Feb 3 2015

ELF Cosmetics Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick Review

Posted on February 3, 2015 by admin

It’s no secret I’m skincare and beauty obsessed. For skin, I’m a firm believer that you pay for what you get, and I won’t balk at products that are £100+. For make-up, I’m a little less fussy. I have my staples; No7 for eyeliners, Dior for BB Cream, and Vaseline for lips, but anything else (glosses, eye shadows and mascaras) are fair game. If I find a good deal, you’ll find me elbowing other women out of the way to get my mitts on it.

When I find good quality low-cost brands that work, I’ll shout about them. By the same token, if I’m sent something that’s overpriced and lasts an hour max, I’ll tell the world how unimpressed I am. This is what beauty reviewing is all about. So when the folks at @ProductTestUK sent me this Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick from ELF (£2.95) it could have gone either way…

Of course, £2.95 for an eyeshadow is a low price-point. This puts it on a par with Barry M, Miss Sporty, 17 and other made-for-teen ranges. With all these brands expectation is low and if it just stays put for a few hours whilst you do the supermarket shop, you aren’t too disappointed.

I must admit ELF Cosmetics (Eyes Lips Face) were new to me as a budget brand and I will credit them for an expert branding job. The packaging helps lift them a notch up from the likes of Rimmel. The website is also easy to use and slick.

Unfortunately I can’t get as excited by their swatching which is pretty woeful - I was sent French Lace which the website suggests is a pale pink shimmer, yet this is as nude as you can get! Don’t get me wrong, this is better suited to my skin tone and I prefer it, but for an online brand colour representations should be better.

Performance-wise, as far as eyeshadow pencils go, this is a fairly good one. I usually use pressed powder eye make-up and consider them pretty unbeatable for staying power, but this lasted a good 3 hours with a primer before reapplication was needed - not bad for a low-cost brand. As the pencil is infused with Vitamin E it glides on with ease and blends well, but you will need a generous application to achieve a long-lasting finish.

My only slight problem with pencil eyeshadows (and this is no exception) is that they stay slightly greasy on your eyelid. This means you run the risk of eyeliner transfer to the wider eye. This is not a good look so do be sure to carry your mirror around for quick touch-ups.

Overall, for teens and the beauty-addicted, this is well worth a shot. I won’t be turning my back on my pressed eyeshadows as I prefer rich highlights and more visible pigments, but for more subtle looks, this does the job well. At £2.95 you can’t really go wrong.

To sign up as a beauty tester yourself, visit HERE and sign up.

To find out more about ELF and explore the entire range head on over to eyeslipsface.co.uk, or get some inspiration over on Instagram and Pinterest. For deals, offers and more information about the brand check out Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Feb 3 2015

Heidi’s OOTD from Box Upon a Time: Workhouse Chic

Posted on February 3, 2015 by admin

I’m loving this workhouse chic outfit handpicked for Heidi by Box Upon a Time.

It’s a hessian-like woolen dress, brown tights and cardie from Dadati, a Spanish clothing brand which makes elegant and classic collections for babies and children. Made from comfortable and natural fabrics, they wash like a dream and are a really practical option for mini explorers.

The entire outfit is really durable, perfect for this cold snap we’re currently experiencing and the dress is a great length for covering her bobbing bum as it skirts across the lounge floor. I love the button up back for ease of dressing her, and there’s a fab silk lining to prevent any chaffing where the wool comes into contact with her skin.

The palette isn’t one we’d typically plump for but she looks lovely and we’ve had tons of comments from friends. With the Peter Pan collar, ribbing on the tights, and herringbone fabric, she looks as though she’s walked out from the pages of a Dickens novel!

Heidi was also sent this adorable romper from luxury French brand Popecha. Made from organic cotton, raw silk and cashmere it’s made in Popecha’s own workshop and hand-stitched. Sized 12-18 months it is slightly too long for Heidi in the leg at the moment, but she’s so comfy in it that she’s napped in it on a few occasions already. The wild rose palette just looks beautiful against her pale skin and I love all the ruffling around the collar.

The RRP for everything shown above is £112, but Box Upon a Time popped the entire set together for £69.

Who are Box Upon a Time?

A unique concept, it’s a monthly children’s clothes subscription service catering for children aged 0-10. The products within each box are handpicked by a design team and customers will see a significant saving against RRP.

You can order pretty much anything you like in subscription form nowadays; from food, to juices, to books, to make-up, so it seems a natural progression to add kids clothes into the mix, but I can also see it being fraught with problems. With children coming in all different shapes and sizes, and mums and dads having complete ownership of their child’s style, there’s plenty of room for error.

Box Upon a Time aim to resolve this problem by sending parents a quiz that addresses everything from favourite colours and patterns to style preferences and practical expectations of their child’s clothes.

Box Upon a Time work with a number of designer brands from around the world to deliver you something unique and tailored to your child. This gives you great opportunity to discover new designers you might not have previously heard of. There are 3 different packages available, from £29 with up to 70% discount off RRP. If something doesn’t fit, exchanges can be made with no extra charges.

Over 25 designer childrenswear brands are currently available including Their Nibs, Mini a Ture, Louis + Louise, Diesel and Marie Chantal.

What we thought…

The surprise element is the major selling point here. The excitement of delving into the tissue paper and finding something beautiful that you know other children at nursery won’t be wearing. The fact everything is current season also means your child will be bang-on-trend.

Sizing is an issue, but it always will be. Even when you go on a shopping spree in H&M you’ll find tees and jeans in your child’s size that are way too big for their mini waists and shoulders. Not being able to to wear some of the products straight away shouldn’t be an issue, and will be the same for tons of clothes received as gifts - just pop them in the drawer and fatten your child up with chocolate until they can wear them!

To check them out yourself head to boxuponatime.co.uk or find out more on Pinterest, Facebook and Facebook. It would make a cute birthday or christening present as it allows you to gift something truly unique that you might not have otherwise afforded. There are various subscriptions on offer to suit the more modest budget and you can cancel at any time. It’s an excellent concept and one I’d be very happy to buy again.

Jan 27 2015

Pop-up fun with Little Snappers books

Posted on January 27, 2015 by admin

Caterpillar Books

Dexter’s comprehension skills are incredibly advanced for his age. At 2.5 years he’s able to fetch random objects from around the house (even things I can’t remember ever teaching him!). Unfortunately the same can’t be said for his speech and he’s now attending speech therapy sessions to coax more out of him. From what we’ve seen, we aren’t doing anything wrong, it’s just all about encouraging him and making it fun. Even if what he says is incomprehensible, we have to keep him talking.

dex

Reading books such as these two from the Little Snapper series with bright and engaging illustrations are cracking weapons in our armory. They allow us to continually point out characters and objects out to him until they sink in. We can also ensure he’s watching us mouth the words far better with a book than we can a television programme. Finally, it means we’re spending time one on one with him without his baby sister stealing the limelight.

photo-5

So what are they?

Cheep Cheep Pop-up Fun & Snip Snap Pop-up Fun are the latest additions to the Little Snapper series written by Jonathan Litton and illustrated by Kasia Nowowiejska. Out in February and available from Little Tiger Press, they are perfect for children from two to five years with large flaps and colourful pop-ups animals on every page. They’ve been a HUGE hit in this household and a firm bedtime favourite for Dexter.

little snapper

The stories are very similar with Snip Snap featuring a series of different animals asking “who is hiding / splashing / playing” behind various jungle foliage, and Cheep Cheep set in a farmyard with the same premise. For Snip Snap, the pop-up animals include a lion, monkey, elephant and giraffe each of which are beautifully illustrated and robust enough to cope with excitable hands. For Cheep Cheep the animals hiding are predictably a horse, chicks, cow and pig. In some instances the animals have open mouths and big teeth inviting little ones to plunge their hands in…

Who’s lying in the wavy grass

with peeking, watchful eyes?

It’s Lion and he likes to give

a roaring big surprise!

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The rhyming text allows a child to learn through expectation, and makes it oh-so-much easier for Craig and I to bring the story to life. Having the pop-up pages as a prop guarantees even more giggles from our little fella - he’s just amazed with them and spends 10 minutes at a time working out how they’re put together. As the flaps open and close the animals move up and down and adding an extra layer of fun.
Book 1