NARS Haaaaaul!

I'm not somebody who regularly splurges on high-end make up, I'm a firm believer of getting the best out of the high street and a lot of the time you pay for brand names when it comes to high end makeup. However I've had my eye on a few things from NARS recently so I decided to split with a bit of my cash and have a treat! After all that's the wisest thing to do when you don't get paid til the end of September and you're pretty much broke?! Definitely.

First off, Laguna Bronzer. From day one of watching youtube videos and reading blogs I've heard about this bronzer. I think the Bourjois bronzer is the only bronzer I've ever tried that's really worked for me, but I find the colour payoff not to be incredible. I've been considering this bronzer for so long, I've read about 34032025 blog posts and I'm really hoping it lives up to my expectations, because £22.00 for one product seems WAY over the top for me!

I also purchased a NARS lipstick in "Scarlet Empress". I've been in love with this colour ever since I saw it swatched on a blog post. The bullet looks REALLY dark, but it comes out a dark magenta shade and I really love it! I'm pretty sure I have a much cheaper dupe, which I will make a blog post on, so I'm slightly disappointed obviously, but I'll still get so much use out of this, gorgeous shade!

With my order I got a free tester NARS blush in "Super Orgasm", this is just the cutest thing ever, it's tiiiiny! I'm not a big blush lover, this particular blush has a lot of glitter in it, something I'm definitely not a fan of, but it will be interesting to try out anyway, and like I say it's the cutest little blush ever! I'll probably use this for nights out because glitters slightly more acceptable in bad light!

Lastly, again a little tester, this time of some eye make up remover. Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure this is fabulous, but would I part my cash for a NARS eye make up remover? Probably not. I do think however this will be useful for keeping in my handbag, that way if any swatching needs to be done (Lip stains seem to always get me into swatch trouble) or I draw some wonky eyeliner on the train I can fix it.

Overall I can't really comment on any because I haven't given them a real trial, but from first impression I'm happy with everything! The NARS packaging is of course gorgeous, but with the rest of my make up collection it's definitely going to get grubby :(

xoxoxoxox

Make-Up Storage!

My make-up collection has really grown this year, and after seeing a few people talk about the Kardashians make up storage I NEEDED something similar in my life. I went through a period of seriously obsessing and on sunday, I was in Rymans of all places, buying a note pad when I saw a beautiful alternative!

Meet my new love! These babies retail at £27.99, which might seem a bit pricey but I could spend that on a few products in boots, so getting it in perspective these are gonna last me so long!

In the first one I've got palettes, single eyeshadows, and lip products I don't use on a regular basis! It feels so much more compact than when I had this all shoved in random draws!

In the other I have face masks, scrubs, moisurisers and other face products. I will probably move other makeup to this one aswell eventually but for the moment this is where my most used cosmetics are living!

My everyday make-up storage definitely needs a bit of work too, beheaded 7up bottle for my eyeliners and old body butter container for mascaras?! I'll definitely collage them up or paint them or something. I'll show you guys again when everything's perfect, but while everything is surprisingly tidy and organised I thought I'd give you lot a look!

How do you store your make-up and cosmetics?!

xoxoxoxox

Can You BELIEVE It's The End Of August Already?! Favourites!

I genuinely can't believe it's the end of August, is it too early to write my Christmas list?! For me September is officially start of Autumn and I cannot wait to get 500 layers on and start shopping for jumpers! I haven't really had many new additions this month, I'm awaiting a little order from Nars and Mac (I say small yet it still managed to make a massive dent in my bank balance) and also VERY excited for the new Fashionista range in Superdrug that launches on the 1st September, I definitely fancy making a few palettes from their beautiful eyeshadows! ANYWAY, onto the favourites this month!

Hair;

VO5 Instant Oomph Powder - I was a bit cautious about this because I'd heard it makes your hair really sticky and minging, and I hate products that make your hair look good, but feel disgusting. I use hardly any of this at all, rub it into my roots and VOILA! Gorgeous volume! I only use this on second day hair, because I know I'll be washing my hair later that day, but I haven't really suffered stickyness!

Sachajuan Hair Repair - This came in this months Boudoir Prive, and it was like something sent down from heaven when it arrived on my doorstep, my hair was in crap condition and this was something I REALLY needed. After using this my hair feels gorgeous and soft and smooth and everyone compliments it and aw I love this and I'll probably have to rebuy it when it runs out, despite the fact it's pricey, purely because I have long hair and I can't neglect it again :) If any of you have cheapo solutions let me know!

Lips;

Topshop Lipstick in On The Town - This is a gorgeous lilac lip colour, and I've really been using this month. I usually go for really bright reds and fuchsias but this is so easy to wear! I've never really liked baby pinks on me so this is my perfect lighter lip shade and the formula is gorgeous and moisturising but still highly pigmented, I really need to try more of the Topshop Make up.

Sleek Pout Paint in Pin Up - I've been using this so much with a touch of Cloud 9 to lighten it slightly, it lasts SO LONG! I can put this on, go out and 4/5 hours later it's still there! The main problem with bright colours is how much of a mess they look when they start fading, and you have to keep reapplying, and the main problem with lip stains is they're not moisturising. This solves both problems and for £5, this is amazing value.

Stila Lipstain in Acai Crush - I think it Stila was a bit before my make-up time, and when I heard other bloggers raving about them coming back to the UK I figured they must have been good. But when I wandered into Boots I realised a lot of the products also have a hefty price tag. I decided to treat myself to this and this is easily the best lip stain I've tried. The staying power of this is INCREDIBLE! Seriously, I can put this on at 8am and it'll still be there at 7pm the next night. It just doesn't budge. The pen packaging is crap, it takes forever to get product out but I can live with that for how amazing the product inside is. Absolutely love this, and I wouldn't think twice about purchasing one in another shade, so worth the money!

Face;

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation and MeMeMe Beat The Blues Sunbeam Illuminator - These two combined make my perfect foundation. I suffer from really dry skin, so I steer as far away as possible from matte foundations. I love Healthy Mix alone, but mixed with some of this illuminator my skin looks flawless and dewy and amazing. It doesn't offer brilliant coverage, I'd say medium, but with a little bit of concealer on under my eyes and on any blemishes this is brilliant in the day time. Even in natural light it's doesn't look cakey, just like you've got completely perfect dewy skin. In the winter I'll probably go back to my trusty colourstay, but at the moment I'm loving these two together.

Mascara;

Avon Mascaras (Various) - I've always adored Avon Mascaras. Apart from Supershock which is my holy grail mascara, the others aren't much to write home about alone. But as a second layer over Supershock mascara, they lengthen your lashes incredibly, without lacking in volume. I've always been a massive fan of dramatic lashes, so using these always gets me the results I want, I honestly haven't tried a mascara that comes close without clumpy lashes.

Eyes;

Urban Decay Naked Palette - This was a massive purchase and I put it off for a long time, but it really was worth the money. EVERYDAY since I've had this I've had "Sin" all over the lid, "Sidecar" on the outercorner blended and then "Smog" in the crease. I use "Buck" for my eyebrows, "Hustle" under the corner of the lower lash line and "half baked" I also use under the lower lash line. Seriously every single one of these colours is completely wearable, whether it's the gorgeous matte colours or "creep" and "gunmetal" for a night out. I LOVE this palette to death and none of my others even come close. I'm gutted it took me about a year to actually buy it because I was seriously missing out!

And that's it! I swear these monthly favourites come around far too fast!

What have you beauts been loving this month?!

xoxoxoxox

HOW TO; Leopard Nails!

Hello lovelys! My nails have been seriously chipping and I had a bit of time on my hands so I decided to go for a classy leopard print look ;) I couldn't decide on the colour scheme so I went for quite a few!

You will need atleast two nail colours, the lightest to act as a base and the darkest for the spots. Make sure neither of these colours are black because black is used to create the outline afterwards! For this you can either use a nail art pen (available pretty much everywhere online) or a cocktail stick can be used!

L-R Barry M Berry I/C, 17 Forever, Barry M Turquoise, Barry M Strawberry I/C, Barry M Mint Green. 

Ignore my abnormally long ring finger nail! Paint your base coat on, usually for lighter shades like I used it takes 2-3 coats. Wait for this to dry FULLY!

L-R Barry M Turquoise, Barry M Mushroom, Barry M Peach Melba, Barry M Raspberry, Barry M Cobalt Blue.

Get your second colour and add random splodges onto the nail, they don't need to be perfect or even because leopard print is so imperfect, it usually looks better if you don't take too much time or think about it too much! Again wait for this to dry fully or you'll end up with a smudged mess!

Next get your nail art pen/alternative and messily outline the spots. If you look at leopard print the outline is rarely joined up so don't worry too much if you mess up, it really makes no difference the majority of the time. Again, wait to dry and apply a clear topcoat and VOILA! Gorgeous leopard print nails!

This is ridiculously simple, I nearly feel stupid doing step-by-step on it, it's probably the easiest nail art I've ever tried, definitely worth a go!

xoxoxoxox

OOTD #016; This Ain't No Home, It's Hardly A House....

sheer shirt; LOVE at topshop shorts; matalan top; new look bag; H&M ring; matalan

Quick OOTD for you all! I'm trying to get the last use out of my summer clothes and adding some tights to take the end of Autumn chill off! I've had a beautiful weekend of shopping and catching up with my high school friends (shamefully impulse buying a "sheriff" badge.... good for a fancy dress party?!) and generally chilling out and planning out my Autumn/Winter wardrobe with the help of Elle Magazine! I had my interview for a job at H&M on friday afternoon at at 5pm friday night they called me back and I GOT THE JOB! Which means I'm now officially employed and my life is back on track :) Apparently H&M have really intense training and I'm doing mine at the H&M in Market Street, if you guys have shopped in Manchester you'll know how busy it can get, so that should be fun?! 

Anyway, tonight I'm looking forward to Dragons Den and ofcourse the #bbloggers chat on twitter at 8. Both clash with each other, so as usual I'll be turning my head madly between the TV and my laptop!

Anyway, hope all you beauts had gorgeous weekends!

xoxoxoxoxo

Confessions of a Lip-Stain-aholic; HAUL! Sleek, Stila, MUA....

IT'S RESULTS DAY!

I have been so chilled out about getting results all week, watching everybody else panic and wondering what all the fuss was about, then this morning, a whole weeks worth of panicking just hit me, and in times like this it's a bloody good job I don't eat breakfast because I felt sick to my stomach. But as usual all my worrying was totally un-needed, SO HAPPY WITH MY RESULTS! I got an A in Law, which I worked hardest for so I'm incredibly happy with that, and B in Sociology (two pathetic little marks off an A) and Psychology! Guess who feels like a massive div for dropping out of college now?!

Anyway so I popped in boots and superdrug to SPLURGE (I know I know, I am a student guys, I can't afford to go and have a splurge at Vivienne Westwood!) My superdrug has had a change around and oh my god it's brilliant! There's loads more make up counters than there were before and in all honesty I was just in complete heaven!

First on my agenda was Sleek Pout Paints. I've been meaning to pick these up since they came out, but the superdrug closest to me doesn't stock sleek so I've been waiting to go into town to buy them. I stupidly (and I'm cringing even writing this) decided to swatch the red, on my hand, IN THE SHOP. Now a little of these goes a long way, and I ended up with a whole hand that looked like it had been dipped in red paint. Baring in mind these are a stain, you can't just casually rub them off, I had to seek assistance of a make up wipe. What. An. Idiot.

1/ Mauve Over 2/ Mauve Over and Cloud 9

3/ Pin Up 4/Pin up and Cloud 9

5/ Pin Up, Cloud 9 and Peek a Bloo

I love wearing brighter shades personally, I can tell I'll get a LOT of use out of Pin Up, but if you want a more wearable lip colour I'd definitely suggest getting Cloud 9 to mix in. For me "Peek A Bloo" was the hardest to work with, it's highly pigmented, I used the tiniest bit and ended up with blue lips so definitely be careful! Does make a gorgeous purple shade though! I think I might collect a few more, but with these 4 I can make most of the colours I need to. I'm not sure how well these will do on the highstreet, personally I love them, but if I hadn't started reading beauty blogs etc, I wouldn't have touched these with a barge pole, and how many people have the time in the morning to start mixing shades?!

I couldn't help picking up another Sleek Lipstick, I LOVE them! This time I went for Candy Cane which is a Sheen. It reminds me of one of my other sleek lipsticks, Heartbreaker A LOT, apart from it's much more moisturising, which is a winner for me!

Now for the splurge, this baby cost me 16 good old english pounds. Now, I'm not really sure how it happened. I saw the Stila stand, I saw the lipstains, I saw the price, and instead of my usual "bloody hell, that's a bit expensive" I seemed to momentarily forget I have no job and about 20 quid to my name, and instead decided that passing my exams justified paying 16 quid for a lipstain. I think I have a problem, I know admitting it's the first stage! In all fairness, THIS IS GORGEOUS. Though I did have that trouble with the twisty thing at the bottom that brings the product onto the brush. I twisted and it clicked and clicked and clicked doing sod all, and then suddenly, it just ERUPTED everywhere. I managed to get it on my lips (and also on my teeth, which is a highly attractive look!). This is a beautiful colour and I know I'll get good use out of it but, tad pricey!

I've been wanting to pick something up from MUA's pro range so I decided on the Heaven & Earth Palette, look out for a review comparing it to the Urban Decay Naked Palette!

And another hopeful dupe! I picked this up in superdrug for the introductory price of £2.99! The muslin cloth doesn't look particularly good, but I'll give it a fair test, I'm hoping it will compare to the legendary Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish as it's SO CHEAP! 

Ooooh and lastly some of this fancy VO5 stuff to hopefully give my hair some volume, guess who got caught out in the rain this morning! Why do I never have an umbrella when I need one, hopefully this will say goodbye to my currently flat hair!

Hope everyone got the results they wanted, and if you're not involved in any of the stressy-exam stuff, I hope you had a lovely day!

 xxx

Is Boudoir Prive Your Cup Of Tea?!

Boudoir Prive is a service where each month you get a box full of samples of high end products for £10, I got my first box today and here it is! 

I'll be honest, I was horrified to wake up Saturday morning to a load of angry tweets regarding Boudoir Prive. I've had my order in since the start, and I'll be honest, I was hit with "what the HELL is wrong with the box?" -Not a lot as far as I can see!

How BEAUTIFUL is the box? it has a cute little magnetic clasp to open it, however it can't be ignored the colour scheme is verrrry similar to good old Glossy Box.

This is so lovely! Bless her for handwriting all these little cards, such a cute and personal touch!

Also HOW gorgeous is this sticker? It's like a little mirror. I know I know, little things make me happy, but it's cute little touches that really make a difference.

For ten pounds you got samples of perfume, lash accelerator, hair repair, body butter, firming cream and ofcourse, tea bags. And I can honestly say for the price I paid, I'm really happy!

This was the first thing to catch my eye, Sachajuan Hair Repair! This is a very "luxurious" size sample compared to the others, and seeing as my hair is in a right state at the moment I will be giving this a go! So happy with this product and I cannot WAIT to try it! For a bottle this size, the retail price is £11.00, so in my eyes I've already got my moneys worth, because this is a product I seriously want!

Next up, Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream. I'll admit this isn't really something I need, being 17 I don't really suffer from wrinkles, but this is meant to also soften your skin, so I'll either use it up or give it to my mum.

Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter, I cannot WAIT to try this! It smells absolutely gorgeous, if not incredibly similar to Champagne, I suggest you don't slap this on everyday before work if you don't want alcoholic rumours spreading fast!

LOVE the look of this, Jane Iredale Pure Lash Extenders and Conditioner. I've been wanting to try a similar product for a while now and never really got round to it, so again this product is something I really wanted! Hopefully I'll see a difference in my eyelashes with this on before I apply mascara!

These two Etat Libre D'Orange fragrances are a bit hit and miss for me, one is quite sweet and more of a fragrance I'd like, the other more masculine and far too strong! Neither really inspire me to rush out trying to buy them but, it's not the end of the world.

From the launch of Boudoir Prive when I first blogged about it, they always said there would be one "lifestyle" sample - that's where the tea bags come in. I'm quite happy with a lot of the other products so this wasn't too much of a big deal, but I hope they'll be something better "lifestyle" wise next month, I love tea as much as the next person but it's not really a "luxury" product. Anyway, I'll be sitting down and enjoying one of these tonight!

I have three "half price" vouchers, where with the code you can get a half price box (£5!) including delivery, so if you're interested then comment below or tweet me etc! Obviously there's only 3 so the first three people to ask will get one! :)

Between getting this box today, and being offered an interview at H&M (I picked up the phone with a toffee in my mouth and I was so happy I sounded like a massive weirdo so frankly it's a bloody miracle he even gave me a job and didn't just hang up!) I've had a fabulous day and I'm really a very happy girl!
xoxoxoxoxox

Have You Ordered YOUR H&M Catalogue Yet?!

This morning I was expecting my gorgeous Boudoir Prive box, but it seems everyone in the world apart from me has got theirs (I'm not making any comments on the box until I've got it) and I'll be honest - I completely forgot I ordered this. I think they come every season showing you their new range, this time of course, AUTUMN (my favourite season!). I haven't heard much about this new order style H&M have started doing, basically you can order a catalogue FREE off the H&M website and then either order what you want from the site or via the order form you get. I prefer seeing things in catalogues compared to online, the colours are usually so much more true to life. I was so pleasantly surprised when I started looking through this, it's easily one of the best high street collections I've seen. I could quite happily spend my money on the majority of clothes in here, H&M got it completely spot on for autumn and for a lot cheaper than Topshop, River Island, and more recently New Look (when the hell did they get pricey anyway?!). Anyway I've picked out and taken pictures of things I will definitely be splashing the cash on. 

I've been looking for some leather look leggings for SO long, I always seem to find them when all the good sizes have gone or something, but these I really like, because although the front panel is leather-look, the back is good old legging material, making them SO much comfier and means you won't spend half an hour trying to get them on and off!

I work the slouchy jumper and leggings/jeans combo FAR too much in autumn, and this jumper is right up my street. It's a similar style to one topshop did about the same time last year with the pockets in LOADS of different colours (see here if you have no idea what I'm on about!)

There's something about ponchos that automatically brings me to a visual image of season one ugly betty, where betty sports a really erm.... interesting poncho (horrific picture here). But this however looks GORGEOUS! This looks massive and cosy and completely right for autumn/winter, I honestly can't wait to get my hands on one, and £14.99?! Expect a similar thing from Topshop for about £38 :)

If you haven't got a parka, this one looks LUSH! Parkas are definitely a must this winter, and with every high street fashion store doing their own version, at the moment this is my firm favourite, and I'm going to have to restrain myself adding to my already ridiculous coat collection!

For me this is what catalogue shopping is all about. This jacket on a hanger, I'd probably walk straight past. Nothing particularly special, something I could live without. However on the model it is something else! I have a feeling I'll be rushing out for this, plus the lush acid wash jeans she's wearing.

If I could, I'd probably wear bodycon skirts for the rest of my life, genuinely. This definitely needs to be added to my collection, such a gorgeous and subtle take on colour blocking and instant update to make your wardrobe on trend for Autumn/Winter. And with a skirt like that, even with nude and black accessories, you're still going to stand out!

This dress is so gorgeous I don't even have any words. The colour is so autumn/winter and looks a lot more expensive than £15! I love the way the models have been styled in the catalogue, this look with the jeans and scarf just looks.... amazing. amazing amazing amazing.

And don't we all just love H&M for accessories?! These were the first thing to catch my eye on the jewellery front, I have a feeling I'll be collecting them all!

H&M never disappoint with jewellery lets be honest, and these pieces are definitely things I'll be looking out for in my local store. Everything is so affordable and yet, doesn't look like you've raided Claire's Accessories.

I want this in ALL 3 colours! I really couldn't believe when I saw these were £14.99, they have such a Mulberry look to them! The colours of the bags were really cleverly chosen, all three look completely right for autumn, and I am so torn which to make my a/w bag of choice!

On the shoe front, these definitely caught my eye, the fringe detail, the moccasin style, the fact they're an ankle boot, which I have a massive weakness for. These are calling my name, and again, SO CHEAP! The way Primark prices are speeding up, I'd be surprised if you could get better value anywhere else.

And I never knew H&M did homeware? Maybe it's a new thing. Everything was gorgeous in the home section, with Cath Kidston inspired florals to cute and quirky doormats such as this one, I'm very tempted to buy, who doesn't want a compliment as they walk through the door?! ;)

For me, the back page of this catalogue sums my Autumn style up perfectly. I want massive ponchos and cardigans, slouchy jumpers and tops, tight jeans and leggings and absolutely gorgeous accessories. I honestly do think that H&M are absolutely spot on this season, and I have a good feeling it'll be where I'll be picking up the majority of my Autumn/Winter wardrobe! I'm completely shocked by how low the prices are for the clothes and styles being sold, they seem to be the only shop that haven't ridiculously hitched their prices up. Definitely check out your local store or online.... OR order your catalogue here FREE!

xoxoxoxoxox