Freedom Make Up Review

Recently Freedom Make Up has found its way into my local Superdrug and I was immediately drawn in, due to the large variety of products they had and the affordable price tags for what looked like really good quality products. 

I picked up the Pro Powder Strobe Palette which came with a flat edge contour brush (£10), the Pro Studio Strobe Cream (£8) and the Pro Brow Pomade (£5). 

The Pro Strobe Palette is a powder palette and contains a top row of highlighters, two matte and one shimmery, and a bottom row of three matte contour shades. All powders are easy to blend and pigmented. I like to use the yellow shade powder to brighten under my eyes. The brush that comes with it is also nice, with a flat edge it is perfect for contouring and using to define your cheekbones.  

The strobe cream when blended out is a pinky shimmer, and as I haven't tried a strobe cream before such as the Mac one, I don't have anything to compare it to. As far as liquid highlights go, it's good, not my favourite but offers a lovely shimmer to the skin for a natural looking highlight. At 50ml the tube is a decent size for £8. 

My favourite of the three I picked is the brow pomade. I haven't tried the Anastasia one, so once again I can not compare this to anything, but I was really pleasantly surprised with how good this product is. It's creamy and easy to use and work with, and has a great colour pay off. It doesn't seem to be drying out at all, and so overall I am really impressed with this product and this is all I am currently using to define my brows. There are eleven shades to choose from, but the only downside is that I have mid-dark brown eyebrows and the colour shade I had to choose for me was 'blonde' as it seemed to match me perfectly, so the shade range seems to be quite dark and not suitable for people with light eyebrows. 

I would really recommend this brand, it's affordable and great quality and has a good range of products to choose from. 

Lauta Elizabeth xo 

November Birchbox x Skinny Dip - Product Review

I originally wanted this post to go up on my blog during November so this box would still be available for you to get your hands on. However, University  became very demanding very fast, and I found myself squashed under piles of work, with my exciting blog posts being pushed to the background. Despite this, the products that were within this box are available to purchase anyway, and so I thought I would do a little mini review of the items within last month's box. 

When I heard that Birchbox and Skinnydip were collaborating I knew immediately that it would be something I was going to be very interested in. I was also so attracted to the design on the outside of the box that I felt that I would have probably purchased this anyway without even knowing the products inside! This was my first box from Birchbox so I have nothing to compare it to, unfortunately this box got a few bad reviews from regular customers, however I was very impressed with the selection I got in my box. 

• Lord and Berry Silhouette Neutral Lip Liner 
• Cowshed Cow Pat Hand Cream (50ml) 
• REN Wake Wonderful Night-Time Facial
• Living Proof Restore Instant Repair Cream
• Trilogy Make-Up Be Gone Cleansing Balm 
• English Laundry Notting Hill Femme Eau De Parfum 

The neutral lip liner I haven't actually used all that much yet as I have been wearing the same lip combo for pretty much the last two months, but I think I will get a lot more use out of this one in the coming weeks as will definitely be getting in the christmas spirit and wearing much more red and burgundy coloured lipsticks. This liner will stop the lipstick from bleeding as it is a clear and helps in achieving a more precise lip. 

The Cowshed cow pat hand cream isn't greasy or sticky and is really nourishing. However I am not all that keen on the scent. I looked into the ingredients and I like the scent of everything that is in the hand cream individually, but all together I am not so keen on. Despite this, the scent doesn't linger and I can also see an improvement in my nails. 

I have never tried any REN products before but have been enjoying using this product before I apply my moisturiser. After using it for a few days my skin appears to be brighter when I wake up in the morning and it leaves it feeling super soft. 

I have so many flyaway bits of hair and when I apply the repair cream to my hair a little goes a long way. I apply it to damp hair and when it dries naturally, my hair appears much more smoother without so many frizzy or frayed bits. 

The perfume is one of my absolute favourite items from this box. I love it. My favourtite perfume of all time is 'Si' by Georgio Armani and this smells so much like it, that it's no wonder I love it so much. It lasts all day long and I get so many compliments when I wear it. 

The collboration with Skinny Dip - despite the beautiful box design, was pretty disappointing. The box came with a £10 voucher for Skinny Dip, which is great, but you have to spend a minimum of £24 to use the voucher. I'm not sure if I will use it and so I was disappointed with that. 

I would like to try another Birchbox at some point as I think they offer really great products within a box for an inexpensive price, without having to sign up for a monthly subscription. 

Laura Elizabeth xo

Halloween 2015

My best friend and I love Halloween and try our best to out-do ourselves each year, or at least choose just as good an outfit or idea. I wanted to challenge myself creatively this year and decided to go as a cracked doll! A popular choice, but one I have never thought of before and I loved experimenting with looks and ideas. 

I really enjoyed creating a make up look and drawing lines on my face to make the cracked look, as well as coming up with a cute outfit to wear! 

I am already planning my costume for next Halloween! 

Laura Elizabeth xo

My tips to a healthy glow all year round.

I do love the Autumn and Winter months, but I miss the glow my skin tends to have during the Summer. I have combination skin, but in the colder months the drier areas of my skin definitely take over. I have put together a few tips and tricks that I have been using to retain and recreate that glow. 

I don't self tan all that often as I find it too much of a chore, but when I do I use the Cocoa Brown tan by Marissa Carter. This tan has been my favourite for a while now as it works efficiently. It doesn't have an of putting or pungent smell and is easy to distribute with the mitt. The tan is not too orange, but gives a natural and healthy looking sun kissed glow to the skin. 

To bronze up my face I like to use the W7 Make Up and Glow Bronzing Base, which is a great dupe for the Soleil Tan De Chanel. It's a cream based product and is easy to blend out. I apply it to my cheekbones and forehead - the places the sun would naturally hit. 

Before I apply the tan I always ensure to moisturise. A few months back I picked up this Garnier Body product mainly as it claimed to be suitable for dry skin and non-greasy and non-sticky. When looking for skincare products these are the factors I look for, and I was not disappointed with this moisturiser. It has a nice smell, and leaves my skin feeling soft all day. 

For a fresh looking face I use the Clinique liquid facial soap every day as well as the Garnier Moisture Match Protect and Glow that illuminates the skin and gives a natural looking glow. A plus of this product is that it also has an SPF of 20. These products from Garnier are suitable for everyone as they cater to every skin type and are super affordable. 

I try to drink as much water every day as I can, and when I want something a little more interesting I like to add a few slices of either lemon or cucumber. These not only make your water a little more tasty but they have great health benefits. Cucumber water is great for your skin, the antioxidants help it to stay clear. Lemon water helps to cleanse your system and flush out the toxins as well as decreasing blemishes. I like to use this cup as it makes it more exciting to drink from! As nice as it is to be able to use products to make your skin look healthy on the outside, it's so important to look after your skin from the inside by eating and drinking well and getting ll the nutrients you need to stay healthy. If you need any help or inspiration on healthy recipes then I highly recommend you go and check out 'ALOHA' as they have a great variety of ideas. 

So these are a few of my tips for achieving a healthy summer glow all year round. If you have any tips or any products that you like to use to achieve a healthy glow then let me know! 

Laura Elizabeth xo 

Dupe: W7 Hollywood Bronze and Glow - Charlotte Tilbury Dupe

I was immediately drawn to this product before I even knew what it was or which brand it was by. The fact that it looks so similar to Charlotte Tilbury's Filmstar Bronze and Glow made me purchase the product without any second thoughts. As amazing as the Charlotte Tilbury product seems to be, I haven't tried it as I just cannot fathom spending that much, and at £4.95 I just had to try this obviously inspired dupe. 

I like everything I've tried from W7 and was really excited when I discovered this product. I am not overly fond of the packaging; the mirror is quite pointless as it isn't big enough to be able to use when applying the product, however I like how the powders are displayed inside. 

The powders themselves are pigemented enough but can also be built up, and they both have a shimmery finish to them. The bronzer is fairly orange but I can make it work with my skin, and the highlighter is a lovely champagne colour. I don't own the Charlotte Tilbury product, and so I cannot effectively review this in comparison to it, but this is a great bronzer and highlighter duo for a really great price. 

Laura Elizabeth xo

Amphora Aromatics: Lavender and Tea Tree Moisturiser

This is the second product from the AA Skincare range that I am reviewing on my blog, (see here) and once again, it has been a pleasure using this product. I have a lot of respect for this range; with a combination of essential oils and natural ingredients this skincare range creates effective and affordable products.

Lavender & Tea Tree Moisturising Face Lotion
I have never been fond of the scent of lavender, particularly when used in products that are applied to the body, and so before I tried this I was slightly curious about whether that factor would have an input in my use of this face lotion. I was pleasantly surprised and found that the scent was not too overwhelming, and that I've become to like the scent of lavender. I am also a fan of tea tree and the benefits it has and have found that the mix of these two together creates a calming and soothing lotion that also helps to refresh and clear the skin. 

The cream is light and absorbs easily and quickly and it does not make my skin feel sticky or greasy at all. I am not 100% certain as to whether this lotion clears spot prone skin or blemishes, as fortunately I have been having a good skin month! I hope to be able to test this theory in the upcoming weeks. 

I really like the packaging of this product, the easy to use pump is great for distributing the cream, and £6.96 for 100ml is really not bad going at all.

I am happy to be able to give my readers a 20% discount: use BLOG20 at their website! (Link below) 

I hope to review more products from AA Skincare in the future. Visit them on social media Facebook / Twitter / https://instagram.com/aaskincareuk/ or visit them at their website http://www.aaskincare.co.uk/

Laura Elizabeth xo

Physicians Formula - Shimmer Strips Natural Nude

Physicans Formula is a brand I have been wanting to try for quite a while now but unfortunately it is not sold, or widely available in the UK. Amazon have a few products with quite a hefty price tag, and so when my best friend recently visited America, she very kindly bought me an item back. 

The first thing I noticed when I found this brand was the very pretty and photogenic packaging, which is dangerous territory for me when purchasing products, I get drawn in by attractive packaging and products sometimes before necessarily knowing much about the product itself. 

I wanted to try the Shimmer Strips Custom All-in-1 Nude Palette for Face and Eyes. This is a multifunctional, versatile product, which states that it can be used to accentuate cheeks and enhance the eyes. All 12 shades differ in colour and are all beautiful natural colours. The strips are pigmented, and can either be blended together or worn separately; the whole box provides the essentials to a natural face. I use this product as bronzer, highlighter, eyeshadow and it can also be used as eyeliner. The colours aren't too shimmery but still provide a lovely glow, it can also be built up to give a really intense highlight. 

A mirror, appplicators and directions are all compactly fit into the small, pretty packaging. The product doesn't irritate my sensitive skin and it has many purposes, overall a really good, versatile product.