babyblonde

red (?) lips

2012-01-02T22:31:00.003Z

so i wanted to try something a little out of my comfort zone, and so started rifling through my lipstick collection. i came across mac queen sin, from the antiquitease collection in 2007 (i believe) so i've had it a little while! after the trusty smell inspection to ensure it hadn't gone off, i decided to try it. and then i remembered why i dislike it so much on me. a frosty red that leans pink and isn't all that flattering, despite the crazy prices it goes for on ebay. i wore it out for some food and i didn't get any weird looks so it can't of been that hideous but i just don't really like it.

yeahhh... no.

nars sheer glow in punjab

mac prolongwear concealer in nc30

soap and glory trick and treatment

chanel loose powder in 30 naturel

chanel bronze universelle

sleek contour kit in medium

pout pearly queen

udpp

mac vanilla, era and espresso

look beauty flirty flick liquid liner

loreal volume million lashes (which is rubbish if you were wondering)

mac coquette

mac brow set in beguile

mac queen's sin

i do really like the concept and the edginess that bright lips gives you, and so i am currently resisting purchasing scarlet ibis from the mac iris apfel collection, i just really want it but probably won't wear it. i only ever seem to wear various shades of nude, so i would welcome any mac lipstick suggestions.

face of last night

2011-12-27T11:58:00.005Z

featuring my new eyebrows!

nars sheer glow in punjab medium1

collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer in medium3

chanel poudre universelle libre in 30 naturel

chanel bronze universelle

sleek contour kit in light

pout blush in pearly queen

mac wedge eyeshadow

mac brow set in beguile

urban decay primer potion

urban decay sidecar, darkhorse, virgin

mac vanilla

look mag flirty flick eyeliner

benefit they're real mascara

mac smoulder pencil

topshop lipstick in nevada

mac prolongwear lipglass in infinitely likable

products for the flawless face

2011-12-26T11:54:00.002Z

complexion and skin is something i've been really interested in recently. i've learnt that no matter how much product you pack on, if the skin underneath isn't smooth it all goes to waste. the importance of a good skincare routine really shows here. i cleanse and tone twice a day, and use a mask and exfoliator twice weekly. of course, various products can mimic the tone of real skin, however i'm yet to find one that completely re-texturises the skin. below i have listed my favourite products to enhance my skin.

mac prep and prime skin (£18 for 30ml) this is a silicone base, which smoothes the skin, controls oil and makes pores less visible. the silicones aid the application of liquid, cream and powder products and ensure maximum blendability. mac offers a range of prep products for various concerns.

nars sheer glow (£29.50 for 30ml) this is my day foundation. i use the shade punjab medium1. this is described as medium with golden, peachy undertones. this foundation feels light on the skin, yet provides a medium buildable coverage. many report that it doesn't provide a 'glow' however it does on me. it's not dewy, but it gives my skin a satin finish and makes it look refreshed and alive. this applies well with both a brush and fingers, and sometimes i find it most beneficial to apply all over the face with a brush, then do a second layer on my cheeks applied with my fingers.

giorgio armani luminous silk (£33 for 30ml) i use this foundation for the night time, or for special occasions. i have it in the shade 6.5. this is a sheer-medium coverage, and buildable. i prefer to wear two layers of this. again it gives a radiant, satin finish to the skin and is exceptionally lightweight. i find that this foundation mimics real skin, and gives a realistic finish. it contains silicones (as found in primers) to glide over the skin.

mac pro longwear concealer (£13.50 for 9ml) this medium to full coverage concealer provides a matte finish and lasts all day. i personally prefer this for blemishes only, as i do not like a matte finish around my eye area. it works well both under and on top of foundation, to hide any areas of pigmentation. unlike the majority of concealers, this actually comes with a miniature pump. i wear this in nc30.

bobbi brown creamy concealer kit (£17 for 1.4g) this concealer is perfect for around my eye area. it's a rich cream concealer, think mac studio finish yet with more moisture which melts into the skin to provide a realistic finish. infused with skin conditioners to protect and nourish the skin, it's the perfect answer to those with darkness around their eyes. it also comes with a loose powder underneath, this is used to set the concealer. i have this in natural.

soap and glory trick and treatment (£9 for 7ml) soap and glory recently launched their cosmetics line into the uk. i personally really like the products, and this trick and treatment is one of my favourites. after concealing my under eye area, i then pop this on the top. i personally do not think it is thick enough for a concealer on its own, however it does a wonderful job at reflecting light and bringing radiance.

chanel poudre universelle libre (£31.50 for 30g) this is my all time favourite powder. silky soft, it does a wonderful job of invisibly setting any product on my face and disguises any minor imperfections. the pot feels so luxe, and looks wonderful on my dressing table. i use this in 30 naturel.

corn silk original satin loose powder (£8.16 for 12g) a cheaper alternative is the absolute beauty classic corn silk, this loose powder containing walnut shell absorbs excess oil on the skin, leaving a satin finish making it the perfect setting powder for combination-oily skins. it comes in a wonderful art deco style pot, and has the classic face powder scent.

nars bronzer in laguna (£24 for 8g) cult beauty favourite nars laguna is my favourite powder bronzer. described as a brown with golden shimmer, it gives the dull skin a glowing bronzed boost. it does come with a high price tag, and i find myself finishing these compacts quickly however i'm yet to find another powder bronzer that gives such a natural finish as this. however, i would recommend for skin types nc35 and deeper to look at casino instead.

chanel bronze universelle (£31 for 6g) this cream-gel bronzing base can be used in a multitude of ways. it can be used over foundation as a bronzer, or underneath to give the skin that sunkissed look. due to it's cream finish, it blends into the skin to provide a seamless finish. the colour provided is a golden hue, and mimics the colour my skin goes when it naturally tans. this works well to contour and shape the face, applied through the temples and cheekbones.

tempting

2011-12-11T17:44:00.001Z

i discovered recently that i did infact own mac tempting eyeshadow. i love this colour, i love it when i see it on other people and also when at the mac counter i am always drawn to it, however i always seem to forget that i actually have it. i decided to make use of it for last night's make-up, and this is what i came up with.

i started by applying a base of urban decay primer potion. then i patted mac tempting all over my lid with a flat shader brush. i took mac vanilla, a matte highlight shade and took this under my eyebrows and in the inner corners of my eyes, around my tear ducts. i then selected urban decay darkhorse (naked palette) and applied this to the outer thirds of my lids. i then blended this into the tempting. i took mac typographic on a pencil brush and used this to deepen the outer v, to create dimension. i felt i hadn't brightened my tear duct enough, so i took urban decay virgin (naked palette) on the tear duct area, over vanilla. using a clean pencil brush, i took a mix of mac tempting and ud darkhorse along my lower lash line. to finish, i used a black gel liner on an angled brush and winged it out slightly at the ends. i also applied the liner to my waterline. i then put on some mascara, followed by false eyelashes. i chose eldora H125.

for the rest of my face, i wanted to keep it quite plain. i used giorgio armani luminous silk in 6.5 all over, and concealed blemishes and my undereye circles with mac pro longwear concealer in nc30. to set this, i used chanel loose powder in 30 naturel. i added some warmth to my skin with nars laguna bronzer, which i applied to my temples and cheekbones. i added a tiny amount of the model co blusher in 03 to my cheeks which is a super natural flushed colour, then used an eyeshadow from MUA to highlight the tops of my cheeks. i put on a small amount of mac pro longwear lipglass in infinitetly likable to finish, a perfect baby pink.

my eyebrows

2011-12-03T22:03:00.001Z

my eyebrows are something i've always struggled with. as a small child, i had quite thick eyebrows which had a tendency to join in the middle, which was unfortunate until my godmum took me to get my eyebrows waxed! the lady who did it was lovely and recognised my young age, and so would just tidy them up a little but to be honest, i was never satisfied and wanted thin perfect brows. i then discovered a tweezer... and gave myself a super defining brow which was about one hair thick. i'm sure you know what is coming... yes they never really grow back properly now. they grow at odd angles and patchy, and i was always stuck in a rut with them as i hated letting them grow out. taken from my 'how to make it look like you have eyebrows' tutorial, the following photo;

the right side is what i had pretty much all the time. i resorted to drawing them in constantly, with various pencils and powders however it is irritating if you just want to pop down the shop but i constantly felt embarrassed by my lack of eyebrow!

during recent seasons, thicker eyebrows have come much more into 'fashion' and people started getting their eyebrows threaded into that perfect shape i always wanted. super clean, crisp and arched. after recently getting my fringe cut in, i decided it was time to try again with the eyebrow growth. i left them for 6 to 8 weeks.. hence my lack of looks as eyeshadow looked appalling on forest brows! being able to hide them under my fringe was a godsend. today i went to get them shaped, she first waxed some of the bad strays then threaded and trimmed them into shape.

i'm so pleased with how they turned out. i know to many people, they are still thin eyebrows but it's such an improvement on what i had before and i don't even have to fill them in to avoid scaring small children now. today all i did was brush them and run a tiny bit of laura mercier brow definer in fair through them to give them some definition.

i am so glad that i persevered with them. the over plucking means that they will never be the perfect, full thick brow that i see everywhere recently however i am moving in the right direction. i am actually so chuffed about it, and the difference it makes to my face is unreal.

naked

2011-11-20T23:46:00.001Z

so i seem to have stumbled across some wonderful photos of a 'naked 2' palette by urban decay. i absolutely adore my naked palette, and so this fills me with warm fuzzy excitement inside. this looks like it could possibly be an improvement on the first palette.

it appears to come in a metal case as opposed to the velvet case from the previous palette, which means it should stand up to more wear and tear. i know my current naked palette looks pretty messy. it also seems to come with a miniature lip product instead of an eye primer. not too sure on my feelings towards this, despite falling out with udpp recently!

the palette opened up. the colours from left to right are as follows; foxy, half baked, bootycall, chopper, tease, snakebite, suspect, pistol, verve, ydk, busted, blackout.

naked 2 vs naked. i like the addition of the what appears to be matte black, a staple for the majority of neutral looks. the colour that appeals to me most is pistol. i'm loving shades like that right now for this winter. i have absolutely no idea about a release date, or whether this is even real however it looks real enough to me and i wanted to share it all with you. i hope it's released soon!

pictures from www.monblogdefille.com and www.pinchofpretty.com

before and after.. my every day makeup

2011-10-17T20:37:00.001+01:00

so i decided to show you a little before and after of how i typically do my make-up on a day to day basis. i tend to interchange between colours, however the techniques stay the same. i've tuned this down to taking me about 15 minutes maximum, and i'm sure you'll agree it's a vast improvement on the before photo!

before. i don't have awful skin, but it's far from good. my eyebrows are a weird colour due to the fact i can never decide whether i want to tint them darker or bleach them lighter, i suffer from blemishes on my chin, enlarged pores and discolouration around my eyes and lips. this isn't the worst my skin can be, however it isn't the best. here i have prepped my face to start with bliss all around eye cream, and a small amount of elemis freshskin softly softly daily moisturiser. as you may be able to tell, i do not use self tan on my face. my natural skin colour is around nw23.

for the face to start, i use the too faced primed and poreless bronze tint primer. i apply this all over, in some sort of vain attempt to get rid of my enlarged pores but it doesn't really work. then i apply my foundation of choice for the day using my mac 187 stippling brush. usual options are vichy dermablend in 35 sand or estee lauder doublewear in 4n1. here i used the double wear. i take this all over my face and eyelids. i use the mac studio finish concealer in nw30 to conceal the scars and marks on my chin, any blemishes, around my eyes and any discoloured areas. i then set it all with a pressed powder, at the moment i'm favouring the too faced amazing face powder in honey beige. i then dust a bronzer all over my face, paying particular attention to my temples and the hollows of my cheeks to slim down my face a little. here i used pixi bronze booster in 02 medium bronze, but i also like nars bronzers and bourjois bronzers.

for my eyes, i use the gosh eyebrow pencil in grey brown to add definition and fill out the shape of my pathetic attempt at eyebrows. i'm still on the search for my HG brow pencil, and so this changes daily. sometimes i like to change it up a little bit and use a powder, but i'm faster with my pencil. i then apply urban decay primer potion all over my lid and do a wash of eyeshadow. here i've used mac patina, my all time favourite however i do also like mac satin taupe, mac bronze, mac all that glitters... i'm sure you get the idea. i then take a black eyeliner pencil, again i do not really have a preference. at the moment i'm using a plain black 'r pro natural wonder' pencil my hairdresser gave me for free. i take this along the upper lashline, and on the lower waterline. then i curl my lashes and add mascara, max factor 2000 calorie.

now i move on to my cheeks, my favourite part of my make-up. i'm not the biggest fan of pinks on me, so i tend to use natural brown blushes or peaches. my two favourites are the collection 2000 shimmer shades in 2 blushalicious or the beauty uk mineralize blush in baked peach. i use this on an angled blusher brush and take from the apple of my cheek up to my hairline, in a rather 80's style. i like how this looks on me. i then take a highlighter, my two favourites being jemma kidd all over radiance creme in rose gold and also topshop glow in polished. here i used the topshop one. i blend this along the top of the blush to give a glowy cheek.

finally to finish, i chose a nude lipstick. i decided on rimmel nude delight, however i have a fair few i change between. some of my favourites are; mac freckletone, mac hue, revlon fashion's night pout, mac cherish, mac peachstock, natural collection rose petal. i suffer badly from dry lips, so i prefer hydrating lipsticks to stop flakiness.

fotn

2011-10-16T12:06:00.003+01:00

eyes:
gosh brow pencil in grey brown
udpp
pixi eye palette in smokey
mac patina, vex
pixi gel eyeliner in jade
max factor 2000 calorie mascara
sleek lashes in 'las vegas'

too faced the primed and poreless (clearly not as i still have huge pores lol)
vichy dermablend in 35 sand
mac studio finish in nw30
too faced powder in honey beige
topshop glow cream highlight
sleek blush in suede
mac peachstock

these photos make me hate my skin. the texture of it is so awful, no matter what i use! i have HUGE pores on my cheeks then dry around my mouth so my foundation never sits right. frustration! last night was toooo funny, had a great time. i have also had a fringe cut in!

fringe

2011-09-25T11:47:00.001+01:00

my hair is something i have a love hate relationship with. i do really like it.. but i want it blonder. and thicker.. with more volume. this however, is hard to achieve at it's current length. i'm currently rocking a grown out side fringe, which now just looks like an awkward piece of hair past my chin that doesn't blend with the rest. to counteract this, i have now adopted a signature beehive.

but now i'm thinking maybe i want a slightly fuller fringe, but still soft and wispy. maybe styled with a barrel brush. i don't want to just go for it though and then spend all winter trying to grow it out because i decided it was a mistake. within the next few months, i plan to get the rest bleached up so the majority of it is a pure white colour. i'm half way there, and if i may say so myself the condition of my hair isn't bad and i'm pretty sure it will take it easily.

i hate hard hair decisions.

super soft pink

2011-09-18T18:23:00.006+01:00

i haven't done a fotd for a while. i really struggle with lighting in my house, no where seems to have good natural light for photo taking. i decided i wanted to do something soft and 'romantic' looking, so settled on pinks as this seemed to be an obvious choice. i seem to be one of the only people that actually like to wear pink eyeshadow, so i decided to incorporate it into this look.

mac studio sculpt foundation in nw30

mac studio finish concealer in nw30

bourjois mineral powder in 05 dore

laura mercier brow definer in fair

elf brow set in ash

bourjois delice de soleil bronzer in 14 (dark)

sleek blush in flamingo pink

sleek blush in rose gold to highlight

17 mirror shine in beehive

mac dazzleglass in baby sparks

urban decay primer potion

too faced naked eye palette (satin sheets, lap dance, unmentionables, in the buff)

sleek palette in paraguaya (the pink shade 3rd from left on top row, the grey 2nd from right bottom row)

maybelline gel liner

benefit they're real mascara

i'm really struggling to remove this benefit they're real mascara. it seems to crust on and then despite my best efforts using clinique oil eye makeup remover, will not freaking budge. when brushing my foundation brush over my lids, the crusty bits then seem to turn this paler colour, as seen above. it's disgusting and putting me off this mascara on a serious level. i've also had my hair bleached again. i'm aiming for white all over within the next few months, while keeping my length.

bliss fabulips

2011-09-17T16:34:00.001+01:00

i've suffered with excessively dry lips for years. i've tried the majority of lip balms, treatments etc to find a solution, and even considered lip fillers for the hyaluronic acid which is said to cure dryness but have decided that it's going to have to be something i need to learn to live with. new york spa brand bliss have just recently launched their fabulips collection, containing a lip cleanser, scrub, plumper and balm. each product is available individually, retailing between £12 and £16, or you can purchase the whole set for £39.

step 1: refresh. the cleansing stage. this is a pale pearly pink, and bubbles up when in contact with the lips. it contains cocoa butter, shea butter and rice bran lifting away impurities and refreshes the lips. it reminds me alot of the bliss triple oxygen face mask, if you've ever tried that.

step 2: retexturise. this is the exfoliating stage. this is a sugar scrub for the lips, featuring almond, sugar and walnut shell to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin. it also contains vanilla, orange, jojoba, olive oil, shea and cocoa butter along with vitamins a, c and e to nourish the lips. it also tastes lovely! the granules don't feel at all scratchy, and do gently exfoliate leaving super smooth lips. a photo of the scrub is below.

step 3: rejuvenate. this is the plumping stage.this plumper is in a twist tube with a plastic doe foot applicator, and is clear and thick in consistency. it contains mint, cork tree extract and peptides to enhance the lip contours and provide protection and moisture throughout the day. i love this, i don't notice much plumping (i already have full lips) and unlike the majority of 'plumpers' on the market, it doesn't burn. it feels refreshing, and it makes my lips feel super pillowy and soft.

step 4: replenish. the balm stage. this is in the typical twist tubes the majority of lip balms are in, and doesn't feel particulary sturdy! it contains shea, jojoba and grapeseed oils, blended with vitamin e to moisturise and leave supple lips. this is a pretty average lip balm.

a particularly grim before and after.

this really does work. my favourite items are definitely the scrub and the plumper. the scrub is gentle enough to not leave my lips red raw, however is still super effective. it tastes delicious and you do only need a tiny amount. the plumper i feel for me works more as a lip balm and protector. my lips feel super moisturised and protected from the elements with this thick formula. it's pricey, but for someone such as myself that will apply lip balm in the morning then 3 hours later am left with a flaky mess, it is worth it.

available from blissworld.co.uk and timetospa.co.uk

illamasqua skin base review

2011-08-26T09:08:00.003+01:00

this has been such a hyped foundation, and i was intrigued as soon as i heard about it. i don't live near an illamasqua counter unfortunately, and so i ordered this online. i decided using swatches and recommendations from others. according to illamasquas chart comparing between mac colours, i should be sb7. while looking at swatches i thought this was too light, and so settled on sb11. so glad i did this, sb11 is around the correct tone yet a bit light still. it comes in this little plastic tube, which for some reason i was expecting to be bigger. it contains around 30ml of product, and in all honesty i find it a right faff. it has a little nib which you squeeze the foundation out of, and being the wimp i am i sometimes struggle to get an adequate amount out and resort to using both hands to squeeze it out. god knows how this will work when you're nearing the end of the tube!

the texture of this foundation is like a thick cream, as you can see in the picture below. i find it fairly hard to blend, yet when it is blended the result is lovely. it looks like actual skin, with a slight glow to it but without making me think 'oh my god look at my shiny nose'. it has a diffused, soft glow effect and does make you look perfect. it wears impeccably too, i can wear it to work and oilies don't show through it either, it just goes slightly glowier without looking greasy which is what i'm most impressed about. they come in a range of colours, from 01 to 18 and are available in pink, yellow, pink/yellow, olive, red and neutral undertones. there's also a white for mixing. sb11 is described as a pink/yellow undertone which is about right. i personally think the colours come up too light, i wear nw30 in mac yet i'm sb11 which is sometimes still too light.

i do like this foundation, but it's not HG material for me. it might be that i have the wrong shade, but i think sometimes it makes me look washed out. the packaging isn't ideal and the thick consistency is nice yet hard to blend and i find myself just smearing it around in the hope it'll settle. however, i am amazed at how well it controls oil and lasts on the skin. it retails at £25 for 30ml, and is available from illamasqua.

this week

2011-08-13T15:27:00.004+01:00

things i've been loving this week.

bliss steep clean pore purifying mask. i love love this face mask, there are two parts to it (a yellow and a blue) and when you pump you dispense them evenly, mix together and apply. i leave it on for 15 minutes and it leaves my skin feeling so so clean and fresh.

lauren's way beach bronze tan lotion. i received this lotion and have used it once so far... and i love it. it doesn't have any weird smells, doesn't smell of fake tan either. it's super easy to apply, moisturising and a lovely natural brown colour. i've got absolutely no streaks either. i'm so impressed.

bliss lemon & sage body butter. lemon & sage is the signature bliss scent, and these body butters are lovely. they're super hydrating and non greasy, which for me is so important as so many other body butters (the body shop.. i'm looking at you) are greasy and leave a horrible residue on my skin. i think i'm going to pick this up in vanilla & bergamot next.

sleek pout paint in minx. the long awaited sleek pout paints have finally hit stores. i got the chance to experiment and play with these back when i attended the most recent sleek event, and this is one of my favourite colours. the texture of these is amazing, so smooth and hydrating yet so pigmented. i also picked up the white one, and milkshake.

tresemme 24h body sky high plumping powder. this is another one of these volumising powders, i've previously used the v05 one however when picking up a tresemme hairspray i noticed all tresemme was on 2 for £5 and as each product was around £5 i might as well pick this one up. i prefer this one to the v05, it doesn't feel anywhere near as heavy in my hair and has a much nicer scent. plumping wise they're both about the same.

modelco blush in 3 c'est la vie. unfortunately i think this one is now discontinued, however it's a perfect blush for me. it looks super natural with a subtle sheen, and i find myself reaching for it most days.

things i purchased today.

too faced primed and poreless bronze tint. i've been wanting a primer for a while and after researching online i settled on the too faced one. i got to the shops to decide between the original or the bronze tint but in the end i settled for the bronze.

revlon photoready foundation in 007 cool beige. i'm excited to try this, i've heard mixed reviews on it.

collection 2000 cream puff in 2 powder puff. i'm not sure how well me and the cream puffs will get along, i suffer from super dry lips and i think that these may accentuate that. however the colour is lovely and they taste and smell absolutely divine.

i got this ring from primark for £2, and this week i have been rocking the pink leopard print. i used rimmel rose libertine, a random white polish and my wah by nails inc black nail art pen. my tanned colour is thanks to lauren's way, although this photo seems to be leaning towards the orange side which in person it definitely isn't.

fotd

2011-08-05T10:33:00.004+01:00

today i have the day off work :) and so i am going shopping to ikea and primark and i'm also going to visit my friend who has had an operation! i received illamasqua skin base in the mail this week and so am road-testing it today. review to come! i wanted to go for a cute, natural-ish look today and so this is what i did. i added loose waves to my hair with my babyliss conical wand and my top is from all saints sale.

i used;

illamasqua skin base sb11

too faced amazing face powder in honey beige

rimmel match perfection concealer in 200 soft beige

bourjois delice de soleil bronzer in 14

maybelline mineral powder blush in quartz peach

ud naked eyeshadow for my eyebrows

elf brow set in ash

mua professional palette in heaven and earth

maybelline gel eyeliner

lancome hypnose drama mascara

bourjois effet 3d lipgloss in rose pacific

hope you all have a lovely day :) x

fotd

2011-07-24T21:53:00.003+01:00

i've been lacking in fotd's recently. one of the reasons is that i can never find decent lighting at my house to take photos. i had my set up at uni perfect, but i find at home that lighting is always so inconvienient. it was my mums birthday on friday but because i was working late we went out for a meal this evening. we went to cafe rouge which was really yum and i had a crock monseuir :).

on my face i used:

boots 17 photo flawless primer

estee lauder double wear 4n1 wheat

too faced absolutely flawless concealer honey

too faced amazing face powder foundation honey beige

nars bronzer laguna

nars blush douceur

sleek contour kit medium

on my eyes:

mac eyeshadow cork on my brows

elf brow set ash

udpp

mua professional palette heaven and earth

illamasqua pure pigment static

lancome hypnose drama

mac fluidline blacktrack

burts bees chapstick

mac lipstick creme cup

i'm not 100% sold on the mua professional palette. it's nice but not that pigmented and i have to work quite hard to get the shadows to show up. here i dusted a small amount of illamasqua pure pigment in static over to give it a pinky purple sheen. i love this lancome mascara also, i 'suffer' from really long eyelashes but they're super straight. this mascara gives them lift and curl which stays all day which is what i need from a mascara!

haaauling

2011-07-23T16:06:00.005+01:00

i've got quite a few new makeup bits recently. i got my first proper full time wage packet so thought i was allowed... :)

too faced amazing face powder foundation in honey beige, nicola roberts dainty doll blush in 002 my girl, mua professional trio in chocolate box, boots 17 falsifeye gel liner, chanel mimosa nail polish, burts bees chapstick, boots 17 falsifeye mascara, mua professional palette in heaven and earth, estee lauder double wear in 4n1 wheat.

face products. now that i'm spending a considerable amount of time outside the house, i felt the need for a long lasting foundation. and nothing quite compares to the classic estee lauder doublewear. it has such a great range of shades and is reasonably priced for how decent it makes my skin look all day. i got matched to shade wheat, 4n1. this is in the medium deep (4) depth category, with neutral tones. this matches my skin almost perfectly. while browsing asos sale i came across the too faced powder foundation. i love using a light dusting of powder foundation to set my liquid foundation as it provides a decent amount of coverage as well. i got this one in honey beige, reduced to £13.95 instead of £22.95. my boots has starte

d to stock the nicola roberts dainty doll range. now i am well aware that it is designed for girls with fair skin, however this shade is beautiful. it's a cool candy pink with a gorgeous shimmer, and looks lovely layered over a pink blush to give a glow and sheen to the cheek. i can't wear this on my own as it just looks really weird.

while in superdrug i thought i'd check out the new mua professional range. i'm a huge fan of the regular range, in particular the single eyeshadows so was super pleased to find them in palettes. the heaven and earth palette was £4, and the chocolate box trio was £2.50. the trio reminds me of the bourjois ones, and i absolutely LOVE it. the colours in it are perfect, a gorgeous peachy pink with two unique shades of brown. it's super pigmented and so easy to use. the heaven and earth palette i'm not quite so pleased with. the colours are nice but the shadows just don't seem up to the same quality of the singles that retail for £1. they seem powdery and lacking in pigment, and actually seem to work best with the sponge applicator provided.

i've been in malia for a week, and on the way home i couldn't resist popping into duty free. i picked up chanel nail polish in mimosa, a gorgeous summery yellow with pearl shot through. i've been wearing it on my toes and i think for a yellow it's super flattering! it does require 3 coats though. the lipstick is a ysl rouge pur couture in 23 corail poetique. it reminds me alot of mac vegas volt with more of a peachy tone, but is creamier and more moisturising. also in this super posh gold case.

had my hair done

2011-07-03T21:30:00.004+01:00

went to the hairdressers yesterday and decided i didn't like being a darker blonde and i wanted to be a proper blondie again. i foolishly went with my hair full of product from the night before (vo5 volume powder, batiste xxl volume and hairspray) which undoubtedly left it feeling straw-like and dry. this left my hairdresser (i go to the training academy to get it done, so i have different hairdressers every time) very hesitant to give me a full head of highlights which i really wanted as i think she thought my hair was in bad condition and couldn't take bleach. i had thick highlights in a half head which i'm pleased with on the top but the ends are still a light brown colour and i want them to be blonde also. i spent about 3 hours in there (didn't get it cut) because my hair takes so freaking long to lift. she used a mixture of 30 and 40 vol bleach depending on the position and i still had to sit under heat to get it to lift properly. she was super surprised when she washed out the bleach as she was like 'oh your hair is actually really soft and took that so well' which i'd tried to tell her before but she wasn't having any of it.. kind of my own fault but still. i was also asked if it was 'glued' in i was like no... it's all real. so then they were all fussing over it and stroking it.

the top and the area round my face is a lovely super blonde white shade. mmm :) please ignore my dire fake tan hands... when i had my nails done the technician would not stop joking about it.

nice dodgy face i'm pulling.. an idea of the length. it's got to the length i love, so when i sit down normally the ends brush my thighs. but as you can see, it's looking thinner (there is some round the back this isn't all of it!!) and the ends are still dark. i'm trying to lighten them with john freida go lighter but i don't seem to be getting anywhere! and i still want 26 inch extensions. i've measured my hair and it's currently about 21 inches. thoughts?

my blouse is from topshop and on my bottom half i'm wearing some beige chinos with cuffed bottoms (a la trendy boy style..) from the zara sale. i paired this with a black fake alexa and some tan sandals. tan courtesy of st moriz... not for long though as i go to malia in 6 days. roll on real sun!

drugstore powders

2011-06-26T15:06:00.004+01:00

something i've noticed recently is the ever increasing amount of highlighters, blushes and bronzers available in drugstores that seem to mimic cult favourites of higher end brands. whilst browsing the aisles, i came across the accessorize boxed blushes and the boots 17 miami pop collection. i've ended up picking up 2 powders. i got the accessorize bronzing block in shade 3, which is most definitely not a bronzer. it's a gorgeous peachy pink blush with a gold shimmer, and comes in a leopard print and pink rose box with a little brush. i got rid of the brush as i find them annoying and quite frankly rubbish, but the actual powder is lovely. it's pigmented and smooth, and leaves your cheeks looking perfectly luminous. i then got the boots 17 miami pop bronzer. again, i don't think i would use this as bronzer for all over my face. i actually purchased it because it reminded me of mac mineralize skinfinishes, and would be a perfect bronzey gold highlight. the texture is wonderfully smooth and is packed with pigment. it comes in a flip compact, which is neon orange with pink flamingos on the top. i actually really love the packaging, it reminds me of mac neo sci-fi collection.

as you can see, both products leave a gorgeous sheen to the skin without looking chalky and when buffed in give the skin a beautiful healthy glow. i'm getting increasingly impressed with the quality of drug store products, and i'm finding my make-up collection containing alot more of them as the cheaper brands have began to mimic products typical of what we expect from higher priced brands.

easy hair

2011-06-21T22:07:00.004+01:00

so i must apologise for the lack of posts of late. i've started working full time and it's taken the life out of me! i've purchased a few new makeup items recently so i'm sure you can expect to see them in a post soon. i've found myself having to cut down my makeup routine time considerably in order for me to have a little extra time in bed. this has then led from spending 10 minutes on my hair to about 2 minutes. i've been sporting the super quick bouffant for approximately the past week, which looks like so;

all it requires is a comb and some hair pins. i find the messier the style, the better and obviously more effortless it looks. i just comb my hair backwards at the crown, and separate into thin layers which i then back brush. i pull a piece from one side to the middle at the back making sure it's poofy and pin. i do with the other side also. the middle piece i then back brush again and pin down into the middle, and smooth over with a boar bristle brush to help it all blend in together and not look like 3 separate pieces.

i'm at a loss with what to do with my hair at the moment. i really want a full fringe and to style it with a round brush so it's kind of poofy, but i know this is a very bad idea considering summer and holidays is soon approaching and i don't fancy having it stuck to my oil slick forehead in 30 degree weather! i'm getting it re-highlighted and all lightened up again at the beginning of july just in time for my first holiday (to malia) then i think i perhaps might spice things up and achieve my dream of rapunzel hair by ordering some 26" extensions from headkandy. hmm.. oh the choices.

how to make it look like you have eyebrows when you actually don't

2011-06-01T10:02:00.001+01:00

i was blessed with fairly thick, well shaped eyebrows (apart from the middle..) but about 2 years ago i decided i hated them and wanted super thin eyebrows. one thing led to another and i ended up with virtually no eyebrows. the only issue? they won't grow back. i've tried a myriad of serums, treatments, growth products but nothing has ever worked. so i had to find a way to make it look like i had eyebrows when i actually don't. sometimes i quite like it, as it means i can experiment with brow shapes and colours almost daily. but when it comes to just whacking on a bit of make-up to go to the shop, or go to swimming, there is an issue.. but nevermind.

my brow products. my favourite powders are ud naked and ud buck from the naked palette, but i also like mac omega, mac cork, mac espresso, mac brun depending on how dark i want my eyebrows. gosh felt tip brow pen in wheat. elf lifter and filler in ash/ivory. elf treat and tame in ash. costco angled brush and spoolie. boots 17 eyebrow pencil in natural brown.

so this is what i start with. i've done my eyebrow on one eye, and the other is how my natural eyebrow is. pretty horrific right?

okay so first i take ud naked eyeshadow on the angled brush. i draw a smooth line along the bottom of my eyebrow, mimicking the shape i'd like them to be. this is the shape i do normally. i take it in a bit further than my actual brow as i find it frames my face better.

taking some more ud naked, i draw a line to form the top of the eyebrow. i start it at around the same place on the inside, and draw it to connect with the top of the arch.

i then fill the brow in using ud buck. this is slightly darker than naked. i don't fill it in all the way to the inside, as we are going to use something different there. i take some of the darker shadow down through the tail too, just to add a little definition.

i take ud naked again, or a paler shade than what you are using onto the brush. holding the brush horizontally, you're going to sweep it up and down vertically between the two lines. this is going to fill in the middle section, but give it a slight fade so that it isn't as harsh as the main bit of brow. when the brush is 'empty' of product, continue this motion to blend it out. you can blend it out as much as you like, or keep it super squared. if you like more of a rounded inner, then use semi circular motions as opposed to vertical. you can finish it here if you like, but i'm going to take a few more steps.

using an eyebrow pencil, i go over what i've done with shadow. here i'm using the elf filler in ash, but sometimes i use the 17 eyebrow pencil in natural brown. i find that this helps to just define the brow even more. i then brush through it using the angled brush to make sure it doesn't look too harsh.

using the other end of the elf filler, an ivory waxy pencil, i draw along the underneath of the eyebrow to give it a sharper finish. i then shade under the arch to create lift in the area. this will leave you with a funny shaped triangle area of lighter colour.

i then blend the harsh line of ivory using my finger. this completes the look. if you don't own the elf double ended pencil, the same effect can be had from using soap and glory arc de triumph. you can also use a powder, before i owned the pencil i used to use a pale ivory eyeshadow to get the same effect.

here are some examples of my eyebrows on a night out. i made the inner edges super square for this look. i'm not really sure what face i'm pulling, and this is also a great example as to why you shouldn't wear a foundation with a lot of spf in for flash photography. i promise you that my face and neck matched in person! i hope this helped some of you lovely eyebrow-less friends :). you can also do it even if you do have eyebrows, this will give you a super defined look.

leopard nails

2011-05-31T12:56:00.004+01:00

i always wanted to be able to do leopard print nails. i decided to opt for the models own wah nail art pen to help me achieve this, as i thought clumsy fingers and a nail art striper would not go down so well. this was my first attempt, some fingers are undoubtedly better than others but i was pretty pleased with the outcome. my favourite nails are actually my thumbs, i think perhaps because there is more room on them the pattern looks more complete.

i wanted to go for a slightly more 'edgy' colour scheme, so i chose barry m peach melba for the base and barry m acid yellow for the spots. i like it, my mother hates it. for more practice i decided to do it on my toes too, and on there i have topshop heart of gold (metallic shimmery gold) for a base and bloom molly (a bright neon pink) for the spots. i love this too, but i didn't think a photo of my toes would be necessary!

i'm looking forward to trying this out with more colour schemes! i think an order from barry m is soon approaching. i really want silver, aqua blue, white and racing green. i think i also need a good red, i've not used bright red in so long and mine has gone gloopy and thick beyond fix.

groupon offer :)

2011-05-31T11:48:00.003+01:00

today's groupon offer is £24 for a £60 voucher for bellapierre mineral make-up. i've never actually tried it, but i've always been intrigued and so i got the voucher to use. the products are quite pricey, i've got my eye on the blush specifically, so this would be a good way to try them out. the blush is £30 each, so you can get 2 for 1 effectively.

if you want to buy the offer, you can click here and if you want to browse bellapierre website before you buy the voucher it's located here.

cheeky elf haul

2011-05-27T19:34:00.004+01:00

i had my eyes on the eyebrow treat and tame from elf for a while, and ordered a few more things to go with it. i got the treat and tame in ash, the eyebrow lifter and filler in ash/ivory, the nail polish in 'twinkle', the beauty encyclopedia for eyes, the bamboo eyeshadow blending brush and three sets of lashes. i got the brush as i thought it would be perfect for blending concealer in!

the nail polish, shade name twinkle. it's a clear base with gorgeous pale blue, peach and green glitters in it. i tried this straight away over barry m raspberry, which it doesn't go amazingly with but tonight i'm going to layer it over a pale lilac. my mum also spied it, now she is requesting i paint her nails with it too. i actually got this because of the name, my cat is called twinkle so i thought it'd be super cute.

the powder eye section of the encyclopedia. it comes with these eyeshadows, an eyeliner, a mini brush and two cream shadows. i'm not sure the cream shadows are going to be a success (crease central) but the eyeshadows are beautiful quality. some have a little glitter fallout but the others are smooth and blendable. i took a photo of the stand-out shades below..

on the left is the pale olive green shade, middle row 2nd from left. this is quite an unusual colour, i can't really think of a suitable comparison from mac. the next is a super pale icy blue, not a shade i'd usually opt for but i actually really like it. it's a bit of a glitterbomb but brushing the glitter away it looks lovely. it's 1st on the left on the middle row. the next is a purpley taupe shade, super pigmented and would make an amazing smoky eye. this is on the bottom row, 2nd from the right. the bronze shade reminds me of a darker version of mac bronze, with the same beautiful shimmer. it's bottom row, 1st on the right (looks alot lighter in pan than it is). the encyclopedia is £6, and i'd say it was worth it for these shades alone.

i'm super excited to try the brow products, as i'm loving experimenting with my brow shape right now (i don't really have any eyebrows, so i can change the colour/shape to whatever i want). what's your favourite elf product?

feather hair extensions

2011-05-22T20:17:00.010+01:00

this is something i'd been interested in for a while! i'd been seeing them alot over tumblr etc, and had been reading up a bit about them but finding them in the uk seemed hard unless i wanted to pay a ridiculous amount for them! i found the website ahe adofhair.biz where they stock the feather extensions and have 25 different colours to choose from. each mini set is £5.99 with like £2.50 p&p. i ordered the colour 'cree' which is on the 3rd page, which is fairly neutral. i wasn't sure whether i'd like them or not, and with how long my hair is i thought they had the possibility to look awkward. i received them promptly, and was surprised by the quality of the feathers and the beautiful colours in them. they also come with 5 microbeads, which you need to use to secure the extensions in.

i chose to put them in on the side without my fringe. they were super easy to do, although i did enrol the help of my mum because it's fiddly to do it all by yourself! i was concious that they might look odd in my hair because of my length, but i fitted it so that the ends blended in with one of my layers. personally i really like them, and i'd like to add another set in and also play with brighter colours. i'm considering a pink set for my holiday in july! if you would like to see a bigger, more detailed photo of the feathers (not sure why blogger won't enlarge the photo i've already put in) then you can click here. i've also been learning to do acrylics (as you can see..) and so there will probably be a post in future on those. i'm not amazing at it yet so it's a learning curve!

shiny new things...

2011-05-18T16:32:00.003+01:00

two lipsticks, maybelline color sensational in 109 rosy dream and topshop lipstick in nevada.

miss selfridge leopard print espadrilles, £12. i love these, i've got a pair of plain black toms but as soon as i saw these i knew they had to be mine. office are doing some super cute colours too... i think lavender ones will be next.

whilst browsing shoeaholics.com, i came across these. they're kg by kurt geiger and the style is 'kitty'. i'd wanted these before hand, but as soon as i saw them on the site for a bargain price i snapped them up. luckily they had them in my size!

hello. i want to be blonder. this photo also demonstrates well the act of spf in flash photography (note my neck/face colour).

boredom fotd

2011-05-15T18:45:00.005+01:00

i was bored and didn't really have much to do, so thought i'd play with my makeup and new camera. this is what i came up with! these photos used flash which is why i think my skin looks a bit odd haha.

i used:

rimmel match perfection cream to gel foundation in 200 soft beige

mac moisturecover concealer in nw25

rimmel match perfection highlighting concealer pen in 040 soft beige

sleek luminous pressed powder in LP02

chanel bronzer

sleek blush in coral

udpp

urban decay eyeshadow in sin

mac eyeshadows in espresso, bronze and brun

collection 2000 eyeliner pen in black

boots 17 wild curl mascara

mac zoom lash mascara

some random eyelashes

mac viva glam gaga2

mac emancipation lipglass

BYS eyeshadow palette

2011-05-13T18:00:00.003+01:00

while browsing my local tj hughes (a store i've not been in before) i noticed that they have a huge make-up section. it contains alot of discounted cosmetics, including stila, rimmel, maybelline etc. they had a stand full of a brand called BYS, which i've never actually heard of before. this eyeshadow palette caught my eye, and at £2.99 i thought i'd get it. i wasn't expecting much from it at all, but i'm actually quite impressed!

the first shadow is swatched, sorry! i couldn't wait to see how pigmented it was. below i've swatched it on my arm (sorry about the awful photo, i've not got to grips with my new camera yet)

as you can see, the pigmentation isn't too bad! this is with no base, so i think with a base under the shadows would work really well. the 3rd on the top row has a bit of fall out, but that's it. i really love the 2nd colour and the 1st on the bottom row! i'm going to do a look with this tomorrow and i will post the outcome :). have you tried bys before?

h&m shoe picks

2011-04-26T12:05:00.000+01:00

h&m have relaunched their online shopping site for the uk. whether they've improved their service i am not sure, but it certainly seems more up to date with the best selling items at the moment. one thing i found myself browsing was their shoes, and was actually quite impressed by the selection!

first off are these super cute beaded moccasins. they're £17.99! will go great with the aztec trend at the moment and are super comfy. i've got a pair of black and leopard print ones from new look and i find myself reaching for them all the time, they're just so easy to wear.

suede fringed sandals. these are £14.99 and are available in tan (shown), black and bright purple. i find myself drawn to the purple yet i know the tan is more wearable. but for £14.99 i suppose it would be acceptable to have both pairs..

these peep toe flats are just £7.99. they come in blue (shown), black, red and tan and are a mock suede effect. a nice summery alternative to flats without going all the way to sandals.

while in the actual store, i never seem to think much of h&m shoes. i will have to check these out in person and see if they look quite as promising as they do online!

urban outfitters

2011-04-26T00:41:00.004+01:00

urban outfitters is a funny store for me. my style doesn't fit with their market segment particularly however sometimes i find the odd item in there that i absolutely fall in love with. recently they've actually come up top trumps, and there has been a few items i've really liked. first off are the classic vivienne westwood earrings, adorned with swarovski crystals. these are £62 and i love them. the navajo cardigan is £48. i saw it in store and absolutely fell in love with it, but it's price and the warm weather have made me consider it.. i will probably end up getting it i keep thinking about it, haha. the bracelet says 'love you' and is £6. the eagle back vest is £25. i love the fit of this, and how it's plain on the front. the key necklace is super simple yet effective, and is £16. it's on a super long chain and would look cute over a baggy vest and leggings. finally the aztec print snood is £22. i love all the aztec prints and how urban outfitters are offering them in pastel shades, a more flattering alternative to the terracotta and ochre colours seen in most stores.

new barry m polishes

2011-04-22T16:34:00.003+01:00

whilst browsing superdrug, i came across two new barry m polishes. 317 is called blue moon, and is a pale cool blue. 318 is called peach melba, and is a warm orange peach shade. i adore both of these shades and so decided to pick both up, hoping that peach melba was going to be a good cheap peach polish.

i was expecting the peach to be sheer and streaky, however it's completely the opposite. it's pigmented, opaque in 2 coats and not a streak in sight. for a peach nail polish this is outstanding, let alone the price tag. it's far better than essie and china glaze peaches i've tried! the formulation of blue moon is not quite so good. requires 3 coats for full opacity, and the first coat looks absolutely atrocious. once built up with thin layers though, it is fully opaque and a super gorgeous colour. it's on the cooler side of blue, and i can't actually think of an exact dupe for it. they're both super glossy when dry even without topcoat, although i have a few chips from peach melba on my fingers after working. i'm sure this could of been avoided with a top coat! barry m polishes are currently 2 for £4.99 in superdrug. next stop, the new rimmel lycra pro polish shades.

turquoise rings

2011-04-20T23:15:00.003+01:00

my lovely friend naomi (you can see her blog here) has started to sell turquoise rings on ebay. there's 8 varieties to choose from (although she has sold out of style number 2!) and they're priced at £5.49 including p&p to the united kingdom, far more reasonable than buying from topshop etc! turquoise is pretty much the stone for spring/summer this year and these are very affordable. i can vouch for her 100% on her reliability and the quality of the rings. they're adjustable so will fit the majority of fingers, which is always good! the link to her ebay is here :)

tattoo and birthday

2011-04-17T18:09:00.003+01:00

today i'm 19 :). it's an age i didn't really want to reach, an awkward in between stage. not 18, not in the 20s.. and the last year of being a teenager. i've had a good day, my friend from home came up to nottingham and we went out last night. today we got mcdonalds, went and laid by the lake in the sun and had a casual road trip. now we're off to get some food at chiquitos (hi i like to eat) i'm going home tomorrow though to have a birthday with my family!

i also recently have got a new addition. i love tattoos, always have been fascinated by them and unfortunately as i want to work in an office environment, having large tattoos will not be professional. i had been thinking about this for ages, and i finally found the correct font i wanted. i got it done on thursday! i love how the text fits the arch of my foot perfectly yet in shoes it's incredibly subtle and will be easy to cover up if necessary. it says 'no lies just love' which is a phrase i think is good to live life by. i really love it, and have definitely got bitten by the tattoo bug. i want another already! my best friend took this photo today while i wasn't looking, sneaky! i apologise for my awful patchy fake tanned feet. it's healing well, and wasn't as painful as i was expecting at all!

cheap lashes

2011-04-16T13:57:00.006+01:00

i was never one for false eyelashes originally, however since coming to uni alot of my friends wear them, and i've been converted. i feel 'naked' without a pair on during a night out, and sometimes if i'm having a bad mascara day i pop a pair of lashes on instead. i find it so interesting how the shape and length of some lashes can completely change your eye shape. they tend to open my eyes and i love this affect. as most people know, buying eyelashes from superdrug/boots gets pretty pricey. they're normally around £4 or £5 a pair, and if you're anything like me you'll be lucky to get 3 wears out of them. i also seem to constantly loose eyelash glue as well!

a b&m home stores opened near where i live at uni. this is a discount shop that sells everything from beauty and toiletries, to gardening equipment, to wallpaper and paint, to kitchenwares and even confectionery. there's not one of these at home, so i hadn't experienced this before. while browsing, i noticed they had a range of false eyelashes. the main ones stocked are girl about town london collection, which retail at £1.29 a pair. they also seldom stock other brands, at the moment they have a few katie price lashes too. i have a small collection of these in my drawer as backups if i find myself needing a pair and not having some to hand! i've bought alot of pairs of these, but have gone through them fast as usual.

this is my favourite set, and has been repurchased many a time. this is the girl about town london collection in carnaby. subtley spikey, and flared towards the edge. they also have a thin band which for me, is a must with fake eyelashes. please excuse the lower lashes.. i'm having a bad mascara day! if you live near a b&m, it'd be worth popping in to see if they had any lashes!

summer stripes

2011-04-15T15:48:00.000+01:00

the classic striped top this summer will meet last seasons trend of colourblocking, which leads to this wonderful clash of colours and tears away from the classic red/black/white/navy striped tops. i absolutely love these tops. they're loose fitted, brightly coloured and will look fab with leggings and sandals. the first one is from topshop, and is £18. i love the pink and the orange, they're exact shades of one of my favourite baskin robbins ice cream flavours, rainbow sherbet. the second one is from dorothy perkins and is £15. i love the super cool blues and turquoises, contrasted with a pale orange. the vest itself is slightly oversized, and looks so effortless. the third top is from topshop again and is £16. described as a deck chair top, this is exactly what it reminds me of. spending summer with friends on road trips to weston-super-mare beach, ice cream in hand lying in one of the striped wooden deckchairs. again it has the same loose fitted-feel about it. will you be rocking bright stripes this summer?

new shoes

2011-04-10T18:06:00.005+01:00

my feet had got absolutely cut to shreds on wednesday night and the only heels i had at home with me are lovely, but are super uncomfortable. i spent saturday traipsing round the shops looking for a new pair of shoes to wear, at an affordable price. there were quite a few lovely pairs in tk maxx, but i decided to wander on over to the main shopping centre and see what i could find. i went in so many shops but all to no avail, until i entered river island. i headed for the sale section and after hunting around, found these beauties. i love wedges as they're super comfy, and they're also sky high so i'm a little bit taller. they were £30, reduced from £64.99. such a bargain. i wore them out last night and i didn't start to feel discomfort until i'd been up and moving around for 4 hours or so, which is quite impressive!

botox lips

2011-04-07T15:04:00.004+01:00

two posts in one day? i am spoiling you. i got bored and so decided to do some sort of ridiculous make-up look i wouldn't ever wear. i did a turquoise eye look but i hate colour on me so swiftly removed it, and decided to channel some sort of awkward 80's drag look. this is what i came up with.

the eyeshadow is actually black and a peachy shade, black always pulls blue on my skintone for some reason. the lips are my favourite part of this look... and i actually really like them. i used a random dark lip liner to line my lips and drew over my natural lip line. i then used a lipbrush to apply mac viva glam gaga 2 from the middle outwards. i applied deelight cremesheen glass from mac in the middle of both lips for extra sheen and plastic-ness. i actually think i will rock the lips on a night out... i really shouldn't like them but i do.

i'm also really getting into twitter. i've had it for ages but never actually used it, but am starting to now. you can follow me at twitter.com/oioiblondie

wishlist

2011-04-07T12:18:00.003+01:00

when i'm bored i tend to make these sorts of things. there seems to be a pattern here.. black/brown/grey and turquoise! the sleeveless biker jacket is from miss selfridge and is £42. i love sleeveless jackets.. i think they look great over chiffon shirts and blouses and this one would be no exception. i like girly styles mixed with rocker/goth influences. the bag is from new look and is £35. it's super slouchy looking and easy to wear, and plenty of room for all the junk i carry around with me. the ysl arty ring is from net-a-porter and is £120. i love the amber colour, it's a shade that is fairly subtle and will look lovely on both pale skins and tanned skins, and can be paired with most colours of nail polish. the leopard print playsuit is £34 from miss selfridge. i love playsuits, they look super cute in the day teamed with sandals and a big bag, but can be also worn at night with some killer heels and a little clutch. the ramones vest is from amplified clothing via truffleshuffle.co.uk, and is £20. i'm one of those annoying people that just likes it and doesn't listen to the ramones. asos have now started stocking toy watches, and the super cute turquoise one is £130. i love the colour of this! the skull ring is £8.50 from miss selfridge. it reminds me of sugar skulls which i love, i did one of my a-level art projects on dia de los muertos. the leopard print heels are from schuh and are £67. i just love sky scraper heels, bows and leopard print so they're pretty much perfect in my eyes. the classic ray ban wayfarers in tortishell are £120 and available at ray ban stockists.

quick fotd

2011-04-06T11:35:00.002+01:00

heres a quick fotd for you today. my camera actually ran out of charge, which really annoyed me! i'm not doing much today, i have a hair appointment to get my hair cut (i had some darker blonde weaved through with my highlights on monday to tone down the platinum a bit) and i'm also popping into town. it's super summery today and so i'm in a good mood!

i'm wearing:

sleek new skin revive in fudge

mac moisturecover concealer in nw25

mac mineralize skinfinish natural in medium dark

chanel bronze universel

sleek blush in sahara

sleek contour kit in medium

urban decay primer potion

sleek paraguaya palette (sandstone, bittersweet, stone)

collection 2000 liner pen in black

mac zoom lash mascara

topshop kohl liner in pewter

urban decay eyeshadow in virgin (from the naked palette)

mac creme cup lipstick

mac deelight cremesheen glass

sleek makeup : follow up post

2011-04-03T00:56:00.003+01:00

so i actually took some more photos and made some swatches of the products we received. it's one thing seeing the colours in the pan but on skin they can look very different. we received the meditereanean collection, and here are the boxes. the i-divine is called monaco, the pout polish monte carlo and the blush santorini.

(please excuse me peeping into this photo.. my nail polish is barry m cobalt)

the blush on the left and the pout polish on the right. the blush is gorgeous and super pigmented.

the eyeshadows. swatched from left to right, top to bottom. stand out shades for me are the pastel blue and the two turquoise shades. i also like the peach and the funny stone nudey shade inbetween the pastel blue and green.

the new lipsticks. they're all from the true colour range (these aren't all the new shades) and now come in matte finish or sheen finish. their names are: stiletto, amped, baby doll, peaches & cream. the first two are mattes and the second two are sheens.

on the skin. each colour is beautiful!

a little bit of blush goodness for you. we were super lucky to receive the spotlight kit, and this section is by far my favourite. mm blush! so far i've tried rose gold, sunrise and sahara, all which i love.

sleek makeup event : destination s

2011-04-02T00:02:00.008+01:00

so today i attended the sleek makeup destination s event held in shoreditch studios. i had a lovely afternoon, chattering away with other bloggers and trying out the new products for 2011. there are some very exciting ones too. i took quite a few pictures (for me anyway, i'm not the worlds best photographer..) of products that caught my eye especially and the general event. it was great to see everybody and a special mention goes to: katie (mesluxes.blogspot.com), shirley (meek-n-mild.com), fleur (fleur de force), sabrina (a-littleobsessed.blogspot.com), gemma (gemsmaquillage.com), zoe (the london lipgloss), fei (peoniesandlilies.com) & the rest of you that i've not managed to write down!!

it was set up beautifully, decorated to the theme of the event and with great use of lighting and space.

a wall dedicated to celebrating the i-divine, the eyeshadow palette we nearly all love. it was first introduced in 2007, and here documents all of the palettes to date. shamefully, i own nearly every single one. we were also able to test out the new i-divines coming soon on podiums infront of this wall.

we were all matched to a foundation colour. sleek have expanded their foundation line to 30 colours (i have cut some of them out.. woopsie) going from the very very fair to the very deep. each model was matched to a shade and given a t-shirt, then ordered in colour order. some were missing, as they understandably went to the toilet/to get drinks and chattered amongst themselves. i was matched to fudge, who i helpfully cut out of the photo.. but it was the next shade to the right on the bottom row. it's interesting to see your skin colour on somebody else!

the two summer collections are based around two popular holiday destinations, the mediterranean and the caribbean.

the mediterranean collection. a super neon pink blush, a hot pink pout polish and another gorgeous i-divine. this one has some beautiful pastel shades in it, i love the turquoise shades especially.

the caribbean collection. this has an orange blush, an orange pout polish and a somewhat bright i-divine. some of the individual shades in this were gorgeous,

however i'm not sure how much i'd wear it! as usual, pigmentation was on top form. each box for the i-divine now has illustrations, and so do the pout polishes.

a closer look at the caribbean i-divine. stand out shades for me are the blue on the top row, 3rd from left and the olive green on the bottom row, 3rd from right.

sleeks answer to ysl touche eclat, luminere. available in 4 shades, in the same click style pen format. i think this would work superbly as an under eye concealer, it was slightly thicker and more pigmented than touche eclat yet still retaining the light reflecting qualities. i was very impressed with these.

nudes.. sorry did someone say nude? this is the 'oh so special' palette, i believe to be released around september 2011. it features some gorgeous highlight shades, peaches, warm browns and some deeper shades too, retaining the warm tones. the box for this is also super cute!

the nude collection. this is different to the palette above, and as usual contains an i-divine, a blush and a pout polish. the blush and pout polish are BEAUTIFUL. they're perfect colours, the blush is so so natural and will go with any look. the palette is somewhat deeper in tone than the oh so special palette, and to me is the warm answer to the bad gal i-divine. would be perfect for a polished, professional smokey look.

also keep your eyes peeled for their new lip product, which behaves pretty much like an occ lip tar. they're set to be released around august and come in some beautiful shades, including a white for mixing. i was also impressed with these, we got to make our own shades and after applying mine, it lasted me most of the day. they will be much more affordable and more accessible as well.

hair help

2011-03-30T20:02:00.005+01:00

so i had a hair appointment this morning to get my hair dyed, however on the way i actually crashed my car and so didn't make it. i'm ok, a bit shaken up and my car is damaged so is going to be costly in repairs and hike up in insurance, not to mention my now lack of car so i can't actually go anywhere :(.

however, it does give me a little longer to decide what i want to do. i feel that my hair is getting a little ash and too light for my skintone, and for the summer i think i want to emulate a beachy california look with more of a honey blonde. i want more of an overall effortless sunkissed tan look, so i'm feeling like straying from my bottle blonde hair. i'm definitely staying blonde, i just think i want to experiment with a different tone.

while flicking through photos of celebrity hair (wow i wish i could have celebrity hair) i found this photo of lilo and nicole. whereas the tone of my hair is more like nicoles, i think i want to go more like how lilo's is. i want more of an all over honey blonde, with lightened up ends and some brighter blonde highlights through the top. i think this colour will be alot more flattering for me!

what do you think?

mac look in a box

2011-03-29T17:02:00.004+01:00

my lovely friend katie mentioned she was going on a skiing holiday to italy, and wanted to know if there was anything i'd like from duty free. i remembered about the mac 'packed to go' collection which is available at airports, and more specifically the look in a box kits. there are 3 look in a box kits to choose from, and after reading what each one contained i opted for the girl next door box, which cost £25. a complete bargain for 5 full size products. there are two other boxes to choose from; rocker chick (eyeshadows in electra and black tied, lipstick in hue, lipglass in oyster girl, eye kohl in smoulder and dazzle lash mascara in black) and a very stylish girl (eyeshadows in dreammaker and glamour check, bronzing powder in golden, cremesheen glass in looks like sin, zoom lash mascara in black). each box is differently priced. alongside these kits are a set of 3 lipsticks, a set of 3 lipglasses, a set of 3 cremesheen glasses, a set of 3 mascaras, a set of 3 eyeliners, two eyeshadow palettes each containing 6 shadows and a compact containing 4 glosses and a face powder.

it contains two eyeshadows; grand entrance and smoke & diamonds, a cremesheen glass in deelight, a zoom lash mascara in black and an iridescent pressed powder in belightful. one of the main selling points for this specific kit is the sought after smoke & diamonds eyeshadow, originally released as a starflash formula. however, both of these eyeshadows are labelled as frosts, so whether they are identical to the previous versions i have no idea.

i was pleasantly surprised by all the products in the kit. on first glance, the i thought the cremesheen glass would be too dark but it is in fact a lovely 'my lips but better' shade with a non sticky finish. the iridescent powder is a neutral-pink highlighter, with a slight sheen. i used this on 3 skintones last night (mine, nc20 and nw15) and it looked great on all. however, the product i was most surprised by was in fact the zoom lash mascara. i've heard nothing but bad things about mac mascara, and the wand was typically not the sort of wand i'd opt for but i thought i would try it anyway. it is in fact great on my lashes! it lengthens and curls them, leaving me with gorgeous fluttery lashes and it excels itself especially on my bottom lashes. i think i actually prefer this to my usual mascara (boots 17 wild curl) and i would never of tried it unless i'd had this kit.

if you're going away in the near future, it would be worth checking these out. i found no difference in quality, and the price is absolutely fantastic.

general life update

2011-03-23T17:37:00.002Z

i've not really been out much recently, wearing minimal make-up during the day which is kind of boring and i'm not really one for ootd posts (i don't wear amazing clothes realistically). this leads me to feel like i'm neglecting you all! there's been so many good things over the past few weeks.

the weather. it's so sunny recently, warm and gorgeous. i really struggle in winter, i'm definitely a summer baby and i need sufficient amounts of daylight. the evenings are getting lighter and the days hotter, and i've been so content all week. sun cheers up even the most boring of days.
i reached 1000 followers. (well, 1031 now.) it's so weird to think that there's over a thousand people out there that are interested in what i've got to say. as sad as it sounds, i feel like i've achieved so much.
i've only got a few days left of uni until i break up for easter. easter means chocolate (my favourite food ever...), my best friends birthday and my birthday. plenty to celebrate! i also get to go home for a little while.
the gym. i was always the kid at school that hated PE and never really did much exercise. since going to uni, i've really struggled with weight (damn you alcohol and poor diet) and so i joined the gym. i've been a member for a few months and i've discovered that i actually really enjoy running. something which i never thought i'd say! i just put my earphones in, sing along (in my head) and enjoy my music while exercising at the same time. it's strangely relaxing! my friend at home does zumba, and she is going to take me along to a few classes over the easter holidays, which i'm looking forward to. hopefully i'll be in better shape for my summer holidays.

last nights fotd

2011-03-20T16:02:00.003Z

i actually really liked my make-up last night, but for some reason it wouldn't translate to photos well and most of the photos i took look apalling. probably not helped by the fact my fake tan hadn't developed (bad timing) at the time of application and so my face looks a very different colour to my body.

i used:

mac pro longwear foundation in nc35

mac moisturecover concealer in nw25

mac msfn in medium dark

nars blush in douceur

chanel bronze universel

udpp

urban decay naked palette: naked, toasted, hustle, creep

too faced naked palette: in the buff

collection 2000 liquid liner

mac kohl power in feline

bornprettystore.com lashes in #400

boots 17 eyebrow shaper

mac creme cup

this is how i styled my hair. i used a conical wand to make it super wavy and flipped it over to one side, then wore this headband i got from new look a little while ago. the dress is also from new look and is a concession called rage, i added a belt to it but here it makes my boobs look kinda weird.

day out with another blogger

2011-03-13T19:15:00.003Z

i'm sure many of you are familiar with the lovely shirley from meek-n-mild. we both study in the same city and had been planning to meet up for a while, which eventually happened this weekend. she introduced me to the gorgeous vintage shop wilder, which i'll definitely be popping back to at some point. my camera is old and rubbish, so i didn't take it out with me, but shirley is really into photography and took some absolutely gorgeous photos from the afternoon. you can pop over and see them on her blog here.

avoir la pêche

2011-03-10T18:39:00.005Z

peach is one of my favourite colours. i love it in clothes, accessories and make-up. i find it to be super flattering, easy to pair with other shades and i always find myself drawn to it. then being combined with one of my favourite cosmetic brands sleek, i am very excited for the avoir le pêche collection. it's going to be released on wednesday 16th march, and will be available for around a month. the spring collection will feature a new i-divine eyeshadow palette, a blush and a pout polish.

the new i-divine palette will be named paraguaya. it contains gorgeous neutrals, golds, peaches and orange shades, with a little plum to mix it all up. perfect for the spring/summer orange trend! this will retail for £6.99 (i swear the price increases on these all the time.. although they're still a good bargain)

the pout polish is called sugar may. it contains super nourishing ingredients such as jojoba to make your lips super soft while adding a gorgeous peachy hue. this will be on sale for £4.29.

the blush is called pan tao. sleek blushes are known for their pigmentation and fantastic texture, and i'm sure this won't let us down. it reminds me of a lovechild of nars taj mahal and nars gina, and knowing the quality of sleek it will be on par product wise too. the only difference? the smaller price tag of £4.29.

i love sleek. i'll be heading out to superdrug on the wednesday to pick each piece up!

deals ahoy!

2011-03-09T16:33:00.004Z

there are two good deals on today.

firstly, groupon is offering a £20 asos voucher in exchange for £9. asos has recently started stocking nars, and also stocks favourites such as too faced, opi, essie and urban decay. this is a great way to to try a new brand or product for cheaper. this will only be available today and tomorrow or until 50,000 people have purchased the deal. get the deal here :D

secondly, while doing my food shop in asda i noticed that rimmel sunshimmer has been reduced from somewhere in the £5 region to £2 on special offer. i picked up the last two bottles of medium matte, although there were plenty of the other formulas/colours. no idea how long this offer will last! this is a super good deal as for an instant fake tan, this one is lovely and great to top up legs on a night out. i also like mixing it into foundation!

new piercing

2011-03-08T00:48:00.005Z

i love piercings and tattoos, however i'm one for being super indecisive. this leads to a lack of tattoos, as it's not the sort of thing i want to regret. piercings however are more temporary. i have standard lobe, tragus (on my left ear) and i used to have my belly button but unfortunately i just can't heal it. this time i wanted a helix piercing but i have kinda weird shaped ears, so i didn't think it being pierced at the very top would suit my ear shape. so i got it done in the middle on the right ear instead.

i take piercing pain very well, so it didn't hurt me at all. i 'felt' it more than my tragus but none of my piercings have ever hurt. i'm now planning my next... i'm liking the idea of a forward helix but that is dependent on whether i have enough room to fit it on my ear. i'm not sure i'm brave enough for facial piercings, as much as i'd love a tiny lip stud or a nose ring.

what's your favourite piercing?

celebrity secrets tan

2011-02-28T15:49:00.005Z

while bored, i googled 'cheapest darkest fake tan'. haha, something i've always been striving for. i came across a forum with some ladies discussing using the liquid formula for spray tans, as a regular fake tan. this got me intrigued. i learnt that regular fake tan normally has approximately 6% dha (the stuff that makes you go dark) and the higher the number, the darker the tan. certain companies offer higher percentages than others, and there are a few main reputable spray tan formula companies around, such as sienna x, celebrity secrets and siennasol.

i decided to order from celebrity secrets, as they go up to 16% dha and you can order 120ml bottles for £5.90. 120ml is a decent amount for about 8 full body applications. i ordered 14% dha. i wasn't sure how this was going to turn out, as it is essentially a liquid and most fake tanners have added moisturiser etc. the bottle arrived a few working days later and i put the solution into one of those travel spritzer bottles you get from boots. i made sure to exfoliate well and applied the tan, leaving it to develop overnight.

when i woke up i was an absolutely gorgeous shade of brown. not a hint of orange in sight. i also applied it to my face to see how long it would last. typically on me, false tan on my face comes off as soon as i use a make-up wipe. this stays there for about 4 days, which is pretty damn good. it also developed on my chest, another problem i suffer from. my chest seems particularly dha resistant and normal tans never develop there at all. now my chest matches my arms. it stays on for a good 4-5 days before it starts to look a bit patchy and needs to be taken off, but i'm not good with daily moisturising so this is to be expected.

heres my arm. it may look slightly off on your monitor but trust me in person it's deep brown. i've had so many compliments as well, my friends saying that it actually looks like a real tan. i've got to admit, i'm converted and i don't think i'll ever be paying £27 for a bottle of xen tan ever again.

orly minis

2011-02-24T10:26:00.000Z

i constantly find myself feeling that the uk cosmetics market is always a step behind the us. we tend to miss out on shades, and sometimes sourcing products and brands is a lot harder, not to mention the hiked up prices we pay. there are also many more professional nailcare and polish brands available overseas.

orly minis are being released on the 9th of march into 54 boots stores. this is a range of 5.3ml bottles (barry m are 10ml, eyeko 8.5ml) in 48 shades. orly polishes are absolutely fabulous quality, and this will give people an easy way to try them. it's also perfect for me, as i never use up a whole bottle of polish before the formula goes horrible. each bottle will sell for £5. this is still however a large price increase from the us price, as an orly mini retails for $3.99 (approx £2.50), but does solve the problem of making orly more readily available.

wire headbands

2011-02-23T09:14:00.000Z

i love these headbands that are around at the moment. headbands never stay in my hair and tend to slip off, however with these i can tie them to fit exactly. the wire is a super cute addition too as you can twist it up into a little bow right on the top of your head. i picked up this leopard print one from new look for £4.99, however i'm wanting to get a plain coloured one or a floral one also. i wear a lot of leopard print and as leopard lovers know, most prints are not the same! i've also seen them in primark for much cheaper, however i wasn't a fan of the patterns. again, i styled my hair with a conical wand.

wishlist

2011-02-22T10:31:00.001Z

instead of tidying my bedroom or revising for an accounting exam, i thought my time would be better spent exploring the online websites for my favourite shops and finding myself wishing i had money. from looking at the new in items, for the spring/summer i'm imagining lots of bright colours and boxy cuts. i don't think i'm going to be a huge fan actually, as there are quite a few colours i dislike on me (cobalt blue, red, yellow) and there seem to be plenty of those around. where's the pink and coral? i'm not sure about the shapes either. boxy things are not flattering on me, neither are things that stop at the waist. i'm short with wide hips, so longer tops tend to look better on me.

these are a few of the items i picked out. i really like the two chiffon bed jackets, even though completely different in print i think they will be lovely in summer with leggings and a long vest, or with a pair of denim shorts. i never wear jeans, and i can guarantee i will always be in some form of legging. so i chose these beige ones, as they are a colour i don't yet own yet i think will go with many outfits. the powder pink batwing blouse is also lovely, yet super pricey at £40. when i initally spotted it on the miss selfridge website it was £36, which i still thought was steep. after checking back i realised the price had increased a further £4, and on the tops in store a sticker stuck over the original label with the price adjustment. i wish shops wouldn't do this!

bright coloured chiffon bed jacket - topshop £38

burgundy padded jacket - river island £49.99

beige leggings - river island £9.99

coral filigree ring - forever 21 £4.80

leopard print scallop edge vest - dorothy perkins £18

pale print chiffon bed jacket - dorothy perkins £30

powder pink lace batwing blouse - miss selfridge £40

grey snakeskin satchel - river island £36.99

conical wand & curly hair

2011-02-21T16:13:00.004Z

so my hair is super straight, and due to the length of it it's very heavy. i always crave super sleek wavy locks with volume around the crown but have never managed to achieve it with my ghd's. my lovely flatmate ashleigh lent me her conical wand (babyliss pro) and i've been experimenting with it. i've found that holding the wand at different angles results in different styles of curl and wave, and you can change the direction of the curl etc.

i created this style using the conical wand. i had worn a beehive ponytail during the day so i already had plenty of backcombing at the crown, but this was the first step. then i used the wand at different angles all over my hair making sure i flicked the hair around my face away from my face. i did it in two layers, starting with my top shorter layers then just flicking the bottom layers at the tips. i secured it all using v05 high volume extra strong hairspray, which is ok but a little sticky. this actually held all night though, which i was shocked about!

i am definitely going to be purchasing one of the wands, they retail from the region of £18 - £25 depending where you get them and are available in 2 sizes, as well as a choice of black or pink.

pin-up fotd

2011-02-20T20:39:00.005Z

this was my attempt at a retro pin-up look. i still am not confident enough with bright lips on me, even though i like it in these photos. i feel that in person they don't look as nice.

i've been experimenting with the lashes that i received from bornprettystore.com. they're super versatile and here i'm wearing two pairs. i cut the outer edges off of one pair and stuck them onto these to give them a more winged look.

i used:

mac pro longwear foundation nc35

mac studio finish concealer nc30

chanel bronze universel

rimmel match perfection powder 200 soft beige

nars blush in douceur

urban decay primer potion

mac eyeshadow wedge

mac eyeshadow espresso

mac eyeshadow brun

rimmel liquid eyeliner

17 wild curls mascara

rimmel kohl pencil in white

bornprettystore.com false lashes in #400

sleek pout polish in scandal

rimmel lipstick in berry queen

mac dazzleglass in like venus

i've also made a new layout for my blog. let me know what you think!

sleek makeup stiletto collection

2011-02-14T16:27:00.004Z

for valentines day, sleek makeup have released a collection called stiletto. containing a blush, pout polish and nail polish. they sent me the blush (named scandalous) and the pout polish (called scandal). however they had to be sent up to uni and i only got them today! the blush is a super pigmented red and the pout polish more of a pink toned red. they will be available to purchase from superdrug until wednesday, so you will have to be quick.

i wore the pout polish today to celebrate the festive season. i'm not normally a red lips sort of girl at all, i put it on expecting to wipe it off as soon as i'd applied it but i actually really like it. it looks more like a stain but without a drying finish. i added a tiny bit more gloss on the top for a super shiny look. it comes off a pinky red on me and i love it. i teamed it with nars douceur blush and some false lashes, i wanted to keep the look super simple. i'll definitely wear this again! i also have high hopes for the blush, i love sleek blushes. will have to think of an inventive way to wear it however!

viva glam gaga inspired fotd

2011-02-13T15:06:00.004Z

this is the new promo image for viva glam gaga 2, a nude toned lipstick and lipgloss to be released later this month. i for one am super excited, i love nude lips and to top it off it's an amplified creme finish. the colour however, may not suit everyone. it looks to be a true beige nude without a hint of pink. i think it will be most flattering when i've got a dark tan! i love the promo image makeup so for my night out last night i thought i'd recreate it (even though i don't yet have the lipstick and gloss).

i used:

aldi lacura foundation in 30 sun

mac select coverup concealer in nw25

rimmel match perfection powder in 200 soft beige

chanel bronze universel

sleek contour kit in light

nars doceur blush

mua blush in shade 3

udpp

urban decay x eyeshadow

mac cork eyeshadow

mac espresso eyeshadow

mac brun eyeshadow

too faced in the buff eyeshadow (from the naked palette)

too faced like a virgin eyeshadow (also from naked palette)

17 brow shaper

rimmel liquid liner in black

rimmel kohl pencil in white

no7 exquisite curl mascara

bornprettystore.com false lashes #400

mac freckletone lipstick

bourjois effet 3d gloss in 33 brun poetic

mac kissable lip colour

2011-02-09T16:50:00.004Z

i've got a new favourite lip product. best described as a cross between a lip gloss and a lipstick, i present mac kissable lip colour from the peacocky collection. available in a wide range of colours including a blue, there will be one to suit everyone.

they come with a typical doefoot applicator and are easy to apply. they're creamy and pigmented, and not as shiny as a gloss. they leave more of a satin sheen to the lips and are super moisturising. i suffer from very dry lips, they are constantly peely no matter how much exfoliation is done. however with these.. i don't get peely lips. they just look soft all day.

i picked up the colours enchantee (light blue pink) and woo me (light pinky nude). my favourite being woo me, it's a super flattering pinky beige which perfectly tops off any look. i do believe these are limited edition however, so i'd be speedy on going to pick them up.

pink blackberry...

2011-01-25T20:10:00.002Z

i just wanted to share my blackberrys new look! hehe :)

edit: it's had a housing (the plastic casing) and keyboard change from black to pink. it's not an official blackberry colour or even blackberry parts and it does mean you have to unscrew it to replace it. i did it though and it isn't that hard! i ordered the parts off ebay for £6, as my black one was looking tatty and scratched. the only bad point is that it voids your warranty :(.

yellow eyeshadow.

2011-01-20T23:08:00.004Z

i've been trying out loads of different things recently, been feeling super experimental. especially with colour, something i normally shy away from! today while rummaging through my stash i discovered mac bright future eyeshadow, from the style warriors collection, released from around early 2009 somewhere. in hindsight, i loved all the eyeshadow colours in this collection, but for some reason only picked up this one, described as frosty bright yellow gold. while trying to decide on an appropriate lip colour for this look (typically a nude shade) i decided to be even more daring and opt for bright colours. i tried two..

revlon super lustrous lipstick in 457 wild orchid

mac vegas volt

returning to an old faithful, mac myth

an upclose eye shot

for this look i used:

maybelline dream creamy foundation in 48 sun beige

mac studio finish concealer in nc30

chanel soleil tan de chanel in 62 terre epice

sleek contour kit in light

mac my highland honey blush

udpp

mac bright future eyeshadow

too faced like a virgin eyeshadow (from the naked eye palette)

mac patina eyeshadow

boots 17 wild curl mascara

ardell demi wispies eyelashes

boots 17 brow shaper

rimmel kohl pencil in white

i think to make this look work you need super bronzed perfect skin. my bronze is perfect and my imperfections concealed, and i think i just about pull it off. whether i'd ever brave it in public is another matter. it's definitely made me feel summery though and pine for hot sunny weather.

smokey barbie eyes

2011-01-19T15:31:00.004Z

i used:

mufe hd foundation in #128

mac studio finish concealer in nc30

chanel soleil tan de chanel in 62 terre epice

sleek contour kit in light

illamasqua cream blush in sob

udpp

mac blacktrack fluidline as a base

too faced naked eye palette (used the colours in the buff, birthday suit, unmentionables)

mac carbon eyeshadow

mua shade 1 eyeshadow for inner corner

avon supershock gel liner

boots 17 wild curls mascara

ardell demi wispies

boots 17 brow shaper + mac cork eyeshadow for brows

mac pink friday lipstick

i did lighter brows based off cc i'd received on makeupalley and other places. i'm still undecided. on the 6th february i'm attending an event where the theme is barbie, and i can't WAIT to do my make-up for it. i'm planning already :)

purple..

2011-01-17T16:37:00.003Z

i'm so horrendously scared of coloured eyeshadow. i'm not sure why... i think perhaps i am afraid of drawing attention to myself for some unknown reason. i decided to try purple, as it's a colour i've not experimented too well. while i was super happy with how it came out, my face decided to act up and didn't want to photograph nicely. so i look vile. just concentrate on my eyes!

i used:

bourjois healthy mix in 56 light bronze

mac studio finish concealer in nc30

collection 2000 pressed powder in deep (rip.. it got ran over by a car!)

sleek contour kit in light

pout blush in pearly queen

stila smudge pot in kitten

sleek palettes in original and circus (i used the bright purple shadows in each)

mac hypnotising and typographic

mua shadows in shade 1 and shade 11 (a deep metallic indigo purple)

collection 2000 liquid liner

avon supershock gel liner

boots 17 wild curl mascara

a ratty old disgusting pair of ardell demi wispies

boots 17 eyebrow shaper

mac myth lipstick

rimmel lipstick in nude delight 700

what do you think?

fotn

2011-01-15T15:47:00.004Z

i've got another face of the night for you lot. these seem to be what i tend to do the most! this time i decided to use more matte shadows as i think i use too many shimmery. i was very unphotogenic on this day and just blarghhh. i think i could of done a better job but matte shadows do require more work and i've not been using them so much.

i used:

bourjois healthy mix foundation 56 light bronze

mac studio finish concealer nc30

collection 2000 pressed powder in deep

natural collection bronzer in golden glow

sleek face contour kit in light

mua blush in shade 3

stila smudge pot in kitten

sleek storm palette (pale matte brown, the black)

mac cork eyeshadow

mac brun eyeshadow

mua shadow in shade 1 for highlight/inner corner

maybelline the falsies black drama mascara

boots 17 eyebrow shaper

ardell demi wispies false lashes

mac myth lipstick

mac freckletone lipstick

i also want to say a big hello to all my uni girlies who have sneakily found my blog :D

cheeky video

2011-01-07T17:19:00.003Z

i decided to make a cheeky little video for you lot, featuring my favourite drugstore products. hope you like it :) video quality should improve when it's been live for a while.

christmas day fotd :)

2010-12-25T14:02:00.005Z

first of all, i hope you all are having a very very

merry christmas :D

i was struggling for light in my house to take photos. my uni room is perfect, however i can never find it perfectly here so i apologise. i've swapped to using a cream foundation for the time being as this winter is playing havoc with my skin and i'm fed up of it being so disgusting. i also had a full head of highlights on tuesday so am currently loving my hair colour!

i used:

maybelline dream creamy foundation in 48 sun beige

mac studio finish concealer nc30

collection 2000 powder in 3 deep

sleek contour kit in light

mac tenderling blush

mac my highland honey blush

mac paint pot in cash flow

sleek storm palette (top left gold shadow)

sleek original palette (bottom row, 2nd from right shadow)

mua shadow shade 11

mac typographic and carbon eyeshadows

avon supershock lace gel eyeliner

17 eyebrow shaper

maybelline falsies black drama mascara

mac 34 lashes (love these for a night out, but during the day they close my eyes up, saddd!)

gosh darling lipstick

17 mirror shine lipstick in beehive

revlon colorburst fashion's night pout

2010-12-23T13:20:00.000Z

while trawling ebay for revlon colorburst in soft nude, i came across this shade. i hadn't heard of it before, so i did a bit of googling and discovered that it was designed by gucci westman to go alongside fashion designers rag & bone's lawrence of arabia inspired collection. from what i'd read, it was only available for a $50 donation at rag & bone during fashion's night out on september 10th. there was also a few chances to win it in revlon giveaways. the fact it was fairly exclusive and seemingly rare made me want it more, and i luckily won the auction. the colour is a nude shade, described as the perfect nude, however i find it on the lips to be not super opaque and thus is a very subtle nude, perhaps more suited to a 'my lips but better' title.

i was interested to see how this shade would compare to some of my favourite nudes from other brands. i compared it to 17 mirror shine in beehive, gosh darling and mac myth. it seems that the closest in tone from the swatches is myth, however it doesn't provide the same opaque finish that myth does. myth is also a tad peachier, with fashion's night pout having more of a rosy tone. it's darker than gosh darling, and fairly similar to beehive but again darker. on the lips, it doesn't look similar to any of these.

is it the perfect nude? not for me. i personally prefer to rock paler and more opaque nudes such as darling and myth, but it is the perfect nude for a professional environment or perhaps a more mature individual. it is a beautiful colour, understated and in the lovely colorburst packaging with a good formula to boot.

request: upclose eyes

2010-12-22T10:54:00.000Z

to create this look i used mac bare canvas paint as a base, all over my eyelid and up to the brow. using boots 17 eyebrow shaper i drew in my eyebrows. i started off by using a mac 239 brush to apply mac patina eyeshadow to the inner half of the eyelid. i grabbed a clean 239 to use barry m chocolate dazzle dust and pat this onto the outer half of my lid. i kept patting it on to built up the intensity and blended it into the patina with a fluffy brush from a costco set. using a pencil brush i took the dazzle dust underneath my eye and along the outer half of my lower lashline, and joined it into the shadow at the outer corner of my lid. taking a mac 217 blending brush, i applied a little bit of mac typographic into the outer v and slightly into the crease, and blended this into the dazzle dust. i took my favourite highlight, mua eyeshadow in shade 11 and a small fluffy brush. i then applied this to my tearduct and blended into mac patina, and also applied under my brow. i used avon supershock gel liner to line along my upper lashline and my waterline, and applied a light coat of mascara to my top lashes and heavy on my bottom lashes. i added a set of ardell demi wispies false eyelashes to add drama.

illamasqua goodies

2010-12-21T10:29:00.000Z

so i went to visit my friend who lives in cardiff, looking forward to seeing her and also making full potential of the illamasqua counter they have in debenhams. when i visited it was 10% off all beauty, which excited me even more. there were two men working on the counter and

they were absolutely lovely, so charming and skilled. i explained that i wanted a blush to wear with cool pink lipsticks (ie mac pink friday, saint germain, snob) as i am warm toned and find most pinks pull warm on me and look silly. he recommended to me that i tried cream blush as it wouldn't look so ashy and i could make it super pigmented, and picked out sob to try on my cheeks.

sob is described on the illamasqua website as being a cool, candy pink which is exactly what it is. it's a beautiful finish, not greasy looking yet easy to blend and lightweight feeling on the skin. it leaves a beautiful dewy finish and this has fast become one of my favourite blushes. as the illamasqua mua said, it gives perfect doll cheeks. it also works well with the cool pink lipsticks, exactly what i was looking for. below is a swatch on the back of my hand, unblended.

the second item i picked up was a complete impulse purchase. i was stood at the counter, swatching left right and centre on my hand and this just stood out to me. it's the pure pigment in static. described as iridescent pink shimmer, and this is pretty much what it is. in certain lights and angles it looks like a shimmery white pigment. when the light hits, it turns to this insanely bright pink-purple shimmer. it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL. the mua explained it can be used in a multitude of ways (as most of loose pigments), and suggested that this particular one looked beautiful mixed into clear nail polish, on top of lipstick and as a cheek highlight. i've actually so far only used this on the eyes, and found it to be very versatile. i like to pat it over the top of eyeshadow, for a party look the other night i did a smokey eye with satin taupe and carbon, with this patted over the top and on the tearduct. the satin taupe made it pull super purple and caught the light amazingly. below is a swatch on the back of my hand.

both products are absolutely gorgeous and i do not regret either of them one bit. the colours are fairly unique, i've searched tirelessly for a cool pink blush in mac and not found one (even well dressed and dame pull warm on me) and the pigment is just out of this world. even my grandma commented on how lovely my cheeks looked with the cream blush, which has led me to be lemming more.

what are your favourite products from illamasqua?

wintery weather

2010-12-20T17:45:00.003Z

so as most of my uk lot will know, the weather here is atrocious. it's snowy, icey and cold. my least favourite conditions. i am definitely a summer girl and love hot weather :). the cold has a negative effect on everything.. my plans, my skin and my clothes. my car has also broken so i have no way of getting about to visit friends while i'm home from uni. so sad! i've also not managed to finish my christmas shopping yet either and i hate leaving it so late. i've got some good posts lined up and photos taken, however i have to find my card reader as it somehow got mislaid during the upheaval home from uni. instead i decided to share with you one of my most used and favourite purchases of this winter, and coincidentally is a perfect stocking filler.

i present to you river island bear mittens. these are my favourite style of gloves, the little bear faces button back so you can wear them as fingerless gloves to enable texting etc, but also can pop them over your fingers to make mittens while trekking around outside. they come in 3 colours (cream, brown which i have and black) and retail at £12.99. these exact ones are not on the website but i saw them in my local RI store a couple of days back so they are around. there's also scarves, earmuffs and hats, with bears and pandas. there are also some jazzy sequin offerings! they range from around £12.99 to £29.99, so stocking filler and larger present prices.

i absolutely love the animal knitwear range :) so cute.

anger fotn.

2010-12-09T21:09:00.003Z

so i just got ready to go out, did all my make-up etc, then all my friends bailed. sad times! so instead i just ate a load of chocolate and now i'm going to share my fotn with you guys because i liked it and i hope you will too (and the make-up wipe in approximately 10 minutes).

i used:

mac pro longwear foundation nc35 with rimmel sunshimmer medium matte mixed in

collection 2000 shine away powder in 3 deep

natural collection bronzer in golden glow

mac wedge eyeshadow for cheek contour (haha i know)

the tiniest bit of pout pearly queen blush

accessorize bronzer in 1 golden sand

mac bare canvas paint

17 eyebrow shaper

mua shade 11 eyeshadow

mac patina, typographic eyeshadows

barry m dazzle dust in chocolate

avon supershock gel eyeliner

17 wild curls

ardell demi wispies false lashes

mac myth

mac pink friday (go buy ittt!!!)

mac pro longwear foundation

2010-12-05T19:29:00.003Z

is my new baby. sorry studio fix fluid. me and plw had a bit of a rocky start, however. i had been recommended it by a friend and as i was coming to the end of my bottle of sff, i thought i'd give it a whirl. i went to the mac shop and the lovely lady gave me a sample of nc40 (the shade i wear in sff) plw. this was fine as soon as it was applied, but as soon as it dried i had a super orange face. the colour compared to sff was completely wrong :(. so off back i trotted and explained my dilemma to another lovely lady. she applied nc35 to one side of my face, and nc42 to the other side. both seemed to pull more yellow than nc40. in reality, i could of got away with both shades but as it's winter and i probably am a little paler i opted for the nc35. this is a near perfect match, but still again different from my usual sff colour.

the foundation offers similar coverage to that of studio fix fluid, but with a longer wear time and a slightly different finish (natural, as opposed to matte). i find that the natural finish on me translates as 'soft glow'. it definitely isn't matte.. but it's not super dewy either. it's actually really nice, flattering and seems to hide my pores and dry skin areas quite well. in response to the wear time, i don't find that it wears much longer than studio fix fluid and i do need to top my nose up with powder as it turns into a reflective surface half way through the day, but this is usual for me with every foundation.

it comes in the regular glass bottle, although has an spf of 10 rather than 15 (studio fix fluid) and it comes with a pump, hurrahhh!

the insane colour and undertone difference in the bottle

mac pro longwear on

nicki minaj

2010-12-02T13:50:00.005Z

i ordered my nicki minaj pink friday lipstick at about 1am on friday morning. i super wanted it. not sure why, i have enough pepto-bismol pinks (saint germain, barry m 100..) and being warm toned they are not the most flattering on my skin tone. i just wish they'd suit me.. so i continue to buy them. i had to wait a long time. dhl just decided to show 'delayed due to adverse weather'. how cruel! however i received it yesterday.

this pink is different to the others i own. firstly, it doesn't make my teeth appear yellower. shock horror! quite pleased about this however. secondly, the colour in the tube does not translate to colour on lips. on the lips it's paler, not as opaque as you'd expect in the tube nor is it as deep a colour.

this colour actually confuses me. on my hand swatches, saint germain and pink friday look identical. they look pretty damn similar in the tube as well. but on the lip, pink friday is alot more flattering. i do own saint germain but have worn it possibly a maximum of 3 times. the colour is just too intense for my skin.

from left to right, pink friday, saint germain, barry m 100.

you've got 3 more fridays to get hold of this lipstick. will you be getting it? :)

sneak preview of my new favourite lipstick..

2010-11-26T17:09:00.003Z

i picked this up today and i am in LOVE. it's revlon super lustrous lipstick in 457 wild orchid. a deep fuschia with a blue/purple pearl. i hate bright lipsticks but this one is absolutely perfect.. slightly brighter in person and will be featuring in a fotd very very soon. i was just too excited to share it with you guys :)

accessorize baked face products

2010-11-23T19:26:00.005Z

so i was super excited about the release of the accessorize make-up range. it's well designed, good packaging and reasonably priced. i waited for it to come into superdrug before i purchased as i hate ordering things online without seeing them! the main things i was drawn to were the face products that remind me of mac mineralize skinfinishes. they offer these in blushes and bronzers. i picked up three products, a blush in 2-starlet, and two bronzers in shade 1-golden sand and shade 3-california. the blush cost £5 and the bronzer cost £6 each. some of the website swatches are very off, so i'd recommend looking at this range in person before buying.

the packaging is weighty, with gorgeous metallic butterflies on and a clear lid so you can see the product and colour inside.

onto the actual products..

they aren't exact dupes for mac mineralize products, however they are close and for the money are a very good deal. i use the golden sand bronzer as a highlighter, it's got a gorgeous goldy white sheen in the light. the texture of this one is very powdery and after swirling my brush there is always excess product all over the place. i use this down my nose and across the top of my cheekbones for a super subtle highlight.

california bronzer i do use as a bronzer. the texture of this one is alot firmer and i don't get excess product around the edges. it's a little on the cool side for me, but i can get away with it. it creates a gorgeous glowy finish, with no sparkles or glitter. it's like a super soft focus and i love it because of that. however it is fairly dark on me (i'm a mac nc40) and they do an even darker shade, bermuda, as well as a lighter shade, monaco, so there is a selection for most skintones.

starlet blush is a cute medium pink. it's super glowy again but the pigmentation is not as good as the blushes. it hardly shows up on me :(. however there is a darker pink called diva, which i think will be a better shade, as when swatched is alot pinker. this is beautiful though over other pink blushes, as it just adds that glowiness.

coincidentally, reading the back of these products i realised they are manufactured by the same company that makes the mua £1 range at superdrug. perhaps this is why they are sold at superdrug and not boots?

all in all, i am impressed by the range. i will be trying out more products! have you tried accessorize cosmetics?

fotn: classic

2010-11-13T13:15:00.004Z

this is pretty much my staple night out look from now on. if i get stuck, this is what i'll do.

i used:

bourjois healthy mix foundation 56 light bronze

mac studio finish concealer nc30
collection 2000 powder in 3 deep
natural collection bronzer in golden glow
mac vanilla pigment for face highlight
mac tenderling blush

stila smudgepot in kitten
sleek storm palette (the lightest shade for brow highlight and inner corner)
mac satin taupe, typographic, carbon
collection 2000 liquid liner
mac kohl power pencil in feline
boots 17 wild curls mascara
boots 17 eyebrow shaper

mac myth
natural collection rose petal
maybelline volume xl seduction gloss in 105

finding a way to use boring polish

2010-11-12T11:04:00.000Z

so i blogged a while back about how boring i find models own purple grey. i decided to liven it up somewhat with the addition of opi rumples wiggin. a new acquisition for me, a super bright lilac. the lilac equivalent of opi mod about you. i painted all my nails with the opi aside from the ring fingers and then used purple grey on those. the colours work perfectly together, and i think it gives a slightly more edgy look to the girly lilac. i like this idea and will probably be trying it more!

face of the night

2010-11-10T10:54:00.000Z

recently i decided to try some different colours on my eyes, as opposed to browns, bronzes and beiges. normally shy-ing well away from blacks and greys, i decided to give them a go. i find that they pull incredibly blue on me, and i dislike this with the colour of my eyes. i felt that while i was rocking a darker eye, i had to make my brows darker to fit, however i'm not sure i'm convinced on them being this dark! i think the addition of satin taupe and naked lunch helped this look not pull so blue.

i used:

mac studio fix fluid nc40

mac studio finish concealer nc30

rimmel stay matte powder

mac vanilla pigment to highlight

chanel bronzer

pout pearly queen blush

mac bare canvas paint

mac eyeshadows in: carbon, typographic, satin taupe, naked lunch

sleek palette in storm

boots 17 eyebrow shaper and mac espresso eyeshadow for brows

collection 2000 liquid liner

boots 17 wild curls mascara

mac myth

natural collection rose petal

boots 17 wild curls

2010-11-08T10:45:00.004Z

so, i absolutely love this mascara. i've blogged about it previously, and for the price and curl it gives me nothing manages to compete. i can live with how fast i use it up at it's affordable price of £5.99. i started wearing this as soon as it came out, always going for the 'black' shade in the gold packaging. so this time when it'd ran out, i decided to opt for the wildest black version in the black tube. expecting to just be the same formula but with a deeper intensity, i thought this could be even better. well i thought wrong. i'm not sure how i can hate a mascara so much when i'm in love with the other colour. i'm not sure where to even start.

firstly, my lashes must be too long for it. i get smudge marks on my brow bone and below my eye. it settles in creases and sticks to my under eye concealer. if i get so much as a tiny bit on my skin, it is a complete pain to wipe off as the pigment just goes everywhere and i end up looking like i've been sweeping chimneys.

secondly, removal. it is the biggest pain in the ass to remove. it comes off just fine.. but the black again smudges EVERYWHERE. and i mean everywhere. oil based eye makeup remover can't even sort this bad boy out. i get it all over my chin, side of my face.. all around my eye.

thirdly, it came out my nose. i know eyes and noses are connected but i don't expect product i put on my eyes to be coming out my nose when i blow it. slightly disconcerting.

and today, the final straw. i was stupid enough to wear it in the rain on my walk to uni. i then arrived at uni with two black streaks down my face, and no foundation/concealer to fix this. remedy was to rub rub rub while looking in a mirror to remove it.

here i am after the return walk. it's even on my chin. i'm not even sure why it does this to me, nobody else seems to report this issue and the regular version is (almost) perfect. i don't have oily skin and i've never in my life had a problem with mascara like this. i suppose it serves me right, if it ain't broken don't try and fix it. i will be re-purchasing the gold tubed version as soon as i can get to the shops and it's stopped raining.

blog layout 3?

2010-11-05T14:22:00.004Z

hiya :) again, lack of updates. i've been at home ill for a week and unfortunately left my cable at uni, because i am an idiot. so instead i made a new layout to fill my time. let me know what you think :) i've also really been getting into tumblr, you can follow me here:

oioiblondie.tumblr.com

etsy

2010-10-29T22:10:00.004+01:00

i've been really getting into etsy recently, and i'm loving supporting people who craft their own items. i prefer doing this because the items themselves are unique and i'd prefer to put money in their pocket than big chain stores :). however, i do find searching through the items a little baffling. so i was wondering if you could all tell me your favourite etsy stores, so i can have a little browse. i shall update soon with what goodies i've purchased!

hope you are all well :)x

models own purple grey

2010-10-22T17:21:00.004+01:00

i have never actually tried a models own polish. everytime i looked at the stand in boots i just find myself thinking oh blarghh, and nothing appealed. after hearing wild raves about the colour 'purple grey' and how it compared to chanel paradoxal i thought i'd hunt it down. in boots the offer at the time was 'buy 2 nail polishes and receive a free lipgloss' and for some reason this seemed too good to turn down. so i chose purple grey and lilli's pink, along with violet creme lipgloss (reviews to come). while inspecting purple grey in the bottle i did think it looked a little boring but was hoping that it was one of those colours that when on the nail looked fabulous.

i was wrong. it is just a 'blah' shade. it has absolutely no shimmer what-so-ever, no hint of any other colour and to my eye looks almost bruise colour. it's just completely and utterly boring.

i've got absolutely no complaints about the quality of the polish. smooth to apply, perhaps a little on the thick side but not troublesome at all. two coats and it looks perfect, wears like a dream with good levels of shine and pigmentation. the brush makes for easy application, not too thick or thin and doesn't glob polish. the bottle lid could do with being a bit smaller as sometimes i find it hard to see where i'm putting the actual polish, but a bit of guess work and there isn't a problem.

will i buy another models own polish? yes of course. however i do think the rave about this polish really isn't all that. i'm now going on the hunt for barry m dusky mauve, hoping that one will live up to expectations.

xen tan absolute luxe

2010-10-18T13:50:00.003+01:00

so the other day when i was feeling like splashing the cash, i ordered the xen tan absolute luxe fake tan. considering how much i hear about xen tan, i was surprised to find that there wasn't much out there in the way of reviews on absolute luxe. xen tan claim that it's their darkest formulation to date, that the tan will last for 10 days and that they've developed a new ingredient 'scent secure' which stops the horrible fake tan smell caused by dha (the chemical that makes you dark).

the packaging for this is absolutely lovely. it comes in a squeeze tube which is a beautiful metallic chocolate brown with gold and white writing. each tube contains 236ml of fake tan, the same as the dark lotion.

the fake tan itself is also lovely. it's creamy and super moisturising, never shows up dark patches and the colour is incredibly even. it's a gorgeous olive shade with not a hint of orange in sight. however, the colour guide is pale. whereas the dark lotion is a rich deep brown, this is more of a pale sludge colour that when is rubbed into the skin, pretty much vanishes. if you're a novice tanner, you might struggle to see where you've applied the tan. i still make sure that prior to application i exfoliate and moisturise dry areas such as knees and elbows, and this stops those areas going dark. i apply in the evening and wake up with a gorgeous tan in the morning.

one main issue for alot of people with fake tan is the smell. this never ever has a trace of fake tan smell, not at any point. the bottle claims it has 'vanilla scent' but to me it smells just like chocolate/cocoa butter. you can smell the chocolate scent for a while on your skin, perhaps up to 30 minutes before the scent vanishing and no other smell coming through. this to me is incredible. i can nearly always detect fake tan scents.. but with this there is none.

lasting power for this product is not bad. i wouldn't say it lasted for 10 days, but i like to spend all my time dark and i find that it is too pale 10 days on. it is good in that even if you shower every day it doesn't fade/completely vanish, like i find with st tropez/st moriz/alot of other fake tans.

would i recommend this fake tan? yes i would, although only if you have the cash. it is brilliant but not perfect by any means (i would like it to fade less and a darker colour guide) and the price is high (£34.95) however if you want to splash out i would go for this.

freshers ball

2010-10-12T08:46:00.004+01:00

so as you all know i've moved into university and am in my 3rd week now of being here. i'm having an absolutely amazing time and last night was our freshers ball. i wanted to try something different with my hair and this is what i did. i curled all the ends of my hair with my ghds and hairsprayed them in place. then i backcombed my roots, smoothed them over and pinned them into a small bouffant. i then smoothed my fringe round my head and pinned just above my ear, organising curls infront.

makeup was kept super simple with a matte deep brown smokey eye, pink cheeks and pale pink glossy lips. i used my all time favourite- natural collection rose petal.

clothes wise i wore this dress from topshop, which i paired with a gold snakeskin clutch and these shoes which now need a thoroughly good cleaning thanks to our grimey su!

yesterday i had the pleasure of accidentally bumping into shirley and it was lovely to see her, we met at the sleek event originally. she is a proper sweetie and i apologise for looking hanging!

my new favourite hair product

2010-10-07T17:39:00.008+01:00

and it is 'big sexy hair' root pump plus. this stuff is AMAZING. the website says 'apply to thick/heavy damp hair for maximum root lift, extra strong humidity resistance and firm hold'. it comes in a 300ml can with a spritzer on top. how i use this is: comb my hair out with a wide tooth comb while wet and separate into sections. spray the mousse straight from the can onto each section, at the root and a little bit down the hair. ruffle my hair with my fingers and blowdry upside down.

this gives me insane volume. my hair is long, thick and heavy. it's not been cut in a while and so my layers are grown out and my hair is usually flat. this stuff makes it amazing, and eases styling. if i want neat hair i can have it, if i want messy bedhair it stays also due to this mousse.

it doesn't leave my hair crispy or weighed down or greasy feeling at all. here is a photo of my hair. it's just been blowdried upside down and straightened. i haven't even backbrushed it. as you can see there is still shine present.

it is available to purchase from many online retailers including feelunique, with the rrp of £12.49. it looks like this:

i was sent this item but i genuinely love it and will be repurchasing :)

slight disappearance

2010-10-04T23:27:00.001+01:00

hiya girls and guys :) sorry i've been so absent. i've moved into uni and have just finished freshers week. it's been an absolutely mad but amazing week, i've met some amazing people already and i can tell we'll be friends for life.

i promise that when everything has calmed down, i'm a little more settled and i know where i'm going i will update again :) hope you are all well x

sleek storm palette

2010-09-20T14:43:00.004+01:00

pretty late on the bandwagon i know. i only just properly picked up and started using my sleek storm palette. i chose this one because i knew i liked most of the colours in it, and the ones that i didn't i would be able to give a try. this palette is amazing.

it has a range of pale shimmer shades, a highlighter shade, two matte browns, a matte black and a range of deeper shimmer shades. my favourites are definitely the last pale shade, the lighter medium brown, the burgundy and the pink.

the best way to work with these is to use a flat shader brush and really press the brush onto the product, picking up as much as possible. the 239 is perfect for this. when i first used the shadows i found they were very hard with little colour payoff, but they seemed to have softened and are perfect now.

i did this pink and grey look using the palette. i used the pale pink, the blue/grey shade 2nd from the right on the top, the pale matte brown and the black. this is normally not colours i wear, i find that bronzes/golds look far better on me but i was pleasantly surprised. as you can see, the colours blended really well.

i also used the palette for this look. it's not the best photo but on the top is a simple matte brown smokey eye, using the pale matte brown and the deeper one. i then used a stiff pencil brush to run the burgundy colour along my lower waterline, and finished with black kohl liner and mascara. this looks darker in person and is a fabulous vampy eye makeup.

hair again :)

2010-09-12T18:24:00.003+01:00

i searched my city for a hairdressers that has trainees and came across gary henri training academy in clifton, bristol. it's a family run chain that has 2 salons and the training academy that has been around for 40 years. the training academy has been around since the early 80s. my friend has had her hair done there and recommended them to me so i thought i'd go for it. i paid £31 to have 3/4 head foil highlights.. i had some underneath and them on top. the girl i had was called fern and was lovely, and she was watched over by a tutor. i've been to the same hairdressers for so long i sort of forgot i'd have to explain what sort of look i was going for! we had a chat about it where they all fawned over my hair and kept asking if it was extensions while she decided what volume bleaches to use. she double checked with the tutor and went about applying it. the whole process from putting the foils in, washing the hair and drying took about 2 hours which is longer than a regular salon but i was prepared to wait.

i'm really really pleased with how my hair came out. she got the highlights even and close to the root (with bleach you cannot touch the scalp) with a good colour, and i can't tell the difference from when i pay £60 for my hair. i definitely recommend the training academy :)

my hair.

2010-09-07T18:10:00.005+01:00

i hate it right now! it's got to the perfect length but my fringe and layers are grown out, i have 2 or 3 inch long roots and it's just blah. unfortunately, due to having to pay for everything for uni and the fact my hairdresser has increased his prices (again..) i can't afford to get it done there. i'm on the hunt for a cheap hairdresser but there are none to be found, and the college doesn't go back until after i've left. i'm so stuck as to what to do with it. i've been asking around salons if they need models, but none need any for foil highlights. they either want to cut bobs or all over colour.

today i wore it in this up-do.

i'm lucky in that because i have so much hair i can make a massive bun and pile it on the top of my head. as you can see, my roots are pretty damn awful. i received a new pair of ghds (the blue limited edition ones) as a gift but i haven't used them yet as i feel that it's a waste using them on my horrendous hair!

has anyone got any ideas? or any recommendations for cheap salons around the bristol/bath area?

glasses & my experience with specsavers

2010-08-26T17:14:00.004+01:00

i am a glasses wearer (or a 4 eyes as my friends affectionately call me). i've had the same problem with my eyes since i was little but it just gets worse and worse every year. my left eye doesn't focus right so everything out my left eye is blurry, so my right eye works harder to compensate. i used to go to an independent optician but she retired, so i started going to vision express. this time i went to specsavers after they posted one of the 2 for 1 flyers through my door. i had a lovely chat with the optician about universities and the like and the experience was fine. i spent about an hour trying on every pair in the shop with lots of input from the friendly assistants and came out with these two.

this is my first pair, from fcuk. you can see them properly on the website here and are tortoiseshell, with the fcuk logo on the side in metal.

my second pair, from tommy hilfiger. you can see these in detail on the specsavers website here. they are black with a cut out/diamonte part on the side.

i initally couldn't find any i liked, i had my heart set on getting a white pair which they didn't have. what really swayed me was the money off i got on these, as most glasses wearers know they are ridiculously expensive which is hard as it is a necessity for me (i need them for driving and i get headaches alot without them). the fcuk pair were £99 and the hilfiger pair £125, but i was issued with an nhs voucher as i'm in education and the 2 for 1 offer meant i paid a grand total of £88 and got two pairs including my eye test. i was absolutely thrilled as i think for my last single pair at vision express i paid nearly £200! i did have to wait 2 weeks to collect them but when i did pick them up they ensured they fitted correctly by heating them up and they stay on my face just right, and this prescription is the best i've ever had. i can see 100% clearly and i've never seen anything so sharp before, i'm over the moon :)

i initally had reservations about the black pair as i am blonde and thought they may look a little heavy on my face but i actually have ended up preferring those. having two pairs is so handy as i can leave one in my room and carry one around in my bag with me, which will be the black pair. they also come with their respective designer case.

which pair do you prefer?

results

2010-08-21T09:32:00.003+01:00

i'm so excited :) i got my a-level results on thursday. i logged into ucas track (the website you apply to university through) at 6am in the morning which confirmed i had a place on my chosen course at university! i then had to wait til 9am to go to my sixth form to collect my results. i got ccc which while to some people is not the best (a girl in my year got 4 a* alevels, this means she got above 90% in every exam she took) i have missed a significant amount of sixth form due to illness over the past two years and i really struggled and put in a lot of effort, so am pleased with what i got. the only annoying thing is that my business grade, is made up of four modules. in the individual modules i got bbeb and that e brought it down to a c :(. i'm currently super busy planning out what i need to get, as i'm leaving in 4 weeks time! on thursday evening there was a massive results party at a club in bristol called syndicate, i think everyone i knew was in there which was crazy. it was absolutely rammed and way over capacity, with poor air conditioning but everyone had such a laugh! i am so excited and can't wait to get to uni, but am still sad that i'm leaving school and me and all my friends are moving all over the country, with my best friends going to edinburgh, southampton and cardiff so all over the place.

did you get results? how did you do?

my wardrobe staples

2010-08-18T18:02:00.002+01:00

this is one of my favourite and most worn outfits. it's super simple, and each piece is one of my key wardrobe items. the main part is the black vest maxi dress, i got this from new look for £15. it's made of a jersey material and is super flattering, just skims over all lumps and bumps :). i pair it with a cardigan or a denim jacket, and in this photo i'm wearing my pale blue denim jacket also from new look. this cost me £25, and i also have it in white. the thick tan belt also goes well, i can't remember where this came from but you can nearly always buy them in primark! and to finish off, i'm wearing some gold gladiator sandals from select, £15. each item from this can be worn with so many different outfits and can be dressed up or down. i've put on a bit of weight recently which has upset me and i'm working hard to get it back off again, and this maxi is the answer to my prayers and is on trend and flattering.

what item in your wardrobe do you wear the most?

and i present tipwear and apricot smells

2010-08-13T13:09:00.005+01:00

while in boots the other day i spotted the new rimmel scented fruities nail polish, so picked up the apricot punch one. there's 4 shades/scents in the collection: lemon drop, strawberry fizz, apricot punch, cranberry zest. i think i'm going to pick up strawberry fizz next, it's a cute barbie pink.

onto the formula. it's supposed to be the 'i love lasting finish' which is obviously meant to be chip resistant/lasting finish, however i don't find that that formula is that good. i find the 60 second one better for no chips! as you can see in the photo i've got tipwear already. i've been wearing it 3 days. the fruities scent however, is amazing! whilst the polish is wet it has that typical nail polish smell but with different undertones, and when it's dry you can really smell the scent. the apricot one is delicious, really sweet and kind of artificial but i like artificial fruit smells. everytime i put my hands near my face i caught a whiff of the lovely aroma. however, the next day and the scent was gone.

it was absolutely fine to apply and i like rimmel brushes, i did 3 coats. i love the colour alot, it's an orangey coral without being orange and i think would be super flattering on the toes! (though i won't be trying to smell those.. haha). they cost £2.99 and are well worth the fun!

stargazer nail polish

2010-07-29T18:06:00.004+01:00

stargazer paired up with new look to create a range of on trend nail polish colours. in the collection are a pale nude, a light peach, a pale off white, a greige, a lilac and a mint green. this is the pale peach, number 504, 3 coats. i had no problems applying this formula, although the brush is a little on the chunky side. i have ran out of top coat/base coat and i've been wearing this for 3 days. the only sign of wear is tipwear on my index finger and it's still super glossy. i am somewhat impressed, and am going back to pick up the off white shade. they retail at £2.50 each, cheaper than barry m.

what do you think of the shade?

obsessive compulsive cosmetics lip tars

2010-07-27T13:58:00.006+01:00

OMG I AM SO EXCITED. no joke. a lovely blogger friend of mine sent me some samples of occ lip tars. the colours she sent me are: anime (vivid, neon pink), cha cha (pinked cantaloupe), hush (antique, bridal pink) and conquest (pale, polished ivory). i was so excited to try these, i've heard alot about them and i suffer from dry lips and these are apparently not drying. i couldn't wait to start playing with them but must confess i only own one lip brush which is absolutely terrible. i found that this hindered my application as it made them streaky and blergh. i also thought that some colours applied better than others. i want to apologise for my awful lips, they're noticably asymmetrical and are prone to being dry. i tried applying lip balm under these but it just wasn't happening, so in future i know i'll have to really exfoliate them beforehand. also excuse the sloppy application! i was too excited to carefully apply them.

hush, probably my favourite of the lot. a super flattering pale pink. applied fine also :)

conquest. i liked this, but i think it is far too pale to wear alone. i'd need to mix it with another lip tar. my streaky lip brush couldn't get a smooth finish to this one either!

cha cha. i felt this one applied the worst, as you can see it's streaky and clings to certain bits of my lips. this is a shame because i love these colours! i think this one would be lovely if i put the effort in to make it work.

anime. this is SO BRIGHT. i'm not used to wearing bright lips and it definitely exaggerates asymmetry so i went over my natural lipline, perhaps a little too much. i thought i'd be scared, but i really like it! i think i'd wear this on a night out, it's far too bright for the day time.

i'm definitely going to purchase some full size tubes of these, and a good lip brush! i'm going to wear them out and post a full review later when i've established a proper technique for application and have some idea of how they wear. they can be purchased from here in the uk for £8.99 each, and from the OCC website in the us.

urban decay + 600 followers

2010-07-24T11:54:00.004+01:00

woop :D i have just reached 600 followers. this is an incredible amount, i never thought that many people would want to read my rambling! i am so flattered and thank you to you all :).

moving on to possibly the best thing i've seen all year...

urban decay naked palette.

so much so it deserves this absolutely huge picture. it's filled with gorgeous neutral shades, a double ended liner in zero (black) and whiskey (brown) and packaged in this super sleek stylish palette. this is more my type of make-up. the shades are 5 permanent, 1 previous limited edition and 6 new.

virgin - satin chamois

sin - champagne

naked - matte buff nude

sidecar - cocoa with golden sparkle sheen

buck - matte nutmeg

half baked - subtle, lustrous bronze

smog - deep coppery bronze

darkhorse - bronze patina

toasted - rich copper

hustle - plum brown satin

creep - onyx with gold sparkle

gunmetal - gunmetal grey with silver glitter

nude shades are the ones that i feel compliment my hair, eyes and skin the best. i have an odd eye colour and i find it hard to pull off actual colours. these colours i feel would suit everybody. the packaging is something else that i really love. i must admit that normally i find urban decay packaging ugly. it's too fussy, kind of try hard for me. i like sleek and well designed packaging. this palette has this. i feel that urban decay has stepped out of its normal target market and this would appeal to all, younger women and mature women alike. it doesn't look like it's trying too hard, like i feel the majority of ud products are.

supposedly available in the uk from september, i'm not sure if this is permanent or limited edition. either way i will be sprinting down to debenhams to get my mitts on one. retailing in the us for $44, i think in the uk it will cost around £30.

mac for rodarte collection

2010-07-21T12:25:00.008+01:00

i'm not normally one to be big on issues such as this, but i am really disgusted at both mac and rodarte. this has been discussed on many blogs, most notably temptalia and others such as mizzworthy, and while i am a little late i still wish to blog about this. as a forewarning, this is going to be a long post!

the collection is supposedly inspired by the "ethereal nature of the landscape" in mexico. this collection however seems to point exactly to the issue of maquiladoras (factories/sweatshops with predominantly women workers) in the city of ciudad juarez. the workers in these maquiladoras come from all over mexico with the promise of work, which consists of hours from 4am to midnight and they live in homes with no water or electricity. while this alone is completely atrocious, there is an even deeper issue of what is known as 'las muertas de juarez' or the dead women of juarez. in the city, there are an incredibly large number of women who are found tortured, mutilated, raped and killed. there are also hundreds that have just gone missing. this has been going on since 1993, and authority figures state numbers to be at about 400, but locals believe it could be anywhere up to 5000. the victims are typically workers in the factories, aged between 12 and 30 that are slender with long dark hair. the authorities have no interest in solving these cases, and many remain completely unreported. it is estimated that only 1 in 8 missing women are filed, and it has been mentioned that there have been cases of police losing bodies and swapping parts so that identification is impossible.

the way that it links to the mac collection is in the products, product name and promo images. there's nail polishes called juarez and factory, pale milky lipstick shades such as ghost town and sleepless, a pigment named badlands, a mineralize eyeshadow with haunting red veining called sleepwalker.

the promo image for the collection.

there has been a large backlash among the beauty community, which has led to mac and rodarte releasing official statements of apology (and some other tosh about how it's meant to celebrate the people and landscape) and mac have now agreed to change the names of the products and donate $100,000 to a non profit organisation to help the women of juarez and their families.

personally, i don't think their statements are enough and i'm sickened that they even considered creating this collection at all. i am a huge fan of mac makeup and while i know i will purchase from them again, there is no way in hell i am going to be investing in any of the rodarte collection. the only good thing i see to have come out of this is more awareness of the issue in juarez (something which i didn't know about before). while the donation of money is good, a single mac store turns over $100k in a week, hardly a lot of skin off mac's back. even with a name change, the original names still existed. i'm curious as to why nobody at mac or rodarte stood there and said 'this isn't a good idea.' there is so much information on the web to do with the issues in juarez, even on the most basic info pages such as wikipedia.

what are your thoughts on the issue?

barry m limited edition

2010-07-17T13:08:00.003+01:00

woop, this is my 100th blog post :)

i picked the limited edition barry m nail polish up in boots the other day. i absolutely love this colour, and was immediately drawn to it from the gold cap. personally, i think it looks amazing! barry m should most definitely adopt the gold cap for all of their nail paints, it makes the matt black look so blah and boring.

the colour is a light-medium pinky purple. it's definitely not lilac, it's too warm toned and too dark for lilac. it's also got pinky undertones. it reminds me of orchids, and i think if it needed a name something to do with orchids would suit it perfectly.

the formula is alright. whilst i love the range of colours and opacity of barry m nail polishes, i find that most tend to be a little gloopy and take a very long time to dry. this means i always end up with prints in my nails (from sheets and clothes) which really annoys me. i find that it also doesn't layer as well as other brands of nail polish, and tends to look thick. this one wasn't as slow drying as some, but i wouldn't say the formula was fantastic.

you can purchase the nail polish in boots for £2.95, or receive it free when you spend over £6. there's a few new lipglosses out, i believe in the colours coral, bronze shimmer and strawberry milkshake, all which look amazing and am hankering after.

what do you think of it?

hello my lovelies

2010-07-14T19:51:00.006+01:00

i apologise profusely for the lack of updates, as i have been sunning myself up and filling myself full of gorgeous cocktails in zante, greece. it's been an absolute scorcher over there, about 33 degrees every day. i know the uk has had good weather but this wasn't humid and i had a beach ;). we did some amazing things such as hire out a motorboat and sailed round some smaller islands, and we also went to a white party on a small island which has been built around partying. i had the best time of my life and am genuinely considering going out there to work next summer.i had a henna tattoo done whilst there also and i have fallen in love with it! i think i'm going to get it as a real tattoo but i've got to think carefully about where to put it.

i'd also like to announce the death of illamasqua obey, who melted in the heat and died a sorry death landing on the laganas strip pavement. rip :(

here are a couple of pictures:

partying it up with glowsticks

posing on the boat :)

henna

mascara review: collection 2000 collagen curl waterproof

2010-07-04T18:17:00.005+01:00

i constantly seem to be buying mascara. i'm just never 100% content. my most recent favourite is definitely maybelline falsies, but with it drying up about every 2 weeks it's a constant pocket drain. i decided to look for something different and had pla

nned to pick up maybelline lash stiletto voluptuous, but whilst trawling the boots aisles i spotted this bad boy.

this is collection 2000 collagen curl, in waterproof formula. collection 2000 say:

The collagen enriched formulation injects ultra volume for maximum lash appeal, whilst the chunky curved brush lifts the lashes for an amplified lash finish.

i personally love curved brushes, and i am constantly aiming for curl and volume. this mascara thus appealed to me instantly, as did the price tag of £4.99 and the boots special offer of a free lipgloss (i picked up a clear one). i chose the waterproof formula as i'm going on holiday and i didn't want mascara all over my face in the hot weather/in the pool!

it comes with a curved brush that is slightly longer than the falsies one, and i love it. it coats every lash perfectly! i do 2 coats of this mascara and the above picture is the result. it's a very black formula, which doesn't flake during the day and is so waterproof i struggle to remove it with oil based remover. it also holds the curl fabulously well!

out of curiosity, i researched reviews of this mascara on other blogs and it seemed to get a lot of hate. i'm really surprised about this because it really isn't a bad mascara at all? infact this one has done alot more for me than many other hyped up mascaras.

have you tried this? what did you think?

hair straighteners

2010-07-03T16:42:00.002+01:00

i've had my ghds for 3 or 4 years now and they are trusty friends of mine. they've served me well but unfortunately they just aren't performing as well anymore. the ceramic on the plates is coming off and they catch on my hair. my suspicions were confirmed when i used my friends ghds yesterday and noticed how much of a difference there was between my set and her new pair. hers left my hair soft, smooth and shiny and glided through. mine take alot more effort and don't make my hair soft/shiny anymore :(

however, being the typical beauty girl i am, i'm not sure whether to stick with ghds or branch out and go for corioliss or cloud9.

what straighteners do you use?

my sixth form prom & some true words

2010-06-29T21:58:00.006+01:00

it was my sixth form prom on the weekend. at my school we don't wear the traditional prom dresses that are floor length etc. we tend to wear cocktail style dresses!

topping up a bit of viva glam gaga!

dress: miss selfridge via very.co.uk

shoes: faith (rip)

clutch: new look

ring: miss selfridge sale

earrings: new look

i tried to find a decent picture of my face but there just weren't any. for reference i wore mineralize satinfinish nc35, mac refined mineralize skinfinish, mac brule, wedge and espresso eyeshadows and mac myth and viva glam gaga on the lips. i decided to try and keep it simple! the tan was courtesy of xen tan and st moritz.

i'd also like to leave you with some true words which i have seen being reposted on facebook today

Two planes landed In England today... One brought back a group of overpaid, underachieving footballers. The other brought back seven coffins, each with the Union Jack draped over them. Footballers play for our country, soldiers FIGHT for our country. Footballers give ninety minutes, soldiers give their lives....I know who I respect more. R.I.P.