'Remember Me?' by Sophie Kinsella Book Review

What would you do if you wake up and you find yourself with a perfect life? You no longer have a frizzy mane, your teeth is straight (say goodbye to the nickname, "Snaggletooth"), your lips appear plumper, you're apparently the boss of your department, you now have a thin physique, and best of all, you're married - and to a handsome millionaire! This is precisely what happened to Lexi Smart, and she thinks she has hit the jackpot. Howeber, she finds herself realising that her dream life might not be so perfect after all. Everyone at her office hates her, her former boss is after her job, and her marriage isn't as romantic and loving as one would think, and she finds out she's having an affair?! Kinsella takes you on a journey where we try to discover what exactly happened in Lexi's life during those lost three years.

'Remember Me?' is a witty and charming book, as one would expect from Kinsella. This is different from most chick lit books where instead of the protagonist striving for a perfect life, the protagonist has a perfect life and has to remember how she got there. This book is reminiscient of the movie '13 Going On 30', where the protagonist has a dramatic physical and mental change. Both of these characters have to figure out howtheir attitudes have changed so drastically, and what exactly turned them into (and pardon my french), a bitch. This book definitely epitomises the saying "Be careful what you wish for". This book will make you realise that having a so-called perfect life may not be as great as you might think it'd me. Would you be happy if you had a millionaire husband who invoiced you for breaking something? Would you be happy if you were the head of your department, but everyone who works under you (including your life-long friends) hate you? This books reminds you that even if you change how you look and earn more money, you may not be happier than you are now. It's not about the superficial and materialistic things in life - it's above true love and friendship, regardless of how you look and how much you earn. Kinsella's writing evokes powerful emotions for Lexi's character, and as a reader, I was very sympathetic and really rooted for her to change her life and be the person she used to be, rather than this new person who nobody liked.

I've had this book since Christmas 2010, and only got round to reading this book. This is a good book to read when you're in the mood for a chick lit book, but is not one of my favourites from Kinsella. If you have never read any of her books, I would not recommend this particular book (I would go for her 'Shopaholic' series or 'Can You Keep A Secret?'), but if you're already a fan of her work, do go ahead and read it - I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Diem's score:

❤❤❤♡♡  This book gets three hearts out of five~

Happy reading, and until next time..

- Diem xo

L'oreal Freebies - Spend £15 and get some free loot!

I'm a huge sucker for free gifts with purchase - and who wouldn't be? I'm not sure if this promotion is exclusive to Boots, I didn't see it in Superdrug. If you spend £15 or more on L'oreal products, you'll get a free box of goodies. Inside the box, you'll receive:

• A 10ml sample of the Infallible Brush Foundation in Golden Beige
• A 1ml sample of Youth Code Day Cream
• A full sized Resist & Shine Titanium Nail Polish in 455 (9ml)
• A full sized Colour Infallible Eye Shadow in 02 Hourglass Beige (3.5g)
• A full sized Contour Khol eye pencil in Blue Denim
• £2 off coupon for the full sized Infallible Brush Foundation

The box is apparently Cheryl Cole's favourite summer products - I have no idea why it's the summer products when it's practically autumn now? I really like the products in this box - the nail polish and eyeshadow are colours that are very me. The nail polish is a coral pink colour, but upon closer inspection, you can see that the nail varnish has gold refelects in it - it's such a pretty colour. The Infallible eyeshadow is a loose pigment and is a shimmery beige colour - it's a really nice neutral colour. This will really compliment the colours found in Urban Decay's Naked Palette. These are colours I definitely would have purchased, so I am really happy with the colour choice of this free gift. Below are close ups of the nail polish and the eyeshadow.

I bought the L'oreal Smoothing Resurfacing Primer (£14.29) and the Super Liner Carbon Gloss (£6.49). I really like to use a primer before foundation, I'm currently using the ELF one, but I'm really interested to try out different ones. This one is a lot more expensive, the ELF one only cost me £3 (but I got it 50% off). It feels really nice on the skin and appears to minimise the appearance of pores. It's a mousse like texture and a little will go a long way. I don't really use liquid eyeliners, I really used to like using them (I just got the Collection 2000 one), but then I discovered gel eyeliners and never turned back. I wanted to give liquid eyeliners another go, but I have a feeling that I will make a bit of a mess on my eyes ><

When I bought the L'oreal products, I was handed a £5 off No. 7 voucher and ended up getting another Eyeshadow Blend & Contour Brush which is just a fluffy brush (as featured above). The brush retails for £7.25 and so I had to pay an extra £2.25 for the brush which is amazing. However, I remember that the eyeshadow brushes were only £6.24 or something like that, it was definitely under £6.50, so it went up by around a pound. Considering it was from £6 to £7, that's actually a pretty big jump. Why are the prices increasing?! =((

Anyways, do check out the free gift with purchase promotion from L'oreal whenever you're next in Boots ^^

Happy shopping.. And until next time..

- Diem xo

Book Review on The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

Hey guys, I'm going to try to read a book a week (or maybe every fortnight if I get busy) and do a review on it. Last week, I read two books in the span of three days, so I will do the review on the other book next week. I absolutely love Sophie Kinsella books, I think I have all of them (but haven't gotten round to reading them all). The first book that I read was called 'Can You Keep A Secret?' which my cousin let me borrow years ago. I then read a few of the Shopaholic books (not in the right order though!), and soon came to realise that Sophie Kinsella might be one of my favourite authors. I really like to read chick lit and crime mystery type of novels - these are also the two genres of films slash TV shows that I really enjoy watching too.

Samantha Sweeting's goal is to be made partner at the top law firm, Carter-Spink. She has spent her entire life trying to achieve this goal - she has no life outside of her job. She doesn't know how to be anything but a lawyer - she doesn't even know how to turn her own oven on! Just as she's about to be made partner, she finds that she has made a career-ending mistake. She missed a deadline and lost her client 50 million pounds. Rather than facing the consequences, she jumps onto the first train she sees. She finds herself somewhere in the country and somehow in an interview for a housekeeping job. Trish Geiger, a rich air-head (although kind-hearted) is delighted to have an English speaking housekeeper and hires Samantha straight away (after Samantha lied about how skilled she was). Thrust into a new housekeeping job, Samantha is surprised as to how stress-free this new life offers her. Not knowing how to cook or clean, Samantha finds herself learning how to become domestic, and fast.

The book is very easy to read, and easy to get into. The plot may seem a little far-fetched, but is easy to accept. Samantha's love interest, Nathan, a gardener who knows Samantha's secret, is charming and sweet. We get to experience Samantha's blossoming life outside of being a lawyer as well as finding out whether or not Samantha's mistake was really her fault. Love, betrayal, and the standard clichés - what more can you ask for in a book? A very sweet novel from Kinsella.

❤❤❤♡♡  This book gets three hearts out of five~

Happy reading! And until next time..

- Diem xo

Beware of Custom Charges + Sasa Haul

After reading a StyleSuzi's blog about her packages from HK, I really wanted to check out Sasa.com and see if there was anything that I liked. I was happy to see that they were doing a promotional offer on shipping - usually it's free of you spend over $100US, but they were having a promotion whereby you would only need to spend $50US. This means that I didn't have to spend as much money to be eligible for the free shipping - and I think shipping prices are pretty extortionate anyway, so you might as well spend that much rather than pay for shipping. Shipping fees are such a waste of money! I ended up purchasing a few things totaling up to $64US - which you will see later on in this blog.

Much to my shock and horror, I got one of those grey slips through my door stating that I had to pay CUSTOM CHARGES of £15.99!!!!!! I couldn't believe it!! £16 extra?! When I got my package, I could see that there was a VAT charge of £7.99 which isn't too bad - but an extra £8 on Royal Mail Handling charges? Come on now! I have ordered from HK before, and never incurred any custom charges. I don't understand the whole custom charge thing, but one thing I do know, I am pissed! So, my warning to everyone is to be careful when ordering from overseas. I, for one, will not shop from Sasa again - even though it's not their fault, I just don't want to pay custom fees again. Instead, I will opt for the other site that I've gotten stuff from where I haven't been charged customs and shipping is only $3US. Although they don't have all the products Sasa has, they have enough Asian beauty products for me to dabble in and they're around the same price.

So, onto my Sasa haul =))

I got some false eyelashes in a pack of ten. These are the LLS Fake Eyelash (A7) (10 pairs). They cost $11 for 10 pairs which seems like a really good deal. Until you get the eyelashes and you can see the difference between this ten pack, and the single pair of Eylure ones. The LLS ones have a string fibre band. It's black, which is no problem for me because I always wear gel eyeliner and mascara. Due to the fact that it's a string band, it's very flimsy, therefore much harder to put on as it doesn't retain the eye shape. This is probably more my fault, but I didn't like the actual style of eyelash. There were a lot to choose from, but I was disappointed with the ones I picked. Suzi choose these ones, and she usually has gorgeous eyes, so I thought that these ones would be a good choice. When I tried them on, they made my eyelashes really spiky - I'm not fond of this look. However, if you double them up, you can get a nice dramatic look with these eyelashes. This means, it's more like 5 pairs of eyelashes rather than 10 - but it's still a good price. I think I might actually prefer the "hairs" used on these false eyelashes more than Eylure ones - they seem a bit more natural looking (and feeling?) to me. I doubt I will repurchase again (more to the fact of wanting to avoid extortionate custom fees more than anything). They're not amazing enough for me to be willing to pay extra charges even though they would probably work out to still be cheaper than the Eylure ones. They're great for $11, but probably not worth as much as that including extra fees.

As you can see with the picture of the false eyelashes below, it looks much less spikey and more like full voluminous long eyelashes. You can also see the string fibre band on each side of the eyelash which will require trimming, along with the false eyelash not retaining the usual eye shape.

Sorry for the grimy glue that you will probably make out on the eyelash band, this was after I was fiddling around with it trying to double up the eyelashes but offset one of them so that the spiky nature of the eyelashes can balance each other out. 

The next two things I bought were eyelash glue. The pack of eyelashes mentioned above does not come with eyelash glue, so unless you have leftover eyelash glue, you will need to purchase some. I know that the DUO eyelash glue is really popular, but they are just so darn expensive! 

 I currently use the Eylure ones that I got from a set that I bought, but I know that I will run out of it, so I invested in some more eyelash glue. I didn't want to spend too much money, so I whittled my selection to just the two: the Koji Spring Heart Eyelash Fix in Black ($1.80) and the Koji Eyelash Fix in Black ($2.70). I went for the black finish because even though most eyelashes dry clear, they do leave a tell-tale finish. I wanted to try eyelash glue that dries black to see if it camouflages better with my eyeliner. I've yet to try out these eyelash glues, but be sure to see a review on it when I do. I will also compare the two eyelash glues and give you my recommendation on which one to get.

I think I splurged quite a bit on eyelash related items - hehe. The last false eyelash related item was this eyelash case (pictured left) which will keep your false eyelashes from getting damaged when travelling. False eyelashes can be worn more than once, if treated properly. This little case will keep my false eyelashes from getting squashed and dirty. This was $4.80, which thinking about it now (and bearing in mind the custom charge), was actually pretty expensive for just a small case. Its a really cute case, I love that its black and baby pink with a bow on it and has a little divider for your eyelashes. You could probably pick up a similar sized case for cheaper - perhaps without the cute design on the top? I really do like it though so I'm a happy bunny =DD

The last thing that I got was the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in the shade 21 and 23 (pictured above). The BB cream comes in a tube, but with a pump - I actually really like the packaging. The product comes with 40ml and an SPF of 42. I got one for me, and one for my friend. She's fairer than I am, so I went for the darker shade and she opted for the lighter shade. I haven't tried it out yet, but I'm really excited to. I've heard some pretty good reviews on this product, so I can't wait to try it out for myself. This BB cream was $22.10 each.

Sasa gave me this free gift which was unexpected (featured left). From what I can tell, one of them is for "anti-fall shampoo" which I'm guessing is shampoo for preventing hair loss, and the other is "hair strengthening", which is pretty self explanatory. They gave me 4 x 8ml samples of each. I definitely won't be using the anti-hair fall one, but I might give the hair-strengthening one a shot. It was so weird to see Jackie Chan's face on the packaging - har har.

 I would say that my shopping experience with Sasa was pleasant - but the custom charges were not. I probably will avoid shopping there in case I'm slapped with another custom charge fee, so bear that in mind when shopping international sites. And until next time..

- Diem xo

August Glossybox

I can't believe a month has passed since my July Glossybox! I didn't even realise it was coming until I read an email about it being dispatched~ Anyways, last month's Glossybox was amaze, I didn't think that this month's Glossybox could live up to last months, and I was right. Whilst saying that, I wasn't disappointed with what I received as such - just with the colour selection. I was going to hold off on doing this blog until the products were featured on the site so I could let you guys know the prices of the full sized products. I guess I will update this blog once I find out ^^

For those who don't know what a Glossybox is, it's a monthly subscription service that comprises of five luxury high end samples. This subscription service has no monthly obligations, you can cancel at any time. It used to cost just £10 a month (which was an absolute bargain), but starting from next month's Glossybox, they will start charging £2.95 p&p. However, with the products that you receive, I think it is worth it, even if it is a bit more expensive. Bye bye to free shipping everyone =((
This is a good service for those who love trying out new products but don't want to spend buckets of cash in case it doesn't suit your skin type or you just plain don't like it!
And for those who don't live in the UK, they don't currently ship outside of the UK, but they do have a Glossybox service in France, Germany, Brazil and Korea. So if you live in those countries - do check it out!

The picture to the left is the card that gets sent with every box telling you about the month's theme of products. According to the card, this month's products are all about giving us products for an easy-going, polished look. Just click on the picture for the full sized image where you can actually read the text - and the bottom card will give you discount codes!! You're welcome of course =DD

So, onto this month's goodies ^^

The picture above shows you all the goodies that I got - and if you haven't noticed already, I received three full sized products - and only two samples! According to Glossybox, we shouldn't expect each month's box to feature full sized products, but I've been subscribed since June, and I've yet to receive a box without a full sized product.

The picture to the right shows the sample sized products. The AHAVA Deadsea Water Mineral Body Lotion is 40ml and the MURAD Time Release Acne Cleanser is 30ml. I've yet to try out these products so I can't tell you what I think of them. The AHAVA mineral body lotion is approved for sensitive skin and is directed to be applied morning and evening for soft and smooth skin. I don't think I will get much use of this small tube if I apply it to the whole of my body - I'll probably save this for when I'm travelling.
I don't have acne prone skin but I have been getting a few breakouts recently. I wouldn't use this as part of my usual skincare routine, probably just when I'm experiencing a breakout.

The next product is the Daniel Sandler Baby Jet Mascara. I was pretty excited to try out this mascara when I first saw it, until I realised it said BABY jet mascara - this means that this mascara will have an itty bitty wand just for your baby lower lashes. This is similar to Clinique's bottom lash mascara, although from looking at the pictures, the Daniel Sandler's mascara wand is probably the same width, but around twice the length of the Clinique's wand. It's also much larger in terms of how much product you get and the physical tube. The Clinique mascara is only 2ml whereas the Daniel Sandler's is 4.5ml. I have the Clinique bottom lash mascara which is why I'm not opening the Daniel Sandler one just quite yet. I'm not a huge fan of the Clinique wand, but that's more about the formula - I find it really hard to remove at night? This costs more than the Clinque one (£10) and will set you back around £13 - and just for your bottom lashes? I'm excited to try this out and see if I like the novelty of a small mascara wand exclusively for your bottom lashes.

The next product is one that I have actually tried out. This means I can actually give a brief review on this product - yay. This is a full-sized bottle (200ml) of KMS California Hairstay Style Boost. It claims to make your hair style last 3 times longer and provides "heat protection and an invisible style foundation for all hair types". So, how do you use it? You shake the bottle and hold it upside down and dispense it into your palm. You have to allow the product to crackle, cool, and expand. Use this on towel-dried hair from your roots to your tips and blow dry and sty;e as you usually would. Now, onto my review: first thing I noticed when I sprayed this onto my hand was how cold  FREEZING it was. It was so cold, it took me by surprise, it's like as cold as ice. Next thing was the sound it made - imagine Rice Krispies, but 100 times louder. The picture to your left shows you what it's like when you first spray it into your hand, and after it crackles, snaps, and pops, you get left with this sticky substance (bottom right corner). I found it hard to run it through my hair evenly - so it made my hair crunchy and hard at some places. It was also not invisible - it left a white residue in my hair! I did not like this product - but it is fun to spray it into your palm for the icy feeling and the crackling - hehe. It's like between a hairspray and a mousse, I don't know, it just didn't work for me. From what I can tell, it costs around £10, but I'm not sure as to where you can get it (apart from online, of course).

So my last product is the Rebel Nails wrap. If you don't know what this is, it's an alternative to using nail polish but gives the same effect. It's apparently meant to last longer, and you don't have to use nail polish to remove it, you just peel it off from the sides (rather than the top slash bottom). So they're like a sticker for your nails which you heat up (with your hairdryer) and they adhere to your nails and gives you a nail polished look. You can take a shower with them, swim with them, etc. and they last for up to 14 days (we shall see about that). They come in many different colours and designs - which is cool because you can get cool prints on your nails which you can do at home (which you wouldn't be able to do with your nail polishes). I'm a bit bummed as to the colour that I got - It's just a plain matte silver colour - a colour very similar to a nail polish that I own, so I could easily recreate this look. From what I've seen on other people's blogs, they had some really cool designs. I guess I'm just glad that I got the ones for my fingers and not for my toes. As you can see from the picture, they pack comes with 8 different sizes for both hands. They're also pretty long so I reckon I could do my full set of nails twice with this pack. I think I can just trim the excess of one of the nails and use that part of another nail. The plain set costs £5.99 and the patterned slash print ones cost £7.99. This means that the people who got the printed slash patterned sets got something that had more value =(( but oh well, I guess it was just chance. I'm a pretty unlucky person, so I shouldn't be all too surprised, hehe. Oh yeah, these can only be used once, they're not resuable.

All in all, I am pretty satisfied with this month's Glossybox - the box has around £29 worth of goodies of full sized products and I only paid £10 for it. I do recommend this service for those of you who like to try out new things but can't afford to spend all that money. You can easily just try it out for a month, take a break, and then subscribe again. It is a running service, so you don't have to sign up every month, they automatically send you one, unless you cancel it. It's a popular service as new customers usually have to wait a couple months until they get one because they tend to sell out of the next month's one - so if you're interested. Sign up now! You can always cancel before they send you one if you change your mind.

Hope you enjoyed this month's Glossybox, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Sleek i-Divine Primer Palette Review + Swatches

Wow, I've been blogging a lot recently - pretty much everyday. Today, I will be doing a product review on the i-Divine Primer Palette by Sleek which costs around £7. You can find this in Superdrug and on the Sleek website (http://www.sleekmakeup.com). For anyone who is not from the UK, Sleek does ship internationally, do check out their website for more details. I think that the shipping might be pretty costly though. This primer palette comes with twelve coloured eyeshadow bases - similar to MAC's paint points. These eyeshadow primers are supposed to keep your eyeshadows from creasing and make them last longer. They can also enhance the colour of the eyeshadows that you put on top of them. This palette also comes with a dual ended brush which is pretty bad to be honest. I don't think anyone would use it unless they didn't have any brushes of their own. I would definitely say to use your own brush when using these primers. Actually, I would say to use your CLEAN ring finger to apply this to your lids.
I will describe each of the colours below (I would say all the colours are frosted):

• Moonshine - white
• Calypso - electric blue
• Ultra Violet - vivid purple
• Dare devil - true red
• Pink Frost - baby pink
• Silver lining - grey silver
• Noir - black
• Peach - peach champagne
• Money Tree - leaf green
• Truffle - chocolate brown
• Money Honey - pale yellow
• Hot Wired! - copper orange

You can also see the pictures and swatches to the right ----->

Now, onto the review ^^ The primers are creamy, as one would expect them to be. They come in the most gorgeous colours and are pretty pigmented. However, thats pretty much all the positives I have for this palette. I absolutely love Sleek products and I really like their eyeshadow palettes - although they can be quite fragile and crumbly, but I'll talk about that when I review an eyeshadow palette. I find that they actually make my eyeshadows not last quite as long and make them crease a lot more. I think it's because it's quite greasy and slick, so the eyeshadow slides off. I also am not too fond of the way the eyeshadow adheres to the lid when this is used as a base. It does make the colour pop more, but if you're using a pigmented eyeshadow in the first place, then you shouldn't have a problem. I have tried to wear these alone without eyeshadows, and they don't last and crease - A LOT. I love the colours though, it's just a shame that it doesn't do much for me. It looks nice for the first five minutes and that's about it. I wouldn't waste your money on this - the Sleek palettes are pigmented enough. In saying that, I did use the red Dare Devil colour on my lips and it looked amazing. I'm not sure if you should use this on your lips, but I wanted to try it out anyway, hehe.

So, my final verdict on this product is:

❤❤♡♡♡ (two hearts out of five)

The colours are nice, but other than that, this palette doesn't have much use to me. I do try to use this palette nonetheless because I don't like to waste things, but I honestly wouldn't recommend this palette to anyone. I just don't think it does what it's supposed to do, in fact, it makes things worse (in my opinion). Spend your money on a different Sleek eyeshadow palette instead - they're much better =)) Happy shopping, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Elf Mineral Infused Face Primer Review

Today I will be doing a review on the Elf Mineral Infused Face Primer (as if you couldn't tell from the blog post title, hehe) that is from their Studio line. I got this primer about a week ago from their online store (http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/) and have been trying it out a few times to give you guys the scoop. The primer costs £6, but I got it for £3 when ELF was having a 50% off £30 order promotion. It comes with a pump applicator - sometimes I like using pumps and sometimes I don't. With a lot of products that use pumps, it can sometimes be hard to control how much your pump up. Sometimes one pump isn't enough and two pumps is too much and can be slightly difficult to do a half-pump. However, I can get past the whole pump issue when the pumps give out the right amount of product (whether it be one, two, three, etc. pumps). One pump of this primer will be enough to cover your whole face, so you only need a pea size amount. I like the fact that using a little will go a long way, this means that you get can get more uses out of it which means it's better value for money.
The primer is 50ml - something that the website does not states for some reason, and is clear in colour (which surprised me when I first used it).

The website states that the primer has been developed to fight against excess oil, flaky dryness, enlarged pores, and fine lines. It will prepare the skin so makeup will go on evenly and have a lasting finish.

So, what did I think about of it? When I first used the primer, I was very pleasantly surprised. When you first pump it out, it looks a bit like Vaseline, only much more light. It doesn't feel heavy or dense, and when you rub it into your skin, the consistency still remains light - almost as if it's been whipped and full of air. It also feels like rubbing Vaseline into your skin, without the heaviness and the greasiness. When you rub it into your skin, I feel like you are releasing oxygen (or something). I know it says it's been infused with minerals, whatever it is, I can definitely feel something. It is a strange feeling, unlike any product I've ever used, and I like it! I think I'm actually addicted to rubbing it into my skin, it feels really good, hehe. It definitely leaves your skin feeling ultra smooth, I don't know about the combat of enlarged pores and fine lines though. It does, however, leave my skin feeling quite moisturised, although I would still use a moisturiser under this. Due to it feeling quite moisturised, I would recommend this to people who have dry skin or dry patches. I'm still unsure as to how much this helps eliminate excess oil. When you first apply it, your face definitely does not feel greasy and the way moisturiser feels when you apply it. On account of this, I guess it does help people with oily slash combination skin. I don't know whether or it has a lasting effect though. My makeup goes on like a dream on top of this primer, it really is a good primer. I would definitely recommend this to those who don't want to spend too much of a primer, or for those who have never tried out one before. I would re-purchase this and would still recommend it even at full price - I think it's worth it!

My final verdict for this product is:

❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts)

Actually, I'll give this primer 4 and a half hearts out of 5!! ^^

I hope this review has provided insight to some of you guys who have been interested in this product. Happy shopping and until next time..

- Diem xo

August Magazine Freebies - September Issue

Hey everyone, I just wanted to do a blog post on the magazine freebies that you'll get in this month's magazines. You get some pretty lovely goodies this month, I'll be showing what you'll be getting in two magazines - Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan.

In the picture to the left, you can see that you can get a Ciate nail polish in EITHER My Fair Lady or Wait Until Dark. You must purchase two magazines to get both the colours - just like I did. You also get a free mini travel size (50ml) tube of Dove conditioner which is another added bonus! The colour My Fair Lady (the right nail polish) is a nude-pink colour. From what I've heard, it is pretty sheer and will need plenty of coats to get the colour to be opaque and true to the colour on the bottle. The colour Wait Until Dark (the left nail polish) is a deep metallic shimmery aubergine (egglplant) colour. From what I've read, this nail polish will require the standard two coats. I have yet to use these nail polishes but I have heard pretty good reviews on them. I think these nail polishes are limited edition or are limited to this month's Marie Claire edition - I'm not 100% certain so please don't quote me on this! Ciate nail polishes are usually £9 a bottle and these are full sized nail polishes at 13.5ml which is a little bit more than the standard sized nail polishes. And if that's not enough, Marie Claire are also giving readers an extra 25% off the entire range of Ciate products when shopping at ciate.co.uk. Just enter the code CIATE25MC before 30 September at the checkout to receive your discount and this excludes delivery charges. I have checked out the website and I believe there is free UK delivery above £25.

Oh and for those of you who don't know, the Marie Claire magazine cost £3.60 and this month's front cover celebrity is Anne Hathaway.

This month's magazine front cover features Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas. They are giving away a free pair of Eylure 115 false lashes. Eylure is a leading brand of false lashes in the UK and can be found in drugstores such as Boots and Superdrug. They usually retail for around £4 but according the magazine, this set of false eyelashes are worth £5. The magazine will set you back £3.50 but this is still good because you are getting a set of false eyelashes and a magazine to read. I quite like to read Cosmopolitan anyway, I don't just buy magazines for the freebies, hehe. Sorry that my picture shows the lashes upside down, I opened the set to check it out and put it back into the box and taped it up and didn't realise that they were upside down. The set does come with eyelash glue so you won't have to go and get your own. The picture also shows a close up of the eyelashes, you can see that I have removed the right side to see how it looks on my eyes. As there are gaps in between the lashes, you may not like the gappy false eyelashes look. I think it does add length and drama to my eyelashes and is perfect for the evening. Although the band is translucent, you will probably need to fill in those gaps with black eyeliner so it blends into your lash line better. I will need to trim the ends of the lashes for them to fit my eye, but it is better to have the false eyelashes to be too long than too short. You can also cut the eyelashes into segments and apply individually if you prefer. I will definitely be using these false eyelashes the next time I go out in the evening slash night.

You also get a sachet of Sanex Zero shower gel for normal skin in each of the magazines (both Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan). I hope this has alerted some of you guys about the cool freebies you can get this month. I will try to do one everyone month and let you know what will be coming up the month after (if featured in the magazine). And until next time..

- Diem xo

It's Time For July Favourites!!

So yes indeed, it's time for me to talk about the products that I've been LOVING and using during the month of July. Seeing as this is my first time I'm doing a "favourites" video, I'll probably have more products than my later ones - I'm going to try to avoid repeating the same products again and again.

Now I'm going to dive straight in - the first product that I've been loving is the Naked Palette by Urban Decay (pictured right). I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing how great the Naked Palette is, but there's a reason why it's been so raved about. I was unsure as to whether or not to get it as it is pretty expensive. In the UK, it retails for £32 and I got mine in the Debenhams on Oxford Street, London. I've been hearing about how hard it is to get your hands on one of these because they keep selling out - this is really strange to me. Whenever I go to the Debenhams on Oxford Street, I always see loads. I'm talking like 15+. When I got mine, there were shelves stocked with it, so it kinda confuses me when people talk about it being hard to get a hold of. Running on a bit of a tangent there - if you don't know what the Naked Palette is or looks like (if that's the case, erm, hello, where have you been?!), it's a palette of 12 eyeshadows (with 4 exclusive to the palette). They come in a mixture of matte, shimmer, satin, and sparkle finishes. Rather than coming with an eyeliner pencil (like most Urban Decay palettes do), this one comes with a eyeshadow brush - a flat stiff brush. The colours are mostly neutral, with a shimmery black and gunmetal colour for the dark smokey eye look. I'll do a proper review of this palette and swatches in another blog, and I'll talk about whether or not it's worth it. I've been LOVING this palette since I've gotten it, and been using it pretty much everyday I wear eyeshadow. I used to always do the dark silver slash black smokey eye (even in the daytime!) and now I rarely ever do that look.

My next favourite is Avon Supershock Vivid Liquid Eyeshadow in Antique Bronze (pictured right). It's a gorgeous antique gold slash bronze colour, and I've been wearing this a lot, along with the Naked Palette. It comes with a doe foot applicator (the most common lip gloss wand) and is super pigmented. And what I love about this eyeshadow is that once it dries, it stays put. I can get a nice antique bronze colour elsewhere, I just love the lasting power of this product, as well as the colour. Also, it was only £2.50 - what a bargain!

I've also been loving Carex Grapefruit and Lime Anti-bacterial hand gel (pictured above). It smells so good, I think I'm addicted to the smell. I just carry this around my bag and use it throughout the day. This costs around £1.40, but I got this on sale for only £1 at Boots ^^

My next favourite is a bronzer - Laguna by NARS (pictured left). I absolute love this bronzer and use it every single day I wear makeup. I have it in the blush/bronze trio alongside Orgasm and Albatross. I believe that Orgasm and Albatross are overrated - I don't particularly like the two of them. Orgasm is too shimmery for me, and Albatross is too yellow for me. And costing a whopping £39, it is seriously disappointing for me. I will definitely use the blush and the highlighter as I'm not one to just let it go to waste, especially since I paid so much for it, but it is definitely not something I love. I do, however, love the bronzer and will probably re-purchase the bronzer on its own. The bronzer has a slight shimmer to it, but it definitely does not show up when applied to the face. It gives a very sunkissed glow to the face and can also be used as contouring. It is described as a brown colour with golden shimmer. The bronzer alone will set you back around £22.

My lip product this month is The Body Shop's Pink Grapefruit Lip Butter (pictured right). The lip butter is super moisturising - moreso than Vaseline. The only qualm I have with this product is that it is very white. I usually apply this generously in the privacy of my own home, but use very little when I'm out and about. It does leave a white ring on the inside of the mouth, but hey, it moisturises my lips so I'm not going to complain. I just have to be careful not to use too much of it when I'm out and about. This costs £4 but The Body Shop usually have an offer of 3 for 2.

My favourite mascara that I have absolutely been loving this month is MAC's Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara (pictured above). This costs £17.50 which I know is really expensive for a mascara - as much as I love this mascara, I cannot justify spending that much on just a mascara. I actually got this mascara for free earlier this year because the MAC online store was doing something related to inventory and so you could not order online for a few days. As a thank you for being patient and understanding, they gifted a free Haute & Naughty Lash mascara with every purchase. This mascara is different to most because using the pink opening will leave you lashes looking defined, and opening the glittery purple end (along with the pink end) will result in a more fuller dramatic look. It's just the one wand, but the pink opening is much smaller and so allows for much less mascara to coat the wand. The purple and pink combined looks like a much fatter wand, but it's just due to the fact that there's much more mascara coated onto the wand. The mascara wand is just a regular bristle-type wand. I really like the mascara when opened on the pink opening (with much less mascara), it really defines my lashes and holds curl relatively well. I can also build up the mascara for a more dramatic look - when tried with the purple and pink wand, it can leave my lashes looking clumpy and spidery. I have heard that some people like this kind of look, I am not one of them.

My final favourite is the Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink (pictured above). This retails for £15.50 and is more expensive than the MAC FluidLine gel eyeliners (they cost £13.50). I have used both and I will go into a more in-depth comparison review at a later point. I am really loving this eyeliner because I've been going to the gym recently and have been pleasantly surprised with the fact that this does not sweat off my face. My gymming sessions usually last around 3 hours and I only do cardio. Not only does the gel liner stay in place, there's barely any smudging which is fantastic! I would definitely recommend this gel eyeliner if people are unsure as to which one to invest in - I know it may be pretty expensive to some of you, but I can assure you, it is worth it!

So that concludes my July favourites, I know this has been a pretty long list, but like I said before, this is my first time blogging so I have to talk about my makeup essentials. I will try to avoid repeating the same products over and over again. I will also do in-depth reviews on all these products at some point. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and until next time..

- Diem xo

Garnier BB Cream Review

~*You can read an updated review here.*~

Recently, I found out that Garnier have released a BB cream, and I was super excited to try it out. You can get it from Boots or Superdrug and retails for £9.99 for 50ml. Considering that BB creams are usually over £10, this seemed like a pretty good deal. It's also MUCH more accessible than Asian brand BB creams - you don't have to get it from an international online site.

If you don't know what BB cream is, it's basically not as heavy as foundation, but not as light as a tinted moisturiser. BB creams stands for Blemish Balm (also know as Blemish Base or Beblesh Balm) and is really popular in East and Southeast Asia. They can have some properties such as skin whitening slash brightening, anti-acne or anti-wrinkle and can even out skin tone and lighten any blemish scars that you may have. It can be used as a base before foundation or can be used instead of foundation altogether. It tends to much more moisturising than foundation, so people with dry skin may prefer over regular foundation. It's also not as heavy, so if you prefer lighter coverage, you might want to try it out. It usually gives quite a dewy finish - you might want to use powder on top if you have oily or combination skin. It also has SPF in it, which saves you from having to use an extra SPF lotion.

Before we get into the details of the Garnier BB Cream, I will type out the description on the back of the box:

Is Miracle Skin Perfector right for me?
Yes, if you feel a hectic lifestyle can leave your skin looking tired. Yes, if dullness, imperfections, redness, sunspots and wrinkles all seem to add up on your skin. Introducing the Miracle Skin Perfector, inspired by the latest Asian skincare sensation that is already a hit in Hollywood: B.B. (Blemish Balm) creams!
Discover our all-in-one skincare solution that immediately perfects your skin! The light, non-greasy formula gives an even skin tone with a healthy glow, appearance of fine lines, hydrates for 24hours and helps protect with SPF 15.
Save time with your skin care: In just one step moisturise, unify and brighten your skin!
How is it different?
Inspired by B.B. creams, Miracle Skin Perfector is a next generation product with a hybrid formula, combining skincare with mineral pigments. Combining 5 benefits in one, skin appears immediately perfected!
How does it work?
The high-performance skincare formula hydrates for 24 hours and is enriched with a Vitamin C derivative. It boosts radiance and hydrates, for a luminous, fresh complexion. Concentrated in mineral pigments, the formula perfects the skin, leaving a unified, natural look, as though airbrushed.
With SPF 15, it helps protect skin against the harmful effects of the sun.

It also has some stats which I won't mention, because they tend to be biased anyway. I will state, however, that it is recommended for ages 20-40.

Here's what the box looks like, and the packaging of the product. The packaging is really simple, nothing fancy. It's a normal squeezy tube which is good because you can control how much you squeeze out - although you have to be careful not to be too heavy handed as you may squeeze out too much. It comes in only two shades, light and medium. As you can see from the picture above, I got the shade medium. I would say that my skin tone is light/medium. I don't have a MAC reference for you guys but I am No. 53 Light Beige in Bourjois's Healthy Mix Foundation. I would consider myself a light beige colour in general.

Although I haven't tried out the light shade - I got mine online and I didn't see any testers instore. I believe that the light shade would have been too light for me and the medium shade is just a touch darker than me. I believe the medium shade would be perfect for those who consider themselves to be a Medium Beige or Warm Beige colour. If I blend out the BB cream, the colour will match, although this does sheer out the coverage. I use powder on top which does help it blend to my skin tone a bit better.

The top photo is how it looks straight from the tube - I just squeeze a small blob onto the back of my hand. I then blended it out slightly and took a picture of that. Although described as light, I wouldn't necessarily call it light. It's definitely lighter when you blend it out, its almost as if your fingers are melting it. It may appear heavy at first, but it sits much lighter than a regular foundation. The only other BB cream brand that I have tried is from Skin79 - I got their miniature collection which has 4 different kinds of BB cream. I found that the Garnier one is not as thick or sticky slash greasy as the Skin79 one so defo thumbs up~!

The top photo is the back of my hand without the BB cream, and the picture below that is with BB cream that has been blended out. You can probably tell its darker than my skin colour, but it has also evened out the skin tone (although the back of my hand is pretty even). I have dry skin and I applied this on when I woke up to test it out. I usually find that my skin feels tight when I wake up due to the fact that I have dry skin, but after applying the BB cream, it immediately felt softer and eliminated the tight feeling. It evened out my skin tone and did a pretty good job of hiding my blemishes. I applied a few thin layers to build up the coverage as I do like medium coverage. The finish was dewy but not too shiny-looking. I would probably wear this alone on some days where I feel like having a dewy looking face. After I applied my powder (I'm currently using Max Factor Facefinity Compact in 03 Natural), my skin looked airbrushed. I wouldn't say it was completely flawless as I didn't use any concealer, but it did as good a job as my Healthy Mix Foundation. In addition to this, I usually use my Skin79 BB cream first and then a layer of Healthy Mix because I feel like that's the coverage I want. With the Garnier BB cream, I just find building up a few layers is enough for me. It also smells pretty nice too - I think it smells like what you would expect from a Garnier product. This may not be suitable for people who have sensitive skin and find that products with scents break them out.

And now for the negatives - I find that with just two shades, it's very hard to get a good colour match. I'm tempted to get the light one so I can custom match the perfect shade for me - which means another £10. If you have oily skin, this might not be suitable for you - you might be able to get away with it if you powder afterwards. I wouldn't say it has 24 hours of hydration - although you don't really expect that from any moisturiser or foundation. It has SPF 15 which may be a bit too light for some people, most people tend to use SPF 30. I find that SPF 15 is enough for me, but if it isn't for you, you may still find you have to use sun protection anyway.

All in all, I think that this BB cream is really good and would highly recommend it to those with dry skin. You may need to get two to custom match your shade though. Hopefully, Garnier will bring out a shade for people with light/medium skin tone as I think that more people will be able to find their most suitable shade. I'm really glad that I've found this product and I think this will replace my normal foundation routine of Skin79, Healthy Mix, and then powder.

My final verdict for this product is:

❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^


I gave it a high rating because the colour almost matches my skin tone. If the light or medium one did not (as it probably won't for a lot of you), I would have given it a much lower score. If they had more shades, I may have given it a higher score - maybe four and a half?

I hope you guys find this review helpful and until next time..

- Diem xo

The Single Girl's To-Do List should be on your to-read list~

In addition to my love for makeup, I also love to read. To be more precise, I love to read chick lit. I guess I'm someone who would call themselves a hopeless romantic - I'm a sucker for the love stories and the happy endings. I was in Tesco the other day and saw Sophie Kinsella's Mini Shopaholic, and since I own all the previous novels in the Shopaholic series, I really wanted to get it. What clinched it for me was that little yellow sticker on the front of the book that said "2 for £8, or £4.49 each". Since the book retails for £7.99, it was pretty much like getting a book free.

(I would like to add that when I checked out the books mentioned in the blog on Amazon.co.uk, they were £3.49, which meant I could have saved some money if I had waited and gotten it on Amazon, but oh well, what can you do? It was still a good deal though)

My eyes scanned all the other books that were on offer, and I have to admit it, I do get drawn to the front cover of books. (This I do with apps too, I get drawn to certain app icons, but that's a whole other story altogether). I got drawn to the shiny title and also to the actual title. I don't usually branch out and read books from new authors, in case the book turns out to be rubbish. I usually read books on recommendations, and if I liked the book, branch out to other books that the author has published. This is why looking at my bookshelf, I have many books from the same author. Anyway, back to the story - why am I painting such an in-depth back story for this blog? Although I didn't really recognise the author, I read the blurb - the booked seem kind of interesting. I opened the book to find out what other titles this author may have written, and that's when I saw that I actually had one of her books already. I received a free book with a magazine (can't remember which one or when) called "I Heart New York". Although the book wasn't the best book I've read, it was good enough. I probably wouldn't have paid for it, in hindsight, but I probably will re-read the book sometime in the future. I thought I'd give this book a shot, and let me just say, I am so glad I did.

The picture below is the front cover and the spine of the book (to give you some indication of the length of the book).

Let me preface this review by saying that I am pretty lenient with my book reviews. I am not a harsh critic, if the story if cliché, predictable, same-old - I still enjoy it. If you don't like the chick lit genre, then you might want to give this a miss. If you do happen to like trashy chick lit novels, you'll probably enjoy this as much as I did! Before I go in too deep with this review (I can't believe I haven't even started), I will type out the blurb for all you single gals (or not) to read~


Rachel Summers loves a to-do list:


✓ Boyfriend

✓ Flat

✓ Great job

NOT on the list:

✓ Being dumped

Best friends Emelie and Matthew ride to her rescue with an entirely new kind of list - The Single Girl's To-Do List. Rachel doesn't know it, but it will take her on all kinds of wild adventures - and get her in some romantic pickles too. And then it won't be a case of what but who she decides to tick off...

✓ Mr. Bendy yoga instructor ✓Mr. teenage sweetheart in Toronto ✓ Mr. persistent ex ✓ Mr. deeply unsuitable

The Single Girl's To Do-List gives Rachel the perfect heartbreak cure - and proves love is out there if you're willing to take a chance.

Like I said before, I don't usually dislike books, but I also don't rave about books either. It usually takes me a while to get into books, but when I do, I'm the type of person who won't put the book down. I was finding it hard to sleep the same night I got the book, and decided to just read ONE chapter. I thought that would be fine because it took me a while to get into I Heart New York, so I thought it would be the same. One chapter turned into two, which turned into three, which turned into reading the entire book in one sitting and sleeping at 7am - oh-er.

I was so engrossed by the first chapter, I got sucked into the world that is Rachel Summers and her best gal-pal Emelie, and every gal's much needed gay friend. Yes, the story is predictable, and yes, it's also cliché - but I LOVED it. I was just thinking that this book would have been what I needed a couple of years ago when I was heartbroken. I'm not single, so I know it seems pretty strange why I would pick a book like this, but I would still highly recommend to those who are in happy relationships. I think that if you've just gotten out of a relationship, this book is perfect for you! I think almost every girl out there can relate to this book - there's always that one guy who breaks up for you for no apparent reason. I don't want to spoil it too much, but did I mention - Rachel Summers is a makeup artist! I guess that made me enjoy the story even more (even if there isn't much talk about her career). I fell in love with her gay best friend, and her female gal pal (probably not as much). I love the friendship they have and the support they showed her. I didn't find Rachel annoying either, which was pleasantly surprising - I have the tendency to find the female lead to be rather annoying (Grey's Anatomy anyone? Meredith was the sole reason I stopped watched after the first half of the first season, as much as I loved Katherine Heigl). There was one annoying character - I won't reveal as to who, but there's always got to be that one character you love to hate.

It is just a really good-feel kind of book - go out and buy it! And if Amazon's price is still the same (£3.49) - why the hell not?!

My final verdict on this book is:

❤❤❤❤♡ (4 out of 5 hearts) ^^

So what are you waiting for?! Go out and get reading! And until next time..

- Diem xo

E.L.F Haul =))

So, ELF was having this incredible offer (which is over I'm afraid) whereby if you order over £30, you got 50% off. You were also eligible for free delivery if your order was over £30. Therefore, I wanted to get £60 worth of products which would be half off, so I would only pay £30. My friend (who told me of this deal) also wanted to get a few things, so I also got a few things for her too (which won't be mentioned in this blog).

I haven't had a chance to try out the makeup products - I actually haven't opened them. I try not to have to many makeup products that have the same use opened simultaneously. This is because makeup does expire and so, if I have too many products opened that have the same use, chances are, I won't be able to finish them before they go off. Therefore, I like to only like to use a couple of products at the same time. Once I get around to using these products, I will do an in-depth review.

I will mentioned all the items that I purchased, along will the full price and the actual price I paid. I will also add pictures and a brief description of each product and its use.

ELF 3 Pack Shine Eraser Set - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Clarifying Pressed Powder in Apricot Beige (tone 1) - £0.75 (Full Price: £1.50)
ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame in Dark - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Translucent Matte Powder - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Pressed Powder in Sand - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer - £3.00 (Full Price: £6.00)
ELF Powder Brush - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Studio Stipple Brush - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.50)
ELF Mini Eyelash Curler - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.00)
ELF Large Brush Holder - £6.00 (Full Price: £12.00)
ELF Studio Makeup Mist & Set - £1.75 (Full Price: £3.00)

Total Cost: £23.75 

As you can see, I purchased 11 products for only £23.75. What an absolute steal~! Now onto some pictures and some initial feelings towards the products.

Oki, so first off, here is a picture of all the products. I will list the items form left to right, from the items in the brush holder first: 3 pack of blotting sheets, stippling brush, mineral infused primer, powder brush, eyebrow treat & tame, mist & set, and the mini eyelash curler. The three powders in front of the brush holder are the pressed powder (from the Studio line), clarifying pressed powder, and the translucent matifying powder.

This is the eyebrow treat and tame in the colour, dark. I haven't yet used this product yet. but I am eager to try this out. I'm not really interested in the "treat" side of this item, but moreso on the taming side. It is basically a coloured brow gel that will set your brows in place. At the moment, I am using Benefit Browzings and a cheap clear mascara from 2True (a drugstore brand found in the UK's store, Superdrug). Considering how much the Benefit Browzings cost, I am not impressed. I have yet to try out a brow gel/setter, the only thing I have used in the past is clear mascara. I will definitely do a review and have pictures up to show how well (or not well) this product works.

This is just a translucent powder whose sole purpose is to stop me from looking like a grease ball. I have a super oily t-zone which definitely needs to be powdered to eliminate the shine. I haven't opened this one because I have only just started used Avon's Colour Trend Final Touch Pressed Powder in Translucent. Not to mention that I also have two foundation compacts from Max Factor. Definitely do not another opened powder compact. Although, I am tempted to carry this in my bag as it does have a mirror, and the Avon one does not. But then again, I also carry a mirror with me. Unless, I stop carrying a mirror around, and carry this instead. Oh the endless possibilities~ I will debate on whether or not I should opt for the most convenient way (carrying this compact with mirror) or the most logical way (a mirror and already used compact).

This would probably have to be my favourite thing that I got in this haul. Although it may be premature to comment, as I haven't opened most of these products. I can say with absolute certainty, that I am in love with this brush. It's large and dense, similar to a flat top kabuki. And for how much it cost, a mere £1.75, I am surprised and impressed at the softness of the bristles. This powder brush is from their Studio line. I've used it with liquid foundation and powder, both mediums are applied like a dream with this brush. There hasn't been any shedding, but like I said, I've only used it twice, so only time will tell whether or not this little baby will shed. It's a really amazing brush and gutted that I didn't order more of this babies. =((

This is the other brush that I purchased - a duo fibre stippling brush. Sorry that the brush looks a little dirty. I've never used a stippling brush before and the MAC ones cost a bomb. Therefore, I have no frame of reference that I can compare this to. The brush itself is alright, I guess. I don't know if it's the brush, or if it's just the fact that maybe I'm just not a big fan of stippling brushes, but I am not impressed. I tried this out today using my Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation and pretty much gave up after 10 seconds. I also tried this out using my Max Factor Facefinity powders and didn't like it much either. In all honesty, I do not think its the brush's fault, I think I just like dense brushes to apply foundation and powder. If you're like me, I would not recommend this brush, but would tell you to opt for the powder brush instead.

This is a pressed powder from the studio line in the colour, sand. This is just a powder that I would use to matte my face but also give me that little bit of extra coverage. I have yet to open this, as I have mentioned before. I'm not overly excited to try this out, I just got this because of the 50% deal and I will know that I will use this once my Max Factor Facefinity compacts run out.

Here are the mini eyelash curlers that I got from ELF. I was kind of worried that they would be useless because I heard from somewhere that they don't do anything. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it out and they did curl my lashes, pretty well, I might add. I have not tried any high end eyelash curlers, although I have been eyeing up the Shu Uemura ones for the longest of times. Currently, I am using a heated one that my sister-in-law got in China. The heated one works pretty well, but not amazingly. As this is a mini one, I can get right into the roots of my lashes and curl them. It comes with an extra rubber band thing - I mustn't lose this! After using eyelash curlers for a while, the rubber part will start to show signs of wear and tear and once the rubber cracks, it will need to be replaced. Because of this, the longevity of eyelash curlers aren't that great, which is why I am reluctant to spend 20-odd quid on a pair of eyelash curlers. I don't know, maybe someone could tell me how long their eyelash curlers last before the rubber breaks slash cracks. For me, personally, they don't last all too long =((

On the left is the three pack of blotting sheets, and on the right is the clarifying pressed powder. The only blotting sheets I have used are these own store brand (Superdrug) ones. I think it cost me around £2 for 65 sheets. These ELF ones provides you with three packs, three different varieties: green tea, tea tree, and aloe vera. They each have 50 sheets, so that's 150 sheets for £1.75 which is an absolute steal. Blotting sheets are essential if you have an oily t-zone like me. I not only carry around powder, but I also like to carry around blotting sheets. When I find my forehead looking oh so shiny, I take a couple of blotting sheets, one just for the forehead, and one for my nose and chin area, and I blot my face with them. After that, I use a bit of powder to eliminate any excess shine. It's not recommended to use blotting sheets more than twice a day because your face does need some of the oils it produces. The pressed powder was also purchased for when my Max Factor compacts run out.

I've heard a lot about setting sprays but never wanted to splurge out on one. I know that MAC has its Fix +, Urban Decay has it's Dew me or De-slick, and of course there's the Skindinavia range. All these setting sprays are pretty pricey (£12.50, £19, around $29 respectively), and that reason alone, has put me off setting sprays. However, ELF products are much more affordable, and so I thought I would give the makeup mist & set a go. I haven't use it yet, but will do so pretty soon. I will definitely review it alongside the primer. The only primer that I've probably tried and tested is the No.7 Shine Free Primer. That primer really mattes your face before you've even put on your foundation. I'm intrigued as to how this primer works because the No.7 just mattes my face, it doesn't do much for the foundation that I put on afterwards.

And last, but not least, is my brush holder. I was unsure as to whether or not to get this because it was the most expensive item that I got (even though it was just £6). I've been using two cups to hold my brushes, but thought I would be a little fancier and get this brush holder. My brushes are enjoying its new home, and there's plenty of space for them (for now!).

I hope you guys have enjoyed this haul blog post. It's MUCH longer than I thought it would be, and it has taken me longer to type up. However, I have very much enjoyed writing this blog post, and I'm sure there will be many more to come =))

Until next time, chin up =DD

-Diem xo