Collection Pieces | Review

It seems like you always run out of all your products at once and I ran out of all my face products at once so I needed to update my makeup promptly. If you've read my blog before you might know that I'm a really big fan of Collection's lasting perfection skincare. I have done a review of the foundation before in previous favourites posts and I've been using it for quite sometime now. I decided to get all the face products I needed from the same collection to see how well they fit together, and let me tell you, they're wonderful. 

Firstly, I got the Lasting Perfection foundation, which I have had before and loved. I buy a shade darker then I am, in which I bought Ivory 2, the foundation itself is a little bit thick and heavy so it's not for people who like light coverage. I really like the way it covers any imperfections on my skin and it doesn't take a lot of product to cover your face so it lasts quite a long time. It lasts all day and doesn't fade even in the sun and heat it stays on without any top up, it's my favourite foundation at the moment. I'm open to suggestions though as I do want to try some new ones!

The next product is from the same collection, the Lasting Perfection concealer, which every Youtuber and Blogger raves about, which I will rave about in this post also. I got the concealer a shade lighter then the foundation so it brightens up my skin. It has a very nice consistency and definitely covers any imperfections and brightens the area. It matches the foundation perfectly and they blend together like a dream.

The last product I got isn't the Lasting Perfection powder, but the Primed and Ready Setting Powder. I got this one because it contains witch hazel which is really good for your skin and reduces breakouts. I find that this powder doesn't do much for your skin, you can't really notice it, but I think that it's somewhat of a good thing. Especially as it contains products good for your skin. I usually don't buy invisible powders but I think that this one still does the job well and is light and fresh on the skin.

These are always products that I'll repurchase when looking for cheap and good face products, has anyone tried them before? What do you think?

Printing Memories with Printiki

If you're anything like me then you're probably obsessed with taking photos of everything every time you go somewhere. I take photos constantly and I'm always running out of phone memory and camera storage, and the one thing I don't do as often as I should is getting my pictures printed out to have. As photos are essentially like pieces of memories that you can keep and look back on I think it's really important to keep them safe and have physical copies to cherish forever. 

I usually print my photos in photo stores and kiosks in places like Boots but I hadn't done so in a while as I find it takes forever to chose your photos in store and also just a little bit pricey. So I was offered to try Printiki's online printing service and it was something that I have been meaning to try for ages. Printiki is an online printing service which allows you to chose pictures from various types of media such as your own laptop or social media apps such as Instagram and Facebook which is super easy and I love being able to pick my favourites instantly. I found the website really easy to use and chose photos from my social media outlets and my laptop itself and it was so easy to navigate I was really impressed. The longest part of the process was picking my favourite photos to print! 

You can chose a variety of different types of prints small and large and you can completely customize the way you like, like the retro Polaroid style prints that I think are super cute, you can even personalize them with your own messages. I decided to chose the square prints with no border on them to maximize the picture, I also opted for a matte finish but you can also chose between that or a glossy finish. 

I printed out some holiday photos and wanted to display them on my wall and do something creative with them, so I picked up some hanging photo clips from Primark Home to display my favourites on my wall. Although my wall is quite chipped and it really needs a fresh coat of paint the pictures look super cute hanging on the wall and I need to buy extra clips to hang more up. You can head over to Printiki's Instagram to check out other creative photo ideas and inspirations, and also lots of other pretty pictures!

As I only had eight clips to hang up the photos on the wall I decided to make a scrapbook with the other photos as it was something I've been meaning to do for a while, I can't wait to design the scrapbook and continue to fill it up completely with memories.

   

Overall I really loved how easy the pictures were to upload and edit and I love the size and matte finish of the photos, also the quality is great, I will definitely be ordering more soon! They took just a little over a week to arrive which isn't too bad and the price for the prints is super affordable for the quantity and quality. If you would like to order some of your own printed memories, you can get free shipping when you buy prints by using the code H7C2R28B at the checkout!

I hope you enjoyed looking at my photos and what I have done with them! Let me know if you print some photos of your own! 

*This post is in collaboration with Printiki

Lush Empties

As you may know if you've read this blog before, I like Lush products, a lot. I have reviewed and tried many products and in doing so have required enough empty packets and pots. I go through a lot of the same products and many bath bombs, many of which are still Christmas ones may I add. I thought I would share my empty products as I have loved them all to the bottom of the pot and last fizz.

My first empty I'm going to share is the Let the Good Times Roll cleanser, of which I have acquired three empty pots, ooops. This is obviously one of my favourite products containing popcorn pieces and smelling like a festival. It cleanses your skin and leaves a sweet scent and soft feeling. You can read my full review here. Honestly give it a sniff in store. 

The next is Cup O'Coffee, which I have loved before, but I don't love it so much anymore. It's a face mask that contains coffee beans, which is surprisingly good for your skin. I find that it takes too long to dry and I don't use face masks as much as I used to, also the liquid starts to separate from the product after some amount of time which makes it hard to use after a period. My previous review can be found here.

The last pot that I have used up is Ocean Salt, which I have also reviewed here. This face scrub contains elements of the ocean and contains sea salt for exfoliating your skin. The scent is so fresh and I feel like it's definitely a summer face product, and would be good after a long day in the sun, I think I need to repurchase it soon. 

The Tea Tree Toner water is something I've been loving for the past few months. Tea tree is known for being good for your skin and I find that it left my skin looking much clearer, and smells really fresh. I normally use it before bed and in the morning to cleanse my skin before and after make up, it drys into the skin very quickly.

I thought I'd add some of the bath bombs I've recently used in this too since none of the bath bombs I have at home are available in store anymore as they are Christmas stock.

     

The first bath bomb is the Northern Lights bath bomb that is yellow on one end and blue on the other in a purple cylinder. When placed in the bath it spins and mingles colours leaving a pretty coloured pattern. It smells like jasmine and I love the idea of the Aurora Borealis in the bath. 

The Shoot for the Stars bath bomb, is also very pretty and looks on the outside and inside like the night sky. It's both shimmery and fruity and I think it looks almost like Van Gogh's Starry Night Iconic image at certain points, well just reminds me of it even.

I hope you enjoyed looking at all the products I've enjoyed using recently, they're all products I'd recommend, like every Lush product.
Has anyone tried these products before?

Kiko Bits and Pieces

 I've never tried any Kiko products as they've none in Ireland (that I've found before anyway), so I picked up a few bits in the London store to try them out, as I've heard that they're quite good and affordable. I needed these eye shadow shades and a contour kit so that's what I picked up.

The two eye shadows that I picked up were from the Smart Colour Eyeshadows, the pink shade in number 15 Pearly Azalea and the yellow number 25 Pearly Yellow. I got these two shades as they are colours that I didn't have before and wanted. Pearly Azalea is a bright and vibrant pink which is soft and pigmented and really brightening and gentle on the eyes. I find it goes really nice on the crease of your eye with brown shades, and it even goes with the yellow quite well, my two favourite colours. The shade Pearly Yellow is a pale and pretty yellow and it looks really nice on the inner corners of your eyes, yet the shade itself is not very pigmented and takes a few layers and a lot of product to show on your eyes. 

The contour palette is the Smart Contour Palette, the bronzer side comes out very dark and well on the skin and leaves a really matte and soft finish, yet it's easily blend-able. I think I may have gotten a shade too dark for me but I like to buffer it out and bronze my whole face too so it's not so bad. The highlight part is disappointing and doesn't have great highlighting qualities, unless you like a subtle highlight. For me, highlight always has to be a little dramatic and shimmery and this just doesn't do the job, it's nice for a natural look, but just not the type for me, it's too gentle.

The swatches are eyeshadow 15 Pearly Azalea, 25 Pearly Yellow, Smart contouring palette contour and highlight.

Overall, I really like the products and would definitely try some more, especially some more single eyeshadows which are really good value.

Has anyone tried any Kiko products before and have a favourite?

Vegetarianism | What I've Learned & Tips

I've been a vegetarian for almost a year now so I thought I'd be able to share tips and things that I've learned so I can help anyone who wants to try vegetarianism and wants to know the basics, and there's also a few things I wish I knew when I first started. I'm currently only vegetarian, which means I don't eat meat but I still have dairy and eggs, I do want to become vegan at some stage but for now this is where I'm at.

The meal above is a 100% vegan burger and wrap from Brighton.

The Basics

It seems like there are many people converting into vegetarianism and veganism these days, which is great. I'm quite a new vegetarian in the scheme of things, but I can never imagine myself eating meat again. I don't believe anyone when they tell me being a vegetarian is too hard for them and their lifestyle because generally speaking, the majority of products are vegetarian. Being vegetarian instead of vegan means you can still eat cheese and eggs, if you choose, and other dairy products, which isn't too limiting. It's just the changing of your mentality that needs to change if you wish to become vegetarian, you just need to be more aware of what you are putting into your body and it's not a bad thing, and in my opinion, made me more healthier and definitely more informed. I feel as if growing up I never thought about being able to actively choose what I'm eating, and being such an animal lover, the thought of killing an animal and eating it began to really upset me at every meal, which is why I turned vegetarian, I wish it hadn't taken me so long though. 

Meat Substitutes

If you think being vegetarian means you have to give up your favourite foods like chicken and beef, you're wrong. There are a lot of brands out there that do meat free substitutes to your favourite meats, which is perfect for transitioning into vegetarianism. At this stage there is a substitute for almost everything in your local supermarket. Good brands to try are Quorn and Linda McCartney, both of which have helpful websites with recipes, my favourites are the Linda McCartney 1/4lb Mozzarella Veggie burgers, Quorn hot dogs and chicken pieces. All of these products taste exactly like the meat they are substituting, but much better in my opinion, some people could find this off putting but for others this is a simple way to adding 'meat' into a vegetarian dish. Shops like M&S are my favourite because they have easy labels that say which of their dishes and products are vegetarian or not, which saves the time and stress of trying to figure out if things are vegetarian or not by the ingredients, having simple labels should be a requirement. 

Above is the Beanie burger, which is veggie and fries from Nandos.

Eating Out

Eating out is sometimes more difficult than cooking at home. Some places offer very little to no vegetarian options, which I find very odd in this day and age. Yet, the majority of restaurants do a good variety of vegetarian options. The best place for vegetarians to eat out is for Italian food, pizza and pasta are always a good option. The thing about eating out is even if there are no veggie options you can always ask for anything without the meat on it and then it will be okay. I know some people say being vegetarian is more expensive but it just depends what you order in my opinion. Most sides and starters are vegetarian and there is normally a veggie burger option on menus. Surprisingly, one of my favourite places for veggie burgers is Nandos, a chicken restaurant, ironic. Even fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Burger King do veggie burgers and wraps, which is perfect for food on the go, and still getting your fast food fix, I will also say that the veggie burger from McDonalds is one of my favourites. You can also get ready made sandwiches in shops which are vegetarian, places like Boots and M&S do really nice wraps for on the go. 

Foods and Ingredients to Avoid

The one thing I'd say I struggled with the most starting off was checking the ingredients of products which are not necessarily labelled as vegetarian. The products that are often hard to define as vegetarian are sweets and chocolate snack products. Some products are not vegetarian in the US but are vegetarian in the UK and Ireland, like smarties. Most products made of jelly contain gelatine, which is made from beef or pork by-products - which are clearly not vegetarian. Good vegetarian jellies are jelly tots and the veggie jellies from M&S. Another ingredient which people don't realise isn't vegetarian is Carmine/Cochineal - also known as E120 - used to make the shell like products like M&M's and often used for it's red food colouring - this is made from the Cochineal insect which produces a red colouring. You have to look into some deserts and yogurts also as I have found these ingredients in many things I had thought to be vegetarian before.  

Above is a margarita pizza and garlic dough balls from Dante's Pizza.

Make Up Products

Only recently, I've realised the difference between cruelty free and vegetarian products with regards to makeup, which in my opinion should be one in the same. I've realised, only recently that a lot of my makeup products contain carmine, as I have mentioned before, which is a red dye colouring made from Beatles, which I don't understand as being cruelty free. The majority of my lipsticks and eyeshadows contain this product and I don't have any palettes that don't contain it, I wish I had noticed sooner. There's a few brands like NYX and body shop which have vegetarian lipsticks, but it's another thing you need to be aware of. Even I've found that even though NYX are cruelty free their eyeshadows, well the single ones I own, are not veggie friendly. I would actually love if anyone could recommend any good vegetarian or vegan makeup brands it would be super helpful as I'm still trying to figure this part of vegetarianism out! 

Is anyone else vegan/vegetarian and have anyother tips you'd like to add?