Saturday 28 July 2012

NOTD- Color Club 'Wing Fling'

Last night I decided to test out one of my new Color Club polishes and chose 'Wing Fling' a bright, shimmery pink. I've got a fair few hot pink polishes but this is completely different from anything else. It's extremely vibrant and looks amazing in sunlight, my pictures don't really do it justice! I could have gotten away with 2 coats but I did three in the end for maximum intensity. Can't complain about the formula at all, the brush is fine and it dried reasonably fast. I also haven't woken up with sheet marks (they really get my goat!) which I was impressed with as I did paint them fairly late. I was worried it would be really sheer and take a million coats to reach opacity but I knew from the first that I was on to a winner. Can't wait to try the others now, I'll also be on the lookout for more at TK Maxx. Even though it is apparent from my previous post that I really don't need any more. Want, however is another matter!



My Nail Polish Collection!


Ta Dah!!!

I must say it was very satisfying dumping all my polishes together like this.
Warning: Lots of piss poor pictures to commence!

George @ Asda, Collection 2000

Tesco All About Nails, Natural Collection


Barry M (Which I'm actually not overly fond of), W7

Color Club- Found all these at TK Maxx

Miss Sporty, No 7, Accessorize, GOSH

Nails Inc (All freebies!), Revlon, Rimmel, Loreal

Sally Hansen, NYC, Missguided (Cosmo freebies)

17, 2True, BeautyUK

Top Row-Pound shop, Botton-Floozie by Frost French at Debenhams, rather crap

Miscellaneous-Bourjois, NYX, Ciante, Star Gazer, ELF, MUA, Max Factor, Asda own brand (crapola X 1000) Lancome- this must be at least 13 years old!

If anything this has made me realise just how many I actually have and how many I never use -albeit some with good reason! I really do need to start showing a lot of these some more love! I think over the summer, whilst I have the chance as I'm not working in schools, I will try to use as many as possible.




Wednesday 25 July 2012

Sunshine Shopping

I blame the sunshine today for moar spending! I didn't really want to stay in so thought I could have a wander around town but, alas, it's not without it's temptations!
Firstly I spotted this pretty bracelet set in H&M for £3.99, there's 5 in the set so quite the bargain really. Plus the colours looks so good together, really summery and cheerful! Nice veiny hand there.


I also went into Home Bargains and wasn't sure if I needed any more shampoo. I don't think I really do but I got it anyway! It's Gum Hair Salon Expertise Double Cream Super Rich Californian Walnut Moisturising Shampoo. Phew. It claims to restore manageability and boost shine. The fragrance is described as 'A sumptuous blend of walnut & white ginger, one of our stylists' favourites.' Aw. I bet they feel special. I don't really get a strong ginger scent, more of a biscuity-ness. It is pleasant though! I shall try it out tonight I think along with the matching conditioner that I also got. They were £1.69 each and are both 400ml bottles.


I also needed a new notebook to scribble stuff down in. I'm aware I do have my My Melody one but it's so cute I can't bring myself to use it! How sad. But I liked the sausage dog on this one and for a pound you can't go wrong!


Mother kindly treated me to some flip flops and sandals too. Both pairs were very bargainous at £1 and £5. I think the neon orange ones are from the kids section but it's not like you can tell. Just need to paint my toes something bright now too- thinking neon pink would go nicely! I got the flip flops in size 3/4  because my mum's got the same ones but in pink in size 5/6 ( what I would usually get) but they felt quite big when I tried them on. Annoyingly these could be a tad bigger but they'll do for in the garden!





Tuesday 24 July 2012

Superdrug Sugar & Spice Self-Heating Mask

I bought two face masks recently, the Sugar & Spice one I'm now going to review, and another anti-ageing moisture mask. My skin's been feeling a bit clogged up lately so thought it could do with a mask to hopefully help shift the crap out of my pores. The Sugar & Spice one says 'Caramel and Mediterranean Clay - Brightens and softens skin- Ideal for all skin types.' The packet describes the smell as cinnamon and vanilla and they're not wrong. It smells delish. It also has a good texture and spreads on easily. It's fairly sticky so no drips. The heating aspect can be felt immediately and was impressive and quite long lasting-it didn't disappear after the initial contact. I also liked that this mask doesn't dry as whilst I do have spots I don't want my skin getting overly dry and then trying to compensate for it leading to more oiliness!
Now here's the thing that makes me a bit unsure of this mask. When it came to taking it off my skin felt a little sore. I did however remove it with a muslin cloth and I have spent a lot of time outdoors today so perhaps my skin is a tad sun sore and didn't appreciate the quite abrasive cloth. It feels fine now, rather smooth and soft actually, so I hoping it was a mishap on my part and not the mask as I really do think it's a lovely one.

Monday 23 July 2012

Pantene Pro-V Colour Seal Concentrate

I got this a while back from Pound World. I'm really enjoying hair masks at the moment, plus my hair is drier now I've had it dyed again. I'm actually wanting to go lighter-it's quite golden at the moment but I still think it looks a bit blah and lacking some zing! A possibility for the future then!
The tube describes it as a intense colour protecting treatment which you leave on for 2 mins then rinse. Easy. It's a 58ml tube and I think I've already used just under half with just one use. It is a rich treatment but I do get a bit slap happy with all conditioners! I could have gotten away with less definitely! It smells nice and clean- just that familiar Pantene smell really and did the job well. My hair feels smooth and soft and does look a little shinier and brighter than usual. I do struggle with getting a good shine, even with a shine spray so that's a plus.
I will be looking out for more of this-hoping it's still in stock at the pound shop but sods law it won't be, always the case isn't it!

Sunday 22 July 2012

Bad Kitteh!

So I may or may not have bought a few pieces this weekend...when I said I wouldn't! I should really find other ways of cheering myself up, it's quite pathetic really! Again though the stuff I bought wasn't really that expensive. And in fairness I did win a whole £6.20 on the Euromillions. The Elf order however wasn't that cheap but it's hard to say no to the 50% sale. £30 worth of stuff for £15 isn't that bad!  Right, time to stop justifying my purchases. It's boring and they're already in my mitts!

My Elf order finally came on Saturday and overall I'm pleased with what I've got. The quality and pigmentation could be better for some of the eyeshadows but for the price they can't be sniffed at. Here is what I gots.


Can never have too many wipes. Just read the back though and says to rinse off with warm water and towel dry. What! When I'm crashing like a naggy sleep deprived 2 year old face first into their soup (yes, just like that) this extra step will not be appreciated!


This will be my first foray into eyelash curlers. My lashes are very stubby and not particularly girly so could do with the help. They also came with an extra pad thing. I can't really vouch for the quality, I wouldn't know a good pair from a hole in the ground, but they don't feel like they've come from a cracker so fingers crossed.


Some cheapy eyeshadows to have a play with here. I got the little quad in Brownstone and the custom singles in Moondust, Sage, Wheat and Driftwood along with a compact complete with the standard crappy sponge applicator/lip thing. These are all very soft and crumbly. The palest two colours in Brownstown are also lacking in pigmentation and are really hard to transfer to the skin. I did the swatches for those on my finger tips as the paler ones just wouldn't show up on the back of my hand! Hopefully with a primer they may fare a little better.


From the top-Moondust, Sage, Wheat and Driftwood. Moondust was not what I was expecting- I thought it would be much lighter and cooler in tone. Hope it doesn't make my eyes look sore! Sage is my fave I think having a sort of antique gold tone to it. All the shades have some shimmer to them too.

Brownstone- that first peachy shade is ridiculously soft and made such a mess in the pan- it looks pigmented here but just goes dusty and vanishes when you try to apply it. Like I said though maybe with a sticky base it will be ok.


I also got a lip stain in Heartbreaker, a mineral lipstick in Nicely Nude, a mineral lip tint in Blush and a mineral mascara. The nude lipstick looks really wearable and not too pale. My lips are quite pigmented so I just don't suit super pale lippies. The peachy stain looks pretty too and would look good with smoky eyes. I'm a mascara slut at the moment so can't wait to try this one. The brush looks nice and narrow, with spiky rubbery bristles, so hopefully I will find it easy to work with. Hate huge brushes!

From top-Heartbreaker, Nicely Nude, Blush


I also had a look in a TK Maxx that I don't often visit and came across this set of Color Club polishes. The shades are so vibrant and fun and for £5.99, a bargain.



I've had a look online and I think these are from the Take Wing Summer 2012 collection. If I'm right then the colours are Metamorphosis, Wing Fling, Sky High and Fly With Me. Green is not usually a favourite but I can't wait to try the lime one in this set, closely followed by the pink!


I also picked up a few things at The Works. Just because.

I went to Budapest after I'd been to Romania and I'd love to go there again!


I also got a 'Rainforest in my pocket' to appease my inner child. I got Rikki the Ocelot.Would have prefered Floss the Sugar Glider but heyho. I really did think an ocelot was a lizard or something but turns out I'd gotten confused with an axolotl. Which I want! And is also not a lizard but an amphibian... Hehe they looks so blancmangey!









Friday 20 July 2012

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain- Honey

Yay, I finally got one today :D I chose the shade 001 Honey as it seemed to be the colour I would get the most use out of- although I think all the colours are really pretty. It goes on beautifully and I think that with this shade I wouldn't even need a mirror if I was applying on the go. Whilst it does feel balmy, as it should, it does also feel a little drying, but it is a stain so that is to be expected somewhat. It definitely isn't uncomfortable. It smells slightly minty but once on it's undetectable.
Sorry my lip picture isn't very good! It's basically a 'my lips but better' shade on me- it's quite a neutral shade with a mauvey tone. Very natural looking.




I can't really comment on the lasting power at the moment as I've not had it on for very long but it's survived a cup of tea at least!

I'm sure I'll be picking up another colour in the future. Now just to decide which one! 


Wednesday 18 July 2012

Color Club Polish-Coral Cascade?

I got this polish as part of set a while back from TK Maxx, annoyingly the shade name isn't on the bottle so after a bit of research I think it's called Coral Cascade. This is the first time I've tried this polish and I'm very pleased with the results. It went on smoothly and the opacity is pretty good after two coats. I'm tempted to do a third but truthfully I can't be bothered! It's a lovely, soft coral/tangerine shade with a creme finish. It's not neon or overtly bright (not that I don't love these qualities when it comes to polish!) so would suit a lot of occasions. Though I say wear whatever you want, when you want! :D
With flash

Without flash

Lip of the Day!

This morning I tried one of the Rimmel lip glosses I got the other day at Poundland. I chose the shade Sunset Mauve. I was quite surprised really because the colour it appeared on my hand when I swatched it didn't really transfer to my lips.I'm thinking this might be because my lips are not short of colour to start with. I think it's pretty nonetheless though. I also found it to feel quite tacky. I wasn't going to wear any gloss over the top of it initially but I couldn't have stood the stickiness otherwise! But once I'd put a clear gloss on top it felt much better and I did like the effect.



The colour lasted well and it didn't cling to any dry bits, however I did put lip balm on first to prevent it as I do with most lipsticks. Overall I'm relatively pleased, just wished it was less tacky!


Tuesday 17 July 2012

Comfort Shopping

So I'm royally fed up at the moment, but I managed to drag my arse out of bed today to go and find some bargains in town. I seem to be spending quite a lot of money of late...I've only really been buying cheap things but it all adds up! :/
I had a good scout about in Poundland as always and came away with this little lot.


How cute is this!? It's Method Kid squeaky green 3-in-1 shampoo and it claims to be a body wash, shampoo and conditioner in one, 99% natural, paediatrician tested and hypo-allergenic. The scent is fuzzy peach. I've actually used this before and mainly used it as a body wash. It was ok as a shampoo but a little drying. At a pinch though it would be fine. It's not very conditioning but then I do have very dry hair, plus do any 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioners ever truly feel that they are conditioning the hair adequately? Suppose it does depends on hair type. It's not overtly peachy smelling either. I get sort of coconutty notes mostly, but it is very pleasant and definitely worth a quid!
I also picked up two Rimmel Lasting Finish Kiss & Stay Lipglosses. The shades I chose were 170 Sunset Mauve and 110 First Kiss. Sunset Mauve isn't very mauvey at all, it's more of a warm peach shade with some gold tones. First Kiss is a rather bright pink. Both come with slightly tinted sparkly glosses, which are quite gloopy in texture-not sure I'll use these parts really, plus the brushes are weirdly splayed!  The colour part feels fairly similar to the Collection 2000 Cream lip creams in texture. They also have a vanilla scent but there is a bit of a chemically undertone. However this quickly disappears. I can definitely vouch for their staying power- it was so hard to get the swatches off my hand-took a lot of scrubbing! So these would be perfect if you needed a lip colour to last a long time. I think these shades would suit lot of people as they are pretty easy to wear colours. If you are into stains then check out your local Poundland I think they had a few other shades also.


L-Sunset Mauve, R-First Kiss

I also got some novelty lip balms. I really didn't have high hopes for them, I was just intrigued but the 'flavours'! Disappointingly they don't smell as strong as would like but they feel relatively smooth on . Not top quality but they'll be fine for chucking in my hand bag! They also had a two pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum flavour balms.

Lastly I went to TK Maxx to check out the beauty section. Here I got a set of 5 mini bottle of Kings & Queens shower gels (Royal Favourites Set). The different scents are Honey, Jasmine, Cinnamon Orange, Mango and Lemon Flower. I've had a good sniff and I love the smell of the Jasmine one, can't wait to use it, but they all smell delicious and for just £3.99 such a bargain! Was the last one there too so woop!

Anyways, I have spent a little too much this month so it's gonna have to be a case of 'That'll do pig, that'll do.' For a while at least! 


Sunday 15 July 2012

Confuzzled! Infaillible or Infallible??

Ok, so I was perusing Fragrance Direct when I spotted some Loreal Colour Infallible eyeshadows. I was going to purchase until I noticed that it said Colour Infaillable on the container in the picture rather than 'Infallible' so thought maybe it was a fake or something. Anyways in Boots today I noticed that the name differed between the pots and the stand labels there also. Am I just being really blonde and it's meant to be like that or what?!

New purchases and some repurchases!

I went to Boots today to stock up on some items I am running out of and can't be without! Firstly I needed some face wipes as they are handy to have near my bed when I can't be bothered to wash my face properly. Which is a bit too often really! I wanted to use my No7 voucher as it expires today but they were sold out of their Quick Thinking 4 in 1 wipes. I've been wanting to try them for ages but there's no way I'm paying £7 for them full price! Instead I chose the newly re branded Botanics face wipes. They were on offer at £2.32 so fairly reasonable. I also got the new mattifying gel-cream to see if it can replace my nearly gone oil free moisturiser for sensitive skin. Right away I don't think they're very similar. The texture and smell are completely different. Still, I will give it a chance! Oh, and it was £3.32 as all Botanics stuff is a 1/3 off at the mo. I also used a voucher from the machine giving 100 points when you buy any facial or skincare Botanics products.





I'm also running out of my current deo, hair treatment and toner so I have restocked. I've been using Dove Invisible Dry spray but I thought the Go Fresh version in the pomegranate and lemon verbena scent sounded lovely so I'm giving that one a go. I picked up an Impulse body spray too coz I love this scent and they're just handy to have around plus it was on offer for only 99p.



This shopping trip was also a good chance to get some more points as I'm trying to save up so I can get an Essie polish. Nearly there now! :)



Saturday 14 July 2012

Stuffs.

It's been a bit of a weird and stressful week I have to say! Not really felt much like blogging but I think it's good to keep my mind busy at the moment. Here's just a collection of stuff I thought I'd throw together!
Firstly here's the colour I'm wearing on my nails right now. NYX Girls nail polish in Shy. It's a bit different for me as it's quite subtle- I usually wear really bright colours but I thought I'd give it a go as it's fairly new and I haven't worn it until now.



Whilst I don't love it, I do really like it. It also dried very quickly, and being quite sheer and shimmery it's very forgiven should your application be a bit shoddy! Two coats are shown in the picture but I could have done another one to make the colour stronger, but I felt two would be more delicate! I bought this from Fragrance Direct for a mere 89p. There's a good choice of colour too though the swatches aren't very informative. At that price though you can afford to take a bit of a gamble!
Other new polishes include a Revlon Matte Suede one from Poundland and a Missguided polish in Missmatch from Cosmopolitan. I've tried the matte polish and I think I like it but I'm not sure! I like shiny nails!  Maybe one for Autumn/Winter as well. I've not tried the Cosmo freebie yet but it's definitely bright and summery.

Another magazine freebie I got is the Balance Me pure skin face wash from Glamour. I've been really impressed with this so far. It feels really silky and doesn't dry out my skin as much as other foaming cleansers do. I'm actually tempted to get the full size one but at £16 it is a bit pricey! However it does contain ingredients of natural origin-98.8% in fact and 'Contains no parabens, sulphates, mineral oils, silicones, dea, pegs, propylene glycol artificial fragrance or colours.' Now I have no idea what some of them are but I'm guessing they're not that good for our skin!
Oh, and I just had to try the following freebie that came with Marie Claire mag. I'm on a bit of a mascara kick at the moment and have been enjoying trying different ones. So when I saw that they were offering one of three Avon mascara's I was  sold and picked out the Super Shock Max one. I've used it for the first time today and I was very pleased with the results. I didn't think I would get along with the massive brush but it worked well and I didn't find application difficult. It gave good volume and definition and didn't clump so all's good.
At the moment I'm suffering from a bit of a spotty chin. I'm sure one particularly stubborn one has been there for weeks! They've been the hard, sore, under the skin ones too so I haven't even had the satisfaction of squeezing them! So yesterday I went on the hunt for a good cleanser to use around my chin area to try and control the madness! In the end I settled on Garnier Skin Natural Pure Active Deep Pore Unclogging Wash. It claims to offer results from day 1 and I suppose that is true. I used it last night and I could feel that my spot had dried up somewhat afterwards. The trouble with these type of cleansers though is that they tend to dry the skin out so I hope I don't end up flaky and spotty I'll keep on using it (with a light moisturiser) and keep you posted on the results.

Finally some feedback on the Heathcote & Ivory hand cream  I bought a while ago but have been trialling since. In short this is an OK hand cream. It works but it is nothing special. It's also quite sticky and as it is so thick I have been struggling to squeeze it out of the damn tube. Too much effort! It does smell lovely though and I will carry on using it each night before bed. I have also read the tube properly now and have learnt that it's a hair bobble attached to it that you can use when  it's finished. Lovely...

So there you have it, some odds and sods for you! :)