bargain

Eastend Snob

beauty, dupe, lipliner, makeup

P7290307For me, the true test of a product comes when it’s gone. If you really love something you’ll use it up and immediately want to repurchase it. However as I’m constantly finding new things this isn’t something that happens very often. And then came the Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner in Eastend Snob…

I discovered this lipliner through AmeliaLiana on YouTube who recommended it as a dupe for the Charlotte Tilbury liner in Pillow Talk. At £3.99 it was a total steal compared to its high-end counterpart making the choice very easy. I tend to apply lipliner all over for a long lasting, matte look so this was a perfect addition to my collection.

This soft pink shade applies really easily but does run out faster than your classic lip pencil. It comes as a roll-up stick meaning there’s no need for sharpening which is always a bonus! When my first Eastend Snob ran out I went on the hunt for a replacement straight away but it would appear everyone has caught on to the brilliance of this dupe and Boots and Superdrug were emptied out. Eventually I got it from the Boots website and life can now return to normal!

Sophie xoxo

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You Get What You Pay For…

beauty, lipstick, makeup

A recent trip to Superdrug to stock up on ‘essentials’ turned into a makeup spree. I just can’t resist!! I recently raved about a couple of MUA and Makeup Revolution highlighters (you can read that post here) and with prices starting at £1 I found myself scouring the lipstick sections of both. On this occasion I picked up two shades. From Makeup Revolution – an autumn berry colour called Rebel with Cause and from MUA – a light nude/pink shade.

I’m not normally a dark lip kind of girl but I was drawn to Rebel with Cause, because why not? I really like it, moisturising and buildable – the perfect combination. I think I like this so much because it falls into the pink spectrum of berry shades, something I personally prefer.
And then there’s the other one… What can I say? The beautiful pale rose pink colour in the bullet fits right into my ideal shade range. That’s as far as it goes unfortunately, the formulation is awful! It’s dry, it’s too pale and it’s completely unflattering. This lipstick is going straight to the back of the draw until I can figure out a way to use it, at the moment I can only think that it will work as a good base for a zombie complexion at Halloween. I have to say both lipsticks smell utterly lovely, berries and vanilla accordingly. I would just say spend some time swatching in the shop if you can before buying. Obviously I still love Makeup Academy, I mean they blessed the world with this incredible powder!

Let me know your thoughts on these lipsticks. Would you rather invest in a more expensive brand?

Sophie xoxo

The Single Stila Shadow

beauty, eyeshadow, makeup

Another day, another TK Maxx find! This time it’s a Stila product, which is a brand I haven’t really bought from before. I was drawn in by the pretty cardboard packaging and beautifully untouched shadow inside.

This particular eyeshadow is extremely similar to MAC Cranberry with deep pink/red tones and a gentle shimmer running through. It would be unfair to call it a dupe as at normal price it isn’t exactly drugstore value. However, with the fabulousness of TK Maxx discount if you are lucky enough to find it in a store near you, then you’re on to a winner. This eyeshadow has a lovely pigmentation and can be used a number of ways. Personally I would wear this all over the lid and bottom lash line with mascara and a black liner on the waterline to achieve a Olsen twin-esque, grungey eye. A safer option would be to blend it into the crease with a more neutral colour on the lid or you could even add it to a traditional smokey eye to give it a bit of an edge.

I feel like this is one of those products that I didn’t need but am glad I got. But I definitely wouldn’t have paid full price for it simply because I already own MAC Cranberry. But if you were on a quest for a burgundy shadow, this is so worth a search!

Sophie xoxo

In The Night Eyes

beauty, eyeshadow, makeup

There’s something about a pretty new eyeshadow palette that I just cannot resist! From MAC to Lime Crime to the infamous Urban Decay Naked Palettes, my collection covers every eye look you could ever want but let’s be honest, us makeup lovers are always looking for something better.

A recent trip to my beloved TK Maxx provided a handful of bargains that simply had to leave the store with me *including a pair of Jeffrey Campbell shoes reduced from £120.00 to just £25.00*. Of course, my first stop in every TK Maxx is the beauty section, where I carefully scan each shelf for undamaged, untouched products. On this occasion I found the infamous W7 eyeshadow palettes that did the rounds on YouTube a few years ago. I picked up two of these – In the Night and Toasted. I won’t talk about Toasted in this blog post because it is essentially another dupe of the Naked Palette 2 and in my opinion the Makeup Revolution ones are slightly better.

p6100291The W7 In the Night palette comes with 12 shimmer shades ranging from a dusty white through to a selection of purple shades ending with your standard dark blue/grey. It is the perfect palette for anyone looking to create a traditional smokey eye, but at the same time gives you options to switch it up with purple and reddish undertones. I haven’t yet worn this on the eyes but after swatching it I have no complaints. For less than a fiver you get a variety of shades, strong pigmentation, a mirror and a durable tin case. Even more promising is the fact it comes with an actual brush! Albeit they’ve still stuck the traditional crappy sponge on the other end but A BRUSH, A DECENT BRUSH!! 

I feel like I will get a lot of use out of this in the winter months, so for now I’m sticking to my more neutral eyeshadow selection but if you’re into a dark eye or love to play around with colour this is definitely worth a closer look!

You can get your hands on it here.

Sophie xoxo