Fenty Beauty Makeup Hits And Misses

When Fenty Beauty,  owned by famous singer, Rhianna launched in the UK in 2017 like most makeup enthusiasts and bloggers, I was intrigued by the brand and wanted to try some of the products but nothing really jumped out at me enough for me to purchase anything at that time.

The range was initially heavily complexion based, but has since been expanded and now includes an array of products including eye and lip products, and there has since been the launch of Fenty Skin and Fenty Skin Body too.

I have since tried quite a few products from the skincare range and the makeup range but today I am going to share my thoughts, my hits and misses from the products I have from the makeup range with you.   

Match Stix Contour Skinstick

Fenty describes the Skinstick as a "Longwear, light-as-air matte contour stick in a range of shades for all skin tones." and I'd say this is an accurate description of the product. 

I have the Match Stix Contour Skinstick in the shade Amber which is described as a "cool undertone for fair skin tones" This is the perfect shade for me. I do have a cool undertone to my skin and I am fair skinned too and this shade is brilliant. Skinstick is available in 9 different shades which is great, the whole range of Fenty skin products is available in a vast range of shades to suit all skin tones, I would say they have the best range of shades available to suit many different skin tones, and other brands really do need to take note.   

The contour stick comes in excellent sleek coloured packaging and is easy to use. To enable you to get the product out, you twist it from the base and the product comes out, it does twist back down too. To apply, I just pop a little where I want it on my face and then blend it in with a damp Marshmallow Sponge from Coco Cosmetics by Chloe, but you can use any makeup sponge or a brush, whatever you prefer. You don't need to use a lot of product,  and the match stix blends in beautifully to my skin and gives a lovely finish.  I have also used it on my eyes and it makes a lovely cream eyeshadow too, which is brilliant for travelling and not wanting to take too many products. 

swatch is unedited

I had never really been someone who contoured their face when doing my makeup, but I received the skinstick as a gift and I am so grateful as I have used it so much since and I absolutely love it, I wouldn't say I particularly contour my face as such but I love to use it as a cream bronzer and to also add some definition to my face, but I doubt any makeup artists would call it contouring!   

Want to try the Match Stix Contour Stick? You can find it on the Fenty website  HERE priced at £25.00.

Stunna Lip Paint Longwear Fluid Lip Colour

I had seen a couple of people speak about the Stunna Lip Paint and since I like liquid lipsticks I thought I'd try one, Fenty described them as "Weightless, long wear liquid lipstick with a soft matte finish in head-turning shades that look incredible on all skin tones." I chose the shade Unattached which is described as "bright coral". If you are a regular reader of my blog or you know me personally, you will know that coral lip shades are my favourite, along with pinks, so it was inevitable I was going to choose Unattached. 

The lip paint comes in lovely packaging, with a clear plastic base showing the lip paint and a pointed gold coloured lid, which has Fenty Beauty written on it. The applicator is like nothing I've used before, it isn't a doe foot applicator, it's more of an hourglass shape, but it makes applying the lip paint effortless. 

The lip paint is a matte formula, and it can feel a little drying should you apply too much, so I tend to build it up and if it is feeling a touch drying, I add lip balm and it's perfect, but for the most part, it feels fine and it is so long lasting, I wore it recently on an evening out with my family and we had food and drinks, and then I had another drink later and when I got home around 6.5 hours after application, it was still there and still looked ok, not as it did when I first applied it, but it was fine and didn't look a mess. 

swatch is unedited

I love the Stunna Lip Paint, my only complaint is, that it isn't available in more shades, especially bright shades. 

Want to try the Stunna Lip Paint? You can find it on the Fenty website HERE priced at £24.00. 

Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush

Having dry skin, I love to use cream products when applying my makeup and I have amassed quite a collection of cream base products, especially cream blush. When I saw the Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush swatches, I fell in love and knew I definitely needed to try one, asap.  

Described by Fenty as "Light-as-air cream blush that easily melts into the skin for a kiss of colour for every skin tone" the Freestyle Cream Blushes are just beautiful, I have the shade Strawberry Drip, which in the pan looks scarily bright red, but on the cheeks, it blends out to a beautiful pink flush of colour that lasts all day. 

I really like the packaging of the blush, the case is an octagonal shaped plastic case with gold writing on the lid, and inside the lid, there is a mirror that fills the space and is a good size and I can use it, which sometimes isn't the case with some makeup products with a built in mirror. 

swatch is unedited

I apply the cream blush using my finger to dab it on my cheeks, and then I blend it out using my damp makeup sponge, I have used a brush too but my preferred method is to use a makeup sponge. I absolutely adore the blush and will 100% be adding the shades Crush On Cupid and Petal Popping to my collection. My youngest daughter has the shade Petal Poppin and it is beautiful. 

Do you want to try the Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush? You can find it on the Fenty website HERE priced at £22.00. 

Liquid Killawat Fluid Freestyle Highlighter

Liquid highlighters are something I haven't really tried too many of, maybe 3 or 4? But when I got the Liquid Killawatt Fluid Freestyle Highlighter I was really looking forward to trying it, especially as I heard a lot of really good things about it from reading blog posts about it. 

I have the shade Sidekick, which is the palest shade, the highlighter like all the Fenty products has nice packaging, it comes in a tube like packaging with a pattern and writing on it in white and an octagonal shaped lid. The nozzle on the tube is quite small but I prefer that as otherwise it could be easy to squeeze too much product out. 

The highlighter is described by Fenty as a " Lightweight, high-shine liquid highlighter that hugs the skin with a modern, transfer-resistant glow". It is easy to apply, I apply it in the same way as I do the blush, by dabbing a small amount to the tops of my cheeks and blending it out with either a makeup sponge or a brush. 

I really wanted to love the highlight, but I don't like it at all, it is glittery with not much else there and has a gold colour to it and is just not right at all for my colouring and far too sparkly, if you like a sparkly highlight I think you'd like it, but it is just not for me at all. I have tried it a fair few times now but I seem to dislike it more each time. 

swatch is unedited

I was so disappointed the first time I used it after all the other products being so lovely, I had such high hopes but my hopes were soon dashed when I resembled a disco ball come Christmas card in one, it's definitely not for me, but we are all different and you may love it. 

If you want to try the Liquid Killawatt Fluid Freestyle Highlighter, you can find it on the Fenty website HERE priced at £26.00. 

Bright Fix Eye Brightener

Last but by no means least, we have the Bright Fix Eye Brightener described by Fenty as an "under eye brightener that easily hydrates, brightens, and conceals. Sheer to buildable coverage". I have the shade Rose Quartz which is the palest of the shades available and is described as "Cool pink to brighten and colour correct for light skin tones" which does sound perfect for my skin tone.  

Rose Quartz has a peachy colour to it and I suffer from dark circles, a combination of genetics and having deep set eyes and high cheekbones, plus no sleep and then throw in a ridiculous amount of pain and there it is, dark circles. But with that combination and dark circles,  I do like to use a peachy toned corrector as I find it is the best shade type for me. 

  

If you are choosing your shade online, it is quite simple to do, all the shades are listed but if you would rather, you can select a shade from the categories, light, light -medium, medium, medium -deep or deep. 

I love the packaging of the eye brightener, it's a peachy coloured tube with a clear plastic rollerball type applicator, meaning you can squeeze the tube a little then roll the product under the eyes, then tap in with your ring finger, or you can use a brush or makeup sponge, whatever your preference. 

Once again, I really thought I was going to love this product, but sadly I do not, I just cannot get on with it. The shade is so pale that I look ill when I use it, don't get me wrong I am naturally very fair skinned but it gives me Caspar vibes. Had I had one of the deeper shades, it would have been too yellow toned and probably too dark for me. The consistency is also not right for me, it's hard to explain but it's thicker than I expected but then a little does go a long way so if you do like it, it should last you a while.  It dries to a matte finish which looks terrible on me, and accentuates any fine lines I have, which is something I'd rather avoid if possible.  

The shade, the consistency and the finish it gives on the skin are all wrong for me, but I suppose not all products are going to suit everyone and this is sadly just one of those products. 

However, if you think you would like the product, you can find it on the Fenty website HERE priced at £22.00. 

So, those are my Fenty Beauty makeup hits and misses from the items I have in my makeup bag. I do have a wishlist of some more makeup items from Fenty, so I shall let you know my thoughts once I am lucky enough to have added those to my collection. 

I do also have some products from the Fenty Skin range, so if you would like me to do a hits and misses of those items too, please let me know. 

Have you tried Fenty Beauty? And have you tried any of the products I have spoken about today? What are your favourites from Fenty? Let me know in the comments below. 

Thank you for reading 

Zoë x

Money Saving Meals - Cheaper Ways To Feed Children Over The Summer

Welcome back, 

If you read the blog post about my first ever blog series, (read it here) and thank you to all those that did, the response was fantastic, thank you! 

This is the first post of that new series and today I am sharing with you some restaurants, supermarket cafes and other places you can feed children over the school summer holidays. 

This will include where to go and what each place is offering, if there's a minimum spend and how long the offer is available, hopefully, this post will be helpful to some of my readers. 

The Best Deals

When doing my research for this post, I found that the deals on children's meals varied quite a lot from place to place, so I thought I'd share what I thought were the best deals, first. 

Local Deals

The first deal I have to share is something that will be dependent on your local area, but I have researched quite a few areas in the UK and it seems a lot of establishments are on board with this. 

If you are a Facebook user you will no doubt have a group or page for your local area, we have one for the village I live in, and lots of local cafes and tea rooms etc are offering free meals for children over the summer, parents can just go in and order the food and will not be charged, there's no minimum spend at the majority of the places close to me either which is great. So it's definitely worth checking your local pages or groups on Facebook. 

Asda Cafe's

Offer Ends - December 31st 2023

When doing my research for this post I found that Asda Cafe had the best deal for supermarket cafes and high street food places.

Their offer is available til the end of 2023, so not exclusive to the summer holidays and children under 16 can eat for £1.00 "all day every day" This includes either a hot meal or one of their "pick and mix" deals which includes a sandwich, drink and fruit. There is no minimum spend and after 3pm adults can choose a half price meal too, Asda also gives a piece of fruit free with every meal and Ellas Kitchen pouches are also free for babies under 18 months with any purchase.  

I thought this was a brilliant offer, the fact the offer is on all day every day and until the end of 2023 is excellent. 

Tesco Cafe

Offer Ends 1st September 2023

Children eat free at Tesco with any purchase of 60p or more by an adult, you do need a club card or the club card app to use this offer, but it only takes a couple of minutes to download and sign up for the app if you don't already have a club card. 

Ikea Food

Offer Ends - While Stocks Last

Children can have pasta and tomato sauce and a drink for 95p or one of the other children's meals for £1.50 after 11am daily. 

Ikea also offers a breakfast roll and hot drink for 95p daily from 9.30am to 11am for all customers. 

Minimum Spend Deals

Morrisons Cafe

Offer Ends - Ongoing

Under 16's can eat free when an adult spends £4.49 or more in their cafe, this offer is on all day every day and includes hot meals or a sandwich, snack and drink. 

Something else Morrisons are offering is, any child or adult who "asks for Ellen" at the Morrisons cafe at any time of the day before 13th August 2023 will receive two toasted crumpets with butter and jam completely free. 

Dunelm Pausa Cafe

Offer Ends - Ongoing

Children receive a mini main meal, two snacks and a drink when an adult spends £4.00 or more in the cafe, this offer is on all day every day. 

Marks & Spencer Cafe

Offer Ends - 1st September 2023

Children receive a free meal from the Munch Menu which includes a hot or cold main meal, snack and a drink when an adult spends £5.00 or more in the M&S cafe. 

Other Offers 

Travelodge

Offer Ends - 1st September 2023

If you have a Travelodge nearby, you can purchase one adult "all-you-can-eat" breakfast for £8.99 and two children under the age of 15 can also have breakfast completely free, you do not have to be staying at the Travelodge to get the offer which is brilliant. 

Premier Inn 

Offer Ends - 1st September 2023

Like the Travelodge offer, any adult paying £9.99 for the "all-you-can-eat" breakfast will receive two more breakfasts completely free for children under 16 and you do not have to be staying at the hotel. 

When doing my research, I did find other restaurants offering deals but I found the T&Cs a bit much and know I wouldn't have gone there when my girls were small, for example there were time restrictions, and adults had to spend a lot to get a small child's meal for one child in a certain age bracket, and I know these places still have to make a profit, but it was, in my opinion, expensive, so I decided to keep the minimum spend to £5.00 or under with the exception of the Travelodge and Premier Inn, but two children eat there rather than just 1 so I thought it balanced it out a bit. 

I hope this post will be helpful for my blog readers, please share it with your friends and family or anyone you think might find it helpful. If I find any more great meal deals, I will of course share them with you. 

Thank you for reading 

Zoë x 

Something I Havent Ever Done Before On My Blog

Welcome back.

Today I have some news for you, it's about something a bit different and something I haven't done before. I am going to have my very first blog series where I share tips and tricks or hacks, whatever you want to call them, for things to do and ways to save money during the school holidays. 

I am going to write these type of posts throughout the year for each school holiday period, each post will have a different infographic depending on the season, the summer ones will all have the above infographic as the blog post photograph so they stand out, and as I said, other seasons will have a different photograph. 

Why The New Series?

 

With the cost of living crisis and prices of absolutely everything going up a ridiculous amount, everyone is trying to save where they can.  I think almost everyone I know has been impacted by the cost of living crisis, some more than others and it's a horrible feeling to be struggling financially. I have had situations in my life where I have been rock bottom financially and it was horrendous, I think posts like these may have helped me had there been blogs around during those times. 

My friend once said to me that I should write a book of tips to save money, and things I did with my children when they were little as she always found them really useful when she had her children and  while it's a nice idea and very kind of her,  I think it's more than advertourous for me,  but I can write a blog post or two, so that's where the new series comes in. 

When my children were younger,  I was a single parent for a while, and for some of the years of that time I struggled massively financially, it was a horrendous time in my life and one I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And myself and Simon, my partner have struggled financially also, especially when I was medically retired from the NHS and we lost my wage. Simon has also been made redundant twice, and both times weeks before Christmas, not ideal at all. 

I am not proclaiming to be a money saving expert by any means, I'll leave that up to Martin Lewis, but I would like to be able to help people by sharing my tips, tricks or hacks I learnt over the years which saved us money,  I will also be doing my research too and sharing my findings with you. 

What Will The Posts Be About?

I will be writing a variety of posts, there will be ideas to keep children entertained during the school holidays, ideas that don't cost a lot of money, there will be places I find that have deals and discount codes, how to find the best deals, places to eat cheaply or free, and basically anything I can share with you that might help make the school summer holidays a little bit easier on your pocket. 

I hope you think this is a good idea and I hope my posts will be able to help, if they help just one person, it'll be worth the effort of writing them. 

If you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know. 

Thanks for reading

Zoë x

 

A New Summery Limited Edition Launch From Wild AND A Discount Code

 

I'm sorry, but I have been keeping a secret, today I am going to tell you what it is.

Today, Wild launch their brand new limited edition Sunset Ombre case and Tropical scent refill which is perfect for summer, and I can't wait to share it with you.

I have been using the brand new limited edition tropical scent for the past few weeks along with my gorgeous new personalised sunset ombre case and I can't wait to tell you about them. Plus I have a discount code for you, it's a great discount and means you'll get some brilliant deals, so keep on reading to save some pennies. 

As you can see from my photographs, the new limited edition Sunset Ombre case is so pretty, just look at those colours, just beautiful,  and mine has my name on it, how amazing is that? It's absolutely perfect for summer, and to be honest we're not having much of a summer right now in the UK so this case brings a nice summery feel and the scent to me, reminds me of holidays, what better way to bring some summer vibes when it's grim outside?

I won't go into detail in this post about Wild, its ethos and its products and subscriptions because I recently wrote an in depth review post which includes everything you need to know about Wild and its products, you can read that post by clicking THIS LINK if you didn't see that post or want to know more about Wild.

Wild always send their products out nicely packaged, and the new ombre case matches perfectly with their packaging. Your case and refill come in a cute peach coloured box with instructions on how to insert the refill into the case on the lid of the box. 

When I opened the Sorbet scented refill I instantly loved the scent, it smells fruity, imagine pineapple, passionfruit, mango, orange and papaya with a hint of coconut, just like holidays, but the scent isn't overpowering at all, it's lovely and subtle but just enough, and I love it! The perfect scent to go with the gorgeous Sunset Ombre case, which is so lovely and summery and if you want to, you can have your case personalised like mine which is such a nice touch. 

Discount Code

When shopping on the Wild website if you use the code MAMMAFULZO20 you will receive a 20% discount on all orders including subscriptions, this is such a great deal and gives you great savings too.  I have also checked with TopCashback and if you have an account, you can get up to 12.75% cashback too, so you can get a really good deal and save some money, win-win. 

So, that's my secret, but what a secret to share. I love my sunset ombre case and the tropical scent and I think you will too, so if you want to get your own, head on over to the Wild website using THIS LINK and don't forget to use the code MAMMAFULZO20 to get yourself a great deal. 

Have you tried Wild? Do you like the new sunset ombre case? And what's your favourite type of scent? I love fruity and fresh scents, let me know yours in the comments.

Thanks for reading

Zoe x