N.O.T.W - Yellow & Black Crackle. New Hair Colour!

Im going through a little bit of a yellow obsession at the moment! I always used to hate the colour growing up, but here i am with yellow nails, yellow eyeshadow and practically yellow hair haha (Aka Blonde!) xD
Anyway enough rambling, I decided to try out the crackle polishes which everyone and their mothers (In my case deffinatly my mother) have been raving about. I used the black Barry M one which my younger sister conveniantly had, over a yellow polish.

To be honest, I cant say im much of a fan. I hate the consistency of the Barry M polish, its gloopy and annoying to apply. I cant say I really like the finish as well. Im undecided on weather i like this look or not. Maybe using a different brand would yeild better results?

Products used:
OPI Base Coat
China Glaze Lemon Fizz
Barry M Instant Nail Effects in Black
Revlon Top Coat

This week I also decided to add abit of colour to my hair, putting some blue in my fringe. I used Directions hairdye in Lagoon Blue. It will probably fade pretty fast, hopefully not to an ugly colour, but Im considering ordering some Special Effects hairdye which ive heared is amazing!

E.L.F. Haul #3

My latest E.L.F. haul! I used the 20% discount code which was up on the facebook page last week to get some new products and repurchase. My sister also ordered a few things in with mine so we could get free shipping for orderes over £30 :P Sorry for the bad phone picture & I should have some E.L.F. reviews upcoming!
I had to restock on my Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory and Complexion Perfection as these are two of my staple products at the moment. I wanted to try the studio line tinted moisturiser but its currently out of stock in my shade.

Newbie products i got are:
Eyebrow Stencil (£1.50)
Blending eye brush (£1.50)
Regular Line Blush in Glow (£1.50)
Mineral Lipgloss in Fierce (£3.50)
Studio Golden Bronzer (£3.50)
Studio Powder Brush (£3.50)
Studio Stipple Brush (£3.50)
Small Brush Holder (£5)

My sister got:
Regular Pressed Powder in Apricot Beige (£1.50)
Regular Foundation Brush (£1.50)
Regular Tinted Moisturiser in Apricot Beige (£1.50)
Mineral Infused Face Primer (£6)
Studio Small Angled Brush (£3.50)

CLARINS Radiance Boosters: Review

Good Evening my lovelys! So I thought I would post a little review about my first experience with CLARINS! About 3 weeks ago while shopping with my mum in Liverpool, I was given some samples from the new Radiance Booster range. The woman said the line is perfect for young skin leaving teenagehood. I was given a Cleansing Gel, Wake-Up Booster and Moisturiser. Each tester had 5ml in, except the wake up booster which contained 10ml. I found a little goes a long way with these products, them lasting me a whole week of morning and night useage.


The smell of these is amazing, having an orangy scent. They were gentle and didnt make my skin feel greasy. There is a starter kit available which has 30ml of these three products for £19.50. Theres a few extra products in this range, for example a "day cream" with SPF in. Prices for full sized products range from £10.50 - £19.50 which is pretty decent for a "higher end" skincare brand. I have been tempted to repurchase but dont think im going too, as i personally didnt notice any significant difference to my skin, although you really should try a new skincare regime for 3 weeks before a verdict. I do like these, but would like to test a few other brands before settling on one.

St. Moriz Instant Self Tanning Mist

I've heared alot about this brand latley on youtube and blogs, so thought i would jump on the band wagon! I've never ever used fake tan before, its always been one of my many hates! Being very pale, its just never appealed to me. This summer is different. I burn in the sun, so cant tan naturally, and my legs literally reflect the sunlight they're so white. I've taken to prancing around in short shorts latley, and am having to wear skin coloured tights because my legs can blind an onlooker! I only want a little hint of colour on them, so i've decided to take the plunge!


At the moment im applying Dove "summer glow" morning and night, so if thats works all shall be well! But, if it doesnt, i shall be applying the St Moriz at the weekend! Its £2.99, having purchased from savers in "fair to normal". Im a little nervous, not wanting to be too dark as im not doing the rest of my body (just yet) but i guess i shall have hope for the best! If anyone has any tips or products for giving a little more colour to reflective white skin i would be glad to hear them! Pretty irritating for me how its just my legs that are disco ball worthy!

Mini Haul: Too Faced, Simple, Dr Nick Lowe.

Hey! I've picked up a few new things this week while in town, including some makeup storage, so thought i would share them with you =] Im planning on splashing out a little when i get my finances in order but for now ive just been picked up bits and bobs!

Simple Replenishing Rich Moisturuser
I was looking for a cheap moisturiser for the moment to replace my usual which has just ran out. A friend of mine said the brand simple was pretty decent so i thought i'd check it out. I have normal/combination skin and just decided to pick up this one, which apparently has UV filters. I need to pick up one with spf in really as i burn really easily in summer, but i'll be looking for one with maybe spf 30+, so if anyone has any recomendations post below! Anyway, I've used this twice and it leaves my skin nice and soft not taking too long to dry and not being overly oily. For just over 3 quid, its worth trying. Can be found in any store with a skincare section, boots, superdrug, tesco ect ^_^

Dr Nick Lowe Anti Blemish Purifying Foaming Cleanser
I saw this brand on a beauty blog i believe, reccomending it, so while i had a £5 off vouncher i decided to get one of the products. I really wanted the starter set, but they didnt have it in so i settled with this. I can break out sometimes when im stressed or at the time of the month, so i thought i would give this a go and see if its as good as people say. Im tempted to get some more of the range next week, but i'll see. The cleanser is a foam, me having never used a foam clenser before being abit weirded out by it! I've still to get used to it haha! I used this after ive taken my makeup off with a cream clenser, this just makes sure my skin is clean before moisturising. It smells abit funky, but that goes away after a few minuets. It retails at about £10 from boots (but having a voucher i got it for £5). Has anyone else had any experience with this brand?

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Tropical
Most girls have had experience with this product. I got it when i went to Download festival a few years ago, but havent repurchased since. Latley ive been finding less time to wash my hair in the morning or evening, only to jump in the shower quickly with my favourite lush shower gel, so thought i would get this to give my hair a clean feel between washes, especailly as the summer months are coming up when i'd want to shower maybe twice a day! I got this for £1.69 from savers!

5 Draw Stack
I also got the draws these products are perched on in the image above! Theres 5 roomy draws that come upto about knee level. The best part? They were £3 from Adsa! Bargin! My makeups been all over my floor since ive started buying more and more, and it overflowed from my little vanity box. These little draws are full already, but its just a temporary fix, as i move into my house in July so will be reorginizing everything! My collection isnt huge at the moment but its deffinatly growing!


Too Faced Pixie Pin-Ups Set
This was a spontanious buy when browsing the beauty stands in boots. I've always wanted to try too faces shadow indurence and the mascaras, so when i saw this set on clearance for £10.50 I had to buy it! It comes with a mini shadow insurence primer, mini lava gloss eyeliner pencil, mini lash injection mascara and 6 eyeshadows in Leading Lady, I Know What Boys Want, Lucky Charms, Heaven, Like a Virgin and Erotica. I've only used the eyeliner and mascara so far and have to say i do like the mascara. It smells abit weird but its amazing to use on my bottom lashes. Its amazingly water resistant too. My eye was watering a little and it didnt budge unlike my Benefit BADlash which can go all down my face! I dont think im gonna be sticking with it for the top, but bottom deffinatly. When i swatched the eyeliner on my hand and ran my finger over it it smudged and faded straight away do i didnt have too high hopes, but applying it to my top lid I didnt mind it actually. Its great for blending and does have staying power (except for abit in the inner corners of the eye). Im looking foward to trying the shadow insurence and eyeshadows this week! Worth the £10.50 i paid in my oppinion :D

I Got Naked!

Hello there! So I've finally finished my first year at university! I hope to now have more time to update my blog regularly. As you may guess by the title, this post is going to be about the highly acclaimed Urban Decay Naked Palette! I was lucky enough that 2 week ago, I nipped into Debenhams the day they had an order in! Straight away I grabbed myself and my good friend Katie a palette each! We had been eyeing up this palette for a while but its not been in stock ANYWHERE as most people know! Its not limited edition but it flies of the shelf so quickly!
In the palette is 12 full sized eyeshadows of various "neutral" colours, from browns to greys. Also included is an amazing eyeshadow brush, which retails on its own at about £15 as well as a mini primer potion.



I have to say, i freakin' LOVE this palette! I've been using it practically every day since getting it! The brush is actually the best eyeshadow brush ive ever used as well. Its soft, quite weighty and just feels right to hold! The shadows themselves glide on, blend beautifully, are highly pigmented and produce hardly any fallout, and when i mean hardly any, the lighter shades have none and the darker shades have literally a spec or two! I really can tell why this product is raved about so much. The packaging feel lovely, velevty with NAKED written across in gold.

[L-R: Virgin, Sin, Naked, Sidecar, Buck & Half Baked]

[L-R: Smog, Darkhorse, Toasted, Hustle, Creep & Gunmetal]

I have to say my most used shades at the moment are Virgin and Smog. Virgin is a perfect all over colour and under brown highlighter, while Smog is great for the crease! Heres my 2 favourite looks I tend to use alot, nothing too fancy just something for going to uni in.

1) Virgin all over the lid. Half Baked on the inner corner. Darkhorse in the crease and outer V with Buck blended ontop of it.
2) Virgin all over the lid. Smog in the crease, blended out.

Overall I most deffinatly reccomend this palette! Its a must have in every girls collection, even my mother wants is and she dosent even wear makeup!

Fraulein3°8 120 Palette and Brush Set

This has been a long time coming! I ordered this from Fraulein at the beginning of April/end of March i think, but as I went home for a month, I didnt recieve this until i got back to southampton. I've been using some of the brushes and eyeshadow colours over the past week, and thought it time to do a review.

The eyeshadows come in a rather thick case, the name stamped on the front. Its actually pretty heavy! The shadows themselves come in 2 layers, plastic protecting them. The pigmentation of these are amazing, coming with 66 shimmer colours, 12 metallic colours and 42 matte colours! I believe these mass produced in china and shipped to various cosmetics companys who then stamp their logo on, as ive seen many companys stocking these palettes under different names, also many listed on ebay. I love this though, its great for anyone starting out playing with eyeshadows or someone in the makeup industry, or even if you just want more colours to play with.

As for the brushes, these were the main reason I bought this perticular set. I didnt have many brushes, maybe about 12 and found it a pain when trying to do an eyeshadow look involving lots of different colours, as I only had 3 eyeshadow brushes, and not really any for blending. I wanted a cheap set with a wide variety that would let me continue my experimentation. They come in a lovely case protected by plastic so none of the brushes can get damaged or fall out. Theres 31 brushes in the set including Powder Brush, Angle Powder Brush, Andgle Shadow Brush, Round Shadow Brush, Flat Concealer Brush, Flat Concealer Brush, Small Domed Eye Brush, Fan Brush, Lipstick Brush, Eye Applicator Brush, Mascara Brush, Eyeliner Brush,Lash Comb & Brow Comb plus lots more! They're made with wood, plastic, fiber and animal hair. I do have abit of a problem with the latter, and will one day move on from using brushes with animal hair in, but for now until I invest in some more professional brushes, these will do. The quality is alright, some of the brushes are abit stiff and feel really light in my hand, compared to my urban decay brush which has a weight to it and feels super soft! Ive had shredding from some of the bigger brushes, but none really from the eye ones. I believe this set would be ideal for someone relatively new to makeup (as I am) or someone looking to start getting into the makeup industry.

Overall I am pleased with this set, its great for me who's recent spendings and experimetation in makeup is just starting to cause an overflow from my old makeup area (time to invest in more storage soon!)

On another note, I'm soon going to start taking more professional images of products for hauls and reviews ect, as i am a photographer, so really should put those skills to use. I'm also considering starting a youtube channel and explore a little into videos.
xx

MUA Pro comes to Superdrug!

Im sure most makeup junkies from the UK know of the mega cheap makeup range from superdrug called MUA! All the products in their original selection cost only £1, which is a bargin for the quality you get, especially with the eyeshadows. Now coming to stores soon is MUA Pro, a brand new range costing upto a maximum of £4!
I nipped into the Superdrug in Southampton today to check out the stand (Not all superdrugs hosting mua have recieved the mua pro brand yet). I have to say im impressed. There is so many new products I cant wait to buy and try, including foundation, face primer, eyeshadow trios and eyeshadow pallettes! Alot of the products had been snapped up so quickly, which shows the popularity of this amazing quality brand.
Also coming this summer are more eyeshadow and nailpolish colours! Something im really excited about!
I'm going to purchase some of the new range this week so shall post a review as soon as ive tested them.
xxx

Its nearly over!

So this time tomorrow I will have completed my first year of university! Its been such an interesting year. I moved from the North West of England to Southampton, not knowing anybody at all. I've made some lovely friends down here, and it really has been a learning curve for me. I've grown up so much! So i just thought i would post a little note on here, while im putting off writing the last bit of my essay, to just say university really is the best time of your life. Sure i've gotten home sick alot, and miss my friends from home, but its a massive step into the future and life without the parents.
And heres one of my favourite photographs I took this year! I think my photography has improved so much, and i finally found my niche. Beauty-Fashion photography <3

FOTD - Spring Green

Well heres my first face of the day! I've gotten loads of new products recently but not really had enough time to try them out, having uni deadlines looming. So today, in a bid to put off a 2000 word essay, I decided to use some brand new products and brushes! As its spring, ive been feeling very light and summery, excited for the months to come! Most of you wont know, that since i was about 11, I was a little goth kid, hiding from the sun, kitted out in black clothes through the summer months! This is my first summer of being bright and cheery, really looking foward to the sun! I guess i've grown up at last. Yes i still love my blacks, and half the time deffinatly look like I should be in a rock band, but Im not afraid to use and wear colour anymore! Anyway, enough blabbering!
Ive never worn green eyeshadow before. EVER. So this was a new thing for me, but i think i pulled it off pretty well for the first go. I was inspired by fresh spring grass, just after its rained. Cheesy I know :P



Im ready for an evening of essay writing! I apologise for my discusting hair, I've not had time to wash it, or even do anything with it today! Ah well. Now for the products i used! (I also dont usally use this many face products too!)

Face
E.L.F. Face Primer
E.L.F. Regular Tinted Moisturiser in Ivory
E.L.F. Concealer Pencil and Brush in Fair
Collection 2000 Perfect Finish Foundation in Vanilla (New purchase, first time using!)
Collection 2000 Pressed Powder in Ivory
E.L.F. Complextion Perfection
E.L.F. Studio Blush in Gotta Glow
Benefit Throbb Blush

Eyes
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
4 Colours from my Fraulein 38 Palette (White, Pale Green, Dark Green & Dark Green with shimmer. First time using!)
Mac Paint Pot in Blackground
Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner
Barry M Eye Pencil in White
Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara
Urban Decay Browbox in Gingersnap

Lips
E.L.F. Lip pencil in Natural Blush
Urban Decay Lipstick in Trainwreck (First time using)
MUA Lipgloss in Shade 1

E.L.F. Nail Polish in Pearl Pink

This is such a pretty colour! Yes its really translucent (above i have 2 coats on) but its perfect if you dont want anything too flashy! Most of my nail polishes are very bright, bold colours, so it was nice to use a really pale shimmery shade. I have this on my toes constantly! When it starts to chip as well, its not at all that noticable! I reckon it lasted 2 days of doing various bits and bobs around the house, before it started to fade a little at the tips.
Perfect for a relaxing summers day or if you want a little dash of colour going into the office.
This is my first E.L.F. polish, but i shall deffinatly be buying some more when i next order! Its £1.50 and oh so totally worth it!

Would I reccomend? Yes
Will I repurchase? Yes

E.L.F. Haul #2

This is pretty late, as i'm very busy with Uni deadlines but heres a short post on my last E.L.F. Haul! I got this stuff about 3 weeks ago i believe, using a free shipping code and also getting a free lipgloss! I must say, im pretty impressed! I use six out of the seven products every few days, and some are now in my every day makeup routine!

Studio Complextion Perfection (£3.50)
I love it! At first when i tried, i was trying to use each of the coloured seperatly and didnt notice any difference. But, coming back and having another go a week later, i swirled my brush over the whole thing, and woah! There was a visable reduction in redness on my face, it totally evened out my skintone! Love love love this product so far!

Studio Blush in Gotta Glow (£3.50)
I use this to highlight my cheeks, dabbing a little on my chin and nose to add a little bit of glow to my face. I wouldnt say its as amazing as some people say, its alright, but not something i require. I have been wearing this for the past few weeks daily, and do like it, but im really pale so it hardly shows up on my skin, which i guess could be a good thing sometimes.

Studio Concealer Pencil and Brush (£3.50)
Ive only used this once or twice i think, purchasing as loads of people have raved about it, but to be honest I dont really see whats so good about it. Sure it looks pretty cool, but i just dont use it.

Regular Tinted Moisturiser (£1.50)
Oh my gosh! This is probably my new favourite product! Having never tried a tinted moisturiser before, I've now realised ive been missing out! Its just a great base for my foundation, evens out my skin, moisturises and ofcourse the added SPF protection! The only downside is its a really tiny tube. But, ive used this every day for 3 weeks and theres still alot of product next. I think I shall be upgrading to the studio line tinted moisturiser when i next order from E.L.F.

Regular Lipstick in Classy (£1.50)
I really like the regular lippys, they're moisturising and last for a decent ammount of time. I love this colour, its a great nudeish pink colour, and works great when im just nipping to the library or going to the shop and i want a quick dash of colour on my lips!

Nail Polish in Pearl Pink (£1.50)
Such a cute shade! Its not very pigmented, but it gives a nice pink shimmer to my nails. I've been wearing this on my toes constantly! Chipping is unnoticable too really! A future post will be coming about this polish as i went trigger happy with my camera while wearing it!

Regular Super Glossy Lipshine in Mauve Luxe (£1.50)
This was the free gift that came with my purchase! Its got an SPF of 15 and smell amazing! It applies great, nice pigmentation, and lasts for a standard gloss time really. This can be used on its own or over a nude or brownish lippy i reckon.

GlossyBox

I know that getting your monthy fix of makeup can be expensive and theres always that need for more products! Some may be a hit, some a miss. I'm sure we've all recieved that £20 product only to not like it, resulting in a shroud of disappointment. As some people may know, America has a company called BirchBox, every makeup addicts dream. Now, launched this month, the UK have their own beauty addicts therapy! Glossybox! Every month a box will be sent out containting 5 high end minitures of makeup, hair products, skin products and more! This gives us means to test new products without actually splashing out if we dont like them!
Glossybox states that their service "enables you to try out the luxury product miniatures in your own time, in the comfort of your own home". Pretty awesome huh? And its only £10 a month!


Order now to recieve your June Glossybox!
Available from http://www.glossybox.co.uk/

Elegant Touch Classic French Nails

I've always envied those who have long nails, mine being really weak and always breaking. I've been wanting to try falsies for a while, and finally decided too last week, so off i popped into Superdrug to buy some! After browsing the shelves for what seemed like ages, I finally decided on Elegant Touch Classic French, Simply Pink, Size Short.


They come with Screw Top glue, Nail buffer, instruction leaflet and 24 nails in 10 different sizes. I selected all my nails before i started applying them, and arranged them on my desk. Application was very easy! I started with my left hand, which i always find most difficult to do when applying nail polish. I had no trouble at all applying the nails, and all stuck down really well. Its about 4 days on now and they're still on there! Some have came off, as ive caught them when tidying and helping my dad put things in the garage, but a little bit of glue and they pop right back on there. Having never had nails before, i found it so hard to put my tights on though, not wanting to rip them haha! Overall i am very pleased with these and will deffinatly be using falsies in the future.
Another great thing is, when my mum saw my nails she wanted some! So off we popped, this time buying extra short ones. My mum has bigger fingers, therefore wider nail beds than me, so we tried to see if my leftover nails would fit her. And they did!! So the remining nails arent going to go to waste, and i get her leftovers from the ones she buys! Sorted!


(Sorry for the bad phone picture)