July Favourites: HD Brows, Blood Brothers and Shane Dawson

So, it's August! How the hell did that happen? I swear it seems like it was New Years like 3 hours ago. I can't be dealing with time moving this fast! Anyway, now I've done the obligatory intro that everyone does, I'm going to get on with my July favourites. 

Makeup and Hair

HD Brows Blusher (2) and Bronzer (2) 

I've recently reviewed these, and since posting the reviews it's brought them to my attention again. I've been loving the blusher for adding a healthy and glowy flush to the skin, and the bronzer is great for contouring the face lightly and adding warmth to the skin tone. They both work for my pale skin, which is great and they last all day on my skin. 

blusher review here 
bronzer review here

Le Kair Natural Carrot Oil Cholesterol Creme

 I featured this in a haul post quite some time a go and also have a review up which you can read here. I brought this from a site that focused on Afro-Caribbean hair products, and fell in love. I've recently rediscovered this after trying out some other conditioners and realized how much I love it. I've used this as a hair mask and a leave in conditioner and it works well as both. It helps tame frizz, nourish hair and it doesn't smell awful either. It's also ridiculously cheap. 

haul here
review here

Maybelline BB Cream in Light 

I think it's law that in summer, you must ditch foundation and head to the BB cream (or even CC creams now). Following the crowd, as I normally do, I ditched my believed Estee Lauder foundation that I normally wear every day and tried getting used to a bb cream. I've been loving this because the finish is great for my dry skin, and I've been using this when I'm not at work. I can't quite leave my Double Wear behind for work because I need to something to cover and last.

B. Eyeshadow Palette in Glisten 

I've been loving subtle neutral eyes recently. I used to love super dark and intense eyes but for the summer I've been trying to ditch the black (it's really hard) and go with nice summery colours. These shadows are great for creating a nice eyeshadow look that you can see on the eyes but it's as harsh as some of my winter looks can be. The rusty brown colour is my favourite, but all of them together create a great look. 

 Youtube

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I've recently got right back into watching YouTube videos. I have gotten a better internet connection at home, and without uni I have spare time (too much!). I've been subscribed to Shane Dawson for ages, but I've never watched one of his videos.  I've started watching them, as despite the slightly offensive humour I find him hilarious. I prefer his vlog videos but he's a funny duck in just about all of them, vlog or main.

Music

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I've recently discovered TwentyForSeven on YouTube. I don't know how I haven't been subscribed to them for ages but I'm not officially addicted to their music.  I found them after watching their very popular cover of Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man but my all time favourite from them has to be the cover of Bad by The Cab or the 2012 Mash Up Song. 

I've always rediscovered my absolute love for the Foo Fighters. Wasting Light has got to be one of my favourite albums EVER. 

Books

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This month I've read (or at least started reading) two books! One I read in about 2 days at the end of the month. Blood Brothers is a very popular musical (I'm planning on writing up a post for my very new Book Blog) and was written by Willy Russell. I finally got a hold of a copy of this in book form and read it in two days. It's just as amazing in book form as it is on stage, and I highly suggest going to see it or reading it. 

I've also been loving the latest addition to the Bloodlines series, which is a spin off of the Vampire Academy series. The Bloodlines series focuses more on Alchemists than vampires, but it just as great as the original series. I'm on the third book and am loving it. It might be worth checking out if you like YA reads.  

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*this post contains mention of PR samples

HD Brows Bronzer in 2

HD Brows Bronzer, £19.69, link 

The HD Brows Bronzer is one of the latest offering from the cult brows brand "HD Brows". When I was ever so kindly offered a chance to try this and their blusher, I jumped at it. I adore their brow palette in Vamp (review here) and the blush is  a gorgeous blush for the summer (review here). 



The bronzer is a pigmented, medium-tone bronzer with golden shimmer running through it. In the pan, it's easy to compare with Nars Laguna. The shimmer looks very similar in both, but unlike Laguna, it does translate into the skin slightly more. You won't be looking like a glitter ball, but don't expect a matte look from this. It has a slightly more orange tone to it as well, but it's not "You've Been Tangoed" orange, so fear not! 




  I have very pale skin, so I've always found it hard to find a bronzer that works for me without making me look muddy or a TOWIE extra. I can't claim that this is the holy grail bronzer, because if applied a little too heavy handed or with the wrong brush for me, it can make me look a little tangoed. 



I've found this perfect when used in conjunction with a big stippling brush or duo fiber brush. I've found that the ELF stippling brush and the Real Techniques Duo Fiber Powder Brush. It gives you a light application, helps blend the powder into the skin and ensures that you don't look too orange or 'dirty'. 



While I can make this work for my skin tone - I found it great for warming up the skin tone, and for lightly contouring the face - I would say it is more suited for darker skin tones. I would say it's ideal for people who are around NC/NW25 >> but people under that can make it work with a light hand. 

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*pr sample

HD Brows Blusher in 2

HD Brows Blusher Shade 2, £17.95, link 

The HD Brows Blusher is one of the latest offerings from the brand famous for their eyebrow products. The eyeshadow/brow quads are famous in the blogging world, and I think this blusher is going to be quick to follow. 


 
It's a gorgeous warm rose colour with beautiful gold shimmer running through it. The blusher's texture is beautiful, and one of the smoothest I've tried. The silky smooth powder blends onto the skin with nearly every brush I've used and it lasts all day. 



The shade is very similar to Nars Orgasm. I personally don't own Orgasm, but I have swatched it many times when at the Nars counter and after seeing this I no longer need to lust after that shade. I have it right here! This isn't hugely cheaper than the Nars blush (£21.50), retailing at £17.95 but every little helps right so this might just be the option for you.



I have a very fair complexion, and this works really well on my skin tone. The shimmer running through the blush means you can forgo highlighter, but still get the radiance you would is you used one. I also think this would work amazingly well on deeper and more tan skin tones. 

The packaging is slightly chunky, but it sticks with the traditional HD Brows packaging. The sleek, glossy black compact with the white writing looks classy and the nice mirror inside means it's great for on the move. I'm not entirely sure what the sponge is for, because I've never applied a powder blush with a sponge but I suppose it could be used for touch ups in a desperate situation.    

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Up and Coming *Exciting* Products...

I'm always exciting when new things hit the shelf! I have no self control so I start buying, and therefore blogging  about them and I get lots of new things to play with. 

With that in mind, I'm going to start doing a monthly post about new products that are hitting our UK shelves so maybe you can keep and eye out and squeal over them like I do.

Bourjois Cream Blushes & Bronzing Primer

With summer just around the corner (hopefully) cream blushes are in and powder blushes are out. Bourjois, famous for their baked blushes, are bringing out some fabulous cream blushes. They come in 4 shades - a matte peach, a pearly apricot pink, a pearly soft pink and a matte brown pink. They are a creamy to powder formula that claim to blend easily over the skin and carry the signature rose fragrance that comes with their signature rose fragrance. They hit Boots on May 15th if you want to get your mitts on them. 


I'm also eagerly awaiting the release of their bronzing primer. I love the flower primer from the brand, and the bronzing one is said to have a similar formula. So a great primer alongside a possible dupe for the Chanel Bronze Universal. This comes out in Boots at the beginning of June, and hits Superdrug in July.

HD Brows | Blush & Bronzer 

I think everyone knows what HD brows do, but the brand is now introducing a blush and bronzer range for Summer 2013. The pressed powder blush is a soft burnt rose shade that is meant to suit all skin tones while the bronzer is great for both adding a sun-kissed looks and for contouring. 





They are on the pricey side of things at £17.95 for the blush and £19.95 for the bronzer, but the products that have come previously to this have been amazing quality so I think we can expect the same from these.

 Maybelline Mega Plush & New Colour Tattoo Eyeshadows 

I've been waiting for the pomegranate shade of the Color Tattoos to hit the UK since I saw them in the US. I cannot wait to get my hands on this, and it releases in Superdrug today.  A navy shade is also hitting the shelves.

The Mega Plush mascara has had rave and pretty bad reviews so I can't wait to give it a go to pass on my opinions too. Maybelline are hit and miss with mascaras for me, so hopefully this will be a hit.

Rimmel Lycra Flex Scandel Eyes 

 

The bright green tube will catch your eye, and the fact that it's great for contact lens wearers will keep you interested. It's meant to keep lashes from getting hard and brittle while giving ultra great volume. 

I can't say whether it lives up to expectations when it's released. You can get it for £6.99 in Superdrug from today onwards. 

Barry M Confetti Top Coats

Every one and their mum went a bit crazy over the confetti top coat from L'Oreal, and Barry M see to be following suit and releasing a range of their own. I personally prefer the Barry M ones because they are more my colours. You can check out reviews and swatched over on the Sunday Girl here, but I have to say that Sour Apple is one I'm going to keep and eye out for. You can get your mitts on these from June 5th in Superdrug, and 12th June in good ol' Boots. 


So, what are you awaiting the release of? I would love to know!

PS: All lashes and cosmetics are now on mix and match 3 for 2 in Superdrug for the next month or so.

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HD Brow Palette in Vamp (and Dupes or Alternatives)

Hey guys,

I’m sure you are bored of seeing these because just about everyone who has a glossy box has one of these bad boys. They’ve done the rounds twice in the box, and have received much love from almost everyone.  So, today I’m going to review the HD Brows Palette in Vamp, and offer a few alternatives to consider before purchasing it.  

I’m not going to say these are bad, but it doesn’t work brilliantly for me.  I’m in no way saying they don’t deserve the hype and love they get in the blogosphere but I have to say that it’s just not the palette for me. I have super blonde eyebrows, and none of these colours work for me at all. The lightest colour is too light, and the other colours are two dark.

If the colours match your brows, great! The shadows or brow powders are gorgeous. They are nice a soft, long lasting and work well through the brows. I’ve settled for using them as eyeshadows because of the un-matching-ness of the shades and I love them. They don’t crease on me at all, and last all day without a primer or base.

So, if you are having the trouble I am and just can’t find an affordable brow powder for you then I would suggest the palettes and kits I’ve mentioned below. I nearly called these dupes, but they aren’t similar enough for that but they are great kits that are more affordable and are just as great and the HD brows palette.

Vivo Ultimate Brow and Eye Kit

This palette is a freakin’ beaut! This is by far my favourite brow palette for three reasons. The first being the gorgeous brow gel you get with the kit. It’s so much better than getting that dry wax stuff and it kept my brows tame and in place all day. The second reason I love it is because the blonde colour is the perfect colour for my super pale eyebrows. The third, and last reason, is that the other colours are used as well because they are gorgeous enough to create a nice matte eye shadow look. They are pigmented, blend well and just look great all around.

MUA  Pro Brow Kit (Review To Follow)

This is a new buy of mine, but I already love it. It’s not long been on the market, and I can see it being a big hit. It’s very comparable to other brow kits but is cheaper than them all. There are 3 powders, one wax, a double ended brush and some really cute tweezers. Now, I’m not a fan of those waxes you get with kits but this is a nice wax that is smooth and just soft enough to really work. The three colours are beautiful and there is one that matches me so YAY!

So, I know this post is a little all over the place but I didn’t know what to with it to make it better so you’ve got it as I wrote it. I’m sorry, but it seems my editing skills have gone to hell this week.

Thanks for reading (or trying to read the mess that it is) and I hope you found it helpful.  

Sarah xo

PS I’ve linked the review of the Vivo Brow Kit above, and the MUA review will be coming soon J