Etude House Haul & Review

One of my favourite places to browse for cute clothes is YesStyle, but it's only been recently that I've started to look at the beauty products on the site. Like any online marketplace, I've always been a little wary about ordering things in case they turn out to be really bad quality and are a hassle to return. I've ordered from YesStyle twice now and have yet to be disappointed! So, if you're looking for a place that sells quality Asian fashion and beauty products I highly recommend YesStyle.

My most recent purchases from the site were a number of products from the popular Korean beauty brand, Etude House. I had heard good things about the brand and being a complete sucker for cute packaging I just knew that I had to try the products myself.

The first product I bought was one of the nail polishes. Blue is my favourite colour and I do not have enough blue nail polishes in my collection! I only needed to apply one coat to my nails and it dried fairly quickly. However, I only had it on for about a day before it started to chip. It may last longer if you apple a base or top coat which I didn't do. Despite the chipping, I do really love the colour and the lace detailing on the packaging. It didn't break the bank either at only £2.81.

[Play Nail Colour 077]

I don't know about you, but when it comes to buying the essential basics I am the worst. I will go out with the intention of buying a pair of tights, or some plain leggings, or some make-up wipes and end up coming home with a bagful of stuff but none of it the stuff that I actually needed. I had needed a new pair of tweezers for ages, but every time I planned on buying some, I seemed to 'forget.' But when I saw these I knew that I HAD to have them. I instantly fell in love with these cat tweezers. Not only are they super cute but they do their job in helping me keep my unruly eyebrows at bay.

[Cat Tweezers]

I also decided to try the Green Tea cleansing foam. I'm rubbish when it comes to skin care routines and looking after my skin in general and I really want to try and change that. All you need to do with this is simply wet your face, lather the product up and apply onto your skin. After rinsing it off, my skin feels soft and clean! It's also suitable for people with sensitive skin. There are other products with different purposes in the range, this being number 5 - Fresh & Clean.

[Every Month Cleansing Foam 05 Fresh & Clean - Green Tea]

I'm one of those people who gets rather excited about anything pumpkin flavoured. I'm not entirely sure why as I've never actually tried pumpkin itself. I blame the Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks! But something I had never come across before was a pumpkin flavoured/scented beauty product. As soon as I saw this I knew I had to try it! Despite not actually stating it, I think this a face mask. You've to apply the product in an even layer on your face and then rinse after 10-15 minutes. I've still to try it so I'm not sure how good the product is yet, but I love the idea of it being in a mini pack! I'm a sucker for minis.

[It's Real Mini Pack - Sweet Pumpkin]

The final product I bought is by far my favourite. It is just too cute! It's pretty much just your bog standard hand cream but it's the packaging that makes me squeal with joy. IT'S A PANDA! Cutest hand cream ever. There's a picture of a peach on the front of it which makes me assume that it's meant to be peach scented, however, there's no real scent to the product at all. It just smells like a basic hand cream. However, the packaging totally makes up for it!

[Missing U Hand Cream - #03 Panda Story]

I can definitely see myself buying a few more Etude House products in the future. I'm also desperate to try some Tony Moly products which is another Korean beauty brand you can find on YesStyle. Let me know if you've tried any products from Etude House or Tony Moly, or if you've purchased anything from YesStyle and whether you're a fan of these online Asian fashion stores!
Until next time,
Elijah xo

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September '14 Favourites

It is officially my favourite time of the year! These last three months are my absolute fave! I love Autumn, Pumpkin Spice lattes, candles, cosy jumpers, fireworks and of course, Christmas! And with the beginning of October it means that it's time for me to share my September favourites. I will admit that there aren't really any new beauty favourites this month. It's been a month of using the same products over and over again. However, I do have a number of random favourites to share with you all.

Nakd. Bars

I have an addiction other than caffeine and it comes in the form of these raw fruit and nut bars. I've been eating these for a few months now, but it's only been in the past month that I've really been hooked on them. It's got to the stage that I'm having one pretty much every day. These bars are super healthy and are literally just a mixture of fruit and nuts! They come in a whole range of different flavours including Cocoa Delight, Cashew Cookie and Rhubarb & Custard. They have recently launched two new flavours, Bakewell Tart and Christmas Pud, which I'm excited to try (if I can get hold of them. I still haven't managed to find the Caffe Mocha flavour which I am pretty distraught about). Who needs a chocolate bar when you can eat these bars of goodness?!

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN AND I COULD NOT BE HAPPIER! Yes, I am one of those avid lovers of the Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks. Every year I shed tears at the end of the season. The PSL is my favourite Starbucks drink of all time. Yes, I even prefer it to the Chai Tea Latte. I was super excited when I found out that they were launching them a month earlier this year! It's clear that these bad boys are high in demand and naturally I have been taking every opportunity to treat myself to one before they are replaced with the Christmas drinks.

MCM Comic Con '14

At the beginning of the month I went to Comic Con for the first time and it was AMAZING! One of the best weekends of my life. I won't speak too much about it here as I made this post a few weeks back talking about my experience. I'm so ready for next years event and am eagerly waiting for the tickets to go on sale.

Attack On Titan Hoodie

I have pretty much lived in this hoodie ever since I bought it at Comic Con. It's so soft and comfy and I am refusing to put it in the wash in fear that the softness will be lost. Does anyone else only put their hoodies in the wash like once a year? I feel like it's a completely normal thing to do and is in no way frowned upon. I have no regrets about spending £32 on this.

Doctor Who
It would be an injustice if I did not include Doctor Who in my favourites this month. September saw the 12th Doctor explode onto our screens and I have to say, so far Capaldi is doing a fucking fantastic job. I was unsure about how I would feel since Matt was my favourite Doctor (yes, I preferred him over David. Don't shoot). But I seem to have taking a shine to the new Doctor. I love how they decided to keep the Scottish accent and wish they did the same with David. The story lines still aren't the best. Much like a lot of Whovians, I prefer the stories of the Russell T. Davis days, but the series has still managed to hold my attention and continues to be one of my favourite TV shows.

[Photo credit to BBC]

And so another favourites post comes to a close. Let me know what you guys have been loving this month or if you've been loving any of the same things I have!
Until next time,
Elijah xo

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My Nail Polish Collection '14

I will hold my hands up and admit that when it comes to my make-up collection I don't have a huge variety of products. However, two products that I seem to have acquired quite a number of are lipsticks and nail polishes. As I've already shared my lipstick collection with you guys, I thought I might as well give you a little insight on my nail polish collection.

Rimmel London 'I Love Lasting Finish'

I'm not even going to bother hiding the fact that Rimmel is my go to brand for pretty much every make-up product. Can you blame me though? Their products are both affordable and really great quality. So, naturally, most of the nail polish I own is from Rimmel. I own four polishes from the 'I Love Lasting Finish' range. I find that I have to apply at least two coats of the polish but it dries fairly quickly and as the name suggests it does indeed last a good while on the nails (unless you're like me and pick it off two days later). At only £2.99 these are a real bargain.

L-R: 'Sweet as Sugar,' 'Ballet Pump Perfection,' 'Tangy Tangerine,' 'Pear Drop'

Rimmel London '60 Seconds'

 Another bargain buy from Rimmel, the '60 Seconds' range are for the people who just don't have the patience to sit around waiting for their nails to dry. Let's face it, does anyone actually enjoy that? Again, I find that I usually have to apply two coats so it usually takes a bit longer than 60 seconds. These polishes also come with a flat brush making application quicker and easier.

L-R: 'Instyle Coral,' 'Too Cool To Tango, 'How Do You Lilac It?', 'Ring A Ring O'Roses'

Rimmel London 'Salon Pro'
This is by far my favourite range of polishes by Rimmel. I'm surprised that I haven't purchased any other colours. I find that one coat of these bad boys is usually enough and they also last really well. They cost slightly more than the other two main nail polish ranges by Rimmel, but they're still affordable! The Salon Pro polishes also have a really good range of colours including darks and pastels. I am in love with the dark green colour. It reminds me of Christmas!

L-R: 'Jazz Funk,' 'Acid House'

Other Rimmel Polishes
Rimmel are always bringing out smaller ranges of polishes. There's never a huge variety of colours with these mini ranges, but there's usually always at least one colour that takes my fancy. Here I have polishes from 'Metal Rush,' 'Space Dust' and my personal favourite, 'Sweetie Crush.' The 'Metal Rush' polish changes colour depending on the light you're in. This one changes from blue to purple to green! The 'Sweetie Crush' and 'Space Dust' polishes are textured. A real must have for any glitter lover. It took me a while to get used to the texture on my nails, but the only negative thing I have to say about these polishes is that they're a total pain to take off.

L-R: 'Royal Blue,' 'Candyfloss Cutie,' 'Aurora'

Barry M
Even though I remain faithful to Rimmel London, I will admit that the Barry M nail polishes are my favourites. One coat is usually always enough, they're super duper affordable and I love the ranges they come out with. My favourite for Autumn/Winter is the 'Matte' range. I adore the Autumnal colours and I am a huge fan of matte polishes and lipsticks. I had seen several other beauty bloggers talk about the 'Gelly Hi-Shine' polishes and I have to say that they completely, 100% live up to the hype that was created around them when they first came out.

L-R:'Blueberry,' 'Crush,' 'Bikini,' 'Caramel,' 'Sugar Apple'

Tanya Burr Cosmetics
Tanya Burr is one of my favourite beauty bloggers & YouTubers so you can imagine my excitement when she launched her range of cosmetics. I still need to get my hands on one of the lip glosses, but I'm the proud owner of two of her nail polishes! These polishes are great quality and last well on the nails. I usually have to apply more than one coat, especially with 'Mini Marshmallows,' but all in all they're great products and I'm super proud of Tanya! She's going to be releasing new products soon and I'm excited to see what she's come up with.

L-R: 'Mini Marshmallows,' 'Little Duck'

Other Polishes
I also have a few polishes from other brands including Max Factor and Orly. The Orly polish was a free gift included with the October issue of Cosmopolitan. The issue is still on sale so if you fancy getting your hands on a sample then there's still time! I haven't worn the Max Factor polishes in a while, but from what I can remember they're both great. As the Orly polish is a nude colour, I had to apply about three coats so that it actually looked as if I had painted nails, but it's a great product and it was free, so I'm not going to complain! I also thought I'd include this dark blue polish from Gold by Giles. I'm not all that familiar with the brand and I can't even remember when and where I bought it. I really do love the colour though and think I may just have to use it again soon!

L-R: 'Sheer Nude,' 'Cool Jade,' 'Ruby Fruit,'
Couldn't find name or link for Gold by Giles polish.

5 gold stars if you reached the end of the post! It was a rather long one. Let me know in the comments of your favourite brand of nail polish and feel free to leave me any suggestions for future posts!
Until next time,
Elijah xo

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The British Tag

Apologies for posting later in the week than I usually do. Time seems to have just ran away with me over these past few days! I do have a few post ideas lined up for over the next couple of weeks, but for now I thought I'd keep the blog active with a little tag post! I've seen the British tag floating around YouTube over the past few months and thought it'd be quite fun to answer the questions myself. The tag was created by Beautycrush on YouTube and you can watch her video here.

1) How many cups of tea do you have a day? + How many sugars?

Believe it or not the only tea that I actually like are herbal teas. I don't like proper 'British' tea. Yes, I know I'm a complete fail of a Brit. Even though I do like herbal teas, I very rarely drink them. I'm a coffee drinker all the way.

2) Favourite part of your roast?

Yorkshire puddings by far! I'd quite happily eat a whole plate of them.

3) Favourite dunking biscuit?

Since I don't drink tea, I don't dunk any biscuits.

4) Favourite quintessentially British pastime?

This is a hard one. What is considered a quintessentially British pastime? Does watching Doctor Who count? Either way I'm going to say watching Doctor Who.

5) Favourite word?

The world would be a better place if everyone said 'spiffing' more often.

6) Cockney rhyme slang?

Considering I live in Scotland and not London, I'm not really aware of any cockney rhyme slang.

7) Favourite sweet?

I had to really think about this as I don't really eat many sweets and when I do they're usually either American or Japanese. But after careful consideration it has been decided that Parma Violets are the greatest British sweet to ever be invented.

8) What would your pub be called?

Oh god, I have no idea! I'm useless when it comes to thinking up names. It'd probably be something 'Swan.' The Hungry Swan? THE SPIFFING SWAN?! Yes, I'd call my pub The Spiffing Swan.

9) No.1 British person?

This is another one that I really had to think about. Since I'm watching the X Factor right now I'm going to say Simon Cowell. He's the main man.

10) Favourite shop/restaurant?

My favourite restaurant would have to be either Frankie & Benny's or Wagamama. Neither of them sell British food but they're both located in Britain so that counts, right? As for my favourite shop, it would probably have to be Topshop although I can very rarely afford anything full price. I swear most of the clothes I own from Topshop were bought on sale. I know that Topshop is now located in other parts of the world but it was founded in the UK so don't get all up in my grill.

11) What British song pops into your head?

Wannabe by the Spice Girls. Can't get any more British than that.

12) Marmite?

I've never actually tried Marmite. The fear of hating it may or may not be the thing holding me back..

And there it is. The British Tag. I think it's safe to say that I am a disappointment to the British population due to my lack of tea drinking and not even giving the Royal Family a mention. Feel free to leave a comment answering some of these questions yourself or leave any other tag suggestions!

Until next time,

Elijah xo

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MCM Comic Con Haul

In my previous post I mentioned that I was going to write a separate post on what I bought over the two days at Comic Con. I  managed to stay within my budget of £100 with a few pounds to spare! I was seriously surprised at this as I had visions of being completely bankrupt by the end of it. I'm also surprised that I didn't spend it all at once unlike my sister's friend who managed to spend all of her money within the first half hour of both days. Talk about crazy.

My favourite purchase of the whole weekend was definitely this Attack on Titan hoodie. I had actually planned on buying one specifically to wear at Comic Con as I wasn't cosplaying, but that didn't happen. When I saw they were selling these at the Tokyo Toys pop up I just HAD to get one. It's super soft and I pretty much live in it now. These hoodies are usually available to buy at around £35, but Tokyo Toys were selling them at £32 which I think is a reasonable price for a hoodie.

Yes, I may or may not have bought three plushies. I swear I am not 5 years old. It was like plushie heaven! There were so many from Pokemon to Totoro to pretty much every other anime series under the sun. I ended up buying Asuna from Sword Art Online, a mini Mikasa from Attack on Titan and AN ALPACA! I have wanted one of these alpacas for ages and was originally planning on buying one of the full sized ones, but they were a lot more expensive so I just decided to go for one of the smaller ones. She's just too cute!

I also got my hands on some awesome posters! My walls were seriously lacking some anime so I just had to take up on the deal that the stall had going on. If you bought two posters you got another two free. I share a room so I can't really put any huge posters up, but these are the perfect size. I ended up getting Gray and Lucy from Fairy Tail, Mikasa from Attack on Titan and the guys from Free!

I've always loved the idea of blind boxes, but had never came across any that I really liked. That was until my sister's friend found these K-ON! ones. I got Mio in her maid outfit and she's so cute. I think this figure was the 'special item' that is referred to on the back of the box as this one wasn't listed on the box. I seriously couldn't believe my luck! I kinda wish that I bought another one. I also bought the melon flavour Ramune drink. I've wanted to try this for ages! I follow people on Instagram who seem to really love this drink so I am excited to try it and hope it lives up to the hype. 

And of course I just HAD to buy some Japanese snacks. I don't eat chocolate/sweets/biscuits etc. but I always make an exception for Japan. They had so many different types of Pocky. It was so hard not to buy every flavour! I ended up limiting myself to two and decided on the milk flavour and blueberry. I also just had to get these chocolate coffee beans as anything coffee flavoured is my favourite. If you know anything about Japan then you should know that they're well known for their weird and wacky flavours, especially when it comes to Kit Kats. These ones aren't too weird though. I believe the green one is matcha and the pink one is strawberry. They were also selling other flavours such as red bean sandwich, but I wasn't feeling brave enough to try that one.

There were so many things that I wanted to buy and I easily could have spent a lot more. However, I am really happy with everything I bought and feel like the weekend was a complete success. I think I might just start saving up for next year!

Until next time,

Elijah xo

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MCM Scotland Comic Con '14

After months of waiting, the weekend of Comic Con finally arrived! It’s safe to say that I was buzzing. This was my first time going to any sort of expo convention so I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I was not disappointed. I didn’t originally plan on blogging the weekend, but after the first day I decided it would be worth taking my camera along on the second day and snapping some pics for you all! 

Unfortunately, I didn't cosplay. I really wish I did though and am planning to next year. On the Saturday I wore the cutest, pinkest and girliest outfit I could put together. I don't get any pictures of it but you can see what I wore here. However, I FINALLY got my hands on an Attack on Titan hoodie on the first day so I wore this bad boy on the Sunday.

I have to admit that I didn't really expect to see that many anime and Japanese related things. I don't know why, but I had this idea that there would be a lot of sci-fi related things more than anything else. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. I swear I began to get heart palpitations when I saw the huge Tokyo Toys pop up at the entrance. SO MUCH ANIME MERCH! I was completely in my element. I also got rather excited over this huge SNK poster.

My favourite stall had to be Tofu Cute. I had browsed their website a few times before but had never actually purchased anything from there. I did however buy a number of things from the stall over the weekend and admittedly most of the pictures I took were of that stall. I seriously wanted to buy everything. It was all just too cute and there was so many Japanese snacks AND SO MUCH POCKY!!!

I seriously thought that by the end of the weekend I’d be bankrupt, but surprisingly I stayed within my set budget of £100. I’m really cautious and picky about what I spend my money on, but I’m really pleased with everything that I bought. I plan on writing a separate Comic Con haul post showing everything that I bought so look out for that over the next few days!

Of course, Comic Con had a number of special guests attending and there was one that I was determined to get a picture with. Hannah from S Club 7. I don't even watch Primeval which was what she was there for. All I cared about was S Club 7. My 4 year old self died when I managed to get a picture with her.

Here are a few more snaps from the day.

I am now eagerly sitting here waiting for the confirmation of next years event. You can 100% guarantee that I'll be there! It's now one of my dreams to go to the one in London and of course, San Diego. I'd love to know if any of you guys have been to a Comic Con event or something similar, and if you cosplayed or not!

Until next time,

Elijah xo

Monthly Favourites - August '14

Where the hell has August gone?! It's crazy how fast the months are flying by. Before we head into September and the cold weather kicks in, it's time that I share what I've been loving for the past four weeks.

The Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter

For about a year now the only lip balm product that I had been using were the Maybelline Baby Lips, but recently I have been cheating on it with this bad boy. Not only does it do wonders for my lips but it smells AMAZING! I am absolutely obsessed with anything coconut flavoured/scented and this product does not disappoint. I know I'm a bit late to the game with these lip butters but I never really ventured into the Body Shop all that often. I also purchased the strawberry lip butter as it was buy one get one half price but I've yet to try it.

Nude T Bar Dolly Shoes from Missguided
These T Bar style shoes have been on the scene for quite a while now but despite desperately wanting a pair I could never quite justify buying them. However, this month I finally caved and I'm so glad that I did. These shoes are just the cutest and are perfect for the transition from summer to autumn. I had originally wanted them in black but unfortunately they didn't have my size so I decided to opt for the nude ones. And did I mention that they were only £19.99? Bargain.

Burgundy Bag from Primark
I've never really been the type of girl to obsess over bags. I'll only really buy one if I need one. However, this month I seemed to fall into the trap of buying a bag that I could easily live without. How did I justify this purchase? It was only £8 and I'm in the process of giving my wardrobe an Autumnal make-over. The bag is a fairly decent size and is able to fit the basic necessitates. It has a gorgeous pattern engraved into it and it also has a pretty pattern on the inside of it too. I can already see this becoming an Autumn staple.

Great Divide by Twin Atlantic
I have had this album on repeat for the past couple of weeks. There isn't a single bad song on it! My favourites on the album are Cell Mate, Actions That Echo and Hold On. I'm seeing them live next month and I seriously cannot wait! If you've never listened to Twin Atlantic and are into alternative rock music then I highly recommend you give them a listen.

[Photo credit]

Yoghurt & Granola
I won't say too much about this month's food favourite as I've already written a post about it. I've made it several times this month and have been mixing the ingredients up. I recently tried it with a summer berry mix and I have to admit, I think I preferred it than with the blueberries which is definitely saying something since blueberries are my absolute fave. If you haven't already, you can check out the recipe here.

And that's us for another month. Feel free to leave a comment below telling me what you've been loving throughout August and if you're excited for the new season. I know I am. Autumn is my favourite time of year alongside Christmas and I am so ready for pumpkin spice lattes, sweaters and Halloween!

Until next time,
Elijah xo

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