Artis Professional Oval Brush Dupe | First Impressions.

Evvveeenninnggg ladies and gents.

Y'all good? I am having a great week (makes a change), still job searching though (which hasn't changed). Ha. 

Being the makeup addict that I am, I cannot resist buying new bits and bobs to try out, I get so excited. The little things ay!

I save just as much as I spend, so I am pretty good with money. Obviously, right now I am being careful with what I am spending for clear reasons. However, I was reading LoveLaughsLipstick's tweet and she mentioned a dupe for the Artis brushes that are currently taking over the country by storm. She had bought a dupe brush off Ebay to see if it was any good. I totally jumped on the bandwaggon and I am not ashamed to admit it. Ha. She kindly passed me the link and I ordered one. 

Now, if you are not quite sure what I am talking about it's those weird looking brushes that look like something you would brush your dog with which are oval, with a long handle on them. You may have seem girls using them in tutorials on Instagram where they are literally brushing their face with this thing. As odd as it sounded and looked I really wanted to try the Artis brushes. 

These Artis brushes aren't on the cheap side let me tell you and they are obviously highly priced because they are freaking amazing. Well they better be anyway I would want to come out looking like freaking Kendall Jenner!! 

 They look amazing anyway and the makeup looks airbrushed it's blended so well. 

I picked up my brush on Ebay from a UK company, it's unbranded and it cost me £2. It's not breaking the bank so if it was utterly useless I wouldn't need to cry myself to sleep at night. 

It arrived, it was a lot smaller than I thought, the picture made it look a lot bigger and it said it was for use with foundation.

Time to test it, I applied my foundation and then attacked my face with this contraption. The brush is pretty dense and it felt really strange rubbing it around my face, I wasn't really sure how to use it either. I was just rubbing my foundation in, in a bout of circular motions. Ha. 

I am going to be completely honest. I didn't like how it transferred my foundation at all. For me, it picked up more product than it actually left on my face. It applied pretty evenly considering but I did notice little patches on my checks where it looked as if I had wiped the makeup off. It didn't leave me with my usual matte finish that I get with my expert face brush and didn't seem as seamless. My foundation also looked like it had oxidised a lot too. coincidence maybe?

I need my dark circles covered and it can be hard to do so, this didn't help matters as you kind of sweep the brush over that area. 

For foundation it was a no, no. Fo'sure. 

It blended my concealer in around my chin fine, not so much around my eyes but it did blend my cream contour in nicely, so if anything I will be using it for that. 

I think out of it all it has really intrigued me to try the Artis brushes. I want to see what all the hype is about properly. 

For £2 you can't grumble but I think I was expecting better results. A girl can dream. Ha. 

I hope you enjoyed my first impressions on this brush and it might help you make your own decision on whether to buy it or not. 

Don't forget to give me a follow here if you liked this post.

Love

L

X 

Liebster Awards | Blogger Nomination | Q & A

Picture: http://emilyrosevass.com/

Oh hi :) 

I hope y'all are well and enjoying all of your Easter eggs? (If you celebrate Easter that is) 

I had a small Rolo one off my rents ha ha but also £10 which was nice of them, so I went ahead and bought two sterling silver rings from ShopDixi (who do the most amazing jewellery ever). The rings were £25 each and I got them for £9.95 inc P and P. 

Freaking score.

Ooohh, I am currently working with Shopdixi so if you fancy 10% off your order quote LELUXDIXI at the till. You're welcome. 

Okay, so onto the post, I have been nominated by the lovely and beautiful Beth Chudley for the Liebster Blogger Awards. She is such an amazing person and has an awesome blog over @ Littlecapsulewardrobe . I have also been nominated by Robyn Samantha  today but I had already written this post, so thank you for nominating me also. You beautiful people. :) 

This is an award I have never heard of until I was nominated by Beth and it is such a good way to know the blogger you're investing your time in. 

It's an online award given to bloggers by bloggers which is super cool because it helps build relationships and invite others to check out what you're up to. 

We all love a bit of recognition, right? 

Of course. 

The main question is, how does this whole thing work? 

Once you have been nominated by myself or anyone else you need to do the following: 

. Thank the blogger who nominated you (politeness goes a long way).

. Answer the 11 questions that are set to you by the person who nominated you (provided at the end of the post).

.Share 11 random facts about yourself (that won't be hard for me. Ha.)

. And finally, nominate up to 11 other bloggers who you think 100% deserves the award and ask them 11 new questions of your own. 

It's time to get creative.

Beth asked me the following questions...

1. What made you want to start to blog?  

For me, I started it years ago when I watched that programme with Billie Piper in it, Belle De Jour? The working girl who started an anonymous blog. I found it interesting but it fizzled out. I then picked it up again at uni whilst doing my journalism course and carried it on fully when I was made redundant from my job. It's remained in my life and I love what I am doing. 

2. If you could have one superpower what would it be and why?

This is a hard one to answer because there is a lot I would like. I used to say I would love to read minds, but I think that would get confusing as hell with all those little voices in your head. So for me I think it would to control time, like Bernard's Watch - does anyone remember that programme? I could stop it, forward it, rewind time to avoid mistakes, look into the future. It would be amazing. 

3. What type of blog posts are your favourite to photograph? 

Ooohhh another hard question as I love taking pictures full stop. I think for me currently my favourite to photograph has got to be my makeup looks. I love to experiment and beauty is no exception. I love doing close ups and catching the 'mood' in a picture. Yeah, it's got to be that. 

4. Summer or Winter? 

I always used to say Summer is my favourite time of year as it's my birthday season and the sun makes everyone happy. This has changed slightly because I have now occurred hay fever over the last few years and it ruins my Spring/Summer. I have it from around March time up until Oct and I get it bad. I mean no one has got time for me snotting everywhere. Ha. So in the summer I have to stay indoors a lot. :( So for me I totally love winter for the simple fact my hay fever goes away and it's freaking CHRISTMAS TIME. :D 

5. What would your dream career be? 

Beth, these questions are hard. Ha. 

I am a performer deep down so I would like to say my dream career would to be a singer with a huge fan base and sold out concerts. That aside I would love to be a major blogger or working with animals. I have a lot of interests so I couldn't just pick one career as my 100% dream, if I had to pick one that slightly outweighed, it would be a performer.

6. What TV shows are you bingeing on at the moment/recently? 

 PLL (Pretty Little Liars) is a show I am addicted to although I no longer have Netflix as I am in between jobs at the moment, so I haven't caught the latest series. I am dying to though. I am also loving, F.R.I.E.N.D.S (which is a given for me, I know it all word for word), Gavin and Stacey (James Corden is da bomb), Eastenders, Hollyoaks, Supervet, Gogglebox and The Voice UK. 

7. If you had to give up crisps or chocolate which one would you choose? 

Ahhh mayyynnnnn, you cannot possibly ask me that!!! Ha. 

If I have something sweet like chocolate, I then have to have something savoury like crisps. Okay, I will have to say I would give up crisps because I could get savoury elsewhere to curb my cravings. Chocolate, not so much. You cannot take chocolate away from a hormonal woman, are you kidding me. There would be chaos. 

8. How do you find managing blogging and your everyday life? 

Right now, I am job searching (which I am fed up of) so I am managing just fine because I have the time I need to really put all the work/effort into it. When I do eventually get a job my blogging pattern will have to change. For example I will have to write posts over the weekend way in advance so I have the content ready to go for my post days of Monday and Thursday. It will all be about planning. I have done it before and I will do it again.  

9. What scares you the most about blogging? 

For me it would be failure. I am a perfectionist and I work hard at everything I do. The amount of effort I put into each post I do is unreal. It's not half hearted, if I do something I do it properly. It's hard to get the subscribers/followers now because blogging is so saturated, it's not a case of a small bunch of people anymore... We are talking millions. It's hard to get noticed as we are all doing the same thing.

10. What is your favourite way to relax at the weekend? 

I love to take pictures, experiment with my hair and makeup and again take pictures and edit those. I also love to take a bath, wash my hair, go in hard with my skin routine and chill in my room watching movies and eating junk. Ha. 

If I had a job I think my weekends would change slightly, in the day I would most probably go shopping and then maybe hit the town at night for a cheeky catch up with friends. 

Right now I am happy doing my thaaannng. 

11. What brands would you like to work with if you had the chance? 

Oh my goodness, there are so many. You ready?

ShopDixi, Cult Beauty, MUDA Beuty, Makeup Revolution, Feel Unique, Barry M, Urban Decay, Zoeva, Nanchy, Real Techniques, Sigma, Soap & Glory, MAC, Body Shop, Lush, Rimmel, Loreal, Smashbox, YSL, New Look, H & M, Eylure, Elegant Touch, Moroccan Oil, Primark, Garnier, Foxy Locks Extensions, Melt Cosmetics, Rodial Skincare, Kiko Cosmetics, Superdrug/Boots, Topshop, Boohoo, Da Silva London. There are far too many to list. Ha. 

11 Random Facts About MEEEEEEE.

1. I leave two bits of chicken in my curry and leave the rest. Just don't ask. Ha. 

2. I am a singer and I have been on the X Factor and a horrendous dating show. 

3. When I sit down I curl my toes under my foot - it's something I have always done. (That picture actually looks freaking weird). 

4. I suck my thumb, hence why I need Invisalign. *Covers eyes*. 

5. I have met Adam Lambert, Tom Odell and Brian Molko.

6. I didn't sleep with anyone until I was 18 and that was with my boyfriend at the time. 

7. I cannot sleep in the dark, I have to have a dim light on otherwise I freak out something is going to get me. Ha.

8. I love anything rose gold/copper and have re-designed my room to fit that in. 

9. I have 5 tattoo's and used to have my belly and tragus pierced.

10. I have a serious crush on Harry Styles. 

11. I have three moles equally aligned in the form of Orions Belt on the right side of my forehead, left side of my forearm and on my left leg. I like to think I was born a star. Phaha. 

  

My Questions To My Nominees. 

1. Where do you find your inspiration for your blog posts? 

2. If you could pick a curry to describe your personality which would it be and why? 

3. If you could bring a celebrity back from the dead who would it be? 

4. What is your current must have beauty product and item of clothing and why? 

5. Describe yourself in 3 words. 

6. Pet peeve? 

7. Explain your blogging process, what you do first and what you do last. 

8. Where did your blog name originate from? 

9. If you could collaborate with anyone on your blog who would it be? 

10. If you could be anyone but yourself for the day who would it be? 

11. Biggest fear in life? 

(Don't forget to add your 11 random facts about yourself.) 

My Nominees. :) 

Lucy @ LJLV

Holly McLoughlin @ Books&Memories 

Sarah Murgatoyd @ SarahMurgatoyd

Sarah @ Everythingyoudontneedtoknowaboutsarah

Jadriah Sarmad @ Jasminecatchesbutterflies

Lucinda Anderson @ LCNDA
love_lippy @ LoveLaughsLipstick 
Jay @ Blissfulbeautybird

Just A Uniform @ justauniform
Eloise @ Eloiselovesnature

I hope you got to know me a little better and like me enough to subscribe to my blog here on Bloglovin'.

I can't wait to see the answers these beauties come up with. 

Until next time...

Love

L 

X 

Bloggers Hangout Fashion Week | My Modelling Debut.

Morning. 

Happy Easter Weekend y'all (that's if you celebrate it and all that). 

It's taken me all freaking day to take and edit pictures for this post so I hope you all like it. :) 

Monday just gone was the Bloggers Hangout Fashion Week Event in Shoreditch, London. I had only gone down there last month for another one of their events and I wasn't actually going to attend this one (saving money, as you know). However, I had a tweet from Da Silva London saying that I was modelling for them in their runway show. 

I was literally SO excited and then I got the email to confirm I was booked as a model for 4 brands on the night event. The pang of anxiety then hit me because I had agreed and then realised "crap, I am not a model and I have never modelled in my life". 

At the moment I am trying to do things to push my anxiety out of the way and I never let it get in the way. Granted I get REALLY nervous before I do a lot of things but I just breathe and carry on. 

Okay, so I was watching YouTube vids of Kendall Jenner on the runway so I could try and master the 'model strut', walk up and down in the biggest heels ever to ensure I wouldn't fall on the night and then suddenly the day came around so quickly. 

It's a 7 hour round trip for me, so Papa Hutt took me and Brother Hutt came along to take my pics for me as I couldn't obviously take them myself. 

I arrive and I go into the back room to be greeted by the other models, now this is what caused me to panic. I thought the other girls were blogger's like me. Nope, they were all professional models, who had done that kind of thing before and I was clueless. I really started to doubt myself but they were all bloody lovely and took me under their wing. Really nice girls. 

We each had to wear 2-3 outfits for each brand and it is literally how you see it on the TV, you put the first outfit on, strut your stuff and then rush back in undressing as you go, to meet an army of people to get you into the next outfit before your back on in a matter of seconds. Forget dignity, everything is out, bums, boobs, vajayjay's and to be honest it didn't bother me at all. I actually really enjoyed myself, as soon as I walked once (and didn't fall I may add) I was fine, you don't have time to worry. You do your thang and move on. I had a couple of people say to me that they didn't realise I wasn't a model and seemed natural up there. To me, I felt like I was walking like John Wayne with a constipated face. :D Apparently not. Phewwww. 

I loved this outfit by Sarvin <3 font="">

Unfortunately for me, I didn't have chance to show my brother how to adjust the lighting settings on my DSLR so 90% of my photo's were blur. :( I tried to salvage what I could and some more are being sent over on Monday, so if they are nice I will post them to my social media outlets. 

The Brands I modelled were, Da Silva London, Jones & Jones, Sarvin & Xsazia. 

I LOVED Jones & Jone's dresses a lot!! 

Completely channelled my inner Kendall Jenner. Ha. 

 I wore some awesome clothes, the massive dresses at the end of the runway show were a little too big for me but I worked it.

I did say I wouldn't do it again but now I have done it and know what to expect, I really would do it again. It was so fun. I felt privileged to be asked. 

These events are always amazing and one of the best. I love travelling to this one as you always meet amazing brands and bloggers. 

Because I was in the show from 6.45 pm to around 8.30 pm I didn't have much time to get round all of the brands. Obviously I am a blogger so needed to speak to some of them before I left. I had a massive goody bag from the fashion show, and left with some other cool bits from the brands. 

I am also being sent something from Jones & Jones (one of the brands I modelled for) their clothing is GORGEOUS, you need to check them out. And I am being sent a gel nail kit from United Beauty. I am so excited for those. 

 I apologise now for the lengthy post, but it's mainly pictures so I am hoping it's not too painful for you. 

Now to the bit that most people want to know...

What beautiful things did I take home with me? 

Lets GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 I got so much freaking cool stuff!! Some of it I didn't have a clue about because it was in the massive bag I was given at the end of the runway show. 

And I didn't even get round to seeing some of the other brands. 

Lucky. :) 

Stvdio5 are a "London based company that produce 100% vegan beauty products. They are cruelty free, eco-friendly and completely British sourced". I had this in my goody bag and they smell amazing and look so damn freaking cute. You know me I love anything that doesn't harm animals, so I can't wait to use these. 

I have heard about TTMasks before and I had these beauties in my bag too. I have never used them at all as I rarely use beauty masks. These sound so cool though as they are eye masks. They use new bio technology to ensure you have the best results possible and are definitely a luxury item.   

I actually met the lady at the Thumbs Up Nails stand and she was lovely, she did a demonstration within seconds on one of my nails whilst I was there and I really liked the results. They sell nail wraps and not just any nails wraps, super funky ones. They have a wide range of designs as well as finishes. They gifted me the above and I can't wait to try them. I have bought wraps before and have never worked. The demo is still on my nail as I type. 

Another brand within my goody bag was Leighton Denny's range. Now I thought the brand was called 'Light and Dark' which it is not. I have never heard of this brand before but I was shocked at whar I was gifted. The perfume is literally to die for, it has masculine over tone but a feminine undertone. If that makes sense. I also received some instant tan and a lipstick & gloss. And I have just looked and the perfume itself is over £40. :O - Thank you very much. 

The lovely owner of Purepotions actually sent me these through the post as they were one of the brands I missed seeing. Her brand is 100% natural and is that great it can be used on babies. She does different sets to suit different needs. I chose the one for dry skin and these products are great for really dry skin, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. It's going to come in really handy. Thank you so much.    

I met the lovely lady at this stand too and she gave me and my brother a taster of this drink. It was really nice. I hadn't drank anything all day (naughty) and I was SO thirsty, I tried the 'Red Berry' flavour ad it was so nice. I am not a fan of peach and grapefruit so I will give this to my brother, Zeo prides itself on being 98% natural spring water, infused with naturally extracted fruits and botanicals. Basically it's way better for you than most of the other drinks out there. I like this drink a lot. 

I have met with Berrywhite before at one of these events and I love their drinks, this one is my favourite, they are an organic drink brand. I find 99.9% of the time at these events the only brands present are those who are natural, animal friendly and body helpful, try them out guys!  

Ioma. I have never heard of this brand before and this was also in my bag, they are a French company that specialise in skincare that is actually tailored to your own skin. Obviously this sample isn't but they sound really interesting and I would like to see what this product is like. 

I think most people have heard of L.A.B2, I have but never tried them. They are a beauty company who aims to provide MUA's high quality products at an affordable price. Their brushes are synthetic but of high quality which means "yay" no animal testing and contain the Fibreluxe technology which gives you "flawless, professional results". The girl I spoke to was really nice and informative and she offered me either the face or eye kit to try. Obviously I went for the eyes as that's what I like experimenting with. I got these other two products too. I am really grateful for these gifts. 

Everyone has heard of Sensationail they are an awesome beauty brand for all you nail fanatics out there. I have their gel kit as I asked my brother to get it me a couple of Christmases ago. Their brand provides you with salon worthy nails from the comfort of your own home. They were at the event and I spoke to the same girl at L.A.B2 about their new 'polish to gel transformer'. I only needed this product as I have the lamp but they were actually gifting the whole kit with the lamp too which was really generous. I cannot wait to try this and see the results!! Again thank you for this lovelies.  

I stopped by Dolly's Bling Shop because it caught my eye. It was full of silver jewellery and it was these rings that grabbed my attention, they are so god damn cute and there was loads of different charms. I couldn't decided between the two and the lovely lady let me have both. I can't find their website for me to link you but I did read on the card that their jewellery is sterling silver. If so, I am actually even more in love as that's all I wear. They are super cute and unique. LOVE. 

I stopped by Paul Mitchell on my way out as I do love hair product and experimenting. They are a salon brand so you can only get these products at your nearest stockist. I was gifted these products to try out and they sound amazing. They obviously knew I needed the extra-body products. ;) 

I have heard of 'skin food' but not the brand Weleda but the lady was super nice and gifted me and my brother these creams, they smell amazing and have such a nice formula that will for sure defeat dry skin. They are another vegan brand with an 'earthy' vibe. I like this vibe.  

Jurlique's Rose Body Oil was also another in my bag. I have never tried their products but I smelt this and it actually smelt like I was in a garden full of roses. A true rose scent. Their ingredients are produced on their farm which is certified biodynamic, where they work in tangent with nature and the environment. I am loving that this product is environment and nature friendly. It makes it even more appealing.  

Bravura London are another company that don't test on animals. Love it. I haven't tried these yet but they claim to provide "excellent quality products at lower prices". These products contain Hyaluronic Acid which helps skin stay hydrated. Good shout. 

YAS, another non-animal testing product. These look awesome. I love skincare products at the moment and I cannot wait to try these either. Mono are a natural skincare range, there are no damaging chemicals, perfumes or synthetic colours. 

 I have never heard of this brand but they are a tanning company and currently I am loving a bit of fake tan. 

LDN: Skins "combines elite professional salon treatments with easy home-use products". They claim a streak free tan. I am so going to test this theory. 

AND... 

That's the end of my very long post. All links to brands are on their names and I will be doing a separate post on the Jones & Jones & United Beauty gifts when they arrive so keep a look out. 

I hope my mini first impressions intrigue you into checking all of these brands out because they all seem amazing. I can't wait to try it all out. 

Now I need some sleep as it's 02.47 and I cannot stay awake any longer.

Dedication. :) 

P.S. Don't forget to subscribe to my blog on Bloglovin'. 

Love

L 

X