LauraHadley.co.uk

My Beauty Icon - Jennifer Aniston | HOF Beauty Ambassador

House of Fraser are on the look out for the next Beauty Ambassador! As soon as I heard the news I started planning out which of my own makeup to use to 'get the look' and couldn't wait to post my entry in! I knew who my beauty icon was before - Jennifer Aniston. Shes 46 and is absolutely glowing. She takes care of her skin and body and treats it like a temple, the perfect person to represent what 'beauty' really is. Her makeup is usually quite natural and I believe her makeup for most of her appearances can be achieved by anyone.

Base

Jennifer's base makeup is usually quite dewy and unfortunately I have combination skin, but I have the perfect solution which I will explain later. Before applying foundation, I believe the Body Shop Insta Blur or the Benefit Porefessional would be the perfect products to prep and prime the skin. They don't leave you skin completely matte but prevent unwanted oil breaking the surface and allowing your makeup to slide. For foundation, you can use the Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation or the drugstore alternative Revlon Colorstay which happens to come in two finishes - for combination skin and for dry skin. Both foundations are pretty similar, medium to high coverage without your skin looking cakey. For a lighter foundation try Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream or L'oreal True Match Foundation as they make your complexion even and add the slightest bit of coverage. If you want to add a dewy finish to your foundation, try adding Nars Illuminator in Hot Sand which is a highlighter that you can mix into foundation to give you that glowing finish. Jennifer's skin looks pretty natural but never seems to have red pigmentation or under eye circles which can be prevented by using a concealer. My favourite is Collection Cosmetics Lasting Perfection Concealer which is affordable and heavy duty but again, leaves your skin looking natural. To set the makeup, use Rimmel's Stay Matte or Benefit The Porfessional Agent Zero Shine.

Brows

With honey blonde hair and her natural brown hair occasionally peeping through her roots, Jennifer Aniston likes to keep her brows simple. She tends to go for a softer brown than her natural colour without any sharp, drawn in lines. To fill in blonde/brown hairs, try using Soap & Glory Archery or Makeup Revolution's Eye Pencils to add some depth to brows. The best step next is to brush through the brows to make sure every gap is filled in. For a more defined look, you can apply Benefit's Brow Zings or Rimmel's Brow This Way to add a darker colour and to set the brows in place. For more natural looking brows, or you don't need to fill them in, use Natural Collection's Clear Mascara which is super affordable and keeps your eyebrows set in place without them looking like they have any product on them. I prefer to use a mix of these products to make my eyebrows look similar to Jennifer's since I have natural blonde brows!

Cheeks

I've noticed over the years that Jennifer Aniston loves to have the bronzed look on her cheeks without it looking "too obvious". To subtly contour your cheeks, temples and nose you can use Benefit's Hoola Bronzer, the bronzer from Makeup Revolution's Golden Sugar Blush Palette or the drugstore alternative Bourjois Délice De Poudre to add a sun kissed glow. I blend this into my cheeks to make sure I'm not going for a Kim K contour as this look is very natural, highlighting your features in a subtle way. For blush there are a few products that can give you a pinky-rosy cheek without looking like a doll: Sleek Instant Glow is a dupe for Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick, Makeup Revolution's Golden Sugar Blush Palette have a few gorgeous baked blushers and highlights that can achieve the same look, or your can use a blush by Benefit. I have nearly all of their blushes as you can see, and my favourites for this Jennifer Aniston look are Coralista and Hervana.

Eyes

I've noticed that Jennifer likes to enhance her blue-green eyes by making them brighter without stealing the show from her makeup look as a whole. Her typical colours include a white/cream/champagne colour in her inner crease, with either a tan/brown in the middle and outer crease or for a summery look, using a light green or blue to make her eyes pop. The most beautiful part of her eye makeup is that it is blended perfectly to make sure she still looks herself. To prime the lids you can use Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin which adds a pretty sparkle to your lids whilst stopping them get oily throughout the day. For shadows, you can use a range of colours from Urban Decay's Naked 3 Palette or Makeup Revolution's Flawless Palette depending on which look you're going for. Mac's Frost Eyeshadow in Paradisco can add a bit of shimmer to the lids without it looking over the top. To finish below the brows to tie in your makeup look, the YSL Touché Clat in Rose is a natural looking highlighter that would match this look and finish it off.

Lashes

If she's not wearing a set of natural looking false lashes, Jennifer's eyelashes are long and fluttery. There are no clumps allowed on her face! To prime the lashes you can use Urban Decay's Subversion which is essentially a white mascara to comb through your lashes and separate them before adding a black mascara. The Urban Decay Perversion Mascara is it's sister and makes your eyelashes look fairly black and stays on all day. To make your lashes look like you have false ones on, use Benefit's They're Real which has a comb applicator to get in from the root to make your lashes flutter. For a waterproof alternative, try Dior's Diorshow Mascara which is similar to Perversion but will guarantee your lashes look the same through the whole day.

Lips

One of the most important features of Jennifer's makeup look is her lips. She's in her 40's and still has fabulous lips. The reason behind this is that she always makes them look like "her lips but better". A pink-nude toned lipstick makes sure she is looking glamorous all day long. My favourites come from Mac in Chatterbox, Hot Gossip and Speed Dial which are some gorgeous sheer lipsticks to enhance your lips whilst making them look fuller and healthier. Some alternative lipsticks are L'oreal's 'Julianne's Nude' and the Color Riche 'Sparkling Amethyst' and Rimmel's Moisture Renew Lipstick in Fancy. As you can see, I've gotten through about half of Hot Gossip already as it just makes this look absolutely beautiful.

Who wouldn't want to achieve this flawless, natural look? Aside from Jennifer being a natural beauty, she also has a perfume which I already own and skin products. As a celebrity she endorses Glacier Water and various other wellbeing products to promote beauty from the inside out. She has been a role model to me since I first turned on FRIENDS aged 14 and seeing a blonde who promoted natural beauty with a humorous charm. In the acting industry she is casted as the type of person you would want to associate with no matter who you are and I think that's lovely. She doesn't look a day over 30 and she's inadvertently taught me that you should look after yourself through being healthy and applying the correct makeup that suits you.

How To Be: Festival Safe

As an avid festival goer who loves music seeing live bands with my friends, today's post is all about how to stay safe at festivals whilst having fun. I've been to Leeds Festival about three times, V Festival, WOMAD and some day festivals so with this experience I have learned from my mistakes!

[Leeds Festival 2011]
Go with people you trust I imagine this is straightforward for a lot of people. You go to a festival with your friends and friends-of-friends but stick next to the people you definitely know you trust. The amount of times people get robbed at festivals or spiked because they aren't paying attention to what they're doing. If you're with the people you trust you're bound to have a better time anyway. People do split off when going to see different bands so make sure you're with someone you know at all times.
Carry valuable items safely I don't agree with the whole "don't have expensive/important items with you" because to some people they are necessities. For me to buy alcohol in Leeds Festival I had to take my passport since I don't have a drivers license. I also took my phone and extra money because you can never be "too prepared". My advice would be to make a good hiding place - on your body. Don't leave your brand new iPhone in the tent or your spare purse with money in it. For me, I take some money in my bra (sometimes my phone goes there too!) and then I either carry a bum bag or an over the shoulder bag with multiple compartments and keep it to the front. If you want to take your camera to capture some amazing photos then do it, just remember to keep it on you and hidden.
Stick to your gut If something doesn't feel right then don't do it. You see a wide range of drugs being used in front of you at festivals. There will be people everywhere selling and using and if you're not into that then don't do it. I've been asked plenty of times by random people if I wanted to buy drugs and the simple answer is no. I never would touch drugs but that's my personal opinion. You never know what is actually in them and I've seen all sorts at festivals to make me steer clear for life. I don't want my memories of the festival being spent in first aid, I want to be dancing and listening to music. 'Legal highs' have recently been banned so don't get sucked into something by a stranger telling you something is safe when it really isn't. Cloudstix have more information about this here.
Do your research Every time I go to a festival, a few weeks before I print off the festival map and the estimated artist times/locations so I don't have to spend £10 on a programme and dangle it around your neck on a lanyard all day. If you know how to get to your campsite, the toilets and the stages then you're set! An important thing is to research what you're allowed to take into the festival. Some festivals don't allow gas canisters for your portable cooker as they cause a risk of exploding which can can cause serious harm. Glass won't be allowed either so make sure any alcohol you're taking is in cans or plastic bottles.
Food and drinks I think there are two types of festival goers. Those who take a weeks worth of food and drinks with them and those who take a multipack of crisps and a 2 litre bottle of vodka. Firstly, don't try and take everything with you as if you damage your back carrying all of this on the first day you won't be in for a happy weekend. Secondly, there are plenty of stalls and shops to buy food and drink from. I'm not saying you should buy everything from them because they are extortionate prices - you're looking at £7 for a decent sized meal on a paper plate with a plastic fork. The festivals have to provide stalls that sell water to ensure you get enough liquids down you so take a decent amount of money and make sure you're eating three meals a day with enough water to keep you hydrated.
Pick your outfits carefully I really cannot emphasize this enough. If you advertise that you're wearing designer clothes then you may be at risk of someone breaking into your tent and having a rummage through. You don't want to be taking full length jeans and white tops if you're going to a potential muddy festival anyway, but please don't take flip flops (you don't want broken toes) or a winter coat. You don't need them. Stick to a trusty pair of wellies with shorts, a t-shirt and a mac!
Make sure to have fun and be safe!

This is a sponsored post

Collection Cosmetics New Nail Varnish Collection

Summer is here but the weather doesn't quite know what to do with itself. It can go from pouring down with rain from the sun shining so brightly you're eager to whip out the factor 50. I used to wear black nail varnish all the time until I decided that blue was much more my colour but I love being able to change my nail varnish to match an outfit. Collection Cosmetics new nail varnish collection* has a huge range of colours to suit every outfit. The nail varnish is aimed to last 7 days (hence the name). Here are a few of my favourites:

The 7 Day Wear collection and the 2 in 1 Top & Base Coat cost £1.99 which is an absolute bargain for nail varnish these days. The Long Lasting Nail Effects cost £2.99 which again is nothing compared to some of the overpriced nail varnishes on the market. I don't think I've ever spent more than £5 on nail varnish since I change it so often so the polishes in this collection are of both good quality and don't break the bank.
I adore the pastel shades in this collection the most and have already tested them out on my nan! I have her subtle pale pink nails with a bit of sparkle and I think she secretly loved feeling pampered for 10 minutes! Thank you to Collection Cosmetics for letting me try out the new range! The Collection is available to buy from Boots and Superdrug now. You can view my other Collection Cosmetics posts here. post signature

Illuminate Your Skin - Nars Hot Sand Illuminator Review

I've always been skeptical as to whether highlighters and illuminators can work on your skin, and whether they can look subtle instead of it looking like you've rubbed a pot of glitter all over your face. I've tried a few liquid highlighters before and they have sat in a box for the majority of the year since sometimes they can be "too liquidy" and don't leave the desired effect. I decided a few months ago to buy the Nars Hot Sand Illuminator from Asos (£23) to test before I go on holiday in August to give my skin a bit of oomph.

It does take a bit of getting used to, but I adore this product. It definitely doesn't look too cakey or like a fairy with chunky glitter all over my cheeks. It may look orange but for me it applies more of a subtle pink-orange colour with very fine bits of sparkle. It lasts all day which is most definitely what I expect from a high end product and it looks quite pretty on with makeup.
I've not yet mixed it in with my foundation as I'm a bit scared to. I have oily-combination skin and stray far away from dewy foundations and take my mattifying powder everywhere with me so the thought of adding a highlighter into my foundation makes me question whether it would be a smart idea or a bad mistake.
I don't think I'll be jumping into purchasing anymore high end highlighters in the near future - £23 is a fair amount and I'm glad I liked it for the price I paid! It is Nars after all (this product made me loose my Nars virginity) but my bank balance needs to remain in the positive for my holiday spends, and by that I mean Duty Free and Sephora...

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A Rose Gold Love - Jewellery Box

If you follow my on Pinterest or Instagram, you'll know I am a massive fan of rose gold, especially rose gold jewellery. As a blonde I don't really wear gold since it clashes, so wearing silver jewellery all the time can get a little boring. Rose gold is the perfect 'in between' and offers a pink coloured gold which can compliment any complexion. I was kindly sent some pieces by Jewellery Box which not only featured the beautiful metal but also an arrow necklace which I absolutely adore. They came in this adorable brown paper box with little clips on the inside to secure them in place - a cute touch!

For some reason I have this love of arrows - whether that be because I'm intrigued as to what is to come from the future, or a sign that I'm determined to put a not-so-happy past behind me. The necklace is very dainty and subtle, but incredibly pretty. I'm planning on adding some rose gold into my graduation outfit on the 9th July this year and I imagine this will be my first choice, subtly complimenting my white Topshop dress and pale blue heels from New Look. At £8.80 it is a lovely addition to my necklace collection.
I was so happy to see some studs in here! I have my lobes pierced three times in each ear and for some reason I always leave the bottom holes without earrings in "just in case" I see a nice pair of earrings to put in. I will no doubt be buying some more of these so I can have rose gold earrings in permanently in all three holes since I don't really change the earrings. These are 9ct 3mm studs, not too big but not too small to dip through the holes which my current ones do already. These come in silver and gold too if you're not as into rose gold as I am. At £15.50 they're affordable for rose gold metal lovers.
The final pair are quite similar to the studs but are pull through earrings - you put the straight part through the holes and they dangle from the front. I originally thought that they might have needed a butterfly on the back to keep them in place but since they're pretty light you don't need them. I'm thinking of wearing these to my graduation too potentially since they are a classy way of wearing non-stud earrings without looking too in your face. These are only £4.80 to purchase.

Thank you to Jewellery Box for my pieces, I can't wait to wear them!

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Say No To Brassy Tones, Hello Touch Of Silver

If you weren't already aware, I have worked as an assistant in a family salon a few moons ago. I used to change my hair colour whenever I felt like it (a glimpse of this is here!). Whenever I went back blonde I was desperate for an even hair colour and no orange tones. I naturally have ash blonde hair, it's basically a grey-blonde and I suit slightly lighter hair. Apart from using a purple toner to dull down brassy tones and encourage cool tones, I used to religiously use a purple shampoo.

I've tried quite a few, and two brands sell the best. L'oreal, and Provoke. I received these Provoke Touch of Silver products* to test out and show you the results. I am an official VIB (very important blonde) and I'm so excited to rejoin my journey of eliminating orange elements from my blonde hair. I have subtle highlights that cross over from being balayage to ombre so I'll be testing over time multiple Touch Of Silver products to see which works best on my hair. Since I received these shampoos and conditioners to try, Touch Of Silver have developed new products which will be in an upcoming post!
Anyway, I wash my hair with a clarifying shampoo once or twice a week to get all the dirt and grease out, then I follow on with either the Daily Maintenance Shampoo then the Daily Nourish Conditioner, or when my hair needs a bit of a lift, I use the Twice A Week Brightening Shampoo then with the Intensive Treatment Conditioner. I wash my hair about twice a week - I naturally have dry curly hair so luckily for me I don't have to spend hours a month washing my hair. I don't think I've ever washed my hair 'every other day' let alone daily, so I end up using the Twice A Week shampoo about three times a month instead. You see the problem for me reviewing hair products?
As much as I love these products, I am very excited to try the new range out to see if it differs! This includes a pre-wash primer, dry shampoo and what is known in the hair industry as "Botox for hair". I will fill you in soon with all to come, but if you have a cheeky look at my Instagram you can see the new products on offer!
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This post was due to go up a month ago and I forgot to schedule!

My 'Not Everyday' Makeup

I imagine everyone has a standard makeup routine for every time they wear makeup. For me, it's cleansing with micellar water, moisturise, prime, base (foundation, concealer, powder), brows, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, contour, blush, highlight then lipstick. You know the drill, I know the drill. It takes me 20 minutes and I'm done. But what about the days when you want a change?

These are the products I use on everyday basis: Bioderma Sensibio H20 Yves Rocher Serum Vegetal (post) Benefit Porefessional Revlon Colourstay Foundation Collection Cosmetics Lasting Perfection Concealer Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Benefit Brow Zings (post) Natural Collection Clear Mascara (for the brows!) Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer (post) Urban Decay Perversion Mascara (post) Benefit Stay Don't Stray Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette Mac Hot Gossip (post) Benefit Hoola Benefit Coralista Blusher Makeup Revolution Fixing Spray (post)
Today I tried something different. I used The Body Shop's Insta Blur and All In One BB Cream in 01. Aside from the fact this is a lot lower coverage than I'm used to, I applied two coats to up the coverage a little. Big mistake. Since the formula of the BB cream adapts to your skin tone, the second coat made my face more tanned so my chest and face were two completely different colours. What I did gain from that is to feel a little more confident in my skin and that if I want to fake tan and still have some coverup I can use this instead. Perfect holiday product!
For my eyebrows I used a Rimmel eyebrow gel. It looked right when I first swatched it but it is a little too dark for me. If I had bought a lighter shade it would be perfect. I brushed it out a little and it looked okay.
I decided to go back to my most trusted brand for palettes - Makeup Revolution. For my eyes I applied the palest shade of the Romantic Smoked Palette (post) then went in with the two most purple shades. I never usually wear purple but blended it all out and it actually looked quite nice. I added the palest shade all over the top too, to add a bit of shimmer and my eyes looked a lot more open than usual. I finished off my eyes with Benefit's They're Real Mascara which I have a love/hate relationship with. The formula is wetter than usual and I've not used to a comb-brush hybrid type applicator! This post compares multiple mascaras so you know what I mean.
I then used the Golden Sugar palette and mixed a few of the blushes together and applied to the apples of my cheeks which is also something I'm not used to - not on my "cheeks" in small circles. I used the palette to contour too - mixing the shades together gives me a colour that matches my skin tone and hair colour better.
I finished off the look with Julianne's Nude from the L'oreal lipstick range that is currently out. Okay, I'll admit this is pretty similar to Mac's Hot Gossip - but I went for a drugstore lipstick instead and I really do need to let go of Mac for a little bit and make use for the rest of my lipstick collection.

Have you ever decided to mix up your makeup? Maybe use those products that have been used twice and left in a drawer? Let me know if you try it out.
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Amazing Eyeliners? Makeup Revolution Review

As you will know so well by now, I adore Makeup Revolution. I've been working with them since they first started and have featured their products not only on my blog, but all over my Instagram, where only the best products go up. A consistently good brand, Makeup Revolution remain my favourites for the eye products*. They're affordable and of good quality. What's not to love?

(top to bottom - Tipx, Baddest Blue, Black, Vice, Depraved, Iconic Brown, Bad Girl Blue, Crime, Stardust).
The first half of these products are standard eyeliners with a very handy pencil sharpener built into the lid. First off, I have been going nuts because I lost my eyeliner sharpener, used a knife on an old eyeliner and have completely ruined it. These have saved my other liners from being thrown into the bin, staying sharp and getting a lot of use out of them.
Makeup Revolution's eyeliners are consistently good to me for a reason. They have a smooth formula which eases makeup application but also protect your eyes from being scratched. I have super sensitive eyes and eye lids and it makes a huge difference to use a product that is good on your skin. I recently found out that the Seventeen liquid eyeliner brings me out in a reaction and makes my eyelids sting which is really not what I'm after when buying an eye product.
Not only are these good eye products, but the other half are suitable for lips too! This is where the 'Hypocrisy' line comes in. The Hypocrisy products are Baddest Blue, Depraved, Crime, Tipx and Vice. These are so smooth and easy to apply to the lips. I recently featured Depraved in this blog post which I got tons of positive comments from online. I am determined to create a look using Baddest Blue as a lip liner as I think blues look beautiful next to pale skin and blonde hair.
The best thing about these liners? Theyre £1. No more "I can't afford anymore makeup" because let's me honest, you can't afford not to. Affordable, great quality and a trusted brand. What more could you ask for? I've featured a lot of other Makeup Revolution products here if you want a nose!
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Real Techniques Sculpting Set Review

I would go so far to say I adore makeup brushes. As much as I love new makeup releases, there is something about new brushes that make me so excited. I love the different colours, shapes, sizes and how they can change your whole makeup application. The sculpting set is one of those game changers in makeup and the fan brush made me intrigued to see how it could change my highlighting game.

I was lucky enough to see the Superdrug offer on last month which brought this set down from £20.99 to £13.99 and picked it up as soon as I saw it. I already have a lot of RT brushes - the Core Collection, the Starter Set, the individual setting brush (before another was put into this pack), Nic's Picks, blush brush and the 300 Tapered Brush from the Bold Metals collection. Don't get me wrong, I do own brushes from both Nanshy and Makeup Revolution too and love them equally as much, but there is something about Real Techniques that makes them shine.

This set contains an individual setting brush to set makeup and complete your look, a fan brush to sweep on powder (I use it for highlighters) and a sculpting brush for a more 'defined contours'. I already have a contouring brush from Nic's Picks but think since this has the added angle to it, the Sculpting Brush is worth the money I spent anyway, with the other two brushes seeming more like a bonus.

Aside from the amazing quality of the Real Technique's brushes, they aren't half pretty! I love the shiny pink in comparison to some of the more matte orange and purple brushes from the starter and core kits. I don't have any fallout of bristles, they was really, really well and they are soft on the skin. For a girl with sensitive skin I welcome soft brushes with open arms. In the future I'd love to get my hands on the 201 Pointed Crease Brush as I think it would be a dream to work with for creating amazing eyeshadow looks.

Overall, I love these brushes just as much as my others. The Sculpting Brush gets more use over the others since I contour every time I apply my makeup as I have a circular shaped face so giving myself some cheekbones makes me feel more confident.

Do you own any Real Techniques brushes?

Activbod Pick Me Up Scrub | Healthy Lifestyle

I began my health and fitness journey a few weeks ago and with exercise comes the need for new hygiene products. I love feeling fresh, who doesn't, and the need for a switch up from my usual sugar scrubs and fruity shower gels was imminent. The need for a deep clean after a workout is worth the extra time spent, and Activbod Pick Me Up Scrub* makes it a dream.

I tend to use a fruity shower gel to wash with and then go in with a sugar scrub to exfoliate. After I've exercised there is nothing more than I love than getting in a warm shower with tea or mint scented body washes. Here is the twist - Activbod made this multipurpose product so you can wash as usual whilst the micro-scrubbing particles get to work on gently exfoliating the skin to remove sweat and dirt. This is particularly great for me since I have fairly sensitive skin and the Pick Me Up Scrub hasn't irritated it at all. Not only does my skin feel refreshed but I feel all lovely after, especially since working out can make you feel a bit sluggish afterwards. I can get on with the rest of my day feeling clean. I have used this on days where I haven't been exercising but it doesn't half make you feel happier and refreshed. The Pick Me Up Scrub will be a joy to use on holiday since the sun makes you hot and sweaty once you've been sunbathing too. I quite like this product. It isn't the most fresh feeling scrub I've used. If the Original Source Mint and Tea Tree shower gel was combined with this, I would be obsessed with it and wouldn't put it down! For using it a couple of times a week, it is great for a (how do I say pick me up without being 'punny'?) refreshed feeling post-workout. The Pick Me Up Scrub is £8.00 from Boots. post signature

Battle of the Lashes - Which Mascara is Better?

I've always been picky with mascaras. With having very light blonde eyelashes I need a jet black mascara to make them look a normal colour. I'd say I have a good length to my eyelashes and I almost never use eyelash curlers since a mascara can usually curl them enough. Here are my current mascaras that I'm using at the moment.

Benefit They're Real £19.50 The comb applicator is great for separating lashes and making them look lovely and long. The only downside to the comb shape is that if you attempt to apply the mascara as close to the root as possible, you can sometimes end up poking yourself in the eye. I adore this mascara, but since my lashes are blonde I can never get close enough so they don't completely look black. I did a mini review here.
Makeup Revolution Viper* £3.00 The brush on this mascara reflects the name. It is thinner than the usual brush but wider, meaning it can apply the mascara to the whole of your lashes in one go. It lasts the majority of the day before flaking which for the price is pretty good! I included it in this post.
Urban Decay Perversion £17.50 At first I thought "this is the best mascara ever" but I realised that it is only absolutely amazing if you apply the Subversion Primer (£15.50) first. To buy both that would be a whopping £33 just for some mascara that looks wow. I'm extremely lucky to have been bought both of these, and they are my favourite when paired together. My eyes look super long and black without looking like spiders legs. My first review is here, notice my opinion has changed!
Yves Rocher Vertige* £7.50 Another comb applicator with the same issues as with Benefit's mascara. The upside to this is that it is £12 cheaper than They're Real and is almost identical once on your eyelashes. I love the metallic packaging too. I did another review here.
Ted Baker Mascara This isn't sold separately and I was lucky to get a Ted Baker makeup set for Christmas. I'd say this is potentially the worst mascara out of them all. The comb-brush mix is good but the formula of the mascara isn't very long lasting.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin Curves £6.99 The cheapest of them all with high volume and a jet black colour. I have this in both in Black and Extreme Black but they look the same to me! If you want a drugstore mascara that works - try this.

What is your favourite mascara?

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A Pretty Summer Dress | Jones + Jones

I've always loved pastel coloured dresses as they suit my pale skin and blonde hair. When I was looking for a prom dress when I was 16, I was obsessed with Jones + Jones dresses that were stocked in Topshop. Back then, their main colours were white, red and black so I never got the chance to wear one to prom. When I was given the opportunity to try out a dress, I had to leap for a pretty pastel coloured dress. This is the Jones + Jones Audrey Lilac Dress £60*.

Dress - Jones + Jones* Shoes - Primark Lipstick - Makeup Revolution Hypocrisy Liner in Depraved* I definitely need to invest in a more sturdy bra, since my boobs aren't the smallest as you can tell. I think these dresses suit smaller/medium chest sizes since they don't completely clinch in at the waist so they hang off my chest a little. I can't complain though, you don't find many stores selling dresses to suit a bigger chest. The dress unfortunately only goes up to a size 12 which I know will disappoint some, especially bigger boobed ladies! The colour is just so lovely and works well with a variety of different patterns and colours. I'm thinking of taking this dress on holiday to Spain with me in August since I would only wear this to a wedding (which I am not going to this year) or when it is super sunny. If this had been available when I was 16, no doubt I would have wanted this in all the colours. Aside from lilac, Jones + Jones also stock this dress in mint, pink, black, nude, cream, dark pink, white, yellow, red, navy, grey, orange and chocolate brown. There are plenty to choose from. My heels were only £14 from Primark and I think they go lovely with my Audrey dress. I find that wearing patterned heels or opposite coloured heels work a lot better than trying to find a perfect match to your outfit. The same goes for clutch bags, but I had left mine up in Newcastle, oops! Thank you to Jones + Jones for the dress, to my Nan for her lovely garden and to Andy for taking my photos! post signature

Urban Decay Giveaway with Cohorted

I adore Urban Decay. Ever since I saw their Naked palettes I have been in love. I bought both my Naked 3 palette and my Naked Basics 2 (although I dropped this and cracked it, nightmare) from Cohorted. Both myself and Cohorted decided that since summer is fast approaching that it would be the perfect time to do a little giveaway, and an Urban Decay product would be my first choice since I adore the brand. Their eyeshadows are long lasting and the Naked palettes give you the perfect opportunity to create tons of different looks without fiddling about with individual eyeshadows. I have plenty makeup looks pinned on my Pinterest page if you would like to see how the eyeshadows look on.

You can win any Urban Decay Naked Palette by filling out the Rafflecopter form below, just remember that all mandatory requirements must be filled out. Let me know in the comments what Naked Palette you would choose and what your favourite Urban Decay products are too! If you would like to check out my Bloglovin, you can here for more posts!

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*Student's Guide To Newcastle

I moved up to Newcastle upon Tyne from Liverpool in September 2015, and with only one prior visit I had no idea what I was expecting of this new city. Apart from making new friends and getting to grips with my course, I had one key thing in mind; saving money. I'm not from a particularly affluent background, nor a poor one. Being in the middle ground seems to be unfortunate since Student Finance wouldn't allow a bursary, but I was left with only enough money for rent and some food. I tried my hardest to get a job but it didn't happen until I moved home that summer and I even stood outside as a promoter for a club for two nights and it was not fun.

I also had the task to look for a student house - do I pick Jesmond or Heaton? I chose Jesmond since it had the most bars/restaurants and had the metro nearby (even though I barely used it). Picking a student house is hard and there are a lot of factors to choose from such as how many people to live with and which student housing company to choose? I made a big mistake in choosing the wrong company (not naming names) and I regret not having a proper look around and getting advice. Looking on websites for student housing, such as Walton Robinson can make looking for a house a lot easier. You can filter results on the website to find how many bedrooms you want, the price and the location. For me, Jesmond is where I would pick time and time again.
Anyway, back to my main point. How do you enjoy yourself on a student budget? How do you balance a life in the library and a social life? Here are my recommendations for places to visit, with student offers that aren't too far away. You don't have to stray far from home and saving travel time means it won't interrupt your studies too much.

Jesmond

Food Archers If you're after a sweet treat, Archers is the place to go. They make their ice cream on site with 16 different flavours to choose from made with their own Jersey cream. Some of their popular flavours include Salted Caramel and Black Forest Gateaux, not something you see every day. The staff are lovely and you can guarantee on a sunny day there will be a lot of people walking around West Jesmond with a huge ice cream.
As You Like It For someone who enjoys food, As You Like It serves a lovely selection of meals including Pan Roasted Seabass, Thai Red Chicken Curry even 250gm Steaks there is something for the most fussiest eater and the cultured eater. They have a gluten free menu and an amazing selection of cocktails too.
Fat Hippo Affordable comfort food to suit everyone. They have a simple menu of burgers, salads, and sides, with prices up to £15 there is definitely room for a lot of hungry students. They also have a happy hour Mon-Fri 5pm-7pm with three courses for just £12. They sell alcohol too, with beers, wines and ciders and some yummy milkshakes too.
Drinks Spy Bar This is the place to go when you want drinks with friends no matter what time of day. They have seats outside and it gets packed when the sun is shining. Well known for their happy hour (Mon-Sat 5pm-7pm and Mon-Thurs 9pm-10pm) with a red button to press to determine what your offer will be. The offers are half price, 2 for 1, free or full price (for the unlucky ones). I went for some birthday drinks and loved it.
Osbornes If you're after more adventurous drinks on a student budget, Osbornes offer £5.95 cocktails, and a range of "Hardshakes"; milkshakes with alcohol. Some include salted caramel, chocolate, raspberry or vanilla flavoured vodkas. I can't think of a better cocktail.
Other Jesmond Dene House Along with doing fine dining and breakfasts, Jesmond Dene House do an amazing Afternoon Tea. The photo above was for myself and my boyfriend (who has a post here) and we didn't need tea that night we were that full. The newer menu includes a Chocolate and Salted Caramel Finclair which sounds divine.

Heaton

Food The Butterfly Cabinet If you're into Buttermilk Pancakes, Triple Chocolate Pancakes, or a lunch to fill your boots, The Butterfly Cabinet can satisfy your needs. A favourite among students, they sell hot lunches and doorstop bread sandwiches which will make you want to arrange your next visit before you leave.
Cal's Own If you're like most students, you love pizza. Cal's own makes fresh Brooklyn style pizza pies, going up to 18" pizzas. I would never finish that, but a hungry student might. To go with it, you can enjoy Grape Soda or Hawaiian Punch to wash it down. Just what we want after a night out!
La Vita An Italian Restaurant for everyone to enjoy. La Vita sells pasta, pizza, calzones, stromboli, and other mains to make it hard to pick just one dish. Their prices are student friendly with separate opening times for lunch and dinner so make sure you check the website if you're wanting a visit.
Other Heaton Perk A take on 'Central Perk' from FRIENDS, Heaton Perk is a coffee shop with a wide selection of books to read too. If you're catching up with friends or simply want a 'pick me up' then Heaton Perk is a lovely place to visit.

Newcastle City Centre

Food The Botanist People of Newcastle have been raving about The Botanist which recently popped up above Jamie's Italian (another favourite of mine, but not so student budget friendly). Apart from their Punch Bowl cocktails and sharing Watering Can drinks, The Botanist delivers home comfort foods like Lamb Tagine to BBQ foods like Hanging Kebabs. With exquisite presentation of food and drinks, it is most definitely Instagram friendly.
Coop Chicken House I'm a chicken lover and there's nothing more to love than a restaurant dedicated to it. Coop sell whole, half and quarter chicken with sweet potato fries, bbq beans and homemade slaw. The best part is the sauce to go with it all. From mild spice to 'nuclear', some sauce shots include alcohol, scotch bonnet chillis and Naga Morich (for the dare devils) which you can also buy per bottle. On Mondays they also offer a 'Bottomless Monday' where you get 20% off your food bill and re-fillable drinks.
Drinks Bonbar Not only do Bonbar sell vintage cocktails, they offer barrels of punch and bottles of champagne. The catch is that there is no catch, Cocktails are around £7 and the sharing punch for 4 starts from £8.50 a person. Yes they sell a bottle of champagne for £700 but their selection of student priced drinks with a great selection of music and atmosphere is worth the visit. You never know, you may get a glass of champers if you're lucky (I've had this happen to me here!).
Jalou With half price thursday's (ridiculously student friendly) and a massive range of cocktails, Jalou is really popular with the students of Newcastle. They claim they are 'dedicated to drink' with a huge selection of drinks offers through the week, such as Orange Wednesdays (offers on orange inspired cocktails) and different music themed nights, you're guaranteed to have a good time.
Other Lane 7 You want to go bowling, play beer pong and eat some great food; go to Lane 7. They even have a private karaoke room for hire, pool and ping pong tables and you can book ahead online. Lane 7 serve up full racks of ribs, pulled pork buns and ice cream pies, with a vegan menu on offer too. There are plenty of drinks to be drank too!

Finding the right place to go, and the right place to stay in a new city is difficult, but not impossible. Stick to your guts when finding a house and ask plenty of questions, the right company will give you the answers you're looking for. To save money, make a simple budget and do your best to stick to it. If any Newcastle students, or future students have any questions, feel free to ask!

*This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Walton Robinson