Sunday 28 April 2013

Beauty Brand Bargain Sites

Hi girls, sorry for my lack of blogs the past week, university stress is building up! However I did find time this week to do some online shopping and wanted to ask

  what sites do you girls use?

Yesterday I went to Birmingham and whilst browsing make-up, as you do, I came across the Bare Minerals counter, and thought might as well try this new SPF 20 Ready to Wear Mineral foundation they brought out in march. The lady told me unfortunately they were already sold out of the lighter colours for my pale skin, but she said she would give me a makeover anyway so I could get it as soon as it returned to stock. 

So when I returned home I thought, maybe I could find it on feelunique.com, described as the Destination for beauty on the tv ads, and low and behold I found my Bare Minerals make up, for 20% off and an extra 10% unique to yesterday.

I was overjoyed, so this is now on it's way home. However they didn't have the precision brush the lady had recommended. So this morning whilst again trying to do my essay I found another site : lookfantastic, which I personally had never heard off, that has the brush and the minerals at the same discount.



What do you think of these sites? With free delivery I couldn't resist, and reviews shall come asap.

Do you know of any others?

Sunday 21 April 2013

Nail Caviar Creativity

For the last week I have been reading blogs about nail art and especially nail caviar, so when +Claire Rebecca  saw this cute little kit i had to pick it up. 

Primark's Embellish 3D Manicure Kit


 





Now normally I am completely against highstreet brands delving into the beauty products, but for a mere £2.50 it had to be worth a shot.

The packaging is super cute, crisp white boxing with silver dots, quite tasteful for primark. Inside comes a silver nail varnish, a bottle of white/silver nail caviar and a mini funnel.


 The instructions are to apply two coats of nail varnish and whilst it's wet sprinkle the pearl beads on your nails. You need a tray underneath to collect the excess beads and then put them back in the bottle using the funnel. Unfortuantely the Primark nail varnish smells disgusting, it's really toxic to the extent my flat mate had to leave the room. After taking my pictures I removed it immediately and tried my own opi nail varnish which if it was a cute silver colour would be perfect.

It takes between 20-35 minutes to dry, unlike primark's 15 minute instructions, and you can't put a top coat on the top to try to set it so it is a case of being patient on a Sunday afternoon whilst watching your favouite episode of friends.

I would defiantly recommend this to others even just for the pearls and funnel, which is so helpful. Other caviars are £3 and come in much smaller bottles.

What do you think? White or another colour?

Saturday 20 April 2013

Hi Girls, today I want to just post a little blog about my cute spring sandals, that i picked up recently from Mango:

Mango's Patent Strappy Sandal



For a mere £17.99 I just couldn't help myself. Cute, Simple, with a double ankle strap and small buckle fastening, and in a variety of colours, Mango have really come prepared for everybodies style and taste.
Available in:
-Peach
-Acqua Blue
-Nude
-Lemon
-Black

 I personally chose the simple nude, as I have several sweet summery dresses and with so many colours I wanted something that could go with everything, and I have to say they are perfect! Especially teamed with my 'I eat mainely lobster' OPI nail varnish, review available here.

I have to admit they did rub me the first day i wore them, and I couldn't wait to take them off, BUT, girls go through the first day pain of new shoes as today wearing them for a second time I haven't hurt at all. 
Pain is gain as they say.

Check them out here, I personally couldnt find them directly on the site, but found them eventually for you girls.

So....What colour would you want?

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Cracking Cleanser

As promised today I am reviewing a cracking cleanser brought out by Boots N.7 skincare range

N.7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Water

A great post face wipe ritual cleanser that really clears all the last remains of makeup and dirt from your face.  All you need is a couple of pumps onto some cotton wool and sweep over your face starting from your forehead down. I really like this product as you can see the results on the cotton wool, and it always helps my skin feel brighter.

Retailing at £9 it is a tad on the expensive side, but if you wait until boots give the £5 off skin care range it is a steel at £4, or well worth adding to your 3 for 2 purchases.

The only negatives to this product is the fact if you use too much in one sweep it can leave your face feeling sticky instead of refreshed, not what you want from the product, so use sparingly. Also I would suggest boots put a lid on the pump as although it does lock into place and I haven't had it leek so far, me being as accident prone as I am, it is sure to leak all over my weekend bag soon. 

Have you tried this cleanser? What do you think?

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Fluorescent Flamingo

Instead of concentrating on my essays (working really hard if my family are reading this) some of the girls and I had a nail varnish session in the library today. Tonight I thought I would give a quick review of a varnish I briefly mentioned on a previous blog:

Barry M's Pink Flamingo
Barry M Nail Paint 305 Pink Flamingo
Retails at £2.99

My flatmate Hannah volunteered for this bright and slightly fluorescent  colour. The wonderful +Claire Rebecca  gifted it to me as I mentioned previously and I wore it a lot last year mostly on my toes. It brightens up an outfit and makes you smile. 



However it does have a few downfalls, which I think may be a general Barry M problem: The Brush.
Mine has become very hard and bristles have started to stick together, leaving an uneven and slightly scratched effect on the nail. It is still usable and if you persist you can get the finish you want.

Find my previous comparison blog here

Do you like this colour? Had any problems with brushes? Leave me a comment.

Sunny Smoothie

The sun is finally out, and exam time is upon us. This is the one time a year where i try (and often fail) at being healthy. So when my flatmate Agata was in the kitchen making this amazing looking smoothie I was intrigued, and as smoothies and fruit are good for the skin I though I should share it with you girls!

Agata's Sunny Smoothie



All you need to make this yummy drink is:
1xApple
1xKiwi
1tsp of Honey
200ml of Milk

Instructions
1st-  Remove the skin of your fruit 
2nd- Cut up your fruit into little chunks and add to blender
3rd- Add 200 ml of Milk
4th- Add a tea spoon (or tablespoon if you're like me) to your blender
5th-  Blend away

Simple! Hope you enjoy

Have you got any simple smoothie suggestions?

Fabulous Freederm

With university stress and essays looming, spots are unfortunately inevitable. Last night I felt one coming through and thought oh gosh great! After feeling sorry for my self for a few seconds I thought what a great opportunity to review:

Freederm Fast Track Cream

A lightweight cream that only needs a thin layer to start its magic. From the go my spot felt less irritated and I felt the skin tightening, almost a tingling sensation. It really worked! My spot looks a lot less red and less noticeable as I have shown in my before and after. Although the cream says only takes 3 hours to work I prefer leaving it over night.



My Top Tips

1. Cleanse your face with N7's Beautiful Skin Cleansing water (review coming shortly)
2.Apply a thin layer of Freederms fast track cream
3.Drink lots of water before bed

Retailing at between £6-£7 from most supermarkets and of course Boots I think this product is worth it.

Have you found any miracle spot creams, Let me know! God knows I could use them!

Monday 15 April 2013

Lobster Love

Summer is fast approaching, ok slowly approaching, but it is approaching none the less and every year I try to find that perfect nail varnish that compliments every maxi dress, and pair of sandals I own (a lot :/) This year I think I have found it.

OPI's I Eat Mainely lobster


It's a beautiful colourful coral colour which applies smoothly with a shiny, pearlescent finish, that puts me in that summer mood automatically. Teams well with any of my summer outfits and makes you want to show of your toes at every opportunity. That slight glimmer of sun and I am out in sandals today.

Retailing at £11.50 it is on the expensive side, but you can find it online cough cough ebay for £7 ish. 
For another option try Barry M's Pink Flamingo, which is a little bit lighter, and needs a few more coats than the OPI but is a good solution for that summer pinky/coral colour, and was gifted to me by the lovely +Claire Rebecca 

 I did a test of both for you too see, I personally love my OPI which is more coral that pink but the Barry M is more widely available at boots and Superdrug for £2.99 a pop.


What's your perfect summer varnish? Any suggestions for me?

Colour Calming Creme

As well as suffering for years from untamed curls, I was like many other typical teenagers with those silly spots, and raging redness. Up until this summer I hadn't tried any of the moisturisers aimed at reducing redness, until this one :


N7's Colour Calming Primer


It's aimed to be a foundation to your makeup and neutralise redness, and from my experience has worked quite well. I personally use it as an all over primer as my skin is quite red and blotchy, and leave it to absorb, as applying foundation too soon can cause areas to have a green tint where it hasn't blended fully.
It comes out as a light mint green, and is really lightweight so don't worry about it clogging pores.


I have taken a before and after shot to show you guys the results. I tried to keep the lighting etc the same, and as you can tell the after shot just makes my face look a lot calmer and more one tone.

Unfortunately you cannot use it as a base to a powder foundation as it doesn't blend properly, so definitely try  a liquid foundation. Another down point is it retails at £10.50, but if you do 3 for 2, or wait until they have £3 off makeup vouchers circulating I think it really is worth it.

So remember leave it to absorb, so we dont have any loch ness monsters running around!

Have you tried any Colour Calming Primers? Do you think it's worth the money? Let me know!

Sunday 14 April 2013

Summer Spritz

Evening Girls, So I wanted to write my first proper blog on a product I have come to really love.

Aussie Miracle Colour Insurance 

Aussi Miracle Colour Insurance, Leave in conditioner

It's a great leave in conditioner for coloured hair. It really puts you in that summer beach mood and leaves your hair feeling soft. I use it every morning after washing my hair to leave it feeling soft but can spritz it on dry hair too to revive those curls. Just what my curls need after years of trying to straighten out my curls. The spray comes out in a fine mist and only needs a few sprays, mostly on the ends, as can leave hair a little greasy if applied near the roots.The only disadvantage to this product I would say is the smell. It is flowery and fruity which some love but personally is a little overpowering for me.


Its available at Boots and Superdrug retailing at £4.99 but is often on the 2 for £7 so keep an eye out.

Give it a go and let me know what you girls think! Have you tried any of the Aussie Leave in conditioner range?


Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella!

Live Life to the Full

For 21 years I have had the fullest, fluffiest curls of all of my friends. Some say out of control, some say frizzy, but at the end of the day, I love my Luscious curls. They make me me. So after reading blog after blog about beauty products, especially that of my wonderful friend +Claire Rebecca I decided I wanted to give it a go myself, and help other girls with Luscious Curls! So here it goes, a blog of beauty products, fashion and tips!

Wish Me Luck!