Review: Essie Nail Polish

Shade: Tarte Deco

 

Essie nail varnish's have been in Boots stores for a few months now which is where I came across them, and I am a total Essie convert!

The Essie range has the most fantastic colour range (especially in nude shades) and the shades are such in that there is only a slight difference between each shade as you go up the colour spectrum so you can spend ages deciding between two nude shades that there is only a slight difference in colour between (this is speaking from experience as my husband got very frustrated me standing for ages in Boots uhming and ahhing over prospective shades). I now have a few of the Essie shades with an eye for purchasing more, but this review is for this gorgeous bright coral/orange shade which is called Tarte Deco (such a fantastic name!!!).

First off the brush on the nail varnish has to be the best brush for applying varnish as it is wide and flat and you only need two strokes (if that) and your nail is covered! The colours tend to only need a couple of coats for them to go opaque and they are fast drying, this colour in particular I did two/three coats on to get the desired opaque look and it dried in a couple of minutes after the last coat. I am also quite impressed with how the colours last on the nails (more so the nude shades), they aren't as great as say Nails Inc but they do have good staying power which is good, however I always find you want to change your nails after a couple of days anyway so it doesn't really matter that much on staying power unless a varnish chips straight away! Like I said Tarte Deco is a fantastic coral/orange colour which is a perfect shade for summer or in winter would be fantastic on the toes to add a bit of brightness to those dark nights! I would definitely recommend the Essie polishes for fun colours and great application and will be bringing some other reviews on their shade shortly.

Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

Shade: Ivory 01

First off I have to say I rarely buy Rimmel foundations basically because the lightest shade that they do, ivory, is a bit too dark for me (crazy I know!) and therefore look a wierd orange colour on my skin which is not a good look! However when I got back from Honeymoon and my tan started to fade a little bit I needed a foundation that would suit my skin tone and had heard fantastic things about this Wake Me Up Foundation that I thought I would give it a whirl, the verdict is in and I absolutely love it!!!

I have been using this basically every day since coming back from Honeymoon as I still am not completley back to my normal pale self and even if I was this foundation would suit my skin tone which is a big bonus for me, wierd I know as normally it wouldn't be! I have featured it in a couple of my monthly favourites videos on my Youtube channel @SBSparkledust as well so do check them out :-).

Anyway back to the review, this foundation blends fantastically and you don't need a lot of it, you can use either your fingers or a brush to blend it (I use mainly either a Real Techniques Stippling Brush or the Buffing Brush to blend), and it sits lovely on the skin. It has tiny sparkly bits in it (don't worrk it's not glitter so you won't loook like you've jumped out of a David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust video), these give you a lovely glow to the face which I personally love but can understand why some people may not! It is also very long lasting which in my book for a foundation is a major plus factor and for a drugstore foundation an even bigger plus factor as you don't normally get that with lower end foundations and sometimes not even with highend foundations.

All in all a fantastic foundation which I would recomend and will definitely be re-purchasing (which I hardly ever do)!

FASHION POST: Simple skinny chic

Top: Topshop

Jeans: Topshop Leigh Skinny Jeans

Shoes: Next

Bag: River Island

I thought I would branch my blog out a bit and dip into fashion and accessories so this is the start of my posts in that direction. My main focus for blog will always be on beauty as I love it too much but I love reading outfit of the day posts on other blogs and decided I would give it a whirl on here too as a little branch off away from beauty. A couple of my favourite fashion/beauty blogs to read are: Llymrs, Viviannadoesmakeup and PeonyLim. I think it's important to find your own way and style with blogging which I am getting used to as I am trying and testing bits out, but I do think I am getting there and the most important thing is I am really enjoying it!!

Anyway onto fashion, I think I have changed my style a lot of the years and when I was younger I don't think I necessarily had much style (sometimes very dodgy), and even now sometimes a couple of style misses occur but I think as I am getting older I am experimenting more and feel a lot more confident when it comes to wearing outfits.

My style at the moment I would say is quite basic, I like skinny jeans and basic t-shirts with flats, but you guys will see we go on :-).

Hope you guys like my outfit and I would love it if you left me a little comment :-)

x

Review: Topshop Nail Polish

Shade: Gone Fishing

Firstly I just love the packaging the the Topshop beauty products it's all spotty and Dalmatian like and just looks very adorable but not in a childlike way! Secondly I love this colour nail polish, it's a fantastic mint green colour which isn't too pastel like but is on the cusp of a pastel shade and looks fantastic on both fingers and toes. What I have found though with this is the nail polish is quite watery to begin with so you do need a couple of coats to get an opaque look, and the brush is quite thin and therefore not as fantastic to apply as say a Nails Inc nail polish.

I do however think that the Topshop nail polish range is fantastic and they have some fabulous colours which are very on trend and are not a bad price point at around £6, so definitely well worth a buy if you haven't already tried them out!

Review: Maybelline Colour Sensational Popsticks

Shade: Citrus Slice

This is one of those products that I saw advertised and thought oooh I have to try one of those, commence the endless search to find it, proceed to try it and then unfortunately becomes a bit of a disappointment!!??

To me this is a gimic product making a lipstick look like a popsicle or an old school push pop (do you remember those!!) and in principle it is a great idea, however with this shade in particular the pay off was not there for me. It is balm/lipstick with a nice shine to it and even though this shade of Citrus Slice is orange to look at, when swatching it on my hand in Boots it actually is a pink shade which was a bit of a "oooh that's interesting" which added to my excitement, however when you try it on the lips the colour pay off is just not there and although it gives a lovely balm/shine texture to the lips, the colour is a barely there pink. Now for some this may be great and don't get me wrong I do like it, but you can get a similar finish from a tinted pot of Vaseline and for the price (just over £7, I think about £7.19, odd number I know!!!) for me for the product was a bit much for what it does, so really the price point for me should be under £5. For the scent of this product it is lovely and does remind me again of push pop's with a mix of citrus and sweetie scents, but if you are not keen on scented products this would not be one to try.

All in all for me it was a slight let down colour wise and price but a nice texture on the lips, however I don't think I would re-purchase it.

Review: Revlon Lip Butters

Shades from left to right:
Creme Brulee - Neutral beige colour
Tutti Frutti - Orange
Sweet Tart - Bright pink
Berry Smoothie - Muted purple/pink

Swatch does not show the colours particularly well.

Hands down I love these lip products!!

I have never been a lipstick person and my lips tend to be something that I always overlook (perhaps because I was self conscious as they are quite large, the older I get though the more I embrace them), and when I did buy products they were more glosses than balms or lipsticks. Over the past couple of years I have started to change and have started buying more lipsticks and experimenting with different colours, and these lip butters are by far my favourite purchases (which is why I have 4 and I would like more of them!!).

These products are a cross between a lipstick and a lip balm, so if you like the colour payoff of a lipstick but the conditioning of a balm Revlon lip butters are the way forward! They are packaged well with the lid having a diamond pattern on them which I am a little OCD with putting them back on correctly :-), they feel fantastic to apply and very conditioning on your lips 9not drying at all) and the colour pigmentation is fantastic considering that they are balm based especially for the brighter colours such as Tutti Frutti and Sweet Tart!! The price is very reasonable as well as they cost £7.99 in Boots and with the offers that sometimes Boots have you may be able to pick them up cheaper.

I have also mentioned these in a couple of my youtube videos which you can find on my channel SBSparkledust

Overall I totally recomend these and are worth investing in whether you like a subtle neutral lip or prefer experimentation with bright colours!

*Star Product* :-)!!

Brush Review: Real Techniques

Blusher Brush

Stippling Brush

Shading Brush

I have really neglected my blogging recently so I thought it was time to get my backside into gear and get some posts done, starting with these fantastic Real techniques Brushes by Samantha Chapman of Pixiwoo! I can't express my love for these brushes too much they are just brilliant and I am desperate to get more of them!

The brushes are made with Taklon Bristles and therefore are 100% cruelty free and are the softest bristles on make-up brushes you will find, just absolutely lovely on your skin, and as they are synthetic absolutely perfect for applying cream products to your skin as well as powder products. The handles come in a colour coded system, bronze/gold for base products, purple for eye products and pink/red for finishing touches which I think is a great idea as it makes them easy to locate in your brush pot.

These brushes are available to buy online and you can find out more about them on the website and also Sam Chapman shows you how to create different looks using the brushes on the website as well which is brilliant if you are new to make-up brushes!

I bought my three brushes from Boots in the MetroCentre and got them as they were 3 for 2 which was an absolute bargain and for the 3 brushes it worked out at around £21 which I didn't think was bad. All brushes I have found fantastic for applying my make-up, the stippling brush gives an absolute flawless finish to your foundation and I have also used it for cream blush, while the blusher brush is perfect for either blusher or contouring, the shading brush is perfect for either concealer or eyeshadow and it has been perfect for applying my Chanel Emerville cream eyeshadow.

All in all fantastic products and I totally recommend them to anyone either starting out with brushes or someone who is wanting to expand their brush collection.

You can also check out my youtube channel at SBSparkleDust where I talk about these brushes in both a haul video and my April favourites :-)!



New Channel on YouTube

I have been totally bad at blogging on here lately because I have been setting up a new YouTube channel as a way to branch out further into the make-up blog/vlog world :-). My channel is mainly for make-up reviews, hauls and a couple of fun videos as well so hopefully you will all like to check it out, if you do my channel is called SBSparkledust. I named it slightly different as I wanted a nod to my blog on here so I added SB to the front but I wanted to differentiate between the two and I like sparkly things so that's where sparkledust came from.

Anyway do please check it out and I have lots of upcoming reviews on my blog here so watch this space as they say :-)!

Tataa for now!

sxx

Review: Maybelline Forever Strong Nail Varnish

Shade: Ceramic Blue

I have been really lax with my blogging of late, but I have been focusing on setting up a youtube channel which is now live and there are a few videos on there so do check them out, my channel is SBSparkleDust :-)!!

Anyway this post is a review of a nail varnish that I bought from Boots the other week in one of my 3 for 2 purchases :-). I got this one and a Revlon nail polish as well as one of the coveted Revlon Lip Butter's which a review will follow on shortly.

I have another Maybelline Forever Strong nail varnish in clear which I have found great for helping my nails to grow (they have been particularly bad recently), so I decided to invest in a colour one and got drawn in by this pretty pastel blue colour.  Pastels and brights are very in for Spring/Summer and I love this blue colour as it is like a pale denim colour and it is not too overbearing in that it would go with quite a lot of outfits which is a bonus. I didn't notice until I started to put it on that it is a tiny bit holographic with a purple tone but it is so subtle that you hardly notice it,

I used two coats on my nails which was all I needed, you could get away with doing one as it is quite thick to apply but I thought for even coverage I would do a second coat. It dries quite quick which is good and I wore this for just under a week and it had barely started to chip which impressed me. I think it comes in for under £5 and for that I think it is well worth checking out if you are wanting to update your nails with a bit of pastel colour for Spring.

Happy nail varnish shopping :-)!

Review: Barry M Kohl Pencil

Shade: No 19 (I think)

After being inspired by one of Pixiwoos looks on youtube I decided to dabble back into the world of coloured kohl pencils especially in blue!!

As I have mentioned before I love my black eyeliner (so so soooo much), there is not a week where I don't have it on at some point however I am now into experimentation mode with my make-up and I also thought it was time for a change . I was in Boots one day a few weeks ago now and decisions had to be made over blue eyeliner and I decided on this one from Barry M. Now after I had bought it I did have some second thoughts on it as it was quite a hard pencil (I tend to like more soft easier to apply pencils), however the more I have used it the more soft it has become which means it is easier to apply and doesn't drag the skin. I do love the shade (which I think is no 19) as it is what I would call an electric blue, however I am disappointed that it isn't as bright once applied which is a downside for me. I have been using this on a few occasions with a light/soft brown eyeshadow to funk it up a bit and it has given it a bit of an edge and because it's blue instead of black it makes my eyes pop a bit more which I like.

I would say if you like really easy soft kohl pencils then this may not be one for you to try, like I said it does soften the more you use it which is a saving grace for me however it is still quite hard. The good thing with Barry M is they are not breaking the bank types of products and if you are wanting to try a colour eyeliner to move away from black they have some good colours to choose from.
So tell me what your make-up experimentation is???

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 8

Nars Super Orgasm Blusher

So this week has been the week for Nars blusher and I've been loving the sparkle and freshness it brings to my face. I had forgotten quite how much I love this blusher after using my Benefit ones for absolutely ages now, however having rediscovered it I think it will be used quite a lot from now on. Although saying that I had forgotten about my Dainty Doll blusher/bronzer which I found the other day so that may get an outing this week!

The thing that I love about this blusher it is brightens your face up and you can build it up so you can have mega rosey cheeks or paired down cheeks with a hint of flush, however both looks have a little bit of sparkle so no highlighter is really needed.

For those that have yet to try a Nars blusher I highly recommend this one to try!

What's your make-up box product of the week???

Review: Lush Soap

Fragrance: Rock Star

As with all Lush products and the Lush shop in general you smell them before you get to them as they all have strong fragrances and sometimes I think the shop can be very overpowering, however I'd say 90% of their products smell fantastic (as some of them aren't to my taste) and this Rock Star soap is no exception!

The Rock Star soap is a body and hand soap and is a fantastic colour and basically smells like sweets :-), it doesn't smell sickly at all and is lovely and fresh and because the smell is strong actually works as a fantastic air freshener as well. I say that because I currently have this in our downstairs toilet which is located next to the front door, so when you walk in the front door you get the fantastic sweetie smell as you walk in the door which is fantastic.

The soap itself is soft on your hands and doesn't leave them dry as some soaps can, and it leaves the scent on your hands so it stays with you which is nice.

I'd say this is my favourite soap fragrance from Lush alongside Godmother which also has a lovely sweet scent to it.

Do you have any favourite Lush products??

Review: Dirty Works - Go Balmy Berry Lip Balm

I got this lip balm for my Birthday and it's from Dirty Works which is available in Sainsbury's. Dirty Works is a bit like Soap and Glory with a similar sort of theme for their packaging but is a little less in price. I haven't tried any of the products until now so I am on the fence as to whether they will be as great as Soap and Glory, I'll let you know what I think once I have tried more products which is a great excuse to go and spend some money :-)!

This lip balm is lovely as it's like a gloss but has the texture of a balm so is great for moisturising lips that are cracked (like mine are at the moment), but add some shine to them without being tacky. It has a lovely smell as well which is obviously berries due to the name of the product but isn't overly fruity as that can sometimes be off putting. It's basically a great handbag product for on the go maintenance!

Mirror Mirror on the wall...........

Les Tai Tai - Model Mirror

My plan to blog last week just didn't happen with one thing and another so I will be making up for it this week!

I absolutely love this mirror which I got for my Birthday, it brings a massive smile to my face every time I get it out of it's pouch! It's obviously a compact mirror with one magnifying mirror and one normal mirror but it has a twist the magnifying mirror lights up like a theatre dressing room mirror which is just a brilliant idea! For it to light up it obviously needs a battery which comes with the mirror but you can also buy replacements from the website as well which is handy to know as it needs a special battery to operate.

These come in an array of designs all of which are fantastic but I obviously love my skull design one, and they are surprisingly slim and lightweight so are perfect for slipping into a clutch for a night out, and because they light up brilliant for on the spot touch ups in the club :-)!

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 7

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

Ok well I'm still absolutely loving this eyeshadow even though I haven't worn it every day this week It's just the best eyeshadow I have ever used! Even though it is at the high end of price bracket for eyeshadow I do totally recommend it and guarantee that you won't be disappointed with it.

Have you had an exciting week??

Do you have a make-up box product of the week to share??

Review: Lush Wobbly Jelly for Shower of Bath

Fragrance: Sweetie Pie

I think I have said before I don't often buy anything from Lush but for my Birthday when we were in Harrogate we popped into the Lush shop and I got a couple of things, one was this jelly and the other was a soap which I will do a review on as well.

This is one of their wobbly jellies which can be used either in the shower or the bath and it's called Sweetie Pie which I think is such a cute name and fits very well with the fragrance which smells divine! The jellies do have tiny sparkles in them from glitter and they are a solid jelly consistency rather than sloppy and is a nice texture, however it does make it very difficult to use in the shower.

You have to really pull a lump off to use and because it's jelly it does slip all over the place and I dropped it constantly, so it may work better in the bath, however it does lather quite nice although takes a while to dissolve. The smell of Sweetie Pie is gorgeous and is a cross between sweets and blackcurrants and is just a fun product to use and I would recommend giving it a go.

What Lush products do you like to buy??

Review: Collection 2000 Cream Eyeshadows

Shades: Gold Rush and Platinum Bling

Platinum Bling

Gold Rush

Left: Gold Rush

Right: Platinum Bling

I have been a bit lax on my blogging last week and this week but I have a lots to review so I will be making up for it this week!

These cream eyeshadows I got at Christmas, I bought the gold one myself for my Christmas make-up and did do a little post on it at the time and promised a review :-). The platinum one was a stocking filler again at Christmas, so I thought I would review them both together.

Collection 2000 is one of the cheaper drug store brands, not all of the products are brilliant however they do have some excellent finds and these are one of them. The cream eyeshadow applies really well and blends reasonably ok on the lid, however because it is a wet to dry texture it does dry quite quick so you have to blend them out quickly. The colours are not too dark or mega vibrant so are great for a subtle metallic look or equally can be used a base for a powder eyeshadow for an ultimate wow factor metallic eye. The staying power is great but they do crease a little by the end of the day, but considering they are a cheap product they are one of the better cream eyeshadows for staying power in my opinion.

Out of the two I think I prefer the platinum colour as it's not a bright silver and more burnished and grey which is lovely for a smokey eye. The gold is nice and extremely wearable which I was surprised at as gold can be hard to wear especially for pale skin.

I think that they are well worth checking out and they are under £5 so won't break the bank which is great if you are fancying something new to try but don't want to spend too much money!



Review: Mac Brushes

No's: 316, 266, 194, 275, 239, 150, 190, 168

I have always wanted some decent make-up brushes so I was spectacularly chuffed when my Sister said she would get me some Mac ones for my Birthday, the result was this lovely set which I absolutely love!

It's an 8 piece set which is fantastic for general use as well as for travelling as it comes in a case, and basically has every brush you would need for applying make-up on a daily basis. You have a foundation brush, a big blusher/powder brush and a blusher/contour brush for the face, and then 4 eye brushes one of which could be used on brows and a lip brush. All the brushes are very soft, extremely easy to clean and give a great finish, I haven't used them all yet but the ones I have used so far have been fantastic and a lot better than a couple of my old brushes which I am gradually replacing!!

I think my next brushes will be some Real Techniques ones which I am desperate to get hold of and I'm so pleased Boots are going to be stocking them, so watch this space for expectant purchases :-).

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 6

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

I have been loving this ever since I got it and have worn it most days as it is just such a fantastic finish and beautiful colour which gives a lovely fresh look to my make-up! I am gradually moving away from the brown  and grey shades that I normally wear (and have done so for years) to more adventurous neutrals such as peach and gold tones as well as pinks (although the pinks have to be the right shade otherwise i look a bit scary eyed!!!). This eyeshadow I think will be a staple in my make-up bag/box from now on and as I have said in my review of it a little earlier on my blog, once you have bought this eyeshadow you won't want to be without it and therefore may become one of your products of the week!



Review: Batiste Dry Shampoo

Fragrance: Sassy and Daring Wild

Since I have been growing my hair for our wedding this June I could not be without dry shampoo as it makes my life so much more easier! I used to be a wash the hair everyday kind of girl as my hair was short (at one point a pixie crop) and I had the time to blow dry and straighten it all the time, however now it is longer I just don't have the time to do this everyday as well as that it isn't good on your hair to be washing and blow drying it everyday as it can strip the goodness out of it (which I was aware of but just didn't pay attention to before). I also now at the weekend like to let my hair dry naturally to give it a rest from heat styling which I think is important to keep the hair in good condition.

This little gem of dry shampoo I use probably every other day just on my roots and brush it out to freshen the hair and then I either tie it up in a top knot bun or just let it be au natural and be crazily wavy, and I mean massively wavy!! Batiste is also really good if you like to do a bit of backcombing which is always better on day old hair and this helps to add a bit of texture to the hair for creating styles.

I have used the original Batiste and a couple of the fragrance ones which come in these funky design cans which look good on the dressing table. I have to say a couple of the fragrances are too much on the coconut edge for me but this one I do like as it has a slight vanilla fragrance to it but isn't overpowering! I am going to invest in a travel size can for handbag for during the day in case the roots look a little greasy as the day progresses!

Review: Chanel Illusion D'Ombre - Long Wear Luminous Eyeshadow

Shade: 82 Emerveille

This was one of my treats for my Birthday from my gorgeous Fiance! I have wanted to try some Chanel make-up for ages and especially this eyeshadow as I have read fantastic things about it! It's what you would call a cream eyeshadow but it's so much more than that and it's very luxurious and everything you would expect from Chanel. The eyeshadow also comes with a cute little shadow/liner brush which is great for if you are using it on the go. I went for the shade 82 Emerveille as it is a gorgeous pink/peach/gold shade and is lovely for a neutral eye but has a very expensive feel to it which is great for either day or evening wear.

To quote from the Chanel website:

"This intensely shimmering long-wear eyeshadow offers true versatility. An innovative gel texture that is both soft and cushiony allows it to be worn as eyeshadow or eyeliner."

The texture is nothing like I have ever tried before, and it is like a gel but almost souffle like which is very strange when you touch it as it looks like a loose sparkly powder when you first open the pot. I think because it contains silicone this gives it a gorgeous feel and is easily blends onto the eyelid as it is so smooth and doesn't drag at all. As it says it is a long wear eyeshadow and it is the only cream eyeshadow or even eyeshadow in general that does last all day and doesn't crease, so mega bonus!!

This is definitely a get what you pay for eyeshadow as it is expensive at £22.50 (from Hoopers in Harrogate) but I think once you try it you won't want to be without it as it is just so good!

Happy Birthday Candle :-)

Elderflower Champagne Candle

This is the second Elderflower Champagne candle I have received as a present, the first one I got at Christmas but I haven't started to burn that yet so a post will follow later on that :-). This one I got for my Birthday as can be seen on the tin, and it's absolutely lovely! The smell is subtle and fresh and isn't at all sickly, and is very good at freshening up the living room, so loving it greatly!!

Review: Topshop Lipstick

Shade: Coy

I got very excited when I spied this Lipstick in Topshop, however that was not to last and unfortunately turned into disappointment.

This product is a lipstick pencil with a matte finish in a pale coral orange colour which on paper sounds fantastic and very on trend, however the lipstick just is not that great and for me personally does not deliver a good finish. If you are using a matte lipstick it really needs to give a good coverage as well as be moisturising so it doesn't break up and make the lips look dry, of which none of these this product does. The colour didn't translate across onto the lips and it made them look all cracked and chapped as the colour broke up on them which is not a good luck, especially as I'm obsessed with lip balm to try and combat chapped lips so I really don't want a product that enhances them!

I think Topshop do have a few good products in their make-up range so it is worth checking out their counter in the shop, however this product for me isn't one of the better ones.

Review: Benefit Velvet Eyeshadow

Shade: Fawn Over Me

This eyeshadow I got for Christmas from my Sister and it's fair to say that I love it! Having never tried a Benefit eyeshadow before I was very excited to get this and try it out and it didn't disappoint.

It has a lovely soft texture (which is why I suppose it's called velvet eyeshadow), and is very easy to blend either with your finger or brush. The colour is a very pale mink brown and has a slight sheen to it which is lovely for day wear either on it's own or can easily be smoked up with some black eyeliner for a more dramatic effect!

If you love powder eyeshadows and especially brown/neutral colours this is definitely one to check out!

 

Lengthened lashes or flaky clumps.......

No 17 - Peep Show Mascara with lengthening fibres

Ok so I've been having a mascara dilema, my Bad Gal Lash ran out ages ago so I've been buying less expensive drugstore ones, however none of them have come up to the mark and therefore the conclusion is I think I'll have to go and get a Bad Gal Lash pretty soon!! Don't get me wrong as I have nothing against less expensive mascaras as some of them are really good, particularly Bourjois and a couple of collection 2000 ones, however lately I seemed to have just picked the wrong mascaras, the downfall of crazy impulse buys from Boots I think!

This mascara I thought was ok to begin with, however I have decided that I am disappointed with it especially as it has now dried out and I haven't had it that long!!! The brush is ok and does give defined lashes but does tend to clump the lashes a bit and then flaked off during the day which I didn't think was good for a lasting look. I haven't noticed my lashes get any longer from the lengthening fibres either!!

Although less expensive mascara's can be ok, when they are not it becomes less cost effective as you then need to go out and buy more and therefore may as well have just bought a slightly more expensive one which you know will be ok!

Happy mascara hunting!

Winter skin saviour!

Soap and Glory - Hand Food

I'm having my usual winter dry skin issues on my hands, which means the skin around my nails is awful as well as dry knuckles and odd dry patches on my palms, which again means it's time to crank up the use of hand cream to try and combat this issue! Currently I feel like I'm fighting a loosing battle but I have a couple of hand creams on the go which are being my saviours for this problem, Soap and Glory's Hand Food is one of them.

As I've mentioned before I always have a few hand creams on the go, especially one in my hand bag! This is the one I am using for when I'm pottering around in the house and as a lover of Soap and Glory it doesn't disappoint.

It's quite a thick cream so you don't need a lot if you are just needing a quick moisture boost to the skin, but it can also be used quite thick and with cotton gloves for a deep conditioning treatment as well which is a big plus point. It's full of lovely ingredients as well such as shea butter, sweet almond oil and also has marshmallow in there, which is probably where it gets it's delicious smell from. Another big plus point for this cream is it isn't too greasy (although it states non greasy it is a little bit greasy when first applied), and soaks into the skin quickly which is good when you are busy and on the go!

As the weather has taken a turn for the worse at the weekend with snow and a big freeze forecast I think I will be boosting the use of this cream from now on to try and ease off dry and chapped skin!!

Do you have a winter skin saviour??

Make-up Box - Product of the Week - No 5

Shu Uemura Brush Cleaner

I've been using baby shampoo to clean my brushes but I have wanted a brush cleaner for a while now. I got this Shu Uemura cleaner from Space NK in Harrogate for £11 and it's made cleaning my brushes so much more quicker and easier so that's why it's reached my product of the week.

I think it's definitely worth investing in a brush cleaner for cleaning make-up brushes rather than a baby shampoo as the cleaner gets the brushes completely clean therefore making it them more hygienic!

A full review on this will be following on the blog!



Birthday Presents!!!!

30th Birthday Presents

So this week I turned 30!!! I had a fantastic weekend last weekend celebrating and then on my actual birthday I got took to Harrogate (love that place and lots of fantastic shops) and was spoilt with lots of treats (tea at Betty's being one yummy)!!

I thought I'd post a couple of pics of things that I got for presents, consisting of a lot of beauty products as well as accessories such as the fantastic Mac brush set my big sis got me :-). I will be doing reviews on all the beauty products as I use them, as well as doing some posts on all the accessories!

Anyone else had a birthday recently or had a milestone birthday that they have passed??

Tiger crackle nails grrrrrrr

Models Own - Smash Up in Black

I haven't done a nail varnish post in ages!!! I basically haven't pained my nails for ages and I think that's why my nails have just gone absolutely rubbish, I find that when I paint them it makes them stronger and they grow much nicer!

I decided to do something different for my birthday night out and decided to use this Models Own Smash Up varnish which I bought ages ago and had never used!

I painted my nails in a base colour using Nails Inc Brook Street (a coral/pink colour), let that dry and then painted one coat of the Smash Up on. It basically does what it says on the bottle, it smashes up straight away to create this nail effect which I likened to Tiger stripes :-)! I absolutely loved the effect it gave and the colours totally matched the skirt I was wearing from Topshop which was black with a coral band around the bottom so they just finished my outfit off! Both Nails Inc and Models Own are hard wearing so they last really well and don't tend to chip for a few days, I painted these on a Saturday afternoon and took them off on the Tuesday and they hadn't chipped at all which I thought was really good.

I will definitely be using the Smash Up again with different colours and it totally funks up ordinary nails making them look ultra fab!

Anyone else dabbling with nail effects??

The perfect match?

Collection 2000 - Colour Match Foundation in Ivory 1

As I have stated in previous posts I do struggle to find foundations that match my skin tone, so when I saw this product I was interested to see if it does what it says i.e. match to your skin tone!

I don't buy Collection 2000 foundations mainly because their palest shade which is normally Ivory is just too dark for my skin tone which is really annoying. This product here is in Ivory so I thought it would again be too dark so resisted getting it at first, however as it is supposed to match to your skin tone I did a tester again and decided to give it a whirl, plus it was on offer for £5.99 in Boots so a bargain really.

I was relatively impressed by the skin tone match as it did match my skin tone quite well, the texture is quite thick and creamy and it does blend in well to the skin, I used my fingers to apply it for quickness really more than anything else. I do have to powder throughout the day to combat shine, but generally the foundation lasts well throughout the day which for a cheap foundation is really good. The bottle is glass and therefore gives it a more expensive feel for a drugstore product. If you want to see what I look like wearing this check out my Illamasqua fake eyelash post as this was the foundation I was wearing at the time!

If you are looking for an inexpensive foundation this is definitely the product to get and I would say is definitely one of the top drugstore foundations I have tried (and I have tried lots!).

Free goods :-)

No 17 - Peep Show Smokey Eye Palette

I'm off work today and tomorrow (tomorrow is my 30th Birthday :-)) so  thought I'd catch up on my blogging and get a few posts out so expect to see lots coming in the next day!

I got this lovely little eyeshadow palette free with a No 17 Peep Show Mascara (review to follow soon) from Boots. I hadn't realised it was free and had picked it up independently and then got to the checkout and the lady behind the till said it was a free gift with the mascara so as I am a mascara lover I got the mascara as well, killing two birds with one stone and all :-)!

This is a good palette for creating a smokey brown eye as you have a pink colour a mid brown and a dark brown, all of which are shimmery eyeshadows, then there is a matte charcoal grey colour which could be used along the lash line as a liner. I have only used the pink and brown colours as I'm personally not too keen on the grey colour. The colours are great and blend easily the only thing is they crease really quickly so say I apply my make-up at 7am on a morning for work, by about 11am they are creased, so not particularly long lasting for day wear but would be ok for say a night out. I do however think possibly with an eyelid primer they would last longer. I mean all in all it was a free gift with the mascara, and it's No 17 which is a cheap make-up brand so you can't complain too much about it not being too long lasting. If you love a bargain or free gifts then this is something to keep and eye out for, I personally don't think I would purposefully buy any eyeshadows from the No 17 range but they are great as a free product.

A sprinkling of fairy dust :-)

Lily Flame Candle in Fairy Dust

I absolutely love candles (maybe I was a witch in a former life!!?? lol), and this is my favourite candle to date! Lily Flame candles are fantastic they have some delicious smells, although some are a bit potent, but Fairy Dust to me is their crowning glory! This is the third one I have had and was bought for me by Jason (my Fiance) as a stocking filler for Christmas as he knows I love them. For me I think candles are better than air fresheners as they are less fake in their smell and look prettier!

I think this is most peoples favourite and the reason I make this statement as it is quite often sold out online and the shop where I buy it from in Durham (the Mugwump - one of my favourite shops) hardly ever has them in because as soon as they get stock in they sell out really quickly so it's best to grab them when they are there as they will soon be gone!

Burn time is around 35 hours, and it has the most fantastic smell nothing of which I have experience before in candles, it's sweet but not sickly and is rich and quite powdery in it's smell and makes the room you are burning it in smell delicious! You can also get Fairy Dust in a room spray and a reed diffuser (I had one of those in the bathroom and it smelt subtle and divine).

Do you have a favourite candle??

Extreme Lashes

Illamasqua - False Eyelashes 013

I've never tried false eyelashes before (crazy I know as I love dark black eyelashes), I was always worried of them falling off mid day or evening, or the whole applying the lashes thing always looked tricky. Anyway I am now a convert after buying these from the Illamasqua website in the sale (£5 bargain). I had a practice try session with them before wearing them out and I love them!!!

I wore these at the weekend for Birthday drinks in Durham and I think they looked fantastic! They give you fantastic dark eyelashes, they do feel a little heavy on your lid but you get used to it. The glue that comes with them keeps them on really well as well (although had a minor worry because I thought one was coming off but it didn't).

This is me with the lashes on in Whisky River in Durham (a lovely bar down by the river), as can be seen the lashes look lovely and dark and are great if you are wanting high impact lashes! Definitely a preoduct worth checking out!