Review | Makeup Revolution 'The Salvation Palettes'

For anyone following me on Instagram they will know that I picked up some Makeup Revolution palettes… yes, plural.

Superdrug was having one of it's three for two deals and who could possibly ignore that kind of deal? It may also have been due to my frustration that the Makeup Revolution website wasn't working and I couldn't buy that Limited Edition Halloween palette… still a bit sad about that actually.

So as a result I ended up ordering three palettes which in retrospect was a little excessive really. I imagine I'll get plenty of use out of them, I do have some qualms with the palettes, which I will explain later. So read on to find out more…

Review | Birchbox November 2014

It's the season of chunky jumpers, warm fires and hot chocolate, therefore, this months Birchbox is 'Cosy at Home' and I cannot think of a more perfect theme. 

Normally I'm not a fan of the colder months - or at least being out in them - but I love being inside, eating winter foods, cuddling up to a hot water bottle and drinking tea (practically on tap). Of course, that's not possible being in halls at University, but a girl can dream (Christmas holidays… hurry up?)

Lord & Berry | Mini Bronzer

Full Size | £19

I've never had Lord & Berry products before, but I've definitely heard the name and the reviews. In general, most people find the brand to be amazing so I'm really expecting great things with this bronzer. Strangely, my flatmate and I were given the same bronzer and we are very different skin tones, so I'm interested to see hoe this looks on each of us. 

I can't deny that this is quite an expensive bronzer, and as someone with quite pale skin I find it difficult to find a good bronzer for everyday use (and one that isn't too ridiculously dark!) If all goes well, perhaps I will give you all my findings.

Beauty Protector | Protect & Detangle

Full Size | £14

It's very strange that Birchbox sent me a 'Leave in Conditioner' when I so desperately wanted to try one. My hair has suffered so much since being at University. I don't know if it's my shampoo, the water or how often I've been washing my hair… I get the feeling it's a combination of the three. Either way, this was desperately needed and I definitely noticed an improvement when I spritzed a little of this through damp hair. It might take a few more trials to determine whether I really like it. (But seriously, if anyone know of anything to improve my hair, let me know. This is an SOS, people.)

Weleda | Wild Rose Body Oil

Full Size | £19.95

I've received body oils in the past, and I've given them a go. They probably aren't really my thing. Hair oil? Yes. Body oil? Not so much. I'm the first to admit that I'm pretty lazy and adding oils to your skin is just another step to add to an already lengthy process. 

Saying that, this does smell really nice and I understand why Birchbox sent this out as one of their products this month. Winter symbolises pampering yourself a little (probably to make up for the fact people can't sleep in the sun all day), so I guess if rubbing a little oil on your skin makes you feel better, go for it. It's just not for me. Interestingly, this can actually be used on the face as well. I'm a little apprehensive to try this because it could lead to spots everywhere. So we'll see. 

Dr. Jart+ | V7 Balancing Toner

Full Size | £18 

My first thought? 

It's like science!! 

Yes, I'm that sad. But how cool is that applicator? It's like I'm applying scientific chemicals to my face and I find that pretty cool. I'm not even ashamed. 

Remember the comment above about me being lazy? Well, Birchbox got it right here because apparently this acts as a toner and it moisturises. That's a serious bonus, in my opinion. But I'm lazy and anything that makes my life that little bit easier is always a winner in my books. 

Can I also just point out that Birchbox gave this as a full-sized item? That's pretty generous and I don't know about you guys, but getting full-sized items is like Christmas to me. It's like getting a present from that really cool relative who always knows what to give you. 

English Laundry | Signature For Her

Full Size | £60

When they say 'inspired by classic county gardens', they mean it. This has a strong note of rose (and musk, so says the info card) and reminds me of cozy little cafe's and sipping tea. Honestly, on a student budget, I don't think I'll be splashing out £60 on perfume anytime soon, but for those who love floral scents, definitely try this one out. It's feminine and flowery without the (excuse me) grandmother scent that is sometimes associated with roses. 

Montezuma's | Mini Bar

Full Size | £2.39

I was probably a little too excited by being given chocolate in this box. I don't really eat a lot of chocolate and I can honestly say this stuff was great. I'd have probably been even more excited if it were dark chocolate, but there were no complaints here. The sample was a good size and didn't make me feel like a pig. I think it's probably been a good month since I ate chocolate. I feel my enthusiasm for it is justified…

Overall, this was a great box with some seriously high value products included. I'm really excited to try some of these products out and (perhaps) give some little reviews of the products individually. If there's anything you would like me to comment on further, drop me a comment below! 

Until then xx

Fashion Post | Dressing On A Low Budget

Let's be honest for a moment, for those who have a painfully low budget for any kind of luxuries, dressing in what is 'fashionable' at the time is incredibly hard. There are so many shops out on the high street that make young, impressionable girls (and boys!) feel they have to have what's splashed across the glossy window fronts. Whether your parents can't/won't give you an allowance or your simply not able to get any work, this all contributes to not feeling 'in'.

Obviously, people shouldn't feel the need to follow the crowd and it's altogether much more admirable that some defect from the norm and create their own unique sense of style. But what if you want to have the 'basics', as it were? Some fashion pieces that will last a while and remain fashionable? 

You see? This is very difficult to do. Sure, there are places which cheaper clothes such as Primark, F21 or even H&M, but guaranteeing the quality and longevity of these clothes is difficult to do.

So this brings us back to the question: How do you dress on a low budget? 

Tagged | One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you ItsMehNinss for tagging me to do this post. I don't typically do tagged posts, but for a change of scene, this is a lovely idea. Honestly, I find it difficult think of facts about me that others might find interesting but here it goes...

The Rules Are: 

-You must display the award logo at the top of the post

-You must thank the person who nominated you and leave a link to their blog in your post

-You must add this set of rules to your post so that your nominees will know what to do

-You must add 7 facts about yourself into the post

-You must nominate 10 other blogs and leave links to each of them in your post

-You must let the people who you have nominated know that they've been nominated

-You must follow back the person who nominated you on BLOGLOVIN

7 Facts About Me:

1. I am currently at University studying Art and Design :)

2. I've had my blog eaudebloglette up and running for over a year. (Yey!) I still get excited by seeing that people have read my posts (and yes, I fangirl quite a lot if someone comments).

3. I'm a massive bookworm (Frankenstein is one of my favourite books).

4. I really want to study abroad in my third year of University - destination still unknown.

5. I love tea. #TypicallyBritish

6. I keep telling myself I'll learn guitar… someday… 

7. … same goes for learning a language (oops!)

I nominate…

The lovely:
Dinosaur Dances, I Am Emma Wilde, Style Enhance
and anyone who would like to do this tag :)

Top 4 | 'All Over' Eyeshadows

If there's one thing I love more than anything, it's effortless makeup. Sometimes the morning just isn't long enough to do a full face of makeup and this is where my love of 'all over' eyeshadows comes in. By this I mean you can sweep these over your eyes, add a little mascara and you're pretty much good to go. Minimal effort, but looks very pretty and chic when done correctly. 

Over the years, I've definitely found my favourites and I'm always discovering more, but for now, I'll show you the ones I'm loving the most right now (who knows, Autumn could bring a whole load of new shades for my stash!)

Review | Glossybox October 2014

If there's one thing I could say about this box, it's 100% worth it with regards to value for money. My Glossybox this month was packed full of extremely high priced products. I'm not even sure how Glossybox managed to pull this off, in all honesty. Sometimes they really like to surprise me with the sheer amount of high priced good they include - and believe me, it's been quite a while since that last happened. Often I find myself wondering whether to keep up my subscription and then they give me a box like this one and it rekindles my love for Glossybox all over again. 

Read on to find out what I got this month (it's a good'un)…

Review | Birchbox October 2014

This months Birchbox is incredibly pink in theme with their awareness campaigne for Breast Cancer. It never really occurred to me that one little box could be so helpful in spreading such a large message. I honestly believe using Birchbox as a means to raise awareness is a wonderful idea. 

I really enjoyed this months box (not only for the theme) but for the colour - I like pink - and the products included. Some were a little on the different side, while some edge more on the traditional makeup box theme. Read on to find out why I loved this months box… 

Battle Of The Boxes | Glossybox vs Birchbox September 2014

As usual, I'm looking at which box I loved more out of Glossybox and Birchbox, granted my review and comparison is late (I'm trying - and failing - to catch up what I've missed lately). The September boxes were a mixed bundle of great products and slightly disappointing ones too. With these boxes, it is very hard to please a large number of people. My argument to that, however, is that the box-selling companies need to be a little more thorough with their assessments of their customers. If I could opt out of nail varnishes, I would. As that's not an option, I will continue to pass them over to other members of the family. One thing I will say is that in all honestly, I know exactly which box will come out on top this time. Here's why...

Review | L'Oreal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Mono Eyeshadow

I still consider these relatively new to the market, even though I purchased my L’Oreal mono-eyeshadow many, many months ago. Since then, I’ve experimented with this eyeshadow greatly and absolutely loved it! It’s such a beautiful colour that can be used as a base, inner-eye highlighter and has many, many more uses to be discovered. Today I'm just looking at one colour in particular called 'Gold Mania' (500), which is a beautiful and highly pigmented shadow.

University: Leaving Home And Making A New One

A little preview of my accommodation (seriously, how nice is it!?)

Seeing Zane Lowe - Radio 1 DJ - Live

Today's post is a little different to my norm, and I'm sure you'll forgive that this once. As some of you may know, I moved away from my little village on the outskirts of Cambridge and moved to the big City of Leeds. As a result, my blog hasn't exactly seen much action lately, which I'm hoping to rectify once things have calmed down a little. 

In the lead up to applying, I think I considered every single University there was (yes, international too). I visited a couple of Universities and none of them felt right. After being accepted by Leeds, I went to an open day and I knew instantly that it was the right place for me. Problem with Art, there's a lot of room for the course to be based upon very little. Leeds had structure (and lots of shops *coughs*).

It's been really strange moving away from my little village to this big city, but I'm enjoying myself a lot and lectures start next week (eek!). So to summarise, no I haven't died, my blog just hasn't seen its usual love and care. I'll be back soon and hopefully all these makeup, beauty and fashion stores will bring me plenty more to share with you guys.

Let me know if you like these more 'lifestyle-like' posts and if you'd like to see blogs or vlogs (yes, I'm still considering videos) about Uni life.

Until then! xx

Review | Birchbox September 2014

After what has been probably five or six attempts to photograph my Birchbox, I have finally done it! You might ask, 'why so many?' Well, various reasons, actually. Bad lighting (as is usual for the UK), I lost one of the products for a day (yes, that happened), my camera battery died half way through, I forgot about some products, etc etc. I can only really laugh about my misfortune, otherwise I might have to cry… kidding (kind of).

I really liked this months Birchbox, it had a massive variety of products, most of which I haven't even had the chance to properly try out yet. Birchbox threw in a couple of extras to this box as well, which was a lovely surprise. Read on to find out more…

Review | Glossybox September 2014

This months Glossybox is very London/Karen Millen themed with its gorgeous painterly London skyline design. Many of the products inside are London related, or more specifically, London Fashion Week inspired. The box, I've noticed, has changed to be much sturdier lately, with less of a gloss finish (which feels a lot more luxurious to me, actually). 

I'll be trying to do less of a disappearing act on you all, but I've been doing mad dashes around various shops lately trying to gather everything for University (eek - I leave in 4 days time!!) Therefore, I will try to be a little more on top of posting…  

L'Oreal Professional - Mythic Oil

(Full Size - £15.95)

45ml Sample Size 

I'm thinking… runway ready hair?

Upon opening this, I thought it was going to be more of a spray in oil (much more convenient), but alas, it's a oil to rub between your hands and distribute through wet hair. I'm terrible for hair prep so as much as I hope to use this, I know I'll very likely forget all about it  - oops!

I have recently been big on hair products lately though, so I'm actually pretty happy with this one. Interestingly, I've also really been wanting to try hair oils and both my boxes have provided. (Ohhh! Spoiler Alert!) I've always raved about my love of L'Oreal makeup, however, I've never actually been keen on their hair products. Their shampoos and conditioners in particular just don't agree with my hair, but I'll definitely be giving this a try. The packaging looks really luxurious and while I don't know what it means by 'Mythic', I'll be interested to find out…

Nails inc - Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat

(Full Size - £12 for 10ml)

Full Sized Product

Oh goodie… another nail varnish. 

I really shouldn't complain, this nail varnish is worth more than I paid for the box. Only, I really wish Glossybox took into consideration that I really don't like getting these. It's a little saddening having to give it away to someone that can use it (all because my nails can't handle the harsh chemicals).

It really looks like an awesome nail varnish, so it's wonderful for everyone else who received it this month. The idea is that it'll mattify whatever you paint it over. Matte nails have been a huge thing for ages now, so it's nice Glossybox are sticking to the trends.

Side note: Love the name of the product

ModelCo - More Brows Fibre Gel

(Full Size - £14.95 for 3.5ml)

Full Sized Product

Ahh, Model, I get it. By this point, I think Glossybox were kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel when it came to LFW ideas. So strange though that I've been really wanting to try a brow gel lately and *poof* it's in my box. I think Glossybox are reading my mind a little too much. It's almost scary. Almost. 

I honestly thought upon opening the box up that this was a sample size. It's really small (3.5ml really isn't big) but wowzer does it have a big price tag. Glossybox certainly made up for 'not getting my monies worth' from August box - boy was that a disappointment. The brow gel is definitely darker than my natural hair colour, but it doesn't look strange, thankfully.

Kiss - Haute Couture Lashes

(Full Size - £4.99)

Full Sized Product

I've been 'umming' and 'ahhing' over what the link was for these, and I'm thinking it was the 'Haute Couture' title. A tenuous link, but a link none-the-less. The last time Glossybox gave me false eyelashes, I actually gave them to my sister, they just don't suit me. While I'm unsure whether these will also be that little bit too dramatic, I'll definitely be giving them a try.

SkinPep - Enzyme and Acid Peel & Peeling Gel (£89.99 for 180ml)

 Eye Cream (£44.99 for 15ml)

2 x 3.5ml & 1 x 2ml Sample Size

Please someone tell me no one is mad enough to pay £90 for their face to feel like it's peeling. Seriously… what!? 

I'm all for some luxury skincare, but this is so expensive. I want to know what Glossybox customer exactly can afford to be splashing out £90 on one product (never mind all the others you need to add to your face). I'll be baffled if I don't see some improvement in my skin after trying this. With that amount of money, I'd want to look youthful for the rest of my life, none of this short-term improvement stuff. I wonder if you ate it, would you decrease in age by 10 years or something? (Kids, do not try this at home). Unsurprisingly, this is manufactured in Korea (for the UK). I say 'unsurprisingly' because Korea are very big on their luxury skincare,.

I'll definitely be updating on how well this product turns out. If it's a hit (no I will not buy it - you'd have to be mad), I will give you the lowdown. Have any of you tried this product before? I'd be interested to know the results of everyone else! 

That wraps up everything I received in my Glossybox this month! I'll be honest and say I wasn't thrilled with everything *coughs*nailvarnish*coughs* but I'd say I'm looking forward to using 3/5 (which isn't too bad).

Let me know in the comments below what you thought of this box!

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