Travalo Excel

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a Travalo Excel after watching DulceCandy's review and giveaway on Youtube. 

 

I ordered mine off the Travalo website which cost me £12.49, which to me is well worth the money as you can use them over and over again! However if you want to get one for a little bit cheaper have a look on Ebay! 

There are a great range of colours so you will surely find one that you like. I love the idea of being able to carry my favourite perfume in my bag, without worrying about the bottle breaking or taking up too much room!

The new Travalo Excel is only 8.6 cms long but it can hold over 65 sprays of your favourite scent! It comes in a pretty protective carry case too!

The Travalo is aircraft approved meaning you can carry it in your hand luggage also!

Directions

1. Take the cap off your selected perfume and pump the Travalo up and down the tube until you have your desired amount of fragrance. 
2. There is a level indicator window so you can see how much product you have, this is quick and simple with no spills! 

(Photos taken with iPhone 4s)

You can now follow me on Hellocotton and Bloglovin'! 

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Natural Collection Blush Review

The Natural Collection blushes are being talked about everywhere lately, so I thought I would share my opinion on them.

I love these blushes, they are the blushes I am currently reaching for on a daily basis. I'm not crazy on the packaging but for certain products I am willing to look past the packaging if the product itself is good, so to me this doesn't matter so much.

These soft, non-shimmer powder blushes are very natural and give a nice hint of colour on your cheeks, they blend well and you don't need to apply too much product to get a good colour pay off.
I like that they are fragrance free as I have quite sensitive skin, so to me this is a plus!
They are very highly pigmented which I was not expecting as they are very cheap. They can be purchased from boots for £1.99 each.

My favourite colours from the collection are Sweet Cheeks, Rosey Glow and Peach Melba. (order in pictures)

Sweet Cheeks is a gorgeous pink colour, this is my favourite colour blush to wear in winter as this is when my skin tends to look quite dull. This adds a nice pop of colour to my cheeks to help brighten up my face. 

Rosey Glow is pinky/brown colour, it looks similar to Peach Melba only the colour is more pink than peach. I think this is the most natural looking blush that I have as the colour is not too pink looking. I think this colour is suitable to wear during any season.

Peach Melba is a beautiful peachy colour with brown undertones. I prefer to wear this in spring/summer as I like a more subtle 'glow' of colour on my cheeks and I feel this is when the colour works best with my skin tone.

 (Pictures taken with iPhone 4s)

If you prefer matte looking blushes over shimmer then I would recommend this collection and at the price they are, you can't go wrong!

I am wanting to try out cream blushes, have any of you tried them? What do you think of them?

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

L'Oreal Studio Secrets Primers Review

Hello everyone,

Today I am sharing a review on 2 of the L'Oreal studio Secrets primers.

I am not very experienced when it comes to primers, I have only tried No.7 primers in the past however I do know when something works and when something doesn't and for me, these primers are a definite let down!

I have been using the L'Oreal Studio Secrets anti-redness and L'Oreal Studio Secrets anti shine, mattifying primers and so far I am not loving them at all!

What they say:-

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Redness Primer gives a uniform skin tone. 
All women can harness the power of these primers to create the illusion of a flawless complexion. It’s just a matter of obeying the laws of complementary colours! To neutralise a shade simply apply its complementary shade.

For example: the green tinted primer reduces the appearance of red, giving the skin a more even tone.

L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer acts like a ‘second skin’, weightless on your complexion. Easy to apply and comfortable on the skin, it mattifies oily areas and doesn’t leave a greasy residue.


Directions:-

1- Apply the L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Shine Mattifying Primer in little dabs onto shiny areas (forehead, nose and chin) and around the nose.
2- Smooth towards the outside of the face.


1- Apply L'Oréal Paris Studio Secrets Anti-Redness Primer in little dabs on red patches, and then tap with your fingertips to work it into the skin. 

 What I think:

In my opinion I don't particularly think the mattifying primer works very well, I always find it makes my skin more oily throughout the day (which I do NOT need!) and it makes my makeup slide off my face too. I don't like the consistancy of the primer either, despite what they say, to me the product feels slightly greasy. If you have oily skin like myself, then I recommend staying away from this.

(Pictures taken with iPhone 4s)

I think the anti- redness primer works well to even out redness but the consistancy is very runny.

I wouldn't choose either of these primers over the Urban Decay setting sprays!

The L'Oreal primers retail at around £10.00 each and are cheaper than Urban Decay setting sprays which cost around £20 but I believe you get what you pay for and the quality of Urban Decay setting sprays justify the price!

Read my Urban Decay Setting Spray Review here

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Matte nails with shiny spots! ♥

Hello everyone,

Here is a nail look I came up with when playing around with matte nail polish.

 

To achieve this look I used Rimmel Pro Matte Finish Nail Polish over a black Barry M Nail Polish but any black nail polish will work just the same!

Directions

1. Apply your base coat. (When using a dark or bright colour I always apply a base coat, I used Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat. A clear nail polish can be used as an alternative if you don't have a base coat)
2. Paint all your nails with a black polish of your choice and wait until it is thoroughly dry.
3. Next apply an even layer of the Rimmel matte polish (or matter polish of your choice) and let dry, you will notice that the shine starts to fade out of your nail polish. 
4. When the matte polish has dried use a nail tool and the same black polish and begin to add the dots onto each nail. (if you don't have a nail tool, use a toothpick instead) Allow to dry.
5. Now you're ready to show off your nails!

I really like this look, it's an easy, stylish way to add texture to your nails!
 

(Taken with Instagram)

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

 

D&G The One (Lace Edition) ♥

Hello everyone,

For Valentine's Day, my boyfriend bought me Dolce & Gabbana - The One Lace Edition and I LOVE it!

If you like fruity/floral/sweet (but not sickly sweet) scents then you will definitely love this perfume!

I would describe this fragrance as sexy and feminine!

The bottle is gorgeous!
(Size in picture - 50ml)

 (Taken with Instagram)

Top notes: bergamot, peach, lychee and mandarin. 

Heart: Madonna lily, lily of the valley and jasmine. 

Base: plum, amber, vanilla, vetiver and musk.

This perfume retails at around £50 and can be purchased from The Perfume Shop

You can now follow me on Hellocotton and Bloglovin' 

Natasha Carly x

  Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray Review

Urban Decay De Slick Setting Spray is a godsend!! Seriously! This is one of my holy grail products - it keeps my make up on for such a long time!

This cost me around £20 which I do think is slightly expensive, but I feel it's worth the money I paid.

I also have Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray but I purchased this particular setting spray as it is specifically designed for oily skin to help control excess oil from seeping through your makeup throughout the day. It works like a dream! I still get slight oiliness around my T-zone during the day but not nearly as much as I get when I don't use it.

I spray this before and after I apply my foundation then I set it with a powder, I use powder for an extra matte look and to act as a 'top coat' for the setting spray.

 (Taken with iPhone 4s)

Directions

1. Shake well. 
2. Apply just before foundation and again after makeup. 
3. Hold bottle 8"-10" away and mist face 2-4 times. (I like to do a 'T' then an 'X' motion).

If you haven't already tried these products I highly recommend that you do!

Urban Decay have a range of setting sprays suited to specific skin types. I have combination/oily skin and love both setting sprays that I have and think they both work well. I don't think there's a great difference between All-Nighter and De-Slick but De-Slick definitely controls the oil for a lot longer!

Have you ever tried these setting sprays or any other setting sprays? - Comment below and let me know :)

Natasha Carly x

Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton

Rimmel - Red Fever ♥

Hello everyone,

I finally purchased a red lipstick! I don't normally wear bold or bright colours on my lips but I decided to take the plunge and go for it!

I got Rimmel - Red Fever from the Colour Show Off collection after reading a review by BeautyCrush (check out her review here).

It can be purchased from places like Boots or Superdrug for around £6.00.

 

(Taken with Fuji Finepix HS10)

 

I love the colour pay off of this lipstick, it is very pigmented and vibrant.

I don't feel that it stays on your lips for very long though so I would recommend carrying it in your bag with you so you can touch-up when you need to throughout the day. I also use a red lip liner as a base before applying the lipstick, this helps to give extra 'staying power'.

When wearing this lipstick I make sure that I put some sort of moisturising lip balm on my lips before applying as this helps the lipstick to apply much smoother and stops the lipstick from drying out your lips, which I feel like this lipstick does if you don't use any lip balm.

Overall I really like this lipstick, I think it is good quality for a good price.

This lipstick is flattering on all skin tones too which is a bonus!

You can follow me on Hellocotton and Bloglovin' 

Natasha Carly x

 Pretty Little Lives on Facebook / Twitter / Hellocotton