My Lipstick Collection

These are possibly my favourite high street lipsticks. They're moisturising, well pigmented, smooth to apply and don't smell too bad either! I just wish they had names but I'm a sucker for that kind of thing! The red is just gorgeous, a dark bordering on vampy red and the BEST thing definitely is that it still looks stunning on slightly dry lips because the colour becomes slightly darker and creates an ombre effect!

The pigmentation in these is quite like the Kate Moss range but they're a bit glossier. They don't stay on as long as the Kate Moss lipsticks though. I love them both equally except perhaps the coral colour more because it is the PERFECT nude for me! I have orangey undertones in my lips rather than pinky so this colour suits me a lot better than the coarse Kate Moss nude. God knows why I bought that!

I bought these on a wee whim and I still think they're quite cute. Crap packaging but whatever. Candy Mist can look a bit frosty and dead on the lips but used sparingly, it can be quite flattering. Honeysuckle is beautiful and gives lips a natural nude glossy finish without being too much. Application is beautifully smooth and luxurious but it doesn't stay on very long and needs a new application max. 2 hours later.

 I thought Touch of Magic was hilarious when I first picked it up years ago and it still creates the cutest hot pink colour ever! (This swatch definitely doesn't do it justice). It applies very evenly and softly but the colour takes a while to mature into a bright pink because it changes colour with the heat of your lips (which is why I don't think it changed colour very well on my cold hands!) I dislike the MUA lipstick and you can find out why here but it's in my collection so I popped it in!

 I love my Chanel lipstick so so much. It's the perfect natural lip colour with a slight fairy pink tone to it and subtle shimmer. Needless to say for around £23 application is beautifully smooth and it has fairly good staying power too! I don't know what possessed me to buy this No7 lipstick, it looks fairly nice in a swatch but on the lips it's positively ridiculous! I'm determined to make it work though if it's the last thing I do! Application is lovely and smooth.

If you want to see more collections or anything really just leave a wee comment!

Take care x

Glittery Nails!

Two nail posts in a row. My my, but I just can't resist. Woke up early and had no idea what to do so thought 'Hey, my nails could use some loving'. I miss having long nails. I just have super brittle and weak nails and they never really grow very long without splitting or peeling. I probably would treat them with vitamins or oils if I could be bothered haha!


Barry M Cyan Blue (I think) and Revlon (not sure what it's called. I think it's discontinued but any glitter polish like this will do!)

The blue comes off a bit lighter in these photos as I had to use flash (due to the rubbish weather up here as always). It's more a meditteranean aqua blue and the glitter is made up of tiny black dots, tiny holographic dots and larger holographic hexagons (phew!)


Here's a weeny close up.

I have to take them off before my piano lesson today *curses* but oh well, I'll probably have another set on by Monday!

Hope you all have a spiffing weekend!

Take care x

Holographic Nail Polish Dupe!

Just a quick wee post about a nail polish combination I tried. I just think it looks gorgeous and is a wonderful dupe for holographic polishes which seem to be common in the US but few and far between over here (at least in Boots and stuff).

Left to Right: Models Own Lilac Dream and Indian Ocean

I applied two coats of Lilac Dream and then two coats of Indian Ocean and the colours just look uhhhh-mazing together especially under sunlight! It looks equally nice on long and short nails as well and do excuse my blunt nails, I usually have semi long talons but for some reason I trimmed them waaaaay to short! 

Models Own: Lilac Dream

Models Own: Indian Ocean

It just creates this most beautiful lilac holographic look and I'm so glad I found a use for Indian Ocean because I absolutely fell head over heels in love with the colour but because of the sheer quality it was super hard to find a use for it because it never showed it's true colours - *insert song* 'I see your true colours shining...' Haha.

Take care x

February GLOSSYBOX 2013

Was quite chuffed to see this swing round my house a couple of days ago. A special Love Edition, this box was kitted out in pink with I must say a very fetching hot pink bow... (which I secretly might use in my hair...)

Do excuse the finger print! 

Micabella Mineral Eyeshadow - If I'm honest, loose eyeshadows just seem like a huge effort. I start music school quite early in the morning so there's always a lot of chucking products back on my bed or using them quite quickly and I know if I used a product like this, one jolt would send its contents flying all over my bedroom carpet! This colour does look really interesting and original though, it's a gold bronze colour with undertones of olive. I think I might try for a party and judging that 2.5g is just under £15 it sounds good quality!

Rituals Magic Touch - I'm pretty sure I've heard of Rituals before and ohhh this stuff is magical! I quite often hate artificial cherry smells but this smells more like a delicious natural potpourri. I don't usually get dry hands but this winter has been extra cruel and so when I saw this I instantly massaged it into my hands and found it to be utterly luxurious and nourishing. It sinks in like an expensive cream and has a satiny creamy feel instead of feeling greasy and oily which is so common in inexpensive moisturisers. I will definitely consider buying this in full size, it feels absolutely gorgeous and I rarely get excited about moisturisers/creams which is saying something!

MeMeMe Beat The Blues - I haven't tried this yet but apparently it's a good dupe for Benefit High Beam which is over 3 times the price. It's a shimmery pinky cream used for highlighting and I'm really looking forward to trying this because I've wanted to try this brand before and also I'm dying for a new highlight which actually stays all day! Hopefully this will.

Figs and Rouge Rambling Rose Lip Balm - First off, I adore the vintage packaging and even though initially I wasn't keen on the smell, I'm warming to it now and it reminds me of country cottages and lavender stuffed drawer bags! Application is really smooth and it genuinely feels as if it would gently sooth very dry lips (those kind that you keep licking but they only get dryer and sorer *meep*). Usually, waxy lip products work better for me than balms but I hope this proves me wrong. I especially love the metal packaging too, nice and hygienic.

Miners Lip Colour in Dreamer - I love lipstick. It's just my thing. I'm a sucker for dark vampy or bright colours but not so much nudes or nudey shimmering pinks which this is. But to be honest, sometimes my lips feel naked and it's not always appropriate to make them stick out so I think this colour will come in useful for concerts and such like. It has a lovely fruity smell and seems to be moisturising too which is always a plus!

It also came with a heart shaped lolly which had a bit of a tough time in transit but oh well, if it tastes good! Will definitely enjoy using this box, I love everything in it and there's nothing I wouldn't use. Plus another box to store make up in, hurrah!

Take care x

MUA Review

Obviously, if you're a lover of all things beauty and an avid YouTube watcher and blog reader, then you will know of the cheap yet 'brilliant quality' make up brand MUA (Make Up Academy). I put 'brilliant quality' in inverted commas because I'm not so sure...

MUA Glamour Days Eyeshadow Palette £4, MUA Shade 29 - Pearl Eyeshadow £1, MUA Shade 8 Lipstick £1

First the palette, MUA have a number of palettes to choose from and some of their neutral palettes are so pretty but I liked this one because it had beautiful neutral shades mixed with bright popping colours which I thought was quite cute. I think the pinky peachy shade is gorgeous as a base colour and also pretty darn good as a highlighter. 

I'd heard that these eyeshadows were quite pigmented though, and they are to a fair extent but they fade pretty quickly throughout the day and by late afternoon the various colours that you've put on your eye have all blended together into one colour. This I think is a bit of a swiz because it still happens even with concealer and primer underneath it.  

 But then, lo and behold, I was having one of those 'I quite fancy buying some more make up even though I don't really need it' days (don't we all!) and found this beautiful beautiful olive green colour with subtle gold shimmer. I absolutely fell in love with it but it baffles me that the colour is weaker when used over a primer (primer used: Benefit The Porefessional Primer). If absolutely packed on, the colour is pretty pigmented and looks lovely but I think I'll just stick to buying rare looking colours from MUA because I think it is easy to find other neutral colours of better quality.

I've also heard about the lipsticks and being a ridiculous lover of lipstick, (it becomes inappropriate at times!) I thought I'd try one. I don't like nudes much, I seem to think if you're going to show off your lips why not use a bright bold colour!? Plus I can never be bothered to look for one that actually matches my skin tone! Lazy chops. So I chose this sassy pinky red colour. Having seen swatches I was quite looking forward to it and really wanted to like it but there is an insane amount of gold glitter in it. So much so that the application is scratchy and is almost abrasive on the lips. I love the colour but lipsticks should feel luxurious and smooth as you coat your lips in them not as if you're rubbing a loofah all over your lips. I thoroughly recommend using a lipliner underneath though, not only will that make the colour last longer and bolder but it also prevents the glitter from scratching your lips so you can still enjoy the colour.

MUA is quite a nice wee brand, I'm excited to try their blushes as I've heard great things about them too and to be honest for the prices these make up items are very cute and cheap enough so that you can mess around with them a lot and enjoy creating different looks. I actually think the packaging is not that bad and to be honest the pigment in the eyeshadows is a lot better than some higher end high street brands. A fun cheap brand that's fairly good quality and allows you to have fun and experiment for lovely luscious low prices. (Ooft steady on with that alliteration!) 

Take care x  

January GLOSSYBOX 2013

Glossybox £10 + £2.95 p&p

Excitement reigns! My first Glossybox. I'd heard way too much about these little boxes and decided it was time to try one (plus everyone knows January needs to be given a bit of oomph). The Glossybox comes with 5 beauty products from skincare to haircare to make up. All wrapped up in cute black tissue paper and crinkle cut strands, this box is sophisticated and perfect for storing items.

First cheerful chappy in the box was the Sanctuary Spa Mask. This comes in 2 steps: First a Peptide Transformation Serum and then a Thermal Rose Clay Mask. I haven't used this yet but I've been a great fan of Sanctuary Spa products in the past and think they spell divine.

Next up was the Monu Micro Exfoliant. I found the gritty bits in it far too scratchy and sore and they were a bit difficult to wash off. It did remove dead skin and made my skin soft but it is hardly the best exfoliator I've tried. It claims to be for all skin types but I didn't like it on my sensitive skin. However, the smell was gorgeous and reminded me of a happy holiday. I'll finish this up because everyone needs to exfoliate once in a while but with £14.50 for 100ml I don't think I'll be purchasing it.

I do love getting fragrances and was chuffed with Lacoste's Eau de Lacoste. The smell is so so but nothing special. It's good for a quick touch up on the go but I don't think I'll buy the full size because I'm not too plum crazy about the smell.

Murad is a brand I've heard floating around YouTube and various blogs so I was intrigued by the Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for eyes. The little pot it comes in is so cute! And the cream is very soothing and gentle on the skin around the eyes and it also brightens them a little. I won't buy the full size purely because it's very expensive but it gives a wonderful little lift when your peepers are feeling aged.

The last little fella in the box was the BM Beauty Dewy Perfection Finishing Powder and BM Beauty was co-founded by ex Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt! A little goes a fairly long way and it's a lovely highlighter and finishing powder. It made my face look a lot less dull and worked to highlight my cheekbones. Lovely little product.

January's Glossybox also came with a sleeping mask which I will probably never use because I roll around so much that these things just fall off me! 

Take care x