September Favourites!

Hey :) 

So I can't believe it's the end of September, it's crazy how quickly time is flying! I wanted to share my September favourites in this post and although I haven't got a lot - everything I do show are things that I have been using for practically the entire month.  So let's get this show on the road :) 

Real Techniques Blush Brush (£9.99)

I love this brush - it's so soft and just so nice to use but for the past month I have been using this specific brush to powder my face rather than use it for its intended purpose, I did this because this brush doesn't pick up too much of the product (which is ideal because it's very easy to get carried away with blush). So this is the perfect powder brush for touching up or just setting make-up in my opinion. If you have this brush I would urge you to try it as a powder brush because it works! If you are looking for a light coverage powder brush then I would recommend this. 

Lancôme Paris Le Crayon Khol in 02 Brun (£16.50/1.8g)

In the past year I have been getting into brown eyeliner - I used to use one from Rimmel London and since I got into the habit of using it, I thought I should purchase a high end one. This one from Lancôme doesn't disappoint at all - it's pigmented, creamy and long lasting and just everything a eyeliner should be. The amount of product they give is also amazing too especially compared to a standard eyeliner. If you are on the hunt for a good matte brown pencil eyeliner then this one is the one for you :) 

Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 06 Golden Brown(€6.90)

My go-to eyeshadow is 'Smog' from the Naked 1 palette and I feel like this is the creamy stick version of it. I love this so much because it's just hassle-free, if you don't have time in the mornings this is perfect, just colour your eyelids in and you are good to go. It stays on so well - I hardly experience creasing and lets just say my eyelids crease like crazy. I just wish this brand was more accessible (they have a shop in London, but I got mine from Milan) I know everyone would love this. It's just amazing  - I want everyone to buy it.

Shaka Nail Polish in 'Petra' (€1.99/ 5ml)

I bought this nail polish in Milan because it just looked so pretty and it was cheap so I thought why not? If you ever see these then I urge you to buy them, they are such a nice formula, they stay on quite well too and I have no complaints with this polish - the price is just amazing. I love this colour because it's a nice transitional shade between summer and autumn as it is a lovely pinky orange shade with gold flecks and I think it will suit a lot of skin types. 

Essence Gel Eye Pencil Waterproof in 05 Gunmetal (£2.30/0.57g)

I have this thing where if I haven't tried something before then I would buy it cheap and if I like how it looks then I would buy a more expensive version of it. I did this with brown eyeliner and now I am testing out grey eyeliner and I actually like this method because I get to try some good cheap products and some good high end ones too. I love this eyeliner - it lasts so well and it's only £2.30 (I bought this one in Milan but they sell it in Wilkinson). It's a twist up eyeliner too so it's easy to travel with and I have nothing bad to say about it. I use this to line my upper eyelids and I love that it is not as harsh as black - it makes it more wearable in my opinion, it has some glitter in it too but I have never noticed it unless it's swatched on my hand. I haven't tried this in the waterline yet so I'm not sure how waterproof it is, but it is a nice eyeliner. Also notice the amount they give you compared to the Lancôme one. 

Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay Gel Nail Colour (£4.49/10ml)

I rave about this nail polish way too much. I have a full review which you can read about here, I have worn this polish for about half of the month. It's just everything I need in a polish. Go and try it out if you haven't already :)

Top to Bottom: Kiko, Essence and Lancôme

So that sums up my September Favourites :) What have you been enjoying this month? Remember to subscribe and be sure to leave me a comment :) 

Thanks so much for reading, 

Anjna xx

Review: Maybelline Great Lash

Hey :)

So I bought the Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Very Black (£4.99/12.5ml) because I have been hearing things online about how this is an old classic favourite and I needed a new mascara since mine is on the verge of drying up (you never know when it will fully run out until it does!). I have been trying this mascara for more than a month now so I thought it would be a good time to do this review.

I don't like it at all - it's not even a good standard mascara in my opinion - I sound really harsh but with mascara I think it's important to hit all the boxes and this only hits one or two. I'll break down my points...

Good points:

- Length - This actually does do what it says on the packaging it does lengthen your lashes a lot and can be applied multiple times.

- Natural - I feel like when you apply this you actually look like you haven't put anything on - your lashes look natural (in a good way) and lengthened with literally no clumps which is amazing.

Bad points:

- The Wand - This wand actually looks like an extended version of Benefits Gimme Brow (beauty addicts you know what I am talking about) - it is so small! For me it makes putting on mascara more of a chore as you have to physically get it in every nook and cranny of your lashes. 

-Curling - I have to curl my eyelashes before applying mascara because my lashes are completely horizontal (it sucks) - this mascara somehow manages to drag down my eyelashes so you can't even see them any more. I have no idea why this happens because it's such a lightweight formula. Also, if I put this on with no curling done beforehand then there is no point in me putting it on since you still can't see my new lengthened lashes. 

- Thickness - I said a good point about this mascara was that it gives a natural finish, but my eyelashes are quite thin and so I like it when mascara's thicken your lashes because it really brings definition to your face and eyes.

-Blackness- My eyelashes and eyebrows are actually a faded black colour (I always say that they are a greyish black). This mascara doesn't actually make my lashes a jet black colour (again going with the natural look), but for me I need my lashes to be black because I want that definition. I don't know if that is just me though. 

Since I don't really like this mascara I use it after my other mascaras - so today I applied Revlon's Lash potion (which thickens, blackens and holds a curl) first and then added this mascara on the top to just lengthen my lashes even more. I find that this - for me - is the best way of using this product since I don't like it by itself.

I've realised that the things I need most in a mascara is to hold a curl - since my biggest problem is that my eyelashes are flat. Revlon Lash Potion and Maybelline The Falsies would be the one's I have tried and tested and do that job well if you are looking for recommendations from me. The Falsies is a more natural version of Revlon Lash potion - it isn't a jet black thick formula but does everything else amazingly. 

I hope you have enjoyed this review :) comment below if you have tried this mascara and tell me what you thought of it - I would love to hear differing views, I hate that I didn't like it - it makes me sound depressing and hard to please. Also if you know of another mascara that you think I would like then please tell me! :)

Thank you for reading, 

Anjna x

Review: Drugstore Cleansing Oils

Hi everyone!

So I have already shared on here what my all time favourite cleanser is (read here),  but a few months ago I got really curious about cleansing oils and all the hype around them. My skin type is oily and so the thought of putting oil on my face seemed kinda nasty at first but I have fallen in love with the whole concept. Today I will be reviewing two drug-store cleansing oils :) for people who want to give it a go but don't want to splash out.

The Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil (£10/200ml)

The Body Shop always has offers on and that's why I am including this as 'drugstore'. This is amazing, the first thing to note is that the word 'Silky' is perfect for describing this product, for me it doesn't feel nasty like what I thought oil would be like, it glides on the skin and feels so good massaging it into your skin. This is quite a thick formula, which I like because you don't have to use as much and it you can actually feel like you massaging a product onto your face instead of something which disappears quickly. I use around 2 pumps, since I like to use more rather than less and my make-up just washes off. I like to put this on a dry face with dry hands and massage it in and then add some water since the formula goes a bit milky and then I massage some more before washing it off. 

L'Oreal Skin Perfection Miracle Cleansing Oil (£7.99/150ml)

This is actually on offer for £3.98 at the moment which is one of the reasons my sister bought it. I have also *sneakily* used this product so that I could compare it to Camomile one and from the first use I had already made up my mind. 

This actually does work too, all my make-up comes off exactly like the Camomile one, however the formula is slightly different, this formula is thinner so I felt like I had to use a lot just to get the same consistency as the Camomile one. This really bugged me because when I massaged it into my skin it felt more like I was rubbing/tugging at my my skin than massaging. Apart from that I felt like it was actually okay. I still (obviously) prefer the Camomile one, because it's easier and more effective and a more spa like experience. But for the price it is at currently, I think it's worth a shot if you don't want to try the Camomile one :) 

I hope you give these two a try, I think they are both good kick-starters to the whole cleansing oil world :) Cleansing oils in general are awesome because it removes all your make-up with minimal effort. I would like to add that the majority of waterproof mascara does come off but I would recommend that people use a separate eye make-up remover (read here) since it would be more gentle than rubbing at your eyes. 

I hope you have enjoyed this review and comparison, let me know what you think and if you are planning on trying any of them. 
Thanks for reading, 
Anjna x

Kiko: Haul and Review

Heey everyone :)

Sooo Milan is the home of Kiko and I am not going to lie - I took more than two trips in that store over the course of 8 days, I couldn't help myself, I just had to try/swatch everything :P Firstly I want to say that I loved the store in itself, and the two customer assistants there were really helpful and one also did my eye make-up randomly which was super nice of her. I've tried everything that I have bought and I have gifted some of the products to my sister who will be giving her input in the review :)

1) Daring Game: Queen of Hearts Eye-shadow Palette (€14.90/(4x2g))

So this new collection by Kiko has already been featured by a few people over the internet and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it - they have three different palettes to choose from, I chose ' 01 Essential Brown' which features 4 amazingly pigmented shades (a gold, a reddish russet, a cream and a brown shade). I love this palette because although it only has 4 shades it's very versatile and can be worn on any occasion because the colour combination allows it to be worn daily (cream/brown combination) but also glam it up for a special occasion (gold/russet or gold/brown). The wear of these eye-shadows are good - they last all day, but for me the selling point of this palette is the unique colours and the cute packaging (which also has a mirror!). I know I am going to get a lot of wear out of this and I would recommend this for anyone who is looking for a small but essential palette :) 

2) Eyes 200 - Rounded Eye Brush (€10.90)

So despite being really into anything beauty related I don't actually own a decent blending brush like the MAC 217 or Sigma E40. It's funny how I actually know the names of these brushes but I have never bought them, so when I went into Kiko I wanted to buy a real domed blending brush to see if I would actually use it as much as I thought I would. I already own a Kiko 201 brush and a ELF crease brush which do the job of blending awesomely too.
 I need this brush in my life. Seriously. If you don't have a blending brush like this then I urge you to get one - the results that it provides cannot be done with another brush. Now I am just talking about the type of brush. This Kiko one is awesome, but I feel like it won't be long before it gets scrachy. I'll probably update you guys if it ever does. I would recommend this specific brush if you want to try it out - like I did. Knowing me, I will purchase a better quality one anyway so I wouldn't recommend it for a long term option. 

3) 30 Days Extension - Daily Treatment Mascara (€7.90/8ml)

First thing I want to say is that I bought this on offer (which is still on) for €3.90 which is brilliant. Secondly this was a gift for my sister who has tried it and says that it provides length more than anything which is good considering that it is supposed to lengthen your lashes in 30 days. She won't be doing the 30 day trial but just wants to enjoy it as a normal mascara which she can wear whenever. I think that if you are considering purchasing something from Kiko then you might as well try the mascara too because it's cheap and value for money.

4) Precision Eyebrow Pencil (€5.90/0.55g)

Again, this was a gift for my sister who finds it difficult to find a eyebrow pencil for her dark eyebrows, this one is in the shade '01 Brunettes' - which is greyish black shade and she loves it. The most amazing part about this was that when we opened the package we found that they gave a free pencil sharpener with it! I regret not buying one of these for myself because it looks awesome and easy to use - it has a comb at the end too and so the packaging and presentation of this product is seriously on point. She would recommend this for anyone else who has trouble with finding the right shade for their eyebrows - Kiko offer 4 different shades which is good. 

5) Quick Dry Nail Lacquer (€4.90/10ml)

Me being me I want to try out every nail formula that I can and Kiko has an impressive collection of colours too (this one is in offer for €3.90). I was attracted to this colour because it reminds me of a mermaid because it's a dark bluish green which is slightly metallic (hence the name 'Metallic Scarab'). True to the name this did dry quick which I loved, 2 coats is needed for the full effect of this polish which is fine considering the price :) It wears like a standard polish and so I have no complaints about this polish :) if you like a shade go and grab it :) 

6) Boule

vard Rock Eyes Brush (€12.90)

The reason I bought this is because it was on offer for €4.00, again dirt cheap so how can I resist. The brush quality of this specific brush is amazing (similar to my 201 brush) and sooo soft. It's dual ended so the idea is probably that you do gel eyeliner with the smaller brush and do a cool smoky look with the thicker brush. I gave this to my sister too (but I was secretly hoping that she didn't want it). If you want something like this then get it while it's on offer!

7) Long Lasting Stick Eye-shadow (€6.90)

I fell in love with this product as soon as I saw it, I wanted to get more into cream eye-shadows because they do last longer (which is good for me and my oily eyelids), they have an impressive range of colours too and so I was really spoilt for choice. I chose the colour '06 Golden Brown' because I can wear it on an everyday basis. I have used this already and it's exactly what I wanted it's super quick and easy to use and easy to blend if you wanted to do that too. I don't actually blend this because I want the colour to stay as it is and then I use 'Buck' or the dark brown in my Daring Game palette to blend the crease so it doesn't look like the colour just stopped. Works like a dream and I would recommend this to everyoneee - the packaging is super sleek too like a hybrid of MAC and Nars in my opinion :) 

8) Double Sharpener (€3.20)

I needed a better sharpener and this one looks so cool and... just cool, plus it's a double so I don't have to worry about buying another one :) I don't know why but I feel like I would pay more for this in England just because of how nice it looks.

Top colour: Shadow stick, Next: Eyebrow Pencil
Underneath: Daring Game Palette.
(Keep in mind my skin colour is kinda dark)

So that completes my Kiko haul :) Overall I am so impressed with the quality of Kiko products, I think it's value for money and they know how to do offers too :) I should add that the price I have said in euros equates exactly into pounds, so if you look at the Kiko website in the UK then the Daring Game Palette is £14.90. So with this in mind I still think it's worth the money, however if you are in Europe any time soon then wait and buy these even cheaper in euros.
I hope you enjoyed this post :)
Thanks for reading,
Anjna x

My Trip to Milan :)

Hey everyone!

So recently I was in Milan to visit my flatmate from university who lives in a town near there (Busto Arsizio), she is a very good friend of mine and so I wanted to see where she came from and I was honestly blown away. We went to Milan, to Stresa (where Lake Maggiore is (the second largest lake in Italy)) and to some surrounding towns too. I can honestly say that I loved every second of my trip.

Flying over the Alps

Stresa

Stresa

Stresa

Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio

Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio

Duomo di Milano

Spin around 3 times on the bull in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
for good luck.

View from the top of Duomo

Aperol Spritz

Santa Maria della Grazie

Selection of cakes and pastries from Asperti
in Lenano

Pastries from Asperti in Legnano

Busto Arsizio

Sky near the lake of Varese, the clouds looked like velvet -
although it wasn't captured well on camera, it was
an amazing sight.

Busto Arsizio

Busto Arsizio

Ice cream from Bastianello, best ice cream
everrr.

Luini Panzerotti - Best panzerotti place in Milan.

Ice cream from Cioccolati Italiani

Pizza from I Fontanili in Gallarate

Stefano, Giulia and I on near the top of Duomo.

Stefano, Giulia and I in front of Duomo.

Me and Giulia in Stresa

Me and Giulia in Stresa

Ice cream from I Fontanili in Gallarate

So I hope you enjoyed seeing Milan through my eyes! I literally loved every second of it and want to go again real soooon :)
I want to give a special mention to Giulia who invited me to stay at her house in Busto Arsizio, and to her parents who were generous enough to make me food and drive us around to see more places :) Another mention goes to Luigi and Lorenzo, who taught me a few phrases in Italian (Ciao Zio if you are reading) and were just awesome, everyone I met made my stay in Italy ten times better, thanks guys! :)
Anjna xx

Review: Sephora Formula X New Neutrals Nail Colour

Hey everyone :) 

So it feels like ages since I have done a blog post so I wanted to write one as soon as I came back from Milan and this time I have another nail polish review :) I have always been interested in the Sephora Formula X polishes since I have heard sooo much hype around it and living in England makes it difficult to shop at Sephora so you can imagine how happy I was in Milan. I got the shade 'Brain Power'. 

Obviously I had to try it as soon as I bought it and I don't get the hype. This formula is Essie standard, which is still good in my opinion but not life changingly different- maybe there would be difference if I did purchase the base and top coat but on its own it's just a standard nail polish. Here is my thoughts on each factor:

Pigmentation - This is nicely pigmented - obviously one coat is not enough as with most nail polishes but two coats is definitely all you need.

Application- This gives a nice even application, it's easy to apply - I  messed up twice but that's just me - you know when you don't want to apply too much polish so you end up not taking enough and it doesn't apply nicely? Third world girl problems right :P

Drying time - This does dry quickly, by the time you have finished with your first layer it's almost ready for your second which is good but becoming more common in polishes.

Sephora Formula X in the shade 'Brain Power'

Colour - The Formula X range is actually almost as good as Essie - so many shades to choose from which I love :) I bought this nude colour because my other nude one from BarryM was going a bit gloopy. I do love this colour though.

Lasting Power- So this is the one that I was the most disappointed with - on me it lasted for 3 days before I had to consider my options of either adding another coat or taking it all off - it wasn't drastically bad but considering that I didn't do any chores in Milan this was kinda disappointing. Also I had the Maybelline polish (post here) on  before I applied this which raised my expectations even more.

Price- I think the price is expensive compared to what you get, this retails for €12.90/12ml which is around £10.27 (according to Google right now) and the price of an Essie polish is £7.99 sooo you should just buy an Essie in my opinion. I just looked at the American price and they charge $10.50 which is decent (around £6.47), so I should have bought it in America instead. 

I'm gutted that this didn't live up to the expectation that I had hoped for - I still do really like this polish but I wouldn't urge you to buy this particular one because there isn't anything special about it - if you like a specific colour from the range then I think that's a good reason to buy it but apart from that it doesn't offer anything I couldn't get from elsewhere. 

I hoped you guys enjoyed my thoughts of this product - tell me if you have a different opinion :) 

Thanks for reading, 

Anjna xx