31 March 2012

~ FOTD #1 ~


It is looking really bright and sunny in the UK this week and it definitely feels like summer has begun finally; even though i don't know how long this weather will last as British weather is so unpredictable indeed. Oh wells, today i felt like adding a pop of colour to my make-up as opposed to my usual neutral colours since i am going to use this great weather as a good opportunity to try out something new.  I went for a minimalistic look with no eyeliner so that the emphasis will be on the eyeshadow colours and my eyelashes just so i can really achieve that fresh faced look.

Products used are:
FACE: 
  • Benefit Porefessional primer
  • Chanel perfection Lumiere

EYES: 
  • E.L.F studio eyebrow kit
  • Maybelline Falsies Waterproof Mascara
  • M.A.C eyeshadow: Lime
  • M.A.C eyeshadow: Goldmine
LIPS:
  • Revlon Lip butter: Tutti Frutti (Loving this product and shade soo much right now!)

* * * *
And i also wanted to share my nail colour i picked up recently from the store KIKO. The nail polish doesn't have a name but the code of the one i used here is '343' which i absolutely adore and complements my skin-tone very well!

Have fun in the sun everyone while it lasts, and thanks for reading and i hope you have a great day! <3

30 March 2012

~ Birthday OOTD + OOTN ~

So it was my birthday around a week ago on the 16th March and i can't believe i am 21 now! This number seems so scary to me since it reminds me that its about time i need to grow up and work on my life and future. My family and friends have spoilt me with cards and gifts that i love and wasn't expecting so i was very thankful. I thought that i would do a blogpost on my two outfits that i wore for my birthday celebrations.

-[Outfit Of The DAY]-
The first outfit i wore for going to dinner with my boyfriend and i thought i would keep it semi-casual as i didn't want to go overboard and it was relatively hot that day so i opted for a sleeveless top and a cute skirt which is sophisticated and has a touch of girlyness to it.
Top: River island (in stock now)
Skirt: River island (purchased last year)
Clutch: Louis Vuitton Multicolore zippy wallet
Boots: New look (Yes...i apologise that the picture chops my feet off)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

- [Outfit Of The NIGHT] -
I went to a Club/Bar with a few of my close friends to celebrate my birthday and this time i chose to wear a dress which was more sophisticated and 'covered up' since normally i just go for strapless bodycon dresses. I am delighted with this dress and i may go back and purchase the other colours! 
Dress: Jane Norman
Shoes: Office
Bracelet: Pandora
Camera: Samsung MV800

Thank you for reading and i hope you have a nice day <3

25 March 2012

~ Current Perfume Collection! ~

So these are the perfumes that i have collected over the years :) I seriously have an addiction with them eventhough they all have a similar scent and it is the kind of fresh clean scent that i tend to go for. Not only am i drawn to the scents, i am a huge sucker for packaging but who can resist from buying these when the design and packaging is so adorable whilst looking so sophisticated. I tend to go for Eau de 'parfums' rather than toilettes since they seem to last longer and yes, i tend to be a bit greedy and buy the larger size since you save more money as the sizes increases. I know that there are many people out there who have many more perfumes than me, and many who don't have as much, but i just wanted to share with you guys what kind of scents i'm into so it can give you an indication of what to look out for the next time you go out and maybe have a sniff to see if you like them. So without further ado, i'm going to list my perfumes i have and include a brief description of my thoughts and opinions of them.

1. Calvin Klein: One Summer (i think this is limited edition) i purchased it in summer 2007
2. Marc Jacobs: Daisy eau de parfum
3. Dolce & Gabbana: Light blue
4. Hugo: Pure Purple Eau de parfum
5. YSL: Elle
6. Dior: Miss Dior Cheries eau de parfum
7. Chanel: Chance eau so fraiche
8. Gucci: Guilty eau de parfum
9. Chloe: Chloe
10a. Marc Jacobs: Daisy eau so fresh purse spray
10b. Marc Jacobs: Daisy eau so fresh 75ml (bought the full size finally because i loved it so much)

I love perfumes and i am sure that this collection will continue to grow! Have you got any perfumes here and which is your favourite right now?

Thanks for reading and i hope you have a great day <3

16 March 2012

~ Empties #1 ~

These are the products which i have managed to finish, which must mean that i have been reaching for them more often than others since we all know how many products are not finished and left to one side. I thought that it would be good to do a blogpost on these empties and include a mini review so that you can read which products worked for me and whether they are good enough for me to repurchase.

The empties that i have accumulated include:

-MAC mineralize skin finish natural: Light medium
This lasted me for around a year and a bit, amazing product and i have already repurchased this

-Nivea essentials lip-balm:
My holy grail item that i always have in my handbag. Keeps my lips moisturised throughout the day and this is probably my 6th tube that i have finished and it is no suprise that i already re-purchased this straightaway.

-Clinique anti blemish solutions clearing moisturiser:
This is a really great product which controlled my oils very well and didn't leave my skin feeling greasy. I used this as part of their cleansing system and i really loved it. However, a downside to this is that it tended to dry my skin out a little bit, therefore right now i am venturing out into the Origins brand to see what they can offer and maybe repurchase this at a later date.

-Origins Modern friction:
Amazing product which exfoliates my skin gently and the lemony scent leaves it feeling invigorated and refreshed. I purchased this when it was in a jar form and it has lasted me for quite a while but i have repurchased this and i prefer it being in a squeeze tube form since it is much more convenient and hygienic to get to the product itself.

- M.A.C skin refined zone primer:
I got this a while ago and it was part of a set ( i think it was one of the sets in the tartan's tale collection) which was about a year ago now. This smells very fresh and smooths onto the skin very well as it has a more of a liquid texture as opposed to thick creams and silicon based products. I guess it works like an average primer and it is nothing special about it apart from the appealing smell. I don't think i will be buying this since it is quite expensive for what it does.

-L'oreal studio secrets smoothing resurfacing primer:
Woahh, i remembered when i first used this i was like in amazement. This was my first ever skin primer  along with the GOSH primer and i just absolutley loved it. This is my second jar that i have finished using and i will continue buying this regardless of how many other products that i try out. Right now i am using the benefit porefessional and i may switch back to this L'oreal one since it is at a much more reasonable price and i like the texture a bit more.

Hmmm, so that is everything for now and i am glad that i can do a post on my empty products so i can keep a track on what products are good or not.

Thank you for reading and i hope you have a nice day <3

13 March 2012

~ March Glossybox X Harrods ~



When i received the email from Glossybox to reveal that the mystery box was a collaboration with Harrods, i got really excited indeed since it must be so much more special than the normal boxes! My box arrived through the post yesterday but i was leaving for university therefore i didn't have time to open it to peek at what i received. During the anticipated opening of my box waiting for me at home, i was on blogger (YEP, i was a bit late on the blogging side compared to others this month). Reading about what others have got, and it included amazing brands like YSL, burberry and SKII which were all really expensive and would have been really good to get a sample to try out the product.
However, when i opened my box, i didn't get the products that i lusted over; but i was relatively content with what i got, especially the dainty cute miniature sized Versace perfume! for £12.95 i was happy with the products i received and cannot wait to try them out soon! :) 

Products in my box this month included:
- VERSACE: Vanitas Versace eau de parfum
- BLISS: Blood orange and white pepper body butter
- REVIVE: Intensive creme lustre SPF30
- LANCOME: Juicy tubes in 'Toffe R'n'B"
- CLARINS: Extra-firming body cream

The bonus of this month aswell is that it allows you to get 20% off selected products when purchasing from the harrods online website using the given code at the checkout. I haven't yet decided whether i want to buy some of the things even though i haven't tried them out, but i don't want to miss this opportunity to get it for less.

What products did you receive from you Glossybox? or other subscription boxes you have?

Thank you for reading and i hope that you have a great day 
<3

12 March 2012

~ Products i regret buying ~

 I haven't really purchased many items that i regret, but looking through my make-up draw, these were the products that i have just shoved towards the back because i really didn't like them or it just didn't work for me. All my reviews are just my own opinions so what doesn't work for me may work for you! since everybody's skintype and skintones are different. 

Products includes:
  • GOSH velvet touch line perfector
  • GOSH cover me up make up mousse -Shade 01 ivory
  • No.7 eyeshadow trio: 
  • Body shop lip-liner: NUDE
  • Models own nail polish: Pastel pink
*****************************************
1. GOSH velvet touch line perfector (forgot to take an individual picture of it but its in the image above)
After using their usual primer which comes in a pump, i thought i would give this one a try since the cream consistency would be better in the dry weather conditions these day. In the store i tried it on the back of my hand and it rubbed in ever so smoothly like any other primer would do so that made me buy it. The first time using it, for some reason, the product just didn't rub in at all and it just slid around on my face and it felt disgusting! I thought that i used too much of the product so fair enough. The next time i gave it a try, i used less of the product working a little in at a time, but the same thing happened. It just felt like it wasn't melting and remained quite creamy in texture and didn't get absorbed into my skin- it just sat on top. I should have just stuck with the original one to be honest but oh wells!! Don't know if this happened to anybody else too?

2. GOSH cover me up makeup mousse - Shade 01 ivory
Yet another GOSH product disappointment. I remembered back in the days when i was younger i used to love my L'oreal dream matte mousse, so when i saw that GOSH did a mousse formula too i decided to give it a try. This was the lightest shade they had so i went ahead and purchased it. Oh no, the colour was really really orangey, like tan colour and it did not work at all. The mousse was really thick and cream like that didn't blend out nicely, it just sat on the skin like some horrible mud. It felt really disgusting that i never ended up going out with it as i removed it from my face straight away. Really stay away from this at all cost!


3. No. 7 eyeshadow trio: Brown colours
Moving away from GOSH products, this No. 7 just didn't do anything for me at all. Expecting it to be better quality since it's boots own brand was actually very dissapointing. The colour pay off was poor and all three colours were really shimmery and looked practically the same. It was very chalky and alot of fallout was involved. The swatches i did in the image below was 'heavily' swatched, i must have swiped it like 5-6 times. I wouldn't recommend spending money on these eyeshadows, even with the £5 off voucher. Sorry, just didn't work for me and other drugstore brands may even be better!


4. Body shop lip-liner: NUDE
I have no idea why i bought this. This was my first lipliner i bought since i've always been more of a lipgloss kind of girl. The lady at the make-up section at the body shop recommended this for me and she stated that it was a lovely colour and many people have bought this. The swatch at the back of the hand looked really nice and the colour was pretty too with a hint of pearly shimmer. So with some pressure and encouragement, i bought it. When i used it, i realised that the product on the lips was a totally different story! the pencil was really hard and hardly any colour went onto my lips. A total waste of money and now its been shoved at the back of my drawer. May have just been a mistake in colour choice, but this had really put me off lipliners.

5. MODELS OWN nail polish: Pastel Pink
Not really a big fan of models own polishes and i only own a few that i rarely use. One day, i wanted to do my nails a pink colour and i chose to try this polish out. When i unscrewed the cap, a really heavy scent of paint emerged and it reminded me of the paint used for walls. Surely the smell so strong cannot be good for the nails, but i went ahead to paint my nails using this after applying a good couple of base coats to protect my nails. The consistency was very watery and it was almost like paint and horrible to apply. The colour really didn't complement my skin aswell, made me look very dark and dirty! i immediately removed this colour after i applied on ONE nail only, it was that bad. Probably just me. i wonder how the other nail polishes from this range is, im too scared to try any other colours now since i'm avoiding them after the smell is deterring me from using them.

Thank you so much for reading. Are there any products you regret buying?
x

7 March 2012

~ Viva Glam Nicki Minaj ❤ ~

Yepp~ It's the New viva glam lipstick brought to us by M.A.C and this time instead of Lady Gaga and Cyndi Lauper, it's Ricky and Nicki. I skipped out on Ricky's lip conditioner as i didn't really feel like it was an essential for me. But i purchased this Nicki Minaj lipstick which is a fun hot colour and very "scene stealing"! This lipstick is a satin lipstick described as a "Bright Yellow pink" colour. It retails at £13.50 but the money goes towards "helping women, men and kids everywhere infected by HIV and AIDS" so i guess that you don't feel as guilty since the money is going towards a good cause! When i first opened the lipstick to see the colour, i was like 'omg this is so bright i can never wear it' It's definitely scene stealing, MAC was right, it is a deep hot pink colour almost raspberry- like. However knowing that it's a satin finish (more opaque than lustres) i applied lightly and the colour it gave was really nice and suttle. I am not a person who likes bold colours so just a few light dabs of this lipstick on my lips worked nicely to give me the pretty berry stained colour. (see swatched below) The formula wasn't too drying aswell and i noticed throughout the day that it stained my lips aswell. Great lipstick even if you are not into bright lip colours, but the colour is buildable so if your feeling a bit daring one day you can have that bold lip colour; but if not you can always pair it up with a nude lipgloss to tone it down a notch. I am glad i bought this lipstick and it is great to add to my collection because i will soon be wearing more of it when it's warmer and it would look great in the summer! <3



Have you got yours yet? or are you still deciding?


Thank you for reading and i hope you have a great day! <3

xx

6 March 2012

~ Obsessed with Gossip Girl ❤ ~

I know it has really been a while since the hype of these nails inc's collaboration with gossip girl nail polishes but i purchased these a few months ago but never really done a blog post of them. Recently i have dug it back out of my nail polish draw and rediscovered my love for it. These polishes came in a dual set for £20 each; and i believe that are three different shades available to choose from (Blair, Lilly and Serena). I loved all the shades but there is no way that i was purchasing all of them since i don't want to be too greedy hehe! To be very honest, i am not a huge fan of the 'nails inc' nail polishes as i find them quite hard to apply and the brush is quite difficult to use and control but i just bought it because of its unique finish it gave.

The effect it gives is amazing and i have received alot of compliments on them everytime i wear them. It gives off green and blue flexes of colour in different lights and angles due to the hand cut particles which are all in random shapes and sizes. The photos just doesn't do its justice and i can assure you that the real thing is like 10 times better.
Not sure if these are available still but if they are, then this is something which is definitely quite different for your nails :) I would give it 5 stars for the finish it gives and bonus credits goes towards the polish's longevity as there are no signs of chipping and it has been a week and a half now!


Thank you so much for reading and i hope you have a great day
xxx

3 March 2012

~ February Favourite 2012 ~

Umberto Giannini: Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray:
Revlon liquid quick dry
Rimmel lasting finish nail polish (045 Misty Jade)
Nivea essential care lipbalm
Marc Jacobs Daisy eau so fresh (purse spray)
Estee Lauder idealist pore refiner
BarryM Liquid eyeliner
M.A.C Mineralise skinfinish natural
Maybelline gel eyeliner
Chanel Mat Lumiere
NARS laguna bronzer
Chanel lipstick in evasion
Benefit porefessional primer

[ Detailed reviews ]
Umberto Giannini: Grunge Glamour Tousled Salt Spray:
I have decided that i am going to take better care of my damaged hair therefore as an alternative to neat straight hair created with the hairdryer and hot irons, i used this product to give my hair more body and texture whilst giving it style. I really enjoyed using this product. Not only did it smell really nice, it worked amazingly well aswell and didn't weigh down my fine limp hair. Just applied to my towel-dried hair, followed by repeated scrunching of the hair and i'm ready to go. A bonus with using this product is that i get ready quicker than before, which is always a good thing! Definitely recommend to girls who are always on the go and need a quick way to style hair and not having to tie it up.

Revlon liquid quick dry:
Oil-based product which i really can't live without! this month i have been constantly changing my nail colours because i get bored very easily. This allowed me to spend less time waiting for the coats of nail polishes to dry before applying the next layer as it dried it almost instantly and prevented me accidentally smudging it :) This will only work if your nail polish is applied in a thin layer, as opposed to if you applied a thick gloopy layer because even if you use this quick drying solution; the top of it will be touchable and not transfer, but the nail polish will 'dent' and leave imprints because of its thickness.

Rimmel lasting finish nail polish (045 Misty Jade)
Out of all the colours i have used in the past month, it is this one which gave the best results! it complemented my skintone very well and did a great job at brightening it :) It was also a pleasure to apply and the colour reminded me of the Dior spring collection waterlilly, but for a fraction of the price. Definitely a bargain and i am so happy that i discovered this colour. I can sense that i will be using this polish alot this year.

Nivea essential care lipbalm
Not sure why i put this in my February favourites, since it is one of my essential holy grail products that i cannot live without. The past month, my lips have been dry, chapped and very horrible really. But this product has made it better by smoothing out the chapped lips and provides a long lasting creamy moisture to my lips. I must have already finished using like 5 of these hehe.

Marc Jacobs Daisy eau so fresh (purse spray)
i was drawn to the cute mini packaging and after smelling it due to curiousity; i instantly fell in love with this scent! I already have to original daisy which was very fresh and unique, but this one was just so much more florally and a little bit more sweeter (kind of like the soapy smell). It was so nice that i decided to buy it since there was a 'bonus points' offer at the boots counter anyway. Glad i bought it and i will be purchasing a full size bottle soon.

Estee Lauder idealist pore refiner
Due to the hype, i got myself to a counter and tried it out and oh my goodness, it felt amazing of the back of my hand and left it looking matt and silky smooth. I have been using this and eventhough i haven't seen much of a difference in my pore sizes, i loved the way that it acts as a really good primer and diminishing pores instantly and in the short term i guess. Smells amazing, easy to use and non-greasy.

BarryM Liquid eyeliner:
This was a repurchase because i used to love this product but neglected it when i discovered gel-eyeliners instead. Using it was just really quick and i loved the felt-tip applicator it has to give optimum precision in drawing my prefect crisp line i need. It also dries very fast which is really good as i dont have to wait for ages for it to dry before applying my mascara. It was pretty cheap too for the quality of the product, therefore this deserves a place in my February favourites :).

M.A.C Mineralise skinfinish natural
Another holy grail product, but i thought i would include this in my February favourites because this was a repurchase since i finished my old one (literally hardly any product left in it) Having a new one just made me love it more as i realised how the finish it gave was soft and smooth as i was able to use more of the product and not having to use much effort into getting enough for my face like i did with my old pot.

Maybelline gel eyeliner
I would use this in place of my barryM liquid liner when i have more time in the morning to get ready. I think i purchased this because my bobbi brown gel liner started to dry out and i wanted to try out the drugstore one. This one can definitley compare the bobbi Brown and M.A.C since it's very creamy yet very pigmented. It lasted for a very long time when i set it with eyeshadow after and just really nice to work with.

Chanel Mat Lumiere
My favourite foundation; and yes i am very upset that Chanel have decided to discontinue this product and replace with the perfection lumiere. Regardless, this foundation i have been using for most of february and not only does it provide great coverage so i don't need to use concealer, it also mattified my skin and controlled my mega oily skin nicely. Really recommend it to people with oily skin..but it's going to be discontinued soon! :(

NARS laguna bronzer
Finally bought this when asos was doing a 20% student discount. The packaging is jus gorgeous, as of most Nars packaging and there was a generous amount of product inside along with a nice big mirror. I have been using the Benefit hoola as a bronzer before, but this Nars one seem to be a little bit more smoother and fine. I don't really see much difference in the colour when i apply it on my face. I don't know, haven't really compared the two properly but i should do soon. I love this product and i am so glad i bought it!!

Chanel lipstick in evasion
Rediscovered this product and fell in love all over again. I love how this lipstick is so moisturising yet gives a subtle colour onto the lips. The colour here is very nice and natural perfect for everyday without having the need to constantly apply my lip-balm due to its moisturising nature! ~Applies very smoothly and the lipstick is encased in a lovely classic sophisticated packaging~ always a pleasure to use. May need to buy more shades soon! 

Benefit porefessional primer
I use this when i wear light make-up and not going anywhere fancy such as to uni or something. It smooths out my pores, does its job and has a kind of fresh scent. I use this in place of my Estee Lauder pore refiner on minimal make-up days. Provides a smooth base for my make-up to layer upon and doesn't clog up my pores and cause any break outs. Also manages my oils very well and prevents me looking like a greaseball within a few hours.



Thank you for reading and i hope you have a nice day :)
What are you february favourites?

xxxx

1 March 2012

~ A bit of magic from Topshop! ~

Oh my goodness~ when i was out shopping for my birthday dress yesterday, i stumbled across this product which i didn't anticipate to find at all. Normally, i am not into topshop make-up since i really dislike their packaging but thats just my opinion, since i am sure theres plenty of others out there who doesn't mind the packaging! This was on the shelf and it was like the biggest eye-candy to me, literally. It was so cool and pretty in a sense that it was almost jelly candy looking yet it has tiny glitter particles infused with it. The crystal pink colour definitely caught my attention so i already kind of decided that i wanted to purchase it. Well, to be fair, it is a lovely lip-tint/ lipbalm product which claims to react with your skin to create a unique shade (I guess the concept is kind of like the well-known Dior Lip Glow). 
This lip product seemed to be really sheer and swatching the product on my hand gave hardly any colour pay off, but a slight pink tint when heavily swatched.
Regardless....the impulse buyer that i am, i bought it for £9 since the consistency was really smooth and moisturised my lips nicely. However, when i was paying, i realised that the swatch on my hand is starting to turn darker and more of a darker pink! i was so surprised and it also kind of proved that the product did work and it wasn't just a false claim. I was really happy with it when i realised my lips were tinted in a nice pink shade so thumbs up to the product working eventually.
The concept is not really amazing or unique, i do regret spending the £9 (well i got 10% student discount to be precise, so its £8.10) on this product that i didn't really need but just fell for the novelty...but i am sure i can get more usage out of it when the summer comes and lip colours can be more vibrant and fun. I would recommend this product if your into new products and like to have something which is different from whats already available in the market, but the usefulness of this product is not that great since the moisturising balm is quite thin and re-application is needed frequently. 

Have you guys got this product? or are you willing to give it a try?

Thanks for reading and i hope you have a great day! <3

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