The Perfume I Don't Want To Finish♥

Not often do I genuinely not want to finish a perfume. It's a rare occasion when I do eventually finish perfume, because I own quite a few and takes me some time to get through them. When I'm at the end of a perfume, I use it continuously to finish it, however, this perfume is an exception - I don't really want to finish it, just yet.

I remember going into Boots and smelling this. I instantly wanted it, but it came with quite a price tag. That was during January 2012, fast forward almost a year until Christmas of 2012 when I received this gorgeous perfume. Fair to say I was delighted to unwrap the paper and see Diesel Loverdose Eau De Parfum.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the packaging that I wanted the perfume for - a first! The purple, glass, heart-shaped bottle is very girly and feminine nonetheless. I keep this in the box it came in though, but if I had a makeup set up, I would most certainly keep this on display! It comes in three different sizes; 30ml, 50ml (which I have) and 75ml. The actual perfume itself? Let me begin..

Looking at the perfume bottle, you would except it to be deep, dark and quite mysterious. In fact, it's pretty much the opposite. It has notes of various fruits making it fruity, and is sweet yet not too sickly sweet. It's almost floral too. 

Top notes: Mandarin, Star Anise.
Heart notes: Vanilla, Gardenia, Jasmine.
Base notes: Liquorice Liqueur, Woods, Amber.

The staying power of this perfume is incredible. I can spray it at 9am and still smell it around 6pm. I spray it twice on my neck and once on my wrists. It's meant for you to feel bold, strong and confident.

I've owned this for around 2/3 years and the smell is still as strong and beautiful as when I got it. With perfumes, they can easily loose their scent but this one hasn't, which makes me love it even more. 

Why don't I want to finish it?

Simple - I just love it. It was one of my first designer perfumes, it's gorgeous and the staying power is fantastic. I would 100% recommend this and repurchase it!

Loverdose is available from all perfume stockists. 

30ml - £32

50ml - £42

75ml - £51 

Have you tried Loverdose? If so, what do you think of it?

Products I've Used Up♥

I haven't done an empties post in over a year. Since I came back from my holidays in July, I've finished up heaps of products, and it only made sense to keep them to then share them. I, myself, like empties because people can give their full, honest opinion on the products as they've completely finished them. 

Body Washes

I managed to finish up 8 body washes! Firstly is The Body Shop's Brazil Nut Shower Cream, it smells like caramel and leaves your skin feeling silky smooth. I also finished Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush Body Wash, it's brilliant to use as it's refreshing and smells like citrus. Next is The Body Shop's Japanese Cherry Blossom Shower Gel, it smells ever so fresh and floral! I emptied up the NIVEA Powerfruit Fresh Shower Gel, it's creamy, smells fruity and makes you feel more awake. I finished 3 LUSH shower gels; Hot Toddy which smells like cinnamon and is basically Christmas in a bottle, So White which smells like apple and makes me feel like Snow White and Snow Fairy which is one of LUSH's most loved Christmas products and reminds me of strawberry laces and bubblegum. The last body wash I finished is Soap and Glory's Clean Girls Body Wash, this is incredibly creamy and almost luxurious, and smells gorgeous.

Body Butters

My skin was dry after my holidays so I finished a lot of body butters. Firstly, I finished two of Soap and Glory's Righteous Butter; a mini and a full size. This stuff is pretty much a godsend! Continuing with Soap and Glory, I finished their Butter Yourself Body Butter which smells phenomenal, as well as finishing their Sugar Crush Body Buttercream, it smells the same as the body wash, and I love it! Next up, I scraped every last drop, The Body Shop Mango Body Butter, it's rich and creamy, and reminds me of a yoghurt (yummm..) as well as the The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter, which if you know me, I love coconut body butters so this was a hit with me. I finished the Sanctuary Spa Body Butter which I believe I finished last year, and it works wonders with dry skin. Lastly, I finished up the Ted Baker Body Souffle was creamy yet moisturised your skin thoroughly.

Body Lotions

As well as body butters, I went through a few body lotions. Firstly, I completely used up Dove's Visible Effects Body Lotion, this stuff I knew I'd love as soon as I got it, and I was right, it was brilliant! I tried to empty every single last drop from Ted Baker's London Regency Houses Body Lotion as it felt really hydrating on the skin. Soap and Glory's Righteous Butter Body Lotion was a real treat - it's pretty much the righteous butter except a lotion version! Finally, a little different, but I used up Soap and Glory's Heel Genius Foot Cream, it honestly does help smooth your heels and leaves them summer shoes ready (even though we're in A/W now..)

Body Scrubs

I take ages to finish a whole body scrub itself, but I finished my 2 favourites. Firstly, I finished up The Body Shop Raspberry Body Scrub. This stuff literally smells good enough to eat, although I don't suggest you do, because it isn't made to be ate.. Anyways, this scrubbed your skin gently, and left my skin both feeling and smelling gorgeous! My other finished body scrub is Soap and Glory's The Scrub Of Your Life. I've had numerous tubes of this as it's one of the best I've tried, and isn't too harsh on your skin. It's ideal in Winter as it helps improve dry patches of skin like a miracle.

Haircare

I was actually surprised with the amount of hair products I finished, and everything is Lee Stafford. Starting with basics, Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo and Conditioner. I like these two in conjunction with one another as it leaves your hair in good condition. I used up two hair treatments; Lee Stafford Hair Growth Treatment which is an absolute miracle (read about it here) as well as the Lee Stafford Pre-Shampoo Treatment, this stuff helps your hair and makes sure it's in a good state. The Lee Stafford Glossing Blow Dry Gel is completely empty as I used it every time I dried my hair and it did live up to it's name leaving it shiny. I've finished to the last drop of Lee Stafford's Nourishing Miracle Oil as I applied it on the ends of my hair to leave them soft. Finally, I finished the Lee Stafford Original Dry Shampoo as it's a total life saver and helped out with many bad hair days!

Skincare

I didn't get through that many skincare products as a lot of them are relatively new. I finished up two face washes; the Skin Therapy Facial Wash was my morning face wash to freshen my skin and the Skin Therapy Tea Tree Facial Wash was my evening face wash to fully cleanse my face after the day. I finally finished my Boots Essentials Moisturiser, and if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know I've been a fan of this for ages, but now I've finished it, I think it might be time to try something else.

You can read last year's empties post here.

What have you been finishing up lately? Or have you tried anything I've finished?

Bargain Buys - Lipsticks♥

Every makeup brand does lipsticks, highend or drugstore, they're all out there and range from £1 upwards. Of course, we would all love to splurge every so often but really, who has enough money to buy a mac lipstick every month at £15.50 each? I've found some amazing bargain lipsticks cost less than £5. Interested? I bet you are!

MUA (Make Up Academy), a brand available from Superdrug. A lot of people tend to overlook this brand due to it's pricing (don't fear, I used to!) and don't look into it much. In fact, it's a great brand which offers extremely high quality for their prices. Seriously though, can we look at the packaging? It looks very sleek and in my opinion, quite professional! Best part of it? These beauties only cost £1, yes you read correctly, £1!

Left - Shade 2
Right - Shade 16 Nectar

You're probably thinking that they're only £1 so they're rubbish. Well, let me tell you, they are not at all. The colours look pigmented just looking at them. They are very, very creamy, which is a good thing as nobody likes dry lipsticks (well, at least I don't!) and being creamy means they glide on your lips easily. They're also comfortable on the lips, and are light to wear too - they don't feel heavy on the lips.

Some of the colours are dupes for high end lipsticks, and that's always an added bonus! There's a wide range of colours to choose from, so you can always buy a few as at £1 each, it won't break the bank! The finish of the lipsticks are quite glossy and the lasting power can last for a good few hours, depending whether or not you're eating or drinking. 

Personally, I would definitely pick these up as they aren't a disappointment, and for £1, you can't complain.

Ever tried these lipsticks? Will you be picking them up anytime soon?

Zoella Beauty♥

It's highly likely that you've heard about Zoella beauty, or at least Zoella herself. Last year, she released her own beauty range, and expanded it this Summer creating even more products for her line. You probably already know that it's no secret that I love perfumes, and when I knew she had body mists, course I wanted them! I got the "Blissful Mistful" from her original range at Christmas and bought the "Let's Spritz" from her newest range, Tutti Fruity, during the Summer.

The bottles look very girly and are great sitting among my perfume. The original range has more of a red, orange and white colour theme with polka dots but the "Tutti Fruity" range has a pink, purple and blue theme with lace. Personally, I prefer the "Tutti Fruity" body mist packaging and it has some of my favourite colours within it, plus I just think it looks a lot girlier.

"Blissful Mistful" is a light and floral body mist. Being a body mist, it's staying power isn't meant to be as good as perfume's staying power, so make sure to throw this in your bag! It's got quite a fruity note to it, which is noticeable when sprayed. However, be careful when spraying this; it is EXTREMELY strong! I can't even begin to explain how many times I've sprayed this body spray and choked on it, but, knowing me, I've probably sprayed too much!

Maybe it's just me, but I prefer this one. "Let's Spritz" is a fruity and sweet but not sickly scent. There is much more of a berry note to it, which I really do like. I feel this one is more Summer appropriate than "Blissful Mistful", and isn't as strong as the other one. However, the staying power of this one lasts longer than the other one, which I cannot understand, nonetheless, I am not complaining! 

If I was to repurchase one of these after finishing both, I think I would lean more towards "Let's Spritz". I do like the scent of "Blissful Mistful" but I feel like this one is more to my taste (If you aren't sure what perfumes I like, I have plenty of perfume posts!)

Which of Zoe's line do you prefer?

Revlon Lip Butters - Are They Worth The Hype?♥

If you've been around in the blogging, beauty or YouTube world for a while now, you may remember these, the Revlon Lip Butters. The beauty community went crazy over these, and I mean crazy! There were hundreds upon hundreds of blog posts as well as YouTube videos. Of course, they were new and received a ton of hype, and I gave into the hype and bought two. But the real question - are they worth the hype they received?

I'll admit it - another reason I bought this besides the hype was for the packaging. The packaging matches the shade itself so it's handy when choosing which lip colour to wear. I think it looks so girly and cute, but also, it's sleek, and the cap doesn't come off in your bag (Worst thing ever! Especially if it ends up on your bag..)

I bought cotton candy when it was first released in Superdrug at it's introductory price of £5.99. Clearly, judging by the mess it's in, I wore it a lot! It's a light pink, and as the name suggests, it's a cotton candy pink colour. Looking back now, I can't understand why on Earth I chose that colour because I don't even wear light pinks as I don't think I suit them. Then, there was a 2 for £10 on Revlon lip products deal on in Boots, I couldn't resist the temptation and picked up lollipop. It's definitely one of my go-to Winter lip colours. It's a gorgeous, deep berry-pink colour, with a shine to it when applied on the lips. 

The lip butters themselves are pretty pigmented. They glide on your lips so smoothly and live up to their names when referred to a butter. Basically, they're a lipstick and lip butter in one, so ideal for Winter months if you suffer from dry lips yet still want some colour.

So, are they worth the hype?

I would say they are! If you buy a shade you like, suit and will wear, they're worth investing in. At £7.99 each, they aren't within everyone's budget, but if you grab them on a 2 for £10 or 3 for 2 deal, you'll be doing alright! The range is huge, and there's a number of different shades to choose from, I'm sure there's one for everyone! You can grab them here.

Do you own one of the lip butters? Do you believe they lived up to the hype?

A Must-Have Eyeshadow Palette♥

theBalm cosmetics are a brand that I just kept hearing more and more of. I had seen their NUDE'dude and NUDE'tude palettes all over YouTube, and being an eyeshadow lover that I am, had made up my mind that I wanted to try one of the palettes. Whilst I was on holidays, obviously doing some shopping, I spied theBalm's palettes. I picked up the nude dude and left the shop after buying it. Course, I was delighted with my purchase and couldn't wait to try it out!

I felt I'd get more wear out of this palette rather than the nude tude, but honestly, I think I'd use both! Although it isn't all that clear from the photo, the packaging both looks and feels sleek. When I was holding it in the store, I knew it felt sturdy and wouldn't get damaged travelling home (luckily, it never!) I just could tell it was going to be a new love, as well as look fantastic sitting with my other palettes.

I, personally, find the packaging to be quirky and unique. None of my other palettes have designs behind the shadows like this one. I was pleased to see that it came with an actual brush, and none of those sponge applicators (Literally despise those!) which was an added bonus. In actual fact, I use the brush quite often as it's pretty good! Another great thing about the packaging is that there's a huge mirror! It comes in very handy, and is large too!

There's 12 eyeshadows in total, with a mixture of mattes and shimmers. Every single colour is HIGHLY pigmented, and I cannot express that enough! A range of different eye looks can be created, from natural, soft looks to dark, smoky looks. Lately, I've been loving golds, and have been reaching for this palette a lot. In all honesty, I don't think I could say I have a favourite shade, simply because there's such a wide variety to choose from.

I don't own any Urban Decay eyeshadow palettes (they retail at £38 each) and I do have the dupes, yet I've been reaching for this much more. It retails at £30 however, I only paid €19,95 from Primor for it! I'd say this is a palette every eyeshadow lover should own, as you can either wear minimal looks or go all out for it, with this one palette!

Do you own this palette? And what's your thoughts on it?

The £2 Mascara That Surprised Me♥

Before I went on holidays, when I was shopping one day, I decided to pop into Superdrug to pick up a cheap mascara for going away, so it didn't dry up. I went to the Makeup Revolution stand as I'd been wanting to try the brand for a while. When I saw the Amazing Curl (think it's changed name since I bought it) for a bargain price of only £2, I picked it up and couldn't wait to try it out, and somehow managed to wait until I went on holidays before I used it!

The packaging is basic yet looks sleek, and as if it costs more than £2. Personally, I wasn't drawn in by the packaging, which is unusual, but by the name of the product. I had been hoping it would give a natural curl, without the use of an eyelash curler. Of course, I just got it in the usual black.

I was glad to see that it actually had a curved wand. Most of my mascara wands are straight, or really big, so it was nice to see this has a curve. I hadn't ever heard of this mascara, so I was unsure of how it would turn out.

 I avoided sitting my makeup bag in direct light so that my makeup wouldn't melt (I ended up putting my lipsticks in the fridge as I left them out one time!) nor dry up. On my first night of my holidays, I didn't curl my eyelashes (I know, terrible..) as I wanted to see how my lashes would turn out. I was surprised to see that there wasn't much excess mascara on the wand, nor any clumps. It applied well, and actual gave my lashes a little lift, making them look longer. The wand is amazing for applying to the lower lashes.

I used it every night on holidays, and used it quite a lot since I've came back. Overall, I'd say this is a mascara worth investing in. I wasn't expecting much from a £2 mascara - I had visions of it making my lashes thick and clumpy - but it did the complete opposite! If you're looking for an inexpensive yet brilliant mascara or a new one, I'd highly recommend this one! I would honestly buy this again just to use on my lower lashes, as it does look fantastic.

As I said above, I got mine in black, however, it is available in brown as well, so you can either have dramatic, noticeable lashes or subtle, natural lashes.

Have you tried this mascara? Will you be checking it out?

The Makeup Brushes I Should've Bought Sooner♥

Real Techniques. Sound like a familiar brand? Well, for ages, I had been looking at them, wanting to get them. When I went shopping a few weeks ago and saw there was money off the Core Collection, I just HAD to get them. I had heard about them EVERYWHERE, no joke, everyone raved about them so I had really high expectations for them.

The brushes come in a handy case which is efficient for travelling. It can either be folded over, or made into a sit-up case (they look good sitting in the case on display!) Personally, I keep it folded over because I don't have enough room at my makeup space to sit them out.

The appearance of the brushes look very professional and expensive. They have the usual Real Techniques black handle, with the rest of the brush gold. The actual brushes themselves are extremely soft. Even though they're soft, they're sturdy and work really well.

I've used mine, so obviously they're not the cleanest (I didn't do the typical blogger thing where I take photos of the items before I use them, I was too eager to try them!) Even just looking at the brushes, you can tell that they're good quality.

In the set, there's a buffing brush, contour brush, pointed foundation brush and detailer brush. Each of them have Real Techniques printed on one side of them, then the type of brush on the other side so you don't forget the type of brush!

The Buffing Brush - This is the most amazing brush ever for foundation, I've been using it regularly because it gives such a flawless finish. I haven't used any other brush for foundation since, I guess you could say I'm obsessed with it..

Contour Brush - This is a multi-use brush as I use it for both contouring and highlighting. It fits the hollows of your cheekbones perfectly, and the side of the brush is ideal for highlighting the cheekbones. It picks up the product fantastically, and distributes it well also.

Pointed foundation brush - I use this for either applying foundation to my face, or blending out concealer, as I find it too small for foundation, plus, I prefer the finish of the foundation when using the buffing brush. I use it to blend out concealer under my eye as that's a delicate area of skin that shouldn't be tugged at, and this brush is gentle.

Detailer Brush - this is the smallest of them all and could be used for many different reasons. If you're cleaning up your eyeliner or making your lipstick look sharper, this would be perfect as it's small enough to use. I use it to blend concealer out on my spots, as I only need a small brush to blend out a small amount of concealer.

So, it's fair to say, not only am I late to jump on the bandwagon with these brushes, but I'm pretty smitten with them! I don't understand why it's taken me so long to buy them. I'm definitely 100% glad I finally bought these as they're totally worth it! I now only have my eye on the other sets...

Do you own these? What do you think of them?

The Perfect Red Lip♥

We have all been there, attempted to be brave and rock a red lip, wishing it turns out as amazing as Taylor Swift's. Sometimes you can get it on your first attempt, or other times it fails miserably, each time. I've been trying lately to get the "perfect" red lip, and have found some products that have helped.

Since red is quite a bold colour, I suggest using a lipliner to make sure the lipstick doesn't "bleed" over the line, in other words, so it doesn't smudge down your face. The one I use is the MUA Lip Liner in Red Drama. It's creamy, pigmented and glides on your lips very smoothly.

I would say that choosing the right lipstick is the most important steep, because, some red lipstick smudge extremely easily and can actually stain your face (sounds worse than it really is), meaning they're very messy. I have three which I highly recommend.

Firstly, I recommend the Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede Lipstick in Trendsetter. Not only is this a gorgeous red, but it is super long lasting, as the name would suggest. It is a lipstick, with the staying power of a lipstain. What's not to love?

This lipstick definitely wins the award for the prettiest print on the lipstick bullet for sure! The Avon Colortrend lipstick in Kissable is probably the most affordable of the bunch. It has been one of my favourite lipsticks for ages now, and it is so creamy, meaning it applies brilliantly. The lipliner is almost an EXACT match for this lipstick, bonus point!

My final recommendation, and the most luxurious lipstick is the Burberry Kisses in Military Red. Firstly, it has gorgeous packaging, which has the Burberry logo on it, though it isn't very clear to see in the photo. This is most definitely the most pigmented lipstick of the three - a dot in the centre of the lip and blend it out, and it looks great!

Those are my secret products that help create a "perfect" red lip. What about you? Any products that help make getting the red lip easier?