawers. 

The first holds all of my shower and skincare stuff as well as things such as medicine and plasters etc. 

In the second drawer is my makeup, which I;ve divided using boxes from subscription boxes and gift set boxes. 

Cheeky sellotape on the side.

In the bottom drawer is nail polish, bozes with jewelry, my hair dryer, straighteners, curlers and last but not least, toilet roll. Glam, 

To the other side of the room is my sofa. A bloody sofa in my room! It sits next to a window so it gets plenty of light and it'll be nice for when I have friends over. Between the sofa and my bed is a big rug with a leaf print design, and on that is a coffee table. 

On my coffee table is a candle, my photo cube I got for my birthday and Corey the cactus.

In terms of decoration I've literally just used what I had, but as soon as I get paid I'm gonna go and get a bunch of stuff to try and tie the room together. When I moved in I was struggling to decide how I was going to make the rug fit in with the rest of the room, but then Velvetgh0st from youtube moved flats and has actually gone with a gold/green leaf print theme, and has given me loads of inspiration, so I'm so excited to get started! The other thing  I need to do is put up some more photos, because I always feel more at home in a new place when my photos are up.

I haven't included the communal areas of the house as I haven't really done anything to those and there isn't much to see. I'm so lucky to have gotten this room and grateful that my housemates let me take it! 

See you again soon! 

Paige x

Reading Fest 2016 Packing and Makeup!

I've never been to a festival before, so of course I've done so much research concerning what to pack and what makeup is best, and I thought I'd pass on the info I've collected onto any of you who might be interested!

Clothes

While the festival might only be for 3 days but my friends and I got early entry passes so we'll be there from the wednesday til monday, which means I'm gonna need way more stuff, so I've had to plan my outfits carefully to reduce the amount of stuff I'm gonna have to carry.

A staple piece that I'm bringing is a pair of Levi's recycled black high waisted (not sure if they're meant to be high waisted but I'm 4'10 so I have no torso) shorts that I bought from Urban Outfitters in the sale. They no longer have them on the website but they still have the blue denim version here - Urban Renewal Vintage Originals Blue Raw Edge Levi's Shorts - £36. They were meant to be £36 but were reduced to £10 in the sale, and then I got 10% student discount to make them £9! They're so comfy, and because they're black I can wear them with pretty much any top, and with tights underneath if it's too cold for bare legs.

Photo from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk
Black Levi Shorts

I then have a bunch of different crop tops that I can pair with the shorts to make simple outfits.

Blue crop top from Zara

Stripey black and white top from Primark

As stand alone items I have a floral dress (super old from H&M), and a floral playsuit from Boohoo that can be found here.

Boohoo Bell Sleeve Playsuit - photo from www.boohoo.co.uk

I'm also going to take an old pair of jeans. I know everyone says not to take jeans but I have some really comfy old ones that I'll happily burn afterwards, it could get cold and I'll be the one laughing when I have toasty denim covered legs. I'll wear them on the train there as they'll be the heaviest clothing item so I don't have to carry them. Going with the theme of old bottoms - leggings. Comfy, versatile, comfy, cheap and comfy. Wear them outside, wear them in the tent when it's too cold for one layer. I'm going to steal one of my boyfriend's hoodies that I can wear to keep warm or to use as a makeshift pillow (thanks Adam). Also many pairs of socks, I hate cold feet, and in wellies you need some nice thick socks so you don't get blisters. One thing I don't have yet but need to get is a waterproof coat/rain mac.

Speaking of wellies, lets get onto shoes. When I first looked at the weather, it said that during Reading it would be pure sunshine and rainbows. Now the weather is apparently leaning towards showers and thunder, which is ideal if you hate life. So, I'll be opting for a classing pair of wellies, which I'm borrowing from my mum (lol) because she has a snazzy pair of green Joules wellies, something like these.

photo of the snazzy wellies from https://www.shoetique.co.uk/

 In case the rain subsides for a while and the grass is dry, then I'll be opting for a pair of these converse-style low tops from New Look that I've had for ages and are wrecked already, so I won't mind binning them afterwards. Yes, they're on the teens section from New Look, and yes, I'm a 20 year old with feet smaller than my 10 year old sister. (I'm a size 2 for those of you who are interested - it's cute but try getting nice heels).

Mine are exactly the same as these but covered in grey/black smudges.
Photo from www.newlook.co.uk

And last but not least, it wouldn't be a festival without a bumbag! Found this beauty on the Skegness market for a fiver, what a treat.

#BringBackBumBags

Toiletries

While some people might be able to embrace the filth and enjoy being muddy for 5 days, I just dont think I can do it. So, I'm bringing a little travel bag with the essentials. I got a little set of travel bottles from Primark to decant things into. I have:

- Shower Gel (Superdrug)
- Shampoo (Wilkinsons Passionfruit and Green tea)
- Conditioner (same as shampoo)
- Facial Cleaner (Simple Kind To Skin Moisturising Facial Wash)
- Toner (Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner)

Mini travel set in the bag from Primark (£1)
Extra spray bottle for toner from Wilko (50p)

- Toothpaste (Whitening toothpaste from Primark)
- Toothbrush (obvs)
- Disposable razor
- Moisturiser (Talika Photo Hydra Day)
- Serum (Superdrug Simply Pure Hydrating Serum)
- Hairox Hair Brush
- SPF 15 from Ladival
This looks like a lot but I'm guessing my skin is gonna need all the help it can get.
I'm also taking paracetamol (hangovers suck), my contraceptive pill, some tampons (be prepared for anything), and spare toilet roll, as well as hair bobbles and sun glasses.

Make-up
The best part. I know that by day 2 I'm gonna be too tired to care what my face looks like, but that doesn't mean I won't do it. I know I won't want to spend forever on something that I also have to maintain throughout the day however, so I'm going for simple with minimal products but still bright and festival themed. I'm also taking stuff that I'm not scared to lose or break because it can and will happen, so the naked palette is staying at home!

Base products
Primer - Freedom Pro Mattifying: it could get very hot and I don't want to sweat my makeup off so this will ensure that doesn't happen.
Eye Primer - Freedom Pro Eye Primer (you need this for glitter eyeliner)
Foundation - I've used a mix of the Caudalie Vinoperfect Broad Spectrum SPF15 Day Perfecting Fluid (which minimises pores and corrects skin tone to create a flawless and radiant but natural looking finish) with the GOSH Foundation Plus+ to add a little coverage and darken the Caudalie product which is a little too light for my skin.
Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection: those eyebags are gonna be huge
Powder - Makeup Revolution Radiant Light Powder in Breathe - mattifying but still pretty and glowy

Brows
My brows are a hairy mess right now so I went with Benefit's Goof Proof brow pencil to attempt to define and fill, and then Primark's £1 brow gel to set them.

Contour/Blush/Highlight
All done with the MUR Ultra Sculpt and Contour kit in Ultra Fair. Sprayed my RT Fan brush with toner to intensify the pigment of the highlighter.

Eyes 
- Set the primer with a light base powder, then used a mid-toned brown to deepen the crease slightly. Can use the contour palette and face powder for this if you're planning to bring less makeup.
- GOLD GLITTER EYELINER (yes I'm excited about this part). I bought a cheap one from poundland so it's a bit more work but layer up until you're happy with your wing. Do it thicker than you would your regular black liner. I found that it was easier to use a shimmery gold eyeshadow as a base to get a more opaque line with the glitter.
- Black liquid liner - applied over the top but a thinner line than the gold
- Black WATERPROOF mascara - pls do use waterproof unless you like being a panda, in which case use whatever you like. I used the Icona Milano Emotion Allowed mascara.
- smoke the lower lash line out a little using a brown shadow
- highlight the browbone and inner corner

Lips
Basically use whatever works for you! I'm going bright lips here because I rarely use bright lipsticks, so what better time to experiment. In the photos I've used Freedom Pro Melts in No Heroes (a deep pink colour) and then an I Heart Makeup Lip Lava in Tremor which is a lighter pink. I'll also probably go with a nude lipstick too just for easy upkeep.

It was really hard to get a close up of the glitter eyeliner as I don't have a fancy camera but you can kind of see it! 

After taking the photos with the Freedom Pro Melts and changing the lip colour I also threw caution to the wind and used the glitter as a highlight too, and I think it looks pretty cool! I threw my wild hair in some space buns which looked pretty cute and that was the finished look!

Glitter on your whole face is the best and only way.

I'm obviously going to take food, drinks, a tent, a sleeping bag, money, my ticket and my ID. I'm also taking powerbanks for some sneaky on the go phone charging.

Gosh this post was long! It's probably too much but I had a lot to say! Hope you enjoyed it anyway.

See you again soon!

Paige x

GOSH AW16 Launches!

Back when I wrote my last post on the GOSH cosmetics products that I love, I ended up being in contact with the lovely Sophie from their PR team, who told me that there were some exciting new launches coming for AW. I love AW fashion and beauty, and I can tell it's going to be a good season this year! Being a very new and small blog I wasn't expecting to be too involved in the campaign. but she actually sent me 3 of the launches to try out and review, for which I am so so grateful! 

The Velvet Touch Matt Lipstick in Grape, Foundation PLUS + in 004 Natural
 and the Giant Pro Liner

The Foundation PLUS + in the shade 004 Natural is the first thing I tried out. It claims to be a foundation and concealer in one, which means it's medium to buildable coverage, while being light and natural. It's formulated to be pigmented with active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, liquid sea minerals and seaweed which makes the foundation nourishing and light on the skin whilst still providing good coverage, and has a satin finish.

GOSH Foundation Plus + in 004 Natural (photo from Superdrug website)

I was so looking forward to trying this foundation, but when I received it the shade is far too dark for my skin. From swatching it on my hand I was able to get a good impression of the coverage of the foundation, which is definitely medium buildable, as it's so lightweight! I had to mix it with my GOSH X-ceptional Foundation to lighten it, which did make the coverage slightly lighter but I am building up my tan with the Garnier Summer Body and Utan Gradual Facial tan so hopefully soon I'll be able to use the foundation on its own (or at least mostly). I absolutely loved the finish of the foundation, it blended beautifully into the skin and looked so natural but with great coverage, and it didn't settle into any dry patches. The foundation is £9.99 for 30ml, which is an absolute steal for this foundation!

The next new release I tried is the Giant Pro Liner, which I have to admit was a little scary because the nib is quite thick, but I have to say it gave me such a quick and accurate application! You can use the fine point to draw out your line and use the thicker edge to fill it in. It's a nice, strong black and I was surprisingly impressed! It retails at £6.99. A little tip GOSH suggest is if you're new to applying eyeliner, you can use their kohl white liner to sketch where you want the liner and trace over the top with the Giant Pro liner. You can also use tape to get sharp and symmetric wings!

GOSH Giant Pro Liner

If you read my previous GOSH post (link) then you'll know that the formula for the GOSH lipsticks are possibly my favourite of any I've tried, especially with the matte lips, so of course I was so happy to find one in the little PR package. The one I received is the Velvet Touch Matte liptick in the shade 'Grape', which is a beautiful deep wine red with a hint of berry, it's bloody gorgeous and I feel like it's all I'll be wearing on my lips in autumn and winter. They're made with natural waxes and hyaluronic acid to moisturise and smooth the lips. They're creamy, long lasting, and beautifully pigmented, as usual. There are 4 new shades in total and they're all beautiful.

The GOSH Velvet Touch Matt Lipstick in Grape swatched - such a beautiful deep colour!

Velvet Touch Matt Lipstick in Grape

The range also includes a few things I haven't yet tried. 

One of the products I don't yet own but will definitely be purchasing soon is the Overnight Primer Oil Essence (£14.49), which is ideal for prepping your skin the night before applying makeup. It's slightly more pricey than other items in the range but it's definitely worth it if you're looking to really pamper your skin. Your skin regenerates at night, and we usually use serum to give this process a boost, but for a little extra nudge this is perfect. It's full of anti-oxidants, fatty acids and oils which help to provide moisture, vitamins and minerals so you wake up with glowing and primed skin! It can be applied before night cream or alone, but I'd probably apply it before night cream in place of my serum. 

Overnight Primer Oil Essence (photo from Superdrug website)

The Lash Sculpting Fibre Mascara (£9.99), contains fibres up to 2mm long which add an amazing amount of volume, and the wand is formulated to scuplt and define the lashes with the fibres.

Lash Sculpting Fibre Mascara (photo from Superdrug website)

They also released a Brow Sculpting Brow Gel (£6.49) which helps create full, groomed brows using the fibres to make thicker brows. There are currently 2 shades (Nutmeg and Chestnut) in the range, but again I'm yet to try this. I like that the wand isn't super short, and that the bristles are super tiny which will really help to get into the hairs. 

Brow Sculpting Fibre Gel (photo from Superdrug website)

The last release that I haven't tried is the Contour & Strobe kit (£12.99), which contains 2 bronzers (which is a really nice touch, as you can mix them to make your perfect customised bronzer), a semi-matte blusher and of course a highlighter. There's a Light option and a Medium one. I really like the blush choices in these. In the light one it's a pretty peachy-coral colour, which is so flattering on pale skin, and then the pink in the medium kit is equally flattering on medium and darker skin tones. They claim to be ultra-light, soft and creamy to make them easy to apply and blend, and I can't wait to try this. 

Contour & Strobe kit (photo from Superdrug website)
L - Light
R - Medium

Finished look using the Foundation, Liner and Lipstick! 

All of the products mentioned can be found here: Superdrug Website and GOSH is currently on a 3 for 2 offer so snap them up quickly while you can get an item free!

I'm sure it won't be long before I've bought the rest of the range, so look out for my review of those, but for now I hope you enjoyed this and thank you to GOSH for letting me try a few things from the launch! 

See you again soon! 

Paige x

This post contains PR samples.

Boyfriend does my makeup!

I've joked with my boyfriend Adam about him doing my makeup for ages, and now that I have a blog I convinced him to do it for the good of the blog. I did film it, but my camera cut out after 20 minutes and there was nothing worth seeing there, however I've taken some super flattering photos of the results.

I provided him with a box full of several options for each type of products and gave him free reign of the lot, including my makeup brushes.

Plenty of options to choose from.

He knew enough to choose a primer first, but I had given him 4 different primers to use. He decided to go with a mix of 2 primers. He picked the miracle primer from Primark as he said he'd heard me mention it a few times before (glad he listens sometimes!), as well as the (unfortunately discontinued now) GOSH Cream Foundation primer. The way he picked them was '...that says primer on it, I'll use that'. As he was looking for primers he also picked out my eyelash curlers, discarded them and said 'we won't be needing those'. Can't blame him there, they are terrifying.

The method of application he chose for primer was a single finger, cautiously spreading the product around my face, which worked well enough for him, apparently.

He then went back into the box in search of the next step, which he decided was concealer. He picked out the Maybelline Eraser Eye concealer, and when I asked what he was meant to do with that he said 'its an eye thingy', put it down and left it at that. I picked up my Freedom Pro Correct palette and handed it to him. He said that was a 'concealer thingy', and wanting a more in depth description I asked what each of the colours would be used for.

Green - 'goes on spots'
Lilac - 'freckles'
Salmon - 'scabs'

Well, he tried. I tried to explain the colour wheel/concealer concept but he wasn't having any of it, so that was also put aside and left.

Adam cleverly worked out that the next step would be foundation, and said he'd seen me mixing the 2 shades of Rimmel Lasting Perfection 25hr foundation together, and did the same, using the Real Techniques buffing brush. I have to say, he did really well on this. He even went over the blending with my Makeup Revolution blending sponge and blended into the jawline/onto the neck. The colour match wasn't exactly right, but by the time he'd finished you wouldn't have been concerned about the foundation colour match.

He picked out the Sleek Cream Contour kit and applied only the darkest shade into the hollows of my cheeks, around my hairline on my forehead and even down the sides of my nose, again blending with a sponge, as he'd seen me do before (and he read the blog post I'd done on it). I was starting to relax and feel like I was in safe hands here. He chose to use my Makeup Revolution Radiant Lights powder in Breathe as my setting powder with a 'big fluffy brush', as he said he'd seen me do before, and to be honest I was really quite impressed at how much he'd picked up from watching me do it.

Then he went for contour powder. Part of me died inside as I watched him pick up a ton of product on a fluffy eyeshadow brush and apply it to my cheekbones. I know how pigmented the powder in my Makeup Revolution contour palette is and boy did he go hard on that contour. He then decided to blend it out using the same little fluffy brush and I felt him blending it downwards, which resulted in a really nice orange jawline which you can see in the photos.

Happy with the face, he went on to eyeshadow. I was impressed when he went for an eyeshadow primer (I'd left my freedom one in the box in case he went for it), not so impressed when he used my MAC 226 crease brush to blend it. He chose to work with my Naked original palette for eyeshadow. He applied Sin all over the lid (and I was really happy with the fact that he chose a nice light pink shimmer for this as I use that too), but then he went for the interesting choice of Half-Baked (a gold shimmer) for the inner corner/inner v. He tried to define the crease of one eye using Toast but made the creative decision to do it more where my browbone highlight would go than in my actual crease, and when he realised that wasn't the effect he wanted, he left it there and didn't do the same on the other eye. Good choice. Very artistic asymmetric eyes.

Lovely uneven eyeliner and mud stripe.

We were both understandably terrified about eyeliner. He chose a felt tip pen from Primark for the easiest application (it was a good choice but in reality didn't help much at all). He tried to even out the wings with a very enthusiastic 'boom lads' as he applied them, and I guess he didn't do too badly for a first go. I hope he appreciates now how stressful eyeliner can be!

The mascara went really well, to be fair to him. He applied it evenly and very carefully, for fear of poking me in the eye with it (despite my insisting that years of doing that myself had made my eyeballs practically numb). He noticed that the mascara was a bit clumpy (which the MAC one he used can be) and tried a little wiggling motion to separate them, but they didn't look that bad. He used an eyeshadow/brow kit for the brows and they look pretty good considering the circumstances!

He was very excited to use the highlighter, although I doubt he'd admit it. He knew what highlighter was from me showing him, and he picked the 'fancy looking' one (MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Lightscapade) and was considering using my Real Techniques Contour brush before (thankfully) switching to the Fan brush, and left me a very very blinding stripe of highlight.

As the last product he chose a nude lip by Rimmel, and again he didn't do too badly. He kept it all within the lines and gave a pretty even coverage.

I have to say, he really didn't do too badly. When I asked him when I should wear this particular look, he gave it a moments thought and said "When you get absolutely hammered and decided to do your makeup before you go out somewhere", which is great advice, and is an accurate description of the look.

Orange jawlines are the best jawlines... right?

That highlight tho

Let me know if you enjoyed this post! It's a bit silly and different from what I've been doing so far but I really enjoyed it (and I think Adam did too, even if he denies it!).

Thanks to Adam for allowing me to be blessed by your artistic talent.

See you again soon!

Paige x

Setting Spray Suggestions!

I don't know about other parts of the world, but right now in the UK it's absolutely boiling! This means that if you're like me and you can't not wear makeup even in the scorching weather, then you need to be prepared, or anything you put on your face will melt off in a matter of minutes, especially if you're going to be moving around. This is also helpful for those of you who like to go out in the evenings - makeup and sweaty clubs don't go together too well unless you're willing to put the time and effort in to complete the necessary steps. I'm going to talk about primers when I''ve finished trying out all the ones I currently own, but for now I'm going to talk about the last step - setting spray. Not only does setting spray help your makeup last, I also use it to dampen brushes for stronger shadow and highlight!

My makeup routine has inevitably had to change to suit the weather (let me know if you want an updated makeup routine post!) but one thing that hasn't changed is needing a setting spray. While I have really dry skin, I get quite an oily t-zone, particularly if it's warmer. When I worked in Superdrug I had a lot of people ask me to recommend them one, so I'm going to tell you all what I told them.

Hands down THE BEST setting spray I've ever used is the Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray. I received a little travel bottle of the stuff and Urban Decay my Lord and Saviour did it again. It made my makeup stick to my face and last for hours longer than it would have without setting it. Holy grail product right there. Unfortunately, my love affair with the UD setting spray came to an abrupt end, when I ran out of the product, and realised that it was £22 to purchase the full size 120ml bottle. My bank account said no, even though my heart was saying yes yes yes do it buy it plssss. So, I went on the search of a good and cheap(er) setting spray.

Photo by Urban Decay (http://www.urbandecay.co.uk/) - Urban Decay Setting Spray

The first I came upon in Superdrug was the Makeup Revolution Setting Spray. The bottle's big, in fact you get 100ml for £5! Unfortunately my excitement didn't last long. I love Makeup Revolution and I really wanted to like this, but it just didn't do anything for me. I was so disappointed, I've heard so many people say they like this product, but for me it just kind of felt like spraying water on my face, without any improved staying power for my makeup. So sorry Makeup Revolution, I love you, I just didn't get on with it. Maybe it's just my skin? Who knows. Have you tried it?

Photo by Superdrug (http://www.superdrug.com/) MUR Pro Fix

The other two alternatives are Freedom and Makeup Academy, and I have to say both were pretty on par with eachother. Again, both the Pro-Fixing spray from Freedom and the Pro-Base Mattifying Fixing mist were £5 for 100ml of product, and these ones were definitely worth the money. While the staying power wasn't as good as the UD setting spray, who's going to complain for such a huge saving?

Photo by Superdrug (http://www.superdrug.com/) Freedom Spray  

Photo by Superdrug (http://www.superdrug.com/) MUA Spray

There are other notable setting sprays that I'm yet to try:

- L'oreal Infallible Fixing mist
- NYX Dewy Finish Setting spray
- Maybelline Superstay 24hr spray
- Evian Facial Spray (apparently!)

And of course the MAC Fix+ which I am desperate to get my hands on!

I've linked to the Superdrug website for the drugstore sprays, and makeup's all 3 for 2 at the minute there so you can treat yourself!

Is there a setting spray you've tried that you'd recommend? Have you tried the MUR and did you like it? I'd love to know.

It has been a little over a week, I was in a little bit of a blogging rut but I'm hoping to be posting more often now!

See you again soon (hopefully!)

Paige x

July Glossybox! Updated (mascara mix up)

The postman literally just delivered my Glossybox and I really wanted to write about it this month. All the excitement of getting a kitten has kept me busy and I haven't made a post since my I Heart Makeup Giveaway (still open til the 14th of July by the way!) so I decided to jump in and get writing while she's fast asleep - and looking as adorable as ever.

First of all, I love the way the Glossyboxes are packaged, they always look so chic and it's like getting a present once a month!

The theme is Summer, and the first product I picked up out of the box is all about that. It's the Utan & Tone Nourishing Night Cream (RRP £12.50). It's a clear and odourless night cream that gives a gradual tan overnight! I'm super excited about this product because I'm currently using the Garnier Summer Body gradual tanner but I don't like using it on my face because I have really sensitive dry skin, especially on my face, so I think this will be ideal for tanning my face without drying out the skin, as it contains hyaluronic acid, vitamins and anti-oxidants, and while I'm not an expert on skincare, those ingredients are supposedly hydrating and good for skin repair so it sounds great to me! 

The next product in the box is the Soft & Gentle Hair Minimise Anti Perspirant (RRP £2.99), which while being a regular anti-perspirant is supposed to also reduce hair growth, through the inclusion of something called Keliosoft. Looking forward to seeing the effects of this, because (and I know I can't be the only one) I hate having to shave every day, it's such a chore, so if this helps then I'm all for it, especially as it's so affordable.

Then I picked up the Collection Supersized Fat Lash mascara (£2.99). I didn't receive any information on this as on the little leaflet you get with the box it actually says I should've received the Icona Milano waterproof mascara (which if I'm honest I would've preferred because my eyes are so bloody sensitive, the slightest thing sets them off and then my eye makeup is all over my face), but I have contacted Glossybox so hopefully I'll find out why I received the wrong product. I'm not sure what to expect with this mascara. It claims to be volumising but from looking at the wand I'm expecting to get more length than volume, but I'll give it a go anyway and get back to you!

The penultimate product in the box is the Hairon De-tangle Brush (RRP £6.99), which is designed to detangle wet hair without breakage. I have quite brittle and breakable hair, so hopefully this might help. It looks suspiciously like the tangle teaser, but I never got round to purchasing that so I'll get loads of use out of this product. I love the pastel blue colour of it as well.

Lastly, and potentially the item I was most excited to receive, is the Blank Canvas F20 Flat Bush (RRP £11.95). Just from looking at it I feel like it will be my new favourite brush for applying foundation. The brush feels really nice and heavy, so it just feels more sturdy. The super soft dense synthetic fibres supposedly give a 'flawless HD finish' and that's what I want from my foundation, I'm sure you'll hear more about this once I've tried it.

Glossybox is £10.00 plus p+p, so it's really good value for money, and for someone like me who loves trying different products, its a great way to try a variety.

Any of these catch your eye?

See you again soon,

Paige x

UPDATE - 26/07/2016

After a few back-and-forth emails with Glossybox concerning my unboxed hairox brush and incorrect mascara (or product card as they claimed), they finally sent me the Icona Milano mascara (which I absolutely love for daytime fluttery lashes!), and a new brush in its box this time (my original hairox brush wasn't boxed) and although  the box it came in was battered I can't blame Glossybox as that's more likely due to the courier.
They also sent me the Talika Photo-Hydra day moisturiser (30ml), which is a beautifully light weight but rich moisturiser (retailing for £25 on the Glossybox website) that I'm loving, as an extra little gift to apologise for the mix up. It might have taken a little while but overall I'm happy with how it was handled and I will be continuing my subscription because I love the variety of products!

I Heart Makeup Purchases and Giveaway!

If you read my post on Makeup Revolution, you'll know that I'm pretty much in love with the brand (don't tell my boyfriend), so if that's anything to go by I was bound to love the I Heart Makeup range. As expected, I've got nothing but love for the products I bought. The ones I chose were those that are pretty much dupes of Too Faced products, those that I like to admire from afar but can't justify spending the money on. I'll try to show comparisons of the Too Faced and I Heart Makeup products, but I don't own the Too Faced alternatives so I won't be able to swatch them. You can easily source them yourself with a quick google search as these are quite well known dupes!

First and foremost, the I Heart Chocolate palette, which is an almost direct dupe of the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. This was the product I was most excited to get out of the range. I adore the packaging, the melted chocolate bar is so cute, and I actually kind of prefer it to the Too Faced one for that alone! Then there's the price difference, it was only £7.99! For that price, the quality of the sturdy packaging and pigmented shadows is unbelievable. While I can't compare the pigmentation to the Too Faced one, I can tell you that these are very pigmented, very buttery and easy to blend. Such incredible quality! I will 100% purchase more of the Chocolate palettes as there's a few more from I Heart Makeup, and I might try a few of their others too. I've been reaching for this non-stop since I bought it.

Just look at the packaging! So cute.

Such pretty shades. Unfortunately the shimmers aren't picking up in this photos but there are some beautiful gold and pink shimmers, as well as some more brown toned ones. If you want a more clear photo then try the product page on MUR's website.

Another product that I was VERY excited to try was the Blushing Hearts Triple Baked Blusher in Candy Queen of Hearts, £4.99. This is a dupe of the Too Faced Sweetheart Blush and it's beautiful. The packaging is adorable, and the blush itself is made up of three shades that can be used separately or together if you swirl a brush in the blusher. It's very pigmented so use a light hand for sure, and it's also shimmery so you could use it alone or very lightly over a matte blusher for a pretty glow. It's bloody beautiful, honestly. Again, I've been reaching for this pretty much every day, and also it just looks pretty in my makeup drawer.

So cute!

Last, but not least, the Lip Lavas. I've lusted after the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks for so long, yet I've never been able to justify purchasing them. Then I spotted these bad boys, and I'm so glad I did.

They come in five shades, and there's an option to purchase all 5 on the Superdrug website at a discounted price. 

Left to right - Forgiven, Tremor, Unleash, Shockwave and Firestorm.

All of the shades are bright and glossy, and last for quite a while, but wear down really nicely, leaving a pretty but faded version of the shade on the lips. They aren't matte so do transfter, but are quite moisturising and for £2.99 each you really can't complain!

• Forgiven is a beautiful nude pinky-brown, very wearable and on trend for summer. 
• Tremor is a very pretty pink which I didn't think would suit me but I stand corrected. It's supposedly a dupe for the TF shade 'Peony', and again it's very wearable. 
• Unleash is a vibrant peachy-orange shade.
• Shockwave is an intense light purple shade, which I liked more than I expected to.
• Firestorm is a b e a utiful deep red shade

The product is squeezed out of the tube onto the sponge applicator on the top of the tube and can be applied straight onto the lips, which is really simple and pretty fool proof for those who struggle with applying liquid lipsticks. I loooove these. I love the formula and the gorgeous bright shades which are perfect for summer and festival season (I know they will be coming with me for Reading festival!)

I have literally nothing bad to say about any of these products. They're all so pretty and I'm so happy that Makeup Revolution are making such good quality makeup at affordable prices, making on trend products so accessible. 

I actually have an extra set of the Lip Lavas, so to win those enter below! The giveaway will open midnight tonight UK time and will be open for a week. Good luck!

Paige x

a Rafflecopter giveaway