Rimmel Brow This Way Styling Gel

Hey there!

Everyone loves a dupe, and I have been looking for some time for a dupe for Benefit's Gimme Brow. I will put my hands up and tell you that when Gimme Brow came out I wasn't sure....I wasn't convinced it would be any good, that it would last, that it would look any good or that it would be easy to use. I was very wrong and I will admit that!

However the £17 price tag does make me a bit squeamish...it just sounds a bit much. So I've been looking for a product that's as similar as possible....cue Rimmel's Brow This Way.

Brow This Way comes in four different colours, I picked Dark Brown due to my near-black eyebrows but there is also blonde, mid brown and clear available in the range. I think the colour range is great, the colours cover the biggest range of hair colour and is obviously better than the Benefit range which has only two colours.

The packaging is pretty simple but quite chunky, I'm not sure which I prefer out of the two of them to be honest, though it is easier to find the Rimmel product in my make up bag with it being a bit bigger! Gimme Brow feels a lot more dainty and is great for downsizing as it's a staple on my face and comes everywhere with me. So ultimately they are a tie on packaging.

What about the main deal, the brush:

Like the packaging the brush in the Rimmel product is also bigger, it's a lot more like a mascara brush. Gimme Brow has a tiny brush that perfectly shapes and brushes through brow hairs and fills in gaps.
Rimmel does exactly the same but the brush has its negatives with the size. It does comb through really easily and dispenses product evenly but it takes a few goes to get the knack of using a larger brush. The end of the brush holds a lot of product and I seem to knock it onto my face every know and then which is quite annoying! However, once you've used it a few times and got the technique down, here's the results:

They're natural, even and not too defined as I like my brows to look realistic. Working with men and in a not so glamorous occupation I tend not to wear anything that stands out too much so for me natural is 100% key.

I'd say Rimmel's Brow This Way is a contender for the crown for dupe of Gimme Brow, it gives a similar result and lasts just as long. The only issue I can see is the size of the brush, it does take a bit of getting used to, however with the Rimmel coming in at £3.99 and very often involved in a 3 for 2 deal, and the Benefit costing £17.50 it is definitely worth persevering with.

Have you tried Brow This Way? Have you seen any other brow products that could be dupes?

L xxx

Ener-chi

Hello there!

We've got a joint review for you today, courtesy of a lovely spa in Cardiff called Ener-chi. They have two branches in Cardiff, one in Radyr and one in Penarth.

They aim to combine the mind, body and spirit of individuals through the medium of beautifying, healing and relaxing rituals.

They have a wide range of treatments including facials, massage and personal grooming with products from brands such as Dr Haushka, Caudalie, Antipodes and Glamglow.

They sent us a beauty pack for our own little relaxing pamper sessions at home, and before we went out last weekend we put a girly film on and put our feet up..... 

The cute beauty pack contained a Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate treatment, Caudalie Detox Oil, Dr Haushka Rose Day Cream and a Pukka Cool Mint Green tea for a start to finish pamper set.

We've both heard a LOT about Glamglow and their mud treatments; their results have been raved about and we couldn't wait to get the packet open and onto our faces!

It definitely does what it says on the packet; it tingles! When we first put it on we did a little dance around the room as it tingled and then it settled down and began to dry, here's a quick selfie:

The most interesting part was as it dried, you could see all of our pores! It was really weird but hopefully this means our pores were getting an extra deep clean.

We also boiled the kettle and made ourselves a cup of mint green tea to fully relax, mint teas are one of our favourites and a daily occurrence.

After it had dried we washed it off with warm water and a muslin cloth, it came off quite easily and our skin felt really clean and smooth afterwards.

Next we applied the Caudalie Polyphenol Overnight Detox Oil. As we were going for a night out we didn't apply as much as was stated but the few drops we did apply absorbed really quickly into the skin and didn't leave any trace.




I've used it since and applied the full 6 drops as an overnight treatment and my skin drank it up!

It's really quite nice and I'd definitely look into purchasing it in future, I've heard a lot about Caudalie but this was the first product I've tried.





The tiny vial was so cute but actually held a lot of product as I thought it would only hold enough for one application. But I've used it at least twice since and still have another left.

A few hours later we then applied a Rose day Cream from Dr Haushka, another first for me. Dr Haushka is a brand that I've heard so much about but have never tried anything from. Their packaging and display are beautiful, and the product itself was luxurious.





Allegedly the centrepiece of the Dr Hauschka range the day cream nourishes and protects a wide range of skin types including from redness and irritation which is something that we all experience at some point.

All of these products were lovely to try out and it was lovely of Enerchi to send us samples of their range. After having a full body massage there a few weeks ago I will be sure to visit again, their staff were really friendly and my massage was out of this world!Not only was it a head to toe massage it included a facial too and I was honestly the most relaxed I've ever been (if extremely oily afterwards too!)

You can find Ener-chi's website here, check out their range of treatments and the brands they stock!

What's your favourite treatment? Have you tried anything from Caudalie, Glamglow or Dr Hauschka?

L xxx

Hey all

As L said we decided to treat ourselevs

ourselves to a full on pamper before we went out. Glam glow is something i was so excited to try after hearing so much about it. The fact it fully opened the pores impressed me and my skin was so smooth after wards! It was quite red though but it did go down within the hour.

As our skin was so soft we followed up with the oil. Being oily skinned i was dubious to put this on before a night out so had planned to leave it on for a few hours then cleanse my skin before I got ready. I was so surprised though as my skin just soaked up the oil and was left feeling soft and smooth and not at all greasy. This is now firmly on my wish list.

I love trying new products like this and it wad good to be able to try a little routine. As L said they have two salons in the local area and stock a lot more products including some amazing scented candles and some great gifts. You can also buy online at ener-chi.co.uk.

Happy Friday!

Love M

xxx

Orla Kiely - Bergamot Collection *

Hey All

Late post from me tonight. I've been in the kitchen busy baking as in work we are having a Great British Bake Off thing where each week one of us bakes. My turn was advanced dough week so I tried my hand at Luis' Raspberry Mojito Doughnut. It's safe to say I wouldn't be winning prizes for consistency!

Anyway on to today's review. We were recently sent some of the Orla Kiely Bergamot Collection to try. The first thing I noticed was the gorgeous print on the bottle! These would look so pretty in a bathroom or kitchen. At my house we did have a dispenser till I knocked it off. These are a product safe from the clumsy people like myself!

I was excited to receive the hand wash and hand lotion and these came straight to work with me. I work in a laboratory so my hands are washed a lot everyday so get really dry from the horrible soap in the dispensers! It's been lovely (I almost put lush there but lately I'm very aware of how welshie I am and saying lush doesn't help!) having a more caring product to use!

The bergamot is new to the range and follows on from the success of the Geranium range. Something L and I look for in products is sulphate and paraben free. These are that as well as free from petrochemicals and artificial colours.

The Bergamot range is fresh and floral but not over powering with a slight spicy, peppering smell meaning if this is in the bathroom I'm sure guys wouldn't complain. They are made with 100% essentials oils included in this range are cedarwood, patchouli, grapefruit, bergamot, neroli and cardamom to name a few.

The hand cream easily rubs in, leaving hands from soft and not greasy. It smells amazing on the skin and it does last a while. It's really been helping the dry skin on my hands! It's nice to use a hand wash that is sulphate free and I think this is also helping the dry skin on my hands! 

With Christmas fast approaching I think these would make a great gift! I think my mum will find the hand cream and hand wash in her stocking!

These can be purchased from John Lewis and Fenwick stores as well as independant sellers and online.

Have you tried any of the Orla Kiely range? A good bit of packaging really sells a product for me!

Love M

xxx

FOTD: Workwear

Hi there! 

I've been really enjoying shopping my own stash recently, its great finding products you'd forgotten about and can use again without spending any additional cash.

I had a bit of time before starting work the other day and decided to photograph my face of the day to share with you.

These are the products that I've used for this. Naked Skin is a great foundation for lightly covering blemishes but without masking skin as if it needs to be coated. The Make Believe bronzer is one I use rarely but its such a lovely natural glow.

The Perversion liner is the best I've ever tried and the blush is another that i forgot is quite similar to Coralista. The Naked palette needs no introduction really!

I do like how my skin looks quite natural after using Naked Skin especially on my forehead. The concealer is great for covering dark circles for its price and I've set it all using Stay Matte powder from Rimmel.

Having not used a brow kit for a while it took a few attempts to get them right as Gimme Brow is so easy to use but the Sleek brow kit allows you to have so much more control over the shape and definition.

The blush and bronzer gives a gorgeous colour that also looks really natural:

The Naked palette is a staple most people have in their make up wardrobes; I love how you can apply a wash of a colour or intensify it quite easily as they're so pigmented. As they're nudes the colours are perfect for day time and evening and so are very versatile.

After this I applied UD's 24/7 liquid liner in Perversion to my upper eye lid and 24/7 eye liner pencil on the inside rim of my lower eye lid.

After that it was a slick of the Rimmel Wonderfull mascara to my lashes with argan oil in and I was almost done.

I completely forgot to include the lip products in the first two images so apologies for that, to complete my Face for the day i just applied a quick coat of Naked Lipgloss to finish it off.

It's amazing how many products you can use on a face with a natural ish look.

Do you go product light or product heavy for work? Are you adventurous with colours on your eyes or lips?

I'm never brave enough for work as nobody else seems to wear much!

L xxx