Sunday, 29 May 2016

FOTD || USING ONE BRAND - TESTING OUT PRIMARK'S MAKEUP - DOES IT REALLY WORK?

Hi Everyone!

I have officially finished my first year at uni, woo! Now I'm just looking forward to my holiday (I'll reveal the destination in an upcoming post).

Has you ever tried using just one brand to create a whole look? Well, I've decided to give it a go with Primark's makeup collection. They have recently brought out a professional range, however I wanted to keep this look as cheap as possible for those who don't have loads of money or are starting out with makeup and need to find out more about Primark's collection.







The whole look came up to £29.80 including the makeup bag.


I had bought a foundation, powder, bronzer, eyebrow kit, mascara, eyeshadow palette, kohl liner, lipliner, lipstick, beauty blenders and brushes.


I'll start off with the foundation. When I first saw it I was surprisingly shocked. I think there are 5/6 shades and they're not silly shades that you'd get from Rimmel or Loreal, but in fact the shades go from really light to mid-dark which means that everyone can enjoy these foundations. 
At first, I didn't like the scent at all. It smells a bit plasticky and not nice, however once I swatches it on the back of my hand I fell in love with it instantly. The consistency is very thick and it glides on really smoothly. I would say it's medium to full coverage and is suitable for all skin types. I, personally have combination skin and found this foundation very long lasting and very suitable. 
I chose the shade 'Porcelain' - as I'm whiter than white - which was the perfect shade for me, especially when I don't fake tan. I give this foundation a strong 9/10 especially for the amazing price of £5!



I had applied my foundation using the teardrop shaped beauty blending sponge and the double ended foundation/concealer brush for better coverage. I've used the brush many times now and I really enjoy it, however the sponge was fantastic. It is soft and stiff at the same time making the application process so much easier and quicker. I'd say that everyone needs those sponges in their lives, particularly if you don't have too much time to spare to do your makeup. Both applicators were £1.50 each, so grab a bargain!


Next up, I used the mineral loose powder in shade 'light'. This was only £2 and you get a lot of product. At first I didn't like the colour as I do prefer translucent powders, however once I've applied it onto my skin to set the foundation I really liked it. It added slightly more coverage to my face, making it look more flawless. 
I did find the packaging slightly annoying as it took me a while to get the product out, however this can be easily overlooked once you try this amazing powder. If you like baking under your eyes then I would highly recommend this powder! Especially with the application of a wet beauty blender/sponge. However, I did apply it with the flat powder brush which I think retails at £1.50



Then of course I had to bronze up! I couldn't find a matte bronzer and the one they did have was really shiny/glittery and looked more like a highlighter :( so I actually bought a pressed powder in the shade 'dark' as I thought it'd give me a nice sun kissed look. But, I didn't like it very much. The colour pay off was rubbish and it was slightly orange. I don't know, maybe it'd be a good powder, but it was crap as a bronzer. However, I did love the brush I used for applying bronzer. It's a double contour brush - double? Huh? I don't even know! It looks like a split fibre one for better coverage. I had used it with different products and absolutely love it - everyone needs one in their makeup bag.



When I was done with my face, I tried to do my eyebrows. You can see I said 'tried' because it was a long and messy process haha! I hate this crayon, it's so bad!! It say on top of my eyebrow hairs rather than give me a fuller brow look. I think I'd stick to my Brow Archery next time D:
I definitely would advise everyone to stay away from this! However I did really like the brow gel, and thought the set was really cute as it comes with tweezers and a spoolie, as well as the crayon and clear gel.





The eyeshadow palette made me tear up. It's so gorgeous and looks a lot like the MAC x9 palettes. Oh how i disappointed myself :(( the shades look similar to each other and are very chalky. The fallout is dangerous - there's so much of it!! They were however easy to blend, but only because the pigment was DISGRACEFUL!! I would say that these are good for those who like subtle eyeshadow or are starting to play with makeup and want some Eyeshadows which are easy to blend. 
I used the double ended eyeshadow brush to apply these which was okay. I think a fluffy brush would have been better, but it turned out okay.



Next up, I applied the kohl liner. I put on my upper lash line as I wanted to create a smokey effect. It's actually really good, you know! As it was only £1 I didn't expect much, but I was pleasantly surprised and absolutely love it. I'd say it's a very good dupe for the Benefit BadGal liner.




Another favourite - the mascara. At only £1 it is AMAZING. I love it so much that I might buy a few more just in case they are discontinued! It's perfect for when you're rushing and want a bit of volume and a lot of coverage! I wish they did it in more colours as its really hard to find a good mascara that's not too pricey and comes in lots of colours. Remember old Primark makeup?? With the liquid glitter liners and mascaras?? Those were the days hahaha!!


My all time holy grail lashes - the Primark Sultry style. At only £1 I own about 5 pairs and have been through many more before that. I didn't apply them for this look as I was staying at home all day revising, however I think they would really compliment this look and make it a bit more sexy.
If you like any of their other lashes then please let me know which ones! I do want to try more and ad they're so cheap I shouldn't hesitate, but you know the feeling when you spend money on something that you won't use again - worst feeling ever!



Moving onto lips now. I bought two different shades of lip products at different times so didn't want to add more to the collection as I wasn't amazed by them. The lipliner is okay, it feels really waxy and dry on the lips however it is highly pigmented and compliments my skin tone. On the other hand, the lipstick is really good for the price (£1.50). It does feel slightly waxy, but it smells great and is highly pigmented. You only need about one coat to get a nice look.


I wasn't going to include nails in, as I have so many false nails from Primark already, but I saw this cute little nail varnish and it was only 30p. Yup, 30 PENCE!!! For something so cheap I didn't expect much. Guess what?? It is sooo good! I only applied 2 coats and it lasted so long before chipping (around 3-4 days). The normal price of these is 60p which is still bloody amazing, they come in many colours so I will definitely buy the whole collection. These are particularly good for those who don't paint their nails very often, as I always feel bad when I get rid of old nail polish that could have gotten so much more use out of. A little bottle like this will definitely last you a long time, as like I've said earlier - you only need two coats to get the most out of the colour.

Overall, I was very pleased with the majority of the products. I will definitely consider expanding my collection next time I pay Primark a visit.

This whole look has cost me less than £30 including the tools which I think is incredible, as a whole face full of MAC would cost around £300! So I did grab myself a massive bargain!

What do you think of this look? Would you like to see more FOTD posts that feature one brand?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Thursday, 26 May 2016

Review || Turtle Bay Carribean Restaurant

Morning, Lovelies!

I love food. It is my passion. Good food is something that I cannot resist and after hearing so many positive comments about Turtle Bay in Nottingham, I just had to finally pay them a visit!

I have previously been to Turtle Bay, but only for drinks rather than food on a number of occasions. Their cocktails are to DIE for! Kieran and I were lucky enough to make it just on time for Happy Hour which meant that we got our drinks 2 for 1.


We shared our started as neither of us can ever finish a starter to ourselves with a main! We went for the vegetable stuffed rotis which were delicious. They were quite spicy, but that's what made them so incredible and yummy!


For the main, I chose the seafood curry as I wanted something light. It was nice, however the massive prawn creeped me out a bit and slightly put me off my meal.


Kieran went for the chicken (surprise, surprise). He really enjoyed it, however he did complain about the size of the meal as it was rather small and he had asked for fries but received sweet potato fries which he doesn't usually like, but actually scoffed them in under 5 minutes! I tried one and I really liked them so I don't blame him at all!

Overall, the food was good but not amazing. But what can you expect for the price? It was quite cheap. The service on the other hand was great. The waiter kept coming back to our table asking if there was anything else we needed and if the food was alright. So, thank you Turtle Bay Nottingham for providing us with lovely service!

Have you been to Turtle Bay? What did you think of their food and service?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Monday, 16 May 2016

Missguided Try On Haul

Hiya Everybody!

So, recently I've splurged a little bit on clothes and one of the brands I had shopped at was Missguided. I have made a wishlist featuring my favourite pieces not long ago which you can find here. I will link all items down below under each outfit.


As I'm going away to Rhodes next month, I got lots of outfits which are suitable for both daytime and nighttime wear which won't make me too hot in the sunny country.



Firstly, there's this gorgeous co-ord floral piece which only cost me £7 for the set in the sale! I absolutely love it and I think it'll look gorgeous on any skin tone. 



Here's another co-ord which is a bright orange colour. I didn't think it'll look that nice on me because of the colour, but I think it looks really nice and will be perfect for the summer holidays! Top - £5, Skirt - £5.



Right, I think there's a theme going on here as I had picked another co-ord haha! This piece comes in different colours but this one really caught my eye as I haven't got that many sparkly gold clothes. I especially love the top, I think it's very flattering and would look great with a pair of black skinny jeans in the evening for a night out on the strip. Top - £5, Skirt - £5.





Next up I bought two of the same skirt but in different colours. I chose the burgundy and the black as I think these colours are really versatile and can be easily paired up with different tops. They were quite hard to squeeze into but once they were on they felt comfy. I would recommend going for one size up though, just because the material isn't stretchy at all. Black Skirt - £5 and Burgundy - £5.



And the star of the post - this gorgeous crochet dress. I have been after one of these for a while and was willing to buy the one from my wishlist (here) but why spend £40 when I can spend £10 and get something even more beautiful for less? It fits perfectly and I really love it.

I hope you enjoyed this post as it's something different from what I usually do! 

What are your statement pieces this summer? Are you going away anywhere nice this year?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Thursday, 12 May 2016

#TBT to Barcelona

Hey Lovelies!

So I know I haven't shared many photos from my holiday to Spain with you guys but I have been reminiscing about it for the past few days so thought I'd share my experience with you!
So, me and Kieran went on our first holiday together to Costa Brava this time last year which is just half an hour's drive to Barcelona. Of course we visited the place - it was mesmerising. 


This picture doesn't look as good on here as it does on my iPad, I think it could be because it shrunk to fit in the post as it is a panoramic photograph that Kieran is very proud of taking haha.
I will just go ahead and post some pictures and occasionally mention what I'm wearing, but if you have any questions about a specific outfit/makeup/place then just ask me in the comments below and I will answer as soon as I can!


I'm wearing a white and black swimming costume from eBay, canary yellow spaghetti strap mini dress and black hat from Primark, and Ray Ban sunglasses. I took this selfie on the beach in Costa Brava while exploring the place and climbing onto some rocks!





Look at that highlight though... I felt like the sun! I think I used my trusty MUA in Iridescent Gold. If you haven't already got it you need to go and buy it NOW!




I love Kieran's hair in this. It looks so long! He always gets it cut really short :(

Have you been to Barcelona or Costa Brava before? Did you enjoy it?

Lots of love,
Maya xo

Wednesday, 11 May 2016

Review || St. Ives Facial Cleansing Wipes

Hi Everyone!

I'm pretty sure that were all familiar with the amazing Apricot Facial Scrub from St. Ives, but has anyone ever heard of their facial wipes? If you're wanting to find out what I thought of them, keep on reading!


So, on my recent trip to town I nipped into Poundworld and picked out a few things which were a complete bargain. You can read my review of the Vaseline Moisturisers here which I had actually picked up on the same trip from Poundworld.

I picked up two different types - ones for dry and sensitive skin and ones for normal and combination skin. I have to say, I was really excited to try them out as I HAVE to have some wipes laying around the house or pop some in my handbag to use on the go. These smelt amazing and felt really soft and moist unlike some wipes.


I really liked these ones as they smelt really fresh and felt soft when I started wiping my makeup off, however it felt like they didn't do anything to my skin, definitely not made it feel smoother or softer but actually made irritated it a bit after wiping my foundation off. 


I suffer from dry and sensitive skin so I thought that these would be perfect for me as they're specifically designed for my skin type. They felt nice, like the other ones, however they weren't very gentle and also like the other ones, I found them quite harsh.

Overall, I did not like these wipes very much as I felt like they irritated my skin, but it could just be me with my fussy face! However, I cannot complain for the silly price I got them at and they usually retail at £1.49 which is not a big difference at all.

Have you tried any of the St. Ives products? Did you like them?

Lots of love,
Maya xo
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