6 No7 Nail Varnish Swatches

I collected this bunch of nail varnishes when Boots where doing their ‘£5 off No7’ offers.  Normally I would never buy No7’s range as it doesn’t particularly appeal to me but I’m glad I picked these up.

Pink Grapefruit 80

 

A saucy sexy muted hot pink.  Very wearable and perfect for summer.  Used two coats in swatches above.

Hot Pink 40

A gorgeous girly Barbie pink.  Two coats.

Coral Kiss 39

These swatches were just after ONE coat! Can you believe it! This is my favourite red nail polish in my collection, the perfect post-box red.

Highland Mist 55

I don’t know how to describe this shade! I guess its a light brown with a hint of peach. Two coats.

Dreamy 33

I’ve never worn this shade out, but only because it reminds me of something Grandma’s would wear on their toes.  But it is a pretty colour, it sparkles and shimmers in the light. Two coats.

Totally Teal 115

Unique teal colour, I find this is the most streaky and un-even to apply but the colour is stunning and quite different.  I’d only wear this if I was matching it with shoes/jewellery on a particular day.

What I think -

I am always pleasantly surprised when I use these polishes as they are very pigmented and apply really well.  You need two coats max for a gorgeously even manicure with great shine.  They are all very shiny which I love because they look expensive on the nail and they don’t take too long to dry – especially the two Speed Dry ones I have.

I think each polish costs £6-7 which I personally think is quite expensive when you can get great shades at Barry M for £4, BUT after trying them out, I think the extra pennies do make a difference, in terms of amount of product in each bottle and the amount of pigmentation and shine you get with each coat!

I’m hoping Boots do another one of these offers soon that I can pick some more up!

Do you have any of these shades? Which is your favourite?

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Topshop Lip Polish – Swatches & Review!

Ever since I bought my two cream blushes from Topshop (seen here!) I’ve been lusting after these two beautiful lip polishes!  I got my hands on them a few weeks ago and didn’t know which colour to choose, but the lovely MUA in the Oxford Street store tried them both on me and I had to have them both!

Smoothie

 

I’d describe this as a pink nude that verges on violet rather than red.  Its stunning and I adore it.

Coral

An orange/red coral which screams glamour.  Its quite bright in real life but easy to pull off!

What I think -

These little stunners are unlike any other lip balm/polish/gloss I have tried before and I love them.  I think its the formula that sets them apart from the rest.  They are SO pigmented that they apply like a lip stick but are more moisturizing than normal lipsticks, if that makes sense?  If all my favourite lipsticks came in this formula, I would repurchase them.  The formula also means that your lips look healthy and juicy.  I wouldn’t say that the formula is too sticky, I don’t even notice it when I’m wearing them which is good cause I’m usually really annoyed at sticky balms.

The packaging is cute although the white lid does get dirty quite easily.  There is a mirror on the inside of the lid which is just perfect for applying when your out and about, and the packaging is a size which will easily fit in your handbag.

I normally apply these using my index finger to get a nice coverage but I’d also recommend using a lip brush for special occasions etc just to be sure that you get a good even application.

They retail at £6 each and I would say are definitely worth that price.  As they are so pigmented you don’t have to apply a lot so they will last a long time.

Does any one else have any of the Topshop lip polishes?  Will you be craving one after seeing these swatches?

XXX

P.S Both purchased with my own money!

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FOTD – Blue eyes!

Yesterday I decided to do a colourful look for work as I haven’t in a long time and I wanted to be adventurous. I ended up creating this blue look!

If I want to be ‘colourful’, I always end up wearing blue? Not quite sure why, but I think its the easiest bright colour for me to pull off. Blue also looks stunning on brown eyes so try it out if you’re a brown eyed girl!

Products used and where they’re applied -

• UDPP
• MAC’s Bare Study Paint pot and Nylon eye shadow as a base
• Urban Decay Deluxe Palette – Peace eye shadow all over the lid up to the crease
• The Body Shop’s eye shadow #16 in the crease
• MAC’s Beauty Marked eye shadow in the crease and blended outwards
• Sleeks Ink Pot black eye liner gel on the top lash line
• Gosh’s Velvet touch black kohl on bottom lash and water line (not pictured)
• Barry M’s Intense Eyeliner pen in Kingfisher blue on bottom lash line
• The Body Shop’s Super volume mascara in black on the lashes (not pictured) !

In the future I definitely want to try out a purple look as I never wear purple, probably because I’m scared that I’ll look like I have a bruised eye! But I’ll try it out soon and report back!

When you’re feeling adventurous, what colours do you normally wear?

I’ve never done an In’s and Out’s blog post, but have decided to do one today! If I do one regularly you’ll get to know a bit more about me and hopefully I’ll learn more about you guys aswell!

INS!

• Being Happy – I am so content and happy with life right now, I feel like everything is perfect!
• Colour Coach – I have been appointed the position of Colour Coach at work at The Body Shop!!! This means I’m in charge of make-up and all aspects of it – make-over's, training the other girls, figures, etc! Very excited as my boss and I have come up with some very exciting ideas!
• Summer!!!! – Even though the weather isn’t perfect at the moment, I can tell this summer is going to be amazing. I turn 22 in two weeks, I’m going on holiday to France in three weeks – which will include Disneyland, lots of Sephora trips and staying in a Chateau in the South! I also have lots of gigs and theatre trips lined up which I can’t wait for – OkGo gig tomorrow, and WolfBoy at the theatre on Friday!

OUTS!

• Guys!! I really don’t have any time for them at the moment! I always seem to get messed around! But in the words of Jamie Callum – I’m all over it now!
• Decorating my room – Its taking forever and I’m painting it all by myself which makes my arms hurt and means I’m always covered in paint!

Hope everyone is happy and well! XX

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MAC In The Groove

Ordered myself a cheeky little something a few weeks ago…

I can’t resist writing a little message for myself with my MAC orders, it makes me feel happy and spoilt :)  This package was to celebrate all the hard work I think I’ve done lately and everything I’ve achieved this year at uni.

I only ordered two items from In the Groove as I’m currently working hard to get rid of my overdraft but I needed to get my hands on Jazzed before it sold out and I was just in time.  I also ordered Happy Together mineralized blush last minute.

Happy Together is stunning but I’m having trouble with making it look natural with my pale skin.  The darker shade is too orange for me and looks really dark on my cheeks.  The highlight colour is stunning though and I can see myself using that side of it lots. 

I’m sure by now you’ve many many comparisons of Ever Hip and Jazzed but I wanted to do my own!  Jazzed is a lot more orangey an Ever Hip has a slight pink tinge to it.  I think I prefer Ever Hip as it is a tad more wearable in my opinion, but Jazzed is a must have for the summer! 

However – Is anyone else having a problem with Jazzed really emphasizing imperfections on the lips?  It makes my lips look quite dry and clings to the tiniest of dry flakes and also applies quite patchy.  I don’t mind too much as I have a lip scrub and can still use it with lip balm, but it can be annoying.

This is a short one as I’m just waiting for my dresser to be delivered by a courier and its already an hour late! I’m getting impatient. 

Do you prefer Ever Hip or Jazzed?  Is anyone else having problems with Jazzed and dry lips? Any tips on how to get Happy Together to look good on my skin?

XXX

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Tutorial – Easy Smokey Eyes!

Today I will talk you through my ‘signature’ smokey black look.  I wear this look almost everyday I’ll admit that I feel naked without it!  I wore this look to the Edward Bess launch last week and had some compliments on it and a few of the girlies wanted to know how I did it and persuaded me to do a tutorial, so here it is!

 

I’ve created diagrams showing the 6 steps I use to complete this look so hopefully it’ll be easy to follow at home.

 

1. Start by applying primer to a clean eye, I use Urban Decay’s Primer potion.

2. Apply a light base colour.  I use MACs Nylon, it is my favourite base colour as it suits every other colour, it goes with browns, greens, blue etc.  Its a beautiful shimmery golden as you can see in the pics above!

3. Then apply a darker shade in the crease of your eye and create a ‘<’ shape on the outer edge of your eye to open it up.  Here I’ve used The Body Shops eye shadow in #42.  Again, use any colour, I normally use MACs Beauty Marked.

4. Apply a liquid or gel liner to your top lash line, you can make this thick or thin as you like and you can draw on a cat flick as well to give the illusion of longer eyelashes and larger eyes.

5.  Apply a black kohl pencil onto your lower lash line and waterline.  I use Gosh’s velvet touch kohl, its super smooth, lasts all day and is very affordable.  This line doesn’t need to be neat at all – I often use a smudger brush (from TBS) to smudge this line to make it more smokey. 

6.  Apply mascara to top and bottom lashes, I’ve used TBS’ super volume mascara.  Last but not least, apply a tab of your shimmery base colour on the inside of your eye socket, to open your eyes up and to brighten them!

And Voila!

This look takes me literally 5 minutes as I’m so used to doing it, but when I’m going out in the evening I like to add more different shades and colours to build the look up!

Finish with your favourite blusher and a sweep of lipstick.  Here I used TBS blush in 05 Tea Rose and MAC’s Porcelain pink, with a slick of Jazzed lippie!  (Sorry for the bad hair – I’ve been so lazy and haven’t brushed it today – ew! Haha!)

Products used on eyes -

Products used on face -

Did you enjoy this? Would you like to see more tutorials in the future?

If anyone tries this look out, show me a picture and let me know if it was easy to follow!

XXX

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My New Vanity Dresser!

Morning girlies! 

I wanted somewhere to post my excitement about the new vanity my Mum just bought me for my new room!  If any of you follow my twitter, you will know that I’m decorating my room at my parents house in Essex.  I imagine it to be shabby chic, rustic romance, cream lace, vintage boudoir.  I haven't decorated my room since I was 15 so its much needed!

I’ve always wanted a dresser table with a mirror and drawers since I was a little girl, and we finally found the perfect one!

How gorgeous is it! It is truly perfect.  It was made in the 1800s, so it is antique and just stunning.  I can’t wait to get it!  I also adore the fact that it has little keyholes on all the little drawers, I’ve always wanted that as well!!

There is the slight problem of how on earth I’m going to get it in my room, as I live in the attic and there is no way its going to get up the spiral staircase to my room, so I need to brainstorm options with my parents!

I hope you like it! I will definitely be posting before and after pictures of my room once its done!

Does anybody else have a vanity dresser table? Show me yours for inspiration!! What do you keep in your drawers?

XXX

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Edward Bess Zuneta Launch!

I was lucky enough to be invited to Zuneta’s Edward Bess Make-up range launch last Wednesday and I had a great night!  I trotted my way down to the stunning venue/town house named 51 Beak Street and once inside I was confronted by a glamorous red room, avec a chandelier, a room full of beauty bloggers, and the stunningly unmissable Edward Bess, sitting at the head of table which was decorated with lovely make-up!

I unfortunately missed Edward talking about his make-up, but we got to play with all his products and had a chance to get to know the man himself!  I must admit, he is lovely, in everyway possible!  He is super friendly, very complimentary and absolutely gorgeous to look at; he has luscious long locks and the skin of an angel!  He said he liked my hair and we got talking about how he started the range.  Edward told me that he chooses and makes the decisions about every aspect of his make-up, from the formula to the colour, and its obvious that he has a real passion for makeup, his range and for making women feel beautiful.

My favourite products by far were the lipsticks.  They are just perfection in a tube.  They have fantastic pigmentation, they smell like heaven, the colour range is fantastic – there is definitely a shade for everyone, and they last forever on the lips, which is something I feel is rare in other brands.

My favourite lip-gloss from the range is ‘Endless Love’, a stunning creamy pink nude.  The glosses are very pigmented and again, smell delicious.  What also stood out to me were the silky cream blushes and the cheek shimmer highlight – which I am dying to get my hands on.  The range looks very sexy, sleek and expensive, meaning I would probably feel like a superstar pulling a EB compact from my handbag to powder my nose, aha!

I obviously had to include a picture of me and the man himself!  He very kindly crouched down to fit my 4’11’’ height!

Meeting fellow beauty bloggers was another definite highlight of the night – It was my first beauty blogger event and I was made to feel very welcome by all of the lovely ladies.  I met and gossiped with - Peonies and Water lilies, Lipglossiping!, Too Much Blush, Vex in the city, Musical Houses, So Far So Chic, & London Beauty Review to name a few! Thanks for making me feel so welcome gals!

Picture of the gang stolen from Musical Houses (Thank you!!)

We were very generously given an Edward Bess lipstick to take home which I’ll admit now, I am IN LOVE with, but you’ll have to wait for a review :)!

So Edward’s range is now available from http://www.zuneta.com/ so go and check it out.  Are there any items which you have your eye on? 

XXXXX

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Urban Decay Deluxe Palette

I am again, SO sorry that I haven't been posting much recently, but I have a valid excuse!  I’m moving back into my parents house next weekend for the summer holidays, so I’ve been very busy packing everything up, tidying and also trying to decorate my bedroom back home as it needs a revamp!  I’ll take before and after pictures and show you when its all done!  So after next weekend I should be back for good after I’ve unpacked everything so expect more posts!

I bought myself this Urban Decay Palette as a cheeky Christmas present a year ago and have treasured it ever since!  I love love this palette, but I really don’t wear the colours as much as I’d like to! Probably cause I’m too scared that I’ll ruin it! Haha!

I think there is a really nice selection of colours in this palette, and Urban Decay’s eye shadows are all so beautifully pigmented and stunning, you really can’t ask for more!  I mostly use the browns as they are more wearable for everyday use, although my favourites are – Fishnet, Honey, Peace and Underground. 

All swatches above and below are on plain skin – no primer or base, and they are still stunning and bright, I think you really get your moneys worth with this palette, which costs around £22 at Boots. 

There's really no need for lots of waffling about this product, as I’m sure you are all aware of the amazing quality of Urban Decay and all their products and I’m sure you’ve read many reviews on this before!

In the near future I think I’m going to create some looks using this palette as I can imagine it looking quite daring at first, and I want to show how wearable the colours are!  Let me know if there are any in particular that you want used in the EOTD! 

Who else has this palette? What your favourite colour combination with it?

Also, I’m really really excited as I’ve been invited to Zuneta’s Edward Bess Make-up launch event!  I’ve never been to a beauty event before, and although I’m quite nervous as I won’t know anyone, I’m really looking forward to seeing the range and meeting everyone! If anyone else is going then let me know!! :)

XXX

 

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My MAC blushes!

I currently own three MAC blushes (inc. mineralized skin finish) which I’ll show you and swatch today. I’m too much of a poor student to buy all the blushes I long after, if I was rich the first place I would go to would be MAC! Anyway, here they are!

Top to bottom -

1) Mineralized blush in Moon River (LE)

2) Hipness blush (LE)

3) Mineralized Skin Finish in Porcelain pink (LE?)

I’m sorry they are all Limited Edition again – I’m obviously a sucker for the LE ranges!

My first MAC blush – and I adore it. I don’t wear it much as I really don’t want it to run out, but the colour is beautiful on my pale pasty cheeks and it really brightens my face up. I adore the highlight colour in it and it is just so beautiful to look at, I could stare at it all day.

The newest blush in my collection – Hipness. I adore the starfish on the packaging but hate the green case, but I don’t mind all too much as the colour of the product is very unique and stunning. This looks like a beautiful coral pink on my cheeks – which you can see better in the full-face picture. I wore this out yesterday teamed with Ever Hip lipstick and felt very glamorous! Hipness is beautiful summer colour which I’ll be wearing lots in the next few months!

I bought this last summer at the airport before a holiday, and honestly didn’t take it out of the box until a few weeks ago as I wasn’t sure if I liked it that much. I was wrong! This is SO beautiful on my cheeks I can’t believe I was so stupid as to not open it sooner. It really brightens and warms my face up and I think it may be the best suiting MSF for my complexion. It looks very natural on my cheeks and the shimmer is barely noticeable which I really like. My new fav!

I absolutely adore and treasure everyone of these blushes – so cheesy and lame, but true! I really don’t have anything as beautiful and unique as these three in my collection and I’m very proud that I own them. I know I don’t have many, but the things that I do buy from MAC I know I will love forever. I guess I’m glad in a way to not own much of it, as then I wouldn’t be grateful that I have these three, does that make sense? I’m rambling! Haha.

Do you guys own any of these blushes? Which is your favourite?

What MAC products do you have which you love and adore??

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June Favourites!

I regret that this month my favourites may be a bit boring!   I hardly bought any make-up this past four weeks (Thank God!) and mostly stuck to the same old make-up routine and used what I know what looks good on me.

MAC Strada Blush – I’ve heard that this has been discontinued? I hope not as this is my favourite contour blush colour.  I’m writing a proper review about this later in the week so stay tuned to find out exactly what I think about it!

MAC Select Cover up NC15 – I’ve found recently that I can get away with just wearing a touch of Studio Finish concealer, and I use this under my eyes or on spots if I need to, and I just adore this.  Its so hard for me to find pale concelears or foundations and this is the perfect colour for my skin, it has perfect coverage and blends really well when just using your finger!

The Body Shop eye shadow in 42 Midnight Blue– One of the newest TBS eye shadow shades, I believe this is being re-promoted with the Fall Trend range, but its a beautiful dark, navy blue black eye shadow.  Great pigmentation, good staying power, lasts ages, just perfect!

Lush Honey I shrunk the kids solid perfume – My favourite ‘special’ perfume… You know, the one you always wear on a date/night out/when you want to impress.  I adore the fragrance and I think the guys do too!  I always always wear this on a date and add a dab behind my ears and on my neck to lure the fellows in.  I’ll probably do a proper review on this soon as well in a favourite perfume post!

Sleek Ink Pot – You can find my recent review about this product (HERE!), it explains all!

Sudocrem – I was an idiot this month, and a few days ago I enjoyed a sweet few hours in my local pub’s roof garden with my housemate, without any sunscreen on, in just shorts and a vest top.  Needless to say, my milky white skin turned a shade comparable to a lobster shell.  Its my own fault!  Anyway, I dug out my Sudocrem and slapped it all over my body before bed and my burns had nearly faded by the morning!  It took the pain away and moisturized my skin better than an after sun would, I believe.  I swear I have a tub of this miracle stuff in every room of my house, I use it on spots, sun burn, eczema and its a life saver on minor burns – I’m so clumsy and burn my hand in the kitchen at least once a week, and I always slap this on the burn and it takes the pain away!  It’s very affordable, I think about £3 a tub which will last forever and its a mixed use product which I love.

Cherry Chapstick – My carmex from last month wasn’t doing its job properly so I went back to my trusty old faithful cherry chapstick which has made my lips juicy-luscious!

Any dupes for Strada that you know of?  And what’s your favourite ‘special’ perfume fragrance??! 

XX

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