Fab Brows Brow Kit

I never really understood the importance of brows up until a couple of years ago.  My eyebrows are so fair and I used to pluck them to the point where it looked like I barely had any at all! At the Clothes Show last year, I spotted a stall called Fab Brows and was intrigued by the product. The lady on the stall gave my Mum a demo and they looked great so I gave in and purchased a kit for myself.

On first impressions when opening the palette, I felt a bit miffed that there was only a little bit of product considering I paid £20 for it but a little goes such a long way and I reckon it'll actually last me about a year.  The kit contains three stencils - Slender, Pure and Exotic, the powder and a double ending brush. 

If you're like me and can't match your eyebrow shapes no matter how long you spend trying then you're in for a real treat! The stencils allow you to have perfectly matching brows in around a minute. You hold the stencil to your brow, take a little product and brush it back and forth making sure all the skin and hairs are filled in and voila, they're complete.  I use the stencil 'Slender' as I'm not brave enough to embrace a thicker brow just yet!

I picked the shade 'Light Brown' as it's what's recommended for dark blonde/light brown hair.  The kit comes in a variety of other shades so there really is an option for everyone.  As you can see from the really bad photos above, Fab Brows make a huge difference compared to my natural brow and for me, it makes my face feel complete.  Fab Brows lasts all day and longer if you don't remove your makeup before bed (tried and tested) and I'd definitely recommend them for someone who struggles with shaping their brows. 

I haven't been able to find an actual website for Fab Brows but I have found the kits on eBay here for £17.50 - bargain if you ask me!

Barry M Aquarium glitter polishes: 'Treasure Chest' and 'Mermaid'

The Barry M Aquarium range had completely escaped my eye line until I noticed the polishes in Tesco a couple of days ago. The range is made up of the above two glitter polishes 'Treasure Chest' and 'Mermaid' and four duo chrome polishes that I may pick up when there's a 3 for 2 on in Boots/Superdrug. 

'Mermaid' immediately reminded me of the Sea Life Centre, I could totally see it in the little gift shop you get to at the end of your tour as a 'limited edition' type thing. I have seriously put too much thought into this!  The shredded pieces of gold, green and blue mismatched glitter look stuning over a white nail polish as it really picks up each individual colour.  What I like most is that no tiny speck of glitter is the same, I always find myself looking at my nails appreciating that fact.

'Treasure Chest' is such an apt name for the gold and rose gold flecks of glitter that you find jam packed into the bottle.  It has a really luxe look to the polish and I think it'd look perfect over Essie fiji or Models Own utopia - y'know just something nudey/pink toned. Aaah I could gush over this all day so I'll just stop now.

It's so easy to apply to the nail picking up lots of glitter with just one swipe of the brush.  With some glitter polishes you have to sort of dab at your nails in order to make sure your glitter is evenly distributed but you can rest easy with Barry M's offerings as they are the total opposite to said glitters.

I think these polishes will be my favourites of the Summer!  I can't wait to start wearing them. Have you tried any of the Aquarium range?

Grace x

Make up Revolution Velvet Salvation Lip Lacquer in 'What I Believe'

If you read my blog then you will probably have already seen the makeup revolution haul I posted about here where I purchased this lip lacquer.  I've only ever tried the MUA lip velvets which I do like but the colours I bought them in were a little too 'extreme' for day to day wear so with that in mind, I picked up this peachy/pink shade from Makeup Revolution in 'What I believe'.

I'll start by saying, I'm not fond of the cardboard outer whatsoever but for a bargainous £3, I'd rather they focused on the actual product than something I'm going to throw in the bin.  The tube itself is pleasant enough with a cheeky bit of rose gold lettering thrown in to make allll the girls hearts flutter. Nice touch Make up Revolution.

There's no denying that this product is highly pigmented, what you see swatched on my hand above is just one stroke! That said, when applied to the lips, I had to give it two coats for it to look even.  I don't know whether it's just my personal preference but the product felt very uncomfortable on my lips, to the point where I nearly had to wipe it off but for the purpose of this review, I persevered and left it to see whether it'd impress me.  Despite the application, I really do like the shade and how it looks on the lips. 

At 11am I decided to pop my mirror out and see what my lips were looking like and I hate to say this but I was sorely disappointed.  After 3 and a half hours of application, the product had began to separate leaving me with a seriously patchy pout. I then decided to just remove it all together as I felt really self conscious and as I rubbed my lips, the lacquer just flaked off! I could actually see little flakes of colour all over the tissue and at that point, I vowed never to wear this lip product again.

Just because it didn't work for me doesn't mean it won't work for you. I just wanted to give my honest opinion on the product.  I don't have dry lips so I've no idea why I didn't get on with the product as I know the lip lacquers are highly rated across the blogging community.

Have you tried the lip lacquers? You can have a look at the whole range here. 

Grace x

Magazine Freebies

 It's rare that I actually pick up a magazine these days as I much prefer to read blogs but as soon as I see the word 'free', I'm there quicker than you can say...well...FREE!  One month a magazine can have no freebies then another month all magazines are trying to entice us in with a generous little treat.

The first mag I picked up was Glamour.  Years ago now, I purchased a £30 eyeko voucher off Groupon for around about £10 I think and was really impressed with the items I purchased.  This was back when eyeko had the cutesy pink packaging and I fell in love with the felt tip eyeliner.  No eyeliner I have ever tried has compared to that.  Obviously I was delighted when I saw they were offering this skinny liquid eyeliner but honestly, I am so disappointed.  The eyeliner I received is dried out so I can't apply it without it having to trace over the line a million times resulting in it going all streaky.  I think a few people have had this problem but everybody else seems to have been ok so it's a bit of a gamble whether you pick it up or not! Despite the eyeliner farce, I do love Glamour magazine so will enjoy reading it.  Not a whole £2 wasted after all! 

Marie Claire isn't a magazine that I'd buy if it didn't come with a free product.  I guess I haven't really given Marie Claire a chance so it'll be nice to read this magazine to get a feel of what they're all about.  I love everything about Ciate polishes - the product names, the bottles, the shades, the way the caviar beads are messy and go all over my bedroom floor.  This cute mini duo is made up of the caviar beads in 'Ice Queen' and 'Sugar Plum' - see what I mean about the names? I can't wait to give these a try! It's an absolute steal at £2.50 so I might go and hunt for some more shades as there's 6 duo's to collect.

Have you picked up these magazines this month? 

Grace x

Teeny tiny Primarni haul

There's nothing that excites me more than a bargain!  I decided to pop into Primark a couple of days ago to see whether there was anything of interest in there.  I quickly skimmed the clothing section but didn't find anything that tickled my fancy AND I was with my boyfriend - ultimate stress.  Why do boys hate Primark?!  Feeling a bit like Dale Winton, I managed to sweep a couple of items in to my trolley basket so here's what I picked up!

I love Primark shoes even though they don't last very long.  I picked up these sandals for £2.50 to just chuck on when it's hot when I don't want anything too fancy.  I can honestly say that I buy a pair of flats on every Primark visit! These cream babies were only a bargainous £6 but they look more expensive than that.

I moved into a house with my boyfriend in January but I'm finding that we still need quite a few bits and bobs. Much to my boyfriends disgust, I couldn't resist this pink fluffy bath mat even though it doesn't really go with our bathroom. It was only a fiver so I can always replace it if needs be.  Can we just take a minute to 'aww' over this cute little £1 ice cube tray too?! Can't wait for icy hearts!

This £1 banana split shower gel smells AMAZING! The packaging reminds me a bit of Philosophy too. Which Primark trip isn't complete without a pack of bobbles and a cheap pair of earrings? I just simply needed them.

I've been seeing a few posts on the P.S Love... beauty range but I just kind of brushed it off but when I actually went in store and looked at the items I was pleasantly surprised! I thought I'd include a photo of the nail polish as I applied it straight away and I was so impressed.  You do need three coats but for a mere £1 I expected this if I'm honest.  The brush is quite thick and glides on to the nail with ease.  I'll be picking a few more up as there's quite a wide range of shades.  I'm going to do a separate post on the lipsticks and I haven't really tried them much so I can't really comment on what they're like just yet.  The lip balms were a £1 each too but they're a bit of a let down - hard to get out the tin and just don't give off much moisture whatsoever.  I'll probably give these to my 6 year old cousin to play around with.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Grace x

A reflection of my week #1

I thought I'd try a new series on my blog where I basically just post about everything that I've been loving throughout the week. First up is my new shampoo and conditioner - Garnier Ultimate Blends.  I think these were half price from Tesco so I just had to give 'em a try. I am in love with the scent of papaya and unlike most shampoo and conditioners, you'll be able to smell the papaya in your hair for hours after washing! They do as they say so on the tin bottle as well as my hair is the silkiest it's been in ages! Love ya Garnier.

I'm trying to drink more water at the moment so I invested in a Bobble water bottle.  The bottle has a filter on it so your water doesn't taste yucky!  The filter actually lasts for 300 uses and you can replace it when it's on it's last legs. I don't mind the taste of any water but you can definitely taste that your water is cleaner when drinking from this bottle.  I love the design of it too which contributes to my love of the bobble!

This is my one and only Revlon lip butter! I didn't take a photo of the actual product because 1, you've probably already got this and 2, it's all battered inside and looks gross. Anyway, I was rooting through my lip draw on Monday and came across this little gem.  I didn't really like this at first but I like it as a lighter alternative to lipstick and love that it's so easy to apply. 

I can't believe I'm about to admit to this but I LOVE PARTY HOUSE! If you haven't seen it, it's on 4od at the moment.  It's essentially a reality tv show where a group of friends have 24 hours to throw a big party in a huge house.  You can expect lots of drama, alcohol and bad acting but I wouldn't have it any other way! Has anyone else actually watched this?

My favourite nail polish remover to date! Picked this up on a whim from Superdrug a while back and I have to say it's probably the best dip sponge nail varnish remover I've ever tried.  Obviously the concept has been around for ages but this one removes all traces of polish AND glitter and doesn't leave you with any excess spongey bits or traces of previously removed nail varnish on your nails.

Hope you're all having a lovely bank holiday weekend. I've loved Sunday today but that's probably cause I know there's no work tomorrow. YIPPEE!

Grace x

Models Own 'Polish for Tans' Collection

 from left to right; Shades, Sun Hat and Beach Bag - £5 each.

If you're as in love with Models Own as I am, the new 'Polish for Tans' collection wouldn't have gone unnoticed.  As soon as I spotted these were been released I knew I'd be a huge fan as bright polishes are all that grace my nails during the hotter months.  How apt is the name too?! I have tons of nail polishes that I constantly think would look better with a tan! Models Own, you little genius'.

Firstly, I wish I'd have picked up the other two in the collection - a neon yellow and green.  At the time I thought they were a little garish and couldn't see myself wearing them but after trying these three beauties, I just want more! I'll probably pick them up next time I go shopping.

My favourite out of this trio is definitely 'Sun Hat', a gorgeous neon pink shade that I'm sure Barbie would wear constantly if she was a real person.  Just like most Models Own polishes, they apply like a dream with a slight matte finish.  I needed two coats for an even finish and popped a glitter polish on top instead of a top coat.  I'm a sucker for picking my nail polish off once it starts chipping/peeling so they lasted 2 days but I'm sure you could get much more wear out of them if you're more patient than me!

Boots currently have a 3 for 2 on all cosmetics so if you want to get your hands on them with a slight reduction then you know where to go!

Grace x