My Current Favourite Mascara Combination

Hey lovelies :)

I love my lashes to look long, separated and voluminous and I have been using the same combination for the last four or five months to achieve my desired look, so I thought I would share it with you!

First I curl my eyelashes with my Revlon eye lash curlers, which I've only recently picked these up. I was previously using the Cosmopolitan Full Lash Effect curlers from Superdrug and I have to admit I might have to go back and repurchase those as I find the Revlon knew quite stiff to use and don't give me amazingly curled lashes. (The picture was taken using the Cosmopolitan curlers.)

Once my lashes are curled I apply the first mascara - Benefit They're Real (£19.50). I love this mascara as I find it separates, lengthens and curls all in one. I apply about two or three layers of this mascara to give my eyes dramatic length. 

Before the Benefit They're Real mascara (£7.99) dries I apply a coat or two of Maybelline's The Falsies mascara to give a little bit of added volume. I use the waterproof version as I find it stops my mascara smudging around my eyes during the day - the panda look is not good!

I then finish off by applying a little bit of the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl eyeliner (£3.99) on the outer half of my waterline if I'm going out in either evening, if not I just leave it with the mascara.

What are your favourite mascara combinations? :)

Barry M Gelly Effect Nails - Dragonfruit

Hey lovelies :)

I'm back with another post on Barry M's Gelly Nail range! I wrote a post previously before Christmas on two if the polishes I picked up when Barry M first released this range, click here if you would like to read this post!

Whilst popping into Superdrug I noticed that there has been another set of colours released, all bright summery colours, ideal for the upcoming months..that is if the UK weather finally decides to text into summer mode! (Take me away to a hot country - I miss the sun!) The colour I decided to pick up was Dragonfruit - a beautiful baby pink colour. 

I've learnt that the art when it comes to applying these Gelly nails is to make sure you leave enough time for one coat to dry before applying the next! This way you avoid the disaster of dented or smudged nails as the formulation is quite thick. I tend to apply two coats after an initial base coat to give an opaque glossy finish and love the way it looks in your nails! You could also apply a top coat to make them last longer, but I would recommend using a shine finish one as to not take away from the finish of the Gelly nail polish :)

What's in my clutch bag?

Hi lovelies :)

As I'm heading out for a night out on the town tonight to celebrate everyone's end of exams, I thought it would be a fitting time to write a 'what's in my clutch?' post!

Now if you're like me and on a daily basis carry around ridiculous amounts of stuff in an oversized bag so that you're ready for every eventuality,  then you know how hard it is to organise everything you need into a small clutch bag for a night out. However, over the years I think I have got it down to a tee. 

The clutch bag I am currently using is a recent purchase from Miss Selfridge and is a small black clutch  (£16) with a removable gold chain strap, which really appealed to me. It's not the smallest of clutch bags, but isn't overly big, so it perfect when you're going out on an evening date, or heading out to bars/clubs. 

Now the first thing I always take with me is my phone. It seriously is my life line and whatever situation you're in, you never know when you're going to need it! What I like about this clutch is that it has a zip compartment inside where I can stick my phone without it getting scratched - bonus!

The next item I always take out is my small DKNY wallet. I have had this for years! It's big enough to fit in my ID, debit card and some cash without taking up tons of room in my bag.

House keys are always a must! You don't want to be that person ringing the doorbell to wake their parents up to let them in at ridiculous o'clock in the morning. Trust me, it really doesn't go down well!

The final item I always take are some plasters. Wearing heels always kills my feet and I am forever ending up with blisters, so these are handy to have in this situation! You never know if its not you needing it, someone else most likely will!

Those are my essential items to take on a night out, but if there's room I like to chuck in a small bottle of the perfume I'm wearing to top it up during the night and some concealer, powder, eyeliner and lipgloss to touch up too.

What are you're clutch bag essentials?

Superdrug, Boots and John Lewis Haul

Hi lovelies :)

It's been a while since my last haul post, which seemed to be very popular, so I thought I would update you on my most recent purchases!

Is it me or do you seem to run out of your essentials at the same time?! This was definitely the case for me, so I will start with my staple high end purchases from John Lewis.

1. Benefit They're Real Mascara £19.50

I was extremely late on the band wagon with is product and, to be honest, when I purchased this for the first time I did not like it at all! I found the formulation too wet and when applied I found it gave my eyelashes a clumpy look. However, when the tube began to dry out I found it much easier to work with. With two careful coats on my lashes I love the finished look! My lashes are separated, lengthened and volumised! everything you need in a mascara and no matter how many mascara I try, I always end going back to this one!

2. Benefit Dallas Blusher - £23.50

I've never owned the full sized version if this product, but have used it many times when it has been part of various Benefit make up sets. It is a deep pinky bronze colour and I love the way this product makes my skin glow. I will definitely be making good use of this product over the upcoming summer months.

3. Nars Laguna Bronzer - £26.00

Another cult favourite amongst the beauty community and I certainly know why! This is the third time I have repurchased this product. It is not a matte bronzer, but neither it is overly shimmery. It has a subtle golden shimmer and is excellent for contouring! I love to use this product in the summer when I'm on holiday or when I get back to help enhance the tan on my face.

Now for the products I picked up in Superdrug.

1. Simple Cleansing Face Wipes - £2.99

As I have sensitive skin these are my favourite face wipes to use when I'm trying to get my makeup off and too lazy to go through my whole cleansing routine. They are 100% perfume & colour free and both cleanse and tone, leaving your skin feeling moisturiser. (Currently buy one get one free, grab them while you can!)

2. Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo (£3.50) & Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor (£3.50)

Over the last few months I've coloured my hair quite a lot and it has been exposed to the sun and chlorine on holiday, so I decided I needed to inject some moisture back into my hair. I love the Aussie range and have used it frequently over the past. Although its not a high end brand, I feel that it really works well on my hair and makes it feel good as new! (It's currently in a 2 for £6 offer which I couldn't pass up!)

3. L’Oreal Absolute Eye and Make-up Remover £4.99

This is my all time favourite eye makeup remover and I have been using it for we'll over 6 months now. It removes all of my eye makeup, including waterproof mascara with ease and without leaving a greasy residue on your eyes. To view a more in depth review of this product, click here.

4. Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex Mascara - £4.99 (usually £6.99)

I am a sucker for trying out new mascara's and when this mascara's bright green packaging caught my eye, I couldn't miss the opportunity to pick it up. I hate it when I apply numerous coats of mascara's to get my lashes to the desired look, and my lashes became stiff. Scandaleyes is formed with Lycra and promises volumised lashes that are soft and flexible. I'm yet to road test this, but if it does what it says on the tin, or should I say tube, then I think I'm going to love it!

Now for my final pieces I picked up in Boots.

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Brown - £3.99

I love Batiste dry shampoo as a whole, but when they bought out the 'hint of colour' range last year I've never swapped back and is now one of my hair styling staples. To read my review on this dry shampoo click here.

2. Umberto Giannini Frizzi Miracle Worker with Argan Oil - £6.99

With naturally thick, curly hair I'm forever on the look out to tame my inevitable frizz. Umberto Giannini recently released its 'Frizzi' range, so I decided to try out this oil. It claims to protect your hair whilst adding softness and shine. I can't wait to test this out as I've seen many good reviews online so far!

That's all for this haul post, phew! Had a buy of a spend up, but its full if necessities, so it's ok! 

Have you tried any of these products ? Do you like this type of haul post? Let me know in the comments :)

Where Have I Been?

Hello lovelies! :)

I hope you are all well!

It's been well over a month since I have written a blog, far too long! So, where have I been?

In May my boyfriend and I made the 11 hour plane journey to the land of fajitas, sombreros and tequila - Mexico!! We spent two weeks in the gorgeous resort of Riviera Maya, about an hour away from Cancun. It was one of the most a amazing holidays I have been on. and will be writing a follow up blog post full of what I got up to out there!

When I returned to the UK I was thrown straight back into reality with two weeks to study towards my first ever Uni exam. I study with the Open Uni so the majority of my work is assignments, both online and written. I hadn't taken an exam for nearly 3 years since finishing my A Levels, so it was a pretty nerve wrecking period for me! However, I sat my exam this week and it definitely went better than I was expecting! Whether my results will show this we will have to wait and see! (If you want me to do a post on my experience with the Open University please let me know below!)

Now I am back and determined to spend my summer throwing myself into working on my blog! 

If you have any requests leave them in the comments below! :)

Beyonce - Mrs Carter Show

On Tuesday 30th April, after waiting for what seemed like forever since booking the tickets, my cousin and I headed to London's O2 arena to see Beyonce!!! I wouldn't call myself Beyonce's number one fan, but this show changed everything!

I've always listened to her music since her Destiny's Child days and love the way that Beyonce comes across as such a humble and down to earth person, despite her amazing life style and being constantly in the spotlight. I'd always wanted to see her live and had heard/seen about her tours in the past and after watching the Superbowl Half Time Show my expectations were high!

We reached the O2 at 6:30 and then went on to wait in the arena. At 9pm Beyonce took to the stage and it is safe to say that this was by far the best performance I have ever seen. She opened up with 'Run the World', which got everyone up and dancing straight away. The stage was split into two, one at the front and a second stage in the middle of the arena. Half way through the show Beyonce travelled down to the second stage on zip line harness in a spectacular cloud of glitter confetti. On this stage, with audience participation, she performed 'Irreplaceable, Love on Top and one of my Destiny's Child favourites, 'Survivor.'

Although throughout the show I didn't know every song, they were sung to perfection and her voice is just as incredible live as it is recorded! It completely blew me away. The show lasted for just over 2 hours, with beautiful costumes, theatrical videos, amazing dancers and background singers it kept you entertained from start to finish.

I am now looking forward to V Festival this summer for Beyonce round 2!!

Did any of you see the show? What did you think?

Accessorize - Elinor Pocket Tote

When it comes to spring and summer time I absolutely love to sport pastel colours, especially mint green. I am a huge lover of oversized bags as I tend to carry quite a lot around with me on a day to day basis. I spotted this tote bag in accessorise, which I thought would be a perfect summer bag for me.

This tote bag is made of polyurethane, a soft plastic and is lined with a suede type material. It has both outer handles, and a strap which is possible to adjust to a desired length or detached completely if you do not wish to use it. On the outside is an envelope style pocket and inside there are pockets for your phone and a detachable polyester zip compartment,which simply buttons on and off.

I love how this tote adds a pop of colour of any of my outfits and has plenty of space for me to carry around everything I need. Priced at £42 I feel that, although not on the cheaper end of the scale, it is definitely worth the money and I will definitely get plenty of use out of it.

To takes closer look at the bag on the accessorise website click here.

If you would like me to do a what's in my purse post, let me know in the comments.

What is your number one bag for summer?

VECTRA5 Gold Studded Slippers

Today I thought I would share with you my current shoe loveeee :)

As summer is on its way I thought it was time to put away my beloved UGG boots, which I have practically lived in since September, and pick up some new flats. I was shopping in Topshop recently with one of my friends and these shoes instantly caught my eye.

These flats are black suede slipper style loafers and are covered in gorgeous golden studs, without looking tacky. Now for me this is way out of my comfort zone! I usually go for plain flats, but I instantly fell in love with these and have been wearing them with a variety of outfits, both during the day and to dress up outfits in the evening.  

Finding shoes can often be a task for me as I have slightly different sized feet, one size 5 and the other a size 5 and a half, and my feet are also quite narrow. However, these fit true to size and I have found them extremely comfortable, with no rubbing and not causing my feet any pain after a long day of walking.

If you want to take a look at these shoes on the Topshop website click here.

For just £20 I believe these shoes are very reasonably priced and I am so glad I picked these up!

Revlon Nail Art - Ulterior Motive

If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that, when it comes to new nail polishes, I cannot resist purchasing one or two. When I was shopping last week I stumbled across the new Revlon Nail Art line in Boots. I picked up 3 as they are currently on a 3 for 2 offer, usually £7.99 each.

There are three different categories for the new nail art polishes, Moon Candy, Expressionist and Neon. The first polish I picked up and am featuring in this block post is from the Expressionist category and is in the colour Ulterior Motive. 

This polish contains a deep navy blue polish, which is sheer and contains a slight shimmer and is used as the base coat. This took 2/3 coats before it became opaque. The second polish in this duo is a pink glitter polish with both micro and chunks of glitter to give different dimensions on the nails. The brush for the glitter polish is a long and thin, allowing you to create designs on the nails. However, I went for a simple look and just used the glitter polish on my ring finger in order to see the contrast the who colours have together.

I feel that the polish market needed something like this as I've not really seen anything like this around. Instead of buying polish and then a nail art pen, or nail tools to create designs, you've got it all in one product.

Overall I've been impressed with what I have tried so far. Have any of you purchased this product? If you would like to see the other polishes I picked up, comment below and let me know!

I Got My Tragus Pierced

Sorry I've been a little MIA recently! With work, final uni assignments and illness I haven't really found the time to blog!

However, during this time I finally took the step to having something done which I have wanted done for years! That something is a Tragus piercing! :)

I was alway put off by the thought of having a piercing done with a needle, as I've only ever had it done with a piercing gun before, and thought the pain would be too much as you're piercing through cartilage. After much deliberation and persuasion by one of my friends (who has had this and many other piercings done) I decided to take the plunge!

Now I'm not going to pretend I wasn't nervous. Going into the piercing parlour and into the room they carry out the piercing I was shaking like a leaf! I made one decision before I went in, and I recommend this to others who aren't confident with piercings or needles, DON'T LOOK AT THE TABLE!! This is where she had all her equipment and I knew this was just going to make matters worse.

The whole experience itself was over a lot quicker than I expected! First my ear was sterilised with a wipe, then the point was marked on with pen and a clamp placed on my ear. Now what I thought was going to be the worst part, the needle. This, in fact, was over so quickly and didn't hurt much at all. After piercing with the needle the jewellery was put into the hole. That was the bit that hurt the most. It felt like a hard pinch and it was over. Done in less than 2 minutes.

I was quite lucky and my piercing didn't bleed at all, but when I took one of my friends a week later hers bled quite badly. However, this is to be expected and doesn't mean anythings gone wrong. If you're thinking about having this piercing done and are prone to fainting/light headedness or don't like blood I recommend that you eat something substantial first as this will help.

It's now been three weeks since I've had this piercing and apart from a little stinging and discomfort for the first 2-3 days, which can be easily solved with some pain killers, and slight swelling, it's been no problem at all! I have to clean it twice a day with warm salty water and leave the original jewellery in for 12 weeks whilst it is healing.

I was so proud of myself for finally getting this done and absolutely love it!

O.P.I Can’t Find My Czechbook

Last week I was off work sick due to a nasty viral infection, so whilst lying in bed I decided to paint my nails to cheer myself up! The colour I chose was Can’t Find My Czechbook from the Spring/Summer 2013 OPI collection “Euro Centrale.”

 

Can’t Find My Czechbook is a bright aqua blue, perfect for the upcoming sunny days! As always with OPI, it was opaque after two coats and, even without a top coat, this polish lasted on my nails upchipped for 5 days.  

 

I am really loving this collection and, although I only have the mini collection, I am tempted to purchase some more from the collection. Do you have any favourites from this collection?

Barry M Textured Nails – Kingsland Road

If you’ve been following developments in the nail polish world you may know that the latest trend is “textured nails.” Companies, such as Nails Inc, have produced concrete, leather and denim textured nail polishes, but they aren’t on the cheap side at a starting price of £12. However, when I was out shopping recently you may have seen, from my previous Superdrug Haul post (if you haven’t had a chance to take a look at that click here), that I picked up a textured polish by Barry M from Superdrug. The colour I picked up was a pale pink in Kingsland Road and they retail at £3.99 each.

When first applied it looks as though you are applying any other polish as it’s not lumpy or bubbly as I had expected. When the polish dries the “texture” starts to appear. I would say that it gives a matte concrete effect on the nails and feel that it is a fresh and different look for the upcoming spring time! The only advice I would give is to make sure that you let the coats of polish fully dry first. When I first applied this polish I didn’t leave long enough between coats and the effect which was appearing from the first coat smeared completely.

Have you tried any texture effect nail polishes recently? What are your favourites?