Nail Varnish Haul!

Over the past month or two I have picked up a few different nail varnishes and I thought I would write about them. 

Too many Barry M ones?!

Unfortunately I don't have any of these nail wheels so I'm going to swatch the coloured ones onto cardboard (let me know where I can get the wheels from!).

The Nails Inc. varnishes were pretty pricey at £11 each but were defiantly worth it! They seem really runny but they apply easily and the white 'Floral Street 072' is really pigmented and only needs one coat, making it perfect for French manicures. The glitter 'Graffiti in Old Street 492' is consistent and gives a fair amount of coverage that can be built. I would have a huge collection of these nail varnishes if the price was a bit more reasonable.

These are both one coat each, the white is so pigmented!

The Barry M Nail Paints cost £2.99 for the clear 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener All in One 251', glitter 'Rose Quartz 310', purple 'Berry 302' and mint green 'Blue Moon 303' and £3.99 for the Gelly type; the nude 'Lychee 311' and blue 'Blueberry 302'. These are quite reasonably priced. The All in One clear and Rose Quartz are defiantly worth the buy but the colours (both the standard and Gelly) are not hugely pigmented which means they need a couple of coats and they take forever to dry. The colours are really nice though so this is a bit of a let down. Also, I'm not sure if it's just me but 'Blueberry' has a really strange smell?!

The green looks as if it has no colour!

Next are the Maybelline Color Show nail lacquers. I picked out a few of these as I liked the colour range but I was disappointed in these as well. The brushes that came with them were flat so therefore quite easy to apply but the bottle was really tall where the neck was built up. this makes it difficult to get more colour on the brush and will be such a faff when they begin to run out. I bought the colours 'Wine Shimmer 265' which is a glittery red/fuchsia, 'Peach Pie 31' this is a very sheer pink good for applying after a French manicure and 'Cool Blue 651' which is a bright sky blue. These were £2.99 each. They dried quickly with one coat but anymore meant a long wait. The worst thing is that they chipped within a day or after anything more than washing hands (e.g. showering). I loved the colour range but these could do with a bit of work!

Unfortunatly 'Peach Pie' just made the cardboard look wet!

Lastly is a 17 nail polish (Boots brand). This is from the Lasting Fix range and is in the shade 'Mini Skirt' which is a pearly white which cost £2.99. In the store this looked like a solid white that I could use for the tips of my nails but it isn't! I do like this nail varnish; it lasts well, doesn't take long to dry and looks appealing. I will be looking at the 17 varnishes again when I fancy some more varnishes. There is no picture for this as it didn't show up on the cardboard. 

Please let me know of any other good nail varnishes that don't cost a fortune!

Emily x

Purple Day Nails!

Tomorrow (26th March) for those of you who don't know, is purple day! Purple day is set up to create global awareness of Epilepsy which I suffer from. 

Epilepsy is a neurological condition which effects the electric signals in the sufferers brain usually causing them to have seizures. Sufferer's seizures can vary and are not always the 'typical' unconsciousness, shaking, jerking, vomiting, becoming incontinent kind. Epilepsy can be controlled by medication or surgery for some people but there is no cure. It's not just the seizures that effect the sufferer, it can be the added stresses that come with them.

I currently have seizures which cause me to become unconscious. I am on medication which has reduced the amount I have but I still ocassionally suffer with the seizures. I was diagnosed at the age of 14. It has really effected my life as a 14, 15 and 16 year old even to the point of me being asked to leave school in Year 10. Blogging has helped me in many ways so I thought I'd share this with you all. For those who would like to find out more, a great place for information is the Epilepsy Action website: http://www.epilepsy.org.uk

Anyway, onto the nails!

I have been looking through my draws and wardrobe to find something purple and I have nothing! (I seriously need to go shopping...) So I decided to paint my nails after buying some new nail varnishes today; further haul post to come. Just to say, usually my nails are long but unfortunately I had to trim all of my nails right down as the cold weather has made them so brittle :(

Glitter, Purple Colour and Basecoat.

I have used the Barry M 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener' (Boots, £2.99) a pale pastel purple from Barry M in the shade 'Berry' (Boots, £2.99) and a purple glitter varnish from Rimmel that I was given years ago. I think that this has been discontinued but a good substitute would be Models Own 'Purple Haze' (Boots, £5.00). 

Clean nails!

Firstly I put the Barry M 'Basecoat, Topcoat and Nail Hardener' on to clean dry nails making sure that any old polish had been been removed. After allowing about 3 minutes for this to dry, I applied the purple. This does not have to be really neat as there will be the glitter coat over the top. Have nail varnish remover and cotton pads available if you go wrong. A little tip, cotton buds soaked in nail varnish remover are great to wipe around the sides of the nail if you go onto the skin or are prone to being really messy like me!

Pastel Purple!

Leaving about 5 minutes for the purple to harden, apply the glitter varnish. You can build this up as much as you would like, I only used one coat as I wanted the previous coat of purple paint to be visible. You should now be finished!

Finished!

This is just an idea and can be altered in anyway you would like! I would love to see/hear about other ideas for nails and purple day so leave a comment below! Remember to spread awareness about Epilepsy and Purple Day. You never know if and/or when it could effect you.

Emily x

Rather Small Boots Haul!

On my way back from college today, I decided to go into Boots to pick up a few items to add to my monthly collection after realising that there is now 3 for 2 over make-up and hair. For some reason I can't just go into Boots and pick up all of the things I want, I have to pick a few up every so often. (Yes I know that may seem weird...)

Excuse the playdough tools, my sister wanted to join in!

Over the past couple of weeks I have been really into lip products. I have been wanting to buy loads of different products but I don't think my bank balance would like it! Anyways, I have been really into pale and bright pinks recently and have bought the Revlon 'Colourburst Lip Butter' in the shade 'Strawberry Shortcake 080' (Boots £7.99) This is a sheer light pink with a shiny finish. This is a really easy to wear colour and is hydrating on the lips. I have found that this is one of the most quick and easy to apply lip products. It's like a lip balm. I guess that the darker colours may be a bit harder but this one is so easy and great for taking around in your bag. Next I bought the Rimmel 'Apocalips'. These have been the most hyped up lip products over the past month or so. I have mine in the shade 'Nova 102' (Boots £5.99). I bought this a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I have not heard of many people using the shade that I bought but it is a really pretty dark pink colour with a slightly purple undertone. These are so easy to apply and last for ages once dry. I will defiantly be buying more colours if I can find one that hasn't been opened!

Lip Products

Today I bought the new MaxFactor Colour Elixir Lip Crayons. I don't even think that these are supposed to be released until next week but I found them displayed and decided to try one, I bought the shade 'Princess Rose 01' (Boots £6.99). I have been slightly disappointed by this product mainly because of the fact that the really pretty shade didn't suit me and I have also found it quite sticky. These are quite similar to the Barry M 'Lip Lacquer Crayons' (Boots £4.99). I prefer the Barry M formulation which is less sticky and stains better but the colour range of the Max Factor crayons are so much nicer. The last lip product I have bought is the Nivea Lip Butter in the flavour 'Rasperry Rose' (Boots £2.25). Although there isn't much to say on this as it is just a balm but this is a really good product for nourishing the lips and it smells incredible! Just like raspberry petit filous and the insides of strawberry Jammy Dodgers (yummy!!). I would recommend this to anyone.

Poor lighting but 'Nova', 'Strawberry Shortcake' and 'Princess Rose'

Carrying on with make up, I wanted to try a new foundation and I actually found a drugstore one that matches my skin tone! I now use the Rimmel Match Perfection liquid foundation in the shade 'Light Porcelain' (Boots £6.99). This is a great foundation for the price. It's nothing special but it matches my skin tone perfectly which is very rare for me so I'm really happy that I bought it! I also bought a Real Techniques foundation brush to use with it (Boots £9.99). I have never used a foundation brush but I hate using liquids and sponges so this has been perfect. It applies really evenly, is perfect for blending and doesn't leave streaks. The last face item is another product that has been raved about for ages is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I'm the shade 'Fair 1' (Boots £4.19). I am yet to use this so I'll have to see whether it's worth the hype and comment!

Face make-up!

Going onto hair products I invested in some spray wax. I bought the Lee Stafford Messed Up, Light Spray Wax (Boots £5.49). I don't get on that well with hair wax that is in a pot and hairspray never holds my hair so I thought it be good to try it in a spray form.

Wax spray, Hand Food and Simple wipes

I also bought another tube of Hand Food from Soap and Glory (Boots £5.00). I love this stuff as my hands have been so dry at the moment. It smells and feels incredible and doesn't leave a residue. The last thing that I bought is just a pack of Simple Facial Wipes (Boots £3.25). 

Overall I'm quite happy with my purchases and hope to get good use out of them!

Emily x

Benefit's Apology!

Not long ago I stumbled across a coupon from my Boots advantage card for a free makeover and sample of foundation from the Benefit counter. Unfortunately my make over didn't go very well. I was so disappointed about this as I love Benefit as a company, so I wrote a complaint to Benefit themselves. Their customer service was brilliant! I got a reply within a couple of days telling me that my complaint would be sent to the counter that I was served at to see how they could improve the service and I was also asked for my address so they could send me something to say sorry.

The package was delivered the next day (that made me very happy indeed!) and had a 15% off my next online purchase coupon and a 'Go Tropi Coral' gift set which retails for £25.50! I was amazed and so thankful to receive such a gift! Benefit's customer service has been incredible and I would like to thank the lovely people who helped me. I thought I'd give a review on the products that came with the set. There are 4 mini's in this set.

Tropi-Coral!

Firstly, when you open the box there is a couple of tip and trick sheets that open to reveal a handy mirror. These show you how to use the products that are in the the set which I found helpful. There is also a sheet of the tips in different languages that have been included for those who don't speak English. Starting from left to right, the first product is the 'Cha Cha Tint' which is a cheek and lip tint. This is not one of my favourite products as it is a rather vibrant orange that fades into a bright coral pink. For a full size 12.5ml bottle, this retails for £24.50. Unfortunately this doesn't suit my pale skin tone. I do love the colour and may wear it in the summer if I magically develop a tan. The only problem with this tint is that as soon as you apply it to the skin you have to quickly blend it before the dabs stain. It also slightly stained my fingers as this is how I applied it but that didn't bother me. I like the smell and hope that I can use this in summer although I doubt I'd purchase the full size.

Cha Cha Tint and High Beam

The next product is 'High Beam'. This is one of Benefits top selling products and I see why! For a full size 13ml bottle this retails for £18.50. You apply this as a highlighter. The colour is a really shiny sheer pink which catches the light. I absolutely love this and will be purchasing this when I run out.

Swatches from left to right match products from left to right.

Next is the blush 'Coralista'. This is a very typical coral shade which lasts for the whole day. The box of this blush retails for £23.50. This is a very pretty colour which can be worn during day and night. The brush that comes with it is great and applies well. As I am so pale I only use a small amount of this at one time so it will take me a while to run out. I will defiantly be trying the other blushers and bronzers from Benefit as the 'Coralista' blush is amazing.

Coralista and it's brush

The last thing in the box is a lip gloss. I am not a huge fan of lip gloss so I can't say that I love this product. Having sticky lips really doesn't appeal to me so I can't give a great review on this! I have the 'Ultra Plush Coralista' shade which is actually a really pretty colour. Although it looks really orange when swatched, the colour is really nice on the lips and is not as sticky as I thought it would be. I would love a sheer lipstick in this shade and hope that I can find one soon.

Coralista Lip Gloss (this mini is such a cute size!)

I am very happy and thankful for Benefit's amazing customer service and gift! I hope to purchase from them again in the near future.

Emily x

e.l.f. delivery!

Well hello again!

Sorry about my rather long break, I've had a lot of things going on recently but I have finally got the motivation today!

On Monday last week I placed an order from e.l.f (eyes, lips, face). It was a 50% off weekend for Saint David's Day so I decided to try some new things. I have ordered for e.l.f before and their products are great considering the price! My parcel came this morning and I thought I'd share what I bought with you all.

My box!

Firstly the lip products. All of these are from the Studio line and cost £3.75 each. 

Lip products in their packaging

The swatches from left to right consist of the 'Lip Liner & Blending Brush' in the shade Fuchsia which is a dark, bright pink. Next is the 'Matte Lip Colour' in the shade Tea Rose which is a muted pink/purple. Lastly is the 'Lip Stain' in the shade Birthday Suit. This is a bubblegum pink shade. 

Such pretty colours!

Next up I ordered some eyeliners. These are all from the Essentials line and cost £1.50 each. I am not a huge glitter or liquid eyeliner fan when it come to make up but this golden liquid one caught my eye. I love the colour which is the shade Copper and although I have only swatched it on my hand, the formula is really glittery and stays put even after rubbing. I also bought my first ever felt tip liners the 'Waterproof Eyeliner Pens'. They didn't have any black ones and as they were only £1.50 I thought I'd try some different colours. These included Hunter Green (dark green) and Coffee (dark brown). They are well pigmented and I just hope they will not smudge!

I also bought some cream eye-shadow  I barely ever wear eye-shadow as I'm awful at applying it and never manage to find colours that suit me. I thought I'd try again and bought the 'Duo Eye Shadow Cream' in Sugar Cookie. These are very sheer which I was hoping for. The pink looks like the nicest shade in my opinion and considering it only costs £1.50 I look forward to using this.

Eye Products

One of my favourite concealers is the e.l.f 'Tone Correcting Concealer'. My shade is Ivory and it matches my skin tone perfectly. The product does run out quite quickly but for only £1.50 I don't mind replacing it. This comes with an applicator quite like one that you would use for a lip gloss. 

Concealer and contouring powder

The last product I bought for my face was the 'Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder' from the Studio line. This cost me £3.75 and the colours are really pretty. Lastly I bought a nail block as they were only £1.50 and a glittery nail varnish 'Twinkle' which was in the last chance section so it only cost me £1.00 but it's a lovely top coat and I have no idea why it's being discontinued!

Nail Products

I do love e.l.f and their products. I'd recommend that anyone who hasn't tried any of their products has too! www.eyeslipsface.co.uk go and check it out!

Emily x

Graze Boxes!

Hello!

Today the second of my half price Graze boxes came through the post and I thought I would right a post on them!

My Graze Box

The concept of Graze boxes is that you rate all of the snacks that they provide and they select four of them to put in the 100% recyclable box that fits through yours or your office's letterbox. They try to make snacking healthy by supplying snacks of a good portion with things like fruit and nuts in them. 

The boxes cost £3.89 each which I personally think is rather pricey. I did get one as a sample from Glamour magazine which I really liked but I did not feel that I could afford the full price for the box. I did end up cancelling my deliveries and after a while got an email from Graze asking if I would like 3 half price in return for answering a few questions. 

I ate the popcorn when I received the box so I can't show you, sorry!

I took up their offer and got my second box from the offer through the post yesterday. In this box I received 'lightly salted popcorn' which you microwave yourself. I've had the sweet version of this which was lovely and the bag wasn't too bigger portion. The only downside is that I couldn't eat this at college (as there is no microwave) which is where I take most of my Graze snacks. Another snack I got to try was 'Mississippi BBQ pistachios'. These are BBQ seasoned pistachio nuts. I have never tasted a pistachio so I have no idea on what these'll be like!

The punnets that I haven't yet scoffed!

Next, I got a punnet named 'Bonnie wee oatbakes'. Again, I have never tasted anything like this but this punnet contains about 7 'oatbakes' and a caramelised onion marmalade dip. Lastly I have a sweeter punnet named 'billionaire's shortbread'. This contains fudge pieces, blanched almonds, milk chocolate drops and cranberries. This one sounds really nice in my opinion and will probably be my first to try!

Billionaires Shortbread.

I think overall Graze boxes are a good idea to try and if you are new to Graze and would like to try a free one, I have a code that will allow you too! Go to http://www.graze.com/uk click on the promotional code link under the get started now button and copy and paste in this code CFVFRHYD . For every person that claims a box, I get £1 off my next box so show your family and friends guys! 

Hope you all enjoy your Graze boxes!

Emily x

Bathroom Tour!

Hello again!

Today my mum decided to clean the bathroom (I didn't help and now feel bad oops) and I sorted out my products that are in my bathroom so I thought I would share them with you!

Firstly I'm going to start with my creams and face things that live by my window and sink.

Window products!

Over here I usually alternate my products so the products that are here today will probably be completely different by next week! First up I have my Smoothie Star body milk by Soap and Glory (Boots 500ml £10.00) which smells of biscuits and is incredibly moisturising. Then a tub of Strawberries and Milkshake body butter from the I Love... brand (Superdrug 200ml £2.05). This isn't the best butter that I have used, the consistency is quite runny and could almost qualify as a lotion, but the smell is lovely and it sinks in to the skin really quickly without leaving a residue. The last moisturiser/lotion by my sink is a Vanilla body lotion from The Body Shop. I believe that this is discontinued and it hasn't wowed me so I won't say much about it but I did pick it up for a few pounds in a Body Shop sale not long ago and it has just been a staple lotion for me.

The last thing by my sink is Soap and Glory's Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk which is for the face (Boots 200ml £7.00). The product claims to smooth and soften skin, purify, deep clean and give a clearer, fresher and brighter complexion. I feel that this product does all that it claims and is amazing! I do not use this everyday due to my skin being sensitive but it is great teamed up with a weekly or fortnightly face mask. It has helped to reduce my breakouts and I would give this product a 10 out of 10! 

By the way Boots is currently offering 3 for 2 on Soap and Glory but I am banning myself from buying more until I use more of my products up!

Yes, my manual brush is bright pink.

Next up is dental hygiene (yawn.) I have two toothbrushes (one manual and one electric) and two toothpastes which I alternate (is that weird?). I use my electric toothbrush most of the time which is an Oral B Professional Care 600 Floss Action brush (Boots £49.99) along with my Colgate Max White One toothpaste (Boots 75ml £3.99) which has given visible results! I would recommend this to everyone wanting whiter teeth!

Yes my razor is a Tesco basic males one. They're great for use over winter when you're not showing your legs!

Now into the shower oooh.. I'll start with my staple hair products. I switch between Big Shampoo (Lush 330g £11.25) which is my favourite. This a sea salt shampoo which adds loads of volume and shine to the hair but is quite expensive so I only use it maybe once or twice a week. I also use Rainforest Balance Shampoo (The Body Shop 60ml £2.00) which is for oily hair and Head and Shoulders Classic Clean (Boots 500ml £4.99) to help with my occasional itchy scalp. I don't use conditioner frequently as I find it makes my hair oily but occasionally I use sachets of deep conditioning treatment that you can find in hair care sections in places like Boots.

Cleansing products! I have recently been using the shower jellies from Lush one of which came in my gift set that I mentioned in me previous blog post. I am currently using the Sweetie Pie one (Lush 100g £3.10) which is explained in more detail in my previous post. I use the strawberry scented shower gel from The Body Shop (250ml £4.00) which is a great summer scent and goes well with their body butter. I find it great to use whilst shaving and was the first one I tried from The Body Shop. My current exfoliator is another product from the I Love... range in the scent raspberry & blackberry (Superdrug 200ml £2.05) it is just a product I'm using up to be honest. There is a huge lack of exfoliating beads in my opinion. I prefer to have something more rough on my skin but I guess this would be ideal for someone who doesn't like that. The scent is nice but it isn't a great product.

My soap tray/dish.

Last up is my soap dish which contains slices of cut up bars that I have bought. The red coloured one is a Christmas one from Lush called North Pole. This doesn't smell Christmassy to me but of chocolate and mint. I wish it was available all year round! The green white looking one is Miranda (Lush 100g £3.40) which smells like dolly mix. The only thing I would put down about it is that it can be very drying. It would be better if it was a bit more moisturising on the skin. 

I had to include my new body puff from Primark for only £1.00! Bargain!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my tour around my bathroom!

Emily x