It's Harri

Unicorn Blood smells like... Root Beer?

noreply@blogger.com (Harriet Yelnats) — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 12:13:00 +0000

It’s a fact, I’ll have you know. It’s also a fact that I fucking love Jeffree Star’s velour liquid lipsticks and I was even recently compared to a walking advertisement considering I wear a lipstick from the range on a daily basis. In my current collection I own Weirdo, Redrum, Androgyny and Unicorn Blood which y’know, is gonna be the basis of this review.

THE OVERVIEW

I think what I love the most about liquid lipsticks is that you DON’T have to wear a lip liner. Trust me. I can’t use them anyway but you really don’t need one because this colour is gonna be staying on you all damn day and you won’t have to worry about any of it bleeding out or smudging either.

For starters, the colour is a deep burgundy; as Autumn (or Fall, ‘cause leaf fall down) approaches, it’s the perfect shade for those cosy mauve/burgundy looks that are all the rage and you can create so many gorgeous every day and night looks with it. It’s been my go-to colour recently because you can really pair it with absolutely anything and you’ll be looking flawless.

An Autumn/Fall everyday look ft. Morphe 35K palette.

THE REVIEW

I will always adore the packaging of these lipsticks. A cute little pink box and inside, a bullet-shaped lippie that shows you just how much product you’ve got that’s gonna be lasting you for a while– trust me.

And now comes the smell. The glorious, glorious smell that makes you want to eat it. Except, don’t eat it because that would be a waste (although I swear, it tastes like root beer too). Though fragranced, it feels so smooth and gentle as you apply it to the lip and the wand is incredibly soft it’s like an angel is softly swooping over.

Incredibly pigmented, there is absolutely nothing that I can criticise with regards to the colour. It is the absolute bomb. Even just the one coat can be enough, but I am really shit at doing my cupid’s bow so I always have to apply more than one to try and even it out. Sometimes, depending on how much of the product you have on the applicator, the edges can be slightly darker in colour in comparison to the middle of the lip but when it dries, it actually gives the appearance of a lip liner so it’s almost two for the price of one. Or if it’s not to your taste, just apply a really thin coat on top and it’ll blend out like a dream.

Within seconds, the product will mattify just like that and you’ll actually be in awe of the finished look. And trust me, that baby will be staying on there even if you eat, drink, or kiss someone (although no tongues because that’s just always going to be messy).

The only real problem that I sometimes get is it can dry my lips out and cause them to peel? It sounds gross and I s’pose it is, but I’m pretty sure this is just an issue that I have because I’m weird. Regardless though, even when I’ve bitten off dead skin – there is no way to write that to make it sound pleasant – it’s not hard to just pop another coat on and then voila, fixed. So really, all in all the product is pretty much anything you could want in a liquid lipstick.

Except. Maybe. Just a small matter of price.

So, for the full range of different colours then your only hope is through Jeffree’s website which – of course – is an American site. However, the lipstick itself is around £15 with shipping at an added £9. In total, for some of the colours you’re unfortunately looking at a price tag of £24 but there’s a great UK site to fulfil at least some of your needs.

Beauty Bay have only recently added some of Jeffree’s range, but they’re sure to sell out super quick so keep on checking back to see if anymore have been added. At £16 with free delivery though, you’re onto a winner and I promise you that it is worth every penny. I’ve had Weirdo and Redrum since my birthday back in May and I’m still able to use the product on the regular with no signs of them running out or drying out. For such a long lasting product, it is by far worth the extra pennies.

As an overall rating? It’s a solid 10/10 and I will probably never stop until I own everything Jeffree Star. I’m just moments from splurging on some Skin Frost.

Until then,

Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Review

noreply@blogger.com (Harriet Yelnats) — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 17:21:00 +0000

Cleanse & Polish ft the muslin.

My mum loves QVC. No, wait, she has an obsession with QVC.

On an almost weekly basis, we’ll get parcels with their purple label on it and usually it’s a load of crap that doesn’t interest me. Except recently, when my mum approached me as I was using my go-to makeup wipes to rid all that eyeliner stuck to my face. “Give this a go,” she said, and handed me a tube of Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish along with what looked like a cheap little rag which I was then informed was a special muslin after I turned my nose up at it. “Rub the lotion into your face and eyes, then wash it off with the muslin soaked in hot water.” And so I did, and bloody hell did I get a shock.

I didn’t think my face could be that grim. I mean, I know sometimes I get stubborn mascara (but I tend to pick it off when I’m bored) and the sides of my eyes actually appear to be stained a little black from all the eyeliner, but surely a makeup wipe can get rid of it all after a few good scrubs? Wrong. So, so wrong.

The makeup before I cleansed.

THE PROCESS

After I was pretty happy and certain that all my makeup had come off from the wipe alone, I decided to rub the cleanser into my face (making sure it was dry), focusing on my eyes and upon opening them I was in complete horror as I looked like a bloody panda. My first thought was, “The fuck has all this shit come from?” and the second was, “How old is this makeup and dirt?” Either way, it was pretty nasty.

The first thing you’ll notice is the strong smell that resembles Vicks vapour rub. Luckily for me, I actually enjoy the smell but what I didn’t enjoy was a slight cold burning, tingly sensation that happened after a few applications to get rid of all the black pooling under my lower lids. A quick rinse however, and the feeling soon subsided so it’s definitely worth the minimal pain you might endure – but it’s probably just me being a sensitive wimp.

It’s recommended that the muslin cloth you use is the Liz Earle branded one, which makes sense because why sell a product without something else on the side to buy? Anyhow, it’s supposed to be used under hand-hot water and has a slight scratchy feel to it which aids the exfoliation process and really gives your skin a good ol’ scrub.

So there I am, looking in the mirror with black all over my face and one wipe of the cloth gave a perfectly clean streak. Literally. There was no smudged marks, just a clear line in between the black which is so impressive considering even the best makeup wipes’ll smudge products all over your face before truly getting rid of them. Within a minute, I’d scrubbed off all the black from the first use of lotion and my face had never looked cleaner.

After using the product. Slightly red cheeks!

LOOK AT ALL THIS SHIT THAT CAME OFF!

THE REVIEW

Have you ever thought you’ve taken off all your makeup only to step into the shower and come out with two black eyes? Yeah, we all have. This product stops that, honestly.

It’s so quick and easy to use; within minutes you’ll have stripped even the most stubborn makeup (cough, lookin’ at you brow pomade) from your face and you’ll feel so damn fresh. Immediately you’ll be able to feel a difference; your skin is smoother and clearer from the get-go so say goodbye to going to bed and waking up with your eyelids stuck together. Just me? Alrighty, then.

Of course, a product this good comes at a price. For an 100ml starter kit (basically the cleanser and a muslin cloth) it’s a hefty £15.50 from Liz Earle’s website. Yet, when you consider that you only need a small squirt of lotion to cleanse, it’s so worth it because this could easily last over a month, if not longer. Plus, the product is an exfoliator, cleanser, toner and moisturiser all in one so just one bottle of this can wipe out several bottles of other products from hogging up your shelf.

The muslin cloth does need to be washed frequently (after every 3 uses) which can become a bit of a hassle, so if you’re a student in halls that has to pay to use a washing machine I would stock up on a few to tide you over otherwise get used to sticking a frequent wash on.

The Cleanse & Polish is cruelty free and suitable for vegans, with no animal extracts used. The majority of its ingredients are naturally active and it’s suitable for all skin-types which is a huge plus. Even if your skin is sensitive, whilst it may be off-putting to use a rough cloth, it’s not about to scrape your entire face off and instead will leave you with a nice little glow.

All-in-all, considering I’ve never been one to routinely cleanse my face (I’m gross, I know), I’ve got to say that this product has completely changed my mind and whilst I’m lucky that my mum bought me this first bottle, I won’t hesitate to keep on replenishing it.

Liz Earle, you get a solid 9/10 from me!

I hope this review has been helpful, leave your comments and thoughts below!

E.l.f Cosmetics Haul ft the 'Mystery Bag'

noreply@blogger.com (Harriet Yelnats) — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 13:47:00 +0000

Back in April, my family and me took a three-week trip to the States for the first time like, ever. Well, not for my mum seeing as she was born there, but the first time that I’d ever been anyway. Whilst over there, amongst standing in complete awe over the Grand Canyon and Yosemite Falls, I was also in awe of how cheap the makeup was in places like Target and Walmart. Like, what the actual shit? And this, my friends, is where I first fell in love with e.l.f.

It amazed me that you could buy brushes for a single dollar – a dollar. And for me, I’d always be comparing it to the British pound. “But that’s like, what, 70p? Fucking bargain!” Was a phrase I probably overused every time I was standing in the makeup aisle. Anyway, blah blah blah long story short I bought some shit and I liked the shit so now I ordered some more shit.

THE ORDER

There was a pretty sweet deal on the UK site which was if you spent a tenner, you’d get a free ‘mystery bag’ worth £19.50 (very specific, I s’pose they can’t spare that extra 50p). I’d wanted the SHIMMER PALETTE for a long time anyway, so figured I might as well add a couple more bits to bring the price up. I decided to go for the SMUDGE BRUSH and the HD MATTIFYING BALM.

Shipping was £2.95 but it was only after I pressed order did I think to check where it was actually being shipped from. Obviously, the bloody States.

Whilst it’s amazing that their shipping is so cheap, it’s not so amazing when it takes a week until the package is shipped and then another two weeks to be delivered to your door. I’M DYING OVER HERE, C’MON NOW.

THE PRODUCTS

So along with the three things I actually bought, in my ‘mystery bag’ I received:

- KABUKI BRUSH (£12)

- E.L.F FLAWLESS EYESHADOW (£3)

- SHIMMER LIP GLOSS (£2?)

- BLUSH W/ BRUSH (£3)

- ANGLED CONTOUR BRUSH (£4.50)

- TRAVEL MIRROR (£1?)

Six free products ain’t that bad, especially when the total comes to around £25.50 like damn, you be treatin’ me good, e.l.f.

THE REVIEWS

HD Mattifying Balm (6/10)

I guess this is like a primer, and it comes with a handy little mirror and a sponge in a hidden compartment that I discovered after I’d stabbed my finger into the balm. The hidden compartment makes you realise that there’s not as much of the balm as you originally think and when you do choose to use the sponge, it’ll pick up about an inch of the bloody product. As for the finish, it definitely gives you a matte look but I’d only use this under makeup rather than on top to soak up excess oil because I literally just wiped some over and half my makeup came off onto the sponge and it left a weird, grey gooey residue and exposed my gloriously red cheeks. It’s alright but nothing to rave about and I wouldn’t buy it again.

HD Mattifying Balm and Blush with Brush in Glow

Blush with Brush – Glow (8/10)

I actually already own this product, I bought it out in the States in the pink shade and it’s super cute and handy because it adds a little bit of sparkle and glitter to your life. Glow is a more champagne/bronze colour which unfortunately doesn’t seem to suit my skin tone, however the glitter is still really prominent and the mini brush is super soft and proper easy to use so this is just a massive yes.

Shimmer Lip Gloss in Inspire

Shimmer Lip Gloss – Inspire (5/10)

I fucking hate lip gloss. Like, a lot. Almost as much as I hate people who eat loudly. I will never understand the point of wanting sticky lips and considering I applied the gloss two hours ago – just to try it out – it’s still fucking sticky. Is this a good thing? Do people enjoy this feeling? As for the colour, it’s not all too poppin’ but there’s a slight tint so I s’pose would look nice with a natural getup if gloss is your thing. 10/10 for how damn good it smells though.

Pigments of the Shimmer Palette

Shimmer Palette (3/10)

I was so excited for this. So. Excited. I’ve become a highlighting fiend and the moment I saw the palette and the different shades I just wanted it and so I bought it and then it arrived and I swatched it and hot damn look how pigmented it is! But, alas, this is where the happiness ends because the rest is simply sadness. I applied it to my cheeks and it just stuck looking like a mess, it refused to blend out properly no matter what I used and made me look so oily afterwards. I want to cry a little bit inside. Let’s move on so it doesn’t hurt as much.

Shimmer Palette, Ultimate Kabuki Brush and Travel Mirror

Kabuki Brush (8/10) & Travel Mirror (8/10)

Before now, I’d always seen a kabuki brush and thought, ‘What the actual fuck?’ I’ve never been interested in purchasing one and I certainly wouldn’t spent over a tenner on one. For starters, it’s absolutely massive and it feels like you’re lifting up a small child but I swear, the moment those bristles touch your face it’s like being caressed by an angel. I spent a good five minutes just stroking my face with it and enjoying the feel, rather than using it to actually apply a product. When I eventually got around to using it, it’s pretty good for blending out your contour because of the shape of it and the dense bristles create a pretty smooth and even finish, which is top notch. Still prefer it as a comforting method.

The travel mirror is legit just a little mirror. But it’s cute and I’ll probably chuck it in my bag from now on because you never know when you need a tiny mirror in your life.

Flawless Eyeshadow Palette, Angled Contour Brush and Smudge Brush

Flawless Eyeshadow (7/10), Angled Contour Brush (4/10) & Smudge Brush (2/10)

I’d tell you the colour of the flawless eyeshadow palette but it doesn’t seem to exist on the store anymore, so I’m just gonna go with ‘Pretty Purple’ because it is pretty purple. I think it’s adorable that each shade has an instruction to tell you where to apply it, and for a makeup beginner it definitely eases you into the whole blending/smokey eye thing that’s all the rage. As for the little stupid applicator it comes with, just throw it away because it’s so shit it’s not even worth commenting on. The pigments of the shadows aren’t that great but I gave them a crack anyhow and once applied with a considerable amount, they’re really not that bad and especially for the price it’s completely worth it.

Pigments of the Flawless Eyeshadow Palette

I used the angled contour brush to apply the base, lid and crease colours. I found it was easy to apply the base and lid but the contour brush was pretty poor at applying the crease colour and refused to blend out like I wanted it to. I made an attempt with the smudge brush to make it budge but nah, it was pretty stubborn even when I applied more product. The smudge brush itself was pretty useless and did a rubbish job at applying the darker shadow to my lower lash line and in the end, to create a smokey eye effect I ended up dipping into my Morphe brushes and using the M330 and M156 to really blend everything out and make it look somewhat appealing. (I also cheated and used the white shade of my Morphe 35K to highlight my brow bone and inner corner because the base shade is a little sad on its own).

OVERALL

Don’t bother with the brushes (except the kabuki), the shimmer palette will break your heart and cheap eyeshadows are surprisingly good quality. 3 weeks was a long time to wait but I’m actually pretty happy with everything because hey, I paid a tenner and got over £30’s worth of shit that I probably will use more often than not. Except the lip gloss. I will never use that lip gloss.

I’d say give e.l.f a go because if you have the right tools, you can actually utilise it to its best potential and will save you a few quid in the long run. Plus, with deals like that, it’s hard to not be excited over the surprise of what you’re gonna get.

Social Media is a Trap.

noreply@blogger.com (Harriet Yelnats) — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 23:31:00 +0000

*warning, this is a very long, ranty post that originally started out as a thank you note to someone for bringing attention to this subject but transformed into a jumbled mess of angry words and honest feelings that i figured i'd share. i need to go to sleep*

Social media is a trap.
On the outside it looks glorious with its shiny features that can connect you with thousands of users globally, but beneath it all there’s a haunting truth that is slowly tarnishing the adolescences of so many young people within this generation of technology.

A report has been circling today (or yesterday, now): “The Good Childhood Report 2016”
It states that 1 in 7 young females are unhappy with their lives. 1 in 3 of them are unhappy with their appearance. This number has dramatically increased over the years and I’m certain that social media plays a huge role in this devastating outcome.

Why do I think this? Because it almost ruined my fucking teenage years.

From the age of thirteen, I grew more active online. The days of sending nudges over MSN was slowly dwindling whilst Facebook was growing larger and larger by the second. Tumblr grew popular, Twitter was making the rounds, and Instagram was just around the corner to expose the celebrity lifestyle and give us “average” people a glimpse into the unattainable.

Nowadays, it’s the likes of the Kardashians posting their arses everywhere and clothing brands posting gross comments on how dieting is cute (not mentioning any names lol jk Urban Outfitters). It’s all about money and fashion; who’s wearing the latest designer gear and who’s got the most expensive make-up? You’ve got Kylie Jenner transforming from a timid little girl into this sexualised being with plastic surgery and raunchy outfits. She’s only just turned 19, for Christ’s sake. She’s just reached the end of her adolescence yet she’s splashing cash on “fixing” parts of her body that aren’t broken. Whilst she’s able to afford this shit, now you’ve got thousands of teenage girls in a similar age bracket that see how she went from thin-lipped to a pout princess and now she’s getting all of the attention. Does that mean our teenage girls of today must have plump lips, big breasts and a perfectly chiselled out face to draw any attention to themselves? It’s fucking upsetting, but even more so that it’s growing increasingly worse as the years continue.

Really, we should all be ignoring those celebrity photographs. The ones where they’re posing in front of a private jet or holding onto the arm of a bloke with more abs than brain cells (probs harsh, not sorry). However, it’s easy to forget that for the most part it’s fabricated. A photograph doesn’t capture the entire image, just a small section of it. We’re never going to see what they really see, and it’s all just fucking pretend anyway. But try telling that to an impressionable young teenager who idolises these mannequins.

I spent 8 years comparing myself to this idea of the “perfect” woman; she was skinny and tanned, her tits were perky and her hair was long, thick and wavy. That was what I wanted to look like, anyway. “Maybe then boys would like me.” Honestly, I really thought that to myself and now I just find it laughable that I would ever change any part of my appearance to make a bloke take interest. But anyway, reverting back to my story. This “perfect” non-existent framework I created slowly grew into an obsession. I was too overweight, I was too ugly. What could I do to change this? And I did a terrible thing at a terribly young age: I begun to starve myself. I was fourteen years old and I was fixated on calorie counting and avoiding meals. I wouldn’t eat in front of others and I’d make up excuses to my parents or leave the house to go out with my friends just so I wouldn’t have to pull up a chair at the dining table. Within a couple of months, I lost an unhealthy amount of weight but the saddest part was that I didn’t even notice. I still saw the same girl looking back at me. And when you think that you’ve tried so hard to not achieve any results, your inner demons begin to destroy you bit by bit. That was the start of this cruel cycle of self-loathing that only very recently have I begun to come out of – but even now, to this day I still have little eating habits that developed from that time of my life.

This unhealthy amount of pressure on women by social media just needs to stop. We automatically compare ourselves to others - whether it’s in a positive or a negative light - and when you’re constantly exposed to the lifestyles of the rich and the famous (thanks, Good Charlotte) on Twitter or Instagram, especially for impressionable adolescents it’s so easy to get sucked into a world that just isn’t your own. I suppose that’s an innate feature of a human, though. But there should be more outlets to remind our teenagers of reality. The world where the amount of followers you have means nothing at all. Why are we ignoring the kind comments of our closest friends and our loving families, is it because we’re scraping for “likes” on a selfie? It’s destroying the only true relationships that matter.

It’s about time we remind our girls that the UK’s average dress size is around the 14-16 mark. Let’s stop calling models of our national average ‘plus-size’ and instead focus on promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle, regardless of the number sewn into a piece of clothing. We need to be telling our girls that they are beautiful; their imperfections are what make them so special and that there is no fucking framework of this perfect girl and to never let a boy determine how you portray and perceive yourself. Wear what you like. Eat what you want. And please, stick your fucking middle finger up to anybody that tells you otherwise.

I have never once felt beautiful and I blame it on social media. It’s something I’m working on though, and this is where this post - as probably confusing and incoherent as it may be - relates back to the reason why I decided to begin this blog in the first place. I’m far from Kylie Jenner and I know that. I’m also never going to be posting £100’s worth of makeup in a single photo and boasting about all the products that the average girl will never be able to afford. I’m sick and tired of these blogs that try to reach out to the average person, yet they’re constantly flaunting their expensive gear. Like, just fucking do one. As for me? I’m literally just a poor student that enjoys trying to make herself feel good, and that’s all I really want from this all, to make someone else feel good too. I’ll be pretty damn pleased with myself for that.

But anyway. It’s almost half midnight and I feel like I’m no longer making sense. It’s like a mix of anger and passion has just poured itself out of me and they’re merging into a hot mess; that sounds like a pretty decent sign to shut up.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll make more sense of this.

But, until then,

And so it begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Harriet Yelnats) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 19:34:00 +0000

I’ve never been much of a "girly girl” (the fact this term still exists makes me want to crawl into a hole, throw up and then die), in fact, it’s only been within the past couple of years that I’ve truly sparked an interest in all things makeup and beauty.

I s’pose being in university has taught me many things like:

Living with a hair and makeup degree student will make you jealous of how constantly ‘fleeky’ they are
You'll start using the word 'fleek' as a joke to take the piss but eventually it'll become part of your daily vocab
Eyebrows really are the most important asset and yours will never be up to scratch no matter how hard you try
People will assume that because you like alternative music you must hate fashion and beauty
Going out every night becomes such a chore and you’ll forever feel like a slob for recycling outfits and having the same makeup every single time

No but legit, emphasising on that last point, since I was thirteen I’ve forever had the same routine. Foundation (in the palest shade, but even then I’ll always come out orange), matte pressed powder, heavy winged eyeliner and mascara. That’s it.

Whilst I’m still proud that I’m the supposed ‘Queen of Eyeliner’ (I definitely gave myself that nickname and I don’t even care), nobody ever appears ‘wowed' unless they’ve watched me do it with a single swoop, especially after I’ve knocked back half a bottle of Sainsbury's own-brand vodka.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as if I want to impress other people, instead I actually want to prove to myself that I can branch out away from this winged routine that’s had me clutched in its talons for eight years. EIGHT. YEARS.

I’ve never been confident with my appearance, and only very recently have I been feeling more fab with the way that I look because at the end of the day, this is the only face I got so I might as well embrace it.

All in all, this blog is gonna feature reviews of different products, rants about beauty standards and things the media tells you not to do but how you should do it anyway, and little lifestyle posts and advice for anyone who’s just starting out like I am. I won't be biased, I won't make shit up because I want freebies (although I do want freebies so holla at yo girl) and I'm not about to censor myself for the sake of appealing to a wider audience. If a product is wank, I'm gonna tell you it's wank (with possibly a gazillion other swear words that I see fit).

In the next week or so, expect to see the products I use for my every day face routine, my favourite lipsticks (p much all Jeffree Star) and hopefully my fucking e.l.f order will finally arrive so I can go through my haul as it's filled with random shit in a mystery bag that could be the dog's bollocks but it could be a load of codswallop. HOW EXCITING.

But y'know, until then,