Maybelline Color Elixir by Color Sensational Gloss | Caramel Infused

Nothing annoys me more than writing "color" but Americanisms aside, this is probably one of my favourite lip purchases of the year so far. Maybelline Colour Elixir gloss has been around for a while, but it's something I didn't really touch for a while as it was so hyped up. The last hyped thing I caved into (I'm looking at you, Baby Skin) I hated, so I was a bit more careful this time.

Oh my gosh, have I been missing out. I haven't actually stopped wearing this since I bought it. It's packed full of colour and has some real good staying power, especially for a gloss. With drinking, it doesn't really budge, eating takes a bit more away but there is still colour there, and re-application is a breeze.

The wand is a sort-of flattened doe-foot sponge applicator, that applies the product perfectly with added precision with help of the pointed tip.

The product itself is lovely. It's slightly sticky, so I'm not sure of the "totally non-sticky" claims I have seen, but the slight stickiness gives it an amazing long-wearing factor. It lasts a good 3-4 hours on me, which is fab for a gloss. It also packs a punch with pigmentation, the colour on this is just beautiful. 

Caramel Infused is a warm nude shade with hints of pink.

I'd recommend these to anyone, and I'm definitely going to be looking for my next shade. Gorgeous!

Ellie x

SebaMed Clear Face: Cleansing Bar, Deep Cleansing Toner & Care Gel - First Impressions

SebaMed is probably my new favourite skincare brand. Although I have only been trying out 3 products from their Clear Face range*, I can already tell it's some pretty good stuff. Especially created for acne/spot-prone skin, Clear Face is made to combat those pesky (and common) outbreaks whilst pH balancing your skin to 5.5.

The 3 products I have been sent are the Cleansing Bar, the Deep Cleansing Toner and the Care Gel. All of which fight against your spots and blackheads whilst pH balancing your skin to leave it healthy.

The Cleansing Bar

I really like this cleansing bar, as it really makes your skin look and feel clean, without irritating it. As my skin is quite sensitive, it's always nice to find a product that doesn't upset it. SebaMed say that this bar is perfect for those with mild acne.

Deep Cleansing Toner

The deep cleansing toner really does deep cleanse! I feel like this is a bit too strong for my incredibly sensitive skin and brings out the redness a bit in my skin, which I try to avoid at all times. This is definitely something that I'd use when I was having a troublesome time with my skin. SebaMed say that this toner is great for oily/combination skin.

Care Gel

I think the care gel is probably my favourite from the range, as I find it really does help my skin calm down and really smooths it out. It isn't a moisturiser, but rather something to apply before your moisturiser, or at least that's how I think suits it best. SebaMed say that this care gel is great for all skin-types that are spot/acne-prone.

So, what have I found in the last few days using these Clear Face products? Well, my skin is looking 100% better, even my mum has commented to say it looks clearer - and that's just from 2 days use! I would definitely recommend to those with mild acne problems or spot-prone skin.

I am currently doing a 28-day challenge with these products - so I'll be writing a review then to see how my skin has changed!

I'm now eyeing up the sensitive skin range...

Ellie x

* These items were kindly gifted to me for the purpose of review

Recent Instagrams #4

I've been getting a lot better at updating my Instagram hooray! I haven't done an Instagram update since January, so there's a little bit to catch up with! I'm aiming to post every day on my Insta, and do a blog post once a month on what I've been up to!

1 - My Nanshy marvel blending sponge! Love using this to blend in concealer. It looks so smart too!
2 - The Bourjois bronzer and highlighter duo, a must in my makeup bag as it's perfect for a natural contouring and highlight.

3 - MAC Plumful! Such a gorgeous yet wearable deep red. I like how you can change the tone depending on your lipliner and can make it sheer by wearing lip balm underneath - so versatile!
4 - Ooh my favourite ever dish, the Chicken Teriyaki from Wagamama's. I literally crave this all the time - right now as I'm typing this in fact! Would be great if Worcester opened one so I didn't have to make the journey to Birmingham for one.

5 - Super cute Canterbury Bell Campanula from work. It's great working in a garden centre this time of year as there are so many cute flowers starting to come through. From April the flower show really starts!
6 - The gorgeous male Asiatic Lion from Bristol Zoo. Me and Aaron went on a spontaneous day out and we loved it, they had so many different and exotic animals which are so great to see. These Asiatic Lions are pretty rare so it's great that Bristol Zoo are planning on breeding them.

7 - Barry M Mustard! I love wearing this shade with greys and blues, it went so well with my checked navy trousers!
8 - Super pretty two-tone Primrose, I'm not the biggest fan of Prim's to be honest but this one really caught my eye.

9 - Not the most attractive picture but one of my favourite foods - honey garlic chicken. It's so quick and easy to make, plus it tastes absolutely amazing. One for garlic lovers!
10 - Stunning pink gerbera! My Instagram has so many flowers on it now since I've gone full-time at work. I can't resist taking pictures of prettiness.

11 - After seeing the movie Chappie, me and my gal Ally went to Pizza Hut. This was so yummy! BBQ sauce, chicken, bacon and sweetcorn pieces. Mmm!
12 - I've always been interested in sushi but I don't eat seafood, so I when I noticed Tesco were doing hoisin duck california rolls and hosomaki I was so excited! It tastes so good!

 13 - Gorgeous large white hydrangea's, so tempted to get one because they have £10 off and I get discount... Haha! Hydrangea's are one of my favourite plants, they're stunning!
14 - My cute little succulents, I can't wait til they grow. Going to get some cuttings and grow some more as well I think!

15 - In love with my pastel blue handbag from New Look, square rings from H&M and new Barry M polishes. (here)
16 - Barry M Plumpy Topcoat, Gelly Rosehip, Gelly Chilli. (here)

17 - My favourite Jelly Belly beans! Green tea, toasted marshmallow and tutti frutti, mmm!
18 - My LLYMLRS inspired purchase, the Gosh Velvet Touch lipliner in Nougat Crisp. It's gorgeous! So lightweight and lasts so long. Favourite purchase for a while!

 19 - This is my favorite picture right now, I really want to get it printed I think. It's my wonderful boyfriend Aaron having a snoop around the indoor plant section of Webbs. He's getting some ideas for when we get our house!
20 - My detoxing lemon water! I love infusing water, it's so healthy for you and tastes great!

21 - I'm in love with these chunky cleated sole ankle boots from Boohoo. They are my first pair of shoes from Boohoo and I'm really impressed with the quality. They are so comfy!
22 - Whilst on my trip to Webbs I picked up some homemade drinks, my favourite being this rose lemonade. It was so good! I love rose tastes in food, I think it's an acquired taste though as some people cannot stand floral/perfumed tastes!

So here's the catch up from my Instagram! I hope you enjoy my pictures and would perhaps give me a follow :) (link here)!

Ellie x

* All links are to the images

New Additions to my (Affordable) Skincare

I've had the same skincare routine/products for so long, in fact it wasn't long ago I posted my everyday skincare routine. I'm still using the same products, I have just enhanced the routine with some extras!

PURE TEA TREE OIL
I think buying pure tea tree oil was a bit short-sighted, as I didn't realise you had to mix the pure oil with another oil to dilute it. Silly I know, but hey we all learn somewhere! When I run out I'm definitely going to pick up the blended version. I've been using this at night, mixing it with some E45 as I feel like it doesn't work so well with other oils, even though you are meant to mix it with other oils. My face is visibly smoother, clearer and less red the next morning - so I am extremely happy with this!

PINK GRAPEFRUIT FACE WASH

Pink grapefruit has been around for a while now in the skincare world, but I didn't really know about it's benefits for your skin until fairly recently. I decided to pick this up as I really like Superdrug's Tea Tree range. I feel like it does make a difference to how clear my skin looks, and it hasn't broken me out, caused any irritation and didn't sting like some face washes do.

NATURALLY RADIANT RADIANCE SERUM
Another Superdrug-own range, this one being the Naturally Radiant range. The range is really interesting and has lots of things to brighten up your skin, from serums and eyecreams to night creams and overnight peels. I really like this serum and I've been using it underneath my E45 to just add something else to my skin. I feel like it helps keep my skin from feeling to "flat".

Overall I am really happy with my new additions. I'm loving Superdrug's own skincare ranges, I'd highly recommend them to anyone who needs skincare to fit into a budget!

Ellie x

Recent Makeup Buys

I was having a bit of a Superdrug moment last week and bought loads of new skincare products, so whilst I was splashing the cash I thought I'd treat myself to some new bits and pieces too. I've also included the Benefit Roller Lash mascara that I got free in ELLE magazine a couple of months ago as it's still a fairly new addition to my face!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints & New Plumpy Topcoat

Chilli - I've had my eye on this shade for a while now, it's quite a hard colour to describe really, the closest thing I can think of is a slightly darker and more reddy version of Pantone's Marsala (colour of the year 2015)

Rose Hip - I literally haven't taken this off since I brought it home, it is such a beautiful delicate almost-white-pink and I've had so many compliments. It's a perfect pastel for spring!
Plumpy Topcoat - I was really interested by this product so couldn't wait to try it out. It really does give your nails a high-shine gel effect. Not the quickest drying or perhaps even the longest lasting, but it does it's job very nicely for just £3.99 - result!

Bourjois Colorband Eyeshadow/Liner

I had my eyes on this since it first came out so I am glad I finally picked it up. The colour is beautiful, it's easy to apply and isn't too in-your-face like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold, making it for a wonderful everyday rose gold eyeshadow.

Makeup Revolution Focus & Fix Eye Primer
I've been using ELF's lid primer for so long yet their recent decision to close the UK website before long left me hunting around for a new eye primer. I turned to Makeup Revolution in the end as I have never been let down before by their products, and yet again they have impressed me. This performs brilliantly and is only £2.50. (here)

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara (not pictured above)

So when ELLE was giving away a world-exclusive sample of the new mascara Roller Lash of course I had to pick it up. I'm not a major fan of They're Real! as I feel like there are better and more affordable alternatives. However, Roller Lash just feels special and not like any other mascaras I have used before. It lengthens my lashes to absolute perfection without that spidery look, which really makes my eyes pop. I love framing my eyes with a good mascara! I think I may buy this full size when my sample runs out.

GOSH Velvet Touch Lip Liner in Nougat Crisp

This is a product I've had my eye on for a while, especially as my blogging fave Lily Melrose raves about it. I was a little nervous to try this as I usually don't get on with matte lip products but this is gorgeous, it lasts so long and feels weightless, like you don't have any product on what-so-ever.

I adore my new goodies, however the danger of having new makeup is of course wanting even more makeup, haha :)

Ellie x

Hair Removal - My Story, Products to Remove Hair & Loving Yourself

Hair removal?! Not the usual thing I see coming up on my feed, but something we all do. I'm currently battling myself, I've hated how I look for pretty much my whole life and now I'm doing something about it. Exercising to feel good and to tone myself up a bit, healthy eating to make me feel good inside and hopefully make me look better on the outside and hair removal.. because well as a dark-featured girl I am plagued and it embarrasses me totally to the point where I now wear long-sleeves every single day. Enough.

When I was younger, I was always tanned. As someone with olive skin, I pick up the sun in no time, going on holiday twice a year seriously helped keep me dark, disguising/bleaching the hairs on my arms and body. Now, I can't afford to go on holiday (venturing away from England for the first time in 5 years in August however), and I am paler than ever have been, and I'm noticing my dark hairs more than ever and I hate it.

I know I'm not alone, but I rarely see any women with hair on their arms, lower back, or anywhere really. I know body hair is normal and something I (and you reading this if this is something you experience) shouldn't be embarrassed of, but yet I do feel embarrassed and like it's not normal. Body standards of women have certainly changed, nothing is real and there seems to be so much pressure on us ladies to be completely hair-free and "perfect". I disagree with this, as having hair is completely natural and I don't think you should have to change yourself so others think you are pretty or to live up to standards set by the media. All that matters is that you love yourself for who you are.

And although I'm not planning on changing myself for anyone, as I am purely exercising and eating right to feel better inside, the one thing I cannot shake is my dark hair. So I am doing something about it. I've never wanted to shave my arms as I don't fancy stubble or the constant commitment, so however I have bought wax strips, hair removal cream and bleach.

WAX STRIPS

I bought Veet Ready to Use Easy Grip wax strips for the worst of the hair on my arms. They come in packs of 40, so will last a while! Waxing lasts longer than shaving and will help to discourage growth/make hair seem finer after frequent use which is a result I'm hoping for more than anything! Although it can be uncomfortable, it's something you get used to - kind of like doing your eyebrows!
My experience - it was really easy and simple, and really didn't hurt half as much as I thought it would! It has given me such smooth soft skin, I love the result!

HAIR REMOVAL CREAM
Something I'm sure we've all dabbled in at some point in our lives, hair removal cream is fairly quick and easy and something I picked up for the finer hairs (but not as fine as facial hair). I picked up Veet 3 Minute Cream mainly because it was on offer and because Veet seems to be a more trusted brand in the hair removal world.
My experience - I really like this hair removal cream, it of course doesn't smell great but smells a lot better than some hair removal creams I've used. I left it on for the maximum amount of time (6 minutes) rather than 3 minutes so not to be disappointed and it has worked a treat. Great product!

BLEACH
Something I always saw in the bathroom cupboard growing up but wasn't sure what it was... Jolen Cream Bleach is for my really fine hairs and for facial hair, my mum literally swears by it. I don't want to remove any hair on my face (unless this doesn't work) in fear of them coming back worse or stubbly, so turning them blonde will hopefully disguise them!
My experience - this was the most time-consuming out of the three, but well worth it. Every hair I bleached has pretty much turned invisible, I love it! 

Loving yourself, being happy and confident in who you are is so important and nothing should get in the way of accepting who you are. All your friends, family and loved ones don't care for you imperfections, they are what makes you, you. Everyone has flaws! But if something is stopping you from loving yourself, being happy and confident then you can always change it, just make sure you do it in a healthy and safe way.

I would love to know if anyone else struggles with dark body hair, and what you thought of my post!

Ellie x

Cleated Sole Chelsea Boots & Metallic Square Rings

I'm back! After a bit of a break, I feel fully ready to start blogging again. Here's to no more breaks (apart from the odd holiday) and to working really hard to achieving something with this little slice of internet!

Anyway, moving onto this little snippet of a post which features 2 of my favourite purchases recently. Although spring is here, we are having a crap time with the weather which is making dressing for this season even harder than it usually is. Perfect excuse for some new ankle boots am I right? I adore these chunky cleated sole boots from Boohoo. They are chunky yet not too chunky which I feel gives them a spring-time vibe. They are also my first pair of shoes from Boohoo and I am pretty impressed!

Next up from H&M are these really quirky metallic square rings. I am a sucker for jewellery that is a bit different and I couldn't resist these for just £5.99 - a fantastic price for 6 rings! I love that they come in 3 tones of silver, gold and rose gold - mixing metals is something I really love doing and is a really easy trend to do with rings. Major hearts for these!

Ellie x