Author Archives: eloisembrooks

Mother’s Day gifts Part 2

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Eloise again! So, as I was saying, we got Vivienne more than one gift this mother’s day (partially because it’s the last one we’ll spend with me living in this house, at least until university falls through and I have to move back in).

The other gift we got was from a lovely online store called T. H. Baker, who do really nice,
more upmarket pieces than I’m used to.

The necklace I chose for Vivienne was a rose gold chain, with a pearl and interlocking rose gold design. In a case of the overly-matching, this is because she recently got the rose gold iPhone 6, and we’re a colour very co-ordinated family. She’d also mentioned wanting more delicate jewellery, and I was happy to oblige.

I really loved this delicate necklace, not just because pearls are my favourite of all the gemstones, but also because I felt like it ticked all the boxes I could want.

T.H.Baker is a lovely store and I highly recommend it for all your gifting needs. Excellent delivery, too!

Mother’s Day gifts Part 1

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SO! Sunday 6th March. Mother’s Day. We’re not really all that big on gift giving in the powderpuffgirls household, but we (Eloise et al except Vivienne) decided that this year V deserved some pretty gifts – and Eloise had a bargain or two up her sleeve.

 TheJewelHut is a delightful site full of v v pretty things that made me extra happy, so I knew I could get something delightful.

I chose this, which is a beautiful heart shaped bead for the Pandora charm bracelet. This one is sort of an inside joke, because the script on the bead reads ‘first my mother/forever my friend’.
The sentiment is definitely meant, but it is a far cry from our usual taste – Vivienne is into very classic, art deco stuff, not so much syrupy-sweet messages.

HOWEVER. This bead is lovely, and she really wanted more metal beads for her bracelet, so I couldn’t resist this adorable charm!

The Jewel Hut (thejewelhut.co.uk) is a delightful online store that I highly recommend. Happy Mother’s Day!

Envy Haircare

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Okay.

I’ve been putting off writing this review, because the product(s) I’m about to tell you about are almost a little secret miracle I want to keep to myself.

Envy’s philosophy is  one product for all hair types. They use 6 ‘intelligent products’ that promise to help repair, tame, lift, add shine, enhance colour, reduce frizz and make blowdrying easier.

Normally, all-in-one haircare products make me nervous. They never work like they’re supposed to, and they’re always overpriced. Not so Envy’s Blowdry set!

This is a £40 good-hair-day ensurer and is definitely worth the price*. I’ve been using the full treatment for almost exactly a month and I’m soooo happy. My hair has never been shinier or softer, and it takes exactly one minute longer than my usual washing routine, so it’s not at all time consuming. Even the conditioner is better than any I’ve ever used, including the one I used basically religiously before finding Envy, leaving my hair tangle-free for ages.

Because I’m nothing but good to you people, I even got a discount for you! Use discount code BLOG40 to get 40% off until the end of March.

Eloise

*Full disclosure, I got this set for free, but I’m definitely going to buy this product again, and at full price this time!

Anna Sui: Fairy Dance

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Eloise here! Sorry for the long wait, but you know how the Christmas rush goes. Back unto the blogging breach once more… I have loved the Anna Sui fairy perfumes since I was a very tiny girl. Donkeys years ago, … Continue reading →

Surprise Gifts! From ‘Save On Makeup’

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Hi guys! Eloise here, and I have both product reviews and news for you, so please bear with (get the reference?).

I joined a site called The Blogger Company recently, which bloggers and brands can use to connect to each other to share audiences. It’s a really useful site, and through it I made contact with the site Save On Makeup, who asked me to choose £20 worth of products from their site.

They were so lovely! I received their parcel today, and everything I asked for is here (no weird substitutions). Whoever I made contact with at their site was prompt and personable, and made me feel really welcomed to their site (I’ve said site too many times, haven’t I?).

Save On Makeup is a delightful way to buy makeup products you need for much much less than the RRP. For £20 I got 9 products that I’m very excited to use. They have a range of options, from cheap and cheerful bargain no-names to much higher end brand names, like Chanel and Dior. I really, genuinely recommend them, because they are so efficient and tbh I love me a bargain.

I got:

  • a Clinique Chubby Stick in Mightiest Maraschino (RRP: £9.50/their price: £3.99) XXX
  • a Loreal Colour Riche La Laque in Lacque-Onic (RRP: £6.65/their price: £2.99) XX
  • the W7 In The Nude eye shadow palette (RRP: £9.95/their price: £4.66) XXXX
  • the W7 Porefection Pore Minimizer (RRP: £5.99/their price: £3.77) XXX
  • a Laval Pearl Eye Shader in Bronze (RRP: £2.75/their price: 99p) and XXX
  • a Lucky Dip Selection – mine comprised of a perfume sample, lip balm, two mascaras and a concealer (£2.99) XXXX

My fave products are the eye shadow palette and the lucky dip selection.
in the nude
This W7 palette is a remarkable dupe for the beloved but very expensive Naked 3 palette. While the colours are obviously not as pigmented as the Urban Decay one, they are incredibly similar and definitely worth looking into if you’re after a neurtal palette. I’ve been looking for one like this for the longest time, so was over the moon to find this on their site. There is an excellent mix of sparkly and matte shades, which all blend together well and are just generally very lovely.

The Lucky Dip Selection is lovely because it meant I now have some things I didn’t even know I needed. The Sally Hansen Lip Moisturizer in Clear Mauve is incredibly hydrating if a bit sticky, the mascaras are both very lengthening and one is even waterproof, and the concealer just happens to be my exact skin colour! I couldn’t have asked for better results.

Overall, I find their site incredibly charming and useful, and look forward to buying more from them in the future.

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Chanel: Lèvres Scintillantes Glossimer (Lip Gloss)

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My friend Grace is my absolute favourite non-family person on the planet without a doubt. It took me five years to chanelwear her down and trick her into being my friend, and it was the best thing I ever did.

For my birthday this year, Grace got me A CHANEL LIPGLOSS. Friend goals amirite??
This completely beautiful gloss, in the colour Allegria, is worth every penny. It’s easy and quick to apply and lasted me until lunchtime (about four hours, and then I ate hot greasy food). A creamy, non-sticky and unscented moisturising gel, I have never used a more comfortable gloss. It’s a highly pigmented colour, and I would personally wear it over bare lips, but the Chanel website does say you could pair it with lipstick as well. I’ve tested this gloss in several shades in store and it appears to be delightful in all its many shades. However, Grace knows me apparently even better than I knew, because she picked the perfect shade for me. I’m so excited to wear this!!!

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Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream

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Yay for our first product post! This moisturiser is my saving grace. Benefit is well known to be a slightly more upmarket high street brand, which my friends have told me to try for years. This particular cream has worked wonders for my skin.

I have normal to oily skin, which often makes finding
a good moisturiser difficult. I have struggled in the past to find a product that didn’t leave my skin feeling greasy and looking overly shiny. After complaining about this to my friends, I was basically sat down and told to look into Benefit Cosmetics.

I was gifted a tiny sample of the Total Moisture Facial Cream, which made my face feel touchably soft. I was therefore delighted to receive the £29.50 1.7 oz. tub as a Christmas gift.

You only need to use a tiny amount of this cream at a time as a little goes a long way, which I think makes it worth the price. I would never normally spend so much on skincare, preferring to hunt down a bargain, but this cream is a lifesaver, and I will definitely be restocking once mine runs out.

The cream is described as a ‘hydra-concentrated facial cream formulated for normal to dry skin that provides immediate and long-term hydration for an ultra-radiant complexion’. Looking at their site, most reviews say that it has drastically improved people’s dry skin. These reviews would lead to you the idea that this cream is just for people with dry skin, but I think if you can get your hands on a sample you should give it a try. I’m not the targeted skin type and I have definitely seen an improvement in the overall appearance of my epidermis.

Essentially, the Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream is a miracle in delightful packaging. Peer pressure aside, you can’t argue with results, and I have certainly benefited from using this product (*snigger*).

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Reds Salon Ltd – Chesterfield

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redsReds Salon Ltd, where my mum and I most recently went to get our hair cut, is a friendly, calm environment, and I have never been more pleased with the result.

For a little while, my mum has been cutting my hair, because she is creative, it is easy, free, and she does what I ask. However, this year I decided I wanted something a little bit shorter and fancier. We strolled around Chesterfield town centre, looking for somewhere that would allow walk in appointments. After checking out a couple of hairdressers and deciding they weren’t for us, we stumbled across Reds.

They gave us the works. We each had our hair washed by friendly women IMG_9946
using incredibly delicious smelling shampoo. I was then directed to a seat near the window where Duncan Yates instinctively knew exactly what I wanted. Not the most confident person, I didn’t know how to tell him what I wanted my hair to look like, but he took my rambling and gave me the best haircut I’ve had in years. He knew exactly how to shape my hair to best frame my face, and when the cut was finished blow-dried my hair into glorious ringlets. (pictured right: Eloise)

Overall, the professional but friendly service and excellent quality of cut meant that I thought we’d have to fork out a fortune, but in the end it was a very reasonable price – less than the last time I went to a proper salon.

I loved this salon, and I loved the results.

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