Hello Autumn - Essence Trend Edition

Hello everyone, I'm sorry I've been missing in action recently, due to family issues I had to take a wee mini break from my blog, but now I'm back and ready to show you all my pretty things I've obtained over the past 2 weeks.

So It was my 24th birthday on the 17th (Oh dear lord I'm in my mid twenties) and I got absolutely spoilt rotten by my family, boyfriend and friends and of course.. myself.

So lets get down and dirty shall we, this is one of the collections I bought myself! Lets get straight to it and skip all the shite :p

*Colour adapting powder blush* - this blush changes colour depending on the PH tone of your skin

PROS:

Inexpensive

Novel idea

Pretty packaging

CONS:

Novel idea

Colour change not noticeable 

Wears off quickly

*Thermo effect nail polishes* - Colour changes depending on temperature 

PROS:

Great concept

Novel Idea

Inexpensive

Different 

CONS:

Streaky

Not a huge colour change

Wears off extremely quickly

(Fell off in the shower- ALL OF IT)

*Leaf embossed multi colour powder* - Designed to give you colour and glow

PROS:

Amazing design

Visually attractive

Inexpensive

Great colour

Novel Idea

CONS:

Need a lot on brush

*Eye Shaddow palette* - An array of Autumnal shades

PROS:

Inexpensive

Perfect Autumn shades

Great for everyday wear

CONS:

Some shades are quite talc-ish

Doesn't last too long

So all in all I'd give this collection a 5/10, it's a hit and miss collection but I'd suggest everyone to try it out for themselves

Have you tried this collection? What other Essence products do you Love / Loathe? 

The Parma Violet

Essence Blush up! MAC dupe?

Essence seems to be everyone's favorite drugstore beauty collection! Their packaging, colours, new and bright ideas, dupes and more importantly, super cheap prices are to die for! Recently i feel as if i have been neglecting Essence slightly so I went on a trip to Penneys and bought these two gorgeous Blushes! 

I bought these insanely beautiful blushes in Penneys for only €4.39 each! Nothing to complain about there!

Because these blushes are Ombre blushes. this means you can get three different looks with the same blush!

Use the darker section for a more bold and dramatic look, or use the lighter section for a more natural look, or simply mix them both together! 

Pardon the picture quality (The blush on the right is more of a peachy tone)

When i picked these up, i knew instantly that I have saw them before somewhere!Then it dawned on me...

These pretty little things are Dupes for MAC's limited edition proenza schouler blushes! I was so excited that I bought both of them then and there! 

Compared to a bank breaking €31.00 each! you can buy BOTH of these Essence bad boys for a total of €8.78! That's less than a tenner for both!!AND seeming as these were only limited edition MAC blushes you don't have to pay ridiculous prices over Ebay for them! 

Here are the swatches, as you can see we have Pinky Flow on the left and Heat Wave on the right.

The first colour on both is the darkest of each. This colour, used alone, doesn't appeal to me much as I am too pale, this would suit medium to dark skin tones.

The lighter colour is then used next. I love these colours as they suit me much much more. And far more natural looking

The last colour on both, is mixed. Again I love this, I find this to look much more dewy and fresh.

Have you any Dupes or Essence buys you want to share? Want me to review a product? Simply comment below or main me at theparmavioletblog@gmail.com, thank you 

The Parma Violet

June haul + summer happiness

Oh happy days!!

Firstly before I start this off, can I just mention how overly ecstatic I was to have went to see McBusted in the point/o2 on the 2nd of June!
I'm not the biggest Mcfly fan, but I am the worlds biggest Busted fan since I was a child (no shame) so seeing them again was one of the happiest moments of my life! And was legit one if the funnest gigs I have ever went to! So this started of my June with a huge emotional bang! Also Matt Willis is probably the hottest thing on this planet and Emma Willis is a damn lucky woman......swiftly moving on..

Being currently unemployed, MAC temptations are an actual killer, all you can do is look at everyone else's instagram pictures of their new Limited Edition, gorgeously packaged, MAC treasures.

So I made it my business to get at least SOMETHING from MAC's new 'Alluring aquatic' collection! Seeming as I am a lipstick fiend, I went straight for the lipsticks.. 

And I'm not going to lie, I kind of only got this for the packaging! 'Goddess of the sea' kicked off MAC's limited edition summer wants for me! I adore purple lipstick, so this was the only product that really stood out for me. I ran straight to MAC in BT2 and bought this little baby for a whopping 21.50 EURO...Sickened, I went home to swatch it straight away, and I can't say I was entirely blown away to be perfectly honest. This lipstick has a cremesheen finish, I myself prefer matte lipstick, but the shine off this is sexy and classy! In order to get any kind of decent colour off of this you must apply quite thick, I applied 3-4 layers until I found the result I wanted. Although initially looking great (sorry for no swatch photo's my phone camera isn't great) The staying power lacks greatly! I found I got an hour out of this lipstick MAX! I decided to put on some Rimmel lipstick lock on top to keep the colour...But to no avail. If you're looking for great staying power and colour, then this one is a miss I'm afraid, keep your money. But if you want to buy purely for the UNBELIEVEABLE wet look + feel packaging, then by all means ladies RUN and get this before its sold out! 

Must get ALL the goodies! 

• On the top left, we have Lidl's famous 'Suddenly' perfume range! Recently Lidl have introduced 'Suddenly, Madame Glamour' Body lotion,shower gel and deodorant with the same scent! If you have the perfume, I suggest running out and grabbing the body lotion and shower gel set for 5.99EURO  and a glass, roll on deodorant for 79 cent!!! Perfection! (Madame Glamour is a Coco Mademoiselle dupe) The Body lotion is surprisingly thick and creamy, definitely worth picking up.
• On the top right I have a mini Penneys Haul! There is no happier place on earth than Penneys/ Primark! Reasonably priced items as far as the eye can see! I picked up this gorgeous powder blue shoulder bag with gold clasp for only 7EURO! Huge bargain!I got three sets of nails for 1.50 each, no complaining there! And P.S Love ultra black mascara for 2EURO! 3 Necklaces for 3 EURO is amazing value! And my favourite buy is this floral headband for only 2EURO in the childrens section! (Theyre selling adult headbands for 3 euro so head down to the childrens section and get the same one for a euro cheaper!)
• And on the bottom I have my favourite beauty buys!'Goddess of the sea' Lipstick by MAC 21.50EURO. (see above)I personally think Essence's new 'Blush up' ombre blush is a Dupe for MAC's Limited Edition Proenza Schouler Ocean City blush! And for 4.75EURO its a fraction of the price! Gorgeous blush!I FINALLY got around to buying Lush's Bubblegum lip scrub! this has been on my wishlist for a while and never got around to buying it! Give your lips some TLC for only 6.75EURO. also available in 'Mint julips' and  'Popcorn'. Leaves lips tasting and feeling heavenly! The smell is divine and you will have to stop yourself from devouring the whole tub! Also 'pow wow' popping candy lip scrub comes out to make an annual christmas appearance, perfect for those chapped lips. 

And finally, my favourite outfit for festivals.

As i wont be attending Electric Picnic (le sob), I shall be attending KnockanStockan and hopefully Body and Soul festival. Everybody wants a simple and cosy outfit that looks awesome, and represents their style too! So I paired my 70's Floaty style top and a 4EURO penneys skirt for a relaxed Boho Look! I paired this with a pair of DocMartens (my essential festival and everyday wear boots),Floral headband and a small mint handbag from Penneys/Primark for a pop of colour and voila, done! (Headbands are perfect for festivals, keeps hair in place when weather gets rainy/windy)

I hope you enjoyed reading this post, if you need to get in touch mail me on nadinestephens1990@gmail.com  or simply comment below! thank you!

The Parma Violet