Review || BlanX White Shock Toothpaste

Hey guys!

Happy New Year everybody! I have recently got this product sent to me to review for you guys so I thought now would be the best time as I've been using it for just under one months time and have seen good results! I have been battling with all types of whitening toothpastes for quite some time now and this one has actually worked the most and I am very happy with the result.

So this is what the toothpaste looks like.

It has an LED light in the cap to make the toothpaste look brighter when it comes out so you feel like you're actually using a professional product at the dentist. It tastes like bonjela and gives a very minty and cold feeling on your teeth. I personally like the feeling and tend to keep the toothpaste on my teeth for a while before rinsing my mouth out.

This is the latest picture of my teeth and how brighter they look after a month. My teeth aren't yellow nor snow white however they have improved a lot since I've been using this product. I highly recommend their series of products to anyone who's longing for beautiful white teeth. I will definitely purchase the whole collection soon to get the ultimate effect.

For more info enter:

www.twitter.com/blanxuk,www.facebook.com/blanxuk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLzp4lak0dU

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Mini Make-up Haul

Hiya beauties!

I cannot believe that there's only 35 days left until Christmas!!!! How exciting is that?! I have already started shopping for everyone's presents, but it's so hard to find the perfect gift when I have no time at all to actually go out and search for it!! I am literally drowning in coursework and revision which is not helpful, and I've been having health problems for quite some time now, which actually takes up a lot of my free time to manage everything. I am just a huge stress ball lately, and what's a better remedy than a retail therapy? ;)

What's a make-up haul without MAC? This time I have bought a cremeblend blush in Florida, and an amplified lipstick in Up The Amp. Love those colours a lot, especially the blush!

I'm not the biggest fan of cream blushes, however this one caught my attention from far. The colour is delicious and can be worn all year round as you can blend it in or add more colour under any circumstances using a good blusher brush and voilla! You will have the perfect Barbie blush in less than 2 minutes!!!

The colour of the lipstick close-up. It actually reminds me a lot of Lilac Belle by MUA but it's a different finish, however the colours are identical, so if you like this colour but can't afford it right now, then I suggest you pop down to your local Superdrug and get this lippy while stock lasts!!

Because one MUA lipstick is not enough, especially when Superdrug has a 3 for 2 offer on.

From left to right: Tulip, Bare and Flamingo. I must say that my favourite shade is Bare as it is the perfect nude this time of year and only costs £1 so it is very affordable.

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || NKD SKN Fake Tan Mousse in Medium

Hello everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I have been so caught up with all my college work that I've had no time to blog! Sob, sob. As you all know, I conveyed my first ever give away and the winner will be revealed at the bottom of this post so tune up! However, in today's post I wanted to talk about a new range of fake tan which I have come across recently.

NKD SKN by Vita Liberata is the new St Tropez. It is one of the best fake tans I have come across since my fake tanning days, and I highly recommend it to all of my readers.

I have actually received this product free of charge to review which has made not only my day, but my whole week a whole lot better! While I waited for the product to arrive, I've been exfoliating a whole lot more than I usually do in order to get the perfect smooth skin as it would make the tan application much easier than without exfoliation.

It is a mousse and it comes out through the pump in the bottle. You need to make sure that you shake the bottle well before applying the product onto the mitt and then apply to clean dry skin in circular motions in order to apply the product evenly.

The texture is very much like the St Tropez and St Moriz fake tans and is very easy to apply as it is extra smooth and absorbs into the skin very quickly. It is fragrance-free therefore lacks the nasty 'I just used fake tan' smell which makes it much more practical if you want to use a bit of a natural glow before going out without having to shower straight after application to eliminate the smell.

Overall, the effect isn't the best when you've had a shower after wearing the tan for a whole day, however it develops after you've showered overnight.Weird, right? I applied this tan on the day of my night out and washed it off after a good few hours, to then go straight back to pale white. I was very disappointed as I thought it wasn't going to give me a nice glow at all and I've been looking forward to having a nice natural looking tan on my girly night out, to then realise that the tan developed while I was out with my friends?! I woke up the next day looking browner than ever!!

Good news guys - I have been given a promotional code for all of my readers to get 45% off their first purchase at NKD SKN and the code is: VOGUE45. The code is valid until November 19th!! Enjoy!!!!

I highly recommend this product for people with pale skin like me as it works wonders and doesn't streak at all if applied correctly. I will add some more pictures in one of my future posts which will include the OOTD of my night out, so stay tuned!

I would also like to say a big Thank You to Vita Liberata for sending me this fantastic product! - I will definitely purchase your products when I run out of this one!!!

I would also like to announce that the winner of the Big October Giveaway is Natalie L. and the products are on their way to the lovely winner :) Please stay tuned for my future giveaways as I should be doing one very soon!!!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

Review || Yankee Candle Wax Tart and Burner

As most of you already know, I have an obsession with candles, especially if they are made by Yankee. I have recently found out what the tarts are used for! I always thought that they were mini candles but when I went in store and asked about the burner, the sales assistant told me that the tarts don't have wicks and are meant to be placed inside the burner to melt and create a scented oil which evaporates into air. I mean, how cool is that?!

I used the Summer Scoop tart as I got it for my birthday this year and wanted to try it out ever since! I honestly did not like the smell very much as it was too powerful for my liking. It was too sweet and heavy, whereas I prefer woody or bittersweet scents. 

A quick selfie in the Yankee store with my pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

Winter favourite scents! Snowflake cookie and fireside treats.

My cute little Yankee candle collection!

Overall I loved the whole burner idea and will definitely stock up on loads more tarts! The fragrance that comes out of them is much better than the one out of the jar if you cannot afford it! It lasts a loooong time! A definite 10/10.

The best candle for this time of the year, It smells fantastic and makes you want to sit down with a good book and a cuppa and watch the rain fall outside the window.

What's your favourite Yankee candle? Do you recommend any? Please leave a comment below and let me know!

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || BATTLE OF THE PRIMERS - MAC SKIN BASE VISAGE VS BENEFIT POREFESSIONAL VS THE BODY SHOP INSTABLUR

One of the most frequently asked questions is 'how to get flawless skin?'. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have the answer to your question - PRIMER. Even the best foundation won't give you the same effect as it would with the use of a good primer. In this post, I will talk about three top-rated primers and what I really think about them.

Benefit Porefessional Primer Review:

First, we've got Benefit's POREfessional which was my very first primer ever. It is rated No. 1 best selling primer in the UK! So I bet all of you are thinking - is it really that good? I must have it! Let's take a look at the packaging of the product. It is in a form of a long slim tube which is easy to squeeze out. It feels like silicone when you touch it (the packaging) and is also soft when you bend it to get the product out. 

On the front of the product, it tells you what it is and what it's used for. Best way to apply this product is to use it on top of your moisturiser but only on the t-zone unless you are going for the more-than-flawless look. It definitely can dry the skin out so I'd say avoid putting too much on as a little goes a long way.

Few of the advantages of this product are that it is very silky and lightweight when you put it on. Your skin will feel very smooth and velvety in touch. This is literally the best feeling in the world, it's like stroking a puppy for the first time! It is also oil-free which means that it will reduce the appearance of oily skin and give you a smooth effect without the shine.

The instructions that come with this product are written in a few languages, which will make this a great gift for someone that lives overseas or doesn't understand English. The product itself is very soft and silky in touch and easy to apply. Just make sure that you moisturise your face and let it dry before you apply any sort of primer on your face.

As you can see it is a beige colour, however, it applies without colour on your face and doesn't seem to leave a white cast on darker skin tones either. It smoothes out pores, fine lines and wrinkles and leaves a protective, soft in touch layer on top of your skin so the foundation stays on for longer and doesn't clog up your pores. I do find that this primer works best with a satin-finish foundation.

This is by far my favourite primer and sadly I have run out of the big tube and will definitely repurchase it around Christmas time or maybe for my birthday as a little treat!

Overall rating: 9/10

You can buy this product for £29 here or the bigger size for £47 here.

MAC Skin Base Visage Review:

Next, we have MAC's Prep+Prime Skin Base Visage. I have heard many good things about this primer and have always wanted to try it out for myself and see if it's worth the hype or not. The packaging of this primer is very elegant and looks rather luxurious. The bottle is shiny and silky in touch which gives it the proper catwalk-product effect. Very simplistic design, yet super effecting. I think that it appeals to make-up geeks such as myself as it just looks so sophisticated.

Little info on what the product is and how to use it, just like the Benefit primer, it's also written in other languages. It is advised to use this product up within 6 months of the day you opened it, however, the Benefit primer lasts for up to 12 months which might be the better option if you don't wear makeup every day and are looking for products with a longer shelf life.

This primer is very luminous, it shines from left to right as if to wake your face up and give it a natural glow. The consistency is very similar to a face cream which makes it a lot easier to apply the product and spread it out evenly. You can also use this product without a moisturiser as it calms and soothes the skin while blotting out redness and oil leaving the skin shine-free but with a natural radiance. So this is a multi-tasking skincare primer that'll make a good primer for normal skin types that are lacking a bit of glow. I would highly recommend to never replace a moisturiser with a 2 in 1 product though!

Overall rating: 8/10

You can buy this product for £24 here.

The Body Shop InstaBlur Primer Review:

As you can already probably see, this is an obvious dupe of Benefit's POREfessional. The packaging looks similar and even the shape of the packaging is the same. The packaging feels really soft to the touch but matte at the same time, it almost feels like the anti-slip grip on slipper socks! It is called the 5-action perfector, we shall see if it's really that good...

The all-in-one slogan states that the product controls shine, reduces the appearance of pores, conceals blemishes, unifies complexions and extends make-up wear. Sounds pretty perfect for anyone who gets super shiny and has blemishes, right?

This is an actual translucent primer, so it should suit all skin tones and types unless you are allergic to any of the ingredients then obviously stay away or try a sample of it first. Unlike Benefit and MAC, this primer's shelf life is 24 months from the day you open it, so even if you don't use it every day you don't have to worry about it expiring after a few months which is a win-win situation yay!

As you can see the primer' consistency looks a bit curdled. It comes out in chunks and won't come out of the tube easily so you have to squeeze it out quite hard but carefully so just enough product comes out but not too much. This primer feels like pure velvet in touch, it is very similar to the POREfessional in the way it feels on the skin and smells divine! I think this might not be the best choice for you if you have sensitive skin as it might be perfumed.

Once you start applying the product you will notice that it creates a thick-ish layer over your skin which might feel slightly cakey on the skin. I would suggest spreading the product out thinly so it doesn't give you the cakey feeling.

After applying the primer in circular motions I noticed that it smoothed out my pores very well, but left my skin feeling a bit heavy. I am not the biggest fan of this product as it does rub off quite easily, but who knows it might be just because my skin type is so awkward that it only agrees with certain products?

Overall rating: 6/10

You can buy this product for £15 here.

Have you tried any of these primers in the past? If so, what was your opinion?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Lots of love,

Maya xo