REVIEW || KAT VON D EVERLASTING LIQUID LIPSTICKS (DUPES) - ALIEXPRESS HAUL

I've been meaning to try Kat Von D's makeup items for a while now and when I hear that AliExpress stocked dupes of them for only £1.12 I had to get some to try them out! I believe the original price of them is £16 in the UK and $20 in the US, which is quite a high price tag so I thought I'd give the dupes a go first!

I chose the shades Lolita, Lolita 2, Bow n Arrow, and Vampira. I didn't expect much for a quid, but oh gosh was I pleasantly surprised when I got my parcel!! The packaging was amazing, it looked very high quality and I was so excited to finally open up the lipsticks!

The scent is incredible! They are vanilla scented, which actually reminded me of the Poundland liquid lipsticks so I believe that the ingredients are very similar, therefore cannot be harmful to your skin. I know that a lot of people get funny about buying fake products, however not everyone can afford to splurge £16 on a lipstick! Especially when you can get practically the same thing for a fraction of the price.

The opacity is great. I only swatched each lipstick once on the back of my hand and the colour pay-off was amazing. It was actually really hard to rub off!
The longevity is also pretty great, I find that it does come off slightly after meals however, you can always touch it up and ta-dah! Still looks great. I believe that the colours are also very similar to the real thing, however I've got nothing to compare the fakes to, but I really do like them a lot.

P.S. - I'm not trying to promote fake makeup, however, this lipstick has worked for me well - all of them have, and I'm pretty happy with my purchase. If you want to buy them, you can find them on the website. However, it is 100% up to you if you want to purchase these products and I would recommend messaging the seller and asking for the ingredients list before purchasing the products!

Have you tried any of the Kat Von D products? Do they look similar to the AliExpress dupes? Have you tried the AliExpress dupes at all?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2016 || AUGUST FAVOURITES

This might as well be a back-to-uni haul because all these items were new and bought specifically for uni, yet I loved them all haha!

My favourite has to be the pink diary I got from Poundland - yes, you read it right POUNLAND!
The second notebook is from Primark, and I believe it only cost me £2.50 but just look at the glitter and unicorns ahhh! It's to DIE for!
Next up, (also from Primark) I loved the 'Full Look' false lashes. They are only £1 and I usually go for the sultry lashes, however I fancied a change and saw these beauties. Oh wow, I was so happily surprised when I wore them! Of course, I reuse my lashes a few times before chucking them out, so I think £1 is an absolute bargain even if you do get rid of them after the first use!
I've been wanting to try the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream lipsticks for a while now and I decided to purchase the shade 'Rome' - not only because it's a gorgeous colour, but also because I'm obsessed with anything to do with Italy haha (especially pizza). I absolutely love the formula, it feels like I've got nothing on, and smells a-m-a-z-i-n-g!! I'm definitely going to expand my collection soon, especially as they're only £5.50!
The whole hype about the Maybelline Eye Erase concealer turned out to be true for me too. I absolutely adore this concealer, I think the coverage is great and it hides my dark circles. The only issue I have with this product is the shade - it's not light enough!!! Come on Maybelline, sort your shit out and make some paler shades for us ghosts!!!
Last but not least, another spot cream. I don't get a lot of break outs nowadays (come on, I'm nearly 21 now, this needs to stop!), but when I do I get it bad. This little bad boy has been my saviour during August and I know for a fact that I will repurchase it until they bring out a spot cream that's better than this one, however I don't think you can top this 95p treatment from Wilko's.

What have you loved in August this year? Have you tried any of the products I've mentioned above?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

2016 || JULY FAVOURITES

This July I loved a few products, mainly skincare but there's also a makeup item.

First of all, let's talk about the Victoria Secret body sprays. I absolutely love their whole range and trying to pick out a few from the whole collection was quite a tough task. I've especially been loving Sheer Love as I feel like it's the perfect summer fragrance and feels so light on, unlike perfume which I find a bit too heavy to wear during hot summer days.

Next up we've got the Argan Oil heat defence leave in spray. I don't even remember how many times I've repurchased or spoke about this product, but I got back into using it as it works wonders, especially in humid weather where my hair tends to get frizzy.

And what's summer without dry skin? I feel like my hands get really dry in summer which is odd as most people tend to get dry skin in winter. This Soap and Glory Endless Glove hand cream has literally been my life saver this summer. I love the scent of it - it's very fruity, just what summer is all about.

Last but not least, the Bourjois 123 Perfect foundation. The coverage is great, the scent is great and the whole idea is just great. The only negative thing I have to say is that the colour range is very poor and I'm forced to mix this foundation with another in order to get a shade that suits me most.

What did you love this July? Have you tried any of the items I've mentioned?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

NETFLIX & CHILL - MY PREFERRED NIGHT IN AND FAVOURITE SHOWS

Who doesn't love a bit of Netflix and Chill? If it's on your own, with your friends or other half, Netflix = best night in.

My perfect night in consists of favourite TV shows/movies, snacks and a hot drink! Recently I've been loving different TV shows as movies don't entice me much anymore... I need a show to leave me guessing and wanting to watch on to find out what happens, yet I do love reading books before the shows too.

1) Sherlock - I've been obsessed with Martin Freeman ever since I watched The Hobbit (one of my all-time favourites I must say). I think that him and Benedict Cumberbatch make the perfect duo in this modern twist of Sherlock Holmes. 10/10 would recommend.

2) Orange is the new Black - Yassss! This show literally took over my life during my last year at college. I was hooked from the first episode and absolutely love the whole plot. I know that it's based on true events which tbh makes it even more exciting to watch.

3) The Big Bang Theory - If you're an open minded person then I'd definitely recommend this. I absolutely adore Sheldon Cooper and think all characters are fascinating. It definitely makes you look at things from a different perspective and learn about all types of personalities.

4) Black Mirror - A political satire which will make you think about everything that's gone off in 5 different ways (I'm not even joking). Kieran introduced me to this show a while ago, and I recently found out that it'll be returning to Netflix UK soon!!

5) Pretty Little Liars - Got a secret? Can you keep it? Ahhh! This show drives me insane! If you're up to date with it, you'll know who A is - rubbish, right? But, OMG when I first started watching this show (good few years ago now) I was so infuriated with wanting to find out who A was! And now I've got to wait until April for the last season to be released :(

6) Stranger Things - Oh my daysssss, have any of you watched this yet?! I've watched it the week it was released and I couldn't stop. I watched the whole season in a day and then rewatched it a couple of times (sorry, not sorry). This show is amazing, the acting is incredible and the setting is so realistic - I almost feel like I'm a part of the 80's!

What shows have you been loving recently? What's your perfect night in like? 

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || BIRCHBOX - 6 MONTHS OF USE - IS IT REALLY WORTH THE HYPE? I THINK NOT!

Hi Dolls!

I've always wanted to try out a subscription beauty box and after a long session of choosing the one most suitable for me, I decided to try out Birchbox. At first, I thought I'll go for one month and then it led to another and again and again. Now I'm stuck with 6 boxes and will talk through each one in detail with what I love/hate about it.

Let's get into it!

February Birchbox: my first ever Birchbox would have been a very big disappointment if it wasn't for the Spectre Tapered Brush. The contents of this box are so dire and not worth the price (no matter what the booklet says). The biggest disappointment had to be the shower gel and hair spray however, I was pleased with the face brush and perfume sample.

March Birchbox: This one was slightly better, I really loved the lip balm which was actually by Birchbox's own brand called Arrow. Next thing I enjoyed using was the brow fibres gel and the hair mask sample. 

April Birchbox: Hm, to be honest this one really disappointed me. I was really looking forward to receiving the 'Dew The Hoola' sample but instead I got given BadGal Lash? Which is an OK product, but come on now... What beauty blogger wouldn't want to try the latest beauty item released by one of their favourite brands? This actually forced me to go out and buy the full size Dew The Hoola which I hated and am selling on my Depop haha... (Waste of money). However, I did really enjoy using the Beaver products (this came with a hair mask but I had used it before taking the pic, soz!), the combo made my hair feel super smooth and easy to manage the next day.

May Birchbox: HUGE disappointment if you ask me.. The only good thing about this was the beauty sponge which actually isn't half bad, but nothing amazing compared to my complexion sponge by Real Techniques. I was sad to find out I didn't win a holiday as well :(

June Birchbox: I think I was mostly looking forward to the box itself rather than the products hahaha! I mean, I love all things pineapple and palm tree related but just look at the items in this box.. Crap aren't they? The eyeliner is okay, the hairspray I've tried before so I knew what to expect (it's actually really good), and the rest I haven't tried yet so can't judge but I don't know if I'll like them as the scent isn't the best haha.

July Birchbox: Now, this one got me excited! I love John Frieda products, so this was already a win-win situation for me, and then the mini Nails Inc product! Oooh such a pretty shade for the summer!

Overall, I don't think I'll be coming back to Birchbox unless they do a special deal for bloggers who want to try new products as I felt like this was over priced for what you got. Majority of the sample sized products they sent out were ones you could pick up at a John Lewis or Boots counter for free..

Definitely not worth the hype - sorry guys.

Have you tried a monthly subscription? What did you think of it?

Lots of love,

Maya xo