Budget V Premium Mascara can you tell the difference

Hello guys so I'm sat in today having a lazy day huts chilling out really. I went to see Girls Trip last night with 5 of my friends and I have to be fair it literally is one of the funniest things I've seen in years.  I couldn't even drink my water in fear of me spitting it out in laughter the whole cinema was in hysterics constantly the sign of a good film. Defo what I needed and if anyone of you haven't seen it and were thinking of going do go it's worth it.

So I was sorting out my makeup the other day and I was horrified to that I had only three active mascara's left, infairness I haven't bought any for a while plus I've been quite skint so haven't bought too much anyway.  But what I wanted to do was review two out the three that I am using.

So here they are one is by Estée Lauder  the sumptuous extreme mascara in black and the other is from Esscence and is the Rock and Doll mascara which incidentally I picked up in Wilko.

So first of all onto the price points the Estée Lauder  comes in at a jaw dropping £22.95 and that's actually the cheapest I've seen it at Allbeauty.  So what are my thoughts? It's packaged beautifully as you would generally expect from a premium beauty brand encased in an elegant gold case which is not bulky or annoying it's great for travel when your restricted really with your makeup items and you don't want a huge bulky thing hanging out your makeup bag. I use this this with the lash primer that I'm identically I won in a competition. The brush is huge which you can see from my picture it's like a big Christmas tree style brush well I think it looks like one anyway.  You do get a lot of product on the brush and a lot of wetness feeling on your lashes so it feels a bit like a paintbrush slapping paint on the wall.  I use two coats of this and it does give you a good coating on the lashes.  I didn't get any clumps which I do like, I do not like this brush at all for the lower lashes I find this too awkward and big really for getting in at the lower lash, I much prefer the Clinique mascara designed solely for the bottom lashes.  

After a day of wear this did hold well and still looked quite fresh not the best when I've been to gym but then it's not labelled as water proof and lately my face has been a hot sweaty mess after the gym.  Oh and I don't put makeup on to go to the gym I just can't be arsed removing it before work to go.

Now onto the Esscence one you can see from the picture the brush is completely different to the Estee  Lauder one much smaller and difference in shape. The price point I picked this up for about £4.00 so value wise tons cheaper than it's premium friend above.  Packaging wise it's ok a bit clumpy but not gross, quite trendy with the rock n doll slogan this would appeal to my 15 year old daughter. Application wise much drier than the Estée Lauder one, I like the brush easy to use and apply. Now for me I did get quite spiky looking lashes I wouldn't say clumpy but a bit of a weird hedge hog style eyelash look.  Not horrific just different, but after a day I did experience a bit of smudging.  Didn't irritate my eyes or anything like that though.  Again I would prefer the Clinique mascara for the bottom lashes as nothing beats that one for them.  In terms of price I think it's ok, I'm at the age where I want my eyelashes to look like classy sweeping brushes so I wouldn't say this is my favourite but my daughter has now stolen if off me, I don't recommend sharing makeup I will add. 

I like the Estée Lauder one but I don't think anything currently beats Lancome Hypnose or Magnificels unless you can let me know if any can. 

Laura x 

Nivea double effect eye makeup remover

Now as a lover of a lot of eye makep including sometimes waterproof eyeliner I often struggle to get all my eye makeup off after doing my normal cleansing routines.  I am quite fanatical about my skincare and like to go to bed without any makeup on and I don't like to wake up to panda eyes.  So when I was in Boots the other day I thought do you know what I know that this eye makeup remover has been around for a little while now, I did think hmmmm perhaps this may be a big gimmicky with the separation in the bottle and the shake together solution but I thought let's give it a whirl.

Granted this is a small bottle it's only 125ml you don't really need a lot even for a heavy Eye makeup wearing person. The ingredients are ok they are suitable for sensitive skin types there is no fragrance no soap and no Parabens in,  there is sodium chloride in which some people may find a bit drying.  I shake the bottle to mix together and put some remover on a big square makeup pad I then place over my eyelid and hold it there for a while to let the product soak in so I can just wipe away my makeup instead of dragging and tugging the eye area. I fold the cotton pad over and then run this under my eye area to remove my eyeliner.

What I do then is to just wet another cotton pad in lukewarm water and wipe this over my eyelid and
around my eye area just to remove any last bits of product from around my eyes that gives me a clean base then for my eye creams and moisturisers.  I do find this eye makeup remover small but quite mighty in size it's really effective for removing even my hardcore water proof really good mascara's and even after a night out when I have literally layered on the mascara and eyeliner it's really really good at helping me not wake up looking like a panda.



Laura x

Elemis marine cream breast cancer limited edition pack

Evening guys I literally haven't bought anything for ages been proper skint but payday came and I was desparate for a new moisturiser,  I had a scroll through QVC website thinking hmmm please let's have a good moisturiser on offer or at least on easy pays.  I am quite strict on my skincare regime I am more into this than I am clothes, and its true your skin will like you if you like it first.  Really I need cleansers oils and allsorts as I'm running out of everything but moisturiser has to be the first purchase.  So I purchased the limited edition Elemis Marine cream  which incidentally was on 3 easy payments thank god......when it arrived it was in a bright pink gift box which looked too pretty to actually open, it looked like something that glitter would burst out of and unicorns would appear. That aside I opened it and my gigantic marine cream was there saying "hello come get me" in a beautiful pink jar with the breast cancer symbol on the top of the jar and also a spatula to use the cream.

So what is the deal with the marine cream and is it worth the price tag,  here is the science, complete with marine extracts Padina Pavonica with claims to transform the complexion in just over 2 weeks. Trials have proved that the appearance in wrinkle depth was reduced by up to 78% and that hydration was increased by up to 45%. Skin firmness and elasticity are dramatically increased whilst providing superior free radical protection.  

When I bought my first jar it was a much smaller version of this one, I literally used to plaster it all over my face and leave it.  I know now that's not the way to use it at all,.  Now I use the spatular and take out a tiny tiny bit less is more in this particular case.  I rub it between my hands to warm it up and activate the ingredients and then pat into my skin.  It's quite a nice routine once you get int it, you need to spend a little doing it but the results show on your face so keep at it.

I believe that proceeds go to breast cancer care from all sales of this product. It will take me a while to use this one up and the little bottle is to pretty to throw out.

On another news it's the school summer holidays although I'm not sure where the summer bit fits in as the weather has been shocking, but on the weekend I took my children to see CARS3 and we loved it, they are telling me they want to see captain underpants next omg....

Laura x

Botanics #theplantone review*

I was really kindly sent a large selection of skincare from Botanics, I love skincare so I was so happy to receive it.  Botanics is a natural skincare range that combine powerful plant extracts for a healthy looking complexion whilst being very reasonably priced. This weekend I had been painting my fence and shed out my back garden I had no idea it would take so long plus I didn't realise it was so hot so guess what I burnt my face and nose a bit ahhhhhhh. So these products have been so welcome to use to try and soothe my poor face. So let's have a little look at what I had.

My favourite: Organic Facial Oil, basically this is described as a meal for the skin, a little bottle of facial oil complete with a dropper to dispense the product, I put three drops into my palms and warmed then pressed into my skin, I was hoping that I wouldn't be met with that gross greasy feel and I wasn't this oil soaked quickly into my skin and made if feel lovely and hydrated, combined with rosehip oil which is rich in omega oils this may explain the nourished feeling and plumping, oils are my go to with skincare now as I feel they are essential in maintaining healthy skin and I was impressed by this little gem.

Day Cream: sometimes I skip it then do my makeup and I wish I hadn't when my makeup looks rubbish, so I try and find something lightweight I can use before makeup and this cream is good for that lightweight and non tacky I massage this cream in and let it sink in for about 10 minutes then apply my makeup, this cream is enriched with clary sage extract which helps moisturise dehydrated skin for hours.  As you get older it's been more important to keep your skin moisturised and hydrated because if you don't it will look rough and prune like and aged and you don't want that, so try not to skip it try and keep it moisturised, cleanse and then moisturise whilst you have your cup of tea in the morning.

Radiant youth refining microdermabrasion polish: now in truth I haven't used any exfoliating products on my face for a little while, so when this arrived I thought ok lets have a little go, now products I've used before have put me off for being quite rough, now when I used this yes it is a rough but I used it in areas that I felt my skin would benefit from getting rid of gross dead skin cells particularly my forehead and round by my nose and my chin, so a little scrub gently in circular motions and then I rinsed off oh my word my skin felt like velvet after using it I was so happy, this is the best time then to apply a facial oil or serum as your skin will literally soak it right in. My skin was a little red after using it, but that's to be expected after giving it a little scrub. My skin was glowing after this, now for me I will use this only once a week I feel like that is enough as rubbing your skin too much is not good for it and it's more effective to use it less frequently.


The triple age renewal facial super serum: this serum is formulated to help hydrate and nourish skin and reduce the appearance of deep lines and wrinkles,  this one wasn't my favourite but only as I found it a bit drying for me, I'm more of an oil person than a serum I've come to realise, but combined with the combination of skincare this is a good little product.  You cannot beat the prices of these products and for the record my skin is normal to combination and I didn't receive any irritation or breakouts the only redness I experienced was when using the micro Dermabrasion but that's to be expected.  No dryness spots or weirdness so I would recommend.

Laura x

How to live life to the full

Hello beauts hope you are all well, today I'm writing another positive post, in view of so much sad things around at the moment and me knowing 4 people my age with terminal illness I thought it was time to reflect on positive things and blessings.  I'm a massive believer in life is too short to not enjoy it and for me I love travelling and going different places and doing that with my children as that is what makes happy memories.
If you can't go abroad then going to the park or for a nice walk is just as good, fresh air and quality time with your family is priceless and doesn't matter where you are.
If like me you suffer from anxiety or depression sometimes you may not feel that your life is positive or you can even live your life to the full but with that my best advice is to take small steps every day and try and dig out positive aspects of your life and what I'm trying to remember that your kids are only little kids for such a short time they grow up so quickly and then don't want to do things with you when they get older.
I have started doing exercise now to, I used to shut off when I heard people talk about going to the gym or running and think how boring and actually I don't do any of those things but I do an exercise class with wicked music that helps me through it, I don't find it one bit boring and I actually really love it and I get home and feel good and less stressed when I do that.
If you have lots of friends try and meet up where possible and spend time with them, people are very busy with life but try and fit in time for your friends you need them as much as they need you. And to have a good laugh and a giggle is something to look back on when you don't feel too great.

I'm a firm believer of not saving for when I'm old this doesn't mean it's advisable and not for everyone, I think to myself sod it spend it now, if I do get to old age il be skint but at least il have good memories a good skincare collection and I will have good memories with the kids.

What do you do to live your life to the full??

Laura

My micro blading experience

Hey guys much more of a light hearted post compared to my other ones,  today I'm talking about ya browz in real terms your eyebrows, I've always heard bloggers, makeup artists and anyone who knows there stuff say how important your eyebrows are to your face and that they really frame your face.  So for years I've been plucking my eyebrows to within an inch of there life and then with any gaps I've been left with I've been filling in so badly.  I have bought every product and brush known to man to try and give me the brows I have wanted but I've sadly failed.
And then I heard of people having there eyebrows tattooed and I had been toying with that idea for ages but never actually done it.
And then I heard of microblading and I was like ok what is that?  "Microblading is a form of tattooing, unlike a regular tattoo where pigment is implanted under your skin with a manual handheld tool instead of a machine, hair like strokes are drawn with the tool to mimic natural hairs in your brows"

Now my eyebrows are pretty straight naturally and I didn't have an arch at all, so the space between my eyelid and the top of my eyebrow was literally non existent.  It was only when I had my makeup done for my birthday and the artist gave me a really definite arch I realised how much it could transform your whole look and I decided to give it a go.

I booked in with a reputable salon and seen loads of examples of her work and done it, I had numbing cream put on the areas needed and she left that to take effect, once she started I could hear a scraping noise which I wasn't loving but I couldn't feel anything.  It did take a while I honestly felt like I had been in the salon for hours and was loosing the will to live but then it was done.  I was really happy with the results though and the lady booked me in for a further 4 weeks for a top up.  The environment was really clean and sterile which again is essential when having a treatment like this done.

So today i returned for my top up and this is essential for any patches to be filled in and to keep your colour nice and fresh, the colour can be adapted to suit any hair colour and skin colour so that they look as natural and non fake as possible.  Today didn't take half as long as they first did, and the bonus was I didn't hear that scrapy sound either, so truthfully I could have gone asleep and I wouldn't have felt a thing.  The only thing that freaks me out is when I wake up in the morning makeup free my eyebrows are completely done and I look so funny as they are perfect and then you have my non makeup face ha ha.

If your considering it, it is worth it, I have to return every year now for a top up and I should always have nice eyebrows.

Hope you enjoyed this post

Laura 

Real life How I Escaped a cult growing up.

Hey guys hope your well, wow this title is deep isint so unlike my normal I like this tan or face highlighter post but I've been thinking a lot about this all recently and thought I would share it particularly if it can help anyone.
So about me you may know that I'm in my forties and currently live in Wales growing up my "dad" was in the RAF so I lived in lots of places but ended up in Scotland as a small child along with my brother who I was just over two years older than.  Being a little girl I remember quite a happy childhood when I was say 6 years odd but that all changed when my families religion changed from my father being a Catholic and my "mum" being a non practising Methodist to a different religion that I won't name but you may guess when you read on. I noticed that a lot changed the Christmas tree was thrown away and I didn't have birthday presents or parties anymore, and nor did my brother, I will say my father wasn't part of the new religion but he agreed with the stopping of birthdays and Christmas. At school I was taken out of participating in Christmas concerts in mixing with the children out of school and not allowed to receive or give presents, I remember being stuck in a room on my own whilst the other children enjoyed christmas parties and not enjoying that feeling.

Attending the meetings (talks about god etc) where very regular, I personally hating walking there we would be made to do the three mile trip there by foot three times a week in all weathers, I don't think I missed one even if I was unwell. So I got to about eleven years old and then my parents told us we were moving to Wales I was quite excited about this, being a kid I thought this was a great adventure new school new friends and hopefully not having to attend those meetings.  Little did I know that my life was going to get a whole lot worse.
The move was complete and my brother and myself were put into new schools, I settled ok, and was invited to lots of places but I was never allowed to go, I don't know what changed in my dad but I started beating my mother really really badly and they would be arguing constantly, he started drinking extremely heavily and that did not help matters. Whilst all this was going on I still was attending this church.  My mother became more and more iratic in her behaviour and would shout at me whilst on the way to the church, if I didn't participate in the meeting she would hit me on the back of the head with her hand or worse get the microphone and hit me on the head with that it was mortifying.
Home life was getting increasingly worse, I was now 13 and my brother 11 and my father was beating my brother all the time and throwing so much emotional abuse at him, in the end my brother stopped going to school and ended up running away from home and getting into trouble.  I was being made to go to the betting shops and stand outside and ask old men to put bets on for my dad as he wouldn't leave the house and then I would have to get people to get cans of beer and cigarettes for me to take home for him to, this was daily, my brother didn't return home after this he ended up at young offenders institutes which was awful, meanwhile back at home the beatings went to me.  I was still having to go to the church and disguise my bruises my swellings and my tears.  I wasn't allowed to discuss what was going on,
I sat my exams and I really do not know how I did it without falling apart I was desparate to get away from the church and my situation at home, I remember being scared going to bed and going to sleep in fear as many times my father would drag me out of bed by the hair and pull me down the stairs and scream swear at me and beat me, he would continuously tell me how ugly and horrible I was so naturally I thought I was.  I begged my mum to help me but she wouldn't listen to me, I was now 19 and I was mentally and physically battered, I had been beaten 4 nights continuously and was a wreck, the church were having a party (gathering) In a house in Cardiff and I begged to go, I couldn't believe I was allowed to go, I went and was told to be home by 11 bearing in mind I was 19, I was enjoying myself and realised it was 12 o'clock and at that moment I decided I wasn't going to return home and I never did.
For three years after that night I would go to work and my mother used to wait in the bus stop and thrust letters in my hand,, she wouldn't talk to me, she said she wasn't allowed as I had left the church to, she said she couldn't have anything to do with me anymore, the letters were very long and rambling and didn't make any sense at all. But in essence she wouldn't bother with me anymore.

So where am I at now, well I'm 43 years old, my parents are now living in Reading, I do not see them at all anymore, I have seem them once 15 years ago and that was when my brother died, but I don't anymore, if you think I'm harsh not having things to do with them this has been a long thoughtful decision, I am a mother to three children myself and I would never ever treat them in this way or force them into a religion either.  I would say that I haven't been left unscaved by them and I struggle with a lot of things, I was never shown love or affection by them, so I do find it hard to be loving loving if that makes sense, I know I'm not ugly but it's taken me a long time to realise that but the feeling of escaping the clutches of the religion were and have been overwhelming some of my memories have been lost of my childhood I don't know if it's because of trauma but I can't remember them, but now I'm happy and living a normal life.

So if your in a similar position or scared you cannot get out of something you can be brave strong and do it, you won't look back.

Laura xx