Battle of the Concealers: Boi-ing VS Kick Ass Concealer

I don't know about you, but I always find myself buying new concealers. I've always suffered with quite bad dark circles and am forever searching for a miracle concealer to make them vanish completely, well Benefit's 'Boi-ing' and Soap & Glory's 'Kick Ass Concealer' come pretty close. They are both really popular & talked about concealers. I bought the S&G concealer a while back but never really used it much as I was being loyal to my Collection concealer, but after recently buying bo-ing, I discovered that the 2 are very similar... They both have a similar consistency and are in very similar sized packaging. So what is the difference between the 2, which is the best?

In the photo above I have applied each concealer to one side of my face (apologies for the brightness, it's very gloomy outside today so I had to brighten it for you to be able to see anything!) As you can see, there isn't much difference between the 2 at all, apart from Boi-ing having slightly better coverage around my dark circles. They both have their pros & cons, S&G is better in the respect that it has 2 different colours in the pot, one for blemishes and the other for dark circles, it also has a setting powder & mirror in it, making it  better for 'on the go' fixes. Whereas, Boi-ing I feel has better coverage and stays on a lot longer, so there is no need for top ups throughout the day as S&G did seem to separate a bit more under my eyes and needed reapplying every few hours. Here is who I think wins each quality:

Packaging: S&G 

Staying power: bo-ing

Shade choices: boi-ing

Coverage: boi-ing

Price: S&G

Verdict: Both concealers are very good and similar, but I think boi-ing is the winner for me! Although I love the compact case that the S&G comes in and how convenient it is, I prefer a concealer that I don't have to keep topping up and boi-ing doesn't seem to separate on my skin too which is a bonus! You definitely get what you pay for, Benefit you have won me over again! However, if you don't want to spend £17.50 on a concealer as it is a little pricey, I would definitely recommend the S&G Kick Ass Concealer at £10 as it is a really good concealer and still one of my favourites - especially for my handbag.

Let me know if you have tried either of these & which one is your favourite!

TMI & Procrastination Tag

I was nominated to do this tag by the lovely Amy, it's a bit of a mix & match from a couple of tags and liebster awards but i'm going to give these questions a go as it also gives you a chance to know a little bit more about me!

1. Are you a very open or private person? 

It depends who I am with really. I think I am more of an open person in the respect that I just say things (normally without thinking) and everybody always seems to know everything that is going on in my life! But that's with people that I want to be more open with.. I can also be quite a private person, with certain things or with people that I don't feel like I can be completely open with.

2. If money was no object, where would you move to?

I would probably stay in England, although the idea of moving to Florida and having Disneyworld on my doorstep sounds tempting.. I would love to have my own little house and decorate everything exactly how I want and have 15 cats, 10 dogs, 2 hamsters and a fish, oh and micro pig!

3. Who was the last person to make you cry?

I genuinely can't remember the last time that I cried! I think it was probably watching 'Prisonners' even though the film isn't sad at all, it for some reason made me really teary! I think it was because it was about 2 little girls getting kidnapped and I could just imagine how horrible it would feel losing my little sister.

4. Is there a song that can bring you to tears instantly?

There is none that could really bring me to tears, but there are some songs that remind me of people that can make me feel upset, but also happy upset (if that makes sense?!) One is 'Time to say Goodbye' although it is a bit of a typical one, it will always remind me of a loved one. Quite a lot of Disney songs make me a bit emotional too! But thats also in a happy/sad way!

5.  Do you believe in soul mates?

I'm not sure whether I do or not, tricky one.. I do in some respects, but then I don't. Haven't got an answer to this one i'm afraid!

6. What age to people usually mistake you for?

People always think i'm younger than I am, the fact that I still have braces (after 4 years) probably doesn't help! But I recently got mistaken for a 15 year old (I'm 20 this year!) *cries*

7. What are you wearing?

I am currently wearing my Polar Bear onesie as my room is about -1000 degrees at this moment in time!

8. Have you ever been in love?

Yes

9. How tall are you?

5"5

10. How much do you weigh?

Oh god, lets not get into this! I'm a size 10 if that helps you think of my weight!

11. Any piercings?

Yep, I have both of my ears pierced, only once now (I used to have about 3/4 in each) my belly button & my nose.

12. Favourite TV show?

It's got to be Catfish I think! I can't get enough of it, they need to hurry up and make more though as I seem to be watching the same episodes over & over again!

13. Quality you look for in a partner?

Somebody with a sense of humour. There's nothing worse than trying to have a laugh with a brick wall, I also like it when somebody has a talent (as long as they don't show off!)

14. Favourite quotation?

I don't really have one in particular but I love this quote. "If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing started with a dream and a mouse." - Walt Disney

15. Fears?

I ABSOLUTELY hate storms! Even the sound of the wind literally makes me want to cry when i'm in bed, let alone thunder & lightning ahhh! Also, this is a really weird one but I despise wrists, like I can barely look at them they freak me out!

16. What is your daily beauty routine?

I cleanse & tone using my trusty Liz Earle products (I have just written a post on them!) then moisturize, then apply Benefit Porefessional & then my make up. 

19. When going out somewhere how long does it take you to get ready?

It depends where i'm going, for College I take around 20 minutes to get ready but if i'm going out in the evening I can take around an hour (depending what I am doing with my hair, it takes hours to control this frizzy mess!)

20. How organised is your makeup and nail polish collection?

So organized, there is nothing worse for me than having messy make up. Even if the rest of my room is a complete pig sty, as long as my make up is neat we're all good to go!

Thanks for reading & thank you Amy for nominating me!

I nominate: 
My Cup Of Tea
China Doll Diaries
Lauren Evie
Hollybee

Good luck answering these questions!

REVIEW: Liz Earle - Skin Saviour

I had always struggled when it came to shopping for skincare products. I have terrible combination skin, around my nose gets soo dry whereas my forehead is the complete opposite and you basically fry an egg on it when its bad (gross, I know but all you oily girls will understand!) I had always found myself buying the wrong type of skincare or wasting my money on moisturizers that swear they're a miracle cream. It wasn't until I started using Liz Earle that I realized I had been using all of the wrong things.

The first thing from the range that I tried was the 'Cleanse & Polish' which is a hot cloth cleanser. I'd never really bothered with a hot cloth before, I had the No.7 one but rarely used it - but using this for the first time the results were amazing! I had never felt my skin feeling so soft, all of my dry areas had vanished and my face felt like a babies bottom! You apply it to a dry face, or a full face of make up and rub it in (leave your eyes till last though or you will end up with black all over your face!) then soak the muslin cloth in warm water and use it remove the cleanser/make up off your face & splash yourself with cold water. I use this every night and morning and my skin has never felt better! It has a lovely natural smell to it as well, it is definitely the best cleanser that I have ever used!

The next thing that I love is the 'Instant Boost Skin Tonic'. I use this on a cotton wool pad and wipe it over my face before applying my moisturizer and it definitely helps to leave my skin looking more radiant and fresh! Again it has a really natural lovely smell to it and I don't think I will stop using it any time soon! The 200ml bottle also lasts for aaaages which is always a plus!

Next up is the 'Skin Repair Moisturiser - Normal/Combination'. I purchased a sample sized tube for this, I had heard so many positive reviews on it but having tricky skin I wanted to make sure that I liked it enough to pay for the big pot. I put this on every night before bed and every morning after I've cleansed & toned, it leaves my skin feeling amazing every time without fail! I have finally found a moisturizer that battles my dry and oily areas and leaves them feeling wonderful (wooo!) This also creates a great base for applying make up as the skin feels so smooth. I'm nearly out of my little tube, but will 100% be ordering the full sized one on pay day!

Last but not least is the 'Gentle Face Exfoliator', I have quite sensitive skin and so I needed an exfoliator that didn't irritate or take half of my skin off with it. This has the perfect balance for everything, it leaves my skin again feeling really soft and removes any dry skin around my nose without making it sore or irritated afterwards. I don't use this every night, just when I feel like my skin needs a bit'a scrubbin'. Again, smells lovely & natural.

So there you have it, I am definitely a Liz Earle woman now! I couldn't recommend it enough, especially for those of you with combination/oily skin. Sorry if I have rambled a bit here, but I had to share my love for these products with you all! I hope this has helped anyone who was ooh-ing and aah-ing whether to try any of her products or if you were looking for a product to save your skin!

Have you tried Liz Earle before? What are your favourite products - let me know!

Cookie love

Hello everyone! I just had to share with you all the cookies that I baked last night, having a college deadline today of course I left everything till last minute and did some baking to delay things even more! (terrible I know) I followed this recipe which makes Millie's Cookies type chewy, amazing, chocolate cookies! I attempted these the other night using a different recipe and it was a bit of a disaster! But these went quite well and I had to share them with you, you should definitely give this recipe a go!

Hope everyone had a good weekend, let me know if you give this a go!

SensatioNail

The other day, my best friend came down from University so what better way to spend it than going shopping and doing nails! I used the SensatioNail kit to do her nails in the colour 'pink chiffon'. This kit is basically like Shellac but one that you use at home, the gels are designed to last around 2 weeks without chipping and make your nails really strong, which is great if you're trying to grow your nails, or if they are prone to breaking like mine! It takes no longer than 30 minutes to finish the nails and the lamp dries them instantly so if you're an impatient nail-drying-waiter then this is perfect for you. The kit is a bit pricey a £69.99 but it is definitely worth it, especially if you regularly visit the salon as they charge around £20 a time for Shellac. You can buy the starter kit here in Boots in a variety of different colours and you can also buy the colours seperately in loads of stores! It comes with everything that you need to apply the gels and everything that you need to remove them afterwards so that they do not ruin your natural nail. (You can also apply this to acrylics). I think this set is definitely a good investment and leaves nails looking lovely!

Have you tried this kit or anything similar?

REVIEW: Naked Basics

Hello! So I finally got my hands on the beautiful Urban Decay Naked Basics palette. I was ooing and aahing whether to get this one, or the original Naked palette, but being an Urban Decay virgin I thought I would go with the basics! The colours are all quite matte, apart from 'Venus' which is lovely as a highlighter as it's a bit more shimmery. This palette is so versatile and so many looks can be achieved with it, I haven't had much chance to play around with it yet, i've only used it for my every day sort of look, but I love it! The colours are so strong so not much is needed at all at they stay on a long time which is always a plus! I would 100000% recommend this palette to anyone who hasn't yet tried it, or any of the Naked palettes! Or for beginners as the colours are really wearable and easy to create a 'nude' look!

(Swatches for the 6 colours in the palette, my favourite is Venue & Naked 2!)

This is quite a basic look that I created using Venus, Naked 2 & Faint. (The camera doesn't do this any justice, it makes it look awful and blotchy, it doesn't look like this in real life!) but is a subtle look :) I hope this has helped anyone who was deciding whether to buy it or not!

What is your favourite palette?

Mini Benefit Haul

     

Hello!

Yesterday I went shopping and bought myself lots of presents! Some of my favourite things from my shopping trip were indeed my bits from Benefit as it is my guilty pleasure. (And my naked basics palette wooo!) I also got a nice little gift bag sort of thing when I bought these bits, which I just thought was really cute, not sure what I will use it for yet but it is just so pretty! So anyway, here's what I got:

Porefessional: I had the mini size of this and I absolutely loved it! (I have done a review on it before if you haven't seen!) It 'blurs' your skin and leaves it looking pore-free and is a really nice surface to put your make up on to!

They're Real mascara: This has always been a favourite of mine, it has to be one of, if not the best mascara I have ever used. It's quite pricey at £19.50 but I definitely think that it is worth it.

Boi-ing: I had been dying to try this concealer, i've seen so many good reviews on it and couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I got it in shade 1 as I like them being lighter than my skin to brighten it, I can't wait to try it!

Full Glam Ahead: This is a cute little set of the mini sizes, I have already tried the High Beam and BaDGal Lash mascara before, but I wanted to try the Stay Don't Stray eyelid and under eye primer and for £9.50 for the lot I don't think it's too bad! The mini sizes are really handy for your handbag or when you're staying the night somewhere.

I will be putting a haul up soon for the rest of the things that I got on my shopping trip!

Have you tried any of these bits before? If so, what's your favourite?

Bye Bye Hair

 (Don't really know what my face is doing in this picture...)

Hello everyone!

So, after much hesitation I went and had the chop. My hair was getting in such bad condition, despite how many products I used to try and bring it back to life, it was dead *get your violin out*. It's not quite long enough to throw up in a messy bun which is hard for me, as it is the only way I seemed to wear my hair! But it is sooo nice to have it looking healthy again, so I am going to say bye bye to home dyes and look after my hair once and for all! 

Gothic glam

Hello!

Lately i've found myself wearing the same 3 lipsticks over and over again so I decided enough was enough and it was time for change! When rummidging(is that how you spell it?!) through my lipsticks I came across a 'Gothic Glam' lipstick by Collection that I had completely forgotten about. It's so pigmented and I don't know why I stopped wearing it! It can look a bit 'too much' sometimes, depending on what you're wearing it with or what other make up you have on, but I think it's a really nice colour to have on, especially in the evening. I have it in number 3 which is 'Revenge'. They have it in 3 colours and I will definitely invest in the other 2 as they are such nice, deep colours!

(Please excuse how grumpy I look!)

Have you tried any of the Gothic Glam range, if so what's your favourite colour?

Enjoy your Sunday!

Beauty Wishing

Hello everyone!

There are soo many things that I am loving at the moment, yet so many things that I am dying to get my hands on! I thought i'd share with you some of the things that are on my wish list right now, enjoy!

1) First up is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in 'Ethereal Glow'. I've heard so many wonderful things about this and am dying to try it, how gorgeous does it look!?

2) Next is YSL Rouge Pur Couture - The Mats lipstick in 203 'Rouge Rock'. This is sooo beautiful! The colour is so lovely and the packaging is what tops it off (lets be honest) YSL never fail to make amazing looking products.

3) Third is the Stila in the light eyeshadow palette this has such nice neutral colours in it, i've seen this used in so many videos and it just looks gorgeous! (And comes with an eyeliner too, even better).

4) Next is the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, yet again i've heard such amazing things about this concealer, quite a lot of people have recommended it to me as well as I am a bit of a concealer freak and have a thing for them!

5) Number five is the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, i've wanted to try this for so so long, I love Benefit products (probably one of my favourite, if not favourite brand) but haven't tried this for some strange reason, so this is definitely on my 'to buy' list!

6) Next is the beauty blogger's fav, the Naked Basics by Urban Decay. Now I don't actually own any Urban Decay palettes *shock horror!*  but I think this is definitely the first one that i'm going to invest in. It has such usable colours in it and just looks lovely!

7) Number seven is Bumble and Bumble Straight Shampoo I have naturally reaaaaally frizzy hair and so I really want to try this shampoo to see how well it tames my frizz! (Again have heard such good things about this brand).

8) Last but not least is the Bobbi Brown Blush in 'Desert Rose'. I'm a bit of a sucker for blushers, especially pinky girly ones! The pigmentation in these look amazing and I cant wait to try it!

There you have my top 8 (random number) things on my wish list at the moment!

If you have tried any of the above, let me know what you think of them!

P.S, whilst writing this I had the most amazing creation ever.. Cadbury's egg n' spoons! Oh my god, if you haven't tried them, go out and buy them, they're heavenly!

Something different

Hello everyone!

So, a couple of weeks ago I popped a bit of art on here and a lot of you have said you'd be interested in me sharing some of my art on here with you guys, so here goes! It's now a beauty-makeup-lifestyle-artyfarty blog, hurrah! This is appropriate anyway as art is taking over so much of my life at the moment (get your violins out).

Enjoy this pencil drawing of Lana Del Rey I did a few months back until I put my next 'normal' post up!

Hope everyone's having a good week :)

What kind of posts would you like me to start posting more of?

REVIEW: B.Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colour

Hello lovelies!

I really like the 'B' range which is exclusive at Superdrug, i've tried some of their products and everything so far I have really liked! Anyway, I was lucky enough to try one of their 'B.Vibrant Lip & Cheek Colours' for free and I chose the colour 'Alecia'. It's quite a vibrant coraly/orange colour which I think it will be a lot better just as a lipstick and not as much for cheeks. (As can be used for both).

This is the colour on (without flash)

 (with flash) excuse the poor quality!

Firstly, I reaaally love the colour, it's more orange than other lipsticks that I own and orange is 'the colour' to wear this spring! However, it doesn't seem to last very long at all and only seems to stay on around the outside of my lips, like a lip liner which leaves the inner parts of my lip with nothing on.. Now, I don't know whether this is just me applying it all wrong or something but it seems to come off quite easily! Nethertheless,  it's a really nice colour and feels really moisturising on my lips and is good if it is not needed to last all day or you don't mind topping your lipstick up throughout the day!

They do about 5 colours in the range, all really bright and vibrant (and 1/3 off at the moment at superdrug!)

What are your favourite lip products at the moment?

REVIEW: Revlon Highlighting Palette (rose glow)

Hello!

Today I was at work and stumbled across this beauty, I had been really excited to try this for a while but being a small store, the Superdrug I work at hadn't stocked it before. Anyway, I found it in a make up draw with stock to come out on Wednesday and had to buy it! (Along with the new matte balms, which are going to be £5.99 on Wednesday) I bought it in 'Rose Glow' which is a lot pinker than the other one which was 'Bronze Glow'. 

This is really similar to the Bobbi Brown Shimmer brick, but at a fraction of the price at £6.99  (although I think they're going back up to £8.99 on Wednesday.) I was a bit hesitant as to whether i'd like how shimmery it was, as it looks really sparkly in the pan, however when it is applied it's barely got any sparkle in it at all! I really like this product and definitely want to buy the other colour, however I was expecting it to show up a bit more than it does, although it does add a nice rosey tone to your cheeks. 

Look how pretty the colours are!

 I've tried to take a photo of it but the lighting in my room is rubbish so i've had to use the flash so you cant see anything apart from a ghost face! But if you tilt the screen a bit you can kind of see it a bit better haha (Although I don't think the highlighter makes that much of a difference anyway) However this might all be down to the lighting in my room, i'm going to use it again in the morning and hopefully will be able to see more! Probably should have done this post tomorrow once i've used it properly... but i'm extremely impatient and had to tell you all!

P.S please excuse how awful I look, I had been at work all day and my hair is everywhere!

Overall i'm quite happy with this product and look forward to trying the other colour!

What's your favourite highlighter?

Hair lovin'

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to share with you some of my favourite hair products at the moment, I realised lately that I don't really take much care over my hair at all and normally just sling it up in a bun, which is really boring everyday! so my new years resolution (starting from now) is to start taking more care of it and do more interesting things with it!

These are some of the things that I am luuuurvin' at the moment!

First up is the 'Urban Fudge' hairspray, which I think you can only buy at Superdrug. It's iced raspberry and vanilla and ohhh my god it smells amazing for a hairspray and it holds my hair in place all day without making it too crispy. Oh and it's half price at Superdrug at the moment so I would recommend you all go and buy it, i'm sure you will love it as much as me!

Next we have Aussie. I have loved Aussie for years but for some reason I stopped using it for a while, not really sure why... Anyway, I bought it again as I think it was on a 3 for £10 deal which is amazing and I can't stop using it again! I get the 'miracle moist', It smells of bubblegum and is genuinely the nicest smelling shampoo/conditioner I have ever smelt in my life, and it makes my hair feel so soft as well (my hairs quite dry and damaged). I use the shampoo and conditioner every time I wash my hair, and the 3 minute miracle treatment once a week as it's quite intense. I always get comments on how nice my hair smells since using it again as the smell is quite strong and I just love love love it!

Another thing I have been loving lately is the Kerastase 'elixir ultime' for damaged hair. I put some of this on the ends of my hair after washing it and sometimes before/during straightening it if it's feeling quite dry. My hair is really damaged after years of home dyes and this is one product that definitely helps it feel softer and it seems to help it stay straighter for longer, as I have reaaaallly frizzy/curly hair! Although it is pricier than normal serums, I would definitely recommend if your hair is damaged and in need of a little love!

Last but not least is my Tangle Teezer. This is perfect for my hair type especially as it is really prone to getting knotty and using a normal brush kills half the time! This is amazing for extensions as well as it avoids pulling the hairs out that would normally get ruined due to knots. I really love the look of these as well, especially the pink one! They are all really bright colours and can get all sorts of different patterns, again I would recommend to anyone, especially with longer hair :)

Do you have a hairstyle that you always end up doing?

Room tour!

Hello! 

So lately i've been seeing quite a lot of people doing 'room tours' and things, so I thought, hey why not do one! I haven't taken photos of my room as a whole as there's sooo much I want to do to my room, so instead i've just taken photos of little things :) I love being nosey and looking at peoples make up, rooms etc so this one is for all of you nosey people who also enjoy looking at peoples things! Hope you enjoy and if you want to know where anything is from then just ask!

Happy Wednesday!