Beauty Review: L’Oréal Paris Paradise Mascara

Hello again guys; it feels like a while since I’ve done a beauty related review. Over the past few months I’ve worn make up a bit less (or less make up, at least) however it definitely feels like time for a new review. There was so much hype surrounding this mascara on blogs, YouTube and simply in general that I felt like I just HAD to buy it. The mascara that I’m reviewing today is the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Mascara in the shade 01 Black. Priced at £11.99, it is a more expensive drugstore mascara however the packaging does also match that; with a rose gold cardboard outer that reminds me a lot of Benefit packaging, this mascara is definitely marketed and aiming for the drugstore high-end and it does look absolutely lovely. The actual mascara packaging is just as nice as the cardboard outer with the main body in a matte rose gold and the lid is a shiny rose gold with constrasting white typeface across the main body with the mascara name. At first glance, I wouldn’t have guessed that this was a L’Oréal product, visually it is very different to their other mascara ranges, a couple of which are shown in my photographs below. As much as I love the packaging, I do feel like this is a lot of money to drop on a mascara, but as I wear mascara more or less everyday I guess that isn’t too much but it is more than I would usually spend, to be honest.

One of the reasons why I was so excited to try out this mascara is that it has been constantly compared to the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, which is a product that I’ve personally never tried but have always wanted to. I did have some reservations as generally I do prefer plastic bristles on a mascara wand and this mascara has a soft fibred wand which I do find harder to work with but that said, I do have naturally full, long lashes so any wand does the job for me. The outer packaging boasts that this mascara gives Intense Volume and Spectacular, Long Lashes as well as being a Pleasure to Apply. Basically, a lot to live up to as all of those things sound pretty desirable. Personally, I like my lashes to look very full, separated and long; I love it when a mascara is visibly on my lashes and very dark black to stand out against my green eyes.

The wand is a fairly unusual shape; a curved hourglass shape, it is larger at the top and bottom and thinner in the centre so should be great at opening up the eye shape and lengthening the edges. Below it is the mascara wand on the left side, the centre mascara is Maybelline Lash Sensational and the mascara to the right is Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot, pictured together to demonstrate the clear differences in mascara wand shape, size and material. Personally I’ve found that plastic bristles grip to my lashes better than fiber bristles, but I can work with either kind if I have to. I was a little disappointed that the wand on the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Mascara is fiber as I was expecting a plastic wand (not sure why I thought that...) but I’m dreaming of long, full lashes with this mascara regardless of the less preferred style of wand. Generally, I am quite a messy applier of mascara and this wand is pretty thick, so unfortunately I’m expecting a very messy look with this mascara; I’m terrible for having an unsteady hand whenever I apply mascara, oops. I’m hoping that this mascara won’t be a regret as I do feel like I was drawn to buy it due to all of the hype that surrounded it, but I’m planning to try it out everyday for a week with a number of different base looks to give it a fair chance as although already I’m having some reservations, I do want to be impartial to start with. Plus, the packaging is stunning so there is that to be positive about!

The formula is very thick, which I like in any mascara as that helps create a fuller look when on the lashes. However, it’s also a very dry formula which makes it difficult to work with; once it’s on the lashes that’s it. It doesn’t budge. In theory, that could be great, but for me that is an absolute nightmare because as I explained previously, I’m a very messy mascara applier; I need time to work the mascara into my lashes to achieve the shape that I like (long, full and separated; basically real lashes that look fake) and with this formulation that was impossible. The shape of the wand was actually pretty nice, I just wish that it was a plastic bristled brush as I feel like I could’ve worked with the mascara much better that way but obviously this was never going to be my favourite mascara because over the course of a week, I felt like chucking this mascara in the bin. As I’ve said, the mascara doesn’t budge once it’s on the lashes; it literally doesn’t budge to the point that it’s so hard to take off at the end of the day it hurts. I felt like I was pulling out my lashes each day, which is a definite dislike for me. This isn’t even the waterproof version, it’s the standard one! It looked nice on my bottom lashes but on the top... They just looked short and stubby, clinging to each other and overall I’m just not a fan. It’s not the worst mascara in the world, but it’s definitely one that I’ll never be reaching for ever again. 

The packaging is simply beautiful, but that’s not enough to make me want to give this mascara another chance. I hate the formula and the way that it makes my eyelashes look; for £11.99 I was expecting it to be so much better. In all honesty, I’ve used £3.99 mascaras with better results so I’m super frustrated with what I’ve spent for what I’ve got. In fairness, I do prefer plastic bristles so that may be one of the reasons why I hated this mascara so much as the fibers didn’t seem to grip my lashes fully, but at the same time I do love some other mascaras such as the Maybelline The Colossal Big Shot and that has a fiber brush so perhaps it’s more an issue with the dryness of the formula. I definitely won’t be using or buying the L’Oréal Paris Paradise Extatic Mascara again and that’s a bit of a shock for me as usually I love L’Oréal products so I’m genuinely really disappointed as it was more than I would usually spend on a drugstore item. I also hated how difficult it was to take off when needed; my lashes actually hurt so much after scrubbing at them with micellar water, make up wipes... Not impressed. I’d give this mascara a 2 out of 5 simply because the shape of the wand was nice and the packaging is lovely, but the price is too much for the quality. Let me know your thoughts on this mascara in the comments!

March Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve blogged a beauty related haul, most of my recent hauls have been book related as you’ll have probably noticed. This is a fairly small haul, but a one with some amazing products, some of which have already started making their way into my everyday make up routine! The Maybelline Rocket Volum’ Express mascara in the shade Very Black is a repurchase for me; I absolutely love this mascara for the way that it volumises, lengthens and separates my lashes for the incredible price of £7.99. I’m a sucker for very dark lashes, I love how this mascara instantly looks dramatic because of how pigmented it is, plus it doesn’t clump much, so it’s great for everyday wear. Another product in this haul that I’ve repurchased is the L’Oréal Paris True Match Concealer in the shade Ivory Rose. I’m lucky in that my skin is fairly clear, other than the odd blemish and dark circles, so generally I prefer to wear concealer rather than going all over with foundation for everyday. This concealer is a lovely consistency, not too thick or thin but nicely buildable; for £7.99 I’m satisfied as it lasts me over a month with regular use so it’s good value for money. It’s one of the only drugstore concealers that I’ve found to be pale enough for my skin with a pink tone, so I feel like this will be a favourite of mine for a long time. Similarly, the Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Latte To Go is now my fourth lipstick from the same range; I love the lightweight formula and the reasonable price of £5.99. I’ve also been impressed with this range of lipsticks because I’ve found it stays on even after eating and drinking for a good few hours, which is always a bonus.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been searching for a drugstore eyebrow gel, as I’ve been using a more mid range one but I do tend to stick to a budget a lot of the time so I wanted one that I could repurchase cheaply if necessary. After reading some good reviews about the NYX Control Freak Eyebrow Gel I decided to take a risk for the bargain price of £6! I like my brows to look natural but neat, so having a good gel is a necessity; I’ve got really high hopes for this gel as fingers crossed it’ll last the whole day and have a nice smooth formula. I’ve definitely become a bit addicted to highlighters recently, as I ended up with the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter in the shade Pearlescent Sheen in my basket, too! I’ve used so many of these highlighters in various shades and they never disappoint; in fairness, for £3 you can’t really go wrong. It’s a pretty sizeable pan and very pigmented, adding a nice shimmer to create some cheekbones (something I wish I had, haha). I’ve also ended up with highlighter palette, oops. Definitely spent too much on make up this month! However I have been lusting after the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Highlighter Palette for what feels like forever. It’s got a variety of shades and in all honestly it’ll be great for any occasion because you can mix up the make up look you’re going for by using any of the shades in the palette. The price of £8 is reasonable when you consider that there’s 8 shades, so it’s essentially £1 a pan; excellent value for money, although I’ll likely only use the 4 shades that are light enough for my skin tone.

I also ended up with the MakeUp Revolution x Soph Eyeshadow Palette a couple of days later. As much as I was wary about spending another £10 on make up, I’d been tempted by this palette for a while. There are 24 different shades, even mixtures of shades and shimmers and I didn’t have another palette like it, so I feel like I’ll get good use out of it. I doubt that I’ll use every single one of the shades on a regular basis, but there’s plenty of shades that I will use regularly enough to make the money worth it; plus I love the sturdy feel of the palette, it feels like it’ll travel well. Lastly, I purchased the Anna Sui Fantasia 50ml EDT and it feels like forever since I last splurged on a perfume! For £45, it wasnt the cheapest of purchases, but unfortunately perfume is one of those things that I just can’t resist, I wear a bit of perfume every day and I own far too many perfumes. I couldn’t resist the gorgeous bottle of this one; the delicate gold, the unicorn... All of it! I haven’t used it properly yet, but I have smelt the perfume and as I love floral and fruity smells this one was going to be a new love of mine. I do feel a little guilty as I’ve spent a fairy amount of money on beauty related items this month, but I’m hoping that each item will last a while so I can go back to my usual budget for now. Let me know in the comments what you think of these kinds of posts as I love getting feedback! :)

January Playlist

Hello again guys; I’m sorry if it seems like I’m blogging less at the moment, but I promise that I’m not! Honestly, I blog for pleasure and make no money from my blog so my blogging fits around my everyday life, which is fine but it does mean that I upload really erratically at times. This month I’ve been loving (as always) listening to music on the go, to and from work. I find it super relaxing and it’s a good to get into the mood for work, or to wind down after a long day. I listen to whatever I want to, I’m not fussed about if it’s cool or not, I do love a cheeky guilty pleasure to listen to. None of the songs below are in any particular order, they’re just the fifteen different songs that I’m obsessed with listening to at the minute; I keep absent mindedly hummed the tunes to myself without realising, ahah!

1. Beautiful Trauma - P!nk

2. Something Just Like This - The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

3. One Last Time - Ariana Grande

4. Reggaetón Lento (Remix) - CNCO & Little Mix

5. Échame La Culpa - Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato

6. Where We Go - P!nk

7. Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction

8. Dusk Till Dawn - Zayn feat. Sia

9. Reggaetón Lento (Bailemos) - CNCO

10. Crying in the Club - Camila Cabello

11. Payphone - Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa)

12. Still Into You - Paramore

13. Heart Skips a Beat - Olly Murs (feat. Rizzle Kicks)

14. Elastic Heart - Sia

15. Havana - Camila Cabello (feat. Young Thug)

MakeUp Review: Maybelline the Colossal Big Shot Mascara

Hello again; it feels like blogmas is taking over my life this December, haha. I really need to get myself more organised, I spent the majority of my days either writing non-stop to get posts ready in time for upload in the evening or taking photographs last minute, oops. Definitely need to step up my game, but I feel like despite this, I'm not doing a bad job of getting a post out each day. This post is another make up review, one that I'm really excited for as I genuinely love reading and writing posts like this; before I buy a product, I always read or watch reviews because I hate wasting money. I've always been a fan of Maybelline mascaras in general, so after seeing some good reviews of the Colossal Big Shot it was time to buy it and see how it worked for me. Priced at £7.99, I had high hopes that I would love this mascara as it is always useful to find another amazing drugstore mascara for a decent price, but that said, Maybelline mascaras generally average at a reasonable amount. I love pocket friendly make up products every day of the week.

The packaging is one that stands out in a crowd, shiny and gold alongside contrasting purple typography and a matching purple stripe along the lid. Staying true to the theme of the name 'big' is written larger than the other words which definitely draws your attention in. I do really like the design of the packaging, it's one that stands out even in a make up bag or storage even amongst other products. I took photographs that showed the mascara mixed in with other beauty related products to show how it looks in comparison, as well as demonstrate how it stands out due to the contrasting colour scheme used by the brand. Although the packaging is plastic, it feels hard wearing and it doesn't feel cheap, which is good as I'm always worried that make up is going to brake and spill all over the stuff in my bag (not something that I ever want to happen to me).

The wand is one that I generally like; on the whole I prefer to apply mascara with a large applicator, this is medium sized, with fiber bristles that are incredibly flexible. For me personally, I don't usually like fiber bristled wands because I'm a messy mascara applier and I find the fibers put little blobs of mascara all over my face, oops. However, this wand is a reasonable enough size that the fibers didn't do that as long as I was a little more careful (basically I had to apply the mascara slowly, not in a rush). It's a light wand, so that if you need to apply multiple coats it isn't too difficult and the formula is a fairly dry one, so the lashes don't stick together.

I love this mascara far more than I expected to, as on the whole I generally don't work well with fiber bristles wands, but this mascara definitely bucks that trend for me. The mascara applies evenly and nicely, with no excess mascara blobs anywhere on my face, plus the colour is a nice true dark toned black which is something that I love in any mascara. I know that I've mentioned on the blog before how much I love to have long, spidery lashes that pop and this mascara achieves that look for me with ease. The only downside that I can think of is that it takes about 3 coats before I'm satisfied so I'll definitely need to repurchase this mascara at some point because it won't last forever. I'm converted into trying out other fiber based mascaras now and that is saying something; even my boyfriend commented on my eyelashes, so it must be a winner as he never usually notices haha! My lashes look so volumised, lengthened and separated with only a hint of clumpiness. Honestly, I don't feel like I'll ever stop raving about this mascara, I love, love LOVE it.

MakeUp Review: Max Factor 2000 Calorie Mascara

Hello again guys; so it's day 7 of blogmas already and I hope that it's not only me that cannot believe how soon the Christmas and New Year season is approaching? It seemed so far away and yet in a couple of weeks it'll soon be upon us! This post is all about a mascara that I've been using recently; the Max Factor 2000 Calorie. I was tempted to buy it after seeing hat felt like millions of bloggers and YouTubers rave about it. If we start by looking at the price of the product, £7.99 isn't unreasonable for a decent mascara, in fact that is fairly average in price when compared to the other options available in the drugstores. In all honesty, I was expecting this mascara to be at a higher price point as usually Max Factor products are more 'high end' drugstore so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise, no complaints for the price. For the price, I had high hopes to love this product as the price is good enough that I consider repurchasing if necessary in the future.

The packaging is nice and pretty understated actually; a simple bottle in black with gold typography and a matching gold rim around the top of the base, below the lid. It doesn't stand out in a make up bag when in comparison to all of the brightly coloured, glossy packaging of other products, but when in a line of mascaras from other brands such as Maybelline, it does stand out for being fairly plain packaging. That being said, it is more about what it inside the bottle than the external packaging in a way; but overall it won't be the most appealing packaging to everyone but personally, I really like it. I deliberately look photographs that showcased the mascara surrounded by other beauty related products so that you as a reader can see how much this mascara has the potential to blend in rather than stand out in a make up bag or collection. 

The mascara wand is much smaller than I'm used to using; on the whole I prefer large, thick wands that add a lot of volume to the lashes, but we can't have everything we want in every product. That said, this wand was really easy to use on the lashes, particularly on the lower lashes and I was surprised by the lack of smudges (generally I'm a very smudgy mascara applier, not even lying!) although that is likely because of the wand being much smaller than I usually would use. The prdouct is nice and dark black which is something that I always want in a mascara and separates the lashes really nicely. The lashes look really long, but no particularly separated. Although, there is no clumps or sticky lashes, which is really nice and very unusual for me, haha.

All in all, I was happy with the effect that this mascara had on my eyelashes. As you can see from the photograph, the eyelashes are beautifully separated and look insanely long, without being spidery or clumpy. I've said before that I love my eyelashes to look spidery, and I do. However, I feel like this mascara will be lovely for work or everyday life as they're noticeably different but not as obvious. The price is amazing, as you don't need to apply much mascara to your lashes, only 1-2 coats so a little goes a long way. When you remove this mascara you need a lot of patience because it doesn't seem to want to come off, although I've found that removing this mascara with eye make up remover gel fares much faster results than make up wipes did, so that is something to bare in mind. I will definitely be purchasing this mascara again (once this one runs out) as I do feel like this is fast becoming a staple in my everyday make up bag. I wouldn't recommend this for nights out, but to boost your natural eyelashes this is perfect!

Book Review: Girl, Missing

Recently I’ve been rediscovering my love for Young Adult fiction and ‘Girl, Missing’ is a novel that caught my attention immediately after reading the blurb. It has an interesting take on the idea of missing persons; instead of focussing on how the family feel when a child goes missing, instead the focus shifts to what it must feel like to discover that you may be a missing person. This novel is completely addictive; it draws the reader in from the very start right until the very end with its multiple twists and turns in every chapter. The main character, Lauren Matthews is very strong willed but understands the difference between right and wrong. When a School project encourages her to find out and describe who she is and where she is from she begins to wonder about her early life, her biological family and why she was adopted at the age of three. Curiousity is only natural, considering her background but her adoptive parents are reluctant to provide her with any details until she’s older, which is understandable.

Lauren has always known that she was adopted, but her parents have always refused to supply her with any details, something which at fourteen, is something that makes Lauren take matters into her own hands. Through the use of a computer and an online search engine, Lauren finds what she believes is herself on a missing persons website as ‘Martha Lauren Purditt’ and shows her best friend, Jam, who is slightly sceptical but also supportive of her theory. ‘Martha Lauren’ has a similar birthday and the similar features, except she is American. Her adoptive mother is the kind of person who writes everything down and keeps everything, so Lauren looks through her mothers diaries from the year that she was adopted to find out the truth for herself, as no one wants to tell her. In all honesty, Lauren is a typical teenager; she’s self centred and definitely thinks that she is in the right, 100% of the time, but in many ways her determination is what makes this novel such a pageturner. Once she discovers that there is indeed a link between herself and the missing girl, she somehow persuades her parents to take a family trip to America, where upon arriving, she deliberately distances herself from her family and takes Jam along with her in an attempt to seek out her past.

Throughout the novel, Lauren never seems to have a sense of danger, often plunging into situations that could easily be avoided and usually involving others in her mistakes. The two teens are incredibly lucky to find themselves eventually out of danger, due to a friendly stranger (however, he could just as easily been cruel too) after having a run in with a vicious criminal at the adoption agency and getting swindled out of money by a dodgy taxi driver. Even after finding her biological family, Lauren isn’t happy; for someone so determined to discover the truth, it seemed bizarre that she hadn’t considered what to do with the information that she found out. Once again, that seems typical of a teenager. Although, she does have some kind of compassion as she fought hard to keep her adoptive family from being arrested but she struggled to gel with her biological family. For some reason, it was impossible for Lauren to understand why her sister had an issue with her, or why her mother was always around her, wanting to be with her. After waiting twelve years and never knowing if she’d ever see her again, it’s not surprising that she liked having her close by her as much as possible. That being said, that make Lauren somewhat more relatable, as many people make mistakes and poor decisions as they begin to grow up.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel far more than I thought that I would; it’s a decent thriller that would be an excellent dip into crime for young adults as the plot is really well devised and written. I loved how McKenzie explored how the dark side of adoption affects many people, for example the adopted parents, biological parents, siblings and of course the adopted child both legally and emotionally; nothing is ever as simple as it appears on the surface. This is definitely a coming of age novel, but not in the traditional sense. It’s about separating the truth from lies, learning how to face whatever you discover, however unpleasant it may be. Considering the mature subject matter, the writing is easy to follow and I read the entire thing in a day, which isn’t bad. I’d suggest picking up this novel if you want a fast paced, reasonably short novel that’s packed with action. Lauren’s past and future were so unknown and so unexpected that although there were some cliché moments, you still found yourself longing to know how her story ended, although there were some loose ends that weren’t tied fully enough for me, I enjoyed this novel enough that I can overlook that.

MOTD: Autumnal Berry Lips

Hello again guys; it’s been months since I did a proper Make Up of the Day post on my blog, so I decided that it was time to do another! Somehow over the past few weeks, England has gotten extremely cold so I’m definitely feeling more autumn and winter beauty looks at the moment. Recently I’ve been a bit more minimal with my everyday make up routine, but I today I decided to go all out and do a full face. Starting primer, I used the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser (£7.99)  all over my face before beginning to apply concealer. I applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up (£6.49) in the shade ivory using a Real Techniques beauty blender around the eyes, nose and any blemishes. Overall, it covers all blemishes and dark circles well, but it is definitely too dark and yellow toned for me, as I’m more pink toned and pale so I wish they would make a porcelain shade too. 

I prefer to do my brows next, using the L’Oréal Paris Brow Artist Xpert (£7.99) in the shade Cool Blond. It is one of the products in my make up bag that I literally use every time I apply make up; it gives a very natural effect to filling the sparse parts of my brows (oops to the occasional overpluck by mistake) and matches my natural eyebrow shade perfectly. I then use the spooly end to brush out the excess product and frame the brows with concealer. My holy grail brow product is the Benefit Ready, Set, Brow! Which for £20 is definitely one of the more expensive items in my make up bag, but I love that the clear gel glides over my brow and sets them in place all day without the need for reapplication. I like my brows to be natural but tame and this really helps me to achieve that look.

I didn’t want to use foundation as I wanted something lighter on my skin; the Bourjois Paris 123 Perfect CC Cream (£9.99) is a great alternative to foundation as it does cover all skin sins whilst allowing your skin to breathe. Sadly, it is a little too dark for me at the moment (the autumn and winter months literally drain all of the colour from my face haha) but I use the shade ivory and as it is pink toned, it does work into my natural skin tone well once it’s blended out a bit using a beauty blender. For Contour, I used the bronze shade from the trusty Rimmel Kate Moss Sculpting Palette #002 (£6.99) and a Real Techniques brush across my cheekbones and across the temples of my forehead. It’s more of a bronzer, but as my skin is so pale, that does work better for me anyway, before applying the blush from the same palette with a different Real Techniques brush across the apples of my cheeks to add a natural flush. 

For my eyes, I wanted to create a glowy, sparkly bronze look that swept across the whole of my eyelid. I’m definitely getting in the mood for festive make up and recently I’ve been loving the Sleek Make Up iDivine Eyeshadow Palette - All Night Long. For £8.99 you definitely get your money’s worth as it contains twelve different shadows and the packaging includes a large mirror which is great for travelling. There’s a mix of vibrant shimmers and neutral matte shades which are excellent to use as a base. I started off by using a Real Techniques brush and a neutral light brown all across my eyelid as a good base for the shimmer shadows that I planned to use. I then applied a coppery bronze shade across the outer corners of my eyes before adding a gold shimmer across my inner corners. Once that was done I then blended out any harsh edges using a clean brush and added some of the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighter across my browbones, cheekbones and cupid’s bow in the shade Pink Shimmer. The highlight is so pretty and stands out nicely against the rest of the skin but I could’ve built the highlight up a little more to make it blinding; that’s something I’ll definitely do come Christmas time. It’s also super affordable at £3, it’s such good value for money and lasts for a long time too.

I decided against applying eyeliner as I’m not the best at it; I hate it when I have a perfect base then mess it all up when mismatched eyeliner so it wasn’t an eyeliner day. In fact, the eyeshadow was fairly bold and shimmery so eyeliner wasn’t really necessary anyway. However, one thing that I love is volumised, bold, spidery lashes and to create that without using false eyelashes I use two mascaras. I start off by using the Maybelline Volum’ Rocket Express from the roots of my lashes to the tips and it really volumises and lengthens the lashes well. It’s my favourite drugstore mascara and really worth the £7.99 that it costs. To complete my eyes, I used the L’Oréal Paris Miss Baby Roll mascara to make my lashes more thick and curly; it’s actually the same price point, £7.99 and is equally amazing, although I find it works best on top of another mascara, rather than on its own (excessive, I know ahaha) overall, I love the effect that these mascaras give my lashes without the need to apply false lashes, which is amazing. It’s much easier to use your natural lashes and mascara.

Lastly, I applied the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lipstick in the shade Plum This Show all over my lips; it does take two or three coats to become full opaque, but that’s not a massive surprise for such a dark lip. Priced at £5.99 it’s great value as it is affordable and the formula of the lipstick is actually really nice, it’s not drying on the lips which is a nice touch. I wanted a berry lip as I feel like the darker toned lip suits the change in the weather; I always associate darker lip colours with winter and the festive season. I’m really happy with how this look turned out and I’ll definitely be recreating it for nights out with friends over the coming months. Let me know in the comments if there’s any make up looks that you’re loving for autumn and winter as I’d love to hear; until next time :)

Blogging on a Budget

Hello again guys; I’m sure that many of you who have been reading my blog for a while will have realised that I mention being a budget a lot of the time. I’m not ashamed of being on a budget, a part of life is learning how to look after your money. However, I have to admit many bloggers and YouTubers make it seem like lots of money is needed to be successful and this post is about showing you that you can be a blogger and on a budget! It's not fun to be on a budget, but it is definitely something that it a part of growing older and reaching the age where saving needs to be more important than splurging. I don't make any money from my blog, so I'm very aware of the importance of keeping the costs low but the content great for my blog. All of these little tips are applicable to another blog, they're just little things that I've learnt through trial and error over the part eighteen months of blogging.

A creative mind

The one thing that any blogger definitely needs is a creative mind; you need to be able to think of content, take decent photos and write eloquently. However, all of those things also come from time, passion and practise. No blogger starts off as a complete professional, with thousands of views and it’s important to remind yourself that each blog and therefore blogger is unique, so avoid comparing yourself and your blog to others. Concentrate instead on wanting to improve your content for yourself and your readers, rather than giving up because someone else is more established so therefore more competent in various areas. This is something that I have to tell myself in a regular basis, as I always feel like my blog isn't professional or perfect enough, so I know how hard it is. However, I like to remind myself that no one else has a blog like mine and that is the beauty of blogging.

A decent camera

During one of my very poor times, I regrettably sold my canon DSLR on eBay and although I miss it, I can manage to live without it. One of my life’s vices is my iPhone; for all of my blog photography I use the camera of my iPhone 7 Plus and use free editing apps to change the brightness, contrast, depth of field and add some cute lens flares. I studied photography at university and I do want to reinvest in a DSLR, but that’s more because I miss the one I used to have more than because my phone camera isn’t up to scratch (the camera on my iPhone is more than adequate for taking photographs). It’s more about the layout of the image than anything else; it’s difficult to tell what camera anyone uses as all of the cameras are of excellent quality these days, even on phones or other portable devices. 

Blog photo props

For my blog, I like to use a variety of props around the centrepiece of the photo (which is usually a book). I use perfume bottles, books, makeup brushes and eyeshadow palettes; in fact, all of those things are fairly affordable. You can buy empty perfume bottles for as little as 99p (minus postage costs) on eBay and I’ve done that myself in the past - one of my favourite props is a £70 bottle that I paid 99p for and no one has ever noticed that it is empty because the bottle alone looks fabulous! All of my props are laid out on a fluffy cream rug that I paid £8 for and it’s perfect as it’s both pretty and neutral to use as a background as it goes with everything. It’s super easy to fake a photogenic lifestyle whilst spending as little as possible, although it is important to be resourceful. I've heard of other bloggers photographing flatlays on tiles or squares of wood, too, which if you buy a sample size is very affordable and looks really effective against the bright colours and aesthetic goodness of products and perfume bottles.

Unique ideas

Probably the most important part for the creation of a blog is to have the ability to think of excellent content. If every blogger was posting the same opinion, topics or images then nobody would want to read it, so it is very important to try and create a range of idea that are uniquely yours. For many weeks I had my 'Happy Things' series which was a great way to talk about the positive side of life and in turn, my issues with mental health. It wasn't something I'd seen another blogger do (although I'm sure that someone, somewhere in the world will have done something similar) and it was also very important to me, personally. It's important to post regularly but not constantly repeat the same ideas; variety is key. Don't limit yourself to a niche, for example fashion as that's how you lose the creative side to blogging.

Passion

This is something that is completely free; to start a blog is very easy, all you need to do is turn on a device make an account on blogger, wordpress or something similar and then write. However, in reality it is actually a lot of time and effort to keep up writing a blog and you really need to be passionate about what you do. It's so important to remember that blogging isn't about making money; it's about wanting to share your ideas and to an extent, yourself with the world.

New In: Make Up

Hello guys; it feels like it’s been ages since I did a beauty related post, although that’s also likely to be because I haven’t bought too many beauty items recently. However, I’m a bit of a nosy person myself and so I love seeing what other people have bought so I thought I’d share my purchases with you, too. There’s not many items, but that is realistic for someone like me, who lives on a budget month in, month out. As it’s getting colder, I decided to refresh my make up collection a little to reflect the season; basically, I wanted some red, plum and nude in there somewhere as the festive season is almost upon us and it’s always good to experiment!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - Ivory

This is actually fast becoming an everyday make up staple for me; good value for money priced as £7.99, as a little product does go a long way too. The packaging isn’t ugly, but definitely isn’t my favourite either, but the concealer is a good consistency and covers up any spots, blemishes or dark circles really well and it lasts a good 12+ hours, which is a bonus as I’m not a fan of reapplying throughout the working day. The only thing that bothers me about this product is that even ivory (which is the lightest shade) is slightly too dark for my skin tone, which is a shame as I would definitely repurchase this concealer if they made a porcelain version.

Maybelline The Rocket Volum’ Express Mascara - Waterproof

To anyone who read my blog regularly, you will know how much I love this mascara, although this is the first time that I’ve tried the waterproof version. One of the reasons why I love this mascara so much is that for £7.99, it’s not only cheap but it also does wat it sets out to; whenever I use this mascara on my eyelashes they looks super volumised and separated which is the kind of effect I want to achieve with any mascara. The waterproof version does dry faster than the regular version so it’s harder to add multiple coats without creating clumpiness, which is annoying but the waterproof version is much better for the colder weather as once it’s on, it doesn’t come off! The only difference in the packaging is that the text is a light blue to the dark blue bottle which looks lovely; Maybelline always have lovely packaging for mascaras.

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lipstickk - Plum This Show, Moca, Fire Starter

In all honesty, I have become an absolute addict to liquid lipsticks over the past year; I love how once they’re applied they rarely come off. On the whole, I do tend to gravitate towards nude shades as I like to look fairly natural when I wear a full face of make up, which is why I chose to purchase Moca after seeing various YouTube videos raving about it. It’s definitely the shade that I’ll be using the most often as it’s so versatile; it can be worn for any occasion. Each lipstick is £5.99, so fairly affordable for the pockets too. Moca needs only one coat to fully cover the lips, but unfortunately Plum This Way needs two or three coat as it’s a little more patchy on application. However, the formula is the same, so I’m assuming that’s because of the colour being more intense; often dark berry toned lipsticks need a second coat or so to make the product fully cover the lips so I wasn’t surprised by that. Whereas Fire Starter is a bright red, but a blue toned red so it suits my pale, pink toned skin well. Unlike Plum This Way, Fire Starter doesn’t need multiple coast as it’s opaque from the first coat so overall you use less product, which is a bonus. All of three lipsticks have the same formula and it feels nice and light on the lips; it does dry out the lips a little, but nothing unexpected or unmanageable. Just wear some lip balm before application to minimise the dryness. These are really lovely quality, in terms of both the packaging and the formula; they’re great value for money and definitely going to be in my make up bag for the rest of this season.

Sleek iDivine Eyeshadow Palette - All Night Long

Sleek as a make up brand are one that I’ve had varying degrees of success with; the products are always excellent quality, but as I’m so pale, occasionally there isn’t a shade pale enough for me. However, they’re always amazingly affordable, for example this eyeshadow palette is priced at £8.99 and comes with twelve different shades, including neutral tones, mattes, shimmers and berry/bronze tones. It’s perfect for this season as it’s range of shades are definitely aimed at more bold, experimental looks and I can’t wait to play with these colours more over the next couple of months. They’re blendable and buildable, although I’m not a fan of the brush that comes in the palette, unfortunately, but that’s such a small detail it’s not a problem. Definitely going to be trying out some smoky eye looks with the bronze shades using some different sized brushes to create a smudged, messy but flawless look.

Book Review: All the Bright Places

Recently, I’ve been indulging Young Adult fiction more regularly; although this is fairly unintentional. I decided to read All the Bright Places after seeing various reviews comparing the novel to The Fault in Our Stars, a novel that is extremely famous within the YA community, and one that I enjoyed. However, I disagree that the two novels are similar as they explore death in very different ways. I was almost immediately intrigued by the idea that the novel is about ‘the story of a girl who learns to live from a boy who wants to die’. Within teenagers, depression is something that is common but not widely treated so its nice to see two characters with different live and perspectives suffering from it; I also liked that the two characters were different genders as that added to the idea that depression can affect anyone, male or female and from any walk of life as one character is privileged and the other fairly underprivileged. The running themes of identity, mental health and relationships are handled carefully by the author, not exaggerated and seem like believable issues for not only teenagers, as they are problems that can arise in many people so therefore the novel is fairly easy to relate to on a personal level.

Violet struggles to live because of a car accident that she survived; in many ways her suffering can be described as survivor’s guilt, whereas Theodore (Finch) has had a troubled upbringing which has really affected his ability to live. They become attached to each other after they somehow save each others life, therefore forming an unbreakable bond. Finch is fascinated by death, near constantly dreaming up ways of committing suicide and weighing up the pros and cons of various ways of doing so. In some ways this seems like a coping mechanism, a way of finding a reason to be alive. Both teenagers are seeing therapists but still struggle with living a day to day life for different reasons. The pair truly brought out the best within each other; Violet became more outgoing, Finch learnt to find happiness through living his version of a perfect day, encouraged by Violet.

This book is somewhat unique because even the ‘perfect day’ was essentially having good company and exploring, travelling and finding even the most obscure of places to represent what somewhere (and something) can mean to someone. It references the powerful feelings of first love as well as loss. Forever is simply a few months or years. Violet and Theo (Finch) definitely believe that love can fix everything, that it can cover all of cracks caused by emotional pain and suffering but as time goes on, they also realise that life isn’t quite as simple as that, but regardless they try so hard to fight for the other through their shared love. Life and death are the raw themes of the novel and coupled with teenage angst, the subjects are explored well. The constant attempts to find reasons to stay alive, focusing on each other, the time they spend with each other and the want to complete all of their life goals before it is too late are some of the most important elements to the plot.

Some novels are difficult to read because of complicated prose, others for their difficult subject matters. This novel is one that is hard to put down as you become so engaged with the two main characters and actually they have a beautiful love story. However, I did find this book exhausting. It was hard to see Violet and Finch really seem to find something in one another, only for it to swiftly end; love doesn’t always cover the cracks in life’s other areas, unfortunately. Their love is pretty intense, as love can often be but overall I felt like the author did an excellent job of recreating the feelings of teenage love, loss and angst. I actually become so engrossed in their backstories, their reasons for being so depressed and eventually in their love story that I genuinely believed that their love would be enough, although it wasn’t. This novel explored a range of themes well and I truly felt so engaged with the plot to the point that I was genuinely upset at various points, particularly with how the story ended. Many have suggested that this novel glamourises death, but i disagree; to me, it felt like the novel was portraying life as positive and death as negative. Overall, I felt as though the novel had an overriding message that it is of utmost importance to not gloss over mental health; that you should never be afraid to cry for help if you need it, which is why I found it to be so powerful. Generally, I do enjoy books that encourage you to think and also stick in your mind; this novel is one that achieves both of those things and therefore why I recommend reading it.

Book Review: Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro is one of those contemporary authors who never ceases to write; it feels like his books are everywhere and that everyone has heard of him. Never Let Me Go is a novel that I have been meaning to read for a long time; many years ago I watched the film but I’ve never managed to find the time to read the book until now. To say that this novel is beautifully written is an understatement; Kathy is a great narrator, appearing to be both reliable and engaging with a fantastic memory for any amount of small details. However, as the novel progresses the reader does begin to question whether Kathy is too easy to accept their fate; too quick to provide excuses and too happy to concentrate on the positive parts of their lives. Kathy rarely discusses her own feelings, often preferring to remember the past and describing how others felt. This book opens up many questions about both morality and mortality and not all of them are pleasant; in fact this novel is hard to read at times as it does hint at some uncomfortable subjects. In ethical terms, you could argue that there are many issues present; raising children to be very intelligent and then suddenly give up their lives, to have no opportunities to have a real future creates a range of questions and I’m not sure that I agree with the notion at all.

Kathy is a ‘carer’ and so we as readers see the worlds from her perspective, including her memories. Many of her memories contain some fond thoughts about her childhood, in particular her friends, acquaintances and guardians (who are fairly similar to teachers and parents in one) at her School, Hailsham which can be compared to a Boarding School except they don’t have holidays or ever leave, in fact. In all honesty, the majority of the memories that Kathy shares are not the happiest, although she seems to treasure them, probably because they are all she has and many of her childhood friends have ‘completed’ which is alternative way of describing death. Kathy explains (via her various recollective memories) that much of their teaching throughout their schooling is based around them being donors. Effectively, all of them are cloned, intended to donate organs for those who need transplants for various illnesses. Donation is something that is often mentioned and often in a way that suggests all of them are afraid of the future as it is so unknown to them. Many of them struggle past the second donation, however Kathy does explain that it does depend on the individual. Tommy seems quite proud of reaching a fourth donation, almost as though it is an honour. I got the impression that Kathy was afraid to be a donor herself, much preferring to be a carer. Being a carer definitely suits her personality, she’s naturally a sensitive soul.

Carers are trained to look after those who are recovering after making donations, which is Kathy’s role; considering that the majority of her childhood friends and acquaintances are guardians (who are fairly similar to teachers and parents in one) at her School, Hailsham which can be compared to a Boarding School except they don’t have holidays or ever leave, in fact. In all honesty, the majority of the memories that Kathy shares are not the happiest, although she seems to treasure them, probably because they are all she has and many of her childhood friends have ‘completed’ which is alternative way of describing death. Kathy explains (via her various recollective memories) that much of their teaching throughout their schooling is based around them being donors. Effectively, all of them are cloned, intended to donate organs for those who need transplants for various illnesses.

Carers are trained to look after those who are recovering after making donations, which is Kathy’s role; considering that the majority of her childhood friends and acquaintances are donors from what she describes. In fact, she even considers herself an excellent carer, having cared for many years. This novel is a sad one; I found it hard to read. It is almost impossible to understand how difficult it must have been for these children to reach adulthood and realise not only what they are, but that they have been lied to. I cant even fathom how it must be to realise that you are so different to the outside world; the characters in this novel are not only complex, but also incredibly really to deal with their difficult lives, they’re so brave in many ways. Many people go through life believing that they are alive for a purpose, although that purpose is usually dependant on choice whereas the characters in this novel are alive for a singular, unavoidable purpose with no choices at all.

Overall, I really loved this book; as much as it was difficult to read due to some of the morality and mortality questions that bothered me, the writing is undeniably beautiful. In general I do love a book that makes me think, that encourages me to question the truth of what I’m reading as well as think more about social issues. One of reasons why I adored this book so much is that the underlying morality issues were carefully described; the subtlety of the prose made the meaning behind the words  even more haunting to me. In terms of length, this book isn’t unreasonably short, but it isn’t long either so in a sense it is an easy read, although one that is very hard going in terms of subject matter. Ishiguro’s characterisation and the narrative voice of Kathy were excellent, particularly as there was a sense of mystery, until the big reveal which turned out not to matter anymore. Naturally many ethical questions arose after reading this novel, but ultimately I do recommend it as I couldn’t stop thinking about it during reading and still after reading it, which is always the sign of a fantastic read.

Harry Potter Haul #2

Hey guys, this is a fairly recent selection of some Harry Potter related items that I’ve purchased recently; I went to Primark in the hopes of finding a cauldron mug that I’d set my heart on but sadly it was nowhere to be seen. On the plus side, I found a lovely Gryffindor cushion that was an absolute bargain for £4, as well as three pairs of Harry Potter socks for £4 too. The socks caught my eye as I wanted some that didn’t have the houses on, it’s nice to mix it up a bit. I’ve always loved the view of the castle an the lightning bolt is an absolute classic so I knew I had to buy them. The Primark Harry Potter range is actually really lovely quality for such a pocket friendly price too. I bought some Fantastic Beasts items too; two books from eBay, the first is a making of  movie book which I snapped up for about £3 and the second is the screenplay book, also from eBay for roughly £4. I was really happy for the value for money from these books, especially as the screenplay cover design is so beautiful. The Oblivate Notebook was bought for me by my boyfriend for £7.99 from Waterstones and it’s so cute and also has a lovely cover design.

I’ve been purchasing a lot of Harry Potter books lately, I like the idea of collecting unusual or rare editions, but I’ve been mostly buying second hand via eBay or amazon for excellent prices. The Expecto Patronum Notebook is something that I had my eyes on for a while but I’d been persuading myself that it was an unnecessary purchase but for £13 I ended up giving in due to free delivery... I have no regrets as it’s a Moleskine notebook so the quality of the paper and the cover is incredible and definitely worth every penny. Plus, the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favourite book so it’s a great way to pay homage to that. My next purchase was the Slytherin cover edition of the 20th Anniversary Philosopher’s Stone. I managed to find it for £8 on eBay and that was fantastic as it’s a first edition. I’m a Gryffindor, but I’m planning to collect all four of the house cover in hardback and I know I’m getting the Gryffindor one as a present, so I decided to buy the Slytherin one first. I like how each edition has information about the house and some beautiful illustrations at the beginning of the book and at the start of each chapter. Ravenclaw is definitely next on the list.

Finally, I have two other editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone; a paperback and a hardback. I bought them both from eBay and they’re technically both first editions. The paperback is a Bloomsbury printed edition; technically a first edition but it’s a late print (around 30+) but it is a 1997 original, with Dumbledore on the back. This edition is exactly like the version I read as a child, before I lent it out and never got it back. For £5 it was a bargain considering it’s age and the condition is great, it looks unread. The hardback version is a little more unusual. It’s a first edition and first printing, but it was printed by Ted Smart for the Book People in 1998 and it is essentially a copy of the original 1997 Bloomsbury first edition. For example, the Dumbledore on the back is a young wizard, not the elderly wizard that we all know and love. I bought this for an absolute steal of £3 from eBay, which is insane considering the rarity of this book; I doubt there were many made of this. Let me know in the comments what you think of my purchases and I’ll see you guys very soon! :)

Gryffindor Pillow - Set of 3 Harry Potter Socks 

Inside the Magic: The Making of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them - Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Original Screenplay - Insights Obliviate A5 Journal 

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 20th Anniversary Slytherin Hardback Edition - Moleskine Expecto Patronum Limited Edition Notebook - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Ted Smart 1st Edition

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 20th Anniversary Slytherin Hardback Edition - Moleskine Expecto Patronum Limited Edition Notebook - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Ted Smart 1st Edition - Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 1997 Bloomsbury Publishing Paperback

October Moodboard

Hello again guys; once again I’m starting the month off with a moodbaord based on a variety of images that I found on Pinterest (no hate please, I know it’s bad there’s just so much inspiration to be found from there) using the search keywords Halloween, Autumn, Autumn fashion, Halloween DIY and October. I don’t own any of these images but they can all be found on Pinterest using the same search keywords. I really, really love the autumn and fall colours, the orange, reds and yellows are simply beautiful and honestly I can’t wait for the leaves to start falling properly, even if I’m not a fan of the darker nights and shorter days. Another thing that I’ve been getting excited over is decorating interiors for the upcoming seasons as the one thing that is super enjoyable about the autumn and winter seasons is having cute decorations all over the house and I like seeing the house looking a little more cozy and warm in the colder months. I’m definitely tempted to buy some more big cozy jumpers as it is starting to get more cold in the mornings and evenings now, so maybe I’ll take some inspiration from the colour schemes that can be found in some of these images. Is there anything that is getting you excited about October? Let me know in the comments :)

A Beauty Haul

Hello again guys; I feel like I haven’t posted a beauty related haul in a while and amazingly, all of this haul was gifted to me by best friend. Am I not incredibly lucky? She’s such a sweetheart, she definitely knows the kind of things that I’d like, for example pink nail polish and the mascara... Put it this way, mascara is probably my main make up related vice, if I could choose only one item of make up to wear for the rest of my life it would definitely be mascara as I just feel so much more confident whenever I’m wearing any as it literally makes the eyes pop a lot more. I love it whenever I get the opportunity to try out new make up or various products so this gift box of products was a dream for me, I can’t wait to test out some of the products as I do love experimenting sometimes. I’m forever on a budget so I don’t often get the opportunity to test out new products regularly, so whenever I do get the opportunity to try out new make up or products I really enjoy it. I’m so, so grateful to my bestie for this random gift box of goods and I can’t wait to let her know what ones I loved the most as well as you guys. There’s a huge amount of variety in the products provided in the gift box so it’s going to be super enjoyable to see what ones I’d consider buying again. Let me know in the comments if you like these kinds of posts :)

James Read Gradual Tan - Sleep Mask Tan Body 100ml - £30

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I’m so incredibly pale skinned that I literally glow in the sun haha. I’ve never really had a lot of success with fake tanning and I must admit that it’s not something that really appeals to me; I’ve learnt to embrace my natural ghostliness over the years so I’ve never really been tempted to tan. However, judging by the reviews of this brand I may try and tan my legs as it is a bit of a pain to constantly wear flesh coloured tights every summer. Obviously with the arrival of autumn, I’ll be leaving this product for next year but I can’t wait to try it, even if it’s just to even out my skin tone a little.

M&S Beauty Sun Smart Moisture Protect Sun Lotion SPF 30 - £8.50

Now, this is the perfect product to protect my ghostly skin; in fairness, everyone needs to wear sunscreen but I’m fairly careful generally with my skin in the sun because I’m terrified of ruining my skin with sun damage so I tend to use a lot of sun screen in the summer months. Ordinarily I would use SPF 50+ on very hot days, but for days spend wandering the city, this one will be great. Again, this is an item that I’ll be saving for next summer as autumn has definitely arrived in the UK for now, so this product will be a great addition to my summer skincare.

Studio 10 Youth Lift Glow-Plexion 15ml - £26

In all honesty, I’ve never been one to be interested in keeping my skin youthful, although that’s possibly because I’ve always been more interested in having healthy, happy skin instead. I tend to use moisturisers fairly often as a way of keeping my skin glowing as I have very dry skin. However, the reviews of this product are extremely positive which excites me; I’m looking forward to trying this as a f primer and illuminator before applying BB cream for understated, natural make up looks as it’s supposed to give you healthy, glowing skin that covers any visible imperfections which I really like the sound of as I’m loving ‘no makeup, makeup’ looks at the moment.

Filorga Time Filler 15ml - £16.20

In all honesty, this isn’t a product that I would’ve even thought of purchasing as I’ve never been concerned about wrinkles (watch in 10 years time when I regret that statement ahaha) but nethertheless it’s true; I’m fairly lucky in that I don’t have wrinkles yet and the laughter lines around my eyes have never bothered me as everyone has them and they make a face look perfectly natural. I’m really not a fan of the frozen face look of Botox ahaha. I will be likely to give this product to my mother as although she has amazing skin she would be far more likely to use this than I would and I hate wasting products.

Philip Kingsley Instant Beach 25ml - £8.99

This product is super exciting for me; whenever I try to style my hair, the idea of having long, tousled, beachy waves is exactly what I’d love to create as I think it looks amazing and low maintenance. I’ve always loved the hairstyles of Mary-Kate and Ashley and this product will definitely be able to help me to recreate that kind of look as it’s a texturising spray that doesn’t ruin the hair, which is a relief as my hair is quite thick due to having lots of strands but the individual strands are fine. It’s supposed to give volume and texture whilst holding the waves well, so I’m really excited to try this product as it’s definitely one that I’d repurchase if it does what it says on the tin.

Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser 50ml - £29

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I do have incredibly dry skin so I was very happy to see a moisturiser inside my besties box of gifts as one of the only skincare products I use regularly is a moisturiser due to how excellently it works for my skin. I’m one of those people who needs to add cream to their face immediately after washing or showering, or even in the morning before I apply any make up. As a result of moisturiser being a massive part of my skincare routine, I’m really excited to see how good this one is... For the price it should be amazing, but we’ll see soon enough.

Leighton Denny High Performance Nail Colour in Plush Pink - £12

Since I’ve been working in a job where I can wear nail varnish I’ve definitely started to enjoy it, I feel much more fancy whenever I wear it and I’m a massive fan of pink and purple shades as they really stand out and I like seeing my nails look half decent, haha. Considering the price of this polish, I’ve got really high expectations for it; I’m expecting it to be super long lasting with minimal chippage through everyday use, hopefully it’ll be as bright a pink as the bottle shows it to be as the shade looks absolutely beautiful if you go by the bottle colourisation.

Eyeko Sport Waterproof Mascara 8ml - £19

This is definitely the item that I was most excited about; I love wearing mascara as I feel like it really makes the colour of my eyes stand out. I’m a huge fan of wearing mascara everyday, even if I don’t want to have a full face of make up. Sometimes just a bit of mascara just makes you feel a little more confident and that’s definitely true for me; I have really fair eyelashes so the addition of mascara really makes a difference for me. This one is surprisingly expensive so I’m hoping it’ll be a fantastic addition to my mascara collection, plus it’s the sport edition so it should be able to last all day without flaking or drying out; I’ll be testing this mascara as soon as possible and I have high expectations for it.