My first impressions on a few of the latest releases (Glossier, Dr. Paw Paw, Dior & Revolution)

Howdy,

I really wanted to try something different on my blog and I think I have succeeded, by giving you my impression of these products that have all been released within the last few months and a few released the Monday just gone. I don't think I am brave enough yet to make this as a sit down video so here it is in picture form.

I hope you enjoy this, let me know what you think and if you have tried any of these products.

Here are the products I have just used

I started this look with a cup of tea and a clean moisturised face (so excuse the shine) and also applied my favourite eye shadow primer which is from Nars, I wasn't sure how well the shadows would sit on a non-primed eye. I know Revolution can give you a bit of fallout so I wanted to try and avoid that.

I thought as these colours are so bright and shimmery, lets do something fun with the colours. This palette came in my Mermaid Glossybox so kept those colours in mind when applying these shadows. Would I go and buy another palette by Revolution? No, I prefer less chalky eye shadows but for £4 I would say this is perfect for younger people who are just getting into make up. £4 is hardly going to break the bank.

I am actually quite surprised at the effect of Glossier's Boy Brow, I bought the shade brown and it actually helped to darker my eyebrows and actually make them look a little thicker. If anyone is wondering why my brows are so thin, its because my eyebrows don't grow, I don't enjoy them being this thin! Oh well! ;-) I also have applied Glossier's Stretch Concealer under my right eye and you can see the difference it has made already, it has lightened my under eye and also brightened it up. My under eye area is always very blue/purple in colour, so to have this brightened up is a bonus. It applied and blended beautifully using my ring finger, so far I would go as far as saying I LOVE this.

I have not set the concealer with a powder, so I will see how long it lasts and if it creases. I feel I might have a new favourite concealer soon. I even applied it to a few red patches around my face and again it blended out to cover problem areas and not be cakey in the slightest. I prefer a more natural look on my skin rather than covering it in layer and layers of make up and products, so I like to sometimes just conceal and not wear a foundation especially when going to work. I then applied a couple of coats of the Dior Pump and Volume mascara. I can see why it got mixed reviews and on first use it built lashes up quickly but one more coat and I would have gone into spider lash territory which isn't for me. If it doesn't flake then I am happy with this purchase. That's my biggest pet peeve, mascara must stay on my lashes, it's all I ask. 

I applied Cloud Paint by Glossier in the colour Beam to my cheeks, I just love orange blush on my skin tone. I have never found a pink I like, so I tend to stick to orange. When I received this tube in the post I thought this is VERY small, but considering you use the tiniest amount, this small tube will last you probably longer than its shelf life. First impressions are great as it is buildable and looks very natural. It gives you more of a natural flush than a dark streak of colour across the cheek.

I am not sure if it is a good idea to or nor but I put a tiny amount of the blush onto my lips for a little colour, as I am sure you can guess I squeezed a little to much out of the tube, oops! Then over the top of that I used Dr. Pawpaw which is lovely, I can see the hype as you could apply this almost anywhere and it would help to heal or hydrate any area. Would I go and purchase it? Probably not, as I can get the same hydration from a £1 tub of Vaseline. I will still for sure use it all up though, it is very thick so a little goes a long way.

Here is my finished face

Here is the finished look in a couple of different light settings, the eyes are colourful and crazy and I love them. My skin good and not caked in product.

If I could only pick two things that I loved the most from this look, it would have to be the Boy Brow and the Cloud Paint from Glossier. I am so pleased to have purchased these products, and you never know, I might buy a couple more products in the future. For once, the hype of a product is worth looking into. Click here, if you set up an account it finds your location and changes the currency for you to pounds sterling.

Big thumbs up Glossier, you really have done your research and brought out fantastic products that people of all ages and skin tones can love and enjoy.

Thank you for reading, it has been fun to make a different post to my usual ones. Comment on here or come say hello on instagram my user name is kara1818 if you have any questions about the products I have used. Also I can send you a link to get 20% off your Glossier order, just contact me if you are interested.

Kara xx

Kinky Hot Oil Treatment From Lush

Howdy,

I found this hot oil treatment in my local Lush shop and it was half price, so thought I would give it ago. I have never used a hot oil treatment before so was excited to try it out. I followed the instructions and did as it said.

This "kinky" treatment is designed to hydrate curls, so I thought this is ideal for my hair type. Who doesn't want moisture added to their curls.

I used a large old mug to make up this treatment in and it became a paste, I put this all over my hair as instructed, put in up in a bun on top of my head and left it to work.




As it dried it got thicker and almost felt like vaseline, it was thick and greasy. It actually looked like a had smeared lard through my hair.
When it was time to wash it off, it took a lot of work and a two good shampoos to try and get it all out.

My hair was very soft after, but it did feel like it had a coating of something left on it. As my hair is so fine I don't like feeling I have something on it when it should be clean and free of product.

I wouldn't buy this again, as I felt it gave no benefit to my hair. Just weighed it down and was a bugger to wash out. As you can see by my hair here, my curls were not very well formed at all this is due to being weighed down with product.

I think I will just stick to the occasional bath bomb from Lush and leave the hair products for someone else.
Have you tried any hair products from Lush? Maybe I just picked one that did not suit my hair type.

Thanks for reading
Kara xx 

My thoughts on the Mulberry sample sale in London (Oct 2017)

Howdy,

I am massive fan of the Mulberry brand, so when I saw they were having a sample sale I decided to look into it further. I found out about this sale from following ldnsamplesales (London sample sales) on instagram. Luckily, the first day of the sale happened to fall on the day my husband and I had planned to go into London anyway. To be able to attend this sample sale you have to pick a day you want to attend and then you will be emailed an invitation, which you will need to show on the day to get you in. You also had to pay a £2 donation that went to The Shelter from the storm Charity.

The sale started at 08.00 and we got there around 10.30, the sale was held at The Music Rooms, South Molton Road, Mayfair which is just off Oxford Street. It is super easy to get to, there were no queues and we walked right in. We paid our £2 then had to check all bags and coats in, I did keep hold of my credit card and my phone. After this you are free to roam in a room of Mulberry goodness, the colours and the smell of the leather make me feel excited, even now.

On one side there were racks of clothing, tops, trousers, dresses, coats etc, all easy to see and get to. Round the outside of the room were metal racks full of bags, in all different colours and styles. Some styles were from a few years ago and some were from just last season. The staff there were constantly filling up the shelves and were on hand to help and answer questions, in the middle of the room were tables containing all the SLG's (small leather goods) again laid out in colour order and the staff were constantly tidying and filling stock.

Two things that stood out for me about this sample sale were how well the bags and accessories looked, every bag I looked at was in near perfect condition. I have seen bags look far worse from an outlet store. The second thing was the fact that people were respectful of each other, it was quite busy in the room but people didn't grab and push, they waited and each took turns to look at the items. To one side of the room it is blocked off to the public, you can see the boxes that were still full of items, the boxes were stacked higher than the height of the people there.

I wanted to go to this sale as I had heard such mixed reviews of these sample sales and overall this experience was very good. I know they won't all be fantastic but that's the risk you take, like visiting an outlet it can be very hit or miss. I had only planned on purchasing something if I loved it and knew I would get a lot of use out of it, as soon as I walked into the room I went straight to a bag I had tried on previously in an outlet shop but here it was £300 cheaper than the outlet price. Making it around 62% off the original RRP. By having this knowledge I knew that I wasn't jumping into the excitement of the sample sale and that I really was getting a good deal on something I wanted. The bag I purchased was in near perfect condition, the only thing I spotted on the bag were tiny indentations that I believe were caused by the bag standing on the metal racks. I think this will gradually come out over time and I am sure the bag would get effects like this or worse just from everyday use. It came with clear plastic over every buckle and button, all four feet have plastic protecting them. The straps are wrapped, the bag is stuffed and comes with its own dust bag. Basically the same as when I purchased a bag straight from the shop.

I didn't look at every price tag on the bags some on the newest bags I looked at were discounted by maybe 30% but then the older/ less popular bag the bigger the discount they had. I did look at the leather jackets (so soft and pretty) they were £300 down from £1800 so that would have been a great piece to invest in.

Sorry about how rubbish my photos are, people were everywhere and so were staff and security. I didn't want to get told off, haha. At least you can get an idea of what it looks like if you have never been.

So would I go again? Yes. Just not anytime soon as I might be tempted to buy again, I am very happy with my purchase and will enjoy that for now. Well I will come Christmas as it is a present from the husband, Christmas is less than 12 weeks away now, scary I know!

Tips

• Go on the first day, it doesn't have to be first thing in the morning but you will have the most choice of items and you won't be left with the dregs everyone has handled and left behind.
• Ask if you can't see something you are after.
• Also ask if they have a brand new version of the item you wish to purchase, maybe they won't but there is no harm in asking.
• Have an idea on the items you would like to buy and do research on the prices before hand

I will reveal what bag I got on my instagram (Kara1818) in the near future. I hope this has been some help to anyone who is thinking of going to this sample sale or to any sale. Keep a smart head on your shoulders and don't be sucked in because something seems like it is a good price.

Sale runs everyday until Saturday 7th October, so there is still time to go and check it out, go to London sample sales IG page (their user name is above) for all the details you need to attend and exactly where it is being held. 

Thanks for reading
Kara xx