Beauty Outlet At Resorts World Birmingham: First Impression and Giveaway!

What do you do when a new beauty outlet store opens near you? Check it out of course! After the soft opening on Saturday 29 September, Beauty Outlet officially opened it's doors at Resorts World Birmingham on 06 October. I decided to pop by the following day to check out the store itself and the items they have to offer.

Lacura by Aldi Skincare: To Dupe or Not To Dupe

Over the past few weeks, Instagram has gone crazy over the new range of Lacura Skincare items Aldi has been stocking in its stores. Now, we can all appreciate a good bargain and in this day and age for a lot of us, it is about saving pennies where we can. But a supermarket releasing a skincare range, can that be any good? And what if this supermarket pushes the boundaries with packaging so similar to that of bigger, more renouned, luxury skincare brands? When does an item become a dupe? In this post, I am directly comparing Aldi dupes to the 'real thing', considering packaging and ingredients, whilst reviewing the product itself.

Vivid And Vibrant: The New Stila AW18 Collection Revealed

September is one of my favourite months. It's the month of fashion weeks, fall collections appearing in stores and makeup brands showcasing their new Autumn/Winter lines. In this blog post, I want to introduce you to possibly the most amazing Autumn/Winter collection of one of my all-time favourite makeup brands: the Vivid & Vibrant collection by Stila.

BeGlow TIA: All-In-One Sonic Skincare System

When it comes to skincare, cleansing and taking my makeup off at the end of the day, I look for the best of the best. One of the main causes of ageing skin and breakouts is not cleansing properly and allowing pores to get clogged up. But what is the best way to take off the day? Well, that depends on what you want and prefer. You can use a cleansing routine with your hands, wipes or cotton pads, but there are also some electrical or sonic cleansers that can assist you in removing even the smallest residues of makeup, the stuff that we often can't see. One of these sonic cleansers is the BeGlow TIA.

Coventry Bloggers × The Body Shop

Just over a week ago, I attended a blogger event at The Body Shop in Coventry to hear more about their new launches of this season. Now I have been using products from The Body Shop as long as I can remember. It was definitely a brand I grew up with in the Netherlands, always carrying a tub of their lip balm in my bag and looking out for bath and shower gift sets to give to my friends for their birthdays. In this post I'll be sharing their latest bodycare, skincare and makeup launches with you.

Three Primers I've Loved During The UK Heatwave

As I am writing this blog post, I look outside and see nothing but grey clouds and rain. Over the last few weeks, the UK weather has done a 180 degree turn going from a 30 °C heatwave to 15 °C with a cold feeling breeze. I'm not complaining though because I'm definitely not a heatwave sort of person at all. I have fair skin, so burn easily and unfortunately I sweat as well, so anything above 24 degrees and I feel like my makeup is dripping off my face! Dealing with the heatwave really made me rethink my makeup routine. How do I prevent my makeup from moving? The answer seemed simple: by using a good primer. However, finding the right primer that works can prove a little tricky. In this post I am sharing my top three favourites that really worked for me this summer.

Pestle & Mortar - Vegan Skincare Without All The Nasties

One of the places I love to visit here in Birmingham is Harvey Nichols in the Mailbox. It's that little bit of pure luxury I sometimes desperately crave. One of my favourite brands in Harvey Nichols is skincare brand Pestle & Mortar. The packaging alone screams pure indulgence but what are the products like? Pestle & Mortar promises to deliver

"Simple Solutions for Beautiful Skin"

with a less is more approach with founder Sonia Deasy's aim to deliver a simple, effective skincare routine. This sounds perfect to me, because with a full-time job, blog and baby on the way, time is something I do not have in the morning. And being in my thirties means that a good skincare routine has become massively important, with anti-ageing really being a thing right now.

First Impressions: Checking Out the New NYX Store at Birmingham Bullring

Last month something quite exciting happened. NYX Cosmetics opened its doors to one of the first standalone makeup stores in the UK at the Bullring here in Birmingham. I had the opportunity to check it out before the big opening to the public and it wouldn't be the same without sharing my experience with you...

REVIEW: HAX Cut Crease Kit

THE new beauty hack, all in one box?

As a beauty blogger one of the things I obviously love most is trying new makeup. Not only do I love a new foundation or eyeshadow palette, but how about a new beauty hack that will help you create the perfect cut crease? Yes, please!

Skincare to Makeup Part 3: Glo Skin Beauty UK

If you, like me, find it important to have a good skincare routine and would like to find a way to continue this throughout your makeup, I'm pretty sure this blog post will be of interest to you! Over the past few months I have been focusing on my skin a lot and have been sharing some tips and tricks on brands offering great skincare and mineral makeup. This post, which is the final one in my Skincare to Makeup series, will focus on mineral makeup brand Glo Skin Beauty UK. Don't worry if you've missed the previous two posts on Jane Iredale and IMAGE Skincare, you can catch up here and here.

Skincare to Makeup Part 2: Image Skincare

If you've been keeping an eye on the blog lately or have been following me on social media, you may have come across me explaining that I am currently doing a three-part series on brands that approach makeup from a skincare point of view, or skincare brands that have recently released a makeup line. Skincare has started to play a very important role in my life, especially as I am in my thirties and ageing skin is a thing. Paying attention to what we put on our face is the trend these days and makeup is no exception. My first post was on mineral makeup brand Jane Iredale, who utilise natural ingredients to get the best out of our skin and be as beautiful as we can be. Don't worry if you've missed the first part of my 'Skincare to Makeup' series, you can find it right here.

This second part is all about skincare brand Image Skincare. Image Skincare focuses on scientific advanced formulas that offer clear results, postponing any signs of ageing as much as we can. Their motto:

"IMAGE now, Age later."

Image Skincare is a brand trusted by professionals but as it is now also available to non-professionals like you and me, I felt it was time to see what we're actually dealing with and whether the products are worth it.

Skincare to Makeup Part 1: Jane Iredale

Happy May! Spring is well on its way and as I am typing this, I am sitting in my garden on what has turned out to be a very hot day. I have decided to publish a three-part series where I want to discuss something slightly different: Makeup from a skincare point of view. Over the last 12 months, skincare has become more and more important to me. Where I used to rely on a simple makeup remover and a day/night cream, I now have a regular AM and PM skincare routine that probably consists of at least 6 or 7 steps! My skin has never felt better. It's smooth, I rarely suffer from breakouts and my makeup looks so much more flawless. So skincare is clearly important. In fact, so is anything we put on our face. In this series I will be highlighting three brands that focus on bringing out the best in your skin and the first one is mineral makeup brand Jane Iredale. Eager to find out more? Read on!

MUDD Beauty: Organic, Vegan and Cruelty Free Makeup from Birmingham

One of the things I enjoy most about blogging is discovering new brands and being able to share this with you. The brand I'm sharing with you in this post is MUDD Beauty, a beauty brand from my hometown Birmingham, UK. Last November I attended their launch event where I tried the Matte Lip Mud.

Going Korean With Touch in Sol London

One of the biggest trends of last year that is currently ongoing, is the use of Korean beauty products. South Korea introduced us to the BB Cream in 2011 and I knew the Far East were super innovative and had a lot to offer, however I've never really focused on it myself. This changed when my lovely friend Dorota from Beauty Drama Queen hosted a giveaway in collaboration with Korean beauty brand Touch in Sol London through which I won their Corean Complexion Cream. Ever since that moment, I've been loving this brand and through this post I want to share some of their amazing products with you.

The Future Of Makeup All In One Capsule

For most of us travelling is part of our lives, whether it's for leisure or work. Trying to fit all your favourite makeup and skincare products in one bag can be tricky and I for one don't always enjoy carrying around a large makeup bag. Pressplay Cosmetics have found THE solution for this: a makeup Capsule the size of a large smartphone that is lightweight and holds all your makeup essentials. How it works? Let me show you!

How To Achieve That Perfect Airbrushed Base With Magnitone

Most people apply foundation with either a brush or sponge. I use a dense, round brush with a flat top and that really allows me to create that flawless base, but sometimes it can take a while to apply a full face of makeup and foundation is something that works better when applied as soon as possible in order to create that gorgeous airbrushed look. What if there was a tool that allowed you to apply it quicker? And what if this tool was electronic? Would you use it? In this post I'm sharing everything about the Magnitone London BlendUp Vibra-sonic Makeup Blending Brush*.

Brum Bloggers × Stila UK: Swatches and Review

Last Wednesday I had the opportunity to join some of loveliest beauty bloggers Birmingham has to offer for a trip to Harvey Nichols in the Mailbox for a meeting with Sascha Jackson, the lead makeup artist for Stila UK. I must admit, when I got the invitation, I had to poke myself a few times to make sure I wasn't dreaming! I've been using Stila cosmetics for a while now and have absolutely loved every piece I've tried so far, so when I saw the invitation I got very excited!

Easing Into The New Year With Percy & Reed Wonder To Go

January is usually the time of year when we get run down. I work in a very busy office that is severely understaffed, so when I stop working over the Christmas holidays and lose my normal routine, this often results in me getting the flu. The last few weeks, it's definitely been going around, so I'm guessing most of you know what I mean? This has actually been the first year in a while that I've managed to avoid becoming ill, mostly by taking a few steps back and making sure I get enough sleep. Now that's all great, but once you take that step back, I find that it can be really hard to get back into things, especially when you try to balance a full-time job with blogging, which on its own can take up just as many hours!