Monday 29 February 2016

My Current Random Favourites


Hello Lovelies

Today I am going to share with you my current random favourites or non beauty favourites as I have to referred to these as in the past and as you can probably see from the image above, I have a few different categories for you that I always include in my random favourites, today I have a new one for you too and all will be revealed in the post.  If you can think of any other categories you'd like to see in my random favourites posts please let me know in the comments. But without further ado here are the non beauty related things or random things I've been loving over the last few weeks. 

TV Shows

Tattoo Fixers - We all really love Tattoo Fixers in our house and it is something we all watch together every week, it is shown on E4 and is about 3 tattoo artists Jay, Sketch and Alish who basically create cover up tattoo's for people who have tattoo's they no longer like/want. There is also a receptionist called Paisley who adds some humour to the show, she's fab. Some of the tattoo's being covered are really cringe worthy and some old, some ex's names there's a real diverse bunch but there's always a story behind each one so we get to know a little about the person and why they had the tattoo in the first place and then why they want it covered, each artist then draws a design based on what they like and the person having the cover up chooses who's design they like best, we then see them having their cover up tattoo and the end result. It's easy watching with some humour and light heartedness and is interesting too, we really like it. It's on on a Tuesday night on E4 at 9pm and is available on catch up if you have it. 

Celebrity Big Brother - If you're a long time reader of my blog you will know I am a huge big brother fan and if things were different I'd definitely apply. I loved this years series of celebrity big brother but have to admit the whole Jeremy/Stephanie thing drove me insane! 

Stella - Stella is now in it's 5th series and we love it, it's filmed in Wales and stars Ruth Jones as Stella who is a single mum and grandma who's a nurse, Stella is all about Stella's life and family and the people she knows, a little bit like a soap opera I suppose, it can be funny but it can also be sad too, it's easy watching and we really enjoy it. Stella is on Sky1 on a Tuesday at 9pm and is also available on demand if you have it as are the other series should you have missed them. 

Pretty Little Liars - I was really late to the party with PLL and only started to watch it last October but I binge watched and was all caught up in time for the new series which started in January, I love PLL, I always thought it would be a bit young for me but after Lissy and Hannah telling me I'd love it, I bit the bullet and watched and they were right I do love it. It is about a group of friends who find one of their group has gone missing and soon after her body is found, after the funeral they start to receive texts from "A" and A seems to know all their secrets and will stop at nothing to expose them, A is ruthless and causes a lot of trouble but the main focus of the show is to find out who this mystery A is, I'd say give it a go if you haven't already, you might like it. PLL is on Netflix where you can watch all the past series but the new episode is available every Wednesday. 

Happy Valley - Happy Valley is back for a second series and so far it's been brilliant, series 1 was fantastic and real edge of you seat viewing and I think this series may go the same way. The background story of series 1 is about a police woman who's daughter was raped and then killed herself after becoming pregnant and having the rapists baby, the rapist is back in town and out to cause trouble but it gets much more deep than that, I can't say much without spoiling it for those who haven't seen it but if you haven't seen series 1 I highly recommend downloading it and then watching series 2 it is an incredible drama and if you like crime drama's, you'll love Happy Valley. Happy Valley is on on Tuesday nights at 9pm on BBC1. 

Simon's Choice - Simon's choice is a true story and a documentary shown on BBC3, it seems odd to put it in my favourites as it doesn't sound right at all. Simon's Choice is about a 57 year old man who is diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease, he decides on the way back from his diagnosis appointment that he wants to end his life in Switzerland where assisted suicide is legal. The programme follows Simon and his family and friends throughout the months following his diagnosis, it is an extremely thought provoking programme but extremely sad too and is very upsetting I must warn you but if you think it might be something you'd be interested in it is available on line on BBC3. 

Film

Still Alice -  Still Alice stars Julieanne Moore as Dr Alice Howland a university professor who develops early onset Alzheimer's, it follows her through her symptoms and diagnosis and then her life living with the condition and how it affects her and the way it affects her family, I won't go into detail as I don't want to spoil it for those of you who may want to watch it but it is a really good film and one you definitely need tissues for. Still Alice is available on Netflix and DVD.

Apps


OffOf - Percentage Calculator - This is a really handy little app and it's a free app too,  it basically works out the percentage off things, you enter the percent you want to work out and then the amount and it calculates it for you,  my eldest daughter is a make up artist and can get some amazing discount on a lot of brands so I use this to work out the discount price she can get or if I'm shopping on line and there's a discount code I can work out the money off with it, I did used to do the calculations in my head but I am so bad at maths and my concentration is appalling it's just easier to use the app, it's really handy. OffOf percentage calculator is a free app and is available on the iTunes app store or Google play store.

Township - I'm still loving playing Township, I am so sad aren't I? Township is a game where you build your own little town and you have a farm and an airport and train station and you have to make orders on the farm and with factories you build for the airport and trains, if you like Farmville and Hayday that kind of thing, you'll like Township. Township is a free app and is available on the iTunes app store or Google play store. 

Food & Drink

Spaghetti  Bolognese - Recently I have really been enjoying spaghetti bolognese, we have it with pasta shells not spaghetti, it's less messy! Simon is an excellent cook and his bolognese is delicious, he makes it from scratch and doesn't use any sauces,  he mixes the pasta shells in with the bolognese and then sprinkles grated cheese over the top, it's yummy and I have been really enjoying that recently after not having it for such a long time. 

Custard Creams - I'm not a massive biscuit fan but Simon loves custard creams and a couple of weeks ago he was having one and offered me one and I had one and really liked it, since then I've had one almost every time I've been offered one and I really like them. I hated them when I was younger but I am loving them right now, very random I know but I suppose this is my random favourites. We buy the Asda own custard creams. 

Websites

Boots - I've been loving Boots this past couple of months, their site is so handy and they have some great products on there too. I love that you can order up to 8pm and then have your order delivered to a local store the next day for free it's amazing and makes life so much easier for me, I can place my order and then Simon or one of the girls or a friend can pick it up for me the day after, we have a local small Boots store which is very small and not very good at all but I can have my deliveries sent there, it's so good and I have used it a few times now and never had a problem, and if like me you can't collect your order in person, just give the person collecting your order the order number and your name and address and they can collect it for you, simples!

Customer Service

Apple - This is the first time I have included customer service in my random favourites but I feel if a company has given good customer service they should be given the recognition they deserve. In January Simon slipped on some black ice on the way back from having his hair cut and fell and in doing so he smashed his iPhone 6 screen. Luckily and most importantly Simon was ok and not badly hurt but he was really fed up at smashing his phone screen. I rang the Apple store and asked how much it was to have it repaired and spoke to a lovely lady who told me the price and said Simon could take the phone in the following day which was a Sunday but they may not be able to repair it in the same day and he might have to leave his phone with them. I explained that we live over an hour away from the store so going back and forth was a bit of an issue and more importantly that Simon needs his phone for me to be able to get in touch because of my health problems, the lady went away and spoke with the staff on the genius bar and came back and said that if Simon could take his phone down on the Sunday and be there for 11am, half an hour before they open and explain what I'd told her on the phone they would book his phone in and do their best to get it back to him that day. I was so grateful and said thank you so much and told her how appreciative we both were for her kindness in sorting that out. The following day Simon took his phone down and was there for 11am, they took  his phone in and told him to go back in an hour, at 11.08am according to an email we got his phone was booked in for repair with the genius bar and then at 11.41am we had another email to say the phone had been repaired and was ready for collection, Simon couldn't see the email because he didn't have his phone but he went back an hour later as they'd said and paid and picked his phone up. We were both really pleased with the customer service we received, the lady I spoke to on the Saturday was really helpful as were the staff on the genius bar and then again the staff on the genius bar were really helpful on Sunday too, all in all they were all really polite, friendly and extremely helpful and Simon was only without his phone for an hour which is fantastic, we both really appreciated their kindness and how helpful they were.

Music

Justin Bieber - Now this is something I never thought I'd be saying out loud (and yes I am saying it out loud as I use voice dictation to blog) but I am loving Justin Bieber at the moment, Simon finds it highly amusing and keeps referring to me as a "Belieber" he clearly thinks he's funny. But I really do like his new music, especially "Sorry" and "What Do You Mean?" they are really catchy and if you haven't already heard them, check him out. 

Blogger

Laurzrah - I found Laura's blog just after Christmas and I'm so pleased I did, she not only has a fabulous blog but she's a really lovely person too. From reading her blog I've noticed we seem to have similar taste and like the same things and she makes me laugh too, I really enjoy reading her blog, she has some fabulous posts and writes brilliantly and her photographs are fabulous too. If you don't already read her blog I highly recommend you check her out and please tell her I sent you if you do go over and read her blog and please give it a follow whilst you're there. You can find Laura's blog HERE.

Youtuber

Call Me Kim - Kim is an amazing person, I absolutely love her to bits. I met Kim through my lovely friend Emma, they are very good friends and I can see why, Kim is fab! I finally met Kim last September when she had travelled to Manchester with Emma to an event, we all met up and it was lovely, Kim and I got on immediately and have kept in touch ever since. But aside from me thinking Kim is fabulous, she has a You Tube channel and I really enjoy her video's, she has a mix of hauls, vlogs, tags, Q&A's unboxing video's, favourites and more and she has some fabulous Florida vlogs and other vlogs including vlogmas. Kim is a lovely person, she makes me laugh so much, she is one of lifes genuinely lovely people and she has a heart of gold, please go over and check her channel out and subscribe whilst you're there, and when you do, tell her her "Nothern Polar Bear Of Love" sent you, and no you're not reading that wrong, that's what she calls me, I love her! You'll find Kim on You Tube HERE

So those are all my current random favourites, what are your current random favourites? Do you enjoy any of the same TV shows as me? Are there any bloggers or you tubers you love? Chat with me in the comments about your random favourites. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x











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Sunday 28 February 2016

NOTD - OPI Mariah Carey - The Look Trio


Hello Lovelies 

Today I have a NOTD post for you, as always with my NOTD posts I'll explain how I achieved the look and also give you a mini review of the polishes used and let you know how they applied and wore etc. 

Today's nail of the day look was created using the OPI Mariah Carey - The Look Trio which was part of the OPI Christmas collection in 2013, I received the gift set for Christmas after saying I wanted a nice gold glitter polish my partner Simon chose the set for me and I think he did a good job. 


The set contains 3 polishes - 

✿ My Favourite Ornament - A Gold Glitter polish.
✿ Visions Of Love - A Deep Burgundy polish.
✿ I Snow You Love Me - A Clear polish with large silver glitter pieces.

Left - Visions Of Love - Right - My Favourite Ornament

I used the shades Visions Of Love and My Favourite Ornament, I painted all my nails except my ring fingers with Visions Of Love and painted my ring fingers with My Favourite Ornament as an accent nail. I used my Orly Glosser top coat as my top coat. 

I used two coats of Visions of Love and four coats of My Favourite Ornament, I could have used three coats to achieve the opaque gold glitter look on my ring fingers but I used an extra coat just to make sure it was super opaque, but you could use three. You can also use the polish as a glitter top coat by using just one coat.



I really liked both the OPI polishes, they applied well and with ease and dried within an average time and didn't take too long to dry in between coats. The look lasted for 5 days before I chipped one of my glittery accent nails but I didn't think that was too bad as glitter polish does usually chip on me faster than non glitter polish. I liked the shine I got from the Orly glosser top coat too and really liked the finished look, I got a lot of compliments on my nails with some people thinking I'd had a salon manicure. 

If you would like to purchase the polishes I used to create this look, you can find the OPI Mariah Carey The Look Trio on Amazon HERE for £11.95 plus 0.95p delivery which is a brilliant price for three OPI polishes as they usually retail for over £10.00 each. You can find the Orly Glosser top coat on the Nail Polish Direct website HERE for £13.80 including delivery. 

Thank you for reading, much love always

Zoe x








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Saturday 27 February 2016

Anastasia Beverley Hills Dip Brow Pomade In Blonde And Number 12 Brush


Hello Lovelies

Up until around 18 months ago I rarely filled my brows in and if I did I would use a small amount of eye brow pencil lightly applied over my own brows, I didn't change the shape or do anything too dramatic and to be honest you couldn't really tell I'd done much but then I got a little braver and started to use Omega eyeshadow from MAC to fill my brows in and I made more of an effort and started to receive compliments on them. My youngest daughter Lissy uses the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade and she loves it, her brows always look lovely so I looked at swatches on line and spent a lot of time thinking about buying the Dip Brow but never actually got round to it because in some swatches the Blonde shade looked quite warm and I worried it wouldn't be right for me and didn't want to risk it but then for Christmas my lovely daughters surprised me with the Dip Brow in the shade blonde and an Anastasia Beverley Hills Duo Brow Brush (number 12)




What ABH Says About Dipbrow Pomade

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade is a waterproof brow colour which sculpts and defines the brows.
The ultimate choice for perfectly precise brows, Dipbrow Pomade has a smudge free, creamy formula which glides effortlessly onto the skin and adheres to the brow hairs for optimal definition. Perfect for oily skin and humid climates, Dipbrow Pomade can be used as a brow definer or eyeliner and provides luxurious colour and sculpture.
Available in a selection of shades to suit all brow colours, Dipbrow Pomade also primes the brows for brow powder application and leaves the brows looking perfectly groomed, defined and flawless.
Tip: for maximum results apply Dipbrow Pomade with Large Synthetic Duo Brow Brush.
Shades Available
  • Blonde - Golden blonde to dark blonde hair.
  • Medium Brown - Medium brown to dark brown hair or salt and pepper grey hair.
  • Dark Brown - Medium brown to dark brown hair.
  • Ebony - Dark brown to black hair.
  • Auburn - Strawberry blonde to auburn hair.
  • Chocolate - Warm brown to dark brown hair.
  • Soft Brown - Dark blonde to light brown hair.
  • Taupe - Platinum to light blonde hair.
  • Caramel - Golden brown to light brunette hair.
  • Ash Brown - Medium brown to brunette hair.
  • Granite - Very dark brown to black hair with cool or ashy tones.
My Thoughts

The first time I used the Dipbrow I have to admit I found it quite difficult to use and my daughter Lissy had to fill my brows in for me the first few times I applied my make up, so it can need some practice depending on the person, if you are used to filling your brows in and changing the shape etc you probably won't need to practice but I did. 

I really like the Number 12 brush, there is a spoolie on one end and an angled brush on the other, the brush is quite firm making application of the Dipbrow easier. I have a few different angled brushes but I do prefer to use the ABH one when using the Dipbrow. If ever I apply too much product to my brows I use the spoolie end of the brush to brush my brows through and it helps to soften them, the spoolie is fantastic it is quite dense and is the best spoolie brush I've used, who knew I could be this excited about a spoolie brush?! 



My brows look so much nicer and defined when using the Dipbrow and once I have used the Dipbrow and my brows are finished they don't move for the full day, I find with eyeshadow or pencil I can lose half a brow throughout the day but with the Dipbrow I don't but that being said it does remove effortlessly with make up remover or cleanser. 

I completely agree with everything ABH says about the Dipbrow, it is an amazing product and I will continue to use it to fill in my brows, I feel they look so much better now and am really pleased with the way they look when I use Dipbrow. I highly recommend both the Number 12 brush and the Dipbrow they are both amazing and together make such a difference to my brows, I wish I'd bitten the bullet and ordered the Dipbrow months ago.



Hopefully this post will be helpful to those of you who may be struggling to choose a shade in the Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow too, luckily one of my friends started to use the shade Taupe and I could see it would be too dark for me so that helped me and I know it helped my daughters knowing that when they ordered it for me. My youngest daughter uses Dipbrow as I said and she uses the shade Medium Brown, she has mid brown hair. Lissy she fills her brows in at least 5 times a week and her first pot of Dipbrow lasted 6 months which is brilliant so it is a long lasting product, it isn't the most affordable brow product on the market but it certainly isn't the most expensive and I think 6 months is brilliant especially the amount of times it has been used. 

Me wearing the Dipbrow In Blonde

I thought I would also include a photograph of Lissy wearing the Dipbrow because I thought it might help those of you who have brown hair when choosing a shade.

Lissy is on the left hand side of the photo wearing the black top.

I highly recommend both the Dipbrow and the brush and cannot praise both enough and if like me you have deliberated for months over getting the Dipbrow I would say to go for it, you won't be disappointed at all, it applies well and once it's on it doesn't move all day and my brows look and feel so much better, I couldn't imagine not filling them in now and if you had told me that 2 years ago, I wouldn't ever have believed you. 

You can actually see how light my brows are in the family selfie above and they had been filled in with eyeshadow but you can see how light they are. I hope me showing you both mine and Lissy's photograph will be helpful if you are struggling to choose a shade. 

If you would like to purchase the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade, you can find it on the Beauty Bay website HERE for £15.00 and you can also find the Number 12 brush on the Beauty Bay website HERE for £14.00. 

Have you tried the Dipbrow? Do you love it as much as I do? Let me know by chatting with me in the comments.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x 











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Friday 26 February 2016

Curvissa Mothers Day Fashion Challenge - One Jacket - Three Outfits

Hello Lovelies

Myself and another blogger Mookie were recently challenged by Curvissa to style the Pattern Stretch Jacket by Sheego. The challenge was that we style the jacket three different ways by creating three different looks for Mothers Day. As you can see from the image above, the jacket is a lovely pastel blue jacket and is made from a very soft jersey fabric and has an embossed pattern all over, the jacket also has a belt made from the same fabric and has no buttons or other fastenings, the jacket is available in sizes 14 to 32.

Here's how I styled the Pattern Stretch Jacket three different ways to celebrate Mothers Day. 

Look 1 - Out For Dinner



Going out for dinner for Mothers Day I think would be a really nice idea, especially if your Mum or whoever you celebrate Mothers Day with does the cooking, it gives them a night off and it's also a nice reason to get dressed up for the evening.  

For this look I chose a plain black dress with black heels and a black and white clutch bag. I have shown the jacket both tied with the belt and untied with the belt tied at the back of the jacket tied in a bow. I personally prefer the jacket tied at the back as I feel it suits me best that way but it was comfortable worn either way. I think the plain black of the dress really shows the lovely pastel blue of the jacket and the embossed detail nicely too, the black and white bag tied the black of the shoes and the dress in but the white also makes it less harsh against the pastel blue of the jacket. 

Look 2 - Lunch with Mum


\

Going for lunch for Mothers Day again is a nice treat and a little less formal than dinner if going for dinner isn't your thing. 

For this look I chose a smart/casual look and again tied the jacket behind, I also rolled the sleeves up a little to give a more casual feel to the jacket and wore it with a white daisy print lace top with a white cami underneath and skinny jeans. I added a statement necklace with mint, nude and lemon shades to adding more pastel shades to the look and teamed the outfit with some nude ballet pumps and a nude clutch bag. I like the pastel shades in the necklace and think they tie in nicely with the pastel blue of the jacket. 

Look 3 - Shopping With Mum



I think a shopping trip is a lovely thing to do for a Mothers Day treat but for retail therapy comfort is paramount so for this look I kept the skinny jeans and wore a white vest top under the jacket and added a pastel coloured statement necklace which has pale blue and pink shades in it and then for a pop of colour added a bright pink bag which also matched my lipstick and for comfort wore my white Converse pumps. Again I wore the jacket tied behind and rolled the sleeves up. 

All Three Looks


The jacket was super comfortable to wear and I love how versatile it is, it looks lovely when worn for a formal occasion like dinner out but can easily be dressed down and worn casually for a shopping trip, it's a great piece to have in my wardrobe. I also think the jacket would be perfect to wear to a wedding or other formal occasion, it is a piece I could get a lot of wear out of and would look completely different each time I wore it, the colour of the jacket is lovely and I feel is a colour that could be worn throughout the year and not just through the spring and summer months. 

If you would like to purchase the Pattern Stretch Jacket it is available in sizes 14 to 32 on the Curvissa website for £49.00 HERE

As I said at the beginning of the post I was challenged along with Mookie to do this challenge, if you would like to see how Mookie styled her jacket then head over to her blog here

Which of the three looks I styled was your favourite? And how would you have styled the jacket in three different ways to celebrate Mothers Day? Chat with me in the comments to let me know your thoughts.


Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x


✿ Post contains PR Sample or Gifted Item








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Wednesday 24 February 2016

Fashion And Beauty Haul


Hello Lovelies 

I recently did some online shopping so thought I'd share with you the things I picked up, there are only a few bits and I have since purchased some more things so will have another haul soon for you, but first here are the things I picked up recently. 

Primark

My lovely daughter Lissy bought a really nice striped shirt from Zara a few months ago and I have always really liked it but unfortunately Zara sizing can be a little small and the shirt was way to small for me (insert sad face here) however all was not lost when a couple of weeks ago Lissy was shopping and spotted a striped shirt in Primark and picked it up for me bless her, she is such a sweetie. 



The shirt was £8.00 and is available in sizes 6 - 20, it is blue and white striped with a chest pocket, the sleeves are long but can be rolled up and secured with a button fastening. I really like it,  it looks nice on and isn't a bad price at all, I think I'll get quite a lot of wear out of it over the coming spring and summer months. 

Boots

I really like the Boots website, it is easy to use and I love that I can order products and have them delivered for free to my local Boots store the day after and Simon or one of the girls can pick them up, it's a brilliant service and one I use regularly as I'm sure you can tell, one of my friends also told me that the website has a lot of product that aren't available in store too so an added bonus but for me it is so easy because I can't get out shopping it means I can still shop without the added delivery charges. 


The first thing I picked up is the Alpecin Double Effect Shampoo for hair loss and dandruff (£7.49) I saw this shampoo on the The Sunday Girl blog and thought it sounded interesting, my hair has been falling out by the handful for a long time now and is very thin, I suffer from PCOS causing my hair loss but it has got much worse over the last couple of years and my hair is very very thin now and is getting me down. The shampoo claims to help with both hair loss and dandruff so fingers crossed, I will of course have a full review of the shampoo on my blog once I have given it a good try. If you would like to purchase the Alpecin shampoo, you can find it on the Boots website HERE for £7.49. 


Next I picked up 2 of the Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot (£10.50) skin care was on a 3 for 2 offer so I picked up 2 and another skin care product. My lovely friend Gemma recommended the Hyaluspot to me after my skin decided to be a complete pain in the neck and I was getting several blemishes every day, I have really dry/dehydrated skin and have been very lucky even as a teen and never had a problem with blemishes but over the last few weeks my skin has gone haywire and has literally erupted so I am hoping this does the trick and helps. If you would like to purchase the Hyaluspot it is available on the Boots website HERE for £10.50.



Last but by no means least, as part of the 3 for 2 skin care deal I picked up the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Serum I love this serum and have a full review of it on my blog here if you would like to read it. (Please excuse the photograph, I stupidly forgot to photograph the serum separately so have used an old image) This serum is hands down the best hydrating serum I have ever used, I have used serums much more expensive than this that aren't as good, I believe that a good serum is vital in a skin care routine and this is excellent, it hydrates my skin instantly and has made such a difference to my skin. I have re purchased this serum several times and will continue to do so, if you have dry or dehydrated skin or if you're like me and have both, I urge you to give this a try. You can find it on the Boots website HERE for £22.50. 

So those are all the items in my little haul, as I said I have purchased some more things recently so there will be another haul coming soon and I have also been asked if I can do a "what I got for my birthday" post, so that will also be coming soon if that is something you're interested in. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x








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Monday 22 February 2016

MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour


Hello Lovelies

I waited for almost a year for the MAC Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour to be launched after writing this post at the end of February last year. I love a matte lip and I also like liquid lipsticks so the combination of both and me being a HUGE fan of MAC was sure to be a match made in heaven, wasn't it? 

When I received the shade Feels So Grand I was so excited, I wear a lot of red lip products during the winter, I do wear a red lip all year round but I tend to gravitate towards red more during the winter months and I love red lip products so I was super excited. 

MAC Liquid Lipcolour In feels so grand

MAC Liquid Lipcolour In feels so grand

MAC Liquid Lipcolour In feels so grand

The outer packaging is the usual black MAC box with white text with the shade name written on the lid of the box, the actual tube is a clear tube showing the shade of the Liquid Lipcolour and a black bullet shaped lid with the standard MAC logo, on the bottom of the tube is the shade and product description label. I quite like the packaging, it is standard MAC permanent range packaging but I like the bullet shaped lid. The Liquid Lipcolours are part of the MAC permanent line and are priced at £21.00.

MAC Liquid Lipcolour In feels so grand

Feels So Grand has quite a long applicator which comes to a slight point making it easy to apply, I found the applicator picked up a good amount of product with enough product to apply a full lip, I didn't have to apply more product.

I found it easy to apply as some liquid lip product can be messy but it was fine, it does set to a matte finish quite fast and I would say if you suffer from dry lips to prepare your lips first and use a lip balm, I don't suffer from dry lips so I didn't prep my lips first. The first time I wore Feels So Grand I wore it for 5 hours before removing it and I only removed it because I had an appointment to go to and wasn't wearing any other make up so would have looked a bit silly with a full on red lip but it lasted really well, I hadn't eaten anything but had been drinking and chatting throughout wearing it.

I have worn Feels So Grand a few times now and it applies well every time and doesn't bleed or feather and lasts really well. I have only drank and chatted and not eaten when wearing it and from reading other reviews the wear time seems to vary from shade to shade, my daughter has tried the shade Quite The Standout and that did wear off a little in the middle of her lips when she had eaten and needed re applying, but for me Feels So Grand lasts for hours when I have drank and chatted, I can wear it all day without the need to re apply.

MAC Liquid Lipcolour In feels so grand
MAC Liquid Lipcolour - Feels So Grand


The shade is absolutely stunning, it is a deep red shade, not too bright and not too dark, it's a lovely red and If you like red lip products you will love it, I got so many compliments on it the first time I wore it out it really is lovely. 

I love Feels So Grand, I like how easy it is to apply and I love the colour and the wear time is fantastic but I do have a couple of negatives I'm afraid, I am here to be honest with you and honest I shall be. I think they are expensive and would have been better priced at the same price as the MAC lipsticks (£15.50) I think £21 is expensive, I also found Feels So Grand to be very drying, I know it is a matte product and a retro matte which are usually drier in the lipstick form too but it is drying and I think if you do suffer with dry lips it could be a problem, as I said earlier you could pop a balm on before applying, I haven't tried that but it would help, but I did find it drying and I don't suffer from dry lips at all and don't usually have any problems with matte lip products, the dryness didn't create any problems for me but may do if you do suffer from dry lips and is something I wanted to mention. Negatives aside it is a stunning shade and I love it and I will get a lot of wear out of it over the winter months.

You can find the Liquid Lipcolours to purchase on the House Of Fraser website HERE for £21.00 or on the MAC website HERE for £21.00. 

Have you tried the MAC Liquid Lipcolours? Which shades are your favourite? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x


✿ Post contains PR sample or gifted product

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Sunday 21 February 2016

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge And Beauty Blender Comparison

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge V's The Beauty Blender - Is There A Difference?

Hello Lovelies

I recently reviewed the Beauty Blender Make Up's Best Friend Kit on my blog and you can see that post here if you haven't already, but since posting that review I have had many questions regarding the Beauty Blender and if I think it's worth the extra money compared to some of the cheaper alternatives available on the high street. I did touch on that slightly in my review but today I am going to share with you an in depth comparison of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and the Beauty Blender and I'm going to share my thoughts on both products and then tell you which I prefer and why. 

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge V's The Beauty Blender - Is There A Difference?

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge V's The Beauty Blender - Is There A Difference?

I first purchased the Miracle Complexion Sponge back in the spring of last year, I had never used any other brand of make up sponge before and I did want to try the Beauty Blender but wondered if the price difference was worth it and decided that I would go with the RT sponge and if I liked it then brilliant but if not I would maybe purchase the Beauty Blender. The first time I used the RT sponge I loved it, I used it to apply my concealer and foundation using the rounded side to bounce the product onto my face and the pointed edge to get into the corners of my nose and around my eyes, I loved the sponge and couldn't believe I hadn't bought one before. 

The first time I washed the sponge however I was really disappointed as I was left with a sponge with what I can only describe as it looked like it had bits gouged out of it, it was really odd but my sponge had holes in it, I have seen quite a few people have the same problem since I mentioned it on social media, I spoke to Superdrug as I purchased the sponge from their website and they were brilliant, unfortunately they didn't have a replacement so they refunded me the money and I was able to order a replacement on line from Boots. 

Apart from the issues I had after washing the RT sponge I really liked it and once I'd got my replacement sponge I used it to apply my foundation and concealer, I loved the results and had a lovely flawless finish to my makeup. 

The Beauty Blender

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge V's The Beauty Blender - Is There A Difference?

The Beauty Blender is slightly different in shape to the RT sponge, it is egg shaped with the RT sponge having a flat edge on one of the rounded edges at the bottom of the sponge. The first time I used the BB I was blown away, I loved it and my foundation looked absolutely flawless. I used the rounded edge to bounce my foundation onto my skin and then used the pointed end to apply my corrector and concealer under and around my eyes and around my nose also. I also noticed I don't use anywhere near as much product with the Beauty Blender as I do with the Real Techniques sponge.

The Beauty Blender washed absolutely fine, no breakage or damage at all but some of the pink colour does come out when I rinse the BB, this doesn't cause any problems at all or have any ill effects but I wanted to mention it. 

I absolutely love the BB and use it all the time to apply my foundation, I have a Micro Mini Beauty Blender to apply my concealer and corrector but I have used the Beauty Blender to apply them too and it was excellent and provided a flawless finish, I absolutely love the way my make up looks when I use the BB.

Overall Thoughts & Which Do I Prefer?

Both products have their pros and cons and these are - 

✿ Real Techniques 

Pros - Price.
          Applies foundation and concealer well and provides a nice base. 

Cons - Soaks up and uses a lot of product, can damage when washed.

✿ Beauty Blender

Pros - Applies foundation and concealer with an incredibly flawless finish.
           Doesn't soak up a lot of product, feels very soft.
           Washes well. 

Cons - Price. 

Putting aside the pros and cons there really is no comparison when choosing between the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, the Beauty Blender wins hands down without hesitation, I honestly didn't think there would be a difference at all besides the money but there is, my foundation looks so much nicer when I use the Beauty Blender and even more flawless than with the Real Techniques, I had always wondered if there would be a difference and there is, and that doesn't mean that the Real Techniques sponge is a bad product because it isn't at all, it just means that in my opinion the Beauty Blender is so much better. 

The question I am asked the most is "is the Beauty Blender worth the extra money?" and I think it is, the difference in the way my foundation applies and looks is amazing, there is a £10.00 price difference between both but I honestly think it is worth it. I don't use nearly as much product using the Beauty Blender, the Real Techniques soaks up a lot of product and I noticed a considerable difference when I use the Beauty Blender which will save me money over time also but for me it is the way my make up looks that is the real big thing for me, I have very dry and dehydrated skin and foundation and concealer are products that can be an issue for my skin but the Beauty Blender leaves my skin looking incredible and a lot more flawless than when I use the Real Techniques sponge so I will always re purchase the Beauty Blender from now on and unfortunately won't re purchase the Real Techniques sponge. 

The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge is a great product and if you are on a budget or don't have problem skin like me I would say go for that one, it is a great product and it will apply your make up well and leave you with a flawless base but if you have a little more money to spend or have problem skin definitely go for the Beauty Blender, it really does make a difference and you won't be disappointed, it's incredible! 

If you would like to buy the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge you can find it on the Look Fantastic website for £5.99 including delivery and if you would like to buy the Beauty Blender you can find it on line on the Beauty Blender website for £16.00 including delivery. 

I really hope this post has helped those of you who wanted a comparison between the Beauty Blender and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, I was exactly the same as a lot of my readers and wondered if the extra £10 was worth spending but in my opinion it really is and I hope today's post has helped those of you who were torn between the two. 

Have you tried either of the sponges? What are your thoughts? Chat with me in the comments as it may be helpful for others to know your thoughts too. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x





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Saturday 20 February 2016

MAC Lip Erase


Hello Lovelies

I'm sure you are all aware that I suffer from serious health problems and because of my health I take a lot of medication every day. One of the many side effects I have from taking my medication is that my lips and nails are very often blue, this happens I'd say more than 80% of the time and is a real pain in the neck when it comes to beauty products and make up, my lips throw lipstick shades off terribly meaning I can swatch a lipstick on my hand and love it and then it looks a completely different shade when I apply it to my lips. 

I have tried applying my foundation and concealer and even my under eye corrector over my lips but it doesn't really work and lipsticks still can look a completely different shade than they are supposed to and to give you an example,  myself and both my daughters all have the same shade in a lipstick which in the bullet and when swatched on the hand is a neon coral shade and on both my daughters it looks exactly the same as it does in the bullet but on me it is bright pink, it is such a nightmare.

Our eldest daughter is a professional make up artist and for Christmas she and our younger daughter bought me the MAC Lip Erase after our eldest had heard about it through her job as a MUA and thought it would be good for me. Lip Erase is available in 2 shades Pale and Dim, I have the shade Dim which is the darker of the 2 and has a more peachy/salmony tone to it and since those tones cancel out blue my daughter felt it would be the better of the 2 for me. 



The Lip Erase looks quite dark in the pot but doesn't transfer onto the lips as dark as it looks in the pot and is in fact quite light when applied to the lips, I think the shade Pale would be too light for me. 


Unfortunately this isn't the best image of my lips but I am wearing the Lip Erase in this photograph and as you can see the Lip Erase doesn't look as dark when applied to my lips and has neutralised the colour of my lips and most importantly the blue. The Lip Erase feels very much like a lip balm but not sticky at all, it doesn't have that Vaseline type texture as some lip balms do and it does settle and feel almost dry. 

I apply the Lip Erase with my finger and dab it onto my lips, you could use a lip brush or Que Tip if you prefer. I apply the lip erase either before I have applied my make up or once I have finished my base and then it is drying whilst the rest of my make up is applied as my lips are the last thing to be done. 

I wish I had known about Lip Erase sooner it is an incredible product and works really well, I also find that my lip sticks and other lip products last longer too so the Lip Erase also helps with the wear time of my lip sticks and other lip products I wear which is an added bonus, but most of all my lipsticks now look like they're supposed to, I recently bought a NYX soft matte lip cream in a coral shade and when I wore it the first time I forgot to apply the lip erase and it looked bright pink but when I used the lip erase it was coral and looked like it did when I'd swatched it on my hand, the lip erase is a fantastic product and I can only imagine it would last a long time because I use the smallest amount and it is quite a large pot. 

The MAC Lip Erase is fantastic for my blue toned lips but would also work if you have very pigmented lips too, it neutralises the natural lip colour and I highly recommend it if you're like me and struggle with lip products not transferring onto your lips as you would like them to. I really do wish I'd known about the Lip Erase sooner and wanted to share my thoughts on it with you because it isn't a product that I've ever seen mentioned on any of the blogs I read and it really is a great product and definitely worth mentioning, I love it and will continue to re purchase it as it is such a fantastic product.

Lip Erase is a pro product so it isn't available at MAC counters unfortunately but it is available at stand alone MAC stores and also on line so it is easily accessible as pro products can be ordered on line. If you would like to try the Lip Erase, you can find it on the MAC website HERE for £15.50. 

Have you tried the MAC Lip Erase? Or do you think it would be a product you would use? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x




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