Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Review

Review: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 

Long Lasting Pressed Powder - Transparent 

For those in serious need of a good powder that won't make you shine like a piece of metal in the sun, the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is for you! I have mine in Transparent but I have before tried the Peach Glow and found that just as good. In fact, I've only recently changed to Transparent as I find it looks so much better in this cold dry weather. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder £3.99 Superdrug

From the picture, you can see that it's a small round container. The lid is very easy to lift off which becomes so annoying if you smash your powder by dropping it or some sort, which I have done plenty of times. Because the powder will easily be able to fall out as the lid isn't secure enough to handle drop out. This being said, the product itself is highly pleasant hence why I have been repurchasing it for years! 

I tend to have very oily skin in the summer, not so much in the winter though although I do still use this, just a very little amount of it. It's long lasting as it states, I get around 5-6 hours out of it before it starts going patchy, which isn't that good for most people but I don't mind that at all. 

The powder isn't crumbly unless dropped haha in which case it still works the same. I'd say this is for very oily skin and to avoid if you have dry skin. This is because it will look cakey if used on the wrong skin typed. This is a matte finish, so I highly recommend those with oily skin to use it. 

For the price, I'd say this is pretty damn well good and I will be using it for years to come :)

xx

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer Review

Review: Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer 

Apocaliptic 303

Since the day these lip glosses came out I have been eager to try them. I brought this in the summer, although I've used it maybe once or twice. As usual I went for brightest pinkest colour there was, and I have admit... I do regret that decision. Although, it's a beautiful colour and great for Summer, I personally think it's way to bright for me. The colour stay is amazing, but when you first apply it and it's still wet, it can transfer on to your teeth which is never a good look. When dried though, it still remains in tact with the colour and it's last for hours. It's a nice powerful colour but I won't be repurchasing this colour again, ever!  

Swatch of Lip gloss

As you can tell by the swatch I did on it, it's extremely bright. A summer colour indeed, but not a colour for me. These lip glosses retail in Superdrug for £6.49 each. I think if I was to repurchase, it'd have to be a different colour! 

xx 

Mark Hill - Gorgeous Brunette Review

Mark Hill - Gorgeous Brunette Review

"Make it dark, make it rich, make it shine!" 

£5.00 was £10.00 from Boots 

This lovely set was brought for me by my step sister for Christmas recently. I wasn't entirely sure about it, as I don't usually go for gift sets for your hair. But my god, I'm blown away by the outcome of this and will be repurchasing again and again and again. This is a 4 piece set which includes a shampoo, a conditioner, an anti humidity spray and a hairspray. 

Shampoo and Conditioner 

As you can see, the design on the bottles are beautifully done. Leopard print is my guilty pleasure. I just love it! Some people can find it tacky and cheap, and I'll admit there's some stuff that I really don't like but this is not one them. These bottles are gorgeous! The shampoo is called 'Shine Enhancing Shampoo' and the Conditioner is called 'Highlight Reflecting Conditioner'. Now I've always struggled in finding the right hair products for my hair. I have thin hair, I have thick hair, I have oily hair, I have dry ends, I have split ends, it's very confusing and it's very annoying. But one things for sure is that from my scalp and towards the middle of my hair, it's always very oily. I was obviously very wary about trying shine enhancing products because it's usually shine products that make my hair look more oily than it is. I didn't hesitate to try it though and on Christmas Day, I ran myself a lovely hot bath and used these bad boys on my hair! 

Shampoo 

The picture above is what the Shampoo looks like when applied to the hand. It drips easily, and it's like a sort of brown colour. It isn't sticky though, which is great because I hate sticky products. It's very easy to lather up. You can't feel a great difference in the hair after using just the shampoo though, which is a let down if you don't use conditioner. Me though, I have to use conditioner to make sure my hair doesn't get knotty. So this is where I talk about the Conditioner. 

Conditioner 

The picture shows that the conditioner is a very unsatisfying brown colour, but on the up side it has little shimmers of gold inside of it. A lot of the product does come out when needed which can be a bit of drag if you don't need that much. Again, it's not sticky and very easy to lather up in to the hair. My hair is quite long, so I do need about 2-3 pumps of it. It smells absolutely gorgeous. I can't really explain the smell. I'm not really good with smells. But at £5 for the set you can easily smell it for yourself! 

Just rub it through your hair, especially your roots and rinse with cold water. Cold water makes your hair feel even more soft than it would if you did it with warm water.

Anti-Humidity Shine Spray & Fabulous Finish Hairspray

I wasn't as worried about using these two because for one the shine spray states that it's Anti-Humidity which means my scalp won't get sweaty which won't make it look oily, and it really works! I use it every time I want to go out now, it gives a nice shine to it without the oiliness, and who wouldn't love that?! For the Hairspray, it's equally good. Like most hairspray's I've used, it still makes my hair feel hard when sprayed upon, but give it a brush through afterwards and it's totally fine. Your hair will stay in place for a good few hours, not all day but a few hours which is fine for me. Although I can't promise that it will work in the horrible wind that we've been having recently.

All in all, I am going to be repurchasing this product. Whether I have to buy the whole set of it or if I can find just the shampoo & conditioner. I love every product inside and I don't think I'm ever going to look back! Unless of course they discontinue it, which I hope not! For those who aren't brunette and in fact have the blonde locks, you can also buy the 'Glam Blonde mini gift set' from boots for £5! 

xx

Lynx Attract For her Body Spray & Shower Gel Duo Review

Review: Lynx Attract For Her Body Spray & Shower Gel

Lynx for her gift set

So for Christmas recently my sister brought me a lovely little gift set, and I was quite excited when I ripped open the wrapping paper to find the Lynx Attract For Her Body Spray and Shower gel. Ever since this came out back in January 2012 I have been meaning to try it, but I don't have the best memory in the world and so I never got round to it. But this just made my Christmas day even better! I'm sure everyone knows how popular this brand of deodorant is among men, so I was eager to find out whether it was a big hit for women too. This year Lynx will be officially 30 years old! I think it's obvious by the picture above that the can/bottle is the same shape as the men's. Which I like. Think of it this way, if you put the women's next to the men's version, it's kind of like boyfriend & girlfriend isn't it? Haha Well that's what I think anyway! 

Attract for her Body Spray 150ml 

The body spray can is very girly looking. The white and the pink colours make the whole thing come together in my opinion. For those who have men in their life, I'm sure you know how these things work and how you can actually get the spray out of the bottle. Unlike perfume's, you twist the lid on this and out pops a spray presser thingy, so basically like a normal deodorant but with a twist ;)  It's the same size as the usual men's deodorant but is the smell the same? Of course not! Although, I'm a huge fan of the men's Lynx and would often wear it given the chance, I think this is different and I think it's good. It's still got the Lynx smell that all the can's have, if you get me? But it's got it's own girly touch to it. It says on the box that it's a fragrance so irresistible it will unleash attraction chaos. Hmm, I'm not sure on that one as I haven't experienced my boyfriend jumping all over me yet. Nor any man actually. But it's still a really nice smell. The scent has been described by many people as Fruity yet with a floral wood scent to it. 

I highly agree that this does in fact combine a mixture of fruity and floral scents. I apply this daily every morning before I get dressed, and I'll have to admit for a change that the smell does actually last throughout the day which is always a bonus! 

Attract for her shower gel 250ml 

The shower gel is rather nice, it's definitely something different. As much as I enjoy the smell of my man's shower gel, I think I'd much rather use this. It still has the same smell as the spray; fruity and floral with a hint of musk/wood. The bottle is different to the can, which I'm not a fan of. Although it still has the pink colour over it, I think it would of looked better with a white background to match the can. It looks more like a mix and match rather than a match. It's very easy to use, just press in the lid like most shower gel's. It's clear when it comes out, not sticky and the fragrance is quite strong. I can't say that I'll be using this all the time, but every so often when I need a bit of kick then I'll definitely grab for this. 

All in all, it's very good and I will be repurchasing the spray. Probably not the shower gel though. 

You can buy this set or them separately at most stores throughout the UK. Not sure if you can buy it outside of the UK, you'll have to do some research and find out! The duo set is around £6 in Superdrug and just for the spray it's £3.29. 

xx

Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour Foundation

Review - Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation 

103 - True Ivory 

£4.99 

For the past 4-5 years I have been using the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour Foundation in the shade 103 True Ivory. I love this product more than I love myself, I could not live without it. Well maybe I could but it'd be a struggle indeed. I wouldn't say that this lasts 25 hours, but it sure lasts the whole day. It covers up redness, spots, under eye circles and doesn't make your face look shiny or cakey. I use this along with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, and it honestly works a treat! 

Swatch of the foundation

I apply this foundation with my beauty blender and honestly, it looks great. I actually look forward to putting on my foundation because of how amazing this product is. The product has great coverage and I can't imagine using anything else to perfect my face. You can buy this from most shops around the UK, I buy mine from Superdrug and sometimes they have great deals on like 3 for 2 or buy 1 get 1 free which is a great deal! 

If you haven't tried this yet, you are honest to god missing out! Please go out and buy this, it's the best foundation I have ever used in my life! 

xx

Debenhams Christmas Lookbook Competition

DEBENHAMS CHRISTMAS LOOKBOOK COMPETITION

Hi there! 

So this is going to be something a little bit different today. For those who follow my polyvore account, you should know that I'm obsessed with fashion and putting outfit idea's together. So when I found out about this competition, I was over the moon with joy and I couldn't wait to get stuck in. Basically, you have to design two different outfits, one for Winter Warmer and one for The Ultimate Party. I thought this was going to be super easy to do, but actually it was a lot harder than I imagined. Here is what I've come up with :) 

Winter Warmer

Winter by aylabrassington featuring blue pants

Total: = £231

Oasis striped crew neck sweater / Navy Blue Hallmoor Parka / Quiz blue pants / HotSquash purple knee high socks / Mantaray navy rain boots / Yumi scarve / Red Herring black glove / Philosophy face moisturizer / Elemis lip treatment

So the first one is obviously perfect for the colder weather. The coat looks tremendously warm and snugly especially with that hood! It's not something you'd wear in the summer now is it? Depending on personal preference it's probably best to wear a top underneath the jumper. I wouldn't personally with the big coat but it's personal choice. The snood is cable knit material, so perfect for those snowy days outside. I chose wellies because usually in the winter it's sludgy or icy, or snowy and it's so much better to wear waterproof shoes in my opinion rather than really expensive none waterproof shoes that will probably get ruined. You want to wear socks underneath the wellies because even though the shoes are waterproof, you still need warmth. In cold dry weather, it's always important to hydrate your lips with a lip balm as they do tend to get all sore and cracked. Gloves are a must have for winter as you don't want your little fingers to freeze off, and the hydrating moisturizer is just a little something to keep your face hydrated in the weather.  

Ultimate Party Look

Party Look by aylabrassington featuring a nail polish

Total: = £214.05

Quiz skater dress / Jasmine lined jacket / Debenhams rib tight / Faith black platform stiletto / J by Jasper Conran crossbody purse / Bangle bracelet / MAC Cosmetics lips makeup / Bobbi Brown Cosmetics black eyeliner / Nails Inc nail polish / Nails Inc nail polish

The second look is for the ultimate party girl, now let's get back to reality and remember that it's still winter. So although it would be nice to go out in something short and tight, it's just not practical. That's why I chose a dress that would look great with tights. There was 2 choices of colour for this dress and I have to admit that it did take me a while to decide which one I preferred but I went with the red simply because I think it looks better with the black and gold accessories. I chose the jacket because even though the majority of parties are held inside, you still need to get to and from the venue's. Winter day's are cold but winter night's are even colder. I chose the dark red lipstick to go with the 'feisty look' and the black eyeliner so you can really make those eyes dramatic with a winged eyeliner. The nail polishes are amazing, you apply the red to the nails first and then apply the black cracking effect on top; this way you'll be able to see both colours in a "dramatic way". The shoes are pretty simple, but I needed something simple because everything else is so dramatic, and the bag is just something small that you can carry around your body without having to hold it like a clutch, because let's be honest... in this type of weather you don't really want your hands to be out of your pockets do you? 

I had so much fun making this, only took me about 3 hours though! If you like what you see, and fancy making your own, then head on over too http://blog.debenhams.com/winter-style-challenge-win-500-debenhams-vouchers/get-involved/competitions/ << and enter the competition! Hurry though, ends on 13th January :)

xx

Beyonce Heat Gift Set 30ml Perfume + Body Lotion 75ml + Shower Gel 75ml Review

Beyonce Heat Gift Set 30ml Perfume + Body Lotion 75ml + Shower Gel 75ml Review

So the Beyonce Heat Perfume has been on my wishlist for a while. Every morning before college, I would go in to Boots and test it out. I say test it out, I'd spray it all over me because I just loved the smell that much. Recently me and my boyfriend Ryan went to Nottingham for a Christmas Shopping trip. As we stepped in to Superdrug... there it was. The Beyonce Heat Perfume, and the best part? It was on sale. At £23 a bottle when the actual price was £29. I didn't have to beg much for it, as my boyfriend could tell that I wanted it. As we went to pay for it, the check out lady told us that there was a gift set that we could buy instead. This included a Body Lotion and a Shower Gel as well as the Perfume itself, although the bottle was smaller (30ml) I didn't mind because at the end of the day, the whole set was cheaper than the perfume alone. Ryan ended up paying just £19 for the whole set. So I was obviously really chuffed about that, and so was he! 

Image off Google (I forgot to take a picture of it)

The box itself was nicely made. It was like a red snakeskin kind of feel and you could see all of the products clearly inside the box. I'll admit, although nicely made it did look a bit cheap for Beyonce. But that didn't bother me, as I'd be throwing away the box once opened. As you can tell, the color theme is Red, Black and Gold. In my opinion these colors made it look so sexy and daring. 

Apologies for the quality, my camera is rubbish!

As I took the products out of the box, I could instantly smell the fragrance. This is where I started to get excited, but I'll talk about the smell in a minute. Again the packaging was nicely done. Gold, Red and Black burst through my eyes, with Red taking center stage. The perfume bottle was quite small, and I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the bigger bottle when I had the chance. I quickly made myself a little bath, so I could try out my new body wash and body lotion as I was eager to see if it was worth the money. 

Pearl Exfoliating Shower Gel 75ml 

I was highly amused by the name of the gel as it states that it's a exfoliating gel. I wasn't sure at that time what 'pearl' meant but I was eager to find out. The pearl meant that inside the shower gel was tiny little micro balls of exfoliating beads as you may call them. They also came in little red ones, although you'd be lucky to get a red one. It took me a while. I'd say that any skin would be able to take on the exfoliating gel as it wasn't that exfoliating. I mean you can tell a little bit, but not that much at all. The smell is nice, it's like a sweet yet dark kind of fragrance but over all the smell doesn't stay on for long and so I don't feel that it's a good shower gel. 

You can see the tiny beads inside the shower gel, but no red ones I'm afraid. 

Next, the body lotion. This obviously had the same smell as the Shower gel. Sweet yet dark. The body lotion wasn't exactly moisturizing on my skin, I feel that it could of been better. It was a pale white color, and it dried out really quick which I guess is a good thing for some people but I prefer it to sink it properly rather than just dry out in the same spot. It doesn't spread easily but the good thing is that it does spread! 

Moving on to the perfume, like I said before I was a little disappointed by the size but for the price and what I got for it, I can't really complain. The bottle is nicely made, I'm quite fond of the shape, although I'm sure that if it was more square then a lot more would fit inside of it. The lid feels more like plastic than glass, which also makes it look cheap. I like how the bottom of the bottle is red, that's a nice ombre look. The smell of the perfume is again like the Shower gel and the Body lotion but it's got a hint of something else. Spice. It's a sweet, dark yet spicy smell. It's a very sensual smell, something I would definitely wear out on a night out or a date night. My boyfriend loves the smell of it, so that's always a bonus. You don't need much to get a swift of the smell as with all perfumes, too much can be a bit sickly. 

Again, sorry for the quality. 

So over all, it's a lovely perfume. Doesn't last as long as I'd hoped. The body lotion and shower gel aren't as great as I thought they would be, but I don't regret my decision in buying it because over all the faults, I still love the smell and I will still wear it every other day or night. £19 for the set, I would say that's a bit of a rip off considering the quality of the products. £23 for the perfume alone? I'd also say that was a bit steep, but I'd gladly buy it if it was on sale again.

Have you tried the Beyonce Heat Perfume? Did you like it? Comment below and let me know :) 

 

xx

Tortilla Pizza

Tortilla Pizza

Two recipe's in one day, aren't you all lucky. This one is another easy recipe and it doesn't take that long at all. The best part is, it can be made to your personal preference and it can be healthy too. So ditch those greasy pizza's from the take away's or the shop, put on your apron and let's get cooking! 

Ingredients 

1. Tortilla wraps
2. Pasta Sauce or Tomato Paste
3. Vegetables of your choice. I chose spinach, baby tomatoes and red peppers. 
4. Cheese, any kind. I chose 2 different kinds, cheddar and mature. Grated.
5. Any kind of meat, I used Sausage.  

Step 1

Take our your Tortilla wrap and place it on to a pan or pizza pan. Smother on some Pasta Sauce or Tomato Paste. I used Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce because I didn't have any Tomato Paste in, but it's personal preference. I found it easier to dip a spoon in to the sauce and smother it with the back of the spoon. 

Step 2

Chop up your vegetables and arrange them in which ever pattern you want them to be in. Be creative! 

Step 3

Sprinkle the cheese all over the pizza, depending on how much you want on it. 

Step 4

Place the pan (with the pizza on it) into the oven. I put mine on Gas mark 6 (that's 400 in Fahrenheit, 200 in Celsius). 

Step 5 

I left it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, but kept checking it in between. Again, personal preference. You can keep it in for longer if you want it to be over cooked, or less time if you want it to be under cooked.  

Step 6

Whilst that is the oven cooking, you want to take 1 sausage and chop it up in to small slices, place them in to a pan with some oil and fry it on medium/low heat until nearly golden brown. You can then take the pizza out of the oven and place the sausage pieces over the pizza and pop back in the oven to finish off. 

Step 7

Garnish it with what ever you fancy, I just used a hint of salt and pepper. Serve and Enjoy! 

The taste is very different from your normal pizza. Especially with the pasta sauce because of the basil and the spices. You must give it a try! It's delicious. It's very filling too, compared to normal sized pizza's which I usually have, this fills me up way more than those do. 

xx

Egg in a hole. 

It's 2014 and I've made my resolutions. I have a fair few to be honest because there's a lot I want to change this year, and one of them is to cook more. So last night, whilst I was struggling to sleep I decided to look online for some quick and easy recipe's to try. I'm always fond of making my family breakfast, so when I saw this I was jumping at the rooftops with joy. The best part is, you only need 2 ingredients and I had them both at home. So here's the recipe for you all.

Ingredients 

1. 2 eggs
2. 2 slices of bread
3. If you don't have an stick free pan, then you'll need oil or butter to grease the pan

Step 1

Take your 2 slices of bread and with a glass or a circle shaped cookie cutter, cut a whole in to the middle of each slice of bread. Kinda like you're making cookies and the bread is the dough. Take out the circle part of each and put to the side. 

Step 2

Grease your pan with oil or butter, I used oil but it's up to you. Turn it on low/medium heat. Take one slice of bread (or both, if the pan is big enough) and put them in the pan. You want both sides of the bread to be cooked. Leave it on the pan for about 2 minutes or until you think it's brown. You can always lift it up with a spatula to check. 

Step 3

Once you've turned the bread over (so the other side can be cooked) you want to get your egg and instead of cracking it into a bowl, you want to crack it in to the hole inside the bread. 

Step 4

Now that's cooking, you can take the inside of the hole (that you put to the side before) and put it in the pan to cook, or you may just toast it. I find it easier to cook in the pan with this, but again it's personal preference. 

Step 5

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the bread whilst it's cooking and let it sit for about 4 minutes. Remember to turn the circle of bread over as that will cook way before the bread and the egg does. 

Step 6

Last step is to place the breakfast on to a plate, and push the circle pieces of bread back into place. That way, when you cut in to the bread, it will seems as though the egg is coming from the inside of it. When really, we've put it there! Then serve and enjoy :) 

xx