The Budget Series: Collection 2000 Colour Pout Lip Stain in Pout

It feel like I've had this for ages and ages and totally forgotten to write about it - which is shocking as I'm completely in love with this product!

The packaging on this and all the colour swatches on websites show this as a dusky pink - I actually bought this because it is NOT this colour whatsoever. This is a red, and a beautiful red at that - and a good red lip stain is so hard to come by.

This lipstain comes in the form of a felt tip pen nib, easy for application overall, but with the thick nib I can imagine this is difficult on those with thinner lips. Or easier, maybe!

Accessorize Gift Card Haul

So my brother gave me a very generous £40 gift card to spend in monson or accessorize.. and I went with the intention of getting lots of sale bargains...this is what happened...

A Beauty Christmas Present Post

Everyone loves to share what they got for christmas...I'm no different! Trying to keep it beauty related in this post though...

Please click HERE to read my post on my amazing bbloggers secret santa gift!

(warning - picture heavy post)

Lush magic wand bubble bar / Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel / Lush gift card

Bbloggers Secret Santa - My Present

So it's christmas eve and I wanted to save my bbloggers secret santa post for this day.. and I can honestly say I am well and truly delighted with what my amazing blogger sent me! The thing that I find really sweet is that they have really looked through my blog and found gifts to suit me - and managed it spot on. So here's what I got, and I'd like to say thank you to my secret santa for all of these gifts!

The Budget Series: Christmas Glitter Nails part 2

Christmas is all about pure glitter, so I've got my second glitter nails ready! Please read my first post on glitter tipped nails for how to do it and where to find my bargain glitter! Find the post HERE

DIY Christmas: Cinammon Candles

Who doesn't love some DIY at christmas?

Cinnamon candles not only look great, but if you choose a vanilla candle you get a fantastic smell of vanilla and cinnamon when it burns.

I got my dried cinnamon sticks from an florist that sells on ebay as my local florist didn't have them this year, but they were actually cheaper, and you can buy them in various sizes. I bought 50 8cm sticks for £2.75, and you can find the seller HERE

The Budget Series: DIY Christmas Glitter Tipped Nails for under £3

 Christmas is the only time I really wear anything glittery, so this is my glittery tipped nails post that will cost you under £3!

What I used:

I already had the stencils and the clear varnish, I think most people do, but if not you could still buy some and achieve this look for under £5!

Primark False Nails, £1/ A clear nail varnish (I used maybelline express finish topcoat but any will suffice) / Glitter / Nail Stencils

I bought my pot of glitter off ebay. Mine cost me 99p for one pot and I chose the colour "old gold". Find the listing HERE

Christmas Wishlist

Lush's Mrs Frosty Gift set / YSL Touche Eclat & Lux Mascara Set / The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo

The Fall / Smashbox Step by Step Contour Kit / Ted Baker Large Cosmetic Purse / Dior Brush Set 2012

Just a few things I've been eyeing up recently..

What are you putting on your list this christmas?

Mizon Fruit Therapy Apple Juicy Peeling Gel

I've been reading a little bit into Korean skincare lately, and I thought I'd try a product that seems to be a staple part of their range with lots of brands: Peeling Gels.

So what IS a peeling gel? Well, it seems to be another form of exfoliator, however this one works with gentle fruit acids that you rub into dry skin, and it literally peels off dead skin cells to leave you with fresh exfoliated skin.

I had a little hunt around and peeling gels seem quite hard to get hold of in the UK, so I looked on ebay and like an old friend, it came through for me. I found this Mizon Apple peeling gel that I manged to get off a UK seller for just under a fiver. Bargain!

The Body Shop 4 Step Smoky Eyes 4-Colour Eye Palette in Smoky Copper

Hello! I've finally gotten round to reviewing this eyeshadow palette, even though I've had it for about a month now!

So this is The Body Shop's 4-Step Smoky Eyes Palette in Smoky Copper. Its a square palette in a sleek black case, containing four eyeshadows and two mini eyeshadow brushes. I'm really impressed with this palette, not only for how lovely it looks, but how pigmented the eyeshadows are as well!

The only gold I know about is the kind you wear

My birthday nails. Another accent nail post!

Leighton Denny in Healthy Glow and No7 Stay Perfect in Molten

22nd Birthday Haul

So on the 17th I turned 22, and heres a quick post on my little birthday present haul! I had a lovely day and felt very spoilt, and enjoyed actually having a day off work and uni and spending time with friends and family. My favourite birthday presents..

Baylis & Harding Body Care kit - I looove the smell of this, its floral and sweet so just the sort of scent I like! I will use the body cream and shower gel, but I can't imagine I will use the soap.

The Budget Series: Halloween Sugar Skull Make-up

Hello! So I've already had my Halloween celebrations - a little bit early, but I tend to do the weekend rather than the actual day if it doesn't fall on a weekend. So this year I'm actually quite poor so I didn't have the money to fork out on something expensive, and went for the Mexican Day of the Dead sugar skull. Apparently its quite a popular look this year with a DIY tutorial in Company magazine, but they're quite individual designs so its good fun to experiment and create your own look.

Photographs apart from the first one are courtesy of my friend Joanna, I took all my Halloween pics on a disposable (tradition is tradition) and I haven't had it developed yet!

Another Wishlist

Seeing as its my birthday soon, and I turn the big 22, I've been asked what I'd like to get this year so I've been having a good old think about it. I would actually like some new clothes but I've been struggling to even find anything decent in the shops so most of it is beauty related, with some gorgeous jewellery thrown in...so here's the big 22nd birthday wishlist!

Smashbox Classic Photo Finish Primer, £25, Boots/Debenhams/any smashbox retailer

because...

I had this once a long, long time ago, when it came in square bottles, and it was beautiful. I've never really found another foundation primer that matches up so well to this, its perfect!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush, £11.99, Boots/any RT retailer

because...

September Empties

Hello! This is my second edition of "empties"! You can find my August Empties here . I've got through a few more products this month, so let's get started...

Pantene Classic Care Clarifying Shampoo, £4.69, Boots or Superdrug

I loove this shampoo - basically I use this one or twice a week to remove build up of product and give my hair a squeaky clean feel. It's great because its such a simple shampoo that leaves your hair feeling so clean afterwards, and actually removes excess product such as hairspray or gel. I've used this for that purpose ever since I can remember! I tend not to use this more than twice a week because its so good at stripping your hair of product that with continuous use it will fade hair dye quicker - great if you've got a colour you don't like. Its quite cheap compared to some on the market, and I always rebuy this whenever it's on offer.

Lush: The Comforter Bubble Bar, Space Girl Bath Bomb & Blackberry Bath Bomb

I was originally going to do these as individual posts but I didn't see the point so I'm jamming this post full of Lush goodness! I bought some bath bombs from Lush (only place to buy them really) and I thought I'd go for ones that I've never tried before. So we've got the Comforter Bubble Bar, Space Girl and Blackberry bath bomb which all vary a little in price and size, but are mostly quite fruity and enjoyable (apart from one, but we'll get back to that)

THE COMFORTER BUBBLE BAR

The pictures are TERRIBLE and I do apologise for that, but I was using my camera phone for some reason..

Vaseline Limited Edition Pink Bubbly Lip Therapy

I saw this online a little while ago on a blog.. (name yourself if it is you!) and knew I just HAD to have it. However after some reading I found it was exclusive to Selfridges only and since I don't have one near me, I struggled with justifying a fiver postage on a £3.49 product. However..I was in my local superdrug today and saw these on the shelf and grabbed one straight away!

Clinique Lash Power Mascara

 I have actually had this mascara for about 2 months now, but seem to have completely forgotten to review it. The box is a little battered due to this, apologies!

I've had this mascara before and loved it because it literally doesn't budge - its the ultimate longwear mascara with no flaking or printing. I had some points on my Debenhams Beauty Card which got me a tenner off - so instead of the RRP £16 I was lucky enough to get mine for just £6.

You keep me under your spell

So I don't normally do nail posts...mostly because I don't normally do nails. If I do, I tend to stick to nude polish or the ever classic french manicure because it just goes with everything. I'll be honest, my nails are the one thing I really don't pay that much attention to..and as I result I tend to stick on falsies and go with that.

So anyway I've been eyeing up nails on Pinterest and thought I'd give the ever popular accent nail trend a go!

September Recent Purchases/ Quick Reviews

I've bought a couple of things recently, and wanted to do a quick review of them before going into further detail on some of them with separate reviews. There are a couple of new buys, a couple of repurchases and a couple of gifts (one for a friend, one for me ha) so here's a quick show and tell...

Ardell False Eyelashes in 105 Black, £5.20

These are a re-buy, and are my favourite eyelashes. I tend to wear them a lot - I wear them at work, and on nights out/special events and things like that. I used to wear Eyelure ones until Boots were out of stock, and so I tried these and never looked back. They are the most perfect lashes, so soft and the strip is so small and soft that they look completely natural when worn. I have used Ardell for about a year, and I think they're becoming quite popular in the UK. You can find lots of different designs on the internet as the US have more designs and patterns than we do in England. These are literally the perfect size for my eye- so I can whack them on without having to worry.

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Butter*, Body Scrub & Shower Gel

Nom nom nom. Peaches. Peaches and Cream. This new range from The Body Shop is AMAZING, possibly my favourite smell. Its a brand new range for september thats called Vineyeard Peach, and comes in the form of a shower gel, body lotion (not pictured), body butter and body scrub. It contains peach extract and is literally the most accurate smell to a fruit that I've smelt in a product. Think fresh juicy peaches on a summer's day.

August Empties

Hellooo! I've been seeing a few of these posts about so I thought I'd give it a go! August Empties. I think its quite rare for me to get through an entire product, and because it rarely happens I guess it means I really do like that product. So let's just get started...here are my August Empties!


The Body Shop Mango Body Scrub

I looove the smell of this product! It smells so delicious and fruity, half of me wants to eat it! Its a really lovely body scrub. It says its for very dry skin, however I don't have very dry skin and it works just brilliantly on me. The mango seed oil in it leaves like a waterproof barrier on your skin, which isn't oily at all, just super moisturising, and it means that I don't have to bother with a body lotion if I'm feeling lazy as my skin won't dry out. A little goes a long way so the whole pot lasted me just over a month, which I don't consider too bad for full body exfoliation once a week. They retail at £12.50 but there are always offers on so you can always get it at discounted price.

The Body Shop All-In-One BB Cream *

 

(image source)

Hello! Sorry its been such a while since I posted, I've been working tons and tons and feeling somewhat uninspired at the moment. However work has had its perks, and I was gifted the new BB cream from the Body Shop!

Generally I'm not a fan of BB creams, as I find they don't provide enough coverage, and I find there aren't enough shade ranges. Even a lot of creams that claim to colour adapt are often too dark or orange for my skin.

Sooo The Body Shop are releasing range of BB creams, available around mid august (I think). Like a lot of BB Creams they are the all in one foundation and moisturiser, providing natural coverage to even out skintone and keep the skin hydrated all day. The Body Shop BB cream is available in three shades, I have got 01 (the lightest.)

My Big ASOS Lust List

Sooo I've been kinda ill today and instead of doing all my other posts I thought I'd do a Lust list as I haven't done one in a while! I've been surfing through asos and they have soo much that I like at the moment! Here's my top picks:

Blouse with drop collar, £30

Blouse with double collar, £30

Vintage hair: 1940's Curls

Vintage hair - something so well known, and some people seem to have the knack for it..I'm not one of those people. As you know if you read the post, I recently went to The Chap Olympiad, and you can find that post here, and I wanted a good hairstyle for the event. I had such a struggle with it that I thought I'd share it with you all in case anyone else experiences the same as me.

Okay so first of all, I was aiming for a 30's-40's-50's look, so generally the set brushed out curls rolled under - or whatever I could get that was close to that. I should point out my hair is really bad at holding a strong curl, and I kinda forgot this until I tried to curl it..

Influences/styles I liked..

The Chap Olympiad 2012

The Chap Olympiad - A yearly event of vintage mixed with sporting events, run by the Chap Magazine. I will say it now - possibly the greatest event I have attended. I am already planning next years outfit!


The Chap Olympiad 2012 from twobytwo video on Vimeo.


The event takes place over two days - I went on the Sunday. Saturday was the busier day but Sunday was equally as fantastic.

This is a particularly image heavy post - apologies!

Going to graduation..

 Hello! I'm very happy to announce that on the 10th of July I graduated with a BA (hons) 2:1 in Photography!

It was a very busy and stressful day, but enjoyable, and luckily the weather held out for it.

A slightly picture heavy post but thats what its about!

A Short Note..

Hi guys!

I just wanted to apologise for not blogging recently, unfortunately my laptop has died on me and I've just got a temporary replacement. I'll try and get some posts done this week as I do have a couple of new products I'd like to share with you all! On the other hand, what products are you all enjoying at the moment? Anything you'd recommend?

What's In My...? Summer Feet Kit

Hello! I'm probably not the only one who's noticed the sunshine lately! So anyway, weather like this reminds me of dresses, skirts and sandals, amongst other things. Sandals and peeptoes in the summer are amazing - but I've noticed that I always seem to neglect my feet and it gets to this time of year and I panic. So I thought I'd write how I get summer feet - nicely painted, and most importantly..no dry or hard skin.

I'm not saying I'm a lover of feet, but they are one of the most used parts of the body and definitely deserve some TLC, but are often the most forgotten. Really good pedicures can rack up to a decent cost, and if you'd rather diy it, I reckon these will get you well on your way those flip flops.

So I work in retail beauty, and the things that I've noticed people are most concerned about with their feet are:

1. Hard skin on the heels and balls of the feet
2. dry skin all over the foot
3. sore/tired feet
4. unkept toenails

Anyone is lying if they say they have not suffered with at least one of these problems in their life. So heres what I think will sort these out, and keep them at bay:

L'Oreal Lash Architect 4D Mascara in Black Lacquer

I always think mascaras are such a tricky one to buy. A lot of them are exactly the same as eachother just with tiny variations in packaging and brush sizes. After my Dior Iconic ran out, I decided to try something new that I've never tried before, and after much deliberation and walking in and out of Boots I ended up going with L'Oreal's Lash Architect 4D in Black Lacquer.

I'm not really sure what the difference between black and black lacquer is?! They offered both so I just went for the one that sounded a bit fancier haha. This mascara can be bought for £10.99 from any high street make-up stockist.

There are a couple of things I look for in a mascara - one is the pigmentation of the black and the brush. I've found a lot of mascaras aren't a true black - and can look kind of greyish on your eyelashes, and I really hate that, so I try and go for the blackest one's I can find. Secondly - the brush for me is really important. I'm not a huge fan of big chunky brushes as I can't get to the edges of my tiny lashes very well - so I tend to buy mascara's with thinner brushes, and preferably in made of rubber as the fibre ones tend to come apart and get stuck in my eyes ( ALWAYS happens to me) however this time I went for a fibre brush to see what happens.

I'll be honest I haven't bought a high street mascara in a long time...

The Budget Series: Sleek True Colour Lipstick in 777 Bare All

 (source)

So this is the second part of my budget series, and I'm really excited to share with you all this particular product, as I feel as if I've struck oil after finding such a perfect summer colour!

Sleek Makeup is a high street brand that is only available in Superdrug. They also have an online shop (here) and are really reasonable prices. I haven't tried any of their other products other than their lipsticks but they do quite a wide range of foundations, lip colours, eyeshadows etc.

I have previously before bought one of their lipsticks in a really dark shade of red as it was the only place I could actually find the particular shade I was after. For £4 I was pleasantly surprised with the quality, richness of colour and longevity of the lipstick, so much so infact, I recently bought another one.

Yankee Candle Lip Balm in Vanilla Lime

Hello all! This is a bit of a strange post as its not really a review just something which is super cute and definitely a must have!

 (source)

I was recently browsing through Lucyy Writes' blog and saw her post on yankee candle lip balms. I am a super huge fan of anything Yankee Candle so when I saw that they make lip balms I knew I had to have one!

Aparently these are a US only product but a seller on Ebay managed to get hold of a few (here) and is selling them for £3.99 each, which is a little expensive for a lip balm but its a sweet novelty product that is definitely worth the extra pennies. The flavours available are sweet strawberry, christmas cookie, vanilla lime and vanilla cupcake. Naturally I wanted them all but settled on vanilla lime as this sounded like the most unusual scent.

Primark Kimono Top

Hello! I'm sure I'm not the only one thinking about summer and summer clothing. In the hot weather I really just like to wear clothes that aren't fussy - just your basic comfy floaty things to keep you cool. But I'm really loving Kimono tops at the moment - and I think they are the perfect things to wear in the warm weather to keep you cool.

Sorry that its a side photo - I uploaded it onto twitter and then for some reason deleted the original! haha idiot..

I actually bought this last autumn from primark for about £12 as i loved the style and the soft colours - its not available anymore but there are plently of kimono style tops around. They are so floaty and feminine and keep you muc cooler than clingy clothes and flatter almost every figure going. Mine is runched slightly in the middle with a detachable belt to pull you in at the waist and give you a bit of shape.

I adre Kimono tops but I seem to be at a bit of a loss with what to wear them with - I seem to resort to leggings or denim!

How would you style a Kimono top? Have you got one yourself?

The Budget Series: 17 Miracle Matte Skin Primer

Hello! I'm starting a new mini quest that I'm calling The Budget Series. I'm getting to a stage where my postgrad fees are going to cost me a small fortune so I really need to tone down my spendage on my make-up. So I'm going to be buying all budget items for a while from now on - and I thought I'd share them all with you! I'm a firm believer in a lot of cheaper makeup being just as good as the luxury brand items (not all of it mind) and think its just a case of finding them amongst all the rubbish items.

For reference - budget in my opinion is an item that is £10 or under. I generally don't run out of all my makeup all at the same time - I think at most its normally two items at once so I think this is reasonable. But for the moment, the cheaper the better!

 17 Mircale Matte Skin Primer

So I was in boots yesterday and noticed that matt face makeup is really the in thing at the moment - there are tons of them, from foundation to face powders. 17 have recently released a new line of matt makeup, with a primer, foundation and face powder in the mix. They are all on offer currently (at the time of writing) for £1 off, so as I am running out of primer I thought I'd try theirs. Full price it is £4.99 but on offer for £3.99 I am coming to the end of my No7 Airbrush Away primer, which comes up at a whopping £19.50. Its not my favourite primer so if the 17 one can beat it I think I will be really happy.

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream

 (Image: http://pamperedandpolished.co.uk)

I love matt lip colours, and I came across Collection 2000's Cream Puff Lip Creams in Boots the other day. Being super cheap at £2.99 a pop I thought I'd give it a go. I've been after a nice bright summer colour so I chose Fairy Cake (second left), mostly because it was the the colour that appealed to me the most and seemed to be the most popular.

Collection 2000 promise matt rich lip colour that is velvety soft and moisturising on your lips. Matt colours can dry your lips out somewhat so this really appealed to me.

What's In My... everyday make-up

Hello! Because I've been neglecting  you all lately I'm just doing a quick post on my everyday makeup. It does vary slightly from day to day but the idea is mostly the same - mostly very neutral. I wear this a lot to work and sometimes interchange for heavier eyes or darker lip colours. I generally use a mix of high street and luxury brands, because sometimes high street items are just as good as the luxury ones (sometimes better...)

Aaand the products are....

Apologies...

Hello! I'm really sorrry I haven't been posting recently, I have been super super busy with finishing up uni and its taken up a lot of my time..

So what have I been doing?

I got the results back for my dissertation...

And I got a 2.1 (not bad)

I had my mum's birthday..

And I bought her some pretty goodies and made these lovely cakes!

I'm also in the middle of finishing my recent project where I have published a new book, so when the prototype turns up I will show you all, and I'm in the middle of setting up a new blog and website for my photo portfolio (which is what I do when I'm not blogging on beauty)

Dior Mascara Boxset Giveaway Winner

Hi guys! Thanks to everyone who entered my competition for a Dior mascara boxset!

Unfortunately there can only be one winner and the winner is...

Soph @ http://sophsstyle.blogspot.co.uk/

Congrats Soph! Check your email supplied for more details.

Sorry to everyone that didn't win but I will be doing another giveaway in the near future for you all!

 

(please note the numbers after the name correspond to how many entries recieved - max 3)

Enjoy your dior goodies Soph!

Coming up: more posts of my all time favourites & a few new goodies!

x