Tartan Treasures

Whilst having a little wander through TK Maxx the other day I stumbled upon a stand packed with Burberry Make up, from mascara to foundation to eyeshadow to lip gloss, if you can name it it was there.

Seeing as it was all marked down, I thought it'd be due not to pick a couple bits up!  I chose the Velvet Foundation in Trench No.201 and the Fresh Glow luminous fluid base in Nude Radiance No.01.  I've worn them both a couple times and am loving them!  The consistency of both is really lovely to apply and they look so flawless on the skin.  

The Velvet Foundation lasts aaages and blends so well, a little bit definitely goes a hella long way!  The Fresh Glow is gorgeous too, like a giant bottle of liquid highlighter that soaks into the skin and leaves you looking all healthy and shimmery.  It's perfect for those summer days when you want something on your face but not a whole face of heavy make up.

I'm not sure I could have forked out £35 each for them, but seeing as they were £20 each in TK Maxx I figured it was practically buy on get one free (that's what I told myself anyway!)

Steph

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I Want Candy!

Summer fragrances are something I really look forward to each year.  This one being no exception I eagerly started looking for a scent I could wear all summer and still love by the time October rolls around.

I took a little more time this year, maybe because it's the first summer in four years I've been single and, therefore, not had a bunch of fragrances immediately discarded.  This year I was looking to find something that I like, regardless of how others take to it.

I found a sample for Prada Candy - Florale in a magazine I was reading and instantly fell in love with it.  It's so light, feminine and sweet without being overpowering.  The floral notes really come through but the sweetness off sets them somehow.  

(I've just realised I'm awful at describing a smell so go smell, you'll love it I promise!)

I've been wearing it non stop, every time I catch a whiff of it I fell like a child again, watching my mum getting ready to go out and wearing a gorgeous perfume.  It has an air of glamour without being in your face.

Also, can we just talk about the bottle for a minute!  It so super cute!  I love the little mushroom top to it (it's probably got some fancy name but mushroom top will do for me!) it's just really well designed and looks amazing on my perfume shelf.

I'd love to try out a couple more summer fragrances this year, so any suggestions please pop them below and I'l be sure to check them out :)

Steph

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Tanya Burr ~ Lips and Nails

I feel like I'm massively late to the party on this one, but the other week I finally got around to picking up a couple of Tanya Burr's new products.

Tanya is a Make Up Artist turned beauty blogger with her own, super successful, YouTube channel and has now ventured into producing beauty products, starting with lip glosses and nail polishes.

I picked up two of her lip glosses and one of the polishes the other week and have to say I've been pretty impressed!  

Not usually one for lip gloss (I'm much more of a bold matte lip sorta girl) I wasn't sure how much I was going to like the glosses but I've been really pleasantly surprised.  Glosses I've used in the past haven't had the staying power or the depth of pigmentation I like but these have stayed put for hours on end and required minimal top up.

I chose 'First Date' and 'Just Peachy'.  They're both pretty subtle shades but are super cute for day to day wear and go with pretty much any make up look.  The only down side I've found is application, a lot of product seems to come out at once and I've ended up having to blot my lips or spread the product out with my fingers to prevent it looking super thick or just having too much on my lips at once.  This is by no means a huge issue though and is easily got around by dabbing small amounts onto the lips and spreading with a separate brush or your finger.

Wearing 'First Date' (for an actual first date!)

As for the nail polish I picked up 'Bright and Early' a gorgeous hot pink that manages to match my phone perfectly (no I didn't choose it for that reason haha!)

I put on two coats of the polish but it would also have wired with just one, as it's a really nice consistency and really opaque.  The thing I've been most impressed with is the staying power of this polish.  I work in a job where I am using my hands for 8 hours a day and no matter what I do my nails are always chipped within a half hour of being at work :(  I was so surprised to find that after my first shift of the week my nails hadn't chipped at all and the colour still looked perfect!

I thought that there was no way they'd last the next few shifts but amazingly they've lasted 3 crazy busy days and aside from breaking a nail (which still didn't chip the polish!) they are still going strong!

Nails after 3 shifts and a couple of lazier days, still going strong!

I've been really impressed by Tanya's collection and look forward to see what she'll bring out next.  As for this collection, I think I'm going to have to head back to Superdrug and get a couple more of her pieces before they disappear off the shelves!

Steph

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Nailed It!

In an effort to look (and feel) a little more girly on my birthday week off from work I decided to try out some new nails, and my god have I been loving them!

After looking at the more tones down nails in boots I stumbled across the House of Holland and Elegant Touch line and fell in love!  The had nails with tiny animals on,nails with playing cards on, spotty, stripy and, my absolute favourite, 'zig zag stardust'!

I've not been able to stop looking at my hands since I put them on, and the cherry on the top...they glow in UV!  Yes, that's right, Saturday night I had the coolest, glowyest, brightest nails Swansea had ever seen!

I'm going to be gutted to have to take these off to go back to work next week, but until then I'm glowing all the way!

Steph

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Lighten Up

As Spring rounds the corner and I'm starting to pull myself out of my post break-up funk (I've spent far too long in the wallowy/stalk him on facebook/worry I'll be alone forever phase, not the best look!) I decided it was time to lighten up a bit!

I started from the top and ombréd my hair!  I've ombréd my hair before but it got a little lost in amongst the pinks/blues/reds/oranges and every other colour you can think of, but as my hair is growing back into its natural colour I thought I'd add a little sun to the tips.

Previously I've used bleach and just mixed a small amount but I thought I'd try something new this time and went for the L'Oreal Paris Intense Ombré Préférence.  I used the light to dark brown intense effect box and I think it's turned out pretty well!

I love that it comes with a little brish so you can just put the mixture onto that and bush it through your hair.  It made it so much easier to get it level all around the head rather than using my hands or a tinting brush to put it onto the hair.

before & after

 I only left the mixture on for 25 mins (you can leave it on for up to 45) as I wasn't too sure how my damaged hair would react it it.  But I think I'll be doing another process in the next few weeks to lighten up even more!

x

Foundation Fix

 


As Christmas draws ever closer (only 4 more sleeps!) and my purse gets ever lighter I've been doing my best to save where I can so January is not the cash strapped month it so easily can become.

Earlier in December my MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation began to run ever so low *sob* and I told myself I would search for a cheaper alternative rather than spend over £20 on a bottle which lasts me so little time.  I thought I would investigate what the high street had to offer in terms of foundation, something I've not done for a few years, and see if I could find a dupe that would see me through.

~1~
My first find was Sleek's New Skin Revive in White Rose.  I'm a fan of Sleek's eyeshadow palettes and contour kit but this has left me a little underwhelmed.  For £7.99 its definitely within my price range but I felt as if even this might be too higher price for it.  

The consistency is really thick, meaning a little goes nowhere and your face can end up looking a little cakey to say the least.  I ended up mixing it with a dollop of moisturiser to thin it out and make it go further and this did give it a better look but I feel you shouldn't have to do that every time you want to wear it.  It's also a little dark on my skin, but that is my fault for picking up what I thought was the lightest colour instead of what actually was!

~2~ After the slight disaster of the Sleek purchase I thought I might try something a little lighter than was more of a liquid than a double cream!  I found the B. Flawless Complete Coverage Foundation from B. in Superdrug and thought it looked like a good bet.  At £9.99 its still a pretty affordable product and it has the added benefits of SPF15, same as Studio Fix.

I chose the shade 10 Linen and its a really good match for my skin so definitely a similar colour to NC15 (the shade I use in MAC).  Its got a really nice consistency, like a slightly thick liquid and a little goes a pretty long way, so good value as well.  Although it says it's a full coverage foundation I've been wearing it for more casual days as I don't find it as full as Studio Fix and it does have a fairly strong smell of sun cream but I don't mind that too much!  

Bottom line I think I will be repurchasing this one as a day to day foundation that I can wear year round and have the added benefit of sun protection.

~3~ One of my more recent purchases has been the L'Oreal True Match foundation in N2 Vanilla.  The colour is slightly darker than NC15 but the blendability and the way it adjusts to your skin tone means it doesn't end up looking unnatural which is a massive plus!  At £9.99 its another affordable purchase and less than half the price of MAC.

I've been really loving this foundation and aside from the super thin consistency (which seems to run off the back of my hand every time I move!) I have only good things to say about it.  I think the thinness off the formula adds to the blending ability so as long as you're not as clumsy as me (it's on my carpet in more than one place!) you should be fine.  

~4~ Last but not least is the Maybelline FIT me! Anti-Shine Stick.  I was really curious to try this one as I've never used a foundation in a stick form before and was interested to see how it would compare to liquid foundations.  It's a  little cheaper at £8.99 but is also a lot smaller than the bottles of liquid foundation.

I've used this product  few times and so far I'm not in love with it.  It feels fairly thick on the skin and isn't the easiest thing to blend out.  I'm also not majorly keen on the fact it's a stick that goes straight onto the face, with a liquid you can wash the brush or buy a new sponge and help stop breakouts so I'm not sure sure how well my skin would fair if I were to use this every day.

On the plus side the few times I have used it it does what it says on the tin, it keeps shine at bay and I've actually been quite liking it for concealing my under eye circles before putting on foundation.  

I've not yet managed to find a high street foundation that would convince me not to repurchase Studio Fix ever again but I'll definitely be using the B.Flawless and L'Oreal True Match as alternatives on a daily basis and maybe keeping my MAC foundations for more special occasions like nights out or days when I want a really flawless look.

Steph
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Winter Essentials

It's that time of year again, when the cold sets in and staying warm and cosy becomes top priority.  There are a few things I couldn't live without when winter hits and I thought I'd share them with you :) 

Hats ~ Keeping warm is always top of my list when the weather turns.  Each year my collection of beanies, berets and any other form of winter hat seems to grow considerably (I think they must be multiplying in the wardrobe!)  My faves so far this winter have been this 'Bad Hair Day' beanie from New Look and the gorgeously cosy Cream Cable Knit beanie from Topshop.

Candles ~ This year I've gotten really into scented candles (I'm going through them at a rate of knots!) and am just loving having a festive smelling room.  My most used candles are the Caramel Apple scent from Green Earth and Yankee Candle's 'Sparkling Cinnamon'.  I'd have them all over the house if the family would let me!

A Good Book ~ There's something about being curled up under a blanket as the night draws in with a candle burning reading a really good book, heaven!  I'm currently reading 'Dolly' by Susan Hill and really enjoying the creepiness of it.  If scary stories aren't your thing 'Chasing Harry Winston' and 'Last Night as Chateau Marmont' by Lauren Weisburger are both really good 'chick-lit' reads as is the new Bridget Jones installment.  I'm looking forward to reading 'Chanel - An Intimate Life' next too, gotta keep it classy!

Festive Manicures ~ I've gone into nail painting overdrive recently and have the urge to constantly have something festive on my nails.  I've gone for something a little more subtle this weekend with gold glitter over a Christmassy red.

Mini Purses ~ I recently discovered these gorgeous little purses in Primark after a friend showed me hers.  Aside from being the perfect size to keep a couple of cards and enough change for a night out they've also got a section to strap in a phone.  As someone who has lost more than one phone to a club toilet I had to invest!  The purses have little wrist straps (which you can remove if you're less clumsy than I am!) and at only £4 were a bargain, not to mention a little cheaper than a new phone!  I can't wait for the Christmas parties to begin so I can take them out!

Eye Cream ~ As someone who could sleep forever and still have bags under my eyes, I'm always after a goof eye cream to perk them up a little.  I recently discovered the 'Puffy Eye Attack' from Soap&Glory and have been really enjoying it.  It's been keeping my under eye area really moisturised and, as it's a gel, it lasts for hours.  I've been slicking it on morning and night and only have good things to say so far.

Gradual Tan ~ Dove's Summer Glow gradual tan has become my new best friend this winter.  Aside from preventing me from looking like a Twilight extra it also moisturises my skin and leaves it feeling really soft, a must when the weather can be so drying.  I've been using the lighter shade so that I don't look to obviously tanned but it's been giving me a really lovely colour and is much easier to control than a regular self tanner.

Exfoliater ~ Soap&Glory always have the best smelling exfoliaters and 'The Scrub of Your Life' if no exception.  I've been using this one for a few weeks now and it's been helping to keep my skin buffed to perfection!  The winter weather can really dry skin out and this helps to keep it smooth as well as providing a great base for moisturiser.

Winter Shoes ~ I recently gave into my love for Aldo and picked up a pair of wedge trainer I'd been eyeing up for about 3 months! I blame the Cyber Monday discounts partially for this purchase but the Aldo sale was definitely a contributing factor too!  Since they arrived they've barely been off my feet and are soo comfy.  The heel isn't too high for day wear and I've been rocking them with jeans, leggings, skirts and dresses as they're such an all-round shoe, I think it might be love!

Big Hair ~ Winter can leave hair feeling a little flat, especially if its been crammed under a beanie all day!  So far this winter I've been making a little more effort to give my hair some added volume using the Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray or the Fat Hair Amplifying Mousse.  Both are great for creating volume at the roots and the size of the Bumble and Bumble spray makes it super handy for travelling.

Hair Oils ~ On the hair theme I've also been making an effort to keep my hair moisturised and glossy.  The combination of cold weather and heating can dry out your hair just as much as your skin so a hair oil can really help to combat the effect.  I've been loving L'Oreal's Extraordinary Oil for Coloured Hair.  I use a tiny amount all over my hair when its damp as added heat protection and focus more toward the ends on dry hair to prevent drying and split ends.

So there you have it, just a few of my winter faves for 2013, I honestly think I could go on all day with the products I'm loving at the minute but these are definitely my top picks.  Let me know what you've been loving so for this winter, I'd love to try out some new things!

Steph

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Happy Halloween!

It's that time of year again, when the ghosts and ghouls come out and pumpkins become the most popular veg on the market!

In honour of Halloween I decided to give myself a fitting manicure using the Janchristie nail transfers I ordered earlier in the year (click here for my review).

1 - To create this nail look you'll need orange and black nail polishes, nail tape (or strips of masking tape) & nail transfers.

2 - Paint the base colour onto your nail, I used the orange to give a solid background for the transfers.

3 - Once the polish is dry, cut out and press on the transfer (I found using tweezers the easiest way to do this).

4 - Cover the transfers with clear polish to prevent them lifting.

5 - Stick the nail tape onto the nails without the transfers.

6 - Paint over the nail tape with the black polish.

7 - Before the polish dries dries peel off the nail tape quickly (tweezers were helpful here too!).

8 - When the black polish is dry cover all the nails again with a top coat and you're done!

Now I've got my nails all Halloweened up I'm going to spend my night watching scary films, wrapped up on the sofa, drinking hot chocolate.  Let me know what you're doing for Halloween, and who you're going as if you're dressing up this year!

Steph

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Lookin' Sleek!

Aaagess ago, in a desperate bid to replace my favorite lost lipstick, I stumbled across Sleek make-up in Superdrug.  I found a perfect replacement for my old trusty (is it bad that it still bugs me that I don't know where that went?!) and thought nothing more of it.

More recently, over the summer, I rediscovered Sleek and thought I'd have a good look at their collections seeing as I love their matte lippies so much.  I picked up the i-Divine palette in au naturel (mineral eye shadows), face FORM palette in Light, 373 (contouring, highlighter and blush) and a single blush in Life's a Peach!, 922.

(No flash or filter so you can see the colours at their best :) )

I've been using them for a good couple of months now and I have to say I really really like them!  I adore the range of colours in the eye shadow, although they're all earthy tones I like the way they're almost divided into groups of four with similar shades grouped together (that might just be the way my ocd eye wants to see it!) with both matte and shimmery shades together.

I've been creating lots of smokey eyes as well as more simple, toned down, every-day looks and have found it to be so versatile.  I'm seriously considering picking up another one of these in a different tone on my next payday!

face FORM palette in Light 373

Blush in Life's a Peach! 922

Onto the blush and the face FORM palette.  Sleek has a range of blush palettes that I was really tempted by with three blushes in each but seeing as the palette I was going to get had the same blush as the face FORM palette, Life's a Peach! and a shade I wasn't too sure on, I went for this combination.

The Life's a Peach! is such a gorgeous colour, it's not too strong but you can layer it up to create a way more dramatic look, its awesome!  The blush in the face FORM palette is a little more subtle and I've been loving it for day wear.  Its slightly shimmery and is such a pretty pink colour, its adorable! 

The contour and highlight in this palette are really nice products too.  The highlight is perfect for my fair skin, it's not overly shimmery or peachy and leaves a subtle glow on the skin.  The contour is okay but considering the palette is 'Light' its sooo pigmented!  The first time I used I ended up with the dreaded brown streaks on my face!  A little bit definitely goes a looong long way here!  Saying that it may have something to do with how pale my face is,so maybe it would be a slightly better shade on someone with light skin as opposed to paper-white skin!  

Let me know if you try any of these products out and which Sleek bits and pieces you love, I'm definitely up for another trip to Superdrug!

x

Paws and Claws

Recently I ordered some nail transfers from Janchriste, a nail design shop I discovered through Zoella's blog.  I thought the little stickers looked so cute and at £1.80 a sheet they are a litle bargain!

I gave into my cat obsession and ordered two sheets of cat prints, but there are so many styles in the shop in various colours and designs.  They also sent me a few little extras to practice with so I knew how to apply them and not waste the ones I'd paid for, which I thought was really generous.

Janchriste Nail DesignsApplying the transfers is really easy once you get the hang of it and didn't take too long at all.

~ First apply a base of a pale colour, the paler the better, you can put the transfers straight on a non-painted nail too but I liked the look of the coloured background.  ~ Once the polish is completely dry cut around the image you want as close to the picture as possible.
~ Next peel off the paper backing, I found it easier to do this with tweezers to stop the sticker from rolling or stretching, and stick it onto the nail of choice!
~ A few coats of clear polish or topcoat and you are good to go!  I found two layers of clear polish was best and then topped it up a couple of days later to stop the transfer from lifting.

I really love these little transfers, they give such a unique look to your nails for a fraction of a professional manicure and make it easy to chop and change your mind.  I can't wait for Halloween to roll around so I can use my little black cats with a bright orange background!

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Deal Addiction

Free Body Shop hand Cream - See Below for Details!

Recently I seem to have developed a bit of an addiction...to deal websites!  Every day I find myself logging onto wowcher, vouchercodes, groupon and more just to see if there are any deals I might want and might be of any use to me.

It hasn't yet got to the point where I'm buying things purely because they're on offer, but I feel it may begin to happen soon!  For example, this evening I'm having dinner at Zizzi's, why? for a nice evening? for good food? because I love the way it's decorated? nope because I have a voucher for 50% off food and it runs out today.  That is my sole motivation of going out to dinner tonight (don't tell the boy, he thinks its a romantic evening!)

My little obsession with these deals doesn't seem to be disappearing anytime soon, especially as today I found a voucher for free hand cream at the body shop.  If you fancy a freebee as well (and lets face it who wouldn't) you can download your voucher from Voucher Codes before the 29th.

Let me know if you get your free hand cream and if you're as addicted as I am to these sites, I hope I'm not the only one!

x

Pre-Holiday Haul

Tomorrow I'm off on a little break to the New Forest, I can't wait to go somewhere peaceful and relaxing and just chill out for a few days.

I'm sure you all know the slight panic of not feeling quite holiday ready when you realize mid-pack that you don't have this or that and you absolutely have to take it with you!  Well that was me a couple of hours ago and so I rushed down the road to pick up all the little bits that I'd been meaning to pick up for ages but never quite remembered to do.

As tends to happen whenever I enter a pharmacy (or drug store as I think you might call them in the US) I got a little distracted by the make up and skincare stands and had a little splurge.  So to ease my guilt a little I thought I'd turn it into a blog post and show you a few of the things I picked up and am excited to try over the next few days and after I get back.

Soap&Glory 'Scrub Atomic'

August seems to have left my skin in a bit of a sorry state with multiple breakouts and extremes of combination skin.  I'm a little confused as to why my face has decided this is the time to throw a fit but nothing seems to be working too well at the mo, so I picked up the 'Scrub Atomic' daily face polish from Soap & Glory.  

I love love love soap and glory products and seeing as Boots had the range on an offer I thought I'd give this a go.  I'll definitely do a post on it in a few weeks to let you know if it's improved my face at all and if it's worth it.

Soap&Glory 'Off Your Face'

I also picked up the Soap & Glory 'Off Your Face' face wipes in the offer to give them a try.  Face wipes are such a handy thing to take away instead of taking a full cleansing set for just a couple of days (and I liked the packaging!) but hopefully they'll do my face some good too.

Rimmel 'Stay Matte' Pressed Powder

 I've been looking for a new powder for a little while now and have heard Tanya Burr recommend Rimmel's 'Stay Matte' Pressed Powder a few times in her videos, so I thought I'd try it out for myself.  I chose the transparent powder so that it wouldn't add a cakey look to my foundation and would just help to set it and keep shine at bay.

Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' Concealer

The last make up thing I got was the Rimmel 'Wake Me Up' concealer.  I've tried the 'Wake Me Up' foundation before and found it a little orangey for my skin, even in the lightest shade, but I've heard such good things about the concealer that I thought I should give it a go.  Swatching it next to the foundation in the shop it definitely seems to be a lighter colour so fingers crossed!

I'll test these all out on my holiday and let you know if any of them work  miracles!  I hope you all have a lovely relaxing week and if any of you are back to school/college/uni this week that it all goes well :)

x

Lee Stafford ~ Hair Growth Review

Over the last year or so I've had real fun experimenting with my hair, I think I've now been every colour of the rainbow, and I've loved it!  However...this has come with some consequences, mostly that my hair turned dry and brittle and then started to break off near to the root.  This left me with an interesting (to say the least!) hair style of very short layers on top and longer hair underneath, kinda like a mullet...it wasn't a good look!

For the last six months I've been trying out the Lee Stafford hair growth range to see if it could make any difference to my poor hair.  The set is made up of a shampoo, conditioner and a hair mask which are 'a protein based complex to fertilize your follicles, creating a healthy environment on the scalp to help hair grow faster and reach its maximum potential length.'  

The system is supposed to increase the blood flow to your scalp making the hair grow faster as well as conditioning it to stop split ends etc. breaking off the hair from the tip.

Lee Stafford Hair Growth System

In terms of price these products definitely aren't cheap, £6.99 each for the shampoo and conditioner and £7.99 for the mask and they're all only 200 ml per container (pricey!).  I managed to get my set on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots so keep an eye out for a deal!

 After trying them out I'm not so sure I agree with the claims they make on the bottles.  I haven't seen my hair grow any faster at all.  My roots seem to grow back in at the same speed as they always have, and my hair is still shoulder length.  I wasn't expecting to hop out of the shower with waist length hair after one use but I thought it might have grown a little more than usual with all this 'Pro-Growth complex'.

However, the label also says it will give your hair 'strength from within' and in that respect it hasn't all been a waste of time and money.  

As I said before my hair was in awful condition.  If you've ever over bleached your hair you'll understand what I mean when I say it was like chewing gum.  It was brittle when dry, snapping off every time I even looked at a hair brush, and stretched a mile whenever it got wet before snapping off again, so not a good look!

Since I've been using the Lee Stafford set my hair is in much better condition.  The hair mask in particular has made a huge difference to the feel and strength of my hair and the days I washed my hair with out using it you could definitely tell the difference. I think the gentleness of the shampoo and conditioner, coupled with the deep conditioning, has also really helped.  My hair is no longer breaking off and those short little layers are starting to look like they're part of a style (thank god!)

I doubt I'll be purchasing these again, unless I go on another hair colouring spree, but I have enjoyed my little bit of luxury while it's lasted.  I'd say if you're looking for products to help your hair grow then don't waste your money, but if you've given your hair a bit of a hard time recently and are in need of some drastic help I'd give these a try.

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