Catch up!

Hey Guys,

Sorry I've been away for absolute yonks! Regrettably I'm not back with a full post, but I just wanted to share something that was (and still is) a very exciting opportunity- I hope you don't mind.

In July, I was interviewed for National Citizen Service's Spotlight Tour, and it wasn't any old interview. I got the chance to meet Jim Chapman! Yes. THE Jim Chapman of the YouTube world. It was an amazing day overall, and I feel very lucky that I was chosen to take part.

I even managed to get a few snaps with Jim and the NCS crew!

If you want to see what the interview was all about, click here to watch it.

Not much else for today! I'll be back soon!

Love,

Rabbit x

Review: Soap & Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Hey Everyone,

I'm sorry I have been a little heavy on the Soap and Glory front recently, but I am sincerely enjoying their makeup at the moment, so I hope you don't mind that I'm back today with a little review of their mascara.

I believe Soap and Glory now do two mascaras; the original Thick and Fast, and the newer Thick and Fast High Definition (It actually has a ridiculously long name that I don't care to remember!). If it helps, the original is in a black tube and the new one is gold.

Packaging

I had seen the original one when it was relatively new, but it didn't really catch my attention as much as this one did. What caught my attention about this one was the 'definition' aspect of it, so I thought it might be a little better for me, as I like flared eyelashes rather than 'thick' ones. It also says that it was part of Red's Best of Beauty 2012 campaign, so I figured I should give it a go....and I love it.



No mascara

The mascara really helps define your eyelashes while also making them long. It creates volume without looking clumpy, and is not that difficult to apply. The wand is a bristle brush, which I prefer over plastic. All in all, a really nice purchase.



With Thick and Fast

This mascara is a little more on the expensive side, coming in at roughly £10, but the quality matches and even exceeds some high end rivals that retail for a lot more. Considering it's performance and the design quality, I would actually say that this mascara is well worth every penny.

I promise a variety of posts are coming soon!

Thanks for reading,

Rabbit x

 

YouTube's newest Vlogger!

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to do a quick post letting you know that I have made a YouTube channel. My first video went up yesterday and apart from my dodgey hair, bag lighting and crappy quality, it went pretty well! *sarcastic laugh*

We do live in a relatively free world so I can't make you do anything, but if you decide you would like to have a peek at it you can click here or just search for 'BirdsAndButtons' on YouTube.

Do you like my work of art?

You may look at it now and go 'Fatemeh, WHAT is this?!' but I promise things will gradually improve. So that's it for now, but I will be back soon with a proper post for y'all.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Rabbz x

Review: Soap and Glory Lipstick

Hey Everyone,

I can't apologise enough for how long I have been away, but I am back today with a new little discovery. I think I want to call these posts 'Bell Time' from now on, because they aren't quite reviews; I'm just letting you know about a little discovery or two. Let me know what you think about that?

The other day, I wandered over to the Soap and Glory makeup in Boots, and after seeing the big bad '3 for 2' sign, I decided to try a few things out. One of the things I got was a lipstick in the shade 'Pom Pom'. I was stuck between two colours, but my friend persuaded me to get this one, and I'm so happy she did!

The box

 The lipstick range has several pretty colours with two formulae: matte and satin. 'Pom Pom' is a matte shade.

'Pom Pom'

At first, I was really worried it would look bad on the lips, but as far as matte colours go, it's pretty good. I would still recommend putting a bit of lip balm on beforehand, especially if you're going outside.

No colour

The shade is a really pretty berry colour, and is relatively neutral so your teeth don't end up looking like Captain Hook's. My friend says the colour suits my complexion, but I genuinely think it would suit a whole variety of skin colours.

'Pom Pom' on the lips

The lipsticks retail for £9 in Boots, but as I said, there is currently a '3 for 2' deal. They are a little pricey, but I don't mind too much about such things if the product is good. Also, the packaging is sturdy and looks decent. Have you tried any of these?

Talk soon!

Rabbit. x

Getting Philosophical

Hey guys,

I feel like I have finally reached the point at which I am happy to start talking about anything and everything, so beware, talkative posts will start increasing! After all, this is the true purpose of BellsAndButtons; my thoughts.

Today, while snapchatting a friend (I promise it gets deeper) I thought of a wonderful quote. Of course, this has only just become a quote, because I came up with it. And you can say what you like, but I have spent hours researching and nobody has said this before.

I realised, after thinking of this, just how much it means to me as a person. You, as a reader, may not be able to make a direct link. This is because of course, I have not yet shared my life story on this little corner of the Interweb, but that is not to say that I never will.

I feel like this is something I will never forget, because as cheesy as it sounds, as of today, I finally feel very different about myself. I really do. Instead of pretending I had reached a point of happiness as far as self esteem, I am now no longer lying about it, because it's happened.

I really hope this 'idea' will change at least one person's opinion on something that relates to it, but even if it doesn't, I'm happy that I finally reached a goal, and nobody else did it for me (except one person, who may have begun all this thinking).

Thank you for reading this, and I hope people don't mind these posts because I love them. Let me know what you think!

Love,

Rabbit x

Review: Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser

Hey Guys,

Sorry I have been away for a while, but I have had final exams for the past few weeks and have been busy revising. I finished school yesterday and it was very emotional yet very sweet. Today, I thought I would ease myself back into blogging with a little review of a new face cream I have been trying from Good Things.

I went into Boots a few weeks ago looking for a new moisturiser. I have combination skin, as my cheeks are normal and my nose/forehead is slightly oily, but I don't have really dry or really oily skin. I was looking for a good daily moisturiser that's oil-free, and the Good Things stand caught my eye.

Good Things is designed for younger skin, and their products are really natural. Most of them contain fruit extracts which are amazing for the skin, but they leave out harsh chemicals and animal products, making them much purer than other brands and even suitable for vegans!

I chose the Miracle Mattifier, as it's oil-free and designed to sink into the skin, keeping it hydrated while absorbing oil and preventing pore-blockage at the same time.

Packaging

I am really glad to say that after a few weeks of using this, I have noticed that my makeup doesn't sink into the pores on my nose, or slip and slide because of excess oil. It has also really helped with smaller spots on my forehead. Overall, I am one happy bunny!

The product

The Miracle Mattifier costs £7.99, which may sound a bit pricey, but you do get 100ml of product (double most other face creams). I personally think it is fantastic, and I'm excited to try out some other products from their range.

Thanks for reading, and let me know what you recommend from the range!

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit x

Review: YSL Rouge Volupte Shine

Hello!

Today I'm going to be reviewing a much-loved product in the beauty community- The YSL Rouge Volupte Shine lipstick.

Beautiful packaging!

I have wanted one for quite a long time, but I could not justify spending my money on the previous editions as I didn't really like the consistency. The formulation of the Shine is amazingly flattering and right up my street, and the colour choices appeal to me much more than the previous versions did, as I am not someone who goes for super light or super dark colours.

The bottom

I chose shade 8 (a pinky rose), after being super torn between 8 and 15 (a light coral). 

Shade 8

The lipstick applies smoothly and gives a lovely amount of shine without being sticky or slippy.

Me wearing it

There is something about YSL lipsticks (and YSL in general) that really appeals to makeup junkies. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I am pretty sure it's absolutely not eye-watering price tag- I came away from the counter with my sensible side screaming "Did you really just spend £24 on a lipstick?".

I was very conflicted over the purchase, but there is no denying that this product is really, really wonderful. I may not be splurging on myself anytime soon, but I will make it my duty to give as many YSL presents as possible.

You can purchase YSL lipsticks for £24 from any YSL stand or the online store.

Thanks for reading!

Love, Rabbit x

Dupe Scoop: YSL Touche Eclat & Maybelline Dream LumiTouch

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't posted for a bit, but I have been planning this very post for a while now as I wanted to try the products thoroughly before lifting the curtains. On a side note, thank you ever so much for 1000 pageviews! I really can't believe that my little piece of the webby has been viewed so many times. I think a giveaway is in order, don't you?

Today I'm back with another 'Dupe Scoop'- it's YSL Touche Eclat, and the Maybelline Dream LumiTouch. The Touche Eclat is a very popular product, so I was happy to find the Maybelline one in my local supermarket for £5. Yes, you read that right, £5.

The concealers

Since I had shade 2 in the YSL, I picked up shade 2 in the Maybelline one too. 

When you pump them out, the Maybelline one looks very slightly darker than the YSL Touche Eclat.

Maybelline above, YSL below

When blended however, they look absolutely identical. So much so, that you could wear one under your left eye, and the other under your right.

All blended: Maybelline above, YSL below

The wear of them was very similar if not the same, and the coverage is also consistent. There are only a few issues I faced with the Maybelline one. First of all, the colour rage is very poor, with only 3 shades stocked in my local supermarket. Apparently they stock 6, but I don't think they cater for a huge variety of skin tones.

Secondly, I much prefer the 'button' on the Touche Eclat, as one click pumps enough product for one eye. With the Maybelline LumiTouch, one twist is not enough, and two twists is a tad too much. Finally, the Touche Eclat comes in at 2.5ml but the LumiTouch is disappointingly only half of that.

Obviously, Maybelline wins the price contest. For the product they offer, £6.99 is a steal, never mind £5. Even if you double the price to make up for the size difference, that is still only £13, compared to the hefty £25 price tag of the Touche Eclat. If you are someone who can put up with the colour range and the packaging, the Maybelline Dream LumiTouch really shames its competitor.

Both products are available internationally, and sold in Boots/Superdrug in the UK. Let me know what you guys think, but I like these 'Dupe Scoops'.

Thanks for reading!

Rabbz x

What's In My Bag? (Ballet Edition)

Hello people!

I have been awful on the blogging front recently, but today I had my ballet exam and I thought it would be cool to show you what I take with me to lessons, etc. Hope you enjoy!

My bag is a flowery gym-style bag from an H&M sale last year. I really like it, because it's big but it doesn't scream 'SPORTS BAG COMING THROUGH!' when you walk down the street (not that any bag would, Fatemeh...).

Bag

First off, I have a resealable bag which houses a spare leotard and a spare pair of tights, since my attire compulsively fails me when I go to dance.

Spares

I also have the biggest bottle of deodorant in the world, because dancing is not as forgiving on the nose, as it is on the eyes.

Spray

In the bag that came with my pointe shoes, I keep my wrap skirt and some black shorts. I like to wear something  over my leotard if it's a little more chilly in the studio.

Shorts and skirt

Then we just have my soft shoes, which are an absolute atrocity to look at. Satin and studio floors are clearly not the best of buddies.

Soft shoes

I also keep a little purse with needles and thread, in case I need to mend something quickly. It's actually rather handy.

Sewing kit

I have a small notebook and a pen, in case I want to write something my teacher says. We rarely sit and take notes properly though, because my teacher likes you to learn things from doing them over and over.

Notebook

I obviously carry water around too, because I get thirsty really quickly.

Vittel (my fav)

Finally, I have my pointe shoes in a small laundry bag. They are very similar to proper pointe shoe bags, but obviously, a fraction of the price, and still breathable. I also keep my ouch pouches (yes, that is the real name!) in there. My pointe shoes are Grishko 2007s, and I love them. Thinking about doing a whole post on getting pointe shoes etc. because I love reading about other people and their pointes.

Pointe shoes!

I hope this hasn't been too boring, but I promise I have some exciting things coming up soon!

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit.

The Fault In Our Stars

Hello!

Firstly, can I just say sorry for my lack of posts. It looks awful, but I promise I haven't forgotten about BellsAndButtons or the lovely people who follow it. The truth is that I have been rather ill, and I also had to study for a Maths exam. I got my Biology results yesterday though, and I was really happy that I got an A*.

Paperback Edition

So today I'm back with a post I've been meaning to do for a while, a review of 'The Fault In Our Stars'. I read this book just as it came out, and bought it without even realising the hype around it.

I am pleased to say that John Green deserves a pat on the back for this novel! It really is beyond amazing. His approach to the lives of Hazel and Augustus could not just be produced from an empathetic imagination- one must sit and listen for hours to a child in a situation parallel to Hazel's, to understand and portray the correct emotions of a real-life cancer patient.

The story is written in such a way that could really be taken as the life of a real cancer victim. while there are elements of the 'cancer story' running throughout the book, Green made sure he showed that they were recognised, e.g. 'Cancer Perks'. He also included elements of real life, and quite importantly, explained that not all people are nice to cancer-suffering children.

All in all, a sad yet wonderful story for any reader, but purely magical for those who's analytical skills are second nature. 

I promise not to be so lazy from now on.

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit.

Travelling with Makeup!

Hey Hey Hey!

Sorry I haven't posted in what seems like AGES, I've been really busy and life has taken over a little, but I am back and determined to fight it all. Promise.

So today I'm going to be talking about packing makeup for short breaks/trips. I'm going to be talking about some of the products that I love enough to take on holiday with me, but this really is quite flexible, you can chuck in any ol' mazzy you like! ;)

First, lets get the boring bit out of the way. I usually put my makeup in a small bag I got from Cath Kidston, in one of the sales. Although it gets messy, I really like the quilting and the design of it.

The bag

Some may think this is too small to put everything inside, but the products I like fit relatively well and fill the bag. If you have a more luxurious foundation bottle and more eyeshadow, you could always go with a slightly bigger one, but keep in mind that bigger makeup bags will tempt you to take an extra blush, or lipstick, or eyeshadow etc. You may end up taking products you don't need.

All the makeup inside

I'm not going to talk too much about the products as we could literally be here all day, but if you want a post on anything shown, just say so.

The foundation I have is Chanel's Vitalumiere Aqua in B20. It's really lightweight and nice.

Foundation in B20

 
My concealer is Clinique's All About Eyes in 03 (Light Petal). This has really practical packaging and high coverage.

Concealer in Light Petal

For powder, I've got one of my favourite 'underdog' products. The Miss Sporty So Clear powder is amazing for young skin. I have it in 001 (Transparent).

Powder

For bronzer, I have Harmony by MAC. It's a really good contouring shade.

Harmony

For blush, I have another affordable number; Natural Collection's Peach Melba. These blushes are £1.99 and worth a lot more.

Peach Melba

My highlighter is the very famous YSL Touche Eclat in 2. I couldn't live without this little golden nugget.

Touche Eclat in #2

The Rimmel Exaggerate Shadow Primer is the first drugstore primer I have tried, and for the price this is a good product. I do have quite a lot to say about it, but here isn't the place, so I might do a post.

Primer

My trusty UD Naked Basics palette is the only eyeshadow palette I travel with, and the size of it is one of the main reasons I can take a smaller bag with me.

Eyeshadow

I usually only ever take one eyeliner, and that is my purple one. The best one I have tried to far is the Rimmel Scandal'Eyes.

Eyeliner

Finally for the eyes, I take my Chanel Inimitable in Noir and my No7 eyelash curlers, both are loved, but the eyelash curler that holds first place is not practical for travelling, so second best comes with me.

Mascara and eyelash curlers

I've only got one lipstick, which is MAC's Creme Cup. It is really girly and not too offensive, so I like taking it with me.

Creme Cup

I also have two Burt's Bees lip balms- One tinted, and one with pomegranate oil.

Left: Normal, Right: Tinted

I wear the Benefit's Benetint Balm over the lipstick, so I have that too.

The Benetint balm

The final lip product is one of the Lush Lip Tints, "It Started With A Kiss". This is perfect for creating a toned-down red lip, and the packaging is super small.

Lush Lip Tint

For brushes I try to pack light, so I have the Ecotools Angled Eyeliner Brush, the Ecotools Foundation Brush, a No7 Blending Brush, the Ecotools Eyebrow Brush, and last not least, the Ecotools Powder Brush.

Sorry the Angled Eyeliner Brush on the left is cut out..

This post has been ridiculously long, so I apologise if you are someone who made it all the way to the bottom, hahah! I will be very interested to hear which products you people would like to see reviews of, so please comment!

Thanks for reading!

Rabbit.

Review: Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Khol Eyeliner

Howdy!
.
I know I have been a little heavy on the review front recently, but I promise I have some other posts planned. Today, I'm going to be talking about the new Rimmel London pencil eyeliners.

Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Khol Eyeliners

They have been raved about by many bloggers and I finally see why! I got 3 of the shades; Purple (013), Taupe (004) and the most popular, Nude (005).

Nude, Taupe, Purple

The eyeliners are really soft, yet really pigmented.

Applied with barely any force!

Usually with such pencils, they tend to dance like they are in a 90s disco. Two very good examples are the Urban Decay 24H liners, and the Maxfactor Liquid Effect liners; they are very dark, but shimmy off your waterline like nothing else!

The more red purple is the Maxfactor, which is smudged on the right picture.

Therefore, I am very pleased to confirm, that when Rimmel say "waterproof", they really mean waterproof.

After going under the tap

For the price, I think these eyeliners are beyond fantastic! They do a nice colour range and are very well formulated.

The Rimmel Scandal'Eyes eyeliners are £3.99. The Maxfactor Liquid Effect eyeliner is £6.99. Both are available from Boots and Superdrug in the UK.

Hope you enjoyed!

Rabbit.