So there I was, editing a new Glossier review post and I went to link back to one I did in the past... Only to realise it was still in my drafts! So I thought I would post the original review from my drafts (from 2018!) because these are still some of my most used products to this day! Without further ado, lets go back in time to 2018 Erin! 

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Early 2018

Glossier is a brand I've heard a whole lot about, but yet to try. So when I saw that they now ship to the UK I jumped at the chance to get my hands on a few wee bits and bobs. I picked up the oh-so-famous 'Boy Brow' and the lip balm trio. Let's get into my thoughts.

First up, it's the boy brow. This retails for £14. This has to be one of the most hyped beauty products ever. Rumour has it even Beyonce uses it. Needless to say I was. excited to try it. My first impressions - I love it. The shade is perfect for my brows, it's super easy to use, the spooly is so small it's great for precision. Additionally, the packaging is just right up my street, so simple and chic, the graphic designer in me is screaming in delight. 

(Edit 2021: In case you want a little update from current me on my thoughts now - this is still an everyday staple in my beauty routine! I love it. It's perfect for days when you don't want to wear makeup but still want your eyebrows to be defined. Saying that, it's also buildable so also good for when you have brows done and just want to set them, or if you really want to define them. I don't have a bad word to say about these products.)

Next up are some lip balms. If you know me at all, you know I LOVE a lip balm. I always have multiple on hand for as and when I need them, so when I saw they were offering a lip balm trio called 'Dot Com Lip Balm'- I was in heaven.  

Firstly,  the packaging! I'm obsessed! It's so modern, cool,  instagrammable,  and just ugh so perfect. I got three shades/scents - Original, Cherry and Birthday cake. The total cost was £25 for three. Lets break them down. 

The original lip balm says it can also be used as a 'universal salve' that you can put on any dry areas on your body. I haven't been brave enough to try that but in terms of softening lips... it definitely works. This feels so smooth and luxurious on my lips, I find myself wanting to put it on so much as it's just so nice. And the packaging,  I know I keep raving on, but it's so beautiful.  

Next, the wild card. I thought I would try out birthday cake as it was a colour free balm but has small bits of sparkle through it promising to give my lips a shine- and that it did. It's so pretty and subtle on the lips.  The smell isn't 'birthday cake' to me but it is sweet and sugary so if you like that kind of scent you will love this.  The glitter packaging is so cute as well. 

Finally, my favourite of the trio, the cherry Balm Dot Com. I LOVE cherry scented things and this certainly did not disappoint. It has that fake cherry smell that I know will divide people but I personally am a fan. It gives your lips a really subtle red tint to them which is perfect for those 'no. makeup makeup' days. 10/10 from me. 

(Edit 2021: I still use and love these lip balms three years later, definitely another staple. However, I have a new favourite! They released a Mango scented one that has a very subtle peach tint to it and it smells INCREDIBLE. I always have one on me wherever I go I. love it so much.) 

So there you go that's my first impressions of Glossier. To be honest I don't think it could have gone any better, I really like them!

I recently finished reading 'Behind Closed Doors', by B.A. Paris.  Right now i'm having this craze of loving psychological thrillers, I can't get enough of them! So when I saw this on Amazon, I knew it was right up my street. Here's what Amazon says about the book:

Scientifically formulated to target the needs of both ageing and problem skin. Clearly Youthful Triple Action Cleanser, Mask and Scrub is a rich, purifying and nourishing formula with Vitamin E that effectively removes makeup and impurities for a refreshed and radiant complexion. Instantly: Skin feels softer and smoother + skin looks clearer and radiant After 1 Week: Pores look visibly minimised + Skin looks clearer and healthier After 2 Weeks: Skins texture is more refined + Blemishes/redness appear visibly reduced. DERMATOLOGICALLY APPROVED NONE PORE BLOCKING ANTIBACTERIAL ALL DAY SHINE CONTROL

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: For use as a cleanser and scrub, apply to a wet face in upwards, circular motions, rinse away with clean warm water. Alternatively, to use as a mask apply a thin layer to damp skin and leave on for 5-10 minutes, rinse away with clean, warm water. Super drug recommends using this in conjunction with other products from our Clearly Youthful range.

Back late last year (Yes, i've left this review a while..)  I picked up these two products on offer in Superdrug. 'Clearly Youthful' is not a brand i'd heard about, but I needed a new face scrub, and i'm always trying new things, so I thought i'd pick this one up. (You can read my review on the Serum soon.)
It was the packaging that drew me towards them, I really like the packaging. I don't know what it is about them that I like so much, I just think it looks really professional. It's also very minimalistic, which I particularly love. I bought these purely for the anti-blemish aspect of them, not the anti-ageing, as i'm only 19.
I find that this works really well to help keep my blemishes at bay. It doesn't completely get rid of them, but I find that it definitely stops those big, angry spots appearing. It's also quite gentle on my face, considering it's a scrub, so I feel like I can use it daily without my skin becoming irritated. It leaves my skin feeling so clean and so fresh. I can clearly see the difference it's making in my face. It's a lot more radiant than it used to be. I can't rave about this product enough!
Since I took these photos, i've actually repurchased this product twice, I am obsessed with it!!

Sorry this review was so short, but I didn't have much to say, except how much I love this product!
This brand is exclusive to Superdrug and you can purchase it in stores or from their website here. It's a steal at only £4.99

Thank you for reading!

Hey everyone! What's this? Another blog post? Yes, really! I'm on a roll! Anyway...
For Christmas, my good friend Jennie got me this gorgeous Benefit Gift set titled 'Cabana Glama', and i'm going to review it for you today!

On the front is says 'your desTANation makeup kit' and then it says 'votre trousse de maquillage de voyage' which I believe means something along the lines of 'your travel makeup kit' in French.
It's a kit that has been specifically designed for holiday, to give you that perfect bronzed, healthy glow, and I think it is very successful at doing just that.
Firstly, the packaging. I am obsessed. I love it! I think it's adorable, and it just screams 'summer' to me. It's also very sturdy, so it is perfect for taking away on holiday with you, without having to fear that it will explode in your luggage! And it has a huge mirror, which is a major plus!
The kit contains 3 eyeshadows, a foundation, bronzer and a lip/cheek tint, along with a duo ended eyeshadow brush, and a bronzer brush.

I'll start with my least favourite item, which is the "Some Kind-a Gorgeous Foundation Faker". I did not really like this, not because it didn't do a good job, I wouldn't really know, as it was too dark for my skin tone, and looked quite orange on me. However, 'medium' is the only shade that Benefit put in this kit, so if you're pale, like myself, this one will need to be saved for when you've tanned! I will definitely re-try this in the summer, when I will (hopefully) have a bit of a tan. What I can say is that it changes from a cream to a powder really fast, and it felt so light on my skin, as if I had nothing on, which is great. I think this would be perfect if you have good skin, and you just want to glow and look airbrushed, as that's exactly what it does. It doesn't however have great coverage.

Next is the "Posietint Lip and Cheek Stain". Putting this on my lips did nothing, just made them glossy, nothing special, but I loved it on my cheek. It adds just the right amount of colour to make my cheeks look glow, and it just make me look generally healthier! One thing I will say though is that it dries super fast, and if you aren't quick enough, you'll end up with a pink streak on your cheek that is impossible to rub in!

Next up is a beauty bloggers favourite.. It is of course the "Hoola Bronzer". Until I got it in this set, I had never tried it, as at £23.50 for a full size, it seems a little bit too much to spend on a bronzer. However, I do get the hype around it. This product is great, if applied right. A little goes a long way. Seriously, it's really easy to over-bronze, thus resulting in orange streaks, not a good look! The brush that is included is actually reasonably good as well! But I really like this product, and once i'm finished this sample, I may have to treat myself. Thank God for student loans!

Lastly is my favourite of the bunch, it's this little eyeshadow trio in the shades "Peach Fizz", "Bronze Buzz" and "Cocoa Pizzazz". I couldn't find any of these shades online, which makes me really sad as I love them! (however, I really don't like the brush that was included, so I definitely will not be using that!) Together they create the perfect shimmery daytime look, which is also suitable for an evening look, as they're so shimmery. As with the bronzer, a little goes a long way, they are so pigmented! A definite must have.

You can buy the Cabana Glama set here, but it's really difficult to find, I think they've stopped manufacturing it, so i'd recommend snapping it up quickly! I really love this set, and I think i'll be repurchasing some of the items when I run out.
Thanks for reading! Until next time.

I've never been a fan of primers, if i'm being totally honest. I didn't see the obsession of them, and when I tried one (a Maybelline one, I believe) I failed to notice any difference in how my makeup sat on my face/ how long it stayed put, so that kind of put me off them. However, upon recommendation from a few beauty bloggers, I decided to try again, picking up yet another drugstore primer, in the form of the "Rimmel Stay Matte Primer". The main reason that I wanted a primer was because it was my sixth year prom, and of course I wanted my makeup to last the night! At the very affordable price of £5.99, (although I believe I got it on a 3 for 2 offer, Boots are always doing these!) I wasn't expecting much, i'll be truthful. I was actually really quite surprised!

First up, being an art student, packaging is quite important to me, and this didn't excite me. I definitely didn't pick it up based on looks. It's not offensive, or disgusting, it's just boring. Sometimes simplicity is good, but in my opinion, not this time.
Anyway, that's not the important part, the product itself is! It's quite a thick consistency, and it took a bit of rubbing until it was completely absorbed. It also felt a bit plastic, but I don't think that's a bad thing. One major plus is that it didn't smell of anything, as I am not a fan of makeup that smells. i feel like it's an added ingredient that could be bad for my skin, so I was glad to see none of that.
It also dried really quickly, which meant I didn't have to wait ten minutes to apply foundation, I could do it almost instantly.
The main positive to this primer is how much of a difference I noticed. As I said earlier, I wasn't expecting much from this, but I was really surprised at the difference in my skin! My pores were visibly smaller, and my face felt smoother, and it just generally looked healthier. Sometimes I wear this primer on it's own, for those days when i'm not wearing makeup, just to give my skin a 'pick me up'.
Another thing is that it made my usually oily spots stay dry for longer, which really surprised me, as usually i'll be needing to reapply concealer halfway through the day- not anymore!
It definitely made my makeup sit better on my face, and applying foundation was so much easier. It's hard to explain my love for this primer, but all I can say is give it a chance. It's affordable, it's only a mere £5.99 in comparison to some of the more hyped up primers that are closer to the £20/25 mark.
I would give this primer a 4.5 /5, I really love it.

Thanks for reading! Until next time.

One of my flatmates got an offer through the post to give a friend a "free Graze Box", so I decided to try it! I have had a few of these offers before with orders, but I have never used one. I just decided, what the heck, and went ahead and ordered it! I didn't know what I was getting, so when I opened it to find the above four things, I was met with mixed feelings.
My opinions? Mixed, very mixed.. Would I pay for more? No, probably not.. Why? Read on to find out!

Triple Berry Smoothie

My Thai

Next up was the thing I was most excited to try, and I was gladly not disapointed! The soy bites made a lovely little mid afternoon snack, and the chilli sauce was beautiful, and sweet, not too spicy at all, just perfect. This one gets a huge thumbs up!

Salted Fudge and Peanut Cookie

I had mixed opinions about this next one, but this could be due to the fact that I am not the hugest fan of peanuts. It was nice enough, but everything just tasted of peanuts! I could fast a hint of chocolate on the mini cookies, and the same for the pieces of fudge, but overall, I think there were too many peanuts on this. Another thing, they were extremely salty, ugh! If you like salted peanuts, you will love this, if not... give it a miss!

Fruit and Seed Flapjack

Last but not least, the fruit and seed flapjack. This was the one I was least excited to try, but it turned out to be my second favourite! I can't explain the taste, just that it was like an average, plain flapjack, but better! I would get this again!

Overall.. I was a little disappointed. These l"Nibble Boxes"  retail for £3.99, which isn/t bad, but when you don't know what you're getting, you can end up not liking half the box, just like I did. Plus, there isn't a lot per punnet, and I think it could work out cheaper just to buy these things at your supermarket.

One major downside in my opinion to these boxes, is the calories, sugar, salt and fat. I thought Graze boxes were supposed to be relatively healthy? This box came to a total of 664 calories, which I thought was quite a lot for a little box of snacks that barely fill you up!
Here is all the nutrient information:



You can see for yourself, the level of carbohydrates, and sugar in particular, are extremely high. According to this article, the daily intake of sugar for a female is 90g, and in this, had I eaten it all, I would have already consumed 59g of sugar! I know these probably aren't made to be consumed in one day, but honestly, one of these barely filled me up, whereas other things i've bought from a shop, which are much less than all these carbs, sugar and calories, would fill me up more.

So that's my opinions on Graze! I think it's a great idea, but I think we should be allowed to pick the products we have, and I also think they need to work on the nutrients. That's just my opinion though! What are your thoughts? I'd love to know!

Until next time!

Guess who's back? Sorry for the absence, I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I last posted! If you read my last post, you'll know i've moved away to university! I had a lot of worries I said in that post, but thankfully, most of them were really silly, and i'm loving it so far! (However, I haven't actually started classes yet, and i'm in pretty much 9-5 every day, so lets see how much I enjoy university life after the classes start!) Anyway, I have another review for you, and it's all about a new staple in my skincare routine, the "De-Stressing Aloe Vera Mud Mask" from Superdrug.
The packaging is simple, but really clean and modern looking.  I  really like it, and can't fault it at all. I am a huge fan of the mint green colour as well.
As it is an aloe-vera mud mask, I expected it to be very soothing on the skin, and I was not disappointed. It was so cool, and felt so nice on my skin.
The application itself is reasonably easy, but a little bit messy, as I find all face masks are. The first time I put this on I put it too close to my eyes, so it really stung, but the second time it worked a dream.
This mask has to be left on for between 12-15 minutes, and it hardens. Unlike most hardening face masks, this was really easy to get off after with a face cloth, and my face felt so smooth. I was so impressed. The only downside was that my face was super red, but that died down within an hour or so. The next day, I felt like my skin looked more awake, and surprisingly, my blemishes were reduced quite significantly.
It's a bargain at only £2.50 (yes, really) and I will most definitely be repurchasing this once mine runs out, as it really is great, especially for the price. (I can't afford to be forking out on expensive face masks now that i'm a student!) I would 100% recommend this for anyone and everyone. I have sensitive combination skin and it worked perfectly fine on me. Has anyone else tried any of Superdrug's face masks? Let me know!

"Even for sensitive skin Removes makeup, cleanses and soothes. No rinsing. Face, eyes, lips - no perfume. Hypoallergenic Dermatologically and ophthalmologically tested 400ml=200 uses"

"Is Garnier Micellar water for me? Yes, if you are looking for an efficient and easy to use product that cleanses and removes makeup gently in one step. Why is it different? Micellar Cleansing Water is an easy way to remove makeup, soothe and hydrate the face, eye area, and lips, in 1 step without rinsing. How does it work? For the first time, Garnier introduces the Micellar technology in an all-in-one cleanser. Like a magnet, the cleansing agents capture and lift away dirt from the skin. No need to rub to remove impurities and make-up. The Result: Perfectly cleansed and refreshed skin without rubbing or rinsing. Micellar Cleansing Water has a soothing and fragrance free formula that suits all skin types, even sensitive. Micellar Cleansing Water comes in a generous 400ml format for up to 200 uses. How do I use it? Apply the product to a cotton pad and wipe the face, eyes and lips. No rinsing required."

(sorry for the lighting/my face!)

Ever since I saw Vivianna raving about this, I knew I had to pick it up, as she always has great recommendations. After trying it out for the past few weeks, it's safe to say i'm thoroughly impressed.
First, lets chat about my favourite bit of any product- the packaging. I really love this packaging, it's simple, sleek, and stylish. It's also really easy to just slip into a handbag, and the bright colour means it's easily visible. (I'm always losing my lipsticks in my bag if they have dark packaging!) The packaging gets a huge thumbs up from me!
The formula of this product is quite creamy, and wet, but it dries completely matte. What I do is put a layer on my lips, blot it off, and then apply another layer, and within a couple of minutes it's completely dry, with only the tiniest transfer. It's really pigmented, and it lasts for ages. I went out for a meal, and I didn't need to top it up once. These also do not dry out my lips at all. The longest i've had it on is around 5 hours, and even towards the end of the night, my lips felt fine, which is a huge plus!
One downside is that they aren't the easiest to apply, because they are, well, liquid. Definitely take your time applying these, or they will look awful!
They have a nice selection of colours, and I chose "Frambourjois", which on hindsight, I maybe shouldn't have gone for. I never wear pinks, and I wanted to try something different, but i'm s till not sure it suits me? (As you can see from the photo above)
These retail in the UK for £8.99 (get it here) and i'll definitely be checking out more colours in this range!
Have any of you tried out these? What did you make of hem? Let me know!