Skincare Sunday: Lush Cosmetic Warrior Mask Review

I picked up this mask a few weeks ago to try and eliminate my lingering breakout once and for all. The girl in the shop said that its good at calming the face down and that it cleanses deep into the skin.

Before we get into the review I'll let you know what skin type I have.

So I've literally got everything skin. I have oily areas and dry areas, as well as normal areas! 

I'm prone to small breakouts and I have many old acne scars around my jawline! 

And now that you know that, here's my review :-P

Consistency:

It's super thick and has little brown flakes of something up in there, I have no idea what they are and I hate putting them on my face! For no reason other than the fact that it feels gross! I'm immature really :-P

Closeup 😋

Scent:

Omg the smell... The girl in Lush told me it has garlic in it so the first thing I think is does it smell bad??? She said it's not too bad because the tea tree in it covers up most of the garlic smell... So I'm like ok let's give it a shot. 

I gave it a quite sniff in the shop and I was like yes it stinks but if it works I'll be able to look past that :-P

And omg does it smell! It's bearable though and after the first application I was able to zone out the smell! 

Still, be warned if you have a sensitive nose! 

Application:

This mask has to be kept in the fridge for freshness so it feels so nice when you put in on your face, very cooling and calming. 

It's thick so it doesn't go dripping anywhere which is good! 

Just look at that thickness :-P

It says to leave the mask on for about 10-15 minutes. It dries up mostly by that point so you definitely don't want to leave it on any longer than that...

The first time I tried it I left it for about 30 minutes and it started to flake off whenever I moved my face! 

Also, as there's tea tree in it some people might find it quite drying so definitely hit up your moisturiser after using this mask.

You can also use this mask as a spot treatment directly on the breakout area, that would definitely decrease the smells your gonna get hit with!

Removal:

It's actually quite tough to remove after it dries up on your face, it does need a bit of elbow grease to get some parts off, like around your nose, and definitely don't put it up near your hair line because it is so hard to get out of any little hairs it attaches itself to! 

Oh and I literally can't stand removing this, as soon as you hit it with the water it turns into a super slimey feeling on your face, and the smell comes back ten fold!

My verdict:

I know this has seemed like a pretty negative review so far but the WORST part about it is.... I love it. 

It works so well at calming my breakouts and it really does cleanse the skin. My skin feels so smooth and soft afterwards.

I've been using this mask one to two times a week and it's completely stopped any new breakouts from forming. It's even started to fade some of my old acne scars! 

It's worked wonders on my skin and that's why I've learned to look past all the nastiness!!! 

Would I recommend? 

If you think you can look past all the smells and the feels then definitely give it a go, especially if your prone to breakouts! 

It's full of really good natural ingredients like garlic, tea tree and honey which are all great at fighting spots. 

So I say give it a go... If you dare ;-) 

I hope you guys enjoyed my honest review! If you've tried this mask or have any suggestions for breakout prone skin then feel free to leave a comment below :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo

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Makeup Monday: Max Factor Lipfinity Swatch & Review

Hello beautiful people! This weeks makeup Monday instalment is all about an amazing long lasting liquid lipstick that I have found. It lasts ALL DAY! 

It was an impulse buy, I've never heard anything about them before but I'm glad I went with it!! 

It's the Max Factor LipFinity in the shade 'Always Delicate'

It's comes with the liquid lip colour and a moisturising balm so you can leave it matte or add the balm to turn it into a juicy gloss :-) 

The Price

I got this for €15 in boots so it wasn't cheap. But considering it lasts all day it's definitely worth it :-) 

The Colour

Here is a lip swatch of the lipstick and balm together, I love the pink rosey colour :-)

The Longevity

It lasts through eating and drinking with and without the balm so it's already one of my faves :-P 

The Formula

It has a creamy consistency and the balm is super moisturising. It doesn't have a strong smell of anything either which is always a plus :-) 

Have you guys tried any of these Max Factor Lipfinitys? Let me know what you think :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo

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Kylie Jenner Metal Lipgloss Dupe?

This colour! I really love Kylie's latest lip shade 'Hier' but then I saw this bad boy ;-) 

This is one of the Me Now matte liquid lipsticks, I've reviewed some of these before so I'm no stranger to these super cheap super awesome lippies :-) 

This one is the closest thing to Kylies Hier shade that I've come across, and it's only €1! Can't beat it :-) 

Here they are swatched side by side...

You can see here that Kylie's (left) is more peach toned where the Me Now one (right) has more of a pink tone to it.

Here they are side by side on the lip...

Again, the Me Now (left) is just slightly more pink toned than the Kylie colour (right). 

Which one do you prefer?

Although they are similar they aren't an exact dupe! But they're close enough for me :-) 

The Formula

The formulas aren't too far off each other either, although Kylies one smells like cupcakes and the Me Now has a slight chemical smell, but you can't smell either when they're on the lips :-) 

The Longevity

If you have had any experience with the Me Now lippies then you already know which one lasts longer ;-)

The Me Now lasts waaaay longer than the Kylie one, Hier lasts a good few hours but the Me Now is good to go all day! 

So if your loving the shade Hier but not loving the price then I'd definitely recommend trying out the Me Now. They have tons of different shades too and at €1 a pop sure you couldn't go wrong!! 

Have you guys found any Kylie dupes? Feel free to share them below :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo

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Skincare Sunday: Jolen Bleach For Body Hair

If your like me and have dark arm/body hair and your in the mood to lighten it then come and try the Jolen Bleach with me :-P 

I got this in Boots for €15, this is the bigger tub but you can get a smaller one for around €10. 

I'm literally testing this out as I type so you are getting a true first impression! 

So here are the products that come in the box...

You get a cream, a powdery substance and a little tab and spatula to mix them together! 

So let's get into it! It says to mix 2 parts of the creem to 1 part of the powder to form a paste like so 

Just work in enough powder to make the cream a little gritty! 

And then you whack it on! I'm lightening my arm hairs here so let's see how it goes :-P here is a before pic...

Yo nasty ;-) 

So it says to leave it on for 15 minutes and to remove a little patch to see if you have reached your desired lightness ;-) 

I had to leave it in for about 25 minutes to get mine nice and light. Here is my before and after pic..

Nice and golden after!

It's safe to say this product definitely works! Right off the bat you get a very strong bleach smell but it's tolerable if you keep your arms at a safe distance from your nose!!!

And look at my arms now, super light fair hairs now for the win ;-) 

Now I'm off to get a spray tan so I don't look so pasty white anymore :-P

Waaaaay better tanned!! :-)

I would definitely recommend this product for anyone looking to lighten their body hair, it's cheap and quick and most importantly, it works!!!! 

Hope you guys enjoyed this quick first impression, if you would like more posts like this feel free to let me know :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo  

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Makeup Monday: ABH Brow Wiz -V- Brow Definer

So I have both of these, and my brow wiz is on the verge of running out on me.. I did a little brow tutorial/ review of the brow wiz which you can read here ;-)

But the big question is; Will I be repurchasing the Brow Wiz or sticking with the Brow Definer???

I recently purchased the Definer and have been using it for the last 2 months. 

Here it is in all its glory...

So, what's the difference?

Size 

The main difference between the two is that the Definer is way thicker than the Brow Wiz.

You can see the tip of the Definer is quite thick...

Consistency

I also found the Definer to be a lot more waxy and harder to apply than the Wiz, which is so smooth and easy to apply. 

Blendability

Both of these brow products blend so easily when using the spoolie side of the product.

Best for the Perfect Insta Brow

I stand by what I said before in my review post, the Wiz is definitely the best of the two for that more defined ultra brow. 

The smaller tip allows you to get into all those brow gaps perfectly and makes it easier to over draw and extend the brow if you wanted to!

However, I find that I use way less of the Definer and that I still end up with pretty decent brows afterwards! 

It's not as easy to create a super defined brow with the Definer (why is it called that then?? LOL) because of its size, but it does a great job at filling them in and giving a more natural look.

Longevity 

The Definer definitely lasts longer for me, the more waxy consistency makes it hard to wipe of, where as the creaminess of the Wiz means that I can't touch my brows for fear that they may wipe off!! 

So, which is better???

I personally think that I prefer the Brow Wiz, simply because I do love a good defined Insta brow. But for every day looks I definitely love the Definer.

Definer...

Brow Wiz...

I know the pics are in different lighting (soz) but you can see that the wiz does a better job at filling in the sparse gaps in my brows :-) 

So I WILL be repurchasing the Brow Wiz but I will also stick with my Brow Definer for a more natural every day look :-) 

What do you guys think? Have you tried either of these products? 

Let me know what your go to brow products are in the comments below :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo 

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Skincare Sunday: Penneys Hydrating Face Mask Review

So I recently tried out the Penneys hydrating face mask that I came across in my local Penneys. 

This was only €1.50 and it claims to simply hydrate and moisturise :-) 

This is a moisturising face mask, it had a little face cloth thing inside with the eye, mouth and nose holes... You know the ones, making us look all creepy like :-P 

I put this on in the bath and it was so cooling and soothing, it felt lovely and wet on my face, almost like there was a moisturising serum on my skin. 

When I took the mask off my skin was so soft and plump looking, I really loved this mask and I definitely will be repurchasing LOADS of these! 

Have you tried any of the Penneys masks before? You can check out my review of the Penneys Skincare Range right here :-) 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, I'm all for cheap and effective skincare. Let me know what your bargain skincare favourites are in the comments below :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo

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My Aliexpress Purchases; Makeup & Clothes

I've gotten so much cheap goodies online lately so I thought I would share the best and worst with you so that you can see what's hot or not ;-)

I've only gotten clothes and makeup off the site so I'll start with the clothes first I guess :-P I will say that I have been buying all the clothes for my holiday this summer so just in case you're wondering why I'm buying so many bikinis and shorts when I live in Ireland (LOL).

1️⃣ Black Kimono

Love me a good kimono. If you aren't aware I actually made myself a kimono last summer using a scarf, check that out Here! But yeah, lovely kimono for €6!!! It's a short kimono which I love, and has some lacy bits going through it :-) 

2️⃣ Floral Kimono

This is more of a waterfall kimono, it's lovely and bright for those beach days :-) 

Also a bargain at €4.

3️⃣ Black & White Swim Suit

I'd be a 12-14 so I opted for a size XL.......yea no. The suit fits me perfectly minus the chest! I have XL boobs (D cup) so I thought the XL suit would be perfect, wrong. The cup size on this suit is a B maximum. So if your a 12-14 with a B cup then by all means go for it! 

But it's a no from me :-P 

It's a shame because it's such a lovely suit!!!! And a lovely price too at €7!

4️⃣ Red & Polkadot Bikini

This bikini has the same sad story as before. The boobs ain't big enough for this chick. The top is like a crop top though which I love, and the bottoms are high waisted and have a lovely criss cross detail that perfect to hide little tummys :-P 

This one was €5!

5️⃣ Colourful Printed Shorts

Love these. They're so in your face! Perfect for a beach party with a white tank and some gladiator sandals :-) a bargain at €4.

6️⃣ White Halter Top

This is bloody gorgeous. At €4 how could you go wrong! It's so simple and I love the way it just hangs, it's nice and cool and perfect for hiding lumps and bumps :-)

7️⃣ Black Pleather Shorts

These are a no. Guys, they look like trousers for a baby not shorts for a grown ass women! I just can't deal with these :-L But they were only €3 so I can't complain! 

8️⃣ Long Black Skirt

This is perfect for the beach, and for evening walks or dinner. I just love the slits and how it looks when I walk! 

Now for the makeup! I bought a few cheap dupes and fakes that I could review for you guys so that we could see if they are worth it or not!

1️⃣ Fake ABH Liquid Lipsticks

I definitely wouldn't recommend these, the colours are nothing like the real ones. The packaging is close enough but I ordered the shades 'Lovely' (a vintage pink colour) and 'Milkshake' (a pale pink nude colour) and I got a hot pink and a baby pink!! 

At least these were only €2 each!

2️⃣ Fake Lime Crime Liquid Lipsticks

These are so close to the originals! Definitely worth it at €2 a pop! And the shop I ordered these from didn't steal my money either ;-) that's always a plus. If you're not familiar with the Lime Crime scandal then you're probably like what the heeeeellllll right now!!! 

3️⃣ Me Now Kiss Proof Long Lasting Lipsticks

I love every single one of these that I purchased!

I posted a dupe post last week with all the expensive dupes I found for these bad boys :-) 

5️⃣ Zoeva Makeup Brushes

I literally cannot recommend these enough, they are synthetic hair and super soft. You get 8 brushes and a makeup bag for €25, that is literally the most expensive item I've ever bought off the site but it's my all time favourite purchase! 

I LOVE these brushes and I use them every day. I am obsessed with the quality of these. I've had them for 5 months and have had no issues with them at all, no shedding or logos wearing off or anything! 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, let me know if you've found any bargains online that you swear by, I'm always on the hunt for a good bargain :-) 

Love & Hugs, Lora xo 

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Makeup Monday; My Makeup Wish List!

This post is dedicated to my current makeup wish list, I'm coming for you guys!!!! 

Feel free to share your own makeup wish lists, don't forget to tag me so I can see yours too :-) 

1️⃣ Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

I hear it smells of peaches!!!

2️⃣ Kylie Lip Kit 'Candy K'

My absolute fave colour of hers, anyone having trouble getting one like me?😫

3️⃣ Manny MUA x MakeupGeek

I was never a big eyeshadow pallete girl until all these youtubers started making palettes!!

4️⃣ Kathleen Lights x Colourpop 'Where the Light is'

I'm just patiently waiting for Colour Pop to come to Ireland...

5️⃣ Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation

I've heard only amazing things about this little guy...

Do you of you guys have any of these products? Would you recommend them? 

Or are you guys insanely lusting after these bad boys just like me?;-) 

Let me know what you think in the comments below :-)

Love & Hugs, Lora xo 

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Life Hack; Travel Like A Pro

I recently booked myself a Summer Holiday, my first one ever without my Mammy :-) I'm beyond excited so I've been reading up on how to pack like a pro for your holidays :-) 

Here are a few of the tips and tricks I've picked up along the way... 

1️⃣ Roll Your Clothes!

This not only saves space in your bag, but it also allows you to see your clothes more easily compared to when the clothes are just folded on top of each other. 

 

2️⃣ Plan Your Outfits 

This will eliminate all the excess clothes that you don't need to bring because, let's face it, we all love to being a ton of clothes on holidays but who actually ends up wearing everything they brought? I definitely do not.

So plan your outfits for the number of days your going. It's great to bring clothes you can mix and match with, or dress up or down depending on what your doing for the day :-) 

Things like plain denim shorts are great to bring because you can get a few wears out of them and they go with almost anything! 

3️⃣ Empty Bottles

I invested in these plastic empty bottles from Penneys for €1.50! Super cheap, and you can put anything into them, like your face wash, cleansers, moisturisers and creams! 

That way you don't have to bring that whole chunky glass bottle of toner that you got from Benefit :-P 

4️⃣ Prevent Spillages

If you want to be extra safe with your products you can add cling film (or Saran Wrap for my US gals) over the opening of your bottles and then just add the lid back on and hey presto, you just saved yourself a spillage :-P

If you want to protect your clothes even more, you might want to think about getting a small cosmetics bag to put all your potential spillers into a separate place so that your clothes don't get ruined :-) 

5️⃣ Makeup With SPF 

If you plan on wearing makeup on your hols like me, then you'll want to get your hands on some makeup with SPF in it, like foundations and lip balms... Yes your lips can burn and trust me, that is not something you want to experience :-P 

I would also recommend bringing a decent SPF with you for the rest of your body too! 

Ps. Someone needs to invent a fake tan with SPF in it for all us pale gals out here, that would be much appreciated :-P

6️⃣ Hand Luggage

Bring all your breakable items in your hand luggage, like your laptop or iPad because your big suitcases literally get thrown around like a sack of potatoes! 

Bring your phone and chargers, your passport and purse, and anything else you need to make your flight more comfortable... Like this cute little neck pillow I purchased :-P 

7️⃣ That's My Bag!

If your like me and have the most plain ordinary black suitcase then you should definitely think about adding a cute colourful ribbon to the handle so that it's easier to spot coming off that damn carrousel! 

I found this suitcase belt in a pound shop that makes my bag way easier to spot!

8️⃣ Ear Problems 

I suffer something fierce with my ears when the plane is taking off and landing. If your like me and get that awful blockage feeling then grab some chewing gum or chewy sweets while your waiting on your plane in duty free! 

The sucking/chewing/swallowing motion keeps the ear canal in motion so your less likely to get that awful pressure in your ears! 

Sucking and swallowing (dirty minded people ;-).) really help me with my ear problems so I'll be grabbing all the Harribos on the way to the plane!!! 

 

9️⃣ Travel Outfit

Your travel outfit should include the heaviest clothes you own. So wear those chunky Nikes and that comfy oversized hoodie with your favourite ripped skinny jeans to save space and weight in your bag :-P

🔟 Research Your Destination

❤️ Respect the clothing norms for wherever it is your going 

❤️ Know the currency and the exchange rates so you don't get ripped off!

❤️ Keep money hidden and safe at all times 

❤️ Know how you are getting to your hotel/apartment once you land!

❤️ Bring travel adopters for plugs if necessary!

❤️ Check the weather for the times you are going so that you can plan your outfits and SPF needs accordingly :-P

❤️ Look up reviews of the hotel/apartment or area you are going to so you know exactly what your heading into :-) 

If any of you guys are travelling this summer I want to wish you the best of luck and I hope you have a fab time! Be safe, and enjoy :-) 

Have you guys got any travel hacks you'd like to share? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post and found it somewhat helpful!

Love & Hugs, Lora xo

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