How to get Showbox on your TV

If you're reading this you probably make regular use of Showbox, the app that lets you stream the latest movies and tv shows.

Whilst it's all well and good having the app on your phone or your tablet, seeing everything on the small screen just isn't the same as watching it on your TV.

This guide is specifically for those with the Amazon Fire box and Kindle Fire but the premise may also work for you if you can mirror on your devices.

I searched for ages trying to find apps that let you 'cast' the film/tv show you're watching onto to the TV but nothing seemed to work. It was only when I learned that you can mirror the newer Kindle Fire's that it all came together.

Step 1
Go to the settings on your Amazon Fire box and click on display and sounds

Step 2
Hover over enable display mirroring and click it - it should now be able to mirror enabled devices

Step 3
Go to display and sounds in the settings of your Kindle Fire

Step 4 
Click on display mirroring and change it from off to on.

Step 5 
Find your device (you should have enabled your Amazon Fire box) and it will be showing in the list of devices.

Step 6
Click on the device and it should instantly mirror everything you're doing on your Kindle Fire on your TV. Click on Showbox and you will be able to watch stuff on your TV without any issues. To stop mirroring simply click 'stop mirroring.'

This method is by far the easiest I have found and anyone can master it. Have fun watching on the big screen!

Seventeen Skin Wow! 3 Way Highlighter review

What the brand says
Seventeen Skin Wow! has been designed to give your skin the ultimate pick me up. It's been formulated to be used in three ways including as a primer, mixed in your foundation to give it a extra glow and as a highlighter.

The Lowdown
The formula of the highlighter is quite creamy and silky. A quick swatch of this highlighter really demonstrates how sparkly it really is. After blending the product in my skin literally looked like a glitter ball. The glitter is quite hard to remove even after wiping the product off and my skin was left sparkling for hours.

The intensity of the highlighter isn't completely visible when I applied it as a primer until I put foundation on the top. With foundation on top my skin looks very sheer and greasy. If you have oily skin, like I do on my t-zone this is definitely not the product for you as it seems to intensity the problem.

I don't normally mix highlighters in with my foundation but I'm going to give it a go to see what it looks like. The highlighter mixed in really well with my foundation and blended in quite nicely. The highlighter definitely looks better when blended into your foundation as opposed to being used on its own and it doesn't have the same 'oily' effect.  I can't say I really noticed much of a difference in the finish of the foundation except perhaps an added sheen to my skin.

When applied purely as a highlighter it leaves a iridescent sheen on the skin. The effect isn't completely obvious and you can only see it when the light is reflecting on your skin. As it does have quite a high glitter content by the evening only specks of glitter were left.

Overall I was expecting a little more from the 3 way highlighter. It doesn't really work as a primer and whilst it looks fine mixed in with my foundation I can't say it added all that much to my overall look. The best use would be as a highlighter if you prefer the more natural effect.

I give it 1/5

Get it for £5.99 at Boots

Advantages

• Adds a slight sheen when mixed into your foundation
• Quite a natural effect when used as a highlighter

Disadvantages

• High glitter content so probably best not used as a primer
• When using the highlighter as a primer it leaves the skin looking almost sweaty and oily which is not good for those suffering from oily skin.

Smashbox Full Exposure mascara review

What the brand says
Smashbox Full Exposure has a unique formula that was inspired by the movies and behind the scene techniques. More powerful then your average mascara, Full Exposure combines a lengthening fibre mascara with a volumising formula to get your lashes as long and full as they can be.

It claims to give:

• 104% increase in lash volume
• 32% increase in lash length
• 34 degree increase in lash curl

The Lowdown
Now I'm under no illusion that this is a new product, but I've read so many good reviews I really wanted to put it to the test. I recently got the mascara which was part of the star gift from Boots '5 products for £30'. It was a total bargain and the mascara was full size - fabulous. My first impressions of the mascara is that the wand itself is mahoosive. It has a bristle brush that is slightly tapered in towards the end to capture the smaller lashes.

The mascara has quite a wet formula so it was really easy to apply without any resistance or scratching. The brush is obviously really big so it does capture most of the lashes without too much issue, although it's still a bit awkward getting in the inner corner. As the formula is quite wet I did end up with a bit of product on my lid so it is quite messy. After applying my lashes did look defined and mostly separate aside from a few lashes that were slightly clumped together. I can't say I noticed much difference in terms of volume or length in  comparison to my normal mascara but there was quite a good lash curl.

After several hours the lash curl had wilted a little bit but there was no smudging or panda eyes.

I did like the curl Full Exposure gave me but as I mentioned above I didn't really notice much of any other effect. Considering the price of the mascara I would probably just opt for my normal L'Oreal mascara as it seems to create pretty much identical results.

I give it 3/5

Grab it for £19.50 at Boots

Advantages

• Doesn't smudge
• Wet formula means it doesn't scratch or irritate when applying
• Gives lashes a nice curl

Disadvantages

• I didn't notice any real lengthening or volumising effect in comparison to my normal mascara

5 steps to get the perfect lip

Whether you're new to makeup or you've been applying it for years, getting the perfect lipstick technique can take a while to master. Despite what you may think you too can get a stunning pout like Rihanna and Gwen Stefani and you don't even need a massive bank balance.

Prep your lips
One of the most important steps before you applying any colour is to ensure all dead and dry skin is removed. The best way to do this is to use a soft toothbrush and gently buff away the skin. After apply a moisturising balm like Original nipple balm for lips (£12 at Feel Unique).

Apply your lipstick
When you go to apply your lipstick, smile so you can see where to apply. This will avoid any chance of bare lips. To get the illusion of a fuller pout slowly trace just outside your natural lip line.

Tips on making it last
There's nothing more frustrating then going out with your lips looking fabulous and losing it all after one sip of your drink. The best way to extend the lifecycle of your lipstick is to layer it. Once you've applied your first layer, go around the outline with a lip pencil to frame the colour and eliminate the chances of bleeding. Blot the lipstick and then apply another layer.

Easily fix any mistakes
When I'm applying lipstick the worst thing that can happen is a smudge. When you try to remove the smudge you end up with half your foundation missing. The best way to remove any little mistakes is to put a little makeup remover on the end of a cotton bud. It won't stick and you'll only remove what you need to.

Keep your lips moisturised during the day
During the day lipstick can start to feel drying especially if it's a matte formula. The best way to avoid the dryness is to apply a little vaseline or lip balm in the centre of your lips. Gently dab it on, blot and then reapply your lipstick in the centre.                

Rimmel Magnif'Eyes London Nudes Calling review

What the brand says
Part of the new Rimmel Autumn/Winter releases comes Magnif'eyes. The new range of eyeshadows are available in three palettes; Keep Calm & Wear Gold, London Nudes Calling and Grunge Glamour. Each palette has 8 shades that are a mixture of matte and shimmer textures.

The Lowdown
When I bought the Scandaleyes Reloaded mascara recently I saw the palette in London Nudes Calling and knew I had to add it to my collection. In the palette there are two flat matte shades, a sparkly beige gold matte and 5 shimmery shades.

There are a few light shades in the palette but the majority are a lot darker and perfect for the upcoming festive season. The palette comes complete with a mirror and a double ended sponge brush.

Some of the shimmery shades in this palette are so pigmented, especially 5 and 6. There's also a real chameleon effect to some of the shades too as the shades in the palette look quite flat but really come to life on the skin (just look at 5 and 6 in the swatch). Even the matte shades have quite a lot of pigment which is quite unusual for cheaper palettes.        

When applied with a brush the quality of the eyeshadows seems to dramatically change. Some of the eyeshadows are breakable and I did end up with quite a lot of product around my eye. I tried a number of different looks and found the shades didn't blend well together despite a good attempt.

The colour pay off when applying with a brush is pretty poor so if you want the best results it's best to apply with your fingers.

Over the course of the day the shades do seem to blend together somehow and look a lot more natural. The eyeshadow is still visible at the end of the day and there was no glitter that had dropped around my eyes.

These are the looks I created with the palette.

Brown eyes nudes
1. First I applied shade 2 all over the lid and up to the brow bone
2. Shade 4 is applied all over my lid.
3. Finally I blended shade 6 onto the outer edge of my lid

For the next look I used the pinker shades.
1. Firstly I applied shade 1 all over the lid and up to the brow bone.
2. I used shade 3 as my medium shade and blended this over the lid
3. Finally I chose shade 7 for the outer edge of my eye to give a more defined effect.

All in all I was expecting a lot from this palette on the initial swatch. I don't really think it quite lives up to that as the colour is a lot weaker when applied with a brush and the shades don't seem to blend very well together. As there are quite a lot of colours in the palette you could probably wear them separately as they do seem to work quite well on their own.

I give it 2/5

Get it for £7.99 at Boots

Advantages

• The shades are quite pigmented
• When swatched the colours seem more bright and vibrant. They also appear to have a chameleon like effect as they seem to change colour slightly when applied to the skin.
• Comes with a handy guide on the back so you can see how to apply it to suit your eye shape
• With the different shades you can create a number of different looks for night and day
• Does stay on all day without leaving glitter all under the eyes

Disadvantages

• The shades don't blend very well together
• You do end up with a bit of product around your eye that you will need to remove after applying.  

Mua Luxe Radiant Illuminating Highlighting kit review

If you've signed up to MUA's newsletter you're probably aware that they've just released a series of new highlighters.

When I was out shopping recently their Luxe Radiant Illuminating Highlighting kit really caught my eye. It had the most stunning packaging, especially for such a low budget brand and it looked like it would give amazing results.

The palette has 6 highlighters in a range of different tones and MUA claim the finishes are matte and shimmery. In my video review I give a full demonstration of what the products like and whether it lives up to MUA's claims. Have a look and let me know what you think!

   

Would you buy it?

If you would you can get it for £6 at Superdrug

Miss Sporty Insta glow blusher review

What the brand says
Instaglow is a powder blusher that is perfect for adding a instant flush of colour to the cheeks. The blusher has been designed to give a radiant and luminous cheek look.

There are currently four blushers in the range.

The Lowdown
For the review I'm going to be trialling Glowing Mauve, a bright vibrant pink. The blusher has quite a funky polygon pattern and up close you can see how sparkly the formula is.

The colour is really buildable and after a few swipes I had a really healthy rosy glow. Whilst the blusher looks really sparkly in the pan you'd be glad to know that glitter doesn't transfer onto your face - after all looking like a glitter ball isn't the best look.

When I applied the blusher I noticed that it made barely a dent in the powder and the blusher still looks untouched. I've tried a lot of powder blushers in the past that kick up a cloud storm when you use them so this is quite a benefit and I can see it lasting a long time.

The blusher stayed on throughout the day and by evening I still had a lovely glow.

A really nice blusher that goes on really easily, is buildable and leaves a natural rosy glow. It's also a real bargain at only £2.99.

I give it 4/5

Get it for £2.99 at Superdrug

Advantages

• Gives a lovely rosy glow
• Looks natural
• Is buildable
• Has quite a resistant formula so I can see the blusher lasting a long time
• Great budget buy

Disadvantages

• None that I can see 

My three hero beauty products

When it comes to my beauty routine there's three staples products that I literally couldn't live without. Here's a sneak peek into my top 3 staple products in my makeup bag.

Lipstick
I'm a complete lipstick connoisseur and have so many  I could open a shop. Whether it's shimmery or matte every lipstick can transform a look in just a swipe taking you from day to night in an instant. My favourite lipstick of all time has to be Charlotte Tilbury Love Bite (£23 at Net a Porter) as it is such a vibrant strong red.

Mascara
When I'm not wearing mascara I feel completely naked. My lashes are pretty fair so without it my eyes don't tend to stand out. I love discovering new mascaras especially ones that can add both volume and curl to my lashes. My favourite is Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama mascara (£5.99 at Feel Unique) as it adds volume and a bit of curl.

Moisturiser
Every day we put our skin to the test, whether it's exposing it to the elements, air conditioning and central heating. Skin can  be tough and resilient but it can also be very vulnerable. It's important to take care of your skin and that means using a good moisturiser to keep it hydrated. This helps to give it everything it needs that it loses from day to day exposure. I love Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturing lotion (£30 at Feel Unique) as it's full of natural properties like cucumber extract, seed cake  and barely to help strengthen the skins barrier. It also contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to improve hydration and add a fresh looking glow.

What are your hero products?

Rimmel Scandaleyes Reloaded mascara review

What the brand says
Based on the highly successful Scandaleyes mascara range, Scandaleyes Reloaded claims to bring even more volume to the table. The new mascara is available in black and extreme black. It has a tapered max density brush which has been designed to capture every lash.

The Lowdown
I've not tried a Rimmel mascara in quite a while probably since their Rimmel Supercurler mascara came out (see the video review here). Whilst I wasn't the biggest fan of that, I was really impressed with some of their earlier releases especially Lash Accelerator (£7.99 at Superdrug).

I had actually just bought the extreme black mascara from Boots when Rimmel sent me the two shades to try. Aside from the colour of the tubes the mascaras are pretty much identical. Scandaleyes Reloaded black is in a very vibrant orange tube whilst extreme black is a little more subdued in a plain black tube. I'm going to test one mascara on each eye to see if the different shades make any difference to the overall results.

The formula of the mascaras isn't the wettest and it did take a little while to get a good build of up mascara on my lashes. It took several layers of the mascara on each side to get a visible result and even then it wasn't the volume I was expecting. The majority of my lashes ended up looking clumped and I don't think it added much volume. The length of my lashes after applying was fairly average but it did add a bit of curl.

The mascaras do stay put all day without smudging or budging which is always a plus point.

I can't say there was a huge difference made by the different shades of the mascaras.

I have to say I was quite disappointed by this mascara as I was expecting a lot more. My lashes ended up more clumped then volumised which was quite disappointing.

I give it 1/5

Get black for £6.99 at Feel Unique
Get extreme black for £4.99 (currently on offer!) at Superdrug

Advantages

• The mascara stays put all day without smudging
• Adds a bit of curl to your lashes

Disadvantages

• Leaves lashes looked clumped
• Adds very little volume 
• The dry formula means its quite slow to build up any visible effect

Pumpkin Pie Halloween nail tutorial

This nail tutorial is probably one of the simplest halloween nail tutorials you'll find. The idea is to create a feature nail that draws people's attention to your nails.

To create the look I used:

• White nail art pen
• Black nail art pen
• Orange nail varnish

Here's how to recreate it.

Step 1
Firstly paint all of your nails in a orange shade

Step 2
Pick a nail which will be your feature nail. I chose the middle nail as it's the most central. Firstly draw two small dots for eyes.

Step 3
Using your nail art tool or pen draw a slight triangle shape for the nose

Step 4
Get your black nail art pen and draw a smile. Use a white nail art pen to draw small circles in the eyes. This will make the eyes stand out more.

Voila you're done!

Vampire makeup tutorial

Halloween is almost upon us and you don't have long to get your costume prepared. If you're stuck for inspiration why not feast your eyes on my ghoulful (see what I did there) vampire makeup tutorial.

I worked with Poundworld for this video and all the makeup and horror accessories I used come from there. They have a great range of items to choose from.

Have fun recreating my vampire look!

  

Kiko Smart Lipstick in 919 (Sugar Pink) review

What the brand says
Kiko Smart Lipstick has been designed to give the ultimate comfort and nourishment to your lips. Available in 24 shades from the delicate to extreme, the lipstick have a silky texture that allow them to glide on with ease. They also come in three finishes, full, satin and pearl.

The Lowdown
I first saw Sugar Pink in the shop and fell in love. It is simply gorgeous. It has the most soft light inner sparkle that you can ever expect to see on a lipstick. In the swatch you can clearly see it has this pearl luminosity that seems to make it really stand out.

As the colour is so light the lipstick isn't very visible when applied to the lips and appears to look more like a lip balm. It does however have a sparkly sheen that is more visible when the light hits. It has a pleasant vanilla scent and isn't drying. I did notice a slight tingling effect when wearing the lipstick which I thought was quite unusual as it's not a plumping lipstick. After wearing the lipstick for a few hours it had completely disappeared without a trace.

When I first saw this in the shop I thought it was gorgeous and hoped it would look amazing on. I was expecting the colour to be a bit more noticeable then it was as I like to be able to see my lipstick so that aspect was a little disappointing. There are of course lots of other shades in the range that are a lot brighter if you wanted an alternative. At just £3.90 it's not a bad value product but it doesn't have the best longevity or brightness. If you want something low key for a off day this will be perfect.

I give it 2/5

Get your smart lipstick for £3.90 here 

Advantages

• Has a lovely shimmery finish
• Isn't drying
• Pleasant vanilla scent

Disadvantages

• Colour pay off isn't as great as I'd have expected
• Doesn't last very long 

Frankenhorror Nail Art Tutorial

Get creative this Halloween with this fun spooky nail tutorial. The look is pretty simple and you don't need too much to create it. You will need:

• A black nail varnish or black nail art pen
• Lime green nail varnish
• Clear nail polish protector to avoid chips

Frankenhorror Nail Tutorial How to

1. Firstly paint your nails with the lime green nail varnish.

2. Get your black nail varnish or black nail art pen and draw a small amount of hair on your feature nail. For this look you will only be creating one 'Frankenstein' on each hand.

3. Draw two spots for eyes

4. Draw in two small eyebrows just above the eyes

5. Draw a slight slanted line for the mouth

6. Finally draw slight upward lines to look like stitches on Frankenstein's mouth.

Cobwebs how to

1. On the rest of your nails you are going to be creating cobwebs. My webs went slightly skeewiff which is why the first picture looks a little odd. Firstly draw two wavy lines on your nails with equal space between them.

2. Once you've drawn your wavy lines pull two lines upwards so it looks like a wavy noughts and crosses grid.

I hope you have fun creating Frankenhorror. I'd love to see your versions so do tag me on Facebook or Twitter!

I Heart Makeup U R The Best Thing Palette review

What the brand says
what better excuse could you have to buy a new eyeshadow Palette then U R The Best Thing? The collection palette has 32 shades that are set to stun.

The Lowdown
Part of the Makeup Revolution range, I Heart Makeup is like the little sister brand. The palette has 32 eyeshadows in total, with 22 pearl and 10 matte shades. Considering the palette only costs  £5.99 you're getting amazing value for money.

The palette is quite large and comes wiht a full size mirror and two double ended sponge brushes. The palette is so big and varied you could take it on holiday for two weeks and probably have different looks for both day and night. The packaging itself is also really funky with a bright purple box and metallic pink writing.

As with the majority of Makeup Revolution range the matte eyeshadows have never been my favourite and are quite lacklustre and dull. Initially when I swatched them I had to work really hard to get any colour at all but the second time around I got a bit more colour without as much effort. I did note the second time around my wrist was wet so that probably made a difference.

The first row of shimmer shades is quite varied with a mix of
colours from light brown to pink and gold. The second row of shimmer shades are a lot more similar and are mainly nudes with a lot of brown and dark pink. The swatches really don't do them justice as they are really pigmented and look so sparkly on. The shades are also really soft and buttery and it was so easy to get lots of colour.

Using this palette I've decided to create two different looks to show the palettes potential.

Look one:
1. First I applied the light gold shade on the inner corner of my eye.
2. Next I used the mid shade gold to  coat the outer 2/3 of the lid
3. I blended the dark gold on the outer edge of the lid on top of the mid shade gold. This creates a subtle smokey eye

Look two:
1. This look is a little more girly so I opted for lighter pink shades. First I used the really light pink on the inner corner of my eye.
2. Next I blended the light purple shade on the outer 2/3 of the lid. Make sure the blend between the two shades is seamless.
3. Finally I added a bit of substance by blending the dark purple on top of the light purple.

I did think the gold shades were easier to blend then the purple/pink shades and I like them a bit more. The gold shades are a lot more compact whilst the first pink shade I  used had quite a lot of visible glitter content which I'm not the biggest fan of.

Both looks lasted for hours without budging and I didn't end up with lots of glitter under my eyes which is a real bonus!

This palette is amazing value and the majority of the eyeshadows are really good quality.  The shades are long lasting and as long as they're blended correctly don't tend to crease. At under £6 you can't go wrong even if some shades aren't the best.

I give it 4/5

Get it for £5.99 at Superdrug

Advantages

• Amazing budget buy - 32 eyeshadows for just £5.99
• Really good quality shimmer shades with great pigment
• Comes with a mirror and two brushes so perfect for travelling
• No fall out
• Majority of shades are long lasting

Disadvantages

• The matte shades are always a bit rubbish