Ted Baker gift set unboxing post. This one is only going to be a quick one guys, as this is more about the images than anything else. why? Because, how beautiful is the packaging on these Ted Baker make up products!
The kit includes two full sized products, in matching shades. One is a nail varnish & the other a tinted lip balm.
Matte eyeshadows are a staple item in any make up kit, however most palettes tend to have very few or none at all! This is where matte palettes can really come into their own, much like this one by Make Up Revolution.
I have tried a few products by Make Up Revolution before, including eyeshadows & they have been a little hit or miss.
So this palette is their Flawless Matte ultra eyeshadow palette. The palette consists of a mixture of cool & warm tone matte eyeshadows. The first thing I will have to credit them on is the mirror in here, it's great! A decent size & good quality.
So although that is nice, what about the eyeshadows themselves.
I obviously haven't tried every single eyeshadow in here, but having tried quite a few I can say they are again very hit or miss. The more I try drugstore eyeshadow palettes the more I think that you really do get what you pay for with eyeshadows!
There is also no correlation on which shades are good or bad, it's literally a lucky dip.
I find this a real shame as this palette had the potential to be great, but unless your really are on a budget & aren't too fussed about the quality, then I wouldn't recommend this palette. I would say, to get the use & moneys worth I'd save up for a better palette.
Liquid lipsticks are still a hot topic in the beauty community, and I'm just starting to get into it myself. I already own a few liquid lipsticks, however I haven't been completely satisfied with them.
I also am a bit reluctant to splash my cash on them because of this.
So I wanted to try so more drugstore ones. These ones I've had my eye on for a while, as they have some really cool & interesting shades (as you can see). These are MUA - Make Up Academy's Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquers.
I did only pick up a few shades, which are Potent (right above) & Unity (left above).
Firstly, value of money. These are more than worth the spend. At only £3 per lip lacquer you could easily buy the whole collection for the price of some other liquid lipsticks. These definitely fall right into the 'dupe' section!
Another thing about these is the packaging. For the price I really think they've done an amazing job of making them look more expensive. The frosted glass style packaging makes them look so much more high end. They're definitely cute enough to display on your vanity.
So onto the formulation! I would have to say I quite like it! It dries down quickly, but not so quick that you can't correct any mistakes. It also is very comfortable to wear, which is the problem with most liquid lips I've tried. I will say after about 6/7 hours of wear they begin to back up a bit & flake. However chances are I won't be wearing them that long generally.
Above is a swatch of both colours. As you can see the left is a little patchy, which these can be, however they are very buildable. I would recommend doing at least two coats just to be sure & to get the best wear time.
Also is it me, or does Unity (left) look a little like Cashmere by Lime Crime... just saying!
Powder. A really awkward product for me. I feel like it's really hard to find a good powder, that does exactly what you need it to!
I tend to use powders to set me under eye area or if it's appropriate as a powder foundation sometimes.
There is one powder I have found so far that does a pretty decent job of both & that is MAC's Mineralised Skin Finish Natural.
I have actually repurchased this product a few times, so it must be pretty good. I actually prefer to use this as a powder foundation, as it have quite nice coverage for that. However I do also sometimes use it to set my under eyes if my concealer is a little light in tone (in the summer).
This powder is great because MAC seem to make this in lighter shades than some of their liquid foundations, which I'm sure I'm too pale to use. I also feel like this powder has a brightening aspect to it, which make your skin pop & glow a little. It just creates a really fresh, healthy look.
Overall I would have to say that this is my go to powder at the moment. I have tried a few different ones from the drugstore that I've liked, however none have compared to this one. It's also really helpfully having a mirror in the compact, which a lot of drugstore powders don't have.
Overall, if you're feeling a bit spendy I'd definitely recommend this powder!
If you've been here for a while you'll know that I'm gluten intolerant, which means my body struggles to break down gluten & foods with it in.
I check the bad of every food packet I pick up, I have to. However some things like sweets don't always come in packet that breakdown the ingredients. So I have a way of staying on the safe side of things..
Eat specialised gluten free sweets!
Candy Kittens are a company that make gluten free & (some flavours) vegan gourmet sweets. They have actually just undergone a rebrand so their flavours are limited, however my favourite are the Wild Strawberry & Eton Mess.
They sweets are great if you fancy a littler gluten free treat! They aren't that healthy so I wouldn't recommend eating a whole bag in one go, but they are nice to have now & again.
I also really like their new packaging!
These used to be quite hard to get hold of, but they are now available in your normal supermarkets as well shops like Selfridges.
Benefit are a make up brand I love! I dare say they're one of my favourites.
I definitely have a lot of their stuff in my make up drawers!
Today I wanted to talk about their blushes. Benefit's blushes are one of their staple products, as well as their Hoola bronzer.
Firstly, we don't even need to discuss they packaging. It's simply beautiful, fun & unique! I love these boxed blushes, although chunky as packaging goes, they are very fun and very user friendly. This packaging is extended through to their palettes as well, which you can somewhat see below.
I have tried pretty much all of their blushes & their isn't one that I don't like. Granted some I like more than others but none of them like terrible or have no pay off. The lightest in pigmentation is dandelion, but that is due to it's light colour. I actually like it for in the winter when I'm super pale.
My current favourite (I say current because it changes quite often with these) is the Rockateur blush, it's a beautiful rose gold sort of colour. Again it isn't over-pigmentated, but for someone pale like myself it's perfect.
Another thing I love about these blushes is their scent. Some people might hate or not see the point in it, but all of these blushes are fragranced! I love the way they smell, in fact overtime I use one I just have to sniff it too (haha). I think they all smell slightly different, but they all are quite sweet & lovely.
If you can get your hands on a palette like the one above I would definitely recommend doing so!
This year has been a real year of discovery for me when it comes to home fragrance!
I have found some awesome candle brands & got onto the wax melt hype..
In fact, a little too much I think!
I recently ordered a load of different wax melts off Amazon. The brand I purchased are WoodWick melts, which if you know me you'll know I'm obsessed with their candles.
Firstly, I'm going to say if you can get to a shop to purchase these, I would definitely advise that over ordering online like myself. Although I like most of these scents, there is one here that I really am not a fan of (if you're wondering it's the Vanilla Bourbon).
I actually have an electric wax melter, which are perfect for scenting your home! Mine is by a brand called Scentsy, but there are quite a lot of different companies that make them now. They're great for so many reasons. One they're cheaper & the melts last longer than some candles (yes we burn them that much). Two they have no naked flame or anything that's too dangerous if you accidentally leave it on.
These wax melts come in different sizes & packaging. They can come in single, large multi-packs or these (photographed above) skinny ones. The singles & large multi-packs are my favourites as you only need one of them. To be honest, the singles I usually break in half. In comparison the skinny ones require two blocks per use to get the best scent result out of them.
Overall I really like these melts. They're great value for money & for the most part smell amazing.
The only negative for me is removing them, they do tend to stick!
Up until now I have only ever tried one of GlamGlow's face masks, however I have been dying to try some of the others for ages! When I was in Rome I picked up some sample sizes to try.
I am planning on reviewing the other ones as well in the future, but this is the only one I've tried so far.
The one I have tried so far is the Thirsty Mud hydrating treatment.
Firstly, can we talk about this packaging??
GlamGlow packaging is always amazing and these sample sizes are no different. Sounds silly, but I love that the sample packaging is actually the same as the full size!
So onto the mask, this mask is a hydrating face mask for those times when your skin is feeling a little dry & in need of moisture. So I imagine if you have dry skin in general this product would be perfect for you!
I only tend to get dry areas on my face, so for me this is probably best used as part of a multi-masking routine (using more than one mask, different masks for different problem areas).
As I don't really suffer with dry skin too much I thought this product was going to be a little wasted on me, however I would have to say I was wrong!
The first time I used this mask was after I got back from Rome. The climate was so hot out there that it had dried my skin out quite a lot, so this had to be really moisturising to make a difference. I'm happy to report that I only needed to use this once, to restore my skin to normal!
So I am very impressed with this mask & I think if you're going away it's definitely worth trying.
It would be perfect for long haul flights, holidays & season changes (which we are undergoing right now).
I think in the winter months this mask is really going to come into it's own for me, because crazy British weather = dry skin!
We don't talk enough about horsey stuff here on the blog, so I think it's definitely time for another horsey holy grail!
The product that is a holy grail for me down the yard is NAF's NAF OFF Extra Effect Fly Repellent.
There are a lot of brands that make fly repellents, but finding one that actually works is another question. This one by NAF is one of very few I have tried that seems to work!
So why do I like this one so much?
Well firstly the packaging/ branding is great & NAF are a brand with a great reputation for a lot of different horse products (including medical, supplements & more). This fly spray also seems to last me quite a while, the standard size of these is 750ml.
Another thing, like I mentioned before, this fly spray actually works. It does actually repel flies! I would say it needs reapplying after about 4 hours though.
Another product which is the same as this, is the gel version is also a favourite of mine. It can last up to 6 hours from my experience & is perfect for sensitive skin areas. For example if your horse has pink hair swirls or sensitive eyes, the gel version of this is perfect.
So if you haven't tried any of NAF's fly repellent products, I'd definitely recommend them!
Lip balm, an absolute essential. Whenever & wherever!
I've tried so many different lip balms throughout the years & still haven't found one that I wholeheartedly love (sad face).
So I've been testing out some of The Body Shop's Lip Butters.
The flavours I picked up are Strawberry & Honeymania.
These are pot packaged lip balms which aren't my preferred type of packaging, for hygiene reasons. Also when you have long nails it's a nightmare, it just ends up all under your nails!
That aside though the scent of these is nice but not too overpowering, even when on the lips & in the pot. I do prefer the honey though, as it's not quite as sweet.
The formula is quite thick & hard in the pot, but warms & softens quickly when you use it. In fact, when softened I would say it's quite a thin so I tend to apply a good amount.
Overall if you like your lip balm in a cute convenient pot, which actually works then they're definitely worth trying. I would recommend the Honey over the Strawberry though.
As you all probably know by now I love hair extensions, especially clip in extensions.
They are great way to changing & glam up any look/ outfit in a wonderfully temporary way!
I have reviewed a few different types of extensions here & on my youtube channel in the past. In fact they are a very popular topic on my channel. People love an honest review, especially when you're paying a lot of money for hair extensions.
So the extensions I'm going to be reviewing today are by a company called Irresistible Me.
I have heard of this company before, but never purchased from them in the past, so I really didn't know what to expect.
Initially I was very impressed with the packaging that the extensions came in. As you can see below they came in a branded box, with a cute message printed on the inside of the box. They actual extensions are in a sealed plastic package, with a tester weft on the right hand side.
I will say now these are a little redundant for me as I always have to colour match extensions myself (the joys of red hair)! The colour & extensions I have are the Silky Touch 22inch 200g pack in Light Red (#130). These are the closest colour I could get.
To colour match I simply used a box dye a shade darker than what I normally use on my own hair (to compensate for colour build up),
The extensions take dye very well, which is always a great test of whether they are good quality remy human hair. Which these clearly are! There was some initial shredding whilst I was dying them, however since then I have experienced very little.
They also don't get very tangled, which means you won't be damaging them too much when brushing them out.
Above you can see a before & after image of how the extensions look in my hair. Personally I love the way them look. They are single drawn wefts so are a little bit thinner at the ends however I think that makes for a more normal look.
These extensions are also the perfect weight for me! I have very thick hair so I need at least 160g+ really for extensions to blend nicely with my hair. These are 200g, in the photo the only clips I don't have in are the two one clip wefts. I would say this thickness is great & the weight is enough but not too heavy for my head.
I find anymore than 200g to be too heavy to wear for an extended period of time.
The size of wefts you get in this pack is great too!
They come with one 4 clip volume weft, 2x 3 clip wefts, 5x 2 clip wefts & 2x 1 clip wefts.
So overall I really like these extensions! These are definitely going to be my go to extensions for a good while now!
I love discovering new candles, sad I know but I love anything that is nicely scented.
I noticed this company pop up online called Candle Belle.
I'll be honest it was their branding/ packaging that attracted me to their website & of course they had an offer didn't they (I swear shops do this on purpose). So I picked up two different scented candles, which came to £20, so £10 each.
So now a bad price at all really.
However I'm very quickly realising that with candles you get what you pay for. As nice as the branding is on these candles they really aren't that great.
They're a dual wick candle so, in theory, they should burn relatively evenly. However these candles just don't!
I've tried burning them for at least 3-4 hours so that they even out, but it's just not happening which is such a shame as it means I'm going to be wasting a lot of the actual candle here.
Another issue I have with these candles is that they smell really nice & strong in the jar, however once lit they kick off vertically no smell/ scent. Kind of defeats the object of a scented candle, for me anyway.
So overall not a great review, but I would rather be honest with you all & save you some money!
We all love a good dupe, for anything but perfume..
Normally perfume dupes are a bit hit & miss, however these are different.
They're by a company called Mistral Exclusive Perfumes.
The scents that I have here are dupes for are Black Opium, Lady Million, Olympea & Chance.
I have to say, every one of these smells exactly like the perfume they are meant. They also smell quite strong, which is great. No one wants a super weak fragrance.
I exactly feel like these are better fragrances than some of the cheaper ones in my collection! They have a pretty decent wear time & don't irritate my skin in any way. The sizes are also great for travelling, as they aren't too big to throw in your handbag.
Overall I think my favourites are the Lady Million & Black Opium. However I will & already do wear all of these on a regular basis!
The only downfall for this product for me is package, which I know can sell a lot of people when it comes to fragrance, but oh well.
As most of you know by now I'm quite a big fan of Benefit Cosmetics as a brand.
They're packaging & products are generally amazing!
So I decided to finally try their Roller Lash Mascara.
I love the They're Real mascara & have claimed it as my holy grail since trying it. However when my eyes are feeling sensitive I just can't wear it. There's something about either the formula or the wand that just makes my eyes go crazy!
Hence why I wanted to try this one, as it claims to be more of a natural not so intensive lash look.
First of all, as usual Benefit are killing it with the cute packaging. A lot of brands really don't try when it comes to sample sizes, not Benefit though!
Onto the shape of the wand, it looks great. I have tried curved wands in the past (by Maybelline) and really liked them, I think they really can help keep a curl! This one is exactly the same. Even without curling my lashes this mascara gave them an awesome curl. I was even getting compliments on how nice my lashes looked (that says something).
The formula is also really nice! It doesn't disappear halfway through the day or flake away. The formula & wand also (most importantly) don't hurt or bother my eyes in the slightest! Ideal!
Overall I think Benefit have done it again & made a really amazing mascara.
I can definitely see myself buying the full size of this once I run out!
So this leads me onto today's topic which is fragrance, in particular Armani's newest perfume.
I love Armani Diamonds the original fragrance & when I saw this fragrance come out I knew I was going to love it.
This is the Armani Diamonds Violet fragrance, named clearly because of it's colour.
The base notes of this fragrance are amber, vanilla & praline. The heart notes being rose, freesia & lily. Whilst the top notes are raspberry, lychee & passion fruit. This combination sounds like heaven to me! If you've been here for a while you'll instantly know that I love vanilla! Raspberry is also something I love.
This makes for a sweet yet floral fragrance, which just screams sophistication!
It is very similar to the original fragrance, just with that sweeter hint. Personally I love it & know it is going to become a staple fragrance for me!
If you haven't smelt this or the original I would definitely recommend doing so! They are such great fragrances, which are perfect for any age & person. They aren't the most potent of fragrances though, so more is certainly more with these. The packaging is so cool though, just take it out with you!
So it's time to sort through all the goodies from the past month. I am quite the fan of beauty advent calendars, so this year I decided to try The Body Shop's!
Firstly the packaging is super cute & festive. It really is 24 happy days!
The inside packaging is just as amazing, with these present tag designed boxes.
Each containing a lovely bath, body or beauty based item.
I'll admit like most calendars there are the odd products that are 'filler' gifts, however there were only 2 within this calendar. Which is a lot better than some of the previous calendars I've had!
Check out the video below for my full unboxing & see what goodies are inside!
Benefit are always on it at this time of year with their gift sets & this year I was lucky enough to get one for my birthday!
The one I got was 'Real Cheeky Party', which is very similar to one they released last year which I missed out on.
This kit comes with 4 blushes, a bronzer, a cream highlighter, a gel eyeliner & a mascara.
The sizes of these products, especially the powders, are amazing value for money. This set is great if you're interested in Benefits top products but don't fancy using all of your money on them!
Some of these products I already own & love, which is always a nice place to start.
I've since tried out all of the other products & like them all. The product I'm less keen on is the Watts Up highlighter, as I find it a little gold for my skin tone sometimes.
Overall I think this kit is a great gift to anyone who's into make up. I also think it's probably one of the best value for money kits from their collection this year.
I personally am the sort of person who loves a glossy lip, even in fall.
These are some of my favourites glosses & they are Benefit's Ultra Plush Lip Glosses.
Firstly can we take a moment for this packaging. Benefit always gets a 10/10 on packaging for me!
This carnival style packaging is super cute.
The glosses come in a variety of very complimentary colours, airing more on the nude/ neutral side of lip colours. Which I personally really like in a range!
I think the most important thing to mention about the formulation is that they are NOT sticky, in any way, shape or form! Which makes them so comfortable to wear, to the point where you forget you're even wearing a gloss.
They aren't overly pigmented just like a lot of glosses, but I love to layer these over other lip products to create a really glossy lip look.
You can see the colour pay off in the swatch image below.
These two shades are fauxmance (top) & A-Lister (bottom). Which I got in last years Benefit advent calendar and I have to say I get SO much wear out of these two shades.
Overall these are a great gloss & I would highly recommend them!
Do you ever receive a product a feel a bit scared of it (sounds silly I know, haha)?
This is one of those products, I think it's the word 'peeling' & the fact that I'd never heard of this brand before.
This is the Naobay Moisturizing Peeling.
So was I right to be scared??
No, it's actually not that scary, however I do want to note that there are absolutely no instructions on how to to use this product on the packaging. Which I find a bit weird. So I actually googled it & it said to damp the face, gently massage in then wash off.
It has some kind of sandy beads (probably microbeads), which sound quite harsh however if you are gentle they aren't harsh at all. I really like products like this as they really feel like they're cleaning your face.
The product itself is actually quite watery which makes it a little messy to work with, but it's manageable. It also has a very strong orange scent, which I actually don't mind.
As for the results of this product, after using it I instantly noticed that my skin was incredibly smooth & really soft! If you have sensitive skin it can leave you looking a little red for a short period after. However blood coming to the surface of the skin isn't a bad thing!
I also noticed that my blackheads & pores looked reduced after using this, which is a quality I look for in most skincare products.
Overall I'm really starting to like this product & plan to add it into my regular skincare routine!
I'm always on the hunt for the perfect bronzer, as a pale person this can be very difficult!
So I was excited to try this baked bronzer by Mesauda. It's their Desert Sand Baked Bronzer in Terra Cotta.
Firstly the packaging although simple looks really nice & feels really sturdy. However it is a little big due to how the baked product sits in the pan & also because you get 7g of product too!
Overall though I like it.
The product itself looks really pretty as it's a mineralised baked powder. It does also have some visible flecks of glitter in it, but not a lot. These flecks you can sometimes see on your face once you've applied the product but it's definitely not a glitter ball effect!
The bronzer also has no significant smell to it.
You can see below the swatch of the bronzer. It is quite a warm tone, so I'd advise only using it to bronze & warm up the face. It's definitely not a cool enough tone to contour with.
It's also quite a light shade so women of colour might struggle to use it as a bronzer, however they could potentially use it as a highlighter as it is a little shimmery.
At the moment I like this bronzer, however I am still quite pale. I think after my holiday I will love this product & even during my holiday. I do plan on taking it with me.
A warning though, it is quite soft, so it might not travel too well.
I can do a little update on that for you once I've been away if you'd like though!
Hi, I'm Eve. I'm a 23 year old professional photographer, who also has an interest in blogging/ vlogging. I like to write about anything really, from beauty to health issues!
