Tuesday 24 January 2012

Topshop Spring/Summer 2012 Collection!

Now I'm quite a big fan of Topshop's beauty range, and I never expected to be. Especially the lipsticks, the colour range is so exciting. This is a first picture of the spring/summer range:


Looks absolutely stunning, some great bright and fun colours. Can't wait! Liking the look of the cheek sticks. What will you be buying?

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Review: GlossyBox December 2011

It's safe to say I was more than excited to revieve my first ever GlossyBox, and I was not dissapointed! And I fear I am hooked on something yet again..

As you can see the packaging is absolutely lush, like someone has sent you a special birthday present once a month - what's not to love?

So in this month's box, from left to right we have.. Cargo Classic Lip Gloss (Trial Size), Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in 'Razzle Dazzle' (Trial Size) with Stripper To Go sachet, Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom (Full Size), Jurlique Purely Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream (Trial Size) and Blink + Go Hi-Definition Mascara (Full Size)


Cargo was a brand that I'd heard of vaguely before, but never really caught my interest. However, I loved this lipgloss purely because of the consistancy and colour. Wasn't thick and stodgy, it glided on and best of all wasn't sticky (we know what happens when hair and lip gloss mix on a windy day). Overall impressed, I'd look into buying the full size of this.


Now this is a little beauty. I've heard such good things about Deborah Lippmann polishes before, so was excited to see this in the box. The colour is absolutely gorgeous, a deep pink/purple. What I look for in polishes is fast drying and good coverage, and not only did this polish have both of those, it's also the best glitter polish I've tried. After 2 coats, the nail was completely covered with no gaps at all.


 Safe to say I'll be purchasing Deborah Lippmann polishes from now on, as you can probably see the quality is outstanding. (Excuse the state of my nails..)


I was glad I had a product in the box that was a bit different, and I really appreciate shower products so was happy to see this Rituals product, plus a full size version - lovely. Normally I wouldn't spend £6-7 on a shower gel, but after trying this I can definitely see why you would. A little goes such a long way, and I can tell this will last me ages. Best of all though, the scent is amazing! Never smelt anything quite like it.


Ashamed to admit I'd never heard of Blink + Go before, but after a trip to their website their products look quite good. Was made up that I recieved a full size mascara in the box, as it cost £12.95 to buy on it's own, the box only being £10. I loved this mascara because it was waterproof, I don't normally wear ones that aren't on a day to day basis. I was suprised that it actually matched up to my favourite daily mascara (Rimmel Volume Flash in 001 Black), with buildable volume to achieve the amount you want.


This is after 2-3 coats, which I usually apply.

As you've probably noticed, the only product I haven't included is the Jurlique Purely Age Defying Ultra Firm and Lift Cream. Purely because I don't really use anti-aging face creams, I passed on to my mother, which she was pleased at as she got to try a £50 cream. That was the only negetive I can think of with the box, but after completing my beauty profile on GlossyBox.co.uk, they say I'll recieve tailored products in my future boxes which is a great bonus.

Overall a great experience, absolutely fallen in love with GlossyBox, my new monthly treat. Great for people like me who love to test before they spend sometimes a lot of money on products, but also to discover new brands. Now just waiting for my next box.. such impatience.



Saturday 7 January 2012

All that glitters..

Going back a little bit, but Autumn/Winter 2011 (and especially the festive period) has seen one of my favourite major trends in both fashion and beauty: Glitter. And the hype doesn't appear to be dying down anytime soon. (Thank God). In the world of fashion glitter courts and clutches have been seen absolutely everywhere, from runway to high street. In beauty however, glitter nails in particular have been THE trend.
(Clutch: Anya Hindmarch at Net-A-Porter, £350)

I decided to share some of my favourite products that I've been using, and I predict I will be for some time yet. (Magpie alert).

(From left to right - Illamasqua Nail Varnish in shade 'Untold', NYX Glitter Cream Palette in shades 'One Night In Luxury' and Models Own Nail Polish in shade 'Disco Mix')


This was the first product I've had from British brand Illamasqua, and was really excited to try after hearing great things about the theatre make up brand. I stumbled accross them in Selfridges in Manchester when they were a fairly new concession, and the woman on the counter was absolutely lovely and wanted nothing more than to make me familiar with the brand and how they were different with them being from a theatre make up background. I was instantly intregued, won't lie. So back to the nail varnish itself - absolutely lived up to my expectations! This was actually in a set of two nail varnishes, the other was a pillarbox red in shade 'Ruthless'. I haven't got any pictures of nail swatches as I'm currently wearing a nail polish (bit stupid). But te consistancy is what makes it stand out for me. With most glitter nail polishes I've tried, it takes up to 4-5 coats to get maximum effect, but this one only needs 2 for the pigment and effect to stand out. I'll definitely be purchasing some more Illamasqua products in the near future. Illamasqua's nail varnishes are £13.50 each from their website and in department stores.



Next, it's another nail polish, this time from Models Own. I've only recently started using Models Own products, but so far really impressed. The polishes I've used last so much longer than others, at a more affordable price aswell. This particular one was in a special deal on ASOS, where you got the polish and Nail Art Pen in black for £6, bargain. Models Own Glitter polishes on their own retail at £5. This one in particular was an absolutely stunning colour, a mix of blues purples and pinks. This took about 3-4 coats for the colour to really pop, but the durability was worth applying that many coats.


(Illamasqua Nail Polish in 'Untold' and Models Own Glitter Nail Polish in 'Disco Mix')


When I saw this at work, I had to get it. I never used to be a big eyeshadow person, but I have a feeling this palette kickstarted a bit of a love for them. All the shades are absolutely beautiful, and as you can probably tell the second one along is my favourite, I've used it quite a lot. What I like about these is that their a cream instead of a powder eyeshadow, which gives them a completely different effect that's more pigmented. I'd never had any NYX cosmetics before, but I thought I'd try them at £6 and really glad I did, I love them. The only thing I'd pull them up on is that to see the actual colour you need to use a fair amount of the eyeshadow, otherwise it just comes out more glitter than colour. But overall very impressed.


 So that's all for my first post, hope you all liked. After various essay hand ins and exam preparation I hope to be back with a review of my first Glossy Box I'm eagerly awaiting, exciting times!


Bonjour.

Finally! I've found some time to set up the blog I've been meaning to for ages. And instead of messing about, I'm just going to get straight on with it. You can follow me on Twitter and also on Tumblr, if you so wish to. Basically I'm just a little beauty product mad, and after following some great blogs for a while now, wanted to get in on the action, so let's see how this goes..