Sunday 21 April 2019

Testing Huda Beauty's Liquid Lipstick Formula





I bought this Huda Beauty liquid lipstick at Christmas and I have been getting a great amount on wear out of it. The shade is Jetsetter and it was part of last years summer line. It is however still available now.

Before this purchase I had wanted to try the liquid lipsticks from Huda since their launch. They seemed to be the stand out product from the brand, and all the reviews were positive. I would class Huda Beauty as a high end beauty brand due their pricing. I have tested a lot of liquid lipsticks on this blog over the years. You can read reviews here of - Kat Von DJeffree StarKylie Cosmetics and Colourpop.

The liquid lipstick has a thin, fluid like consistency which I love. The colour is super pigmented which is what I find is often a major downfall with some liquid lipsticks, and they can look patchy once applied to the lips. I like the shape of the doe foot applicator as the flatter side helps to get around the curves of my lips and helps avoid smudges. One thing I did find though is that you need to work fast as this dries pretty quick, as I struggled to rectify a small smudge without ruining my entire makeup. This did mean on this occasion that I managed to test out applying a second coat. I found that it dried down equally and evenly which is also a big tick in my eyes.

This liquid lipstick has a matte finish. I struggle with matte finishes to lip products as my lips are naturally very dry. I always apply a good amount of lip balm, but I usually go for more of  a semi - matte finish. I love Colourpop for that exact reason, they offer a wide range of finishes to their liquid lipstick range and their ultra satin finish is my favourite. With matte finishes I know that they are always going to be drying on my lips, but I did find this dried downed particularly dry. It wasn't uncomfortable but I put a gloss over the top to make it feel a little bit better.

Overall, I am pretty impressed with this formula from Huda and felt as though it last well on my lips throughout the day and wasn't transferable. I have worn this multiple times, and I have had compliments regarding the colour. It dries down to a nude pink which has a hint of purple running throughout it. I like that it is not too bright. On a daily basis I am not one to wear a very vibrant colour or tone of lipstick. This is a great bridge between a day to night shade, and it can pull an everyday makeup look together. I would definitely buy other liquid lipsticks from Huda Beauty, and I want to try the demi-matte version from her line as it might solve the drying aspect.

Lucy
xoxo


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Wednesday 17 April 2019

Netflix Picks #3


Looking back on my list of Netflix picks over the last few months they could not have been more polar opposite if I tried.

Before watching Fyre Festival I don't really know how I missed this fiasco happening. It's an hour and a half documentary which followers the organisation of this luxury festival which is going to cost hundreds to attend, but it is going to be 'the' festival of the year. It is interesting as it follows them in the here and now and the organisation behind the scenes. It unravels how from the start it was never going to work and how the main guy organising it doesn't really have a clue or handle on anything which is actually going on from day dot. He has all of these brilliant ideas but doesn't think about the implication of them. I won't ruin it but the whole thing turns into a catastrophe, and worse of all it has devastated effects on the little island of the Bahamas where it is being held.

Abducted in Plain Sight is one of the strangest programmes I have ever watched in my life. This was another one which was not only the topic of conversation at work but also within my group texts. Something strikes you and you think okay now that has to be the extent of this, and then bam within the next few minutes a bigger hurdle spirals out of control. The storyline itself is strange. It follows a family from America who attend church and life seems to be as happy as larry. A new pastor arrives in town and starts to create close connections with the family especially with the daughter called Jan who at the time is 8 or 9. Things develop and the pastor starts to grow closer to Jan and when she is 12 she gets abducted by him. There are lots of other aspects which go on within the family and it's all very eye-opening. My reaction to it is how can you be living with your eyes so shut that you literally cannot see what is going on in front of you.

So it is no secret that I am a very messy person, so I thought Marie Kondo being on Netflix would be inspire me. I have read her books and I did take some ideas with folding and doing one big clear out on board. Marie is a breath of fresh air and I really enjoyed watching this and how she is able to change people's lives just with a clear out.

Dirty John is a little freakish as John basically stalks a new love interest and everything turns bad very quickly. The one thing I love about this show is it moves a long at a fair pace and you aren't waiting for three episodes to find out an answer. It follows a rich independent woman and how easy it can be to fall in love. It also highlights how easy it is to fall out of love when you really get to know the ins and outs of someone you think you know. I feel like the ending was definitely shocking, but I love the twist it was great.

You is one of those programmes that everyone was talking about at work. Everyone knows I am a Netflix lover and was like Lucy you need to watch it. True to their words I dived straight in. There are lots of different elements which I liked about this. It definitely drags you in and captures the audience. First of all it has Penn Badgeley (Dan from Gossip Girl) as the main character and he owns a book shop. He meets this girl who he falls for but she has quite a complex history. It shows flashbacks to his previous relationships and how obsessive he can become. These things start the shine through and he is very territorial. It once again moves on at a good pace and I think there will definitely be a series 2 of this on the way.

Yummy Mummies is an Australian reality show which is a little bit like Real Housewives. It follows four soon to be mums who all have rich husbands, and their journeys to birth. It is classic easy watch TV with the extravagant baby showers and push presents. The mums are all different and it's interesting to follow throughout their pregnancy to birth.

Back with the Ex is another Australian reality style show. Basically a person nominates an ex who they believe is the one who got away. It follows them over a few months and they have a few challenges to complete to see if they are able to rebuild their relationship. It is easy going, with a few twists and turns in the works. Overall, this is a classic binge-worthy programme which is an easy watch.

Sex education is a programme I nearly forgot to write about. It's a bit strange the way it is set in modern times but it definitely has a 90's theme with the styling of the show. It is based on a group of high school friends. Otis is a typical experimental teenager who is lacking in the love department. His mum is a sex therapist and basically embarrasses him at every opportunity. He meets Maeve, a cool badass girl who is very attractive but also has a very difficult home setup. They set up a sex clinic with advice from what Otis has learnt from his mum and Maeve being the organiser and money collector. They are many other characters which all have their own troubling teenage worries which are very relatable. The mix of the characters and the great story line makes this a smash hit.

Flint is different to anything else I have mentioned in this post. It is a documentary which follows the Flint policing department in America. Flint as a city is known for having high crime and violence rates. The programme follows through the time of the city getting a new mayor, and how the community have lost faith in the justice and police system entirely. They face a water crisis where all connections have been contaminated. It also delves deep into the chief's position, and  the implementation of new strategies to try and tackle just some of the major issues like gun and knife crime. I think this is a very honest and open documentary and it really does highlight current affairs.

Sunset Selling is a last minute addition to the line up. After binge-watching 5 episodes in one night. I sent a text to my best pals saying "girls you need to watch this, it is like the hills all over again". This time round instead of the girls working at fashion houses, they work in high end real estate in LA. This estate agents sells million pound houses to the elite, but as always with a group of girls there is the bitchy and catty dramas alongside. It's great as you have the inside knowledge, and you also get to look into some of the most fabulous houses out there on the market. In particularly they have a house worth $40,000,000 which is the biggest house which they have ever had the opportunity to sell. It is all about who can make the most commission between the girls to earn the most.

If you enjoyed reading this I have done two previous Netflix picks posts which you can read here and here.

Lucy
xoxo
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Sunday 7 April 2019

Centerparcs Whinfell Forest



Before this visit I had never really thought about going to Centerparcs. Whilst studying at university in Cumbria, I had heard many people mention going to Centerparcs at Penrith. In my third year of university one of my friends who worked at Centerparcs managed to wangle us some free passes to the pools. It was a lovely day and we always said we would come back. Nearly three years later my friends and I from university finally booked it.

I wasn't sure how much it was going to cost, but I had heard it was pretty expensive. There are set times that you can book to go either Monday-Monday, Monday-Friday or Friday-Monday. We opted for the Friday to Monday slot as it fitted in best with all of us. For a 6 bedded two storey lodge it was £589. For us paying on an individual basis we thought it was good value for money. It worked out just over £30 each per night. However, I am fully aware that for a family they could go somewhere more luxurious for the same price. It definitely depends on the type of holiday which you are looking for.

From sunny Bolton to Penrith with no stops it took an hour and 40 mins to get there. We weren't able to check into our lodge until 2pm. You are able to make full use of the facilities from 10am on the day you arrive. We decided we would book to go into the spa on the first afternoon. The spa was £33 per person and we spent about 4 hours in there. It was lovely and a perfect way to catch up. Considering it was early March we got lucky with the weather and we were able to take advantage of the outdoor pools. Although, if they weather wasn't as good there are also different indoor pools which were great and very relaxing. Within the spa they have a range of saunas and steam rooms which has different scents and themes to them. I think we were lucky with the timing of when we went to the spa as there were only a handful of people there, and it made it a much more relaxed experience. 

After finishing up in the spa we headed back to our cars. Centerparcs have a strict policy that you can only drive your car from the car park to your lodge after 4pm. Once at our lodge you can unpack your car and leave you car outside your lodge until I think 10pm. You have to take your car back to the car park, you cannot leave it outside your lodge. I think this is mainly due to safety as the roads are quite windy and thin. We decided to take our cars straight back to the car park rather than having to do it later when it was dark.

When you arrive you get a wrist band which is the key to your lodge and also has it uses throughout the activities and facilities. You can also pay for things on your wristband which if you were there for longer it could be a great option. We had been to the local Morrisons before checking in and bought food and drink for the entire weekend to keep the costs down. On the first night it was great as we just chilled and drank some wine and had a thorough catch up.

When had quite a full on day planned on the Saturday. It started out with having sausage and bacon butties. 


We had pre-booked our activities all in advance which I would highly recommend doing. We booked the lodge quite a while ago and each month we booked an activity to do to break up the cost. We decided to be all adventurous and book to do a tree top challenge. Well all I can say is that if you ever need to confirm your fear of heights, this will either make or break you. I come ultimately say this soul-destroyingly broke me completely. I had a breakdown when I got to the top of the first tree as the wind was blowing and I felt as though the tree was going to snap in two. Once I managed to just about stop crying the first obstacle was to step out into swinging tyres. I managed with a big queue following me to make it to the end. I hated every minute except the zip wires. Overall, I will never be doing anything like this again, and would much rather of spent the time in the spa.




After my hell of a time on the treetop challenge, I decided I literally needed a glass of wine. We didn't have anything else booked in until the evening so we decided to go for a walk around the grounds and into the village. Within the village there is a supermarket and four or five gift shops. There are also some restaurants and this is where the swimming pools are. 

In the evening we had booked to have a meal at Bella Italia which was lovely as always. We had then booked for a 2 hour session of bowling. This was great fun and we thoroughly had a fabulous time. The only thing which I said would be nice for groups like mine would be if there was a bar, as there is nowhere to really go except back to your lodge. I totally understand the reasoning for this as it is very family orientated, but I think it would nice to have a more adult only area. We went back to our lodge for some drinks and played some games. 

In the morning we had booked to go to the Pancake House which is overlooking the lake where you can hire pedlos and boats. The menu is great and offers a wide range of both pancakes and waffles. As you can see I had this delightful strawberries and cream waffle which set me up for the day and it tasted delicious.




We had planned to spend all of this day in the swimming pools and that is exactly what we did. As guests of Centerparcs you have unlimited free use of the swimming pool area. It is much bigger than you expect. It had an indoor area which is very child friendly as it is much shallower. There are also three different adult slides which you can use. We made the most use of the outdoor area as there are two heated outdoor pools which were incredibly relaxing. There is also a large jacuzzi area and a small lazy river. We spent a good three hours within the pool areas.


Due to family and work commitments everyone decided to not stay the last night. We left late on the Sunday afternoon and I had thoroughly had a great time. There is an extensive list of activities available so if I was to go back I definitely wouldn't be worried that there is nothing else to do. Like I said at the start of the post, it is not particularly cheap especially after you start to add on the cost of activities. However, it was a lovely weekend and as we broke the cost up over several months we didn't have a massive payout to pay as soon as we arrived. There are a few different Centerparcs locations dotted around the UK which I would love to visit. I think I will definitely be booking another weekend away as soon as I can fit one it.

Lucy
xoxo
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Wednesday 3 April 2019

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Concealer





I love writing beauty reviews and it takes a lot for me to get really excited about a new base product. I've wanted to try lots of makeup from Fenty Beauty and after loving a highlighter and primer from the range, I decided to treat myself to their latest beauty launch the concealer. The pro filt'r instant retouch concealer is what I have needed in my life for a while. I still always look for high coverage concealers as it was what I needed since the first day that I started wearing makeup due to my acne. However, I am a very lucky that I only get the occasional spot nowadays and I don't know what but my under eye circles have taken a turn for the worse. I mean I am always tired, but I literally look tired even on a day when I don't particularly feel it.

I had read a few reviews before making the purchase and everyone only praised it. I only spend my money on products which I really want these days, and I really wanted this. It is not cheap, I took a little gasp at the price especially when putting my pin into the card machine. However, I wanted it so it was a payday treat. I managed to justify this by saying to myself that my concealers were running low which they are.

I have loved the ethos behind Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, she recognised a big gap in the market for beauty lovers with all skin tones. There is no denying that the beauty industry needed a shake up, and Rihanna stepped forward and took it upon herself to create a beauty line where any person could go into a store and could find a shade which matched their skin. How many times have we had to mix two shades together to try and find a shade which could possibly resemble our skin tone out of a line of six shades on offer? In this concealer range there are fifty shades, yes fifty. I am not being funny but this line in what makeup is about, everyone enjoying it and feeling amazing wearing it.

The actual concealer itself is what you all came here to read about. I am very happy to say that it is perfect. I bought this six or seven weeks ago and have been using it on a regular basis. I have tried many concealers but in order to get full coverage the formula is using very thick which makes complete sense. However, this is a breath of fresh air as it is very creamy and light. It does have a slightly more matte than glow finish but it works incredibly well. It is not too matte and still has a light luminosity throughout it. I put on one layer which creates a medium-full finish and then let it dry. I have tested going in with a second layer and does produce a perfect full coverage finish.

The main aspect which gives it the wow factor is its brightening factor. Like I say I have found concealers which do the covering part of the job, but this adds an instant light around the under eye area which is where it has been mainly tested. After application it instantly adds a lift to my face. I always look in the mirror every time I apply it to try and put my finger on exactly what makes it so special, but I think it is a mixture of having everything which I am looking for. A big aspect is definitely the slight glow. It is also the light formula which is not too heavy meaning it doesn't crease easily.

I have the shade 160 which is a really great match for my skin. I would say my skin is light with a slightly pink-neutral undertone. I went to Harvey Nichols to buy this, and the assistant was incredibly helpful when matching it to my skin. They advise to use the Fenty concealer brush for application, but it costs £19. At the time I felt as though as I already have a good range of brushes and sponges at home to the job. I have been using my trusty Beautyblender to apply this. I like to get it really wet so it expands and then give it a really good squeeze, and then bounce the product into my skin.

 I also like the shape of the applicator on the concealer wand. It works really well at getting into the inner corner of your eye, and it is nice and flat if you want to do create the classic triangle underneath your eyes.

I think it is always good to include comparisons to other similar products. If you like the Nars creamy concealer I think you would like this. Out of the two I prefer this one as I tried the Nars one a few years back and I didn't repurchase it, as I just did not fall in love with it. I did really enjoy using it, and they both have similar creamy and light consistencies. However, I have just really loved how the Fenty concealer looks on my skin. I feel as though I can recommend this to others and feel pretty confident that they will be impressed.

If I haven't already justified this purchase enough, then this might just do it for you. When I am doing any beauty reviews I always look at how many mls I am getting for my money worth. When I saw that this Fenty Beauty concealer contains 8ml (0.27fl.oz), my eyes instantly popped out of my head. I headed straight for my makeup drawers and had a good rummage within my other concealers. I discovered that my NYX, Makeup Revolution and Sephora concealers all contained 3.4ml (0.11fl.oz), which is less than half compared to this Fenty one. So really for 3.4ml it is costing less than £9 for the same amount. Some have much bulkier packaging making you think that you are getting a lot of product for your money. 8ml is the most I have ever seen in a concealer, so hopefully it was a last me a long time before needing to repurchase.

Lucy
xoxo

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