COCONUT LANE - SASS & MARBLE HEAVEN!

Good Evening,

Christmas is just round the corner (37 DAYS) and I've got the perfect place for you to get some cute Christmas gifts and it's COCONUT LANE. I have recently bought a couple of things from there and I'm so in love with them so thought I would share them with you. There are so many more things that I want to purchase both for myself and as gifts and I will also be sharing these bits. PSSSST... there may be a discount code if you read all the way to the end.

                   Luxe Marble Blush Case               Rose Gold Marble Macbook Skin

First Impressions: NYX Matte Soft Lip Cream

Hello and welcome back to my blog,

In this post I am going to be discussing a product that I only came across recently and one that I have absolutely grown to love and that is the NYX Matte Soft Matte Lip Cream in the shade Abu Dhabi. This is the first but definitely not the last NYX product that I have tried and for the price of £5.50 it is an absolute bargain.

REVIEW: Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation - is it worth the switch?

I know the obsession surrounding this Estée Lauder foundation is nothing new but for me, it has taken a long time and consideration to make the switch mainly because it is quite pricey (£30). I wanted a new foundation because quite frankly I was falling out of love with my go-to foundation (MAC Studio Fix Fluid), I found that it was quite thick and matte and I wanted a lighter foundation for summer. The lady who sold me the foundation actually told me that they get a lot of customers coming over from MAC.

Firstly, I absolutely loved the process of being tested for the foundation. You simply walk over to the counter and instead of the sales assistant guessing your shade, they use a machine which immediately identifies your skin colour and matches it to the colour of the foundation. So since purchasing the foundation around three weeks ago, I have worn it every day and been very happy with the results. Here are my three favourite things about it. 

1. Smooth and Natural Glow That Lasts All Day

My previous foundation gave me a matte look and I didn't feel like this was natural at all. I was really looking for a foundation that did not make the fact I was wearing foundation obvious and I believe that this foundation really achieves this. It really does give a smooth and natural glow to the skin. Whats more, the foundation is long lasting and last the whole day and I am sure it will last the full 15 hours like advertised.

2. Easy to Apply 

The foundation itself is really easy to apply and you really don't need a lot. It's got a really nice texture which just sinks into the skin and is very easy to blend. The lady in the shop told me specifically to use a foundation brush with this bristles instead of stippling brush and I have found that this is a good way to blend the foundation in efficiently. The only bad thing is that it doesn't come with pump (and they don't sell one either) which means that sometimes I end up pouring out too much product. However, I do think you can get hold of a pump off eBay for a few pounds.

3. The Perfect Match with Good Coverage

Because you are colour matched in store, the foundation just blends with your skin perfectly. I have no more worries about looking too orange! The foundation is also full coverage but like I said previously, it does not look thick on the skin but looks natural. Therefore, you get the full coverage without looking like you're wearing lots of product!

I hope you enjoyed reading this review and let me know your experiences with this foundation and other Estée Lauder products because I really want to try some more.

PS. I realised I haven't posted in quite some time, I have no excuses for this aside from the usual final year university work stress. The good news is that I finish in 22 days and from then on, I plan to dedicate a lot more time to my blog and improving its content.

Anastasiya X

What I Got For Christmas 2015

HELLO AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

I hope you have all enjoyed your festive period and ate lots of lovely things and received lots of amazing gifts and most importantly, spent lots of quality time with your loved ones. In this post, I'm going to be showing you some of the things I got for Christmas this year. I have absolutely loved seeing what everybody has got and I really wanted to do a post about my own gifts because I know it will be a nice thing to look back on. PS. I'm sorry it's a little late but at least that means I have used some of the products and I'm able to give you a small review!

Review: The Balm Mary Lou Manizer

The Balm is definitely a brand that for me, has really emerged this year and I am very excited about their products. First of all, I absolutely love their packaging because it's so different and I would definitely say it was one of the things that caught my eye about this product. I was looking for a highlighter that was pigmented and that was a really nice light gold shade and this product ticks all the boxes for me.

I apply this product on my cheek bones and under my brow bone to give it some definition. I think the product comes out really well on the skin, you can really see the glow after you apply it. When it comes to applying to product, I find it easy to just dot it on with my finger on my cheek bone and I blend this either with a beauty blender or a small fluffy brush. On my brow bone, I use the Real Techniques eyebrow brush.

The thing I love about it, is that it's not too shimmery but gives a really natural highlight which then makes it brilliant for every day use. Because the product is so well received on the skin, you only need to use a tiny bit so I think that it will last for a long time, which is always a bonus!

Additionally, the product is fairly small and comes with a mirror so this makes it perfect for carrying around in your handbag when you need that emergency highlight. I will warn you though, I have luckily not dropped the product myself, but I have had a few people tell me that it falls apart really easily (not great for a clumsy person like me!) so make sure you're extra careful when using it.

The Mary Lou Manizer retails at the price of £17.50 and you can pretty much get it from any department store and many places online. I got mine off www.feelunique.com because they do student discount and I love a bargain. So, If you're looking for a great natural looking highlight that's easy to apply and has really cute packaging then look no further than this product.

Anastasiya X

Review: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer

Hello guys,

As you probably guessed from the title, this post is going to be a review of the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer which retails at £17.50, this was a product that I purchased recently after a long search to find the perfect concealer.

My main reason for the search for the perfect concealer was my hate for the awful dark circles under my eyes, which made me look tired and made my final make up feel incomplete. I was looking for a long lasting and high coverage concealer and finally I found it in this product.

I got the concealer in shade NC35 which is slightly darker than my MAC foundation (NC25) but this was the colour that suited me most due to my skin tone and the look under my eyes. If you are unsure on your colour, don't be shy to ask in your MAC store for some advice, I find that the ladies in there are always willing to help and this is how I found the colour that suited me most. Below are my top three favourite things about this product!

ONE PUMP IS ENOUGH
The first thing that I adore about this concealer is that you don't need to apply too much - one pump is absolutely enough and even that is too much sometimes. Although the product only comes in a 9ml bottle, I do think that it will last me a long time which is always a bonus because it does retail at quite a high price. The product is really easy to blend and be paired with any concealer brush.

COVERAGE
The coverage of this product is medium to full which means it is quite thick on. I find it works SO well in covering up my dark circles which is exactly what I wanted. It will also be great for covering any blemishes on the face and even spots.

LONG LASTING
The product claims to last 12 hours. I normally apply the concealer first thing in the morning before I start my day (just before I apply my foundation) and I find that I do not feel the need to to re-apply it through out the day which is absolutely brilliant and so unlike many concealers that I have tried before. I think if this product was used with powder it would last even longer!

I hope you enjoyed this post, I really enjoyed writing it. Let me know if you would like me to do anymore review posts and I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Anastasiya X

My Life in Pictures: Kos & Bodrum - August 2015