5 THINGS YOU SHOULD BE WATCHING RN

Hey,

As you'll know if you follow me on Instagram, I bloody love a good TV series. Not a lot else in the world makes me happier than being in the comfort of my own home, snacks at the ready, binge-watching something thrilling on TV. 

Here are 5 things that I've been obsessed with recently:

SEX EDUCATION 

IMDB: "A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school."

And my opinion:
OK, it's definitely one to avoid watching with your parents - as you'd probably guessed, there are many sex scenes and references that would make me feel uncomfortable if watching with others -- that being said, this was recommended to me by my dad so... It follows a school boy with sexual issues, whose mum is a sex therapist (doesn't help the situation), as he starts to a) fall in love and b) give pretty good sex and relationship advice considering he's a virgin. It's absolutely more Americanised than the average English school, but that's what makes good TV, so no complaints here. 
Watched in a weekend - totally hooked.
8/10

GILMORE GIRLS

IMBD: "A dramedy centering around the relationship between a thirtysomething single mother and her teen daughter living in Stars Hollow, Connecticut."

And here's what I think: I am living for this show. It's so mundane & absolutely nothing happens from this episode to the next, but that's what makes for easy-watching, right? Lorreli's whitty-yet-annoying constant monologue is as endearing as it is frustrating. Luke hates it, I love it. 
Definitely something to watch in the background - easy to pick up if you miss something.
8/10


FYRE

IMBD: "An exclusive behind the scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre music festival" 

And here's what I thought: Obviously, the above is exactly what this documentary is about, but it's so gripping & worrying that I couldn't turn it off. It's around an hour long I think and talks through this festival that was totally endorsed by the likes of the Jenners, VS models & influencers alike that didn't really exist. Tickets were sold, money was taken, guests arrived to a 'private' island in the Bahamas to something that was absolutely not what they had been conned into paying for. A must-watch and a definite eye-opener, for sure.
Interesting & very current - makes you think about how easily you can be bought into something.
5/10


THE GOOD PLACE

IMBD: "Four people and their otherworldly frienemy struggle in the afterlife to define what it means to be good."

My thoughts: Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Funny, random and crazy with a whole bunch of real-time jokes whilst still having a good storyline. I don't know what took me so long to watch this, but I've recommended to so many people & all of them also loved it. 
Big statement: Possibly my favourite series of 2018! Watch NOW.
10/10


YOU

IMBD: "A clever bookstore manager relies on his savvy Internet know-how to make the woman of his dreams fall in love with him."

What I thought: I struggled to get past the Dan Humphrey character. Dare I say that Penn is a bad actor? I'm not sure. It was just too Gossip Girl for me and right until the end, I have to admit that I was bored and was only watching it as I hate missing out on a good chat at work. Positives: Has Emily from PLL in there and she's 100% GOALS, so made it worth watching. Definitely makes you think about how easy it is for people to stalk you in real life using Social Media. 
Worth a watch but I wouldn't be in a rush. 
6/10


Next on my list to watch: 
The Ted Bundy tapes
How to get away with Murder
Ozark
Abducted in plain sight


Have you got anything else I should be watching? 

xxx

2019: My top 3 NY Resolutions

Hello my loves.

Very cliche post coming up unfortunately. But yes, it's New Year's resolutions time! 

I really like to have a solid set of goals & then check in with them every couple of months to see if I've actually stuck to them or what I need to work on.

This year, I tried to keep them very achievable. I don't need to tell you that most people give up on their resolutions come Blue Monday (around the 3rd Monday in Jan), so it's important that you keep your goals reasonable & attainable. 

Read on to see how I'm trying to change my habits this year.

1) BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF WHAT I'M EATING AND DRINKING
Yawn, the obligatory weight loss goal. Last year, I think my resolution was to lose 10% of my body weight and I definitely succeeded with this one.... until Summer..... when I remembered that: 
BEER + SUN + DOMINOS = LIFE
I am a nightmare when it comes to socialising - I can't say no to anything! Always up for a bloody good time. And diets don't go well with this flaw! 
However this year, my NY resolution is to not feel the need to drink all the time (sidenote, I definitely am not sat here with a glass of wine. It's actually my 2nd glass of wine. On a Tuesday evening.... going well, huh?), BUT I actually realised at the end of last year that I can actually go out, not drink so much, still have a good time AND be without a hangover the morning after. This being said, I'm still a prosecco, Aperol spritz, beer, Asti, port - loving kinda gal, but it's all about the balance, right? 

Not just drink, but also food. I've committed to having my 5-a-day when I can and to be more conscious of when I have treats. Do I want Dominos 3 times a week? Yes. Do I need Dominos 3 times a week? Absolutely not. It's definitely going to be trickier than I think, but I'm open to new recipes. I've discovered Deliciously Ella Energy Balls for breakfast & they are delicious - definitely recommend. 

2) DO SOMETHING NEW ONCE A MONTH
So I wanted to do this last year, but you know how it is...
I have a few things on the list and I've officially smashed month one. I went ice skating and I absolutely loved it and subsequently have decided that I'm having lessons for my birthday, so that's a positive. My aim is that by the end of the year, I'll have found something that I hopefully love and something that will help me get a little more active. 
Some of the activities on my list are things like indoor skiing, Go Ape, horse riding, an Escape room, trampolining and a water park. I need more ideas, but they will get me started, for sure. 
I'm also adding an extra challenge of also trying one new class a month at the gym too - also going well so far by trying Yoga earlier this month. 

3) USE OLD ITEMS - PRODUCTS, SHOES, JEWELLERY 
I know this is super obvious & most people do this on the daily, but I am a sucker for wearing the same 3 pairs of shoes, earrings and jeans forever. I also have about 1273681 shampoos, conditioners, treatments, fake tans, foundations, moisturisers, serums etc that need using up before going out of date. I'm a bugger for repurchasing things that I absolutely do. not. need. instead of using up the things that I already have and so that's why, this year, my resolution is to start using up as much as I can, utilising old items of clothing more and then throwing things away that I definitely don't want to use or wear again. 
The next Marie Kondo I hear you say. 

How are you getting on with your resolutions this year so far?

xxx

2018: My whirlwind of a year

Happy new year my lil loves.

It's safe to say that 2018 was quite possibly the best day of my life so far. 

So much happened - we got married, we saw the world, we celebrated, we commiserated, we partied, we definitely drank (too much, some might say) & we loved each day as it came. 

It's tough to think that this time last year, we were just finalising our wedding plans, preparing for our (out of hand) stag & hen dos and was, frankly, v. nervous about what the big day would bring. Would it be raining? Would people turn up? Would people even have fun? Would the food be OK? Would the photo booth set up too early and be in the way? 

How silly that those were the things that we worried about in the run up to the wedding. If that doesn't sum up my year, I don't know what will. I'm a worrier. I have bad anxiety (although not many people get to see that - I like to suffer in silence, don't we all?), but last year, I was sick of thinking things were going wrong all of the time. I didn't once think about anything other than how magical my big day was going - it could've rained, the chicken could have been dry or the photo booth could have set up on the dance floor for all I cared. I honestly didn't care because I was ecstatically happy and nothing can ruin that feeling.

If there's one thing that you take from this ramble, live every moment as it comes. I recently read a quote that said 
"if you worry about something, you're putting yourself through it twice" 
and it really resonated with me. I have presentations, meetings and decisions at work that are completely new to me - but what's the use in worrying. What will be, will be (or at least I hope!) 

Here's to 2019 and adapting to the horrors of new challenges, new chances and new opportunities. 

xxx

3 things to do this weekend: Seasonal clear-out

A second post in the same week - what a treat! 

I haven't done one of these in a long time, have I? I was just thinking about what I'm going to do this weekend and figured I'd put it into a post and maybe inspire someone else to do the same thing. 

I've got to admit, I have been OBSESSED with a certain cleaning Instagrammer... any guesses who it could be? 

Of course, it's the wonderful Mrs Hinch (link to follow here if you aren't already). I've been following this stunning lady for around a couple of months now and straight off the bat, I was hooked. Never in a million years did I think I'd actually look forward to cleaning my house, but I'm totally inspired by Mrs Hinch and my house has never been so clean. The only thing is, I never feel like a room is really clean, until I've had a major clear out of all the stuff I've been hoarding.

So on that note, here are 3 things I'll be doing this weekend to make way for the Autumn season and a big seasonal deep clean next month: 

1) Clear out your kitchen cupboards
This is something that I think about every time I put my shopping away. I'm disgusted at the amount of crap I keep in my cupboards & so yesterday, I actually got off my bum & cleared out my kitchen cupboards. I cleared out 3 food cupboards and actually threw a full carrier bag of foods away per cupboard - that's 3 bags of food that I've been hoarding and have either gone out of date, or are so old that I figured it's not cool to eat them now. I threw things like peanut butter, Nutella and jams away that have been open for a few months, Cuppa Soups that are almost a year out of date and sweets that were half-open and forgotten about.

The crazy thing is that I didn't realise how big my cupboards are - I have SO MUCH ROOM RN. It also made me realise that I should only buy things that I know I'm going to eat, but also allowed me to make a list of things that I'm low on, like tuna and beans (clearly a staple food in the Murden household haha). 


2) Have a wardrobe sort-out
There's nothing nicer than having a clear out of your wardrobe before the Autumn season kicks in and this weekend, it's my mission to put away my little summer dresses and bring back out the knitwear and long-sleeved tees that I'd moved into the spare room for the summer. 

I'm a bit of a hoarder, so I feel like now is a good time to sort through every item and give away the clothes that I won't ever wear again - my mum and sis always try to nick my clothes, so I know they will appreciate a clear out. I definitely need a cull of shoes too - I have 100+ pairs and I swear to God that I only wear like 10 pairs soooo. 


3) Declutter somewhere that you store your crap
So I have 2 cupboards and also the drawers in the kitchen that I store miscellaneous crap in and last weekend, Luke and I finally sorted out one of the cupboards and threw away 2 whole binliners of shit that I'd been keeping for the past 4 years. It was actually ridiculous to see what came out of there and I definitely felt tonnes better once I'd thrown it all out and had space for all of our wedding things to go in there instead of cluttering the spare room. 

I came across things that I'd forgotten about and things that I can use now; it sounds sad, but it was a nice afternoon and I felt loads better for doing it. 


Do you have any tips for clearing things out? Let me know

xoxo

What I did this month: September 2018

Hey gals & guys, welcome back! 

I'm currently sat here in pyjamas, a dressing gown, slippers, a blanket and a hot water bottle. Autumn is officially here now, right? I've had to take this week off work & I've just got back from a doctors appointment to have my bloods taken, so hopefully they can figure out what's been making me so poorly. Here's hoping! 

Anywho, here's how my month has gone down:

One of my closest friend's wedding reception in Derby - she made such a stunning bride at an equally stunning location and we had lots of wine-fuelled boogies. 

One of our friend's Disney-themed fancy dress. 10 points if anyone can guess who I was. My sister's costume was BY FAR the best - she's Lilo from Lilo & Stitch and made everything by hand (and also made my horns!)

We went out for many meals with friends, however this one was INCRED and would recommend going if you're around Notts. We went in the evening and wings and cocktails were half price. 

I also Autumn-ed up my home and spent way too much money on Pumpkin candles & Cinnamon Zoflora - i'ts well worth the money & makes my house smell like an autumn wonderland now, OK? 

I had a lil' Costa date with my sis last weekend for a catchup and a mooch around Homesense and Dunelm which was lovely <3 

And lastly, the month ended on a definite high with a little trip to Barcelona which I 
would 100% recommend to anyone who is yet to go. Stunning city, lots of cafes & bars and tonnes of tapas - winner winner. 

This was the first day - we walked over to see the La Sagrada Familia and the Gaudi buildings, had some beaut tappas and ice creams and then mum & I spent the evening at the Hard Rock Cafe whilst the boys went off to watch a Barcelona game at Camp Nou. 

The second day was a little cloudy, so we went for a walk to the promenade, visited the Gothic area & had some drinks on Las Ramblas. We were lucky enough to visit Barcelona at the time where the biggest Festival was happening (La Mercer, I think) & so there were things happening everywhere, giving the city a bigger buzz than usual. We caught a metro to see Park Guell & then had a steady evening mooching around the shops & having a goodbye beer!*

*I actually had a stomach bug & didn't eat or drink all day - the Sangria below was delicious but I only managed a few sips - I'm still heartbroken about that!! 

I hope you all had a lovely month - here's to October! 
Speak soon xoxoxo

What I did this month: June 2018

1 & 2 - Seeing Taylor Swift earlier this month (BEST NIGHT EVER)

2 & 3- Night out with my favourite people for pizza and lots of wine!!

3. Recieving our wedding photos back // 4. Arriving in Bulgaria with a beautiful view

5. A day at the beach with Luke // 6. Alllll the cheese. Out for a lunch meal in a new city

7. A welcome home cheese night with my sis // 8. Shopping & food with Maisie

9. A home-alone Dominos after the shittest week... ever! // 10. My current bloody bathroom*

*It's half way through being done - this is the 'ripped out chic' stage - gross, right?

How is it July already?! Where is 2018 going? SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!

Just to be clear, I've picked out the absolute best of this month - things that haven't been mentioned: migraines, contraception implant removal and re-insertion, heat stroke, smear test, 300+ unread emails and they are just from this past week. DOMINOS + GIN = NECESSARY, OK?

Enjoy your weekends!
xxxxx

Wedding Wednesday: Our Story

Hello my loves,

I'm finally back and seeing as it's Wednesday, I thought I'd kick this blog back off with a cheeky Wedding Wednesday post. As I'm sure you've spotted, the domain has officially changed to my new name (!!) and I'm over the moon with how it looks!

We had the most perfect day & I'm looking forward to sharing more posts surrounding the day with you in the coming weeks.

So, as it's the first post since the actual wedding, I thought it might be worth me starting at the beginning - with our story, our engagement and the lead up to our wedding.

Luke & I have been together for just over 7 years now and believe it or not, we actually met whilst working at our local supermarket together on the checkouts! He was 16 & I was 17 (toy boy) & so, as we were too young to go for drinks or anything fancy, we just went into Nottingham to do a spot of shopping. He got a Ralph Lauren polo shirt (ew, so 2011..) and I think I got myself a new outfit from Primark (still v.classy, loving my Primarni) and it went from there.

After about a month of back to back Blackberry messaging (BB pins, remember those?), he finally asked me out.

We had been together just over 3 years when we finally decided it was time to buy our own place & so we put down the deposit on our lovely little home that couldn't be more perfect. It was definitely interesting moving in to our own home - Luke hung mirrors at his own height (I could only see my forehead)and set oven gloves on fire accidentally, but I wouldn't change a thing.

In 2016, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary where Luke whisked me away on a surprise trip to Verona, Italy and on the final night of our trip, he proposed on a rooftop overlooking the whole of Verona. I couldn't have imagined anything more perfect.

It's been a long two years of planning this wedding, but I can honestly say that I've enjoyed every second of it - I think I should've been a wedding planner in another life - who knew I was so thorough and obsessed?

So there we are, a complete whistle-stop, non-soppy post about our story. I hope you enjoyed this (and the v.v. cringey photos of us both!)

Speak soon, I promise!

xxxxx

Next time - Wedding Wednesday: The Hen Do. 

Wedding: Tips for the newly-engaged bride to be

Hello my loves,

Happy hump day! 

I thought that it might be nice to write a post on my top tips for the newly-engaged brides-to-be out there that are probably feeling a little overwhelmed and excited right now. 

I am in no way an expert in wedding planning, however I've thoroughly enjoyed my time wedding planning and hope to share some of my tips with people that may need it. 

Tip number 1: 
Get yourself a new notebook. I know the first thing that you do is go out and purchase a wedding planner-diary, however I really struggled with those. They include so much stuff and are generally targeted either at Americans, or they are very traditional and expect parents to pay for X, Y and Z etc. My best advice would be to get a plain notebook that you can jot ideas, thoughts, prices, contact details etc down in and not mind scribbling and ruining the pages etc. 

Tip number 2: 
Have a think about when you'd like to have the big day. If you're lusting to be a summer bride, then make sure that you give yourself enough time to plan and save - it doesn't matter if you book the wedding 2 years away as long as you and the groom are happy with it. We went for April because we'd started planning in the September but wanted a year and a half to plan and save, so the timing just felt right for us. Each to their own.

Tip number 3:
How do you imagine your big day? Do you want a church or do you want the whole day at a seperate venue i.e. hotel/marquee etc? 
This will help you think about who you first need to contact. Doing this will lead into everything else, because there's no point in booking any suppliers in case the venue of choice has packages that include different things. For example, the package that Luke & I went with includes so many things - food, drinks, DJ, cake, rooms for the guests, stationary for the tables, table decor etc. (there will be another post about my venues, so I don't want to go into too much detail). 

Tip number 4:
I want to do a full post on this, but a great thing that Luke & I did was to sit down and really think about what we wanted to spend. We worked out what we could comfortably save per month and then added up roughly how much that would amount to and that's how our budget started. 

Tip number 5:
Once you have your date, venue and budget confirmed, put the feelers out early to any suppliers that you're lusting over. There's nothing worse than leaving things too late and then not being able to employ the supplier because they're already booked for your date. 

I hope that these little tips help someone; let me know if they do!

xxx

Wedding: 3 month countdown& ring shopping

Happy New Year!

Oh my god, I can finally say that I get married THIS YEAR. 

I'm absolutely overwhelmed by this and, for the first time since the wedding planning begun, I'm actually starting to get anxious about the wedding. Not anxious to get married (I can't think of anything else I'd rather do), just anxious that I'm forgetting something, or that the payments are getting closer, or that my dress won't fit... Silly things, I know! 

This weekend has marked such a special moment; Luke & I have purchased our wedding rings! I'm so, so happy and excited- it's just so pretty. I must've taken it out of the box, tried it on, put it back in the box, tied it up, unwrapped it, taken it out of the box, tried it on just to tie it all back up about 8 times. It's stunning! I went with a budget in mind, but I didn't want that to be the deciding factor, so I asked to try on all of the ones that I liked & then asked for the price after I'd found the one that I wanted. I was over the moon to find that the ring was half the price of the original one that I had my eye on! 

I got mine from Goldsmiths - Nottingham as this is where Luke purchased my engagement ring from and I wanted something to match. If you're from Nottingham, I would 100% recommend getting your ring from there - the service is second-to-none and they can't do enough for you (you can even have a glass of wine or beer!). 

Luke didn't end up getting his ring from there because, truthfully, he'd seen very similar rings for half the price in another shop and so he decided to go elsewhere which is good and has saved us around £100. 

I don't have a massive amount more to do if I'm completely honest as I've been plan-zilla the past 10 months, so I was thinking that I could maybe do a series of blog posts to talk about some of the big bits of the day and how I've managed the budget, suppliers and planned everything to a T. Let me know if this is something that you'd be interested in! 

Next up, get the suits! Honestly, I gave Luke one job & it's the only thing out of my control. I've given him the deadline of the end of January or I'm going to choose them and just order them in to the shop for him. That's fair, right? 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

xxxx

Home: My Christmas Tree

Hey my loves. Happy Saturday! 

A little bit of a different post today - more of a home decor post, I guess. This year, I'm really, really happy with my Christmas tree & I've had a few messages on Instagram of people asking where different bits are from, so figured that it's good timing to pop all the information into a post. 

 So the tree itself was actually from Asda back in November, however they've now stopped stocking it - they may still have them in store but it's definitely disappeared from their website. It's the 6ft Snowy Pine Tree and it was the brilliantly affordable price of £35. Yep, just £35! I had my eye on it for a little while before I purchased it, however it went out of stock as quickly as it came back in.

It was complete fluke that I ended up getting one - I'd nipped in to my local Asda to grab some new jeans & thought I'd take a peek at the Christmas isle & there it was, just the one left on the shelf. Some call it good timing, I'll call it fate haha. 

(above images) 
Warm white lights - Tesco
White iridescent tinsel - Primark
White feather boa - eBay
Rose gold beaded rope - The Range (last year)
Mini silver & clear baubles - B&M
Clip-on flowers (large pink & small white) - The Range (last year)
Beaded hanging heart decoration - Next

(above images)  Mini crackers - B&M
Hanging deer decorations - Tesco
Pink glitter bauble - vintage

(above images) 
Feather bauble - Wilko

Pink reindeer x2 - The Range

Hanging cage decoration - Ikea 

All wrapping paper - Wilko

I hope you all like the way that I decorated my tree this year. Are any of your trees similar to mine?

xox

Hair: How to get lengthy locks

Girls, how annoying is it when your hair literally will not grow? I spent absolutely years looking for miracles that would give me some length and now it’s finally time to share my findings with you.

I can’t believe that it’s been over a year since I initially wanted to share this post with you – as per the previous post, I’ve been busy and haven’t made the time for my blog which I massively regret.

So, just to put some context into my journey, my hair stopped growing around 2012. Like, literally stopped. It's strange, because before this my hair and nails would grow so fast – it was a nightmare getting acrylics because I needed infills every two weeks. There were no lifestyle changes, no environmental changes and I have no idea what happened - all I know is that I was never getting my hair to the length that I've been dreaming about since cutting it to shoulder-length in 2011.

This is me exactly two years ago - note, my hair is not far past shoulder-length:

And this is my hair now - it's past my bra-strap on my back to put it into perspective.

Here are my top tips and products to achieving new lengths with your natural hair.

1.   Chop off those dead ends. This took me a while to grasp, but I absolutely swear that my hair wouldn’t have grown if I’d have left those initial dead ends off. I can’t stress this one enough - you really do need to get your hair cut in order for it to grow.

So, before you start using new products, I'd 100% recommend that you trim off the dead ends. I know that it feels like you're going backwards, but trust me, this will help tonnes. I started by literally just taking half an inch off with scissors that I got from eBay for about a fiver. Don’t be scared to just trim the ends; watch Youtube for guidance.

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2.  Regular trims. Just like the above step, I recommend taking off around half an inch every 6 weeks to keep it in good shape.

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3. Purchase Hair Burst tablets. I recommend getting these from Amazon on a subscribe and save deal where they work out at around £18 per month. This is a little pricey and I was sceptical at first, but seeing the results justifies the price. If you want a cheaper option, Holland and Barrett do a similar product (Biotin) that is around £6 but I can't comment on the results as I've stuck to Hair Burst. 

I take two of the Hairburst tablets every morning with a glass of water before breakfast.

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4. Try shampoos that specifically target hair growth. My top 2 shampoo and conditioner ranges are the FAST range (£39.99 for a litre from here) and the Lee Stafford Hair Growth range (here). I’m convinced that my hair wouldn’t have grown nearly as much if I wasn’t using these.

I also swear by using the Lee Stafford Hair Growth Mask in between washing my hair and conditioning my hair - it claims to stops shedding which is my biggest insecurity.

Tip- to get the most out of these shampoos, I like to use a clarifying shampoo first, to get rid of all dirt and then use the hair growth shampoo afterwards so that it really touches each strand and the scalp.

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5. Try and wash your hair less and use less heat on your hair. So whether it's not straightening/curling your hair for 2 days out of 7 or trying to blowdry less, it'll all help in the long run. Also, by washing it less, you'll have more natural oils protecting your scalp. 

I’m over the moon with the results of my hair growth and can’t rate these products highly enough. I’m going to be using this routine for the next 4 months until the wedding, so fingers crossed I can get the same results again.

This post is definitely not sponsored; it’s just the things that I’ve found have worked for me.

xxxx

How To Fake Microblading using Eyelure Dylash

Hi.

Today's post is more of a product review than anything and as the title suggests, this review is going to be on my holy grail beauty product; Eyelure Dylash.

I have been using this on and off for years & I'm absolutely certain that they never worked like they do now, but girls, my trick is to not only use it once, but apply the product as many times as you need to until you get the desired effect.

Until I retried this product a couple of months ago, I was literally just about to book an appointment to have my brows microbladed for just under £300... I can't believe that I've got similar results for under £8.

Don't believe me, look at this:

In the 'before' photo, the top and arch of my brows are actually leftover dye from previous Eyelure dying, so they look fuller than they naturally are. The 'after' photo is two applications of the Dylash.

It's absolutely changed my life - I know that sounds totally OTT, but honestly, I can't even tell you how conscious I am that I barely have any eyebrows. It used to take me about 10-15 minutes to do my brows every morning; I had to draw the outline, make them even, fill them in and then buff out the inner section for a more 'natural' look. 

After using this dye, I can literally get up, do the rest of my makeup and not even have to touch my brows until the dye starts wearing off (& even then, it's literally a touch up on them).

The best thing that I've found about this dye is that it dyes not only the hairs, but the skin too which is why it works so well for me. Like I mentioned above, I genuinely don't have any hairs on the upper part of my eyebrow and the hairs that I do have are very sparse and spread out, but this dye grips each hair and then creates a natural looking effect on the hair-less parts.

I use the shade 'Black' which sounds extreme, but I promise it comes out the perfect dark brown - I've found that the brown shades come out too 'red' on my skin and look terrible. Using the black is handy too, because you can pop it on the ends of your lashes to give the look of naturally thicker, longer lashes, perfect for holidays.

I would say that my results last about 4-5 days until the dye starts coming off the skin, but the dye stays on the hairs and still leaves a nice guide for me to fill in my brows, halving the time that I usually take to draw them on. I tend to re-dye my brows once a week, sometimes twice dependent on my plans.

I've had the same pack for about 2 months now and I still have at least 4 more applications - the box states 'up to 12 applications' but I swear I've had double that.

I apply mine with an angled brush rather than the spoolie that's supplied with the pack as then you can get the precise shape that you like. If you make a mistake, wipe off with a cotton bud before it has a chance to stain. Once applied, wait the allotted time and then wipe off. If you feel like you need more dramatic results, repeat the application. I tend to do it twice per dying session, sometimes three times. I find that you can get a nice fade to the inner parts of the eyebrow by only applying to that part once and avoiding it on the 2nd application.

This generally retails for around £8 (£7.50 at Boots here).

Honestly, if you're considering microblading but don't really have the cash, please try this first. No, of course it doesn't last anywhere near as long as microblading, but it's 37 times cheaper, so who's the real winner?

Let me know if you've tried this before and if you do try it, please tag me on Instagram - I'd love to see your results too! 

xxxx