Wednesday 31 August 2011

Topshop Make Up Review

Topshop is with a doubt one of my favourite clothes stores, which I always pop into whenever I get the chance, so I do wonder why it's taken over a year for me to buy some of their cosmetics. But, I just never thought their makeup would be any good to be honest. How wrong I was.
Now, by no means do I prefer Topshop makeup to the likes of Mac or Benefit, but I think the products I've bought are excellent value for money and would definitely recommend them.
So, my first purchase was the Eye Crayon in Lazy Days, which is a pinkish colour with gold sparkles running through it. It's not available on the website anymore, however the Crayon in Stardust is relatively similar.
The photo really doesn't do the Eye Crayon any justice, as it adds such a lovely simple bit of gold sparkle to your eye. They retail at £5 each, which is a very good price, and I definitely want to buy more in some of the other lovely colours. The only downside, which may only apply to this one, or may only bother me, is that there is a really strange smell lurking at the tip of the pencil. 
 I bought this eyeshadow duo a long time ago when it was on sale for just a pound (I just couldn't resist!) I'm glad I bought it because even though I only really use the pink half, it gave me a good idea of just how pigmented Topshop eye shadows are. 
 As you can see, they are really quite pigmented, and bare in mind these colours aren't that bright at all, in fact there more on the pale side. The texture of these colours is a bit thin for my liking, you have to build up colour if you want an intense, vibrant colour. I'm very curious to try more of the Topshop eye shadows, to see if they have a different, hopefully thicker texture than this one.
The next product I bought is the Topshop Glaze in the colour Laid Back, which is a coral/pink colour. I really like it and think it would suit most skin tones. It adds a really nice layer of shine and hint of colour, for £6 it's a real bargain I think and I would definitely recommend trying it.
The final product is a cream blush in Neon Rose, and although I don't use it very much (as it doesn't suit my skin tone too well and I find it a bit tricky to blend in well) but I do really like the colour. Even though I tend not to use the blush I use it as a compact mirror, as I love the simple spotty design. 
I really like the Topshop makeup, partly because I love the design of their products (I have an obsession with spots!), but I think the quality is pretty good for the price and it's really handy being able to pick up a lip gloss or eyeshadow I've been needing, while out clothes shopping.
Be sure to let me know what you think of Topshop makeup and if you have any recommendations!
xox

Tuesday 30 August 2011

A Lush Little Purchase!

I'm sure many of you will be more than familiar with Lush and their fantastic smelling products, I myself am a huge Lush fan and will always pop into their shop, purely for the lovely Lush aroma. 
It was a while ago that I picked up the Bubblegum flavoured lip scrub, and I only really got it for the amazingly intense bubblegum scent it has. Luckly, Lush didn't let me down as the product itself not only smells fantastic, tastes brillient, but also exfoliates my lips and makes them really soft. 
The lip scrub is essentially bubblegum flavoured sugar that comes in a reasonabley sized pot and retails for about £5. It is avaidible in a less intense, but still lovely vanilla flavour, which serves as an excellent alternative if you're not keen on an intense bubblegum flavour.
Next time you're in a Lush store, give the Bubblegum one a smell, you really can't imagine how lovely it is until you actually test it out.
Be sure to comment and let me know what Lush products you like and what you think of this one if you have it!
xox 

Monday 29 August 2011

Original Source Product Review

I'm never really fussed as to what shower gel I use, I usually just use whatever is in the shower to be honest. So when I used our latest shower gel, well to say the least I was pleasantly surprised. The Original Source Summer Golden Pineapple shower gel, is absolutely amazing, it has such a intense fruity smell, that definitely epitomises all of the scents you associate with Summer time.

I literally cannot get enough of it, and by a strange coincedence my mum bought the Original Source Shea Butter and Coconut handwash, which is also lovely, but not quite as intense as the shower gel.


I would definately consider myself a fan of Original Source products now, as the company work closely with Fair Trade and the Vegan Society!
Oh and apologies for using the companies photos, but the shower is, as you guessed, in the shower and the hand wash is running out.
xox

Sunday 28 August 2011

Sunday Night Faves No.1

So, I've decided to do some kind of regular, once a week blog post, and thought what better to write about than my favourite high street online finds of the week.
I've made it a personal aim to include some variation among my finds (so not all dresses from Topshop or bags from Urban Outfitters!).
Be sure to comment and let me know what you think of my favourite online items of the week.
Retailing in Topshop for £58
Oh my, these shoes literally took my breath away when I saw them, the colour is just so incredibley vibrant and different. I don't know how you guys feel about velvet, but I love it, besides how many shoes do you see that actually feel nice when you touch them. These are pretty expensive, but I just think they would look super cute with a simple colured dress, perhaps a black one. 
Retailing in River Island £16
 Usually I'm all about patterns and prints, but this simple t-shirt is just so cute and looks quite unique with the scalloped edges. This top looks like the type of thing you could just 'throw on' with pretty much anything really. It's available in a few other colours, but personally I like the cream best.
Retailing in River Island for £50
How cute is this bag/mini suitcase? I think every aspect of this bag is just adorable, the shape, the squirrel print, the handle and the buckles! It is rather pricey but I determined to save up for this as it just has such a cute, vintage feel to it.
Be sure to comment and let me know what you think of my favourite online items of the week.
xox

Saturday 27 August 2011

My Blog is a Week Old!

It's been a week since I started my blog and oddly this week has gone by incredibly slow. It baffled me when I clicked on the stats a day after starting my blog to see that three people had viewed it, since I hadn't commented or tried to publicise it in any way, but I suppose they're are ways. 
It's been really nice commenting on blogs and receiving comments on my posts, as I just love to know what people think and whether or not they share my views.
I've been exploring loads of different blogs this week, yet I still haven't found one in the same kind of genre as mine with an anonymous blogger, I'm just curious to see how they keep thier blog personal and interesting without revealing too much about who they are.
Let me know if you have any tips, as I'm still new to blogging and am always looking for advice!
xox



Friday 26 August 2011

Rather Large Eyeko Review

I'm sure most of  you will have heard of Eyeko, as quite a few popular bloggers are ambassadors of the brand and offer a free gift code on their blog. Some may consider the design of the products to be a bit cheap looking and tacky, but I love it and would gladly buy the products purely on the basis of their design!
I recently ordered two of the fat balms, and the Eyeko cream with extra glow, the Eyeko sparkle powder was bought a good few years ago and I think it's since been discontinued. The liptastick pen came as a free gift when I used an ambassador code. 
The two fat balms retail at £6.50 each, which I think is perhaps a bit overpriced. I ordered the Minty Fat Balm and Toffee Fat Balm, at first I really disliked he smell of both of them. However, I particularly liked the colour of the Minty Fat Balm, so I thought I would persevere with it, despite the smell. But, I have grown to really like the smell and feel that it really freshens my lips and breath and the colour adds a nice pink shine to my lips. But, I'm still not keen on the colour or the smell of the toffee, as the smell reminds me of plastic and the colour just doesn't suit me.
On to the second type of lip product, the Liptastick Glossy Lip Pen, which came free as my ambassador gift, however they're available to buy for £6.50. I got it in the a bright, vibrant red called Lip Lover, and although it's a little too daring for me I think it's a gorgeous colour for someone with the confidence to pull of such a classic red. The fact that it's in a pen makes the application very precise, no matter what the shape of your lips is. The formula of the lipstick is really creamy and doesn't dry out your lips too much.
The next product I ordered was the Eyeko Cream with Extra Glow, which retails at £8.95. It's a very fair price for the amount of product you get in the pot. I really like the feel of the cream itself, as I find it isn't too thick or gloopy and does add a very nice glow when blended in correctly. 
The Eyeko Sparkle Powder is cute, but really not practical. Granted, it does come with an adorable pink powder puff, but beware as soon as you pick up the powder puff a fog of sparkly powder comes out with it. I really don't recommend applying the product with the powder puff as you may end up with two very large sparkly circles on your cheeks.
Overall, I would say I'm a fan of Eyeko products, as they're affordable and come in adorable packaging, my only complaint would be that there aren't enough products for sale!
Be sure to let me know if you have any Eyeko products and what you think of them!
xox

Thursday 25 August 2011

A BHS Bargin?

BHS isn't usually the place I would expect to find some decent makeup, yet low and behold, I have been proven wrong. I had heard of the brand NYX before, and was keen to try it but I never expected to stumble across it in BHS, and with 50% of all the products! Unfortunately they don't have that many of the products, I spotted a lip gloss, blusher and some eyeshadow palettes, but thankfully they also had the product I had been searching for, the Jumbo Eye Pencil! They did actually have quite a lot of colours to my surprise so I picked up three, as they were just £3 each. 
The first I picked up is a white colour called Milk, which I got to brighten my eye, and blend with the darker browns. I bought a bronze colour called Ice Mocha, and a darker brown called 'French Fries', I have to say they all look lovely when used together.
 I much perfer cream eyeshadows to powder ones, as they so much easier to blend and much quicker to apply (partly because no brushes are required!) I really would like to purchase more of these eye pencils as they're so easy to use, evan for somone like me who tends to shy away from using dark colours.
xox

Wednesday 24 August 2011

Brighten Your Eyes with a Maybelline Quad

When it comes to eyeshadow, I like bright eye awaking colours that are simple to use, as I tend to shy away from dark colour purely because I worry I'll make myself look like a panda.
 This Maybelline Quad is yet another Tesco find, and I think it was about £7, which is a real bargain! The colours are really nice, and I usually use the three lightest everyday, as I'm still a bit apprehensive about putting darker colours on my eyes.
 The little eyeshadow brush is really good too, as it has a larger end for sweeping on the first two colours over most of my eye and a smaller brush for putting the third lightest colour in the crease of my eye.
xox



Tuesday 23 August 2011

The Best Body Butter in the World?

I'm many of you will have heard, tried or at least smelt the Body Shops body butter before, as it's won numerous awards and what not. Initially I only intended to buy one, but there was an offer on of 'Buy Two for £15.00' and at £12.50 each, it made sense to buy another. I'm pretty sure I smelt every single pot, and every flavour was strong and intense, but I found some (e.g the Coconut and Mango) just too overwhelming and a little sickly. I think it's just down to personal taste which one you like and which ones you can't stand. 
 The first one I went for was the Shea Body Butter, which I is definitely my favourite, as it has a lovely smell that I always seem to love. Whereas, my other Body Butter is in the Strawberry flavour, which is undoubtedly amazing and intense, but sometimes I literally cannot stand it, which I know is rather odd.

After the first use my skin instantly felt softer and I find that it's not the type of product that you have to consistently use for five days or so before you see or feel the results. 
xox

Marvolous Mascara for just £4.99

For me mascara is a product I could easily live without, however I'm still searching for the perfect one that lengthens my lashes, without clumping and gives them a hint of colour, without making them look false.
A couple of weeks ago while browsing in Tesco at the cosmetics where I decided to search for a new mascara. I picked up my Collagen Curl Mascara from Collection 2000, purely because the bright coloured packaging make it look really groovey, afterall who can resist a funcky coloured macara.
I really do like this mascara, because it curls and lentghens my lashes without creating any clumps. For £4.99 it's such a bargin and I seriously would recommend it to a friend (so long as they want the same kind of lashes that I want). 
As you can see the wand is curved and the mascara itself is very black, possibley a bit too black for someone of my fair colouring, but oh well, like I say I'll always be searching for that perfect mascara. I'm not totally sure if I'll be buying this mascara again, due the colour be a little too dark for me, but I will certainly be buying a mascara with a curved wand again.

xox

Monday 22 August 2011

The Magic of Macro

Sometimes it's so hard to take a decent picture of a product. You get the perfect amount of natural light and the perfect angle, but your photo is still some what blurry. I had this problem so many times, until I discovered that my standard didgital camera had a Macro feature.
I heard about the Macro feature while watching Zoella and Sprinkle of Glitter's blogging tips video on YouTube (I recommend you watch it, it's full of fantastic tips). At first I had no idea what it did, or how to use it, being some what of an amatur photographer to say the least. But, I saw a button my camera had a Macro button (a button with a small flower on it), and oh my goodness, the quality of my photos improved instantly! I never take a photo without turning on the Macro button now and I seriously recommend you give it a try.
Pre-Macro: A decent angle, decent natural light, yet a frustrating blur


Post Macro: I'll leave it to you to spot the difference!
xox

MAC Attack

Ok, so the title is a little OTT, as I only bought a few things but I couldn't resist a bit of rhyming! I had heard of MAC a few years ago, and after hearing so many great things about them I decided I would have to give them a try. Unfortunately there aren't any stores near me, but there a concessions in other large stores. 
However, while on my holiday last month I was lucky enough to stumble into one of their stores. I was immediately drawn to the lipsticks, and was pleasantly surprised by that nice vanillary smell they have. I purchased Hue and Pretty Please, both of which are pinks. I had heard and seen the colour Hue used on bloggers such as LLYMLRS and Zoella, so I decided to at least test it out. But strangely enough I picked it up, tried it, loved it, then realised it was Hue. I now totally appreciate all the hype around Hue, as I think it gives your lips such a nice hint of pink, which makes it really easy to wear with anything! 
Left: Hue (Glaze) Right: Pretty Please (Lustre)
I like Pretty Please but find it a bit too sheer to wear just on it's own, unlike Hue, which has become my new everyday lipstick! I love the MAC lipsticks, as I find them quite moisturizing and I think they're are definitely worth the money. 
I also picked up a paint pot, as I liked how you're able to use them as an eyeshadow base and just on their own. It's the perfect piece of makeup for someone like myself, who is a little bit lazy when it comes to applying eyeshadow, as you can just dab a bit on your eyes and you're good to go! 
Colour is Bare Study
 The only downside to buying these products is now I'm dying to buy more from Mac! If anyone has any recommendations about what MAC products to get next, I would LOVE to hear them.
xox




Sunday 21 August 2011

Pixi Makeup Review

While on my holidays last month, my mum ventured into a rather large Boots store and came across what she called a 'cute' little makeup range called Pixi. Strangely by coincidence, I had actually been searching for this range for a while after watching numerous reviews on YouTube. When it comes to makeup, I'm a ashamed to say that if the packaging of a product is 'cute and pretty', I will most likely buy it, even if I know that I will rarely use it.

But, do not be fooled by the 'cuteness' of Pixi products, as they are in fact quite expensive for a brand sold in Boots. Most of the products range from about £10 to £20, which I think is very reasonable as the quality is very good.
So, the first product I bought is the Pixi blush in No.4 Golden Energy, which retails at £14.00. Normally, I would buy a really bright pink blush (like No.2 Pick Me Up Pink), however I really liked the fact that I can apply this on the go without having to worry about it blending in, due to the gorgeous  colours. The packaging is adorable, yet incredibly practical, as it features a mirror and a pull out draw which contains an amazingly soft blush brush. I personally like to use this highlighting blush over a more colourful, pigmented blush, as I find it adds a lovely shimmery glow.
The second product I bought was the Eye Beauty Kit in No.5 Miracle, which consists of mostly neutral colours (pinks, beige's, browns and yellows) the perfect colours for someone like myself who isn't exactly brilliant at applying eyeshadow! This palette is possibly one of the slimmest palettes I have ever seen, which makes it the perfect size to carry around in your bag. The colours are lovely and I find that they really brighten up your eyes, and the palette comes with an easy to use eye shadow brush. 
I would definitely recommend the two products that I bought, as they're really easy to apply and to use on the go. Some people may dislike the packaging, but I absolutely love it, as it really makes the brand stand out.
But, please bear in mind that this is just my personal opinion.
xox 

Saturday 20 August 2011

The Birth of a Blog

Starting a blog has been something I've wanted to do for a long time now, as I really love reading blogs and figure that writing a blog could be just as enjoyable as reading one. For now my blog will be anonymous, although I can assure you that I'm a girl living in England. In the past year I've become a bit of a clothing addict and although I dislike the phrase 'style icon', I really admire the style of people such as Alexa Chung, Pixie Lott and Eliza Doolittle. 
An obvious downside of keeping my blog anonymous is that what I can post is fairly limited (no outfit posts for example), but hey, I'll see how it goes.
xox