The Glam Guide by Fleur De Force

Hey Everyone!

So as soon as I realised Fleur, from the popular blog and YouTube Channel 'Fleur De Force', was releasing her own book, I knew I had to pre-order it so I wouldn't miss a thing. Reading it these past few days (in the midst of my university work) has really been enjoyable. I really wanted to share my thoughts about this with you guys...

Fleur's book is called 'The Glam Guide' and I think what appeals to me the most about this book is that she is giving everyone her expertise and advising everyone about how they should approach topics like make-up, skin-care and fashion among other things. It's not a rule book it's a guide that can be applied to anyone however they like. Everyone can learn from this book, even myself, I found the fashion part the most appealing as I need tips on what to buy and why. That's another thing - Fleur tells you exactly why she is saying something so you can easily see where she is coming from, the book itself is very readable and relatable, like your older sister (who is amazing at everything) sharing her knowledge with you. I love that I get that experience from this book.

I think this is a great starter guide to becoming a woman (as weird as that sounds), how you should take care of yourself and the essentials of beauty. I think it spreads a very positive message, grooming versus being excessively overdone. She remembers who her audience is and so she gives recommendations of her favourite products (which I know well from watching her videos for the past 3 years), but also DIY versions and cheaper alternatives.

She created a section that explained what chemical nasties might be in skin-care and make-up products,  I found this the most enlightening as you hear what people tend to stray from (parabens) but not why. This is a nifty little section and what I liked most about it is that she didn't claim to stay away from it all, since a correlation between an ingredient and cancer does not point to causation.

The presentation of the book is amazing too, I love the rose gold metallic stars on the cover, I also love the illustrations inside the book as well as the photos of Fleur modelling for the topic she is talking about. The mix of visual and text is exactly what you need when you want to think about fashion and beauty. Everything is there for a reason.

I think the part of the book that I didn't learn that much from is the make-up and skin-care bits but honestly that's just me, these past few years I have attained the same tips and tricks on how to approach those areas. Even so, I still enjoyed reading it because I like to hear her thoughts on things, I'm a huge fan of Fleur since she is practically the reason that I got into beauty, her channel on YouTube was the first I subscribed to three/four years ago, and still to this day I still trust her recommendations above anyone else.

I think if you are into things like this - tips and tricks on how to have that balance between everything girl-related, then this book is definitely for you. I think this is a book most girls should have since it covers a lot of topics easily and with the right amount of depth too.
I enjoyed it, I hope you guys will too :)
If you want to buy it you can purchase it on Amazon for £7.49, but it's also available in store at Waterstones and W H Smith (prices may vary)!

It's hard to review books without giving too much away! but I hope you enjoyed this review!

Anjna x

Splurging Tips

Hey guys :)

So if you didn't know: I'm a second year psychology student and by having this blog, the most common question I get asked is how do I have the money to buy and review items on a weekly basis. That gave me some inspiration and so today I want to tell you my top tips for how to splurge without wasting your money! 

1) Research

So every now and then there is this new NARS or Bobby Brown, or hell even Charlotte Tilbury, make up that has just released, instead of rushing to the nearest Selfridges to purchase the item make sure that you know exactly what you are going to receive. Nowadays there is just so many reviews on the internet, from blogs to YouTube especially made to show you what you will get. I usually find that researching the item will do one of three things: either it will make me realise that I own something completely similar, or I realise that there is something I don't like about it (for instance all shimmery eyeshadows in a palette), or it will make me want it more. In every case the option is good, because either I don't need it or I do and I will feel confident that I will get what I paid for.

2) Testing

Just because a brand is famous doesn't mean that everything they have is brilliant. This tip is the period when you can test out all that researching you have been doing - reading blogs and watching YouTube is fine but you have to remember that you may respond differently to different products - skincare and base make-up are prime examples of this. If you really want something then I think you should try it in store - this way you get all the best tips and tricks from the assistant and also the best service. I think with foundation especially  you should try the product on for the entire day and see how you feel at the end of the day- that's actually how I realised that the Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation was the one for me because at the end of the day my face wasn't as oily as it usually was and the foundation was still on my face! So when I did end up buying the foundation I knew exactly what I was getting and to this day I have no regrets since I am on my second bottle at the moment.

3) Relevance

Now I take after my mom on this one, if I buy something expensive I need to use it because then I get my moneys worth. You will see that my most expensive items are usually stuff that I will wear everyday like foundation, serums and eyeshadows. This way I get my moneys worth because what's the point in having a green eyeliner from Clinique if you wear green eyeliner once every 2 months. My advice to you on this one is to see what you do wear everyday - so if you like wearing mascara on a daily basis then perhaps think about getting a high-end one. I wear foundation on a daily basis and so it was important to me to buy for quality as I will wear it on my face for more than 8 hours a day. Think about what you wear everyday and then you can justify buying a more luxurious product because you will wear it and finish it, rather than buying something obscure that will just expire because it's in the wide depths of your make-up bag.

I actually follow these tips all the time, usually I experiment with drug-store make-up; My first ever lip liner was from Rimmel London (see here) and now because I love that so much I want to purchase one from MAC (because I heard they last really long -see Tip 1 is useful because now I know where to buy). It also reduces the chance of you not liking a product a significant amount. However I am not perfect and do splurge my money sometimes but I am trying to reign it in :)

I hope this has given some insight on how I shop and why I shop that way even though it makes me sound so boring. But it has improved the way in which I spend and now i can enjoy a diverse range of products which all perform great.

Thank you for reading :) I would like to know what your top tips are for splurging :)

Anjna x

Worth it? Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Hey guys :) 

So this month most beauty bloggers I know has done a post on the Benefit Roller Lash Mascara (£19.50/8.5g) since a sample of it came with every copy of Elle Magazine this month. Me being me, I couldn't resist buying it at the train station and I really enjoyed reading the magazine in general (only got through half of it yet though!). I thought I would share my views on this mascara since I keep hearing mixed views on it. 

I thought when I saw the wand and the texture of the mascara that this would be the one for me but I was really wrong, it has a really nice thin formula which doesn't clump at all and so I thought it would hold up my pre-curled lashes amazingly, however it really weighed my lashes down meaning that - because I have short, flat, thin eyelashes- you couldn't even see the effect of this mascara on it (I had to take the photo super fast). I was really disappointed, I really thought they would hold a curl. I had the same experience with the Bad Girl Lash Mascara sample which is also by Benefit and that didn't hold my curl either (gave a nice fluttery effect but again was flat). I'm starting to think that it's because my lashes are thin and that's why these mascaras aren't working but The Falsies by Maybelline has never failed me. When I tried this on my eyelashes when it wasn't pre-curled then I did find that it did curl them a little and it did stay up too, so perhaps this is what everyone is talking about? For me, I think I will use this on days when I want to spent less than a minute doing my eyes, but I will definitely not use this for days when I feel like playing up my eyes because it doesn't perform in the way that I want.

Without pre-curling

With pre-curling

I feel like you would like this if you want length and no clumps but have naturally thicker eyelashes that this product will enhance, but for puny eyelash people like me, this is not worth it at all. I found that this lasted all day and didn't smudge on me, but most mascara's don't tend to smudge on me anyway. Also I think that if you are a fan of Benefit's mascara (which so far I am not) then this may be one to try :) It comes out on the 12th February 2015.
I hope you enjoyed this review, I would like to know what your favourite mascara is? :)

Thanks for reading,
Anjna

Review: BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint

Hey guys!

So I love nail polishes to the point where I am constantly buying them so today I thought I would share a recent purchase of mine which is the  BarryM Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in the colour Blackberry (£3.99/10ml). 

I've been on the lookout for a dark blue which is not so dark that it looks black but dark enough that it looks evening appropriate and I think I have found the perfect shade. I don't think the name 'Blackberry' does it any justice either - It's like a royal blue which would suit any skin-tone. 

I was impressed by the drying time, I applied 2 thin layers of polish and it dried within the hour (and I mean properly dried). What I did notice was that the first coat wasn't so great but the second coat added that lovely gel-like shine and consistency which was great! You could get the desired effect from just one coat but then that would mean that the thick product would be harder to dry (and easier to mess up!) and so I wouldn't recommend doing that -two thin coats is the way to get the best end result and drying time. The longevity of this polish is standard, it chips around the three or four day mark which, for me, isn't bad but it's not the best either. I love how BarryM always have promotions on their products, it's so hard to resist! The price of this product is great for what you get.

In general I just think that the BarryM polishes are reliable, I have never actually experienced a bad polish from them and I adore their colour selection. If you are looking for a lovely royal blue then look no further.

I hope you enjoyed this review. What is your go-to nail colour? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading, 

Anjna x