Monday 28 October 2013

Collective Nail Haul! Zoya, Claires, Seche Vite and OPI.

Hii Lovelies!

I did it. I finally caved and got me some Zoya....

I've been lusting after some new Zoya polishes for over a year now... My last (and first) Zoya splurge was in Ulta on holiday last year and since then they've released some pretty darn stunning shades. So every now and then I'd hunt the web hoping for a store that would stock the brand at not incredibly hiked up prices. I eventually found one, but the postage is £5... sigh. It took me a good few months to build up a list and finally take the plunge and order... But i did it! And i sure i don't regret it!

This little nail haul is from two shops Tiffany Nail Supply (for everything apart from the Claire's polises) and you guessed it... Claire's! I am a numpty and ran out of camera battery then forgot to reshoot my Nail and Envy and Seche Vite but those are boring so, forgive me?! I'll jump right in with the pretty colours now...

The nail snob in me has looked over Claire's polishes many a time but often i'd "oooooh'd" over the best friends nails it turned out to be one of these! Sadly, they are discontinuing this formula! But it did mean i managed to pick these up for a mere 85p each with discount. I've only tried the glitter sand one so far, but I'm impressed! That silver is a gorgeous holographic glitter that i just cannot wait to put on my nails! If you spot these in the sale bin at your local Claire's, buy them! Apparently the new formula just isn't as good as these little gems!

Arrabella, Carter, Zuza, Tomoko, Aurora

Zoya, Zoya, Zoya...
Oh how i love thee!

Tiffany Nail Supply have quite possibly the best range and most reasonable prices for Zoya in the UK. Yes, postage is £5 but if you are buying a few at a time it still works out a lot cheaper. These retail for just under £6 on the website (rather than £11.50 elsewhere) so i had to get a few right? Tomoko and Aurora are my favourites so far. Tomoko reminds me slightly of China Glaze I'm Not Lion, but with a much better texture (you all know how much i love I'm Not Lion too) and Tomoko won't peel off your nails like the glittery CG option. Aurora is simply stunning, it is quite possibly one of the prettiest purples i have ever seen. Also unlike most glitter or textured polishes these aren't a pain in the ass to get off! I was shocked at just how easy they are to remove. I see another order coming soon....

Nail Envy is price at an extremely affordable £7 and Seche Vite around £5. So Tiffany Nail Supply gets a big thumbs up from me!

You can check out their website here.

What is your current favourite polish?
Let me know!

If you'd like individual reviews for any of these, leave me a comment.
Hope you're all having a great week!


xox

Tuesday 22 October 2013

Its beginning to smell a lot like Christmas... Lush Haul!

Ello lovelies!

I know, i know, its only October... But i don't care!
Most of the year now i can pretty much miss Lush off shopping list but as soon as they release their Christmas range something in me goes a little crazy, and this year is no exception! There are the few bits i pick up every year (Snow Fairy and Candy Mountain) and i tend to try out a few new bits while I'm at it too. I'm having a little bit of a Lush obsession phase so i can see quite a few cheeky Lush trips happening before the year is out...

So what did i buy?



Let The Good Times Roll - £6.35 - Review here
Aaaaand its back! I fell in love with this cleanser last year and then Lush had a problem with sourcing one of the ingredients and it was no longer available, this gave me sads. This year i am pleased to announce it is permanent! Hurrah! I've done a full review on this product last year so feel free to check it out with the link above. Its my perfect daily exfoliant packed with popcorn oil, maize, polenta and cinnamon and i am pleased as punch to have it back!

Breath of Fresh Air - £7.50
Another repurchase. I love lush toners but as i feel this is an optional step in my routine is not something i often splash out on, i generally buy one or two a year and refill the bottle with a Simple one to save a few pennies as i love the spray. This is my favourite out of their toner selection and has lovely ingredients for my dry skin including sea water, Carrageen seaweed and aloe gel. A simple, lovely, refreshing toner that i highly recommend. 

Mask of Magnaminty - Around £6
This is a bit of a blast from the past for me as this is one of the masks me and my friends adored as teenagers. Described as a face and back pack this green goodness is used to fight breakouts and help clear imperfections. Like all Lush products its packed with skin loving ingredients and is a real old favourite for me. Its your typical face mask green colour that dries and sets on the face, i leave mine on for 20 minutes then wash off in circular movements and use the Aduki beans to exfoliate. Its great for when my skin is playing up a treat!



Rose Jam Bubble Bar - £3.50
Rose scents i would normally avoid but there is something just a little bit special about their Rose Jam fragrance. I think its the mix of berries and rose that give it a really tasty yet comforting smell. You can already tell i like it eh?! Bubble bath bars are my favourite things to buy from them so i really had to give this a bash. I also got a little sample of their Rose Jam shower gel which i avoided since its a tad more expensive (£15.99 for 500ml) than a lot of their other ones... The sample worked... I'm sold and will be going back for a huge bottle of it very soon!

Ickle Baby Bot - £1.95
Intended for babies, Ickle Baby Bot is incredibly cute. I have trouble sleeping so thought this little ballistic might just come in handy to send me to the land of nod after a few bad nights of sleep. It contains sleep inducing, calming oils and for just under two quid i thought it was worth a shot!


Candy Mountain - £2.65
I buy many of these, each year, without fail. It is my absolute favourite Christmas scent and i don't think there has been a Christmas I've been without it. Each year Candy Mountain (previously Candy Cane) gets a little makeover and this year its in the form of a sprinkle of glitter. Its a sickly sweet candy scent (very alike to snow fairy) so its probably not to everyones tastes, but its definitely my cup of tea. I've already gone back and purchased the second of what will be many Candy Mountains this year. I also grabbed one of their adorable Penguins but he got a little smashed up sadly.

Snow Fairy - £3.50
Each year i buy a little one to keep me going to Christmas then spend the next few months hinting at the parents that I'd like a large one for Christmas, normally this plan works. So this little gem will have to last me quite a while! Snow Fairy is probably the most famous Christmas item, its pink, it smells somewhere between sugar, candy floss and bubblegum and i absolutely adore it.

Have you nabbed any of the Lush Christmas range yet?
Let me know what you've been buying!


xox

Thursday 17 October 2013

Nars Ride Up To The Moon Palette - Review

 
Hii Lovelies!
Another Nars review for you lot today!

I'm a big lover of all things Nars and as soon as i clapped eyes on two of their fall release palettes i knew i had to have them. Well, i was a little restrained and only picked up the one... hmph! The two palettes are Ride Up To The Moon which is what I'll be reviewing today, which is a gorgeous tiny (really, its the smallest eye shadow palette I've ever seen) palette that features six earthy hues. I'm a sucker for golds and bronzes, so this palette was right up my alley. The second palette which i passed on (sob) was a more cooler toned purple/grey collection which i knew i wouldn't get as much use of and i think is now sold out as i couldn't find it on the Nars website.

Lets just skip back to the previous section for a second, this palette is small, really small. Silly me forgot to photograph this next to Nars Laguna bronzer because there really isn't too much in the size difference, this fits neatly in the palm of my hand. You get 6g of shadow in total, which putting it that way isn't horrendous, but as this is my first experience with Nars shadows so i was just a little shocked! Priced at £32 it isn't too pricey for Nars but considering the size it still isn't budget friendly either way. Sometimes i think my bank balance weeps.

Out of all the shades i believe only one is limited edition which is Argentina, the top left shade and is probably my favourite out of the bunch. If i could own 50 champagney eyeshadows, i would. The colour selection in this is simply stunning (my love of earthy tones leaves me a little biased though) and next time i travel this will be the palette thrown in my makeup bag. The lighter shades work perfectly for day time looks with a slick of liquid eyeliner and the darker browns are perfect for creating a more evening appropriate smokey eye and the green to add that pop of colour... Perfect! The small size actually acts a plus for travel too.


Top row: Argentina, Isolde, Night Porter.
Bottom Row: Biarritz, Fez, Cordura.
As you can see the pigmentation and colour pay off is beautiful, i just wish Cordura was a little more pigmented as i feel the need to use a deeper matte black for smokey eyes when using this palette. Honestly, I've not much used the Night Porter (the green shade) yet, which is odd since I'm drawn to greens, buy a ton of them and just never wear them! But the other shades... oooft I'm in love! With the weather turning colder the warmer browns will be getting a ton of day use I'm sure. But I'm actually a little scared of running out of Argentina, it is beautiful and works for so many looks!
As first impressions go, I'm pretty smitten with these shadows. I was kinda hoping to not love them because Nars isn't the cheapest and i know full well I'm going to lust over future collections, I've even got my eye on a couple of single and duos.... ooops!

Ride Up To The Moon is limited edition, so if you like the look of it i recommend picking it pretty soon so you're not left disappointed like many wanting the And God Created Woman Palette (like me). So if you're looking for a bit of a shadow splurge I'd highly recommend giving these beauties a little swatch!

You can buy this at Nars counters and online here.

Have you tried any Nars eye shadows?
Feel free to recommend me your favourites! 


xox

Sunday 13 October 2013

Bourjois Bronzing Primer - Review

Hey Lovelies!

How late am i on the bandwagon with this one?!

This is one of those products that i nabbed back in the summer, put it in my "new things" drawer and then totally forgot about it... oops! Well its now certainly back out of my drawer and into my daily makeup routine.


The Bourjois Bronzing Primer made quite a splash in the beauty blogging world as many comparisons were made to Soleil Tan De Chanel which is made by Bourjois parent company (i think I'm right there?). Sadly, there will be no comparisons in this post as being pretty darn pale spending thirty odd quid on a bronzer far too orange for me didn't really float my boat. But the Bourjois offering is a whole different story...



I find it a lot less orange than the Chanel offering (from in store swatching) and a completely different texture. Its quite soft in consistency so heavy handed me has to be a bit careful, but saying this it blends out like a charm so even if my sausage fingers pick up a little too much product its really no biggie. I generally use this under foundation to warm up anything a little pale for me, or to just give my face a little more warmth. If I'm feeling really fancy (or just got an extra minute or two to slap my face on) I'll use this with a Real Techniques Contour Brush and attempt to contour my face. In reality, its a little too warm for the latter on my skin tone but looks pretty reasonable applied lightly.
  
What i really enjoy about this product are two things.... It works great over and under foundation and blends seamlessly (that counts as one thing, right?). Secondly its lovely to find a cream bronzing product that isn't overly orange, I would love a slightly cooler toned offering but this does just the trick for now. The ease it blends really helps it work for even my skin tone, so I'd really recommend this for anyone with fair to medium complexions.


On the budget side the Bourjois Bronzer Primer is a middle of the road £9.99, not the cheapest but still affordable on a budget. Boots and Superdrug often do 3 for 2 offers or something along those lines so you can often pick up a few things at once and save some pennies. If you're really keen on trying this out (and are late on the bandwagon like moi) you can snag this from Asos currently with free postage for £6.50 here.

Overall I'm really enjoying this. I picked it up on a whim and for once its one that's payed off! I just wish I'd hooked it out my drawer a little sooner and got some good use of it during the summer months!
 
What is your favourite Bourjois product?
 

Thursday 10 October 2013

Viva La Juicy Noir - Review




Ello lovelies!

A quickie perfume review for you lovely lot today! This was a bit of a splurge for me at £63 for 100ml but i did have around £45 of Debenhams points to spend at the time, so its not toooooo bad. I'm a big fan of the original Viva La Juicy fragrance, its so fresh and fruity and perfect for day wear that when i spotted this little gem i had to give it a sniff!

Viva La Juicy Noir is the originals night time counterpart. Its a little darker, sweeter and more akin to the usual sickly sweet scents i normally opt for. If you can't already tell, I'm a fan! 

If you love scents like (i shamefully love this one) Britney Spears Fantasy and want something a little more sophisticated i really recommend giving this one a whiff. The same if you're a fan of the regular Viva La Juicy and just fancy spicing up your perfume collection next time you run out, definitely check this little beauty out! I'm rubbish with scent descriptions so I'll leave this one to the experts.

"An enticing interpretation of the original best-selling Viva La Juicy fragrance, Viva La Juicy Noir highlights the succulent ripe berry notes and gourmand accents of the classic scent with a touch of honeysuckle and sandalwood." (Source, Debenhams.com)


Overall I'm a little bit smitten with this fragrance and its become my evening scent choice for the last month or so, it just smells delicious! For everyone put off by the £63 price tag, Debenhams do stock a duo rollerball option with the original and the Noir scent for a mere £9.99, so a little bit of both for a more affordable price!
 
Do you love any of the Juicy Couture scents?

Wednesday 2 October 2013

Nars Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder - Review


Hiii Lovelies!
I've been on a little bit of a Nars kick lately so this is just one of the products I'll be reviewing in the coming weeks. I first spotted this little gem on Temptalia and after reading the rave review i knew i had to have it, I'm normally a pressed powder kinda gal but the loose offering recieved all round better reviews so i thought I'd purchase and test it out for myself.

 "Enhances the look of foundation without a trace of color and prolongs makeup wear. This invisible silky powder is infused with Photochromic Technology to diffuse light and adjust to new sources of light throughout the day. Fine lines, wrinkles and pores optically fade as skin is visibly smoothed. Soft, silky and luxurious to the touch, this weightless formula applies evenly and blends effortlessly. Ideal for touch-ups, it helps regulate shine and seamlessly sets foundation.Paraben-free. Fragrance-free. Non-Comedogenic." (Source: Narscosmetics.co.uk)

I love a good powder but i generally have quite dry skin so a lot of them really do not like me. For nights out i prefer a matte finish but a lot of powders will cling to dry areas and show up like a sore thumb so finding one that works great and works well with my skin type can be a real pain in the bum. So what did i think of this one?

I think i may have found my holy grail powder.

I apply this with my Real Techniques Powder Brush to set my liquid foundations and it applies like a dream. I use a small amount and press it into the areas i need it and buff it out ever so slightly. It really does give a diffused look to the skin that I wouldn't be able to describe eloquently enough. It mattifies without looking harsh or heavy and leaves my skin looking flawless. It even manages to make my pores look less defined on my cheeks, I absolutely love it. Priced at £25 it is a little bit of a splurge but i have nothing in my collection that rivals this in the slightest, it has a different texture to my much loved Elf HD powder that when going back to that feels almost heavy. I imagine this will last me quite a while when used with a light hand so i look at it as more as an investment.



Overall i think if you're looking for a new powder this is one to definitely consider. It'll be a repurchase for me for sure when this runs out and i can happily say I've ended my quest for the perfect setting powder for my skin type... But knowing me I'll be on the constant look out for a drugstore or high street alternative to keep an eye on my pennies!

Priced at £25 this is available online and from Nars counters.

What is you're favourite Nars product?

xox
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