Thursday 29 March 2012

nail of the day

Hello :)

I just had to show off this nail polish - the colour is INCREDIBLE! You may have already seen this in my last post, and here it is on my nails! It's Maybelline Express Finish Nail Colour in 'Turquoise Lagoon'. Such a brilliant colour while the weather's a bit warmer :) I also think it will look fab on my toes when I'm on holiday.

I hadn't tried a nail polish from the Maybelline Express range before but found it really easy to work with and it's fully opaque after two coats. As usual I used my trusty No7 So Smooth Base Coat and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat. I've had it on for a few days now and there is no signs of wear, not even a little bit of tip wear yay!

It's actually quite a bit more green than this :(

I'll definitely be picking up another colour from this range!
Maybelline Express Finish in 'Turquoise Lagoon' was £4.09 from Superdrug.

xx

Wednesday 28 March 2012

work = treats

Hello hello,

I don't know about you, but whenever I have lots of essays to do and I feel a bit sorry for myself, I find it very easy to justify all sorts of purchases. Now, none of these items are particularly expensive but judging by my bank balance, I still should have probably waited until my March pay check in a few days...

Anyway, here are some cheapy bits I've treated myself to recently as I've been a very good girl and worked very hard :) well done Florence haha!

I actually really wanted a Revlon Lip Butter or one of the Maybelline Colour Tattoos but they were all sold out in the Boots and Superdrug in Angel (sob).

Sleek True Colour Lipstick in 'OMG'

Max Factor Lip Liner in 'Fire'

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in 'Cotton Candy'

MUA Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in 'Pin Up Pink'

MUA Extreme Felt Liner in 'Black'

MUA Bronzer in 'Shade 3'

Maybelline Express Finish Nail Colour in 'Turquoise Lagoon'
Nothing too exciting, just a few high street picks - I can't wait to go shopping on Saturday after I've been paid hurrah!

xx

Tuesday 27 March 2012

korres lip butter in quince

Hello!

Just a super super quick post today! As I've said before, I have so much work at the moment, like most people at university - I'm writing this in the library actually!

Give me until Friday and my posts should be a lot more regular.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you something I bought recently that I'm really enjoying using -


The Korres Lip Butters are really moisturising and light weight. 'Quince' is such a pretty shade, and adds a bit of colour to your lips without looking too dramatic for the day - fab!


I picked mine up from ASOS for £6.

Hope you're all doing something more exciting today than I am and enjoying the sun :(

xx

Sunday 25 March 2012

boots botanics conditioning clay mask


Ah! I've just finished using this product for the third time and I love it so much that I have to tell you about it! I picked the Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask up as part of a 3 for 2 skincare deal probably a month ago now. There was only actually two products I wanted so I grabbed this as it was cheap so it would be free. I wasn't really expecting much so I've been really surprised by its results!

The Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay masks contains burdock which 'purifies and clarifies' and clay to 'draw out impurities'. It claims to have 'a negative electrical charge to attract deep-rooted impurities from the skin without over drying'. Now, I don't know the science behind these things so I can't say if this is true or not, but all I know is that it works! After using this face mask my skin instantly looks so bright, fresh and clean, but at the same time doesn't feel tight and dry. I've also noticed that I've had less spots over the last few weeks and I definitely think this is something to do with it!

I take my make up off with eye make up remover and a face wipe, and then use a gentle cleanser (such as the No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser) just to make sure my face is completely clean. You have to shake it before you apply the mask to ensure that it's all an even consistency due to the clay. It's quite runny which makes it a bit difficult to apply without getting it all over the sink, but I attempt to apply it all over my face, avoiding the eye area, and not down my clothes and the tiles...

The tube instructs to leave it on for ten to twenty minutes and I leave it on for about fifteen. The mask does dry which makes your face feel all tight and funny (so I sit there stretching my face in to lots of different positions and try and make it crack...) The one negative of this mask is the removal process. You rinse it off with warm water, but again this paints your sink green. After a lot of splashing and rinsing, I use my cleanser again just to make sure all the mask is off.

I've been using this once a week and I can see myself repurchasing this over and over again. I love how bright and healthy it makes my skin look! I've used it three times now and I the tube is still really full. The Boots Botanics Conditioning Clay Mask is only £2.49 so I really do urge you all to give it a try!

(I've said it before but just in case anyone was wondering - my skin is normal to combination but although I do get a little bit oily in places, my dry areas can be more of a problem)

xx

Friday 23 March 2012

today's make up

Hello again :)

I'm really in to simpler make up at the moment. I don't know if I'm wanting to look a bit more natural as it's coming in to Spring, or whether it's because I have so much work to do at the moment that I try and slap my make up on as quickly as possible... Either way, while I'm still using quite a few products, my eye make up especially is now a lot less defined. I used to wear quite thick liquid eye liner most days, but now that's actually becoming reasonably rare! Anyway, here's the make up I wore today just to go to some lectures and seminars.

The lighting's washed me out a bit :(
No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream - Normal/Dry, Fair
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Fair 1
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder - Candlelight 1
MAC Sheertone Blush - Breath of Plum
No7 Smoky Rose Quad Eye Shadow Palette
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eye Liner - Black 001
Rimmel Glam Eyes Mascara - Black 001
Rimmel Eyebrow Pencil - Hazel 002
ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brown Clear Mascara
H&M Lipgloss - (no colour, but it's a sparkly coral - and smells fab!)

The star of today's make up definitely has to be the little No7 Eye Shadow Palette. The shade range is neutral and great to grab when you're in a rush and don't want to put too much thought it to your make up. The only problem is that I'm pretty sure it was just a free gift and you can't buy it any more, which is a bit of a shame, but they do have some very similar great eye shadows at the moment (does anyone have Mink? Love it!)


I used the top left rose gold colour all over my lid and the bottom left shimmery cream shade as a highlight for the corner of my eyes. I then put a very thin line of liquid eye liner on the very outer corner to define my lashes a bit more. I curled my eye lashes and added some Rimmel Glam Eyes mascara and done! No blending so very quick :)

A closer look at my eyes!
So there you go! Nice and simple and speedy! I hope you've all got something fun planned for this warm Friday night? I'm off to a Tube themed party... I'm going as Angel!

xx

nail of the day

Hello!

Here's a little peek at what I currently have on my nails! It's not a particularly spring-like combination but oh well...


I'm wearing an ELF Nail Polish in 'Mod Mauve' on eight of my fingers, then I have Avon Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel in 'Rose Amour' on my ring fingers! The truth is, I couldn't actually decide which shade I wanted to wear so I decided to go for both. As they're quite similar colours I think this is a subtle way to add a bit of interest to your nails as at first glance you don't notice that my ring fingers are metallic.

This is the first time that I've worn the ELF varnish and so far I love it! It reminds me of the OPI polish 'I'm Suzi and I'm a Chocoholic' but with more brown. I can't tell you how hard wearing it is as I only painted my nails yesterday but so far I can't even see any tip wear. As for the Avon polish, I've worn it once before and found that it really doesn't last very long, although that time I didn't use a top coat. I'm hoping that with my Sally Hansen top coat I'll get a bit of a longer wear out of it, but as I change my nail varnish every couple of days it doesn't bother me too much :)


No7 So Smooth Base Coat (£7.00)
ELF Nail Polish in 'Mod Mauve' (£1.50)
Avon Speed Dry+ Nail Enamel in 'Rose Amour (£2.99)
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat (£5.99)

I hope you're all enjoying our little bit of sun and I'd also love to hear what you have on your nails (I'm very nosey!)

xx

Wednesday 21 March 2012

elf mineral moisturising lip tint


Hello!

Just a quick post about a product that I'm really enjoying at the moment!

If you're looking for something nice and moisturising for your lips, but equally a nice pigmented wash of colour then you should definitely try one of the ELF Mineral Moisturising Lip Tints. They're so butter-soft in texture and feel lovely on your lips, not drying or tight in any way. The Lip Tint also contains SPF 8 so while moisturising your lips, it's also protecting them from any further damage. However, the high point for me is the colour. The shade I have is 'Berry' and it's a gorgeous dark raspberry like shade (I have it on in my profile picture)! I have quite a few tinted lip balms and this is definitely the most opaque of them all! The only slight negative is that the colour doesn't stay on your lips for that long (this may partly be down to the scrummy sugary taste which leads to my constant lip-licking...).



The ELF Mineral Moisturising Lip Tint is available from the ELF website as part of their Mineral range for £3.50. They quite often do free postage and packaging offers too so if you're not already signed up for their emails then I recommend doing that! ELF can be quite hit and miss with their products but this is one which I really do recommend and I think I'll probably pick up another one in either 'Blush' or 'Cherry' when I next place an order! :)

I'd love to hear any of your ELF recommendations!

xx




Tuesday 20 March 2012

no7 beautiful skin eye make-up remover


Hello hello!

I picked up the No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover in Boots on Saturday, so I thought while we all have millions of £5 off No7 vouchers lying around (surely this can't just be me?!), I'd tell you whether it was worth getting!

The front of the bottle tells us that the make-up remover is suitable for all skin types and hypo-allergenic, which sounds great to me as I have quite sensitive eyes. This didn't irritate my eyes at all, whereas some other make-up removing products can really make my eyes sting (I wear contact lenses and my eyes can feel quite sore by the end of the day). It also did actually do a good job at removing all of my eye make-up, including mascara, without me having to rub and tug about at my skin!

This is all sounding very promising but there is something that I HATED about this product - the consistency. It's just so greasy! It feels like what I envisage rubbing cooking oil around my face to be like, and this sensation doesn't evaporate or anything, it just sits there on your face, slipping around... Not pleasant at all.

The full price for the No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover is £7.75, which to be honest I think is a rip off for 100ml worth of oil. I wouldn't even get it again with a £5 off voucher.

Sorry No7 - you've got some other great make-up and skin care products (such as the No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser - loving this at the moment!), but this really disappointed me.

xx

Monday 19 March 2012

top 5 nail polish picks for spring

Hello :) !

As you might have guessed from the fact that I've done a few 'Nail of the Day' posts, I really love nail varnish! I'm not always that adventurous with my make up and I think that fun nails are a great way to add a bit more colour and interest to an outfit.

I don't tend to buy particularly expensive nail varnish, I just pick them up from Boots or Superdrug usually on a whim as they're a nice and cheap way to treat yourself! I have quite a few nail varnishes and I thought today I'd show you just five of my favourites to crack out for this time of year!

MUA - UR FAB



This is a relatively recent addition to my little family of nail polishes. It was released as part of the MUA collaboration with Love Hearts, which I thought was a really cute and girly range!

'UR FAB' is the darkest nail polish in the Love Hearts collection. It's a gorgeous raspberry like shade which reminds me of smoothies! Although I love the colour, the formulation isn't the most hard-wearing I've ever used but if you're like me and like to change your nail varnish every few days then this shouldn't really be a problem. Also for the price of £2.00, you can't really complain!

Barry M - Coral


Last summer this was my go-to summer shade. The colour is exactly what it claims to be - the perfect coral! I personally love Barry M for their incredible range of colours and affordability. If you think of a nail varnish colour that you're after, chances are Barry M will have it!

This is one of those colours that I not only love to wear on its own, but also with other clashing coloured nail polishes, such as a bright pink or a minty green. That's the beauty of nail varnish - you can go a bit crazy and get away with it, but if I wore coral and mint green eye shadows together, I'm guessing I'd get a few funny looks... I'm not one for nail art particularly (I don't have the patience, although I love to see other people's) but I really like the look of different colours on alternating fingers or a clashing colour just on the ring finger as an accent nail.

As with all Barry M nail varnishes, 'Coral' was £2.99.

Rimmel Lasting Finish - Disco Ball




I actually first saw this on my cousin Greta and asked what she had on her nails... then I proceeded to copy her! This choice is a little different to the others as I suppose you could also wear these nails in the winter. However, I find myself more drawn towards fun nail polishes such as Disco Ball in the Spring and Summer, whereas I tend to stick to darker polishes in the winter (although perhaps with some sort of glittered top coat).

I've actually got Disco Ball on my nails at the moment!

My hand looks very red...
Rimmel's Disco Ball isn't actually an opaque glitter polish but it can be built up to get a good amount of glitter on the nail. My favourite thing about this polish though which sets it out from other glitters that I have is the lovely mix of baby pink, silver and dark blue pieces of glitter and the differences in size of these bits. Rimmel Lasting Finish Polishes are nice and cheap (like all of my choices) at only £2.99. I also really want to get my hands on the colour 'Misty Jade' from the range too!

Models Own - Feeling Blue




My lovely fabulous wonderful boyfriend Ollie actually got me this as a little extra for Christmas and I was really impressed with his choice. 'Feeling Blue' is what I would call a proper blue... If you were to think of blue, you'd probably imagine this colour - well I do anyway! Almost primary colour-esque blue... Anyway! Not only is this a gorgeous eye catching colour but I absolutely love the formulation of Models Own polishes. They're so thick and creamy and they're one of the few brands that I truly think you can get away with just applying one coat of (although I tend just to apply two out of habit)! I also love wearing Models Own 'Feeling Blue' with something like a silver on my ring finger.

Models Own nail varnishes are £5.00.

Barry M - Shocking Pink




Last but by no means least in my pick of five spring time nail varnishes is Barry M's 'Shocking Pink'. As with the 'Coral' Barry M polish I've got so much wear out of 'Shocking Pink' and to be honest, I also love the two shades together. It's just the perfect bright pink and really brightens up any look. I actually wear this all year round as I think it looks great with darker colours or black in the winter. Eeek, such a fun and girly colour! I can't fault it!

As I mentioned before, Barry M nail paints are £2.99.

Thanks so much for having a little look at my blog and I'd also really love to know what you're enjoying wearing on your nails now the weather is getting (the tiniest bit) warmer?! Any excuse to buy some more...

xxx

Sunday 18 March 2012

sunday outfit, sunday face

Hello!

Just a super quick post as I'm working on an essay today (if anyone wants to tell me about the integration of Nazis in the Federal Republic then please do go ahead...)

Here's my comfy outfit for my hot date with the library:

A very uncomfortable looking me haha!
Denim jacket - Charity shop
T shirt - River Island
Belt - Vintage
Jeans - Primark
Pumps - Primark
Stone ring - Jewellery stall in Norwich
Thin silver ring - Found it in my kitchen of my old flat... if anyone wants to reclaim it please do!
Necklace - Vintage
Earrings - Gift

I also took a little picture of my make up for you. As with my outfit it's really simple and natural apart from the lipstick. I'm wearing my glasses today too as my eyes get sore when I stare at the computer for too long! (If anyone wants to know they're from Specsavers - cheap and cheerful!)



No7 BB Cream - Normal/Dry - Fair
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer - Fair 1
NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder - Translucent
Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil - Hazel 002
ELF Wet Gloss Lash and Brow Clear Mascara
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara - Excessive Black
Sleek Blush - Flamingo
ELF Highlighter - Gotta Glow
Boots Essentials Lipsalve - Spearmint
Clinique Long Last Lipstick - Watermelon (Soft Shine)

Sorry for the quick and probably not very interesting post! I promise to have a more thrilling one for you very soon! I hope you're all having a lovely Mothers Day - I'd love to see my Mummy today :(

xxx

Friday 16 March 2012

spring knitwear

Hello again!

I just thought I'd show you a jumper that I picked up when I popped back to Norwich last weekend. I purposely bought it in a larger size as I really like the oversized look. The sleeves are quite tight and are three quarter length and then the neck is reasonably wide so it's very flattering.


As for the knit, it's purled and the wool is lots of different spring-like pastel colours woven together, mostly pink and blue. I wore it yesterday with black skinny jeans and black loafers which I thought was a really stylish but simple outfit - nice and quick to throw on in the morning!


The jumper is from a shop that's only just recently opened in Norwich called Ark (you can view the jumper too here online). Most of their branches are more in the North which is a shame as I'd love there to be one in London so I can have more of a look. The store itself reminded me a lot of Urban Outfitters but more reasonably priced :) For example, this jumper was £24.99! I also noticed when I was on the website that they do free postage and packaging hurrah!

Anyway, I like this jumper so much that I had a little look around for some other knitwear which is suitable for spring and here are some bits that I found.



Have you heard of Ark before? Have you bought anything from them?

xx

my current hair care routine

Hello :)

When I looked at my hair in the mirror earlier, I just felt all pleased with how shiny and healthy it currently looks, so I thought I'd tell you all about my hair care routine which seems to be working so well for me! I feel as if I've finally found some products that get on with well with my (sometimes naughty) hair.

First of all I should probably tell you a bit about my hair and its 'behaviour' so you'll know more whether or not these products will work for you. I've been told before that although I have a lot of hair (as in singular strands), each hair itself is quite fine so sometimes I've felt in the past that my hair can be quite flat. Also, as I've told you before my hair can be quite dry so I look for products that will help to combat this. I have naturally auburn hair which I've never died and I don't used a heat on my hair everyday, so I suppose it must just be naturally lacking some moisture!

Shampoo and conditioner


Apologies for the well loved shampoo bottle!
I was never loyal to one particular type of shampoo and conditioner until I tried the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner. I was always put off previously as I really don't like the packaging and branding of the product (not quite sure why - Liz Tyler swishing her hair just doesn't really scream 'buy me', at least for me!), but the two were on some sort of deal in Sainsbury's ages ago so I just picked them up on a whim - and I don't regret it!

The products claim that they 'improve moisture balance and leave hair more resilient against styling or combing damaging' and 'prevent the formation of split ends' amongst other things. I've been using the shampoo and conditioner for a couple of months now and I did notice a difference very quickly. They leave my hair feeling clean and soft and I actually do believe they've made my hair stronger as I've certainly noticed less split ends. They're also both a brilliant thick creamy consistency and smell deliciously fruity!

I wash my hair normally about once every three days as my hair doesn't get very greasy. I use the shampoo every time but I don't always use the conditioner as I have a hair mask and a balm I also like to use which I'll tell you about in a minute...

I've just had a look on the Boots website and the Pantene Pro-V Repair and Protect Shampoo and Conditioner are £4.69 which I think is great as they're big bottles so last you a long time. If you suffer from dry unhappy hair then I really do suggest giving them a go! Like I said, you often see them on offers too so shop about.

Hair masks and balms




Every few washes (so perhaps once every week and a half) I like to use something really deeply moisturising. I make sure I've got a bit more time when I do this so I can let the products sit for a bit and feel their true effects.

My two favourites are the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask and Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm. The Umberto Giannini is a deep treatment conditioning mask which makes your hair ridiculously soft. I've done a full review of this product - because it's so fab! - which you can read here.

The Davines Authentic Moisturising Balm I actually got in my January Glossybox and at first I didn't really know what to do with it. The tube instructs that it's a '98% natural' product that can be used on your face hair and body... for me that's too much choice! On the back it tells you to put it on the ends of your hair and leave for a few minutes so I gave it a try - and it's brilliant! If you suffer from split ends or are looking just to prevent them then this product is excellent as you easily concentrate it on to where you really need it and it makes your hair look so sleek! I shampoo and condition my hair and then put this on to my clean hair. I probably leave it for about ten minutes while I do everything else in the shower then rinse this off last.

On a side not, the packaging is absolutely beautiful, with drawings of a girl, a bee, hummingbird and lots of other things. I love that it's a bit different to other designs on the market (a lot better than the horrid Pantene packaging)! I'll definitely be repurchasing this product. It's £17.40 for 150ml but I think that's great value as you don't need much of the balm at a time. I've been using my sample size (75ml) since January and I still have about half of it left, if not more.

Hair oils and serums




When I get out of the shower with my wet hair, I first towel dry it for a little while as I like to try and use as little heat on it as possible. When it's damp and not quite so wet any more, I smooth three drops of VO5 Miracle Concentrate through the midlengths and ends of my hair before I give it a short blast with the hair dryer and dry my fringe (it will go in all sorts of directions otherwise)! I normally leave the rest of my hair then to finish off airdrying.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate in an 'intensive leave-in treatment' which contains the much raved about Argan Oil. It leaves your hair so soft and shiny, plus it smells great too. I think that it really does refine the look of the ends of your hair and makes it appear as if you've newly had a trim! I've not tried the much blogged about and very expensive Moroccan Oil but for now this is good enough for me and does exactly what it says on the tin. I picked this up from Boots for £4.99 which might seem like a lot for a tiny bottle but as I said I literally use a few drops at a time.

The VO5 Miracle Concentrate can also be used on dry hair to slick any frizziness and add a little shine if your hair is looking a bit dull. However, if my hair is being naughty and frizzy then I use the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum. As the name suggests, the main reason I use this is that the little sleek tube is great for carrying around for when your hair needs a bit of taming during the day. I just smooth a tiny amount through the ends of my hair to make my hair appear a little sleeker and put any naughty flyaways back in their place!

It does claim on the tube that you can use this on wet hair and then blow dry to make your hair lovely and smooth. However the reason that I use the VO5 Miracle Concentrate for this instead of the Charles Worthington Serum is that the the Miracle Concentrate actually contains conditioning ingredients which will do your hair good and moisturise the ends of your hair whereas the serum will simply make your hair appear shinier etc. The Charles Worthington Serum also contains a lot of silicones which will coat your hair and way it down over time.

I couldn't fine the Charles Worthington On-The-Go Serum online so perhaps it's not available any more. As it's a Takeaway product I think I paid about two or three pounds for it.

Extras



I don't actually use many different types of mousses etc for my hair, as I don't want to overload my hair with products. However if I'm going out and I want a bit more volume for my hair then I massage Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse into my roots then blow dry my hair upside down and perhaps finish it off with my Babyliss Big Hair (I won't go in to it now, that thing is a whole other post haha)! The Charles Worthington Volume Body Booster Mousse is available at Boots for £5.19, but it's also available as part of a deal for 2 for £6 on selected Charles Worthington products at the moment so you could check that out!

As for other products, I don't tend to use hairspray very much. I only use a tiny amount when I curl my hair as I hate how it makes my hair feel the next day, and I always worry it's drying my hair out. The hairspray I'm using at the moment is Sainsbury's Firm Hold Hairspray which is doing the job perfectly well but I can't get particularly excited about it!

I've just realised that this is quite a long post so thank you for persevering if you've made it this far! I'd also love to know what your favourite hair care products are and if you have any recommendations for me if you have a similar hair type to me :)

xx

Wednesday 14 March 2012

nail of the day

Hello again!

I thought I'd show you what I have on my nails at the moment :) I absolutely love the look of bright red nails but I very rarely paint them red. However, when I do it reminds me how sophisticated it can make you feel! They make me want to put on a breton top and capri pants and eat brie and pretend to be be all elegant and chic... just me?


The red I used is a Barry M nail varnish in 'Bright Red', and I also used my No7 'So Smooth' base coat and Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dri' top coat, which are my go-to base and top coat currently. While we're on the subject, I truly do recommend trying the Sally Hansen top coat if you haven't tried it as it not only makes your polish last so much longer but also dries your nails very quickly! You put it on and they're dry in thirty seconds so it's great if you're in a rush or just plain impatient hurrah!


In the picture above, I also included one of my nail files which I love! I've had it for a while and in a pack you get two with a lovely peacock print on and a carry case so that when you throw it in your handbag it won't scratch things. Just thought I'd share that with you haha! I'm not really sure why I like them quite as much as I do... I tried to find them on the website but it doesn't look like they're necessarily available any more :( I picked them up in Bristol last summer and I think it was about £2.50 for a pack :)

Hope you're all fab!

xx

Tuesday 13 March 2012

mess, blushers and mac and cheese...

Hello!

Sorry I haven't posted for a couple of days, it's a bit difficult sometimes juggling essays, university, work, living my general life and then scraping some time to write a post for here! Just to make life a little bit harder, I came back from a seminar this afternoon and found that my chest of draws had for some reason fallen over so my toiletries, jewellery and clothes were all over the floor :(

Disaster!
Anyway, to the point of this post - blusher! Ah blusher, how I love you. You can distract me from the above mess and cheer me up...

I popped back home to Norwich over the weekend, and on Saturday I did a bit of shopping with my mum and my sister which was lovely. While we were out and about I treated myself to a blusher from MAC (amongst other things)!

I chose MAC's Sheertone Blush in 'Breath of Plum', which is such a gorgeous not-too-dark muted plum colour which is totally matte (wow, great description). I picked this one as the colour's not too similar to my other blushers, whereas I have quite a few brighter and pinkier toned ones. I've already worn it a couple of times and not only do I love the colour, but it lasts brilliantly on the skin.

MAC 'Breath of Plum'
Left: applied with a blush brush, Right: swatched
However, I was thinking this morning that although I love the colour, it was perhaps the wrong time of year to buy it as it's quite a wintery shade. So this morning I put on Topshop's cream blush in 'High Five', which is the perfect blush for spring!

Topshop 'High Five'

Left: applied with a dual fibre brush (although heavily), Right swatched
It looks so natural and glowy and when you use a dual fibre brush to apply it, it blends evenly and nice and quickly :) I just love cream blushes on the skin this time of year as they give you such a beautiful healthy look. I just had a little check on the Topshop website though and it doesn't look as if this colour is available any more. However, Topshop have some other gorgeous colours to choose from such as 'Head Over Heels' which I mentioned in my 'Spring Make Up Picks' post :) The price is brilliant as well, I think £6 is such great value considering the quality (and the cute packaging)!

PS. On another little side note, I had a very yummy tea today so here's a little sneak peak -

Hopefully this doesn't gross you out, my house mate Dan hates people taking pictures of their food!
Macaroni cheese with chorizo and salad nom nom! Only just realised how big the portion was... oh well, it was delicious!

I know this was a bit of a disjointed post but hopefully you haven't minded! I'd also love to know what your favourite blushers are for spring (or maybe what you had for tea haha) :)

xx

Saturday 10 March 2012

my favourite things: liquid eye liner

Hello hello!

I've been bogged down with essays so I've just found the time to slip in a quick post...

Welcome to the third instalment of my favourite things posts, this one being about my favourite liquid eye liner, and this is one product that I truly couldn't live without! (Perhaps slightly over the top...) When I was sorting through my mountains of make up the other day I actually found that I have five of these brilliant little things so let me tell you why...

I'm sorry for the very 'well loved' packaging...
I have loved the Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner for about five years now. The brush is perfect, the pigmentation is perfect, the finish is perfect, the price is perfect. I cannot fault this product!

I'm a big fan of fifties-esque cats eye flicks so it's great to have a liquid eye liner that is so easy and fast to apply. The applicator is a short and firm sponge which makes it incredibly easy to apply neatly. I've never personally got on with thin brush type applicators as for me they're difficult to control, and can be hard to achieve a dense black line with.


Not only is the applicator brilliant but the formula is great too. It's highly pigmented and never appears streaky or watery. It dries quickly to a matte finish which is fab as it never transfers on to your upper eyelids (how annoying is that?!)


I can hand on heart say that there isn't anything I dislike about this product, and I can see our love affair continuing for many years to come. If you struggle with liquid eye liner then I truly do recommend giving Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Liner as go as it makes the job so much easier. It's priced at £5.29 too so there really isn't an excuse not to give it a try!

PS. Really want to give the new Rimmel Gel Eye Liner a go - anyone tried it?

xx

Wednesday 7 March 2012

i love you umberto giannini hair mask!


Before I tell you about this product, I'm first going to tell you a little story...

A few hair cuts ago, I was chatting to the hairdresser when she told me "Ooh your hair is quite dry". Now, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it in a nasty way and was just making an innocent comment, but for some reason I took this as a massive insult and couldn't get her comment out of my head (sad, I know...)! So after leaving the hairdressers, the war began against my dry hair, and my mission became to make it silky soft.

In this dry hair saga, I've tried quite a few products, and obviously some have been better than others. However one that has really stood out to me is the Umberto Giannini Indulgent Beauty Moisture Mask. I picked this up in Boots quite a few months ago now on a whim and didn't really expect much but it truly does make your hair ridiculously soft and shiny, and the ends of your hair look nourished and healthy. One of its ingredients is shea butter, so it's super moisturising hurrah! It also smells amazing and has lovely packaging - a winner all round basically!

I love the design on the lid, very art nouveau!
I probably use this about once every three washes and I make sure it's at a time when I'm not in a rush so that I can feel it's full benefits. I first shampoo and rinse my hair then apply this all over my hair, but especially concentrate on the ends. I next put my hair in to a very loose bun and leave for as long as possible while I wash, exfoliate, cleanse, shave etc. It instructs on the pot that a 'professional secret' is the longer you leave it on  the better, and with experience I do agree with this. After maybe 10-15 minutes, I rinse it out and voila! Soft and shiny hair!

When I last went to the hairdresser (a different one), I asked her if my hair was dry. She told me that it wasn't and that it is in fact in great condition! If you are suffering from dry hair then I really do urge you to try this as it's worked wonders for me and although I will continue to try other products, I can't see anything overtaking this in the near future.

As I said, I picked it up from Boots. It's on the website for £5.61 but there's also a 2 selected Umberto Giannini products for £7.50 offer at the moment so it's the perfect time to pick it up. Plus, if you get it in store, you'll also receive one of the £5 off No7 vouchers - it all just gets better! 

xx

Tuesday 6 March 2012

nail of the day

Just a very quick post today as I've been at uni this morning and now I have to rush off to work - hurry hurry!

I LOVE THIS COLOUR!

Not the best painted nails ever but you get the idea...
I'd never usually buy a polish from Natural Collection, however when I saw this colour I couldn't resist (not that I ever really try to restrain myself)! It's called 'Maple' and I think the name is appropriately scrumptious! For me it's the perfect rose gold.

However, there is a but... As you'd probably expect, the quality is so poor. I like to change my nail varnish a couple of times a week as I get bored of having the same colour, so as I'm not too bothered usually about my nails being very long wearing I sometimes skip a base coat and top coat. However with this nail varnish I have to use a base and top coat even to make it last just a couple of days. On the other hand, I suppose for £1.79 I shouldn't really moan too much!


Base Coat - No7 So Smooth
Nail Polish - Natural Collection 'Maple'
Top Coat - Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip

Tomorrow I'll hopefully have a more exciting post for you!

xx


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