Aldi Lacura Too Legit Waterproof Mascara

Over the Christmas period, I have been putting a few mascaras to the test, one of them comes from the Aldi Lacura range with their “Too Legit Water Proof Mascara” a cruelty free mascara which costs just £5.99. 

Every time Aldi release a new product within their skincare and makeup range, the word “dupe” is one which is bounded about. Admittedly, some of the Aldi products may sound similar to those at the higher end of the price market, but just sometimes they are better.

This Too Legit mascara is an addition to the brands best selling mascara. The formula is described as being rich, black and long-wearing to create voluminous, longer looking lashes. I am picky with a mascara formula because I cannot stand those really overly wet ones which make your eyelashes feel wet.  With this formula, it isn’t overly wet or dry, it’s somewhere in the middle.

Nestled inside a metallic blue tube, this mascara features a wand which is mid-length with a specially designed brush which gets into the corner of your eyes to reach the smallest of lashes. At the end of the brush is a spiked end which features about 10 bristles and as you wiggle the brush between your lashes, they reach those hard to reach lashes. Added to that, once the brush is out of the wand, it doesn’t hold excess formula on any one side, another bugbear when using a mascara is excess mascara on the brush which creates smudges.

This Too Legit Waterproof mascara does lift, coat and help build volume, but as I have fairly long lashes, I can’t comment on whether or not it lengthens. What I can tell you is that it doesn’t smudge, it doesn’t flake and as it is waterproof, once it has been applied, it doesn’t come off easily until you use eye makeup remover and then, unlike those products to which it is referred to as being a dupe, it comes off easily with no need to run the eyes. 

If you are wanting a new mascara and don’t want to spend a lot of money, this one, for just £5.99 is exceptionally good and it gives some of my more expensive mascaras a run for their money.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

La Montana Fragrance Discovery Set

I was first introduced to La Montana as a brand back in 2015, a brand that has been inspired by life in a Spain Village. Founders Cass and Jonathan Hall decided to leave London life behind back in 2011 and move to move to a Valencian mountainside where they became inspired enough to create their own home fragrance range that captured the beautiful surroundings and the new smells of the area.

As well as candles and Reed Diffusers, the latest launch from La Montana is their Discovery Set.  I am a huge fan of Discovery sets, I’ve featured many offerings from brands on this blog over the years. 

The idea of a Discovery set is that it gives you the opportunity to find a new fragrance, usually a perfume but in this case from La Montana, it is a way to find your favourite room most from their new collection.

The joy of these room mists is that as soon as you find the fragrance of choice, it makes choosing your candle that much easier too. Each one of the vials within this collection is 2.5ml and there are 9 to work your way through, the discovery set being accompanied by blotters if you don’t want to spritz them into the air.

The scents within this discovery selection includes:

• First Light - conjures the glistening stillness of breaking dawn with Fennel, Rosemary, Rockrose and Mountain Pepper
• Inspired by a local orchard, 'Fig Grove' is blended with juicy Orange Flower and Jasmine, and grounded by base notes of Wood and Musk
• Infused with lavender, Juniper and Thyme, 'Siesta' is said to recreated the hazy "sun-baked fragrances of the countryside"
• 'Galán de Noche' is a soft floral blend of Jasmine, Rose and Orange Blossom
• A best-seller, 'Alfredo's Café' evokes the warmth of a Mediterranean village square with Coffee, Brandy, Tobacco, Leather and Incense
• Fresh, earthy with a touch of citrus, 'Cloudburst' is inspired by the moments after rain
• Warm and zesty, 'Winter Oranges' is heated by touches of Smoke and Wood
• 'Three Kings' is a heady blend of Turrón, Brandy, Cedarwood and, of course, Frankincense and Myrrh
• Profuse with Geranium, Orange Blossom, Chamomile and Lavender, 'Sacred Roses' is inspired by a garden in a 13th-century monastery at the foot of the mountain.

It is a real hard choice to choose between these 9 fragrances to find a favourite, but there was four that really did stand out - Cloud Burst and Winter Oranges, though Fig Grove and Sacred Roses is also stunning. 

This Discovery set is currently priced at £25 but, I have a special offer for you! Readers of my blog can get their hands on this discovery set for just £5, including postage and packaging (this is U.K. only for p&p), all you need to do is use the code Beautyqueenuk at the check out!  I would love to know what scent you like the most, if you take advantage of this offer!

 

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

Can You Make Yourself Feel Beautiful All Year Round?

Looking beautiful and feeling beautiful are two entirely separate things. You can look beautiful and not feel it, which is a super common occurrence in today's society. We live in a society that makes you feel like you’re not pretty if you look different from what is ‘normal’, but that is simply not true. In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you can do to make yourself feel more beautiful all year round. Keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.

Image Source - CC0 Licence

Your Face

The first thing that you’re going to need to think about is your face. You are beautiful, and before we carry on we feel as though that is an important fact to point out. No matter what you look like, there is nothing wrong with how you look. But, if you feel as though this is something that you would like to change or enhance, there are plenty of products to help you do so. The cosmetics industry is full of things that will enhance your natural beauty and make you feel fantastic.

You should also make sure that you are moisturizing your skin at least once per day. If you want to keep your skin in good condition, and you do if you’re worried about looking beautiful all year round, then this is going to be essential.

Your Outfits

The next thing that you should think about are the outfits that you wear. In the summer, shorter clothes are going to be your best option to keep you cool, but in winter you’re going to need to wrap up warm. You might think that it’s only with the more revealing clothing that you can feel beautiful, but this is simply not the case. There are so many different combinations of clothes and styles that work fantastically to make you look fabulous. Remember that you don’t have to fit in with the trends if you don’t want to, as long as you feel comfortable and beautiful in whatever you decide to wear.

Your Hair

People change their hair all the time. From the length to the color, there is always something different that you can do. If you want to feel beautiful, then we recommend trying a new hairstyle. If you don’t know which way to go with this, then you can always ask the hairdresser what they think and go with that. Your hair can completely change the way that you look, so think carefully before you make this decision. While it can be changed if it’s color and it will grow back, it takes a while!

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you can do to make yourself feel beautiful all year round. It’s important that you feel good no matter what time of year it is, so take this advice and that might just happen. We wish you the best of luck achieving this goal!

*this post contains PR samples, a paid for link and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.

IKON Fragrances

Introducing yourself to new fragrances on Zoom takes choosing a new scent to a whole new level, more so when you are talked through each note, the composition and its reason by an expert. 

The newly launched Ikon fragrances are described as being a range of premium, natural and responsible fragrances which have been developed with a premium, sustainable, natural mindset. IKON conceives fragrances as a holistic experience and are vegan, cruelty-free.

Available from The Fragrance Shop, IKON features 6 Eaux de parfum which are priced at £60 each and they feature responsibly sourced key ingredients and materials, plus the bottle is made from a light durable glass which is topped with a Manchurian ash wood cap, this is said to remind us that the most precious materials are often found in the most simple and natural of environments.

I find fragrances and their notes fascinating and I love that a scent can smell so differently on two people. Between the Mister and I, we went through each of the fragrances from a sample set that I was kindly set to whittle down to our favourite two - 807 and 906 being those choices.  Each one of the fragrance within the range is named by three numbers - 511, 709, 807, 906, 910 and 914 and of course they are all gender neutral/unisex.

Starting with 807 - This fragrance is described as being 'rousing and exotic - a scent of precious sensuality'. This fragrance sits within the Oriental Spicy family. It opens with a spicy mix of Rosewood, Cardamon and Neroli which is rich but most definitely woody. As it settles the heart notes of Jasmine, Saffron and Patchouli seep through before the base notes of Vanilla, Musk and Amber gives it a bit of warmth as it dries down.

I absolutely love this scent, it was the one we both agreed on immediately and whilst I think it does smell better on the mister, it is one of those fragrances either of us can wear and it smells differently.

The second choice is scent 906 which is described as being 'fascinating and dramatic - a fragrance of temptation'. For me, this one is my preferred scent of the two and it sits within the Oriental Floral family.

With a blend which is spicy but also what you might describe as being a bit moody. It has top notes of nutmeg, red berries and black pepper which give it that spice but the red berries are there in the background with an almost tartness to them. The middle notes which are made up of Jasmine, Tuberose and Ylang take the berries and their tartness and replace it with the most wonderful floral, if anyone knows my fragrances, Jasmine seemingly appears in all of my favourites, together the heart notes make way for the base notes of Amber, Musk and Patchouli, the latter fragrance note being the most dominant within this scent.

This fragrance is everything you would want if you like something to linger for hours, for which this one definitely does, ideal as an all day and all night scent, it is one which you can still catch a whiff of many hours after application. Despite its longevity, it isn't overly heavy but it is definitely a less is more when using.

If you are looking to change your fragrances to something which is vegan, cruelty-free and responsibly sourced, then this is a brand to look into. Whether you like floral, spicy or something a little bit different, Ikon has six fragrances for you to choose from and each one has a different story to tell.  You can find them all right here.

*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.