Zoeva Rose Gold Brushes: First Impressions

During my morning filled with essay-writing, the doorbell rang and I can't say I've been much more excited for a parcel than I was this morning (saddo haha)!! Better still, he came with a little story... that my parcel was lucky to have gotten here today, as the plane it had arrived on earlier this morning had a little crash-landing at East Midlands airport! I checked on BBC News online and it wasn't bad, but still... little bit of exciting background there!
Anyway...I'd been checking online since the beginning of March to see when these Zoeva Rose Gold Luxury Set of make up brushes would be back in stock, and on Friday (the 25th) they were finally back! I must say I was so impressed that they arrived today (Tuesday) and they were shipped on the same day that I ordered them :) I thought I'd create this little post with a few photos and my first impressions!

They arrived all boxed up with protective bubble-wrap and everything (including each individual brush) was wrapped up in protective plastic, so nothing was damaged!

So... first impressions? 

I have to say, these are probably the most beautiful make up/make up accessories I have ever bought! I've always been a big fan of a pretty rose-gold colour, and these look perfect! 

Here is the full set of 8 brushes! For me, these are right up there at the high-end price range when I look at the price alone, but... when compared with what you would pay for the same brushes, each from Mac, it's a slightly better picture. For just one 217 blending brush in Mac, it costs around £17 so to get all these for just less than £50 (58 euros) it actually works out at a pretty good deal! As far as first impressions go, I think they've been well worth the money... but time will tell and I shall keep you updated! 

Included in this set are: (left to right)

317 Wing Liner brush

231 Petit Crease brush

227 Luxe Soft Definer brush (almost identical to Mac's 217 blending brush)

142 Concealer Buffer brush (probably the one I'm most looking forward to using!)

110 Face Shape brush

127 Luxe Sheer Cheek brush

102 Silk Finish brush

106 Powder brush

I realise this post might have been better as a review as I haven't had time to try these out yet so I can't really say whether they're good at the job(s) or not... but you know how you can just kind of 'tell' they're going to be good!? They feel super super SUPER soft and the buffer brushes feel really dense which I find is always a good sign as it means you can get a really nice finish from them! 

These are the little accessories that came with the brushes- a make up pouch and a little draw-string bag. Both of these (especially the zip up bag) look really cute and I definitely think they're going to come in handy as currently I just shove my brushes in with all my make up so everything gets a bit dirty- definitely looking forward to keeping them seperately in one of these! 

I was expecting them to be black, but they're more of a very dark brown :)

So, I hope my photographs did some justice as these are really beautiful products! I'll be sure to create an updated post on how these brushes go when I use them! For now, that's it for my first impressions... if any readers have used them I'd love to know what you think too :)

Hair Heros!

With a huge history of hair colours, some might wonder how on earth my hair has survived! Through out secondary school I went blonde to brown to black to blonde... and so on... as I guess I was just in that teenage stage of not quite knowing what's "me" yet. My hair is naturally light blonde, but I've had the same hair colour now for about 4 or 5 years :) Probably one of the most frequent questions I've ever been asked, is "what hair dye do you use!?"
So... for anyone wondering, I use the permanent XXL live in the colour Ultra Violet every 8 weeks or so as it does tend to fade quite a lot on my hair. 

Anyway, I decided to write a quick blog post about my FAVOURITE hair products, seeing as my hair has finally gotten to a healthy stage, and it has grown quite a lot! 

(I'll insert a photo from a few years ago at the end of the post just as comparison... and to show that my hair is still alive and growing haha)

I don't actually use many products on my hair at all, as to be totally honest I am a little bit naughty and don't pay enough attention to the condition of my hair. However, recently I've noticed just how fast it's been growing, so I've just been keeping an eye on which products I seem to be using over and over again. 

SILVERKRIN CLASSIS HAIRSPRAY : First up, is my all time favouite hair spray! I get this one in the strongest form (I think it's number 5? it's the pink one anyway) as I like a good strong hold from a hair spray that will last all day. 

ORIBE DRY TEXTURIZING SPRAY: This one is a fairly new edition, but it's absolutely fantastic. For those of you who like BIG hair (like me!) it will work wonders. I use it like a dry shampoo, and it just gives it enough texture to work with. It's like second-day-hair, in a bottle!

KERASTASE NECTAR THERMIQUE: Now for my favourite of the bunch, is something that I've been using for years and years! After towel drying my hair, I just put a little 20p-coin-size amount in my hands, rub them together and smooth it through the lengths and ends of my hair, rubbing the excess over the fringe area. Then, I blow dry my hair and it feels super soft while protecting the ends with little-fuss...perfect!

As far as shampoos/conditioners go, I didn't really feel it would be worth adding them to this post as I tend to just go with whatever... some of my favourites are any from the herbal essences brand, or dove's new hair therapy range :)

So... this is how long my hair is now :) The photo above was taken this morning just after drying my hair (no straightening) so it looks a little untidy but I'm really happy with the length at the moment!  My absolute top tip to grow hair... is the age old saying (that I never used to believe) ... HAVE IT CUT REGULARLY! I've been having mine cut every 6 weeks or so and it has seriously been working wonders :D

July 2011

It wasn't until I looked at this comparison that I actually realised just how much longer my hair is now! Yipee... no hair hair extensions!

Anyway, I hope this blog post was useful for anyone looking to grow their hair a little longer or just to find some new hair products! I must say it has encouraged me to give my hair a little more TLC haha :)

Easter Treats

Went on a quick trip to Lush yesterday to pick up a few little things for my mum's birthday presents... and this happened! I should really have left this post until I'd actually used each of the products and took photos of what they look like, but they're all bubble bars... so it'd all just be lots of bubbles!

Lush have their Easter range in store at the minute so there were so many new things! However, I only picked up the little bunny and the super-cute bunch of carrots from the Easter section as I haven't tried either of these before! I also picked up my old favourite, Pop in the Bath (x2!)

I'd seen these little carrot bubble bars before but, carrots (the vegetable) are really not my thing - don't like the taste, don't like the smell... so I didn't even think to have a look at them as I assumed they'd smell like vegetables! However, thankfully I was wrong as these just smell really fresh (similar to Pop in the Bath) and I'm so excited to use them! I also think it's pretty good value as they were around the £5 or £6 mark, and you get 3 of them which I'll probably cut in half to get around 6 baths from them :) The lady at the till said to either crumble them under the tap as the water runs (as you would with any other bubble bars) or swirl them around in the bath to create loads of soft, pretty bubbles!

I also picked up a couple of duplicates of these things as presents for my mum - lucky her birthday is so close to Easter! :D

Autism Awareness Day

April is Autism awareness month, but for my family (and others) it's all year round. I started my personal statement for Uni with that very sentence!

 I seem to be able to find so much to say about a new lipstick or a nice moisturiser... but when it comes to an issue like this that is so close to my heart, I'm actually finding it pretty difficult to put together some words in this post. I guess I should start by explaining (if you didn't know already) my little brother Andrew, was born with Autism. Now of course, there is a pretty huge spectrum for Autism, from forms of Aspergers right through to severe forms of Autism. I'd say Andrew is towards the severe end, so it definitely affects both him and our family massively. Without turning this post into his life story, it's difficult to sum up just how much of an impact Autism has on both sufferers and the people who love them. 

So by making this post, what do I want to achieve? I guess I think a vital part of raising awareness is making it a talked-about subject. Mental health issues aren't quite as obvious as a broken leg or any physical injuries, which makes it even more important to raise awareness about them, as they're much less widely recognised. If Autism is talked about more, maybe people might understand the condition better, which will in turn benefit those suffering with the condition as there's a much better comprehension of what they're dealing with. 

Now, my mum would be a much better person to write this post because she has acquired an extensive knowledge about the condition over the years, both through lived experience with her son and by attending a vast amount of conferences, workshops, training sessions and all things 'Autism' that you could imagine. But, I guess aside from all the science-y bits, this post is coming from a sister. A sister who has watched her brother grow up with Autism and all the things that come with it. So, I thought instead of sharing stories about Andrew's life, I'd just highlight that there's so much more to a person's life that what can be seen on the surface. That might seem obvious, but sometimes when I've seen people staring at him I often wonder if they could ever understand what his life is like.

After going through a really tough time at both a mainstream school, and a special needs one, Andrew found a new place... somewhere happy. Through the hard work of my parents, he was given a place at a residential school specifically for people with Autism. I can honestly say that I've never seen him doing so well. It's changed his life. He now has one-to-one support, a busier social life than his 18 year old sister (haha) and most importantly, happiness. Aside from the challenges he will face everyday through living with Autism, he laughs, he smiles and is just generally enjoying a quality of life. As a family, we can now go out for dinner, go to the cinema and do things that were never really possible before. Andrew now has his own opinions over what foods he likes/dislikes, he now drinks tea and uses the iPad to find Thomas the Tank on YouTube haha... all the little things that have changed for him just make me so very proud of be his sister :) 

So I guess through that little brief summary, I hope to bring comfort for anyone who can relate to this, that things really can go well! I also hope to have made the most of today, Autism awareness day, by giving anyone who has read this post a little more understanding of the condition. 

And for Andrew, if you could read this... I hope you'd know there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do, for you.

From a very proud sister :) 

: ) xxxx

March Favourites

Seeing as it's almost April (can't quite believe that) I thought I'd collect some of my favourite products I've been using this month into a little favourites post :) I guess most people who are regular watchers of beauty videos on YouTube will know what this little tag/trend is but for those who don't, I think it's a really nice way to give product recommendations :) It's also a good way to keep track of things you like using and an encouragement to try new things or switch up your routine :) Anyway, a quick warning that this post may make you want to spend money haha...

First up... Maybelline's Brow Drama in the shade dark brown. I'd never really thought about using a brow gel or brow mascara until this arrived in last month's glossybox. If you're anything like me, and you're a little bit too lazy to dye your eyebrows every week or so, this will be a great investment haha! My eyebrows are really blonde (almost invisible haha) so despite filling them in/drawing them on with a pencil (the one I use is Chanel's sculpting brow pencil in the shade 40) when the sun shines on my face, you used to be able to see the little blonde brow hairs. This has been genius for me as I just swipe it on after using the pencil and it looks as though I have naturally dark eye brows :) It stays put all day, and is pretty much perfect although the shape of the brush could be doing with being a little thinner in my opinion... I might end up giving Benefit's gimme brow a try for this reason :)

Another brow product that I have been loving this month, is Soap&Glory's brow archery. On one side, is a pencil and on the other is a really thin pen (made up of tiny brush hairs) which can be used to draw on individual brow hairs. I never really use the pencil end as it's a little too light for me but I really like the end shown in the picture above :) It doesn't ever feel dry like some felt-tip-like products do, and I like to use this on days when I don't have my eye brows penciled in very strongly :) 

Next up, is the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight mask and the la roche-posay effaclar duo. I've had both of these for a while (this is my second tube of the effaclar duo) but this month, I've been using them both together. After cleansing my face to get rid of my makeup, I use the effaclar duo which has really been helping with annoying spots that have decided to pop out following the sunny weather in the UK. It goes on like a serum and feels really tingly which I like, as you know for sure it's doing something! I've then been following with the overnight mask, which smells absolutely amazing!! It feels like a really thick moisturizer and I've just really been enjoying using this at night time :)

In the morning, I've been using Mac's strobe cream before applying my make up. This was such a good buy! I've been so impressed with it as I've always found highlighters to be quite shimmery, but this goes on like a kind of moisturizer/primer all over the face before applying foundation so it just gives an all over glow, rather than shimmer. I'll insert a little iPhone seflie below so you can see my finished make up wearing strobe cream underneath :) 

Thought I'd photograph the next product in natural light to show the colour as true to form as possible. This is a blusher from Mac in the shade Well Dressed :) I think the name is super cute and girly, which is perfect for describing the blush too! It's just a really nice little dust of pink, which looks great on pale skin :) However, I've noticed recently that it's a little too light for when I'm wearing fake tan as it's not very harsh at all.

Next up... something very exciting! During the month of March... I placed my final eye shadow into my palette! For any people who have a love for colour co-ordination, this palette would not do as it's not in any particular order, it's just a collection (since last September) of some of my favourite shades :) Anyway, it was super exciting when I bought my last one... and it happens to be my favourite shade yet! It's Mac All That Glitters (bottom left) and it's so gorgeous!! It's true to its name being a really shimmery, pinky-beige/champagne colour (similar to Naked Lunch, but a bit darker) and I've been wearing it constantly :D

Now for my favourite perfume this month, Jo Malone's Peony & Blush Suede. I only picked up the small size in this, as it's pretty expensive (this size was £39) but it is so beautiful. I bought it towards the end of February during some of the sunny days we had in the UK and it was just the most spring-filled scent ever! I realise that was a less than accurate description of a smell haha! I was choosing between this one, and Nectarine Blossom & Honey in the shop (difficult choice) but I ended up with this one as it's so girly, light and fresh :)

Last up for beauty products, is Tanya Burr's lip gloss in Picnic in the Park. I'm not usually one for wearing lip gloss, but as it was one of Tanya's products I thought I'd give it a go as I think it's so nice to see someone who you've been a fan of for a while, achieve something like this! Anyway, as well as feeling really happy for Tanya, I have been absolutely loving wearing this! Unfortunately the photo above isn't the best depiction of the colour as it's much more pink than orange (oops... bad photo lighting) but it goes on so beautifully and doesn't feel sticky at all... something I used to think was inherent within all lip glosses! Again, not the best quality photo but I'll insert one below of me wearing it :)

With all the beauty products and mini-reviews done... I thought I'd add in a couple of little random favourites to finish with :D So... food favourite of the month, has to be Onken yoghurts which I discovered at the uni shop... they're delicious!! :)

 SLIPPER BOOTS: NEXT

For my final March favourite... are my new sheep slippers! Anyone else who stays in halls at uni, will probably agree that the carpets are not the nicest on your feet! My room is also pretty cold a lot of the time, so my mum brought me a present over when she came to visit me :D I've been wearing them non-stop and they're just the cutest haha :D

So that's it for my little collection of favourite things throughout March :) I hope everyone's had a good month, and is enjoying Mother's Day!

Shopping in Glasgow!

Finally! A new post... I usually upload a new blog post every week or so but I've had a couple of weeks off... not on purpose... just been a busy bee for a while! Anyway, with London Fashion Week having just left the headlines, I've been feeling pretty inspired to choose a few new things to wear for when the weather gets a bit better! During the weekend just gone, I spent some time with my family in Scotland, and on Saturday took a trip into Glasgow to get a few additions for my wardrobe :D The buildings and all the shops were really beautiful... so I think they might come as a post of their own! In this post, I thought I'd share a few of the clothes I picked up while I was there. As you know if you read a lot of my posts... I'm no fashionista haha! But, I would say I have developed my own "style" as I think most of my friends could definitely say "that's a Laura dress" if they saw one haha :D 

I tried to get a few more things for spring time... without going too summery if that makes sense? I love wearing dresses for this reason as you can add tights if it's cold or go without for sunny days (well, I'd probably need to fake tan the case of the latter haha) So this will be why you notice no trousers or tops... I'm 80% of the time a dress girl! :)

This is probably one of my favourite things I picked up :) It's from Topshop and I've really been loving these kind of "two-part" dresses recently with different materials or patterns on the top and bottom...

The top part is like a sheer material with little white daisies all over which I thought would look really pretty in spring time! There is a little white vest underneath the top bit so it's less see through, but if that's not enough I thought I could always add another white vest underneath the dress... 

These two are from Zara... I wouldn't normally go for this sort of thing, but I tried on the pinky-nude one and really liked it! It does wash me out a bit but nothing some St.Tropez tan won't fix haha... and the little details aren't too see through either :) I'd wear these for like a night out (not that I go on many of those haha) or to a special meal or something... probably not so much of a day-time thing.

I've been eyeing this one up for ages in Topshop, but I'm glad I waited as it was in the sale for £25... not a massive reduction but still... I thought it's a nice little chuck-on kind of dress to wear to uni :) I also thought it could be dressed up or down!

The next thing (yup, another dress haha) is a pretty plain black dress. It's from Topshop and I got it in the sale for only £10! The reason I've only photographed the bottom is there is a little mark on the top (which will come out in the wash) but the top is just like a t-shirt, but with mesh around the neckline. I thought the bottom was a lovely material and I'm really pleased I bought it... such a bargain! :)

Again from Topshop, I picked up this little patterned dress :) Now, when I seen it I instantly said to mum "what do you think Matthew would say to that haha!?" We have this running joke that, whatever I choose to wear Matthew will say "you look like a......" (baker, golfer, waitress... for examples haha) and as soon as I saw this dress I was very intrigued as to what he'd come up with for it haha. I think it's really pretty and it's in my favourite style too :)

Now for the star of the show... this is my new coat :D It's from Zara and it was a "love at first sight" kind of moment with it haha! I've never really been a coat person... that sounds a bit silly but I honestly never used to wear coats very often (I don't feel the cold much) but recently I've loved seeing some of the girly, pastel coloured ones come into the shops. This one was £79.99, so a pretty hefty price tag... but the ones in topshop didn't feel any better quality, and they were slightly more expensive. So anyway, this is the one I've ended up with and I love it! It feels very "me" and I can't wait to wear it out :D 

Phew, well... there went my student loan haha. I'm really pleased with the things I picked up and to top it off, the weather was beautiful today so it made me even more excited to wear them :) I hope anyone else who did some post-LFW shopping enjoyed it too! :)