Mac Brow Set - Full Review!

Depending on how long you've been keeping up with my blog for, you may or may not know, that absolutely aaaaaaaages ago on a haul I purchased the Mac Brow Set. I was so excited to buy this as I had been really wanting a product for subtle eyebrow definition that also came in a shade for blondes, so when I found this it was exactly what I had been looking for. When I got home, however, I tried it a couple of times, didn't initially like it that much, and then I went and dyed my hair dark anyway so my light brows just didn't look right. It has stayed in one of my makeup drawers untouched for the past few months, but as I've dyed my hair light again I've dug it out and given it another go.

May I just say, it is AMAZING! I really love this and it is now my go-to brow product. I really like mine to look natural anyway as I pretty much always sport a no-makeup look (my daily makeup consists of my Mac brow set, a couple of coats of Benefit Bad Gal mascara for my lashes, and Garnier tinted under-eye roll on under my eyes). My brows are a bit too light and sparse, but the Mac brow set literally looks like it's your natural brows, and equally gives you just enough definition. The shade Beguile is just perfect for the lighter-haired among us, where there is another shade perfect for brunettes. 

I can't believe I haven't used it for so long, this really is just the easiest and nicest brow product I've used in a really long time. I really hate the pencilled-in look so always steer clear of eyebrow pencils, and would never use a liquid brow product either as in my opinion it would just look too heavy. For me, I personally like the very traditional natural brow look. Makeup artists have been saying for decades never to over-pluck your brows, and to just brush them into their natural shape. Only recently have people been going for the HD brow look, which does look beautiful, but if you rarely wear makeup (like me) then to have your brows perfectly made up but no makeup anywhere else, it can look a bit out of place, and to be honest, it just isn't my style. Makeup fanatics and pin-up lovers have also been loving the HD brow look for recreating vintage 50's makeup looks, but that does seem inaccurate to me too... You never saw Sandy from Grease with heavily defined brows. 

Anyway (a bit off-topic there!), the Mac Brow set really is just lovely. I will just reiterate that it looks really natural, it's super-easy to apply as the applicator is basically a mascara wand so you just brush it directly on to your brows. It comes in two shades, one for blondes and one for brunettes. I believe it to be a gel product (I haven't actually checked this, but this is just what the texture feels like) which also means that it doesn't budge. Also, with the applicator being a mascara wand, it also means you don't need to brush your brows separately with an eye brow tool as that's already been done for you! It's really easy, it's really quick, and where I have a young son so am always short on time, I am always on the lookout for really quick and easy makeup, and this really is absolutely perfect. I can't fault it in any way. 

I will mention though that where it is really ideal for me, it may not be quite to your taste. As I said previously, you will never be able to create the HD brow look with this, it's also a bristle brush applicator (I'm aware that some of you aren't a fan), and the price does seem a bit expensive at £13. But you do get an awful lot in the tube and I can see this lasting a really long time, so in my opinion it's well worth it. I will definitely be purchasing this again! I'm really sorry that this is so long but I really wanted it to be quite in-depth as there is just so much to say about it! 

Hope you've been having a lovely week,

Sammii-Jane x

Simple Skin Care

Okay, okay. I know that just about everyone from Father Christmas, to the cats mother, swear by the Simple range. I've never been able to use it before as it's just never been suitable for my skin type, but ever since my skins returned back it's normal, relatively clear state (I had really bad hormonal acne while I was pregnant earlier this year) I've been able to use Simple. I've always wanted to use it, as I don't really like to wear much makeup, but I need to have relatively good skin in order to feel comfortable without makeup. So for these past couple of months I've been using it religiously. 

I wash my face with the Simple Face Wash, I cleanse with the Simple Cleansing Lotion, and I moisturise with the Simple Hydrating Moisturiser. It's been really gentle on my skin and I've been really loving it! I can finally get to leave the house, feeling comfortable in my own skin. I hate wearing foundation as I just really dislike the feeling that I'm clogging up my skin with it, and I much prefer to go natural when I can! This is what my skin has been looking like since using the product (completely unedited), and so far it really is the best thing I've ever used. I know I say that each time I try something new but this is just so gentle, yet super effective!  

Something that I really love the product is that as it's cleared up my skin so much, I have a really quick wash-and-go getting ready routine in the mornings now, which gives me more time to spend with my son as I don't feel like I have to over-compensate with makeup. It makes him happier, it makes me happier, it's a win-win! It's definitely made my mornings so much easier and made me so much less stressed, and self-conscious about my previous bad skin. (As a little disclaimer, I always like to do makeup-free selfies to show you how well the products work. I really love skin care so I tend to buy an awful lot of it if I'm honest, to test when I get home, and then I do like to show you the results too I suppose!)

I am really happy with Simple skin care. This is something I've already made a repurchase of and can see myself buying for probably quite a while yet! Hope you've all had a lovely Monday, 

Sammii-Jane x

August 2014 Wish List

Hey guys! I thought I would share with you my current up to date wish list. These are mainly beauty items, but also a tiny little bit of fashion too! 

Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer

So, the Guerlain Bronzer is probably one of the most hyped-up bronzers in the beauty blogger world. Of course I'd love to give it a try! These retail at around £35 which is really rather expensive for a bronzer, but from what I hear, they are worth every penny! I like that it has subtle pink specks for a little more colour too. I just think it looks beautiful, I bet it works beautifully, and they're also the go-to bronzers for pro MUA's to have in their kits. The Guerlain Bronzers look divine and I cannot wait until the day I own one! I always have this problem that the bronzers I buy are never pigmented enough and they never seem to make much of a difference, so I would love to try this. 

Chanel Lip Gloss

I know, I know, yet another high-end product! The Chanel lip glosses look so beautiful, sparkly, subtle yet pigmented, that I know I just have to have one! I don't really wear makeup during the day, so I think that this would just be really nice as a little touch of luxury to carry around in my handbag for when I'm out. These are just gorgeous. 

Zoeva Brushes

I've been wanting Zoeva brushes for a really long time now, and where €65 isn't exactly cheap, it's really good value for relatively high-end, amazing quality brushes. The Rose Gold set is just so beautiful to look at, but I'm just not sure whether I'd want these more for my own personal use, or for my kit. I love that it comes in it's own little brush clutch bag as well. I think that these would definitely be more of an ideal Christmas present than something I could justify treating myself to! 

Converse Dance Lace in Bright Blue

I have been really wanting a pair of sturdy new Converse trainers for a while now. I basically only ever wear Primark pumps, and as soon as it rains (which happens a lot here in the UK), they fall apart! I am so fed up of never having any practical but nice shoes to wear. These really caught my eye as I'm generally not a trainer-type person but because the style is actually quite feminine, as well as the shoe being a really pretty blue colour, I just really like them a lot. They're like the perfect in-between shoe for someone who wants pretty, feminine, and practical. 

Robin Hood Disney DVD

As some of you may know, I'm a mother to my young son, Rhys. Something that I would like to do for him is to collect up a huge bunch of Disney DVDs for him to watch for when he's a little older. I shop around a lot to find the best price for everything, and recently I've come across Robin Hood, The Sword in the Stone, and The Fox and the Hound, all being sold for £5 each with free delivery on Amazon. These would be great films to start off my collection with and they're being sold for such an amazing price! I'd love to buy them but as I'm currently saving for a little flat for us I'm struggling to justify spending money on things I don't really need right now. However, as soon as I've got the flat sorted, I think these films may just have to be bought in order to celebrate! 

So these are the current items on my wish list! I hope you've enjoyed this post, and I hope you look out for my next one! (Hint: it might just be a huuuuge homeware haul!) 

Hope you've all had a fantastic weekend,

Sammii-Jane x

L'Occitane Verbena

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't posted for a while. I've recently been starting to save for a deposit on a flat, so have been avoiding any tempting and expensive beauty purchases! Today, however, I cracked, because I just fell in love with the L'Occitane Verbena scent and knew I had to have it! I bought it in a sale at my local Tudor Williams store, who were having a 10% off all cosmetics and toiletries day. This set was priced at £20, but as I bought it at sale price I paid £18.

It is packaged in a super-cute bright yellow canvas bag, embossed with a modern silver-glitter 'L'Amour De La Provence' L'Occitane logo. I absolutely adore the colour yellow for the summer season, it is so bright, happy and cheerful that you can't help but smile and feel happy! 

Now, for the contents of the bag: this set contains a 75ml shower gel, a 75ml body lotion, a 10ml tube of hand cream, a 100g bar of hand soap, and a 10ml sample fragrance of the Verbena Eau de Toilette. 

The scent! Let me tell you the fragrance is divine! The L'Occitane Verbena smells exactly of freshly crushed sweet limes. I absolutely adore citrus scents as I find them really refreshing and so different to the usual musky/floral scent. This smells so, so, good it just has me dreaming of an icy mojito on a tropical beach! This scent is by far my favourite, even more so than my Estée Lauder Modern Muse, which has been my strong favourite since receiving it as a Christmas present last year! It's just so fresh and different to anything I own. I initially bought the set purely for the fragrance, which is a perfect size for me as (I hate to say it), but I always get bored of perfumes after the first month and never, ever manage to finish a whole bottle. So the fact that this is only 10ml makes me feel a lot less guilty about never finishing a perfume, as you never know, I might manage it with a smaller size! A 100ml bottle of the Verbena Eau de Toilette will cost you £42. This is the 10ml sample Verbena fragrance I got with the set. It's such a cute handbag size too, and would be perfect for a weekend trip away! 

I just love the sleek glass bottle, and the leaf design is beautiful! I really love L'Occitane's 'natural' cardboard packaging too, I love that there are no fussy distracting colours and I just think that with packaging, less is more! It is so simple and I love that the brand sell organic products, I feel I'm definitely getting my money's worth with top quality products. I just want to say that if you are thinking of purchasing the Verbena, definitely go in store and smell it and I promise you, you will love it! The Verbena definitely won me over, and I really hope you will love it as much as I do! 

Hope you're having a great weekend, 

Sammii-Jane x

Collections - my Bobbi Brown collection!

Hey guys! Apologies for being a bit rubbish with any recent posts. I've had an awful lot going on in my personal life to have been able to write anything of late. However, I'm really trying to pick it back up again if you will be tolerant enough to bear with me! 

So in any case that you've seen any recent beauty blogs, you might have noticed the collections tags going around. For instance, these beauty collections could be Mac lipsticks, any high street product collections, or really whatever you like, as long as it falls into the same category. So for my collections post, I'm going to show you guys my current Bobbi Brown collection! I would love to be a Makeup Artist on the Bobbi Brown counters, so I am buying into their products a lot to get to know all of their products and brushes really well, so that after I've qualified from college I can hopefully manage to bag an interview with the company and not do too terribly! Who knows, I may even get a job! We can all dream!

So this is all the makeup and brushes from Bobbi Brown that I have. I'm going to include a few close ups just to give you a little more in-depth insight and not to confuse you by trying to explain from this one picture! 

(Top L-R)

- Bobbi Brown Soothing Cleansing Oil

- Bobbi Brown Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover

- Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Hydrating Face Cream

- Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream

(Bottom L-R)

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Porcelain

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Cool Beige

- Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in Honey

- Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich Foundation in Warm Sand

- Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Nude Rose

- Bobbi Brown Lipgloss in Rose Sugar

- Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

- Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara

- Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner

And

- Bobbi Brown Makeup Brushes, 

- Eyebrow Brush

- Face Blender

- Mini Foundation Brush

- Mini Eyeliner Brush

- Concealer and Eyeshadow Brush

For blush, I have the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Wild Rose.

A final item to my Bobbi Brown collection, I have the Bobbi Brown Pretty Powerful book! 

As for other products that I have my eye on, in any case that you might be interested, is the Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder. I love bronzer in the warm summer season but at the moment £30 on a bronzer is a little pricey for me, as I'm currently saving to buy my son Rhys a baby support seat. I just can't justify spending money on myself when my son needs things for his development! 

I hope you've liked having a good nose at my Bobbi Brown collection! Please let me know of any must-have Bobbi Brown products that you adore! 

Sammii-Jane x

Rhys at Four Months Old

Hey guys! So, to be honest, I haven't done an awful lot makeup-wise this week. I've been a little bit lazy with it, because as much as I love makeup I also really love spending time with my son, which is of course my first priority. I don't want to miss any part of him growing up, and I thought I would share with you how he's been getting on of late! 

He's now able to lift his head up completely unaided, and is getting to grips with holding up his bottle. The picture on the bottom left is where he fell asleep by himself for the first time, which was just so adorable! He's developing so quickly which is amazing. I'm trying to encourage him to start crawling and such (which I now he won't do for a few more months) by giving him lots of tummy time, which is just time where you put your baby on it's tummy to help him get used to not just being on his back, and helps them learn to move around. 

He's also been really loving his baths, and is loving splashing around in them! He giggles while he does it too! He smiles a lot as he's generally quite a happy baby which is lovely! I've just started him on baby food as well, so far he isn't liking anything fruit based as it's far too tangy for him, but he does really enjoy rice pudding, chocolate pudding, and banana custard (only liking the sweet things - definitely my son!) and I've also started giving him very diluted baby fruit squash.

We've had a baby massage class earlier this week which he is loving at the moment in this warm weather, and I'm also taking him swimming next week which I think he is going to love, since he loves his baths so much! If he really enjoys it I will have to make it a weekly thing! 

I also found my old baby picture while ransacking the cupboards! I was looking for his swimming trunks that I'd bought for him ages ago, when I came across my old baby photo album! Same eyes and nose, so much like his mumma! 

Rhys has been coming along leaps and bounds, I'm so proud of him! He is absolutely the most amazing thing to have ever happened to me, he is just such a special boy to me. I'll probably update every few months to let you all know how he's coming along! 

Sammii-Jane x

My Holy Grail Makeup Brush

My Holy Grail makeup brush is an absolute no-brainer. I have brushes from Bobbi Brown, bareMinerals, Sheer Cover, but my absolute favourite is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I use this brush for blending all my face products, I use it to buff my liquid foundation on to my skin, I use it to apply bronzer to my cheekbones, blush to my cheeks, I even use it to dab on face powder. I just find that the brush blends my makeup really seamlessly, but is equally precise enough to use for my blush and bronzer too, and I just really love it! 

I had originally bought it to use for my pro kit, but after seeing many good reviews I decided to bring it out of it's box and give it a go! I've been using the brush every day for the past month now, and I hadn't realised until now how heavily I rely on it - it really is my go-to brush. It makes blending and buffing a dream and my makeup looks so flawless because of it, I have seen such a massive improvement in how my makeup looks after using it. I do clean it every few days with Mac Brush Cleanser, as cleaning my brushes that are for my own personal use becomes quite the task when you really don't have time for that every day! The bristles are still in fantastic condition, and I'm fairly sure the brush hasn't shed at all. I have been meaning to buy another of the same brush to keep in my MUA kit, as it has become such hassle to have to clean the brush after I do my makeup in the morning but also so that it dries in time for when I have a model booked that day. I bought this brush for £8.99  from Boots, and I also picked up the Real Techniques Retractable Bronzing Brush for £13.99 as well that day. 

Because I've had such a good experience working with these two particular brushes, but I really had needed more brushes in my kit, I decided to branch out with more brushes from the brand and also bought the Real Techniques Core Collection, and the Starter Kit, so now I have (nearly!) all the makeup brushes I need. 

I know that a lot of people, makeup artists and clients, would tell you that you should have the best makeup brushes in the business if you want to work pro - but I disagree. Now, I absolutely love Bobbi Brown and it kills me to say anything negative against the brand as it really is my absolute favourite, but I just really can't get on with the brushes I purchased from them. I think it depends heavily on what brushes that you work best with. There is no point in using more expensive brushes if you are more comfortable and get a better result with brushes from a slightly cheaper brand. That said, Real Techniques are cheaper, but they do not skimp on quality at all. All the brushes I've ever bought from them have been amazing and they are definitely so far, my favourite makeup brushes. It really does depend on what suits you as an artist, and it is equally important to know how to achieve the look you require with your brushes. 

Hope you're all having a lovely day,

Sammii-Jane x