November Favourites

So this month has probably been the biggest change in make-up for me this year.  I finally gave up clinging onto Summer and went full force into Christmas.

So the biggest change for me and my first November favourite has to be my foundation.  For a good year or two I've always used Clinique even better, but for this winter I wanted to try something else and picked up after numerous recommendations, Estee Lauder Double Wear £27.50. I was matched to the shade 2C1 Pure Beige.

How I ever lived without this I have absolutely no idea.  The coverage is amazing, it lasts all day, there is no sign of oil at the end of the day, it isn't at all cakey, it doesn't feel or look like I've got a full face of make up on. It's just perfect.

Next up is a primer.  I have always had bad relationships with primers, aside from Porefessional, which even then I ended up mixing with my foundation, I have never found anything that didn't end up doing something to my make up which I didn't want. Until now.
Smashbox Photofinish Primer Light £25.00  is an oil free primer and this one is ideal for oily, acne-prone skin. It helps to reduce the appearance of pores and it has oil absorbers for a smooth matte finish.  I think this works so well for me because its specifically for oily skin which is something I suffer with.  I apply a small pea sized amount of this first before anything else and my make-up lasts all day, and there are no signs of oil or shine. I could not recommend this product enough for anyone who has problems with oily skin or shine. Smashbox have a range of primers for all different skin types/needs and I really would recommend trying one out.  Boots now stock the travel sized versions if you didn't want to splash out on a full size product.

Now for eyes, and I have two favourites.  Benefit's eye bright, which I have already blogged about here so won't bore you again, and Soap and Glory's Supercat Eyeliner Pen in Carbon Black Extreme. I have always always struggled with perfecting the lash line eye liner look.  I hardly ever would attempt to wear it because it would either go completely wrong,  it would smudged all over my eye lid or it would wear off and after a few hours just look like a bad eye shadow job.  Occasionally on nights out I would use a gel eye liner which did work better for me but liquid eye-liner has always been a no go.

I bought this eye-liner after reading a couple of reviews and it is the easiest thing to use.  It looks like a felt tip pen and it draws on so easy and effortlessly, you don't have to worry about having too much product unlike other liquid and gel eye-liners. The best thing is that it stays put and it doesn't fade. I love it and have since been wearing it for work- something I'd never have the time to do first thing on a morning.

My last two favourites are kind of linked together.  Firstly I bought a new Mac Lipstick in Saint Germain £15.00.  It's a perfect pinky liliacy wintery bright shade and have been sporting this on my lips most days.  It just reminds me of snow and glitter and fluffy jumpers and I love it.  To accommodate this I've been looking for a matching blusher and this was quite of a hard task. After so many swatches I finally found a good match with Accessorize Merged Blush in Wowzer £4.95.  I've never really tried any of Accessorize's cosmetics but I was pleasantly surprised. The colour is lovely and it does last.  Its very pigmented and applies really easily with my Real Techniques blusher brush.  It does suit a paler skin tone, I learnt this the hard way after trying to use it when I still had a little bit of fake tan on my face and it just looked like I had a shimmery cheek - not a good look.  But with the right skin tone this really is a lovely bright pinky candy coloured blush and it has since been upgraded to my everyday make up drawers knocking my usual Mac blush out.

I genuinely do love each of these products.  Have you tried anything new this month that you're wondering how you ever lived without?

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Hair Issues and Bumble and Bumble Mending Masque

Yesterday me and my friend made the trip up to Newcastle for a day of Christmas shopping - I say Christmas shopping, I'd actually finished all of mine but it was my excuse and we we're sticking to it.

I picked up quite a few new buys which I'm sure I'll mention on here soon but the first thing I've tried and want to tell you about is Bumble and Bumble's Mending Masque.

My hair (sigh) is just ruined.
A year ago I had long brown locks - always on the thin side, well extremely thin side, but long none the less. Throw in a super jealous short haired hairdresser, and a few bottles of Loreal Preference Lightest Blonde hair dye and I now have super short, even thinner, snaps at any occasion, blonde hair.   I didn't actually realise how bad my hair was until my Summer holidays.  It was SO SHORT.

I haven't died my hair since the beginning of August - I'm getting away with just a few sprit'z of John Freida's lightening spray to touch up my roots every now and again. I'm pretty sure if I put any more dye on my head I'd be bald.  I've also been trying really hard not to straighten my hair and just use my Friz-Ease serum to sort the ends out.

I've been using a lot of Lee Stafford breaking hair products, and I know that they have been helping, I've also been using his miracle oil heat defence spray for when I blow-dry, yet still my hair seems to be moulting more than my cat does.

Bumble and Bumble is a brand that I've heard over and over again but never ever tried.  After a bit of research I knew I wanted to try the masque and I think I might also give the mending complex ago but couldn't afford both in one go!

It retails at £29.00... pricey I know.. but its got to that point where I will try anything.  I picked mine up from John Lewis, however I did spot it in Boots afterwards and I didn't know they stocked it. I then had a little sulk that I'd missed out on a few boots points.

Bumble and Bumble claims to be an "intense repair, the must have weekly treat for truly damaged hair.  Tired and distressed hair will be left with renewed strength and shine."

You use this after shampooing and leave it on for 10 minutes.  Yes, this is a long time, but its only to be used once a week so I think I can just about make enough time.

At first I was really disappointed with this product.. I think for £29 I was actually expecting a miracle, however throughout the day my hair has felt thicker, it hasn't knotted at all and I can't stop combing my fingers through it - something usually I'd avoid like the plaque.

I know from this that it has done something to my hair, and I am really excited to see how it lasts and the results from using it a few more times.

Do you know of any good hair repair products?  Or have any tips you can give me to fix my snapping straw scarecrow head?

Lizzy
xx

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Benefit Eye Bright.

I pretty much own or have tried everything from Benefit.  I went through a phase last year where it was all I would ever use.  That being said there was a couple of things out there waiting for me to get my hands on.. One of them being Eye Bright.

Eye Bright is a pink brightening eye pencil.  Benefit suggest using it on the corners of the eye to "look instantly wide awake, that it helps absorb dark shadows on the inner and outer corner of the eye"

I don't really own anything like this product, and I dont know why I've waited so long to buy it.   I absolutely love it.  For minimal effort you can really change your appearance.

Recently I've been doing a lot of early mornings at work.... and the side effects to this are starting to show.  I dot this on the inner corners of my eyes and blend with my finger tips and I really do look more awake and my eyes bigger and brighter.

I have also been using this on my waterline. For years I'd wear black eye liner on my waterline and that would be that, now I've found if I add a bit of liquid black eye liner to my upper lash line and then this to my waterline my eyes look bigger and more awake, it also compliments a lighter pink blush and lip that I have been wearing recently.

I picked mine up from ASOS,  as I took advantage of a 20% off code, I really love the selection of Benefit and other beauty products they now stock, especially as they usually have some discount code to use.

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Sunday's Bathtime Treat : Lush Christmas Snowman

I have decided to dedicate every Sunday evening to a full on pamper session.  As I said last week I rarely use face masks, and I'm definitely not one to spend time moisturising after a bath/shower, terrible I know but I hardly ever have a bath, and always shower on a morning therefore never leave myself enough time.  This is about to change.

As often as I can I am going to try a new bath product, face mask and body butter/lotion and treat myself to a little pamper every week.

This week I'd picked up the Lush Christmas Snowman.  I'm not normally one for Christmas, in fact I'm normally a complete Scrooge. I don't know what's happened to me this year but dare I say I'm liking the whole christmassy thing?

So anyway in-line with my new found Christmas spirit, I was drawn to the Snowman.  It has the same vanilla fragrance as Lush's butterball bath bomb and has 'skin softening cocoa butter.'  It was the cocoa butter that swayed my decision.  I know my skin could do with a good moisturise and I've always had good results with cocoa butter.

When I first popped it in the bath it fizzed like a bath bomb should do but surprisingly went a bright reddy orangey colour- it actually looked quite disturbing.  It left my skin really soft and smooth and smelling like a little cocoa butter vanilla cupcake.

For my face mask this week I just used up last weeks Quick Fix Mask as I really did like the results but I have got something new to try for next week and I used up the remainders of a little soap and glory body butter, which needs no reviewing- always does an amazing job.

What are your favourite pamper treats? Do you have any you keep going back to?

Lizzy
xx

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The purple lip. My favourites.

Anyone who knows me will know I love a good purple lip, and have done for quite a while now.  My collection of purple lipsticks has expanded somewhat since my first experience of the plummy tone.  I wanted to share with you my top 5 purple based lipsticks,  there's a couple of surprises in there that you may not have tried before.

First up is an obvious one.

Kate Moss for Rimmel in No4.
Most of you have probably got your hands on this shade at some point.  I really love the Kate Moss for Rimmel lipsticks.  They are possibly my favourite high street brand. They apply really easily, and last a long time and they work really well with the Rimmel Lipstick Lock, which has became an essential to every night out.  The formula is a lot better than others eg Lipcote as it doesnt alter the texture of the Lipstick at all, with Lipcote if you apply it with a matte lipstick it just makes it all cloggy and lumpy and horrible whereas Rimmel's its absolutely fine and stays on almost all night! anyway... back to the lipstick:

I like this purple shade as it is the darkest one I own so when I'm really wanting to vamp up my look its perfect. I'll definitely be using this more with the winter nights.

Second, I'll get the obvious out of the way first..

Mac - Rebel.. need I say more?

Next up is an absolutely lush holiday purchase of mine and its Marc Jacobs LoveMarc Lip Gel in No 130 Little Pretty. 

I was lucky enough to go to the launch of Marc Jacobs Beauty Range while I was in Las Vegas, and Marc himself even showed up! While I was there I picked up this lipstick and a gorgeous nail varnish which I'll post about another time.  I love this lipstick colour, its very similar to another one in this list that I'll get to next. The LoveMarc lipsticks are so shiny and long-wearing.  This shade, when you look at it, has a slight sparkle to it and what you could describe as glitter, but when you apply it this just makes the colour stand out and make it that bit more special.  I bought this for $30, which is on the pricey side for a lipstick however I was in Vegas, at the Marc Jacobs launch, with Marc Jacobs - I had an excuse.  I would definitely treat myself to another shade if I had the chance because I love it so much.

My last two lipsticks were a bit of a shock to me.  I've had these two lipsticks in a white tube? anyway, for ages and I always always end up using these two colours when I can't decide what to go for.  One of them the brand has rubbed off and I've never really paid attention to where they were from.. until now.

Avon. My two absolute favourite lipsticks are from good old Avon.  I was amazed, more amazed when I went onto their website, 1 to find that they still sold both shades - SCORE. The other to find that they were a mere £2.50.  I've literally just ordered nearly every colour of them and I'm waiting in anticipation for the post man.

So why do I love them?  They are so creamy and so easy to apply and the colour is so pigmented and they last.  I've never had any problems with them being too dry on my lips and I've worn them at all times of the year.

The shades that I have them in are Deluxe, which is more on the darker purple side, and Intimate.  Both of them are from Avon's Colortrend range.  Intimate is my all time favourite shade for a lipstick.  Its more on the pinky side but still more of a purple.  Its my go to shade in the summer, in fact I'm wearing it in my Blogger profile picture. For anyone who loves a good purple lip, but sometimes feels its too dark for the Summer months, this shade is perfect all year round. I've just bought another one as mine is running low, and god forbid I ever lost it! I can't rave about them enough, especially for only £2.50.

Wearing Intimate Avon Colortrend.

From Left (watch) to Right - (that was more for my benefit not yours.. useless!) anyway..

Kate Moss No 04, Avon Colortrend Deluxe, Mac Rebel, Marc Jacobs Little Pretty, Avon Colortrend Intimate.

Do you have any favourite purple Lipsticks that I haven't mentioned? or any secret 'highstreet' beauties you just keep going back to?

Lizzy
x

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Sunday Treats

I popped out with a friend to do a little bit of Christmas shopping this Sunday, but of course I had to get a few little treats for me.

I actually didn't go overboard for once in my life and only picked up two things- hurrah!

Firstly, while buying a million Christmas bath bombs for my friends from Lush, I picked up the Tea Tree Water £3.95.  I've heard about this off a few people, and at only £3.95 it won't be the end of the world if I don't see any difference.

It claims to 'come to the aid of skin that has emergencies.'  It says it is a wonder antibacterial, antiseptic and antimicrobial ingredient for anyone with oily or spot prone skin.

My skin isn't the greatest.  If I don't moisturise I suffer from a dry forehead, however sed moisturiser doesn't help my oily nose. It's a constant battle that I always appear to be losing.  I bought this toner not for help with spots but to try and combat my oily nose.  After using my Clinique 1 + 2 step I sprayed this onto my face and left it soak in for a few minutes before applying my moisturiser.  I was dubious about how well this would work, but I have woken up with a visibly less oiler nose than normal - gross I know.  It will be interesting to try it  before applying any make-up and see if oiliness is kept at bay.

The second thing I picked up was Quick Fix Facials Exfoliating Scrub Mask for Blackheads and Blocked Pores £5. This was an impulse buy.  I don't even know if I have even read reviews on this but the packaging looked appealing and they had about 4 different masks and this one sounded perfect for me.  I picked this up from my local Tesco.  It has just had a big makeover- primarily to install a gym ( ruins the whole Krispy Kreme thing now though) however the beauty aisle is also now a dream, its like its own mini beauty department store - also very dangerous for me as I go there almost every day eeeek.

This is a Pink Rose Clay mask which claims to help deep cleanse and de-congest the skin .  It has Glycolic Acid which is effective at balancing out uneven skin tone and Pomegranate extract which has antioxidant and anti-ageing properties to encourage radiant skin.  It is targeted at stubborn and reoccurring blackheads, clogged pores and skin in need of a deep and thorough clean.

I love this mask.  I used it on Sunday night, and sat while watching old episodes of Made in Chelsea, probably left it on a bit too long as I was once again caught up in the Caggie/Spencer will they wont they, even though I know.. they wont. Anyway, loved it.  Once on my skin it hardened, as expected.  It was still easy to wash off and left my skin so soft and smooth, with absolutely no signs of oiliness.  I couldn't stop stroking my face.

I think out of one tube you would probably get about 3 generous masks.  which is great value for money.  I am going to try and do a face mask  every Sunday, as they are something I rarely use, but know I should.

Ps. please ignore the bags under my eyes, I've had three 7 am starts at work this week and it is starting to show.. boooo

Do you have any great face masks you would recommend?

Lizzy
xx

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Mac Brush Cleanser Review

Every girl loves their make-up brushes but do we take as much care of them as we should?

Mac's Brush Cleanser £10 is a fool proof easy way of keeping your brushes clean and in excellent condition.

It is described as a product that will disinfect and condition the brush fibres so that your brushes will last longer and that it is designed to extend the life of high quality brushes.  It will leave your brushes smelling fresh and clean and it helps shorten their drying time.

I absolutely love this product.  I try to use it two times a week.  I just pour a few drops onto some kitchen roll and swirl my brushes around and they are clean in a few seconds.  Its perfect for when you don't have the time in your week to give them a good shampoo ( although I do try to do this at least once every fortnight.)

For £10 I think it is really good value, and my brushes are dry really quickly.  I have also found myself using it when I've wanted to change my lip colour or trying out new eye shadow ideas, a quick clean and they are dry and ready to use again in minutes.

I have recently just bought a cute new glass trinket box for my brushes.  You can pick this up from next for £10.  It comes with a cute lid I've chose to use it without for my brushes.

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E.l.f Haul

I've always been one to browse elf but never actually buy anything... Until now...

A late night browse the other week.. And a 40% off code (wowee) resulted in a little elf haul.

I really wanted to try some of their eye shadow so I purchased the Festive Little Black Beautybook £8 and the Baked Eye Shadow Pallet £10
I was really disappointed with the little black book.  The colours aren't pigmented and it took a lot of effort to get to a colour I was happy with.   I like the idea of a little black book and it's great for travelling ... If it had the right product inside of it.

 

The baked eye shadow pallet was a different story.  It applied really well and with my Mac 217 brush the colours blend like a dream.  It's perfect for everyday wear.  I've only ever applied it with Benefit's Stay Don't Stray as a primer and it has lasted all day.  I can't comment on its longevity on its own.   The packaging of this is great too.  It's compact enough to take away and the large mirror is an added bonus!

I've been eyeing up the Urban Decay Black Market 24/7 set, so for now I thought I'd try some Elf alternatives.  I bought the Shimmer Eye Liner Pencil in Grassy Green and Plum Passion.  At only £1.35 each I thought these were a great alternative, they are quite creamy and apply really easily.  They're great for trying out new eye make up ideas without breaking the bank.  I also loved that they came with a sharpener on the lid, this is great for me as I am always battling with blunt pencils and sharpeners never seem to want me to find them!

My last bits I ordered were some new blushers.  I've recently bought Mac's Saint Germain lipstick and fell in love with its wintery pink colour, I've been on the hunt for a winter pink blush to accompany it.

I bought Elf's Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky £3.75 and Studio Cream Blush in Flirt £5.85 .

The baked blush unfortunately  is more of a highlighter than a blush.  It is really illuminating and shimmery.

The cream blush is something I've never tried before but I thought it would be good to try especially for the winter months.  The colour is a bit too much of a bright pink for what I was looking for but it did last all through my Tapas feast and a few drinks with friends.  It is on the pricey side for Elf, however I did have 40% off and buying it qualified for free delivery so it kind of paid for itself...

My first experience with Elf was kind of 50/50.  I would buy from them again but probably only with a discount if it was on products I'd never tried before as I found it a bit hit or miss with what I bought.

Do you have any elf favourites?
Lizzy
xx

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Eye Make Up Remover .. High Street V High End

Ever since I was introduced to Benefit's They're Real mascara many moons ago, I've been on the lookout for an eye make-up remover that is up to the job of getting every last bit off my lashes.

 Panda eyes are fast becoming my morning trend. I've tried a few different wipes but all of them still left me waking up with lovely black rings around my eyes.

Today I'm reviewing one high street brand and one higher end. I've never been one to spend a lot of money on removing my make up. I've always just used face wipes and then looked after my skin with my Clinique 3 step. I have to admit the thought of splashing out more money on a product to use before I even start to cleanse and moisturise kind of irritates me slightly, which is why I'm on a mission to find a good high street alternative.

 My high street brand is Nivea Daily Essentials Double Effect Eye Make Up Remover £3.59, and my higher end is Macs Pro Eye Make-up Remover £15

Nivea's Double Effect claims to have a two-phase extra strength formula:  An oil phase which removes waterproof mascara and an aqueous phase which protects and cares for the eye lashes without leaving an oily residue. 

This product was a lot better than I was expecting.  It got every last bit of my make-up off, my eyes didn't feel irritated, all my lashes stayed in place however there was the tiniest of oily residue left.. which isn't the greatest thing in the world but for the results and the price I could easily live with that. 

Macs Pro Eye Make-up Remover claims to lift off make up without smudges or tears and removes waterproof mascara.  It contains cucumber extract to soothe and hydrate the skin.

The Mac remover got all the product off my eyes however it left my eye lids sore and on my first use my eyes got really red and irritated.  There definitely is no oily residue however I think it is too harsh and I felt the need to apply some eye cream to soothe my eyes.  Mac do say on their website that for extra moisturising and conditioning of the eye to apply their fast responce eye cream after use... Not something I'm really looking for with my remover is to have to buy yet another product to accompany it.  

I have tried to use this product for a few days, mainly because of the money I paid for it, I dont really want to waste it but I just can't get away with it.  My eye lids are getting more sensitive and I manage to lose an eyelash each time I use it. 

I tried to take some photos of my eyes after its first use however the lighting wasn't the best. 

I would definitely recommend my high street option.  It did its job perfectly and for a fifth of the price! 

Does anyone else have any favourite eye make up removers? or any other high-street options that they swear by? 

Lizzy 

x

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Benefit Erase Paste V Seventeen Phwoarr Paint

One thing you should all know about me is that I am a diagnosed benefit addict.
Me and Benefit go together like chicken and stuffing, Cara and Burberry, Posh and Becks... you get my point.

Benefit's Erase paste £19.50 has been a staple in my daily make up routine for as long as I can remember.
Once my face gets a bit of sun I have an unfortunate cluster of freckles that appear right under my eyes,  they easily get mistaken for dark shadows. I look like I've been living at a festival for an entire summer.

So when I read Talking about M's review claiming that Seventeen's new product was better than Erase paste I knew I had to get my hands on it.

Erase paste is a pinky creamy concealer that brightens under the eyes and hides dark circles. It comes with a small spatula to apply which I always use.  I love how much it hides my freckles/ 'dark circles' and my friends always ask what I use that brightens that area up. My only problem I have with it is that if I'm not careful, and don't check a mirror throughout the day, I can end up with 2 big black circles under my eyes where my mascara has smudged into it. I've recently been setting it more with my powder and this has helped but when I'm going for that dewy finish its a bit of a nightmare.

Now onto Phwoarr Paint £5.49... It definitely fits in well with Seventeen's re-branding.  The packaging and consistency of the product is a lot like Benefits Boi-ing - a concealer I never use for under my eyes.  Application of Phwoarr paint I found did take longer compared to erase paste which kind of just glides on and stays there. I had to build the product up to cover the dark circles and although it covered them well, I did feel like the brightness was slightly less and the dewiness was definitely missing.  I set this concealer the same way I do with Erase Paste and I had no mascara smudges all day.

So.  Erase Paste- application is easier, brightens better and can leave a dewy finish but also leaves mascara smudges at the end of the day

      Phwoarr Paint- application is a bit tedious in comparison, no dewy finish but there is no mascara smudges at the end of the day.

For the price difference phwoarr paint is definitely worth a sneaky purchase.  I didn't hate it and I have used it a few times since I've bought it.  If ever money is tight and your in need of covering them dark circles, or freckles in my case.. you cant really go wrong with it, however my heart still and probably always will lie with Benefit.

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Mac mineralize skin finish natural

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Until my holiday to America this year I didn't own a single mac product SHOCK I know, who doesn't own anything?? Me that's who.  I have my reasons... Unfortunately I live no where near a mac counter and secondly the amount of choice and different numbers and names has always confused the life out of me.

So anyway.. I knew I wanted to buy a few lipsticks from the states; which I did, however mid way through my holiday I found my skin all bronzed and sunkissed and my face.. well I looked like Casper.  New holiday make up was needed so I headed down to the biggest mac store I've ever seen in the middle of the Vegas strip... And that's how my love affair started.

I bought a new bronzer and blush on holiday which I'll review another time, since I've been home I've been debating updating my powder and I finally caved. I'd been putting it off as I didn't want to fall in love with a powder and end up having to spend a fortune every month ( my powders don' usually last that long) However this product is baked so you don't waste any of it, plus my friend uses it and she said hers has lasted her for ages.

On a recent trip to the metro centre (my closest mac counter)  I picked up the mineralize skin finish natural and the girl at the counter advised me I was medium plus.  Truthfully I think it's a bit dark for me but we'll see.

I couldn't wait to try it when I got home.  I applied it using my RT buffing brush and I loved the results. My skin looked flawless and after using my RT stippling brush to apply the product to my nose; oiliness was kept at bay for a whole shift at work - amazing

I've been using this product for a few days now and I definitely think that its a shade too dark for me.  I've added a lighter shade to my list for Santa, I'll save this one for next years holiday.

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First Post... Here Goes!

So. This is my first ever blog post... Eeek

I've been following blogs for about a year and have umm'd and arrr'd over starting my own for months! So today, on this lazy Sunday I've decided to bite the bullet and walla! BettyBeaut has been born.

I will mainly be posting my product reviews, beauty hauls and a few outfit posts thrown in for good measure.

I'll keep this one short and sweet

Hopefully I'll be back soon

Lizzy
Xx

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