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Poor driving standards in the U.K.

I was driving home from work today and there was yet another accident. It really made me reflect on how poor the standard of driving is in my local area.

I live in a rural area, there isn’t a huge volume of traffic, there aren’t any complex roundabouts with numerous lanes and traffic lights. In fact, I am not even sure there is a dual carriageway in my county.

My commute to work is a simple route that should be relatively hassle free. I am consistently left in awe by the amount of accidents, near misses and lack of knowledge on the Highway Code there is.

Locally, nobody ever indicates at a roundabout and it’s a guessing game if they are even in the correct lane. If they are not they will not give any kind of indication. They will however proceed to cut you up instead of going around the roundabout again. At mini roundabouts the concept of ‘give way to the right’ doesn’t exist. I have lost count of the amount of time I have had to jam on my brakes half way round a roundabout due to someone not giving way when they should.

Then you have the people who will drive 35mph in a 60mph zone choosing to ignore the huge buildup of traffic they have caused behind them. Clearly, unaware that this is as illegal as speeding is.

Narrow country roads present its own challenges. Poor spatial awareness means that people will try and squeeze through a gap that can in no way fit 2 cars though. These people are also the ones who refuse to reverse or drive straight past a pull in point.

Living in an area such as this that is also very popular with tourists presents further challenges during the tourist season. Illegal parking to the point of causing gridlocks is rife. Tourists often drive around the one way system the wrong way. Country lanes, well I’m on edge all summer praying I don’t meet anybody.

One stretch of road had so many accidents due to people pulling out when they shouldn’t they had to install traffic lights due to 3 people dying in so many years. There have been accidents on this road in-spite of the traffic lights. All of them have been a similar scenario, someone pulling out when they shouldn’t or somebody not concentrating, failing to notice the car in front braking and then….smack.

I recently, went to London and whilst the level of traffic and close calls had me on the edge of my coach seat there is one thing I noticed. The drivers of London seemed to have a level of concentration that is missing in my area. People indicate if they need to change lanes and drivers seem to be constantly away some may need to cut in quickly. If you put half of the drivers in my area in London it would be a multiple car pile up.

Who knew such a simple, quiet area could be so dangerous to drive around?

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My smartwatch/fitness tracker experience.

I have tried so many fitness trackers over the years I thought I would do a little summary of my experience with them.

Fitbit.

I have owned many Fitbits over the years of various models and I always took out product replacement at the time of purchase. Every single time I needed to activate the product replacement. One Fitbit just died, it literally turned off and never came back on. All of the others were perfectly fine for the first 6 or so months and they gradually get more inaccurate. I remember one particular gym session it said my heart rate had dropped to 30bpm. This issue happened with them all and they all got replaced. Fitbit has now been discontinued and is now the Pixel Watch which of course only works well with Pixel phones and I personally don’t like the design.

Garmin.

Garmin is probably the brand I would recommend for Android users and serious runners. Garmin is better than Fitbit. I had the Vivomove HR. I liked it as it looked more like a watch. However, I didn’t like the way notifications and tracking worked on it. Also, the Garmin connect app is terrible. I really dislike it. Garmin is pretty accurate and their watches are designed to work with all phones although there have been some known connectivity issues in some cases. It’s been sitting in my jewellery box for a long time. I dug it out and it wouldn’t work anymore.

Samsung Galaxy Smartwatch

It had some really cool features but the battery on it was so bad. It struggled to make it through the day and the battery deteriorated to the point it needed charging every few hours just over 12 months. The battery situation made it almost unusable. There are other Samsung trackers available but these have had a lot of criticism for connectivity and accuracy.

Honor

Inaccurate that’s all I have to say.

HUAWEI

I have reviewed HUAWEI separately. In a nutshell, they are nice devices but come with a lot of connectivity and integration issues and also have some features missing if you’re in the UK/US also the HUAWEI health app isn’t on the Play Store.

Apple Watch 10.

I splurged and whilst I am yet to be convinced it’s worth the price tag it is a great smartwatch. The apps are amazing, the integration is second to none and the connectivity is fantastic. The screen is very bright and clear. You have total control over your apps and it has the best notification integration I have ever seen. I was torn between this and the SE but the SE lacked features I wanted. I like how you can get maps on it. I like the health app and how that integrates with everything. It just is the watch to have if you’re an iPhone user. The battery whilst it doesn’t last the 7-10 days some of the brands listed above does. It isn’t as bad I expected. The battery easily lasts a full day and the fast charging does mean it can be fully charged in an hour before I head to work. As I write this, my watch is on 80% battery and has been off charge for 8 hours. I could probably get through 2 days but I charge it daily anyway.

The Apple Watch is the best experience of a smartwatch I had ever had but I do struggle with the price.

Having said that nothing else worked that well with my iPhone.

I would recommend The Apple Watch for iPhone users and Garmin for Android.

I do genuinely believe all brands set their phones up in a way that means for the best experience you need to buy the same branded products. Apple do have that integration nailed though and I think that’s something that is underestimated and for me gives Apple the edge over Android.

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HUAWEI Watch Fit 3 - an Apple alternative?

I wanted to write a long term review about the HUAWEI Watch Fit 3. I have been using this device for 8 months and prior to that I had a Hauwei Band 9.

Both HUAWEI fitness trackers I have owned have had connectivity issues. But before I get onto that I will start with the positives.

HUAWEI fitness trackers are known for their accuracy. The devices do have fantastic longevity and heart rate accuracy that is comparable to wearing a chest strap.

There have been some mixed reviews on sleep tracking and it seems that this is potentially where the HUAWEI trackers fall short. I can’t say I have monitored the accuracy of this too closely.

Regarding calorie counting is there really an accurate measure? Every device has its variations my treadmill does provide a lower figure than the fitness tracker. Others have mentioned that it under calculates steps and calories but my steps have been very accurate.

It has a comprehensive amount of workouts, it has great accuracy and the battery is out of this world. You can get anywhere between 7-10 days out of it and it charges very quickly.

It does lack some features such as Apple Pay or Google Pay and is more of a fitness tracker with basic smartwatch features.

As it is HUAWEI accessories and replacements straps are not readily available.

The HUAWEI health app is easy to use and very comprehensive. However, it is not available on the Google Play store. It is available on the Apple App Store, Samsungs own App Store same with Xiaomi and Honor.

This is an issue for Pixel users as the Play store is the only App Store available on Pixel. There are work arounds to get the app on Pixel but it often fails to connect and if it does connect the app doesn’t sync well.

I was able to download HUAWEI health from the Samsung App Store. It was easy enough to set up but I did have to reach out to HUAWEI as the watch didn’t automatically reconnect to the phone and it kept disconnecting.

I had the best experience using it with my Honor phone which ironically were owned by HUAWEI. The integration was very good.

I am now using it with an iPhone. Despite the fact the app is available in the App Store I have noticed some restrictions using it with iOS. Firstly, I am unable to individually select which apps I want to receive notifications on my watch from. It’s all or nothing which is frustrating as I don’t need my wrist buzzing with news headlines.

You are unable to download any additional apps but even when you can do this your options are limited anyway.

90% of the time you are unable to control music from the watch and the stats don’t integrate with Apples own fitness apps.

You also have to leave the HUAWEI health app open or you won’t receive notifications or alerts and the watch can disconnect.

If you get an alert on the app about your sleep or exercise etc this does interfere with notifications again and you have to open the app sync it and then it works.

I have never owned an Apple Watch so I can’t compare. However, if you are an iPhone user I would suggest that the Apple Watch will have better integration and better features.

I would avoid this watch if you are a Pixel user.

There is an argument that Apple trap you into an ecosystem but Google and Samsung all have their own smartwatches and ear buds etc that are all designed to work seamlessly together. For the best experience all your devices should be the same brand regardless of what that brand is.

I do like the HUAWEI Watch Fit 3 but not I am an iPhone user with no intention of switching back to Android I will be saving up for an Apple Watch.

Downside of Apple Watches? Battery life, price and not compatible with Android.

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The great Android vs Apple debate.

For years there has always been a debate on whether Apple or Android is best. It appears that a lot of people firmly sit in either camp. Some are even fanatical in their viewpoints.

You have people in the Android camp who will say those who prefer Apple, do not appreciate tech or are showing off or are stupid, hooked by marketing and brand image. There are people who will go as far as to even call anyone who owns an iPhone an ‘apple wanker.’

Then you have those in the Apple camp that may brand someone who owns an Android phone ‘poor’ or jealous.

Those statements are of course utterly ridiculous. These days the price of a flagship Android is on par with that of an iPhone if not more. Apple owners are not inherently trying to show off. Whilst Apple is somewhat of a status symbol people have a preference for Apple for a variety of reasons, simplicity, optimisation, convenience if friends and family all use iPhone and some just genuinely prefer Apple products.

I have bounced back and forth between both Android and Apple devices over the last 12 or so years. I don’t really have a strong opinion on either OS. However, I have been drawn back to Apple and I have come full circle. Here is how I got back here.

My first iPhone I ever had was the iPhone4 and I loved it. Before that I had BlackBerry- remember those?! I had my phone for just over a year and Apple released an update that bricked the phone. They couldn’t undo the update and it was out of warranty. Determined to prove that Apple was overrated and I switched to Android.

I started off with a Sony Xperia. It was budget, but popular amongst my age at the time and a nice looking phone. It survived being dropped in a bucket of water! Then eventually it started freezing, crashing, lagging to the point of being unusable. I was told I would have a better experience with a flagship Samsung.

I bought one and after 18 months of ownership the above issues happened again. Then I missed having an iPhone. I saved up for months and then I went and bought the iPhone 8. 6 years I had that phone for and it was perfect aside from the battery life. It only had issues during the last 6 months I owned it. I upgraded to the iPhone 12 and was left disappointed. It did not feel like much of an upgrade and it was a bit of a lemon.

I could not justify buying another £800+ phone so soon.I bought a mid range Samsung. I liked it. The design was super nice, camera fine. At the time I preferred it to my iPhone 12. I would go as far as to say it was better. Then 2 years later the security updates were cut short unexpectedly. Those Android software issues I mentioned earlier started rearing their ugly heads. I upgraded to the newer model and Samsung took a really nice mid range phone and destroyed it. The new design was chunky, clunky, the camera was worse, the hardware was horrible. One UI was buggy from day one. I should have returned it.

I gave up on Samsung and some people may say well you can’t compare the A range to the S range or A range to iPhone. Let’s be real here - not everyone can afford a flagship device or can justify buying something like the S25 Ultra. Most people don’t need it. The stats of the A range are more than suitable for most and the gap between the A and S range is ever tighter.

I then tried Honor and MagicOS was so much nicer than One UI. Not only that, the screen knocked anything else out of the park as did the battery and fast charging. It also did not develop any of the Android issues I mentioned before. It did sadly, have other issues with cellular and data connectivity, software support and poor camera. These issues were too much of a problem.

I dug my iPhone 12 out and it handled iOS 18 easily and as much as I couldn’t tolerate the small screen I found myself pining for Apple again.

I narrowed it down to 2 choices the Google Pixel 9 and the iPhone 16. I deliberated for days, posed the question on Reddit only to be continually told to buy a Samsung which was not only out of my budget but not what I wanted. I found numerous issues reported with the Pixel 9 and it’s frequently reported that the Tensor chip is very underwhelming. I also couldn’t use my HUAWEI watch with it.

As much as my Android experience had been poor my iPhone experience had been a disappointment at times too. I then discovered I could delete any stock iOS apps I didn’t want and install the Android/Google ones I did want including Google Photos. I customised my phone to give me the best of both worlds.

I also realised that any Apple device I have ever owned has far outlived anything else and has also (minus a couple of exceptions) been far less problematic than Android.

So I made my decision and I sit here typing this on my iPhone15 Plus with no regrets at all.

Whilst, not everyone shares my opinion or experience. People will have preference either way. Both have their pros and cons and it’s totally okay whichever camp you sit in. It’s only a phone after all. It’s not that deep.

I do however think I am starting to appreciate what Apple does well, its reliability, longevity and resale value are things I under appreciated previously. I may well end up an Android user in the future but I am back in the Apple camp….for now.

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I ditched Reddit and came back to Tumblr.

I had been an anonymous browser on Reddit for a while before I decided to sign up properly and comment on a few posts.

I don’t really like social media but I liked the anonymity that Reddit provided and it seemed like a good place to ask questions and share opinions. I soon discovered that Reddit is nothing but a pool of hate, toxicity, extremism and misinformation. It ranged from the minor to the extreme.

Reddit is an incredibly biased place where moderators should not even be moderators. They are very few communities where spam, hate, abuse, misinformation is actually taken down. It feels as though a lot of the Subreddits are by design created to incite division and toxicity.

One topic that was almost the most ridiculous. Smartphones. Naturally, there has and always will be an Apple vs Android debate but on Reddit this is taken to a whole other level. Samsung fans troll the iPhone sub yet complain if any iPhone users dish it back on the Samsung forum.

You get downvoted immensely if god forbid you prefer Apple over Android. There is no reasonable discussion to be had. There is a refusal to accept a difference of opinion or a difference in experience. Didn’t have a good Android experience? Well you will be labelled a liar, troll, idiot and that’s very polite in comparison to what I have seen.

Other subs have pets as their topic and I frequented these with complete horror. Some of the things I have witnessed on there are tantamount to neglect and animal abuse. The community moderators do not take any action even in cases where harmful practices against animals are encouraged. Reddit does nothing about these moderators or the communities themselves.

The anonymity of Reddit seems to make people feel they can be nasty, disrespectful and toxic.

I have witnessed people receiving death threats for asking a standard question. People torn to shreds for posting a reasonable and logical opinion that attacks nobody.

Politically, Reddit is very extreme and it is clear which way the site leans. I won’t go into it but some of the things I have seen posted (politically) are completely devoid of fact, actually go against any actual evidence and are dangerous and frighteningly hateful. I wouldn’t touch those communities with a 10 foot barge pole. Comment at your peril.

All in all the toxicity and negativity far outweighed any usefulness Reddit has as a forum. I deleted my account and logged into Tumblr.

I will probably stick to Tumblr and Quora.

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Gel Nail Tutorial

Hi everyone, I got really bored of short nails and applying gel directly to my nail is damaging them so here is an easy tutorial that solves both these problems it’s quick and easy to do at home. Note you don’t have to use the gel elements but I did to make my nails stronger. All products used will be listed at the bottom of this post.

You will need:-

Full cover plain artificial nails with glue.

Nail file and buffer to prep nails.

Builder gel (if doing gel extensions).

Gum gel brush.

UV LED lamp.

Gel polish and top coat/ normal polish and top coat

Method:-

1. Clean and prep nails as you would if applying gel directly to them.

2. Pick the best size of artificial nail and trim and file if required and glue on as per pack instructions.

3. As the nails I used are very thin and don’t seem that strong I used a brush to apply builder gel to the nails to make them a little stronger. Once I applied a layer of builder gel I cured it for 1min30secs. Apply another layer if you prefer thicker nails.

4. Apply gel nail colour of your choice I used nude as I’m starting work again soon. I applied 2 coats and cured the polish for 60secs between each coat.

5. Apply the top coat and cure for 60seconds.

If you don’t own a UV lamp or don’t want to use gel just skip step 3 and apply a normal nail polish of your choice instead.

The nails I used I like because I have very small fingers and these nails fit really well and the glue included is great. They seem very well stuck on my hands but I do think the builder gel has helped make them stronger and more durable. When buying artificial nails choose ones that haven’t been painted so you can paint them yourself. Also I’d suggest buying an extra glue as sometimes the ones included with the nails can be already dried up or ineffective but I was lucky.

Let me know if you have given this tutorial a go and send me your pictures.

Products used:-

Sun UVLED lamp (£19.99 Amazon).

Nailene nail files (£7.99 Boots).

Nailene oval natural full cover nails glue and buffer included (£5.99 Boots/Amazon)

BlueSky Builder gel in clear (£6.45 BlueSky Cosmetics/ Amazon)

Aimeli gel polish shade 115 came as part of a set of 6 pink/nude polishes (£12.99 Amazon).

BlueSky No Wipe Top Coat (£7.99 BlueSky Cosmetics/ Amazon)

Stay safe,

Jen x

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Read my next post to find out how I created these easy gel extensions at home!

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Ranting about Real Techniques brushes.

Can everyone just stop hyping up this awful brand? I personally hate this brand and below I will tell you why.

When RT was fairly new I bought one of their original foundation brushes. It felt plasticky, scratchy, it left streaks and applied product poorly. On top of all of this the bristles disintegrated after 2 washes. The product seemed to cling to this brush, no matter what I tried it never came up really clean. I binned the brush after all the bristles fell out and didn’t touch the brand for years.

Fast forward to September 2019. I was getting really interested in makeup but I only owned 4 brushes. I desperately needed some more. I had vouchers and points to spend in store so I decided to exchange my points for 2 RT brush sets. I thought they may have improved and technically they were free and there really wasn’t any other choice. I ended up with The Enhanced Eye Set and The Everyday Essentials set.

Firstly the majority of the brushes do not work for what they are supposed to be used for. Some of them are no good for anything. In the everyday essentials there are 2 brushes I find useable, the expert face brush isn’t too bad for applying makeup and the small setting brush is ok. However I haven’t used or washed them that much and bristles are starting to fall out so they won’t last too much longer. The other brushes in this set were useless/horrible especially their idea of a blush brush.

The Enhanced Eye Set again is extremely basic and you can’t create a look using just this set. Despite what they say it does not contain every eye brush you need. The eye brushes are very very scratchy. This is something I’ve heard even hardcore RT fans complain about. They feel cheap and almost plasticky. They actually caused some irritation to my eyes. One day I did a look on each eye one using this set and another using Spectrum brushes. The result on the RT side was patchy and poorly blended. These brushes do not wash well either. I used one brush with a bright pink eyeshadow it stained even though I washed it instantly the brush looks permanently dirty. Plus these bristles have started falling out too. Much better brushes could have been used to collate this set 3 of them are a waste. Despite buying this set I felt like I still didn’t have anymore eye brushes.

There is one last thing that really bugs me about RT. They don’t tend to sell brushes individually. They do occasionally but not often and they are hard to come buy. They keep releasing these sets and special editions which usually contain the same brushes but in a different colour or with a different name. They will bring out a new set that probably contains at least 2 brushes you already have they’ve just added in a couple you don’t have. They won’t sell the ones you don’t have individually so to get them you have to buy the set and end up duplicating brushes you don’t need/already have which is a waste of money. Am I making sense? This is again something I’ve seen their consumers complain about time and time again for years on their YouTube channel and social media. I’ve seen the complaints dating back as far as 7 years. 7 years and they haven’t listened to their customers. This makes me think they don’t care and are set out to make as much money as possible from extremely poor quality products.

Despite my experiences with this brand they always seem to get rave reviews and are often mentioned on ‘best brushes’ lists. But I guess we all have that one brand or product that we hate yet is so overhyped we just don’t get it don’t we?

Here in the U.K there are 2 other drugstore brush brands. Masqd which is available in Boots and Spectrum Collections which is also available in Boots and on their website. These brands are a similar price range (spectrum may be slightly higher). The quality is far superior to RT the sets they release are actually useful and they wash well, don’t stain, don’t irritate my skin, have individual brushes for sale and they are super soft. My brushes from these brands are still going strong after 4 years and have only just started to fray and get a little bit more coarse.

Blog coming soon ‘why I won’t be jumping on the Morphe obsessed bandwagon and why I refuse to buy their products’.

I hope you enjoyed this blog.

Stay safe,

Jen x

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My ultimate guide to wearing foundation

Hi guys, I hope you’re all staying safe. This is going to be quite a lengthy post but here is my ultimate guide to foundation. I hope you find it useful.

Skin prep.

You wouldn’t paint a wall without washing it and preparing it first would you? The same idea goes for your face. Always start with a clean well prepared canvas it makes for better application and results. Use your favourite products to cleanse, tone and moisturise. I like to use oil as well as my skin is dry. Allow a few minutes for your face products to work into the skin before applying your primer.

Time to prime.

It is important you choose a primer that will not only help achieve the effect you want with your foundation but choose one that works with your skin type too. If you have combination skin it’s a good idea to have more then one primer so you can target specific areas of your face. For example if you have an oily T-Zone use a mattifying primer here and a hydrating primer in dry areas. If you don’t want a matte finish to your makeup you should choose a primer that is hydrating/illuminating. Products designed to give a dewy finish or a glowy look are really better suited to drier skins. If you have oily skin matte finishes are your best options, or the products may slide, become patchy and need touch ups all day. If you have sensitive skin learn what ingredients are your triggers and avoid them. I have sensitive skin and as a general rule of thumb I avoid parabens (I’m allergic), perfume and alcohol as much as possible specifically alcohol denat. Once you have applied your primer allow 30-60 seconds for it to settle in.

Choosing the foundation.

Choosing a foundation feels like a minefield with a number of options and regular new realeases it’s hard to know where to turn. My first tip is don’t rely on what the makeup counters in stores match you with. The lighting can make you look great but when you get home you may realise it isn’t right for you. In my experience they are also terrible at shade matching. No matter which counter I have been to or which ‘artist’ I have dealt with I have always been matched to a neutral undertone but I’m actually a cool undertone which I discovered by accident. Then I understood why every time I was convinced to buy a high end foundation it was too dark or too orange. Firstly find your undertone, look at your veins and think about whether silver or gold jewellery suits you best. Then decide which skin colour category you fall into (fair-dark). Once you know this information high end websites have some pretty accurate shade matchers. Find out if a foundation oxidises if it does choose a shade lighter. It’s better to be too light than too dark as you can always use bronzer to warm the face up. Don’t be afraid to ask for samples to take home so you can really find out if you like the shade and foundation. Another option is to go to the drugstore an experiment with the testers to find the shade that suits you best. Once you find the perfect shade in one brand I recommend using the website Findation. Here you can type in what foundation you are using and the shade and it will give you the equivalent in other brands. Once you know what shade you need to look for it’s time to choose the foundation. High end foundations generally are better than drugstore ones. If you have oily skin you will strugggle with a dewy finish so you are better sticking to a matte foundation. If you have dry skin avoid matte foundations as they will cling to dry patches and emphasise the issue. Oily skin should stick to matte/satin finishes. Dry skin should opt for hydrating formulas with a dewy/radiant/satin finish. Again sensitive skin sufferers shoudl opt for formulas that don’t include the likely trigger ingredients listed above.

Setting it into place.

The one product you should always invest in is a setting powder. Drugstore setting powders don’t compare to high end ones. They are never milled as finely and generally cause cakiness. If you have oily skin then setting powders will be important for you. Dry skin sufferers can also make use of a setting powder. Hydrating powders that contain hyaluronic acid are out there so are powders that are designed to set make up yet contain a slight simmer to keep your skin glowy and illuminated. A good powder will be pricey but worth it and they do exist for all skin types. Another option is of course a setting spray. There are numerous ones out there with a number of finishes. If a setting spray claims to be hydrating yet contains alcohol denat then it isn’t hydrating. Alcohol denat dries the skin out and damages the skin barrier leading to sensitivities. As a sensitive skin sufferer I have researched suitable setting sprays. Almost all of the them contain perfume and alcohol denat especially drugstore brands. Smashbox, Beauty Blender and Cool have the most skin friendly ingredients list I could find but they aren’t cheap.

Alternatives and final thoughts.

If you don’t always like wearing a full face of makeup and just want some sheer coverage that’ll make you look fresh cosnsider a tinted moisturiser. They are ideal for summer weather and are usually buildsble, offer a surprising amount of coverage and contain SPF. They are suitable for all skin types just bear in mind you won’t get the coverage or staying power of a foundation. A tinted moisturiser with blush, bronzer, and mascara creates the perfect minimal fresh faced look. The most raved about are by BareMinerals, NARS and Laura Mercier. One last thing to consider is how your skin changes through the year which may require a different foundation. It’s common for people to be have a Summmer and Winter foundation. In summer if you tan easily or use fake tan you may find you need to alter the shade of your foundation. Personally I like to have 3 foundations in total to choose from. This may seem excessive but my skin is reactive and it can become sensitive to a foundation if I use the same one constantly. Having another option allows me to alternate to reduce the risk of this happening. I choose different coverages and slightly different finishes so I can choose one to match the look I want to achieve. High end foundations are expensive so if I can’t afford to buy more than one I will buy a drugstore foundation to use in between, which is passable. If you have read this post, thank you and well done. Below I will list what I’m currently using and brands I recommend, please note my skin type is dry sensitive.

Product recommendations.

Smashbox, Laura Mercier, Estée Lauder primers.

NYX Born To Glow (poor staying power but nice finish), Too Faced Born This Way, NARS radiant long wear foundation, BareMinerals hydrating gel tint cream.

BareMinerals hydrating setting powder, Laura Mercier setting powder, Smashbox setting powder.

Smashbox, MAC, BeautyBlender, Cool setting sprays.

Zoeva, Spectrum, Masqd make up brushes.

I hope you found this guide helpful I have tried to make it as simple as possible. I hope you are all well. Stay home and stay safe... until we meet again.

Lots of love,

Jen xx

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Zoeva The Coffret Collection Elegantly Yours

Hi guys,

So Zoeva palettes are really popular and often raved about as being very high end quality for affordable prices. Zoeva palettes are free from parabens, mineral oil, phthalates and fragrance. The coffret collection contains 4 of their best selling palettes for £50. You get the Screen Queen, Cocoa Blend, Caramel Melange and the Naturally Yours Palette. They come in a beautiful pink and metallic box with 2 drawers. The delivery from Germany is super quick and their customer service has been great so far.

The palettes are in thin cardboard packaging it’s basic but still nice. There is no mirror. The quality of the shades are really inconsistent. Some of the shimmer/metallic shades are fine but others are chalky and look matte when applied to the lid. The shades look darker in the pan than they do when applied. There are inconsistencies in pigmentation also. They blend and apply quite well. The worst palette in the whole set is the Screen Queen palette. They aren’t very shimmery, they apply patchy and they are really poorly pigmented and you can’t create a look using this palette alone.

As for the formula, it isn’t soft and buttery. It’s dry, chalky and very very dusty. The shadows are messy. You dip your brush into the pan and there is dust everywhere. The fallout is ridiculous. As I’ve mentioned before I am prone to eczema on my eyes and these palettes have triggered a flare up. After the first time I used them I got red dots on my eyes, they were itchy, flaky and sore. I left it a while and tried again and the same reaction happened only worse.

I can’t work out which exact ingredient is causing this as they are free from the ingredients that cause me problems. I have read online that there are different types of talc some are more irritating than others. Also some brands use a lot more talc than others in their shadows.

I have palettes by Urban Decay, ABH, Tarte and Smashbox none of these have caused problems. There is one difference though. These palettes are nowhere near as chalky and dusty as Zoeva palettes. I don’t think it’s a case of what ingredients are used but how are they used.

I’m so disappointed as I really wanted to love these palettes. I’d avoid them particularly if you already have dry, sensitive eyes as the consistency of the powder seems to make it worse.

Future palettes with be by Huda Beauty and Jackyn Hill x Morphe Vol 1.

I have contacted Zoeva to see if I can return them for a full refund.

Thanks for reading,

Jen x

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NYX Born To Glow Foundation Review 😳

Hi guys,

So as you know I previously raved about the NYC Can’t Stop Won’t Stop foundation but that foundation no longer suits me I’ll be posting an update later. I decided to try Born To Glow instead and give you guys my thoughts on it.

The foundations have the same shades so I’m shade light in both. Born To Glow comes in a squeeze tube not the usual glass bottle with pump. I’m not keen on the packaging as the tube always dispenses more product than you actually want. Born To Glow doesn’t state anywhere in the tube what the wear time is or what the coverage is. The liquid is thinner than Can’t Stop Won’t Stop. It is easy to apply and blends nicely. I would say it’s a solid medium coverage but you need concealer to hide blemishes. It doesn’t feel heavy on the skin. I wouldn’t say it’s dewy finish, it’s more satin and if you’re skin is super dry like mine can still look matte. It’s not that glowy. This isn’t a bad thing but if you want a dewy finish this isn’t the right foundation for you.

Now the negatives. This foundation moves and slips like crazy. I feel like it needs to be set with a powder. If you have dry skin you should be avoiding powder as much as possible plus it mattifies the look which kinda defeats the whole point of this foundation. I applied a cream contour, liquid highlighter and liquid blush over the top and the foundation underneath sepearated and went instantly patchy. It does settle into lines also. There seems to be a running theme with NYX foundations and my skin. The just don’t seem to sit well on my nose and the area between my upper lip and nose. The Can’t Stop Won’t Stop wouldn’t blend in these areas no matter what I tried. This foundation does blend better but separates quickly and comes off my nose totally when I apply highlighter. This foundation doesn’t have a long wear time either it had cracked and gone patchy after 4 hours wear. It looked so bad I took it off by this point. It also transfers and just melts off.

I would probably use this foundation if I wasn’t doing the whole highlight contour thing and I only needed it on for a few hours but it’s not an everyday foundation.

Coming up is a post on why NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop went from my favourite drugstore foundation to one of the worst I’ve ever tried and is now in the bin.

Thanks for reading!

Jen x

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Clinique iD review!!

Hi guys,

About 3 weeks ago I went to the Clinique counter and customised my own moisturiser. I really love the concept of this. The moisturiser I picked is the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturiser + the green cartridge for irritation. There is a pink one for reactive skin but that only seems to be available online atm but I think my skin is more reactive than irritated so in future I’d pick the pink cartridge.

I was warned by the Clinique counter it takes a few pumps to dispense the cartridge and moisturiser together. I took it home and kept pumping and pumping. 3 days and 1/4 bottle of moisturiser later I still couldn’t see any of the green product dispensing with the moisturiser. I phoned Clinique customer care to ask if I should actually see the green product and she said yes and told me both products should be dispensing together by now so I must have a faulty cartridge. I was sent a new one and a bottle of moisturiser to make up for the product wastage (great customer service). A couple of days later my cartridge decided to start dispensing properly. My main gripe with this product is how much pumping is needed to get the cartridge to dispense it leads to a huge amount of moisturiser wastage and I honestly can’t see the cartridge and moisturiser finishing at the same time. You can’t buy the items separately which is irritating. Clinique needs to improve the pump and allow you to buy seperate cartridges.

The moisturiser is very very nice and so far seems to be the only one that doesn’t burn my skin after a hot shower or bath. It’s emollient yet doesn’t feel heavy. It soaks in beautifully. I still have dryness on my face and still need a facial oil but this moisturiser has got rid of the tight feel and my skin feels comfortable all day and when I wake up. My skin certainly feels smoother. For a while I didn’t think the active ingredient was actually doing anything. Now I can see a slight difference. Before I started using this moisturiser I had a lot of redness on my face from irritation cause by Avene products. The redness on my face has faded and it does look much less angry. I think this cartridge is doing something but results are very minimal and gradual and over an extended period of time. I do really love the Clinique iD concept and the fact you can have different combinations for when your skin goes through different phases. In winter I need the moisturiser yet in summer I need the hydrating jelly which protects against pollution and is more lightweight. I also need a green and pink cartridge.

If you do buy this product my advice would be this. If you purchase it from the Clinique counter and they ask you if you want them to set it up for you say no and take the product home. When you get it home pump the cartridge until you see the active ingredient coming out before attaching it to the moisturiser. This way you can be sure the product is dispensing properly and you waste a lot of product in process.

Overall I think Clinique could be my new go to skincare brand. I really like the product but the packaging needs to be improved and cartridges need to be available to buy seperately and give it a good 3-4 weeks before judging if it makes a difference.

Speak to you soon.

Jen x

[abitofeverything-94]

Hi guys,

I’ve changed my skincare routine. If you’ve read my previous posts you’ll notice I always hype up Avene and La Roche Posay. Not anymore. I kept applying these products and noticed burning, stinging and dryness and redness. I then found out La Roche Posay have changed some of their formulas and they are not as skin safe as they used to be. Their cleanser contains SLS in their Lipikar range for dry skin. SLS is very drying. Their toner contains perfume and alcohol. Their Hyalu B5 oil is not only very expensive and overpriced it again contains perfume. These ingredients are NOT suitable for sensitive skin. Then I’ll move onto Avene, their rich compensation cream for very dry very sensitive skin contains perfume and it burns my skin. The redness is fading now I’ve stopped using it. This from 2 brands who market themselves on being for sensitive skin. There are 2 products that are still ok and that is the La Roche Posay thermal spring water spray and the Avene eye make up remover. I will not rebuy these products though purely from the lies they tell. As a result I have had to change my whole skincare routine and the brand I’ve gone to is Clinique.

Firstly before I talk about specific products I just want to mention how amazing their customer service is. I wasn’t pushed into buying products I didn’t need. They were very honest and considerate to my needs as my skin is so sensitive. They were very careful with what they recommended to me and wouldn’t sell me more than 3 items even though I wanted more as they wanted me to simplify my routine and make sure I can pinpoint any causes of reactions if I get any. They told me to gradually expand my skincare once I’m sure this set of products doesn’t irritate me. They then gave me a makeup bag full of samples to try so I can really test things before buying. This I loved and was so grateful for. One last thing I want to mention on the customer service side of things is, I have the Clinique iD dramatically different moisturising lotion with the green cartridge for irritation. I’ve had it for a day and a half and I have realised that the cartridge is only dispensing moisturiser not the green active ingredient. I’ve pumped it so many times and it doesn’t work. I phoned their customer care line and they are sending me out a replacement cartridge AND moisturiser to make up for the waste of the moisturiser for free no questions asked. Now that is good customer service.

I’m just going to list the new items I have which I will review in time and talk more about in a separate post.

Estée Lauder gentle eye makeup remover (haven’t tried yet)

Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm (haven’t tried yet)

Clinique Extra Gentle Foaming cleanser (haven’t tried yet)

Clinique All About Eyes (amazing first impressions)

Clinique iD dramatically different moisturising lotion + green cartridge (moisturiser nice but cartridge faulty awaiting replacement)

Clinique moisture surge lip hydro plump treatment (love it)

So these are upcoming reviews and my new skincare brand for now.

Speak to you soon,

Jen x

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My TK Maxx bargain finds.

Hi guys,

I just wanted to do a quick post because I am so happy with the bargains I fiund today. I don’t ever buy clothes from TK Maxx because the quality is either poor or the sizing is wrong. However I do go there to hunt for reasonable priced luxury makeup and skincare.

The first thing I got was the damask rose toner by Patyka Paris. I found one in TK Maxx before tried it and loved it. I googled it and it’s discontinued and I’d never heard of the brand before. This toner is organic and free from artificial fragrances, parabens and alcohol. It was created for dry uncomfortable skin. This makes my foundation look flawless and my skin look clean and smooth. It doesn’t irritate my skin. I loved it so much I was willing to pay £27 RRP for it but you can’t buy it anymore. Today I went to a different TK Maxx store and there was still one left so that was made mine and this toner was £27 reduced to £4.

The second thing I found was a mascara that was still sealed. The mascara I bought is by Kevyn Aucoin. I’ve heard of his brand but I don’t know much about it other than that it is apparently a very expensive and luxurious brand. The mascara was £10. I read the ingredients and it’s free from parabens and fragrances. I couldn’t see anything irritating on the ingredients list so bought it. I will review when I buy it.

You can be lucky and get some really nice make up there the only issue is if you find something you really really love you might not get it again. Also as there aren’t any testers I won’t ever buy anything that looks battered or opened or used. Look for fingerprints in shadows to see if someone has swatched them.

Happy shopping,

Jen x

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Rating my eyeshadow palettes

Hi guys,

I currently own 5 eyeshadow palettes in total and today I’m going to rate them and give a short review on each. Eyeshadow palettes are the one item I will never buy from the drugstore, they either aren’t good on sensitive skin or have poor pigmentation and patchy coverage. I just think high end palettes are usually much better so I will always buy high end. I’m always very careful what I put on my eyes to avoid irritation and will always research ingredients before buying. So on with the review.

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Palette.

This is my favourite palette. The pigmentation is amazing they apply and blend really nice. Nice range of mattes and shimmers with little fallout. Can create a variety of looks with browns and pinks. It doesn’t irritate either. The suede packaging ends up looking very messy, there are 3-4 gold shimmers that are very similar shades and you can’t really create a subtle matte nude look suitable for work with these shades.

2. Tarte Cosmetics Love Trust and Fairy Dust.

This is the only pink palette I own. The packaging is gorgeous and the shadows smell of chocolate. It has a highlight shade and a nice selection of shimmers and mattes. Shades range from subtle nudes to shimmer pink and dark purple. I don’t understand why there are brown shades in a pink palette and the shimmers are extremely pink there’s no rose gold option. It’s great for a very girly palette. Not that accessible in the UK.

3. Smashbox Covershot Palette in Punked.

This palette contains 8 shades 3 shimmers and 4 mattes. It has holographic packaging and the shades are organised into a lighter day look and a darker evening one to make it easier to create your look. The size of the palette is great for travelling and carrying around with you and you can get it in different shades. Punked is a nice purple or vampy/smokey eye palette. Great pigmentation and applies nicely. It has the possibility to be used as a more subtle look however there is a lot of fallout.

4. Urban Decay Naked 2.

Potentially the most overhyped palette I’ve ever come across. I don’t hate it but I don’t like it either. The packaging feels cheap and plastic and looks battered even when it’s been used with care. One of the shades has fallen out without being dropped. There is a nice pigmentation and little fallout. I bought this palette as an everyday/ suitable for work palette and it isn’t really. There are only 3-4 matte shades in the palette 2 are very similar yellowish base colours and one is black. All the other shades are shimmers from gold and bronze to dark greenish. There are only 3 shades I use and I’ve almost hit pan on all of them. I’ll be left with a pile of dark shimmers that aren’t really my colour. I’ve had it for years and desperately want to use enough of it up so I can throw it out. I wouldn’t class this as a nude palette and I’m bored of it.

5. Tarte Cosmetics Rainforest of the Sea Volume II

This is my least favourite palette. The packaging is nice and the shades look pretty in the pan almost there’s are a range of browns and nudes then there’s a grey a black and a dark greyish shade. Nice balance of shimmer and matte. The pigmentation in this palette is non existent and the darker shades look lighter when applied than in the pan. The lightest shades are invisible and disappear when you blend. I’ve tried everything to improve the pigmentation but I just can’t get it to work. I really want to love this palette but it’s just got such poor results. I can’t bring myself to throw it out either as it looks so pretty so it will have to remain in my draw unused.

Well that’s it my eyeshadow palettes rated from best to worst none of these palettes have irritated my eyes but I’d avoid Tarte as their palettes are generally poor quality I was lucky to find one good one. Zoeva has a really nice bundle of 3 nude palettes for £48 and I can’t find any major irritants standing out on the ingredients list so I would like to order those and Ciate London has some beautiful looking palettes quite reasonably priced that I’m itching to try.

Thanks for reading,

Jen..

X

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Benefit Cosmetics Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Review.

Hi guys,

As I mentioned in a previous review I found this foundation in a draw and here is the review I promised.

First of all this product is 91% free of the most common known allergies according to the website skinsafe. The benefit counter colour matched me to the shade Ivory. I don’t agree with this colour match it’s a shade or two too dark and has warm undertones. I have cool undertones and am very fair. This foundation looks orangey on me so the shade is wrong. It is supposed to be brightening and has SPF25 and of a medium coverage. I would say this is more sheer than a medium coverage and requires a lot of concealer with it to get a decent coverage. I also didn’t find any brightening affects with it. I have very dry skin at the moment. It clings to every dry patch and sinks into every line and pore. It cakes under the eyes. As it’s orangey I need to apply to my neck too and blend it in well. From a distance it looks nice and gives off the effect of having a tan. Close it it emphasises all my flaws. It doesn’t cover spots either.

I think if you have oily or normal skin this foundation might suit you but if you have dry skin it’s not great. It’s not the worst foundation I’ve ever tried and maybe in summer when I’m more tanned and not suffering with winter skin it might look nicer but it’s a no from me. It does apply and blend quite nicely but it’s not a foundation I recommend. Also be careful with their colour matching.

I do have to mention that when I visited the Benefit counter I emphasised I had eczema skin and couldn’t wear anything with parabens at the time. The assured me their products were paraben free and I’d spent hundreds on make up. I stated using it and eventually my eczema was getting worse and worse it turns out the staff on the counter lied to me and their products contained parabens. I still had the receipt and some items weren’t even opened yet. I bagged them all up and took them back to the benefit counter with a very visible rash on my face. The staff were aggressive, said I was lying and their products weren’t irritating my skin. I told them I was lied too and the products were missold to me and they didn’t care. Also the Estée Lauder and Urban Decay counter staff told me they wouldn’t recommend benefit cosmetics for my skin type. For this reason I will never buy from benefit cosmetics again. I was stuck with a pile of make up I couldn’t use.

At the moment my favourite drugstore foundation is NYX can’t stop won’t stop and my favourite luxury foundation is Lancôme Tient Idole.

My least favourite foundations are Smashbox hydrating 15hour wear and this Benefit one.

Thanks for reading,

Jen x

[abitofeverything-94]

Job interview make up.

Hi guys,

So today I have a job interview so I thought it would be a good time to write about my make up look when I go to a job interview. My job interview look is a bit different to my going out/ every day look. It’s more subtle and natural so here is my general job interview make up look.

After your usual skincare routine apply mosisturiser with a foundation brush and your fave primer. I use Benefit Porefessional and NYX hydra primer.

I use a lighter more glowy foundation than my normal one as it’s too heavy and matte and would make me look over done. The one I use is Lancôme Tient Idole and a concealer.

I don’t generally contour for a job interview I might use a light dusting of bronzer and a subtle highlighter to make me look more tanned. I don’t use a blinding highlighter it’s too much. I will apply a sweep of blusher to give me a bit of colour.

Eyes keep very natural and muted. Sometimes if concealer on my eyes looks good I won’t add any shadow. If I do add shadow I will stick to very pale browns or even pale yellows/ highlighter shade to make my eyes look brighter. I usually use Tarte Cosmetics rainforest of the sea palette as it’s isn’t very pigmented so won’t make you look overdone whilst adding slight colour to your eyes. I then just apply my favourite mascara which is Too Faced Better Than Sex. I won’t use eyeliner as I want my eyes to look natural and bright.

For my lips I will use either a nude gloss, a subtle nude or pale pink lip or even a tinted lip balm.

The aim for me is to look professional, awake and bright without looking overdone so here is the list of my favourite go to job interview makeup products.

Avene intense moisturiser

Benefit Porefessional and NYX hydra base primers.

Lancôme Tient Idole foundation.

NYX can’t stop won’t stop concealer.

Anastasia Beverly Hills blush kit.

Tarte Cosmetics Rainforest of the Sea eyeshadow palette.

Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

Burts Bees tinted lip balm in pink or peach shades.

Smashbox finishing water primer.