Jubilee nails + Essie Chinchilly

With the Union Jack everywhere this weekend I wanted to join in the celebrations by attempting to paint the Union Jack on my nails. Now I don't have a very steady hand and I couldn't find a white nail polish so this is a slightly failed attempt at trying nail designs. I used a tiny thin brush that came with on a nail polish found in bodycare. I just used nail polish remover to remove the colour on the brush and used it for the detailing.

On my other nails is Essie's Chinchilly a new addition to my nail polish collection. I like the wide brush, it is really easy to cover the whole nail with one or two strokes. However I'm still getting used to how much nail polish I should pick up with the brush. Sometimes I can whip off too much and it can get really streaky, but sometimes i can it just right and it looks perfect with just two strokes.

I really like the colour it just seems like a normal matt grey at first, but it just looks a bit more sophisticated with undertones of purple and brown. I did put a topcoat over this (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri), because I just like the look of glossy nails and it just smooths everything over, so even if there were streaks you wouldn't see them after applying this.

Have you tried the Essie's new brushes? What do you think of them?

My Summer Wish List

Since finishing my exams final university exams two weeks ago, I’ve got back blogging I have been catching up with my favourite blogs. This is bad for my bank balance because I want everything that I read about. I’ve started to compile a wish list of things that I really want but can’t afford right now until I find a job. Here are the things I currently have on my list. 

From Top Left Clockwise, Nars Bronzer in Casino, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Wild Rose, Jemma Kid Dewy Glow All Over Radiance Cream in Rose Gold, Origins Drink up Intensive Mask, A white Blouse from J Crew

I’ve really been obsessed with getting dewy healthy glowing skin lately. I think that Tanya Burr’s makeup always looks amazing and she is always using Nars Laguna Bronzer and the Jemma Kid Dewy Glow in Iced Gold. However I do have darker skin compared to her so I think that the Casino bronzer and the Dewy Glow in Rose Gold would suit me better.

I love to have a bit of shimmer on my cheeks in the summer time and I think that the Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick layered up over one of my matt blushes would just look so gorgeous this summer.

After watching Vivianna’s video about her new skin care shakeup, I really want to try the origins facemask. As mentioned in other posts I do have dry and sometimes dull skin and I really want to wake up with glowy skin.  

I'm obsessed with Wendy from Wendy's lookbook, I want everything she wears. She always looks so chic and showed how versatile a white blouse can be, and ever since then I've been searching for my perfect white blouse. 

What items are on your wish list for this summer? 

VO5 Moisture Sock Hot Oil Treatment: Review

With dry thick hair I am always on the look out for products to add moisture to my hair and make it look shiny and glossy. I really enjoy putting oils in my hair and giving my scalp a good massage.

I walked past the VO5 hair treatments and I thought this hot oil treatment sounds interesting; there are 4 little cute tubes in a pack, each for one application. Each tube contains 15ml of “essential oils” that are meant to boost shine and protect dry damaged hair.

How to use it, you pop the tube in a cup of hot water to heat up and then you break the seal and pour it all over your hair and massage it in. You can rinse it out after 3 minutes.

To be honest I was slightly disappointed with this product. I imaged it to work by applying it to the hair and the heat of your scalp would warm up the oils and I would get a nice warm feeling on my head. It started off warm, but then after about 1 minutes it was cold and I just wanted to wash it off.

It also became a bit messy when I was applying the oil my hands were slippery and it was hard to get the last of the oil out onto my hair so some of the oil went to waste.

Although saying all this, the results were quite good. I used my normal shampoo twice to rinse out all the oil and followed up with my normal conditioner and my hair felt really silky and smooth, not to mention my hair was considerably less fizzy for about a week after the treatment.

My hair did not feel greasy any quicker then it normally would after using this, however I do have very dry hair, so those with an oily scalp may feel differently.

All in all for around £4 this product is a steal. The packaging said to use it once a week for £4 for one month worth of treatments it is a steal to me. I think this will be a great product to use on holiday after you’ve been swimming to make sure your hair doesn’t become dry due to the chlorine.

Fizz control 4/5

more manageable 4/5

Moisturising 3/5
Smell 3/5
Value 4/5

You can find the VO5 Moisture Soak Hot Oil Treatment in boots.

What are your favourite moisturising hair products? 

Caudalie Hand and Nail Cream: Review

This is one of the best hand creams that I have ever tried. Firstly let me tell you it smells amazing, once applied you will have your nose in your hands for the rest of the day. It has that classic Caudalie expensive grape smell, with a little orange twist added in.

I have really dry hands and I’m always worried that they will soon look older then I actually am, so I like that this hand cream is also an anti-aging treatment. What I love most about this cream is that it is so moisturising but not sticky or greasy. I hate the feeling of not being able to do anything with my hands because they feel so greasy after applying hand cream.

Not only does it moisturise my hands but it also makes my nails look shiny. I used this cream after taking off my fake nails, and it made my nails and cuticles looked so healthy.

For those of you will allergies all Caudalie products are paraben free. 

You can get this for £10.80 from feelunique, it is not the cheapest hand cream in the world but I definitely think it is worth it if you are looking for a really great luxury hand cream. 

Price- 3/5

Smell- 5/5

Moisturising- 5/5 

Non greasy consistency- 5/5

Have you tried this? What did you think of it? What are your favourite hand creams?  

17, Supreme Shine Lipstick, All About the Sass: Swatches and review

This is a hot blue toned pink lipstick, that can be worn sheer or you can build it up to be quite bright. The formula is quite nice, it applies really nicely onto the lips it doesn’t drag and it leaves a slightly glossy finish, but they are no where near as shiny and glossy and the mirror shine lipsticks.

The colour payoff is quite nice, and you can add quite a few layers to build up the colour without it falling into the cracks of your lips or collecting at the side of your mouth. The colour itself lasts on me for about 3 hours before I have to reapply, (and that’s without eating for drinking).

Swatch with one coat

The packaging is better then the mirror shine lipsticks the lid doesn’t open as easily so you shouldn’t find it opening up in your bag. However it attracts dust and fingerprints really easily so it can end up looking really dirty.

Overall I think it’s a nice lipstick to get if you’re looking for cute summer colours that aren’t drying, priced at £4.99 you can’t go wrong. I think for me personally I prefer the 17 mirror shine lipsticks, just for the glossy factor.

What you tried any 17 lipsticks? Which ones are your favourite?

What's in my Travel Makeup Bag

I really enjoy reading these posts to see what makeup items are essential to someone when travelling, so I thought I’d do my own post. I have been enjoying having good skin days recently so I haven’t been wearing too much makeup, so these are really my essentials I have been travelling with when I pop home for the weekend.

Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer, Revlon Colorburst lipbutter, L'Oreal waterproof Telescopic mascara, no7 eyelash curler, L'Oreal gel intenza eyeliner, Bobbi Brown corrector, Maxfactor  Flawless perfection Blush, Mayelline color tatoo 24hr, Anatomicals never lose your cherry lipbalm

I have very straight thick eyelashes so an eyelash curler is and waterproof mascara is essential for me to hold the curl. With normal mascaras my eyelashes will drop within 2hours of applying it. I really like the telescopic mascara, it makes my eyelashes really long, however you don’t get much volume with this wand so I’d recommend using it in conjunction with volumising mascara if you want a more volumised look.

L'Oreal Gel Intenza Eyeliner and brush

I have been loving the L’Oreal gel eyeliner, especially the brush that comes with it. It is really great for creating the doll eyed look that Zooey Deschanel often has. You can use the tip to get a really fine line and turn it on its side to get a thicker line in the center of your lashline. 

Maxfactor, Flawless Perfection Blush, 225 Mulberry

I actually really love this blush on my skin tone, it gives such a pretty glow with a sheer wash of colour and it blends so well. It can be a little powdery but nothing I can't work with. 

Overall I haven’t been carrying too much makeup around with me recently, whilst I am in the process of moving back home now that university is over these items have become my essentials I always keep with me wherever I stay.

What are you essential makeup items? 

Lipstick Review: Revlon Lip Butters and L'oreal Rouge Caresse lipstick

I have wanted to try the revlon lip butters for a long time now so I was so excited when they came to the U.K. As soon as they were available I popped into boots and found myself swatching them all over my hands. Since it was 3 for 2 at boots I ended up getting two revlon lip butters and I thought I'd also try the new L'oreal rouge caresse lipsticks.

I only have one lip butter to show you, I left the other one at uni, I'll have swatches up in another post. But the first one I picked up was the colour lollipop. 

It's a sort of raspberry pink lipstick. I love the colour it is so bold. I do think you need a mirror to apply it though, as the colour is very bright. Whilst I love the colour I can not help but feel a little disappointed. I liked this colour, however the rest of the range was not that great. I thought they would be more moisturising after hearing all the raves about it last year. They aren't cheap and the lipstick seems to wear down very easily so I wouldn't press too hard when applying it. Never the less the colour is amazing and I think it will be lovely to wear this spring and summer. 

The L'oreal rouge caresse lipstick stole surprised me. It was everything I wanted the Revlon lip butter to be. A gorgeous spring colour with flecks of gold glitter in it, the formular is quite sheer on my lips however as my lips are natural quite pigmented, on the lipstick it does look quite red but on the lips it transfers quite pink. The best thing about them is that they are very moisturising and very easy to apply. With this I do not need a mirror. It makes my lips look shiny and glossy. Oh and did I mention the packaging is so cute. I have the colour Aphrodite Scarlet and I love it. However this was the only colour I liked, the other colours were a little too light for my skin tone. 

Revlon LipButter: Lollipop
Priced at: £7.99

Value: 7/10

Colour:10/10 

Moisturising factor: 6/10

L'oreal Rouge Caresse: Aphrodite Scarlet
Priced at: £7.99

Value: 7/10

Colour: 9/10

Moisturising factor: 8/10

If you want a really great moisturising lipstick that is cheap to you can't go wrong with 17 mirror shine lipstick. The packaging is not as nice as these two and the colour range isn't the best but they have some nice colours and they are very moisturising. 

What's your favourite lipstick right now? 

17, Hide & chic, Eye brightening concealer review

I received this in my freshers pack last week, which I thought was nice of Boots to give this away.  However the only colour they gave away was light beige which is a bit useless for me as I am quite tanned. I went into boots and they only had 3 colours and none of them really suited me which was a bit disappointing.

Never the less I did try it. On the packaging it does say "disguise tired eyes to fake that morning fresh glow!" I didn't find that it covered up my dark circles or bags and I did find the formula slightly hard to blend into my skin (I found it to be quite drying). I think it might be better to highlight your cheek bones however as a concealer it doesn't do much.

It was still nice of Boots to give it away for free, it was a good idea especially for after freshers week.

Ciaté Paint Pots: The Prettiest Jar of Nail Polish

I've wanted to try the Ciate paint pots for a while now but £9 a pot is a bit pricey for me at the moment (saving for my holiday to Rome). The pots are so cute.
  So when a fellow blogger who has an amazing blog (L'Amour Lauran) posted that they were given a pot away for free in this months Marie Claire I was so excited. I managed to find one with the colour My Fair Lady, which I don't think you can buy from their website. It is a very nude pinky colour, which does come out quite sheer, you do have to put on a couple of coats to get the colour. It applied really nicely but the best thing about the Ciate paints pots is definitely the packaging. I would quite happily have this on display next to my trinket boxes and other random pretty things.

I just love the names of their nail polishes, my favourite colour which I am definitely getting next when I have some money Ditch the Heels, a wonderfully bright emerald green. 

Whats your favourite nail polish?

  

A Little Bit TRESemme Obsessed

I was looking at my hair care products today and I realised I've become a little bit TRESemme obsessed. Some of these things I've had for a while but some of them I recently bought because it is on offer right now.

I'll start off with the product I've had for the longest, this huge tub of Thermal Recovery. It is a deep conditioning treatment, it is amazing and makes my hair so soft and silky. My hair is quite dry and this is a god send, if you have dry damaged or frizzy hair I'd really recommend this. It is a big tub so it will last you a while.

Next my Volume and Life Mousse. I use this when blow drying to give my hair an extra lift because it is quite thick and heavy, it needs all the help it can get that volumised look. This product is okay, it gets the job done, but it's nothing special. 


I run out of shampoos and conditioners so quickly (I just have too much hair), but my TRESemme shampoos seem to last a bit longer. I have the Colour Thrive shampoo and conditioner for Brunette hair. I only have this because my mum has dyed her hair a chocolate brown colour and she wants to keep her hair colour for as long as possible. But this shampoo and conditioner does make my hair so shiny and soft and it does bring out the brown tones in my hair which is always nice.

The iron style and hold spray does make my hair easier to style with heat. It does make my hair a bit smoother and gives it a bit of a glossy shine. You can use it on both wet and dry hair. I bought this from Boots and even though it is over £5 right now you can get 2 products for £5 from Tresemme no matter what the price. So I ended up getting this Salon Shine spray with Moroccan Argan Oil in it. This a nice, but again nothing special it makes my hair shiny and tames down my fly aways, but the heat styling spray gives me a bit of shine anyway so I wouldn't say, RUSH OUT AND BUY THIS. 

Things I would Recommend to a Friend

This is my second bar of Rock Star soap from Lush. I love the smell, it's so sweet and stays on your skin for a long time. The fact that this soap is vegan is a huge plus for me. 

I Love this gold colour from this Clinique colour surge eye shadow duo in Beach plum. It is a really pretty colour to just put all over the lid, its easy you can just use your finger and it will give such a pretty glow to your eye lids. 

This is the Sweet as Candy trio from Wet n Wild's coloricon collection. I love all these colours together and separately. They are super soft and are pretty on all skin tones. I couldn't find any shops that sold Wet n Wild eye shadows in the U.K. I bought this trio on ebay.

I've always loved Accessorize jewellery. This is my favourite charm bracelet I have from there, I wear it all the time. A lot of the pieces are really delicate and pretty. They now have 10% discount with a NUS card too!

This nail polish is called superstar, shade 5 by Accessorize. Their metallic colours are gorgeous and they dry really quickly.  This shade has reflexes of purple in there as well.

Botanics Organic Rosewater Toner: Review

Boots botanics range have 3 different toners. I chose this one because it seemed most suited to my dry sensitive skin and it is great. I'm still quite new to toners because I thought toners were only for oily skins and would make my skin even dryer. However toners are great for getting rid of that last bit of make-up or dirt on your face that you thought you had already gotten rid of.

Pros to the Botanics Rosewater Toner:
 It smells amazing, the rosewater scent is  heavenly, especially at night it is a nice relaxing scent to help you fall asleep. 
 It is 100% organic, which is great for those with sensitive skin.
 On the bottle it says it will help sooth your skin, it does have a cooling calming effect, which is great for the night time.
  I have noticed since using it that my skin is brighter and clearer. 

Cons to the Botanics Rose water Toner:
 This is one of the more expensive toners from the Botanics range, prices range from £3.05- £4.07. There seems to be less toner in this one then the other one for the same price. I know its not really that much of a difference, but it seems a bit silly that I have to pay more for a simular product by the same brand.


However other then this I can't fault this toner it is really great. I also wanted to try this product because I have heard that rosewater can help reduce the appearance of scars. I haven't been using this product long enough to see results, but I will be posting another blogpost to let you know how that goes.


Tip: Read all product information before deciding which toner you want to purchase, make sure it is the right one for your skin type. Everyone's skin is different, what works for me may not work for everyone else. 

Lipstick of the Summer

I've wanted to try 17 mirror shine lipstick from boots for a while now and purchased it today. I have to say it is every bit as good as I had hoped it would be. Cheap lipsticks can be quite drying on my lips but this is glossy, hydrating and the little hint of pinkish colour just makes my lips look yummy. 

This lipstick has probably been blogged to death, but it truly is gorgeous. The bright blue packaging is so cute for this summer, I will be carrying it around in my purse wherever I go. I got the colour belle which suits my pinky lips perfectly. I think this will be my lipstick of the summer.

The only down side is that I feel like the lid is really loose, it may just fall off and never be found until I empty my whole bag. But maybe I just got a faulty one.