Why You Need To Add A Cleansing Brush Into Your Skincare Routine - Magnitone 30% Off Code

If you haven’t seen my exciting news I shared on my Instagram, I’m now a Magnitone Ambassador! I’ll be sharing my honest opinions on their products, sharing photos and tips.

The first Magnitone product I have started incorporating into my daily skincare routine is the Barefaced VibraSonic Daily Cleansing Brush. Lately, my skin has been clear (which I’m very thankful for), but it looks very dull and has an uneven texture around my T-zone. The spinning bristles really help to deep clean and eliminates dead skin cell build up which can cause the skin to look dull and uneven.

Here comes the science bit, the VibraSonic technology created by Magnitone, is a powerful combination of oscillations and pulsed vibrations this works to dislodge dirt and dead skin cells for a deep clean. I noticed my skin looked more vibrant and fresh from the first use.

I massage a small pump of my Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Cleanser onto to skin and then use the Magnitone Daily Cleansing Brush to work the product in. The brush has 20-second timers which help you focus on each area of your face. I would advise this as a second cleanse not to remove your makeup to get the full results.

Magnitone also sell interchangeable brush heads which target specific skincare concerns like acne, but they also have a brush head for sensitive skins. This makes the beauty tool customisable to your skin's needs from week to week.

When you purchase the brush you also receive a portable USB charger and bag for travelling. The Magnitone Daily Cleansing Brush is 100% waterproof too so it can be used in the shower for an even deeper clean.

The Magnitone Barefaced VibraSonic Daily Cleansing Brush has really improved my skin’s texture and vibrancy.

DISCOUNT: This Bank Holiday weekend, Friday 25th August until Monday 28th August 2017, my Ambassador link and the code AUGUST30 will get you 30% off all Magnitone products! 

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Chloe Susanna Boots Dupe

I’m the person who leaves Autumn and Winter shopping till the last minute and all the pretty jumpers, coats and boots have gone by the time I’ve realised it’s time to invest. However, this year I’m starting early!  I was debating investing in the Chloe Susanna boots or the Sophia Webster Karina Butterfly Boots, but first went on a search for dupes to save some money.

The Office Lucky Charm boots* are a near exact copy of the Chloe Susanna boots and they are in the sale at the moment. I opted for the black leather with gold studding, they also have suede and silver studded options. If you’d prefer something a little light in colour, the Lucky Charm style comes in khaki and blush pink suede.

The quality of the boot is amazing, they don’t look cheap or tacky. The backs of the shoes are hard leather so they do need wearing in. I’m sure these beauties will last me a few years with good care.

If you are a fan of Chloe, you might want to check out the £17 version of the Chloe Nile bag I found. I also have plenty of other fashion dupe posts which will save you hundreds!

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THE DUPES

THE REAL DEAL

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Burberry Lip Velvet Liquid Lipsticks Review and Swatches - Fawn, Bright Plum and Oxblood

I’m on the fence about liquid lipsticks, the bad ones are truly dreadful, leaving a cakey, cracked mess on your lips. However, when you find a good liquid lip colour, it’s the answers to your lippie based prayers in terms of pigment and lasting power.

Thankfully, these high-end Lip Velvets from Burberry are on the good side of liquid lipsticks. Velvet really is the word that this product embodies. As you slick on the formula using the doe-foot applicator, it’s smooth and doesn’t drag along the lip line. Pressing your lips together to smush the product in, it feels a weightless mousse. It’s not sticky and its transfer-proof, well done Burberry you’ve nailed the perfect liquid lipstick formula!

I have three of the newer shades which are welcome additions to the line; Fawn (browny nude), Bright Plum (deep pink) and Oxblood (deep wine red).

Fawn has to be my favourite shade, the way I like to apply this is by adding it to my top lip and then pressing my lips together to transfer for excess colour onto the bottom. I use my finger just to blurb away any harsh lines. This shade is what I would describe as a sexy, your lips but a darker hue. It’s perfect for everyday wear and when teamed with smoky eyes, gives that ‘I’m a strong female’ vibe.

Oxblood is the ideal shade for those who embrace Autumn makeup looks. It’s a strong, vampy hue which looks so stylish when applied neatly. It can be softened by using your finger to blend the harsh edges away if the razor sharp edges alarm you.

Bright Plum is a ‘bitten berry’ tone, which works wonderfully on a pale skin tone for a pop of vibrancy. I think this would be perfect with glossy skin.

All three shades have incredible lasting power, even through eating and drinking. They leave a comfortable stain to the lips. The colours can be reapplied without bunching or caking.

Left to right: Bright Plum, Oxblood and Fawn

These Burberry Lip Velvets have knocked my favourite Kat von D liquid lipsticks off the top spot for ‘Best Liquid Lip’. 

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The Alchemist in Chester - Food and Drink Review

As The Alchemist describes themselves as ‘a celebration of the unconventional, dark and controversial’, I knew that this bar and restaurant wouldn’t be like any others I have visited before.

The Alchemist began just 7 years ago with their first site in Spinningfields and have now expanded their locations to include another two Manchester spots, Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Alderley Edge, Newcastle, London and the newest site in Chester. They mix interesting industrial styled spaces with mixology and fine food.

I visited the newly opened Alchemist in Chester with my boyfriend Alex and immediately noticed the interior design features which make their style so interesting. Imagine a mix of copper, ancient symbology and glass flasks which look like they originated from a laboratory.

We made our way up to the second floor where the restaurant is housed. The ground floor is a dedicated space for cocktails with cosy seating spaces and hundreds of top shelf alcohol bottles behind the bar.

Alex and I started with some drinks; their cocktail menu unfolds to reveal a periodical table style layout for the menu. Drinks are separated into flavours; fruity, creamy, non-alcohol and shorts. I liked the sound of the drink named 3.5oz of Happiness, a sweet mixture of Portobello Gin, Chambord, citrus and vermouth. This drink is served in its own silver hip flask, which you can keep once finished. If you bring your hip flask back and order the same drink, you receive a discount, which I thought was a nice perk.

Alex opted for the aptly named Colour Changing One, which contains Reyka vodka, apple, lemonade, citrus and a touch of magic. The drink comes with two small glass flasks containing a blue and one clear. You pour each over the alcohol already in the glass and watch the magic happen. See the video below to watch the colour changes.

Jerk Chicken with dumplings and rice was my choice of food, while Alex went for the Katsu Curry with coriander rice. I noticed that they had salt and pepper chips on the menu, which are my Chinese takeaway favourites, so we had to share a portion. Both meals arrived quickly to the table and were piping hot. My chicken just melted off the bone and the spicy Jerk sauce was incredible. Alex also thoroughly enjoyed his Katsu Curry.

I can’t ever say no to a dessert even if I am full, I choose the indulgent chocolate brownie which was served with Salted Caramel Sauce and Ice Cream. Every bite was heaven.

We loved the atmosphere in the Alchemist so we decided to stay for a few more drinks. This time I picked a theatrical drink called the Lightbulb Moment.  It came in a cylindrical flask and smoke came up through its funnel. The cocktail was a delicious mix of Tanqueray Gin, ginger beer, raspberry, mint and lemon. I also finished the night with a Pornstar Martini and of course, the Prosecco was served in a small flask.

I posted photos and videos to my Instagram story during our visit. Follow me on Instagram so you don't miss a thing.

Our server was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. He gave excellent recommendations and made sure that everything was served perfectly. Alex and I had an amazing night at The Alchemist in Chester and we will be sure to visit again soon.

You can look at cocktail and food menus, as well as book a table at any Alchemist location on their website, http://thealchemist.uk.com

*Food and drinks provided in exchange for an honest review

Mixed Feelings About The L'Oreal Paradise Mascara - Review

I don’t know what it is about L’Oreal marketing but they just suck me in, I bought their brand new Paradise mascara after seeing it everywhere. Plenty of US Youtubers have been raving about it, so when it came across the pond, beauty bloggers including myself wanted to see what the fuss is about.

Off the bat, I have mixed feelings about the L’Oreal Paradise Mascara. I’ve heard bloggers compare it to the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, which is my second favourite formula. I pit every mascara I try to the Armani Eccentrico, which ticks all boxes, volumizing and lengthening, non-flaky or smudging formula.

The Paradise Mascara does have a similarly shaped wand to the Too Faced Better Than Sex, however, the BTS one picks up more product on the brush, resulting in very voluminous lashes.

Reading the product description on Boots’ website, they refer to the Paradise brush as ultra-soft, which I think is true, but this teamed with the castor-oil formula doesn’t make for an impactful, full lash look, it's more natural.

I do think the L’Oreal Paradise Mascara makes the lashes look thicker without over doing it. It also made the lashes at the lash line look thicker, which was very flattering.

Most mascaras, bar the Too Faced Better Than Sex and Armani Eccentrico, will smudge on my brow bone. I have hooded lids, so unless the formula is semi-waterproof and long wearing, the smudging is bound to happen. The Paradise Mascara was no exception to this as it had transferred by midday. On the other hand, it didn’t flake off onto my cheeks.

The L’Oreal Paradise Mascara does have its pros and cons, but I will not be repurchasing after I use the tube up. I’d be interested to see what the American formula is like and if it differs from the UK one.

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Bio-Essence 24k Bio-Gold Miracle Finisher Review

Asian skincare brands have really taken off in the Western market. We’ve seen brands come across the pond and become easily accessible from UK online retailers, Bio-Essence is one of them! They are Singapore’s bestselling skincare brand, so I was intrigued to try their latest launch, the 24k Bio-Gold Miracle Finisher.

To be applied after moisturiser, the Miracle Finisher promises to protect the skin against harmful pollution and pore clogging makeup ingredients. I can imagine this would be ideal for those living in a city or even a someone who must wear heavy makeup daily.

I used the Miracle Finisher as a primer before makeup, I found it instantly smoothed out the skin and glided over any texture I had. This created the perfect base for my makeup to adhere to. It feels weightless on the skin, unlike some primers I have tried before.

The silicone texture feels like it’s creating a barrier over the skin, locking your skincare routine and moisture in, while blocking out the pollution. I imagine the Miracle Finisher would be amazing in the winter too, it would create a weightless barrier between your skin and the cold winds.

Its ingredient list contains dimethicone, a silicone ingredient, so if you prefer non-silicone primers, you might want to give this a miss. I also don’t think it would be ideal for those with extremely oily skin. However, I would highly recommend this for those with normal, combination or dry skin.

The Bio-Essence 24k Bio-Gold Miracle Finisher is £29.99, but as it acts as a final skincare step and a primer, I think the price isn’t too bad. I’d like to try more from the 24k Bio-Gold range, especially the Gold Water, which looks very intriguing! 

*This post contains a PR sample

How I Earn Money By Buying Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

I’m an internet shopper. I much prefer seeing a wide range of stock and sizes online, which I can filter through. Plus, I’m from a small town, so our stores don’t have a great selection.

If you prefer shopping online and would like to make money while you do it, I highly recommend signing up to TopCashBack with my referral link. This will give you £5 for free when you start spending.

To help you understand what TopCashBack does and how you can use it, I’ve put together a handy guide. TCB in simple terms gives you a percentage of your purchase back when you go through their site. You are not charged any money to use their service.

Missguided, Boohoo, Charlotte Tilbury, Boots, Look Fantastic, Feel Unique and Space NK, just to name a few, are all listed on the site. So, you can receive money for shopping from your favourite brands.

Here is how I earn money by shopping on Charlotte Tilbury’s website as an example:

Step 1: Sign up to TopCashBack using my referral link if you haven’t already. You will have £5 deposited into your account once you start shopping.

Step 2: Log into your TCB account. Use the search bar to find the retailer you want to shop from. I chose Charlotte Tilbury, as I knew I wanted some products from her summer sale.

Step 3: Once you have found your desired online retailer, click the pink ‘Cashback’ button. On this page, you will see details of how much you will earn in percentages of your purchase. For example, if the percentage of cashback available was 10% and you spent £100, you would get £10 back in your TCB account. Remember, nothing is added to how much you pay to the checkout, you simply get a percentage of the amount deposited to your account for using the TCB website.

Step 4: Check the Voucher Codes section on the TCB page of your online retailer in case they have an exclusive discount code.

Step 5: Click the pink ‘Get Cashback Now’ link. This will pop out the retailer’s website in a new tab.

Step 6: Click back to your TCB web browser tab to check it says ‘We’ve recorded your visit.’

Step 7: Click back to your online retailer website tab and start shopping. You can browse and checkout as normal. I recently bought the Instant Look in a Palette from Charlotte Tilbury using this method.

Step 8: After you complete the checkout, you can check back a few hours later to see how much you have earnt and will be deposited into your TopCashBack account.

I’ve currently earnt £50 buy just shopping online, I aim to get this to £100 by Christmas. I’m going to withdraw the money from my TCB account and put it towards Christmas presents. There is nothing stopping you from making more money from the cash you withdraw, you could transfer it your debit card and then use TCB to buy other items using that money, getting another percentage back.

To receive your free £5 from TopCashBack, you must sign up using my referral link, any natural sign up will not recieve this.

If you have any questions, please tweet me!

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Boots Makeup, Skincare and Haircare Haul

I used to share my beauty hauls on my blog all the time a few years ago, I stopped in favour of posting reviews once I had tried the product. However, hauls are some of my favourite blogs to read and YouTube videos to watch, so I thought I'd bring mine back. I made the classic mistake of going into Boots for one thing and coming out £40 worse off. Why can I never just buy one thing?! 

La Roche Posay Redermic R Eyes
I had originally gone into purchase the La Roche Posay Redermic R Eyes, which I had heard The Anna Edit talk about. I'm in my mid-twenties and I have started to notice small signs of ageing, especially around my eyes. I work at a computer but also spend plenty of time behind a screen at home, so I suspect this is why the eye area is developing the few odd fine lines. This LRP eye cream promises to give luminosity to the eyes but also target wrinkles in a way that is suitable for sensitive skin, sounds like exactly what I need.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures The Strength Restorer Balm

During July, my hair went through sun damage and sea water in Barcelona and then chlorine from the swimming pool in Center Parcs, so it's feeling very dry and brittle. When I saw 'strength restorer' on a Garnier tub while browsing, I had to pick it up. This Garnier Balm is a mask essentially, as you apply it after shampoo, and leave for 5 minutes. It's honey, royal jelly and propolis ingredients will hopefully put some life back into my locks.

L'Oreal Paradise Mascara

Every blogger and their dog has the new L'Oreal Paradise Mascara, so of course, I had to buy one too. It contains castor seed oil within the formula, you might recognise this ingredient from brow and lash growth serums, as it helps nourish the hair. It has a big, bristled brush, which looks like it would provide extreme volume, I can't wait to try it out.

Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil in Love is Blonde

Lastly was a repurchase of my beloved Soap and Glory Archery Brow Pencil in Love is Blonde. If you are a long term reader of my blog, you'll know this is the only eyebrow pencil I will use. It's a fantastic dupe for the Anastasia Beverly Hills pencil and is much more affordable. Like the ABH one, it has a spoolie on one end and a tiny pencil nib on the other, it's twist up so no need to sharpen. I've stopped counting how many times I've repurchased this brow pencil.

Have you tried any of these products?

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3ina Makeup Best Sellers - Swatches and Reviews

3ina is the new 'cool kid on the block' within beauty, launched just over a year ago, 3ina's brand and website gives 'girl power' vibes. They have straplines like 'beauty without expression is boring' and 'a bold, brave new approach to beauty', which is teamed with their diverse models who are the front of their campaign images. I was intrigued to try their best sellers.

I was sent their Long Wearing Lipstick in 503, Cream Eyeshadow in 313 and the Highlighter in 201. The products come in cardboard packing and inside the makeup comes housed in sleek, black packaging. I love their simple but edgy branding, you can imagine this being stocked in a cool studio beauty shop. 

3ina Long Wearing Lipstick in 503

Starting with their Long Wearing Lipstick in 503, the small, stiff doe foot applicator gave a neat outline to the lips and was easy to control the product during application. The colour applied streak-free and evenly, and only needed one application. It has a liquid velvet feel on the lips which lasts a few minutes while it dries down. Once dry, it feels comfortable on the lips, is non-sticky and non-transfer. 

3ina Highlighter in 201

The Highlighter in 201 is a beautiful gold shade, which should suit most skin tones. The pan, when you rub your fingers over the product, feels like paper, it's hard to describe properly but this isn't a buttery highlight formula. When applied with a brush, it provides a gorgeous glow, this is a middle ground highlight, it's neither super subtle or on the other end of the scale, tin-man like. It's a beautiful everyday glow, that can be amped up by layering over cream products.

3ina Cream Eyeshadow in 313

I fell in love with the Cream Eyeshadow in 313 instantly. It's a super soft mousse which gives pigmented, even colour over the lids. It's easy to blend while it's malleable, but when it dries down it will not budge. The shade 313 is a suits-all bronzey brown, which could be sheered out for everyday wear or amped up by layering and adding a darker shade in the crease for a bronze look in the evening.

I am very impressed with the 3ina products, they affordable, paraben, cruelty and fuss-free. They have an excellent shade range in their foundations, this brand is all inclusive which I love.

*This post contains PR samples

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