The Cutest Cases + Discount Code!

My last phone case was on the brink of falling apart and having an iPhone 5C it's not the easiest to find a good range of cases as most high street stores only sell cases for the 5 or 6. 

For a good while I've followed Wonder Forest who is a very talented blogger who posts a range of how-to's for blog design to your classic beauty and fashion posts. Not only that but she has her own range of phone and tablet cases on Casetify that are her own very cute illustrations (Click here for her collection). I loved the little cat design as it reminds me of my cat from home and it's just so damn adorable, so of course that was the one I went for. 

On Casetify you can get the cases made to the majority of phones and tablets which is great for us 5C users! There are also plenty of other collections if Wonder Forest's isn't to your taste. 

The print quality and the material quality is really good, much better than some I've bought off Amazon and high street stores. I can't wait to get some more cases from here! 

They vary in price depending on your devices size and for some you can also pick the style of the casing but you can get $10 off your purchase by using the discount code Q4CQEP and they also ship worldwide for FREE! 

Which case would you go for in Wonder Forest's collection? I want them all! 

The Best Eye Primer Ever.

I have the most awkward skin, the majority of my face is dry but then I have really oily eyelids. I have tried out eye primer after eye primer and I've only just found the perfect solution to avoid that annoying creasing of eyeshadows and printing of eyeliner.
MAC's Prep + Prime 24-hour Extended Eye Base has worked a dream for my eyes. It's £16 for the tube so it's not extortionate and for how well it performs I think it's worth every penny!

Normally I would come back home after uni or work, or even just see in the mirror during a toilet break that my eyeshadow or eyeliner would be all over the place.
After seeing that this primer claims to be sweat-resistant I thought I would try it out. I popped it on and did my eye makeup as normal at about 9am before work, I then came back home at almost 7pm and my eye makeup hadn't budged a bit!
As my eye products are now staying put I don't need to bring them in my bag to top them up, which not only saves bag space but I'm also not using up as much product so they'll last so much longer.

The product is really soft and smooth, it blends out translucent so it's perfect for all skin colours and you only need the tiniest amount to cover the entire lid. I even pop a little bit on my under eyes before concealer to reduce that from creasing too.
From now on this is my staple eye primer and it will be forever in my makeup bag!

Have you tried out this primer or now tempted to try it? Would recommend any others? Leave your comments below! 

Review: Bobbi Brown Tinted Moisturising Balm

In the summer I don't tend to wear as much foundation, I just don't feel the need for as much coverage and when it's hot I hate the feeling of my foundation just melting off. I also want to have some sort of SPF on my skin as I'm naturally very pale which means I can burn pretty easily but something without that suncream smell. This then led me to try out tinted moisturisers as most of these had these qualities, they aren't as high coverage as foundation, they're moisturising and often have SPF.

Over the past few years I've tried out a few drugstore tinted moisturisers but my problem with them was that they never had a shade pale enough, I'd always end up looking like some oompa loompa!

In a video quite a while ago I remember Essie from www.essiebutton.com was talking about this tinted moisturiser by Bobbi Brown that she currently loved. She also has pale skin so I thought there must be a shade for me and she was also rather convincing! It wasn't long after that I had this product in my hands. 

The Bobbi Brown Extra SPF 25 Tinted Moisturizing Balm claims to be 'A lightweight foundation alternative for dry, dehydrated skin, this formula is ultra-rich, and blends easily, giving skin a dewy look with light coverage.' I had already scraped out £36 so I was begging for it to do what it says on the tin. I got it in the shade Extra light tint as I was a little tanned for summer, I really mean a little. If I were to get this for the middle of winter then I'd probably go for their even paler shade Alabaster. 

Now onto the actual review! I have found this product so nourishing and creamy without being heavy on my skin, its kept away my dryness just like it said it would.
The shade was just right, as long as you apply it evenly you don't get any sort of orange tone. If you forget to blend a bit it does tend to stand out a little more orange but it's normally easy enough to spot and sort it out. This winter I reckon I'll get the shade lighter as it would be too dark for me then.
The coverage is all I wanted, just something light and dewy so I don't look so dull and tired. I really love the dewy finish it gives, however I do tend to put a little bit of powder just on my T-Zone as this can get a little oily and make it look too dewy in these areas.
One thing it doesn't mention on the description is its smell. It has this lovely almost minty fresh smell that really helps wake me up in the morning. When I say minty fresh, I don't mean minty toothpaste but more on the lines of tea tree and aloe vera.
The packaging is simplistic and classy, it also seems to keep the cream at a nice cool temperature from it being made of glass. It's also great if you accidentally scoop too much product out as you can easily pop some back in which you can't do with products that come in tubes. Not super hygienic I know, but I always make sure my hands are clean when using products like this and I only use it on myself so I don't mind doing this.

90% of the time I apply this product with my hands but sometimes I use my Sigma F80 Flat Kabuki to just smooth out the edges or to full apply it, it just helps to get it right into those nooks and crannies.
Above you can see the before and after when I use this product, I like the fact my freckles are still visible as a lot of foundation masks it.
I'd really recommend this product to anyone with dry skin and just wants something with a nice light and dewy coverage. For me it's a staple and something I reckon I'll keep repurchasing until the unlikely event of something better coming into the market.

My Favourite Mascaras

I’ve tried and tested so many different mascaras from low to high-end over the past few years with some being absolute disasters, not worth the price tag or have actually been great. 
After all those many mascaras I can finally tell you all about my top 3, they vary in prices but all do have a similar style. As I have quite long lashes I look for volume and definition in my mascaras instead of lengthening qualities. 

Currently my favourite of all is the Bobbi Brown Smoky Eyes Mascara, normally I’m not too fussed about high-end mascaras as often I can find a much cheaper alternative but this one is amazing. It has this lovely soft matte black kohl finish and gives my lashes a really nice amount of volume without getting clumpy or spidery. I already have quite long lashes so I don’t look for that in mascaras, this one just adds a touch of length without drying up and crumbling off the ends. The bristles on the wand are so soft so it doesn’t tug or pull, the application feels almost luxurious. The packaging is hardly exciting but I guess you could say it’s quite classy? They must spend most the money on the contents of the product over the packaging.

My next best is the Benefit Bad Gal Lash Mascara. I had heard so much praise about this product from friends and fellow bloggers that I felt like I had to try it for myself. Once I had tried it I saw why everyone was raving about it, my lashes were super volumised with no clumps. The bristles are similar to the Bobbi Brown mascara, they are nice and soft, however it is quite a chunky wand so it can be a little difficult getting into the nooks and crannies. The packaging is classy and the big bright pink ‘Lash’ in a pretty font across the tube adds a pop of colour. I’ve written a separate blog post all about this mascara here if you want to see some before and afters as well as more detail.

I rarely wear waterproof mascara as I find the other two stay put so well anyway, but if I am going to be getting particularly sweaty or wet then the Maybelline The Colossal Volum’ Express Waterproof Mascara is my must have. It gives great volume, doesn’t get clumpy and will stay put through thick and thin! The bristles are more plastic than the other two but as the formula is more of a liquid it doesn’t tug. The packaging is pretty standard, I do love the shiny blue accents though, that’s partly because I just love that shade of blue in anything!

What's your favourite mascara or are one of these 3 your favourite?

My Skincare Routine and Products

I love to keep care of my skin and as I do tend to wear makeup on a daily basis I think its very important to make sure I remove it properly to keep my skin healthy and able to breathe! 

Almost all the products I use are under £10 each so it's a pretty affordable routine, as a student I can't afford fancy products but these do the job for me so I don't even feel the need to pay more. 

The only product here which is over £10 is the Benefit Triple Performing Emulsion but this is my one luxury I do use and always tends to be on my birthday or christmas wish list. 

I have very combination skin, I get quite dry patches around my mouth and nose but then have an oily forehead and eyelids. I don't have very spot prone skin, but I do get the occasional spot. This should give you an idea if any of these products may work for you.

My Daily Skincare Routine

1. I use the Simple Eye Makeup Remover to remove my eye makeup first, it works great with heavy and waterproof makeup, as well as being super affordable.
2. I then use my No7 Cleansing Balm in Dry/Very Dry, I gently massage it in my face and a little down my neck. With a large cotton pad I wipe that off to get rid of the majority of my makeup. This product is super moisturising without being oily and having to wait for it to sink into the skin. Quite often at Boots you get £5 off No7 skincare products which makes this product under £5!
3. After that I tone my skin using either the Botanics All Bright Toner or LUSH Tea Tree Water, I love both these products that's why I like to use them both! With the Botanics toner I apply this onto a cotton pad and then wipe across the skin but with the LUSH toner I spray this directly to my face and then wipe off with a cotton pad. These get rid of those last bits of makeup and dirt on your skin.
4. To finish off I apply the Benefit Triple Performing Emulsion lightly onto my skin, this is super refreshing and sinks into the skin much quicker than many moisturisers I've used in the past. 

My Occasional Skincare Products

If I haven't got time for all of that, for example coming in after a night out, I will quickly use my Simple Cleansing Wipes to get rid of as much makeup as possible. Then usually in the morning I'll refresh my skin properly.

I forgot to photograph this product but whenever I have a shower, this is usually every other day, I use the Freederm Exfoliating Daily Wash. I don't feel the need to use it everyday as I luckily haven't got very spot prone skin, that's why I only use it in the shower, but it helps keep away any blackheads and spots that I do occasionally get from stress and hormones flying around! 

Review: OCC Lip Tars

So, you may have seen that I picked up these little guys in Sephora whilst in New York, I got 3 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tars and a brush in a kit for $40 which is about £25. For how much you get and how little you need, I thought it was a pretty decent price. You can get them off Sephora's website here.

I got 3 shades, the mid pink is Trollop, the bright pink is Nylon and the red is Harlot. 

The application is pretty easy, you add a tiny drop of the product onto the brush, I apply one layer, blot it and then applying another layer on top for extra staying power, I do this with almost any lip product.

The pigmentation is incredible which is why you only need the drop and also its super long lasting, I wore Trollop recently on a night out and it stayed on for the majority of the night. 

On the downside, if you have dry cracked lips it does show up pretty clearly when wearing these, however, a good lip scrub and balm can sort out that problem! Also I don't know where or if you can get these in the UK which is a bit of a pain.

So glad I got these, such a good buy and a lovely group of shades, cannot wait to wear these more.
What do you think of OCC lip tars? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara

I never tend to buy mascara's that are over £10 as I've had pricey mascaras as gifts in the past and found them to be nothing special compared to high street brands. However, in Company magazine earlier this year I got a sample of the Benefit BADgal lash mascara, I remember that I loved it but once it ran out I didn't bother buying it mainly because of its price. 

The other day I was browsing over the Benefit stand and saw this little deal where you paid £1 more than the normal price and you got a travel sized one as well as the full size! Not only did I get that sweet deal but the lovely woman working at the counter also gave me a bunch of samples of some of their other products. I don't know if this deal is limited or not but if it is I would go get it now before it's gone!

Below I've posted a photo just to show you how much a difference this mascara makes to your lashes! I only had 2 thin coats on and my lashes are so much fuller and also have good length without any clumps. What else can you ask for from a mascara?

Another thing I love about this mascara is the bristles of the wand, they are so soft, I'm not a fan of the really short plastic bristles you get on some mascara wands. I much prefer the full soft bristles, I find they reduce the amount of clumps, they don't pull on my lashes as much and they have a really nice even distribution of the product onto the lashes. 

Christmas isn't far off so maybe you could ask for a Benefit gift set where they have a miniature of this mascara or you could even ask for this little set I got, I would've if I hadn't bought it myself!
What do you think of Benefit's mascaras? Let me know in the comments.