Lidl's Suddenly Diamonds: Boss Orange Dupe

My mum recently bought this eau de parfum, Suddenly Diamonds, from Lidl for me after she told me about it supposedly being a dupe for Boss Orange by Hugo Boss and I was really interested in it. I'm kind of rubbish with recognising perfume smells, you could literally spray a Chanel perfume in my face and all I would do is rub my eye and maybe cry so I can't comment on the 'dupiness'. What I do know though is that this is the perfect day time scent; it's quite light but is still noticeable and smells refreshing and a a tiny bit citrusy which is surprising as I don't like citrus smells usually.

This perfume only costs £3.99 for 50ml and so means I'm not scared to put it in my bag and carry it around with me and it also means if you're looking for a new perfume to mix up your usual scent then this is a really affordable option. I do like to spray this at least once throughout the day just to keep the smell topped up and even through regular daily use there is still a lot left. The bottle is classy and if placed in a row with designer perfumes I don't think many people would instantly recognise it as the odd one out, not that this scenario would ever be likely to occur.

All in all I'm impressed with this perfume as I like to have a few different perfume options to choose from and I've also read that they have another perfume which is supposedly another dupe but for a Chanel perfume (I told you I have no clue about fragrance).

Have you ever smelt this perfume or any other Lidl perfumes? What do/did you think? Also apologies for the lack of smoothing down of the pillowcase, I should have whipped out the iron. Not that I know how to iron. Damn it.04

The 5 Travelling Lipsticks

Yesterday I got back from visiting one of my best friend's who's at uni in Lincoln, I went from Friday through to Wednesday and had the best time everrrr so much so I stayed two days longer than planned, okay three if you include the breakdown I had the night at 11pm when realising my ticket wouldn't allow me to come home on the Sunday. When I was unpacking my makeup bag I decided I'm going to post about the makeup I brought with me but am doing the lipsticks separately. Five lipsticks doesn't seem like much but when you consider I was packing with the thought in mind I was only going to be there from Friday afternoon to Sunday mid-morning...it's excessive.

I wanted to bring a variety of colours to make sure I wouldn't be doing my makeup and think 'dang I wish I brought _____' as well. Starting from the left is Barry M's 52 Shocking Pink, Barry M's 151 Sunset, Rimmel's 107, a lipstick by Louise Gray for Topshop called Mexican Wave and then Mac's Impassioned.

Yes, I brought two Barry M lipsticks with me, big up big up Barry. 52 Shocking Pink is pretty much how I imagine a pink highlighter would be in lipstick form, it is so shockingly (shocking ha) pink and is a shade I would wear every single day if I could. I wore this on our first night out on the Friday but in photos it doesn't really pick up that well.

151 Sunset I brought with me as I wanted a corally colour if I felt like I didn't want to wear a full on orange, I can't remember if I actually wore this shade or not, I feel like I did through out the day though I could have done without it.

I brought Rimmel's 107 with me for if I wanted to wear a dark lip and I ended up wearing this on our last night out although it faded pretty badly throughout the night and I wasn't functioning well enough to reapply it.

Mexican Wave by Louise Gray at Tophshop I bought a few years ago in the New Year sales as it was heavily reduced, I think this line has been discontinued as I can't find it online anymore but a lipstick similar to this shade is Mac's Morange or Topshop's Infrared but this one is more noticeably different. I wore this lipstick on our second night out and prefer it to a standard red going out shade as I feel like red doesn't do much for my face, or at least all of the reds I own don't!

Lastly, surprise surprise I couldn't leave my little Impassioned baby at home, needless to say I wore this travelling to and from Lincoln and it was never a question in my mind that it would accompany me on my travels.

From left to right: Barry M's 52, Barry M's 151, Rimmel's 107, Louise Gray's Mexican Wave and Mac's Impassioned

I think it's quite surprising how easy it was to whittle my hugeeeee lipstick collection down into these five and feel I made pretty good choices. Note how I didn't bring any nudes, I never see the point in me bringing quite toned-down shades as I don't wear them.

What shades would you bring with you if you went away? Any of the ones I talked about above?

My Blog Twitter

Tonight I decided to create a twitter for my blog so as to keep it separate from my personal twitter (@danigarziaa) because I think it'll be easier that way for me to tweet about blog-related things without people I know in real life thinking 'what is she on about?' So my twitter for my blog is @lacelipstickme (so annoying my whole blog name wouldn't fit!) if you'd like to follow me on there, or my personal account I don't really mind! I'm going to scour out some of your twitters to follow so if you get a follow from an account with zero tweets and zero followers, DAT ME.

#2014BloggerChallenge Mac's Impassioned Dupe

The fourth topic for the #2014BloggerChallenge is on high end vs high street with one of the suggestions being a good dupe you've found and I instantly knew what I was going to post about.

I feel like I harp on so much about Mac's Impassioned but I have good reason as it's my favourite lipstick ever ever everrrrrr and is the most glorious shade known to the human eye. It has an Amplified finish and, honestly, stays on my lips all day with hardly any fading and so is always my go-to when I have a long day. This could be potentially hideous if you have a sick phobia but, once, I put it on in the morning before work, I think it was a 7/8 hour shift, then went out to eat after with some friends, ended up being sick a couple of times after the meal as I wasn't feeling well, looked in the mirror and my lipstick was still intact. I think I reapplied the lipstick once before I went for the meal but I just find it completely mind-blowing that a lip product can last so long when you're constantly talking/eating/drinking. Okay anyway moving on from that.

At £15 Mac lipsticks are pretty pricey, BUT, I have found a lipstick that is incredibly similar, with that being  Beauty UK's Passion and only costing a mere £3.49. Is it a coincidence the names are also pretty much the same?! When swatched I can see there is a difference between the two shades with Impassioned looking more coral in some lights while Passion looking a deeper pink, however, when worn half and half on the lips to compare the shades I wouldn't be able to tell which is which if I wasn't the one who applied it (I don't have a personal lipstick assistant, cry.)  In fact, when I was testing both shades on my lips my mum asked what lipstick I was wearing and there was a psychedelic moment where I revealed I was wearing two. Please note: it was hardly psychedelic...at all.

On the left is Mac and on the right Beauty Uk

In terms of finish I'd say they are pretty much the same as well, not too matte and not too glossy meaning the shades just stay put on your lips nicely with no fear of them slip-sliding around or getting on your teeth with every word spoken. Passion lasts a full day on me in the same way as Impassioned and both have a strong scent, Mac's being vanilla, Beauty Uk's being mint.

From left to right: Mac's Impassioned, Beauty Uk's Passion

These are the swatches after trying to wash them off with soap

Although I would be devastated and cry endless amounts of tears if Mac ever discontinued Impassioned I would be able to slowly piece my life back together with the knowledge that Passion exists. I'd say if you were unsure you would get £15 worth out of Impassioned then to first try out Passion so you get an idea of the colour and how it would look on you before committing to Mac. Wow I am such a killjoy aren't I? I feel like a boring financial adviser.

The Liebster Blog Award #5, #6 and #7

I was nominated for a Liebster Award by three different bloggers, Kasope, Maria and Renee so thank you to all three of you! I've done the award a few times so I'm not going to nominate people or give any questions to answer by I'm going to answer the questions I was given! If I answer all the questions it's going to be a crazily long post and people will die from exhaustion so I'm going to choose 4 questions from each blogger.

Kasope's questions:

1. Summer or Winter clothes?

Definitely Winter, I don't feel comfortable showing my bare legs or my back so finding Summer clothes are a nightmare for me! This Summer I'm going to make more of an effort with my clothes though and buy things out of my comfort zone!

2. High end or drugstore makeup?

I wish I was one of these girls who only ever bought high end makeup but I am a drugstore lover all the way, I really can't part with so much money on a regular basis when I know there are cheaper alternatives.

3. What is your favourite item in your wardrobe?

Currently it's my denim jacket from Primark with fake sheepskin on the inside and round the collar, it literally goes with everything, I have to refrain from wearing it 24/7.

4. Online shopping or instore shopping?

I think it depends because online shopping is the best when looking at the sales but a lot of the time when I order online I return loads of items as they're not what I though they'd be.

Maria's questions:

1. What's the name and brand of your favourite lipstick?

Mac's Impassioned will forever be my favourite!

2. What's the one beauty item you can't live without?

Mascara, no specific one, I just need something to define my eyelashes!

3. How often do you go out without make up?

I wear makeup everyday (yolo) unless I'm ill or I'm not going to leave the house but at college it gets taken off because I'm doing makeup artistry.

4. Favourite brand of mascara?

Currently it's Miss Sporty's Incrediball but it changes quite frequently.

Renee's questions:

1. Sweet or savoury?

It depends, I like to think savoury but I can never tell until I'm faced with both options in front of me haha.

2. DIY or buy?

Definitely buy, I'm awful at DIY and have ruined many pairs of jeans by trying to cut them into shorts but accidentally cutting them way too short to ever be socially acceptable.

3. Heels or flat shoes?

I like wearing heels but I wear flats 90% of the time so, flats.

4. If you could go to any country in the world where would it be?

Australia (breaks down and cries).

Thanks again to Kasope, Renee and Maria and have a look at blogs!

Soap and Glory's Glow All Out Luminizing Powder

I have been meaning to do this post since late December when I picked up Soap and Glory's Powder Trip for £10 reduced from £20. This set includes the Solar Powder Bronzer, the Love at First Blush Blusher and the Glow All Out Luminizing Powder all which sell individually for £11 so to get all 3 for £10 was enough to send me into a cardiac arrest. I'm just going to be talking about Glow All Out in this post as I feel I haven't used Solar Powder and Love at First Blush enough yet to write an individual review on them.

I have wanted Glow All Out for such a long time but always stopped myself buying it as I told myself I had way too many highlighters and, at  £11, it's on the pricier side for a drugstore brand but I am so glad I now own it as it is honestly amazing.

It's said to give a moonlit look and can pretty much be applied anywhere on your face to give a really fresh and pretty glow to your skin; I like to use it on my cheekbones, browbone and cupids bow and then really lightly dust it over my forehead and chin. It's a silvery, pink, iridescent shade that I feel when you swatch it on your hand you don't get the true representation as to what it looks like when you actually put it on your face as it is a lot prettier when worn.

I'd say I have a noticeable highlight to my skin for the most part of the day after applying this but when I get home from a day out I can tell the intensity has worn off, but, is still visible. I've seen a lot of reviews saying this gives a subtle glow to the skin but I like to have a more noticeable highlight and so apply it probably a bit more heavily than most people and would say it isn't that subtle but definitely can be if you want it to.

For me, this powder really finishes off my makeup after I've contoured and applied blusher and feel like it helps to pull my face together (wow, the visual imagery right now) and adds life back into my skin that you can lose when powdering to set your makeup.

I really thought this through taking a picture when my skin was being all weird and bumpy

If you are on the fence about buying this product I would definitely say to go and buy it as I guarantee you won't be disappointed by it and, like me, you will be wondering why it took you so dang long to get it in your life. I told my mum that if I could marry a highlighter/luminizer it would be this one, not really sure why I'd opt to do that though to be honest.

Do you own this product? Do you love it as much as I do?

Using Up: Moisturisers

I'm not sure what it is but I love the idea of using up old products and finishing off beauty items, I think it's probably down to the fact that I am so crazily untidy and so I feel like I can try and be organised through mini tasks. I was rooting around in the bathroom and then in one of my cupboards and realised I had 5 opened day moisturisers. FIVE?!

I've decided I'm going to use one of the moisturisers continuously until I finish it and then move onto the next one until I finish all of them. Can you say, wild? Now I'm actually typing this it feels incredibly lame that I'm going to get some sense of achievement from this; damn it Dani why can't you just focus on your driving theory? Or organising your college folder? Or selling all them TY babies on eBay?

Neutrogena Multi-Defence Daily Moisturiser

I feel like I've had this product for absolutely ages with no signs of it depleting but I shall conquer it...eventually. It's another lightweight moisturiser that has a tendency to go into annoying little rolly bits (do you know what I mean?) on my face if I don't give it enough time to sink in but overall is fairly decent.

Garnier Moisture Match Illuminating Light Lotion

This moisturiser I'm actually kind of scared of because 9 times out of 10 when I've used this I would end up with my eyes full on crying as it stings so so much. Even after washing my hands after applying it it would still affect me if I went anywhere near my little peepers! I do remember it being a good moisturiser however aside from the whole minor nearly losing my vision fiasco.

Superdrug Vitamin E Day Moisturiser

I've been using this moisturiser constantly for weeks, day and night, and I finished it a few days ago. HAAAAAAAA-LELUJAH. I really enjoyed using this moisturiser actually and didn't find it gave my skin any problems or anything so I'll keep it in mind if I ever want to get another moisturiser.

Nip and Fab Day Cream

I got this moisturiser from a set from a charity shop, it has a really zingy smell that's nice to use in the mornings and feels thicker than my other moisturisers but I can't seem to find this online!

Nivea Express Hydration Primer

I love this moisturiser and only stopped using it because I started panicking that I was running out of it too quickly. Where is the logic in that?! I did a review of it here and am going to save this one until towards the end as I feel it's more of a summery moisturiser rather than a Winter one.

Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser

The moisturiser I'm going to use when I finish up all the others, I've been so restrained by keeping it in the box and chose this just because with my skin I feel I don't need any special treatment, just something really quite basic and fresh!

I hope this post wasn't too boring, it was more just for me to write down and keep track of how many items I have to use up and makes me more motivated to stick to one product. If you want an individual review of any of the moisturisers above let me know and I'll do that for you. Do you have a heck load of moisturisers that never seem to end or any other skincare/makeup product?

#2014BloggerChallenge Let's Get Lost

Topic 3 of the #2014BloggerChallenge is on a book we love and Let's Get Lost by Sarra Manning instantly came to mind. I read this book when I was about 15/16 (waaaah I'm so old now) and I remember finishing it so quickly and I loved the writing style. In all honesty I haven't read this book since  so whether it's as good as my former self thought, I have no clue!

I don't want to say what it's about because it will kind of spoil it if you do decide to read it but here's a description of it I found online:
"Some girls are born to be bad...Isabel is one of them. Her friends are terrified of her, her teachers can't get through to her...her family doesn't understand her. And that's just the way she likes it. See, when no one can get near you, no one will know what keeps you awake at night, what you're afraid of, what has broken your heart...But then Isabel meets the enigmatic Smith, who can see right through her act. Bit by bit he chips away at her armour, and though she fights hard to keep hold of her cool, and her secrets, Isabel's falling for him, and coming apart at the seams when she does...A poignant, sometimes dark, and utterly heart-breaking novel, told with all the author's trademark wit and sharp observation..."

I've read another book by Sarra Manning called Nobody's Girl which was also really good but I don't have the book and I didn't want to use a picture from the internet (partly because I'm scared I'll get in trouble for copyright lolol, TOO MANY LAWS TO CONSIDER).

I'm not much of a reader anymore but have a massive pile of books I've bought from charity shops over the years that I need to tackle. Have you read Let's Get Lost? What's your favourite book?

Miss Sporty Mascaras: Studio Lash Incrediball and Lash Millionaire

You may have realised I haven't been posting much (okay I'll calm myself down, no-one noticed my lack of posting) recently, the reason being every makeup product I want to blog about I haven't quite made my mind up about or I haven't taken pictures of yet *raises hand and clenches until a fist is formed, shakes with annoyance*.

Miss Sporty is a brand I'm pretty sure every girl into makeup knows about, cheap and affordable, it provided my makeup-hating younger self with a clear mascara (started from the bottom now we here, no I'm not cool enough for that song, I'll stop) to fulfill my eyelash needs. It's ironic how I'm dedicating a post to a brand whose name couldn't be anymore different to my lifestyle. I now own two different mascaras from Miss Sporty, both of which I picked up on a whim.

The first mascara is the Studio Lash Incrediball and is one I bought quite recently when I needed a new mascara and is only £2.99. It claims to capture and volumize every eyelash by 9 times the original amount to give 'extravagant volume and perfect lash definition'. Now I don't know about you but I would say volumizing eyelashes by 9 is a bit of an over-exaggeration, can you imagine? You wouldn't even be able to open your eye after blinking. Props to whoever thought of the name though, Incrediball is genuinely so good, I may marry it.

The wand was what initially interested me in the mascara as it has really tiny plastic bristles and then a ball shape at the end which reminds me of Benefit's They're Real, which I've tried and loved. I'm not usually a fan of plastic wands as I hurt myself before by accidentally blinking while applying mascara (warning: don't do it) and ever since I've been a bit meh about them but thought I'd give this one a go.

At first the formula was too wet and it clumped my eyelashes together but I half expected this as most mascaras tend to be like this and need a few days to dry up a bit. I've been using this mascara daily and can say that I definitely do like it, it gives length and volume to my eyelashes and the ball makes it really easy to get the little eyelashes in the inner corner and is also really useful for the bottom lashes. I have found that my eyelashes can get a bit clumped if I'm not careful and it's then difficult to de-clump them with the brush so then I just get a different mascara and wiggle the wand through my eyelashes which sorts them out.

I curled my eyelashes and then applied two coats of the Studio Lash Incrediball

The second mascara is the Lash Millionaire which claims to give volume, length and separation all for the low price of £3.49. I remember being really impressed the first time I used this mascara and it still does impress me, it gives so much length to my eyelashes, more so than any other mascara I've tried. It also does separate my eyelashes really, really well, however, I can't say it gives my eyelashes any volume and so find myself using this mascara first and then any other random mascara to just go over it and add some more definition. I'd say for people who just want to give their eyelashes a lot more length and give a nice, everyday look then this mascara should definitely be considered.

The wand on this mascara isn't plastic and I'm not actually sure how to refer to it, is it fibre? I canny remember. I find the length of the wand makes it so easy to get all of your eyelashes at once in one coat without having to snap your wrist re-positioning it to include every little fella.

I've found with this mascara that when I wear it on my bottom eyelashes that by the end of the day I have that annoying black smudge under my eyes, however, I've been wearing it all evening and there isn't any smudging so this could perhaps be because of the concealer I was wearing previously.

I curled my eyelashes and then applied two coats of the Lash Millionaire

In the interests of reviewing, let me plague your eyes with this really unattractive picture of my naked (censored) eye. Girls are used to this sort of before and after, boys are not.

Left eye: Lash Millionaire, right eye: Incrediball

When looking at my eyes in the picture above I think my eyelashes do look quite different from one another; using the Lash Millionaire gives much more of a straight and separated look while the Incrediball gives a more curved effect and there are more clumps. In real life I don't think anyone would come up to me in horror and be like 'YOU'RE USING TWO DIFFERENT MASCARAS' as the effects are quite similar. I would recommend both of these mascaras as I do think they do the same job as the likes of Rimmel and Maybelline but at a fraction of the price and I'm really enjoying using them. If you are really anti-clump then the Incrediball may get on your nerves especially if you want to reapply it through the day as that's when the clumps start showing, but if you aren't that fussed from minor clumping then you should be fine. Could I mention clumping any more times?!

I feel really uncomfortable showing parts of my face on my blog but I've decided I'm going to power through and try and do it more often as I always find myself so much more convinced by pictures showing the product once actually applied and it makes posts a lot more interesting so bare with me and I shall prevail.

Have you ever tried any mascaras by Miss Sporty or any other item from their range?