PHWOARR! The Seventeen Concealer That's Better Than It's Benefit Sister


In these tough financial times, the term 'dupe' is becoming a hot buzzword. Emphasis is no longer lying on luxury and things you can indulge yourself in, but products that do exactly the same as their high-end sisters for a fraction of the price. Dupes open up great quality alternatives to the masses, providing a dose of opulence in people's everyday lives without forcing people to part with a lump of hard earned cash. One brand that has plenty of dupes of their products is Benefit, and this Seventeen Phwoarr Paint concealer is a fantastic doppelgänger for the pricier, award-winning Boi-ing. In fact, I actually prefer this £5.49 concealer to its £17.50 sister!


seventeen phwoarr paint review
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I Bought A MAC Lipstick And It Didn't Change My Life


Ah, the beauty world. So full of wonderful things, so full of hypes. Being someone who is constantly critical and wary of make-up hypes, I try to test out products with an open mind in order to answer the real question: is it worth the money, and is it worth all this overly exaggerated chit-chat? Some products genuinely are; I absolutely adored Benefit's Roller Lash, and have grown to love other cult classics such as Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer. Unfortunately, others do not fit that bill.



mac lipsticks overrated brand


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Redken Colour Extend Magnetics: Lock In Your Hair Colour For Longer


I've been dying my hair since I was in my mid-teens after always wanting to be brunette. My mousy blonde-brown hair was, to me, boring. I wanted something a little bolder, and playing around with different colours and styles became a way of finding out what suited my appearance and personality. Starting with those awful wash-in, wash-out colours, I progressed to dabbling in home dyes and salon treatments, however, always found that the colour faded incredibly fast. As a broke student, saving up to splash out £70+ on a new, coloured 'do, only to find the vibrancy of the colour gone after a couple of weeks, is hugely disappointing. In an attempt to make my colour last a little longer this time, I tried Redken's Colour Extend range, hoping I would finally get my money's worth of hair colour.





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Dupe Alert! Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner


Everyone loves a dupe! Collection is a great brand for finding inexpensive versions of cult products, without the price tag reflecting the quality. I have been a religious user of their Fast Stroke liner since I started wearing liquid eyeliner- it's one of the only products I've ever totally sworn by. When I was browsing the aisles of Superdrug the other day, I saw this felt tip style eyeliner, and given my love for their other liquid counterpart, thought I'd give it a whirl. It was love at first use, and rivals my beloved Soap and Glory Supercat eyeliner!




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Travalo: A Practical Essential For Holidays And Festivals


Having just survived a 10 day holiday with only hand luggage to rely on (I know, life is so tough for me), I know how annoying those airport liquid restrictions are. Especially for a beauty addict, weeks worth of meticulous planning goes into what can be squeezed into the 20cm X 20cm plastic bag; what will make the cut, and what luxuries will have to be sacrificed. If only I discovered Travalo a little earlier; having ditched my perfume in order to fit in sun cream (priorities, eh), I really could have done with one of these little bottles to slip into the liquids bag.


travalo classic holiday festival essential


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Life Update and Finishing University



As some of you may know (after reading my constant moaning about dissertation work), I have now completed my undergraduate degree at Sussex University! It's been a hectic few days; on Friday, I travelled straight from Gatwick airport to campus to pick up my final year results. Being extremely tired from the flight and ten days of monkeying around in Greece (see more on Friday), it hasn't all quite sunk in yet. I HAVE A BLOODY DEGREE!


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Get Glowing! 3 Must-Have Highlighters That'll Leave You Looking Radiant (Without Breaking The Bank)


Highlighters can often provide those finishing touches to a make-up look. Much like a slick of red lipstick or a dusting of blusher, highlighter can make the world of difference to your face. A touch of the shimmery goodness along the tops of your cheekbones, down the bridge of your nose, the inner corners of your eye and underneath the brow bone can help your features stand out and make your face look a bit more 3D. Using highlighter during the summer months can provide that extra sheen to add to your natural radiance, giving a little bit of glow to your complexion. I love the benefits of using highlighters so much that I never feel like my make-up is complete without one, so I've compiled my three must-have high-street highlighters to get you looking fabulous.



best high street highlighters



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A SUMMER MUST-HAVE! Why Face Mists Are A Handbag Essential This Season


They sound quite pretentious, but face mists and spritzes are something that I've been using more and more as the weather starts to perk up a bit. Not only are they perfect for popping in your handbag, but they ensure your make-up stays looking 'on point' throughout the day and have incredible cooling effects. We've all been there in summer, when it's so hot that your make-up feels like it's melting off your face. Well, a little spray of these mists adds a little helping hand in fixing your make-up into place, making them an essential in your beauty repertoire for these upcoming months.






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How I Banished Dry Skin With These Simple Skincare Steps


As you may know from my moaning in previous posts, I've been having some difficulties with my skin recently. For someone who usually has normal skin, to suddenly find myself with dry patches without any change to my skincare, diet or lifestyle was frustrating. It was getting to the point where whenever I applied foundation, I was get so worked up about the fact it wasn't sitting right and clinging to all the dry patches (even if they were undetectable beforehand) it would make me want to cry. I completely switched up my skincare routine to incorporate some extra nourishing products, and luckily, with a bit of patience, my skin is finally showing signs of returning back to normal. While it is still getting there, there has been such an improvement in the past couple of months through using these products, that I thought I'd share them to help anyone else suffering with dry skin, or finds their foundation refusing to sit right once applied.





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The Make-Up Brushes That Changed My Foundation Game


Make-up brushes are an essential in anyone's beauty regime. Apart from being far more hygienic than using your fingers, brushes make the application of foundation and concealer easier and provide you with a flawless finish. Having always used a flat foundation brush (the most common type), I have recently found that a larger brush with a flatter head can really help to buff that foundation into your skin. Flat foundation brushes can often leave you with a streaky finish, as the bristles drag the formula around your face. These two brushes, from RealTechniques and EcoTools, avoid this by working creamy or liquid formulas into the skin, creating a more natural, perfected look. Since using them, I have noticed a massive difference to my base make-up and would never go back to the bog-standard foundation brushes.







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Current Faves: The 3 Hair Products I Cannot Live Without


I'm not the kind of person who has ever given much thought to hair styling. Preferring to always focus on my make-up, doing my hair meant giving it a quick curl or tying it back in some quick and effortless manner. After treating myself to some hair products every now and then, I've discovered the power they hold in being able to completely transform your barnet. An extra spritz of volumising spray could be the difference between a mediocre and fabulous hair do on a night out, so it's well worth venturing down the hair care aisles of Boots every now and then. These three products are some that are regulars in my styling routine now, and I can't see myself ever going back to life without them!







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Why The Summer Sucks If You Have Trichotillomania


Summer, summer, summer! It's everyone's favourite few months. The sun comes out, the tan is topped up, and everyone just seems to be ten times happier. But while many people are off gallivanting by the seaside or frolicking in sun-drenched meadows (people do that, right?), for trichotillomania sufferers, the summertime can often pose new problems within everyday life. This post is a little insight into how trich effects people's everyday lives, how it can restrict the things many people look forward to, how supposedly relaxing activities immediately fill us with extra dread, and, most importantly, steps sufferers can take in overcoming these anxieties.






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