Elemis vs Boots Botanics Brightening Balms

Hi and welcome back to my blog!

This week I was trying the much talked about dupe for Elemis from Boots, the Botanics All Bright Radiance Balm (link).

Now I loveeee my Elemis Pro Radiance Illuminating Flash Balm but I'm not so much in love with it's price tag. When I had heard that Boots had released their own version and people were comparing it to the Elemis I had to dive in and give it a test run too!

This balm is £5.99 and oh my do you get a lot for such a tiny price tag!

This is light and creamy, much like the Elemis balm and glides on without making your skin greasy - massive win!! This looks gorgeous under makeup and gives my skin a wonderful pop of 'glow' too.

The one thing I wasn't so sure on was the amount of shimmer this product has. When you first put it on - oh my I looked like a disco ball! But after a few minutes of letting it sink into my skin and then applying my usual foundation, it actually looked pretty nice.

Now if it came down to it and I had to pick one, I would still pick the Elemis just because it just works - it's effortless and gorgeous - on its own or under makeup. The Botantics balm I would only ever feel comfortable wearing under makeup but I would still say it's worth a go - especially if you're after a more budget friendly option!

Have you discovered any beauty dupes at the moment?

Thanks for reading!
Jess x

Maggs London Makeup Bags

Hi guys!

Wow what a month for blog posts! I've gotten myself very organised and drafted a load of posts for you guys so I'm ready to fire them out for you. This week I'm sharing my thoughts on the new Hannah Maggs makeup bags. These two are a part of her new range available over at Maggs London here. Anyway without further delay, here we go...!

Maggs London Makeup Bag in 'The Benevolent' (pictured on the left) - I love this design. It's very me as I love all things black but also girly; so it's a good mix of the two. The print is a gorgeous Liberty London print and so is really high quality. The bag itself is a great size for all your everyday makeup bits and pieces and as it's lined on the inside its easy to clean should you have any leakages. My favourite thing on both of these bags is the hidden zip too - it just allows the design of the bag to really show without any nasty zips showing. Beautiful!

Maggs London Makeup Bag in 'Cherish' (pictured on the right) - Obviously this is similar to the previous bag. It has the hidden zip, same size and lining but this time in a gorgeous pink/red print. This bag was a gift from my husband for my birthday and it's just gorgeous. I love how girly and vibrant the print is (again from Liberty London). I use this bag in my handbag as I just love the pop of colour it brings when I look inside my bag. 

All in all these bags are just stunning and worth every penny! If you're able to grab one make sure you do as you won't regret it! I can see myself wanting to buy more but I just don't need to as yet (dammit!). I would also like to say that the packaging they come in is also so pretty! If you would like a sneaky peak follow me on Instagram here so you can have a look :)

Anyhoo, thanks for reading guys!
Jess xox

What's in my Makeup Bag?

Hi and welcome back my lovelies! :)

This week I thought a nice blog post about what is currently in my makeup bag as I've got this lovely new makeup bag case for my birthday last month. 

First of all the bag itself is the gorgeous, Hannah Maggs Makeup Bag in 'The Benevolent'! This is one of the new designs Hannah has brought out and I must say it's gorgeous! I will have a nice blog post about these soon to go in more detail. 

My brushes in my bag are:
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - This one is great for foundation and buffing in any concealer.
Models Own Powder Brush - Just a standard powder brush.
Real Techniques Blush Brush - My go to blush brush.
Real Techniques Shading Brush - Finally this is a nice eyeshadow brush.

Now onto the makeup, primers and sprays that I use...
Maybelline Babyskin Primer - Great to create a nice even base on your skin before foundation.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 51 - This shade is a touch too dark for me but I LOVE the formula of this! It just glides on and is a nice medium coverage too.
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair - A beauty blogger favourite. This concealer is just amazing! It's better than a lot of the high-end concealers and is a fraction of the price at £4.49!
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - This is a firm favourite too. Nice and simple powder and again budget friendly at £3.99.

Mary-Lou Manizer - The Luminizer - This is one of my new products (shown in my latest haul also) but it's amazing!! It's a gorgeous golden highlighter and it just transforms my makeup.

Bourjois Blusher in 34 Golden Rose - This is another new product and I can't quite make my mind up on how I feel about it, so at the moment it's in my case to try out. Watch this space! :)
Collection Eyes Uncovered Nude Bronze Palette - I bought these on a whim as I thought the shades looked gorgeous and again it was a bargain! Soon after trying it and loving it, it seemed that other bloggers had also loved it and now it's hard to find them in the stores! I love it! It's just a lovely little set to use day to day and it's travel friendly too.
Primark Shape and Shade Brow Pencil in Dark Brown - I use this to fill my eyebrows but I think Primark have renamed it all and they have a new name for this range now. I just love it. It does the trick but I'm sure there are better brow products out there. I'm going to use this one up and then go shopping and venture out for a new one!

No7 Amazing Eyes Eyeliner in Black - Again this is another firm favourite. For some reason I'm loving pencil eyeliner again instead of gel or pen eyeliners. This one is always my favourite to go to. It's soft so is gentle on the eyes and I love that it has a little buffer on the other end to help blend it for a softer look.
Maybelline Lash Sensational - I'm in love with this mascara. You will have probably seen that I've posted about this a few times already, but it truly is that good! It makes my lashes look fuller, longer and nicely natural too.
Bourjois Shine Lipstick in 26 - This lipstick is gorgeous for an everyday look and as I'm trying to move away from using Mac everyday as it can get pricey I've moved to this gorgeous little lipstick.
Mac Lustre Lipstick in Lovelorn - This is when I feel like a little more of a pick me up or dressing up my makeup a little. Lovelorn is gorgeous, it's a warm pinky shade that lasts well on the lips. Again one of my favourite from Mac.
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - Finally if I'm having a heavy day or I'm really chuffed with my makeup and I would like it to stay that way I use this stuff. This stuff is great and just seals in your look so it doesnt budge. I would buy this over and over again now I've tried it - it's just a fab little product!

So here is a little look-see of what I have in my makeup bag. If you've noticed my Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is missing (you clever lot!), it's because it crumbled all over the floor just before this picture (ha!).

I hope you enjoyed my post this week. I love seeing what you guys use everyday and also what products you would recommend - if you have any suggestions please comment below. I would love to have an excuse to buy some more makeup! :)

Jess xox