Nailed it

WINTER NAIL POLISHES

Here are my favourite five nail polishes at the moment. As you can see in Winter I tend to gravitate towards glitters and icy colours rather than dark ones but I do like them too.

Models own - a pretty clear nail varnish with large glitter pieces. Shines silver/pink/purple. This looks great on a naked nail or layered.

WIP- Urban outfitters, a bluey lilac which is very sheer containing pink green gold blue and slver gitter pieces. Loved this so much I bought two!

Glitter - American Apparel. VERY big pieces of rainbow glitter. Looks great alone or layered and is fun and playful. I like to create an dips affect by concentrating the glitter nearer the tip and fading out towards the cuticle.

L'oreal top coat confetti - this top coat really reminds me of salt and pepper. So cute.

Barry M Gelly - blueberry. I love pastels right now and this is a lovely icy blue which has a lovely gel like finish.

                                                         

Perky Pink

SEVENTEEN PERK & PAINT

This is something I quickly picked up but am really happy that I did! Perk and paint by seventeen is a double ended eyeliner pencil duo, one end being a pale, lilac pink and the other an intense black. The main reason I bought it was because  the brightening pale pink side as it reminded me of Benefit's High Brow and Eye bright which I have been umming and ahhhhing over for months now. 

                               

Formula wise it's nice and creamy making it really blendable on the brow brown underneath the brows, and also in the waterline and corner of your eyes just to brighten them up a bit

 I'm not a massive fan of black eyeliner pencils, and haven't really given the black side a go mainly because it doesn't fit in with the way I like to have my make-up. That being said, I haven't tried it very much and it does look very pigmented just like the pink side.

I can't remember the exact price, but it was tiny especially in comparison to some of the other similar products available. I really recommend this - it's long lasting, a great formula, tiny price tag and an amazing look is achievable.

Have you tried this or any other seventeen products?

Eye Eye

BENEFIT INSTANT BROW PENCIL

I never thought the day would come when I didn't repurchase my MAC self propelling eyebrow pencil in lingering which I professed my love for here.

I didn't mind spending a little over the odd for a brow pencil which I loved but recently I find that I'm going through them way too fast, and at £13.50 a pop I really ought to find something a little more affordable or something which I don't have to purchase at least once a month. It just doesn't last long enough, it kept snapping little bits off and you NEVER knew when you were coming towards the end. 

In comes the Benefit Instant Brow Pencil. The colour match is almost perfect to lingering, maybe a little darker than I'm used to but I can live with that. I got mine for £13.50 from Debenhams in the colour Medium. I know it's the same price as Mac's but you get sooo much more pencil. The consistency is fairly soft and creamy meaning there are no harsh personal lines but definition can be created. And after a day wearing it, I can safely say it lasts reallllllly well. I like the spoolie too which I never thought I would.

I probably will purchase the MAC pencil again, but for now I am pretty content with my new Benefit one. 

Winter Wonderland

WINTER ESSENTIALS

As we are well into winter already, I thought I'd give you a few of my top products and items to help wintertime pass a lot easier!

Hot water bottle: it's so cold outside (its forecast snow!) and a hot water bottle is one of my musts. I hate being cold in bed and being warm is so dreamy! They make perfect Christmas presents too - try this one from Topshop.

Intensive Moisturiser: Cold weather really dehydrates my skin, and as someone who already has dry skin, I cannot stress the importance of moisturising your face and body. I have sensitive skin, so don't like to experiment too much with moistures for fear of a dreaded rash! I tend to use this and this for my face, the latter when my skin feels super dry more so at night. For my body I use Body Shop Coconut body butter but I would like to try the new Nivea in-shower moisturiser and Vaseline spray ons. 

A cosy scarf is also on my list as I hate being cold. At the moment I'm loving tartan ones. I like this one from Topshop.

A pair of winter boots which will see you safely through the winter are something everyone should have! I LOVE heeled leather chelsea boots and wear mine religiously but I'm also loving this pair from Missguided.

Earmuffs are cute and everyone should own a pair to keep their ears warm or a hat with a big bobble!

Dark nails and lips are a perfect make-up transition from Summer to Winter. Keeping the rest of your look simple will really make it pop and make it daytime wearable. I'm loving oxblood and deep purples.Set your lipstick with a fine loose powder after blotting and then apply more to keep lipstick to set it in place for longer. 

What are your winter essentials?

Glitterfied

NAIL ART - SUPER SPARKLY NAILS!

I can't believe it's already November. Where has this year gone, seriously? As we're coming into Winter now and are one more step towards Christmas (yay), I purchased some glitter for nail art for a tiny £3 from River Island and I think they can be bought online too for even cheaper somewhere... You get five extremely cute, tiny glass bottles and I used each glitter on a different nail as I'm so indecisive and pressed onto wet nail varnish. And voila!!!

 I really recommend 'Nail Art' products - they are so much cheaper than other brands available and you can be so creative. 

Would you buy these?

Make up to break up

MUA MINI MAKE UP HAUL

After reading countless blog posts on various make up bits from MUA I've become a little less sceptical and decided to try a few pieces out. Cheap make up isn't really my thing but you can find  decent pieces likes these three which don't ruin your bank account! For me, MUA is like the Primark of the make up world - if you look hard you can find some amazing things.   The three products I bought were: Undress your skin Shimmer Highlighter, Pro-Base conceal and brighten kit and Undress me too eyeshadow palette, the latter being the one I have wanted for a while. The trio cost me a tiny £7.50 as it's 3 for 2 in Superdrug right now instead of being £10.50. I think it's a pretty fair price to say all of these are pretty large products. MUA is famed for it's £1 products. 

First up is the shimmer highlighter (£3). I normally tend to go for liquid highlighters and at the moment I use VIE liquid highlighter with  pink and gold highlighters - similar to highbeam and moonbeam by Benefit. I have been looking for a powder highlighter for a while now and this one ticks all my boxes. If I'm highlighting, I prefer a shimmery pink over gold and this one is the perfect mix. It's extremely pigmented for a drugstore product and does the job perfectly. I dust it over my cheekbones and tried it over my cupids bow and bridge of my nose too. It's so shimmery. I'm not massively enticed to this product by the packaging but all in all it's a good product.

                       

 I have read countless blog posts and watched back to back video tutorials which use the Urban Decay Naked  2 palette and the end result is always amazing, but I really cannot justify spending £36 on an eyeshadow palette, especially when I hardly use eyeshadow! A lot of people seem to be comparing this MUA undress me too palette as a dupe for Naked 2 - I obviously can't make the comparison but it does look pretty similar. At £4 you can't go wrong. Undress me too features 12 eyeshadows ranging from soft neutrals to natural gold metallics and also includes a black. It also gives you an idea for a look on the back too. Some shades are matte and others are shimmery, complimenting each other well. As someone with green eyes, this palette is so perfect for me. The shadows are quite powdery on application but I don't think it's anything a good eyeshadow primer could sort out! The shadows are all well pigmented too. There isn't a shade a don't like in this palette but my favourites are probably Devotion (top 2nd) , Shy (top 3rd) and Fiery (top 4th). I love this product already and really really recommend this. I think MUA also do a palette called 'Undressed' which is like Urban Decay's original 'Naked' palette which I might purchase soon! 

                        

Finally is the PRO-BASE conceal and brighten kit. It features 2 concealers, one slightly darker and one slightly lighter and also has a pinky highlighter. The concealers are very creamy and seem to give a good coverage covering dark circles - I'm yet to try it over redness/spots. The highlighting cream is  shimmery and glides onto your skin. Personally, I don't have that many problems with dark circles or spots, but this product does work really well. It's a convenient little product which you can put in your bag and use to touch up throughout the day. At £3.50 it's so worth it. 

 I am really happy with these three products I bought and I am so keen to try out some more as MUA really seems to be combining quality products with high popularity and affordability.

Have you tried any MUA products? Leave comments below!

Nailed it 2

NAIL ART 

Painting my nails is one of my favourite things, and when I can find the time, I love nail art. This look although it took AGES was pretty easy and personally I think it looks really nice. It's based upon a photo I found on tumblr which I can't find now! When I'm lacking inspiration I just look at nail art images on tumblr to help me decide. I also have the WAH nails Nail art book which is super cool too. I began by prepping my nails with Nails Inc base caviar base coat which I love. I painting my thumb and little finger white with a Barry M nail varnish as the  colour I used was very sheer and I wanted to add opacity. I did 3 or 4 coats which a nude/pinky colour and then added three gems. For my index and ring finger, I used a No 17 silver nail varnish, and then went over with a silver glitter nail varnish from Barry M. I topped off with some large sequin pieces which I got from Topshop a while ago but any glitter is fine! For my middle finger I used a black nail varnish, again from Barry M (spot the pattern!) and then topped off with some tiny silver balls from a Nail art wheel I got from River Island. Here, here and here are some perfect things for this look! I like this look although its bold, it can pretty much go with any outfit. Nail art is really hitting off at the moment with me. 

                                                  

Do you like nail art? Leave comments below!

That rocks

LOLA ROSE ENERGISING ROCK CRYSTAL HAND LOTION

Lola Rose (such a pretty name!) is a brand I'd never heard of before this hand lotion. The product says it is formulated with the unique energy of Rock Crystal, combined with cocoa butter and pearl extracts designed to moisturise and protect the skin from dryness, whilst refreshing and invigorating the mind, body and soul. I got it as a present for my birthday and the first noticeable thing is the scent - it is amazing. I've never tried/heard of 'Rock Crystal' so I can't compare the scent to anything but it is citrusy and floral at the same time. It is quite a heavy smell. I've had bad eczema on my hands recently so haven't been able to test this properly for a while incase it makes it worse hence the almost 2 month delay on reviewing. It does leave your hands feeling very soft, but it's not something that would be easy to pop in your handbag as it's a pretty big bottle. I love the look of the bottle and keep in on my bedside table as the scent is relaxing and helps me to drift off a little bit easier. I still prefer my Body shop Hemp hand cream to this but I do like this product. At £14 it's fairly pricey for a brand I've never heard of, but it's a perfect gift. 

Have you tried any Lola Rose products? Leave comments below!

Grunge hair

UMBERTO GIANNINI GLAM HAIR COLLECTION

I have had my eye on these two beauties for a while now and was waiting for the 2 for £8 offer to come back on! Umberto Giannini 'Back Comb in a Bottle' and 'Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray' are part of the Glam Hair Collection by Umberto Giannini. Both products focus on volume and movement something that is really important and a difficult task for me. I love the packaging of the products but find it a little strange that the bottles are slightly different as they are part of the same collection.

 Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray promises "perfect lived-in texture and come-to-bed hair." You apply the product through damp hair and let your hair dry naturally or use a diffuser. I love the effect it gives and gives some volume and a lot of texture to my naturally straight hair without having to try too hard. I'm yet to try it before curling or waving my hair but i think it'll work perfectly. It also gives your hair texture just after making it easier to put up.

                           

Out the two, this is my favourite and stands out the most.Backcomb In A Bottle for me is a perfect product and absolute MUST-HAVE. I use it in place of a hairspray for perfect volume which I find so hard to gain. It also stops you having to backcomb your hair (hence the name) without ruining your hair with split ends and ending up with a big matted mess. It leaves a gorgeous texture too. The product is just magic!I think this will be a product I will always have and use. I forgot to mention these products have an amazing scent which stays in your hair for so long. They are available at Boots and are on offer for 2 for £8.

Have you tried these products or any other from the Umberto Giannini collections? Leave comments below! Thanks for reading!

Double up

NIVEA DAILY ESSENTIALS DOUBLE EFFECTIVE EYE MAKE-UP REMOVER

Nivea double effect eye make-up remover is an eye make-up remover (obviously) which promises to remove all eye make up including tough waterproof mascara with no rubbing needed. It is a "two-phase" extra strength formula which is perfect for even sensitive skin (yay!). One phase is oil based - the dark blue, and the other phase is aqueous which protects and cares for your eye lashes too without leaving an oily residue. To use, you shake the product a lot to mix both parts, apply to a cotton pad and swipe over your eyes to remove all product. It's really easy to use and is so effortless.  I sometimes just use it to remove all my make up. Being a bit of a magpie, I also really like the look of the two phase idea - I love anything a little bit different and it reminds me of them really cool mouthwashes (haha!). It's well priced too, £3.59 from Boots.  I've seen it on offer at various places too, I got mine from Sainsbury's. I have been using this for around a week and you don't have to use much at all, so it will last long, but with such a cheap price you won't have to worry about overusing.

What are your favourite make up removers? Thanks for reading and leave comments below!

Sweet kisses

L'OREAL ROUGE CARESSE LIPSTICK

                                 

L'oreal is one of my favourite drug store brands. I love their make up, skincare and hair product ranges. This post is on their Rouge Caresse lipsticks. I have two of these lipsticks in shades cheeky magenta (top) and rock n mauve (bottom). I love the formula, its so creamy yet sheer and moisturising too and so a really easy lipstick to apply.  I also love the packaging of the lipstick as it looks expensive. It's an affordable product too. I'd love to try some of the newer colours too. 

When I'm in a rush, I always go to 'Cheeky Magenta' as it just goes with everything and applies so well. It's super moisturising too so perfect to wear without the day. As with longevity, the lipstick doesn't last throughout the day that well but leaves behind a very VERY subtle colour.

This colour 'Rock n Mauve' is perfect for the day and as it comes into winter is perfect. It's a nice colour to try a bold purple if you're feeling a little shy! They are available from Boots priced at £7.99 but are quite often on offer.

Have you tried any of Rouge Caresse Lipsticks? Leave comments below!

Foundation blocks

CLINIQUE EVEN BETTER FOUNDATION AND HIGH IMPACT MASCARA

I bought Clinique Even Better foundation  a couple of weeks ago after I feeling a little bored of my Revlon nearly naked foundation and wanted to try something more high end. I also wanted slightly more coverage for the Winter which is so close now :( Even Better foundation is supposed to even out your skin tone too, easily covering redness without being too heavy. On first application my boyfriend mentioned how smooth my skin looked too - you know it must be good if a GUY notices! I was matched to the shade fair (2) which is THE perfect match to my skin tone. It leaves a light dewy finish and applies fairly easily. I buff it out with my Mac 187 duofibre just to create an even finish -I sometimes find it is easy to over apply with this foundation. I have dry skin and the odd time very slightly oily but this suits it perfectly. It also lasts ALL day.

                                 

                            

 I got given a sample of the Clinique High Impact mascara when I bought the foundation which is quickly becoming one of my favourite mascaras and I will be purchasing one pronto. It lengthens, separates and adds volume to my lashes without being clumpy. 

                              

                           

Have you tried any of these products? Leave comments below!

Outfit

OCTOBER OUTFIT

This is a quick outfit idea based around my most recent purchase - a grey leather-look wrap skirt from Topshop. I love the jumper-skirt combo right now, and I think with a pair of heels and statement necklace this outfit can be perfect for drinks or a night out. I'm also loving fluffy knits at the moment - they are perfect to snuggle up with in Winter and to add texture to an outfit. All these pieces are chosen from Topshop. I'm going  to wear an outfit similar to this Thursday night when I go out to Joshua Brooks in Manchester to see Karma Kid and Armeria DJ there.  

Bumble & Bumble free-bee

BUMBLE AND BUMBLE THICKENING HAIRSPRAY

EVERYONE loves a freebie, especially when it's a bumble and bumble product, so when I saw this lil beauty in the packaging of September's edition of ELLE, I immediately bought a copy. (I love ELLE mag too!). In the hair department, I'm "blessed" with naturally straight, fine hair which adding volume to is a nightmare. This product has been amazing in helping me to achieve volume and also in keeping my curls or waves intact throughout the day. This essentially does the same as a hairspray, but you apply it to damp hair before blow drying. The result is instantly volumised hair, without a "crispy" texture which normal hairsprays can leave. I love this and will be repurchasing now mine has run out. I don't think September's ELLE is available anymore but it's definitely worth splashing out on this. Probably one of the best magazine gifts I've ever had!I'm dying to try the Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner too! 

Have you tried this or any other Bumble and Bumble products? 

                                                         

Mac on the Lips

MAC LIPSTICK IN 'COSTA CHIC'

I love MAC lipsticks - when I want a new lipstick, MAC is my go-to brand. They have a huge aray of colours and finishes, I know they'll always have what I'm looking for. I got this as a present for my birthday and is quickly becoming one of my faves.Costa Chic is frost finish lipstick in a coral pink. I find it perfectly compliments my fair complexion. It's such a pretty and natural colour which can be easily built up meaning it's perfect for day and night. I find it quite long-lasting on my lips. Although Summer has left us (sadface) I'm sure I'll still wear this through Winter for a bit of colour on my lips when I don't want anything dramatic like a red or purple. 

MAC "costa chic" - £14

                                      Which MAC lipsticks do you love?

Eye Eye

MAC EYEBROW PENCIL IN 'LINGERING'

I have blonde hair with loads off tones, so I've always found it hard find the perfect eyebrow pencil shade. 'Lingering' by MAC is a neutral, medium to light brown colour which is about two shades darker than my natural brow as I like my eyebrows to be darker than my hair. I fill them in to add fullness, lengthen out and add definition but without recreating the dreaded 'Scouse Brow'! I like to square/round off the front (but not too much!).Unlike most conventional eyebrow pencils, this a thin twist-up stick with a creamy consistency - one of the main reasons why I love it so much as there is no messing around with a sharpener as it does it itself! I've been using this since the start of the year and am onto my fourth. At £13, it may seem a little overpriced as you only get a tiny amount of product but it's justifiable as I use it everyday without fail and I'd never use anything else. This is the perfect eyebrow pencil to create a natural look. 

MAC eyebrow pencil in 'Lingering'

Check Mate

ASOS GINGHAM SMOCK DRESS

  ASOS petite gingham smock dress

I've seen quite a few people wearing gingham dresses recently, so I have been really keen to get one myself. I got this one from ASOS for £36, which I felt was a little over priced. I chose this in a size 4 petite, as I'm quite small, but the sizing comes up large both width and length ways - especially for the petite collection. I love it too much to send back so I'm just going to take it up a little! You can wear a dress like this in loads of ways too! It looks really cool with Converse too. Here are just a couple pieces, (all TOPSHOP except sunglasses which are River Island) which you could style it with!