Daniel Sandler Waterproof Eyeliner - Review

Hi Everyone!

I was very excited to receive a Daniel Sandler Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Blue Velvet* through the post. I've never tried anything from the brand, but have heard great things & always been intrigued. The thing that's stopped me from taking the plunge & purchasing is that, to the best of my knowledge, it is only available online.

The eyeliner itself is retractable - my favourite kind as you don't loose product when sharpening & it's much less of a faff! But be warned - the product has a tendency to break on applying pressure. So far it's broken twice on me, making the fact that you don't waste product with a retractable liner a moot point! 

Apart from having to be careful not to break the pencil, the application is relatively easy. The only difficulty I had was in getting the line thin enough just before I reached the inner corner of my eye - today's line is & little backward, being thicker in the inner portion of the eye!

I was impressed with the price of £9.25, sitting in between drugstore/highstreet eyeliners& those from the likes of MAC & Urban Decay. There are 6 colours in the line which I think is a good range. The selection includes grey, green, brown & purple, as well as the obligatory black.

The colour payoff is good & you can deepen the colour with more pressure (which I wouldn't recommend as it increases the chance of snapping the product) or through layered application. I did find that on application the liner near my inner corner smudged onto the lower lash line but this was easy to wipe away with the fingers. I was not able to test the waterproof claims of the eyeliner but can say, after having a little cry, that unfortunately it isn't tear proof.

I often have difficulty removing waterproof products. It takes too long & my sensitive eyes become irritated as a result - not with this product! Just a few swipes with a makeup wipe (I know, I know, I should be using makeup remover!) & the liner had gone!

Overall, I am pleased with this liner. I just think I need a little more practice to get more precision in the inner corner area of my eyes. I'd be interested to try some of the other colours in the range & will definitely be investing in more of Daniel Sandler's makeup line.

The Daniel Sandler Waterproof Eyeliner, along with other products from his range can be purchased from Beauty Expert here.

One thing I should draw your attention to here is that Beauty Expert don't list product ingredients on their website. If this is something you need to look into, like myself, you'd need to either contact Beauty Expert or do as I did & look them up directly on the Daniel Sandler website.

Have you tried any Daniel Sandler products? What have been standouts for you?

Tania Xx

Daniel Sandler Waterproof Eyeliner Ingredients:

Black, Brown, Blue, Green and Purple Velvet

MICA

CYCLOPENTASILOXANE

POLYETHYLENE

SYNTHETIC WAX

POLYBUTENE

CERA ALBA

DI-PPG-3 MYRISTYL ETHER ADIPATE

SUCROSE TETRASTEARATE TRIACETATE

STEARYL DIMETHICONE

PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRABEHENATE

BORON NITRIDE

ISODECYL NEOPENTANOATE

SYNTHETIC BEESWAX

TOCOPHEROL

STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE

PROPYLENE CARBONATE

ASCORBYL PALMITATE

DIMETHICONE/VINYL DIMETHICONE CROSS POLYMER

May contain CI 77499 CI 77891 CI 77510 CI77491 CI77742

CI77007 CI75470 CI 77510

Grey Velvet

CI 77499, CI 77510, CI 77891

MICA, CYCLOPENTASILOXANE

PARAFFIN, DIISOSTEARYL DIMER DILINOLEATE

PEG-6 BEESWAX, HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL

OZOKERITE, CERESIN

TOCOPHEROL

Our Wedding Anniversary - 1 House, 2 Cats, 3 Years & Not Many Arguments

Hi Everyone!

My husband & I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary this week & I thought it was only fitting that I marked the occasion with a blog post!

Dan & I met during our further education studies, he a post graduate & I an undergraduate.

Our first date was a 'metaphorical coffee' in Starbucks, metaphorical because I had water & Dan had a hot chocolate! I had recently come out of a troubled relationship & was not 'looking for love'. Love certainly found me though! I remember vividly Dan telling me that there was no pressure & that if we ended up as a couple that would be great, but if not then he'd have made a new friend. It was then that I knew he was the one for me! Within a matter of weeks we were an item!

Fast forward a couple of years to Christmas Eve 2008. Dan took me to a hotel overlooking the Cathedral where he was a Chorister & Cope boy (head chorister) for three years. We attended midnight mass & on our return found that, though we had told staff we would be attending the service, we'd been locked! By this point, Dan was inwardly panicking! Once we made it back to the hotel room Dan took me to the window, got down on one knee, presented me with a beautiful ring & said to me "will you marry me, in there!" as he pointed to the cathedral!

Three & a half years later, we were ready to make our vows in the cathedral where Dan has so many wonderful childhood memories. There were certain criteria we needed to meet in order to marry in the cathedral. We needed to have a direct link to the cathedral, which Dan's 3 year service entitled us too. Both sets of parents were contacted to give their permission for our marriage to take place within the cathedral. They did. Our parish priests were also contacted to confirm our religious beliefs & that we had attended the usual wedding preparation classes. They were. Something we also had to do to marry in the cathedral was to swear an Affidavit, a sworn statement that we were both eligible to enter into marriage & were doing so voluntarily. The last stage was to get the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury. This all went without a hitch (pun intended!).

Our day was wonderful! My parents, bridesmaids & myself got ready in the hotel room Dan proposed in, which was a hub of excitement! Dan sent me a necklace via the best man! His last gift to me as a 'single' woman! I thought I'd share some photos with you..

My sister did my hair & I did my makeup.

Some snaps of us getting ready.

Off we go!

I walked to the cathedral from the hotel round the corner. It was market day & I caused quite a stir! We bumped into one of my friends who was taking in the atmosphere of the area before making his way, with his girlfriend, to the cathedral.

My beautiful bridesmaids - sister Chrissy & best friend Betsy.

Entering the Choir.

Signing of the register.

Man & wife!

Love this photo of Dad & me!

Exiting the cathedral - a horse came round the corner just after this was taken & I had to (literally!) run back inside as I have an anaphylactic reaction to horses!

I needed a little sit down so our photographers took the opportunity to make the most of the scenery - they were really great at working with & around us, blending seamlessly into the background (thank you Mark & Debbie!)!

Some pics of the dress!

The spot where Dan sat as a Chorister.

We didn't get to have a 'you-may-now-kiss-the-bride' moment because we were married in a high Church of England service, so we popped back for a photo op!

On the way to the reception in the back of the Rolls-Royce Phantom (Dad 'borrowed' it from his boss for the day).

Mummy made the cake!

Some cute pics!

Our reception was very family orientated. We had a barbecue for our wedding breakfast which fits our personalities perfectly. For our evening meal we had an afternoon tea with sandwiches, cakes & an ice-cream cart! We had games set out on the lawn area for the children (& bigger children!) to play with.

We had a fantastic day & subsequently three wonderful years of marriage. I'm excited to see what the future holds for us!

Are you married?

If you are, what are your fondest memories of your wedding day?

If not, what would your ideal wedding include?

Tania Xx

Thank you very much to Priory Photography for our amazing photos!

Personal Beauty Shopper Consultation At Selfridges, Birmingham

Hi Everyone!

Birmingham Selfridges have recently opened up their new beauty hall & I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a complimentary Personal Beauty Shopper Consultation* at Birmingham Selfridges - the first of its kind in the city! So I thought I'd talk you through my experience!

I met with the very lovely Rose at the Illamasqua counter, which is where we began the consultation. She talked to me about the brand, one that I have yet to experience, though I like the look of the products! Rose explained that, as a brand, Illamasqua are a good all round brand that often get overlooked because some of the brighter coloured products can overwhelm the neutral, every day shades. Rose asked me if I had any areas of my makeup or skincare routine that I was unhappy or unsure about. For me, finding a product in a shade to suit my eyebrows has been particularly difficult as I find many choices pull too auburn. She showed me the Eyebrow Cake in 'Motto' (£15.50), which looks perfect & is described by Illamasqua as a Warm Taupe. Once I have used up a few more of my eyebrow products (I've accumulated quite a few in the search for 'the one'!) I will definitely be returning to see what it looks like on.

Next we moved on to MAC. I had expressed my difficulty in finding a blusher to compliment the looks I've been creating with my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. Rose first showed me MAC's new 'Look In A Box' products. Whilst these products aren't something I would buy as each box contains a lipstick & I'm allergic to one of the ingredients in these, I so think they are a very good idea - particularly for those new to makeup or unsure about how to pare products together. We then moved over to the blusher section - Rose gave me some great suggestions here.

From MAC, we moved over to Bobbi Brown as Rose wanted to show me the Extra Balm Rinse which smells a-ma-zing!!!!!! It has a citrus scent which, even though I'm allergic to citrus fruits, I really liked! Throughout the appointment, Rose was great about my allergies & took really great care of me throughout the consultation. As I was allergic to the Bobbi Brown balm, Rose took me over to RMK - another brand that I've not dipped my toe into yet.

Here Rose showed me the RMK Cleansing Balm. I was kindly given a sample of this but am yet to try it as there wasn't an ingredients list available for me to read. Rose is emailing them to me once she has located them. Rose wanted me to experience brands I'm new to so we went next to Khiel's. Here I was given an overview of the brand & showed me the products she loves, one of which being their Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

When Rose found out that I'd not tried any Giorgio Armani products she rushed me straight over there! Here I was introduced to the counter assistant. Rose spoke really passionately about the foundations & of cause I then couldn't turn down the opportunity to be colour matched to the Luminous Silk Foundation & try it out myself as I've heard so many rave reviews! Whilst we were there, Rose showed me the Maestro Mediterranean Fusion Blushers - they look fantastic!

From here we visited the YSL counter. I have 3 lipsticks from the brand, but thats where my experience ends. I was shown the new Fusion Link Foundation. I had my shade matched to the Armani foundation & kindly given a 7 day sample so I can try it out at home.

Next came Suqqu, another new brand for me! we checked out their foundation (we were looking at foundations as this the area I have the least experience in as it only sees my face when I'm filming or for weddings & christenings!). Their Foundation is so soft & smooth! We moved on to swoon over the Charlotte Tilbury counter - her eyeshadow palettes are phenomenal! I love that Charlotte Tilbury's collection is sectioned into different looks, allowing you to recreate the look using those specific products or mix & match to taylor to your own preferred style.

From here we hit The Beauty Workshop - I love it! There are loads of products to choose from here, spanning haircare, makeup bags & brushes, skincare, nail care & more! This is the place you'll find all sorts of bits that aren't covered on one of the standard counters. I found these Louise Young brushes - definitely on my wish list, though I need to find out where the brush hair is sourced from.

When Rose found out I had yet to experience Jo Malone, she decided (& I concurred) that this needed to be changed! My first experience of the brand was amazing! The ladies on counter asked me about the scents I currently wear to get an idea of my preferences & then showed me the new scent - Wood, Sage & Sea Salt, along with Peony & Blush Suede. I got to experience each of these individually, then together - I really like how the scents can be layered to make something individual & tailored to your own preferences. I was able to test this combination & discussed whether it mattered which way round they are applied. It does, as one lightens the other & if they are put the opposite way round the other will mask one of the notes. I hope that made sense! I would suggest speaking to the very knowledgable consultants &, if you're like me, writing down which to apply first! They were kind enough to provide me with a sample of the new scent.

I would definitely recommend this service - Rose has such amazing energy & knowledge of the beauty hall. She is able to use this to advise on products throughout the hall, whereas consultants on specific counters are only able to advise on their own brand. Rose made me feel like I was shopping with a friend & took great care of me, keeping my allergies in mind with all the products she showed me.

Personal Beauty Shopper Consultations with Rose cost £30 and are redeemable on products purchased.

To make the best out of the consultation, I would go with something specific in mind that Rose can help with. Personally, I would also go with a rough idea of products that you want, totalling £30, as I have a tendency to feel overwhelmed easily. You don't necessarily then have to buy those items, but it means you have the option to go away from your consultation & think about Rose's recommendations & try any samples you may receive before committing to a purchase.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rose for having me, this was such an enjoyable experience & I will definitely be doing it again. 

Is this service something you would be interested in? 

Tania Xx