DUPE ALERT! Keep Your Brows Looking On Fleek With Freedom Pro Brow Pomade


Brows are still big news in the beauty industry and our bushy friends seem like they will be sticking around for quite a while. There are so many products out there that claim to give you brows as bold as Cara Delevingne, but pencils can often be too subtle, powders can be too blocky, and tints can avoid sparse areas. Luckily for us, there is an alternative, and one which happens to be an incredible all-rounder. You may have heard of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade, given its cult status in the make-up world, but did you know you can get an almost identical product for only a fiver? Freedom's Pro Brow Pomade is a total dupe for this ABH wonder-product, and a bloody marvellous one at that.



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Indulgent Red Velvet Brownies (With An Oreo And White Chocolate Layer)


After Valentine's Day came and went a couple of weekends ago, I am finally getting around to writing this post. I made these brownies for my boyfriend on the 14th February, and while the romantic heart decoration may not be appropriate anymore, you can easily substitute it with a crumbling of Oreo biscuit to ensure you can eat these indulgent brownies all year round. The soft, crumbly Red Velvet cake layer is topped with an incredibly more-ish Oreo truffle. As if this wasn't enough, for the serious chocoholics out there, I've added a rich white chocolate topping. To make these brownies even more amazing, I'm pleased to say they are probably the easiest brownies you will ever make, mainly due to the cheating inclusion of a Betty Crocker red velvet mix. But hey, no-one needs to know you didn't make these 100% from scratch! This trio of chocolate layers is enough to make anyone's arteries recoil in horror, but it is so worth it. These come with a warning though; once you have one, you will want them all!




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The Best Mascaras For Short, Sparse and Stubby Eyelashes


It's been a month since I had exams, and in that time my eyelashes have started to recover from a pretty hefty trichotillomania splurge. Little stubby hairs are starting to shoot back through (with the help of RapidLash) and I can finally start looking forward to the exciting prospect of wearing a bit of mascara again. When your eyelashes grow back through, they are thin, fragile and incredibly short, so if (like me), you can't wait to start applying mascara again, it's so important to find ones which are going to make the most of what little you have. I've got a few 'holy grail' mascaras for anyone with short, sparse and stubby lashes that I want to share with you, as I've found these to truly be the best ones for our circumstances.



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The Top 5 Affordable Dry Shampoos To Try Out


When dry shampoo first entered our worlds, we were mainly limited to different scents of the much-loved Batiste formula. There wasn't much choice and the textures were chalky. Since then, our hair care horizons have been considerably expanded, with many brands offering their own dry shampoos and old classics reformulating to be better than ever. Now stuck in the opposite situation, how do we know which dry shampoos are actually doing what the say on the can when there is such a huge selection to choose from? Reviews.com have scoured many reviews to whittle down a whopping 54 recommended dry shampoos to a concise 5, focusing on scent, chalkiness, price and whether it worked on the first application. Dry shampoos have become such a huge part of our regular beauty routines, so it's nice to have a starting point on where to look for ones you can actually trust to do the job well. So, here are the finalists...




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Vegan Beauty: Sukin Skincare Which 'Doesn't Cost The Earth'


The beauty industry has expanded so much in recent years; an expansion which mirrors our developments as consumers. We have different demands and needs, and brand are reflecting this. There is such a variety of products available that anyone with specific requirements are now catered for. An increasing number of brands are recognising our call for cruelty-free, natural, organic, vegan and vegetarian products by providing a wealth of different products for us to try. Sukin is another brand who does this, an Australian company offering natural, sustainable and cruelty-free products without the cost which usually comes with these demands.




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Start Seeing The Positives In Your Mental Health Battle


Mental health illnesses can be completely debilitating. They can sneak up on you when you least expect them and turn your world upside down. They are powerful, far more powerful than many people dare to realise. But suffering doesn't have to be a negative experience. Even the word 'suffering' itself has wholly negative connotations; that's simply the meaning of the word. So how can suffering ever be positive? Rather than seeing yourself as a victim of a mental health illness or disorder, I find it far healthier to view it either as a battle (which you positively have a chance of winning) or as an integral part of yourself (alongside the mantra of loving yourself, flaws included). If you are struggling with any form of mental health issues at the moment, hopefully this post will demonstrate that it can be flipped from that default 'suffering' outlook, to something far more grounded, positive and beneficial to you.




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Are Blogs Becoming Too Self-Obsessed?


I love blogs. I adore sitting down in the evening and catching up on all of my favourite bloggers' posts, learning about new beauty products and marvelling at how someone can put such an amazing outfit together. It's a bit of 'me time' at the end of the day, a chance to chill out and simply indulge myself in all of my favourite things through a screen. Blogs exist for many different purposes; to inform, to advise, to discuss, to showcase, to inspire. If you are a blogger reading this, you will know that we all start our blogs for so many varying reasons that are completely personal to us. That's the point of a blog- it's personal and personable. I read them because I can either relate to them ('found this amazing lipstick for a fiver!'), or because it gives them a glimpse into the luxury they aspire to (designer handbags and holidays in the Maldives). But recently, I've noticed that blogs are starting to defer from those origins, evolving into something which purely boosts the ego of the creator.




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Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch: The Best Primer I've Ever Used


One thing I have always struggled to find is a decent primer. I've tried a few cheaper ones out (such as Max Factor's FaceFinity and Maybelline's Baby Skin), and have dabbled in innovative priming waters, but have never come across an amazing, cream-formula primer. So far, they have all remained in the 'this will do for now' category. As such, I decided to venture into more 'high end' beauty to see if I could find anything which would smooth out my skin and combat dryness by creating a sufficient barrier between my skin and foundation. After trying a sample of Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch primer, I knew I had to splash out and treat myself to the real thing. It's truly amazing.




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Jersey: The Perfect Place For A Relaxing Weekend Break


With Valentine's Day around the corner and Mother's Day not too far off that, lots of you will be looking for cheap weekend breaks to go away on with your loved ones. When it comes to holidays, many of us look abroad for our yearly dose of beaches and sunshine, but we often forget about the gems we have closer to home. In December, I went to Jersey (a UK Channel Island) with my mum; it was the perfect early Christmas present! This post is largely photos, but also a reminder that you don't have to jet off to a paradise island when we already are one! We stayed at the Grand Jersey hotel, situated a 5/10 minute walk from the bustling hub of St Helier town and right opposite a gorgeous beach with a view of Elizabeth Castle. It's a fabulous location for anyone looking for a short break (I think there are quite a few lovely hotels around this small area); there's a spa, town, beach, historical activities and a littering of delicious restaurants to choose from. What more would you want?!





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Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter: A Great Product For Sensitive Skin


You hear it all the time, but it's so true; the most important aspect of your beauty routine is skincare. Ensuring that your make-up is sufficiently taken off and replenished with serums and moisturisers is well worth investing a little more time and money into- they say that if your skincare base is perfected then the rest of your make-up will fall into place. Having had experience with dry and sensitive skin, I turned to cleansing balms and oils rather than foams to help return my skin to its normal balance. Surfactants in foaming cleanser stripped my sensitive skin too much, while I found balms to be the perfect option to nourish my skin during the cleansing process. Although I've built up quite a collection of balms, I have recently been turning to this Body Shop Cleansing Butter which is an absolute dream to use.




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Priming Waters: Efficient, Multifunctional And A Huge Trend To look Out For


When the new year rolls in, one thing that many people are keen to hear about it what will be predicted to be the next big trends for the upcoming 12 months. Will it be a new secret ingredient that we see in all products? Will there be huge influence from one particular country? Will we start incorporating a new step in our skincare? Beauty trends come and go just like fashion, and we're already seeing brands picking up on our interest for something new and innovative. One thing that has started to appear recently is a range of priming waters from a few brands. By now we know that we should be using primers over our moisturiser and underneath our foundation to smooth out the texture of our skin, even out our skin tone and allow base make-up to last all day. However, by eliminating the need for working in any cream primer, these waters could well make our morning routines even more efficient.



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