Urban Decay Naked Heat // First Impressions

Isn't she beautiful? 

For the longest time, I put off getting this palette because I refused to give into the hype, and also I thought "well I never use those kind of shades so it's not for me anyway." 

As usual, I was wrong. After playing around with more reddish tone eyeshadows, I found I really love how they look against my green eyes, and as I have every other Naked Palette, AND I had a 15% off code, I gave in, and now am the proud owner of a new Naked Palette. Wooooooops. 

I put this delivery on my Instagram story (follow me, @curiousginger) and thought, I may as well write a blog post about my initial thoughts. At the time of writing, I've only used this about twice!

I'm a huge fan of the Urban Decay Naked range, I have all the palettes, and they are by far my favourite to use. The eyeshadows in this palette are of the same quality, so if you've ever used Urban Decay shadows before, you know what you're getting into. Some of the more shimmery shades do have a bit of fall out, but it's easily gotten rid of. All the shades are so pigmented and beautiful!

You get 12 eyeshadows, plus a double ended brush, which is fairly standard for these types of palettes from Urban Decay. 

Top to Bottom
Ounce
Chaser
Sauced
Low Blow
Lumbre
He Devil

Top to Bottom
Dirty Talk
Scorched
Cayenne
En Feugo
Ashes
Ember

As you can see, it is a very red toned palette, which I think is so cool and very different to other palettes I own. I feel like there could have maybe been another lighter shimmery colour, and perhaps a black, but that's just me being picky- and I do really love all the shades.

So far I think my favourites are Lumbre, Scorched, and Ashes, but as I've said I have only used this twice at the moment so I'm excited to give it more of a try!

I'm glad I got this palette, I think it's going to be really fun creating different types of looks with! If like me at first, red toned eyeshadows really intimidate you, just remember you can wipe it off if it looks crappy (it probably won't) and it's just fun to try different things now and then! Experiment! Go crazy....


That's all from me! I'm excited to give this a go!

Thanks for reading,

Lauren xx

What's In My Shower? // The University Edition

Hello beautiful people,

So, I'm super nosey when it comes to discovering what products people like using. If someone is doing their makeup next to me, you can guarantee that I'll be asking questions on what their favourite brands and products are.

I was thinking of some blog post ideas, and as I had just "spring cleaned" all of my products, I thought someone out there may want to see what I have in my shower at uni,  if no-one is interested- fair enough, but I know i'll look back on this post in the future and it'll be cool to see what I was into. I have gone on a massive tangent so lets just get into it...

First of all, a University student bathroom, is more often than not, not the best bathroom in the world. Last year when I lived with all girls, the bathroom was usually mostly tidy, and even when it was messy, it was never really that bad. This year however, I cannot say the same. 

I'm not really close with any of my housemates this year, so I highly doubt they will be reading this, but usually our bathroom is a grim place, no matter how many times I attempt to clean it, within 24 hours it'll be disgusting again. I love uni. It's great. And although I do technically have a bath, I wouldn't dream of using it in this house... 

So, that being said, I like to keep my shower supplies separate so they don't get mixed up with anyone else's, and I know where they all are.  It helps keep things tidy, but also I know people are less likely to steal my things... I realise I'm sounding very paranoid but ya know, you never can tell... plus it's just handy to have them all in one place!

I keep all my products in this cute little tin that I think my sister gave to me when I went to Uni, so I'm not sure where it's from, but I've used it all throughout Uni and it's been very helpful- also looks cute!

1. A Razor

Pretty self explanatory, but I always have a razor on hand for the shower, and I'm not really fussy when it comes to the brand of razor. Although last year my housemate had signed up for a really cool subscription service where they would send you a fresh razor every month so I may do that soon!

2. Dove Nourishing Care Shower Oil

This is a recent purchase, but I have used it a few times and really enjoyed it! It's a really moisturising oil when it hits the water it turns into a milky consistency- great for when I shave my legs!

3. Mini Body Shop Strawberry Shower Gel

I'm using up all my Christmas toiletries and I had this cute mini shower gel, so I just have it in my shower in case I feel like using it. I really love the body shop shower gels, and the strawberry one smells so summery! 

4. L'Oreal Elvive Dream Lengths Shampoo & Conditioner

Not going to lie, I only got this shampoo and conditioner because the colour of the bottle reminded me of my old bedroom which was bright pink and orange- good times. 

Photographic Evidence, an original selfie from 7 years ago....

I actually have repurchased this shampoo and conditioner since! (Hence three bottles in the photo) because I really like the smell, and it makes my hair really shiny! I actually really like L'Oreal shampoos, and I'm not allergic to them- win win. 

5. Bioré Baking Soda Cleanser Scrub 

I've spoken about this before on my blog, but I keep my face wash in the shower because I tend to shower in the mornings so it's just quicker to wash my face in the shower! I really like the Bioré face washes, and have also used the charcoal one in the past. 

6. Dove Silk Glow Body Wash

I love the Dove Body Washes, they smell great and are really moisturising! They are usually are always on sale too, so that's nice on my student budget!

Obviously sometimes I'll use different shower gels or shampoos, but for the most part this is what I usually have in the shower! Let me know if you've tried any of these products, or if you have any student bathroom horror stories! 

Thanks for reading,

Lauren xx

How I Store My Makeup // Beauty

Happy Easter everyone! 

Over the last few days i've been spring cleaning a lot of my things, including my makeup collection!
The show is over so I have some free time, and I'm trying to procrastinate Uni work so what better way to do that then to tidy everything...

I did one of these posts when I first started my blog, and it was so funny to me to see how I used to store all my makeup! It's definitely time to update that post, so here is how I currently am storing all of my makeup whilst at Uni! If you are interested, you can look at that very old post here. I have definitely acquired a lot more makeup since that post!

I use a built in drawer that came with my room to store the makeup that I don't wear on a daily basis, and then I keep a makeup bag on my desk with all my every day stuff in. Having my daily makeup in a bag is just easier in case I ever stay at Adam's or go home, it's just easy to grab it and go- I will make a separate post on what I keep in that bag though, so keep your eyes peeled!

I started by just putting all the makeup I owned on my bed, so I could go through and sort everything! Anything that I hadn't used in 2 months I would throw out, or put aside to give to friends if it was still in a usable condition.
Side note, my makeup bag is from Primark, and I really love it, it's massive so I can just chuck so much stuff into it and not have to worry!

I have a lot of makeup palettes, which I just put in the drawer- I have actually planned a separate post on my favourites soon, but I really love palettes and I do like to collect them, as you can probably tell! I really want the Naked Heat Palette but I really do not need it... But I really want it.... 

Update- I found an Urban Decay discount code for 15% off, and I've just been paid, so I may or may not have a new palette on the way....

I use a cutlery drawer insert thing to house all the random bits and bobs of makeup. Although it may not look the most organised, I like to think of it as organised chaos- I know where everything is! 

I keep some highlighters I don't use every day, the foundations I'm not currently using, and then all my fun glitters and bright eyeshadows in the back. Also have some primers and setting sprays thrown in the mix as well!

I then have a pencil pot which I think is from Primark, which I keep all my eye liners, lip liners, and some lip products in! Just in front of that, I have an acrylic makeup storage thing I got from Amazon, which I use to store all my lipsticks, and lipglosses!

I have cut down my makeup collection a lot! I definitely think I have more than most "normal" people, but I have kind of been collecting it since I was in year 9 maybe, and now I'm in my final year of Uni! I love high end and drugstore makeup and love experimenting with new products all the time! 

I'd definitely recommend sorting through your makeup now and then,  just to get rid of any thing that may have gone out of date, or that you just don't use anymore. If I don't use something and it's still in good condition I always give it to my friends so it's not going to waste!

Hopefully someone found this interesting- I know I love being nosey when it comes to what makeup people have!

Loads of love as always,

Lauren xx

Products I've Used Up // Empties #4

Hey guys, hope you're well!

I'm mainly writing this post today because I'd like to throw all these products in the bin, but also I felt like writing and so here we are, my fourth empties post. You can see the other three, here, here and here, if you like these! Please remember that those old posts are basically ancient now, and most are from 2013/2014 but I found it pretty interesting to look back on things I've fully used up throughout the years.

Anyyyyway, It's currently snowing so much in Brighton it's so pretty! I have squished myself into a patch of sunlight on my bed (I'm basically a cat) But here are some empty products I have used up throughout the year so far. I'll talk about the product, and whether I would repurchase!

The Body Shop Body Butters in Raspberry and Shea. 

I could only link to the Shea scented one, as the Raspberry was limited edition, but I really have enjoyed these. I have insanely dry skin, and also often get eczema so I have to moisturise after I shower or I'd probably shrivel up. (Like a raisin, and in my opinion, raisins are kinda gross) I got given the Shea body butter for Christmas, and whilst the smell wasn't my favourite I've ever tried, it definitely was the most moisturising body butter I've used.

I got the Raspberry one in the Christmas sales for half price- usually these body butters are £15, or £6 for a travel size version. But this one smelt like sweets! Adam loved the smell of this one too, to the point he said he wanted to eat it... fml. But I've used both up and I would definitely re buy more. I've used these for years now, and they have so many different scents to choose from.

Would I repurchase? - yaaas.

The Garnier Micellar Oil Infused Cleansing Water

I don't really see the hype with Micellar waters, because I always feel like they haven't taken my makeup off properly, but this one was very different! It had two layers, so the micellar water, and then a layer of oil, which when you shook the bottle all mixed together.

This really worked for me, and I was very impressed. I was expecting it to leave oily residue all over my face, but it didn't at all, and felt nice to use. It didn't sting my eyes, and it smelled pleasant.

Would I repurchase? -Yes, and around £3.29 It seems too good to be true! When I did go to repurchase it though, they didn't have this version left, so I've actually just got the normal Garnier Micellar Water, but I don't think it's as good as the oil infused version- cry :(

The Bioré Deep Pore Charcoal Cleanser

I used up this Bioré face wash and I actually really liked it. It was fully black, because of the Charcoal, but it smelt nice, and always left my face feeling really clean, and not too dry or tight, if that makes any sense.

Would I repurchase? Probably, if it was on sale. Currently I have replaced this with the baking soda version of their facewash, which is also nice! I've linked to this on Feel Unique where its on sale for £3.49 at the moment!

The Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash

Again, another Christmas gift, but I really do love the normal Soap & Glory body wash, and have done for years. It's my Mum's favourite as well so always used to steal it in the shower, and blame my sister. Mum and Jemma, if you're reading, lol sorryyyyy

Anyway, this is a much fresher scent, and smells like limes mixed with sugar. It smelt good! Not sure if I prefer it to the original though.

Would I repurchase? I guess so. You can get a big bottle that has a pump for in the shower for £6.50, so it is more expensive than your average showergel, but they do feel very nice to use, and the smells they do are incredible. You can get Soap & Glory from Boots.

Sure Shower Fresh Deodorant & Dove Go Fresh Deodorant in Pear and Aloe Vera.

I haven't linked these, because its just deodorant, but I have used these up so thought I would throw them into this post! Out of the two I think I prefer the scent of the Dove one, as it was very fruity, but the Sure one was also nice, and smelt very fresh and clean. Why am I talking about deodorant on my blog now? What is my life...

Would I repurchase?- I'm not too picky when it comes to deodorants, and usually just go for whatever happens to be on sale so if these were on sale I probably would!

So, thats all the products I've used so far throughout 2018. I'm so excited to finally be able to throw these all away now! Let me know if you've used any of these and what your thoughts are!

Speak soon,

Lauren xx

Blogging Made Me Buy It // Glossier

Hey guys, hope you're all good!

I was sat in a dissertation meeting yesterday, listening to what other peoples ideas were, and someone is going to look at how/why people buy products because of YouTubers or Bloggers recommendations.  I am definitely one of those people, and always look for a review on a product first before I buy.

Words to live by...

If I need some new makeup, I'll often look for blog reviews or YouTube videos first, so I can see whatever the product is in more depth, and see it in action, but also to get other peoples opinions as there is literally nothing worse than spending money on makeup only to discover you hate the product. (I mean, there are definitely worse things in life, but hey- you know what I mean.) 

So, with that in mind, I can think of a fair few products that the blogging community "made" me buy, so I thought it would be cool to start a new series on my blog! This is by no means a concept I created and loads of bloggers also do this, but I wanted to try it out for myself too!

First up in this series, Glossier. 

This brand has suddenly sprung out of nowhere, but now I feel it is e v e r y w h e r e. Some of their stuff just isn't for me, like their really low coverage foundations for example,  but some of it intrigued me. After reading reviews, and hearing people I know in real life talk about it as well, I thought I'd see what all the hype was about.

I saw so many people raving on and on about how the Glossier Balm Dotcom was the best lipbalm they have ever used, and honestly I was skeptical. It's a lipbalm.... But me being me, and having no self control whatsoever, thought I'd try it out anyway.  You can get 1 for £10 or 3 for £25 which is actually ridiculously expensive for lipbalm (but you can also use it on any dry patches of skin) on reflection, and now I am regretting all of my life choices... but, lets carry on.

Originally I picked up the scent "Birthday Balm Dotcom" (Mainly because of the sparkly packaging, and promises of it tasting like birthday cake) And it was nice, but it definitely wasn't my fave thing ever. I did enjoy the scent though- tastes smells a m a z i n g. But this particular one has tiny glitter particles in, which don't feel any different on the lips, but I just wasn't a huge fan of how they looked.

I then wanted to try the Cherry version because I'd read it had a tint to it, and then I also thought I could justify getting the Mint version as well, to keep in my car. (How I justified this, I have no idea, but it was payday and I was pretending I had no responsibilities other than keeping my lips moisturized... lol) Fast forward to now, I actually am really enjoying all three.

I keep the Birthday one on my bedside table, the Mint one by my Makeup Mirror (it was being neglected in my car) and I keep the Cherry version in my bag for on the go. They are really moisturising, smell amazing, and I also really enjoy the clinical looking packaging. Even though I use these every day I still have loads left and am really enjoying them. I'd say if you need to bump up your Glossier order to get free shipping, definitely give these a try! Or even if you are just obsessed with lipbalm, I don't think you would be disappointed!

Out of the three, I like the way the Mint one feels, as it feels really tingly and refreshing in the morning, but I do really like how the Cherry one makes my lips look! They do also sell a non scented version, and a rose scented one with a pink tint, but I'm happy with the ones I have.

I wasn't massively into the Glossier makeup, as I personally prefer a more high coverage look myself, whereas Glossier is aimed at people who want barely there coverage. But, my friend Katy tried out the cloud paint and told me they were really good, so naturally again, my issues of self control came out to play and I placed another order.

I got the shade "Beam" and honestly I really, really like this, and I'm not even a huge fan of blush. I was scared of it making me look overdone, as I never use cream products, but the tiniest bit of this goes a long way, and it blends really easily and quickly into the skin, even over powder. I was scared this colour would look too bright on my ridiculously pale skin, but it actually looks incredibly natural, and I am very impressed! 

I also decided to get their most popular product "Boy Brow" which is described as a "grooming pomade." This has loads of rave reviews. I got mine in the shade Brown, and I do like it, but I wouldn't say it was my favourite makeup product I've ever tried. I use this on days where I'm not using much makeup, or can't be bothered to do my eyebrows properly, and it gives them a decent amount of colour, and keeps them in place all day. It's nice, but I probably wouldn't buy it again. 

So for me Glossier was a semi successful blogger induced purchase. I do really want to try out their Priming Moisturiser, face masks, and their highlighter, and also their perfume smells sooo amazing, but I am banning myself from buying unnecessary things for the moment. Living that student life...

Let me know if you have tried anything from Glossier, or if you would? 

Thanks as always for reading my rambles,

Lauren xx

Dermacol Foundation // Review, Swatches, First Impressions

Hey guys, hope everyone is well!

Today I thought I would share my thoughts on the "Dermacol Makeup Cover" Foundation, as I have seen so much hype around this, and after trying it out for a few days I have some thoughts!

I first found out about this on Sophdoesnails' YouTube, where she did a video on her first impressions and measured how it wore throughout the day. You can go and watch that here, if you want to see it in action. I thought it looked quite interesting and considering its less than £10 I thought I would try it for myself.

Product Details:

So, this foundation is renowned for having i n t e n s e coverage. It has 50% pigment in it, compared to other foundations which only have around 20-30%. According to the Dermacol website, it is a popular foundation in Hollywood, and a lot of makeup artists are known to have it in their kits. I can see why, but I'll get onto my thoughts in a second.

Its supposed to provide "outstanding coverage, with a natural looking semi matte finish." which is a claim I will revisit later.

This comes in 16 shades (I believe) and to be honest the shade range is a bit poor. There doesn't seem to be many (in fact, none) shades for darker skin tones, which in 2018, I think is unacceptable, and is something I hate about the cosmetic industry. Makeup should be fun, and you shouldn't feel excluded and not be able to try certain products just because of your skin tone! Alas, I digress...

Screenshot from the Dermacol Website

I actually got mine from a website called Just My Look and you can click here if you are interested. It was £9.95 but at the time they had a deal where if you got any two products from Dermacol, you could get a free sample of their primer. (I think this is still on at the moment) 

I picked up the Acnecover Mattifying Powder, just to have in my bag when I'm out and about. I haven't actually used this yet, but on first impression it smells very very strongly of tea tree oil.

Their satin makeup base primer sample, I was actually really impressed with, and I never usually use primers. (A- because I'm lazy. B- I always forget) but I did notice it really smoothed my skin, and made it feel really soft. But, onto the foundation...

First Impressions

So when I got this, I was excited to see just how full coverage it really was. I decided to test it out on the tattoo I have on my wrist. Also sorry in advance if veins freak you out, this was just the easiest tattoo for me to try it on! 

The coverage is insane. Truly. And you need the smallest amount as well, so I feel this 30g (yes, grams not ml... goes to show how thick in consistency it is!) tube is going to last me a very long time. I did need around two coats to fully cover my tattoo, but even so, I was impressed.
Obviously the colour does not match the skin on my arms very well, and I can see now looking at it on a bigger screen you can see a tiny bit of the tattoo underneath. However I just did this really quickly, so maybe if I spent more time, and used powder too I'd get a better result.

I got the shade 208, because I am so pale, and this seemed like the best one after looking at swatches online. I did notice as well it was so difficult to find swatches! I'm hoping this blog post will be able to help at least someone!

Here it is swatched next to some other foundations I own (sorry for the awful pictures and dodgy swatches, I'm trying lol): 

I learnt a few things in this photo, one being all the foundation shades I have are completely different to each other, the other being I am awful at swatching. How do people do it so nicely....

The shade 208 is actually a really good match, and matches me a lot better than my other foundations. If it helps, I also use the shade "Mont Blanc" in NARS foundations, and I think NW10 in MAC (but i haven't used MAC foundation in years)

This foundation is so thick. It's more like a paste I would say, and a little goes such a long way! I can't express that enough.  On my face the coverage was just as good as on my wrist, and I didn't even feel the need to put concealer on, which is literally so rare for me.

I wouldn't say the finish is matte though, in my experience anyway. It is quite dewy and I do need to use lots of powder to set it down, but thats what I'd usually do anyway.
Having tried it for a few days now, I've found it does last very well, but I have only tried it with powder setting it as this is how I would usually do my makeup, so I can't comment on how it would hold up with no powder!

With the primer sample, it goes on effortlessly, and I use a beauty blender to put it on. Even without the primer though, it's still really easy to blend but it just takes a teeny bit more time.

I'd say if you are looking for a really high coverage foundation that lasts well then you may as well give this a go. It does have SPF 30 so I'm not sure how it would look in flash photography, but it does look very natural and not cakey in real life. It also claims to be waterproof which I haven't tested!

One thing I have noticed though, is that it does easily transfer, which is weird because at the same time it lasts all day! Maybe I am just putting too much of it on, or I just need to touch up with more powder, but I thought I would mention that.

I'd also avoid wearing this foundation everyday, just because I feel it might clog up my skin as it is so full coverage and quite thick. Saying that it doesn't feel really heavy on my face, but it's good to let skin breathe every now and then.

Overall Thoughts:

I definitely would recommend trying this foundation if you can. Especially if you have tattoos you need to cover, or just want to cover for fun. Sounds weird, but it was oddly entertaining. Also because it is so thick and high coverage, I always make sure I thoroughly remove it, and wash my face well before going to bed.

Coverage: 10/10 extremely high!

Longevity: 9/10 Lasts well on me, with powder!

Shade:  9/10 (but shade range is very poor)

Transfer proof?: 6/10- might just be down to how i'm applying it.

Finish: Natural/Dewy.

I hope this has been helpful to at least somebody! Apologies for low quality pictures, I am hopefully investing in a nice camera this year to go with my nice new blog, but in the meantime my iPhone 7+ will have to do.

Thanks for reading as always, and please follow me on Instagram (@curiousginger) and Twitter (@curious_ginger) if you want to be nosey and see what I'm getting up to when I'm not blogging!

Have you tried this foundation, or anything else from Dermacol? Let me know in the comments!


Love, Lauren xxx

January Favourites 2018 // Accessories, Lifestyle, Beauty

I used to write Favourite posts literally all the time (well once a month...) back in 2013 when I first started this blog, so I thought I'd start them again, as I personally really enjoy reading them, and also it's fun to reflect back on what stuff I've been enjoying over the month.

This is a particularly exciting post however, so make sure to stick around to the end to get to the good stuff. Or just scroll to the bottom, if you're really impatient.... Anyway, onto what I've been loving this month.

Beauty:

For Christmas my sister got me a set of five mini Smashbox Be Legendary Lipsticks, and they're actually really nice! The shade that's been my favourite so far is Fig- a gorgeous plum/purple shade thats really easy to wear. I've just realised whilst trying to describe the colour, it's close to the colour of Figs... it all makes sense now. I'm a genius, clearly. 

The full set is still available on the Smashbox website, and its gone down to £20 for five lipsticks!  You can find it here.

On a night out, instead of putting my usual eyeshadow primer on, I accidentally put the Mac ProLongwear Paint Pot in the shade Indianwood on. (In my defence, they are in the same packaging.) I actually really liked how my makeup turned out that night, though! This shade is a really nice golden copper colour, and it's really easy and quick to apply. You can find it here, if you're interested, but they also have soooo many other colours if this one isn't your thing.

When I saw that Revolution were releasing concealers I was pretty excited to try them. Named Conceal and Define I think these are supposed to be a dupe of the Tarte Shape Tape concealer, however they're priced at £4!! I got the lightest shade, C1 but I actually think it's a bit too light for me. It does have pretty good coverage though, similar to the Collection Lasting Perfection if you've ever tried that, and its 19p cheaper... You can find it here, and actually the shade range is pretty good too, which is nice to see.

Lifestyle:

Over the Christmas break, my Mum said I could take her old coffee machine back to Uni with me, and I've been loving it. It's really easy to use, and makes pretty good tasting coffee to me! My housemates enjoy using it too, so its a win win! The pods aren't that expensive either when you consider how many cups you're getting out of a packet. My favourites so far have been the Cafe au Lait, Chai Tea Latte, and the Caramel Choccochino. (A caramel hot choc) yuuuussss.

If you saw my post on my Biscoff Rocky Road you'll know I am obsessed with Biscoff. I love it so much, and this morning I discovered you can get biscoff flavoured coffee syrup. Life Changing. The obsession got pretty bad this month though, to the point where Adam had to ban me from buying anymore of it. Sad times. Didn't ban me from coffee syrup though did ya, Adam? heheheh 

My Dad got me a pair of Dr. Martens for Christmas and I was pretty excited to wear them. What I didn't realise though was how excruciatingly painful they would be. Honestly, I've never worn more painful shoes in my life, the blisters on my ankles were actually awful. You're probably wondering how they ended up in this post. I read online that you have to spend some time breaking them in, so after about a week of wearing the fluffiest socks I own in them to stretch them, they're actually extremely comfortable now. Was a lot of effort though, but they do look pretty cool and go with most things, so here we are.

One of my New Years Resolutions was to drink at least 2 litres of water a day, and I actually have been fairly consistent with it! I do hand it to this bottle though. It just reminds me to drink, and I feel bad if I don't. It was £11.99 on Amazon, and it's actually really nice quality. You can find it here, if you want to check it out- it does come in loads of colours as well.

Accessories:

I kept seeing adverts for Paul Valentine Watches all over my Facebook, and I actually found one I really wanted, I didn't buy it though, because I couldn't justify it. Then, they kept emailing me discount codes and I'd just been paid so I was chatting with Adam about how much I wanted it, and he kept trying so hard to persuade me not to, to the point it was getting a bit weird, and I was starting to get a bit annoyed.

Turns out he had already gotten me it for my 21st (which is in April, by the way) and didn't want me to get one myself. In the end, he told me to shut my eyes and then he went and got the watch from its hiding place, because he knew he couldn't win against me. hahaha, I'm the worst. 
I was very shocked, but also felt soooo sooo horrible hahahah. Sorry Adam, but thank you and you're the b e s t.

It's a gorgeous rose gold mesh watch, but the watch face is pearlescent and pink and beautiful. I love it.

If you know me quite well, you'll know I like to change up my phone cases quite a lot. I don't really know why but I just like change I guess. Anyway, I've had this Pink Holographic Marble case since just before Christmas and I actually love it! It gets so many compliments too, which is always nice!

My laptop case broke, so I thought I'd get a sexy new one and looooooook at this one! It's so nice! It's called Pink Clouds, and I think it looks amazing. This is actually a laptop sticker, and I thought if necessary I could just get a clear case, if I feel I need to, but the website does offer cases too.

Now onto the exciting part of the post! Well done for making it this far!

The website these are from-Coconut Lane UK- have given me a discount code for anyone reading this to get 20% off! They have sooo much stuff on their website, including iPhone cases, Laptop cases and sleeves, keyboard covers, notebooks, jewellery, literally so many different things! If you do find something you like use the code:

curiousginger20

And you'll get 20% off your purchase! How exciting! If you do decide to get anything please leave me a comment and let me know!

I think that wraps things up pretty nicely. If you've made it to the end leave a comment letting me know any things you've been loving this month, and as I said do let me know if you decide to get anything from Coconut Lane!

Thanks for reading,

Lauren xx

Beauty Haul + Mini Review| Kat Von D, Urban Decay, MAC

Hey,

So it is currently a Sunday evening, I'm supposed to be doing my reading for my seminars tomorrow but instead I'm writing this, so at least we've all established I have my priorities straight... 

Anyway, last week, I was feeling a "treat yo self" moment (Thanks parks and rec) and I may have got a little carried away, and when I say a little, I spent far too much money, but sshhh....

I've been using all three of these products for the past few days so I thought i'd tell you my thoughts so far. 

So firstly now that Kat Von D is in the UK on the Debenhams website, I finally got my hands on the Shade and Light contour kit and I'm honestly in love. The powders are all really pigmented and finely milled, they're so easy to use, they last for ages, and you get instructions on how to contour as well. It was pricey at £36 but I think i'll use it every day, and the colours I cant use for my complexion, I can use as eyeshadows, so win win really. 

I love MAC Paintpots, and I already have Bare Study and Painterly, which are very nude, natural colours so I wanted to pick up a bronzy one, so when I'm in a rush for uni, I can still look like i've put in a little bit of effort. I chose the shade Indianwood, and I really love it. I saw Shaanxo use it in her no brushes makeup challenge and thought it looked pretty, and it really is! I feel it makes the green of my eyes stand out as well, so I really enjoy using it. I think it was around £14-£15.

I had a £5 off voucher for Debenhams, because I used click and collect for the contour palette and eyeshadow, and I had seen loads of good things about the Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation, so I thought I'd give it a go. I just want to say the woman who served me on the Urban Decay counter in Debenhams was so lovely, and not pushy at all and she matched me perfectly!  (I'm shade 1.5) I had heard reviews that it Oxidises quite a lot, but i haven't found this to be an issue as I always blend foundation down my neck anyway.

I LOVE THIS. Hands down the best foundation i've ever used! It is so full coverage, but really easy to apply, and it doesn't smell bad. It really does last for ages on the skin as well, and apparently it is waterproof, which I have yet to test, but for rainy autumn days thats got to be another plus. I would highly recommend this foundation, especially if you have combination/oily skin like me.

Swatch of Indianwood paint pot, and Kat Von D Contour Kit.

So my bank balance may be wanting to kill me, but I'm very happy with all these purchases, and I would recommend them to any of you! I hope you enjoyed this post, I guess I should attempt my work for uni now....

Love, Lauren xx

KIKO Makeup Haul

As I'm sure you may be aware of, I recently got back from spain, and whilst I was there I found this really cool makeup shop called KIKO.

I got a few items there so I thought I would haul them for you. Even though I got these in Spain, they do have an English website so If you are interested in any of these products, I'll link the website at the end of this post :)

Firstly (This isn't from KIKO but I pictured it anyway) I bought the China Glaze Nail Polish in the shade Frostbite. I have done an NOTD featuring this, so If you'd like to see that click here.

Now onto the KIKO products. The first thing I picked up was a mascara (Unfortunately I haven't pictured the products individually so I'll use the pictures on the website, hope you don't mind!) 

This is the Luxurious Lashes Waterproof Mascara. I was looking for a good waterproof mascara on holiday as my one was epicly failing. Max Factor Clump Defy Waterproof, yeah not really that waterproof are you? Hellooooo Panda! Anyway, I have tried this out and it really is waterproof! I also love how it makes my lashes look too. 

The next thing I decided to pick up was the Full Coverage Concealer in shade 02. This looked intriguing to me and It hasn't disappointed me. All I have been wearing recently is this concealer, powder, mascara and I'm good to go! Its really amazing! 

I then picked up an eyeshadow. I got the shade 139 which is not this colour! You can kind of see what colour I got in the first photo, but they call it Pearly salmon or something. I LOVE THIS. It really flatters my eye color and the quality is amazing!

I was just about to pay and then I saw these Lip Gloss Pencils and I had to get one. I got mine in the shade 16, which is a sparkly pink shade. I didn't think it would suit me but when I tried it, I actually really liked it! 

I didn't actually buy this, my Mum did but I thought I would show you anyway. This is a nail varnish and when it dries it has a 'Sugar Mat' Finish. What that means basically is that it almost has the texture of sugar on the nails, but my sister used it the other day and it looks really cool. It's something quite unique!

If you would like to see any in depth reviews of these products, please don't hesitate to let me know! :) 

If you are interested in buying any of these products then here is the KIKO Website. They are having a sale right now, and plus if you register as a new user, you get free delivery! Bargain:D

Have you heard of this brand, or have you tried anything from here before?