Winter Wonderland

Sorry its been a while since my last post but more will be coming up soon. But I just wanted to make a little vlog showing you how much snow has fallen where I live.

This was taken two days ago and this is only a little snow compared to how much has fallen now.

When this picture was taken there was about half a foot of snow but due to non stop snowing there is now almost 3 feet of snow. I will probably put a picture up of the snow sometime tomorrow but my phone has been acting up so I haven't been able to take any more pictures.

November favourites will be up soon..

xx

Boots and Superdrug Haul

Over the past 2 days I have spent my lunch times and after school shopping in my local Boots and Superdrug going on a little bit of a spending free.


Here's the evidence:

As you can tell I have had a little bit of an obsession with nail varnishes so here is a closer picture of them

The colour on the left is a new Barry M nail paint in Pink Iridescence. It has really pretty green, blue, pink and  white/silver glitter in a very pale pink (almost clear) polish. I applied three coats and while its not that opaque, the glitter is very pretty and makes my really short nails look a little less short and a little more girly.


The Nails Inc. was a freebie in a Glamour magazine and its in the colour Jermyn Street which is a really pretty taupe/lilac/burgundy colour. That makes it sound kind of gross but it looks very chic on any length nails.


This Emerald City Revlon nail polish is my favourite out of all of them. It was recommended in a magazine and its a really pretty deep green with very slight shimmer and a matte finish. LOVE IT.


Now this last one is really weird. Its by Barry M and its meant to be worn over nail varnish. It sort of separates and leaves weird criss cross patterns on your nails. I will upload a picture of it soon.




I needed to by new foundation because my skin has got WAY paler recently and my regular foundation is making me look a tad orange so I decided to revert back to a foundation that I used a while back and as Boots was having a 3 for 2 offer I got some powder as well.

The foundation at the back is Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid. Its quite thick for a liquid foundation and makes your skin look great. In case you were curious I got the lightest shade, Light Porcelain but mix it with a bit of my Super Stay foundation in Ivory (also by Maybelline.) 


The powders are by Boots own brand Natural Collection, ones a loose translucent powder, the other is a pressed one in the colour Warm. It kind of annoys me that the packaging for the pressed powder is cheap and there isn't any mirror, but I suppose thats what you get for £2.


Thanks for reading :) (and I just realised how much I waffle on .. do you like this or should I try to cut down?)


xx

Favourite Lipsticks ATM.

Hey everyone :)
While in the past I have had a serious aversion to lipsticks, I have been using two recently almost to the point of obsession.

On the left is Boots own brand 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive.

As you can see its a really pretty milky, pinky-nude colour and when applied to the lips, has a really glossy finish. Its almost a cross of lipstick and lipgloss and so makes it super wearable on the lips. It is also very very moisturising and smooths on the lips very easily.

Next to it AVONs lipstick in Pout.

This is very similar in colour to the Mirror Shine Lipstick but has a slightly more matte finish, is slightly darker, and less peach and more pink. While it isn't drying, it is a little less moisturising than the 17.

So as I am obviously having a nude pink obsession, what are other good nude lipsticks?

xx

Review: MAC's Prep and Prime Skin Base Visage

As you may remember, I got sent a sample of this product recently and over the past few days have been using it continuously and I LOVE IT!!!

Its a very light lotion/mousse consistency and goes on very smoothly, which means that make-up glides on very smoothly too. I have noticed that it slightly reduces my pore size as well, although not to any massive degree. It has very fine glitter, however my foundation (at the moment I'm using Maybelline's Dream Satin Liquid) covers it completely and gives a really pretty glowy effect to the skin.

It also stops my skin from going oily, applying a light dusting of powder in the morning is enough to last all day without need of touch-ups.

I am going to definitely buy the full size product tomorrow.

Have a good evening :) x

Autumn/Winter Nail Polishes

Hey everyone :) I think my first ever post was something like my favourite summer nail polishes so I thought I would continue with the trend and do a favourite autumn/winter nail polish collection.
Most of these polishes are easy to purchase at the drug store (especially if you live in England) but there are a few from OPI and one of these is discontinued.

From L-R:  Steel Her Heart by Revlon (a beautiful shimmery grey-silver), Dangerous Affair (a deep red wine) by Ciate and Mushroom by Barry M (a greige-taupey brown colour). 

From L-R: Deep Purple by GOSH (a rich, dark purple), Totally Teal by No7 (a deep teal) and Absolutely Alice by OPI (a limited edition blue with blue/gold shimmer).

From L-R: Revlon Red by Revlon (a 'true' red), Charge It! by Sephora by OPI (a slightly shimmery medium-toned gold) and Jade Is The New Black by OPI (a .. well jade colour).

The last picture consists of my favourite nail polishes, and I admit I love how together they are the traditional Christmas colours.

What are your favourite colours for A/W?

Look what arrived in the post today... (sorry for the rubbish picture quality)

Pictured above is MAC's 210 precise eyeliner brush and a sample of their prep and prime skin base visage.

I ordered the 210 brush because while I have their 209 eyeliner brush, I have recently started putting on thinner eyeliner whereas half a year ago I was applying quite thick lines and the 210 is so much thinner. I'm really excited to use it for school tomorrow...nerd. (is it sad that I get excited by things like this?!)

And I'm almost even more excited to try the primer. Having never really used one before I'm quite interested to see the results.

On that note, do you have any recommendations for a good drugstore (or high end) primer? If I think that this primer makes a significant difference I will definitely look into buying one.

Ciao :) x

Perfume Collection...

Hey everyone :) Told you I would keep up with the blogging haha.


I admit I don't have a huge amount of perfume but judging by the way I have been addicted to trying on new perfumes in my local Boots my collection will probably be expanding pretty soon. 


First off is my all time favourite perfume, and one that I know without a doubt I am going to repurchase many more times. This is Lola by Marc Jacobs

This is a warm, fruity-florally perfume and its described as having ' fruity topnotes of delectable bright pink peppercorn, seductive pear d’anjou and succulent ruby red grapefruit. The heart 
contains fuschia peony with soft touches of rose and geranium, while the base has enveloping notes of smooth vanilla, tonka bean and creamy musk'. I got this last Christmas and this is the largest size and I have been using it at least every other day. 




Continuing with the theme of floral perfumes, the next one is In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon for Avon. although it looks full in the bottle, trust me its not. The amount of times that I used this over the summer has meant the bottle is only a little over half full.

 Its a very light floral smell. And is described as 'featuring peach, tea leaves and greenery in top notes. A heart includes magnolia, gardenia and jasmine, while base notes add cashmere, flowers and amber crystals.' 


Another perfume that I have been using a lot recently, especially over summer, is DKNY's Be Delicious Candy Apple and this one is in the flavour Sweet Caramel. 

This is a really sweet, fruity perfume and is by far the sweetest perfume out of all of them. It has notes of apples, pears, marshmallow, jasmine, lily of the valley, violet leaves, caramel and vanilla. Looking at the list of notes, you can really smell the caramel as soon as it is sprayed onto the skin and the fruity notes come out later. This was the sweetest out of all the Candy Apples I tried and therefore the one I had to buy.


The last perfume I have is English Velvet by Jack Wills and I got this for my birthday from my lovely friends.

It is quite similar to Lola in the way that it is a warm floral, slightly fruity smell. The fruity notes are pink grapefruit and mediteranean fig. Orange blossoms, rose petals and soft fresia make up the floral notes with undertones of creamy amber indian sandalwood and oriental musk.


But girls I am kind of stuck about what to ask for my Christmas present... I'm thinking either Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb, Dolce and Gabanna's Rose The One and the new Juicy Couture perfume, Love Peace and Juicy Couture. Any other florally perfume recommendations would be welcome :)

Giving Blood....

Now I know this isnt a usual blog but I really want to tell you something... Yesterday I gave blood for the second time ever (you can only start when youre 17 in the UK - don't know about anywhere else) and while I know some people have strong feelings against it, I honestly feel that as many people should do it as possible.

While admittedly it hurt when the needle was put in my arm, it only lasted a moment although when it was in my arm it did feel a bit weird. And afterwards I felt pretty faint, which is weird because last time I was fine but whatever.

All the little negatives are, however, totally worth it. Everytime I look down at my arm and see the tiny little bruise and cut, I feel so proud of myself. I mean, there is a chance that spending 45 minutes of my life giving blood may save someones life.
So I urge anyone reading this who can give blood, give blood.

And in the next few days I will post a blog about something a little less heavy - favourite nail polishes for autumn? What are your thoughts?

xxxx

October favourites :)

First and foremost, I am so sorry I haven't posted anything in MONTHS. Things have been crazy what with moving, school and work and I have to admit I have (obviously) kinda let the blog slide. 

So I am back with my October favourites (if you didn't guess from the title). 

First of is a 17 lipstick from Boots in the colour 'Beehive'.

As you can see its a really pretty nudey-pink and I LOVE it. I'm not usually one for lipsticks but this is so pretty and its quite sheer and a little shiny so its very wearable.

Next up is Benefits Benetint 

 I use this pretty much everyday on my cheeks and gives a really pretty rosy flush and its so easy to blend out. I have to say though.. I don't like using it on my lips because it feels slightly drying and really really sinks into any cracks you may have. 

Because its getting colder, my skin tends to dry up and look less 'glowy' so when I saw this in an Avon catalogue I had to get it. Its a peachy, gold highlighter and looks super pretty on warm skin tones and, like benetint, I have worn it everyday. 

This is Clinique's gel eyeliner in True Black and I brought this when my MAC fluidline ran out and I think I like it a little bit more if I'm honest... You get more product for your money, and its easier to use as its slightly more liquidy so it goes on more smoothly. 

I have never used Ciate nail polish before until I got it for free in the latest Marie Claire magazine. This particular one is in the shade 'Dangerous Affair' and is a really pretty deep red wine colour and its perfect for autumn/winter. I currently have it on both my finger and toenails. It tends to start to chip around day 2/3 on real nails, but on my friend's acrylic nails it lasted a week without chips.

Lastly this necklace is from H&M and I really love it. I saw a few people wearing some necklaces similar to this on youtube videos but could never find one in England, so when I found this while shopping recently I had to buy it. It looks great worn with a white vest top and skinny jeans. 

I promise I will try to post more blogs soon (and I really mean it this time). Hope you enjoyed this :)

update on me

HEY EVERYONE. SORRY IVE BEEN A BIT AWOL. I AM WRITING THIS ON MY PHONE AND I CANT SEEM TO GET IT OFF CAPS LOCK.. :( I HAVE JUST MOVED HOUSE AND SO FOR THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF I HAVE JUST BEEN PACKING AND UNPACKING. CONTINUOUSLY. I PROMISE TO HAVE MORE POSTS UP AS SOON AS WE GET THE INTERNET IN THE NEW HOUSE.    THANKS FOR BEING PATIENT X

Topshop and Miss Selfridge Haul

Hey girls :)
The past week has been pretty hectic - new job and starting school preparation so it has lead to a severe decrease in the amount of blogs I can post.

This post is a long way overdue but on the 20th my best friend and I went to London to listen to an exclusive hear of The Pretty Reckless's new album. Now I didnt have any clothes suitable for such an amazing evening - may I just say that I MET taylor momsen. yeah spoke to her.... she is actually a very sweet person but I know alot of people dont like her so I'll move onto the clothes I bought.

Miss Selfridge Baby Pink Body £14

Miss Selfridge High Waisted Shorts £30

Topshop 'Slinky Long Rope Necklace' £10

Topshop PU Biker Shearling Biker Jacket £58

This jacket is my new love. None of the pictures I took showed that the shearling is actually a grey colour as opposed to the bright bright white thats showing up. As soon as I bought it and I left the store I saw 2 other people wearing it and when my friend went into aldo to get some shoes the assistant helping her told me that she was going to buy the jacket in her lunch break.

So more blogs will be posted shortly.. expect an August Favourites in the next couple of days

xx

3 Favourite Drugstore Mascaras

Hello :) Mascara is my weakness.. I have tried out so many different products from many different brands both high and low end, but if I'm honest the best ones for me have to be drugstore. Their formulations seem to be slightly thicker and therefore give you more volume (and in some cases longer). Mascara really is my desert island product. So without further ado these 3 mascaras are my current favourite ones from the drugstore:

From Top - Bottom: L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen, MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara Waterproof and L'oreal Volume Million Lashes.

The Extra Volume Collagen is what I use as my base mascara and if I had to choose a top favourite, this would be it. It gives you both volume and length. It retails at around £8 in Boots and Superdrug but im sure its cheaper in the states.

The MaxFactor mascara is the english dupe for Covergirls Lash Blast and it is AMAZING. I took this with me on holiday and I went swimming for a few hours and it stayed put. Even though I swam under water and played water volleyball. It gives great length and good volume but I recommend curling your eyelashes first to take full advantage of this.

Now the Volume Million Lashes isnt that great to use by itself so instead I layer it over my Extra Volume Collagene to add length and definiton.

What are your favourite mascaras?

Boots Haul

Hey :) so yesterday I went into town looking for a new foundation and concealer but of course left with much more. For those of you in the states, Boots is a popular drugstore over here in England.

Picture numero uno:

L-R, Back- Front: Batiste Tropical Dry Shampoo £2.50, L'oreal Elnette Flexible Hairspray £3.50 and Boots 100 Hairgrips £1.50.

I have never tried dry shampoo before but after a recommendation from a friend I am quite excited about trying this out. However I have dark hair, curly hair so unless I brush it out (which will leave my hair a poofball) I am probably gonna be left with white dandruff-esque flakes so I think im going to use this for when i straighten my hair.

Second is the hairspray and I've used this before and I LOVE it. Doesn't leave your hair crispy but holds for hours.

Lastly, hairgrips. Not much to say... they do the job?!?

L-R: Benefit Pocket Pal £15.50, Rimmel Royal Gloss £4, Revlon Beyond Natural Foundation £9.99 and Natural Collection Coverup Cream £2.

The reason I got the Pocket Pal was because I have been dying to try out Benetint and this is £10 cheaper. So far (after only a day!) I am in LOVE. It gives a really pretty flush to the cheeks and a buildable colour to the lips. However the gloss is kind of thick and sticky.

So this gloss is in the colour 121 Yummy and its not sticky- it feels like jelly on your lips :) its so smooth. AND it tastes like sweet oranges its so nice.

THIS FOUNDATION IS AMAZING! It provides light coverage but its very natural looking so can be built up to a medium coverage. It comes out of the tube white which really confused me when I was swatching it in the store but when you rub it into your skin it changes to match your skin tone. It feels so nice in your skin and gives this light fresh dewy glow. For the first time in ages I havent used powder with it and it lasted all day. HG.

So far this concealer seems pretty good. Its slightly plasticy in consistency and provides average coverage but really thats all I was exprecting for £2.

L-R: Barry M Nail Paint in Strawberry Icecream £2.95, No7 Nail Colour in Violetta £6.50 (£1.50 with voucher) and Barry M Nail Paint in Spring Green £2.95.

I think I have a slight addiction when it comes to nail polish. In total I have 37 and I have only really been buying them for the past year. So when I saw that Barry M where having a 2 for £5 deal I had to buy some new shades. The green colour is far more bright in person but I am especially excited about the pink one. Violetta is a beautiful electric violet and I cannot wait to wear it tomorrow.

speak soon xxx

Product Rave!

I have really long tangly, curly hair and I can only comb it once I have just washed it and its pretty difficult to because it gets SO knotty. But i have been using this product since I was a kid and honestly, I love it. This product is Loreal Kids Sweet Pear Tangle Tamer :))

Words cannot describe how much I love this. It smells amazing - like apples and pears - and i use about 6 pumps on my hair.. more if its particularly unruly. And it does the job, always leaves my hair shiny and manageable.

Mini Haul

Hey everyone, sorry its been such a long time since I last uploaded anything but I'm back now with a small haul i got from Boots. I hadnt been to the Boots near me in ages and when i walked in today it was completely different - but in a good way. They have way more brands now (including Benefit and Lancome) and the store was set our completely differently.


Anyway, here is a quick picture of the products I got today:
 

I'll post some upclose pictures of the nail varnishes and the lipsticks in a bit but I'm just going to focus on the 3 ''big'' products to start off with.

First there are the Veet 40 wax strips. I have only ever shaved my legs once a few years ago and I honestly cant remember if it hurt or not but I'm going on holiday soon and i want to have smoothy smooth legs so I'm willing to risk it.

Second is the Umberto Giannini Indulgent beauty Moisture Mask. I'm excited to try this as although I rarely straighten my hair it still manages to never feel quite soft enough and I'm hoping this will achieve what past attempts have failed to do. (Btw if anyone has any intensive hair treatment recommendations I would love to hear about them).

And lastly is the Dove Summer Glow gradual self tanner. I have had mixed experiences in the past with self tanners; I used the Johnsons & Johnsons one and although it gave me a good healthy glow it did fade after a week and look patchy. (Again, any recommendations would be well appreciated :))


Now for the nail varnishes:

So on the left we have Mushroom by Barry M and on the right we have Steel Her Heart by Revlon. The foremost is a chocolatey-taupey-eversoslightly lavender (mushroom) colour and is very similar to Chanel's Particuleire. Once I took these pictures I immediately put this colour on and its becoming a new favourite.

Steel Her Heart is a beautiful grey-silver with silver and blue glitter in it. I cannot wait to put this on and am tempted to take off Mushroom from my nails and put this one on instead. I love Revlon nail enamels because they last for such a long time and I have never gotten one that hasnt been good quality.


And finally - the lipsticks;
 

I admit, I am not much of a lipstick wearing person even though I have a fair amount I just dont seem to wear them. Which is why I am setting myself the challenge of wearing a lipstick every day for the rest of this week.


Now back to the lipsticks in this photo. From L-R; Peach by Revlon, Retro by Rimmel London and Carnation by Revlon.

I'll start off talking about Retro. This is one of their 'Lasting Finish' lipsticks and gives an almost completely matte look to the lips. I applied it quickly earlier on and wore it for about an hour and it didnt feel drying at all, didnt make my lips look flaky and the vibrant red-orange-coral colour looks fantastic. I have been searching for a red that isnt blue-based and I think I've found it :) finally.

Onto Peach - this is pretty much a true peach colour although it is a little bit more terracotta in person that it is appearing in the picture.It has a pretty light sheen to it which doesnt look sparkly in the slightest (a big plus in my opinion) and is sheer enough for people wary of lipsticks like myself.

And finally Carnation by Revlon. This is my favourite out of the three if I'm honest. It is the easiest to wear and gives the lips a pretty, mid toned pink colour. Again as with Peach it has a slight shimmer and is definitley moisturising.


Omg that was such a long blog.. i hope it made up for me not posting anything in a while. :)

Daily Face Wash Routine

I am the first to admit that I may have a slight obsession with washing my face... I dont even know why really. It just feels so good at the start of the day when you're all tired and then BAM you're awake. And at the end of the day it gets rid of all your makeup and helps send me to sleep.


In the morning I use 4 products on my face in total.

I would do a L-R but i'm pretty sure you can tell what they are from the picture. The Aapri scrub is pretty abrasive but in all honestly thats why I love it (and just in case you're wondering they do a sensitive version which is far less scrubby). It really cleans deep down. The Neutrogena wash is relatively new but so far so good and the main bonus about it is the AMAZING grapefuit smell, it really wakes you up. The Clean&Clear does exactly what it says - clears blackheads super fast. And the Simple moisturiser.. its just your average good moisturiser. Not great but does the job.



Now for the picture of my evening face products:

 
Here I have swapped out the Neutrogena grapefruit for their 2-in-1 wash/mask. I love this product and use it every night as a wash and as a mask twice a week.


Now for the HG product - SUDOCREM!! Omg this stuff dries spots out like no other. Just dab a tiny amount on before you go to bed (I dont recommend doing this in the day because it can leave a greasy residue) and the next morning your face will look a lot clearer.

Phew :) what products do you rely on to keep your skin in good condition?

The Body Shop - Sweet Lemon Lip Butter

This is a product from the body shops relatively new line of 'sweet lemon' based products. When applied lightly it leaves a beautiful sheen that melts onto your lips super quickly. It smells like lemon cheesecake which can only be a plus! Sometimes it does leave a weird lemonish sort of taste in your mouth but it goes pretty quickly.


It does cost around £4 (which is sort of steep for a lip balm) but I brought mine in a £5 set with a lemon body wash and exfoliating thing which I recomend getting because it works out cheaper.
 

 
Haha you can see the huge dent I've made in it already :) such a good lip product.

MACs Pinch O' Peach - Product Rave!

This blush is, in my opinion, one of the best out there. Its a warm mid-toned pink colour with a subtle undertone of peach. This fact that its not a cool, blue-toned pink suits people like me with yellow undertones in our skin as it doesnt look too, you know... pink-pink.


It gives a really pretty, natural looking flush of colour and because its a sheetone its very easy to build up into a bright pop of colour if thats what you're after.

 

Heres another shot with my beloved (and also highly recommended) Body Shop powder brush - which is full of dense and very soft bristles.

 

Favourite summer nail polishes

Here are a few nail polishes that I have been using most frequently over the past month or so. While none of them fit with the nude trend thats all the rage right now they are all so beautiful I dont care!

 
 
So from left to right we have:
Hot Coral - GOSH (roughly £5)
Pink Blush - Models Own (£5)
Pure Turquoise - Barry M (£2.95)
Mint Green - Barry M (£2.95)
and last but not least Mad As A Hatter - OPI (£10)