Brand Focus: Essence

Brand Focus: Essence

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Today's brand focus is a brand that has rose dramatically in popularity over the past few years. Prior to receiving my Essence goodie bag, I had only ventured as far as their liquid glitter eye products and lipsticks so I was extremely excited to see what else they had to offer. Already, I was expecting good things, as I was rather impressed at the quality of their lipsticks, despite the inexpensive pricing.

Essence are a cosmetic company that are sold exclusively in Wilkinson's in the UK; however, when I went to Ireland a couple of years ago, they were selling Essence in a shop called Pennies (I believe it's the equivalent of Primark in England). 

EYES 

'Plump NO CLUMP' Mascara ~ Drugstore mascara is my go-to! I've never found a highend mascara that is any better than one I love from the drugstore; so quite simply, I just stick to the cheaper option. This worked very well on my lashes, giving added volume and lengthening too. 

Long Lasting Black Eyeliner ~ Eyeliner is something I always struggle to apply - I cannot perfect the 'winged' liner no matter how many times I try. However, I'm also a lover of eyeliner in my waterline and below to my bottom lashes to intensify an eye look. Thus, a long-lasting black eye pencil is what I need. I've wore this out once so far and was rather impressed by the results. The liner didn't budge for a good 5 hours, alongside maintaining the same pigmentation from when I first applied.

LIPS

XXXL Nude Lipgloss in 'Soft Almond' ~ I always turn to matte lips in the Winter, despite my lips deteriorating in the cooler months. This has literally ruined my lips and I completely regret not opting for lighter options, like lipgloss. I really love subtle lipglosses to add a shine to the look - a layer of this would look incredible on top of a nude lip! Perfect for the summer!

'Soft Berry' Lipliner ~ This may actually be the favourite product I received from Essence. I am a huge fan of nude lips, like most of the female population at the minute, so was thrilled to be gifted with the PERFECT nude liner to accompany my MAC Velvet Teddy lipstick. Soft Berry is a muted mauve-pink that doesn't budge from the lips all evening. I like to apply the product on my lip line and in the corner of my mouth to create a soft, ombre gradient.

NAILS

'The Gel Nail Polish' Base Coat 

'The Gel Nail Polish' in 'My Love Diary'

'The Gel Nail Polish' Top Coat

Nail Polish is something that always seems a chore to me. However, whenever I buy new polishes, I cannot help but quickly apply them. My go-to colour to wear on a daily basis is nude - it's just perfect for sixth form and every day wear because of the versatility of the colour. This makes matching your nails to your outfits a solvable issue. Anyway, these gel polishes were something I was excited to get my hands on. I love gel polish and have had my nails painted with 'shellac' many a time - I couldn't wait to try it on myself. Unfortunately, I didn't capture a photo with them on but the product lasted on my nails for 6 straight days. Usually, drugstore nail polishes chip within a day or two so this was a huge difference from me. Get your hands on these while you can girlies!

Have you purchased anything from Essence before? What are your favourite summer nails polishes?

Lots of love

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These products were received in collaboration with Essence Cosmetics. All opinions are honest and my own.

Warm Neutral Eyes with Born Pretty

Warm Neutral Eyes with Born Pretty

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Like most people in the beauty world, I am an obsessive freak when it comes to palettes - I just can't get enough of them! Without question, I will continue to hoard them for the rest of my life, despite owning ever shade of browns and coppers under the sun. 

Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to the most affordable, yet incredible, neutral toned eye shadow palette from 'Born Pretty'. Born Pretty is an online company that sells pretty much anything under the sun, you name it... Watches, Garden Decor, Clothing, Tablets! However, I am, like every beauty fanatic, instantly drawn to the makeup section and couldn't believe the prices. This palette retails for the equivalent of £5 in the UK - how insane is that?!

Encased in a sleek compact, this 15 matte shade colour palette is the perfect product for any of you makeup beginners. Matte shades are perfect for those just starting with eyeshadow; they are usually easier to blend/work with and give a gentle subtlety to a look. Also, warm tones work so well and a popular favourite all over the beauty world - I don't know a single person who doesn't love a taupes and brown hues on the lid or in the crease. 

On swatching the eyeshadows, I couldn't quite believe the intensity of the pigmentation in each and every shade. With a single swipe, my finger was covered in rich colour - something you can't find with most drugstore/affordable shadow palettes. If any of you would like to see these shades swatched, then don't forget to comment below and I will be sure to upload some swatches onto my social medias (twitter, instagram & facebook >>>).

If you would love to purchase one of these fabby palettes or some other cheap makeup that's up for grabs, you can use this coupon code (giving you 10% off your overall order) MTH10.

Lots of love

Just For £5?!

Just For £5?!

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This month I've luckily been introduced to an incredible brand; one that I've quietly been waiting to exist - a fashion place where EVERYTHING is £5! Fortunately, I was able to collaborate with 'JUST FOR £5' and chose a couple items I style and share with you all to give you a taster on what they have to offer. Each product sold is modern, fashionable and some are made to make a statement - I particularly love the huge variation in items, you can choose from dresses, trousers, shoes and bags. They seem to have covered everything! Not only does the brand hold one of the world's most afforable products, they offer a swift service costing only a measly £3.00 delivery - AMAZING!

First product - Monochrome Satchel 

To accessorise my basic attire, I opted for a small clutch monochrome bag. This satchel is perfect for events that requires little to carry; a bit of lippie, powder and my phone is all I need when attending a party. What I seem to love about monochrome accessorising is that you can pair it with any outfit in your wardrobe. It also has a golden chain so you can wear the bag on your shoulder, which is always handy too!

Second Product - Black Floral Print Shift Dress 

My 2nd item choice was inspired by the 'back to school' season, as I thought this little floral print skater dress would be perfect for sixth form. It fits wonderfully in the 'smart but casual' criteria as well as looking super cute and girly. Due to the upcoming winter months, I would possibly wear some knit black tights underneath too. Also, I've co-ordinated my outfit with my bag - such a 'me' thing to do! Finally, I adore the collared top and the way the dress hugs my figure in the right places.

Shoes worn are from Primark for £8 but here are a few from this site that are similar/school appropriate:

Laser Cut Flat Loafers

Gold and Bow Detail Ballet Pumps

Quilted Toe Cap Dolly Shoes

Overall, Just For £5 is a great place to go for people on a budget or who don't like to spend much on clothing. The items I received were of fab quality and I couldn't fault a thing. Sometimes I think it is too good to be true?! Like how can a brand sell such beautiful items for such an affordable amount - it honestly baffles me, but I'm not complaining!!!

Head over to their site 'Just For £5' or interact with them over on Twitter or Facebook. 

Thank you so much to Etail PR for giving me this oppurtunity; if you're a smaller blogger, who wants to get noticed and take part in collaborations, sign up for Etail PR ASAP!!!

Have you gone back to school/college/sixth form/uni this week or have you finished education altogether? Are you struggling organising an outfit everyday, just like me?

Lots of Love

Styling Dungarees // Under £20!!

Styling Dungarees // Under £20!!

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Dungarees have become a ongoing trend over the past few summers, with celebs and teens styling them in many a way - from long to short and denim to patterened. Bandeaus with short denim dungarees are my go-to this summer and today's post is here to inform all of my lovely viewers on how to achieve this cute but cool look for under £20!

As Primark do not have an online shop, I've managed to find some cheap deals on Amazon, where the items listed below are very similar to my outfit above :-)

Dungarees - £9 (similar here)

Bandeau - £4 (similar here)

Shoes - £3 

Sunglasses - £3 (similar here)

The outfit above all came from Primark. I know a lot of people don't go to Primark due to many being unorganised and looking like a junk sale but hear me out... go and hit the large Primark outlets! They are insane, HUGE and 100% better than a small highstreet shop. You can find lots of amazing bits and bobs - clothes, accessories, homeware, lingerie, you name it! Each part of the outfit was very inexpensive but hold amazing quality. The shoes and sunglasses being a highlight of mine - both very different from my usual style but loved pairing them with the outfit nonetheless. 

Thank you all for reading and I will talk soon x

Love

p.s This post isn't sponsored - I just love Primark and wanted to express my love for the hargains you can all get your hands on!!

Polagram: Pretty Polaroid Pictures

Polagram: Pretty Polaroid Pictures

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Hello everyone,


Today I thought I would dedicate my post to a lovely little app that I recently downloaded. After seeing POLAGRAM advertised almost everywhere, I thought I better download it and give it a go...

On polagram, you can upload photos straight from your phone! How perfect is that? It really saved me the hassle of uploading photos from my phone to my laptop and printing them out via that way. You can purchase simple polaroid styled photos, like I did myself, or create a photobook, print your favourite photo onto a canvas, form your own poster, design a case, send a postcard or make a special someone a giftbox full of your favourite photos together. 

I am extremely impressed with the quality of these photos, despite my camera not being the best to photograph them. The finish is super glossy and all my photos are immaculate. Pricewise, they are very reasonable at 29p a print and each time you purchase, you get a code for yourself,and friend, for £5 off your next order. My referral code is : PG0FR1H7 - if any of you want to use that. 

Overall, I was thrilled to receive my 25 little prints and will be looking forward to ordering my next batch! I really want to make a scrapbook soon full of memories and photos and this app will be my saviour. 

Love 

P.S. I wasn't paid to write this post, I was just super impressed with the quality and turnout of the photos and the app itself :)