March Favourites

Hi de hi :)

Here are my favourite go to products for March:

* Rimmel Lycra Pro Nail Polish in Pop Rose - Love, love, love this nail polish! Gorgeous colour, great application :D

* Soap & Glory Hand Food - For those of you that haven't yet tried any S&G products, this is a hand moisturiser (as if you couldn't have guessed by the name) that is absolutely gorgeous. Does exactly what it says on the bottle and smells divine! I bought the travel sized version so I can stick it in my bag for use on the go :)

* e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit - pretty impressed with this :)

* MAC Angel lipstick - My current lip obsession. Great colour, amazing scent, looks great applied. Now to add to my collection... ;P

* Soap & Glory Scent-sationalism set - Two lush scents and a gorgeous moisturizing body mist that I ADORE :D

* L'Oreal Matte Morphose Foundation - I raved about this a bit ago after having used the sample I found in Glamour. I still love it just as much :D

* Soap & Glory Flake Away - The best body scrub I have ever used!! Does exactly what it says on the tub :D And smells heavenly!!

* e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan - looks perfect on sunny days for a early sun kissed look :)

What have your favourite products been this month?

March Snapshot

Hiya :)

I can't believe it's the end of March already! But at least the weather is picking up and the sun has been out a lot, which is great :D

Listening to... Joshua Radin, Lifehouse, Michael Buble, Sugababes, Cheryl Cole, Glee cast, Lady Gaga, 30 Seconds To Mars, Plan B, Scouting for Girls, Darwin Deez, Gramophonedzie, Ke$ha, Daisy Dares You
Reading... Glamour and law stuff :(
Watching... Brothers & Sisters, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Damages, Gavin & Stacey
Buying... Bags, accessories, Soap & Glory stuff, fitness DVDs
Wanting... more money plzkthx, oh and something to do after May 7th that involves earning money!
Trying... to keep up with the healthy eating/weight loss thing. Seem to be staying at the same weight. Time to crack out those fitness DVDs now that they've arrived :D
Loving... Soap & Glory, sunshine
Planning... not an awful lot really. Oo we keep adding to our London itinerary though! 3 days won't be enough at this rate :p
Making... progress :D
Writing... blog posts, tweets, notes, post its
Cooking... not much really as I've been at home a lot lately
Inspired by... Spring, sun, polka dots, flowers, patterns and pastels <3

How has your March been?

Alice In Wonderland Cheshire Cat FOTN

Hiya

Our Students' Union is having a Mad Hatter Alice In Wonderland themed Easter Party tomorrow night. It also happens to be the night we're off out to celebrate my friend's 21st. She's cat mad, so we're going as cats. I however, am going as the Cheshire Cat :D 

I was just having a play around tonight so I don't spend ages faffing around tomorrow night as it's going to be a mega busy day!!! And this is what the result was. Onto the look!

This image is my inspiration

This is what I came up with

Products used

Face:

L'Oreal Matte Morphose Foundation

e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit

120 Pro Palette - lilac e/s as a blush

e.l.f. Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in Warm Tan

Saffron Palette - magenta e/s for my cat nose

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner in black

Eyes:

GOSH e/s base

Saffron Palette

Sleek Graphite palette

120 Pro Palette

Rimmel Exaggerate Eye Definer in black

Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Eyeliner in black

No 7 Extravagant Lashes Mascara

Lips:

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Balm

Vaseline

120 Pro Palette - lilac e/s mixed with Vaseline to create a lilac lip shade

~

This look took me about 20 minutes. I hadn't planned it, so this was done on a complete whim. What do you think?

Review: Soap & Glory Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel

Hello my pretties :)

I picked the travel sized version of this up to try a couple of weeks ago as it had been on my wish list after seeing it on a few blogs. Did it live up to its potential? If you'd like to know, read on :)

Product

What S&G say: Creamy clarifying shower gel with natural mandarin peel extract and bonus built-in body lotion!

What I say: I have noticed that my skin seems to feel softer and smoother and all round lovely after using this :) I always follow up with Girligo too so I'm sure that helps lots too!

Application

What S&G say: Apply a handful of Clean On Me™ to damp skin (we suggest shutting off the shower to prevent it from all just going down the drain), rub it into a thick, luxurious lather, and then rinse thoroughly. For soft smooth sexy skin whenever you want it, just Clean On Me™

What I say: I liked this shower gel, but wasn't overly keen on the scent to start with, but I think that was because I was expecting the Soap & Glory signature scent and this is a little different. However once you add hot water into the picture, it smells heavenly - like freshly washed laundry - but maybe that's just me? Either way I adore that smell almost more than life itself so this is a definite scent winner in my book. I have to say though I don't like the packaging of the mini version. It's just a screw top lid. The bottle isn't even squeezy. That's a bit of a fail. Especially when you get to the end and can't get all of the product out. I had a look at the full sized one and it's got a pump dispenser - much more useful I am sure. When I restock, I'll be going for the full sized one!

Price: £2.25 (full sized is £5.00)

Size: 75ml (full sized is 500ml)

Available from: Boots and boots.com

Ratings

Product: 8/10

Price: 10/10

Packaging: 3/10

Overall: 7/10

Repurchase: Yes

Have you tried Clean On Me? What did you think?

Review: GOSH Nail Lacquer in Rainbow

Hiya :)

After seeing this on a few blogs, I snatched up the last one on the display in Superdrug. Lucky! I know this seems to be quite an illusive polish, so I thought I'd show you all what it's like :)

Product

What GOSH say: Excellent coverage and extra glossy finish, hard wearing. Does not contain the harmful agents DBP, Toluene, Formaldehyde, Camphor or Phthalic Acid.

What I say: I was surprised at how good Rainbow actually was. With it being a flakie polish, I assumed that it would make for a gritty feeling topcoat. I was pleasantly surprised as it was quite the opposite. I got a perfect smooth coat that lasted for about a week with no chipping! The flakes in Rainbow appear to be red-green when applied, so as you can imagine, this only works with certain polish colours, and I swatched it over quite a few. I found reds and blacks to be the most stunning combinations, in particular over Avon's Wicked. Although I did find that it looked pretty damn fab over George @ Asda's Indigo Dazzle. I think GOSH should bring out more of these types of polishes but with different coloured flakes in.

Application

What GOSH say: Dries quickly and has a smooth consistency which is easy to apply.

What I say: The consistency of Rainbow is different to other GOSH polishes, as it seems to be a little more like a jelly? I might have got this wrong, I've never tried other jelly polishes but this is how I'd imagine they'd be. Saying that, I didn't notice any difference in drying time between this and a standard polish, so I would agree that it dries quickly. As I said above, Rainbow does have a surprisingly smooth consistency, which I wasn't expecting. Thumbs up from me! A teeny downside for me was that when you take the brush out of the bottle, a lot of product just seems to run off of the brush, and the distribution of flakes is sometimes uneven but as long as you work quickly, you can get a nice even coverage.

I've used GOSH Rainbow as a topcoat only so far. Here's some photos of it in action:

Price: £5

Size: 8ml

Availability: Superdrug

Ratings

Product: 8/10

Price: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Overall: 9/10

Repurchase: Maybe

Have you bought Rainbow? What do you think? Do you use it on its own or as a top coat over other polishes? Found any great combinations? Or is it on your wish list? Let me know :)

How To: Create Leopard Print Nails

Hiya

I've had loads of people asking me how I do my leopard print manis, and even more people saying that they'd love to try it but it looks too hard. I am here to show you just how ridiculously easy it is! I'm going to give you a step-by-step photo tutorial on how to do this. I'll also tell you what products I used and where to get them from. I really hope this is useful for you guys!!

Products you will need:

* A base colour

* A second colour that compliments the base colour - it needs to be slightly darker than the base colour - or contrasting, whatever floats your boat really!

* Black nail polish

* A dotting tool - I bought a set of 12 nail art brushes on eBay that contained the particular dotting tool that I use for this. I have no idea what the brushes are for, and have quite honestly found them to be useless! I have since bought a set of dotting tools from this eBay seller - 5 double ended tools for approximately £3 and free P&P. Bargain! However if you don't have any, you can use a cocktail stick :)

* A top coat

* A piece of shiny card like those annoying adverts that fall out of magazines/piece of unwanted plastic (I've used the lid of my cotton bud box before now) - this is to drop your black polish on to. Don't use paper as you don't want it to sink into it and dry.

For the purposes of this tutorial, I am going to show you my normal, 'go-to' leopard print design with standard leopard print colours. So my base is GOSH Nail Lacquer in Cappucino, my second complimentary colour is Avon's Speed Dry Nail Polish in Topaz, and my black nail polish is Nails Inc's London Nights, and my top coat is Rimmel's Lycra Pro in Clearly Clear.

On to the fun bit!

Method:

1. Apply your base colour and wait for it to dry. If you're using quite a sheer colour like me, you may need 2 or 3 coats.

Two coats of Cappucino

2. Using the brush from the bottle of your complimentary colour, make random dots and squiggles on your nails. Wait for them to dry. Remember, they do not have to be perfect, this is all part of the charm :) Before you start, make sure you do not have excess polish on your brush otherwise this can go wrong and will also take ages to dry.

3. Take the brush from your black polish and put a couple of drops of the polish onto your shiny card or plastic. Don't take too long between this step and the next :)

This is the shiny bit of card I'm currently using

Get lots of polish on the brush and let it drop on to the card

4. Using your dotting tool, dip it into the black polish then draw an outline around the dots and squiggles of your complimentary coloured nail polish.

My dotting tool

They do not have to join up in circles and they do not have to be perfect! See?

5. Repeat the above step as many times as is necessary to complete all of your nails :) Wait for them to dry.

6. Add a top coat and ta da! You have your very own leopard print mani!

7. Take obligatory photos and send me some links :D I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you have fun with this :)

Rawr!

Hiya :)

This is just a quick post to show how I jazzed up my leopard print mani that you can see in my tutorial here.

*no flash*

*no flash*

*flash*

Products used
GOSH Nail Lacquer in Cappucino
Avon Speedy Dry Nail Polish in Topaz
Nails Inc London Nights
GOSH Nail Lacquer in Rainbow

I wasn't sure whether this would work, but I went with it and I absolutely love it! What do you think?

Review: Soap & Glory Super Eyes, Super Eyes Moisturising Eye Gel

So good, they named it twice. Haha. Hello!

When I was in Lincoln a while ago, I picked up Super Eyes whilst it was still 1/3 off in Boots. A few people on Twitter had said it was good, especially for watery eyes when you're out in the bitter winter winds, as it tightens and lifts the skin around your eyes. Hurrah! So I bought it. To hear what I thought, read on :)

The product

Excuse the amount of pics, it's so pretty I couldn't stop myself lol

Cute pot!

So good, they named it twice ;)

What S&G say: On the box - Super Eyes, Super Eyes with Swiftlift™ technology for immediate skin tightening and heightening. Instant action. With fine-line-fighting tripeptide. Includes depuffing caffeine, pro-vitamin panthenol, and soothing Aloe Vera juice.

On the S&G website - Possibly the world’s most effective instant firming eye moisture gel. By deploying our exclusive SWIFTLIFT™ technology, it reduces visible wrinkles almost immediately and fights fine lines long-term too.

Want to hear something cool?

Keep it in the fridge and you’ll get some puff-reduction on top of the line lessening and the lifting (Of course it depuffs if you put it on. Staring at it in your refrigerator probably won’t do much).

What’s inside that counts?

- A Swiss Syn-Ake like venom Stimulating Age Fighting Tripeptide: to help smooth fine lines and wrinkles by

inhibiting the micro-contractions on the surface of the skin

- A Collagen-Stimulating Tripeptide: to firm and regenerate

- SWIFTLIFT™ Technology: our instant tightener

- Micronised Light-Reflecting Pigments: that instantly camouflage fine lines and wrinkles

- Caffeine: it depuffs your thighs, so why nto use it on your eyes?

What I say: I wasn't sure what to make of this at first. Super Eyes does work immediately - I felt it working pretty much instantly. It makes your skin feel warm whilst it tightens and heightens. I haven't really seen much difference with my fine lines to be honest, but maybe that's just me. I don't get puffy eyes but I have noticed that my dark circles seem to have lightened. Win! Maybe it's the soothing Aloe Vera, which makes me feel wide awake. Always a bonus!

Application

A handy lid inside the lid to stop the gel going everywhere

What S&G say: Moist your eyes. (Haha geddit?) And while you are at it, tighten them up too. Pat a layer of Super Eyes, Super Eyes around the contour of your eyes every morning and/or evening whenever you feel like you need a little lift. Suitable for all skin types - especially those in need of a lift

What I say: I pat this under my eyes and up into my outer 'v' every morning before I apply my make up. It certainly works, and I have noticed that my eyes don't water half as much in the wind now. Good times! No more smeared eyeliner for me!

Price: £8

Size: 15ml

Availability: Boots

Ratings:

Product: 8/10

Price: 8/10

Packaging: 10/10

Overall: 8/10

Repurchase: Probably

Have you tried Super Eyes? What did you think?

Tag: If I were...

Hiya

I saw this on Jennie's lovely blog, thought it was super cute and wanted to do it too ♥

If I were a gemstone, I'd be Blue Topaz.

If I were a scent, I'd be fresh laundry.

If I were a pair of shoes, I'd be a shiny pair of pumps.

If I were the weather, I'd be a Spring afternoon.

If I were a facial expression, I'd be a smile :)

If I were a car, I'd be a VW camper van.

Image credit: We♥it

If I were a time of day, I'd be afternoon.

If I were a month, I'd be May.

If I were a place, I'd be a sprawling country mansion.

If I were a liquid, I'd be a cool, clear lake.

If I were a taste, I'd be lemon & coconut.

If I were a sea animal, I'd be a dolphin.

If I were a food, I'd be Tiramisu.

Image credit: We♥it

If I were a colour, I'd be sunshine yellow.

If I were a musical instrument, I'd be a piano.

If I were a flower, I'd be a rose.

If I were a song, I'd be I'm Yours by Jason Mraz.

If I were a planet, I'd be Saturn.

If I were an object, I'd be an 18th century decorative piece of furniture for you to admire.

If I were a fruit, I'd be a lemon.

If I were a sound, I'd be a garden fountain trickling away.

Image credit: We♥it

If I were a day of the week, I'd be Tuesday.

If you'd like to do this, leave me a link in the comments so I can see what your answers are :)

Loving & Loathing

Hiya :)

What a miserable week in comparison to last week :( I'd like the sunshine back please! Here's what I'm loving and loathing, besides the weather, this week:

Loving
* Soap & Glory Flake Away
* Winning Bicky's blog giveaway :D
* Working with my hot boss ;)
* Having no lectures to attend this week
* Finding out that the entire Models Own range is coming to Boots!!
* Spring is back as of yesterday :D

Loathing
* Rain
* Anything to do with essays :(
* Galaxy Bubbles - erm seriously? Wtf? Stop trying to get on the Aero bandwagon. You failed spectacularly!

Review: Soap & Glory Flake Away

Hiya :)

Last week, I popped into Boots to spend my £10 Boots voucher. I got some Soap & Glory products, one of them being Flake Away. I'd heard many bloggers raving about this, so thought I'd give it a go. To see what I thought, read on :)

Product

What Soap & Glory say: Transforms your scaly legs from reptilian to radiant. Nothing eliminates dry surface flakes as fast as Flake Away™. For superhero-strength skin smoothing spa body polish with Shea Butter, sweet almond oil, peach seed powder, sea salt and sugar. One round in the shower with this scrub and no-one will ever have to know that all this time you’ve been flaking it.

What I say: I didn't know what to expect from Flake Away to be honest. I'd tried other body scrubs before and they didn't really do anything for me, so I've been reluctant to try again, but a lot of bloggers constantly rave about Soap & Glory so I thought I'd try again. Recently my legs have been a bit dry. Step in Flake Away. I noticed the difference after the first use!

Application

What Soap & Glory say: Apply a handful of Flake Away™ onto damp skin and massage in circular motions until most of the grains are gone. Rinse well, pat dry and apply body glossing oil such as Easy Glistening™ or moisture butter such as The Righteous Butter™. 

What I say: I cannot tell you how much I love this product!! You really don't need much and it feels great on your skin and smells utterly divine. I followed it up post-shower with a spritz of Girligo Body Moisturising Mist which also smells gorgeous! I swear my legs have never been so smooth or so soft!!

Price: This mini version retails at £2.25, but I got it for £1.49. Large version retails at £6.50.
Size: This mini version is 50ml, the large version is 350ml - but a little goes a long way!
Availability: Boots

Ratings
Product: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Repurchase: Yes!!!!

Have you tried Flake Away? Do you want to? Let me know :)