I've been using Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation for a few weeks - I have a sample size so I only use it for special occasions or when I know I'll be needing a full face of makeup for the whole day. On a daily basis I use a lighter coverage as I prefer a more natural look and my skin is quite dry at the moment so anything matte scares me. However, I love the airbrushed effect that Double Wear gives, and the incredible variety of shades (I was colour matched and it was the perfect shade!) so I thought about adding something with a fuller coverage to my collection. 

At £34 a bottle, the Double Wear foundation is way out of my price range. I also found it too heavy for every day use and therefore couldn't justify spending that much money on it. So I decided to take to the internet and ask for suggestions for dupes of Estee Lauder's Double Wear foundation on my Instagram stories. The results varied from L'Oreal Paris Infallalible to Arbonne but the product that came up multiple times was Primark Beauty's Double Coverage Matte Foundation. Obviously, I headed straight to my local Primark to hunt down a bottle of my own..

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I think there were only six shades available and it took me a long time to decide which one would be the best match for me. Not only because some of the testers were missing (The worst part about makeup shopping, it's soo inconvenient) but also because there were quite a few people crowded around the stand who were also trying to grab a bargain and find their shade too. I ended up choosing Ivory which to be honest is a pretty good match. It's slightly more pink/cool toned than I would like but it's not overly noticeable and for £5, I can work with it. 

It has the same scent and consistency as Double Wear but I found the coverage to be slightly lighter. Which isn't an issue for me as I didn't want something too heavy anyway but if you're expecting it to be as full as the Double Wear, you will notice the difference. 

The second product I tried was their Shimmer Lip Glaze lipgloss which was only £2. A few years ago I bought two of their metallic liquid lipsticks and I was not impressed. The consistency was thin and it smelt strange. Looking back I shouldn't have even attempted to test them because metallic lips are not a look for me but at the time, I definitely got caught up in the trend. 

However, this lipgloss has completely restored my faith in Primark Beauty lip products. I've used it every day since I bought it and it's the perfect colour. Unfortunately the name of the shade was only on the outer packaging so I can't actually tell you what it's called but there were only two options - this one (I think it was called daze or flame?? Don't quote me on that) and a lighter, more peachy colour. It doesn't dry out your lips, it has a sweet scent but it's not too overpowering and it adds just the right amount of shine. I also think it makes my lips look fuller and plumper as well which is a nice bonus! 

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Overall, I've been very impressed with these two new Primark Beauty products that I recently picked up. I've used their lipliners for years but now I've branched out into their face makeup too, I can't wait to try some of their other products!

My first cinema trip of 2020 was to see The Gentlemen and, having not even watched the trailer, I had no expectations. The only thing I knew before seeing it was that it was directed by Guy Ritchie and the cast included some incredible actors; Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Henry Golding and Matthew McConaughey, to name a few. So I hoped it would be pretty good and I was not disappointed. This film is one of the best films I've seen in a long time.

The Gentlemen follows the story of drug lord Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) as he plans to sell his marijuana empire in order to take a step back from his criminal activities and retire. Drama quickly ensues as criminals of the underworld attempt to overthrow Pearson, the "King" of the industry. It's a classic British, gritty crime-gang film so expect guns, henchmen, murder, fighting, drugs and a lot of swearing. The c-bomb is probably dropped at least once in every sentence. Unsurprisingly, its rated 18 although there isn't really any violence or gore, which you would usually expect from this genre of film.

It's fast-paced, there's a lot going on, and you never really know who to be suspicious of until the very end. The characters are really well-written and Hugh Grant's portrayal of Fletcher, a sneaky disloyal underdog that wears sunglasses indoors, is genius. It's probably my new favourite role that he's taken on and he has some of the best lines, along with Coach (Colin Farrell). I thought the script was perfect, aside from the unnecessary overuse of the aforementioned c-word. It was just the right mixture of witty and funny - I lost count of the amount of times I caught myself still laughing about something that had happened in a previous scene. 

The only small criticisms I have are that the storyline is quite disjointed. It jumps around a lot between Hugh Grant's character in the present day recalling what has previously happened, through the use of flashbacks. So if you're the kind of person who can't put their phone away and concentrate on the screen for a couple of hours, you'll probably struggle with this one. It needs your full attention and even though I was completely invested, there were times when I thought "hang on, who's that? Have we seen this guy before?". I also found Hugh Grant's accent quite distracting. It is one of the best comedic elements of the film (I hope that was intentional..) but at the same time it did just sound like he was doing an impersonation of Tom Hardy, which I found difficult to overlook.

Apart from those minor critiques, overall I loved it and would 100% recommend this film. Even if crime isn't your go-to genre, I think most people will enjoy it purely for the humour and eccentricity of the characters and storylines. Plus, Henry Golding as a baddie.

Let me know which looks were your favourite :)