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PRODUCTS NOT WORTH THE HYPE #1

Monday, 25 September 2017




Hello lovelies,

Welcome back to another Makeup Monday! Now I know I said it was going to be my Charlotte Tilbury haul and tutorial today, but that'll be next Monday as I haven't had the time to shoot that yet! So I thought I'd write my first ever 'disappointing products' type post. Now I know normally I just talk about products I like, but I personally like to read posts on what not to buy too, so I know what to avoid. 

Now none of these products are actually terrible, being a uni student with not much disposable income, I rarely buy products without researching them extensively first, so more often that not, they work out for me. But nevertheless, I still get the odd dud product, that's not necessary uawful, but did not at all meet my expectations, and that I feel there are better versions of. 

So without further ado, let's get into it!


1.) BENEFIT 'THEY'RE REAL' MASCARA - Now this one I found very disappointing. I had read so many reviews on this, hailing it the best mascara ever, and I just do not get the hype at all! Now if I'm completely honest, I'm not a big fan of plastic wand mascaras, but I bought this anyway as I was so taken in by all the positive reviews. Don't get me wrong, by no means is this utterly useless. It does do something for the lashes, I find it separates them well and doesn't coat them in too much product. But, that's all it does. I don't find that this adds much volume, length or thickness, and really, those are things I prioritise in a mascara. I have rather long, thick lashes as well, so I'm thinking if I don't see too much difference on my lashes, I'm not seeing how this is making much difference to people who need a lot more from their mascara! Personally if you're looking for a mascara that will lengthen, thicken, volumes and give that fluttery effect, I would recommend either the Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes, or Urban Decay Perversion, which do all of those things! So yes, this mascara, not terrible, but not worth the £19.50 price tag, as there are definitely better ones on the market, and I'm sure there are even better drugstore ones. 

2.) ELF CLEAR BROW GEL - Ok so moving onto this brow gel, I have to start by saying that this isn't actually a bad product. I mean that in the sense that, it does what it's made to do, it holds your brow hairs in place so they look nice and need, and I can't say that it does not do this job. But, I don't think it does the job for long. See if you use pencil or gel on your brows first, this gel seems to pick up the product already on the brows, so that after not too long the gel begins to turn a grim browny colour. But more importantly, it simultaneously begins to become a lot more thick and gloopy as well. I can only guess that as the brush picks up more and more product from your brows, it mixes with the gel to make it very thick, and therefore not as effective as when new. Now in fairness, this gel is only £2 ish, so it's incredibly cheap, but I also use the Rimmel 'Brow This Way' Brow Gel, which is about £4.50, and I don't find I get this problem at all. I'd therefore say you're far better off many buying the Rimmel gel or another similar one which will last longer, than scrimping and getting this, which I think you'll have to throw out more quickly. 

3.) ELF ESSENTIAL LIPSTICK - I don't want to seem as though I'm bashing Elf! I actually loveee their brow pomade and mine lasted about 3 years with daily use! But the essential lipsticks were another fail for me. I got a couple a couple of years ago when my friend went to America, where these are only $1. I got 2 colours, a light pink and a darker berry shade. Now the berry shade isn't too bad, and I have found I have got a fair bit of use of of this. But the lighter pink was awful. I just found it far too creamy, which meant that whilst the shade was very pigmented, it moved around the lips a lot, and also didn't sit too well on them. I'd therefore definitely say that if you're wanting to try these, I'd recommend you trying the darker colours, which for some reason have a much better finish and staying power than the lighter colours. If you buy the darker shades, then these do turn out to be good value for money, but I'd say save your money when it comes to the lighter ones. 

4.) COLLECTION LASTING PERFECTION CONCEALER - Shock horror! This might be a slightly controversial one! Now literally every beauty blogger and their dog raves about this product, but I just don't get it. For starters, yes it's cheap at £3.99, but the way people go on about it being a steal, I thought it'd be like £1.99 lol. Now I find this works fine on my face to cover up blemishes and so on, but find it creases like shit under the eyes. Now I don't really have any fine lines or bags under my eyes; it's not one of my problem areas, but I still find this manages to settle in lines. I'd also say the shade range is absolutely pants, I can only just use the darkest shade and that's when it's the dead of winter and I have no trace of tan, so I think that's a shame, as they've had years to rectify this! I don't actually use any other drugstore concealers, but I've heard a lot about the LA Girl Pro Conceal, which comes in a vast array of shades, so I'm hoping that one is better!

5.) BOBBI BROWN LONG WEAR EVEN FINISH FOUNDATION - So this was actually my fist ever foundation! So kinda sad it's on this list. Now to be honest, it may actually be slightly unfair for me to include this, as I think the reason I didn't get one with it is because it was suited to my skin. Not only was it the wrong shade, and therefore made me legit look like an oompa loompa, but I was incredibly oily, and this foundation just couldn't handle that. Now I found that when applied to get a sheer to medium finish it looked very nice, and it also looked very nice before I got oily, but at that time I had a lot of acne and scarring and therefore wanted the fullest coverage I could get, and the fact I was so oily meant it looked bad practically 2 hours after I'd put it on. So I guess that's my gripe, it can have a lovely finish, but isn't particularly long wearing or suitable for very oily skin, which is what I had been told by the makeup artists at the time of purchase. I'd be interested to try it again now as my skin is nowhere near as oily as it used to be, and I also go for a much more sheer/medium finish for my base, so I actually think I'd love it now. But as a warning to all you oily girls, I'd steer clear, and at that time, it didn't do a great job, and for £30+ I expected a lot more!

So that's all for today, folks, my low key roast on a few products haha! I hope you find this useful! What has been your most disappointing product?

Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx

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FRIDAY THOUGHTS: ON WHEN I WAS A FRESHER AND MY BIGGEST MISTAKES

Friday, 22 September 2017












Hi lovelies!

I hope you've all had a wonderful week!

Ah Freshers. Such an odd year with many ups and downs. You're finally embracing independence and freedom; I'd love to buy whatever I wanted on my grocery shop, but I simultaneously missed Mum's dinners. I loved having my own space and having my own 'house' (well room) rules, but I missed the presence of my family and hearing their murmurs from the lounge whilst up in my room. I loved the constant partying and club nights, but hated the faculty dinners and ice breaker meetings that even the numbing haze of alcohol could not solve for this far too anxious gal. I loved the lectures and feeling like a proper student with my bundle of books propped under my arm, but I hated the last minute all nighters to get work done.

 Now, given that some of you may well be getting ready to journey off to university; a whole new exciting but scary chapter in our lives, I know you're probably experiencing a whole plethora of emotions. I was absolutely terrified, and so I thought I'd write a little post about freshers. Now I've seen a lot of posts about tips when going to university, but I thought I would write a post all about my biggest fresher regrets, so that you don't make them too! So here we go!


1.) Lack of structure - Ah, by far my biggest regret, as I'm pretty sure it was this that triggered my depressive episode. Losing a sense of structure, waking up at 5pm and sleeping at 6am, eating dinner at 2am; that was honestly my routine at university in first year, and fuck me, was it unhealthy. I was constantly tired, often didn't see people since my routine was so irregular, and it definitely affected my mood, probably partly because I didn't often see daylight. It's soooo important that you try to keep some sort of structure for your general wellbeing and self care, since I think we vastly underestimate the way in which structure affects our mood and energy levels. Now the partying and clubbing three nights a week, day drinking and one 2pm lecture a day life may sound great (and trust, it is at first), but the novelty soon wears off! Still do all those things, but make sure there's still some routine - it's all moderation!

2.) Not joining enough societies - This is something that helps so much in terms of forming friendships, and meeting new people. I started uni with the intention of joining all the dance societies and managed a few measly weeks before I attended less and less classes and spent more and more hours in bed. Joining societies for things that were hobbies for you at home or that you have always wanted to try, is a great way to also take a break from work, from the stifled atmosphere university sometimes has, and just allows you to have some downtime, as well as giving you the opportunity to meet people with similar interests to you. If you can't think of anything to join, join something completely random! Tag along with a friend to one of their clubs! I'm about to go back to uni and I intend to try my hand at rowing - wish me luck, lol! I have no idea how to handle these early mornings!

3.) Isolating myself - It's very easy in university to isolate yourself from those around you, since you have fewer contact hours in terms of lectures and tutorials, and this was something I did for the first term of university. Having social anxiety meant that being around completely new people all the time felt incredibly scary and made me feel anxious. Despite that it is so important that you try to socialise as much as you possibly can. Friendships form so quickly whilst at uni, and it's awful to miss out on those because of insecurity. I know that this isn't helpful advice, suffering from anxiety means you can't help it! But it's about trying your hardest to push yourself out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Start small, no one is telling you to suddenly become the life and soul of the party, but try to just make conversation with one new person each day. Any small step you can take, and build on it. Having a good support network of friends is one of the best and most important aspects of university, so make sure you try to build this from the off!

4.) Leaving work until the last minute! - Even I am low key laughing at myself at this one, because in all honesty, I don't really see this changing much when I go back to uni in a couple of weeks. But honestly guys, in first year, I don't think I wrote a single essay in daylight hours. Everything was an all nighter, and it was noootttttt fun lol! Now I go to a very academic heavy university where I can often be doing 2 essays a week, and leaving things to the last minute really was not wise. I think it's a good idea to make sure you work during the day so that you can enjoy the evening activities and don't have to be the one stuck in your room panic writing that essay for the next day! 

Are you off to university this year? Or are you an old hand? What would your biggest 1st year regrets be? Let me know in the comments below! 


Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Tee: Forever 21
Jeans: H&M (sold out, similar here)
Jacket: Bershka
Shoes: Gucci
Bag: Zara (v old, similar here)
Twilly: Dior (in store)
Sunglasses: Miu Miu
Necklaces: Na-kd Fashion, Forever 21


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WORTH THE HYPE?! FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA REVIEW!

Monday, 18 September 2017







Hello lovelies,

So it's the range that's got EVERYONE talking, and, for want of a better phrase, I think it's safe to say that I completely and utterly lost my shit when Rihanna dropped the promo clips for Fenty Beauty last week. Now I had been excited for Rih's makeup range from the minute it was announced that she would be creating one, because if there is one thing I adore about Rihanna, aside from her music, it's her sense of style. There's just none other like her. To me she's such a unique and timeless beauty, and she has a way of carrying any makeup or style off with such an air of carelessness, ease and nonchalance. Whatever it is, she has it. That je ne sais quoi, you get me?

So imagine my utter delight when the range came out last Friday. I woke up at 7.30am, laptop on and credit card in hand, and best believe I don't wake up that early for anythinggggg, (unless Beyoncé or Lana del Rey tickets of course.) I was thinking it was going to be a panic shop situation in which everything sells out in minutes and everyone has to scramble to get their bits, but a major round of applause to Rihanna, who clearly knew her fans would go ape for the range, and commissioned enough stock for everyone. It was such a smooth shopping experience; and extra brownie points to Rih's team for making the range available on the Harvey Nichols site for those of us in the UK, because ain't nobody got time to pay all those customs and duties on the US site!

Now I definitely got carried away with the online shop with a £300+ cart total, so basically had to re-evaluate my life and decided to trek down to harvey nichs in knightsbridge to swatch things there.
Naively we thought we'd be able to go straight in and out, but no oh no, we stood in the cold in a 1hr 30min queue before we got in to the store.

But was totally worth it because I can give you alllllll the info on the range!

Now first thing's first, I was super impressed with the sheer scale of the shade range. The 40 shade foundation range is perhaps one of the biggest talking points of Fenty Beauty, and really is something impressive, especially for a first launch. There really is something for everyone; I'm told that the first 4 shades were even created for people with albinism, so Rihanna really must be applauded for the degree of inclusivity that she has incorporated in the brand. I've seen some people on twitter upset that there were not enough shades in the darker end of the spectrum, but believe me, when you're actually faced with all the shades lined up in store, you realise just how many there are. There are literally shades for every skin tone and undertone. The fact that my shade is around the middle of the foundation range as opposed to the darker end in itself is proof of this, so please do bear in mind that online swatches etc can be deceiving!
I really do appreciate the fact that diversity and inclusivity have been placed at the very heart of the brand ethos, and I think this makes this launch a rather groundbreaking one.

First impressions, the packaging is incredibly luxe feeling, but I must say, I don't love it (slightly unpopular opinion?) Now it's very pretty but it's not exactly what I expected from Rihanna, I thought it would be rather edgier and vampier given her 'bad gal' image. Nonetheless it is very sleek and pretty, it's all very geometric and minimal, there's a lot of millennial pink and the compacts have a slight lilac iridescence to them.
Price point wise I'd said they range is reasonable. There's nothing too pricey and it's definitely on the lower end of the scale in terms of high end makeup. I'd say the prices are around MAC prices. 

So enough waffling, onto the review!


1.) PRO FILT'R SOFT MATTE LONGWEAR FOUNDATION in 310 - £26.00

Now I was initially matched to the shade 330 in Harvey Nichols by the makeup artist, but felt it was slightly too dark and had also heard that the foundation was prone to oxidisation, so I ended up purchasing 310 instead. This has proved to be an absolutely perfect match. Like I am shook at how good it is! For reference, I am a MAC NC42, Nars Syracuse, so this will probably be a great shade for you if you are around these shades and have yellow undertones. I usually find that foundations don't have quite enough yellow in them, but this has the perfect amount of yellow to suit my undertone, without making me look orange or ashy. The foundation is a rather watery, runny consistency and applies very easily. It's very lightweight on the skin but is highly pigmented, so you don't need to use too many drops of this to obtain a nice, even finish. I would say this is a medium coverage foundation but is incredibly buildable, whilst also being very easy to sheer down too.

I have fairly normal skin these days, not particularly oily but not overly dry either, and I don't find this foundation to be very drying on the skin, it stays slightly tacky, despite it being a matte finish. The finish is definitely a velvet matte, there is still some moisture left in the skin and it does not appear flat or dry, so I love the fact that it is not overly matte. One thing I will say is that you do need to work fairly quickly as it does dry rather quickly. I know some people feel it looks better when applied with a brush, but I personally found the finish to be the same whether using a brush or a sponge.

Final Verdict: Now, I am personally SHOCKED at how good this foundation is. The finish is beautiful; whilst I don't think it looks just like skin and as if there is no makeup on, I think it does look very natural and minimal, despite the fact that it is very pigmented, and I suspect this is due to the very thin consistency of the product, which in itself is unusual for a matte full coverage foundation. I think it's a great product for the price, £26 is great for a high end foundation and the quantity is also slightly more than most foundations with 32ml as opposed to 30ml; so thanks for that extra 2ml Rih!
I would definitely recommend this; if you have oily skin I think you're going to really like it. The only people who this may not suit is those with very dry skin as it may be slightly too matte for you. Overall, I think this is something suitable for the majority of skin types, and given the shade range, there really is something for everyone.

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation Available Here


2.) MATCH STIX MATTE SKINSTICK CONCEALER in TRUFFLE - £21.00

Now Fenty Beauty have released a whole bunch of these 'Match Stix' in matte shades and shimmer shades, so you can use them for concealing, matte highlight, contouring, and shimmer highlight. Now I only bought one as I'm not the biggest fan of this sort of consistency for concealing, so I bought one stick for contouring. The shade I bought was 'Truffle' which is the second to darkest shade that these sticks come in. Now these sticks are interchangeably contour and concealer products, so someone else's highlight shade could well be your contour shade and vice versa. Now I have to say I found this rather disappointing as if there is only one shade darker than the one I bought, I fear there is not a shade dark enough for those at the darkest end of the spectrum to use as a contour. I found this rather surprising given all the diversity throughout the range, so I hope some darker shades are released soon.

Nonetheless, though I originally thought this shade might be too dark and that I should have bought 'Mocha'  (the shade lighter) instead, I actually really like this shade. It's a little more intense than I would usually wear, but since I don't tend to cream contour much anyway, usually only for more dramatic evening makeup, it suits the purpose. I have heard in a lot of reviews that people find these a little difficult to blend, but I personally find these very easily blendable and very buildable also. I like the fact that they are so malleable as it means that if you do apply a little too much, it is very easy to sheer out and make less intense.

Final Verdict: I'm actually very pleasantly surprised by this product! The colour is very pretty, it's very easy to use and doesn't accentuate texture on the skin. I would definitely recommend this, particularly to anyone beginning cream contouring, and can equally be used to merely add some warmth and bronziness to the skin.

Match Stix Matte Skinstick Concealer Available Here


3.) KILLAWATT FREESTYLE HIGHLIGHTER in TROPHY WIFE - £26.00

Ahhhhh, and to the infamous 'Trophy Wife'. Now there is always one item in a new release that has everyone talking, and for Fenty Beauty, this highlight is it. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw Rih rocking it at the FB launch, I absolutely loveeee the name and I was so intrigued to try it out. Then of course, Trophy wife fever has spread like wild fire, and just about everybody and their mother has put in their two pennies worth on this shade. So of course, I had to be that basic 'I follow the social media crowd' bitch and had to buy it too.

Now first thing's first, it is definitely as gold as it looks in swatches, and that is very gold. It's a pure yellow gilded gold colour as opposed to one leaning on a more bronzey or silver-y side, but don't let that put you off. If applied with an extremely light hand, this doesn't have to look as intense as it does in a lot of the swatches.

Do bear in mind, however, that this is incredibly pigmented, just a couple of taps will provide a strong highlight, so my word of advice would be do proceed with caution when applying. I personally think this is going to be a night out shade for me, seeing as it is so striking, but on a night out I want to be shimmering like a disco ball to be honest looool, so I can see me really enjoying using it on those occasions. It also looks incredibly pretty on the eyes, so I can see myself using it a lot as a pop shade for shadow.

I've seen a few people critiquing the product because it's 'not wearable', but in all honesty I think this is a rather silly critique. Like it's a bright gold, and you're telling me it's not wearable? Like, no shit! Lol! I know I am not going to wear this every day, but nevertheless I'm so glad I have this in my collection as it's so incredibly unique and I don't have anything like it.

Final Verdict: Would I recommend? 100% YES! Despite people complaining that it isn't very wearable, I think if you're into your makeup and like having the occasional 'show-stopping' piece then this is for you, because I can guarantee you'll have nothing like it in your collection. It is incredibly pigmented and in my opinion, incredibly versatile, as it looks equally stunning on the eyes and cheeks, and could even be used on the body to accentuate the décolletage area. This is definitely one of the star products in the range for me, and in my opinion, it absolutely lives up to the hype!

4.) GLOSS BOMB UNIVERSAL LIP LUMINIZER in FENTY GLOW - £16.00

So the last thing I bought was the lip gloss, the only lip product of the range. Now this is marketed as a universal lip shade so it will supposedly suit you whatever your skin tone or undertone, again reflecting the Fenty Beauty's overarching 'beauty for all' philosophy.

Now I would definitely agree that this is a very wearable shade as there isn't too much colour to it at all, I'd describe it as a pink with more brown-ey undertones and a lot of shine. It's very comfortable on the lips, not too sticky and has a very nice jumbo doe-foot applicator which enables ease of application. One swipe is supposedly enough and I would definitely agree with this. Other bonuses is that it has a really lovely 'cotton candy' smell.

Final Verdict: Now I really like this gloss as it is so damn wearable, and on me, I'd definitely call this that very cliche 'your lips but better shade'. I cannot fault this gloss in terms of formula or packaging in any way,  however, I don't think it is at all revolutionary. I would say that I have glosses similar to this in my collection, so if you are a makeup junkie like me, I suspect you probably have something similar too.
Having said that, I know already that this is going to be one of those products that lives in my handbag and that I actually get a lot of use out of, I'm definitely a gloss girl, and know I'll find this super handy for days when I don't know what to wear or if the lip colour I'm already wearing wears off.

 Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer Available Here

------

Now I've definitely waffled on enough but I wanted to make sure I gave a comprehensive review for you guys! Needless to say I am incredibly impressed with the range! Rih has completely smashed it, the formulas are beautiful and I must stress again that the inclusivity of the range is incredibly commendable. For years it's been made to seem that creating a line to cater to all is in some sense impossible, and Rihanna has disproved this in first launch. Whether you are white, black, asian or mixed race like myself, this is a range for you, that caters for you!

I actually published my FIRST EVER youtube video this weekend all about Fenty Beauty, where I unbox and try on the bits for the first time. Ahhhhhh I was SO incredibly nervous to publish this, but I finally plucked up the courage to do so! Please do go and watch/like/comment/subscribe, you know what to do! I would sooooo appreciate it!



Final thing to tell you - I have FINALLY launched my giveaway! There are some AMAING prizes including Kat Von D liquid lipsticks, Calvin Klein makeup, Rimmel, Maybelline, accessories, it's a banging giveaway in my opinion lol! Just follow the link here to find out how to enter, it's super easy! Head over to my insta story for an in depth chit chat on everything I bought!

https://twitter.com/whatevawears/status/909756599799091201

And that's it folks! I'm thinking of doing these Makeup posts every Monday and making a series called 'Makeup Mondays'. Next week I was going to a Charlotte Tilbury Haul and Review as I received the most INCREDIBLE PR package EVER! Honestly I could've cried lmaooo! Can't wait to show you everything!

Have you tried Fenty Beauty? Are you intrigued by any of the products? Let me know in the comments below! 


Until next time, 
Bisous <3

Eva 
xxx


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FRIDAY THOUGHTS: FALLING OUT OF LOVE WITH INSTAGRAM

Friday, 15 September 2017

Sloane St, Belgravia, London












Hello lovelies!

Apologies for my impromptu absence! But today I've come on here to have a good old moan (what else is fucking new lol!).

So who else is having an absolute nightmare with instagram lately?! It's gone down so low in my estimations; from being my absolute favourite social media app, to being the ultimate ball ache and the absolute bane of my life.

See, for the past 14 days (yes, I'm sad and have been counting!) I have been hit by the dreaded shadow ban. Now if you're unfamiliar with the shadow ban, I'll explain what it is very briefly. Basically, if you post a photo on instagram and include hashtags, you would expect your photo to show up on each of those tagged hashtags. When shadow banned, your photo will appear in the tags to you and your followers, as opposed to everyone on instagram. This is therefore a big problem for those of us with blogs etc, who depend on hashtags to reach out to potential new followers and therefore grow our followings. 

Now, no one really understands what causes the shadow ban, but to be honest, to me, it's yet another change that instagram have imposed on the app that further destroys the user experience.

I see people moaning every single day on social media about instagram, and I can see that for many of us, trying to keep up with all these frankly unnecessary changes, trying to 'beat' the algorithm, and trying to grow our following, 

Instagram has become incredibly tiresome, unnecessarily difficult, and to be honest, incredibly disheartening. For many of us who work so hard on our content and for whom instagram is an integral part of our blog promo, it now feels as though there is no point investing our efforts into the app. 

I have yet to find a solution to this problem, and therefore I'm very unsure on how to proceed. Do I continue to post regularly and hope that instagram realigns itself, but accept that every single unsuccessful post is going to be incredibly disheartening to me? Or do I leave the app for a while and accept that I'm probably going to lose a lotttttt of followers?

I'm under no pretence that this is in any way a 'big problem', indeed, it's probably the ultimate first world problem, but it's something that's bugging me nonetheless.

Even if instagram sorts itself out, it feels as though we are constantly waiting for the next utterly terrible change to be implemented. I've heard that there are talks of bringing in a 4 row feed? FFSSSSSS!

I'd like to hope that one day the instagram guys will pull their heads out of their money-orientated arseholes and put the user experience first, but to be honest, I don't have high expectations. For now, any tips on how to navigate this absolute clusterfuck of an app would be highly appreciated. 

So that's my moan of the day folks. Utterly unimportant and superficial, but whateves lol! Have any of you fallen out of love with instagram? Anyone else been hit by the shadow ban? Let me know your thoughts below!

p.s. I just published my FIRST EVER YOUTUBE VIDEO!!! AHHHHHHH! I absolutely cannot believe I'm saying this! please go have a little watch and like;/subscribe - I'd love to know your thoughts!

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imzqd9HAOGs Enjoy!


Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx

p.s. UPDATE: looks like the shadow ban has FINALLYYYYY been lifted! Apparently if you were prompted to re-verify your account your account was essentially blocked for the following 2 weeks before it was reset by instagram, so if any of you have been hit by the shadow ban, it will be lifted exactly 2 weeks after you were first affected!

OUTFIT DETAILS:

Jumper: Asos (old, would recommend this)
Jeans: Topshop
Jacket: Bershka (Similar here)
Loafer Mules: Ego
Belt: Ebay
Necklace: Topshop (similar here)

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MY EASY PEASY GO-TO EYESHADOW LOOK

Wednesday, 6 September 2017


Hello lovelies! 

Didn't I tell you I'd make my Wednesday post this week?! Didn't I?! I know it's 11pm butttttt it's still Wednesday so I did still keep my promise - better late than never!

Now today I'm sharing my first every makeup look post! I realllyyyyy hope you like it because I'm actually shit scared to upload this, for want of a better word (lol!) Now I'm definitely no pro, so please do bear that in mind as you read this. If you watch my instagram stories, you'll be familiar with my, frankly shit makeup explanations, but I'm hoping I'll do better today! I wanted to share this look with you: my go-to eyeshadow look. Basically if ever I feel like wearing eyeshadow and I have no particular colours in mind, then I'm probably going to be wearing some variation of this. It's perfect for all my fellow lazy gals out there, as its literally 2 colours and a bit of blending lol. So enough wittering on, let's get to it!


 STEP 1: PREP
Now first things first, I always do my base. I know some people like to do their eyes first, but personally I prefer doing base first. I make sure I've toned and moisturised (Cetaphil is bae if you have sensitive/problem skin) and then I prime with the Mac Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage on the large areas of my face (i.e. cheeks, forehead, chin) and the Arbonne Primer (a gift from my Auntie; it's surprisingly good!) on my inner cheek area and nose, as it's got a much more silicone-y texture and is therefore good for filling in pores.


STEP 2: BASE
After I've prepped the skin, I go in with my base. At the minute I'm back on Nars Sheer Glow Foundation, I use the shade 'Syracuse', and use about 2 pumps of this all over my face. I absolutely lurrrveeeee this foundation. It is the bomb. It applies very evenly and sinks in well onto the skin - it's a cult classic for a reason, folks!


STEP 3: BROWS
I then move onto my brows and use my Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade in 'Medium Brown' to fill in my brows. I've got a full review of this coming soon so stay tuned! I then set them with the Eyeko Brow Gel which I've used for years, though this is a bit of a redundant step, as the pomade usually keeps the hairs in place well on its own. 

STEP 4: CONCEAL
I then go in with my trusty Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'Ginger', and add just a touch of concealer around my brows to add a slight bit of brightness and to neaten them up a little too. I also add some concealer onto any blemishes I have, and then blend all of that in. 



STEP 5: EYES
Time to move onto the eyes - the fun part! Now for this look I've used the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette. I absolutely loveeeee this thing. It's the only naked palette I have (basic beauty blogger alert lol!) but it's always a go-to when I'm wearing eyeshadow and I'm incredibly impressed with the quality. I definitely want to get another soon! Incidentally, please leave a message in the comments on what naked palette I should get next! Which is your favourite?
Anyway enough waffling, I basically start by placing the shade 'whiskey' evenly all over the lid, being careful to blend in as I go. I then place a bit more of that shade on the outer corner of the eye, to make the colour more intense there, as well as in the crease. I then take the shade 'Dirtysweet' and place it on the inner two thirds of the eye, making sure to press the colour in more, as opposed to blending it out fully. (I hope that makes sense lol!) That's basically it lol! I then take a clean blending brush and give it a good swish over the whole eye to get rid of any harsh or unblended lines.
I then take a little bit of 'whiskey' back onto a smaller brush, and run this under the eye/on the waterline, and take this to about two thirds of the way into the eye.
Once thats done, all that's left to do is add my standard winged liner - I use the L'oreal Superliner (3 for 2 on that link!) for this - to draw a thin wing along the eye. I make sure to line the whole eye, from the tear duct all the way out into the wing. 
I then add lashings of the Charlotte Tilbury 'Legendary Lashes' Mascara, and I mean lashingssss lol! Whenever I wear eyeshadow I always make sure to add extra to make the whole eye look pop even more!




STEP 6: SCULPT
I then go back onto the base and add a little contour/bronzer to lightly sculpt my cheekbones. I use the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar 'Sun Tan and Sun Light' Palette, which I think is limited edition (and still in limited stock), but just incase you can't get your hands on it, I hear nothing but good things about the powder Filmstar 'Bronze and Glow' Palette (which I fully intend on buying asap!), so I'm sure that will be a good substitute. I only like to add a subtle bit of cheek makeup, because I feel adding too much can often make the whole look a bit cheap, and can sometimes, if done badly, make you look like you haven't washed in a while, lol! I love this bronzer as it's very forgiving, so it's easy to build and layer and therefore you're less likely to apply too much.


STEP 7: LIPS
And lastly, the lips! I'm superrrr excited about this bit because I used a new lipstick; one that had been on my wishlist for forever! It's 'Whirl' by MAC, and needless to say, I am in love. I already had the Whirl Lipliner, so wasn't sure whether I needed the lippie too, but oh yes, I definitely did, and you definitely do too! My new holy grail for sure! Here I'm wearing the liner and lippie together, and I loveeee the colour. You can get the MAC Whirl Lip Duo here.


STEP 8: FINAL TOUCHES
So then I just go back and touch up my makeup. I take a cotton bud and clean away any eyeshadow fallout there may have been (though there isn't usually much with these eyeshadows), and I also clean up my blended out eyeshadow. I then take my complexion brush and just pat over my base just incase I missed any areas I neglected to blend in the first time around. 




And voila! There you have it, my go-to eyeshadow look. What do you guys think? Such an easy look, right? I mean honestly if I can do it, anyone can! Let me know whether you like this look, and whether you'd like me to post more things like this, I was thinking of posting an 'everyday makeup routine' as well as a 'uni going out' makeup look - let me know if you'd be interested in either of those! If so, there'll be one up next wednesday!
Until then, there'll be a new post up Friday - my usual Friday Thoughts as well as deets on my giveaway, so stay tuned!

Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx

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J'ADORE

Monday, 4 September 2017





Hey folks,

Happy Monday to you all!

Now for once, I actually don't have much to say (which will probably be a bit of a relief for a lot of you lol - finally saved from my endless waffling!) See, I'm currently sitting on the bus on the way to my blood test (christ, I need to learn how to drive) and I'm trying to compose a blog post on something somewhat profound or poignant, but I have nothing. Nada. Zilch. Which is odd because usually there is at least one thing that has happened in the past week that has fucked me off so much that I've had to sit and vent about it lol!

But nope, it appears that isn't so today. It seems having a blogging schedule is all well and good - so long as you actually have stuff to talk about lol! 

I'm just staring out of the window now and thinking about how quickly my intermission, and this summer has gone. In just under a month I will be back at uni, and to me that's absolute madness! Thinking about the end of Summer has also made me think about how much I love Autumn, especially September. So maybe I'll chat abit about why I love September. I've sort of touched on this before in this blog post - but incase you don't know, I think September is my favourite month of the year.

Every time September comes around again, I really do notice how much my mindset changes. Whilst we mourn the end of summer, I also can't help but anticipate the coming season, which I associate more with new beginnings then I do January, the actual beginning of a new year lol! I think this is to do with the fact that School academic calendars are so deeply ingrained in me, that I also associate the start of the academic year with the start of a new year for me. I tend to make new resolutions in September, new goals and try to adopt new mindsets. So yes, I guess I have 'September Resolutions', that resemble the old new years resolutions. Weird? Probably lol! Right now I can think of 3 resolutions I'd like to work on.

1.) Prioritise my mental wellbeing and self care. - As you know, mental illness has been such a huge part of my life this past year especially, and I think after everything, I've finally realised how important self care, and recognising the need to take care of your mental wellbeing is. Whether it's working on my sleep hygiene to make sure I have a proper sleeping pattern, or making sure I take time for myself for things I enjoy, I've realised just how important it is to just take care of myself. 

2.) Keep my blogging up. - Since I've been home from uni, I've had a lot more time to work on my blog and it's actually become a really important part of my life, making me realise just how much I've missed doing creative things. I really want to make sure that when I go back to uni, I take the time to work on my blog, to do something for me. Not only have I enjoyed taking outfit pics and that creative side of things, but I've also loved having a place to vent. To write honestly about my health, things that are important to me - I love having a space where I can write about anything and everything, and I think it's so important that I keep that space active.

3.) Take more risks. - This is a resolution that I'm currently working on. See I'm about to take a risk (more on that Friday), and being someone who is extremely risk adverse, it's incredibly fucking scary! But as my counsellor says, life is always about risk. If you're not prepared to take risk, then it's very hard to grow. So I think now is the time to take that leap.

So I guess I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, with the start of my new academic year in a few short weeks, I want as much as possible to grab as many opportunities as I can with both hands.

So I guess thats why J'adore September. Wheyyyy I was able to link my blog post with my outfit after all haha! Andddd just as we're pulling up to the hospital! Brilliant or what?! Haha!

A little bit of an 'all over the place' blog post today, but please don't hold it against me - I have a beauty post prepared for Wednesday and another Friday Thoughts prepared for (you guessed it) Friday, which will also have details of my giveaway! 

Do you guys love September too? Or are you avid Summer lovers who hate the coming Autumn season? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx
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FRIDAY THOUGHTS: RECONNECTING WITH OLD FRIENDS

Friday, 1 September 2017













"Make new friends, but don't forget the old, one is silver, the other is gold." - Joseph Parry

Hello lovelies,

I'm sorry I missed my Wednesday upload this week! Falling at the first hurdle with my new blogging routine, lol! Truth be told I did actually do a makeup look but it turned out so horrifically that there was no way I was going to upload it lol! There will definitely be one next week though!

So today I thought I'd write a short but sweet 'Friday Thoughts', especially after last week's more heavy post.

I wanted to chat about friendship, and rediscovering friendships that we thought we dead and buried.

My time off uni has been a funny old few months. It's been a time when I've often felt pretty lonely, pretty disheartened, and rather left behind. 

I've watched all my friends having a whirl of a time at uni through the all too warped lens social media offers us. I've watched them graduate and go on to start jobs, and all the while I've been at home working on my health, fearing that I'd lose all the friendship connections I had made whilst I was at uni. 

But there have been lighter moments.

I've recently gotten back in touch with one of my good friends from primary school, who has been off uni this past year due to illness too.

It must've been a good few years since we caught up with each other, and getting back in touch all started with a simple, out of the blue Facebook message. Since then we've often chatted on Facebook messenger, and had a good few catch ups, during which I've realised just how much has changed, but also that everything is still the same. We still get on really well, we still have so many of the same interests, and we're still, fundamentally the same.

It's only now that I've realised that erhaps I've regained this friendship at this particular time in my life for a reason. I guess we both needed a person in a similar predicament to the one we had found ourselves in, and that we offered that comfort to one another. It can be very hard to find someone who understands chronic illness, and who completely understands what it's like for this to turn your life upside down. But I guess we provide that to each other. I know that her friendship has offered me great comfort and support this past year, and has allowed me to realise that I'm not alone. I'd like to hope that my friendship has done the same for her. 

I'm glad that I've reconnected with this friend. Not only do I now realise that it was so important for me to have that friendship at this time, but I've also realised how much I had missed her friendship these past few years. I'd like to hope that now we've reconnected, that we continue to stay in contact, to offer each other support on these issues that many others haven't found themselves in, but also to continue to grow this friendship. 

In life we're constantly meeting new people, unearthing new relationships, and though this is wonderful, sometimes we lament the ones that we have moved on from.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Sure, sometimes there are people that we meet in life who we form bonds with for a time, but then we move on, having got what we needed out of that friendship. But more often that not, a friendship doesn't fall apart because that person doesn't value you anymore, or no longer wants you in their life. Rather, for them too, life just got in the way, and losing contact with you was simply a consequence of that.

Friendships aren't as fixed as we make them. I think often, if we lose touch with a friend for an extended period of time, we write them off, thinking that friendship is lost for good. Of course, we have our constants, I'm pretty sure I have one or two of those. We have those that enter our life for a time and then leave them permanently. And then we also have those that dip in and out. Sometimes, with those friends, you need to make that extra bit of effort to stay in touch, and that's the only way you can try to carry those friends with you throughout your life, so that they become constants. 

So I guess what I'm saying is; don't be afraid to contact old friends. Sending a simple "Hi, how are you? We need to catch up!" can go a long way, and more often than not, that friend will be so glad to hear from you, and would have missed that friendship too. Life is far too short to fear being the one to 'text first'. 

Do you have any friendships that you mourn the loss of? Have you ever tried to get back in touch with an old friend? Let me know in the comments below! <3

Until next time,
Bisous <3

Eva
xxx


OUTFIT DETAILS:

Lace Cami: Zara (similar here)
Shirt: Urban Outfitters Vintage (similar here)
Jeans: Topshop
Belt: Gucci
Shoes: Ego
Sunglasses: Ray-Ban


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