NYX vs. Maybelline: Matte Lip Creams

I am completely obsessed with lip products; lipbalms, lipsticks and more recently matte lip creams! I recently bought two new matte lips creams within a day of each other. The first one is the Vivid Matte Liquid by Maybelline, the second is the Soft Matte Lip Cream by NYX. As they are both very similar products, I thought I would directly compare them to each other to see which product is better.

I got the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in shade 40 Berry Boost, and I got the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in shade 18 Prague. They are both berry toned colours, the Maybelline one is slightly more pink whereas the NYX cream has more of a purple hint too it. I love both shades a lot!

Packaging

The packaging for both products are very similar. They both have black writing which contrasts well with the shade of lip cream. They also have a matte black lid which reflects the product itself, with the products being matte, I think this links everything together well. This again contrasts with the shiny bottle.

I think the packaging is quite simple but it works as it doesn't take your focus away from the product itself.

 The Applicator

The applicator is vital to the products success, if it doesn't apply the product well then its just not worth the hassle. 

The applicator on the Maybelline product is quite long and flat, this makes it a little difficult to accurately apply the product on your lips. This also makes it more likely you will go over your lip line and not evenly apply the product.

The NYX lip cream has more of a generic applicator, however, this does make it a lot easier to apply the product to your lips. 

Both applicators are sponge tips so are soft on your lips and doesn't leave them sore or dry after applying.

The NYX lip cream is a thicker formula which mattifies quickly without drying out your lips. In comparison, the Maybelline Matte Liquid is more of a gloss and takes a lot longer to turn matte, sometimes it stays glossy. I have also found that this one also spreads around your lips a lot, which isn't great. 

The Product

I think both products are nice but I do prefer the NYX Soft Matte lip cream, it is easier to apply onto to your lips and has a lot more staying power. It also looks nice when applied and can have a nice professional look to it. The Maybelline Vivid Matte liquid doesn't have the same affect. Sometimes it takes ages to actually dry matte and sometimes it never actually dries. This means it is very easy to spread which is annoying when eating a drinking. When it does dry matte, it dries matte in the middle of your lips and leaves a glossy line around your lip lines which looks nasty. However, this may just be more noticeable as I have a bright colour, if you went for a more nude colour, this might not have the same affect.

I think both colours are really nice and I think the colour ranges for both products are really great as there is a lot to choose from. 

NYX Soft Matte lip cream in £5.50 from Boots and the Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid is £6.99 from Boots. The Maybelline product is more expensive and not as good as NYX.

Ellie xxx

Current Candle Obsessions...

Hi everyone!

Recently I have been really into Candles! That is possibly the weirdest thing I have written, but its true! I got given a Yankee Candle for Christmas, and ever since then I have been obsessed! I thought I would talk about some of my current favourites.

1. Yankee Candle - Cosy By The Fire

This is definitely more of a winter candle as it smells of cinnamon and spices! However, this does not stop me burning it every other night! It is by far my favourite candle out of my little collection as it reminds me of Christmas. This candle also smells a lot when it is lit, which I like as it is doing what it should be doing. Another great thing about this candle, is that although it is small, it lasts a very long time. I like to light this candle at night as it helps me relax after a long day.

2. Bath and Body Works

My final 3 candle favourites have all come from Bath and Body Works in America. When I went over there earlier this year, I saw these mini candles in the shop and I thought they looked really cute! They were 3 for $12, that is the equivalent too about £8 so how could I resist!

The first one I picked up was Honolulu Sun, this is a very pretty blue candle with a very fresh scent. It reminds me of being on holiday! The candle is quite fresh and has a hint of coconuts which balances out the scent well. I also liked that the packaging was quite simple, the lid of the candle had a slight pattern on top which was different to the others too.

The second candle is Amsterdam Spring Tulips, this smells exactly as you would expect! It is perfect for spring as it smells of beautiful tulips. This candle is more of a teal colour which makes it even prettier! I really like burning this and Honolulu Sun at the same time to make my room smell really fresh and pretty.

The final candle is Eucalyptus Mint, this is a light lime green coloured candle. Again this is a nice fresh scent that is slightly lighter than the others.

While I was there, I also picked up a really cute pineapple candle holder for my mini candles.

What are your candle favourites?

Ellie xxx

New York Travel Diary

At the end of March/start of April, I travelled to New York City with my family as part of my 18th birthday present! I know the post is slightly late, but I really wanted to share my experiences and some of the images I took so I can remember it forever!

We travelled too New York via Virgin Atlantic. I have never flown with Virgin Atlantic before so it was quite the experience! The flight was about 8 hours long, it wasn't too bad as I watched some films and ate a lot of food! 

When we arrived, we got the train and subway to get into the city and to our hotel. It took about an hour to get there, I don't remember too much as I was half asleep during the journey. We then arrived at our hotel, did a bit of exploring and then went to bed.

Day 1

On our first day, we really wanted to explore the city and get our bearings. We decided to go up the Empire State Building which was right next to our hotel. I was so excited as *cue cheesy talk* it was my dream coming true. It was quite cloudy but the view from the top was amazing, we could see all the key landmarks. It was boiling hot on our first day, we ended up walking round in just jeans and t-shirts.

Empire State Building

 We then went and did a tour round Madison Square Garden - the World's most famous arena! This was really interesting as they have images of everyone who has performed in the arena. We didn't get too go into the changing rooms as they had a game later in the evening, but we did see everywhere else. I learnt a lot and it was really enjoyable.

Madison Square Garden

For dinner we went to a normal restaurant which was nice, I had a chicken Quesadilla, which caused many discussions during the trip on how it is pronounced. After dinner, we explored Macy's which is huge! Safe to say, we didn't manage to see all of it!

Day 2

Before we did saw some more touristy places, we went and did some shopping which I was very happy about! We went to a nearby mall and looked in Aeropostale which is one of my favourite American clothing shops. We also went into the biggest Victoria Secret I have ever seen! It was on 5th Avenue and it was three storeys high! In the windows it had some of the outfits from this season's runway, including the one that Kendall Jenner wore, I thought that was pretty cool.

Fifth Avenue

After we finished shopping, we went to see the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. We travelled to Battery Park on the subway and then got the boat across to the island. I became your typical tourist and bought a Statue of Liberty foam hat, I wore it with pride! The boat then took us too Ellis Island which is where the first immigrants landed before trying to make a life in the U.S. The island has a huge museum too look around, it was very interesting but we didn't stay long.

Statue of Liberty

We hopped back on the boat which took us back to the mainland where we then walked to the new World Trade Centre and the 9/11 memorial. The memorial was very eye opening and well thought out.

New World Trade Centre

We decided that for dinner we would walk from the memorial through Chinatown and head towards Little Italy. This was really cool to experience although slightly confusing when you saw the merge between Chinese shops/restaurants too Italian shops/restaurants.

We ate at this nice Italian restaurant, I had Cabonara Pasta for main and Chocolate Cannoli for dessert.

Day 3

The third day was our final full day in New York which was sad. It was also the coldest day of the trip, we were all fully wrapped up as we walked around the city in 0 degrees, it did not dampen our spirits though! We walked through Times Square which is incredible! It is probably one of my favourite parts of the city, so many things to look at and take in. We browsed in some of the shops there such as the Hard Rock Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Times Square

 After this, we walked towards the Rockefeller Building. This is where they have the big Christmas tree and where the Jimmy Fallon Show is filmed. We went up the building which gave great views, you also got a great view of Central Park and the Empire State. It was even colder and windier up the top which made it difficult to stand outside for too long.

Central Park

We then walked through some of Central Park, past the ice rink. I would have liked to explore further but we were running out of time to see everything we wanted so we left and headed towards Grand Central Station.

On our walk towards the station, we popped into Tiffany & Co, for a browse. 

Grand Central Station was amazing! It was just like the movies!

Grand Central Station

For dinner we went to a little diner where I ate another chicken Quesadilla because I am obsessed! 

Day 4

On the fourth and final day, we were on a mission to find Bath and Body Works which is one of my favourite shops in America. We found one in the Flat-iron district which made me super happy!

We also saw the Flat-iron building which is really cool. 

Flat-Iron Building

After this, we sat in a sports bar for about an hour to have some food and drinks before our flight home. I got quite emotional as I really didn't want too leave the city I had fallen in love with.

Central Park

 I had such a great time in New York and I am determined too go back again one day. If you want to see some videos from New York, then check out my travel diary on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOGmn1sqrEs

Ellie xxx

Film Review: The Jungle Book

Last week, I went to the cinema to watch the brand new Jungle Book! I am completely obsessed with Disney and The Jungle Book is one of my favourites, so I was excited to see how this adaptation would compare to the original.

Safe to say that I was very impressed! The animation was incredible which made the animals appear very real compared to Mowgli! 

Although they have still stuck to the original storyline, the plot does seem a bit more fast paced and at times a little more scary. However, you still have the fun songs to sing along too which makes it an all round great family film. The only disappointment I found was the lack of Vultures, especially near the end with the famous line of 'what we gonna do?'. In the original animated film they play quite a key part and turn out to be nice creatures, but in the new adaptation, you rarely see them.

Overall, I think the new Jungle Book is well worth the watch! Although you probably know what is going to happen in the film, there are still some added surprises! You feel a connection with the characters even though it is animated, this makes it a heartfelt comedic great film!

Ellie xxx

Current Read: Girl Online

Hi everyone!

So today's blog post is a quick little review on Girl Online by Zoe Sugg.

I bought this book so I could have something to read on my 8 hour flight to New York. It was quite cheap in Asda and I have been wanting to read it for a little while, after seeing it all over my instagram! I knew the basic plot of the book, so seeing as it is based in New York, I thought it was the perfect fit!

On first impressions, I found the book a little boring and hard to get into. I was uncertain whether it was because the plot was a bit predictable or whether it was supposed to be aimed at a slightly younger audience. However, I persevered with it and it has been quite enjoyable.

The book is about an anxious young blogger who travels to New York and falls in love with a mysterious boy from Brooklyn. I don't want to give away any spoilers as I don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't read it. It is a pleasant read that doesn't require too much thought to work out what is going on. It also does give some good tips too help people with anxiety. 

The characters in the book are all very individual and unique. They are easy to picture in your mind, which I personally think makes a book do well!

Although being unsure about the book at first, I have enjoyed reading it and I am tempted to read the sequel. 

Ellie xxx

The LUSH Tag...

I love LUSH! Every time I go shopping, I always have to go in LUSH and check out all of the new products. This is why I thought doing the LUSH tag would fit quite nicely. I got the tag off of http://prettyrainclouds.blogspot.co.uk/ who is my best friend, Leonie, so you should all go check her blog out - its pretty cool!

Lets proceed with the questions!

1. How did you get into Lush?
I am not sure really! I always saw people post photos on instagram and I thought the bath bombs looked super cute. I was intrigued so I went and had a look!

2. How often do you go into Lush?
I always like to pop in whenever I am near one. I follow Lush on instagram so if I see them promoting new products that look nice, I always like to go and see the products in store. I also like going around key holidays such as Christmas and Halloween.

3. What is your favourite all time product?
The Comforter Bubble Bar is my all time favourite! I think this was the first product I got and is now a consistent repurchase, I currently have three! 

4. What is your favourite soap?
I have only used Miranda, which was in a gift set. It smelt very nice but I probably won't repurchase.

5. What is you favourite bath bomb?
This is a difficult one! I really love the Fluffy Egg bath bomb from the Easter collection, it smells just like the Snow Fairy shower gel and leaves your bath a cute bubblegum pink. I also really like Golden Wonder from the Christmas collection and Intergalactic.

6. What is your favourite bubble bar?
Other than the Comforter, I really like Unicorn Horn and Big Bang. The Unicorn Horn smells of Lavender so is very relaxing, whereas the Big Bang has a sweet scent of candy.

7. What is your favourite shower gel or jelly?
I love Snow Fairy shower gel, this is from the Christmas collection and it smells super sweet. 

8. What is your favourite skincare or hair product?
I am not sure whether it counts as skincare, but I really love the Rub Rub Rub shower scrub. This scrubs your skin getting rid or dry patches and leaves your skin soft and smooth, it also smells very fresh and lovely.

9. What is your 'go to' product in the morning?
I am not too sure on this one, but I would probably say the Snow Fairy shower gel, the scent helps to wake you up!

10. A product you regret buying?
I don't regret buying any of the Lush products. However, some bath bombs, such as Honey Bee, stain your bath which can be quite annoying. 

11. If you could invent your own Lush product, what would it be?
This is a difficult question! I would probably invent a bath bomb that has a sweet scent similar to the Comforter. When you drop it in the bath, it will turn the water is deep red wine purple colour, without staining the bath tub. I would also like it to have glitter in it to make the water shimmer!

I hope you enjoy this slightly different type of blog post, and make sure you check out Leonie's blog too!

Ellie xxx

Being Yourself...

Recently, I have been feeling a little uninspired with blog topics and YouTube videos. I noticed that I became more worried about whether people were going to like it more than if I actually enjoyed making it. Although getting views count, its not everything.

This got me thinking, why do we feel like it is our duty to impress someone else? You live your own life, you make the decisions for your future. Why should it matter if someone else approves?

If you are living your life through someone else, you are not being your most authentic self. People you meet won't always be there, their judgements won't always matter. 

I guess what I wanted to get across, without rambling or getting really deep, is that you should always stay true to yourself. Growing up in this generation can be hard, with so many influences and people pressurizing you into being someone you're not or doing something you don't want to do. Sometimes you need to bring yourself back and think about you. Its okay to be a little selfish every now and then!

I am going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

2 THINGS:

If it makes you happy, do it.

If it doesn't, then don't.

I guess that just about sums it up! Live a life you are proud of!

Ellie xx