November 2014 Favourites

I'm back!

It's been a while since I last posted, but I have a good excuse (I think so, anyway) - I started University!  I'm studying Journalism & English and I've been busy learning and filling my head with all sorts of knowledge etc.

But that doesn't mean I haven't been spending my student loan on new products to try...

I thought I'd try something new, and attempt a 'favourites' blog.  Some of the things I mention may get their own, more in-depth blog posts, but this is what's happening right now, and I'm ok with that!

There were a WHOLE heap of things I was loving in November, and it definitely helped that it was my birthday on the 1st, and my lovely and amazing fiance took me into Boots and told me, basically, to choose my weapon.

I chose the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay.

I haven't tried a Naked palette before, shocking I know.  But I was just ready.  I was ready to try out these shadows that everyone just KEPT banging on about on YouTube and blogs and in my actual IRL life.

I'm now one of those people.  It's Christmas soon and the other two palettes are on my list for Santa (aka Chris).

The shadows are super pigmented, last all day with a primer, and most of the day without.  The colours in Naked 3 are beautiful pink and brown tones, and it's perfect for creating a more natural smokey eye look.

The brush that comes with it is okay, but I prefer using my Real Techniques brushes to apply and blend.

My typical everyday eye look is Limit in the crease, Nooner on the outer corner, Strange and Dust as an inner corner highlight and Trick on the lid.  I might add in some Darkside or Blackheart on the upper lash line if I want a more defined/dramatic look.  

I love it, I'm not sure how I lived without it, and I recommend that everyone read the rest of this post and then go out and buy it.

The Naked 3 Palette retails at £37, and despite searching far and wide, I haven't managed to find it any cheaper.

Next up on my Oh-My-God-How-Did-I-Live-Without-This list is the 1995 lipstick by Jaclyn Hill for Gerard Cosmetics.

Holy crap, did I even have a mouth before I bought this lipstick?  If yes, why wasn't I wearing this lipstick sooner?

I'm not even slightly exaggerating when I say that this is the best lipstick in the world and you need to own it.

Again, I'd seen it reviewed over and over on YouTube and figured it was just being hyped up because they were sponsored posts etc.  It wasn't until my friend Jess reviewed it that I even considered getting it.

I ordered it through the Gerard Cosmetics website, and it arrived from the US within about 10 days, which is pretty good going, I think.  Most things I order from the UK take about that long to get to me.

I tried it on and fell in love.  It's a matte shade, but it's creamy and moisturising and doesn't make my mouth feel all weird and gross like some others have in the past.  It's the most beautiful shade, and whilst I admit I expected it to be lighter, I really love that it's a few shades darker than my natural lip colour.

It has pretty good staying power if I wear it alone, but it's better if I line my lips with the Topshop lip liner in the shade Ceramic.  If I want really long wear from it, I'll put a bit of LipCote on top.

I've ordered two more of the exact same shade, to make sure I don't run out, and I'm 99% sure that it won't be my last order.

It retails at around £12 + P&P, but if you want to get free international delivery and 20% off to make it £9 total (who wouldn't?) just use the code FREEDELI at the checkout :)

Those are the two things I've loved the most for the past month, but there are a few other things that have definitely been up there on my list of things that made my life even better than it was. (They aren't beauty related, but they are great).

Prison Break.

I've been re-watching Prison Break with Chris, and I know I said I want the other two Naked Palettes for Christmas, but Santa, if you're reading this, I would gladly accept either Wentworth Miller or Dominic Purcell as an alternative.  Both if you think I've been really good this year.

The show is fantastic, it has a great concept, excellent actors and just... I mean, Prison Break!

10/10, all the awards, do watch.

Emma by Jane Austen

I've always thought about reading those Classic novels everyone always mentions, and never had the will-power to do it.  

Then, when Emma was on my assigned reading list for uni, I didn't have a choice not to read it (well, I did, but I would fail my course).  

Emma is perfect.  The story, not the character. 

Emma herself is full of imperfections and has an ego the size of the moon, and once I got past the 18th century language, I really enjoyed the book.  It was well written (obviously), interesting and funny.  I never expected it to be funny, I'm not sure why.

If you're ever thinking of reading this, don't put it off, you can pick it up for literally about 10p on amazon or eBay.

I may have saved the best 'till last here.  

Myself and Chris would like to announce that we have added two new members to our family...

Introducing Lumos and Knox, our incredibly adorable chinese dwarf hamsters, whom I love more than life itself, even when they pee on me.

They are tiny and cute and I just want to spend all my day watching them stuffing food into their faces and running through tubes and on wheels and up and down ladders.  They are perfect and I love them :)

Feel free to share your favourite things from the past month in the comments below, let me know the things you love, and tell me new things to try out.

Thanks for being patient with me whilst I've been MIA, and I'll try and keep up with the posts from now on :)

Rach xo

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Previous Post: Mooncup: This will change your life

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Mooncup: This will change your life

I guess I should say that if you're a boy, you shouldn't be reading this.  But I'm not going to - if you're a boy and you're reading this, share it with your female friends, your mum, your sisters, cousins, whatever.  Every girl should know about this, so keep on reading, and then click the little share button at the bottom :)

If you're a girl, and you're thinking this is gross, or something along those lines, I beg you to keep reading.  This product changed the way I see that time of the month and, without sounding too cheesy, it liberated me from having to worry about when it might happen, where I might be, whether I was prepared etc.  It's well worth reading about and if the physical, emotional or environmental benefits don't sway you, the monetary benefits might... you will save SO MUCH money.

So what's a Mooncup?  

The Mooncup is a type of menstrual cup, an alternative to disposable products like sanitary pads and tampons.  There are a few different brands, but I found Mooncup to have the most information online, and the easiest to find in shops.  The information in this post can, of course, be extrapolated to other brands of menstrual cup - Diva, Luna, etc.

The Mooncup is a reusable menstrual cup made from medical grade silicone, and collects blood rather than absorbing it as a pad or tampon would.  Then you take it out, rinse it and pop it back in and carry on with your life.

To put it simply, it sits 'up there' and catches menstrual blood.  It's reusable and has a ton of benefits.

Menstrual cups have been around since the 1930's, but were made from latex at the time.  Extensive research was carried out, a hypo-allergenic alternative was found, and the Mooncup was launched in 2002

The Benefits!

I'm going to split this up into a couple of sections, because the list is way too long just to write out and expect anyone to be able to make sense of it.  So first up...

Convenience:

The Mooncup holds THREE TIMES AS MUCH as a tampon or pad.  Three times!

It can be worn for up to 12 HOURS at a time, and just needs to be rinsed out and reinserted.

It can be worn overnight, whilst swimming, travelling, exercising or while you're sitting around on tumblr and watching YouTube videos.  Trust me on that last one, I definitely know.

It's discreet - It has no string - you can wear a bikini in confidence! And it comes in a little bag to keep it in for the rest of the month.

Health Benefits:

It's made from medical grade silicone, which is latex-free, hypo-allergenic and contains no dyes, BPA, phthalates, plastic, bleaches or toxins. 

It's non-absorbant, so it won't cause dryness and doesn't mess up your natural pH levels (35% of the fluid absorbed by tampons is your body's natural moisture)

It has measurement markings, so you can tell your doctor how much blood you're losing, especially helpful in PCOS, Menorrhagia, Endometriosis etc.

The risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) is greatly reduced.

Environmental Benefits:

The mooncup completely reduces the amount of waste you produce.   On average, one woman uses 22 tampons or pads during each period. That's over 11000 disposable sanitary products in a lifetime!
In the UK, 4.3 BILLION disposable sanitary products are disposed of every single year.

The waste from this is enormous - not just the products themselves, but the packaging, the applicators, backing strips, and the boxes they come in - they all end up either in landfills or in the sea.  Do you reeeeeally want your used sanitary products being chucked into the sea?  Didn't think so.

With the mooncup, you buy one, and it lasts upto 10 years.  That's around 2650 sanitary products that you've not used and thrown away. 

Money!

The other benefit of one Mooncup lasting 10 years, is that you'll only repurchase it on average about 3-5 times. (unless someone flushes yours down the toilet, which happened to me.)

The Mooncup costs £20, so that's a total of between £60-£100 for your lifetime.

Tampons cost about £1.50 for 20 - given that the average woman uses approx 22 per month, and accounting for buying multiple boxes of different absorbencies that's about £3 per month.

That's £36 a year. £360 in 10 years. The average age of starting is 11 and the average age of menopause is 51. That's 40 years, or £1440.  Pads are generally more expensive, also.

Sizing

The mooncup is available in two sizes - A and B.  The sizes are based on pelvic floor tone, and not menstrual flow.  This varies based on age and whether you have had children, and the easiest way to see which size you are is by looking at the table below:

By looking at the table I can see that, because I am under 30 and have had no children, I am a size B.

But how do I use it??

Each Mooncup comes with an instruction guide, with diagrams showing how to use the cup.  The Mooncup website also has a comprehensive Advice Centre and FAQ section, for any questions on usage. 

Basically, you open up the bag and recoil in horror at the thought of this thing getting anywhere near 'up there'.  Then you open up the instructions and see that it's meant to be folded.  You start breathing again, and practice the different folds.

There are two main folding techniques which I will insert below (no pun intended).  I, personally, prefer the second one as it is more comfortable to me, but everyone's preference will vary and you need to try both to see which works best for you.

The mooncup is designed to be worn much lower than a tampon, but again this will vary from person to person.

But how will I get it out??

The Mooncup has a stem at the base, it looks scarily uncomfortable at first, but fear not! It can be trimmed to the size that best fits your body.  Personally, I close to get rid of the entire stem as I found it a bit irritating.

If you choose to keep the stem, all you do to remove the cup is give it a gentle pull to break the seal that formed when you inserted it, and then gently pull it out.

If, like me, you removed the whole stem, you just reach the base of the cup, pinch the sides to break the seal, and gently pull it out.

It can take a while to get the angles right, but if you practice beforehand, you'll get used to it pretty quickly.

Once you've removed it, just give it a rinse under a tap, or with some bottled water, or wipe it with some tissue.  Then pop it back in and go about your life!

But won't I feel it??

Because the Mooncup is made from a soft silicone material, you can't feel it once it's inserted (unless the stem is too long).  It's flexible and changes shape with your body.

Ok, I get it, but is there an instructional video??

Yes!! And it has subtitles in case you want your privacy!!

I would do a Pros and Cons for this, but there are honestly no Cons that I can think of.

I've been using mine for about 3 years now, and it has given me a freedom that I love.

Instead of constantly worrying about leaking, or being near a toilet to change whatever I was using before, I can now go out on heavy days and not worry about what I'm wearing and how far I am from a toilet.

I have gone from changing every 30 mins-1 hour to every 4-6 hours on my heavier days.  I can now go to work on those days, and not have to leave every half an hour to check or change.  It's incredible!

The Mooncup is available worldwide from the Mooncup website, or if you're in the UK, you can also pick it up from Boots.

If you've tried the Mooncup and want to share your opinion, please comment below!
Likewise, if you have any questions, or I've missed anything, comment below and I'll answer your questions.

Rach xo

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Previous Post: Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

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Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation Review

For the past year, I've been using one foundation every single day, and can't believe I haven't written about it even once! (I had a draft post saved, and never actually wrote it). I've repurchased it 4 times now, and will continue to do so, because I can't see myself finding a better foundation than this any time soon.

I initially picked it up because it looked like it might be light enough for me, I hadn't seen a foundation available in such pale shades other than from places like Illamasqua and MAC, and I can't justify spending that amount of money on a foundation, when I'm on a pretty tight budget.  So I went for shade 010 Light Porcelain, and decided to give it a try.  At least with a drugstore foundation, if it wasn't the right colour it wouldn't be such a massive waste of money.

As it turned out, Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation stayed true to it's name - it is INCREDIBLE.  It's the perfect shade for my skin, and as it has a very slight pink undertone, it doesn't wash me out.  It makes my skin glow - not in a sweaty, gross looking way, but that dewy, healthy look everyone's always after.

Match Perfection is available in an impressive 11 shades, from Light Porcelain through to 402 Bronze (which is a medium, yellow toned shade), but there aren't any shades for dark skin, which is disappointing.  Everyone should be given the chance to try this!

Wearing Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation

I was a bit worried about the coverage when I tried it, as it's quite a watery consistency, and feels really light on the skin - but again, I was pleasantly surprised when it gave excellent coverage.  The Rimmel website boasts that it has 'Traceless coverage for perfectly flawless skin under any light', and I'd have to agree.  It's build-able so you can go from using a teeny tiny bit and completely sheering it out (perfect for you lucky people with freckles), to using a few thin layers and concentrating on problem areas to get full coverage.

 The staying power is pretty damn impressive, too.  I don't find myself having to touch up my face during the day, (but I generally do add a touch more if I've been out all day and I'm going out in the evening, just to make sure...) and the oilier areas of my face - nose, chin - stay covered and any redness is concealed all day.

 The formula is free from parabens, and has SPF 18, higher than most drugstore foundations, which usually have around SPF 15.  It comes in a glass bottle, which is nice as opposed to the cheap plastic ones you usually get, and has a pump top.

All this for £6.99 (or less depending on where you go - £4.98 in Tesco!) - you can probably see why I keep buying it!  

It's available from most supermarkets with Rimmel displays (the cheapest place I've found it is Tesco), Superdrug, Boots, FeelUnique and Amazon.

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below!

Rach xo

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Previous Post: Sleek iDivine Au Naturel Palette

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Sleek i-Divine Au Naturel Palette

Okay, I know, I haven't blogged in like... 3, almost 4 months.  My laptop broke and I am incapable of getting anything done when I need to, so it took me a while to send it for repair.  By a while I mean 3, almost 4 months.  Whoops!

But on a positive note, i bought a ton of makeup in that time and have lots of posts coming up! Hooray for laziness and an addiction to beauty products - right? so let's crack on.

The Sleek i-Divine range is a series of super-pigmented mineral eye shadow palettes with a variety of matte, pearl and glitter shades.  My favourite one I have is Au Naturel, and it's been part of my daily makeup routine for... oh almost a year now (again, lazy blogger!). 

It has 12 neutral shades which would complement any eye colour.  They are surprisingly pigmented for 'drugstore' eyeshadows, and work well both as a wash of colour or for more defined/statement eye looks.

My personal favourites are Nubuck - the matte light grey, for a wash of colour over the lid, Cappuccino - the matte light brown, for a light contour through the crease, Bark - the matte dark brown for a deep contour on the outer edge or if I fancy looking like Lana del Rey for a day (who wouldn't?!) and Noir, the blackest black of all the black eyeshadows I've owned ever in the history of all time - perfect for lining the lashes or creating an intense smokey eye. 

I use these with the Real Techniques eye brushes - Base Shadow brush for applying the colour to the lid and crease, the Deluxe Crease brush for blending and the Angled Brow brush for liner (it gives a cleaner line than the smaller, fluffier brushes).

The shadows work well alone and tend to last a good 8 hours on me without a primer, but my eyelids don't tend to get super oily or anything.  With a primer I get a couple of extra hours wear and less smudging under the eye.

They are excellent shadows, especially for the price - £7.99! You can't go wrong with these. 

They're available from Sleek.com, and there are 17 palettes to choose from if this one doesn't feel like 'the one'. (also available from Superdrug and Boots)

As always, thanks for reading and if you've tried the products, or found my review helpful, leave a comment below! You can also like my Facebook page to be updated with new posts, or follow my blog on BlogLovin' 

Rach xo