Brows on Fleek

I am a huge fan of Instagram brows, and I have tested so many products to find the perfect products to achieve this well-desired look. From pomades to pencils I have put together my faves.

So my go to has to be Benefit Ka-Brow Pomade. I know I usually go for drug store products but with brow products I’m happy to branch out as they usually last over a year anyway, which makes it worth it. . Brows are one of the hardest parts of a polished look and I love this as the application is so easy to work with. I used the ABH pomade for a year and was so committed until I found this. They are quite similar, however I find that unlike most pomades, including ABH Dipbrow, this doesn’t dry up. It lasts all day, and has a very natural look to it, but you can easily build on it for stronger looking brows.

LJL Rating: 10/10

Next is another Benefit product- they don’t get their brow success for nothing! When I’m in a hurry I use Gimme-Brow! This brushes on so easily and enhances your natural brows. So if you already have a good set of brows, I highly recommend this. The only downside is that it can look messy, so if you’re like me and prefer tidy brows, you can easily clean up the look with concealer.

LJL Rating: 9/10

Next, an underrated brand- Lottie London. Their Archival Brow Pen is only £6.50 and is  used to create a microblade effect. The end of this pen has 4 separate nibs which allow you to create natural looking brows in just a few fast strokes. This is great for either natural, bushy or insta-brows! The only flaw is that if you don’t use this with fast strokes, the product can bleed into fine lines.

LJL Rating: 8/10

Finally, for a simple pencil look, I use B. Pro Styler Brow Pencil, which is only £4.99 and is usually on offer. I use this either to quickly fill in my brows, or to neaten up the edges. The colour pay off is really strong, and the pencil is angled for ease. It also comes with a spoolie at the other end to help have a flawless look.

LJL Rating: 8/10

Overall, I do think that if you really care about how your brows look, then high end is always better. If you just like to fill in your brows, or lightly shape and define, then pencils and powders are the way to go.

I Finally Found My Perfect Primer!

Hi All! Just a short post today, but I had to share these bargain primers that genuinely work so well for me, and they are only £4 and £5!!

My skin type is normal/ dry and I’ve always felt as though many primers are aimed at oily skin. I’ve tried so many out, and ended up just sticking to moisturiser. A couple of weeks ago I decided to make use of the penny saving 3 for 2 deal at Superdrug and give MUA’s new Pro-Base range a try, and damn I am sold.

The first primer I tried was the Primer Oil with Gold Flakes. This only cost £4 and has become my go to primer when creating radiant, dewy looks. It gives my foundation a silky finish and sits so comfortably on the skin. I’ve found that it works well with foundation sticks, and cream contour as it makes blending so easy. It’s also worth mentioning how good this little gem looks with it;s high end packaging, and visually pleasing formula!

The other new fave is the Softening Facial Oil Stick which is £5. This is perfect for creating an even base and it gives me all day hydration. I love using this if I’m wearing makeup for long hours as it works as a moisturiser and a primer, and I don’t need to worry about my skin drying out. I’ve even been using it recently on its own to hydrate my skin.

Overall I’m so impressed by these products. MUA have a huge new range with all these products for such a budget price, and I can’t recommend enough! Although I’ve spoken about products ideal for my skin type- they have products for oily, sensitive and normal skin!

LJL Rating: 10/10

First Impressions of Lottie London

Hello Everyone!! I am living for the sun today!

So Lottie London is possibly one of the most underrated brands I  have come across. There isn’t much talk of them in the beauty realm, or on social media. After testing some products I am shocked!! They are super cheap, in most Superdrug stores and often 3 for 2 online, and they are truly great quality. If I’m being honest, they could double their prices and I’d still be interested.

I mostly tried their lip products and have actually discovered a new daily fave! It’s the Slay All Day Liquid Lipstick in shade GIRL PWR. This gem is £5.95 and it’s my go to shade. The formula is so smooth and creamy and it lasts all day without drying my lips out. I’ve worn it from 7am for work to 3am for a night out and it has not budged! (And yes it was a messy night!)

Speaking of nights out… the best lip look for that is their Glitter Switch Liquid Lipstick. This is £6.95 and I own 5 of them! If you haven’t heard of these, they work by having the appearance of a liquid lippy… but once you rub your lips together- TA DA! They are glittery! I love that it creates a shimmery and elegant look, rather than a chunky glitter one. I find this product so innovative, and it makes a cheaper alternative to the £17 Ciate version- which I do also love but this is much more affordable. I recommend the shade “Spill the Tea” as it’s a simple, light nude.

Another STUNNING product is their Eye Foils for £4.95. These are perfect for shimmery cut creases, and I even use mine for lip toppers. My fave shade has to be “Savage”, a pearly pink. Now is a great time to mention how gorgeous their packaging is- I seriously think they are premium in every way but the price!

Overall, this is a brand I am loving and I hope to try more of their products. A few more that are worth mentioning are the Highlighter Palette which so creamy; the Stamp Liners-perfect for begginers, and the Holo DuoChrome Gloss.

LJL Rating: 20/10!

New Nudes Thoughts

I’ll start by being honest and admitting… that this is my most expensive pallete!

I usually stick to drug store makeup as palletes can be expensive, and this one will set you back £56.

My overall opinion is that this palette is expensive as hell! But if you love makeup it’s definitely worth it.

This pallete is beyond easy to work with. This sets it apart from a lot of high end makeup that often requires expensive brushes and primers etc. These colours blend like a dream, I’ve genuinely never had anything blend so well.

The colours may look similar but once applied they are very different and there are some really unique shades. My fave thing is that already in 4 days I’ve used them all! My every day look is subtle but not plain so this is the perfect pallete, however for more dramatic looks can we talk about those shimmers! They are so beautiful. I’ve had the least fallout EVER and the pigment is perfect.

Something I love about this which I found rather innovative is Huda’s choice to place a concealer within the pallete. This had made creating a base simple and really helps with looks like cut creases and halo eyes.

Realistically the pallete is pricy. But you get 17 beautiful shades and a concealer so I do think it’s worth it if you save or got some Christmas cash!

LJL Rating: 10/10

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New TK Maxx Haul

Firsty, apologies for the image quality- phone camera is being replaced soon!

A few months ago I had my first ever trip to the beauty section of TK Maxx and those who read my blog know how shocked I was by my finds! This month has gotten even more surprising!

I won’t go into detail about everything that I bought but I thought I’d share some of my best finds. Have a look above for what I’ve purchased (p.s. the reed diffuser was also in a set of two for £4!)

Let’s start with the most exciting…! I managed to get an Anastasia Beverley Hills Highlighting Palette for £25 instead of £45! I’ve ALWAYS wanted one but couldn’t bring myself to spend that much but wow this was such a bargain! I even saw their Subculture and Prism Eyeshadow Palettes for £25 which is insane as I paid £45 for mine! I also bought an ABH liquid lipstick and matte lipstick both for £10 instead of £18! I should note just how many different lipsticks they had available in all different colours! It was difficult not to buy more.

I’m always down to try a new foundation and TK Maxx is great for this. I got 3 foundations from great brands. Natuarally I chose an ABH stick foundatiopn for £10 instead of £25, a Revlon one for £6 instead of £15 and a Stila one for £8 instead of…. I know that most of the TK Maxxs have the Stila foundatiuon and I recommend it as it comes with a brush and a concealer and the coverage is amazing and it feels super lightweight. I also chose Cover FX foundation drops which I highly recommend to anyone who likes full coverage foundation. They mix into foundation with minimal coverage to thicken it and extend the coverage and it works so well. I got this for a huge saving of £5 instead of £36 which is insane!!!!

For anyone who loves Boing concealer from Benefit they are selling this on their website for £8 and this is a beauty must have for anyone with dark circles and saves you £10. Overall I’m so pleased with my beauty finds and have to advise that this would be a great place to get gifts for a beauty lover.

L’oreal Stick Foundations Review

From my previous posts it’s already pretty clear that I worship L’oreal’s foundation range. Once again, I want to share with you all how much I love their Infallible Foundation Stick. I have tried a lot of stick foundations and not loved them at all as I find most of the formulas to be way too solid, but this one here is a winner.

The thing I love the most about these is how creamy they are. They melt straight onto the face, making cream contour the simplest thing to get on board with. I have never been a huge fan of cream contour as I would rather use bronzer, but it’s hard to go wrong with these. They blend out so well, and feel super lightweight on the skin. I also usually find that the colour range for this type of foundation isn’t very good but theres a huge selection here. They’re also only £8.99 which is great considering how long they last.

As for the appearance, it has a satin-like finish with a medium coverage. It really brightens the skin and has a glowy look to it. I would recommend using a setting powder as it doesn’t dry down too quickly, especially on hotter days. Other than that I cannot fault!

LJL Rating: 9/10

 

Hello Sports FX!

Hello everyone! So Sports FX has been popping up everywhere lately! From bloggers to instagram to beauty boxes so I thought it may be worth giving some of their products a little go. For those who don’t know, this is a brand for long lasting makeup even during intense physical activities. Now I won’t lie, I am not sporty by any means, but I do work long hours so having my face stay in place is important to me. If you like any of this then they can be bought online or in Sports Direct and they do hair and body care as well as makeup- impressive!

I’ll start with the Cool Down Primer and Recovery Gel. This is £10 and OWCH. I have really sensitive skin so I’m not sure if this may be why it felt like my face was burning off! It made my skin so cold that it burnt. I forced 3 of my friends to try it to and one of them found the same as me, but the other two had no issue with it. My advice here would be to perhaps avoid it if you have sensitive skin! I can’t really rate it as a primer as it was too painful for me to keep on 😦

Some of you may have already heard of the popular Blend and Go Beauty Sponge for £5. I have had multiple beauty blenders over the years and this is my absolute fave! It has so many different angles that it can be used for cream contour, liquid highlight, and ofc foundation. It’s super soft and makes my foundation apply so lightweight and flawlessy, I LOVE IT!                                                                                                                   LJL Rating: 10/10

I’ve just spotted I didn’t take a pic of the Balance Boosting BB cream my bad! This is £12 and it’s pretty good. I don’t really wear BB creams as I’m a full face kinda gal but it’s got a medium coverage and sits comfortably                                                             LJL Rating:  7/10

Next is the Coconut Moisturising Lip Balm for £5. Now I am low-key obsessed with this as I’m convinced that lip balms aren’t that necessary but I love this as a lip primer as it makes lipstick glide on so well and it prevents liquid lipstick from cracking. I would definitely recommend this!                                                                                                     LJL Rating 10/10

They also do an angled Brow Pencil for £7. I think it’s a great idea to have it angled but it’s just so hard that you have to really drag it on the skin to get some pigment showing. I chose the dark brown shade and yet it isn’t dark at all. I also think that the price is steep considering most drugstore ones are around £3.                                            LJL Rating: 3/10

The Mist and Face spray is £8 and I’m not convinced that this is a great product really. This is advertised as keeping your makeup in place but I find that it doesn’t really make a difference to it at all.                                                                                              LJL Rating: 5/10

Finally, I have both of their brushes which as a pricy £12 each however they are double ended. I think that the buffer and powder brush are pretty average, but the duo highlight and contour brush is fab! I use both ends for contour and its amazing as I can use one side to really carve out my cheekbones, nose, chin and jaw then use the other side for my cheeks, forehead and neck. Since using this I have even received more comments about my contour so I do think it’s worth trying!                                                              LJL Rating: 10/10

Overall we’ve got a mix of opinions here! Some things I love and some I’m admittedly not so keen on, but I do have to say that I do think that this is a promising brand. They offer some great stuff, and I hope that they bring out new products in the future!