Bargain Berry Lips

Ah, I couldn't resist it. The ever popular berry lips for Autumn post! I seem to have gotten a bit mad for them lately and have somehow amassed 5 new lipsticks and glosses. None of these were over a fiver though so I don't feel too bad!

Lets start with the lipsticks. Starting from the left we have Essence's Longlasting lipstick in 04 On The Catwalk - a burgundy red. This was just £2,30 from Wilko. I'm really impressed with these considering how cheap they are. I already own and love the shade 'Natural Beauty' and I'm glad I've now got this one to join it. The pigmentation is amazing and the texture is really smooth.

Next we have an NYC Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm in Garnet Gala. I got this from Poundworld yesterday as I already own three of them and couldn't resist adding another one to my collection. As with all of them the colour is strong for a tinted balm and they have such a nice appley scent. This one is different from the others I've got as it contains golden red shimmer. It's not gritty though thankfully. I think this one will be great for Christmas time as it's so festive! 

Lastly we have The Body Shop Colourglide lipstick in Pinkette. I bought this at the weekend on sale for £5 (though I'm sure it was meant to be £4). This is still quite pricey for me but I've never tried a Body Shop lipstick and was intrigued! The label on the bottom is more purple than what it actually is but it's still a really pretty dark pink colour. On my lips it looks quite natural so I think it'll be one I can just slap on without much thought. It should go with quite a lot of looks too. Not that I experiment much but still! 

Onto glosses and here we have an NYC Liquid Lipshine in Wine n Dine and a Maybelline Color Sensational Cream Gloss in Stellar Berry. The former was from Poundworld and the latter from Xtras for £1.99 with a code. The NYC one is extremely pigmented and is almost like a liquid lipstick. The shade looks a bit dark in the tube but once on it's very wearable. It has a lovely texture and consistency but one thing I really don't like is the smell. It smells like those vanilla car air freshener trees. The scent does die down after a while but I really wish it was unscented! The Maybelline one also has a fruity-ish scent I don't like but it's less strong at least! This one is much more sheer and contains some fine shimmer. Great for a more subtle take on the trend! I also think this would be good layered over other plummy lipsticks- MAC Plumful for one!

L-R Garnet Gala, Pinkette, On The Catwalk, Stella Berry, Wine n Dine 

I think I'm sorted for A/W lip shades for now! 

A Few Faves

Just thought I'd share with you a few items that I have been particularly enjoying lately! First up is the Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude foundation. I bought this after trying a sample from a mag and really liking it. I was quite surprised about this as often foundation samples are beige/wotsit and completely unusable! I bought the shade Ivory which is the second palest. At the moment it's not too dark but I may switch to Porcelain as the months go on. The medium coverage is just what I want as it's not too sheer or too heavy. As much as I like my Seventeen Stay Time one with it's fab spot concealing abilities, it can make my skin look a little flat. This one though covers up the majority of my blemishes (concealer is still needed for more angry spots) whilst still looking natural. As with all my foundations I like to apply this with my Cosmopolitan beauty blender sponge. 

Secondly, my favourite mascara this month has been Essence's Maximum Definition Volume mascara. I've been favouring this over Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara as it's so much easier to work with and doesn't clump up like that one does. The brush isn't stupidly big and it lets me cover all my lashes without getting it everywhere. It's really good at separating them and you can build up the layers without it going clumpy. For the bargain price of £2.80 it's excellent! 

Lastly I've been using up my little sample pot of Benefit's It's Potent eye cream. I'm quite impressed with myself as I've been using it religiously every morning. It has a lovely thick texture that doesn't feel overly heavy or sticky and sinks in really well. I don't have dark circles so I can't really comment on the brightening properties but I like to think it's helping in some way! I'm fast approaching the wrong side of 25 so it's a welcome addition to my skincare routine. I'd be tempted to get the full size but it's so expensive I don't think I can justify it! Could be tempted to get another mini one though as you really don't need to use a lot. 

Have you tried any of these? What do you think? 

Book Review: Thirst by Kerry Hudson

As much as I enjoy reading it's been a long time since I've read one, so I felt quite accomplished when I finally managed to finish this! I got this out the library hoping the time limit would spur me on, but in the end I had to renew it and I was still late returning it. I really need to take more time to read instead of wasting time on the laptop! 

Anyways, I really enjoyed this book and found it different to what I usually go for. I thought it would be your usual romantic novel but it's much less fluffy and much more deep and poignant. It's about a Russian girl called Alena and a London boy called Dave, who meet when she gets caught shoplifting at the shop where he works as a security guard. Right from the start he is captivated by her, and though she initially sees him as a source of safety away from her life on the streets, they quickly fall in love. I feel like they were never just friends though. Their relationship isn't cliché or predictable, it is real and full of the ups and downs of genuine relationships. As much as they love, and indeed need each other, they both have secrets they don't want to share, for fear of ruining what they have though they know it's causing the opposite. 

The characters are very well written. You feel like you really understand them and their background. What sets it apart from the standard chick lits is the fact that it deals with some difficult subjects such as sex trafficking, prostitution as well as illness. The grittiness isn't glossed over in any way and it can leave you feeling uncomfortable. It's a very 'emotional' story and the way their feelings have been portrayed is fantastic. It makes it so easy to empathise with the characters. The chapters alternate between Dave's story and Alena's,  which I feel it keeps it going at a good pace. I did feel a bit frustrated at times as I just wanted them to be honest with each other and open up fully. I suppose it did make me want to read on though, to see how things would develop. I also enjoyed that it was set in two countries. A culture shock on both parts to begin with, but it becomes apparent that there are similarities between Dave's impoverished upbringing in a London estate and Alena's small Siberian town. I don't want to give too much away, but suffice to say it's well worth a read and I highly recommend it. It's definitely not your average love story! 

Sunday in Shrewsbury

Me and Stu went to Shrewsbury today for a bit of a change-well really it was mostly because he wanted to got to CeX and trade in some games! I was also keen to go so I could check out the Makeup Revolution stand at Superdrug. More on that in a bit!

My first port of call, after CeX, of course that took priority, was H&M. I only went in to have a look at the bras, as it's one of the few places I can get ones that fit me (woe is me for having a boy chest) but I got tempted by a few other things too! I've been eyeing up the cable knit jumpers since they came in so I thought I may as well just get one. Purple was the obvious choice! I also got some of the plastic spiral hair ties as I'm quite intrigued by them. Whether they'll work on my mane is a different matter. They were only £1.99 though so worth a go. I also got 2 necklaces as I liked how simple they were. I'm not really a one for large statement pieces! Again these were £1.99 each. In the end I settled for a black and pink bra with pretty spotty lace detailing. I normally get them from Primark so £12.99 seemed a bit steep but it is very pretty. Finally I got a tiny 5ml nail polish in the shade 'Blue Me' as I thought it could be a good dupe for Nails Inc Baker Street, which I love but is quite pricey most times. 

Next up was Superdrug, and I headed straight to the Makeup Revolution stand to see if they had the Rebel With Cause lipstick. Sadly it was out of stock. It's always out of stock at my other 'local' store in Chester too! Ah well. I did get a blusher and an eyeshadow though, in the shades Now! and Good Life. The blusher looks pale in the photo but it's actually quite a dusky pink shade. It also contains shimmer but it isn't over the top. 'Good Life' is quite a hard shade to describe. It's a very cool toned pinky purple mink type shade. I think it'll look nice with my green eyes though, and it's is one of those easy to wear shimmery shades that are great to quickly swipe on. Again, the photo doesn't do it justice!

I also got two Miss Sporty nail polishes. A sparkly 'Oh My Gem' one in 'Be a Star' and a 'Clubbing Colours' mid toned purple one in 'Merry Go Round' (I think - they don't have the names on them!). I thought the latter could be a dupe for my beloved Models Own 'Purple Poppy' but alas it isn't. I found it needed 3 coats and even then it still looked a little patchy. It seems to be more of a jelly than a creme. The sparkly one also took 3 coats but you could probably get away with 2 if you were using it as a top coat. They're a bit disappointing really- I think I got suckered in to the 'buy 1 get the 2nd half price' offer! 

Apologies, the glitter refused to be captured!

However, 'Blue Me' is certainly not disappointing!  As you can see, it is really similar to Baker Street which is on my little finger. Not bad at all for 99p! Also, please excuse the scabby cuticles and nails. I just applied it really quickly to show you what they look like on. 

Apart from some face wipes (the Garnier Simply Essentials ones- we shall see how I fare with these!) that was end of my little spree. We had a mosey in Waterstones though and I fell in love with this hardback copy of 'Ballet Shoes', which is one of my favourite books from when I was younger. I've already got 2 copies of this at home but this one is just so pretty and special looking.

I also want to show you two pictures we got in The Range in Shrewsbury last Monday. It's rare that me and Stu both like a picture so he kindly got the pair! They are so cute and are currently hanging in the living room. 

Hope you've had a pleasant Sunday! 

Clean & Clear Truly Gentle 3 in 1 Facial Wipes

First things first. These are awful! Do not buy! I bought these ages ago when I was looking for some basic wipes that I could use all over my face, including eyes. I think I may have got these from Home Bargains, in which case they were probably there for a reason! They leave my skin feeling so slimy and slippery, almost greasy, which is baffling considering it's a Clean & Clear product. Yes they do remove makeup fairly well, but I just can't get on with the texture. I reluctantly used these last night, when I was tired and feeling unwell, hoping to clean my face quickly so I could go to bed, but in the end I had to wash my face properly. My skin just felt so disgusting. I've used these at night previously and I remember waking up looking so shiny. Not good.
All in all these are utter crap and will be going in the bin.

Think I will be sticking to the Lacura ones from now on!