I’ve decided to start a new beauty series on YouTube called ‘Test It Tuesdays’. If you have any suggestions as to what you would like me to give a first impression on then please comment below or on my video. Thank you for visiting my blog ❤
Monthly Archives: September 2014
Beauty Blender First Impression & Review.
I am subscribed to Birchbox and can you imagine how excited I was this month to receive a Beauty Blender with Blender Cleanser Solid (£26 RRP) as one of my products? I had been looking online for months at these and had been arguing with myself about whether a sponge was worth that much money! Everyone has raved on and on about how they are so amazing but I couldn’t justify the price.
I usually use the Benefit ‘Hello Flawless’ powder foundation and hadn’t ever found a liquid foundation (which is essential with the Beauty Blender) that I felt worked with my skin; mostly oily but with occasional dry patches, pink undertones and pale. When I received my Beauty Blender I took myself down to Boots and had myself colour-matched for the first time and it turns out I am the lightest shade – Calico – in their No.7 range. I wanted a medium to full coverage and the advisor recommended their Stay Perfect Foundation (£14.50) which is for all skin types. I had been wanting their Beautifully Matte Foundation (£13.50) which is specifically for oily skin and contains salicylic acid to combat blocked pores but on testing it I felt it was a little heavy for me.
So please check out my vlog below to see what I thought of the Beauty Blender and how it applied my foundation. The one thing I missed out in my video is that I would have preferred the black Beauty Blender because your foundation will stain, even after cleaning. It’s not a huge deal but I just wanted to add that as I hadn’t washed mine until after filming this so didn’t mention it in the review.
‘Memory Stick’ UK & European Giveaway – ***Closed***
Win ‘Memory Stick’, a journal by Huck And Pucker where you can record your thoughts, happenings, hurrahs, ideas and conversations. (If you loved ‘Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith you will love this.)
Many thanks to Huck And Pucker for providing this journal for the giveaway.
The giveaway will run from 12am on 22nd September 2014 until 12am on the 4th October 2014. The winner will be notified within 48 hours of the end of the giveaway. The only mandatory ways of entering are to follow myself and Huck And Pucker on Twitter. The rest are entirely optional ways to give yourself more entries.
Good luck guys xxx
Click Here To Enter
September 2014 Glossybox.
September 2014 Birchbox – Fantastic Contents (IMO).
I was so excited to receive the Beauty Blender! However, my foundation of choice is Benefit’s ‘Hello Flawless’ powder, which obviously cannot be applied with the blender. I may try the liquid ‘Hello Flawless’ or look at a Mac foundation because I’m interested in trying Mac’s concealer too.
Whichever one I try I shall be sure to film a review of both the foundation, and the Beauty Blender. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you enjoy my videos, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you so much for visiting my blog.
I’m In A Reading Slump.
As the title suggests. I’ve been in a huge reading slump now for the past 3-ish weeks. I have no inspiration or motivation to read, despite a huge pile of books and a ton of e-books that I need to review. It’s not even like I have no books that interest me. Around three quarters of them are really exciting sounding but every time I think I’ll sit down with a book, I’m just like…’meh’.
Chanel ‘Taboo’ 583 Nail Polish Review.
This polish is so beautiful! It’s the first real high-end polish I have tried (I’m used to OPI) and I definitely think that this was worth the money. Team it with the Chanel top coat and a good base coat for a long lasting, chip free, high shine mani! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you like my videos.
Make Up/Toiletries Haul 04th September 2014
Hi lovelies. I just posted another haul vlog on my YouTube channel. I’m really enjoying my journey of discovery into the world of beauty. I don’t know a lot at the moment but I’m trying, little by little to invest in decent products and learn all about them from the fabulous beauty gurus online. Here’s my vid if you’re interested. Thanks for looking ♥
***BLOG TOUR*** Quest For Honor by David Tindell.
Hi guys, I am so excited for my first blog tour. Especially as the book sounds so amazing and I get to share an excerpt with you lovely people.
The author, David Tindell, is trained in martial arts much like the protagonist of this novel. You can find David on Twitter here and also visit his website here.
So here is a little bit about ‘Quest For Honor’ –
“I love the name of honor, more than I fear death.” Julius Caesar
Jim Hayes lives a quiet life in Wisconsin, training in martial arts and studying the warrior ethos. Unable to prevent the murder of his wife six years earlier, Jim is determined that the next time he is called upon to act, things will be different, and he can restore the sense of honor he believes he has lost.
His estranged brother Mark, an Army colonel commanding a firebase in the mountains of Afghanistan, sees his career winding down and wonders what lies in store when he comes home. After years of dedicated service to his country, he fears nothing else will measure up when he removes the uniform for the last time.
In lawless Somalia, al Qaeda chieftain Yusuf Shalita, tired of endless jihad, has decided to defect, in one last attempt at redemption. But Shalita has only met one American he has ever trusted, so he tells the CIA he will surrender himself to Jim Hayes, his old friend from their college days in Wisconsin. That demand will bring the Hayes brothers back together in a way they never imagined, as they fight to prevent a new and devastating terror attack on the very heart of America.
Doesn’t that sound exciting? I love the cover too. A lot of the time I find that the cover of a book is what draws me in. If it’s a book I haven’t heard of before or a genre that I don’t usually read, but the cover catches my eye, then nine times out of ten I will pick that book up and add it to my TBR pile. Here is the cover.
And here is the bit that I have been looking forward to the most. I love when I get to share something special with you and it doesn’t get much more special than a thrilling excerpt from the book. So here is the super special excerpt that I have to share with you all.
***Somalia
They came for him sometime mid-morning, the same two men who had brought him breakfast a few hours ago, some sort of broth with a few vegetables, hard dark bread and a bottle of water with an Arabic label. They were Middle Eastern in appearance, early twenties, dressed in nondescript shirts and fatigue pants, with one guy incongruously wearing a Boston Red Sox cap. Jim got to his feet and stood with his hands raised. The Red Sox fan came in first, leveling his AK-47 at Jim. Another armed man appeared behind the first in the doorway. The first guy said something to Jim, motioning with the gun to the door. Jim took some cautious steps toward the doorway, keeping his hands visible. He forced himself to smile, and the second guy’s eyes narrowed.
There was a hallway with two more doors on the right, the same side as Jim’s cell, and three on the left. At the end was a larger door. When they opened it the sun blazed in. He shaded his eyes with his left hand, making sure to keep the right held shoulder high, palm facing outward.
They were facing what appeared to be a central square, with low, one-story buildings around the perimeter. Behind them was a wall about ten feet high, looking like it had been built with the same material as the buildings, probably some kind of bricks made out of mud. There were men walking here and there, some standing and watching them. Every one of them had an AK, some held casually, others loosely from the shoulder by a strap. They didn’t look nearly as tough as the troops Jim had seen at Camp Lemonnier, but Jim knew it would be dangerous to make that assumption.
Everyone in motion stopped when they got sight of the tall American, and they stared. Some looked curious, most hostile. There were a few dark-skinned Africans, but most were Middle Eastern, all with beards. Some looked to still be in their teens, while a few showed some gray. How to deal with those stares? Show no fear, Jim told himself, but that wasn’t easy, because he was starting to feel the first tendrils of something stark and cold reaching into him. It was worse than what he’d felt the night before in Mogadishu while being hustled at gunpoint through rubble-strewn buildings with artillery shells crashing nearby, then shoved roughly into the back of a truck, blindfolded and tied to his seat.
He was led to a long building and pushed inside. It appeared to be some sort of conference room, maybe a chow hall, as it had some rickety-looking metal tables and chairs, now moved to the sides along the walls. At one end hung a black flag featuring a yellow circle in the middle and Arabic writing above it. Jim recognized it from news broadcasts: the banner of al-Qaeda. The writing was the shahada, referring to Allah as the only God and Muhammad as his prophet. Beneath it were three men, sitting in chairs. A dozen feet away were three empty chairs facing them. Jim was shoved roughly down into the chair at the right end.***
The readers roost 