Campus Idol♥*

Kiko is a brand which I hadn't tried much from. When I received some makeup items from their Campus Idol* range earlier this month, I was intrigued. Although the packaging is meant to represent cheerleaders, I wouldn't describe the packaging to match my personality (it describes itself as sporty, ahem..) but putting that aside, I find that it's quirky and fun. The products themselves though? Let me begin.

I had no clue that Kiko did brushes, so when I saw the Campus Idol Face Brush*, I was delighted. Doesn't everyone just love getting new brushes?! I didn't know quite what to use this brush as, but I have resorted to it being a "multi-tasking" brush - I use it to make sure all my foundation is blended, powder my face or blend out any contouring lines. The bristles are closely packed making the brush dense. The colours of the bristles look extremely pretty, I love the fact they're white but contrast into a purple, and not forgetting the fact they are super soft!

Face palettes are just so convenient - who doesn't want a blush, bronzer and highlighter all together in one place? The All Stars Face Palette* certainly does that. With Spring just around the corner, I've been trying to incorporate blush into some of my makeup looks, so it's no surprise that the blush comes in useful. It's a gorgeous, dusty pink which is subtle. The bronzer is quite an orange tone shade, so I gathered it's best to use for bringing warmth to your face rather than contouring. Of course, the star of the show that stole my heart was the highlighter. As much as I love a strong highlight, this is a lot lighter, however, paired with a liquid highlight as a base, boom!

Who here doesn't love trying new mascaras?! I know I cannot resist trying out new ones. When I noticed the Pump It Up Volume & Curl Mascara* in my package, I was captured. The first thing I like to do is take a look at the wand. It's completely different to anything I've ever tried. Essentially, it looks like an eyebrow mascara wand, but times two, and sitting together. It felt a little intimidating to use at first as every mascara requires a different technique to apply it, and with this one being round, I didn't know the best way to go for it. When applied properly, it adds a lot of volume to the lashes.

I haven't seen many products like the Double Match Lipstick and Lipliner*. The idea of having a lipliner on one end and a lipstick on the other is simply brilliant. Having a lipstick and lipliner in the exact same shade couldn't be any better either. I have the shade "Strawberry Pop", which as the name would suggest, it's a beautiful strawberry shade. This doesn't lack pigmentation in any form - when applied, it's vibrant, pigmented and glossy. My new favourite Summer lip product!

Initially when I saw the Urban Sheen Lipglosses* in their boxes, I imagined they were actual lipglosses. When I discovered they were in a crayon form, I couldn't have been happier! Lip crayons are perhaps one of the easiest lip products to apply. I have two - one in 02 Vibrant Camellia and the other in 04 Chic Geranium. 02 is a natural pink - a "your lips but better". I love it for days where I'm wearing a natural makeup look. 04 is a lot brighter and has more colour to it - it's a pretty fuchsia shade. It can either be wore as it is or tone it down a level by blending out. Both ways look gorgeous. 

This is near enough my first experience trying Kiko - in the past, I've only tried one of their glassy lip glosses. Genuinely, I am impressed by what they have to offer from this range. I think it's fair to say, I would definitely buy more from Kiko!

Have you tried Kiko? What products do you recommend?

*PR samples

A Hated Product?♥

Being a beauty blogger means I have a fairly good knowledge of new makeup releases due to reading blog posts about new products. If a new release has a high number of reviews raving about it, I know it must be good and will probably buy it, in which I will most likely review it myself. Rewinding back to Summer of 2014, Revlon's lip products were my weakness, and it was no surprise that I bought the Colorstay Moisture Lip Stain. Picking the colour was the hardest part; in the end, I chose Barcelona Nights.

In my opinion, I find the packaging to be quirky. It looks as though the product is quite pricey and almost professional. The pink is handy as it's basically the colour of the product itself. I like the block pink as I adore pink but I feel it adds a little personality to the packaging. With the pink being so bright, it's easy to catch whilst looking through your makeup bag.

But why a hated product? I certainly wouldn't say I hate it, however, it has received some hate in the blogging world. The consistency of it isn't like an ordinary lip stain, it's slightly watery. In saying this, application can look a patchy in some areas and uneven.

However, I managed to solve this, call me a genius. So, Jasmine, do inform me? My solution, simple; a lip liner. If applying a lip liner, it's laying down a base for the product, meaning, even application! Normally, I line my lips and fill them in afterwards. The lip liner also increases the length of time the stain lasts on your lips. I find that the stain seems to, essentially, stain my lips for even longer. The length of time that it lasts varies, but even after eating, it was still in tact, almost perfect.

I find this has solved my problem, meaning it went from "meh" right up to "ooh" within no time.

Have you tried the moisture stain? If so, did you love or hate it?

Treating Your Skin On A Budget?♥

 I go through phrases where I am obsessed with my skincare routine, whilst other times I'm lazy and just "can't be bothered". Soap and Glory's skincare range is raved about left, right and centre at the moment. I love Soap and Glory in general, so course I had to try their skincare range. I had high expectations for their range, and what does a beauty blogger do better than going shopping to try the hyped products?

I have two products; a face wash and a cleansing milk. I received the cleansing milk at Christmas and had a voucher for the face wash so why would I not make the best of the voucher? Like the rest of the Soap and Glory ranges, their packaging is bright, pink and pretty. It's sure to grab anyone's attention, and it sure does catch mine.

The Face Soap and Clarity Facial Wash has been everywhere lately. I cannot even begin to tell you how many reviews I've read on it within the last month. I was needing a new face wash so having a voucher for this product couldn't have occurred at a better time. One thing I like about this face wash is the beads in it. When you apply it to your face, the beads burst, helping it to "foam up". I don't think it's designed for a certain type of skincare, although, I have oily skin and find it works well with my skin type. The smell reminds me of their orangasm range, it's a refreshing scent. When I use it, I find that not only does my skin feel amazing, but looked amazing too, and I believe this is because the face wash is enriched with vitamin C. 

In conjunction with the face wash, I have been using the Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk. I remember owning this in the past, and I loved it. When I received this at Christmas, I was delighted as I knew exactly what to expect. I absolutely adore the smell - as you could gather from the title, it smells of peaches. It comes with a pump which is a bonus as not many cleansers do. The formula always feels incredibly luxurious and thick on my skin, almost as though I was applying cream to it (which sounds great right now..) I don't use this to remove my makeup, but it is optional that it can be used for that purpose.

Since using these two together, I've noticed an improvement with my skin. It appears clearer - I think it has been helping with my spots! My skin feels silky smooth and looks instantly smoother. I know for definite I would repurchase the two of these in a heartbeat. I mean, it would be rude not too, especially since they're on a 3 for 2 deal in Boots.

Have you tried Soap and Glory's skincare range? What do you recommend I try next?

A Makeup Setting Spray For Less Than £10♥

Makeup setting sprays have recently came by like a storm to the beauty world, mainly because everyone was wanting to achieve that "dewy" makeup look. I bought one because I just wanted to set my makeup, as the name of the product would suggest. When I was flicking through an Avon brochure ages ago, I managed to find a setting spray. It was fairly new to the book so was a bargain price of £3.50. How could a makeup addict resist? 

The Avon Make-up Setting Spray comes in a black bottle, which is plastic and transparent so you can see just how much product you have remaining. Bearing in mind I only paid £3.50, I believe the packaging looks sleek and almost professional. It comes with a cap over the pump to prevent any loss of product.

 So, how exactly does it work? I like to spray it after I've applied my face makeup (ie primer, foundation, concealer, powder etc). By spraying it on top of my makeup, it will remove any excess powder which will reduce your chances of looking cakey. With it removing any excess powder, it's more likely that the spray will actually be able to reach your makeup and set it. In doing so, you will be able to achieve that dewy look, and that all depends on how much you use. I usually do three sprays down my face and it distributes itself evenly.

The formula isn't sticky or drying, and there isn't a distinct scent - I have been using this for a while and haven't happened to pick up on any scent. It dries almost instantly so no waiting required. According to the avon website, it's also enriched with vitamins A, C and E. For 125ml, it now retails for only £6.

Will you be trying this out? What are some of your favourite setting sprays?

The Hidden Lush Gems♥

Lush are known for a variation of products; some mainstream and others are quieter. I'd say Lush is busiest around Christmas, and majority of people know which product is which from just hearing the name. A lot of the non-festive products aren't as well known, and are almost hidden. At Christmas time, I received a gift set from Lush, containing three products which I hadn't tried nor heard of. To say the least, I was intrigued!

First up is a soap. Sadly, I forget the name of this AND cannot find it anywhere! With that aside, this is pretty amazing. I love the wash of colours within this one bar, and it smells fresh. It reminds me of the sweets, freshers. The smell is quite strong, but not too overpowering. I like to use this in the morning as a "wake me up".

A limited edition Christmas product, the Snowman Shower Jelly. I had been curious to shower jellies, and was originally going to buy myself one, but then I never for some reason, so I was rather chuffed to see this in the box. It smells phenomenal - it's a citrus blend! The actual jelly is shaped like a snowman and has the detail of the snowman's face too. It's slippery too, even worse than soap! I genuinely like it though, and the scent is absorbed into your skin.

The true gem of this box is the Yuzu and Cocoa Shower Cream. I was wary to using it due to the colour of the product as it reminded me of mustard, but ignoring that, this shower cream is incredible. Think of chocolate oranges and coconut merged together - it's basically those two in a bottle. Due to being a shower cream, it's really creamy but feels insanely nice on the skin. My skin always feels smooth after using it, and thankfully, my skin absorbs the scent for hours afterwards! 

Have you heard or tried these products? What do you believe are hidden lush gems?

The Makeup Revolution Goodies♥*

With there being so many makeup brands, it feels intimidating when it comes to makeup shopping. If I want a new mascara, which brand do I go to? Makeup Revolution is one of those brands which I always see and hear about. Something entices me over to their stall in Superdrug but I'm usually overwhelmed from all the beautiful products and cannot choose anything to buy. I'm still quite a newbie to the brand, and when I received two of their goodies, I was adamant I was trying them out that exact day.

Both products are fairly new, the first one being the Makeup Revolution Duo Face Sculpt*, I believe it was released on 24th December. This contour kit makes life easier; it eases contouring. The contour shade, on the right, is an ideal shade to contour. Being pale, I often struggle finding a shade that doesn't look "muddy" or "dirty", however, this isn't in any way. It creates a subtle contour (or sharp contour if that's your aim!) but looks effective either way. The white shade is perfect for highlighting under your eyes, down your nose, your forehead and even to sharpen your contour. I don't like matte highlight on my cheekbones, but can be used to do so.

When I saw I had been sent this gem, I may have squealed a little. The Makeup Revolution Pro Illuminate* highlighter is a true beauty. I might have a slight confession - I think I love highlighters.. This has been my absolutely favourite highlighter lately! I have used it almost everyday since I got it. Just look at it, isn't it gorgeous? It's quite a warm, gold tone which complements my skintone extremely well! The littlest bit goes the longest way where this is concerned - it doesn't lack pigmentation for sure! The pan itself is rather large, which means you're getting a lot for your moneys worth.

Top swatch - Pro Illuminate Highlight
Middle and bottom swatch - Duo Face Sculpt

 As you can see, each product is pigmented, and of course is buildable. Personally, I think my favourite product has to be the highlighter - especially with being such a highlighter addict! For £4 each, I find both these products are bargains! I know for sure I'll be getting more of their highlighters in the foreseeable future.

Have you tried Makeup Revolution? What do you advise I buy next?

*PR Samples

The Easiest Eyeshadows Available♥

Eyeshadow can often take ages. Sometimes when I'm doing my makeup, it takes me the longest because of all the different colours to choose from and all the blending (blending is key!). However, I have days where I don't have enough time to do my eyeshadow or I can't be bothered and want something simple. When this occurs, I reach for my Maybelline Colour Tattoos.

Aren't they so pretty? The colour tattoos are pots of cream eyeshadows. The range is huge, and are affordable too (£4.99 each but often on a 3 for 2 deal). I find the packaging to be sleek, and well suited for the product itself. The consistency of these cream eyeshadows are creamy and blend so smoothly, as well as majorly pigmented! Also, they're apparently dupes for Mac paintpots, and are a fraction of the price.

My personal preference for eyeshadow is usually golds, browns or bronze, so the three I own are along those lines. The top left shade is from the original collection, and the other two are from the leather effect collection. Unlike with cream products, I haven't found that these dry out, which is a bonus.

Creamy Beige was the first of the leather effect collection that I tried. I instantly loved the colour when I originally saw it on Instagram, so knew I had to go out and buy it for myself. As you can see, I'm a big fan of this product - it's gorgeous! If I'm wanting a light base for my eyeshadow to go on top or just for a wash of colour, I tend to reach for this as I adore the colour.

On and On Bronze ("Bad To The Bronze" in America) was the first colour tattoo I bought. It goes with almost every look and always looks flawless. Paired with winged liner, this is my favourite look to wear at the moment! All I do is sweep some on with my finger and blend out any harsh lines with a blending brush, so easy!

Chocolate Suede is the last of the three I have. It's a deep, dark, chocolate brown colour with a hint of glitter through it. This colour makes me think of chocolate and feel as though that's how they created it and the name. It's ideal for darker and smokier looks, although, it can be toned down if required.

With one sweep across the lid, these are potentially the easiest yet greatest cream eyeshadows you will find in the drugstore!

Do you own any of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos? Aren't they just so easy to use?

The Lush Alternative♥

It would take a lot of beating to beat Lush, it's a fantastic brand and they have such a variety of products. It would also take a lot for me to dislike them, because after trying their products, I'm hooked now. As lovely a bath it can produce, I will be honest - it can be ever so slightly expensive, or maybe that's just me because I add too much into my basket. I like to see Lush as a luxury brand for when I need a relaxing bath, and since my nearest Lush isn't too local, an alternative is necessary.

The bomb cosmetics is a fairly popular and well-known brand. I've heard many people go as far as saying they do dupe products of Lush, which is extremely exciting! When I received their Little Box Of Love from my Aunt at Christmas time, I couldn't wait to dive on in and give them a shot!

Looking at them, they're seriously some of the cutest little bath bombs I've ever laid eyes on, and that's saying something. I'm a lover of pink, so these are winners for me. As soon as I ripped off the wrapping paper, I was greeted with the strong scent these beauties have. Don't worry - it's a good thing, they smell beautiful! I had them sat next to me as I wrote this post, and the smell was coming out of the box, it's seriously impressive.

I like the design of these - they're made out to look like little cupcakes which is honestly one of the cutest ideas ever because who doesn't want to have a bath which had a cupcake bath bomb in it?! Each bath bomb has it's own name, which are all really cute. The names include; Rosebud Cupcake, Chic & Cheerful Bath Mallow, Urban Rose Bath Mallow, Kiss Me Quick Bath Creamer, Love Birds Bath Mallow and Feel The Love Bath Mallow. If you haven't guessed yet, there's clearly a love theme running here!

I really like these bath bombs. I love the smell of them, the design and they're a great alternative to lush! I used one this morning and the smell just filled the air almost immediately once it fizzed away. It never created colour as such - it gave the water a cloudy appearance and had dried flowers inside. My skin hasn't felt this luxurious in a while. The water made my skin feel so smooth and my skin definitely absorbed the goodness of it. My only problem with them is that they're too cute and I don't want to use them up..

Have you tried the Bomb Cosmetics? Do you like them?