Products of the Month - May 2012

This is probably the most organised I've been with a monthly favourites video in AGES!

Products featured;
Moroccan Oil Intense Curl Cream,
Sleek i-Divine Palette in Au Naturel,
Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara, 
Topshop Nails in Waterlily, (not currently available on the Topshop site)
Angelica Nail Colour in Heartbreaker, (can't find this online so it must only be available from Primark)
Tokyo Milk candle in Let The Eat Cake,
Dove Summer Glow Moisturiser for Fair to Normal Skin,

A small but passionate love affair with Topshop makeup

I think it's safe to say that I've raved about Topshop's makeup range on my blog a fair bit. While I don't own loads of the products, I've got a few items from each product type (nail varnish, lipstick etc) and I pretty much love them all.

I don't often do these kinds of posts, because, as you know, I'm embarrassingly crap when it comes to taking product photos and it ends up taking me forever just to get a few useable snaps. However, the products are all so pretty and I really wanted to share my collection so I bit the bullet and, armed with my camera, plenty of natural light and a floral duvet cover (these seem to be the requirements for successful product photos), I got snap happy...

From left to right: Stolen Sapphires, Milkshake, Mannequin, Grunge

Every time I go into Topshop and drool over the makeup stand, I get a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of nail colours. They're so beautious! As you can see, I've only got a handful (I've actually got five, but Waterlily isn't pictured here as I'd left it at Joe's) but I fully intend to change that. The consistency of these polishes is fab, they're lovely and creamy and I love the colour pay off you get from them. Milkshake and Mannequin are two of my faves, as I'm really enjoying pastels and pale colours at the moment. I bought Stolen Sapphires ages ago and I do like the colour - it reminds me of blue biro - but I just don't wear it very often (along with about 90% of the other colours in my nail varnish box...). Grunge is probably the only one I'm not a big fan of; it looks gorgeous in the bottle, a sort of shimmery khaki-gold, but one coat of it is too thin and two coats of it make it too dark and the shimmer doesn't show up very well, so I don't really bother with it. It was a part of the Heavy Duty collection, which I've just realised came out in 2010 (that was ages ago!) so you wouldn't be able to get your hands on it now anyway, but to be honest, you're not missing much.

Blush in Pop (powder) and Neon Rose (cream)

The blushes have been one of the standout products since the collection launched in 2010, and with good reason. The cream blushes in particular have been a big hit, with bloggers raving about Neon Rose and Flush, which I also had, but used it all up and decided to give Neon Rose a go instead. I think I actually prefer Flush as it's a little paler and a little pinker, but Neon Rose is also lovely. Pop is  a very similar shade, but in powder form, so occasionally I layer the two to make my blush last even longer. Both are incredibly pigmented and blend really well, so you only need to use a little bit, which means they'll last for ages.

Left to right: Lips in Whimsical, Brighton Rock, Vamp and Confession, Lipstick in Flame

I've only recently really gotten into the lip products as I wasn't much of a lipstick wearer until this year. Whimsical is the newest addition to my collection; it photographed a bit more nude than it actually is; it's more of a pale pinky coral in real life, with a matte finish. All of the lipsticks are really pigmented and apply beautifully. Unlike other lipsticks I've tried, these are a lot less drying on the lips and while others tend to go a bit patchy as the day wears on, these just fade really nicely, making touching up your lipstick a lot easier. Confession, the lovely bright coral is one that I reach for a lot (you know I love my coral shades!) but Brighton Rock is also a great one for Summer.

Eyes in Mercury

The eyeshadow is probably the only makeup product I've been seriously unimpressed with. I bought this as I thought it'd be a good one to use for evening makeup but the colour pay off isn't great and it doesn't blend as easily as other shadows I've used so I've probably only used it once or twice. Disappointing! Maybe it's just this colour though? Has anybody else tried the eyeshadows and had a better experience than me?

Crayon in Sun Shower

While the eyeshadow isn't very good, the eye Crayon is absolutely brilliant! This was actually the first product I bought when Topshop Makeup first launched and I've still got a bit left even though this is something I've used time and time again. The pigmentation is amazing, it's super sparkly and you can either draw it straight onto the eye to get a really intense gold colour, or blend it out for a more subtle look. This was part of the 2010 Trend collection, so it's no longer available, but last time I was in the store I saw that they're doing Crayons in the normal black and white packaging and I'm sure there's one similar to this. Wahey!

So that's my collection - not small but not quite as massive as I'd like - believe me, I'd buy a lot more if I could justify it to myself. (which I most definitely can't!)

Do you use Topshop Makeup? What are your favourite products?

Products of the Month - April

Check it out! Two blog posts in two days! I am quite literally a blogging machine!

Products featured;

Collection 2000 Metallic Cream Eyeshadow (in Gold Rush)
Percy & Reed London Totally TLC Hydrating Mask
Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (in True Ivory)
Real Techniques Core Collection

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think? And what else have you been loving lately? Tell me things!

POTM - January & February

It's video time! (My hair looks really weird in this, I think I'd blow dried it but not straightened it yet, which is why it's so fluffy...)

I just love buying stuff.

Oh... hello!

Yes, I know it's been a while, over a month to be exact, which is never an acceptable amount of time to be away from blogging for, but I'm back now so you can stop panicking.

I've been in my new job for about six weeks now; it's crazy how quickly the time goes - I feel like one minute I'm waking up, sleepy and bleary eyed on a Monday morning thinking "and another week begins..." and the next minute it's 5pm on a Friday afternoon and everyone's going "bye, have a nice weekend!" Madness. It's knackering though, which is one of the reasons why I've not posted anything in a while; by the time I get all the way back home from Chester, I can just about manage to string sentences together, never mind start writing a blog post. Fortunately, I'm starting to get used to it now, so hopefully blogging will start to be a bit more frequent again. I've already get a Youtube video filmed, I just need to upload it, which I'll try and do this weekend too.

Anyway, last Saturday was the first time in about three weeks where I had absolutely nothing to do and nowhere to be, so I took a little trip into town to buy my Mum her Mother's Day present and while I was there I got a bit overexcited and bought myself a few treats...

Topshop Blush in Neon Rose, Topshop Lips in Brighton Rock, Benefit Tan About Town, Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream*, Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman Core Collection

Proof that I'm still a bit amateur when it comes to this beauty blogging/photographing products malarkey; by the time I'd realised that I should take some photos for a haul post, I'd already taken everythig out of the boxes and tried them all out. Proper beauty bloggers wouldn't dream of doing something so gauche - your products have to be pristine and untouched when you photograph them! Sadly, I don't have that kind of self-restraint - I didn't even wait until I got home from town, I'd already started playing with them on the bus!

I think by now it's safe to say that I have something of an obsession for Topshop makeup. I may even like it more than the clothes, which are obviously lovely but just so frikkin' overpriced I could cry. The makeup, on the other hand, is beautious and very reasonably priced. I was so pleased to see that the Liverpool Topshop was stocking the cream blushes again; for a while I thought they'd been discontinued, and I'd never be able to get my hands on my beloved Flush ever again. They're back now though and since I've still got a tiny bit of Flush left (saved for special occasions only), I thought I'd give Neon Rose a try. I've been wearing it all week and I do like it, but still think I prefer Flush, which has a little less red in it. I also bought a lipstick in Brighton Rock, which is a lovely bright, slightly blue-toned pink. I'm slowly developing a bit of an obsession for the Topshop lipsticks - the colour range is always really on-trend, they're super pigmented, and not at all drying on the lips. I. Love. Them.

This was something of an impulse buy as it was cheekily placed right next to the queue for the tills in Boots. I never, ever buy Benefit makeup because, although I think the products are really gorgeous, I can never justify the price tag. This set, however, was just £9. NINE POUNDS! Obviously they're all minis, but still, three really good products for £9 is pretty bargainous I'd say. I knew I'd use the Hoola bronzer and the Bad Gal Lash mascara (which is one of the best mascaras I've used in ages, it has to be said) but I wasn't too bothered about Some Kind-a Gorgeous, which is a foundation, because I only use foundation quite rarely anyway and I didn't think the colour would match my skin tone. I've actually been really impressed by it though and have worn it every day this week. It gives my skin a nice dewy look and blends really well, especially when applied with...

My new Real Techniques brushes!!! (Again, you can see by the slightly stained bristles that I'd already had a play with them before taking the photo) As soon as I found out that these were being stocked in Boots I was ridiculously excited. I've been wanting the Core Collection ever since it was first released, but with the brushes only being available online, I just never got around to buying them. Now though, I've got no excuse as the entire range is available in Boots and I've got a feeling it won't be long before I've added the eye brushes to my collection. I only really wanted the Buffing Brush (the biggest one), but it's not available to buy on its own, so I obviously had to get the whole set instead. The other brushes are lovely too and really do make such a difference to the way I apply my makeup. I'm sure these will be making an appearance in my next Products of the Month video so I'll talk about them more in depth then.

So that's my little haul done and dusted. I doubt I'll be doing another one for a while because, along with a few other bits and pieces I picked up that day, I ended up spending a stupid amount of money. Joe and I will be moving into a new house in the next few months and, obviously, have quite a lot to buy, so no more frivolous spending on makeup for me, no no no!

Have you used any of the products above? What did you think? Go on, tell me!

*I didn't bother mentioning the Oilatum as I've talked about it tonnes of times before and it's not as interested as pretty makeup and brushes!

I couldn't stay away

Super glittery nails - this is Nails Inc The City. It's actually a crackle effect polish, but I layered it up because I've gone off crackle polishes a bit. There is so much glitter in this though, it's so sparkly!

Despite the fact it's now the end of January, I still occasionally burn my Christmas Cookie Yankee Candle. I just couldn't wait a whole year to use it again, it smells yummy!

Decided to jump on the BB Cream bandwagon so bought this with a £5 No7 voucher. So far so good - it does make my skin look a lot better, but it's very, very subtle - you can't tell that you're wearing anything on your face.

Bought myself a Denman Dressing Out (backcombing) brush after months of wondering why, when Liverpool is the backcombing capital of the world, the big Boots here doesn't sell them. They have every other kind of Denman brush ever made, but not this one, so I got it from Amzon for about £3.50

New FAVOURITE top from Primark. Minnie Mouse, Peter Pan Collar, Bows. Perfection.

Another Primark purchase. I could live in these, I really could. Fleece lined, super snuggly tights are just so much more enjoyable than regular tights.

Felt like a bit of a hair change so I bought a much darker-than-usual hair dye. I figured I'd get a semi-permanent one first, just in case I didn't like it. Fortunately, the Botanics range do both semi and permanent dyes so I can go back and get a permanent one if the mood takes me.

New hair! Really pleased with how this has turned out. Obviously, my hair has always been brown, so you might not be able to see much of a difference, but it's a lot darker than it was and I think it suits me more than the previous kind of browney-red colour that I had.

Hope you're all having a lovely week! Yay it's Friday tomorrow! What are your plans?

Products of the Month - November & December

Wahey! Happy New Year! 2012 is upon us and all we can really hope is that that rubbish John Cusack film was nothing more than nonsense...

Anyway, thought I'd get my POTM video up first and foremost and then do a catch-up post in the next few days; I've got so much to tell you all!!!

Products featured;

Models Own Red, Red Wine

BeneTint

Boots Ingredients Cocoa Butter and Mallow Body Lotion

Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner in True Black

Sleek Eye Dust in In The Nude

Illamasqua Transformation

Can't believe how late this post is! If you watched my Products of the Month video for October, you will have seen me talking about my Illamasqua 'transformation' that I had done at the new Liverpool store. I thought I'd share some photos as you can't really see the makeup very well in the video. It probably would have made sense for me to post this straight after I posted the video, but I never do things sensibly... ah well, better late than never, right?

In the same way you do at MAC, you can book in for a makeover at Illamasqua that costs £30 but is redeemable on products (ie you pay £30, they do your makeup and then you get £30 worth of products), however, in the week or so after the new Liverpool store had opened, they were doing makeovers, or 'transformations' for free. Since I never, ever get my makeup done professionally, I decided to book in for a half hour session one Saturday afternoon. I had my makeup done by the very lovely Patrick (who also did my eyelashes at the launch event) who had a quick chat with me first about what I wanted. I told him I was going out that evening, so the makeup could be quite dramatic, but I hadn't actually decided what I was wearing so it needed to be in colours that would go with most things. We decided brown would be the best option and Patrick got to work...

To be honest, I wear browns and golds quite a lot anyway, so was a little bit worried that Patrick might end up doing something similar to what I'd do myself, which would have been a bit pointless; I wanted a completely new look. Fortunately, I got just that. I never ever wing out my eyeshadow as much as this, and I never wear that much shadow under the eye either. I also tend to stick to very light/neutral colours on my eyelid and usually only use darker colours on the outer corners, however Patrick went quite dark all over, then used some lovely shimmery pigments over the top of the shadow, which I loved.

He also used the new Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation, which is amazing and left my skin looking flawless. I don't normally feel the need to wear foundation - I currently don't own a single bottle of the stuff - however, now that the weather's so horrible, I feel like my skin needs a bit of extra help and I'm very tempted to buy some Skin Base when I've got some spare pennies.

As my appointment had been quite early in the afternoon, I was a bit worried that it wouldn't last right through to the evening, but I was pleasantly surprised. Patrick had used a primer on both my eyes and skin which helped everything to last for ages. The lipstick and lipgloss that Patrick put on me lasted a couple of hours then I had to apply some of my own before I went out in the evening, but I think that's to be expected really; lip products never last very long on me anyway.

Even though I was under no obligation to purchase anything as it was a free makeover, I couldn't help but leave with a little something.

Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Ore

This is one of the products that Lucy and I went bananas over at the launch event - it's a very gorgeous browny/goldy/khaki-ish colour (don't I describe things brilliantly?!) that would be very flattering on any eye colour and is exactly the sort of shade I love. Also, I don't think I can emphasise how sparkly this product is; I own shimmery and glittery shadows and pigments but honestly, this is just something else altogether! As soon as the light hits it, it just glistens! So beautiful, I LOVE IT!

The top one was blended, the bottom was patted on with an eyeshadow brush

I've probably said it before, but I HATE doing swatch pictures, so apologies that this isn't great, but I did take loads and this was the best of a bad bunch. I honestly don't know how some beauty bloggers have the patience to swatch every item they review - it takes such a long time to actually get a good photo! Anyway, the sparkliness isn't actually showing up enough in this picture - imagine that level of sparkle multiplied by about a thousand. It's amazing. The Pure Pigments cost £15.50 each, which may seem a bit much (especially when my beloved Sleek palettes cost about £6 and you get twelve colours in them), but it is such a lovely product so I think you can justify that kind of price for an occasional treat. Plus you do get a lot of product and a little bit goes a long way, so I've got a feeling this will be in my makeup bag for ages.

All in all, I'm so glad I went and had a transformation - it was so fun having someone else do my makeup and give me a look I'd never do myself and I received some lovely compliments that evening! I think there's a good chance that any money I get at Christmas may just go on another trip to Illamasqua!

Have you ever had a makeover? Would you do it again? Are you keen to experiment with makeup or do you tend to stick to the same looks?

War paint against Mediocrity

If you watched my most recent video, you will have seen me talking about the new Illamasqua store that's just opened in Liverpool. I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event for the store and had a lovely evening that mainly consisted of playing with some of the most beautiful products I've ever seen.

I have been aware of Illamasqua for a while, mostly from reading about it on blogs. It's only been around for the past three years so it's still a relatively new brand, but it has become well known in the beauty community as a brand that takes risks, both with the products it releases (green lipgloss anyone?) and the incredibly beautiful, theatrical images it uses when publicising new collections. In the words of M&S, this is no ordinary makeup brand! It's a brand that embraces being different, standing out in a crowd, putting as much colour and sparkly stuff on your face as is physically possible and being bloody fabulous. This is a brand that has been missing from Liverpool for far too long.

The event took place in the new Illamasqua store (which, if you're from Liverpool, is in the Met Quarter) and was a super-glamourous evening featuring flamboyant performers, yummy cocktails and fabulous free lash and lip treatments. I was excited to meet fellow Scouse blogger, Lucy, of Lalalucy, as I've been reading her blog for a while now and it meant I wasn't just wandering around on my lonesome all evening!

Oh so many pretty colours...

The store is absolutely packed full of gorgeous things to look at; I was like a child in a sweetshop! Lucy and I spent a lot of our time just moving from product to product, sticking our fingers into pots of sparkly things and going "oooh!" The lovely Illamasqua team were constantly on hand to demonstrate all of the different products and explain more about the brand. After practically drooling over the amazing display of lashes, we were treated to a lash application of our choice and Lucy and I, being serious magpies, went for the gorgeous Decadence lashes, which are decorated in tiny little crystals.

Lucy and I with our amazing lashes!

Also, did I mention that ALEX BOX was there?! Argh! For some reason I didn't expect her to be there, so when I saw her in the store, all green and fabulous, I got a bit star-struck. Also there was the MD, Joseph Corré, (Vivienne Westwood's son - seriously, how awesome is this brand?!). Both Joseph and Alex just looked far too cool for me to actually go up and speak to, but I did shoot a few awe-filled glances their way, which I'm sure they appreciated and weren't freaked out by at all...

After a quick speech from Alex, thanking everyone for attending, (any time Alex, any time) there was a performance by La Fleur Mecanique, which was basically a very beautifully made up lady dancing inside a big mechanical flower; very intriguing! This was to celebrate the launch of Illamasqua's new perfume, Freak, which has definitely made my Christmas list (the bottle has a SNAIL on it!).

Myself, Lucy and Hayley, who looked after us all night.

What a fab evening! As we were about to leave, we were given ridiculously good gift bags - I would have been happy with just my sparkly lashes! Here's what was inside...

Bronzing Duo in Glint & Writhe, Illumine Oil in Pulse and Intense Lipgloss in Femme

Lashes in 017 and Decadence (these are the ones I had on at the event - they're reusable so I was given the box to keep them in once I'd taken them off. LOOK HOW SPARKLY!)

I can now officially say I am in love with this brand. I was so impressed, I went back to the store the following Saturday for a 'transformation' (makeover). Will probably do a separate post on that soon (I bought something amazing). I now have a list as long as my arm, of products that I desperately need in my life!

What do you think of Illamasqua? Got any products to recommend? Are you jealous of my lashes? You should be ;)

All photos courtesy of the Illamasqua Facebook page, apart from the one of me and Lucy and the ones of my goodie bag, which are my handiwork.

Winning

So this is a post I've been meaning to do since about 1986...

Way back in August, the very gorgeous Dani, of polkadani, had a giveaway on her blog. And you know what? I flippin' won it! I never ever win blog giveaways so it was a really lovely surprise when an email landed in my inbox informing me that I was the lucky winner! The prize was a really gorgeous pocket watch pendant from Urban Outfitters and a MeMeMe lip and cheek tint.

Winning. Now I know what it feels like to be Charlie Sheen...

If you're not familiar with MeMeMe, it's a brand that's quite Benefit-esque (but much cheaper) and is available in Superdrug. I've used one of their blushers before (which I reviewed ages ago here) but had never tried the tints so was excited to give one a go. Dani was actually kind enough to let me choose which tint I'd like as MeMeMe do two different ones; Pussy Cat, which is a dupe for BeneTint and Poppy Tint, which, you've guessed it, is a dupe for Posie Tint. As I've been LOVING the mini Posie Tint I got with Glamour magazine a while back, I went for Poppy Tint and have been really impressed with it. I'll be honest, I tried to photograph some swatches of it alongside Posie Tint, just to show how similar the two are, but my camera was having none of it and I just gave up out of sheer frustration. I do however, now have two lovely pink smudges on my hand which will not budge. Excellent.

Here's a close up of my pendant, it's so pretty and ornate! I've worn it loads since I got it; I'm really enjoying clicking the little button at the top to make the door open to check the time! It makes me feel like a Victorian gentleman. I just need a monacle now...

So a very belated THANK YOU to Dani for my prizes - I love them both!

Have you tried any MeMeMe products? What did you think? Also, should I get a monacle???

Products of the Month - September

Gosh I'm such a video-er lately! I'm really enjoying making vlogs at the moment (hope you enjoy watching them!). If you've noticed that this video is a much better quality than the last couple I've uploaded, it's because I have an HD video camera, and when I upload to Youtube it takes HOURS. So I've been experimenting with reducing the size to make the uploads faster, but obviously that means the quality is reduced too, boo. So I didn't bother with this one (it took about five hours to upload though - does anyone else have this issue?!)

Also, after all the trouble I went to attempting to keep my videos under fifteen minutes long, or editing them if they went over, Youtube have now informed me that I'm allowed to upload vids that are longer than fifteen minutes! Oh Youtube, you are a wiley devil. I'll probably still try and keep them below fifteen, because any longer than that and it gets a bit boring, but at least now I won't have to worry about my horrendous editing skills!

Products featured;

Models Own Pink Punch

Models Own Bronzing Powder in Sun Goddess

Models Own Eyelash Curler

No7 Eyeshadow Blend and Contour Brush

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Warm Ivory

Topshop Powder Blush in Pop

I am 24 going on 30

So, last month (31st August, to be precise) it was my 24th birthday. Yep, I'm properly in my mid-twenties now - I can't pretend to be on the cusp anymore, let's face it, it's all downhill from here. Anyway, I finally got around to making a haul video of all the lovely goodies I got. (Not that I'm materialistic or anything...)

I realised, after I'd finished filming, that I didn't mention the present my boyfriend got me. This is not because his present was rubbish or weird or anything, it's because I am foolish and forgetful at times. You see, everything I talked about in the video was a physical thing I had in front of me, whereas his present wasn't. He took me to see The Sound of Music in Manchester and because I am foolish I didn't think to keep the tickets or buy a program as proof. Anyway, it was marvellous, I'd really recommend it to any musical fans out there. Verity Rushworth (who used to play Donna Windsor in Emmerdale) was absolutely brilliant as Maria and Jason Donovan was supposed to be playing Captain Von Trapp, but we saw the undertsudy because he was ill. Fab show though... "the hills are ALIIIIIIIIIIVE with the sound of music!" Thanks Joe!

Products of the Month - August (and July)

Ok, so originally my Products of the Month for July was meant to have two parts because it was too long for one video. I published the first part here but never got around to doing the second part, so this is Products of the Month for July Part 2 (Franki Returns) and Products of the Month for August all rolled up into one horribly edited little package. Hurray!

Products featured;

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream in Powder Puff
Barry M Nail Paint in 318 Peach Melba
Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream
Benefit Posietint
Schwarzkopf got2b 2 Sexy Collagen Hairspray

I'll be uploading a 'birthday haul' video in the next day or so, so keep an eye out for that. Yes , that's right, two videos BACKTOBACK! I'm a video-making-machine!

Products of the Month - July

Finally, finally uploaded this video to Youtube. I really enjoy vlogging but it is SUCH a faff at times! I actually filmed this right at the beginning of August but when I uploaded it to Youtube it was removed straight away for being too long (by a minute and a half grrr!) - why can't I upload videos that are longer than 15 minutes but other people can??? Anyway, I decided to have a go at editing it down, rather than filming it again so I downloaded some video editing stuff and then spent about five hours editing (would have been so much quicker to just film the video again...) Anyway, here it is, in all its glory... well actually, it's just the first part, I've still to film a second part because I've got loads of lovely products to talk about.

I've never edited a video before so if it's a bit jumpy in places, that'll be why - hopefully it's something I'll get better at...actually hopefully it's something I just won't have to do again because it took far too long.

Products featured;

Topshop Skin Glow in Light
Veet Hair Minimising Body Moisturiser
VO5 Miracle Concentrate
Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser
Barry M Nail Effects in Pink Fizz

I hope everyone's had a lovely weekend, I've been mainly chilling today, had some time to catch up on returning blog comments and read some blogs, which is nice. As I mentioned in my last post, I went to the Jacques Townhouse yesterday and had such a good laugh, I wish I could have stayed there all evening. I'll do a full blog post about it soon, but if anyone is in/around Liverpool over the next few days, I'd really, really recommend going - you can register for tickets here.

A big picture of my face

I don't normally do these 'Face of the Day' posts as I feel a bit weird posting pictures of myself on here, but I went out for a meal with my boyfriend on Saturday night and saw it as an excuse to make a bit more effort than usual with my makeup...

Skin
Topshop Skin Glow in Light
Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Powder in 20
17 Hide and Chic Eye Brightening Concealer in Light Beige
Sleek Makeup ONE Finishing Powder
Benefit High Beam
Sleek Peach Gold eyeshadow from the Paraguaya palette worn as blusher

Eyes
Colours from the Sleek Paraguaya and Storm palettes
Topshop Liner pen
Rimmel Lash Accelorator Mascara in Black
Sleek Eye Drama Mascara in Blackout Waterproof
Tweezerman Brow Mousse

Lips
Barry M Lip Paint in 53 Coral

Think that's everything - seeing everything listed like this just made me realise how much makeup was on my face that night! WHOA!

The best things in life are free

As someone currently on the tightest of budgets, I find myself constantly justifying even the most basic purchases and convincing myself to only buy products that are reduced, on offer or just very cheap. I've gotten used to this, but every now and then, I still get the urge to leg it into the John Lewis beauty department, grab as many beautiful things as I can get my hands on, and stick them all on my credit card, all the while shrieking and laughing like a madwoman. Fortunately, I normally manage to fight this urge and have been pretty darn sensible lately. (NB It is my birthday at the end of the month and it's likely that a significant portion of birthday money will be spent during a burst of the aforementioned madwoman behaviour...).

Recently though, I've managed to get my hands on quite a few lovely things, without actually having to spend any money at all. No, no, I've not taken up shoplifting, don't worry, I've just been taking advantage of freebies. You're probably already aware of this, but Lush will give you a fresh face mask for absolutely nothing if you bring back five of their black pots! Last week, after finishing off my big tub of Dream Cream, I realised that I'd finally managed to acquire five pots, and headed to Lush, ready to grab a freebie.

Since I'm STILL being plagued by the little blocked pores around my chin, I decided to go for something really deep cleansing, in the hope that it'd shift the buggers once and for all. The guy in Lush recommended Cosmetic Warrior, so I snapped it up, handed over my pots and off I went, happy in the knowledge that not only had I just gotten a face mask that normally costs about £5.50 for nil points, but also, that I'm being a good recycler and that is very important.

Contains garlic, tea tree oil, honey and eggs to name but a few. Does not smell pleasant. I'll do a review at some point soon.

Later that same day, I randomly ended up going back into town to meet some friends, but as I got to town a bit early, I went into Superdrug for a nosey. Thank goodness I did because I then picked up my second excellent freebie of the day! I noticed near the entrance of Superdrug, there were lots of lttle makeup stations set up, each with what looked like a goodie bag next to them. I was obviously intrigued by this (gotta love a goodie bag) and as I went for a closer look, one of the girls who worked there asked me if I'd like to go to the Superdrug Beauty School? "DO I?!" I thought, "HELL YEAH IF I GET A GOODIE BAG... what is it?" The girl explained that basically I just had to sit at one of the booths and let her instruct me on how to apply makeup to recreate a specific 'look'. Easy. So I did. The look I had to to recreate was called 'Pop Lips', which consisted of bronzed skin, defined lashes and a bright coral lipstick - right up my street! I had to use Miss Sporty products, which I've not used for years, but I was pleasantly surprised, especially by the lipstick, which I think was called Bubblegum and was a lovely sheer pinky coral. The class took about ten minutes and I think was probably aimed at younger girls who aren't used to wearing makeup - the other two girls doing the class at the same time as me were both 15... I felt a bit silly when I told them I was 23... but ah well, any opportunity to mess about with makeup is fine with me!

I was really impressed with the goodie bag I got at the end of the class; while it is mainly just Superdrug's own brand stuff along with some samples and vouchers, they're all items I'd actually use, plus I literally had to do nothing to get it, just play with makeup for ten minutes!

Products in the goodie bag included a Nail Shaper, Delicious Body Spray (which smells lovely!), Dry Shampoo, Miss Sporty Disco Tech UV Topcoat, The Little Pink Tin lipbalm, Self Heating Smoothie Mask and a Self Tan Applicator Mitt, as well as samples of the new VO5 shampoo and conditioner and Vera Wang Lovestruck perfume, plus loads of money off vouchers. Not bad eh?

The Superdrug Beauty School is happening in larger branches of Superdrug all over the country - you can see the full list of participating stores here. It looks like the next class will be using 2True products, which I've never tried before, so I'm tempted to go back!

Had any good freebies lately? Has anyone else been to a Superdrug Beauty Class? What did you think?

"...and I dance, dance, dance and I dance, dance, dance"

This is the Sleek haul video I promised a while back when I posted about my order with the Sleek 50% off voucher code.

Featuring;

Contour Brush

Pan Tao Blush

ONE Finishing Powder

Eye Drama Mascara in Black Out Waterproof

High Shine Lipgloss in Sweet Sixteen

Paraguaya iDivine Palette (click here for my review of this)

This is a scheduled post as I'm away on holiday (again)

Things things glorious things

I pretty much never do 'haul' posts, mainly because I very rarely go on massive shopping sprees that would warrant a haul post (oh woe is me...) but also, on the rare occasion when I do buy a lot of stuff, I've usually opened all of the packaging/cut the labels off/put it away before I actually remember to take a nice picture. Anyway, I'm off to Portugal in a week (I'm going to the Optimus Alive Festival - it's going to be AMAZING!) so I headed into town on Saturday to pick up a few things, and for once, I actually remembered to take a photo when I got home.

What I bought;

Boots Essentials Cucumber Cleansing Wipes - I use these almost obsessively as a) they're VERY gentle and b) they're always on offer (three for £3). I had been using Johnson's wipes which I've definitely used before, but I seem to have become a bit allergic to them as I've been suffering from really sore, dry skin around my eyes and forehead and they're the only things that might have caused it. So back to the old reliables it is!

Oilatum Natural Repair Face Cream - I've talked about this before, in fact, tons of people have talked about it before, so I'm sure you're already well aware of this product. Even though I'm still LOVING my Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser (mentioned in my recent vlog), I've been feeling the need for something a little more gentle due to my aforementioned dry skin attack. This stuff does the job nicely.

Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length (catchy name, eh?) - I've heard so much hype about this and have been desperate to get hold of it. I really want to have ridiculously long hair, like a mermaid, and while my hair does tend to grow fairly quickly, I also lose quite a lot in the shower/during brushing. The treatment claims to strengthen hair follicles, which means they stay "anchored to your scalp" (that's actually what it says on the tub) better and therefore don't fall out as easily. I've only used it twice so far, so haven't noticed any massive changes yet, but Im keeping my fingers crossed. Also, it smells heavenly. I got it for £5.99 instead of £7.99 as Boots are currently doing £2 off Professional Haircare vouchers. Score!

17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish in Tropical Island - I didn't need another nail polish. I know I didn't and you know I didn't. But there was an offer of a free concealer pen with any 17 purchase so I got excited. I still haven't fully lifted the makeup ban, but I figured that getting two products for the price of one was a good plan, especially when I needed a concealer anyway and the concealer on its own would have been more expensive. I've been wanting a really bright orange polish for ages as I think its a great summer colour and this one is almost there, though it's not quite bright enough for me. I want obnoxiously vibrant nails! You can't see in the photo, but it has tiny flecks of gold running through it, which is pretty, but not noticeable unless you look very closely.

17 Hide & Chic Eye Brightening Concealer - This was the free concealer. I've only used it once or twice but so far so good; it's just a typical highlighting concealer - it has a brush/pen applicator like Touche Eclat and a creamy, blendable consistency. May review this at some point in the future when I've used it a bit more.

Ambre Solaire Clear Protect Transparent Body Protection Spray (SPF 20) - I just started writing my reasons for buying this, but it turned into a bit of an essay, so I think I'll save it for another post. This was about £6.50 in Wilko's, which is one of the cheapest prices I've seen for sun care.

25 Allura Emery Boards - bought these in Poundland, I always need nail files so this seemed like a good idea. I'm actually pleasantly surprised by these as not only are they different shapes and sizes (the mini ones are ideal for your handbag) but they also have different levels of courseness (not sure if that's the techincal term, but you know what I mean, don't you?) some are really course for nail re-shaping while others are finer, so are better for tidying the edges. Not bad for £1!

Turquoise tribal-style ring - I've seen these rings EVERYWHERE lately, so when I spotted this one in Primark (£2.50!) I had to have it. Love a bit of turquoise.

New sunnies - I never, ever buy expensive sunglasses as I almost always lose them or break them and I just don't see the point. I really liked the ones I took to Lanzarote but the lenses are really badly scuffed and scratched as I've had them for about a year now. I can only really wear over-sized sunnies, as I've got such a massive face. I really like the Wayfarer and aviator styles but whenever I try them on, they just look ridiculous. The size of the sunglasses MUST be proportionate to the size of the face. It's a scientific fact.

Skinny belt - Think this was £1. I love the colour and I think skinny waist belts like this add a really nice detail to an outfit. I've got a black vest-tunic-dress thing that I can't wait to wear this with.

Pink and brown satchel - Normally when I go on holiday, I spend a lot of my time at the beach or pool so I'd just buy a big beach bag that can hold a book, suncream, money and lots of other "essential" bits and bobs, but as I'm going to be at a festival this time, I figured a heavy shoulder bag wouldn't be the best plan. I only really need my suncream and money, maybe a lipbalm etc, so this little bag is perfect. Plus, it's pink!

So that's everything - mostly cheap and cheerful stuff, which is good. Right, off now to watch the final episode of Made In Chelsea - I hate to admit it, because I said I wasn't going to watch it, but I've really gotten into it. I love Ollie!

Are you off on holiday this Summer? What are your Summer essentials? Why can't it be Summer all year round?!

Products of the Month (I have a new camera!)

Whoop whoop! New camera new camera!

Products featured;

Nail Polish by H&M in U Must Have This
GOSH Special Edition Nail Lacquer in Lavender Love
Collection 2000 Lock N Hold Lipgloss in Rock Steady and Break Dance
Clean & Clear Dual Action Moisturiser
Sleek Makeup Dip It Liquid Eyeliner

June know who I am?!

WHOA! It's been a while hasn't it? Really didn't mean to go this long without blogging; I got back from Lanzarote on 7th June and since then it feels like I've not stopped!

Anyway, thought I'd do a little update post (these seem to be happening monthly now and I'm really enjoying them!) and I filmed a video today with my shiny new video camera so, youtube Gods willing, that'll be up in the next couple of days too. Blogging-a-go-go!

I'm currently loving;

Cheeky holidays. As I've just mentioned, my boyfriend and I decided to book a little last minute break in Lanzarote. I realised it was the first time I'd been properly abroad for about six years - how did that happen?! We ate and drank lots, discovered some pretty beaches and even hired a car for the day to drive around the island and see some sights (driving on the wrong side of the road is scary. And I was only navigating!) It was lovely. Got another holiday lined up for July with Tash - I'm getting a bit of a taste for this jet-set lifestyle ;)

Magazine freebies. I'm sure most people are already aware of this, but just in case you've been hiding under a rock for the past few weeks - Glamour magazine are currently giving away one of three Benefit products with the July issue. You can get your mitts on a mini High Beam, Benetint or Posie Tint absolutely free! Since the mag only costs £2 and the freebies are worth £8-£10 each it's a pretty bargainous offer! I was a bit greedy and got all three, but I'm sure lots of other people have done that too - it seems silly not to! Also, Elle are currently giving away a free Reiss vest top designed by Garance Dore - couldn't help but get myself one of those too!

Dr Faustus. Not the play by Christopher Marlowe, but my sister's new kitten! Yes, that's his name - God only knows why, but Liv has always been a bit *different*. Did you ever see anything as flippin' cute as this?! We're going to be cat-sitting when Liv goes on holiday and I absolutely can't wait - I've got A LOT of snuggles planned.

This video. Anyone familiar with Auto-Tune The News will have seen this sort of thing already, but when my friend Liam posted this Jezza Kyle remix on my Facebook wall last week, I knew I had to share it. Absolutely brilliant.

I'm currently hating;

Insane weather I know that British folk spend their lives complaining about the weather, so this is an extremely mundane thing to mention, but my issue isn't so much that it's too cold or rainy, it's that every day seems to bring with it three different types of weather for the price of one. This sort of mix and match weather is a right bastard because you know that at some point during the day your outfit is going to be rendered completely impractical. I actually walked to the bus stop swearing at the weather last week because the clear blue sky and lovely sun had provided a cunning disguise for what was actually an insanely windy day and my flippy skirt/jersey blazer combo was just no match for it at all. Weather, make up your mind what you want to be and stick with it. Nobody is interested in your identity crisis you little bugger!

Rubbish sequels. I went to see The Hangover 2 last week and thought it was absolutely horrendously bad. It's the exact same story as the first film except with a few tiny details changed and a lot of less funny but more offensive jokes. Sadly, it seems that I'm the only person who thought this because everyone around me in the cinema laughed uncontrollably all the way through. Apparently all a film needs to be considered funny these days is a drug dealing monkey in a denim jacket...

So how've you all been? Have you bought this month's Glamour yet? What did you get? And what did you think of The Hangover 2?

Also, don't forget! My competition to win the Sleek Paraguaya palette ends in a mere few days - if you've not entered yet, get to it, pronto!