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Tuesday, 10 November 2015

Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Powder DUPE!

Hello everybody!

Today I have an exciting discovery to share with you all... a dupe of the Ben Nye Neutral Set Colorless Powder! Now this powder normally retails at around £6.50 for a small tub, or £12.50 for the large. It's not really expensive, but it's not a bargain either. It's not the easiest to get hold of, either. Unfortunately... the Dupe is a little bit hard to get your hands on as well... but now that E.L.F. are back online in the UK it can be yours in a few clicks!

Now as far as E.L.F. goes, their High Definition Powder is actually at the pricier end of the spectrum with the RRP of £7.50, however if you're a savvy shopped like me, you'll know they run promotions all the time, so you can probably pick this up at a fraction of the price if you just wait for a promo code to land in your inbox.

I love a translucent powder. I'm so pale that I think it's necessary to not make my foundation look patchy and weird. I picked the Ben Nye powder up at IMATS this year, and whilst I seem to have barely made a dent in it with frequent use, I'm still a little scared of using it up. So recently, I started to delve into my make up collection and found the long forgotten E.L.F. powder. I picked it up ages ago when they had their store in Cardiff, but for some reason never got around to giving it a go.

I'm not into looking super-matte, but rather use these powders to set my undereyes and oily areas. I actually like to apply both, lightly, with a sponge. I feel like this moulds it better with the make up than with a brush and makes your base look a little more seamless.

The only differences I can tell between these powders is that the E.L.F. one seem to be a little bit more finely milled... more like a bright white dust, than the Ben Nye which resembles more of a flour-y texture (okay, describing powders is weird - they both look a little bit like cocaine too, if that appeals to you). Despite being more finely milled, I think the E.L.F. powder is slightly more visible on the skin, but with good application you should be able to achieve seamless blending.

OH, and let's not forget the elephant in the room. Ben Nye powders have the most annoying packaging ever. Guys at Ben Nye, can we sort this out please. You end up having to sort of dab a little bit into the lid and end up wasting loads / making a mess... So E.L.F. definitely win on the packaging front!

I'd love to know your translucent powder recommendations!

xxx

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

'From House To Home' Part One - Soft Furnishings!

*Sponsored Post*

'From House To Home' is a series which follows my attempt to make our new house more of a 'home' for me and my family. It's a rented house, so everything will be done without making any changes to the house itself. We are working on a budget, as we don't want to spend a huge amount on fixing somewhere up which isn't a permanent home for us, but we still want to make it as comfortable as possible in the meantime. I will feature things we have bought or made, and anything I'm lusting after for the home in the hope of providing you with some inspiration!

There is no easier way to spruce up a home than to spend a few pennies on some new soft furnishings to make it a little more 'you'. For me, this includes bedding, throws, blankets and curtains.

For bedding, nothing beats Ikea for me, and I picked up a few lovely sets of bedding recently, including this 'Alvine Kvist' set for £30, which feels like SUCH high quality and the 'Skorpil' set which was a total bargain as £15 (both for King Size, may I add!)

The 'Alvine Kvist' IKEA Bedding!

As far as throws and blankets are concerned, Primark has been smashing it recently with their home department. They have some really cool blankets in there which are priced around £4-£5 for the mid sized ones and around the £10 for large throws - such bargains! I picked up these few recently...

Now curtains are something we have struggled with. We didn't own any as, to be honest, we had only ever used blinds in our previous places! The house did have a few sets of questionable curtains when we arrived with a purple and floral print which we really did NOT love.. so they had to go immediately. Curtains are pretty pricey, so my first bit of advice would be to measure up and have a look around your local charity shops as I managed to pick up a great set for Archer's bedroom for about £10!

A shorter drape so my little man can't try and pull them off and a total bargain!

Since we have moved, we have our living room window looking straight on to the pavement, so voile curtains are a must to provide some privacy. If you aren't familiar with voile curtains they are basically a second layer of curtain which can dress up your window area. They are usually very sheer, so keeping these shut will allow plenty of daylight in, whilst giving you a little bit of privacy. There are many places you can buy voile curtains, such as Ikea or Dunelm, but if you're after a really wide selection at affordable prices then Yorkshire Linen's voile curtains are your best bet. If you have a house like mine where all your curtains length requirements are different then they also have a wide variety of sizes, so you're bound to find something suitable!

Have you seen anything more adorable than these star embellished voile curtain?!

I'd love to know if you all have any other recommendations for great places to buy soft furnishings!

xxx

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Lets Hear it For October.

I didn't quite realise until this year quite how much I like October. I've always been a fan of Autumn (or fall) in general, but I think I'd be quite happy to stay in this early-Autumn state forever.

The leaves are falling, the sun is shining and the hot chocolate flowing. The shorter days are rolling in, so getting home straight into your pyjamas feels totally justified. Netflix and Chill - am I right?

As I'm writing this, the weather has actually taken a turn for the worse and is raining (BOOOOO!) but the past few days of crisp cold and bright sunshine have just been perfect! It's cold enough that the layers and scarves can come out, but not annoyingly cold where you have to force yourself out of the door in wellies and thermals.

By no means is it time to crack out the tree, but it's finally kinda justified to start getting excited about Christmas! The countdown is on for Starbucks to bring back the Toffee Nut Latte... (Hands down the best drink in the world. Ever.). There are exciting beauty launches getting us even more impatient - The Body Shop Advent Calender, I'm looking at you... and Autumnnal and festive make up looks inspiring us everywhere.

For me and many others, October marks the beginning of another year of study where we are full of optimism and good intentions for the year ahead. For me, it's my last year in full time education as I will be graduating next summer, so I'm embracing this more than ever before!

And how could I forget... HALLOWEEN! Pumpkins everywhere (although not in lattes for me, I can't imagine anything more weird... anyone else with me on this?!) and some PHENOMENAL make up / SFX looks flying around. I can just about handle a cat face I think... but hey, I'm feeling inspired this year so maybe I'll give it a go.

I'd love to know what you guys are loving about October... leave a comment and let me know below!

xxx

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

PINK PARCEL: The Monthly Subscription With A Difference!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive a 'Pink Parcel' subscription box* to try out. It's a service which I was not familiar with, but immediately LOVED the idea.. and the box!

The Pink Parcel monthly box is estimated to arrive when us ladies need it most.. *ahem* that time of the month.... Okay.. when you get your period. Just so we're all on the same page.

It costs £12.99, so about the same price as most subscription boxes, although you can get your first one to try it out for just £7.95 through their website!

The box contains 5 sub-boxes. The first being a little box of 'pick me ups', a little pouch featuring sanitary protection of your choice, two extra boxes to get you through the week and a final box for keeping things in good working order...

I was so impressed with the 'For You' box. It's probably as good as any other beauty subscription box, if not better. There was a full size OPI nail polish and L'Oreal mascara in there which would total at least £20 on their own already! I love the mix of beauty a lifestyle bits, which you don't usually get in subscription boxes. The box featured a deluxe Elizabeth Arden sample, some rather fancy chocolate, a Bellapierre eyeshadow, a Skin Hair and Nails sample, some Pukka tea, a cute lip balm, a necklace and some adorable Bandzee hair bands - a good haul!

A great feature about the box is that you can cater it to your preference in terms of which tampons / pads you use and what kind of absorption you need - amazing!

Finally, this months box contained a 'Sass' intimate cleanser - not the most glamorous of things, but useful none the less and why not treat your downstairs to something a little bit fancier than Femfresh once in a while?! Also, this looks pretty subtle in your bathroom too!

I absolutely love the Pink Parcel box, and will definitely be signing up to get one next month! Realistically, a couple of boxes of tampons a month will set you back at least £5-£6 anyway, so why not spend an extra few pounds to get the hassle taken out, plus a few extras!

What do you think of this service?

xxx

*This post contains a PR sample which I was gifted*

Thursday, 15 October 2015

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Purifying Mask Review

I love a good face mask. Over the last year I have slowly integrated them more and more into my facial skincare regime. I probably like to do 2 a week, usually using something with a little bit more punch to tackle really bad skin days like the Body Shop Blue Corn Mask on one day, then something a little bit more calming on the other.

The Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Purifying Mask (£4.85) definitely fits into the more 'calming' of those two categories, as you can probably imagine if you have ever used any products from the Palmer's range.

I find this is the sort of mask I can put on in front of the TV whilst I vegetate for an hour or so and when I go to rinse it off my skin feels deep cleansed but without being at all dried out. Although the mask dries out a little when applied, it doesn't dry too much and is easy to remove with a wet flannel.

The active ingredient in cleansing the skin in the mask is natural green clay, which helps to draw out any impurities. Whilst deep cleansing masks can often be stripping, this one is totally different. Obviously the mask includes cocoa butter, but it also have almond oil to help rehydrate the skin.

Alongside this, the mask also includes evening primrose oil, chamomile, aloe vera and menthol which all aid in making it a soothing and relaxing treat for your face!

For the price, this mask is an absolute bargains as the bottle contains plenty of applications - if you can pick it up on offer in Superdrug then even better!

This has become a staple in my skincare routine, and I can't wait to try more from the Palmer's skincare range!

xxx

Tuesday, 6 October 2015

ECOTOOLS Complexion Collection Correcting Concealer Brush + GIVEAWAY!

Although I haven't tried many of them, all of the Ecotools brushes I own I really enjoy and use on a nearly daily basis. When I saw they had released a new range of 'Complexion Correcting' brushes I was really keen to give them a go!

I decided to opt for the concealer brush ($4.99) as I tend to suffer with blemishes more often than I would like! I usually find applying concealer to these areas quite tricky as often the brush can just move the concealer around on the area rather than actually making it stick to the area. This is the problem this brush aims to tackle as it allows you to stipple the concealer on to the area without moving it around.

The brush is vegan, made with recycled aluminium and bamboo handles and has a dual fibre synthetic head. I use predominantly synthetic brushes and most furs cause me to have an allergic reaction and I think Ecotools make some of the softest brushes I have tried. This brush isn't SUPER soft, as it is intended for stippling and some rigidity is required, but it is certainly comfortable to use on the skin.

All in all, for general concealer use I will still stick with my Real Techniques Setting Brush, but for tackling tricky blemishes this brush has become my right hand man!

I was surprised to see that these are no longer available to buy in the UK (although I picked it up from Boots about a month ago). The good news, however, is that I have an extra one to giveaway to one of my readers! Hoorah!

GIVEAWAY RULES

Anyone can enter, I am happy to post internationally.
Entries must be in by 12th October.
A winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter
I will contact the winner privately and as long as they are happy for me to share that they have won I will announce on Twitter and/or Facebook also. If I do not receive a response within 28 days, a new winner will be drawn.
You can enter via Rafflecopter by following on Twitter, following on Bloglovin, visiting my Facebook page and tweeting about the giveaway (this can be done once a day to increase your odds of winning!)
GOOD LUCK!

Monday, 5 October 2015

We've Moved House!

So you may have noticed that Electric Suede has been on a long, unexpected, extended hiatus. The last few months have been a little bit manic, but we finally have a new home for our little family! It’s not perfect, but we are pleased to be back in central-ish Cardiff – not too far from our old place, only much bigger!

The move came just in time, as I started the third year of my business degree only a week after we moved in! Luckily we are still in walking distance my University and Archer’s nursery too, which means for now we can live with only 1 car.

There is a lot to do to make our new (rented) house a home and this is something I’m hoping to document on here! As we are trying to save a lot of money to pay off various bits and pieces and eventually be in a position to get a mortgage we are trying to do a lot of our home-making on a budget , so I will probably focus on the budget side of this.

I have a few posts lined up and ready to get going, although whilst I still don’t have internet over the next week it won’t be full steam ahead for a little bit longer, I’m afraid.

I'm glad to be back and excited to be posting again!

xxx

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