REVIEW || POUR MOI? LINGERIE SET FROM UK LINGERIE - BEST LINGERIE FOR CURVY WOMEN

Can we please have a moment of silence for all those women looking for the perfect pretty bra in their actual size that won't break their bank? Thank you. I am in fact one of those poor buggers and can never find my size in high street stores and quite frankly I am fed up with spending around £40 on a bra that will scratch my sides and poke me in the boob as the wire comes out.

So you can only imagine how excited I was when I received an email from UK Lingerie asking to try some of their products. Of course, I had to go for a full set because why the heck not?! I picked a gorgeous balconette bra, knickers and suspender belt. I have a hate-love relationship with balconette bras. They look amazing on, but the majority of the time they dig into my sides or squish my boobs, or even separate them making me look like I'm not wearing anything!

You can buy the set here:

Bra           Knickers        Suspenders

Even though the bra does not have super thick padding, it does provide really good support and natural lift to the breasts. The matching knickers are very comfy and come slightly high waisted which I find very flattering on my figure. I usually wear lacy underwear as I find it most comfortable, but this style of pants is actually so comfy and looks amazing on - I will happily order 10 more pairs of the same style! Now, the suspender belt is beautiful and looks great on, it cinches the waist really nicely but doesn't make it hard for me to breathe which is the most important thing. I don't wear it very often unless I'm wearing a see-through shirt as it looks really lovely 'secretly on show'.

I would highly recommend looking into some sets on UK Lingerie as they have a great variety of brands and cater for many sizes starting from 30A up to 48J so there's something for everyone. The set that I have is the Pour Moi? set and it reminds me a lot of the Agent Provocateur lingerie but at a much better price, of course.

Do you also find it difficult to find your bra size in high street stores?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

BEST AFFORDABLE DRUGSTORE DUPES FOR HIGH-END MAKEUP

I cannot be the only person who's on a constant lookout for a more affordable dupe of a favourite product. It all started with my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, one that I love and use regularly but never want it to run out so when I saw that W7 created a palette with similar shades I had to try it out.
If you have read my review of the UD Naked palettes then you'll know that I think they're slightly overpriced for what you get. On the other hand, the W7 palette is only £7.99 but you can buy it here for only £5.99 which is less than 1/6 of the price for the real thing. The W7 palette is very similar to the UD Naked 3, the shadows swatch nicely and come up quite pigmented on the lid but there is a bit more fallout which is to be expected.

Another product that I've had my eyes on was the Milani Conceal and Perfect 2in1 foundation which has to be the perfect dupe for the Clinique Beyond Perfecting foundation. I picked the shade 05A Natural which turned out to be a lot darker than I thought but it blends lovely when I wear fake tan. One thing I noticed about the Clinique foundation was that it comes in 28 shades, but the Milani one only comes in 16 shades which is a downside to it as it might not suit everyone. The coverage of the Milani foundation is absolutely fantastic, I feel like it sits on my skin better than the Beyond Perfecting foundation and for only £12.95 I cannot fault it at all.

Last but not least, the L.A. Girl Strobe Light Highlighter! I'm a huge fan of the L.A. Girl Pro Concealers so I've been wanting to try more of their products, including this strobing highlighter as it's the perfect dupe for the Jeffree Star Skinfrost in Ice Cold. Being pale isn't fun when it comes to picking the right highlighter shade, so when I saw that L.A. Girl has come out with the brightest highlighter in the drugstore I knew I had to have it. At first it might feel like it's a bit too powdery but once you go in and swirl your brush in the compact you'll see the pigment transfer onto the brush and change your life forever... I have been wearing this highlighter every day for a while now and I must say it is now a staple in my makeup bag and I wear it more than the JS Skinfrost as it shows up more pigmented and stays on for longer.

*This post was a collaboration with Beauty Based and the products mentioned were gifted to me. However, all opinions are mine and always remain honest.

What's your favourite high-end makeup product that you found a perfect dupe for?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || BAKERDAYS PERSONALISED LETTERBOX CAKE - HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR EVERYONE

Halloween is definitely one of my favourite holidays, and when it was combined with cake by Bakerdays my life was made. I was asked to pick a design and flavour of cake to try out, so I picked this gorgeous Halloween design on a chocolate chip goodness.

Now, the size of this cake is perfect if you want to surprise a loved one with a little treat as you can have it delivered straight to their door and have it posted through the letterbox. Unfortunately. My postman was clearly daydreaming as he didn’t deliver my cake until I had to reschedule the delivery as he did not read the sign ‘fits through letterboxes’ on the box and labelled it as ‘too big’ - I had to wait an extra few days for my chocolate cake!!

Once my cake arrived I was super excited to put it to the test! Will it still be fresh? Will it taste nice? Will the design look good? Read on to find out...

I thought the cake looked very cute, it was the perfect size to be a treat for 4 people, but me being my greedy self I ended up having half the cake the day I received it, haha. It looked very moist and gooey on the inside which is honestly my most favourite thing about this cake! It smelt amazing as soon as I opened the box, the chocolaty smell was so overwhelming that I couldn’t wait to try it out. 

I really enjoyed the cake, it tasted like a chocolate fudge cake you’d get at a posh restaurant. The icing was very sweet and slightly chewy which I also like in a cake, but because I had such a big piece for pudding I found myself not being able to finish it! You can also try the cakes with a bit of custard or any type of sauce you like, but be careful to not overdo it like I had as it might ruin your experience.

These amazing letterbox cakes also come in big sizes for big events such as Christmas parties. I know for a fact that I’ll be ordering one for Christmas Day! Another great thing about them is that they last up to 2 weeks from delivery, so you can order it before Christmas and keep it in your cupboard and it will still stay fresh for the special day.

You can get your own letterbox cake from Bakerdays here, make sure to specify any allergies etc. when you create your order.

Have you tried a letterbox cake before? What’s your favourite type of cake?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || OPTREX ACTIMIST 2 IN 1 SPRAY FOR DRY AND IRRITATED EYES

How annoying can dry eyes get? As a constant glasses and contact lens wearer, I find it very difficult to keep my eyes moist and ready for the day. I have naturally quite dry eyes and as you can imagine staring at a screen all day long will hurt my eyes twice as much because of how dry they get. Another annoying thing is that I wear quite a lot of eye makeup nearly every day, so when it comes to using eye drops it's a no-go as I don't want my makeup to run down my face. So, when I was sent to try out the Optrex ActiMist for dry and irritated eyes I was super excited to try it out and see if it will work well.

Brian Tompkins who is one of the UK's top optometrists says: 

“While ‘Screen Eyes’ symptoms are often mild, having irritated or gritty eyes can be a nuisance and disruptive when you’re trying to go about your day. I find that sufferers don’t link dryness or soreness to staring at their screen or recognise that it could be exacerbating their symptoms. The first step we should take as eye health practitioners is to educate people about ‘Screen Eyes’ and help them both recognise the symptoms and manage them. There is currently a lot of confusion on this topic.”

The bottle is very handy, it's small and not an awkward shape which makes it easy to carry around - even if you want to pop it in your coat pocket or clutch bag on a night out. I was sort of expecting it to look more like a nasal spray but I'm glad it comes in a cute little bottle!

Now, the instructions advise to use it on bare eyes, but you should familiarise yourself with the instructions where you will find that it is okay to use it on top of makeup but be sure to use a good eyeshadow primer as you don't want it to run! I use it in the morning and at night before bed, and anytime my eyes feel very dry and need a moisture boost.

The smell, on the other hand, is very different from what I expected it to be. I thought it'll smell like a usual glasses cleaner or something along the lines but it actually is sort of scentless but reminds me slightly of the 1 calorie cooking oil spray hahaha! I mean, it's not a bad thing but that's what I familiarise it with.

Overall, I do enjoy using this product and feel like it does help relieve my eyes after a long day of staring at a screen and reading seminar papers. I would recommend it to makeup wearers especially, as it comes in a lot handier than regular eye drops.

*This post contains a PR sample.

Are you a glasses/contact lens wearer? Would you try this mist?

Lots of love,

Maya xo

REVIEW || L'OREAL INFALLIBLE TOTAL COVER FOUNDATION VS. ESTEE LAUDER DOUBLE WEAR MAXIMUM COVER FOUNDATION

You might have already heard about the L'oreal Total Cover Foundation and contemplated whether it was worth your money. Well, as I've mentioned before I have very oily and acne-prone skin so any products that'll cover up my imperfections are high up on my list! After hearing good reviews of this product I thought it was time to put it up to the test and compare it to my all-time favourite full coverage foundation by Estee Lauder.