Review | Rimmel Kate Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara

Recently I caved into buying the new Rimmel Kate Scandaleyes Rockin' Curves Mascara. Those who know me, know I'm a sucker for a good mascara. Not only that I feel it's my life mission to find the holy grail mascara!

Unfortunately, this isn't it. The cons out way the pro's on this one and I'm gutted for Rimmel as I think they've really stepped up their game in the last few years. 

So lets start with the positive points; I do like the way it curls my lashes, and I feel it separates and coats them well. I also quite like the broken hearted wand, it takes a little getting used to but because of the shape, it can get into all the nooks and crannies.

However, these positives soon turn into negatives. I chose the colour Sapphire Blue, which as you can see (or not!) does not show. At all! I remember years ago, you could get all sorts of coloured mascara and the colour really came through. I thought this would be the same? I almost thought it would turn into a new 'faze' where black lashes were so last year. How wrong I was...

I also wasn't very happy when the silver coating on the mascara crumbled off! The whole of the top of the lid is pretty much black now, which really makes this look cheap and nasty! You can see from the image above that a few little flecks had come off even before I took the photo.

I found the formulation to be quite drying and not wet enough. It took several coats of mascara to get the look below and I had to curl my lashes before hand. Which you may think is cheating, however this formulation and brush just didn't curl at all, so I had to help myself out and curl these bad boys.

I paid £7.49 for this mascara and in all honestly, I'm quite disappointed and certainly won't be repurchasing. I feel you can get cheaper mascaras that do a way better job, like Maybelinne The Falsies. Which will always be one of my favourites.

So that's my personal view on this mascara, however you may have an alternative? Let me know down in the comments or just let me know your thoughts based on my review. I always love to know what you guys think and perhaps you could recommend another mascara I should try?

As always lovelies, It's been a pleasure!

Char

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Summer Nail Polish

So it's this time of year when I can go a little crazy with my nail varnishes. I love the summer and the bright colours that come with it. Particularly pinks and corals, they are my absolute favourite. Not only that but they look amazing on any skin tone. These are only but a few of my favourites for the summer.

From Left to Right: Barry M Berry Ice Cream , Barry M Matte Vanilla, OPI Nicki Minaj Pink Friday, OPI Aphroditite's Pink Nightie, Illamasqua Fire Rose, Ciate Hoopla , OPI My Address Is Hollywood , Barry M Shocking Pink, Rimmel Rose Libertine, Barry M Jelly Papaya.

 

If I had to narrow it down and pick a favourite I would have to say OPI My Address Is Hollywood and Rimmel's Rose Libertine. I first of all love OPI's names they give their polishes, and the colours I've chosen are quite similar. I love the rose/coral shades, they just seem to be so flattering on the nails. I also prefer OPI & Rimmels brushes compared to Barry M's. However that is just my own personal preference.

That's it for now guys! What is your favourite shade on this colour wheel? Bring on the sunshine.

As always, it's been a pleasure.

Char

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MAC Crew Highlighter Review

I recently went a little cosmetic crazy and decided to purchase nearly everything that caught my attention. I know, I'm so bad. Whilst doing so, I stumbled upon the site Cohorted, this site is quite unique as it allows you to buy products at much cheaper prices than you'd find in retail stores - however once the stock is gone, it's gone. With this in mind, I requested the cohort on the MAC Crew Highlighter from MAC's Hey Sailor Collection, it was just so pretty and unusual looking I had to have it!

I was close to tears when I swirled my brush in the pan as I didn't want the pattern to smudge, however I can safely say that it was well worth it. The pigment that swept across my cheek bone was so unique and beautiful that I could have kept going until I was a shining beacon of light! The best way to describe it, is a pearlescent peachy pink - there is a touch of shimmer on the base, however when mixed together it creates this beautiful highlight that really emphasises your cheekbones. Not only that, I think if you built this up it'd be quite a beautiful blush - subtle yet you know it's there. A bit like a blush mineralise skin finish from MAC, just a lot less shimmer.

What are you're thoughts on this? I think it's so beautiful and unusual that it will most definitely be kept on show. Have you bought anything from cohorted that I should know about? Let me know down in the comments. You can find me in the following places; twitter, instagram and bloglovin.

As always guys, it's been a pleasure!

Char

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Benefit New Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm Review

Recently I was sent one of the new Benefit Hydrating Tinted Lip Balms. The colour I got sent was Cha Cha Balm, a lovely orange coral tint which looks lovely on the lips.

To start, lets talk about the packaging. It is seriously beautful. I love the rose gold tube with the coral pink swirls on the lid. It just looks chic, and one of those stand out products in your lip collection, that would automatically catch anyone's attention. I haven't physically seen the other tints but I'm sure they will be just as beautiful!

The formulation; This actually surprised me quite a lot as I'm used to the tints (benetint, posietint etc...) being quite drying on my lips and skin. This might just be my own experience of the tints, let me know if not! However these are really hydrating. They use mango butter to create that creamy moisturing texture that provides high level antioxidants and beneficial vitamins A,C and E emphasizing the hydration element.

Price and release date: So these are coming in at a hefty £14.50 which I don't know how I feel about really. I don't think I'd personally spend that much on a lip balm...I say that, but I quite easily would spend £20 on Dior Creme De Rose Lip Balm. I don't know...you know me - I have no control when it comes to spending money therefore you decide! I believe the release date of these will be June this year, so keep a look out on Benefit's site!

Anyway, that's all for now folks, I hope you enjoyed this post. You can follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter and Instagram.

As always, It's been a pleasure!

Char

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* This post contains a PR sample.   

Browns Lane Restaurant Review

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of spending the day with the lovely Emily from www.recipesandreviews.co.uk . We had met previously at a blogger meet in Birmingham where Emily and I realised we lived close to one an other and actually went to neighboring schools when we were younger! Small world. We decided that we would have to meet up and and have a good long chat about food, whilst eating some good food obviously...Which brings me on to Browns Lane in Loughborough (brownslane.co.uk).

To start, we both had the same; Calamari fritti with dressed leaves and aioli (£6.00) 

Lets start with the presentation - In short, the presentation was very good. I love all the little quirky details, like the little silver buckets and the fact it's served on a slate plate. 

Onto the actual food -  I was impressed with the taste and texture of the calamari, as so often you get them and they are rubbery. These were lovely and the batter was ever so light but well seasoned. The leaves weren't great; when I see the words 'dressed' I don't expect them to just be dressed in oil - there was no taste there. Perhaps a nice sweet/zingy dressing to bring out the flavours on the rest of the plate? 

For my main I opted for the Brown's Chicken Fajitas (£14) as I'd heard pretty good things about them. Needless to say they certainly did not disappoint.

Presentation - again very good! I love the fact they add a sprinkling of cheese onto the top on the chicken, it melts into the mix and just adds that extra bit of something. Those who know me, know that cheese makes everything better so in my book this gained bonus points!

Taste - Wow. I loved the flavours and spices that the chicken absorbed. The meat was lovely and moist and wasn't dry at all. I also liked the fact that they didn't just use the same standard vegetables that you'd find in a fajita mix; they had mange-tout and shredded courgettes. It's so nice to see seasonal vegetables being used in food, it makes a pleasant change.

So after my meal with Emily, I decided that this was going to be the place to bring one of my good friends the following week. I've included some photos of the food we had then. 

Lamb Kofta dusted with nuts & spices served with mint yogurt and soft tortilla (£6)

Presentation - Fab. Loved the fact the koftas arrived still on the skewers.

Taste - Delicious. The spice mix was quite powerful however mixed with the mint yogurt was perfection. All the flavours really complimented one another - I just could have done with another kofta to ratio out the plate.

Slow roasted pork belly with creamy potato, seasonal greens, spiced sticky apple served with cider cream and apple crisps (£14.00)

Presentation - Again, fabulous!

Taste - Oh my god. This, hands down was the best thing I've tasted in a long time! The pork was so succulent and mouthwatering, yet the crackling was crisp and juicy. I would recommend anyone to try this, I guarantee you won't be disappointed. The cider sauce that came with it was out of this world and really complimented the pork and mashed potato. Even talking about this makes my mouth water. 10/10 !!

Whole free range roasted poussin topped with streaky bacon, stuffed with garlic, parsley & thyme sausage-meat, served with french fries watercress and aioli (£14.00)  

Presentation - Brown's don't disappoint on presentation. I think we get this now.

Taste - As this wasn't my meal, I didn't get to try any. however I'm assured it was just delicious! The only downside was that there was far too much watercress. 

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So if you're anywhere near Loughborough I'd certainly recommend going to Brown's Lane and sampling some of their delicious menu. It's so nice to have a good restaurant on your doorstep. I'm sure they'll be seeing a lot more of me in the future. 

I hope you enjoyed this review and let me know down in the comments what your favourite dish was and other restaurants you recommend.

Anyway, as always it's been a pleasure. 

Char

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April Favourites

Where has this month gone I ask you? It was only yesterday when I realised the date. Mental. This month in short has been my busiest month so far, not only work wise but blogger wise too! I've met some amazing bloggers this month; Sophia (tattooedtealady.com) Lauren (porcelainqueen1) Marissa (mambomelonx) and Emily (recipesandreviews.co.uk). It feels great to have met these girls in person and already I feel like we've known each other for years! So after a non-stop blogger month, let's crack on with my monthly favourites!

Nelsons Pure & Clear Anti-Blemish Facial Wash - My staple skin care product for April! This is a new product that Sophia recommended I bought when we went shopping at the beginning of the month. I've been using this twice a day everyday, therefore I feel I can provide you all with some valuable feedback. First of all, the smell is fantastic; spa like but super fresh at the same time. It's really invigorating and I could actually see and feel a difference after about 10 days of using it. It uses natural seaweed as a base, to help clear all those nasty impurities, whilst still being able to sooth and restore your skin. A must have! Holland & Barrett £7.45

Urban Decay Spray- So this was something I'd been after for ages, just I hadn't had time to visit a counter. So when I met up with the lovely Lauren and Marissa in Sheffield recently, we popped into Debenhams where we stumbled upon Urban Decay. Therefore this was a must buy purchase, of which I bullied Lauren into purchasing it too! The concept of it is quite simple; you just spray it onto your face and it acts like a hairspray. By that I mean it holds your make up in place for several hours. You can also spray a tad onto your make up brush before dipping into an eye shadow which makes it more vibrant. House Of Fraser £20.

Chanel Coco Shine Lipstick - This is an old love of mine. Chanel is known for being a luxurious and sought after brand and I absolutely adore their range of lipsticks. This one in particular is part of their Rouge Coco Shine Hydrating Sheer Lipshines. I own the colour Effronte no.72 and find this really complements my natural lip colour and looks very chic when applied. I wear this for special occasions only now as I'm nearly out and I just feel this lipstick needs the red carpet rolled out for it whenever I wear it. Boots £25.

Burts Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm - Another product that Sophia advised me to purchase, of which she at the time 'seriously, you'll be addicted to this by the end' and she was right! I put this on first thing in the morning, during the day and before I go to bed. I love it. It has a lovely deep rose tint to it which doesn't colour your lips, instead it brings out your natural lip colour. My lips feel nourished and ever so soft. Great for applying before you put on your favourite matte lipstick! Holland & Barrett £3.69.

Mac Eye Shadows in Vanilla and Haux - These two colours go together like Beyonce and Jay-Z, like a brush to your face powder, like jelly and ice-cream...you get my drift. They are both matte shades and look simply stunning on the eye. The vanilla is an everyday shade that I use pretty much everyday..I use this on the inner corner of my eyes to brighten them, as a base to create an every day natural look or I use it to create a dramatic smoky eye. A staple in any mac palette. Next is Haux, one of the most beautiful shades I own, it's a soft muted rosey brown, which can be used in so many make up looks, whether you want a neutral everyday look or if you want to rock a dark brown smoky eye. It's the shade I've used pretty much everyday. Love it. Debenhams £10.00

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation - My shade is Beige Ivory - I've been using this foundation more this month over my Illamasqua Skin Base and I'm just in love with the finish. It gives you that dewy full coverage look which really flatters your skin. The formulation in quite thick but you only need a small amount to start off with, of which you can then judge if you want to add more and build it up. I also love the fact this comes in a tube so you can really squeeze every last bit out and get your money's worth as this is an eye watering £32. It's so worth it though. However if you don't want to take my word for it (and trust me, I'd be way happier if you didn't!) instead, go and get colour matched at your local counter and take away a sample pot and try if for yourselves! House Of Fraser £34.

Soap & Glory Blush - This is something I bought back in February when Boots had it's 3 for 2 offer on, and Oh My am I glad I bought this! It's not only super pretty when applied onto your cheeks but the product and packaging is really cute. The packaging is lightweight, pink and in typical soap and glory style, slightly vintage looking! It has a magnetized lid, so no fumbling about trying to get your nails in-between the grooves to open the lid and a lovely big mirror in the roof. The actual product is stunning to look at, it has several different panels of pink and rose tones and two separate panels of a highlight. Therefore with one sweep of your brush you have collected a multitude of colours that just settle onto your cheek bones in the most flattering, and subtle way. Just beautiful. Boots £11.

Favourite Blog in April - My favourite blog this month has to be  +Belle B (click here for her blog!) Belle is such a beauty and so is her blog! I actually find myself trawling through all her posts and coming across pretty much every product I own, so I know whenever something new comes out that she likes - I'll love it too.

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That's it from me and my monthly favourites. Leave me a comment down below letting me know if you've enjoyed this! I know I have. As always you can follow me on twitter, instagram and bloglovin So share the love people!

As always, It's been a pleasure. 

Char

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