Everything Erin

It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Benefit's brow products, and as much as I love them, I also love their brow services they offer in store which I have been going to for at least a couple of years now. An amazing perk of being part of Debenhams' beauty club is the free brow wax you can receive for your birthday.

So, I made an appointment around the time of my birthday and off I went to my local Debenhams. The service is always amazing, the staff always make sure they show you how they are going to shape your brows beforehand and make the experience much more enjoyable than it may seem, and as painfree as possible. Personally, I never find that brow waxing hurts very much - it just makes me jump a little bit!


I decided to take a before and after shot to show you all what difference it makes! Let's all ignore the fact I can't take a decent selfie to save my life, haha.


Due to unforeseen circumstances meaning Benefit had to reschedule my appointment, I cannot thank the Benefit customer services enough for ease in sorting out the problem. Unexpectedly, they kindly sent me a complimentary set as an apology, which I was so grateful for. The Dandelion Wishes Kit is such a gorgeous Benefit set and I was so excited to discover the products inside.


The first product in the kit, one which you may expect, is the famous Dandelion blush. I've only ever tried Benefit's Rockateur blush before (and love it, I must mention) so I was excited to try this one. It's much more of a peachy pink shade and to say I am someone who hardly ever wears blush, I have definitely been converted and will be wearing this a lot, especially in the summer months.


Sticking with the dandelion theme, the set also comes with the Dandelion lip gloss, which I was also really impressed by. It adds a really pretty sheen and to say it's a lip gloss, it isn't overly sticky - if I go out in a gale force wind (typical British weather) my long hair doesn't end up stuck to my lips which is always a major pro!


The set also includes some Benefit favourites, such as their iconic Roller Lash mascara. Oh, I forgot how good this is! I must purchase a full size one of these days, because although it's a bit pricey for a mascara, it's the best I've ever tried. No other mascara curls and lifts your lashes like this one!


There's also a High Beam in the set, which is my all time favourite highlighter so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was by this! It adds the most gorgeous subtle glow and is so easy to apply. Finally we have a posie balm in the set, I had never tried a Benefit balm but always wanted to so I've already used it a lot because of how lovely and moisturising it is.


Have you ever had your brows done at Benefit? I'd love to hear about your experiences! Also let me know what your favourite Benefit product is so I can try something new!

It's so true that if you can't warm to the characters of a TV show, you're not going to enjoy it as much. The characters are always what makes the show, so today I decided to share with you a few favourites of mine which generally are the reasons I love the shows so much!

Chandler Bing - Friends

When I think of my favourite TV series character, Chandler from Friends is always my first thought. His sarcastic lines are some of my favourite in the show and, as much as I love all the Friends characters, I definitely think Chandler has to be my favourite because of his humour which is renowned for making the show as iconic as it is.

Jessica Day - New Girl

I could honestly mention any of the characters of New Girl in this list because they are all so likeable, but Zooey Dechanel's character Jess has to be my favourite on the show, of which is my latest watch. She's so ditsy and funny and really makes the show (the few episodes when she was absent in season 5 didn't feel right at all) and I find her so relatable! She's the TV character who I think is most like myself and I really like her for that, obviously. I love how she always stands up for what she feels is right and isn't afraid to.

Blair Waldorf - Gossip Girl

I'm pretty sure you mention Gossip Girl to someone my age and they'll go on about how much they wish they were Blair Waldorf. She seems to live the perfect life, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, but of course her life comes with the gossip and drama you would expect. I actually personally think she is way too good for Chuck and wouldn't have ended up with them together (sorry not sorry), but she's such a role model and her style is a dream. The headbands!!

Rachel Green - Friends

Another Friends character, of course, but what I love about Rachel is how much her character develops over the course of the show. She begins as a nieve, spoilt young woman who had no idea how the world works and then becomes so career focused while becoming both an amazing mum and friend. Her style is amazing too, especially in the early seasons and some of her unfortunate mishaps, 'I wasn't supposed to put beef in the trifle!' have to be some of the best Friends moments.

Jughead Jones - Riverdale

I am actually three episodes behind on Riverdale right now and desperately need to catch up, but one of the reasons I like the show so much has to be Jughead, played by Cole Sprouse, and his mysterious personality. He, in a way, acts as the narrator of the show which adds to his intreguie and I think he's such an interesting character so I can't wait to see what the writers do with him further.

Robin Scherbatsky - How I Met Your Mother

Robin was definitely my favourite character on HIMYM, especially because of how independent she was, while Robin Sparkles was of course one of the funniest gags of the show. I always wished she was never with Barney because I despised him compared to Robin, she didn't need someone who brought her down but she desevered to be free travelling for her job which I think she truly wanted! She was so 'badass' and the show would have been far more dull without her.

The year of which I was sixteen can only be described as a total rollercoaster. It has been a year of change, along with excitement and quite possibly my best year so far. It doesn't surprise me that it really doesn't feel like a year since I sat down writing my sixteenth birthday haul - but then again, so much has changed over the past year it does in some ways feel like a lifetime ago.



I certainly feel very lucky with my gifts for my seventeenth birthday. Starting with my parents, I got something I totally didn't expect - a car! My dad got it from someone he works with and spent so long with it hiding at my nans revitalising it. It was such a surprise and although not a present I am going to be able to use for a few months, very exciting!

I also got a rose gold 'E' keyring to go along with it which is so pretty, and something I was expecting, an Olivia Burton watch. I really love it, with a black leather strap and rose gold details, it's so me and really comfortable for everyday use.


From my brother I received some Soap & Glory shower gels; I was so pleased about this because I ran out of my last bottle a couple of weeks ago and have been dying for some more! He also got me a box of the Maltesers Teasers chocolates - like you get in Celebrations but just them because let's be honest, they're everyone's favourite in Celebrations!


My friends also got me some lovely things, such as bath salts, shower gel, an absolutely gorgeous smelling candle, chocolate and nail polish. My friend Rebekah got me a photo book full of photos of us from the past year which was such an amazing gift - she knows how much I love photos together and it's so nice to reflect on the past year.


 My aunties treated me to some amazing makeup presents which I can't wait to use! I got a set of mini Anastasia Beverly Hills lipsticks which can I just say come in the most beautiful packaging! They are a really cute mini size and gorgeous shades. I have wanted to try Anastasia Beverly Hills makeup for the longest time so I was very excited. She also got me some Green & Blacks chocolate because it's no secret that dark chocolate is my favourite thing ever.


My other Auntie got me some Real Techniques brushes which were something else I really wanted. I got their eye collection kit for Christmas last year and use them constantly, so much so the face set was on my wishlist and I can't wait to use them! She also gave me some money alongside that, like other family members which I am really appreciative of.


My final presents came from my grandparents; I got a Rose Gold photo frame which I can't wait to find a photo for because it will match so well in my room and some Lindt caramel chocolate because my Gran knows how much I love that. My other grandparents got me such a pretty purse from Jack Wills, while they both gifted me money towards my driving lessons next year!


I am of course so grateful for everything I received this year, I feel so lucky! Thank you so much to everyone who wished me happy birthday this year! All my amazing blogging friends who have wished me happy birthday on Twitter made me smile so much. But also thank you to everyone who has made the past year the best year yet. Roll on seventeen.

Nowadays while I'm at college I wear lipstick on a daily basis and honestly don't know what I'd do without it. I'm not even being dramatic! So I thought I'd round up the past week with every lipstick I wore each day, featuring some classic favourites and some new ones too.



We begin the week with Monday, which happened to be my seventeenth birthday. Now since it was my birthday I simply had to wear my all time favourite lipstick, MAC's Velvet Teddy. I totally mention this lipstick way too much on my blog and mention the same thing so it goes without saying - this is the perfect nude and I love it very much. You can even tell by how flat the top of the lipstick has become how much I use it.


On Tuesday I wore a lipstick I got for my birthday, which I'm sure you will be hearing much more about on my blog soon. The Anastasia Beverlly Hills liquid lipstick in Dazed was the choice - although I had an absolute dissaster of trying to apply it a couple of minutes before I needed to catch the bus. It's a red and so different to what I'd normally be wearing, but I happened to get quite a few compliments on it - I think it's just because it's so different! I was also very impressed it lasted the whole day.


After getting my bottom brace put on my teeth the evening before, on Wednesday I really wanted a creamy, hydrating lipstick because my lips felt in need of it. I knew I could trust MAC's Cremesheen finish for this, and opted for one of my favourites, Magic Spell. Unfortuantely this was limited to their Nutcracker Christmas collection last year but it's a gorgeous pretty, vampy nude which I love wearing particularly in the autumn months.


Thursday is my longest day of the week - out at half 7 and home about five, so I needed to choose a lipstick that would last the whole day. What could be a better option than my Too Faced Melted Matte? The shade Child Star is gorgeous, a lovely classic nude and possibly my most worn lipstick at the moment.


On Friday I have a later start which means I don't have only ten minutes to do my makeup! Therefore I spent more time on my eyeshadow thanks to the Naked Heat palette, and a lipstick I love to pair with it is also by Urban Decay, the shade Fuel which is actually part of the Heat collection they released. They compliment each other so well and since Fuel is a cream finish, it feels really nice to wear throughout the day.


Coming to Saturday, I spent the most part of the day doing art homework (I am so done with acyrlic paint right now!), but come the evening I got ready to go to the cinema with my friends. I chose my Stila stay all day liqud lipstick in the shade 'Baci', my mum actually bought their mini liquid lipstick set but gave me one which was too similar to her Too Faced lipstick and it's such a nice shade, more cool toned than I'd usually go for but so nice.


The week rounded up on Sunday, but I spent all day writing up posts like this so I had no reason to wear a lipstick!

I've heard so much about Zoeva's palettes and always wanted to try one. They are renowned for being as good quality as the likes of Urban Decay and Too Faced, but for a fraction of the price. Last weekend, when at Selfridges in the Trafford Centre, I spotted a Zoeva stand and had to go and check out their palettes. I ended up purchasing one of their most famous, the Cocoa Blend palette, and decided to share my thoughts on it with you today.

The palette is encased in really pretty brown and gold packaging which looks and feels really luxurious. Although it may just be cardboard packaging, it's actually really sturdy and streamline, so a lot easier to travel with than bulky palettes like my Urban Decay favourites.


The palette includes twelve shades, I would describe two of them as true mattes, two as satins and the other six as shimmers. I feel like there may be a lack of mattes in this palette however it's really easy to pair it with another palette, such as the Urban Decay Ultimate Basics, if you need more mattes for the look.


Going shade by shade, the first in the top left corner is called 'Bitter Start' and is the first matte of the palette, and is probably best described as an ivory-beige. It would be nice all over the lid for a matte look or probably useful as a matte highlight, although a little too light for my skin tone.

Next is 'Sweeter End' which is a really pretty champagne-pink shimmer. This is gorgeous on the lid and it's actually unlike nothing I own, which is why I fell in love with it straight away. It works really well with the shade to the right of it 'Warm Notes', which suits its name because it is a really warm toned burgundy-pink. It reminds me a lot of my MAC Cranberry eyeshadow, but more pigmented so that is really promising!


Next up we have another shimmer (told you this palette is full of them) called Subtle Blend, a shimmery brown. I think this is so wearable, being a brown and it's an essential to own somewhere. The final shade on the top row is 'Beans Are White', a matte black which again is an essential to own. It's perfect to blend into the crease to smoke out a look.

Onto the bottom row, we have 'Pure Ganashe', a gold shimmer which is really pretty. Comparing it to Half Baked from Urban Decay, it's just as pigmented, and a little bit more brown toned. The two satin shades follow, 'Substitute For Love' and 'Freshly Toasted'. They are really warm toned browns and both have great pigmentation and super easy to blend.

*left hand side unfiltered so you can see exactly what they look like!

The final two shades of the palette are much more cool toned, 'infusion' and 'delicate acidity'. Because I love using warm tones in the autumn I've not actually had the chance to give either of these a try yet, but I'd describe one as a dark blue shimmer and one as a purple shimmer. They are both really pretty in the pan and I can't wait to use them when I start doing more purple looks in the winter months.

*and the right side!

I love how the shades are presented in the pan, the amount you get of each makes it really easy to get your brush into. I'm also really impressed with how pigmented they are while how little fall out you get. I also love how when you open the palette, the lid says 'Selected With Love', it really feels a lot of time has been spent to make this the perfect palette.


I would highly recommend trying out a Zoeva palette, for only £18 it's hard to say no - I'm definitely already planning which one I will buy next! The Cocoa Blend palette is full of gorgeous shades that make it really easy to create a shimmery, warm toned look which I think is particularly perfect this season.