JULY FAVOURITES

Oh look, it's that time already! Since buying too much make up, I put myself on a ban. No more make up unless I have absolutely run out of something like foundation/concealer/powder. I have been very well behaved as well... except from buying nail polish yesterday because Superdrug had 3 for 2 but we'll just ignore that little slip up.

First thing I've been loving is this Blush By 3 Sweet Cheeks palette from the latest Sleek Candy Collection. I've mentioned before how I've got really into blush recently and this handy little palette has a cream, matte and slightly shimmery blush. From left to right the shades are Candy Floss, Dolly Mixture and Cupcake, so cute! The colours, as with all Sleek blushes, are super pigmented and last well. You can apply them subtly or build them as intense as you like. I really like Cupcake the most and Dolly Mixture is really nice just for a little hint of colour on lazy days. I think it was about £10 but for 3 different blushes, absolute bargain.

I wrote about my Clarins purchases here. I've been really enjoying using these products together this month. They just feel a lot more luxurious on my skin as opposed to Boots branded products and other drugstore brands I had been using. Can't fully get used to the smell of the toner still but I feel like it does a much better job than other products I've used. I am trying to use them every few days to make them last but I do love them.

Kind of cheating a little bit here as I haven't actually used these products but the ones I have used, I foolishly threw the packet away. Recently I have got so into using face masks. I just want to do them every day and have to restrain myself. I try and just leave it for a Saturday or Sunday night but I'm loving them. I got these 2 along with another 2 from Superdrug. I think they're 99p each and they were on offer when I bought them. I got about 3/4 uses out of the other packs and they were brilliant. I had a cucumber peel off mask which was really soothing and a de-stressing mud mask which has definitely been my favourite. It left my skin so soft. So I have high hopes for these 2 and I would definitely recommend picking up some of these.

The Maybelline Color Tattoos, especially this shade in On and On Bronze, have been insanely raved about. I got the shade Permanent Taupe quite a while ago and really liked that. It's a matte browny-grey colour and perfect for lazy days when you can't really be bothered blending eyeshadows together. I caved and bought this popular shade and I totally get the hype! It's a beautiful, shimmery gold-bronze colour that can be built up so easily to get a good solid block of colour but looks lovely just with one swipe across the lid. I like these because they do last all day without primer and you don't even need a brush to use them and they still look great.
I got the eyelash curlers from ELF and they are the mini eyelash curlers. I had my last pair for years, literally since I was about 13, so I thought it was time for a new pair. The "grabby bit" (great technical term there...) is tiny and covers about a third of the lash line meaning you can get right into the corner so that all the lashes get gripped and curled. My eyelashes are pretty long and I rarely curl them at all to be honest, but the results from these are amazing.
Lastly, the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer. I have had this for months. I think I might have got it when it was released and I have always liked it and every now and then I'll grab it to use just because it's there but this month, for some reason, I've really been loving it. It's a brilliant under eye concealer and I feel it really brightens the eye and it has great coverage. I don't think I'd ever paid that much attention to the coverage before, I was just using it, but I noticed how well it covered the dark circles I've got and I've been using it practically every day since.

Just a few products this month. What have you been loving?

I AM THE EGG MAN

I popped into town yesterday and bought a new tee that I've been wearing today so I think it's time for a little outfit post.

Tee; Primark | Skirt; Miss Selfridge | Necklace; Primark | Boots; Matalan | Nails; Rimmel x Kate Moss Salon Pro 'Hip Hop' + Barry M Confetti 'Dolly Mixture' 

I got a new desk for my room that takes up much less space so I don't need to stand on my bed to take outfit photos anymore. I mean, There's still not enough room to fit my whole body in, but still!

This top was £8 and I already have like 3 other tops with The Beatles on but I just love them! Especially when it's as sunny as it is, I love nothing more than listening to them in the car and having a good sing a long. I tucked it in to my denim style skater skirt and I still can't believe it's suitable weather to go no tights! Mental!

I've been after a chain necklace like this for ages and this one is pretty cheap looking in person, especially when you feel it, and in hindsight paying £3 for it seems a bit too much but I like the touch it gives to the outfit.

I picked the boots up from the Matalan sale for £10 from £22! I don't know what it is about them I fell in love with but I knew as soon as I spotted them that they were coming back home with me. They're are quite wide around the ankle but they're super comfy.
And today's nails... when the Kate Moss Salon Pro nail polishes came out on the Rimmel stands I picked up two of the shade and since then I saw so many posts about the shade Hip Hop and yesterday I caved and bought it. It's kind of an orangey-red but definitely more on the red side. And I put a coat of the Barry M Confetti polish on top. I've been wanting to try this since it came out but I heard mixed reviews. Superdrug had 3 for 2 on across all nail polishes so that one ended up being free but I really like it! It's different and a great effect.

HEATWAVE HANDBAG ESSENTIALS

If there's one thing us British folk love to talk about, it's the weather. I say "talk"... I mean complain. It's what we do best! If you're not from the UK, we've had the hottest weather ever the last couple of weeks and it's actually getting unbearable. We've even had a level 3 heatwave warning which is pretty insane!
This week has been so hot and sticky and being in an office all week with no air conditioning just getting more and more sweaty (attractive...) hasn't been ideal.
I planned out this post yesterday when I was trying to make a heat related headache disappear and today is actually not all that sunny. It's still really hot and humid but if it is still glorious where you are then slap on the SPF, drink a lot of water and here are a few essential bits to pop in your handbag for when you're out and about.

First an obvious choice but make sure you have your sunglasses. I hate having the sun in my eyes and having to squint. Also, I have a lot of weird fears and getting wrinkles is one of them. So I'm scared that if I spend too much time sun squinting, I'll get awful eye wrinkles! I should probably invest in some decent sunglasses but these are quite nice. They're from Dorothy Perkins for about £6 and the case was free with them. I have about 3 pairs of similar Primark ones scattered around my car just in case...
I get really bad headaches a lot and the sun really does me no favours so I always have some paracetamol in my bag anyway but definitely make sure you have some on hand.
With it being so hot and sticky, you just want you hair off your face. I'm finding my fringe to be getting slightly annoying now with the heat so my bag is now full of bobbles and bobby pins. It'll be pretty handy to have some kind of comb or brush. I got this comb from Primark in a pack of two for £1.
I'm hugely paranoid of being smelly at the best of times (painting a great picture of myself in this post) so I like to carry around a little perfume or body spray one. I got this House of Holland body spritz in a gift set and it's just a nice little refresher with a subtle fruity smell. I really like it.
I also have had the facial spritz in my bag since getting it in the July Glossybox and it's been a lifesaver. It is such a nice little refresher and it dries almost instantly and without ruining make up. MUA do a makeup fixing spray which is essentially the same thing, if that's easier to get your hands on.
There's nothing worse than dry lips so lip balms need to be your best friend. The ever faithful Vaseline is always going to be a great choice but I also really love the Figs & Rouge Multi-Tasking lip balm which also has a slight hint of colour to it, if you can't be bothered with lipstick.
Finally, make sure you have a great summer songs playlist loaded on your iPod for when you're walking or driving around. Summertime music is always going to lift your mood. My playlist this year contains the songs of Jake Bugg, Mumford & Sons and Bastille. I also love Skies Don't Lie by Example, a new song called Rivers by Bipolar Sunshine, I Don't Care by Icona Pop and for my massive guilty pleasures, anything by Taylor Swift and One Direction.

Make sure you keep hydrated and please wear lots of suncream. No, SPF 2 does not count. It will not protect you. Wear at least SPF 30, please!
I'm not trying to be a fun sponge. Have lots of fun and enjoy the weather but remember our British bodies are not used to this, aha!

RETURN TO THE 90'S

I was born in 1992 so my childhood was spent in the 90's and I often get a bit nostalgic thinking back to the younger days and then cringe at the way we dressed. It most most definitely insanely cool back in the day to be tie dyed to the max with clip in fluorescent hair braid and denim bandanas. Way cool. Trust me.
Recently I've seen an influx of all the 90's gems in the high street stores and either I fell into a time machine without knowing or they are trying to bring back 90's fashion and I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this...

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

First off, jelly shoes are EVERYWHERE. When I was a kid having jelly shoes meant you literally couldn't be cooler. Like, you were even cooler than the kids with their light up trainers. And if you had silver glittery jelly shoes, you were on fire! So if you want to feel that cool then Topshop are giving you a little hand there.

My favourite thing about 90's fashion was definitely tie dye. I wanted everything that was tie dye and I'm not going to lie, that River Island jumper is kind of making me want to buy it...

Then you had all your graffiti and slogan print tees and that H&M maxi dress screams 90's! Not really sure who could get away with rocking this now but if you're going to try then massive respect to you.

90's accessories that everyone had... the biggest gold hoop earrings you could find and of course, the bumbag! New Look have tried making theirs a bit edgy by sticking studs all over it but I don't think bumbags where acceptable then, let alone now. The bumbag will always remind me of holidays when I was a kid and mum would put all the money in it so she didn't have to take a bag and we'd rummage around in it trying to find 2p's to go in the amusements. Ah nostalgia! How I love thee.

I don't think you can talk about 90's fashion without talking about denim. Sure, denim is still in fashion as it always has been and always will be but there was something about 90's denim... like how everyone dressed in head to toe denim (yes, looking at you Britney and Justin.) I can definitely see 90's J-Lo loving the denim jumpsuit. And flared jeans! Where the more flared the better. I was in love with mine and now looking back all I can think about them was how the bottoms were always soaked with the rain. How fashionable..!

Like I said, I'm not sure how I feel about all these trends coming back. If you can rock the jelly shoe in your mid twenties though then you go for it and I love you for that.

All I want to do now is have a Fab lolly and listen to the Backstreet Boys.

FIRST CLARINS PURCHASES

A bit ago back I posted about how I wasn't happy with my skin care routine and needed some decent products pumped in to it. A couple of weeks ago I ventured into Boots and over to the Clarins purchase and made a little purchase.

In the blog post I did about wanting a skin care shake up, I said that cleansing and toning were the two steps I was having trouble getting right. I spoke to the lady on the counter (who was very lovely) and she asked me about my skin type and what type of cleanser I liked and she recommended this duo; Cleansing Milk and Toning Lotion for Normal or Dry Skin. They were £18 each and on the day Boots had an offer on that if you bought both you got £5 back in points on your advantage card, which I was happy with.
I've been using these for about 2 weeks now and mostly every day. I am trying to alternate with my existing products to use them up and to make these last a bit longer. So far, I am really loving them. The cleanser feels a lot nicer than other cleansing milks I have used. It feels light and it does have a bit of a fragrance, which I'm usually a bit scared of putting on my skin, but this hasn't irritated at all. It's taking me a while to get used to the smell of the toner. The product itself, I really like. I feel like it's refreshing my skin better than drugstore toners but it smells a little bit like some kind of lemon fragrance cleaner - not the nicest of smells! I really wish toners came with pumps though. I try so hard and I always end up spilling a bit which isn't ideal when you've put good money into it.

When I went to pay at the counter I also had picked up some face packs from Boots and the girl on the Clarins counter who was serving me just asked if they were just for me or if I was having a girly night (of course they were just for me!) and then she offered to give me a sample of one of their face masks which was really lovely. She opened the sample drawer to get one for me and ended up just puling out loads of little samples and filling the bag with them!

I haven't used all of these yet as I'm trying to make them last as long as possible. I have used all of the Gentle Refiner Exfoliating Cream (end of top row) and I really enjoyed that. I think I got about 3 uses out of it. I'm also really liking using the Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner just for an extra bit of skin love. On a Sunday night I like to go for the double cleanser, double toner and double face mask attack just to round off the weekend and prep me for the new week. I'm very tempted to buy the full size of this one. I have also used the Pure and Radiant Mask a couple times and I quite enjoyed that too. It left my skin nice and smooth.

So pleased I got excellent customer service at the Clarins counter as going to those big beauty counters can be a little daunting especially when you're a newbie to the brand.
As for the products, I'm really happy that my skin actually seems to like them. I haven't broken out (any extra than my skin normally is!) and my skin feels softer and plumper since using all of this. I think I may have become a Clarins convert!

What other Clarins products should I look into?

OOTD: WORKING GIRL

Well it has been a while since I last did an outfit post and I recently bought a new dress that I wore today so what better opportunity to rectify that.
To be honest, I think the main reason for lack of outfit posts is that I just haven't really been buying clothes that much. However, I popped into New Look at the weekend and fell in love with a dress. New Look isn't somewhere I usually shop. I feel like their target audience is very teenage and usually none of their clothes appeal to me but I spied this dress in one of the concession ranges they stock.

Dress; Tenki @ New Look | Shoes; Primark | Rings; Dorothy Perkins & River Island | Nails; Ciaté

The weather lately has been so hot that I've been stepping way out of my comfort zone and ditching the tights and the knitwear however, when I got out of bed this morning the weather seemed to have remembered that it's in England and the tights needed bringing back out.

The dress then..! I went through a phase (like pretty much everyone) of buying everything and anything with a collar, particularly a Peter Pan collar, but I don't appear to actually own anything anymore with one on. The colour hasn't really translated well on camera but it's a lilac-grey sort of colour and it isn't really as shimmery as it seems. It does have a little which is the underneath lining. It's just so cute! It did come with a belt that went around the waist and had a bow at the front fastening however, it was navy which really confused me. It really didn't match the dress and everyone knows navy and black is a thing that shouldn't happen!

I've worn this today with just a plain black blazer for work. I just wear my flat Primark shoes that I absolutely love! They're sort of lattice design and they're actually really comfy. I pretty much wear them everyday and they were only about £8!

I got the finger top rings from River Island for £2! I originally wanted the criss cross ones that everyone and their cat have but I tried about 6 different stores and the Internet and couldn't get y hands on them. I do really like these ones though. The gold bands are a pack of four from Dorothy Perkins and cost £5. Really simple but really effective.

And the nail varnish is the Ciaté one I received in this months Glossybox. It's a lovely dark nude and I was really impressed with the pigmentation of it to.

My fringe did not behave at all today and I ended up rushing this morning trying to do it and made matters worse so I've been a bit gappy-fringed all day.
On my face today, though, is...:

Nivea Express Hydration Primer
GOSH Velvet Touch Primer
No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation 'Calico'
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer 'Ivory'
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 'Fair'
MAC Mineralised Skin Finish Natural 'Light'
Benefit Browzings 'Dark'
Bourjois Liner Clubbing 'Ultra Black'
Avon Infinitize Mascara
Bourjois Blush '34 Rose d'Or (Rose Gold)'
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lip Pencil 'Black Tulip'
Rimmel x Kate Moss Matte Lipstick '107'

With not having to drive to work anymore and being able to get there in less than 5 minutes, I actually have time to spend doing nice eye make up. However, every day I end up some how rushing around and actually having no time to do what I want on my face so this usually ends up how I look most days. It seems a lot of products to say I'm in a rush but I can get all this on my face in about 10/15 minutes if needs be.

Just moisturise and prime the skin then using a Buffing Brush for foundation and an Expert Face Brush to blend in concealer under my eyes (Wake Me Up) and on blemishes (Lasting Perfection). Then a quick fill of any sparse bits of the brow, I don't really need to spend time of shaping as the beloved fringe hides the fact that they really need plucking. Quick slick of eyeliner; generally no time to wing anything out as I can guarantee one will go wrong or I'll sneeze and it'll be all over my face. Then it's mascara time. Not a huge fan of this Avon one but it's nice just for everyday and not over the top lashes. And then I dust over some Mineralised Skin Finish where I'm a bit shiny and then do my lips. I haven't worn this colour in so long as it doesn't feel very summery but I have reignited my love for it. Then I realised I had about 30 seconds before I would be late so I just swiped a little bit of blush from a Bourjois Little Pot of Blush on my cheeks for a very subtle bit of colour.
AND DONE.

JULY GLOSSYBOX

This morning I received my Glossybox for this month and I am absolutely loving it! This is the last of my 3 month subscription and this box alone is making me renew.
The theme this month is "Seaside Splash" and with this insanely nice weather, it has come at a perfect time.

First impressions... the actual box itself is beautiful. I will definitely be finding something to store in this, maybe nail varnish or something. The tissue paper is lovely too. I am a sucker for pretty packaging!
On to the contents..!

First is a Facial Spritz by Anatomicals and is a full sized product. It's going to be going in my handbag for the entire time the weather is as hot and sticky as it currently is. These facial spritz are great for just giving your skin a bit of rehydration during the day and this also says it can be used over make up to set it, like the MUA setting spray I have. I sprayed it earlier and it has a really lovely but subtle fragrance to it. It says it contains lavender and peppermint.

Next up is a texture Mist by Alterna Haircare which, is a brand I haven't actually heard of. I recently was given a L'Oreal salt spray that I have been really enjoying using so I'm excited to try this. I don't dry my hair, I just leave it to naturally dry and the salt spray I'm using every few washes has been giving me a nice wavy look so we shall see how this compares. Maybe I can do a comparison post for you!

The product I am definitely most excited by is the Ciaté paint pot. Again this is a full sized product and retails at £9 and I have wanted to try one of these for so long after seeing everyone rave about them but the price tag is crazy for a nail varnish and they aren't so readily available where I live either. I got the shade "Pocket Money" which is a kind of peachy, dark nude (because I really needed more nude nail polish...) but lets see if they live up to the hype.

The final two items are both little sample sizes and the first is a Pukka Ayurveda Radiance Serum. I don't have any serums in my skin care routine at the moment so it will be interesting to see if this makes any positive difference. The directions say to apply a thin layer before moisturising to brighten the complexion.
And lastly is a Coola Mineral Sunscreen. It says it's a tinted moisturiser but it also contains SPF 20, which is wonderful! The colour seems a bit darker than my skin tone but it also seems like it's quite easily blended down so this may come in quite useful when I just cannot be bothered with foundation in this heat.


I am now off to renew my Glossybox subscription! Very happy with this box.

REVIEW: I LOVE ESSIE

First off, apologies for being a little M.I.A lately. I intended on having this post up at the weekend but the UK finally got summer and it has been far too hot. I also went to see some friends in Birmingham on Saturday and then on Sunday we had a family BBQ as my niece was one, which is a little bit mental.

Anyhow, on to the blog post!

A few weeks back I made an order on Fragrance Direct. If you're not sure what that is, it is a website that sells makeup, skin care, hair products and perfume and there's a lot of products on there at super discounted prices. Some of the Dainty Doll makeup range is on there for £1.99, with a RRP of £14/15!
I saw that Essie nail polishes were on the site also for £1.99 and when they are £7.99 in Boots, I just caved.

Essie became more readily available in the UK over the last year or so and everyone went nuts over it but I just couldn't justify spending £8 on a bottle of nail polish no matter how much I wanted to. Not helped by the Essie stand in Boots being brighter than the sun and standing out way too much against the other stands.
I ended up buying two of the shades: Mojito Madness and Bikini So Teeny. I know that everyone has raved Bikini So Teeny but I'd never heard anything about the other and I don't really have green nail polishes so I decided to give it a go!

You can see that Bikini So Teeny has a slight shimmer through it which you can't really see on the nail if you were bothered by that but sometimes when the light hits you can tell and I think it's really pretty.
I didn't think the green would be as ~green but I have ended up loving it!
I could have easily have gotten away with one coat of each colour but with the blue being a bit pale, I put two coats on just to make the most out of the colour but the green was just one coat and then a Sally Hansen top coat on top.
I never thought to take a photo straight after application as I didn't expect them to be as good as they are but the following photos are taken five... yes FIVE, days after first applying with no touch ups.

I painted my nails on Sunday and these are how they looked towards the end of Thursday. Apologies for iPhone photos, but as you can see there is very minimal chipping which I was super impressed with. Usually after about two days for me, they need redoing. I ended up keeping this colour on until the following Sunday when they still looked like this. The colour is actually very similar to the Barry M Gelly in Blueberry, which I am actually wearing at the moment and it's currently on day 4 and they are looking in desperate need for a new coat.

So I took the blue off on Sunday and changed it for the Mojito Madness. Again these photos where taken on Thursday and there's literally no chipping on them! At first the colour was a slight shock but I have really grown to love it but I know it's probably not to everyone's taste.

I now definitely understand the Essie hype and to be honest they are worth the £8 price tag. The formula of them is great and if you're in a rush, one coat would be totally fine to see you through. The brush is also really good. It's a perfect size and shape for the nail and I found it much easier to paint just the nail and not all the skin around it! (As you can tell, I'm a bit of a noob at nail painting.)
I'm going to have to avoid the Essie counter in future because I know I'll end up with the whole collection!

Do you like Essie?