Three Series : Eye Brighteners Under £5

Hello lovelies and welcome back. I hope you're all well.

 So, you will know that I am still fairly new to blogging and I have been going over ideas of what to include on my blog on a regular basis. I have come up with the idea of running a series called 'Three Series'. This will be my favourite three...whatever it may be. It will run every single week. I think this will be a great way to talk about favourite things and it will help me keep to a minimum of three items!

Lets kick off this new series then with eye brighteners. I have selected three items (obviously) that are all readily available in the U.K and cost less than £5 each.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer £5.49 7ml.

Okay, okay this one is just over £5 but it wasn't when I bought it. Promise! You forgive me, right?

When wishing to brighten your eye area, you're going to want to start with your base. A.K.A concealer. I apply my foundation first then apply some wake me up concealer to the under eye area. The application is easy. Simply sweep some of the product under your eyes using the doe foot applicator then blend with your ring finger or a concealer brush.

You are also going to want to choose a lighter shade to your foundation to brighten the eye area and make your eyes stand out. This product is light coverage and focuses mostly on illuminating and brightening. If you have dark under eye circles or any other discolouration, you may want to try a different concealer.

What I love about the wake me up concealer is; it is lightweight, brightening and it doesn't crease. It is also contains a vitamin enriched moisture complex with peptides.

You can buy Wake Me Up Concealer from Rimmel, Boots or from Superdrug (where I got mine).

Makeup Revolution Mono Shadow in 'Finally' £1.

I have used countless powders and pencils over the years to brighten my inner corner/tear duct area. I have so many favourites but I thought I'd share with you a gorgeous shadow that will work on all skin tones and costs just £1! 

I'm talking about Makeup Revolution's mono shadow in 'Finally'. I did a blogpost on this shadow and lots of other Makeup Revolution products the other week and I have continued to really enjoy using this one. 

 Firstly, this mono shadow is really similar to a few of my MAC pigments and shadows so I am loving that! Secondly, this stuff lasts, I mean until you take it off and there is no fading or creasing. For £1, I had to include this in this favourites!

Apply your eyeshadow as you would (or go without) then apply this to your inner corners to give your eyes depth whilst brightening them up. 

'Illuminate' from Makeup Revolution is also another gorgeous mono shadow/brightening shade.

You can buy this from Makeup Revolution or from superdrug

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Eyeliner in 005 Nude £3.99

No bright eye is complete without a nude (or white) eyeliner. Apply this to your waterline (inside your eye). Besides eradicating any red your waterline may have, applying a nude/flesh toned liner to your waterline will make your eyes appear larger and look more awake and fresh. Applying a black liner will have the opposite effect, making your eyes appear smaller!

I find a nude shade more natural looking than a white liner, but you can use whatever works for you.

This one from Rimmel is creamy, pigmented and waterproof, exactly what you need for your waterline.

 If you have tired eyes, small eyes or your peepers have simply lost their sparkle, make a nude/white liner your new best pal! 

Psssttt...this is also a dupe for Nars 'Rue Bonaparte' (The best high end selling nude liner) ;-)

You can buy the Scandaleyes nude liner from Rimmel, Boots or from superdrug

Here is how they look together...

Have you tried any of the products mentioned?

What are your favourite eye brightening products?

Please leave a comment and let me know.

Thank you.

Splurge Or Save? Hoola Bronzer Vs NYC MetropoliTan.

Hello. I hope you're all well. So, summer is here. Well, in some parts of the world. Here in the U.K the sun rarely makes an appearance so as a nation, we rely on fake tanning products and bronzers.

I have two bronzers here which are both great for achieving a all year round bronzed look.

 The first one is the best selling bronzer in the U.K and has been for the last five years. This is Hoola bronzer by Benefit. The second one is MetropoliTan Big Bold Bronzer by NYC.

The major difference between these bronzers is the price. Benefit Hoola retails at £23.50 for 8g. NYC MetropoliTan retails at £3.99 (but it's usually on offer for £1.99)

 for 17.1g. 

First, I am going to to introduce you to Hoola. Unless you have been under a rock for the last few years, you will have heard of this product. It is raved about daily due to it's completely matte formula, wearability, longevity and it's buildablity.

I only purchased my Hoola in May this year. I have always been put off by the price. However, I am not gonna lie, it is a fantastic shade for contouring and for bronzing the skin. I was actually surprised at how light it looked when I opened it. But I think there lies it's appeal. Pale skinned gals..you can totally work this. Medium to dark skintones...you can too. It is really buildable and natural looking with no orange tones and no shimmer. It is everything you want in a contour shade/bronzer.

Another reason I ''took the plunge'' and bought this was because I wanted the brush! The brush is amazing for contouring your cheekbones with as it's so narrow. I use this brush every time and then I blend it out with a MAC 168 angled contour brush. After contouring, I then apply Hoola on my 168 brush onto my temples and forehead.

 Hoola Bronzer and my MAC 168 angled contour brush.

Next up... Lets look at the Big Bold Bronzer in MetropoliTan by NYC

NYC bronzers often come up as ''dupes'' or alternatives to higher end bronzers but I have never heard anything about this particular one. I purchased this in May also as it was £1.99 and I wanted to try it. Drugstore bronzers can have a reputation for being orange, shimmery or muddy. Not this one, no siree! Infact this bronzer is dead ringer for Casino by Nars :-0 I was really surprised how good it looked when I applied it. It is not as matte as Hoola. There is a bit of shimmer in the pan but it doesn't transfer to the skin. There are no orange tones and it's not muddy looking. MetropoliTan is actually and a tad darker than Hoola, so a light hand is needed. I use this for contouring and blend it around my hairline and forehead - The same way I apply Hoola.

These are BOTH fantastic bronzers. So, which one comes out top?

Both shades are swatched above, as you can see there isn't much difference at all.

The face off...

Product : Winner - Benefit

Packaging : Winner - NYC

Value for money : Winner - NYC

Wearability : Winner - Benefit

Pigmentation : Winner - NYC

Blendibility - Winner - Benefit 

Results : It's a draw!

 I really like both of these but if I had to repurchase one, I would go with the NYC one. Simply because you are getting more than double the amount of product for £3.99 (or £1.99 if the offer is on!) and it doesn't look much different to Hoola once applied. 

Hoola by Benefit is available from the Benefit website, Boots, Debenhams, John Lewis etc. I got mine from Feel Unique as you can save 10% by being a new customer.

NYC products are available from superdrug

Have you tried either of these bronzers?

Which one would you go for? 

Please leave a comment in the comment box and let me know. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

White Glo - A whitening toothpaste for Coffee and Tea drinkers.

Earlier this year I started drinking black coffee and oolong tea. I have never been a hot beverage person and have never liked coffee and never drank tea.  But, I tried it again a few months ago and what can I say? I guess my taste buds changed!  However, within weeks of drinking the ''stuff'' I noticed that all my cups were looking quite stained. Despite me washing them straight after I had finished my drink, the cups were definitely stained.

This set alarm bells ringing. I do not want this happening to my teeth, I said to myself. 

So, I took to Google to see if there were any good whitening/stain prevention toothpastes on the market. This one from White Glo came up on the Boots website and despite it having no reviews yet, I knew it was ''the one''.

White Glo is an Australian company. In fact it is Australia's number one brand and they state it is the world's best toothpaste! They have a variety of toothpastes within their range but of course, I picked this one up.

 

The toothpaste comes in a box with a toothbrush and a pack of toothpicks. It retails for £3.99 for 150g which I think is phenomenal. I also got this on a 3 for 2 offer. I got 3 packs for £7.98. Now, that is a bargain.

This toothpaste is designed specifically for coffee and tea drinkers. It's formula is unique in both removing and repelling stains. It is such a gentle formula yet gives powerful results. It contains ingredients to give extra white results, whilst offering fluoride protection and long lasting fresh breath.

This is to be used in place of your normal toothpaste and should be used twice a day. I have been using this toothpaste for three weeks and so far, stain free teeth. Hopefully by using this, they will stay unstained! This toothpaste not only claims to remove stains but to also prevent them. This is done by forming a micro wax protective shield on your teeth so the coffee and tea can't penetrate your actual tooth nor the surface. Prevention is better than a cure, right!?

My teeth ARE definitely whiter within just three weeks of use, so I am really impressed thus far.

The taste of this is really pleasant also. It's not strong or overly minty. It doesn't burn nor feel harsh. It does however lather up something chronic so just use a pea sized amount!

I will totally be repurchasing this when I have used all mine up. My mouth feels really clean and my teeth are not only stain free, but actually whiter! The fact that this is £3.99 also contributes to the fact that I will be repurchasing this. There are so many whitening toothpastes on the market today, ranging from £3 to much much more. I have tried quite a few over the years and frankly the results were minimal. 

I am fairly sure this is relatively new in the U.K as there are no reviews on the Boots or Superdrug websites. I have also not seen it in stores. I remember seeing the original White Glo in a red box years ago but not this one, nor the others in the range.

I would totally recommend picking this up if you are a tea or coffee drinker. There are many health benefits to coffee and tea and I didn't want to give them up. Now, I can drink away now knowing my teeth are being protected and getting a good clean. I am so glad I discovered this product. It is absolutely fantastic and fantastic value for money. Double winner!

You can buy White Glo in the U.K from Boots (Boots has the 3 for 2 offer on) or from Superdrug and costs £3.99 GBP.

Have you tried any White Glo products?

Will you be giving this a go?

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading and stopping by. Please follow my blog if you like it, all the information is at the top left hand side.

Thank you.

A Day In The Life...Fit Food.

Health, fitness and nutrition and extremely important to me and are part of my daily life, pretty much every day. Although, I haven't always made the right choices when it comes to food and I spent my teen years and early twenties eating terribly. But, for years now I have been making the right choices when it comes to eating and not only do I feel better, I look better too. I HATE to quote Gillian Mckeith but, you really are what you eat. 

I am going to take you through an example of what I eat on an average day, so let's get started!

Breakfast is my absolute favourite meal of the day. It sets you up for the whole day and kick starts your metabolism in the morning. Before I eat anything, I drink a large glass of water (it's important to rehydrate after the overnight fasting period). 

Breakfast for me consists mostly of protein and good fats with carbs coming from fruit, chia seeds or oats.  Today I had fat free Greek yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, chia seeds and raw cacao nibs - bursting with antioxidants and providing the energy I need to get me going. On the side, I had my regular cup of black coffee with organic virgin coconut oil stirred in. This pretty much covers all the macro nutrients needed for a workout or the day ahead.

I eat approximately every 3 hours so the next meal will be post workout around 11:30am.

After working out, it's important to take in some carbohydrates (preferably simple carbohydrates) to replace the glycogen lost during exercise. Today I had a nectarine but I vary this on a day to day basis. I also keep the majority or my carbs and sugars pre and post workout, tailing carbs off as the day goes on.

Also after exercising, it's really important to take in protein. This should be within 30 minutes of completing your workout - especially if you have done any type of strength training or weights. Taking protein in a powder form allows for quicker digestion than protein from meat or eggs so, it gets to work quicker! I supplement my whey protein with Spirulina. Spirulina is a super food.There is no doubt about it. It tastes absolutely awful but I just gulp it down as quickly as possible! It's worth it knowing that it contains 54% protein and is extremely rich in chlorophyll and a host of other vitamins and minerals.

Eating within two hours of exercise is highly recommended. So for me, lunch is concentrated around taking in more protein and good fats. Today I had an egg white omelette with chopped turkey breast, avocado, cherry tomatoes and raw spinach. Egg whites are super low in calories so I have five in order to get the amount of protein I need whilst not taking in too many calories. Avocado tastes delicious and provides more potassium than a banana, and is a fantastic source of good fats. The tomatoes and spinach are also superb for restoration after exercise.

My late afternoon snack is...wait for it...more protein and good fats! Cottage cheese is really high in casein protein which gets digested at a slower rate than other types of protein. The almonds are a great source of minerals, fat and give an energy boost which is much needed by late afternoon! There are many health benefits to cinnamon but I use it mainly to add more flavour to the cheese.

Finally... Dinner. Today I had two grilled salmon fillets marinated in a red thai sauce and herbs. Served with steamed mixed vegetables with black pepper on the side. I usually have asparagus with salmon but I forgot to buy some :-/ I keep my dinner quite low calorie after consuming most of my calories and macronutrients during my four previous meals. This salmon tastes so good cooked on my George Forman grill, much tastier than steaming!

So that's it. My first daily food diary. You may be thinking that these meals are low in carbs and they are. This is for the purpose of me wanting to shed some body fat. I try to keep my carb intake as low as possible. When following a low carb diet, your fuel will be coming from fats so I consume more fats than I ever have and look and feel so much better.

The key to feeling good and shedding pounds, I believe definitely lies in cutting down on sugar, processed foods and carbohydrates. Eating regularly too is a must! If you'd had told me years ago I could lose weight eating avocado, coconut oil, nuts, peanut butter and oily fish, I would never have believed you. The truth is, good fats can be used directly as fuel and do not cause weight gain. They will however give you great skin, hair and help with joint mobility.

I should also add that I drink water before each meal too and regularly throughout the day. Drinking water frequently has so many benefits and it can help you make better choices when it comes to eating too.

What are your favourite healthy foods?

Have you tried any of the foods I mentioned?

Please leave me a comment in the comment box and let me know.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumising Mascara Review

I first heard about Jordana Cosmetics, and in particular, this mascara after watching Lauren Curtis on YouTube. Lauren uses this mascara in nearly all of her videos and it always gives amazing results.

So, whilst in LA a couple of months ago, I decided to order two from Jordana Cosmetics online to try it out. I was instantly blown away and wanted to buy more. I found out that Kmart stock Jordana cosmetics so I trundled off there. As I approached the Jordana stand, I shrieked like a little girl when I saw there was an offer of 'Buy one get one 50% off'. I picked up four as it was just $4.50 for two! (That's about £3!)

The mascara comes in one shade - black. But that's fine by me!

$2.99 for 9ml.

The packaging of this mascara is nothing outstanding and the wand doesn't look anything special, so I wasn't expecting it to be that good. However I was greatly suprised to see how amazing my lashes looked after one application. No eyelash curlers, no eyelash primer, one coat of a $2.99 mascara and I looked like I had false lashes on *thumbs up*

Of course you can apply a second coat and be rest assured that it will give your lashes even more volume with no clumping. Huzzah!

Best Lash Extreme. One coat applied. No eyelash curlers used. (please ignore my brows, they don't look that bad from afar!)

Best Lash Extreme. One coat applied. No eyelash curlers used.

Once applied, it lasts ALL DAY. It holds the curl and shape, it doesn't clump and it gives the most amazing long lashes with minimal fuss and a quick and easy application.

There is no horrid smell here either, it looks simple and it is simply a fantastic mascara. I have tried really expensive ones and never will again. This is the cheapest mascara I have ever bought and it it without doubt the best. 

I have been using the same one since April and it has still not dried out nor has the consistency changed. There is no clumping, no smell, no changes at all.

It does everything it says on the tin (well, tube).

Benefit can keep their 'They're real' mascara, this one is a keeper!

It's so nice when you find a gem like this in an industry swamped with overpriced cosmetics. So, when I do find amazing bargains, I like to pass them on to you guys.

Now, the downside. Jordana Cosmetics are only available in the USA and Canada. You can buy this from ebay.com or from ebay.co.uk but expect to pay more in shipping.

For us Brits, I can recommend a very similar inexpensive one which is available from Superdrug. It is from Miss Sporty and called 'Pump Up Lash Booster' Available here This comes in at £3.99 and is pretty much as good as the Jordana one. Pump up Lash Booster is definitely my favourite mascara in the U.K. That is my backup when my Jordana ones run out!

I hope you found this review helpful and hopefully it saves you some money!

Will you be trying this mascara?

Or have you tried this mascara or any other products

from Jordana?

Please leave a comment in the comment box.

Thanks for stopping by!

Talking 'bout a revolution...

So, this new brand - Makeup Revolution seem to have popped up from nowhere and taken the blogging/beauty world by storm. The prices are comparable with MUA cosmetics but with a vast array of new and interesting high quality products, thus the appeal.

I recently blogged about their best selling eyeshadow palette, the Iconic 3 palette (see my previous blogpost) but of course, I couldn't resist ordering a few more products as everything looks so impressive.

The first thing I ordered was a baked highlighter. There are three shades to choose from but I chose 'Golden Lights'

Golden Lights 7.5g

If you are at all familiar with highlighters, you will know that one of the best selling highlighters of all time is 'Albatross' by Nars Cosmetics. The cost of it? £22.50. The cost of Golden Lights? £3! And believe me when I say that this budget buy is an incredible dupe for Nars Albatross. The packaging is also extremely sturdy and you get 7.5g of product. Most importantly, this looks impeccable on the skin and doesn't budge one bit throughout the day!

Next up are the mono eyeshadows.

Top to bottom : Finally, Promised Land and Illuminate 3.3g.

Mono shadow in 'Finally'

'Finally' swatched dry without primer.

Firstly, you are not going to believe me when I say these eyeshadows cost just £1 each. I kid you not! Yes, they are indeed £1 each!! Mind. Blown. I have NEVER tried an affordable eyeshadow as impressive as these. I think these may be my favourite product that I have ordered (so far). 

The shade 'Finally' is a gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous pale pinky/champagne colour which reminds me of 'Your Ladyship' by MAC. It gleams and shimmers, it's creamy, pigmented and lasts all day with no creasing. This is a great all over lid shade and can double up as an inner corner brightener. I absolutely love this.

Mono Shadow in 'Promised Land'

Swatched dry without primer.

'Promised Land' is a beautiful bronzey/tan shade. Again, it's shimmery, pigmented, creamy, has no fall out and lasts all day. This shade is great for all over the lid and a great shade for summer. A staple colour to own for summertime! 

Mono Shadow in 'Illuminate'

Swatched dry without primer.

'Illuminate' does just that. This highly pigmented gem doubles up as an inner corner brightener and a eye/face highlighter. This shade is remarkably similar to one of MAC'S best selling pigments...'Vanilla' *jumps up and down with joy* 

I am soooo impressed with these mono shadows. I have had shadows 15 times the price that do not offer this level of pigmentation and longevity. I will be repurchasing these and trying some more shades, for sure! 

There are 46 shades available.

Speaking of pigments...yep, Makeup Revolution got them covered too. I picked up two to try. 

L-R 'Dynamic' and 'Etiquette' 1.5g.

Pure Pigment in 'Dynamic'

Swatched dry without primer.

Dynamic is a dynamic coppery shade and so stunning. This pigment is slightly more shimmery than the mono shadows but equally pigmented and long lasting. I will get a lot of use out of this one. I am totally amazed at the quality of this and gobsmacked that it cost just £1! :-0

Pure Pigment in 'Etiquette' 1.5g

Swatched dry without primer.

Just look at that beauty. 'Etiquette' is a cool taupe toned brown with a subtle multi-tonal shimmer running through it. This is a stunning all over lid shade that will suit all skin tones and is suitable for day or night. Pigmented, smooth, stunning, shimmery and..no fall out here! I will totally repurchase this one.

There are 25 shades available.

Next, a new phenomenon to me...the Awesome Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow.

Awesome Metals Foil Finish in 'Magnificent Copper' 1.5g.

Swatched dry WITHOUT the primer.

This product is an eyeshadow with a metallic foil finish. It comes with a mixing tray and a liquid primer. You mix a bit of the awesome metals colour with the primer to create a high intensity foil finish. This is remarkably similar to the 'Magnificent Metals Foil Finish' by Stila. The stila ones cost £33.50 each and the Makeup Revolution ones cost £4! 

This colour is an intense and sparkly shade of copper. Absolutely stunning for creating a glossy eye to be paired with sunkissed skin. I am so excited to play with this more.

Awesome Metals Foil Finish 'Rose Gold' 1.5g.

Swatched dry WITHOUT the primer.

I love a bit of rose gold, so this was an obvious choice for me. True to it's name, a shimmering metallic rose gold. This will be getting used quite a bit! I have yet to try it with the primer but as it is a creamy consistency anyway, I applied it like that and it looked gorgeous!

After all those neutral tones, you want a bit of bright, right? You got it!

Redemption Palette Matte Brights 14g.

Matte eyeshadows are renowned for not giving as good a colour payoff as shimmer eyeshadows. So, I really wasn't expecting much from this as it cost just £4 for the whole palette! 12 shades for £4, they're not even going to show up, I thought. How I was wrong. All the swatches done above are DRY and with NO primer. Impressive huh? My only gripe is with the purple shade, I had to really rub it to get a bit of colour. But the rest are awesome! I'm gonna have to create a look with this very soon.

Finally I got a Lip gloss.

Amazing Sheer Lip Gloss 'Hush Hush' 

Swatched in natural light.

I just wanted a nice neutral lip gloss with a tinge of colour for the summer months. I got lucky here as this is exactly that. It is glossy and almost feels moisturising. It is not sticky at all and has a lovely subtle fruity scent. This is great for when you have played up your eyes and want a minimal lip. This cost £1! *Thumbs up*

That is all I have got so far, although another order is being placed VERY soon. 

As this brand is still new, I didn't want to go crazy buying too much in case it wasn't very good. Makeup Revolution as a brand is so consistent across the board, every type of product I have tried is fantastic and definitely on par with high end products. I will continue to purchase more products as they are amazing dupes for much more expensive brands and I am saving a small fortune without compromising quality.

I highly recommend you check them out. You can treat yourself without breaking the bank. Guilt free shopping! We all love a bit of that! Makeup Revolution is quickly becoming one of my favourite brands. I find myself reaching for these products on a day to day basis. They are THAT good.

Makeup revolution is only available online currently. You can order from their website here or from Superdrug .Look out for when Superdrug runs their 3 for 2 campaign, you can get even more products for your money! 

Have you tried anything from this brand yet?

Will you be trying anything you have seen here?

As always, thanks for your support and thanks for stopping by.