My first ever empties post..

I absolutely love reading empties videos as love to see that a blogger has used the whole product and can therefore give a good honest review on it. I've been trying to save my empties for the last month or so and I was so excited when I realised I had enough to do a post about!! So here they are...

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub - I simply picked this up originally as a cheap alternative I could leave at my boyfriend's house, rather than drag mine back and forth, then I fell in love with it. You can hardly feel like it's a scrub and it has lasted me absolutely ages (and I exfoliate every day). 

Repurchase? Already have!!

N-Spa Fruit Lemon Souffle body scrub - I love my body scrubs, I get really patchy skin if I don't use them and I think it just makes your skin seem less dull after using one. Therefore I loved it when Asda had this range on for only £1! A total bargain and it really does a great job. 

Repurchase? I have in the Vanilla Creme Brulee and Mango flavours :)

Nailene Artificial Nail and Polish Remover - This is like a version of Bourjois's 1 Second Nail Polish Remover. Instead of a sponge inside, it has little flaps which you rub your nail up and down to either remove the polish or the false nail. It isn't great for removing false nails and it wrecked my actual nails for having to soak them in the solution for so long, but for removing nail polish it's great! 

Repurchase? I think I'll try Bourjois's option as think it will be less harsh on my nails.

L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Ultra Black - My favourite mascara ever. There are no words to describe my love for this mascara, it volumises, lengthens and curls my lashes, and when you have straight stumps like mine, it is a miracle cure. 

Repurchase? When I get paid, definitely on my 'to-buy' list.

Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Waterproof Eye Definer Noir - Eyeliner is one of my must have makeup products that I like to wear every single day, even for no makeup days. Therefore I particularly love these crayon like alternatives to eye pencils. They are much easier for on the go as it is not a neccessity to have a sharperner in case it snaps, and it is less scratchy when doing your waterline. 

Repurchase? I'm currently working my way through my Avon glimmersticks which are the same concept and are a lot easier to blend with. So probably won't repurchase the Rimmel version.

Maybelline The Smoother Skin Retexturising Primer - Whilst I was at university and a makeup novice, I had never really heard of primers or how vital they can be in making your makeup last all day. Therefore when I went about purchasing one, I just picked up the first one I found. This primer isn't the best for making my makeup last longer, however it is the best for giving my skin an even finish to apply makeup on to. 

Repurchase? I don't know. I'm stuck between this and Benefit's Pore-fessional. 

2 True Smooth Matte Pressed Powder Shade 3 - I am in love with this powder. So much so that when Superdrug do their 3 products for £4.99 on 2 True I always buy in bulk. It isn't an all singing and all dancing powder that does fifty million things. It stops my skin looking oily and sets my makeup, that's all I want a powder for so this one is perfect!

Repurchase? Not for a while as I already have another one in my collection!!

50 shades of eyeshadow..

Lately I've been feeling like I've been stuck in a makeup rut, wearing the same Barry M champagne-y kind of colour every day on my lids.. However counting up my eyeshadows I have 64 different playful shades to choose from, which means I'm a makeup bore!

Therefore my mission for the next 50 days is to wear 50 different colours, and I'll document my change from makeup bore to makeup star!!

Wish me luck!!

Birthday Haul: The Beauty Edition

I know I said that I would post this a couple of weeks ago but life got in the way and I didn't have the internet so I'm so sorry :( However, I've finally gotten round to posting it so please excuse me for being so tardy!!

First of all, as everyone knows I have a penchant for nail polishes. So for my birthday I was luckily treated to five of them, with three of my most sought after shades included!! These included Barry M's Tangerine and Yellow, as well as Essie's Clambake, Oui Madame and Apertif. I had been after a tomato-ey red for a while so I was chuffed when I got Essie's Clambake.

Then I got a little goodie bag of The Body Shop beauties. This included a cherry lip and body butter, some body lotion and some shower gel. They all smell so good that I could eat them, especially the lip butter, I lick it straight off my lips as soon as I put it on!!

I was also spoilt with my first MAC eyeshadow, from their Heavenly Creatures collection, Aurora. It is a beautiful mix of pinks, browns and corals and it is stunning to swatch.

If anyone knows me, they will know I am forever wishing for Chanel. I own countless quilted bags and shoes, and just think their collections are always timeless. So I was overwhelmed when I received my first ever Chanel item in the form of the Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Boy. What an absolutely perfect present for me! Even better was that when purchasing the lipstick, my boyfriend had asked the assistant that 'it is for boys isn't it?' and hadn't gotten the most amused reply.

Next was a big surprise, I had wanted the Naked or Naked 2 palette for so long, as I'm a lover of neutral and nudey colours, nothing to loud goes on my eyes!! However, after knowing the Undressed palette was a massive dupe for it, I told my boyfriend to just get me the MUA one as it was a whole lot cheaper. So I was more than excited when I opened it up to see that I had got it. But after all my presents were opened, there was one more left... My boyfriend had also gone out and got me the Naked 2 palette as well! Needless to say I was in tears as I couldn't believe it had spoilt me like this. (He's definitely a keeper).

Last but absolutely by no means least is one of the most thoughtful presents I have ever had the pleasure to receive. My boyfriend has always been more than supportive of my blogging and my love of makeup, so I was so surprised when I opened up one of my presents to find a Glee tin. Then inside, was home made lip balm that Anthony had made me. BEST BOYFRIEND EVER right?? I am so blessed to have such an amazing man and let me tell you, the lip balm tastes absolutely delicious (chocolate of course).

Top 5 Dupes..

So never one to pass up a bargain, I realised that I owned quite a few close dupes which I picked up for pennies compared to the real deal. Therefore I thought I would share these goodies with you and where to find them!!!

5. At number five is my 99p nail polish from Tesco in Bellini, which is a dupe for Model's Own Tropical Sun. For only 99p, it is a massive saving, plus you can pick it up whilst doing your grocery shopping!! Yes, it does take a few more coats than the Model's Own polish, but for a fifth of the price you can afford to apply a few more layers!

SAVING - £4.01

4. A cute little dupe for Benefit's High Beam. I have never really been into using highlighters, but had been toying with getting a cheaper alternative like MeMeMe's version. However imagine my delight when I popped into Body Care and spotted Technic's High Lights, which is a double for Benefit's High Beam and even cheaper than the dupe I was already considering buying!! It was only £1.99, which is a fraction of the price that High beam is.

SAVING - £16.51

3. Another nail polish here, with Topshop's Hidden Treasure. This is a well known dupe for Chanel's Peridot and personally I think it is the perfect price. I love the petrol kind of look and duo tone it has to it in the light, and it is perfect for the upcoming autumn months!!

SAVING - £13.00

2. What did we all do before MUA cosmetics please?? These cute affordable and amazingly pigmented cosmetics allow us to splurge without feeling guilty as we get so much for our money! So it's even better when you get a dupe for a MAC eyeshadow for just £1!! MUA's Shade 12 - Pearl is a perfect double for MAC's Club eyeshadow, with it being a dark brown with iridescent green shimmering in it.

SAVING - £12.00

1. Everyone has had one of YSL's Touche Eclats. They are just the epitomy of highlighting as well as being able to conceal slight blemishes and your undereye bags by reflecting the light. However, Maybelline does a cheaper version called their Dream Touch Lumi Concealer which does everything that the Touche Eclat does, but without the price tag.

SAVING - £18.01

I know what you all must be thinking.. she's missed the biggest dupe of them all out! But I thought it would be too obvious to include, but I will give it an honorary mention that the Undressed Palette from MUA is a massive dupe for Urban Decay's Naked palette. With a whopping saving of £32.00, this is definitely one of the best dupes out there!!!

Sorry..

Hey guys,

            Just wanted to give you all a massive apology as I have been absolutely pants at blogging recently. The internet has gone off in my house and won't be back on until after BT decide to get off their bums and dig the lines up to see what's occurring!! However, I am going to start trying to use the Blogger app on my iPhone (which I've heard is poo, but needs must!) plus I'm thinking of having an overall of the look of my blog as well as having set days to do certain types of posts. I've got a few more posts scheduled so would love it if you could keep a look out for them! They include the conclusion of my birthday haul, my top 5 dupes, how much is my face worth tag and my empties!!

Hopefully plenty for you to look forward to :)


xxxx

NOTD: fishtail braid

On this rainy day off, I thought I'd take a break from packing to treat myself to new nail designs :)

I thought I would try the fishtail braid nails I've seen a few people do!

I used Essie's Island Hopping and Tart Deco as well as Barry M's foil effects in gold.

NOTD: Sunshine and sparkles

With the sun finally shining outside, I thought I would reflect it in my nails!! On my main fingers I have Barry M's yellow nail polish and my feature nail is my newest arrival , Opi's Kardashian colour 'rainbow in the s-kylie' LOVE this polish and this is only one coat :)

Hope the sun is shining everywhere else too!!!

Mwah xxx

Birthday haul: part one

So it was my birthday about 10 days ago and I was soooo lucky to be spoilt beyond belief especially by my boyfriend :) so spoilt that I'm going to have to split my birthday haul into two!! The first part will be my main present and other bits and bobs, then my second will be solely beauty products I received :)

So I'll start with one of my bigger presents from my parents.. My kindle!!! I love reading, and I always find it such a chore looking for books to read in shops so now I can do that from my very own home!! Plus it means they won't get damaged and there won't be any awkward getting comfy while holding a massive book moments.. Just can't decide whether to get the Dexter books first or game of thrones! Any suggestions??

Next I LOVE the Little Mermaid so I got quite a few themed goodies.. My boyfriends little boy got me an Ursula and King Triton doll I've been eyeing up a while. My boyfriend Anthony got me the two little Ariels too!!

Next I got a few DVDs and Cheryl's album.. Obviously as a northerner, Cheryl is my beauty idol!! Also got the 'Bared to You' book, after loving fifty shades of grey, clearly the boyfriends wanting me to get a bit fruity again!!

I got two beautiful scarves, one leopard print scarf which is huge and the seahorse print scarf which I am in LOVE with!!!! And this tribal print clutch bag from River Island!!

I always love Pandora charms for presents, as I feel they mean so much and I love that all of my charms have a story about them.. Anthony bought me this beautiful hearts charm, because we're in love (Awwww)

Last but not least I got a meerkat!! Well Aleksandr the meerkat :)

I'll be posting my beauty birthday pressies tomorrow, featuring Chanel, MAC, Essie and more....