Clinique Chubby Stick Review

Hey Guys,

This month I was on the hunt for Glamour Magazine's Clinique freebies (mascara, moisturising lotion and chubby sticks) and managed to get all but the mascara. I was made up after searching in about 10 shops for them that these were the last two in Tesco! They are in the shades Whoppin' Watermelon and Super Strawberry and for £2 each with the magazine it is an absolute bargain and I'm sorry that I didn't get more, although I think a lot of people would say I was selfish for getting more!


They aren't full sized versions, as the retail at £17.00 for one, you really can't argue with this huge discount for a smaller version! The Chubby Sticks are moisturising and I already have an MUA one and two Revlon coloured balm sticks and I can tell from the quality that these Clinique ones are better than the Matte formulas of the Revlon ones, although they match up pretty well with Revlon's satin version.

They are lovely shades for summer and you gain the benefit of your lips being lovely and soft at the same time as adding a subtle tint of colour to your lips, perfect for when you want a little something to add, instead of wearing an overpowering lipstick. Super Strawberry is a darker shade than Whoppin' Watermelon but they both make your lips a lovely colour.


The product isn't designed to stay on your lips throughout the whole day, as it is a 'Moisturising Lip Colour Balm' after all. I personally like touching up the colour on my lips anyway, so this is an easy way to do it. My favourite is Super Strawberry as I've always loved darker colours, but both are truely lovely.

I was slightly disappointed by the lack of scent as the Revlon ones are like a peppermint flavour/scent and leave you lips tingly, so branding them with fruitful names did strike it odd that they didn't smell of much, but then again it is about the quality of the lip balm, not how it smells at the end of the day. Despite any flaws, you don't need to sharpen your chubby stick as it winds up from the bottom, meaning you never have an excuse not to be wearing it, until it runs out that is. 

Overall, it did make my lips soft, and the size is great for travel or just placing in your handbag, but for the price it is a hard one to judge. Yes you get the quality, but for a fraction of the price you can buy a Revlon satin balm which gives the same effect. Personally, I love Clinique, but for a balm I wouldn't be spending £17.00, I would prefer to spend that on their moisturising lotion. 

I'm hugely grateful to Glamour for putting this in the magazine, as I would never have tried it otherwise! I love  a 'freebie' and this has to be one of the best I've seen in a while.

Love,

Dr Organic Manuka Honey Face Mask Review

hey lovelies,

I've not been having the greatest time with my skin lately, and everyone has to use a face mask at some point in their life, right? I received this one by Dr Organic* last month and decided it was time to test it out, as the summer heat is making my skin quite dry/oily which is driving my insane. This retails at £7.39 (here) which I believe is pretty standard for a beauty product with natural ingredients.


It is recommended to use this twice a week as part of your cleansing routine but I have been using it once a week at the moment as I am forgetful. However, I have seen the benefits of once a week regardless which I think is pretty good! You apply it on dry skin for 10 minutes, where it should harden, then you wash it off with warm water (or a damp flannel). I definitely felt the benefits of this as I feel like you need a good face mask during the hot days during summer! It didn't harden as much as other face masks I've used in the past, in a weird way when it makes your face stiff I actually don't mind it, until it gets in your eyebrows which is a nightmare, but this mask doesn't dry very hard.

The consistency is white and fairly thick, as it contains Kaolin which is a Chinese clay, which claims to "draw oil from the pores" and rid your skin of impurities and dead cells. I love these types of face mask where you can apply a little bit for a quick result or apply a thicker coating and wait longer for it to dry. With natural ingredients like Cacao Seed Butter and Honey Extract you can see why it will benefit your skin, and is vegetarian friendly!

It was quite easy to wipe off, I've seen some reviews where people have said it was difficult to rub off but I didn't find this problem and it came away fairly easy with warm water. After washing the mask off, my skin felt smooth and clean, showing that it does what it is aiming to do. I have fairly sensitive skin, and no problems came to light. For the next few days after, without changing my normal skin routine, my skin felt more soft and nourished. 

From using the product once a week, my skin isn't as prone to break outs and little spots, always a good sign! Another benefit was that my skin wasn't as dry nor oily, making my skin feel better during the recent hot days which has played havoc with my skin in the past. I honestly feel like this is worth the money and I would purchase this when mine finally runs out (it seems to last ages!). I've personally not tried any other Dr Organic products but have seen their Manuka Honey Face Scrub online and might give that a go!


Are there any other face masks I should try?

Love,

Exploring London!

Hey lovelies,

So I know I went to London in June, but with so many things going on, I've barely had any time to write p my travel posts. My boyfriend and I went on a 3 day trip to London to have a little shop and explore just after we had finished our 2nd year exams.



Little OOTD: 

Navy cardi: Marks and Spencer's
Cami top - Topshop
Skort - New Look
Tights - Primark
Jelly shoes - Primark
Navy bag - Primark
Watch - Fossil

I did regret the tights as it was pretty hot!


Andy and I in the park near Buckingham Palace (what is it called?). My sunglasses are from New Look, dress from Primark. Andy's top is from Jack Wills and his sunglasses are from ASOS, just in case anyone wondered!



I missed the changing of the guards but saw them walk/strut? near Hyde Park which was nice!



The Food Hall at Harrod's was amazing. We bought a Cronut from the cupcake stall for nearly £4 as I wanted to try one (no longer a cronut virgin) and it was pretty damn good! As much as I would have loved to purchase all the food and all of the designer handbags, my purse nor my stomach would have liked that!


Yes I am a child but the Harrod's bears are sooooo cute!


Having never been to Piccadilly Circus before, just after this picture it was incredibly crowded and we didn't have places to visit in particular, not very planned, so we didn't stop for long.


 I apologise to all those cringing from the photos being both portrait and landscape but I didn't originally plan to use these in a post! It was boiling in Trafalgar Square so we sat near the fountains for an hour with an lolly ice (I am highly aware it seems that only scousers say it this way round).



We had a lovely time in London and I am so excited to spend the day there in September before we nip off to Paris for 5 days! Paris is somewhere I've also never been to and will make a huge list for the Pharmacies there!

We had a light lunch (as light as physically possible) in the Hard Rock Cafe which was so good. It was so funny to see some teenagers bring sandwiches who sat outside and you could see them checking in on Facebook to say they had been haha!

If you have any places to recommend a visit to in either London or Paris then please let me know in the comments!

Love,

Behind the scenes: Harry Potter Studio Tour P3

Hey you lovely bunch,

This is the final installment to my little Harry Potter series and this is just a general look at what happens behind the scenes of filming the movies. I know this isn't a normal type of post, but as not everyone can experience the tour, I thought it would be nice to share my experience of it. I visited in June but with so much going on, I hadn't got round to posting it!

Here are the previous posts:   


If this was real food it wouldn't have lasted this long, imagine eating all that chocolate!



I loved seeing all the wands and loved the way they had set this out. The amount of people who must have been working on the props would be phenomenal!


Andy & I in the Mirror of Erised, which is absolutely huge! Cheeky OOTD here too...

Dress - Primark
Cardi - Marks and Spencer's
Socks - Topshop
Sandals - ASOS


I love how simple some of the props are and how old looking the furniture was. Part of me really wants old furniture in my future home but i'm so indecisive I would probably buy everything from IKEA ahha!


Dumbledore's Office was just as magical as it is on the films. I wish there wasn't bars around everything, as it would have been amazing to actually walk around some of the sets, but as they are so valuable they probably wouldn't want little children putting their hands all over it!



It was very surreal to see how the whole Quidditch and broomstick scenes worked, I'm sure I'd be very uneasy sitting on that when it was moving around!


The door to the Chamber of Secrets was huge! It's so hard to put in words seeing things you've seen on films in real life but the amount of detail they had put into props etc was amazing.



The inner child of me loved Dolores Umbridge's office, SO MUCH PINK! I really wanted to nip over the barrier and find out what chairs they were because they're so pretty.


Didn't see my letter :(



The ButterBeer was overpriced, like I had expected (£7) but you got to keep the tiny plastic cup it came in, so I guess that is a good point! It tasted like cream soda, mixed with a bit of Iron Bru and caramel syrup with some sweet cream stuff on the top. Very hit and miss from a lot of people. I liked it (thankfully, from spending that much on a tiny drink) but my boyfriend Andy didn't so much.

For any beauty bloggers or lovers here, I'm wearing Barry M Gelly Nails in Blueberry on that picture!



Diagon Alley was amazing! I think it would have been 10x better if they had built the insides of the shops so you could go in, but they are only props so you can't expect too much I suppose!


My inner child also wanted to go inside here and explore, but again it was just the shop windows!


Hogwarts was absolutely amazing and I was actually in awe at how big it was. From seeing other people's posts on the tour it looks like the model was fairly small, but in person it was huge!


Okay I did want to buy my own wand but it was like £25 for a piece of wood that would end up on a shelf and I though it would be a waste! But here are all the wands from Olivander's with the names each hand painted onto the boxes apparently.


I hope you enjoyed my post! I know it has been over a month since I visited but I though this was long due the finally update and for anyone wanting to go it is definitely worth the visit! The only thing I would say would be to bring enough money if you want to buy gifts from the gift shop as it is pretty expensive (like £7 for a little packet of chocolate) but they are amazing. I've already had the Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans before as my friend brought some back from Florida for me so I didn't feel the need to get anything.


I wish there could be studio tours for other films like Clueless: Cher's Wardrobe as that would be good! I can't fathom how much detail went into every single prop, it's no wonder why so many people love the books and films!


If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below!

Love,

MAC Hot Gossip Review

Hey lovelies,

You may have seen that in June I was in London for a few days for a little trip! I never got round to posting my final installment in the series but I thought I show what I cheekily managed to pick up in Covent Garden - my first MAC Lipstick!

After spending wayyyyyyyy to long swatching different lipsticks, lusting after Heroine and Lady Danger, I decided to go for a more pink-nude toned lipstick that I know I will get a lot of use out of, I can buy more adventurous colours once I know I love MAC lipsticks, which I now do.

mac lipstick hot gossip

I had already used this (sorry, my bad!) but the original photos I had taken really didn't show how lovely this lipstick looks. I swatched over 20 lipsticks in the MAC store and decided to go for a pinky-nude. There was no point in me reviewing a really bold colour for my first lipstick as I wanted to see how much I actually loved the finish. There is a bit of shimmer to it, but in the most flattering way.

I think another good MAC nude toned lipstick would be Creme Cup which I had my eye on too, but I had a spending limit (as it was a mini trip to London) so I couldn't go overboard. I don't think my boyfriend would have appreciated even more time in the MAC store too!


Sorry for my poor photo taking skills, but this photo was taken once I had gotten home. I don't usually look this tanned.  I love that it is a cream sheen lipstick, as if my lips are a tiny bit dry, I won't panic about how they look, compared to buying a matte lipstick. I luckily picked this up before MAC raised their prices to £15.50 per lipstick.

I did notice that it didn't last all day, but unless you buy a lip stain, they don't tend to. I know some people will be disappointed that I didn't opt for a signature red or a bold coral colour like Lady Danger but I think it is so important to invest in a lipstick for a natural or "no makeup makeup" look.

 I think it is a lovely colour but for how long it lasts and I love investing in more expensive products as it is worth it for the quality. I now have my eye on Rebel for my next one!

Is there a particular shade or finish of MAC lipsticks that you love?

Love,

25 Things To Do This Summer

Hey lovelies,


I saw this Bethany Worrall's blog and also by Alfie from Pointless Blog and thought I should have a little go! I have already completed some of them, but where is the fun in it if you haven't already started, it is July after all.

Picture Re-pinned on My Pinterest


  1. Explore around Paris
  2. Go to Center Parcs
  3. Have a BBQ with friends and family
  4. Get a part time job
  5. Take my sister to see the meerkats in Chester Zoo - she keeps asking!
  6. Make fruit smoothies
  7. Move into my flat with my boyfriend
  8. Have a picnic in the park
  9. Read my newest book by Richard montanari
  10. Plan my 21st Birthday out
  11. Buy more recipe books - particularly by Jamie Oliver
  12. Practice making my boyfriends birthday cake
  13. Go up the Eiffel Tower in Paris
  14. Bake with one of my best friends
  15. Buy a brow product that suits me
  16. Lose a stone in weight
  17. Get a lot better at painting my nails - I try!
  18. Donate clothes to charity
  19. Plan a summer holiday for next year
  20. Catch up with PLL and OITNB
  21. Go hiking
  22. Spend a week in the Lake District
  23. Get my hair cut pretty short - whether I am brave enough yet who knows?
  24. Hit 100 posts on BVL - on 87!
  25. Try to resist the urge for Summer Sales - so far I have failed miserably!


Let me know if you are going away this summer or have made a checklist of things to do!

Love,

Klorane Wipes Review

Hey lovelies,

I have always been a curious one with makeup wipes. This may seem odd but sometimes my skin gets a bit dry after using them and some never take all my makeup off. If you're feeling the same, I may have found a holy grail product in the makeup wipe section!

These are Klorane makeup wipes* are made with cornflour water which are better for the environment as it includes active plant ingredients and 100% biodegradable.



I was recently in John Lewis and saw that these were £6.50 to buy. At first I thought what on earth? For 25 wipes that is 26p per wipe, in comparison to cheaper wipes being about 8p per wipe. On the flip side, you only need one to take all your makeup off. When you look at it that way, the price seems a bit more reasonable.

I am definitely one of those girls who on the occasion gets a bit lazy, but we all do, right? So I use one makeup wipe, then another, then another and I soon find my way through a pack of wipes very quickly. The good thing about these is that it actually takes all your makeup off with one, which surprised me A LOT.

They aren't incredibly wet which makes it feel like you have a cold flannel on your face, but definitely aren't dry either. I should probably have just said they are a good balance of what a wipe should be, but you get the gist.

Being the strange girl that I am, and blue being my favourite colour, the packaging stood out to me too. They come in a small packet which means putting them in your bag is easy and they don't stand out like cheaper wipes. With a more secure opening too, the top wipes don't become dry as quick as other branded wipes too.

So, the verdict. Would I spend £6.50 on them myself? Probably. For what it is worth, you don't use tons of wipes (saving the planet and all that) which means less time taking makeup off and more time looking for more makeup to buy online, win/win? I think the price tag will definitely be an issue for some, I can understand why. If you're looking for a product that is worth the money on the other hand then it's a good investment. If you're looking for some cheaper ones to save those pennies then maybe not. When I eventually run out of them, I definitely think I will purchase them.

Hope my review helps anyone interested in more natural makeup wipes for easy removal!

Love,