The Youtuber Beauty Products

Zoella Beauty - Let's Glow Fragranced Candle 

This is a delightful candle - it's a tin packaging which means no trying to rid candle holders of leftover wax. The scent of this candle is described as a "gentle blend of white wood accents, sweet vanilla and soft floral notes". My own nose thinks this smells like clean washing and it's very fresh and light. One thing I noticed about this candle in particular is it burns extremely evenly - something which I hadn't experienced before with larger candles. I especially like this candle on Sunday nights when I've just crawled into my bed with fresh sheets. 

Zoella Beauty - Fizz Bar 

The concept for this bar is a thing of dreams - it consists of 8 squares so you can break off as many as you'd like for your bath. I used two squares in my latest bath but would probably use three or four in the future. The consistency is a little chalky but if you break the bar over the bath, this isn't a problem. The bar aims to transform your bath into a fresh and fragrant soak - I wouldn't say the fragrance is powerful i,e, Lush but there's definite fresh scent that lingers in the air. I like to pair this with the Let's Glow candle as the scents compliment each other well.

Tanya Burr Lipgloss - Aurora

The formula to this gloss is extremely thick - the consistency feels similar to a liquid lipstick, however it doesn't set or stain the lips. The colour is highly pigmented on the lips, this particular shade is a dusty rose (it's comes off a little brighter in the photo) with an underlying subtle gold shimmer. Oh and did I mention the scent is strawberry laces? And not a subtle smell at that... the smell is strong and absolutely delicious. The doe foot applicator allows just the right amount of gloss to be picked up and it distributes it well, it's also flexible which allows precise application.

However, the expiry date on this gloss is 3 months whereas some other glosses of a similar price are 24 months. While I don't personally pay a lot of attention to expiry dates, it seems amiss that technically I should throw the gloss away within a short space of time. 

These two girls are some of my favourite youtubers by far and I'm really ecstatic that they're bringing out delightful products that you can tell have been created by them. The Zoella range include other products such as a body mist and bath soak and the Tanya Burr range include 11 more gloss shades and 10 nail varnish shades. Tanya Burr has added to her range with fake lashes! They are all extremely wearable and I'm looking forward to trying them out. 

Have any of you tried other Zoella/Tanya Burr products? Let me know if you recommend anything else! Also, let me know in the comments if there's any blog posts you'd like me to write in the future!

Hollie

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The First Empties

I've been storing up my empty products for a while and thought this was a perfect time to do my first empties post! 

Bioderma - Crealine TS H20 Solution Micellaire (£7.33)

Bioderma has been highly raved about and on first use, I didn't see the fuss - it'd been too hyped up. But as I carried on using it - I saw why everyone was a fan. This is great for a number of reasons - the main one being it's great on sensitive skin. I find a lot of products irritate my skin (I've been put off Clique's 3 step for this reason) but this does nothing but keep my skin happy.

I'm currently using L'oreal micellar water and thought it was a cheaper alternative until I compared prices for this post (Bioderma £7.33 for 500ml and L'Oreal £4.99 for 200ml). They are very similar but Bioderma has a better pourer (wastes less product), is slightly less drying and, as it turns out, is cheaper! I'm interested in trying out some different micellar waters first (check out Vogue's 10 best micellar water) but so far Bioderma is my favourite for removing makeup! 

Schwarzkopf - got2be 2 Sexy Big Volume Mousse (£2.66)

A volumising product is part of my hair routine as my roots tend to be quite flat. I didn't notice a huge different with this mousse and I couldn't use too much of it in my hair as it was very sticky. I've noticed this product has new packaging now, with a diffuser nozzle so maybe it's improved! Although, I will give this mousse some credit... this is the most delicious product I have ever smelt. 

DKNY - Red Delicious (£33.50)

This perfume was lovely - a really nice summer perfume. It's described as having "crisp apple as a base note, surrounded with tantalising red fruits, a hint of vanilla plus velvety rose and lush violet for a more sultry summer scent." I'm tend to lean towards fruity scents rather than fresh ones for daytime but this perfume is fruity whilst still being light - not too 'young' or overpowering at all. 

Lush - Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask (£6.50) 

I'm a really big fan of Lush, one of the reasons being less harsh chemicals for my sensitive skin. And that is exactly why I enjoy this face mask - it feels very smoothing and bonus - you get to use it as a face scrub when you're done! This is lovely straight from the fridge - it's very cooling which I feel rids the skin of any swelling/redness from blemishes. This is my second or third pot that I've used up which is a good sign! 

Rimmel - BB Cream in Light (£6.99)

The BB cream has a massive 9 claims, in fact, it's described as a 'skin perfecting super makeup'. The aims are that it "primes, moisturises, minimises pores, conceals, covers, smooths, mattifies, brightens and helps protect". Now, I'm not sure it meets all these aims - it gives a dewier finish than 'mattifying' and I'm not sure what's being referred to when it says 'helps protect'. However, this BB cream does make my skin look great. I originally bought this to use on summer days rather than a foundation - but soon found myself using it as my daily base. It does sit on the skin and feel a little heavy but personally I don't mind that - however, if you have oiler skin that may be a problem. And as I burn easily... bonus points to Rimmel for adding SPF 25! 

Argania - Leave-in Conditioning Spray (£9.99)

This is one of those products that became a strict part of my haircare routine, mainly because my hair needs a little extra care to counteract the damage is receives (think dyed blonde hair and heat styling). I sprayed this onto damp clean hair before any other product, focusing it mainly on the ends where the damage is the worst. This spray contains argan oil and aims to nourish and hydrate your hair to leave it looking healthier and I found it leaved my hair looking smoother and more cared for. However, I don't think I'd repurchase this at I think I can find another leave-in conditioner that works better - in fact, next on my list is Redken Extreme Anti-Snap. 

Aromatherapy Associates - Renewing Rose Cleanser (£25) and Triple Rose Renewing Moisturiser (£56) (prices relate to full size products)

These products are what made me realise I don't like the smell of rose. The actual flower smell is lovely but the almost 'fake' rose smell in products I find it to be overpoweringly floral. Maybe the smell put me off straight away, but I wasn't blow away by these products. There's not a lot to write home about here - I got these samples with a magazine so I haven't lost out on anything but I'd be disappointed if I'd spent £81 on a cleanser and moisturiser that aren't out of this world.

 Rimmel - Scandaleyes Mascara Extreme Black (£6.99)

When it comes to mascara I like big brushes for giving full evening lashes and plastic brushes for giving fluttery, light daytime lashes. This mascara was great for giving my lashes a bit of oomph, and filling them out. I have naturally long lashes but the ends are blonde so I need a mascara to darken them up - which is exactly what the products claims and does. It coats little lashes and boosts them up. It's also a dryer formula which I like for creating bigger lashes - it's easier to work with and a lot less time consuming than some wetter mascaras.

Thanks for reading - more posts will be coming soon!

Hollie Mae

The Superdrug Haul and Review

I've hit a blogging plateau recently, which is made worse by the fact I actually have plenty of posts in the pipeline that are half finished. Which is why this post is beyond delayed - I purchased these products from Superdrug a while ago but haven't got round to talking about them until now! Also, I need to apologise for the quality of these photos - I don't know how I thought they were acceptable blog material but I'm still learning so bare with me!

Although I remove my make-up and cleanse before a shower, I find I like something to clean a little deeper whilst I'm in the shower. I've never really tried Garnier products but this seems to do the trick in removing any excess oil, brightening the skin and giving it a subtle scrub. 

This is a repurchase as I had the travel dilemma of leaking product into a suitcase. This is my second micellar water after using the cult Bioderma and I can honestly say this is a good dupe for half the price. They only compliments I have is the pourer isn't great which I feel makes me end up using more product but I can't complain too much for the price!

I play it really safe with my nails but wanted something bright for the summer (remember these are old purchases), I've always been a fan of Barry M Nail Paints but this was the first time using the 'gelly hi-shine' which I found thicker and lasted a lot longer! I was asked by Superdrug for them to use this photo in their 'customer gallery' on their website which I feel proves what a gorgeous colour this is! 

I haven't been using heat on my hair recently but as my hair gets bigger at the ends it tends to leave me looking like a triangle. Therefore, I always use some kind of volumising product and this one really works. It leaves my hair looking more put together naturally but also works really well alongside a hairdryer. Big fan of this one! 

I tend to use face masks once a week but am yet to really invest in a high quality mask. I picked up three (a chocolate self-heating mask not shown) of these one packets from Superdrug which are a bargain at only £1! It's hard to know if they're making a change long-term but if not then they make a nice little treat for a pamper night. 

I can see why this foundation is raved about so much. It's my first time in years not using a MAC foundation and I'm really impressed. It gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin and blends easily. The only issue is the range of colours. I've previously found that drugstore shades tend to run darker so I went for the lightest shade which is 'light porcelain'. This is the lightest foundation I have ever used - I genuinely looked ridiculous. I then bought the next shade up, 'ivory', which, of course, is too dark so I've stuck to mixing them together. A great product overall but I wish Rimmel would do more shades!

(for comparison - I'm NC15 in MAC)

I don't have any experience with liquid blushes but this is brilliant. It blends a whole lot easier than a cream blush and gives a dewy finish not found in powder blushes. I have the shade 'pop of pink' which is a bright pink but would definitely purchase the other shade which is 'sunkissed cherry'. 

I've been on the hunt for a good orange lipstick and thought I'd give one of the Revlon lip butters a try. I'll be honest, this isn't something I've continued to reach back for. I think the formula is too wet for a such a bright colour - a dryer lipstick would be better to hold the colour in place. Also as I'm so pale, this washes me out if I don't have a tan! 

I have another Moisture Renew nude (Let's Get Naked) which is currently my most used lipstick so I thought I'd pick up another one! This is in the shade 'Nude Delight' and is more of a browny pink nude which looks gorgeous with dark eyes by itself or with a nude gloss over top for extra dimension.

I'd like to convince myself that these are purely practical purchases make-up wise - I chose black as a was in need a new standard pencil eyeliner (until I realised I had 3 waiting at home), a white for bigger doll looking eyes and a brown mainly for extending the tear duct area (a trick which I learnt from this Johanna Herrstedt).

I've also gone over 70 followers on bloglovin and I am so grateful to every single one of you for reading! 

Hopefully this has kicked my bloggers writers block and there'll be lots of new posts in the future! 

The Furry Friend Tag

I thought I'd do a blog post for you to get to know me a bit more and that's by meeting my pet! Also, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone that's been reading - I've hit 40 followers on bloglovin' and I appreciate everyone following!

1) What is your pet’s name?
My pet's name is Benjamin. His name is based on the character from the Beatrix Potter books. If you're not familiar with Beatrix Potter, she wrote a series of books about animals, one of them being named 'The Tale of Benjamin Bunny' (read more here).

2) What kind of pet is it and what breed?
Benjamin is a Netherland Dwarf rabbit!

3) How long have you had your pet friend?
I've had Benjamin since October 2012 - coming up to two years!

4) How did you get your pet?
In my second year at university, me and my two housemates went to pets at home on a whim and came home with a bunny! It wasn't the most sensible idea, but I couldn't imagine not having him now. Now that I've left university, he lives with me!

This is day we brought him home - he's only 10 weeks here and looks so tiny!

5) How old is your pet?
He turned two in July!

6) What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality?
I'd say the main one is that he licks A LOT. If you're holding him, he'll sit and lick your face!

Excuse the old photo!

Another is that he's really interactive with humans, he gets excited when you come into a room, he runs around my feet to play and he jumps up onto the sofa to sit with me!

Finally - this doesn't relate to his personality but the colour of his ears and nose change all the time! You can see in the first photo how dark his ears/nose look but currently their really faint!

7) What does your relationship with your pet mean to you?
I absolutely love Benjamin, my friends always say that I love him too much! I can't imagine not having him hopping around... in fact, I went away for 6 days recently and missed him massively!

8) What are some of your favorite past times with your pet?
If he's a bit sleepy, he'll climb up onto the sofa and sit with me while I rub his ears. It's so lovely because I feel like he sees me a comfort! Also, in terms of playing... he likes chasing me in circles around the front room!

9) What are the nicknames that you call your pet?
Wee man (this was started by my Dad as he is Scottish) and baba - purely because he's my baby!

Thank you for reading! Let me know about your pets!

Hollie Mae 

 

The Night Out Look

Hello! I've done a similar post to this previously and it seemed popular, so I thought I'd do another!
This weekend me and my friends went out into Bristol as it was a bank holiday as well as some birthday celebrations! Keep reading to have a look at my outfit and how I did my hair and make-up!

Skin - L'Oreal Studio Secrets resurfacing Primer and Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer 002, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 010 Light Porcelain, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15, Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder in 021 Transparent
Eyebrows - MAC Eyeshadow in Omega, Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel and Miss Sporty Clear Mascara
Bronzer - Prestige Cosmetics in Terra
Blush - Rimmel Stay Blushed in 001 Pop of Pink
Highlighter - MAC Colour Cream Base in Pearl (frost)
Eyes - Urban Decay Naked Palette Eyeshadows, Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in 001 Black and Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner, MAC Mascara in Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash
Lips - Illamasqua in Howl and Lipcote

I had washed and dried my hair, but was running behind on time. Therefore, I just pinned the front sections of my hair at the back of my hair and used some hairspray to give my hair some volume!

I am wearing a white cropped shirt with a white bandeau underneath, black high-waisted denim shorts with the belt that came with them and black tights. This entire outfit is from New Look. You can just about see my jewellery which is a large embellished ring (a gift) and a small diamond ring (family heirloom). The nail varnish I'm wearing is the textured effects Nail Paints from Barry M in the shade Lady.

I am then wearing black lace-up platform trainers from New Look (here). My bag is from Next about 4 years ago.

Apologies for my skin and the poor quality of these photos (they were taken in a rush on my phone!)

Thank you for reading! More posts coming soon!

Leave me comments if there's any looks you'd like to see me try

Hollie Mae