Review | Rimmel Provocalips 16hr kiss proof lip colour - 730 Make Your Move

I am SO excited to writing this review! In fact I don’t think I’ve been this excited to review a lip product ever, because quite honestly Rimmel have blown me away! First things first the Rimmel Provocalips lip colours are available 8 shades and cost £6.99 each,which is a complete bargain for how well they deliver.

The Provocalips are essentially a matte liquid lipstick on one end with a balm type of sealer product on the other end. I picked up the shade ‘Make Your Move’ and I honestly don’t think there could be a more ME shade out there! The colour is PERFECT, it’s a brown toned rose mixed with mauve. A darker MLBB, and it looks so effortless and classy. It also had the ability to some how pull my whole face together at 7:30am on a Tuesday morning when I’m on the train and I want nothing more than to be back in bed!

I don’t know what it is about these somewhat 90’s lip shades, but they are floating my boat like no tomorrow, and I have not used any other lip product since I bought this!

If you’ve been a reader for a while you will be aware that I have a large collection of lipsticks, glosses, balms etc. which don’t get used because to be quite honest with you I cannot be bother to keep up with them! I hate retouching makeup, it’s a pain and time consuming and so I’d much rather just apply a clear balm then deal with feathering and fading and moving about etc;.

The provocalips are the perfect solution to my problem, I apply it at 7:30am and by 4-5 they are still intact, if a little faded in the middle of the lips. I normally have a hot drink in the morning, fish and chips on a Friday afternoon and I’m continuously drinking water, snacking and talking throughout the day. So the fact that I can apply the provocalips and forget about them, because they’re so darn comfortable, yet glance in a mirror and see they are perfectly set and haven’t budged.... it is mindblowing! Whenever you hear about a long-lasting product you imagine it to be dry and crusty on the lips, but these apply very smoothly and the balm side goes a long way in giving it the moisturising/comfortable touch.

The application is great, standard doe-foot which are the perfect size for applying the liquid lipstick exactly where you need it. I’d recommend wiping a bit off when you open it because sometimes a little too much product can be applied. The pigmentation is also phenomenal, you just need one swipe! Once put on the lips, give it around 40 seconds to set and then go in with the white side, which is a slightly gooey balm. This stops the liquid lipstick for drying up and feeling tight on the lips, it adds moisture and sets it in place. Personally I like it to be less glossy, and I am just in love with how easy these are to get on with! The fact that they stay and stay and stay, with no rubbing off on teeth, no peeling, flaking is just incredible. It exceeded all my expectations, well done Rimmel!

 

If you’re looking for a long-lasting lip product, which isn’t horribly drying and which will not be disrupted by your food and drink, then check these beauties out! There are a range of shades, however I don’t think I’ll personally find anything that I get on better with than Make Your Move for every day! Researching swatches, I think the shade ‘Play with fire’ would make an amazing red lip for special occasions, especially because you don’t have to worry about it budging from where you placed it! ‘I’ll call you’ also looks like a pretty more natural alternative for an everyday lip colour ^_^

 

Final Verdict:

Product rating: 10
Pros: It is long lasting. This shade is gorgeous, a stunning brown toned nude which looks extremely classy. It isn’t drying like most long lasting products, you can wear it and forget about it, it’s just THAT comfortable! There are 8 shades to choose from, it lasts all day and stays defined without any lipliner.
Cons: It doesn’t quite last 16hours, but long enough for me to get through a day of Uni without worrying about it!
Repurchase? 100% These have totally exceeded my expectations and I know I’ll be repurchasing Make Your Move as soon as I start running out!

Have you tried these beauties yet?

Thanks for reading!

 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

Review | Rimmel Provocalips 16hr kiss proof lip colour - 730 Make Your Move

I am SO excited to writing this review! In fact I don’t think I’ve been this excited to review a lip product ever, because quite honestly Rimmel have blown me away! First things first the Rimmel Provocalips lip colours are available 8 shades and cost £6.99 each,which is a complete bargain for how well they deliver.

Updates | Life lately

Hello everyone! I have been quite terrible at my monthly updates haven’t I? It’s a mixture of not having enough time to take interesting photos, and being too busy to post enough beauty related posts, let alone updates of the month! Today I’m going to run through the past couple of months and end with where I am at now.

This summer was one that was incredibly long, but seemed to travel at a relatively fast pace! I spent most of it working, taking driving lessons and shopping. I know, I know, does the excitement ever end?! There were a fair few weddings, and then of course the month of Ramadan which is always a wonderful time of the year.

I recently started my second year of University which is pretty crazy because I feel like I was just halfway into first year yesterday! I am struggling to keep up with the weeks, and my timetable has two long days and two days which are very wishy-washy with only one 1 hour slot - so frustrating for a commuter! It is already November now and the work pace has sped right up, just like they warned us it would, so it’s time to get my head down and save NOTHING for later!

This week (fireworks night in particular) I passed my driving test the first time *happy dances* It was the biggest relief in the world and if I’m honest everyone around me was unsure of whether I could do it, based on my sighing and lack of self-confidence alone! Although I was feeling very shaky and couldn’t eat much, I managed to stay calm and demonstrate that I can drive safely. If you are in the middle of test prep, then keep remembering that all they want to see if that you are a safe driver and you can deal with different driving conditions calmly. For some reason I kept over-complicating things, but my grandfather gave me the best advice ever: Just think of the invigilator as a passenger who will direct you to destinations and will want you to get there safely. Genius isn’t it?!

Plus once you do pass you have that for LIFE! So woo-hoo! Just waiting for payday so I can attempt to get insurance, which is more than £1000 *sobs as she thinks about the amount of food/clothes/home stuff/PJs/Makeup could be purchased with that sum*. Ahh well it’s all part of having the independence to drive at my age, so I shouldn’t complain too much .___.

Ethical blogging is going really well so far. I thought I would find it very difficult when I started, but I have discovered SO many great products which are not from these huge companies who fund the killing in Palestine. Furthermore L’Oreal have been exposed for more injustice, this time directly impacting their CUSTOMERS because of the amount of harmful chemicals they put in their products. I read this letter/blogpost here from a Harvard business graduate who had declined L’Oreal’s offer, a MUST read! It is also really encouraging to see other bloggers who have decided to buy and blog ethically, so far I know that Pauline and Vanessa are planning to, so if you’re an ethical buyer be sure to follow them both on bloglovin (already linked).

I am also doing a rota system again like I used to with the ‘OMFTW’. I’m not as strict on myself as I was before, but it is the best way to really get to know a product before writing a review, and also to use up more products in your makeup collection. I find when I’m not on some sort of rota I get stuck in a rut with what a use so easily.

In terms of health and fitness, I am trying to get back on track. I have cut down considerably on the sugar department which actually started when I began boycotting Coke. (read more of the BDS movement here). After I stopped buying the stuff and drinking it at people’s houses, I began reading more into what they put into coke and the implications it can have on household objects such as....your toilet. Yeah. Appetizing right?

 A couple of months later I just wanted to start feeling more energetic and less lethargic and lazy. I realised a huge reason why I felt this way was because of diet and exercise, so although I’m not going ALL out, I am planning healthier meals and cutting down on the junk has been a big step and i’ve already seen the positive results!

Finally, last but certainly not least, I will be attending the smoky not smudgy annual charity event which is held by Imperial college London. This year it is on Sunday the 16th of November and I will also be blogging about the day, so you can expect a post mid-November!  You can purchase all tickets here with all money going to charity.

How have YOU been recently? ^___^

Thanks for reading!

 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

Updates | Life lately

Hello everyone! I have been quite terrible at my monthly updates haven’t I? It’s a mixture of not having enough time to take interesting photos, and being too busy to post enough beauty related posts, let alone updates of the month! Today I’m going to run through the past couple of months and end with where I am at now.

Top Tips For New Bloggers

Hi guys, I hope you’re all doing well. Today I wanted to share some of my top tips for any new bloggers out there. I’ve gotten a number of emails asking for this type of thing and although I’ve added bits and pieces here and there I’ve never dedicated a whole one just for this.

So I’ve been blogging for 15 months now and it has honestly been one of the best decisions I made ^_^ I love being able to share my views, my favourites and not so favourites and to get to know other’s who have a similar interest to me.

More recently becoming an ethical blogger and putting the lives of innocent Palestinians before buying a MAC blush, Estee Lauder foundation or L’Oreal mascara has given me an even greater reason to blog! So whatever your reason for starting your own, here are a few pointers to help you on your way.

1. Join bloglovin and Twitter

There are SO many social media sites out there, but the first two to join are the above. Bloglovin is probably the most popular blog directory, a place where once you sign up your posts are instantly added for all followers to easily read. You can access all sorts of blogs, build lists, like/save posts and usually find a lot of amazing blogs through other people’s blogs! Here is my profile if you’d like to see what it’s like.

Twitter is invaluable for the blogging community. Not only can you hashtag and share your posts to thousands of people, you can also meet lots of other wonderful bloggers on there and get involved in blogger chats (the #bbloggers one is every Wednesday 8pm GMT and the #beautychat is on every Friday 7pm GMT). The blogger chats are wonderful for sharing tips, recommendations, posts and ‘meeting’ new bloggers! Sometimes they have a specific topic and at other’s its totally random.

2. Spend time and effort on the appearance of your blog

Not all of us have hundreds of pounds to spend on professional blog design, and nor do you need to with the wealth of google at your finger tips! It is well worth spending a couple of hours adjusting your blog layout and design because first impressions really do make a difference. Personally I love visual blogs with large colourful photos, a clear ‘about me’ summary and a blog design that has a bit of character and makes me want to visit the page again.

I ALWAYS recommend people to visit the fabulous Elaine’s blog, because she works SO hard to provide people like you and me the need-to-know when it comes to tweaking the blog. She is a professional in terms of website design. Her tutorials are simple and easy to follow and if you want more help you can hire her! 90% of the changes I made on my blog, were through her tutorials so do spend some time behind the technical and create yourself a blog you are proud of!

3. Buy a blogging book and note down milestones

When I say a blogging book, I don’t mean anything fancy. Just a notebook (a patterned/pretty one if you’re a stationary obsessive like me) which you can use for ALL things blogging. Brainstorm, write down products you’re currently testing out, and most importantly write down those milestones! There is nothing more encouraging than seeing how far you’ve come, and it’s probably the best thing about having a productive/useful hobby! Last year at the start of November I had 100 bloglovin followers which is pretty fantastic in itself. In almost a year I am now at 670 followers, and whilst numbers the most important thing, they are a great encouragement!

4. Plan your posts a month in advance

I know this sounds pretty over the top and I would have thought so too when I first started blogging, but it’s the only way I’ve been able to post over 10 posts in one month! I like to think about what the month ahead might bring, think about the products I’m currently using in my rota and then use my imagination to come up with some possible posts. I will generally slot in 3/4 posts on my calendar and this way I am never stuck for what to blog about when I make the time to blog. I can’t tell you how much of a help this has been for me, and it is also really great to get into the habit of bulk photograph taking for the week ahead. If you take all your shots in one go, you won’t be faffing about with products and your camera, lighting, angles etc; throughout the week. I’m not very good at bulk photo taking but when I do, it makes life a lot easier.

5. Leave your bloglink after a thoughtful comment!

Blogging is as much about interacting with others, as it is about sharing your views and opinions. I love the comment feature, and although I haven’t had a single moment to sit down and reply to comments recently, I appreciate each one that is left! It’s nice to appreciate someone’s effort if you particularly enjoyed a post, and also if you have anything to add about the topic. Whatever you write, please make sure it’s thoughtful and not copied and pasted. This is careless and you’ll quickly become known for trying to gain followers in a not so organic way! Personally I am not a fan of ‘follow for follow’. Work hard on your content and try to be consistent, and you’ll see your following grow naturally, trust me it’ll feel brilliant!

Also just thought I would share how to leave your name and a hyperlink to your blog:

Iqra | <a href="http://www.theblushinggiraffe.com/">The Blushing Giraffe </a> x

The bits in red are the html, so copy and paste this into a sticky note, add your blog URL in-between the speech marks, and add your name at the front before the ‘<a' href’ as this will be like your signature. It’s a much more convenient way of sharing a clickable link to your blog, and you’re more likely to get more visitors using this method rather than copying and pasting the whole URL (plus that would look super messy). Plus sticky notes load whenever I turn my laptop on, so its easy as pie to leave your signature and link!

6. Don’t be too hard on yourself, and don’t give up!

A 2-for-1 there, but both equally important! Don’t worry if you don’t end up sticking to your posting schedule because life is getting in the way, it happens! In the past few weeks I would have liked to have posted 3X the amount I was able to, but due to juggling university and work it has just not been possible. Take your time because blogging is a hobby and an enjoyable thing, don’t allow it to become another worry in your life! Also when you first start and you literally have like 3 followers for 5 weeks, don’t let it get to you! Blog for YOU, and keep at it because with time you’ll develop bonds, find awesome people from across the world who are so similar to you and just get really stuck in! Numbers are not and should not be the most important aspect of blogging, the enjoyment and experience should be.

Blogging is my escape for a few hours a week and although I wish I had more time to blog and read blogs more often, I am grateful to be able to enjoy it in the time I get.

I really hope a few of those were helpful to you! Please let me know if you have any questions down below or email me: theblushinggiraffe@hotmail.com. Also if you have any to add, fellow blogger please do share!!Good luck with upcoming assignments and deadlines, I’d better get cracking with mine!

Thanks for reading!

 Follow Via Bloglovin' | Tweet Me | Follow on Instagram | Like The Blushing Giraffe on Facebook

Top Tips For New Bloggers

Hi guys, I hope you’re all doing well. Today I wanted to share some of my top tips for any new bloggers out there. I’ve gotten a number of emails asking for this type of thing and although I’ve added bits and pieces here and there I’ve never dedicated a whole one just for this.

So I’ve been blogging for 15 months now and it has honestly been one of the best decisions I made ^_^ I love being able to share my views, my favourites and not so favourites and to get to know other’s who have a similar interest to me.