Manhattan 'Lollipop & Alpenrock' Nail Polish- Alpine Glow 04

I've only had this for a few days but I'm already in love with it! I love blue polishes so when I saw this on Xtras I just had to try it out, especially as it was only £1.99 with free delivery. The bottle says it's limited edition and is part of the 'Lollipop & Alpenrock' range- whatever that means! Manhattan is a German brand I believe but I have seen it in Poundland as well as Fragrance Direct. Application really impressed me as firstly the pigmentation is great- you could get away with just one coat if you were in a rush. It also applies really smoothly and the brush gives you excellent control whilst covering the nail in just a few sweeps (least in my case).  I would describe the shade as a bright cornflower blue-one of my favourite shades to have on my nails! It can't fail to cheer you up! The colour is really solid for such a cheap polish so I'm very happy and would be tempted to try out some more shades from the brand.

Taken with flash. This looks much more muted when not in bright light. And my hands look a little less lobster-ish.

Have you tried any Manhattan polishes? What do you think?

Percy & Reed Colour & Shine Conditioner

I finally managed to finish this conditioner up today after having it hanging around for ages! This was a magazine freebie- I think it was Glamour. I would never of tried it if it hadn't been free as it's usually £16 for 250ml- far too much for a conditioner in my opinion, especially I didn't really find it to be anything special. I'm actually a bit on the fence about this one as some days it made my hair feel soft and smooth, whilst other  days it left my hair feeling a bit heavy and weighed down. I probably applied too much but I still need my conditioners to rinse away easily- this can leave your hair feeling a tad residue-y. Basically, whilst it wasn't awful on the whole, I've used much cheaper conditioners that have worked much better.

17 Fast Finish Nail Polish Bargains!

These here polishes have to be my biggest beauty bargain of the new year so far as they were just 25p each! My local Boots stores have been selling quite a lot of heavily discounted 17 items in the last few weeks, probably due to their rebranding. If you can call a change to 'Seventeen' that! Anyways 25p for a polish is an absolute steal so on a few different trips I managed to pick up 5 shades that I really like. You can still get these shades on the Boots website for £2.99 but I think they are being discontinued as they are also selling the 'Quicker Slicker' polish in the new packaging (my mind may well be in the gutter here but it is a much better name than Fast Finish).  However not all the shades I have are listed so looks like some could be disappearing altogether.
 Ramblings aside I have been very impressed with the newbies to my collection! Starting with my thumb we have Sulk, True Blue, Pink Lemonade, Tigers Eye and Baked Cherry. The picture shows two coats off each but I could have gotten away with just one for Sulk and probably needed another with Pink Lemonade as it's quite sheer. They all applied well although True Blue seemed to be a tad thicker than the others and Pink Lemonade a bit thinner. Sulk has to be my favourite as it's just the most beautiful colour. I think the rich jewel tone works equally well for Winter and Summer. I often like to wear this shade on my toes when I go on holiday! True Blue is a good evening choice and I think it will look gorge with a glittery top coat. Pink Lemonade will be a lovely delicate colour to wear come Spring whilst Tigers Eye is the sensible shade of the lot and would work well for more formal occasions. Baked Cherry is a classic sort of shade that everyone should own!
Did you manage to find some 17 (Seventeen)! bargains?

Skincare Stars

Just a short post today on some skincare products I have been liking lately. Unfortunately I'm not being wowed by any of my cleansers at the moment but I have been enjoying a couple of moisturisers. In the morning I have been using my trusty Clean & Clear Dual Action oil-free moisturiser as it makes a great base for my makeup. It sinks in really quickly whilst giving me just enough moisture. It contains menthol so it feels a tad tingly after applying. It's probably not that great for you're skin in the long run but my skin hasn't had any adverse reaction to it-it's not that pleasant on a cold windy day however! Brr! I love this one so much that I've nearly ran out. A first for a long time!
Whilst my skin is oily overall I can still get dry patches, particularly around my nose. Since buying a duo pack of Steamcream in the sales for a bargainous £3 I have been using it as a night cream. I was expecting to break out as it's much heavier than anything I'd usually apply to my face but so far all I've been left with is much softer, smoother skin. It takes a while to sink in but thankfully I don't wake up with an oil slick on my face! I also find the lavender scent very soothing and relaxing so it's perfect for use at bed time.
Lastly I've been really impressed by Pure's Micellar Water. After running out of the L'Oreal version I wanted to try out something new, so when I saw this in my local Savers (for £1.99 I think..correct me if I'm wrong) I thought I would give it a go. As it happens I think this is better than the L'Oreal one as it works just as well and doesn't sting my eyes. It also feels more cooling and soothing.  I'll definitely be repurchasing this!

My Faves Lately!

Today I thought I would ease myself back into blogging with a post about some of my favourite cosmetics of late. Since being back at school mornings have been a bit of a rush as usual, so I've been sticking to the same range of products that I know work for me. For my 'base' I've either been using Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream for oily skin in Light or Seventeen Stay Time foundation in the shade Porcelain. The BB cream is great for when I'm really short on time as I can just rub it in really quickly without being too careful. The shade is a good match for me and whilst it doesn't cover everything, once I've applied some powder the coverage is decent enough. For bad skin days, or when I have a little bit more time, I'll use the Seventeen foundation. I'm very  impressed with this foundation as the shade Porcelain is just perfect for me and it really does last the day. It doesn't feel heavy on my skin and it applies really well with my beauty blender type sponge ( I use the Cosmopolitan one). I've tried applying it with my fingers but it tends to dry a bit too quickly. With the damp sponge I can make a little go a long way as well as a more even coverage. If you're looking for a long lasting high coverage foundation then I'd really recommend this!
As you can see the powder I've been using is the much loved Rimmel Stay Matte one. I've 'hit pan' on this majorly! Not a lot to say about this- it just does the job at a good price!
My favourite blush at the moment is definitely the Seventeen blush in Plum Puff. I don't think I've used another one since I bought this before Christmas! I love the shade as it's perfect for Winter and again a little goes a long way as its highly pigmented. I also think it suits both fair and darker skin tones alike so worth checking out.
On my lids I've been using the bloggers fave Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze. I forgot I had this for a while but I'm glad I've been reunited with it- it's great for a simple wash of  shimmery colour. I've been using the same mascara for a while now- Seventeen's Doll'd Up mascara. It builds up really well and adds volume and curl. Just a great one for everyday use. Under my eyes I have been using Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer. I don't really get dark cirlces but it does seem to help me look a little more awake when I've not had enough sleep! The peachy colour blends in really well and effectively covers up any darkness-all for a great price!
My most favourite product of late though has to be my Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Plum Jam. The shade compliments my blush nicely and has a gorgeous smooth texture and delicious scent. Even when my lips are a bit on the scaly side it looks great! I got this in a set in the sales so it was a bargain and I can't wait to try the other 2 shades that came with it!

Plum Jam Glossy Stick, Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer, On and On Bronze, Dream Pure BB Cream, Stay Time foundation, Plum Puff blush

It would seem I'm a big fan of Seventeen products! Do we share any of the same favourites? 

It's been how long?!!

I couldn't believe it when I checked my blog and saw that the last time I put up a post was the middle of November! I have been busy but in all honesty I just haven't felt inclined to write anything. School was massively manic leading up to Christmas and once I was off I just wanted to chill out. As it happened I was still rather busy over the holidays but I did get to be lazy a few days! Christmas was lovely as I got to spend the day with my boyfriend which made it even more special. I was also glad to see the New Year in with him as I don't normally do anything. This time however I had a great time at our local pub with plenty of drinks and a cheeseboard buffet, yum, all whilst wearing a tiara as it was a tiara's and moustaches themed night. I even donned both at one point.  Now I'm having to get back into routine again- I hate having to get up early after 2 weeks of no alarm, it's soul destroying! Works been ok though and I'm kept busy so the time flies by. It also helped that on my first day back in I had a 'date night' to look forward to. January 7th was mine and Stuart's 1 year anniversary so we went back to the restaurant where we had our first date- Pizza Express if you're interested! We are both very skint so the fact that we had a 40% off code also contributed to our decision! It doesn't feel like it's been a year but I couldn't imagine it any other way now. He made me happy again.  On the other end of the spectrum this month has also brought some sadness.  A part of my family are going through a rough patch at the moment but with each others support they'll come out the other side. It's definitely made me think that I need to stress and worry less- life is just too short.
Hopefully I'll be able to do some posts at the weekend as I really want to start doing regular posts again.

Oo I forgot to add my fave photo from Christmas! I was actually sad to pack that santa hat away, kept my head surprisingly toasty of an evening, haha!