HAUL: Birthday Buys feat. YSL, Topshop and The Body Shop!

Hello lovelies!
Definitely splurged and treated myself in Windsor with my friend Jess a few days ago.

Pink Grapefruit Body Puree | £2
Pink Grapefruit Body Scrub | £12.50
Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel | £2

all available at The Body Shop.

Big love for The Body Shop at the moment, as they just do summer scents right. I love the mix of sweet and sour that the Pink Grapefruit scent provides me, and I already own the body butter, so these guys are more to add to my collection! As it’s my birthday month, I got £5 off my purchase, and it was 3 for 2 on all products, so I got all of this for £9.50! Successful bargain!

Clean and Clear Blackhead Cleanser | £3.50

available at Boots and Superdrug.

I have the regular cleanser and wanted to try this out as the scent is a little less…overwhelming and I’ve been noticing tat the other cleanser doesn’t seem to have many skin benefits. Let’s see how this goes!

Topshop Matte Lipstick in Whimsical | £8

available at Topshop.

Been looking for a cooler-toned coral for a little while so that I can work it into the autumn months without looking like I’m lusting for summer. I love it whenever I find a Topshop with makeup and had to make the difficult decision between a lipstick and a blush for a while. The lipstick won. How beautiful is that?

YSL Glossy Stain in No.27 | from £22.50

available at YSL counters.

Eeep! I splashed out on another YSL product. I think I will only spend money on something that I can keep forever and that is worth the cash. Ever since I first ventured into the world of YSL, I’ve wanted a Glossy Stain. When I first bought my Volupte Sheer Candy, the assistant desperately tried to sell me this, even though the Sheer Candy was more money. I picked this up because it’s my ‘comfortable colour’. I’ll get a lot of use out of it and it’s JUST SO PRETTY. If anyone would like to buy me the whole line for my birthday, feel free.

(swatched in natural daylight, top YSL Glossy Stain no.27, bottom Topshop Whimsical)

(in sunlight)

So, there’s my little haul! I’m really looking forward to a lovely relaxing birthday tomorrow, and to going out with my friends for a bit tonight. Hope you’re all having a lovely day or evening!

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A Girl’s Guide to Navigating the Net

Hello lovelies!

A bit of a different post for you today. My birthday countdown has begun, and considering I’m the last of all of my friends to turn 19 (the joys of being born on August 31st), I’m making it a very big deal. I have my friend, Jess, visiting for a few days, we’re heading back home to Kent tomorrow, out Friday night, family party Saturday and then back to work on Monday. Busy week, yet…

Me and Jess always joke that whenever we’re together we just hold a ‘Laptop Club’ meeting. We are total internet junkies, for different and similar reasons, and I decided to make a list of must-have sites for every kind of girl. If there’s not a website you love in here, then there’s quite possibly no pleasing you! 😉

The TV Junkie
The TV addict knows what they want. They want to watch TV. However, they do not always know what to watch, that’s entirely dependent on mood. Netflix gives you thousands of options. Whether you’re up for a quick romantic fix (Pride and Prejudice), ready for a serious commitment (CSI) , keen on the critics’ darling of the moment (Breaking Bad) or just in need of a good laugh (Clueless), Netflix has something for even the most dedicated box set junkie or DVD collector.

 The Social Media-Savvy
In an evolving era where social media is definitely the norm, the social media savvy has at least three platforms to involve herself/himself in. Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are all required reading where social media is concerned, but the new wave is definitely capturing life via images. Vine is an awesome app that allows you to capture short clips from your life and it’s totally the new craze. Instagram panicked when they found out, and released such a crappy video feature you’d think they had some competition.

The Pub Crawler
Everyone has the friend who encourages you all to ‘get off the internet and live a little.’ Little do you know that the number one resource for any alcohol-seeker is cult site wherethefuckshouldigofordrinks.com. Not the most PG name, but definitely the best way to find the nearest (or best) place to drink in your area. Go for gold.

The Shopaholic
If you haven’t heard of this website or placed an order, you aren’t a true shopaholic. ASOS provides quality fashion, accessories and beauty products with free shipping and 10% off if you’re a student. Pretty much a shopaholic’s haven, there always seems to be a sale on, and you can support independent boutiques by buying from the Marketplace.

The Bookworm
The bookworms among us thirst for new material to devour, so much so that they’ve created a website where they can further the novels that inspire them. Fanfiction.net is a community where readers and authors come together and write and read stories inspired by the books/TV/films/anime/musicals that they love. Whether you’re into classic Harry Potter (over 650,000 stories to date) or a bit of classic Austen (Pride and Prejudice has a measly 3,000 stories, can you tell I’m an Austen fan haha), there’s something for everyone and no shortage of material.

The Fashionista
If seeing what’s in style is all you want to do, Polyvore is the place for you. You can search for the newest fashions, create collages and mood boards, put virtual outfits together…all for free. Then you can shop the stores that stock your styles. Wow, alliteration.

The Blogger
Last but not least, the blogger is a new kind of archetype that combines many of the above. Bloggers love to read, see what’s in style, be social media savvy etc. but the place for bloggers now seems to be…bloglovin. A place where all of your blogs show up at once, bloglovin makes it easy to stay up to date with the unmissable posts and what your fave bloggers are raving about.

Aaaaaand speaking of bloglovin, I’ve actually just added a bloglovin button to my page, which means if you click on it, you’ll be able to stay updated with my blog via bloglovin. EEEP! Exciting.

Today I’ve been shopping in Windsor with Jess and spoiled myself rotten. Haul to come!
Hope you all have wonderful days/evenings,

I’m Having A Mascara Moment: Revlon’s ‘Grow Luscious’

Hello lovelies!

This post today is the start of a new series called ‘I’m Having A Mascara Moment’, which will basically be a mini review and demo on different mascaras that I own. The average girl might own three or four mascaras, and use one pretty regularly. I just counted mine, and I have fifteen different mascaras. Hopefully, by the end of the series I will have reviewed enough mascaras for you to make up your mind which one is the best. I might even rank them!

The way this will work is that each mascara will be judged on five basic points.
Packaging, Lasting Power, Wand and Formula and Price.
The final mark will be out of 50, as each mascara can score up to 10 points per category.

Let’s get started!

Revlon’s Grow Luscious by Fabulash Mascara

Packaging – 5/10
The green packaging is nice, but very un-Revlon like. I love the clean, crisp lines of Revlon’s usual products, so this is a bit of a dud in that sense. It’s nice and simple though.

Lasting Power – 7/10
Wearing this to a family wedding (I cried) was probably not a great idea. This is not the waterproof formula. However, at work it managed to last all day. Only a little bit droopy by the end of the say, my lashes were satisfied.

Wand – 7/10
The wand is a relatively standard brush wand that tapers down to a more fine point at the end. The bristles are very dense and so the wand can occasionally tug at your lashes. I was suitably impressed at how it tackled the lower lashes though.

Formula – 5/10
The formula is a little clumpy for my liking, but it does lengthen and volumise well. My personal preference with mascara is that it separates before it volumises though, and for that reason this doesn’t impress me as much as I would like.

Price – 6/10
Priced at £10 in Boots and Superdrug, Grow Luscious is one of the more expensive ‘drugstore’ mascaras out there. However, you do get a lot of product for your money, for £9.99 you get 11.2ml of product.

Before/After

Final verdict – 30/50

Not bad for a drugstore mascara, but after seeing so many rave reviews, I expected more. Definitely caved to the hype!

Hope you are all having wonderful days or evenings,

My Life In Pictures: July 2013

Benefit’s The Bronze of Champions, holiday gift from Mumma /
My room for the next 11 months at my 2nd year Uni house /
FOTD damage /
My housemate Charlie testing out our new bath /

July brought some exciting new things, but we all know the best best month is August. Birthday time!

My Life In Pictures: June 2013

Drinks and games with friends just before moving out of halls /
China Glaze’s ‘Champagne Kisses’ gets me every time /
My sister refuses to be photographed when I do her make-up /
Tired eyes and big hair /

Sorry that this little snippet of life is so delayed, it’s been pretty hectic for the last couple of months!

The Difference Make-Up Can Make

Hello lovelies!

This post is kind of a mix of an FOTD and a bit of motivation and inspiration.
For a few years now, I have loved make-up. Not just buying it, but applying it, wearing it, seeing it, looking at it, appreciating it. It’s kind of a funny love affair actually.

The Glory Trio

Hello lovelies!
Around Autumn time, I became more and more interested in the Soap and Glory range, and I delved into their make-up selection. More and more buzz has been developing around these products, and I just had to see for myself what it all was about.

Kick-Ass Concealer – £10
This concealer caught my eye because it has a salmon coloured correcting shade in it, and I can’t afford to splash out willy-nilly on Benefit’s Erase Paste. It also has a yellow colour concealer and a great setting powder which doubles brilliantly as a subtle highlight. The packaging is the only thing I have a bug-bear with. When I first opened the cute little pot up, all I saw was the powder. It took me a good five minutes to figure out how to actually get to the concealer! It’s pretty easy once you know but I was stumped. The formula of the concealer is not dissimilar to Benefit’s Boi-ing, but it’s a little more creamy.

One Heck Of A Blot – £12
Picked this up because Essiebutton on YouTube raved about it. As with anything she talks about, I wanted it immediately. Picked it up and I’ve got to say that so far, I’m impressed. It’s silky smooth, weightless and makes my shine go away for hours. I ❤ the packaging too. Don’t you just love Soap and Glory’s retro designs?

Glow All Out – £11
A peachy-toned highlight in essence, but I knew once I swatched it that I could make it work as a blush also. I love multi-use products so much. It’s got the same formula as the One Heck Of A Blot, silky-smooth and light on the skin, but definitely packs a punch of light too! 

So that was my little stumble along the no buying make-up in August road. 
Another stumble probably coming soon!

As for what’s going on with me, I’m currently sitting at my desk watching Covert Affairs, my newest TV obsession, and tidying my make-up from a bit of experimenting today. Love doing a little ‘Shop My Stash’.

Hope you are all well!

Summer Haul!

Hello lovelies!

Hope you are having wonderful weeks! I went shopping at the weekend when my parents came to help me move, and although I told myself that I couldn’t buy anything, this inevitably happened. Onto the haul!

Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser with SPF 30, £12
Mango Beautifying Oil, £9
Available at The Body Shop or thebodyshop.co.uk

After the recent heatwave in the UK, I decided that I needed to be more vigilant about including SPF into my daily facial routine, and as I have quite sensitive skin, I popped into The Body Shop to take a peek at their skin range. I asked the sales assistant whether they had anything for Sensitive Skin that had SPF, and she was incredibly helpful. I meant to catch her name and didn’t, which makes me sad. As I work outside, my face needs high protection whether it’s sunny or torrential rain, and so I opted for the Vitamin C Daily Moisturiser with SPF 30. It smells fresh and a little citrusy, which I love. While I was there, I took a look at the new Beautifying Oils that The Body Shop have released, and picked up Mango after smelling all of them and thinking that Mango was the yummiest. I’ll have to see how I get on with it. I was talked into getting a Body Shop ‘Love Your Body’ card, which is valid for a year, costs £5 and you get a free gift in your birthday month as well as 10% off every purchase over £10. Your card gets stamped every time you use it, and when you reach the 4th and the 8th time, you get a free gift. I think I want to sample some more bits and bobs from The Body Shop soon, and it’s my birthday this month (eeep!) so I thought it was worth it. I’ve also just taken a peek at The Body Shop’s website, and they have some awesome deals and freebies on there at the mo, something that I am always hearing from devotees, so check it out if you are looking for some new products.

Avene Eau Thermale Thermal Water Spray (50ml), £3.15
Available in selected Boots stores or at boots.com

Picked this little cutie up in Boots for two reasons. My face gets hot and I can’t justify the price of the Evian face spray. I need to introduce higher-end skincare brands into my regime if I want my skin to get better. My skin is okay at the moment, but to see anything noticeable, I need to splash the cash a little. So far I’ve been liking it, but I’m sure if I have any groundbreaking thoughts, I will review this or buy the full size!

 

No7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser, £11.50
Available at Boots stores or at boots.com

With the summer months surprising us all so far, I decided to invest in a tinted moisturiser. I usually just mix my foundation with my current moisturiser, but I thought that the real deal might keep my skin hydrated for longer. I also bought a nail varnish for my sister, and it was buy 2 products, get a little bag of goodies free…

This is what’s left of the five little goodies. Extreme Length Waterproof Mascara, High Shine Lip Gloss in Coral Kiss and Airbrush Away Primer. There was a lilac shimmery eyeshadow and a little Tinted Moisturiser sample that was darker than my skintone, so I gave them both to my Mum. She loves her lilacs and I bought her an eyeshadow base that would go perfectly with the eyeshadow.

Finally I picked up some hair dye and a cleanser dispenser from Clearasil. I’m intrigued. If anyone is wondering, I use this AWESOME hair dye tutorial from Rachel (icallitambrosia) on Youtube. Sass with my info. Love it.

I am currently procrastinating sleeping, believe it or not. Tomorrow is the last day at work before I go home for 5 days for my cousin’s wedding! Shall I take some OOTD snaps? I have a pretty dress 🙂 

Hope you have an awesome evening/day!