May Favourites ’20

It’s safe to say that May was weird and really shitty… For me at least anyway!

As many of you may or may not have noticed, I was quiet on my blog this past month and the reason for that being that I just didn’t feel up to writing any content… Which makes me feel incredibly sad. I wanted to write, but I just didn’t have the mental energy to. Most evenings after work I found myself crawling into bed (yes, even during the hotter days) with my laptop and Switch Lite and did nothing constructive. I binged TV shows, played Animal Crossing and that was about it.

Image taken from The Latest Kate

I’m not meaning to start off this months favourites with a sop story but I just want to be honest as to why my blog was so quiet this month. I’m hoping that June will be better and I can continue to bring you all the geeky, kawaii content that I know you all love!

Aside from May being rubbish, May was also a month that seemed to fly by and I discovered some new things, as well as remembering and enjoying some old.

• Molton Brown Fiery Pink Pepper Bath & Shower Gel.

I recently discovered that I had a bottle of this in my bathroom cupboard and was delighted! In May we had some water damage from our bathroom to the kitchen and I was and still am gutted. So, this has been lovely to rediscover and use every other day in the shower. The scent left behind on the skin is strong and lingers around for ages after you get out of the shower, which I don’t often get after I’ve had a shower. I know Molton Brown isn’t cheap, so I don’t know when I’ll ever buy a bottle of their bath & shower gel again. I think I might treat myself in the future, but it’ll depend. I highly recommend though if you love your showers and want a real treat!

• Nails Inc Ocean Ever After Nail Polish.

I have been blown away by this nail polish the last couple of weeks of May! It has lasted over a week without chipping and I am so pleased. I really miss having my nails painted with gel and I honestly can’t wait for my nail tech to be open again so I can go and get pampered. Whilst I wait for my nail tech to open her salon, I’ve been painting my nails again, which honestly I have somewhat missed. As I write this post I’m still wearing this gorgeous blue/green shade is still intact and I love it so much. It’s the perfect shade for summer due to the mermaid effect and whilst I’m not getting comments on it due to isolation, I know when I’ve worn this in the past, people have always commented. This was part of a duo set, which I have a feeling Nails Inc don’t sell anymore. 😦

• Nivea Blueberry Blush Lip Butter.

This is another product I recently rediscovered as I needed another lip balm. I used to use this one loads during a period when the corners of my mouth were prone to infections (I know that’s gross, but it’s true!), and for some reason I discontinued use. I think this was down to Vaseline working better at the time alongside the steroid cream I was given. However, it’s back out and being used daily and it is amazing! First of all, I love blueberry scented (and flavoured) things and this smells so fruity and yummy. This really is a lip butter, it’s thick and a little goes a long way. It feels really nice on the lips when applied and like it’s actually moisturising. I especially love to use this before bed, so I can wake up with soft lips in the morning. Although it’s pink in the tin, it doesn’t tint or change the colour of your lips, which is great too. I definitely recommend this.

• Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover.

As I mentioned previously above, due to COVID I’m not able to go and get my nails done by my nail tech, so I’m doing them myself at home. I decided to buy myself a cuticle remover from Amazon so I could do my nails properly. I hadn’t touched my cuticles over a month and they were pretty bad. I couldn’t wait for this remover to arrive, as well as the cuticle remover tools I’d ordered too. This works amazing and it only takes 15 seconds for it to work it’s magic as well. A little goes a long way and it doesn’t hurt or sting when applied. I even did Dane’s nails with it too to see what it could do. The results were amazing. I use this once a week when I paint my nails, I don’t know if that’s too much or not, but it’s what I’m doing. 🙂

• The Body Shop Peppermint Cooling Foot Spray.

With us in the UK being graced with warm weather at the moment, both me and Dane have been using this cooling foot spray at the moment. It’s so refreshing to use throughout the day whilst we’re at home, especially when you’re feeling really warm! They always say if you’re feeling either hot or cold, you need to cool/warm your feet up for your whole body to cool/warm up. This definitely applies to me, so when I’ve been really warm in the day, I’ve sprayed some of this on both the tops and bottoms of my feet, let it dry and then gone about my day. It’s so quick drying and due to the size of the bottle it’s handy to take out and about with you if need be. I always forget how much I love this foot spray!

So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite TV Show – Jackass.

I’ve been binge watching a lot of shows this month, especially as I needed to cheer myself up after a few crappy things happening. I haven’t binged Jackass for a while now, so I decided now was a good time to do so. So far I’ve only watched season 1 and 2 of the show but I always forget how much I love it, certain scenes and how much I miss Ryan Dunn (who died almost 10 years ago). The guys are currently working on Jackass 4, which I am so excited for. I am wondering what will happen however, as this will be the first film without Ryan Dunn. Nonetheless, I am still really excited and will continue to binge watch the rest of the show, as well as the movies.

Favourite Movie – Unbroken.

This is a film that Dane popped on one evening for us to watch and I ended up finishing watching it on my own (as he had things to do). This film is amazing and I loved every moment of it. It’s directed by Angelina Jolie and is all about an American man fighting in the Second World War. He is captured by the Japanese and sent off to various prisoner of war camps. It’s all based on a true story and it’s a really emotional watch. It’s on Netflix and I can’t recommend it enough to watch. I might watch it again soon in the future, as I loved it that much.

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Book – Skinema.

Yes. I actually read a book! Well, part of a book anyway. I read and I haven’t done that for months… If not years at this point. This book was actually kindly bought for me from Estelle (go check out her blog over at Estellosaurus!) after sharing my Amazon wish list (which I’ll link here). I was so happy when it arrived as I have wanted this book for years! I actually bought it from Amazon before Christmas but it got lost in the post so I had to get a refund. I even tweeted Chris Nieratko telling him I’d ordered the book and he replied! Told me it’s probably going to be shit so to be prepared. So far, I love it and it was a mixture of what I did and didn’t expect it to be. I highly recommend reading if you’re a fan of Jackass, as well as have a dark sense of humour and open to anything.

Favourite Songs – Bush – “The Sound of Winter” and Institute – “When Animals Attack”.

I’ve been binge listening to Radio Bam since lock down began over two months ago and I’ve now finished it. Two of the songs I discovered years ago through the episodes and now love are my two favourite songs this month. They’re both bands fronted by Gavin Rossdale by the way. Out of the two I love “The Sound of Winter” the most as it has such a great sound behind it. These are just songs I’ve found myself listening to almost everyday whilst working and doing things in my own time (such as writing and playing Animal Crossing). Go and give them a listen if you like rock music and haven’t heard them before. 😀

Image taken from GIPHY

Favourite Game – Still Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Is it really odd for Animal Crossing to be here again this month? I’ve not played anything else in all honesty and I think it’s obvious why. This game is going to be on my monthly favourites for quite some time now due to how excited I still am to play it. For the whole of June there will be a new event coming called Wedding Season Event, which I am really excited for! We haven’t yet seen Reese and Cyrus yet in New Horizons so I’m excited to see them both soon! It is getting to a point at the moment with Animal Crossing where I would like some more events to come, as well as the introduction to some old and very loved characters. I’m really missing The Roost and Brewster right now, so I hope we hear about it from Nintendo soon. 🙂

So there are all my favourites from May! I can’t believe we’re already in June. June is always a momentous month for me. It’s the month we got the keys to our house, but most of all it’s mine and Dane’s anniversary. We’ve been in our house for 4 years and together for 7 years. All that time has really flew by and I can’t quite believe it to be honest with you. I’m also excited for June to come along as May was shit. June will hopefully be the month we get things done and sorted… Which I may talk about more in the future. 😀

So, what were your favourites from May? Are you going to check out any of the things I mentioned in mine? Let me know in the comments! 😀

Until next time, take care and stay safe. 🙂

May Wish List ’19

Wow as if it’s May already! It’s pretty crazy just how quick 2019 is going but at the same time it’s kind of depressing… It means I’m not only getting closer to turning 30 but also getting closer to one of my life goals. I want to go to Japan after my 30th birthday but at the moment I’m worried this is just going to continue to be a dream.

This is something I’ll go into another time. For now it’s time for my monthly wish list! I’ve been really loving getting a style again apart from baggy joggers and a t-shirt. I picked up a pair of mom jeans in April and I love them to death so I’m trying to get more geeky t-shirts lately so I can get myself a real geeky look going on! 😀

To be honest I need to really chill out with money lately as I do really want to save up for Japan and whilst it isn’t going bad right now, it isn’t going as quickly as I’d have hoped.

For now however, I hope you enjoy this months wish list! I feel like it’s a really boring list, but whatever. I love all the items that are on it and I hope you guys do too.

• Lime Crime Best Of Lip Reds (link)

This is a set I have wanted since Christmas to be honest with you, but I just never picked it up. I guess I wasn’t sure of the price at the time and I was skint due to Christmas, as well as both mine and my mom’s birthdays. I’ve been keeping my eyes on this set though for ages on the website and during Easter it went REALLY cheap, almost half price in fact. Finally I bit the bullet and purchased the set! I rather like Lime Crime and miss wearing liquid lipsticks a little for their staying power. This set is gorgeous and will work great for when I fancy wearing reds throughout the year, whether it be for work, in the beer garden or for blog events. 🙂 I’m glad I waited and picked this up for cheap!

• Monsoon Celleni Star Print Midi Dress (link)

I’ve had my eye on this dress for just over a month now. I saw it when I was out in Leamington Spa looking for possible new work pieces for when I was due to start my new job. I spotted this dress and thought what a gorgeous colour and print it was and had on it. I do rather like a good maxi dress but as of yet I’ve actually never tried a midi dress. I tried one on the day I was out shopping and rather liked it, the reason for not buying said dress was the fit on the arms was shit! 😛 This dress is really expensive so I’m waiting for it to go down in price before I make the jump at it. 🙂

• Detective Pikachu T-Shirt (link)

I’m so damn excited for Detective Pikachu! It’s less than a week away now and I’ve already booked tickets to go and watch it. I am THAT excited for this movie! Not only am I a huge Pokemon fan, but Ryan Reynolds is also my favourite actor. When I saw this t-shirt for sale on EMP I KNEW I had to get it! I’ve ordered it before this post went live and I’m actually hoping it arrives soon so I can dress it up with my mom jeans and my Vans.

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid T-Shirt (link)

This is a t-shirt I’ve had saved on my eBay account for the longest time, but as of yet I just haven’t ordered it. It’s from China, which to be honest I am always hesitant to order from for various reasons. The photos always look better than the actual product. I’ll see how I feel still in regards to this t-shirt, but again like the Detective Pikachu t-shirt I would really love to rock this with mom jeans.

• Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. 5 (link)

Towards the end of April my reading just shot straight up! I haven’t been reading properly for ages due to having too much shit going on so now I’ve finally had the chance to sit and read during my work break, it’s lovely. When I’ve caught up on this series I’ll definitely pick up this volume to read next. I do really love reading manga and if anything I’ve forgotten lately just how much I love reading it.

• Pandora Bull Terrier Puppy Pendant Charm (link)

Pandora have recently released their adorable pets charms and I am in LOVE with all the puppy versions they’ve released, including this bull terrier one. Randomly I used to really want a bull terrier growing up so I would love to add this charm to my bracelet as a reminder of younger Nat and the pet that she wanted when she grew up. I’d never get one now to be perfectly honest with you, even though a part of me would still love to deep down.

• Chocolate Raisin Fury Starry Sky Of Creation Mew T-Shirt (link)

The last item on this list and it’s ANOTHER t-shirt! I was meant to mention Chocolate Raisin Fury’s t-shirts back in last months wish list post but I kind of forgot to be honest with you. I discovered Chocolate Raisin Fury at MCM Comic Con Birmingham back at the end of March and I am so thankful for it. I LOVE her designs so much and I definitely need to own more in my life! I have my eye on all of the Studio Ghibli designs but I REALLY love this Mew design at the moment and would love to add it to my geeky t-shirt collection!

So that is my wish list for May! What items do you guys have on your wish lists this month? Make sure to let me know in the comments as well as what item(s) you like on my list (if any! :P).

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely weekend so far.

February Wish List ’19

I can’t quite believe it’s February already! January really did fly by and to be honest I’m so glad as aside from mine and my mom’s birthdays it was fucking crap. The fact it flew by in a blur was shitty. I wanted to at least get a chance to see January before it was gone.

This being said, I’m using February as a, “this is the month I get my shit together for the rest of the year!” I hope it actually is.

For now however, I’m STUFFED with Korean BBQ and I’m re watching Shameless for the fifth time. I’m actually trying to save up right now so me and Dane can hurry up and book Japan for my birthday, but this being said I’m still going to write my monthly wish list post, because why not. 😛

As you may have already noticed, for the first time in God knows how many years my monthly wish list post isn’t up on the 3rd of the month. I’ve decided that moving forward that this post every month will now be up on the 4th of every month!

Without anymore delays, let’s get on with the post! 😀

• Persona 5 Futaba Sakura Nendoroid (link)

I am so stoked for this Nendoroid being out now! I’m awaiting the delivery of mine from Gamersheek and I can’t wait for her to arrive. I pre-ordered her back in July 2018 so I’ve been waiting for her for over 6 months now. Soon as she arrives she’ll be going next to my Morgana Nendoroid and then before we know it Joker and Queen will be joining them! As soon as she arrives I’ll try and show her off on my blog. I don’t really talk loads about Nendoroid figures on my blog, as in like a dedicated post. Would you guys like that? Let me know if you would like to.

• Pink Soda Sport Arden Panel Sports Bra (link)

I’ve been going to my pole fitness once a week with my best friend Jacqui and I always forget how much I miss it as soon as I start it up again. I also plan on starting the gym with Dane this month too so I could do with some more fitness clothing. I own one Pink Soda sports bra and whilst it isn’t the most supportive in the world, it’s super comfortable and does the job for what I need it for. I’d love to get this one soon!

• Pink Soda Sport Fitness Tights (link)

I know these are called fitness tights… So is that another term for leggings? I could do with some more leggings, again for the gym as well as when me and Dane go for walks together. These match the sports bra that I want to get, so it would be nice to have the matching set in all honesty. I’m going to go for a mooch in JD Sports soon to see what goodies I can get from Pink Soda as I really love the brand.

• Bravissimo Maya Balconette Bra in Plum (link)

If there is a brand I discovered and fell in love with in 2018, it was Bravissimo! I was actually meant to write about it back when I first bought my bras from them, but that never happened. I may end up doing that soon considering it’s been since around July time. I can have a good natter about my experience, as well as which bras I own and why they’re good. ANYWAY this is one of the new styles they’ve brought out in 2019 and it looks GORGEOUS! It looks super comfortable, the colour is really pretty and it just looks fab. It’s not the cheapest in the world, but if it feels comfortable, makes me feel sexy and well does the job, I can’t really complain.

• Himouto! Umaru-chan Vol. 4 (link)

New month, new manga! I’m not going to lie, I hardly read any manga throughout January and this is purely because I was just too bloody busy. I don’t think I’ll pick up this manga until I’ve caught up with all the series volumes I have right now. This being said, I LOVE this manga so as soon as I can pick this up to read I will for sure! I need to finish watching season 2 of Himouto! Umaru-chan in all fairness.

• Paperchase Valentines Pink Ombre Heart Pen (link)

This is such a random item on this list, but in one of my most recent emails about Paperchase’s Valentine’s Day collection I noticed this being advertised and I kind of fell in love with it. It’s obviously meant to be a lolly and even though it’s nothing special, I still love the look of it! I’d have it for work to brighten up my pen pot even more so than it already is. My only issue however is, I bet it’s not a black pen! Which I use the most in my job. 😛 I MAY pick it up as for £3.00 it’s not a bad price. 🙂

• Laneige Two Tone Matte Lip Bar in Red Velvet (link)

I really want to try some more Korean beauty products in 2019, especially lip products. I feel like I need more lip tints in my life as I really love doing the “bitten” lip look. I stumbled across the Laneige two tone lip bars and fell in love. I intend to pick some up soon but the one I really have my eye on is this red velvet shade, which will look really nice in colour opaque, as well as blotted out. I don’t know why but the shade colour reminds me of something vintage, which I love even more! If I end up getting this one, or any of the lip bars, I’ll definitely review them! 😀

So that was my wish list for February! I’m trying to save money to be honest with you as I REALLY want Japan booked out the way, so I can spend the next 11 months saving up spending money. As soon as Japan is booked, you guys will definitely know about it. 😛

What are you guys wishing for throughout February? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having an amazing start to the week. 🙂

December Wish List ’18

I cannot believe we are in December now. The last month of 2018 with Christmas and New Years looming and my bloody 29th birthday to follow. Yuck getting old sucks.

I am definitely not ready for Christmas and I usually am by now! I had a very busy and expensive November and a part of me regrets spending so much monies, but at the same time we only live. YOLO! 😛

Last year in December I actually wrote two wish list posts, one in general at the start of the month and one on Christmas Eve that I would have asked Father Christmas for as a kid, as well as what I was hoping to be gifted Christmas Day. I want to know if you guys want to see this again, but this time from my teenage self? Please let me know in the comments down below! I’ve been toying with the idea and I would like to do it.

Anyway, I’ve put a list together and not going to lie, I STRUGGLED! I’ve bought so much shit lately that I really didn’t need anything else. Some stuff on here I’ve pre ordered already. xD

• A Polar Bear In Love Vol. 4 – (link)

This is a manga I got into at the start of the year as Dane bought it for me for my birthday. We’re approaching the fourth volume now and I still love this manga so much, I could even go so far as to say it’s one of my favourites. It’s so bizarre and different, which being totally hilarious! I just love some of the quirky moments in there.

• Pokemon Eevee Hooded Sweater – (link)

I really don’t need a new hoodie, especially as Dane has just given me one of his hoodies! This one looks really snug though and comfortable. When I showed it to Dane he commented how it reminded him of a snowboarding hoodie. This definitely shows a sign of a good hoodie for sure! 😛 This is something I’ll be keeping my eye out for in the sales. I’d probably just have it to wear to pole and hoop fitness, as well as around the house when chilling out and with my pyjamas. 😛

• Sword Art Online Progressive Vol. 7 (link)

This is another manga I really love at the moment and it’s also a manga that doesn’t come out THAT much throughout the year, so I was quite surprised that they decided to bring out two volumes in one year! This is a manga I really enjoy and reminds me of when I first started buying manga to read

• Lime Crime Best Of Lip Holiday Collection in Reds – (link)

I’ve always been unsure of Lime Crime products, until I picked up the Plushies (which you can read my review about here) and since then I do really want to try more of their lipsticks. These gift sets for Christmas look amazing and I’d really love to pick one up, or have one for Christmas. They have a couple of different colours from darks, reds, mauves and nudes. I love me a bit of red when it comes to lip colours, but I do also love the darks and mauves too. I think I’ll keep my eye on these for when the Boxing Day sales roll around. 😛

• Pokemon Eevee Tamagotchi – (link)

I’ve actually pre-ordered this already! I had to, I couldn’t pass it up to be honest. 😛 Pokemon and Tamagotchi have teamed up to bring out an Eevee Tamagotchi, where you get an Eevee and can evolve it into one of it’s Eeveelutions, as well as (apparently!) a new Eeveelution, which is pretty exciting! I went for the brown Tamagotchi out of the two. This was such a good price and I’m so excited for it to come out at the start of 2019. I’m undecided whether to open it or not, we shall see. 😛

• Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Manga Vol. 7 – (link)

This is something else I’ve pre-ordered as I LOVE this series of manga and I always try and get the latest volume without delay so I can keep up with the series. I’ve not had much manga to read in November as I read all my manga on my way to London. I’ve got manga to read on an app on my phone but it’s never the same as having a physical copy. 😛 I can’t wait for this to arrive now to read it.

• Stuffed Water Bear – (link)

The final item on this wish list IS ADORABLE! I really want this water bear, even though I don’t know what I’d do with it. 😛 I was so tempted to pick this up when the sales were on for Black Friday, but I left it as to be honest with you I HAVE BEEN SKINT! 😛 I may look into getting this another time but at the moment it’s not a priority. BUT DAMN it’s cute isn’t it?! 😛

So that is my December favourites! Of course this doesn’t include my whole, “wish list to Father Christmas aka family” stuff. That will come Christmas Eve like last year. 😛

I was going to try and do Blogmas this year but I have decided against it. I just simply don’t have time to do it. If I’m not busy with work, I’m busy with keeping up with my usually 2-3 posts a week or I’m busy having a life.

I’m definitely going to try and do it next year. BUT throughout December please keep eyes peeled for exciting posts on my blog, including Christmas themed posts as well as some collaboration posts! 😀

What do you have on your wish lists this month? AND what posts are you excited to see on my blog? Make sure to let me know in the comments.

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend.

Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops – Review

I feel like I haven’t done a review for the longest time, but apparently I only did one last week which was my Lime Crime Plushies review (which you can read here). How on earth did I forget that I wrote that review last week?! Either I’m beginning to show my age or it’s just showing how quickly the days are flying by!

Anyway, I’ve wanted to review the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops for the longest time, but as of yet I just haven’t managed to. I’ve thought about adding this to my favourites since September but to be honest with you, it hasn’t been a favourite product.

Personally when I read and write reviews I don’t want to always see them be positive and, “OH MY GOD THIS PRODUCT IS AMAZING AND YOU NEED TO GO BUY IT. Oh and P.S. my affiliate link is down below.” No, no and no again.

I like to read and write reviews that are realistic and honest. I like to think I’m honest when it comes down to reviews, even when I’m sent and gifted items to review and talk about. I was in two minds whether or not to review the unicorn primer drops as I didn’t quite know how I felt about them, to be honest.

So I’m going to be honest throughout this review, no fakery or BS here. 😛

I picked up the unicorn primer drops about a month ago now and have been using them almost daily. I heard about this thanks to Instagram and Facebook and everyone was talking about how it reminded them of the Farsali unicorn essence and in all fairness, it’s pretty much a duplicate of the unicorn essence.

I’ve been after a primer for a while now, as sometimes I do like to have them to try and help mattify my skin. I used to use one from The Body Shop last year, which I loved but as I managed to get hold of it when it was on offer I haven’t picked it up again since.

I actually forgot about the Barry M unicorn primer drops until I ventured into Boots in September and decided to pick it up to try. I mean why not eh?

Prep skin for the ultimate makeup application with this innovative oil-free elixir. Packed with superfruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind, this hybrid-serum brightens, detoxifies, hydrates and smooths the skin for the perfect primer and skin care treatment.

Use under makeup to prime skin or on its own to hydrate, brighten and protect from free radical damage. Taken from barrym.com

I remember watching some YouTube videos where people were testing this and reviewing it and in all honestly, most of the videos I watched weren’t praising this product. One girl said how the product caused her make up to feel tacky and sticky and another commented on how it didn’t seem to improve her make up much.

As I don’t wear make up, I didn’t think it would affect me in this sense and if anything I hoped it might help my translucent powder last longer!

It’s been over a month now since I first bought it and I finally feel like I’m ready to review it.

My thoughts on this primer have chopped and changed over the past month for so many reasons. I started using it whilst the weather was still warm and recently as the weather has cooled down, I feel like I’ve really began to see how it works, if that makes sense.

The primer comes in this purple square bottle with a pipette at the top. You get 15ml of product in this bottle which I think is a decent amount. I find that a full pipette is too much for my skin and only find that I need a small amount for it to cover my face and neck. This primer is also VEGAN! Although I’m not vegetarian nor vegan, I do love when brands bring out products that are vegan. I think it’s only fair for everyone to be able to use and enjoy the same products, so I was really pleased when I read that the primer drops were vegan.

A lot of people online have been complaining about the pipette not working for them and how due to the thickness of the primer, it causes the pipette not to work. I’ve not had this issues personally and if anything I LOVE the pipette! Whenever I go to use this product the pipette is always full of product and ready for me to use.

People have also complained about the packaging and how it just doesn’t look “special” enough for them. I never give a shit about the packaging with products nine times out of ten, but I do get what they’re saying. It’s very simple and to the point and I’m surprised that Barry M didn’t try and do more with it really. I would have liked the bottle to be see through so I can see how much product you have left. Maybe Barry M will make new packaging eventually if they bring out a whole line of primers, who knows!

I pop 5 little drops on my face, one on each cheek, my nose, my chin and my forehead. I find this is the perfect amount for my face. The primer itself isn’t thin nor thick in consistency but I find that when it’s warm it’s really thin. I love the consistency of this primer as I find it’s easy to use.

The colour of the product is so magical (as you can probably guess by the name!) and it’s a gorgeous bubblegum pink colour, with shimmer running throughout. It’s so pretty and if you’re a magpie for shiny things like I am, then you’ll love this!

One thing I remember about the reviews on YouTube that I watched was how this smells, “So good I could eat it!” I didn’t personally get this, yes it smells really sweet but I wouldn’t say it’s good enough to eat. It does contain a lot of fruits such as acai berry, goji berry, watermelon and tamarind which are all superfruits and are said to help keep skin looking beautiful.

I used this every morning after my moisturiser and then put on my translucent powder. I’ve not yet mixed the primer in with my moisturiser, although I am tempted to. It’s just fun to look like a beauty guru or Instagram beauty video where you apply those pink unicorn tears on your cheeks! 😛

After you’ve applied this primer it does feel tacky on the skin and although a lot of people complained about this on reviews, I’ve also seen a lot of people rave about this due to how it helps their make up stick to the skin etc. I get that and after hearing and thinking about it, it has helped with my powder sticking to my skin.

During the warmer days I didn’t feel like this worked for me as well as I hoped. It definitely makes my skin feel hydrated and even gives my skin a little bit of glow after applying, but I couldn’t say if I feel like my skin is brighter looking throughout the day.

I expected this primer to help my powder last longer throughout the day, but when it was warmer I felt so greasy, especially on my t zone. I don’t carry my face powder around with me anymore so I couldn’t top that up. However, as the weather has started to get cooler I’ve found that my powder is lasting longer and thus I don’t feel or leak greasy/oily. Now, whether this is down to the primer or not, I don’t know.

One of the things I really love about this primer is that it’s oil-free. As I’m combination skin I try to avoid using any products with oil in, so when I read this was oil-free I was pretty stoked about that. I also love how baby soft my skin feels since I’ve started to use it too! I use it after wearing face masks to give my skin an extra boost of TLC. I feel so pampered afterwards as well.

I’ve watched a few YouTube videos to see how other people use the primer and one person applies it all over their face, like I do before their make up BUT they also applied it to the lips! I never thought to do that to be honest with you, but it’s definitely something I’m going to try and start doing that in the morning, especially if I’m planning to wear lipstick.

After application. My hand definitely looks brighter in places!

Personally I do have mixed feelings on this primer as I don’t know if it’s actually done anything to my skin and I have to keep wondering if my skin is benefiting from using it? I do wonder if it’s help moisturise my skin more and given it an extra boost of something, as I remember with my old primer my skin felt and looked dry in patches, especially on my cheeks and around my mouth and chin. This has gone to be honest, so maybe all those superfruits has actually helped my skin the TLC it needed!

This has been out since August/September and for the 15ml bottle it costs £7.99. I think that’s quite expensive, but I am a cheap skate at the best of times! For how lovely and soft it’s made my skin look and feel, I do think it’s worth it though.

I wonder if I can’t see any difference in my skin because I don’t use make up, all I use is powder to help my skin look matte. At the time of writing this I am touching my face and looking for any signs of oil. It’s lunch time now and my skin looks as it did when I got ready this morning, which is amazing!

Maybe during the warmer months, this doesn’t work as well as it could but during the colder months this will be a game changer.

Right now, this isn’t a game changer for me and overall whilst I do like using it and feel like an Instagram beauty guru when I use it, I don’t know if I’ll repurchase it or not… I’d like to find a primer that helps my powder last longer AND helps my skin look matte for as long as possible.

If you really want to give a new primer a try, whether or not you wear a full face of make up then I recommend trying this! I wouldn’t say it’s bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s a life changing product. It’s better than some primers I’ve used in the past BUT that’s due to its moisturising properties and maybe because it’s a gorgeous pink colour. 😛

Also if you are looking for a cheap duplicate of the Farsali Unicorn Essence then this is your best bet! Especially as that essence will set you back £20.00 for just 10ml of product. Ouch.

I’ve linked at the start of this post directly to the primer at the top of the blog post, but I’ll link the Superdrug and Boots so you can buy them from there if you wish to do so.

Overall these unicorn primer drops are definitely worth picking up to try, especially if there is a 3 for 2 offer on which both Superdrug and Boots have at the time of this post! They’re also worth picking up if you suffer with dry skin and want to help keep your make up lasting longer. I never had an issue with combination skin, which was great! Just don’t expect a life changing product as personally I don’t think it was that, sadly.

Otherwise I really hope you enjoyed this review today! Sorry that my blog has been quiet since last Friday but I just wanted a break from blog work this weekend. I had a new game to play with Dane, friends to see as well as LOTS of blog work!

I also apologise for how rambly this blog post reads/feels! I just wanted to get all thoughts and feelings out there, I hope you didn’t get too bored. 😛

Do you think you’ll give the Barry M Unicorn Primer Drops a go? Or have you already? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time take care all and I hope you’re all having a lovely week so far! Not long now and it’ll be Halloween.

Lime Crime Plushies – Review

Woohoo I haven’t written a review in what feels like FOREVER. I’ve been sitting on these and waiting for the right time to write a review on them and it finally feels like time to get something done and out there.

As I always do with reviews, I’ll talk a little about the company, the products and show plenty of pictures of the items.

So I’m binge watching The Office whilst I write this, so let’s get on it!

 

Lime Crime have been around for 10 years now and at first everyone went made for their products, but a while ago people were boycotting them. Over the years I’ve on and off wanted to try and use their products, but always been apprehensive due to various different things.

Years ago me and my friend Claire were talking about make up brands we love and she was telling me about how much she loved Lime Crime’s Velvetines liquid lipsticks and even showed me some. I loved the texture of them, as well as the how long the product lasted. I wanted to order one but I was really into Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks at the time and for a year I couldn’t wear any lipstick products due to an infection/eczema on my lips.

Thankfully I can now wear my favourite lip products again, but from having the year hiatus from them it’s made me realise that I don’t really like liquid lipsticks anymore, or at least not half as much as before. I still love my lipsticks, lip creams and lip tints but I really did miss how long lasting liquid lipsticks are.

When Lime Crime announced their Plushies back in January this year, I got a little excited to see what new product they planned on bringing out. When they revealed it and showed swatches of the lip product I knew I eventually had to own it!

I’d on and off wanted to buy some lip products from Lime Crime in the past, including their Diamond Crushers but every time I went to websites and added them to my cart I just never really ended up going through with it. I’m glad I didn’t in the end as I don’t think I’d have worn them.

After months of even being undecided about the Plushies, I FINALLY ordered not one, but two shades and they have fast turned into my go to lipsticks to wear for work and on days off.

I ordered Cherry Soda and Gum Drop from Beauty Bay quite a while ago it feels now and since then I’ve worn both shades a handful of times. I’ll be talking about both shades, how they look and how they both wear as I feel they’re both somewhat different.

Experience the softer side of a bold matte lipstick with Plushies, the new generation of nude lips. Non-opaque, soft focus formula enhances natural lip color while making your lips look as plush as a teddy bear! This highly pigmented and long wearing soft matte lipstick keeps its just-applied look for hours. Choose from our selection of 18 different shades, our collection of soft matte lipsticks has something for everyone. Offering a burst of creamy color and full coverage, this formula goes on silky smooth and sets to a beautiful matte finish. One coat is all you need for that coveted my-lips-but-better effect, or build to your liking for more intensity. Show off your beautiful natural lips with the blackberry scented Plushies from Lime Crime.

Plushies are a liquid lipstick but softer in texture and feel and are made to look more natural to application and colour payoff. They remind me of a lip tint but more opaque, which I really like! These feel really velvety when worn but last ALL DAY! They’re so much more comfortable than a liquid lipstick too, well in my opinion anyway.

Make your lips look as plush – and playful – as a cuddly toy with Lime Crime’s new generation of nude lip colours. The velvety matte, soft-focus formula enhances your natural lip colour with touch-proof, hassle-free, all-day wear (it’s so comfortable, you’ll forget you’re even wearing it) and it’s infused with an irresistible candied blackberry scent. The super-sweet shades range from sheer golden brown ‘Butterscotch’ to deep red ‘Jam’ via sheer berry ‘Gum Drop’. They’re utterly irresistible!

Before I talk about the shades, I want to quickly talk about the packaging. It’s so cute and playful and reminds me of something you would have seen in the 90’s/00’s, which is what Lime Crime is all about! The tube itself contains 3.5ml of product which is clear so you can see the product inside. The lid is a gorgeous baby pink shade with a cute white teddy on. Such a lovely touch and the rubber feel of the lid makes it feel comfortable and easy to hold when applying the shade.

The first shade I’m going to talk about is Cherry Soda, which is actually a limited edition shade made only for certain stores. It’s a soft cherry red and is such a gorgeous shade of red for all times of year, especially autumn and winter! This is the colour that I’ve always wanted to get out of all the Plushies but at first this colour was one I just didn’t feel like I could get on with and due to that I worried I was going to regret my decision of buying it. More recent however I’ve really got along with Cherry Soda and it’s such a fabulous shade, which I cannot wait to wear more of during the Christmas period this year!

Cherry Soda applies really nicely without any patchiness or streaks throughout, but before now it has done so I feel like you need to apply this in one go and not layer, otherwise that patchy look will be there. I just love how delicate this red shade looks, like just bitten lips which is a trend I have ALWAYS loved! I love bold shades, but to have a bold shade and it also be delicate and blotted looking is really nice and a total game changer.

The second shade I picked up is Gum Drop. I’ve always liked the idea of picking up this shade as it reminds me a little of MAC Rebel, which is one of my favourite lipsticks! It’s a sheer berry colour and looks so perfect if you want to experiment with a dark berry shade, but don’t want it to be too out there and in your face! This is definitely a shade to wear during autumn and winter, berry doesn’t really shout spring and summer to me. 😛

Unlike Cherry Soda this has always applied like a dream and has rarely been patchy or streaky. At times it has been but it’s nothing a bit of blotting can’t deal with! Like Cherry Soda, this also looks like a blotted colour but the colour also packs a punch, which I really liked. Something that I noticed on both of the Plushies is that they have a fruity and sweet scent to them, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly they smelt of. When I searched for it online, it turns out it’s blackberry sweets, which I think is really cool! Blackberry does seem a tad random to me though… These are also meant to wear like liquid lipsticks, which I tend to find they do to be honest with you! I’ve worn these at work all day and they’ve lasted well. If anything they’ll start to wear down on the inside of my lip and this will usually happen after drinking loads of water/hot drinks and then eating lunch.

They feel really velvety on the lips too and you wouldn’t even know they were there!

Overall I LOVE Lime Crime’s Plushies and they’re definitely a game changer for me. As I said before, liquid lipsticks aren’t really my thing anymore but I wanted something like them with a good staying power. The blotted and nude look and payoff of the Plushies really works for me and it’s something that I’d been after for the longest time. Of course I picked up the brighter colours but they have LOADS of nude and natural looking shades, there is just something for everyone.

I have my eye on more shades in all honesty, including Angelic (sheer muted mauve) and Sorbet (fire red).

What do you think to Lime Crime’s Plushies? Have you tried them and if so which shade(s) do you like? Do you want to try them and if so which shade(s) do you want to try?

Also make sure to let me know which Lime Crime products you like the look of, own etc!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend and are having a good week so far.

ESQIDO Lashes Gel Eyeliner Pencils – Review*

I am back today with another review about the brand ESQIDO Lashes!

In May I was asked by ESQIDO Lashes to review a pair of their lashes, I was honoured and as I haven’t worn lashes in years I thought it would be fun to do, as well as something different. I loved them so much and have since worn them a few times around the house for my own pleasure when feeling a bit bleh.

You can check out that review here!

ESQIDO Lashes recently reached out to me again to express how much they loved my review on their lashes and how they wanted me to write a review on their new gel eyeliner pencils! Although I don’t wear make up anymore, I wanted to give them a go. I used to wear eyeliners all the time, so still to this day I know a good eyeliner when I see one! 😛

Like I did on the lashes review, any items that have been gifted to me to review will have a * next to them.

Before I start to talk about the gel eyeliners I was sent, I’ll tell you a little bit about the company.

When I first viewed the company online my first thought was, “Oh wow! It’s an American store!” I know this sounds silly to think this, but alas, I did. However, the eyelashes arrived super quickly in the post and via Royal Mail. I think they must have a warehouse in the UK seeing as these arrived from Northampton! My reason for the whole American lark is due to their prices being in dollars. When looking into this further, it turns out that ESQIDO has shops and stockists all over the world, which I think is so amazing and it honestly makes me feel so privileged to be working with them.

The one thing I really love about the company is the fact that they offer a 60 day returns and exchanges policy. 60 whole days and considering they’re eyelashes, I’m even more surprised. I think it’s such a great policy for people to be able to get the most out of their new set of lashes and if they aren’t happy with them, then they can send them back. I also agree with this policy because these lashes aren’t the cheapest in the world and if you aren’t happy with them, then damn right you should be offered your money back! I can only assume that this offer applies to the gel eyeliners too.

Although ESQIDO Lashes are known for they mink lashes, they also stock gel eyeliner pencils too, which if you haven’t gathered by now, is what I’ll be reviewing today.

Experience the benefits of a gel eyeliner with the convenience of a sharpenable pencil. With intense color payoff, ultra-smooth glide, and a waterproof, long-lasting lightweight formula, the ESQIDO Liner is your new holy grail. Get the eyeliner in black or brown.

A creamy smooth glide & pigmented formula for perfect cat eyes or winged liner.

The ESQIDO Eyeliner is specially formulated for all day wear, and to deliver continuous flow with smooth even lines. Packed with product in a retracting mechanical body, combined with a silicon ring closure to provide an airtight seal, the eye liner is made to last.

It’s a fine line between great work, and your greatest work. The Liner includes a precision sharpener, so you’re always ready for your finest hour.

A little goes a long way. With a highly pigmented formula and a twist dispenser, you’ll be able to make the most of the Liner.

Key Benefits

All day wear, pigmented formula, continuous even flow that covers in one perfect coat, dries matte, retractable and sharpenable gel pen, pairs well with any makeup look.

Safe Formulation

5-free and latex-free. Formulated WITHOUT formaldehyde, parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. Fragrance free. Suitable for sensitive eyes.

Making the most of your ESQIDO Eyeliner:

Apply on inner lid to seamlessly blend in with your ESQIDO false lashes

Apply and smudge/blend before it sets for a smokey effect

Colors Available in Black or Brown

Volume 0.5g

Features Built-in sharpener, airtight ring seal, twist & retractable dispenser.

They even list the ingredients on the website, which I thought was amazing!

Ingredients (Black)

Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Synthetic Wax, C30-50 Alcohols, Plymethysilsesquoixane, Silica, Polybutene, Microcrystalline Wax, Acetylate Glycol Stearate, Triethoxycapryllsilane, Mica (CI77019), Iron Oxides (CI77499), Ferric Ferrocyanide (CI77510)

Ingredients (Brown)

Cyclopentasiloxane, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Synthetic Wax, C30-50 Alcohols, Plymethysilsesquoixane, Silica, Microcrystalline Wax, Acetylate Glycol Stearate, Triethoxycapryllsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Mica (CI77019), Titanium Dioxide Oxides (CI77891), Iron Oxides (CI77491, CI77492, CI77499)

I was sent both of the Gel Eyeliner Pencil in black* and the Gel Eyeliner Pencil in brown* to review for my lovely readers.

Both the gel eyeliner pencils are currently (date of writing this review 09/09/2018) on offer for $10.00 each, when they usually retail for $16.00 each. So if you like the look of these by the end of the review, you can go and grab yourself a bargain whilst the launch offer is in place!

The gel eyeliners themselves arrived so quickly and I couldn’t wait to give them a go. The first thing I did was check out the packaging. It isn’t as luxurious as the lashes packing, but if does the job.

Like the website the packaging contains the ingredients, the contents and weight of the product, which colour you have purchased, expiry date, how to use and the funniest part for me, it tells you not to freeze the product… I’ve never heard of anyone freezing an eyeliner before but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone has. 😛

The eyeliner itself is simple but looks and feels really nice. It has a matte feel to the packaging which gives it a good hold and feels comfortable and like you have a good grip on it. The base of the gel eyeliners have a ring with the colour of the shade you’ve picked, which is a simple and nice touch, leaving the rest of the eyeliner pencil looking clean. I love the white packaging the most, as I just said it looks clean.

When you take the lid off of the pencil there’s the silicon ring closure which is there to make sure that the pencil never dries out. I’ve never seen this with an eyeliner pencil before, nor a lip pencil to be honest with you. It’s such a genius idea, even for something so minute.

The one thing that interested me the most about reviewing these gel eyeliners is the packaging, not even the product! I love how they’ve made the packaging and if anything, it shouts unique to me straight away just purely due to how you can sharpen the pencil.

This is a twist up eyeliner so you twist at the bottom and it causes more eyeliner to appear. Everyone knows how these work, it’s pretty straight forward. However, with eyeliners like this that I’ve owned in the past, they’ve always been blunt or awkward to sharpen due to the gel texture. However, ESQIDO Lashes thought ahead and attached a sharpener to the bottom of the pencil! You wouldn’t even know it was there though, which is a good thing.

You just pull out the bit at the bottom and hey presto! You have yourself an eyeliner sharpener. This is easy enough to use, clean and click back into the bottom of the eyeliner pencil. However, one issue I found was if you forgot to pop this back in, or misplaced it, it would be frustrating! It is a tiny piece and some people may find this lose able. Other than that, I LOVE IT!

Finally onto the gel eyeliner themselves!

They’re a gel consistency and texture so they’re really creamy and smooth to apply and incredibly pigmented! With one swipe they apply perfectly first time and don’t need to be touched up at all. Due to the tip of the liner you can do lines at thick or as thin as you please. The creamy texture also makes them easy enough to create designs with, if you’re that way inclined.

They’re quite lightweight for such a long lasting and pigmented formula and really took me by surprise. You wouldn’t even know they were there! They’re also waterproof so will last ages. I tried these on the back of my hand and nothing was making them budge to be honest with you, not even the hardest of rubbing and smudging.

I found that if you plan to smudge these out and work with them to give yourself a smokey eye look, then you’ll have to work fast as these dry really quickly! They’re really nice to blend out though and work easily.

Personally whilst this might be great for most, I’ve never been a massive waterproof eyeliner and mascara fan. I like to think I can get stuff off easily as and when the time comes for removal. I don’t want to be scrubbing away to remove stuff, thankfully this isn’t the case with these eyeliners.

When I went to remove the eyeliner swatches off the back of my hand with a baby wipe it was pretty hard to do and it definitely required a bit of force. However, with a good make up remover it came off like a dream, my favourite one to use for any make up is the Garnier Micellar Water.

I’ve never in my life worn a brown eyeliner so that was the shade I was interested in the most, especially to compare it to the black one. I’d still not opt for brown however, I always used to rock black eyeliner growing up, so I’ll always sway to that shade. 😛

So, what did I think of the gel eyeliner pencils overall? They’re pretty amazing to be honest for the price, both at the launch off her $10.00 and the regular price of $16.00!

Would I buy these again for myself? Probably not, but that’s because I don’t wear eyeliner much these days. These on their own will last me aggges now. They’re certainly worth the price and I’d definitely pick these up for family members to pop in stockings and gifts as fillers. My best friend Gabriella loves make up and I could imagine these would be perfect to add to her collection, whether she’s doing make up on herself, or someone else.

Overall these are amazing and I highly recommend them to people who want to try a new gel eyeliner pencil, or just wish to pick up something new to try.

Would you pick up one of the ESQIDO Gel Eyeliner Pencils? Make sure to let me know in the comments, as well as which colour(s) you’d pick up out of the two.

I also want to thank ESQIDO Lashes for sending me another cute little gift review package! They’re such a lovely company to work with and I cannot recommend them enough to people wanting to pick up some new eye make up pieces! 😀

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a great week so far.

Coventry Bloggers – The Body Shop Event*

Oh man I have been M.I.A. this past week and I am so sorry! I’ve been a mixture of poorly and too busy with personal life to do any blog work.

FINALLY THOUGH I am here and I am talking about an amazing blogger event I attended last Friday, which the gorgeous Emily over at Drained Beauty organised.

As the title reads, this was for the Coventry Bloggers community, which I’m proud to be a part of! I know, I’m not from Coventry BUT Dane is so we both visit the area regularly.

I was so excited for the event and made sure to leave work early so I could get to the event in good time. This is my first (and hopefully not last!) blogger event of 2018, so I couldn’t wait for 4pm to hit so I could leave work and make my way to Coventry.

Can I just say, the weather was so shit as I got off of the train in Coventry, it was chucking it down so I legged it from the station to the town centre. Thankfully it wasn’t raining on my way home, even though I’d bought an umbrella as soon as I got to Primark. MEH!

Anyway! I got to the event with about 15-20 minutes to spare and got to meet the lovely ladies who would be attending the event. I just want to say, the Coventry blogger babes who were at the event are by far some of the nicest I have ever met! I’ve been to many events in the past and whilst I’ve met some absolute beauts, they weren’t as friendly and chatty as the girls were last week.

Not only were the bloggers at the event lovely, but the two members of staff were also amazing. They were approachable throughout the event about all sorts and were thorough whenever they were talking about certain products. So thank you so much girls for holding an amazing event!

Right, onto the event itself now! I’ll be talking about all the new products we heard about, as well as what I got in my cute little goodie bag and what I bought.

The event itself worked out that we would have a nose around the shop, talk amongst ourselves, to one another and the staff all whilst trying certain products.

The first new product we were shown and told about is the limited edition banana range! I’ve already spoken about this on my blog and even reviewed the body yogurt (which you can read here).

Although The Body Shop has banana hair care in their permanent range, the body care is sadly only limited edition and I assume will be around until the Christmas stock is out. I’ll be sad when it goes, especially the body butter and body yogurt.

In the range there’s three items shower cream, body butter and body yogurt. The girls were telling us how banana is great for dry skin due to how rich in potassium they are. This helps to repair and hydrate dry and damaged skin. After hearing about the banana range and how amazing it is, we were offered demonstrations with both the body butter and body yogurt. I would have had a go, but I already own the whole range so I already know how amazing it is!

Before the next demonstration and talk went ahead on another new product, we were left to take ALL THE SELFIES with the banana range! I did a couple myself with two of my favourite products from the range. I cannot tell you how amazing the banana range is and I swear we all need to get a petition started for The Body Shop to keep it forever!

The next products we heard about were new face products that The Body Shop have in stock, as well as some old favourites that not many people know about. The first item we heard about is their liquid peels and they showed us the Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel, Drops of Youth Youth Liquid Peel and Drops of Light Liquid Peel. I had a go with the latter and it is pretty cool and yet gross all at the same time!

Sadly I didn’t get any pictures of the demonstration I had on the back of my hand, but I’ve used liquid peels in the past by Korean brands. It’s a gel consistency and the more you rub onto your skin the more it works on the skin to gently peel away any dead skin. It’s gross and satisfying seeing all the gunk that rubs off of your skin! I love using my Korean one once to twice a week and I honestly plan to buy The Body Shop one in the future! This leaves your skin looking and feeling fresh, as well as brighter. I love how there’s the two different liquid peels to choose from. I tried the Drops of Light, but I’m 30 soon so I need the Drops of Youth one me thinks.

Alongside the liquid peels, the girls were also telling us about the new face mask to join The Body Shop’s growing collection! We heard about a couple of the face masks, but the newest member of the family is Mediterranean Almond Milk With Oats Instant Soothing Face Mask.

This face mask is designed for people with sensitive skin and is 100% vegan! This face mask also acts as an exfoliating face mask and reminded me of porridge when I looked at it inside the jar. It helps dry and sensitive skin from feeling tight and itchy, all whilst gently exfoliating your skin to leave you with smooth hydrated skin! I don’t know about you guys, but this is very much needed throughout the winter months, so this will be great to dig out whilst having a hot bath as the weather gets cooler.

I gave this a go in store on the back of my hand and it felt so gentle and the sort of product you would use in a spa. I know one of my friends definitely wants to give it a go after I showed it her, due to the sensitive skin idea! There is nothing worse than having sensitive skin and not being able to use face masks due to that.

The other face mask that the girls were talking about is the Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask. I’ve wanted to try this since it came out and I had a little look at this face mask on the back of my hand, which felt amazing! I definitely need to give this a go in the future, especially as autumn and winter will be here before we know it.

After we gave the face products a go that the girls spoke about, they were showing us this box with loads of things inside of jars that you can look at. Each jar explains what the item is inside and where it has come from in the world. They also have the cards which explain where EVERYTHING comes from that goes into our products, which I think is amazing! If you visit the Coventry store the girls told me you can ask to see this box and honestly have a look when looking at certain products! It’s really interesting to see where they come from.

BUT an awesome fact one of the girls told me has really stuck with me since then and I’ve been sharing it with everyone I know! Basically Hartley’s sell seedless strawberry jam. Someone at The Body Shop knew this face and asked Hartley’s what they do with the seeds. I can’t remember what Hartley’s said but now they give the seeds to The Body Shop, which goes into their Strawberry Softening Body Polish. How cool is that fact though?!

After that we again got to have a little look around the shop, give the face products a test and take lots of pictures! I went around the bath products and had a nose at what The Body Shop has to offer. I’ve bought some of the bath bombs and bubble bars to try and so far I’ve tried the strawberry one, which I’ll also be reviewing VERY soon!

The last products that the girls told us about were make up related and sadly I didn’t get any pictures of the girls talking about these. I can of course fill you in on what new products we were told about.

The girls were talking about the new Matte Clay Powers that have recently launched, which come in six different shades. Sadly I don’t wear make up like this so these didn’t interest me in the slightest! They look pretty good for the price though and I’m sure they give good coverage too.

Then we were told about the new lipsticks that have recently come into store. I feel bad that I can’t remember for the life of me what they’re called and I can’t seem to find them on their website! They’re matte style lipsticks but with shine and comfort that a matte lipstick doesn’t bring with it. They came in a lovely variety of colours, with mostly nudes, pinks and reds! I sadly didn’t give them a go as I didn’t want to end up buying loads of lipsticks. 😛

However, I did give their Shine Lip Liquid’s a go as the holographic style packing was bringing out the magpie in me!

One of the exciting things we learnt about from The Body Shop girls is that The Body Shop is rolling out 3 for 2 in some stores right now, including the Coventry store as a trial run. This 3 for 2 applies to pretty much everything in the store and will enable people to try all sorts of different products! The 3 for 2 works like most offers of the same name, you pick up 3 products and you get the cheapest free!

 

Sadly I didn’t make the most of this promotion as I’m trying to be good, but I did end up buying one of the Shine Lip Liquid’s, which I have fallen madly in love with and worn ever since buying. I’ll definitely be reviewing this in the future! I picked up Blueberry Chew, which is a gorgeous pink with blue tones and shimmer. It’s definitely a lip gloss. These come in nine different shades, some shimmery and some normal. I would love to pick up more of these in the future!

Then it was time to grab my goodie bag and make my way back to Birmingham. I ended the evening buying 20 chicken nuggets from McDonald’s and going around the local area playing Pokemon GO. Oh how the other half live. 😛

I thought I’d show you guys what I got in my goodie bag as it’s so lovely and perfect for myself. I did want to give some of the products in here a go before writing this post, but sadly I just haven’t had time to. Hopefully in the future I can give them a go and give a proper review!

First of all I’ll show you guys the gorgeous cosmetic bag* I got in my goodie bag! It’s a black bag covered in pink bunnies, writing which says, “Forever Against Animal Testing” and The Body Shop logo.

Inside the pouch are three products, a full size bottle of Strawberry Shower Gel*, a full size tube of Almond Milk & Honey Calming & Protecting Hand Cream* and a travel size bottle of Banana Truly Nourishing Shampoo*.

I’ve used the Strawberry shower gel for about 20 years now and it’s always a fond favourite to have in my shower. Dane loves it so much that he bought 2 massive pump bottles in the sale! So this will go down a treat in my bathroom.

I’ve grown to love the Almond Milk & Honey range SO MUCH recently and I especially love the hand cream. Sadly however it doesn’t do as much for my hands as it could and should. This being said I still use it and use it daily at work.

Finally the banana shampoo has been a love/hate product of mine and Dane’s since we started dating. One minute I love it and what it does for my hair and the next I feel a bit meh about it. Mostly because you pay quite a lot for the product and I don’t feel the price is worth what it does. Sorry The Body Shop! Dane loves it though and these little travel bottles are handy for have for weekends away.

The other goodies I got in my bag came in this cute little pink and white polka dot paper bag. Inside there are loads of little samples, including the Japanese Matcha tea Pollution Clearing Mask*, Mediterranean Almond Milk With Oats Instant Soothing Mask* Vitamin C Glow Revealing Liquid Peel*, Banana Shower Cream* and finally the Banana Body Yogurt*.

I honestly cannot wait to give the liquid peel and the matcha face mask a go over the weekend! I plan to have a proper pamper day on Sunday and these two will be used in that regime. 😛

As I mentioned I bought the Shine Lip Liquid in the shade Blueberry Chew and thanks to my £5 discount voucher, I managed to bag it for £2! Bargain!!! I honestly can’t wait to review this on my blog.

Overall I LOVED this The Body Shop event and I cannot wait to attend more Coventry Bloggers events in the future. Again I want to say a massive thank you to Emily for hosting the event, as well as allowing my brummy self to attend. 😛

I’m going to pop the Coventry The Body Shop Instagram down below, make sure to go and check them out and let the know I said hi! 😀

LoveYourBodyCov

What do you guys think to some of the newbies that The Body Shop are bringing out? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time all, take care and I hope you’re ready for the weekend.

Wish List Wednesday – The Body Shop

I wasn’t planning on doing a wish list Wednesday post for quite a while, but recently The Body Shop came out with their limited edition banana range and I NEED it in my life! I was actually going to order them over the weekend, but I’m leaving it until payday as I need to be good.

So I thought this would be the right time to talk about the banana collection on a wish list Wednesday post, as well as talk about some bath goodies The Body Shop have out now!

• The Body Shop Banana Shower Cream – (link)

As soon as I heard about The Body Shop bringing out this shower cream, I was so excited! Finally they had listened to me (obviously they didn’t… :P) and my cries for a banana range, other than the hair care! I used to love the shampoo due to the scent but I stopped using it as it didn’t do anything for my hair. Sadly the banana range is only limited edition, but I’ll make sure to stock up due to that! When pay day hits I’ll be ordering one, maybe two of these to try out!

• The Body Shop Mango Bath Bomb – (link)

I recently found out that The Body Shop now stock bath products and as I’ve recently stopped buying from Lush, I’ve been on the look out for somewhere new to get my bath time treats. Christmas 2016 They brought out some little bath fizzers which I tried and loved! I love the sound of mango though, especially for summertime and the best bit about these? They’re super cheap and affordable!

• The Body Shop Banana Yogurt – (link)

I’m not someone who moisturises. I have been on and off in the past but these days I’m not arsed. Why? Because it makes me feel hot and sticky and due to that I HATE it! In the past I’ve given The Body Shop’s body sorbets and I loved them. I just felt like they weren’t moisturising my skin, which is a shame. The body yogurts sound similar to the sorbets but much more moisturising! I’m definitely going to pick one up to have a go with. I love the smell of banana so much and I’ve heard this smells of foam banana sweets, yay!

• The Body Shop Coconut Bath Bubble – (link)

Not only do The Body Shop now sell bath bombs, but they do bubble bars too! This is super exciting as I LOVE bubble bars! I especially love that they sell one in coconut as this is one of my favourite scents from The Body Shop. They have another two scents too but they’re both bleh! I’m definitely going to give this bath bubble a go and like the bath bombs, they’re at an affordable price.

• The Body Shop Passionberry Lip Balm – (link)

I don’t really wear many lipsticks anymore, at least not at the moment anyway! I love wearing lip balm and rings and I’m always on the hunt for something colourful and conditioning. I know The Body Shop ones are pretty good and at a good price. There’s a couple of different flavours and shades but I like this purple passion berry one the most.

• The Body Shop Banana Body Butter – (link)

If there is one product I hate by The Body Shop it’s their body butters! I’ve owned a couple in the past and using them has been such a misery for me. They’re just too thick and I always ended up throwing them away, giving them away or using them as hand butters. If I was to buy this banana body butter I’d use it as the latter, a hand butter. My hands get really dry and whilst L’Occitane helps them, I would like to find something else that helps them too, especially if it’s banana scented!

• The Body Shop Green Tea Bath Bomb – (link)

The final product on this wish list is yet another bath bomb! I’ve not tried any of the green tea range from The Body Shop but I have smelt it in the past and it smells so refreshing and summery! It’d be nice to use this bath bomb on a hot summer evening to relax and unwind. Again, these bath bombs are affordable so I wouldn’t feel guilty picking it up.

So those are The Body Shop products that I have on my wish list/future purchasing list. I’m going to wait until I get a decent discount code or venture in a store before I pick anything up.

Have you got your eye on any goodies from The Body Shop? Let me know in the comments what you want to pick up!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you’re having a lovely week.

ESQIDO Lashes – Review*

I want to first of all apologise for how quiet I’ve been the past week. I’ve not been very well sadly so as soon as I’ve been coming home from work, I’ve been sleeping. If it wasn’t that, it was due to being busy.

ANYWAY! As you can see, I have a very exciting review today and I’ve been excited to write it since exchanging the emails a couple of weeks ago.

I was recently approached by ESQIDO Lashes to write a review on a set of their eyelashes, as well as some eyelash glue. Although I wore fake eyelashes quite a bit when I was younger and in my university years, that’s very far behind me now. I forgot how much I did enjoy the fun of wearing fake eyelashes, so I thought, “Why the hell not!” and agreed to work with ESQIDO.

Of course, like I do with any sponsored posts, any items on this post that were gifted to me to review will have a * next to them.

Before I go into detail about both the fake eyelashes and glue, I’ll talk a little about the company.

When I first viewed the company online my first thought was, “Oh wow! It’s an American store!” I know this sounds silly to think this, but alas, I did. However, the eyelashes arrived super quickly in the post and via Royal Mail. I think they must have a warehouse in the UK seeing as these arrived from Northampton! My reason for the whole American lark is due to their prices being in dollars. When looking into this further, it turns out that ESQIDO has shops and stockists all over the world, which I think is so amazing and it honestly makes me feel so privileged to be working with them.

When looking around the website I stumbled upon ESQIDO’s about me page and decided I would copy and paste here what it says. They’d definitely word what they’re about better than I ever could! 😛

THE WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFUL FALSE LASHES.
Discover ESQIDO’s professional grade mink lashes. The softest, lightest, and most natural looking false eyelashes you’ll ever wear.

UNBELIEVABLY NATURAL LOOKING
Handcrafted from the softest and finest naturally shed mink hairs, our lashes are inexplicably natural looking. Combined with their beautiful curls, these ultra fine lashes give your eyes a natural lift.

LIGHTWEIGHT & COMFORTABLE
A light & soft handcrafted cotton band results in an easy to apply and comfortable pair of lashes you can wear all day long.

LASHES THAT STAND THE TEST OF TIME.
Quality is everlasting. That’s why our lashes were crafted to be reusable and lasts much longer than traditional synthetic lashes. So you can enjoy your lashes day in, day out.

A BESPOKE EXPERIENCE.
Premium materials are only the start. To achieve the most natural looking lashes, we custom designed a range of styles suited for different eye types. The result — lashes that complement your eyes so well, you’ll never want to take them off.

60 DAY RETURNS & EXCHANGES
We’ve obsessed over every minute detail of our lashes, and we wish for you to experience them to their full potential. So give you 60 days to make sure you really love your lashes. If not, let us know and we’ll help you find the perfect pair!

We’re committed to delivering an unparalleled experience to all of our clients. Should you have any questions, simply contact us and we’ll make things right.

The one thing I really love about the company is the fact that they offer a 60 day returns and exchanges policy. 60 whole days and considering they’re eyelashes, I’m even more surprised. I think it’s such a great policy for people to be able to get the most out of their new set of lashes and if they aren’t happy with them, then they can send them back. I also agree with this policy because these lashes aren’t the cheapest in the world and if you aren’t happy with them, then damn right you should be offered your money back!

ESQIDO are known for their mink eyelashes, which due to the mink fur make them incredibly soft, light and beautiful. NOW I understand that a lot of people may have already stopped reading my post, or have done now due to what they’re made out of. I completely understand this and even I’m not 100% sure how I feel wearing eyelashes made out of mink hair. I’ll elaborate on this in a couple of paragraphs time.

I was told to pick out a set of fake eyelashes I liked the look of and that they would send some glue out for me to use too. It took me AGES to finally decide on a pair I liked though. I’m really funny when it comes to fake eyelashes. I don’t like natural looking ones as my eyelashes are pretty long anyway. I like to go all out, as it makes me feel glamorous.

Going back to the whole mink hair part, I wasn’t quite sure whether to choose mink eyelashes or the fake versions. I ended up looking at all the eyelashes that ESQIDO had on offer and this resulted in not only the pair I’ll be reviewing, but I also ended up picking a mink pair. In advance I apologise to anyone who is against this and also understand if you decide to stop reading this post.

A few days before writing this review I was doing some research on whether or not it’s cruel for minks to be used to create false eyelashes and in some cases people are saying it isn’t, due to the mink just being brushed (like you would a cat or a dog) and using any hairs that come out to make eyelashes. However, others are saying that it’s cruel and not natural to the animal. I can see both sides and I’m not going to lie, if I had the choice I don’t think I’d buy mink eyelashes. I’d opt for the fake ones. I guess it’s the same when it comes to wearing fake fur etc.

It took me ages to decide on the pair I wanted to review and thankfully ESQIDO have a handy little lash guide that you can use to help you pick. The lash guide is quite detailed in the sense you have to pick your eye type, placement of your eyes, eye size, length of your natural lashes, which look best describes you (which you choose from the images), your experience with applying fake eyelashes and finally how you’ll wear your lashes.

I was given three different styles of the ESQIDO lashes that would suit me, these being Night Bouquet, BFF and Radiance.

All of the recommend lashes were gorgeous, but none of them were quite shouting out at me!

I decided to have a look around the website myself for what I could get. You have two types of lashes you can choose when buying from the website, as I’ve mentioned already you have the mink false eyelashes but you also have the Unisyn lashes too. These are apparently the world’s first true premium synthetic false eyelashes, made with a blend of ultra-fine synthetic fibres for an ultra-natural look.

The prices vary on all of the eyelashes, but I found the Unisyn lashes were all priced at $22.00 each, which the mink false lashes are priced between $24.00-$32.00.

When viewing the lashes online on their individual parts of the website you can see the before and after, so the model with her natural lashes and then with the false eyelashes on. I loved this so much as it really helped when thinking about which eyelashes I wanted to review. I also found it worked better when looking for a pair of lashes that may suit your face. I don’t feel like you can ever really tell from looking at the eyelashes in the packaging what they’ll look like on yourself. So, being able to see them on the model helps so much!

The items I was planning to review arrived really quickly which I really liked. The packaging for the eyelashes really pretty and of high quality, Which I really liked. When taking your eyelashes are the packaging to look at and apply you measure them up to your eyes to see if they need to be trimmed. When I first tried the lashes I didn’t from them and of course they were too long for my natural lash line. No I never like to Cut fake eyelashes as I find it’s sort of a waste of money. However with these eyelashes you would need to cut them especially due to how voluminous they are.

As well as this, when you scroll through all the options, both mink and synthetic eyelashes it will tell you what sort of volume you’ll gain with the lashes in particular you’re looking at, the length, material, band and the wear period.

After a good half an hour of looking around and weighing up which pair I wanted to try I finally settled on the ones I’ll be reviewing. I’m pretty happy with the ones I chose and I cannot wait to show you how gorgeous they are!

First of all I want to just add how bloody quickly these arrived, I was shocked to come home from work to discover they’d arrived. I tried them on straight away and loved the results. I wore them around the house for ages and since then I’ve worn them out a few times.

So what lashes did I go for in the end?

Lash Named Desire Mink False Eyelashes* – $29.00 (link)

This pair of medium volume mink lash features a sultry combination of criss-crossed fur, with winged out ends. A good amount of drama but not too much, a versatile and seductive pair. The ultimate in luxury, our mink lashes meticulously handcrafted with premium mink hairs, and a soft cotton band. Discover our collection of beautiful styles you can wear again and again, suitable for any occasion.

Volume – Medium

Length – 4 – 12mm

Material – Premium Mink Hair

Band – Handcrafted cotton band

Wear Period – Multi-use

The box that the eyelashes arrive in is very luxurious and I felt like I’d bought something from Chanel or a high brand like that! It comes in a clear plastic protective sleeve, which you take off to reveal the soft, white box that your eyelashes are in. On the front of the box it has the brand name and on the back it has a picture of the eyelashes, as well as some information about what’s in the box, as well as about the lashes themselves.

The box is kept shut using a magnetic clasp, which is fairly easy to open and close. You are presented with a message inside the box as well as a little booklet on how to use and take care of your lashes, and of course you get your gorgeous new lashes!

You wouldn’t think that fake eyelashes needed a little care instruction booklet, but alas they do! The booklet of course tells you the bog standard of how to apply your new, but of course (as I’ve said) it also tells you how to remove your eyelashes and how to care for them.

This is bog standard really for high end eyelashes, as with cheaper ones who cares what you do with them, right?

You also get a 60 day guarantee from the day of purchase with your new eyelashes, which is course is where it ties in with the 60 day returns.

FINALLY onto the eyelashes!

I’ve popped above the information taken from the website about the eyelashes themselves, which is what drew me to them the most. They’re a medium volume and look somewhat natural in the box. I feel like they’re a high volume when you wear them however, but this may just be because I’ve not worn fake eyelashes for quite some time.

They gain more volume as they got to the outside of your eyes, which is normal for eyelashes really of this style. The eyelashes themselves are incredibly soft and feel somewhat delicate to hold, let’s put it this way! The quality of them is pretty amazing and not anything you’d be able to grab on the high street.

On the instructions it does state that you need to trim the lashes to make sure that they fit your natural lash line, but I don’t really like doing this with my eyelashes as I worry I could damage them. I would hate if I didn’t cut these right and just ended up ruining them!

I wore these a few times out and about with Dane and I got a lot of compliments on them! As I don’t wear make up I did worry that a lot of people may think that I hadn’t “finished” my make up… If that makes sense? I didn’t have anyone comment on this however, which was great!

The one thing I wanted to gain from these eyelashes was for them to be wearable with my glasses! Over the years I’ve had issues with wearing fake eyelashes with them as it’s bad enough with how long my own lashes are brushing up against the lenses. Imagine what it would be like if I wanted to wear some longer fake ones?! In the past I either had to resort to not wearing glasses and being blind for the evening, or wearing contact lenses and being uncomfortable (I hate contact lenses so much…).

Now, I didn’t have too much of an issue and they looked rather nice with my glasses, but at the same time, they just didn’t look right to me. I’d gladly wear a pair of eyelashes that aren’t as voluminous, but what’s the point in that?!

As well as sending me the eyelashes, ESQIDO also said they would send me a tube of glue as well!

Companion Eyelash Glue* – $10.00 (link)

Introducing ESQIDO Companion, our Best Selling clear eyelash glue with strong all day hold. Specially formulated for to be latex-free, it’s a gentle mixture that is perfect for sensitive eyes. With a fine tip wand, you’ll be able to brush on the right amount of non latex lash adhesive to your false lashes, every time. This is the best eyelash glue for any type of false eyelashes – long lasting professional lash adhesive trusted by many makeup artists.

Colour – Dries clear

Applicator – Brush On / Precision Bristle Tip

Ingredients – Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate copolymer, water. (Formaldehyde Free and Latex Free)

Volume – 5.5 ml / 0.18 fl oz

Expiration – 1 year after opening

Storage – Do not freeze. Store in room temperature.

When the company told me they would send me a tube of glue I expected a tiny tube like you would normally get with fake eyelashes. So when this lip gloss/liquid lipstick size tube of eyelash glue arrived I was shocked! I can understand why there are long tubes of eyelash glue invented and I understand that a lot of people do use eyelashes on a daily basis, however this probably won’t be used as much as I would like to think. It’s good to know that if I need some eyelash glue I have a lot of it to use. I’d happily use eyelash glue for cosplay style looks!

The eyelash glue is a milky colour when applied but dries clear. The wand inside the eyelash glue tube is really easy to use and apply to the lashes. A little bit of this goes a really long way, although I did feel like I needed to use more sometimes when applying the lashes. I don’t know if this is due to me being a little rusty with applying eyelashes, or if I just wanted more to make sure they were secure. Either way it works better than any eyelash glue I’ve ever used and due to how much you get, you don’t need to worry you’ll use all of it!

As I always do with lipstick reviews, I show off my mug wearing said product. I’ve done this with these eyelashes too! I had so much fun with it. 😛

Overall, what did I think of the ESQIDO Lashes?

I think they’re sometimes really fancy to add to your make up collection, whether you wear fake eyelashes all the time, or once in a blue moon like myself. They’re not hard to apply and with a little practice it’s fairly simple, and with the massive tube of glue you get you wouldn’t run out of any of it in a hurry!

The only thing I sort of don’t like with these eyelashes is the fact they’re mink… It puts me off a little, but I’ve worn them now and I’m pretty sure I will wear these time and time again.

The main things I love about ESQIDO is that not only do they have a range of eyelashes on their website, but their 60 day guarantee is amazing and honestly more companies out there need to do it, especially when it comes down to make up. There are so many people who buy a lipstick, or a bronzer online and it doesn’t suit them. Then they’re stuck trying to work out how to make it work for them, sell it or even give it away.

Would I buy a pair of ESQIDO Lashes for myself? I highly doubt it and that isn’t because I dislike them. It’s because I don’t wear make up. Now! If I was say, getting married, having some fancy pictures taken, or even going somewhere very special I would definitely invest in getting some of these lashes to wear.

I’d also buy them to gift to anyone I know who loves eyelashes… Sadly I can’t really say I know anyone who does. These are very special eyelashes, for very special occasions if you ask me.

Overall though, I do love them and I cannot wait to wear them throughout the summer for special events and parties me and Dane will be going to.

What do you think of ESQIDO Lashes? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!

Until next time, take care all and I hope you have an awesome weekend.