Friday 28 October 2016

VE Cosmetics - Oval Brushes Review

Hello! 

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but getting even one minute to do anything that isn't sewing or mum related is near impossible at the moment! 

I am on it now though! 

First I would just like to say how shiny they are! A unicorn rainbow dream! The 'Oval 'Unicorn Hair' Brush Set' is 100% vegan and cruelty free.

We all use make up brushes, I can proudly say I have made progress from applying my eye shadow with my fingers and even my foundation too! I have tried a few different options when it comes to applying my foundation. Using my fingers, different sponges, a regular foundation brush and now these awesome oval brushes. 

At first I looked at the huge size of the foundation oval brush and really thought I wouldn't use it, it just seemed too big! I never really have time to watch tutorials online and wasn't really sure the best way to use it. Most of the time I am in a rush when it comes to putting any make up on, so I thought I would just have a quick test and see how it went. Two words... BLOOMING AMAZING! The first thing I loved was how quick I could just apply my base foundation, it blended so well into my skin. No streaky lines or areas that seemed too caked on with foundation. I put the foundation on my face in a few areas and just blended it all over my skin, it was that easy. I was really impressed with how my first go turned out. The brushes are so soft! It just felt so lovely putting my foundation on. When it comes to make up brushes it makes a whole world of difference when they are good quality.

In the set of 5 you get 
Foundation Brush
Blusher Brush
Contour Brush
Eye shadow Brush
Large Eye shadow Brush

I use the blusher and contour brushes the most, the contour brush is great for blending high lighter. 


It really makes a change seeing such colour brushes when a lot of brushes tend to looking pretty boring!

You can also buy similar version of the two larger brushes on their own. These are the 'Unicorn Vampire Slayer Brush' These are available in large or medium and are currently only £15 each! So if you don't want to invest in the set, I really recommend the large foundation brush. 




Sunday 8 May 2016

VE Cosmetics - Liquid Lipstick Review

Hello! 

By now everyone has heard of liquid matte lipsticks, they are so popular. Most make up brands do them and if they are not, they will be soon. They are popular because of being long lasting and transfer resistant, which is great for me, I can give my little girl, Lillian, all the kisses and her cute little face won't be covered in lipstick! 

I have been lucky enough to try 6 of the new colours from my favourite vegan make up brand, VE Cosmetics. You can purchase all the colours on her website now. 

 From left to right
Babe (with the) Powers, Love Me, Fear Me, Venom, Stardust

So far I have worn 4 of the 6 colours and I have to say I am super impressed! They have been long lasting, they haven't dried my lips and I really like the creamy formula. 
I put 'Stardust' on at around 9.30am, I ate some toast, had my lunch and snacks in the day and it didnt budge. I went most of the day without topping it, and then only the insides of lips needed a little adding.'Love Me' didn't last as long in the day but topping it up a little was very quick, as it mainly just needs adding where your lips touch food you are eating. 

I really love the wand it comes with too, its nice and firm which makes applying it in a rush really easy. As the wand isn't too furry, I don't get the feathered edges I sometimes do with the other brands I use, where using a brush is much better. Although applying with a lip brush always makes it much neater! 

 




Stardust is without a doubt my go to nude shade from now on! I am really looking forward to having my super bright hair back, doing bright eye make up and wearing Stardust.


Thank you for reading! If you would like to ask my any questions feel free to message me. You can follow me on Instagram, it is where I always post first.. 

xoxo
Annabelle




Tuesday 23 February 2016

Lunatik Hair Dye - Review

Hello!

I actually wrote this blog months ago but didn't publish it. I am new to blogger!

Today my review is of two different colours of hair dye from Lunatik Hair Dye. For anyone that knows me well, you will know I love purple. I have been dying my hair this colour (and others) for around 8 or so years. I have tried so many brands of hair dye, I won't say all but nearly all. Manic panic, Stargazer, Directions, Adore, Crazy Colour, Special Effects, Splat, Schwarzkopf, Arctic Fox, I am sure there are a few others but I can't remember the name. 

A bit about Lunatik Hair Dye. 
  • Lunatik is Paraben-Free, PPD-Free, Ammonia Free, Fragrance-Free, and Vegan.
  • The colour is developed using minerals which help nourish the hair fibers
  • The hair dye was designed to be demi-permanent, which means  it outlasts the semi­-permanent brands but isn’t permanent so you can change it-up in a couple of months.
  • They made sure that there was no animal-testing done while producing the dye. Also that all of the ingredients were safe for humans as well.
This was my hair before I bleached my roots. I tried to get old colour, after many years of different dyes the main part of my hair was a pale blue colour.



I didn't always have long hair but as my hair got longer, some brands just didnt work as easy. 
Either the consistency of the product was a bit thick, or there just wasn't enough for your money. I am not saying any of the other brands were rubbish, they just didn't always work that great for me. I mainly do my hair myself. So sometimes, when bleaching my roots, I can miss a little bit or not totally cover it as well. So you end up with parts that are a little brassy orange looking. Some brands of dye would just not take to this, this is where Lunatik Hair Dye has been the winner for me. 

My pro's and con's, they are based on my opinion of what I like when it comes to hair dye. I'm pretty fussy when it comes to doing my hair  but like most people, it is really annoying when you have spent ages doing your hair only to have patches! So unless I actually missed bits, the coverage was so even and bright!

The two colours I got were, VF Purple and Killer Candy.

This was after the very first time using the colour


Pro's
  • You get 118ml of product. Which is at the higher end of amount, some other brands you get 88ml, 100ml. So this is good to remember when we talk about price. 
  • The consistency is on the thinner side, I prefer this as it makes it easier to blend if you want to do an ombre of colour and it also spreads further. 
  • It is very highly pigmented, it colours your hair really well, even if it isn't bleached super blonde first. (Obviously it wont make your hair super bright but it will avoid leaving those annoying brassy bits that can sometimes show up)
  • It is easy to dilute with conditioner. I do this when I just want to freshen my hair up and don't want to use loads of dye. 
  • Its now stocked in the UK at Kate's Clothing 
  • Also it didn't stain my bath nearly as bad as some other brands and any marks were much easier to clean up! Although in my 8 years of colouring my hair, I make much less mess. I rent my house, so keeping everywhere clean is important!
Con's
  • I'm not overly keen on bottles because it makes it harder to get every last bit out. Plus I like keeping tubs to use after to mix colours in, so I prefer a tub. However because it is a thinner consistency it comes out the bottle really easy.
  • It is on the pricer end of the list but you get more that some of the other brands. 
The main question is, how longer does it last. This all depends on your hair care routine. For me, the super brightness lasts around 4 weeks. I wash my hair  twice a week at most. I tend to try use less shampoo, as this strips colour more easy. If products do build up, like conditioner and hair sprays, I will do a really good shampoo  after a couple of weeks.
At about the 4 week mark I do like to top it up a bit to get that brightness back. 
I do sometimes go 8 weeks without adding more colour, which is my hair in the last photo. 

Other handy tips when colouring your hair. 
  • Swatch test first. 
  • Put Vaseline or something similar around hair line and ears
  • Wear rubber or plastic gloves
  • Do not mix with peroxide 
  • Do not put on eyelashes or eyebrows. 
Since the first time I use this dye I have switch the colours around, to VF purple on the top and Killer Candy on the ends. My hair was slightly darker and I have roots in this photo. The last photo is my hair now. After it being washed out for a weeks. Its dull but will be easy to top up. 



Monday 4 January 2016

Scrub, Scrub, Scrub!

Hello!

It has been a while since my last post but my aim for 2016 is to really give blogging a go! I get asked a lot about my hair dye tips and make up. So it is about time I started writing about these things for you to read.

I am also very passionate about helping support other self employed businesses, so I am going to include reviews of all my favourite items. Which brings me onto reviewing one of my totally favourite products from VE Cosmetics. Also, just so you know, order this month and get 10% off with code '10VE', it also includes sales items. My last post about VE Cosmetics was about a few of her make up items. She also does a pretty impressive range of bath, body and wellness products too. I use a range of her items every day and couldn't love them  more. I actually want everything and my bath room always smells gorgeous too!

So on to the review!
I have always loved body scrubs, I love how they really make your skin feel so fresh and clean. After reading recent posts on the internet about how America has banned products full of micro beads, I thought now would be a good time to review the power of sugar body scrubs.


VE Cosmetics does several 'Whipped Sugar Scrubs', the latest one I have just got is the strawberry one. Oh my, it smells soooooo good! I love the smell of strawberry so much, so it was just obvious I had to get this one. Its moisturising and gently exfoliates the skin too, did I mention it smells so lovely! There are three body scrubs, original, strawberry and citrus. You can also get a foot scrub  in peppermint which is perfect for looking after your feet. I have used that several times and it really makes your feet feel lovely and soft. Pampering your feet is as important as your face but I shall write about that later.




The scrub is packed full of sugar and leaves your skin feeling silky and soft. All Violet's items are vegan, natural and cruelty free. 

Violet is also working on some salt scrubs too, wouldn't a tequila and lime scented one be pretty cool.

If you are not already, go give VE Cosmetics a follow on Facebook and Instagram. You can also sign up to her mailing list too.

xoxo
Annabelle