E.l.f Studio Eyeliner Brush & Cream Liner Review

Hey everyone, I wanted to do a review on the E.l.f Studio eyeliner brush and the cream eyeliner in Black. I heard that the eyeliner brush was being raved about so for £3.50 I thought why not?

I had bought the cream eyeliner previously and used the angled brush it came with although it was really rubbish  and I could never get a nice precise line with it.

Studio Cream Eyeliner

Glides on smoothly but you do need to keep dipping the brush back in quite a lot and you need quite a bit on the brush.

It's quite pigmented but I like to go over a few times just get a nice depth of colour.

The packaging is nice too, similar to high end gel liners.

Long lasting but tends to wear off in the inner and outer corners by the end of the day.

For the price I think it's a fantastic liner. 

Because you need a lot of product, the pot can start drying out sooner as you'll have the top off for a while.

In all, a nice product, good value and will certainly purchase again. Buy it here in Black and lots of other colours too for £3.50.

Studio Angled Eyeliner Brush

I wanted this brush for a long time and one evening when Elf had a free shipping offer I thought why not?

I was so excited to get it and it's featured in a recent haul here. I can say I'm so happy with this brush, it does exactly what you want it to do, it's glides over the eye effortlessly and smoothly. It's a tapered brush too so you vary the thickness and precision of you liner and get the detail just right.

I love the angle of the brush and it really helps when doing a winged line. It's just a perfect brush and I wouldn't even consider changing for a high end liner brush.

I have literally nothing bad to say about this brush at all. 10/10! 

Buy it here for £3.50.

T.L.B

xxx

Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment - first 3 days

 Hi guys, just an update on my acne journey and how things have progressed.

I went to the pharmacy a few days ago because I wanted to bite the bullet and accept that my acne needed a helping hand by getting a 10% benzoyl peroxide cream. 

You can buy this cream almost anywhere and it comes in 2 strengths, a  5% BP (for sensitive skin & beginners) or the one I bought which is 10% BP. You can buy this in pretty much any pharmacy or at Boots for £2.65 (so cheap!)

What this cream does is dry out the layers of skin to get rid of the spots and acne. Using 2-3 times a day on clean skin you can start seeing results within 2 weeks. I only apply it 2 times a day because I wear makeup during the day.

Day 1 - I only used this at night as I bought it after I put my makeup on this morning. The cream is like a white powdery paste if that makes sense, it rubbed into the skin well and I didn't seem to notice any discomfort.

Day 2 - After applying this once in the morning and again at night I began to feel my skin burning slightly and certainly more uncomfortable but the instruction leaflet did say I would experience this and it shows the product is working. My skin felt much better after applying my moisturiser though.

Day 3 - Today I have woken up and my face is so dry, flakey and stingy. This is normal but it's very uncomfortable. I washed my face using a natural soap and applied the cream to my acne. It STUNG! My skin is changing though, the acne is drying up but still looks super red although I'm sure the pigmentation in my skin has changed over the years. The super bad stinging only lasts a few minutes and I waft a piece of card over my face because the old breeze helps to soothe the skin until that stinging feeling fades. I realised today that my skin would need a much heavier moisturiser so I have put lots of E45 cream on and hoped for the best.

I will keep you updated on how the treatment goes and hopefully when 2 weeks is up my skin will be improving and my skin will have become a little more used to the product and not sting like crazy all the time!

Have you used any benzoyl peroxide products before? Tell me your experience

T.L.B

xxx

Things I Can't Live Without

Hi guys, so this is going to be items or products I can't live without. I have some beauty, makeup and haircare bits so there will be something to interest everyone (I hope). I use everything every single day (almost) and I honestly would be lost without them!

Ok, so here goes!

Tigi Bead Head Foxy Curls shampoo

Tigi Catwalk Headshot conditioner

I love these products so much, I wash my hair every other day and I know it's bad for hair to be washed so much but I can't stand having greasy hair. I never wear my hair natural because my hair because I hate it so I do have to blowdry it and use my straighteners everyday so using a shampoo and conditioner that keeps it moisturised and protected is so important. I buy these produts from TK Maxx, the shampoo is around £5.00 and the conditioner is around £12. They'll last you ages so it's worth the money.

Garnier Pure 3in1 cleanser

This is my favourite cleanser, it does everything it says on the bottle and I literally can't live without it now it's just amazing. For everyone that knows about my acne problems and dry skin, having this product makes my skin so smooth and soft. I got it for about £4.00 and you can buy it from the drugstore.

Eyelure Dylash

Ok, so I'm obsessed with eyebrows. I need to have dark eyebrows as I've got dark hair so dying them is a must. I find this one to be brilliant and does just the job and lasts for about a month before you need to dye them again. A box will last nearly a year and you can also use it on eyelashes too. Such a great investment. Around £8 in the drugstore.

Soap & Glory body butter and hand cream

Love. love , love these. I use them every single day after my bath and my skin is transformed afterwards. It's good to get these when they're on the 3 for 2 offer at Boots. I use so much of the body butter and it has the typical S&G smell. £8.00 ish and £2.50 ish for the hand food.

Simple light moisturiser around £4 drugstore

E.l.f brush cleaner £3.50 www.eyeslipsface.co.uk

Revlon ColorStay in Ivory £12.50 drugstore

Mac lipstick in Faux £13.50 maccosmetics.co.uk

17 brow pencil around £3 boots.com

Naked Palette £35 debenhams.co.uk

If I didn't have any of these products, I would die! Simple!

E.l.f brushes range from £1.50 to £3.50

These have to be the biggest influence in my make up kit. They are so cheap and they last well. 

What are your favourites you can't live without?

T.L.B

xxx

E.l.f Haul

Hi, guys

I recently got some things from e.l.f when they had a free shipping code with a free gift so here's what I got and what I think of them so far. 

The product I was most excited to receive was the Angled Eyeliner Brush, now I will do a separate blog post about this and the e.l.f cream eyeliner so keep your eyes peeled for that soon ;).

Nail Polish in Twinkle - I didn't own a sparkly nail polish so when I seen that this was in the sale section on the website for £1.00 I had to get it. I've tried it out and I actually like it, the sparkles are just enough to wear everyday and it's not in your face. The polish dried semi-matte which I wasn't crazy about but I just put a clear top coat over it to get the glossy effect.

Warm Bronzer - I already have a bronzer which I use to contour everyday but I like to try out new things so decided to get this for £3.50. I like the shades but they are really sheer and it doesn't have any matte shades in it. However there is a highlighter and blush in there so it's perfect for travelling. I think I need to get to know this bronzer more before I can give a true opinion on it but I do like it so far and have been wearing it everyday.

Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara - This is the second one I've bought and i'd repurchase this a million times, I love it so much! I don't use the mascara side, I just use that on my brows after the brow side is used up. This product is a God send for setting eyebrows, it keeps them in shape all day. Perfect. This was £1.50 and last ages.

Defining Eye Brush - I have lots of e.l.f brushes and I love them. They do just the job and at £1.50 each you can't complain at all. I wanted this brush to add to my collection and just like all the others I am so happy with it. I've been using this for applying shadow to the outer corners of my eye.

The free gift!

Day to Night Beauty-on the-go.

I have to be fair, I wasn't expecting these to be be great and sadly I'm not really loving some of the things in it. I quite like some of the shadows, especially the black sparkly one in the Night palette but I just don't like the blushes, they seem far to powdery and sheer, they just don't appear on the skin. The second thing I got for free was the Shimmer Pencil in Black, which I do love! I wore this today and it's lasted all day without too much smudging or movement. It's not so great on the waterline but I don't like wearing Kohl liners on the waterline.

Get all the products here and there's lots more to check out so go see the website now!

What e.l.f products do you rate? Let me know so I can try them out!

Updated - The Trouble With Me

Well, hello again!

I'm sorry if some of you are sick of reading these acne/skincare posts but I do hope they help someone out there!

As you'll know if you read my previous post on my acne, I had been having a major breakout, like the worst one in AGES and it was just sore, dry and I didn't know what to do or where to start. It was really getting me down so I thought it was time to really think about what might have happened to cause me to have such a big breakout.

After having an informal chat with someone at Clinique in boots, the lady told me my skin seemed to be bacterial and hormone related acne and I'd need to see the doctor to get some antibiotics. Now, having been on antibiotics before I just wasn't keen on going on them again, because i didn't think they helped and being on them long term, well, you never know what the long tern affects might be. I'm the kind of person that hates to take a painkiller for a headache never mind an antibiotic so going down that route was just out of the question for me.

I decided to treat my skin naturally the best way I could, even if I could just calm the inflammation, I'd be happy so i decided to use the Honey&Olive Oil face mask method. I'll go through all the steps so you guys can try this out for yourself, even if you don't have acne it's sytill a wonderful thing to do for your skin as the honey contains antioxidants and antibacterial properties while the oil cleanses the skin deep down into the layers of skin.

You'll need:
Extra virgin olive oil (it has to be virgin so it's pure and won't irritate the skin)
Pure honey, I used clear although organic would be better.
A little pot, a rinsed out yoghurt tub would do the job.
Teaspoon.
A clean face, free of makeup and anything else.


Ok so you want to pour half a teaspoon of oil into your pot then a whole teaspoon of honey and mix them together with your spoon. With clean fingertips, gently smooth on the honey and oil mixture onto the face and neck in a generous layer and leave for as long as desired. I left it on for about an hour whilst watching the soaps :). When you remove the mask use warm water only using circular motions. It might take a little while to rinse it all off your face but do be gentle. After rinsing, pat the face and neck dry and apply your usual moisturiser and your done! Your face should feel soothed and moisturised.

Hope this is helpful to you guys and I hope you try it out :)
T.L.B
xxx

Where There's Soap...

Hi guys, so sorry I've not been blogging so much. I lost my camera!! I've been using my Blackberry to take the photos so I hope they're ok to use and you can see in some kind of detail.

Anyway, I have to rave about these products, they are all from the Soap & Glory range and they are quite frankly beautiful and gorgeous. I have always loved S&G from being a teenager and it's my go-to for bath and body products. I got these products for Christmas from my partner (awww) and was very happy when I opened them!

Although some of the products were in sets you can also buy them separately here.

Starting with the Daily Smooth body butter, well I just think it's absolutely amazing! Smells great, feels great and does just the job. It's not as rich as a thick body butter which is great for me as I hate anything that feels heavy or thick on the skin. I use this every time I get out the bath and it just sinks so nicely into the skin with no residue left over. Buy here for £8.43.

Next is the Clean Girls body wash. This is the most moisturising body was ever and I find that so hard to say about some products, I use it with a poofy thing in bath and it lathers up to silky bubbles. Amazing! Buy here for £5.87.

What's nicer than a Breakfast Scrub? Nothing! Now let me tell you, I LOVE this product. You know when you buy an exfoliator and you put it onto your skin and it just does nothing? It really peeves me off! I like to know my skin is being scrubbed and all that dead skin is being taken way and that is what this does. It's the most amazing smelling product, it smells of maple syrup. Yeahhh. I want to eat it! Get it here now for £9.45.

Mist You Madly. I use this body spray in the mornings before I get dressed to put a little spring in my step and to freshen up my skin a little bit. It's delightful to spray on but I have to say I'm not crazy about the fragrance to be honest, it's not as floral as I'd have liked but it's still gorgeous for everyday wear. Buy here for £3.11 for the mini version.

Last but not least, Hand Food! It quite literally is food for your hands, it feeds them with so much moisture and loveliness that I will not be without this ever. I have used it none stop since I got it and I have got a mini one which I keep in my handbag and a full size to keep in my makeup drawer. Get it now and try for yourself here for £4.85

                       

                        

                         

 

The Trouble with Me - Acne Battles

Hey everyone!

This post is all about my journey to beating my acne which I've suffered with since my early teens and although it's improving it's still a pain in my life. I consider my acne to be moderate and I've recently had a major breakout and my skin feels so sore all the time. I'm beginning to feel like my acne will never go away, as after years of trying creams and lotions I find they are just not for me and the best way to deal with it is reducing the amounts of products that aren't natural or contain lots of man made ingredients. At the moment for skincare I use the olive oil cleansing technique to deep clean my skin followed by Fresh Farmacy cleanser. For moisturiser I use Olay Classic Fluid which I find smoothes everything out and leaves me with a good base to apply my primer, then foundation.

I'm going to try and figure out if any of the products I'm using could be contributing to the bad break outs I'm having by withdrawing one of the products for 2 weeks until I find out which is the culprit! I do lead a relatively healthy lifestyle and I'm pretty sure that it's down to hormones at the end of the day but I don't want to be on long term antibiotic medications or anything like that.

What do you find helps your skin problems?

What's In My Makeup Bag?

Hi guys, here's what's in my bag! Enjoy. 

                                                                   
 

So here's a list of everything I have in my makeup bag. I use this makeup every single day and I love everything!

• Olay moisturiser
• Revlon ColorStay foundtion
• Avon pressed powder 
• MUA blush
• Soap&Glory bronzer
• Urban Decay Primer Potion
• E.l.f duo eyebrow/lash gel
• Collection 2000 pen liner
• 17 eyebrow pencil
• Misguided lipsplash
• 2True mascara
• Urban Decay Naked palette
• E.l.f brushes
• Makeup bag is from a Soap & Glory gift set

You can buy these products at any drugstore apart from the Naked palette which you can buy here. e.l.f brushes can be bought here. 

What's in your bag?

NOTD - Glossy Midnight Blue

Please excuse the messy application and the quality of the photos isn't great but i had to share this nail polish. Now when i first looked at the 2True products i thought, no, they'll be cheap and nasty and the nail polishes will be super thin. I was sooo wrong! In superdrug you can but 3 products for £4.99 so i picked this polish up. On it's own it costs £1.99 here. I applied a clear base coat then applied 2 thick coats of the Midnight Blue and it turned out perfect!

What do you think?

FOTD - Golden Smoke

                            

                                     

      

I suffer from major breakouts and struggle ALOT with acne so i hope that some of my FOTD's help some of you get over confidence issues and learn how to take care of your skin and hide it with makeup.

Products used:

Revlon Colorstay combination/oily skin in Ivory here

Avon Ideal Shade Pressed Powder in fair here

UD Primer Potion (from the Naked palette set)

e/s - Naked, Smog, Darkhorse, Half Baked and Virgin from the UD Naked palette here

17 eyebrow pencil (sorry I can't find the link but it bought it from Boots)

2True mascara in black from Superdrug (again sorry, I cant find the link)

Soap and Glory Solar Powder bronzer here

Lipstick from Avon which I believe is now discontinued

T.L.B

xxx

Small January Haul

 Tigi Catwalk bought in store at TK. Maxx
I used this last night and my hair is so damaged it's actually unreal, shocking even! but after using this my hair was honestly so manageable and shiny. I didn't buy the shampoo for the reason that i don't really care about which shampoo I use its ultimately the conditioner that really important to me. So yeah, fantastic purchase!

 Sheer black shirt from Primark £10
Amazing! I have this in cream and I LOVE it. Sheer shirts never seem to go out of fashion and you can dress them up or down, tucked in or hanging out. Whatever you want really.

 Daisy summer dress £5 (for my holidays in July!)
I seen this cute dress beside the swim/beach wear so had to pick this up for my holidays. I love that it has a thicker strap and little gold buttons down the centre as well a bit of girlie ruffle over the bust.

The gorgeous naked palette, from Debenhams for £35
Check out my blog post on this here.

Toms from Schuh £33
How cute are these? I have worn these none stop, they are amazingly comfy and I think they're really hard wearing too. I got them in Navy just because I think they go with absolutely anything.

 How cute is this packaging?!
I LOVE the idea that a pair of shoes will be donated to a child in need, it makes it seem so worthwhile.

Finally i have ordered this faux leather jacker from Forever21 for the bargain of £19.75! You can also get 10% off your first order when you sign up to their mailing list. You can buy this jacket here and don't forget to sign up to get 10% off.

T.L.B
xxx

Have you got Naked yet?

Hi, everyone. I got Naked!!!

OK, so I'm SO excited to have this palette in my presence. When I laid eyes on it in the shop I was beside myself!

I had recently got a £10 voucher that i didn't really know what to do with and I ummed and ahhed over whether to get the Naked palette because of the price. I went into Debenhams just to have a little browse and see what they had in, then I wandered over to the Urban Decay counter and it was dead, not a soul to be seen which was great for me as i cannot bear the though of 5 dolled up women bombarding me with terrible advice and bribery. After spotting the palette I was like, ''Ohh my gawwdd!!'', then a really nice lady came over and explained how amazing the palette was. I was sold 100%. Armed with my £10 voucher and the Naked palette, i paid £25 at the till. Bargain!!

I think for the quality of the shadows and the fact that there are 12 shades, it IS worth the full price of £35 and i would have paid that if i hadn't of had my voucher.

Of the 12 shades some are matte, some are shimmery and some have glitter. Looks can go from day time, natural eye to a smokey evening eye. The shadow is a dream to apply especially if you apply some of the mini Primer Potion included beforehand then use the beautiful full size shadow brush also included to sweep and blend in the velvety colours. The packaging is gorgeous too, with a lovely velvet finish and a large mirror inside.

If your in two mind s about whether to but this, BUY IT. You'll not be disappointed. There is not 1 bad review of this palette.

You can buy it here for £35

T.L.B

xxx

Olive Oil Cleansing

Olive Oil Cleansing
Hi, everyone. Now if your like me (or not) and have skin that is combination and sensitive and you just can't use any old make-up wipe to take your make-up off then this may be for you! My skin is super sensitive as well as acne prone so it's important to make sure I take my make-up off thoroughly without making my skin red, sore and dry. You can also reduce blackheads by using oil as the oil penetrates the skin deep down into the pores.

I have only recently been using this oil cleansing technique after seeing some video's on YouTube and i thought this would be perfect for me and it is!

Things you'll need to get started are:
A bottle of extra virgin olive oil which you can buy at any supermarket. (mine is from Asda)
Hand wash or soap.
A flannel.
Warm water.
A dry hand towel.


Follow these steps to clean your face of make up, including eye make up but some of you will prefer to use a wipe to remove it instead which is fine.

1. Fill the sink with warm water and wet the flannel, wring out and set aside.
2. Wash your hands with hand wash or soap and dry thoroughly.
3.  Pour out a walnut sized amount of oil onto your hand and rub your hands together.
4. Using circular motions begin to rub the oil onto the face gently, increasing friction if you are comfortable. Do this for a few minutes and you should start seeing your make up disappear as the oil absorbs it.
5. If you would like to remove your eye make up using oil, pour another pea sized amount onto your fingers and gently wipe the eyes until you can no longer feel mascara on the eyelashes.
6. Using the wet flannel, begin to gently wipe the eye area until the eye is clean of oil and make up. Then you can wet and wring out the flannel again to wipe the rest of the face until all oil and make up is removed.
7. Dry the face with a towel then moisturise if preferred .

Hope that helps! 

T.L.B

xxx