Luv Ur Body Menstrual Cup Review

The Luv Ur Body menstrual cup comes in 3 sizes and is made from 100% medical grade silicone. If at this point you are wondering 'What on earth is a menstrual cup?' then I shall direct you to my Ruby cup review here, where I explain the basics. I have both the small and medium Luv Ur Body cup, but there is also a size large. All of the cups are priced at $28, which is just under £23. For me there were two main things that drew me to the Luv Ur Body cups, their gorgeous flower designs and the high capacity of the cups themselves. The small cup holds around 28ml when filled up to the air holes, the medium holds 31ml and the large cup holds an impressive 34.5ml. The cups come with a generously sized cotton pouch, both of the patterns I received were feminine floral prints.

The Luv Ur Body cup in small (left) and medium (right).

The small Luv Ur Body cup is 47mm long, with the uber-cute leaf-shaped stem adding an additional 18mm. The diameter of the cup is 42mm, and so the cup is still relatively large for a size small. The Luv Ur Body cups all have a raised flower design on the surface of the cups, for the small size this design comes in both red (as seen above) and a turquoise blue. The medium and large cups only come in solid colours and are available in green, red and clear. The medium Luv Ur Body cup is the longest of all three at 61.7mm, with the stem adding 20.3mm. The diameter of the medium size cup is 45mm. The large size cup is 56.7mm long, with a stem length of 20.3mm. The diameter of the large cup is by far the widest at 48mm. The medium Luv Ur Body cup is one of the longest cups on the market, which makes it a good option for women with a very high cervix, who are worried that their cup with move up too high and become unreachable. Personally, I found that the leaf stem is very easy to grip and feels super sturdy, there are raised sections on the stem to help add more grip. I would be extremely surprised if anyone had trouble reaching and removing this cup!

The silicone used feels very nice and seems to be good quality, I would say they are a medium resistance cup, not as soft as a Cuplee cup yet not as firm as a Diva cup. The raised flower design of the cups is said to stop the cup from 'slipping out' during use, say when you sneeze or bear down. To be honest, I've never had this be an issue with any of my cups that don't have a raised pattern on them, but its pretty and so I don't mind too much. I think that the flower design is adorable and makes the cups stand out however, because the silicone is raised, they can make insertion and removal slightly irritating and even slightly painful. For some reason, the flower design on the small cup seems to be more raised than on the medium cup and so was slightly more irritating. I would say that if you are someone who is easily irritated by grip rings, this is not the cup for you. The bottom of these cups has quite an unusual shape in that they are quite rounded, instead of the usual V shape. Luv Ur Body claims that this is to make the cup before comfortable and increase capacity further, personally I found that the shape made these cups a bit trickier to remove as it was more difficult to nip the base to collapse the cup for comfortable removal.

The Luv Ur Body cup in med

I was able to use both of these cups and the high capacity of these cups makes them a great option for anyone with a heavy flow or who suffers from problems such as uterine fibroids or endometriosis . The large diameter of these cups is thought to be better for women who have a low cervix, as it allows the cervix to sit within the cup. Personally, I have a high cervix so I wouldn't be able to say whether or not the concept works. 

Overall, I don't think that this would be a good cup for new cup users as the raised design could cause extra difficulty inserting and be irritating. Also the curved bottom of the cup can make it quite hard to remove. I think that these cups would be perfect for women who have heavy flows, anywhere from a high to a medium cervix and aren't irritated by grip rings. The price is comparable to other menstrual cups on the market and the floral design really is quite gorgeous.

Let me know if you have tried this cup out and what you thought of it!

Eco Rainbow Pads Review

Eco Rainbow is an Etsy shop, run by Bex Cleaver, which sells reusable sanitary pads, nursing pads, nappies (or diapers for you Americans) and wipes. I purchased 4 pads from her shop in a bundle deal for £21, in the deal you can choose the length, absorbency and fabric and also give some detail on the prints that you like. You cannot choose the exact prints for each pad in this deal, but there are always a variety of pre-made pads for sale in other adorable prints if you are particular. You can also custom order from her website. 

I chose 10" heavy pads, in the 'plush' fabric (sometimes also called 'minky'), my print preferences were cute colourful designs and personally, I think she nailed it. As they are heavy pads and have the plush fabric (that is stain resistant!) as a topper, these are quite thick. Personally I don't mind thick pads, but if you are someone who wears thin leggings or something similar, you might want to choose something a bit thinner to avoid them being visible. I believe the core used in these pads is zorb.

Width of the pad when snapped is 2 and a half inches ( 6.5 cm)

When snapped up the pads are about 2.5" wide (6.5cm) and sit quite snugly in most underwear. These pads don't have a layer of PUL for waterproofing, however I have used them for several months and never leaked. They have a water resistant fleece backing and so the PUL isn't really necessary. The shape of these pads is perfect for me, they are super comfortable. I also gifted one of these to my sister and she has since reported that it is her favourite pad. The delivery of these pads was also extremely quick considering they were made after I had ordered, I believe I received them after around 2 weeks. Overall I really love these pads, they are very well made and uber comfortable. I'd definitely recommend trying something out from Eco Rainbow Pads and there is even a Facebook group where Bex runs market nights, along with a website where you can order custom made pads.

Have you tried these pads? Let me know in the comments section below.

Sleek Precious Metals Highlighting Palette Review

My original desire to buy this palette came from a review that Tati on Youtube posted on Sleek make up, unfortunately when I went to Boots to buy it I accidentally picked up the Precious metals palette instead of the Solstice palette. I had no idea until I got home and realised that three of the highlights in this palette are creams. Now as a girl with what may be the oiliest skin in the world, I was immediately convinced that I had wasted my money and that the formula would either cause them to slip off my face by noon or look cakey and gross due to the amount of powder I have to use on my face. Nevertheless, I gave them a fair go and was actually rather impressed!

The packaging of this palette is really nice, the palette is a bronze colour and quite sturdy, my only bug bear is that the plastic shows fingerprints and so will always look a bit grubby (Unless you polish it after every use but who has time for that?). Both top shades of this palette are creams (Platinum and Royal gold), along with the bottom shade on the left (Renaissance gold). 'Platinum' is a pale shade that leaves a sheen on the skin with tiny flecks of pink reflex, this would be the perfect highlight for super pale people with cool-toned skin. 'Royal gold' is my least favourite shade of the palette, when it is applied to the skin it leaves chunky flecks of glitter that are pretty noticeable. This shade might be good for something like a festival, but for everyday it is a bit disco-ballish for me. The next shade in the palette is my absolute favourite, 'Renaissance gold' is a super smooth gold that just looks amazing on the skin, it gives a beautiful healthy glow and doesn't contain any flecks of glitter or sparkle. The final shade is a powder highlight called 'Antique bronze', this shade has a lovely glow to it without having chunks of glitter, however it is quite pigmented. To wear 'Antique bronze I have to have a decent amount of bronzer on my cheeks, otherwise this translates as a sparkly orangy-bronze streak on my face, which isn't ideal.

Left to right: 'Platinum', 'Royal gold', 'Renaissance gold' and 'Antique bronze'

The formula of these highlighters is very nice, the creams are a nice slippery consistency which is easy to blend. Personally I applied the creams with the tips of my fingers onto my (non-existent) cheekbones and tapped to blend them in. I haven't tried applying them with a beauty blender or Real techniques miracle complexion sponge but I'm sure that would be an even faster way of blending them out. The powder shade is also easy to apply and blend, but also very pigmented, you have been warned!

Overall I think this is an amazing palette, I'm not usually one to try cream products but these stayed on and didn't appear cakey, even over powder. I may be converted. Let me know if you have tried this palette and how you liked it!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer Review

The Bourjois healthy mix concealer is one of my favorite concealers of all time, the formula is creamy, moisturizing and it blends so nicely. I got mine from Boots for £7.99 and I use it all the time! I have the lightest shade and I use it to brighten my under eyes and on spots (Its not too different from my foundation shade), the formula is great for both as long as you remember to set it with a powder as it is so creamy.

On days when my cheeks are super red (thanks rosacea!) I will dab a bit of this on my cheeks and blend it with the Real techniques miracle complexion sponge to help cover the redness. Basically its a great all-rounder concealer, I would definitely recommend you pick it up.

Let me know what you thought of this if you have tried it? Is there anything you would really like a review on?

TJ's Cloth Nappies Cloth Pad Review

These pads were the first ever editions to my cloth pads 'stash', I found them one day whilst hunting for cheap pads to try. TJ's Cloth Nappies has a range of these cloth nappies (or diapers if you're american) and they also sell a range of cloth pads. These pads look similar to the Precious star's pads, which are manufactured in China, I think it is likely that these also came from China as the prices are so similar. The 'regular' 10 inch pads are priced at £3.49, the 'heavy' 12 inch pads are £3.99 and the 'postpartum' 14 inch pads are £4.49.

A 'Regular' and a 'Heavy' pad

The width of the pads snapped up, the heavy pad is on the top

These pads are topped with a charcoal microfleece layer, the core is microfibre and all of the pads have a PUL waterproofing layer. I found the regular pads worked fine, I never had any leaks and they were pretty comfortable. However one thing to bear in mind is that these are very wide pads when snapped up, The 'regular' style are 8 cm (3.15 inches) wide when they're snapped up and the 'heavy' pads are a whopping 11 cm (4.33 inches)! I had bought 3 'regular' and two 'heavy' pads but when I wore the first heavy pad it was so wide and there was so much 'wing droop' that it was irritating and uncomfortable. I don't know why the heavy pads are so much wider than the others but it is a tad ridiculous, the extra fabric hangs between your legs and makes you feel like you are wearing a nappy. I contacted the company and mentioned the width of the heavy pads and the owner, Jackie, kindly offered to give me a refund for the heavy pad I hadn't used if I sent it back to her.

If you are looking to switch to reusables and are on a budget then I would definitely recommend these, they are comfy and absorbent. Just be warned that the heavy pads are super wide!


Have you tried these pads out? Are there any cloth pad makers that you would like to review?
Let me know in the comments!

Gaia Moon Pads Thong Liner Review

Gaia Moon Pads is a UK based seller, she sells a range of handmade cloth pads, liners and pad wrappers. I had been searching for a UK seller to buy some thong liners from for a while, there were a few sellers in the US whose thong liners looked nice, but I'm so impatient I couldn't wait for them to be shipped over. 

When I found Gaia Moon Pads on Etsy I was so happy to see her selection of thong liners! I bought 3 of her 6" thong liners and couldn't be happier with them, they are topped in flannel and backed with anti-pill fleece. These liners are only £3 each, nice and affordable. They are super thin and discreet and the shape really sits nicely in thongs, with some liners I find they slide around but these stay exactly where you put them. 

The stitching on these is really neat, I am definitely one of those people who is grated by ugly or wonky stitching but there are no worries of that with these. Gaia Moon Pads also has a nice selection of prints, some really cool gender neutral prints included. I think a lot of cloth pad makers can forget that some menstruating people don't identify as female, it is a nice to have a wide selection of prints for people with slightly less 'girly' taste. 

The liner shape when snapped up

What I love about these liners in particular is that they are backed in fleece. I use these for menstrual cup back-up and on the odd occasion that my cup leaks, I want to know nothing is going to soak through my liner! Fleece is moisture resistant and so helps prevent leaks, unlike some liners that are just cotton or flannel backed. When I wear these liners I feel just that extra bit secure that I'm not going to have any catastrophic leaking disasters. If you are in the market for some thong liners I would definitely recommend Gaia Moon Pads, the postage was super quick and I love them! I have since bought two more that have glow in the dark stars on the print!

Have you tried these? Let me know in the comments below!

Fleur De Force Lip Gloss Review

Fleur De Force is one of my personal favorite beauty Youtubers, I've always loved her personality in her videos and found that we liked a lot of similar products when it came to beauty. When Fleur posted a video on her channel announcing that she had released a her own make up line, I couldn't contain my excitement. Fleur's make up range includes a selection of lip glosses and eye-shadow palettes. Since my addiction is lip products I ordered two of her lip glosses, from Feel Unique, in the shades 'Seeing stars' (above on top) and 'Written in the stars' (above on the bottom). All of Fleur's products have star related names as she has such a love of stars, I can definitely relate.

These lip glosses are priced at £6.99 and come in 6 shades, ranging from nude to dark purple. I chose two of the more nude shades as I prefer my darker lip shades to be matte. 'Written in the stars' is a lovely mauvy-pink shade, perfect for an everyday gloss, They are very pigmented for glosses, you can build them up for a complete lip, or wear a thinner layer as more of a hint of colour. The second shade I purchased, 'Seeing stars', seemed like more of a peachy shade on Fleur, however on me it is very orange. I still like the shade, but I don't think I will be wearing it everyday.

'Written in the stars' and 'Seeing stars'

These glosses have a small doe-foot applicator, which works well for application, however it picks up hardly any product. This isn't a huge problem, it just makes it a tad annoying that you have to dip the wand into product and apply 2-3 times to get a decent amount of gloss. The formula of the glosses is really lovely, it is thick enough to be long wearing but isn't sticky. I also found these super moisturizing, similar to Tanya's lip glosses, sometimes I just apply these instead of lip balm as I've found they moisturize more than most of the lip balms I've tried! Overall these are great lip glosses, I am definitely going to be adding a few shades to my Christmas list, the red looks like it would be amazing for Christmas parties! Fleur definitely did a great job and she should be proud!

Have you tried these? Let me know in the comments! Also if there are any other products you would like to see reviewed then don't hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email,  I'll see what I can do!

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush Review

When I saw these blushes I was immediately taken by how similar they looked to the popular Milani baked blushes available in the US. I have had my eye on the Milani blushes for months now but the only way you can get your hands on them in the UK is by buying on Amazon and I was always too worried that they would arrive smashed. The Max Factor Creme Puff blushes have the same gorgeous marbling and shimmer to Milani ones, although the range of colours of the Milani blushes is more diverse. There are 6 shades to choose from of the Max Factor blushes, where as Milani have 9 different shades. I picked up the shades 'Lovely pink' and 'Gorgeous berries' for £8.99 each at Boots.

'Lovely pink' and 'Gorgeous berries'

I love these blushes, 'Lovely pink' is such a nice subtle everyday shade and I have been wearing it almost everyday. The formula of these blushes is really soft and blendable, whilst still being super pigmented. The shade 'Gorgeous berries' is beautiful but definitely requires a light hand, I use my dual fibre brush from Real Techniques for this and you still only need to dip your brush in the powder once to get a nice hint of plum colour to your cheeks. Personally I think these blushes are great as a highlight and blush in one, they leave a subtle shimmer and make you look fresh and healthy (even when you've been up all night writing assignments! The uni struggle is real!).

I can't definitively say that these are a dupe for the Milani blushes as I don't own any, but from hearing what the Milani blushes are like, I would say they sound pretty similar. Either way I would definitely recommend that you give these a go, there are a few more shades that I might just have to pick up.

Have you tried these out? Let me know in the comments.

Ruby Menstrual Cup Review

Menstrual cup basics

Now if you don't know what a menstrual cup is then here are the basics. Menstrual cups are the alternative to tampons, you fold them up to make them smaller, insert them into your vagina and then they pop open and create a seal. This seal then allows the menstrual cup to sit up in the vagina and collect your flow, then after 12 hours (yes you read that right, 12 hours!) you remove the cup, empty it, clean it and then reinsert it. These things are game changing when it comes to your period, you can literally put the cup in in the morning, then forget about it for the whole day, then empty it out at night and reinsert. Lets have a quick look at the pros and cons.

Pros

• They hold around 3 times what a tampon will hold! Most women can wear the cup for 12 hours before needing to empty it.
• They're healthier! There is no risk of toxic shock syndrome with menstrual cups as there are no fibers. Tampons also dry out the vagina and contain trace amounts of a toxin called dioxin (Pads do too!), which is a carcinogen (it causes cancer). Menstrual cups are carcinogen free and much safer.
• They're reusable! Once you have your menstrual cup you are set for a long time, if treated well menstrual cups can last 5-20 years!
• You'll never run out! No more wondering if you have enough tampons or when you'll need to buy more. 
• They're comfortable! Once you find the right cup for you and learn to put it in correctly, you can't feel it at all.
• They'll save you money! It will only take a few months for a menstrual cup to have saved you money in pads and tampons you no longer need.
• You can sterilize them! Menstrual cups can be boiled or soaked in sterilizing solution to completely sterilize them, if you are prone to vaginal infections these might be the perfect thing for you.
• You can swim! You can go swimming with a menstrual cup in and it is actually more comfortable than using tampons as they don't become waterlogged like tampons do.
• They're eco friendly! No more filling up landfill with pads and tampons.

Cons

• They can be expensive initially. Menstrual cups range in price from about £10 (Around $15) to £25 (Around $38) depending on what brand you choose.
• There is a learning curve. Menstrual cups are easy once you get that hang of using them, but at first it can be tricky to get it inserted and popped open.
• There are so many different sizes and shapes- Which do I choose? Menstrual cups come in a variety of sizes and shapes, which can be a good thing, but it also means its hard to pick one when you are starting out.

The Ruby Cup

The Ruby cup is a menstrual cup made from 100% medical grade silicone, it comes in 3 colours (Pink, blue and purple) and a clear version. The Ruby cup comes in a small and a medium size and both are priced at £21.95, I opted for the medium as I have a high cervix. The cup itself is 51mm long and the stem is 17mm, the diameter of the cup is 45mm. The small sized cup holds 24ml up to the rim and the medium size holds 34ml. The cup comes with a really nice organic cotton bag with their logo on and a pink pull closure.

The Ruby cup in Medium

Most menstrual cups have small holes near the rim of the cup called suction release holes, these allow you to break the suction when you want to remove the cup. The Ruby cup has 4 equally spaced suction release holes just under the secondary rim, these are pretty small suction release holes compared to my other cups but I didn't find that it made any difference to the function of the cup. 

The Ruby cup stem and grip rings on the base of the cup

The stem on this cup is nice and flexible and soft, it has lots of little bumps which make it easy to grip. The stem is also hollow so when you grab it it flattens to make more surface area for you to grip onto, this really helps when removing the cup. The grip rings on the base of the cup are smoothed over and less pronounced than some of my other cups, but still help with gripping.

This cup is one of my favorites, it is just the right level of firmness so that it pops open super easily but is soft enough that it is really comfortable to wear. With some of my softer cups I have had trouble getting them to open up once inserted but this cup was great. After inserting I just pinched the base of the cup and twisted and it popped open straight away. The Ruby cup is very easy to remove, especially if you don't cut the stems off your cups. I kept my stem on and it is just amazing for removal, the bumps make it super grippy, even when wet. I haven't had any leaks at all with this cup and it forms a nice firm seal. I wish this had been my first cup as it is really easy to use, I started with a medium soft Meluna cup and it almost put me off cups because, no matter what I tried, I could not get it to open.

The Ruby cup is also a great option because of their social mission, the Ruby cup company has a 'Buy one give one' strategy where for every Ruby cup bought, they donate a cup to girls in Africa that don't have access to menstrual products. It is estimated that these girls miss around 20% of their school time every year because they are on their periods (UNICEF, 2013) and are afraid of leaking at school. Having a menstrual cup allows these girls to stay in school, get educated, get better jobs and provide for their families. This is an amazing project and there is no doubt that it is doing a lot of good.

I would definitely recommend this cup, especially to anyone new to menstrual cups. The medium size has a great capacity and would be great for women with heavy periods and the small size is perfect for women with lighter periods. This cup was so easy to use and the ethics of the company are amazing.

Have you tried this cup? Or have you never even heard of menstrual cups? Let me know in the comments.

Sleek 'Blush by 3' Review

As a usual Boots shopper I hadn't come across Sleek make up, as it was only stocked in Superdrug. Recently though, Boots has come to its senses and started stocking Sleek make up and I was like a moth to a pink-sparkly flame with this blush set. These blush trios only cost £10, an amazing deal for 3 blushes in my opinion, and are just superb.

 The shade I bought is called 'Pink lemonade', it has two lovely pink shades and a more reddish orange shade. The blush in the centre of the pan is a cream formula and the other shades are lovely shimmery powders. The cream formula in the palette is a beautiful colour, but unfortunately I couldn't blend it very well on my super dry cheeks, the formula would look great on someone with normal to oily skin though. The two shimmery shades are especially lovely, they are super pigmented and easy to blend, although I would say to definitely use a light hand when applying these as they are quite easy to over do. These blushes are a great affordable find and I would definitely recommend them, they also have a great range of shades, including some great colours for darker skin tones.

Have you tried these blushes? Let me know in the comments.





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Precious Stars Cloth Pad Review

Precious stars is a business run by Bree Farmer, a young girl who has been using RUMPs (reusable menstrual products) since she was 15. Bree has her own YouTube channel with informative videos on how to use and look after both cloth pads and menstrual cups. If you are having trouble with your cup, or wondering about different cloth pad toppings, Bree is your woman. She really is a brilliant source of info on all things cloth pad and menstrual cup! On the Precious stars website Bree sells a range of budget cloth pads and wet bags, along with a few brands of menstrual cup and cup accessories. As Bree is such a connoisseur of cloth pads I was really excited to try her own brand of pads.

When I first decided to try cloth pads, I purchased 4 pads and a liner from the site and they arrived 2 days later. I was really impressed at how fast these came, they are made in a factory in China and sent to Bree prior to ordering so there is no waiting around for them to be made. Bree sells two styles of pads and liners, her regular range and a curves range.

'Regular' range

For the 'regular' range, there are day pads (10" long) and overnight/ postpartum pads (11.5" long). The pads are bamboo charcoal topped, with a core of microfiber terry, and either a layer of laminated minky, or a PUL backing. These pads are a bit unusual in the sense that, the pattern side goes against your underwear, as opposed to your skin like usual cloth pads. The liners of this range are 7" long and topped with bamboo terry and have the same core and backing options as the pads, but are obviously less absorbent. In the regular range, both the pads and liners come with a selection cute patterns on the back of pad/liner.

 The bamboo charcoal topping (seen on the day pad to the right above) is a wicking fabric, meaning that it wicks moisture away from your skin and into the core of the pad. This is a great topper for if you have a heavy flow, you stay super comfortable and avoid that horrid 'sitting in a puddle' sensation we know all too well. The price of these pads are very affordable, being priced at £3 for a liner, £3.75 for a day pad (10") and £4 for a overnight/postpartum pad (11.5"). One of the things I love about these pads and liners is that they are really narrow when snapped up. The pads and liners all have two snap settings, so you can choose if you want a narrower fitting pad or a wider fitting pad, The liners are 3" wide when snapped up on the first snap, and 2.5" wide when snapped up on the second. The pads are 2.75" when snapped on the first snap, and 2.5" when snapped on the second. This makes them great for petite women, or women who wear underwear that have a particularly narrow gusset,

A liner and a day pad on the narrowest snap setting

'Curve' style

The 'curves' range is a bit different from the 'regular' range, they are a more curved shape and have a different top fabric, All of these pads have a topper of bamboo/cotton mix fleece, a microfiber terry core and a PUL backing. The PUL backing comes in a range of colours but no patterns, and the bamboo/cotton mix fleece is white on all the pads. I bought an overnight pad in this style, which is 13" long and is longer in the back. The day pads are 10" long and are also slightly longer in the back.

I thought that I would like this pad as I tend to need more back coverage, especially at night, however it has become one of my least favorites. The topping fabric of this is strange, when I first received the pad is was nice and soft, but after two washes it has lost its softness and is slightly bumpy. Also, I could not show a picture of the other side because it stains horribly. I used this pad once and I cannot, for the life of me, get the stain out. I have tried my usual stain remover and it lightened slightly, but is still really visible. I also found that the area I stain treated is now rougher than the rest of the pad, This makes wonder how long this particular pad will last, Bree says on her website that these pads can last for several years but if this pad is already showing such wear I doubt it would last. I also found that after 2 washes, the cotton topper has shrank slightly and left the PUL backing slightly baggy, as you can see in the above photo,

Overall is it a mixed bag with these pads, I really love the 'regular' style pads, however I have had some problems, I have one PUL backed pad in the 'regular' style and one in the 'curved' style and have had the same problems with both. Firstly, the PUL is smooth, and so these pads slip around in your underwear, which isn't ideal. I found myself getting frustrated with these when I go to the bathroom as, when pull down your trousers, the pad flips upside down and hangs by the snaps. The second issue I had with these is, they leak. The Precious stars label seems to be stitched through the waterproof layer, on two occasions I have leaked all around the label, and nowhere else. This is a frustrating flaw with the pads, as it makes the waterproof layer pretty useless.

To wear these pads you would just have to hope that you didn't bleed in the area of the label and make sure you were careful not to saturate the pad very much. When this occurred the second time, I contacted Bree through her website, she replied after with some suggestions that I could try to 'seal' the PUL layer. She suggested washing the pads on a hot wash and also ironing the back of the labels, but neither of these things helped. After a few emails back and forth Bree was nice enough to refund me for the pads. If she fixed this problem, the 'regular' pads would all be a great budget option, but for now I'm not sure that I'd recommend these. Personally I really disliked the 'curve' style, the topper develops an unpleasant texture after a few washes and  they are impossible to get stains out of. I'd be interested to know if anyone else had any issues with these pads, if you have any experience with these leave a comment below and let me know what you thought of them.

Dimplemuff Cloth Pad Review

Cloth pads? What?

When I heard about cloth pads, like most people, I was confused and slightly grossed out. The idea of keeping something that I had bled on and reusing it seemed unhygienic and gross. As repulsed as I was initially, I was also intrigued. After researching a bit more, I decided I had to try them, and I'm so glad I did.

I have always found disposable pads and tampons uncomfortable, but you are never told that there is any alternative, so you just put up with the discomfort every month. The first time I used a cloth pad I was taken aback by how soft, comfortable and easy they are to take care of. You wear them, like any other pad, then when you want to change you just unsnap it, fold it in half over itself, throw it in a waterproof bag (known as a 'wet bag') and then at the end of your cycle you just empty them all into the washing machine with some detergent (no fabric softener) like any old load of washing. Occasionally fabrics like cotton or flannel will stain, but I've found the stains come out super easily just by using a run-of-the-mill stain bar. They are so easy to manage and unbelievably comfortable compared to conventional pads. Plus, because most cloth pads are made to order, they are super customisable. You can get cloth pads in any shape, length, width, fabric, pattern, colour, or thickness you need. Not to mention you can use them for years, so they save you a huge amount of money.

Dimplemuff Pads

My first custom order experience was with Dimplemuff pads, sold here. Dimplemuff pads are all custom orders made by a lovely woman called Claire, you choose how long you want your pad to be, what shape you want, what absorbency you need, and best of all, which gorgeous fabric you want! I ordered four pads from Dimplemuff, two light/liner absorbencies and two regular absorbencies, all 8" long. My pads arrived two weeks after I ordered them (custom orders take a bit longer since it takes time to make the pads too), the packaging was lovely and they came with a free adorable mini stain remover bar in the shape of a hippo. I ordered two of the pads in minky (an extremely soft pillowy fabric that is stain proof) and two in cotton. All of Claire's pads are backed with micro fleece and she offers a free PUL layer (a waterproof laminated fabric) for all her pads. I have to say, I love everything about these pads, they are my favorite out of all the brands I own. The fabrics are so pretty and she has such a wide range of prints to choose from, they are practically leak-proof because of the PUL layer and they feel like you are sitting on a little pillow. The stitching on them is good, a little wonky here and there but nothing that affects the functionality of the pad, and they are quite thin too.

Claire offers 4 shapes of pad, her regular shape which has broader wings that wrap around the pad, her slim shape which is more slender, her ultraslim which is even more slender and curves in slight at each end and her curvalicious which is wider in the gusset (I believe) and has one end that is lightly longer than the other. I have a slim (pink below) and an extra slim (grey) and I really like both shapes, they are both nice and narrow when snapped up (7cm).

I would really recommend these pads, they are great quality products and I'm certain they will last for quite a few years. If you haven't tried cloth pads before then you definitely should and Dimblemuff is a great place to start. If you are still curious about cloth pads then you should head over to Bree Farmer's Youtube channel, she posts great informative videos about AMPs  (alternative menstrual products).

Have you tried these pads? If so, leave a comment below and let me know what you thought.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

I bought this mascara a while back to try out from Boots because of its lash-boosting claims, This mascara is infused with a 'grow-lash complex' that 'stengthens, renews and nourishes lashes, promoting natural lash growth'. The idea is that you use your mascara everyday and after a month you will have Beyonce lashes, or at least notice a difference. I used this everyday to university for about 2 months and, personally, I didn't notice that my lashes were any longer or fuller than before I started using this. Saying that however, I do really like this mascara.

The narrow wand on this lets you get right down to the root and the formula is super lengthening. I especially love this for doing my lower lashes, with big chunky brushes I always end up dotting mascara under my eyes or accidentally poking myself in the eye. With this brush I can really get in there and build up product on the lower lashes, which is great for balancing out a smokey upper lid.

I would recommend this for ladies (or men!) who struggle with short lashes that are hard to build up product on to. The wand makes getting every lash much easier and the formula is amazing for lengthening. For those of you who prefer a volumising mascara, I would still recommend Maybelline's 'The falsies' mascara, you can find my review for that here.

Let me know if you have tried this mascara and if so, what you thought of it.