Dupe #7 NARS Orgasm Blusher

This dupe came apparent by complete accident whilst looking through makeup. This elf studio blusher in 'Candid Coral' reminded me immediately of Nars' 'Orgasm', and sure enough, they are too similar not to mention! 

Nars Orgasm is one of my favourite blushers but, being a high end product, is a little more on the pricey side coming in at £21.50.

On the other hand, this elf blusher was just £3.95, making it more than considerably cheaper. Although elf is more difficult to get in the UK and most of Europe, it can be purchased online so is still available. (+ elf often have great online deals, so keep an eye out) These also come in a large selection of colours, some which may be even more similar to NARS' Orgasm!

The shades are not exactly the same as the elf shade is slightly more dusty and as the name suggests, Coral, although they are remarkably similar, both pink tones with a golden shimmer under-tone. Not only this, but the packaging is also similar, with a sturdy black casing and a mirror. 

In the swatch below, the shade on the right is NARS, and elf in the left.

For the price, the pigmentation of the elf blusher is fantastic, so although I would say if you already have the NARS option, you would not need both, but it is definitely worth a try of the elf blusher before splashing out. 

Thanks for reading,

Lou 

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Book Haul: Charity Shop

One of our absolute favourite places to go searching for books is charity stores. You can go with a book in mind and if you're lucky, find it, or go with an open mind to read anything and find some great new authors.

Recently, I went to find some books to read during the summer and found not only some interesting new ones, but also books I've been searching for before.

1. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

2. "Dear John" by Nicholas Sparks

3. "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks

4. "The Crocodile Bird" and "Simisola" by Ruth Rendell

The charity shop I purchased these at was Cancer Research UK, although the deals vary in different places, paperbacks are usually around 25p each, in which case you can't really go wrong.

Technology now means that most people can buy books on tablets or even use audible books, but I have always preferred to have a physical book and if you do want some, this is the best way to go about it and the quality often could be mistaken for an almost brand new book.

Thanks for reading,

Lou

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American Haul: Florida Gifts

My dad has just returned from Florida where he went on holiday whilst I was in Greece (Haul to come soon - Keep an eye out). Needless to say he HAD to bring bacck goodies from America and this is what I will talk about in the post. Individual reviews will also be posted on the Bath and Body Works candles and the EOS lipbalms (which we are planning to compare to the Balmi ones which are in the UK in Boots). 

One of the first things I always ask for when some body goes to America is VOGUE America. I am a suscriber to the English VOGUE and I absolutely love it. The American version is obvioulsy quite similar but it features more American designers and celebrities and actually size wise is a bit smaller in height and page number. But anyway it just interests me to read another version of the same magazine and it's another excuse to spend most of my time reading magazines!

The second thing which was brought back (I'm still not quite sure abut these to be honest) are Minnie Mouse screen protectors. They go on like a normal screen protector however at the top and the bottom of the screen there is a Minnie Mouse design. They come in a pack of 3 and on the back it says they were $9.95. In my opinion that's quite pricey, being converted to around £6. However if you are a big fan of Minnie Mouse then these are a perfect buy for you. I think they come from a Disney sstore out there but I  am not entirely sure. I'm just not too sure about the look on my phone, I like more minimal designs.

Another suprise purchase by my dad (he knows me pretty well so usually gets me somthing I will use) are the Havaianas flip flops. I already have a pair of these flip flops and they are the comfiest things ever! I would definitely recommend investing in a pair of these. There is the more classic style or the pearl look ones like these pink ones. There are even Havaianas stoes in London in which you can choose the colour of the strap and the sole to your own choice. I believe they are about £20 over here and are available from Office however they last F O R E V E R. I promise you! Another added feature of these ones is that they are a slim version (my feet are so skinny I have real trouble finding shoes) and this style is definitely available online at Office (it maybe in store too, I don't have a store close to me for me to check). Another little tip before I move onto another one of the presents  - I know I've gone on about this footwear - is that some times these are available in TKMaxx for just over half the price of Office so if you live near a TKMaxx you need to get down there, although there is obviously not enough colour range there as Office stocks, they are still bargains!

Right, on to a brief first impression of the Bath and Body Works Candes (I will do a full review, I promise!). I have the flavour 'Gelato" and "Paris Daydream". W O W. They smell so amazing. Gelato is quite a sweet but Paris Daydream smells soooo good. It basically just smells a bit like Abercrombie and Fitch and I've also heard that Mahogany Teakwood smells like that so I will be getting someone to buy me that one too. The packagaing of these is so cute with the lids. One thing I will mention of you are bringing these back from America is that it may be better to package them in bubble wrap and clothes and then put them in your case that goes in the hold as my dad got stopped with them in his hand luggage and the security guards had to take them out and smell them to make sure they were candles!!!!!! It's just not worth having to leave them at the airport as that really would be tragic!

Laslty the Eos lipbalms (I think we can safely say that peanut M&Ms are basically the same apart from the packaging). I got the flavour mint (the blue one), strawberry (the baby pink one) and summer fruit (the red one). I really like the mint scent and the strawberry one but I don't really like sweet scents so summer fruit falvour is too much for me. These are a really good bargain though as they work out about £3 I think.

I shall be doing more hauls soon (from Greece) and probably from Glasgow where we are both going for the Commonwealth games.

Thanks for reading,

Rose

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Book Review: P.S. I Love You - Cecelia Ahern

I've just finished reading P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern and it was a fantastic read!

I know the movie is a very popular one but I am yet to watch it as I wanted to read the book first and I ,just say, I now cannot wait to watch the movie! The tale is absolutely gripping and I couldn't put it down, I laughed and cried simultaneously and the overall storyline as well as the lessons the book shared are really incredible.

I'm definitely interested in looking at more books by this author now and am really excited to see what else she has available. A definite recommendation from me! 

Thanks for reading,

Lou

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Summer Prom Eye Makeup

This post is of the eye makeup I wore to my prom this year. My base makeup is relatively simiple and often peoples perferences for base and face makeup vary depending on skin types, tones etc. so this is just my eye makeup. 

1. Primer: Urban Decay Primer Potion

2. Base Eye Shadow: Mac Paint Pot in 'Indianwood' 

3. Inner Corner Shadow: UD Virgin (Naked Shade One)

4. Crease Shadow: UD Buck (Naked Shade 5) 

5. Tightline Kohl Liner: Urban Decay 24/7 in 'Zero' 

5. Upper lash liner: Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in 'Black Ink'

6. Mascara: Benefit They're Real

7. Eyebrows: Kiko Precision Eyebrow Pencil in '04' 

Thanks for reading, 

Lou 

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Florida Packing: Clothes

I'm going to Florida for 10 days in the middle of July so today my packing started and here are the items I'll be taking with me. 

I'm trying as hard as I can to limit the amount I'm taking as I have plans to be doing a lot of shopping, and running out of space/weight is not going to be an option! 

The contents have been reduced to:

2 pairs of shoes

10 tshirts 

2 pairs of shorts

1 pair of light trousers

1 skirt 

1 dress 

Added to my clothing, which has been rolled on the right hand size, I have my underwear, pyjamas, shoes and Disney ears on the left size (minus the clothes I'll be wearing for the journey)

There is plenty more to be added before I leave, including plenty of accessories and makeup and cosmetics which will come under another post, but for now these will be the pieces staying in there.

Thanks for reading,

Lou

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Dupe #6 Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Moisturiser

"Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions All-Over Clearing Treatment" and "Essence Pure Skin Anti-Spot Moisturizer"



On my recent holiday to Greece I forgot my Clinique Moisturiser so I had to take a trip to the Hondos Centre near my hotel to try and find an anti-spot moisturiser as I had my prom the following week and I did not want to leave anything to chance! This is when this dupe was found, like many of our other dupes, this was also totally by accident.

I had never heard of the brand Essence in the UK before however when I got home I conducted some research and turns out Essence makeup is available in Wilkinson although I could not find the moisturiser still. On the other hand I think I will have to try out some of their nail polishes as they look like a good dupe for the Bourjois ones. Anyway to other international readers it seems to be quite a widely available in most drugstores in Europe and beyond. Admittedly in Greece I did not have a lot of choice of anti-spot ranges, one thing that quite surprised me, as in about every drugstore in the UK there is a whole section dedicated to blemish defense. In Greece this market is obviously not as big. Even Clean and Clear only had 4 products in the whole 3 story shop!

Onto the Essence moisturiser it has a good texture like the Clinique one, maybe even more matte, which makes it perfect to use as a primer under makeup. It applies well and feels smooth on the skin, while providing a little moisture which is just enough for my normal type skin however would not be moisturising enough for someone with even slightly dry skin by any means. One thing that I first noticed about this moisturiser is that it has a green tint however after thinking about this it is probably designed to combat redness although I'm not sure that it really does in particular as it sinks into the skin pretty quickly rather than covering any blemishes. Smell wise it smells of a mixture of sun cream and cucumber even though it does not say that it contains an SPF. The claims on the packaging says that the cream does the following things:

• Fights spots and blackheads
• Refines and Mattifies the Skin
• Visibly reduces redness

I agree that the cream reduces and mattifies the skin and to some extent it helps to fight spots and blackheads but I think it more helps to keep them at bay rather than helping any existing spots to go down. And as to reducing redness, I must say I haven't really noticed this.

Now onto the clinique one. For the price difference, I must say that this one is not amazingly different. It does have a very nice texture and is more moisturising than the Essence one which I prefer in terms of making my skin look healthy and meaning makeup apply well. The packaging is very similar to the Essence one, with the only thing making it slightly more luxurious is the more metallic packaging and obviously the brand logo. It battles blemishes at about the same rate as the Essence one so overall obviously the Essence one is better value although the Clinique one has a slightly nicer smell but that does not justify the price difference with the Clinique Moisturiser (50ml) coming it £19 at compared to the Essence moisturiser converting to roughly £2.90 (75ml) depending on where in the world you buy it.

So overall I can confidently say that although I do love the Clinique moisturiser the Essence one definitely puts up an amazing battle for the price.

Thanks for Reading,
Rose
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