Review: Earthnicity Minerals

I was kindly sent a few makeup samples from Earthnicity Minerals (through The Blogger Programme). I have not tried mineral makeup before but I have been interested in it for a while especially as Estee from Essie Button uses quite a lot of mineral foundations.

 I received four samples to try including: Concealer (ivory), Skin Glow Light Finishing Powder, Blush (Sweet Pink) and the Foundation (Natural Light). I was a bit reluctant to try mineral makeup for ages because I have dry skin and I thought it would just emphasise dryness but after using these products I really do like the idea of mineral makeup and I might have fallen in love with one product in particular. 

Swatches (left to right): foundation, concealer, silk glow powder and the blush on the far right. 

Earthnicity Minerals Foundation (Natural Light): Firstly, as you can see from the swatches above (the foundation is the far left swatch) - the shade 'natural light' is too dark/orange for my super pale skin tone. I have been trying it though and as it is buildable it doesn't look too dark on my skin. To use I have just been tapping out some of the mineral powder into the lid of the tub and swirling my brush into the powder. Then I have been buffing it into the skin lightly as I do have dry skin so I am quite light handed with it. The foundation does blend well, it doesn't look caky on the skin and it has light- medium coverage, depending on how much you apply and blend. I would use it a lot more but it is too dark for my skin and it isn't as much coverage as I need for dark circle etc - ★★★★☆, 4/5.

Earthnicity Minerals Concealer (Ivory): This product is the one that I have fallen in love with, it is the perfect shade for my pale skin. I have been using it with my Ecotools mini kabuki style concealer brush and it is fantastic. You can see my disgusting pores on my forehead above, before and after concealer there is a massive difference. This concealer erases pores like nothing else I have tried, it is magic! ★★★★★, 5/5.

Earthnicity Minerals Silk Glow Finishing Powder: I personally would not use this as a finishing powder, it is far too shimmery for that in my opinion. Third swatch from the left in the photo above. I have been using this powder as a highlighter on the top of my cheekbones and my brow bone. It is a lovely shimmery highlighter that works well with my super pale skin. It blends well and it looks really pretty on the skin. ★★★★★, 5/5.

Earthnicity Minerals Blush (Sweet Pink): Now I am not a blush kind of girl at all, I rarely wear or buy blush so I was not super excited about this product. But the shade is really pretty and I think it would be great during spring/summer. The blush is buildable, as with all of the products (expect the highlighter) it starts out quite sheer but you just apply more and blend until you get the effect/coverage/intensity you want. ★★★★☆, 4/5.

Overall, I LOVE the concealer and when the sample has been used up I will be buying the full size! The highlighter is also gorgeous. I am not massively impressed by the foundation, mainly because of the shade and I am used to liquid foundations. The blush is pretty and I would recommend it but as I said I don't really wear blush. You can buy sample sets for only £5 so if you are interested in mineral makeup I think Earthnicity Minerals is a good and affordable place to start.

Have you tried Earthnicity Minerals before? 

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Review: Bioderma Sensibio Soothing Mask

Bioderma is one of my favourite skincare brands, I have been using Bioderma Sebium Micelle Solution to remove my makeup for about three years now (on and off) and I adore it - I bought a two 500ml pack while on holiday in Corsica for around €15 which is incredible. But Bioderma is not that widely available at all in the UK but I recently found a fantastic website full of french skincare such as Bioderma and so much more - it is Farmaline.co.uk. I was very kindly sent a few items to review from Farmaline although this does not affect my opinion of the brands/products, for more information about my disclaimer, click here.

Farmaline is a pharmacy that ships to the UK at really low prices - so much cheaper than French online pharmacies - approx. £6/7 shipping or delivery is free if you spend £75. Farmaline is based in Belgium and the delivery was very fast!

I am a massive fan of French skincare from Bioderma and Caudalie to Vichy, Avene and Aderma - all of which are sold by Farmaline. For this review I have the *Bioderma Sensibio Soothing Mask for sensitive and intolerant skin (75ml, £13.48). I have tried a few products from Bioderma such as the Sebium micelle solution, Hydrabio micelle solution, Atoderm PO Zinc Soothing Cream and the Atoderm foaming gel - all of which I love.

I haven't tried a new face mask (or any actually) for a long time as I had a very bad experience with the I Love...Strawberries Mask last year - I would never recommend that mask, it ruined my skin for about a month! Anyway, I have tried a few Bioderma products before so I wasn't worried about this one at all, Bioderma is a fantastic brand for sensitive skin. I have used this mask four times and I love it. It just looks like a white cream moisturiser and you apply a layer after cleansing and let it absorb for about 10 minutes then wipe off the excess. I use the Avene water spray on a cotton pad to remove it.

I find this mask does not irritate my skin at all! It feels nice and smooth on the skin, it doesn't really have a scent to it and the mask is very quick and easy to use. There is no mess with this mask, it is a cream and once it has absorbed it leaves my skin feeling soothed, moisturised and nourished. Overall, I am very happy with this mask, it is fantastic for sensitive and dry skin types. I would highly recommend it, I will be buying a new tube from Farmaline when this one runs out. ★★★★★, 5/5.

Have you bought anything from Farmaline before? Have you tried any products from Bioderma? 

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Review: Persunmall Peter Pan Dress

Here is the second dress I was kindly sent by Persunmall, I have already reviewed one dress, click here to see my review. Even though this dress was sent for review it does not change my opinion of the brand/product, for more information about my disclaimer, click here.

I have the *Persunmall Color Block Peter Pan Collar Dress ($18.99) in a size S, Small - again as with the first dress this one fits really well, I am a UK size 6 (for asos dresses) and a UK 8 and it fits perfectly. I am calling this dress my 'wednesday addams' dress as it is definitely from Wednesday Addams's wardrobe! 

I love the style of the dress it is cute but a bit gothic/Wednesday Addams. One thing to note with this dress is that it is VERY short - it is about four inches or more above my knee which is super short and I am only 4ft 10 inches! I would say that if you are taller than 5ft (as most people are!) then you will not be able to wear this dress, as a dress, it would be far too short! 

Anyway for my very petite frame this dress is great, if a little short. I love the long sleeves, the cute peter pan collar and the material is fairly thick so it would be fine in winter/spring. The dress has a waist band so it is flattering and skims over my slightly large hips...

Overall, I am really happy with the style and quality of this dress, I can see myself wearing it a lot and it could even double up as a halloween dress for a Wednesday Addams look (I have the hair for it too!). I wore the dress with my *oroblu tights and Newlook heels. 

What do you think of this dress? Have you bought anything from Persunmall? 

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Review: Persunmall Classical Plaid Dress

You may have read my Persunmall wish list post at the beginning of February (click here to see my wish list post). In my wish list I had this dress and I just adore it, a lot of people commented on that post saying the dress looked amazing so when it was time to pick what I wanted to review I had to choose this plaid dress. Even though I was sent this dress to review it does not change my opinion of the brand/products, my opinions are my own - for more information on my disclaimer, click here. 

I have the *Classical Plaid Lapel One-Step Dress ($21.99) in a size S, Small. The delivery time was good considering it came from Hong Kong and the dress is just as pictured on the website. I picked a size Small and it fits perfectly - I wear dresses in a UK size 6 (from asos) and UK 8. The material is fairly thin and there is no give but the dress is very well made! I love the cute white pointed collar and the overall print of the dress. 

If this dress was in Topshop or somewhere like that it would be a lot more expensive and I might not have bought it but I am so glad I picked this dress! It is a shift dress so there is no waist band as all of my dresses have and it makes a nice change. I am so impressed with the design, print and quality of this dress! I wore it with my Black Tied necklace, *Oroblu tights and my Asos ankle boots. I think it looks like a modern take on a sixties type dress, I LOVE it. My sister and my mum love it too, it is gorgeous. 

Overall, I am so impressed and I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of this dress, it would be nice in the winter with tights and a leather jacket (maybe some cute collar tips) or in the spring/summer with ballet flats. This dress definitely gets 5/5 stars from me, ★★★★★.

What do you think of this dress? 

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International sleep week wish list

From the 2nd March to the 9th March it is international sleep week and as I really have problems trying to sleep I thought now would be a perfect time to create a sleep products wish list from some of my favourite online stores. This is not a sponsored post. In my opinion all of these products would make great mothers day gifts too!

 1. Molton Brown Relaxing Yuan Zhi Room Spray (£22, 100ml): I love room sprays and scented candles, I find them really relaxing. I haven't tried Molton Brown products before but I have heard so many good things about the brand/products. This room spray contains: ylang ylang, ginger and amber among other notes, it sounds gorgeous.

2. SpaceNK Life Drift Away Body Lotion (£15, 250ml): I had a couple of samples of this body lotion last year and it was the dreamiest body lotion scent ever. It smells so relaxing and very unique. It is quite expensive but I am seriously considering buying it!

3. This Works Baby Sleep Pillow Spray (£16, 75ml): I have tried the avon sleep spray and it worked fairly well, I would definitely like to try more pillow sprays. This one is specifically designed for babies but it says that it is effective on adults. It is a bestseller on bathandunwind.com.

4. Whittards Dreamtime Hot Chocolate (£5.50, 375g): Is there anything nicer, especially at this time of the year, than a mug of creamy hot chocolate - this one from Whittards contains additional ingredients of malt extract, camomile and honey, for a better nights sleep.

5. Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath Oil (£39, 55ml): I have a few mini sample bottles of the Aromatherapy Associates bath oils and they smell gorgeous, I am going to be using them soon to see if they help. They always have really positive reviews so I am sure they will be fantastic for helping me drifting off naturally. 

6. Neom Candles (£15-£39.50): Neom candles are very famous in the blogging world, most people have them or are lusting after them. They look and sound delicious and very luxe. The 'relax' and 'serenity' scents sound great for relaxing. 

7. This Works Dream Believers Set (£10, sale): This duo set is currently on sale at SpaceNK, I have added it to my basket and I may get it. The RRP is £20 and it looks like a great set, it contains the 'dream cream' and 'sleep balm'. It would make a great mothers day gift set too. 

There are my wish list picks for relaxing and hopefully a better nights sleep, if you have any relaxation tips or top products leave a comment below. What is on your sleep week wish list?

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Firmoo Sponsored International Giveaway

I have a very exciting post for all of my readers and followers today, Firmoo (an affordable online global eyeglasses store) have very kindly sponsored a giveaway in which 5 lucky winners will win a $30 gift voucher each to spend on the Firmoo store. Firmoo offer prescription and non-prescription eyeglasses/fashion glasses and also sunglasses (for men and women) so there is something for everyone!  

All images above are from Firmoo

The voucher is only valid on glasses from the classic series (you can see all of the classic series glasses, here).  There are so many styles to choose from, the lenses can be prescription or non-prescription and the lenses can also be tinted - there are so many options to choose from. Above are some of my picks from the classic series: 1. #F014, 2. #FZL028, 3. #F031, 4. #F303, 5. #F020, 6. #F019. The 4th pink pair and the 2nd red pair are my favourites for spring/summer! 

I have reviewed my three pairs of Firmoo glasses (two pairs of which were sent to me for review, however this does not affect my opinions of the brand/product - I did buy my second pair of Firmoo glasses with my own money). You can see my reviews, here. This giveaway is international, it is open to all readers and followers of my blog that are within countries that Firmoo ship/deliver too such as the US, England, Spain, Germany, Canada, India, Turkey and many many other countries, to check if your country is within the delivery range, click here.

To enter: you must check that you live in a country that Firmoo can ship/deliver to. Secondly if you are under the age of 16 you need to gain the permission of your parents/guardians as I will need the addresses of all 5 winners to send to Firmoo. Thirdly, leave a comment stating which glasses from the classic series you would choose and fill out the Rafflecopter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Remember to read the rules above, check that you live in a country Firmoo can ship to and comment stating which pair from the classic series glasses you would like (this is not limited to the glasses in the photo above, there are lots of pairs to choose from) - good luck! 

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