Monthly Favourites | October 2014

I'm trying to hide how awful the lighting and the picture in general is by plonking a massive talking spider in the middle of it all! I can't quite believe that we're nine days into November already, we're on a downwards slope to Christmas people! It's actually Joel's Birthday today so I'm writing this quickly before we go out for a meal to celebrate and then we're off to Berlin tomorrow for a few days and to say that I'm very unprepared is an understatement, my case is still unpacked, my hair is still unwashed and we're getting picked up at 5:30 tomorrow morning so between doing all that and catching the X Factor results I am a busy, busy bee!

Primark Round Bristle Brush

I don't know how I lived without this brush?! Now that my hair is shorter and I like to curl the ends under this is a god send to use while drying my hair. It's perfect for adding volume to the roots and rounding the ends, all you need to do after you've blow dried with this bad boy is a quick go over with the straighteners and you're good to go!

Seventeen Skin Wow 3 Way Highlighter

My Favourite primer ever is the Look Beauty Prime Time radiance one and when I ran out and tried to have a look what offers they have on they seem to have disappeared, does anyone know what happened to Look Beauty?! So now I'm on the look out for a replacement and this is doing a pretty good job so far, I use it mostly for priming and it does add a nice glow to your face but it is a very heavy almost oily glow that tones down when you put your foundation on but I couldn't wear it alone.

Barry M Red Black and Blackberry

If you only buy two nail varnishes this Autumn/Winter then make them these two, I've been rotating them for the whole of October and they literally go with anything and everything as well as being a flattering shade for ghostly winter skin.

Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Pencil in Berry Much

This is my first ever berry shade lip product (honestly!) and I have to say that I'm a complete convert. This pencil is easy to apply, long lasting and just the right amount of matte. If dark Autumn lips scare you then I would definitely give this a whirl, my phobia has been cured!

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My New Favourite Barry M Autumn Nail Varnish Shades | Red Black & Blackberry

Barry M Nail Paint

It's been a good few weeks since my nails have seen a neon or pastel, I'm officially in Autumn mode. If I had a good rummage at the bottom of my nail varnish basket I'm sure I'd find enough dark colours to keep me going until next Spring but if a change of season isn't excuse enough to buy some new shades then I'm not sure what is!

The two Barry M shades that I chose were Red Black which is a deep burgundy and Blackberry which is a really dark navy. I've had Red Black before that ended up going all gloopy but after seeing my friend Vicky wearing it I decided that I needed it back in my life! I can remember it being a real nightmare last time I had it but the formula is completely different now and it goes on smoothly and glossy as well as being opaque in two coats whereas before it took about five. Blackberry is one of Barry M's Gelly Nail Paints which are by far the best of the Gel nail varnishes that have been released in the past year or so. This applies perfectly, the swatch is one coat and it's as dark as it gets and is as shiny and smooth as Red Black. Also because of the Gellyness it plumps out any dents.

I'm sure the Barry M nail varnish stand gets bigger every time I go into Boots so there's bound to be an Autumnal shade that will keep your fingers happy this season!

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A Little Boots Haul

I walked into Boots with the intention of walking out with a bag full of goodies and that I did! This is just a little show and tell and I'll go into a bit more detail in separate reviews all in due course.

The reason I went on my Boots rampage was for the new Maybelline Colour Drama Lip Pencils and three Boots and a Superdrug later all I came across were empty spaces where they should be or messy testers teasing me, in the end I had to order them online and get them delivered to store (the things we do for beauty!) and Maybelline is 3 for 2 at the minute so that's how many I ended up with! I got the shades, In The Coral, Very Berry and Minimalist.

Soap & Glory are buy one get one half price at the moment so I took the opportunity to get a couple of bits that I've had my eye on for a while. The first was Sexy Mother Blusher in Onamatopeacha, I know that Summer is drawing to a close but I just can't let go of my beloved cream blushers just yet especially this gorgeous orangey peach one. The second Soap & Glory thing I picked up was another cheek product Love at First Blush which is a lovely pink highlighting blush. Another brand that had a buy one get one half price offer on was Barry M and I've been meaning to tear myself away from summer neons and get some Autumny shades. I went for Red Black which I've had before but it got chucked when it went all gloopy and one of the new Gelly shades in Blackberry which is a dark navy shade.

Last but not least I visited the Collection Stand, I was looking for a champagne coloured cream eye pencil and came across the Eye eye Crayon that looks like a new launch, there were another couple of colours but this was exactly what I was looking for. I've picked up and put down the Skin Wow! 3 Way Highlighter so many times but the buy 2 and get a free mascara was that little push that I needed to finally buy it, I just can't beat a freebie!

So that is my little Boots haul, it's a long time since I've had a good splurge in there and I've got a few bits that I've wanted for a long time so I'll keep my wish list building up for my next trip!

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Monthly Favourites | July 2014

I hope that the end of July doesn't mean the end of the lovely weather that we've been having recently! This month has just flown by and has seemed to be all work and no play but I've got a week off work coming up so August should be a bit more chilled out - thank god! There's a couple of new bits in this months favorites that I don't know how I lived without and then a couple of rediscoveries that I don't know how I forgot about them!

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

This is AMAZING! My face has never been so clean and radiant than it has since I started using this. It gets rid of every trace of makeup that you have on your face and leaves everything so soft. I can't imagine my skin care routine without this now!

ELF Matte Lip Colour in Coral (Review here)

This is the perfect retro shade that looks like it's been pulled straight out of the sixties. I love these twist up lip pencils, they're so convenient and easy to use. This is such a lovely wearable shade, it will go with anything so it's perfect to chuck in your handbag and although it's a matte lip colour it's not drying at all and could even be described as creamy.

The Body Shop Facial Brush

I've been using this along side the Camomile Cleanser to give me the cleanest face in Leicestershire and it works so well to get right into all those little bits of your face that you usually neglect. The bristles are so soft and I feel like it's really brightened my face up and scrubbed away all the dirt!

Illamasqua Crean Blusher in Rude (Review Here)

Illamasqua really know how to do a cream blusher, I've had this for ages but must have stored it away over the winter and it was only when I was looking for something else that I came across it again and I've been using it every day since. This shade was made for Spring/Summer and the formula is a dream, it blends perfectly and leaves a dewiness to your cheeks which is all I want when the sun is out!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Sugar Apple

How pretty is this shade?! I love the Barry M Gelly polishes, they go on so well in two coats and stay glossy and chip free for days. Sugar Apple is a gorgeous pastel turquoise and couldn't be better for these summery months!

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Midweek Wish List #21

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1. I am extremely late to the party with this one but now I've looked into these powders a bit more I have decided that I need one on my face! I want to look like I'm being followed around by the perfect lighting but I think this will fit in my bag better.

2. I thought that I'd exhausted all of the permanent MAC lipstick shades that I couldn't live without until I stumbled across a swatch of Please Me which looks like a lovely matte pink shade.

3. The sun has starting showing it's face again and I'm leaning more towards pastels and brights on my nails! I absolutely love Greenberry and have looked at it so many times, god only knows why I haven't bought it yet but I'm guessing it's only a matter of time.

4. Another consequence of the sun being out is the need for dewy, glowing skin so my powder blushers will take a back seat for a few months at least and this Bobbi Brown pot Rouge in Fresh Melon looks like the perfect spring shade and it can even be used on your lips!

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My Top 5 Autumn/Winter Nail Picks

Autumn calls for revisiting the vampy nail colours that haven't seen the light of day for a good few months and leaving the pastels and neons to gather dust until the sun shows it's face again! I'm finding it harder than most to ditch the brights but now I've had a rummage in my collection and have rediscovered these beauties it's getting that little bit easier to move on!

Topshop Stolen Sapphires

This was my first ever Topshop nail varnish and it may (meaning definitely has) have sparked a bit of a love affair with these polka dot capped lovelies. This is a really unique colour, it's a striking deep blue with a hint of purple thrown in, it takes a couple of coats to make it opaque but other than that goes on smoothly.

YSL Jade Imperial

Another first for me is this YSL nail varnish in Jade Imperial and I now realise why these are so pricey - the formula is pure perfection. One coat is all you need, it goes on smoothly, the colour isn't washed out or streaky and you'll be using your hands again in no time because the drying time is amazing! I really didn't want to fall in love with this like I have because the price tag makes my purse cry.

Ciate Fade To Greige 

I overlooked this colour when I got it in my Mini Mani Month calendar last year and it wasn't until I dug it out and got so many compliments on the colour that I realised how pretty it was. Fade to Greige is confusing, is it mauve? is it grey? is it taupe? I don't have a clue but it looks gorgeous on so I'll live with the confusion! I've only ever owned these tiny little Ciate Paint Pots so I don't know if it's specific to them but I find the wear time is not so good, even with a base coat and top coat after just a day or two of wear they start looking messy.

Barry M Grey

Barry M has had a bit of an overhaul of late and this is a few years old now so I'm guessing the formula has been improved. Barry M have all the shades under the sun but sometimes the formula can let it down and be a bit too thick, but for the price who am I to complain?! I really like a grey nail, it's a more subtle variation of black and compliments paler winter skin.

Ciate Dangerous Affair

You can't let the cold months go by without an obligatory blood red nail! I have the same issues with the wear time of this as I do with Fade to Greige but in its unchipped days it is really nice. This went on a little streaky so it took an extra coat to get it looking even.

What have you been wearing on your nails now that Autumn is officially here?

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Monthly Favourites | May 2013

Am I seriously writing a monthly favourites post already?! It never ceases to amaze me how quickly this post comes around! 

This Nip+Fab Pistachio Sundae Body Butter is actually from April's Glossybox but it's taken me until nearly the end of May to appreciate it fully. It smells beautiful and really does leave your skin smooth and noticeably moisturised, I need to get my hands on a full size version of this before it's all gone! I've had my eye on MAC Lustre Drops in Pink Rebel for ages now and all it took was a 10% Debenhams discount to nudge me in the right direction. I only use this on my cheeks as it's quite pink in colour but it leaves such a lovely rosey sheen and the glow lasts all day. I haven't used another tanning product since I bought Palmer's Natural Bronze Body Lotion (full review here) for saying it's a gradual  tanner it acts fast and I usually only need one layer to make me look a level of sun kissed that I'm really happy with. The only thing that gets me down about this product is that if your elbows are even the slightest bit dry it sticks to them and no amount of scrubbing is removing that baby! Exfoliate, exfoliate, efoliate unless you want to rock the 'I've leant in mud look'! If there was such a thing I would be a strong contender for the messiest nail varnish application in the world. Ever. award so this Barry M Nail Paint Corrector Pen (full review here) is a god send for me. It's the perfect shape to get in all the tricky bits and is just such a handy little thing if you need to do a bit of tidying up. This Milk_Shake Conditioning Whipped Cream is something else that I got in a Glossbox but because it's a kind of mousse and a leave in product I was slightly hesitant to give it a go in case it left my hair all sticky. Well, it doesn't!! I love this stuff, it's so easy to use, just comb it through your hair and leave it, that's it, no stickiness just super soft manageable hair that smells AMAZING! I think you could count on the fingers of one hand the days that I haven't worn Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfector in Apricot Shimmer (full review here) this month. I cannot rave about this enough, just go out and get one right now! We had a couple of days of sunshine this month and as soon as the sun starts shining my nails need to be bright, Hedonist needed a break so I got this Models Own Ice Neon nail varnish in Bubblegum, it applies really well and is meant to be matte but I find after a day or so wear it does start to have a shine to it. A perfect bright summer shade that should be getting more wear than it has but the sun is in hiding, boohoo!

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Midweek Wish List #8

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1. I have been seeing a hell of a lot about this all over the blogosphere at the minute and I am ashamed to say I didn't have a clue what the fuss was about over the scent of summer, that was until I had a spritz whilst walking through Boots and I am hooked!! I could have sworn that I was by the pool with a malibu and coke as soon as I smelt it (I was actually in Nottingham Boots far too early in the morning before a day of team building exercises) I NEED to smell like this all summer!

2. I got a tiny version of this at Christmas in a gift set that was supposedly light but the shade wasn't even me after a good two week tropical holiday. I've always meant to go back and revisit this as I love anything that's brightening so I finally got the chance to go and get matched up and I'm I've been using a sample (in the right shade this time) for a couple of days now and I love it.

3. No, I don't want a pair of scissors, I just want a really good mop chop! It has been far too long since these ends have mine have been touched or my colour has been given a bit of life, desperate isn't even the word!!

4. I'm not quite sure when the launch date for these Barry M feather effect nail varnishes are but I've got my beady eye out so I don't miss it! While I was searching for these I saw that Barry M nail paints have been taken off the shelves in Boots, does anyone know why?

5. Mac Chatterbox looks like a lovely muted pink and between all the nudes, corals and brights this is a nice pinky day time colour that my collection is missing!

What are you lusting after this week?

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Barry M Nail Paint Corrector Pen

 

 

Barry M, Nail Art Corrector Pen £4.99

My nail varnish application skills would probably look better if I was blindfolded, it's not that I don't try to be neat, I really do but it just doesn't happen. When I saw this in Barry M's new drop of products I think I heard my nails do a little squeal of excitement, they've finally got a chance of looking presentable! The packaging is a pretty basic pen style with a lid on either end, one where the actual product you use is and the other is where the spare tips are kept. I do quite like the smell of this, it claims to smell of melon and I see where they're coming from if they mean a melon dipped in nail varnish remover. It's acetone free and the pointed tip is just the right shape to get right in there and remove all your messy bits. I would say that it does do a pretty good job, the only issue I have is that I found that it slightly tinted my skin the colour of the nail varnish where I rubbed it but this wasn't a long lasting thing! The first time I ever used this when I got on to tidying up my second hand the tip did seem a little bit drier already so I think that it might dry up quite quicky but at this price and with 2 spare tips that are double ended it's not like it isn't going to last you for a while. This is definitely a good little tool to have and it has took me a couple of weeks to get my hands on one so if you do happen to come accross one, grab it!! 

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Barry M Nail Paint in Amethyst Glitter

 

 

Barry M, Amethyst Glitter, £2.99

I used to religiously buy every new Barry M nail paint but then I discovered beauty blogs and OPI, Models Own, Essie, Ciaté so poor old Bazza got pushed aside! My go to base coat/top coat is the Barry M one, it does the job and is cheap and cheerful, what's not to love?! So when I was in Superdrug stockng up and realised there was a 3 for 2 offer on, not being one to pass up a free nail varnish this is one that caught my eye. 

The picture doesn't quite do it justice to how pretty and sparkly this nail varnish really is. It's jam packed full of pink, purple, turquoise and gold glitter but is more blue based than anything, I've layered mine on top of Ciaté Power Dressing and it went on with one and a half coats (half to cover any little bald spots) once it was on it did remind me a little bit of a smaller glitter particled and all round darker version of Models Own Ibiza Mix. The drying time was surprisingly quick as I always find Barry M seems to take bloody ages until you can use your hands again without risk of smudges. I did find that after only a day of wear most of my nails were chipped boohoo! Although for £2.99 you won't hear me complaining!