Weekend Haul

Hey Lovelies,

Today I had a fun outing to the shops with my sister.  There were a few things I was after a few products I have been reading about recently.  I was looking for FashionistA, a new brand to Superdrug, now this is annoying me, I have seen reviews on lipstick by this brand and so checked Superdrug online and could only find eye shadows!  I know that only certain stores have the brand which is also annoying.  Anyway...  my local store didn't have it :-( gutted!  My search will continue and I will let you know how it goes.

I was also on the hunt for Maybeline extreme moisture lipstick which they did have but not in the shade I wanted, peach colada, so I will also be keeping my eye out for this too.

Now onto what I did manage to get.  I have been hearing great things about MUA and how great the quality is for how cheap the price is.  I have not been disappointed.  I got two palettes, Immaculate Collection which has 24 shades was £7 & Pretty Pastels which has 12 was £3.  The quality is awesome, I have only swatched the shades, I have not tried them out on my eyes yet but I am feeling confident.

Pretty Pastels Swatches

The shades are nameless and shimmery, there is a light matt brown/ beige on top row that did not swatch very well.

Immaculate Collection Swatches

These shades are numbered 1 to 24, simple.  Again mostly shimmery shades however a few matt, which do not swatch well, in fact hard to get any colour off the shadow at all, this is disappointing as all the other shades are so soft and pigmented and easy to work with.

A fellow blogger has also come up with mac dupes for each shade, please visit The Sunday Girl.

Staying on the MUA theme, the nail polishes where £1 each, these were the 2 shades that caught my eye out of them all, shade 4 & 15.  The above pic is only 1 coat of varnish, I was so surprised, I thought I would need a few coats to get my desired coverage but only 1 coat, awesome!

I also bought the Kleenex shine absorbing sheets (powder free) these were on deal £1.49, not sure how many is in the packet but looks like quite a few, I also tried the sheets on my t-zone which tends to get oily as the day goes on, so these will come in very handy.

I got the Schwarzkopf Got2b guardian angel 220c heat protection spray.  This will be my first time using this, fancied a change from my tresemme spray.

I also got an eye cream, I have been looking for one for ages but there are so many out there and I have over thinked it, so I settled for Boots Vitamin E gentle eye cream, it has spf 15 and non greasy.  The main thing that attracted me to it was it reduces fine lines, dark circles and puffiness, it claims to do this within 4 weeks, fingers crossed.  It was pretty cheap £2.54.

Last but not least, Soap and Glory Hocus Focus instant visual flaw softening lotion.  You can mix this with either your moisturiser as a skin brightener, your foundation for a dewy, luminous look or alone on cheekbone as a highlight.  It claims to reduce the visibility of pores and fine lines, while making skin radiant and smooth, with a candle-lit, healthy glow.  So I will let you know my verdict.  I had a voucher for £2 off soap and glory at Boots, so got this for £11.

Boots also have their £5 off No7 products when you spend £5 in store.

Does anyone know how to get your hands on FashionistA?  Has anyone tried it out?

Feel free to contact me, share your tips and tricks and beauty news.

Lou xxx

Two Lovely Little Gift Sets

This year I found the cutest little gift sets for Valentines Day gifts. So I bought them for myself as my bf got my sigma brushes for me :-)

The first is Nars Wicked Attraction, £35 from ASOS.  Now I have been wanting to try Nars for ever such a long time, I was so close to purchasing the Nars blush, bronzer, highlighter trio and then spotted this little gem.  I thought, Orgasm, Laguna and I get to try an eyeshadow, lip gloss and eyeshadow base, hell yeh!

So as you can see it is blush, bronzer duo in shades orgasm, laguna and it is to die for, love love love it!  Its smaller than I though it would be, but a little goes a long way, I love the concept of having them in same palette, so handbag handy.

I tried the lip gloss in shade spring break, which is a lovely subtle, shimmery nude, perfect for everyday at the office or school.  I did notice the applicator is different from any lip gloss I've ever come across, but it does the job.  I have yet to test the eyeshadow in shade fathom, which is a shimmery pinky/ peachy shade and very spring timey.

Next up is Too Faced Look of Love Collection, £32 from ASOS I believe boots and beautybay.com sell it too.  This is so cute, I'm a sucker for anything pastel.  The full size mascara is pretty good, not over excited by it, but i may change my mind as I use it more, it smells gorgeous though!  Don't ask my how I ended up smelling it, cos that I don't know, but if you have it, give it a sniff, go on :-)

There was a full size shadow insurance, which works wonders, full size lip gloss in shade barely legal, which is awesome, it tingles your lips and has a cooling effect, love it.   There was a little tester size primed and poreless that I cant wait to try.  Last but not least is a cute compact with blush and 2 shadows and mirror, handy for on the go.

Again, feel free to comment as I would be more than happy to chit chat.  please share any tips or tricks or heads up you have within the beauty community, I love a bargain.

Lou xxx

Carmine Beauty Box Review - January 2012

Hello my lovelies,

Hope you are all well.  Sorry for the delay with this review.  However lets get started.  This was my first Carmine box and I must say I was quite impressed.  It is pretty much the same concept as the Glossybox, I'm sure that with Carmine all subscribers get the same product with maybe only variances in shades, whereas with Glossybox the products from box to box varies per person.

The Eldora lashes I don't have much use for as I am useless at getting them on and I would only use them on nights out with more dramatic looks.  However, I did try them out and they look lovely on, your lashes look naturally long and flirty, which i like.  I suppose with a bit more practise I could master the technique for applying false lashes, until then I am happy to keep trying.

The Balance Me Radiance Face Oil is my least favourite, purely because the sample is so small and its a roller ball, if this is supposed to cover your face you would be there all day, for me the less time spent on my daily routine the better, so I could not properly assess this product because I couldn't get it out the bottle!

Korres Wild Rose Moisturising and Brightening Cream is a lovely product, my skin was so soft I am going to try it under my make up to see the effects of the brightening side of it. 

I have not tried the bath salt as I don't have a bath, which has made me miss having a bath even more.  I will let my mum make good use of these.

The eyeko fat eye stick is very nice to use, its creamy and can be smudged pretty easily, is nice on its own or as a base for holding your eyeshadow, probably my favourite of all the products.

I look forward to receiving my next Carmine box, I am also due a She Said Beauty Box and Boudoir-Prive box, I will then need to decide which subscriptions to keep and which to get the boot.  Will keep you all posted.

Lou xxx

Glossybox Review - January 2012 box

Hey lovelies,

As promised I have reviewed all of the products in the January 2012 Glossybox.  This box impressed me this month, the products were all items that I find useful in my everyday routine and use on a daily basis.  The great thing about Glossybox is that it introduces you to brands you may not have heard of before or that you haven't tried before.

Lets start with the Eyeko skinny eyeliner, this is a lovely midnight blue shade, transfer was nice and smooth and long lasting, colour is gorgeous too, I look forward to wearing this on a night out perhaps with a blue smokey eye.

The 2 clarins creams, day cream and night cream, i used these twice and had to stop as it brought my face out in red dots, my skin is quite sensitive and it didnt agree with me.  It does say that the creams are for all skin types but to be on the safe side my sister continued to use the creams and her skin looks great, a shock to her as her skin is really bad for break outs.  Again this is why the Glossybox is great, I would have been gutted if I had spent £35 per full size cream only to realise it was too harsh on my skin.

Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - Dewy Finish was my least favourite from the box, I used this once under my foundation and once on its own.  I didin't see the effects of the primer under my foundation however, it did look quite nice on its own, gives you a nice glow and light coverage, would be nice in summer when you dont want anything too heavy on your face.

Last but not least the FAB - First Aid Beauty body moisturizer, I have been using this for over a week now and I am impressed with how soft my skin feels even in my problem areas.  This is something I would repurchase.

So all in all, this was a good box and I am looking forward to my Febuary box arriving, will let you know what goodies I receive as soon as I get it. Hurry up Mr Postman :-)

Lou xxx

Carmine Beauty Box January 2012

Hey Lovelies,

Looky looky what has arrived today, my first Carmine Beauty Box! Yey :-)

Again I will show you all the products I got in my box and a little description of them and once I have tried them out I will let you all know what I think.

So we have the Eldora Handmade False Lashes, 5ml Balance Me Radiance Face Oil, 10ml Korres Wild Rose 24-Hour Moisturising & Brightening Cream, Westlab Himalayan Pink Bath Salt and finally Eyeko Fat Eye Stick in shade Old Gold.

Just wanted to mention that you get your first Carmine Beauty Box for £5, so I am pretty pleased with what my £5er got me, smiles all round :-)

Will get back to you soon with review shortly.

Lou xxx

Nails Inc London Lucky Dip

Hi all,

I recently got a good deal on Nails Inc London, a lucky dip of 6 shades for £15 plus £4 delivery, so £19 all in is not so bad considering the varnishes can cost £11 each.

This was the selection I received. 

Back: Emerald Street, Palace Gardens Terrace, Blenheim Terrace

Middle: Villers Street, Queensgate Mews

Front: Garrick Street

This is the 1st time I have purchased the Nails Inc brand and I am impressed with the finish they give so I will be keeping my eyes open for more deals from them in the future.  I will be sure to let you all know about these deals too.

What are your favourite nail colours and brands?

Lou xxx

January 2012 Glossybox

Hi lovelies,

I received my January 2012 Glossybox in the post yesterday and I must say I am one happy lil' lady!
Ok so at the moment I will let you know what is in my box then when I have had time to use and review the products I will make another post.

I have the Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in the colour midnight blue, 15ml Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream, 15ml Clarins Extra Firming Night Cream, 5ml Murad Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer - Dewy Finish, 2oz FAB Body Moisturizer and and the cutest little sweetie that says Glossybox on it.

On facebook a lot of people were disappointed by the box but I am pretty happy, I got a wearable shade of eyeliner and had no issues with my Clarins samples, other people were complaining the Clarins bottles were almost empty, so guess I have been pretty lucky.

Like I say I will be testing the products and will get back to you asap.  Im very excited.  Watch this space peeps.



Lou xxx

Brazilian Blow Out Results

Hi my lovelies,

Well it has been over 48 hours since I started the Organix Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy 30 Day Smoothing Treatment.  I could not wait to wash my hair as it was very oily as I mentioned in my 1st post but this got worse as the hours ticked on.

So I washed my hair using the Organix Brazilian Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner and as soon as I towel dried my hair I could feel the difference already.  My hair didnt feel so heavy, like it normally does after washing.  This lead to my hair drying a lot quicker and wasnt as frizzy as it normally would be when I dry it.  So it looked promising.

In the morning I straightened my hair, which took no time at all and i have visably noticeable straighter, less frizzy hair, im so pleased.  My hair is naturally thick and if I starighten my hair in the morning it will be frizzy and kinked by the time I finish work.  Not today, I am still straight, smooth and sleek. :-)

So over all I am very pleased with the treatment and will defo be using it again.  However, I will be doin the treatment at the weekend the next time, when I dont need to leave the house as the 48 hour oily hair was too much for me to handle in public.  I would also advise enrolling the help of a friend to put treatment on your hair as it can be quite hard to make sure you have fully covered your hair, much like if you dye your hair.  However, it can be done on your own as thats the way I did it.

If you have any questions I would be happy to answer, just leave a comment and I will get right back to you.

Lou xxx