Drugstore to Department Trade | Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

So there's always a little bit of controversy when it comes to drugstore and 'department' cosmetics and just to clear the air straight away, my makeup bag is filled with both. Sometimes money can buy you quality but sometimes, so can more affordable products. I will admit, higher brands do appeal to me, just like any other beauty shop-a-holic but the brands I use day in and day out are the ones that work best for me.

I thought it would be an interesting idea to start up a 'series' of blog posts where I talk about 'trading' from one brand to another, or maybe even within the same brand, just switching to a different product. Us girls (and guys) are always looking for better products to replace our current favs and so these posts will hopefully give some insight into which ones have worked for me and which haven't!

Today I want to talk about the highly raved Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. I bought this beauty in the shade Chantilly (Light 1) which I believe is the lightest shade. This retails for £22 which I'm sure you'll agree, is pretty pricey for 6ml. Before this, I was using Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer which retails at £4.19 at Boots. I have stayed loyal to the Collection concealer for years, as it has amazing coverage for an equally amazing price but my only issue is that the lightest shade available is a shade or two darker than my natural skin tone. 

The swatch on the left is the Collection concealer and the swatch on the right is Nars Chantilly. As you can see, Chantilly is much lighter. As for coverage, I'd say they're very similar which is slightly annoying because this means the only difference between the two is the shade but using the Nars has definitely made putting my daily face on more enjoyable.

The Nars concealer is definitely more of a luxury than a necessity so I'm not sure if I will re-purchase, even though I'm enjoying it currently. I think I will carry on my search for a lighter concealer that's still more affordable. Got any suggestions? Please write in the comments below!

Lots of love,

LUNA EDEN

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Chit Chat - Down Time / Why It's Important / Three Tips

So, we all get those days where we feel a little run down and it's usually down to burning the candle at both ends. If you're like me then you might feel a bit guilty when you take time out for yourself when there are bigger priorities to be dealing with but it's healthy and very important that you make sure you take a time-out now and then.

Lately, I've been feeling really run down as I usually do when deadlines are looming so I decided to take a day off today. I could have stayed in and vegetated in my room but the sun was out so I put my face on and took a trip down to the beach.

 -And spent a bit of money.

I'm going to run you though my three favourite things to do on my day off for some down time with me;

1. Get out in the sunshine

Okay, I know that sun is hard to come by in England so even if it's not sunny, at least go out and get some fresh air. Fresh air can make you feel so much better and going for a little walk can really help to clear your mind. 

This is why I love living by the beach. Whenever I feel like life's getting too much, I take off to the sea. It's so quiet (usually) and the sounds of the waves crashing take my worries away with them.

2. A little pamper never hurt no one

When you're feeling crappy, it's difficult to summon the energy to start faffing around with nail polish and face masks but every time I give myself a little freshen up, I feel A LOT better. It only takes 5 mins to quickly shave your legs and when you get into bed it will feel all smooth and you'll be sliding around in bed like Daymmmm. Also, face masks are great because you only have to leave them on for 5-10 mins and when your face feels great, YOU feel great.

3. Treat yourself

I get that not everyone has money to spend will-nilly but I'm sure you can all afford £3-4, right? Go to Shake Away, Starbucks, where ever you like and buy your favourite drink. A caramel macchiato or frappe automatically cheers me up and that alone is worth the couple of pounds. OR, if that doesn't float your boat, take a trip to LUSH and pick up your favourite bath bomb. Y'all know baths are the answer to all your problems, right?

Hope you loved this post guys!

Until next time,

LUNA EDEN

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Three New LUSH Buys

Hello to my lovely readers!

Today I want to share with you three beauties that I've recently picked up from LUSH. LUSH is one of my favourite places to go when I fancy a bit of a pick-me-up. A lovely scented relaxing bath or a face mask can be just what you need to lift your mood.

1. SAKURA | Bath Bomb

This wonderful bath bomb has uplifting scents of cherry blossom, lemon, orange flower and jasmine. Not gonna lie to you, I was drawn to this bath bomb based on looks over anything. The top of the bomb looks like raw crystals to me!? So naturally, I had to have it. 

This bath bomb is GREAT if you don't want anything thats too overpowering in smell, colour or glittery shit. The one thing I hate about LUSH bath bombs is that I usually have to take three showers just to wash all of the glitter/ seaweed/ confetti/ shimmer or anything else off of my body. If you like a bath bomb that's no-fuss that smells pleasant without being overwhelming, then this pretty little fella is for you.

2. BREATH OF FRESH AIR | Toner water

So my usual go-to toner is the Tea Tree Water because everyone knows that Tea Tree works wonders on your skin. It's always done me good but you probably relate when I say that buying the same 'treat' on repeat kind of takes away the initial 'treat' feeling that you used to get. This is when you need to switch things up! Nothings more exciting than trying a new product.

This little wonder is made up of spring water, fresh sea water, aloe vera, rose, patchouli  and seaweed. It's super fresh on your face and can either be used with cotton pads to wipe away any excess dirt or oils, or it can be simply spritzed over the face as a refreshing pick-me-up. I tend to spray this on after I've washed my face in the morning and at night. I will use cotton pads if my face is feeling particularly down in the dumps. 

3. SEA VEGETABLE | Soap

I only ever really splash out on LUSH soaps when I'm feeling run down because they're quite pricey! The only LUSH soap that I'd used before this one was a marzipan one that they sell at christmas exclusively (2 years running). It was absolutely gorgeous and I always looked forward to using it in the shower but because they're limited edition and only come out once a year, I thought I would try to find something equally as nice. 

I love anything ocean or beach related so I decided to try the Sea Vegetable. It is made up of scents; seaweed, coconut, lime and lavender. I don't love it as much as the marzipan soap but I think I've accepted that nothing will take it's place.. On a serious note though, I do like this soap. It makes me feel happy and beachy and reminds me of being on holiday abroad.

I hope you liked this post! I will hopefully be doing lots more LUSH posts as I buy stuff from there regularly and I know that you guys like reading about it! 

Until next time,

LUNA EDEN

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Three Reasons Why Granny Pants Win

So as time has gone on, I have found myself making changes in the way I dress. At the beginning of Uni, I swapped chelsea boots for trainers. I swapped skinny jeans for mom or girlfriend jeans and I swapped crop tops for baggy t-shirts. My life has become a massive realisation that beauty doesn't have to be pain. Beauty is being able to stuff your face with food and feeling smug as your newly developed food baby hides under your over-sized t-shirt. 

A not-so-new but increasingly more frequent habit is granny pants. When I say granny pants, I just mean briefs or any kind of pant that's not considered sexy really. I started to realise that one of the things I would really look forward to when getting home from work or uni was pulling my thong out from where it had buried itself between my butt cheeks (TMI, I'm sorry) and put on a fresh, soft pair of 'granny pants'.

This post may seem a little weird but the highlight of my days off have become wearing granny pants ALL DAY and I just wanted to share some reasons with you, why you should join me on my granny pant wearing ways!

1. They're comfy, duh?

Pretty obvious one, but as I've pretty much said before, there is nothing better than taking your bra off, putting fluffy socks on, getting into pyjamas and you know it. So why not add yet another wonderful addition to that list and pull on a pair of your comfiest pants. I tried to look for studies that proved comfort increases happiness (I couldn't find any) but I'm CONVINCED.

2. They're fun and cheap

C'mon, just look at these pineapple and cat pants and tell me that you're not interested.. Granny pants are way more fun than regular pants. They're colourful and silly and a great way to show your immaturity where no one can see it. I got these pants from Asda believe it or not! £4.50 for four pairs is pretty good in my books.

3. An excuse to not wear matching undies

Being a girl is painful. The pressure of matching underwear is just one example but just ask yourself this.. when was the last time you saw granny pants with matching underwear? Hardly ever right? So there you go, no added pressure here.

Hope you enjoyed my granny pant rant guys (I like the sound of that)

Until next time,

LUNA EDEN

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Three Reasons to Swap Your Coffee for Tea

Hey guys!

So today, I want to talk to you about how I have recently reduced my intake of coffee and increased my intake of fruit tea and green tea. It was actually a bit of an out-of-the-blue decision. I came to the conclusion that coffee wasn't really having the same effect on me that it used to and that I just don't enjoy drinking it as much as I did.

I've been told since, what feels like the moment I popped out of the womb, that 'green tea is good for you blah blah' and yeah, that's all good but it tastes like crap- let's face it. I was in tesco one day when I saw that they had some fruit tea's on offer and I was feeling pretty sluggish at that moment in time. I very rarely get moments where I voluntarily feel like being healthy so when I do, I grab the opportunity.

I just wanted to see if all the tea talk was worth the hype. I know that it's good for you but I wanted to see if I actually felt a difference and the honest truth is- I did! Fruit tea and green tea give me a different sort of energy to coffee, a more natural feeling of energy that doesn't leave me feeling sluggish afterwards. So here are my three reasons why you should join me on this!

1. You won't need to poop as much

So if you're a avid coffee drinker like myself, you'll probably be aware of the fact that coffee makes you poop. There is a reason why Urban Outfitters sell this slogan on their coffee flasks.. Fruit Tea and Green Tea however do not contain the same laxative that coffee does. You'll pee a lot- but no excessive amount of number two's for us woohooo

2. More energy

So the general rule of thumb is- feeling tired? Have a coffee. But I have wonderfully discovered that drinking fruit tea and green tea leaves me feeling MORE energised that coffee does. Plus, you don't have a crash with tea like you do with coffee. The energy release is far more gradual.

3. Reduces stress

Green tea in particular (but also fruit tea in some cases) is proven to reduce stress, anxiety and even depression. I guess you could see tea as a bit of 'me time' just like taking a bath or putting on a facemask. It does you good, and it makes you feel good just knowing that it's doing good.


My currents favourites are Tetley Peach & Apricot Green Tea and Twinings Mango & Strawberry Fruit Tea.



Lots of love!

LUNA EDEN
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Why I Started a New Blog

photo credit: here

Hello Hello!

Say hello to my new and might I add, very beautiful blog. After three years of blogging I decided it was about time that I invest a little bit of money and effort into my internet diary space.

 In all honesty, I have struggled with my blog in regards to regular content, investing time into it and general motivation. I started my blog because I knew it was something I would love doing, and it was and still is to this day. I always thought that by blogging out of pure love for it, and not being driven by the need for success that it would take off on it's own but after three years, I see that this wasn't really the case!

Only recently, I decided to look at other blogs to maybe pick up some tips on what other people were doing right, that I wasn't. And it dawned on me how out of league of blog was compared to the thousands of others. I know that the general look of your blog is what will attract readers first and foremost and my last blog was bloody awful. The thing with blogger is, you can customise a template as much as you like but unless you have amazing coding skills, your blog is still going to look average. 

I found PIPDIG, an amazing online blog template company. Their blogger designs range from £30-40 with lots of really lovely designs that are customisable. You can install these templates yourself or ask PIPDIG to do it for you. I stared at blog templates for hours just looking at the price like '£40.. can I really afford to spend that when I'm not currently blogging enough justify the price?' but then it dawned on me that I wasn't ever going to blog on my old site because after seeing my competition, I gave up hope.

Having a blog that beautifully represents me and that I can be proud of would motivate me to write more. I look at my blog now and I WANT to build it. I guess it was just time to step it up a notch and keep up with my *healthy* competition. The truth is, I would be lying if I said I didn't want my blog to be successful. It's great to write because you love it but after a while of feeling like no one really cares, you can get a bit disheartened. I have been expecting to put nothing in and get lots in return which we all know is stupid. So from here on, I am going to be doing the opposite and I am very proud to present to you,

LUNA EDEN
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