Midweek Wish List #4

1♥2♥3♥4♥5♥6

1. I am SO excited for this to be released, if there's one thing I struggle with when applying make up it's concealer creasing under my eyes, it looks awful and I can't seem to stop it happening and this is where I'm hoping Fake Up will come in and be my savior, roll on April!

2. I've been a slave to my straighteners and wand recently and my hair needs some major TLC, I read abut this range in the Birchbox magazine and I think this is what my hair needs to get it back to its happy, none fried self.

3. The sun might have gone back into hiding but these gorgeous minis Epitomise spring. (I have already made these less of a wish and more a reality, have a look at my slight haul!)

4. & 5. I have only ever read brilliant things about Modern Friction and Vitazing and I'm dying to give them a try. Anything that promises radiant skin has me sold!

6. This isn't something I would usually have on my wish list but me and Joel are currently hunting for a house to rent (we have a viewing on Friday eek!) and I have my heart set on this wall unit to house all our books, DVD's and some cute trinkets, plus that will mean a trip to Ikea and I'm running low on candles.

A Little Bit of a Haul! | ASOS, Boots, Bath & Unwind, Ebay & Debenhams

I'm starting to think that my official job title should be 'bargain hunter' as I don't think any of this wasn't discounted or part of an offer. Why spend more than you have too?! I haven't used any of these yet but I just wanted to show you what I've been spending my pennies on recently and a sneak peek of a few things that will be coming up on here soon.

I got a £2 off Essie voucher from Boots in the post a while back that's due to expire this week so I took a trip to Boots solely to spend that but my will power isn't that strong and as well as Tart Deco I came out with a few Soap and Glory bits too. They're on 3 for 2 at the minute so I got a Sugar Crush Body Scrub (Nearly got the shower gel too but decided to be sensible as I'm still using up my Christmas smellies stash) The Daily Smooth body butter, Glad Hair Day intensive conditioner and Hand Maid antibacterial gel (I work handling money so hopefully this will make it a little less gross!).

Did anyone else get the 25% off everything Email from ASOS last week? If you ignored that then you're a better person than I am! I'd been eyeing up Fine One One and this NARS eyeshadow duo in Kuala Lumpur for a while now and I knew all it would take for me to get my debit card out was a discount code and good old ASOS produced the goods!

The MAC lipstick you can see is the one I've been coveting for months...CANDY YUM YUM! It was like fate, Debenhams finally had it in stock and a 10% off beauty offer on at the same time, how could I pass that up?!

Bath & Unwind isn't a website that I use a lot but I bought some Minnie Mouse OPI nail varnishes from there last year and they operate a points system and I think I had something like £1.16 to redeem so that was the little push I needed to order the Euro Centrale mini collection (These are in an upcoming wish list post but the postman beat me too it)

And last but not least the little gold ring is an Ebay special at 99p, I just thought it was cute, it says love on it and reminded me of the Dior Oui ring!

So there you have it, the newest additions to my beauty collection. Which product would you most like to see a review on?

What's in my bag - The Daytime Edition

I've seen a few of these posts floating around recently and I enjoy reading them so I though that you lovely lot might want to have a look at what junk I carry around on a daily basis!

I'm not a religious person but I do thank sweet baby Jesus every single day, not for my health, not for my family and friends but for my Mulberry. I always thought that the closest I'd get too an Alexa would be in my dreams or a quick stroke in a department store but then on my 21st birthday Joel handed me a big yellow Selfridges bag and we've been inseparable ever since. This is what the bag I love more than I will my first born child contains:

1. There's nothing worse than having shoes that hurt like hell and I've had many painful experiences but now I'm prepared and have plasters in all shapes and sizes!

2. It's sore throat time of year so soothers are a must and you never know when garlic is on the menu so there's some chewing gum in there as well.

3. I'm starting to think I put these in prematurely after that little slice of sunshine at the weekend because now it's dull and freezing again, boooo!!

4. I usually have a lot more of an assortment of lip products than this but they've been relocated to my make up drawer where I can actually find them. There's a few of my go to colours at the minute but they change regularly and a Balmi for when my lips need a bit of TLC.

5. I love lists, I love plans, I love being organised, so I love to write everything in my diary to keep me in check. This was actually a gift from one of my best friends for Christmas, she knows me so well!

6. This is a little multi purpose balm that I got out of a beauty box a while ago, it's good to have on you when you've got chapped skin.

7. The car key for my little Micra!

8. A selection of keys and the obligatory Tesco clubcard keyring.

9. My purse that isn't as heavy as it would be if I wasn't such a beauty product hoarder!

10. Unfortunately I'm not part of the Iphone Brigade and I have a long way before my contract is up so I'll be sticking with my (not so) trusty Blackberry for now.

11. A compact mirror for when you need to do your make up on the go!

12. You're lying if you say that the bottom of your bag isn't full of hair grips.

13. I am a complete stress head, I even stress about stressing so I thought I'd try Origins Peace of Mind and see if it could turn my stress into serene and it does a pretty good job so I keep it on me at all times for when I need it!

14. Eyelash glue to keep my falsies firmly stuck down when I've got them on.

15. Broken nail - nail file = NIGHTMARE! Broken nail + nail file = disaster averted.

16. Here's my stationary geek coming out again, This mostly has shopping lists in it and a few addresses that I need to remember.

17. This came in my Birchbox this month and went straight into my bag, I love these make up refresher sprays and I don't usually carry make up around with me in the day so it's good to have if you're going somewhere straight from work.

18. We live in England, need I say more?!

So this is what I have on me every day, if you need a chewing gum, a hair grip or to stick down your eyelashes then I'm your girl!

February Birchbox 2013

 

 

 

Birchbox £10 plus p&p

It's that time of month again! I was very underwhelmed by last months Birchbox and decided to give it one more month and if the contents of this box didn't get me excited then I was going to unsubscribe but that won't be happening as they've come back with a gem this month! The theme of the box was London Fashion Week and this is what I got:

Gerda Spillmann Bio Fond Cream Foundation - I've never heard of this brand before but according to the Birchbox magazine it's been used on a few films including Bridesmaids (Best. Film. EVER!) but unfortunately this shade is a bit too dark for me and I pose the risk of looking like a Jersey Shore extra if I wore it now, but maybe in the summer when I've got a bit of a tan it'll suit me better!

Korres Guava Shower Gel - I am so exited to use this!! I can't even explain how good it smells!

Nick Chavez Beverly Hills Plump N' Thick Leave in Thickening Mist - I love anything that promises voluminous locks, I can't wait to try it.

Vichy Thermal Spa Water - This is the perfect handbag size and that's exactly where this has gone, I think I'll get a lot of use from this for when I need a make-up refresher.

EBOOST Natural Energy Booster - This was a lifestyle extra and I guess I'll give it a go when I need a boost of energy? Although I usually just have a nap!

Birchbox Eyelash Curler - Yay!!! My eyelash curler has been broken for ages and I never got round to replacing it and now I don't have too, thank you Birchbox!!

Did anyone get anything different in their box this month? Send me your links so I can have a look!

OOTN #2

Dress ♥ Primark

Shoes ♥ Zara

Bag ♥ ASOS

Watch ♥ Marc By Marc Jacobs

Please excuse the quality of this picture, I think if I made Joel take another one our relationship would have been over and also ignore the upturned make up bag, I'm like a mini tornado when I'm getting ready to go out! 

I wore this too a work party a few Saturdays ago and I thought it would be best if I stowed the twins away and lowered my hem for a refined look on an evening I was meant to be on my best behaviour (That didn't last long, believe me). You know you've got a bargain when your dress almost costs the same as your lashes, £10, yes you read that right, £10!! It's a very see through material but I wasn't too concerned anyone was going to see anything as I had the biggest control pants on the world has ever seen!! I've also got my trusty ASOS clutch to add some colour and I'm still loving that zip pocket, my ID and lipstick have never been so snug! I spent the majority of last year looking for the perfect nude shoes. I did have a beloved pair but got the heel stuck in a drain one night out and the only way to free it was to snap the heel off so that was the end of those and I never got round to filling that nude shoe shaped hole in my life. And then these appeared under the Christmas tree!! They are gorgeous, I wish I had pictured them better, they're the perfect colour, the perfect height, they're just perfect. I don't know if you can see but the platform at the front is gold which is a nice detail and makes them a little bit different, I'll be side stepping all drains in these babies!

I'm just having a quick browse of the blogosphere while my lover is getting his mop chopped and then we're off for a night in Nottingham and shopping tomorrow for Valentines take 2! Have a lovely weekend!!

Rimmel Apocalips in Luna and Celestial

 

 

Rimmel London Apocalips, Luna & Celestial £5.99

Happy Valentines Day!! Rimmel Apocalips have been hard to get away from in the blogging world recently and not being one to want to miss out I've finally got my hands on a couple. They're described as a lip lacquer which is not quite a lip gloss and not quite a lipstick, so what is it?! Pretty damn good is the answer too that. The shades that I went for were Luna and Celestial which I thought were the most daytime wearable colours. Luna is an orangey peach colour, I think this will look good in the spring and summer when I've got a bit of colour to my face and Celestial is a natural rose pink. I'm surprised that I like these as much as I do because me and glossy lips really don't get on, I like my lips to be matte and my hair not be stuck to them!! No matter how much I applied there was no stickiness, not that you need to whack it on because they are super pigmented. The lasting time is better than I expected as well and even after the glossiness has worn off you're still left with a lovely stain. I'll definitely be reaching for these again, probably when I'm late for work as they're so easy to apply. If you want a guaranteed Valentine's kiss then I would get one of these on your lips pronto! 

If you're taken then I hope that you're being spoilt rotten today and if you're single here is something from Lunar for you...

100 Followers - THANK YOU!!!!

Image - weheartit

Wow, can today get any better?! Pancakes and 100 followers!!

I'll keep this short and sweet because I don't want to bore anyone and get all soppy but I really appreciate the time taken to read my ramblings and all the lovely comments I've received. I definitely feel like I've had a warm welcome into the bblogging world. I can't wait to carry on making more beauty loving friends, finding new blogs to read and buying A LOT more make up!!

I just want to say a HUGE thank you to every single one of you 100 beautiful people!

February Glossybox 2013 - The Valentines Edition!

 

 

 

 

 

Glossybox, £10.00 plus p&p

Like it or loathe it Valentine's Day is upon us and Glossybox have taken the opportunity to get even more pink! I love this months box, it's still their trademark pink but with a little extra cute and then if you weren't pinked out enough already the usual black inside has been replaced with some more. I haven't tried anything out yet but these are my first impressions:

Anatomicals Shower Gel - I was really excited to see this in my box until I realised that it was rose scented which I usually can't stand but this doesn't smell too bad and I'm just running out of shower gel at Joel's so this will definitely get used.

Docteur Renaud Raspberry Soft Cream - I've seen Dr Renaud mentioned on a few blogs and it's always a good review so I can't wait to give this a go. It's a hydrating face cream (Definitely what the Doctor ordered for this time of year) and it smells AMAZING!

Modelco Eyeshadow Duo in Bronzed Goddess - I love a good neutral eyeshadow and will give this a go on a night out as they're quite glittery.

Micabella Cosmetics Mineral Blush Powder - The colour I got is quite dark so I won't be using it as a blusher but I will use it to contour.

Helen É Cosmetics Moisturising lipstick - This is the one disappointing product in the box for me, I couldn't wear a lipstick this dark without looking like I have Halloween make up on so I'll be passing this on! 

There was also a heart shaped lollipop which was a lovely extra, overall I am very happy with my box and based on this would definitely be Glossybox's Valentine this year!

MAC Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me

 

 

 

 

 

MAC, Pearlmatte Face Powder Flatter Me £21.50

How could anyone resist this little beauty?! Just look at it!! It's almost too pretty to even think about using, well almost... This is my second purchase from the Archie's Girls collection and as with Betty Bright I love the packaging, all these hearts seem very Valentines appropriate. The base colour of this is a golden peach and the little hearts are a pinky coral colour. As the hearts are so small I was worried that they wouldn't pick up much colour but after a swirl round of my blusher brush I could see that there was a pay off from them. There's a shimmer that runs all the way through this but it doesn't make the face seem glittery at all although there is a sort of sheen to it. I've only used this as a blusher so far and the golden tones really showed up, I don't know if that's because I'm quite pale but it did give me a warm glow. It can be used as a highlighter, blusher or eye shadow, with all of these uses how can you afford not to buy this?!

MAC Lipstick in Betty Bright

 

 

 

MAC, Betty Bright £15.50

Never before has something gone from my wishlist to my lips so quickly!! The MAC Archie's Girls collection is now available exclusively to Selfridges so get clicking ladies. 

This is the first of two purchases I made from the collection and I think I might be in love. The packaging is super cute and I know that some people think that it's a bit tacky, but I have to disagree with them, look at all the pretty hearts!! The MAC website (US one) describe it as a 'light vibrant peach' and I do see where the peach description is coming from but it could also be described as coral. I found that it applied a lot brighter on the lips than it looks in the bullet. It's a satin finish and applies like a dream, very creamy and amazing colour pay off, the wear time isn't hardcore but it was a good couple of hours before it started to look noticeably like it needed a good touch up. I'm about to make a bold statement but I think this might be my new favourite lipstick and I'm definitely considering buying a back up!!

Midweek Wish List #3

1♥2♥3♥4♥5

1. Anything darker than ivory scares me but I long for that Lauren Conrad sun kissed glow and I think Chanel may have answered my pasty skinned prayers!! I tried this at my friends house (after a few glasses of wine so my memory may be hazy) and I loved it but not the price tag that comes with it boohoo!!

2. There's been a tiny bit of sunshine (followed by some snow and then some rain) but it reminded me that life after winter does exist and I want to get my legs out, preferably in these Topshop shorts.

3. You can never have enough cute necklaces and these are 3 for the price of 1, layer them up or wear them separately. It's a combination of hearts and bunting, how can you resist?!

4. Be still my beating heart!!! It's the MAC Archie's Girls collection and it is limited edition, so you know what that means girls?! We all get into a bit of a frenzy (Think Monica and the wedding dress) The Betty Bright lipstick and Pearlmatte Face Powder in Flatter Me are what I'm going to try and get my hands on. Help a sister out, does anyone know the actual UK release date for this?!
Edit: I've just answered my own question with this one, it's available exclusively at Selfridges NOW!!!!!!!!!!

5. The most sure fire way to get your heartbroken - fall in love with something Mulberry! But it's SO pretty waaah!!

On my first wish list I mentioned a gorgeous heart print dress from Topshop but for some reason I never got round to buying it UNTIL it was reduced to £20, Happy Valentines day to me!

Barry M Nail Paint in Amethyst Glitter

 

 

Barry M, Amethyst Glitter, £2.99

I used to religiously buy every new Barry M nail paint but then I discovered beauty blogs and OPI, Models Own, Essie, Ciaté so poor old Bazza got pushed aside! My go to base coat/top coat is the Barry M one, it does the job and is cheap and cheerful, what's not to love?! So when I was in Superdrug stockng up and realised there was a 3 for 2 offer on, not being one to pass up a free nail varnish this is one that caught my eye. 

The picture doesn't quite do it justice to how pretty and sparkly this nail varnish really is. It's jam packed full of pink, purple, turquoise and gold glitter but is more blue based than anything, I've layered mine on top of Ciaté Power Dressing and it went on with one and a half coats (half to cover any little bald spots) once it was on it did remind me a little bit of a smaller glitter particled and all round darker version of Models Own Ibiza Mix. The drying time was surprisingly quick as I always find Barry M seems to take bloody ages until you can use your hands again without risk of smudges. I did find that after only a day of wear most of my nails were chipped boohoo! Although for £2.99 you won't hear me complaining!