Cosmetic Crave

New Real Techniques Limited Edition Set: 'Nic's Picks'

2014-10-02T18:53:00.001+01:00

I just thought I'd share with you a new addition to the shelves of Superdrug that has got me quite excited. I was going to add this set to my Christmas list, but I couldn't hold off that long and I snaffled them up for myself today after they were released worldwide yesterday. It's clear that the set has been brought out at this time of year with it being intended to be under a lot of people's Christmas trees as it really would make the perfect gift; both to give and to receive.

Following on from the success of the Real Techniques set 'Sam's Picks' - a 6-piece set that I never bothered with myself - sister #2 has followed up with her own selection of favourites with a limited edition design and 3 exclusive brush cuts. Nic's picks, with the sleek silver handled design, comes in a set of 5 brushes; two that are already available, and 3 that are exclusive to the set.

1) The duo-fibre face brush was a huge hit when it was released in the 'limited edition' Duo Fibre Collection (a set that didn't flare an interest in me), and is ideal for 'lightweight application and blending of powder products'.

2) The cheek brush is one of the set exclusives and is prescribed to 'even apply make up across the cheek bones for a more dramatic finish'. This feels a similar size and shape to the expert face brush, but is far less densely packed and feels more like a smaller headed version of the powder brush.

3) The angled shadow brush is a second set exclusive and is 'perfectly cut for layering eyeshadow in the crease'. Real Techniques are known for being stronger with their face brushes than their eyeshadow brushes, and eyeshadow isn't my forte either but a nice fluffy angled brush always comes in handy.

4) The base shadow brush is the second of the pre-existing brushes and is one that I own myself already. It works exactly as described and applies a smooth base of colour to the lids. Despite it being one of Nic's most favourite brushes ever, it's definitely one of my least used shadow brushes.

5) Although there is a larger angled brush in the 'Starter Kit', this set has a smaller, exclusive eyeliner brush, with a small and precise, firm angled head for 'optimal control along the lash line'.

I really like the expensive looking metallic silver finish of the handle and how they've also kept to the classic Real Techniques roots of colour theming the brushes, this time with the writing on the handles: gold for base, pink for finish, and purple for eyes. Every single brush in the set is fantastic quality and I'm sure each of them will be well used. The price point of £30 is amazing, making each brush just £6 each! There's not many brands who match up to the quality and the price tag that Real Techniques offer and I'd highly recommend them to anyone, from beginners with makeup, to people who think they already have 'too many brushes' (..as if there's such a thing!).

What do you think of Nic's Picks brush set?

Available now from:

Feel Unique - £29.99 link

Superdrug - ~~£30.00~~ £20.00 link

Escentual - £25.40 link

♥

Summer Abroad: Travelling Coast to Coast USA

2014-07-11T14:16:00.000+01:00

Well would you just look at that map! If there's anything that summarises 'living the dream' then it's got to be this right here, don't you think?

On the 1st January this year I had one of those 'this is going to be my year' pep talks with myself and took the plunge to book a 5 week trip from New York to Los Angeles. Nobody thought I'd do it, I didn't even think I'd do it - but I did it. (Booked it, that is)

It's organised by a company called Trek America who have a huge range of tours of America, ranging from 4 days to around 12 weeks! (Their 'Full 48' tour of all the US states except Alaska and Hawaii looks flipping amazing!). My trip is called the Coast to Coast South and it's a primarily camping trip, with some nights spend in hotel, hostel or B&B accommodation and we're transported from location to location by our trek leader who will drive us around in a mini bus. There's 12 of us in our group, mostly booked as solo travellers, like me, and we've all 'found' each other via Facebook and have already made a start on getting to know each other before we've even left the country.

I've got butterflies in my stomach thinking about being dropped at Manchester airport and just boarding a plane to Newark via London Heathrow all by myself and arriving at Newark Airport Hotel ready to face to face meet the people that I'll be spending the next 5 weeks with.

I'm going for a total of 38 days and considering I couldn't even stay 1 hour down the road at uni for more than 2 weeks, I think this is going to be a challenge for me. But of course, this isn't university with coursework and cheap nights out in sluggy Preston night clubs; this is a trip of a lifetime from New York and Philadelphia, tours of Washington DC, through to Florida with trips to Disneyland and Universal Studios, Miami, a drive down the southern most tip of the US to Key West, experiencing the southern charm of Texas and New Orleans, alien spotting in Area 57, weeks of national parks and jaw dropping sights of the Grand Canyon (and more!) with the bright lights of Vegas and the surreal culture of LA and Hollywood to finalise the adventure.

There is no trip more perfect and I couldn't think of anything that I'd rather be spending my summer doing! Most of my updates will be on Instagram - @hannahripley1 so you can stay tuned that way, but I'll try and get some more details up on my blog in some sort of diary fashion whenever I can.

I leave 2 weeks today, and I'll be back in September!

Ciao England!

If you want to read more about this sort of thing, I was influenced to do this trip by the wonderful and fabulous posts from In The Frow and you can see her travelling updates from the US here.

Free Protein with The Protein Works

2014-07-10T14:11:00.000+01:00

If you're curious about trying these little bottles of amazingly creatively flavoured protein powders from The Protein Works, then look no further! If you follow me on Instagram you'll have seen that I have whey protein samples of: lemon shortcake, apple cinnamon swirl, caramel macchiato, choc mint brownie and cherry bakewell! Now I'm not sure which one of the flavours sounds more delicious (any of them are much better than plain chocolate or vanilla), and I'm also drawn in by the handy little plastic bottle with the correct amount for one serving ready and waiting for you. Next time I go to the gym all I'll be taking is one little bottle of these and then I can just chuck it away - no bulky and potentially stinky shakers weighing down my bag!

First of all, to receive this freebie bonus you have to be referred and that's where I come in :)

I have a code that you can use when you register on the site and I know the writing's not crystal clear on that image, but it's a 7, not a 1 on the picture above.

My referral code is: HR90074

You can also follow this referral link: The Protein Works

The one catch is that you have to spend £10 on your first order, but that's not a very high minimum spend and you can spend it on absolutely anything at all on the site. I just got myself a 500g bag of whey protein in ROCKY ROAD flavour which was £10.99 and then I qualified for my free protein samples.

It's super simple to claim, but if you need any further clarification then this page explains it all clearly:

http://www.theproteinworks.com/free-protein

Just make an account, enter the code, make your purchase and the freebies are yours!

Enjoy your summer bodies guys and gals
and remember: strong, not skinny!

Life Beyond A Screen

2014-07-08T10:30:00.000+01:00

Don't get me wrong, I'm a slave to social media as much as the next person. I'd say as much as the next 'young person', but my mum is as much hooked onto Facebook as I am - it's stretched to all generations; young and old. Even my grandparents now have smartphones so they can see my Instagram updates while I'm in America! ..and don't get me started on my 10 year old cousins and their square eyes!

Sparked by fairly recent Banksy work of 'Mobile Lovers', and a similar style piece (not confirmed to be Banksy) of a young boy expressing distress over not receiving social media attention and validation through notifications and superficial 'likes', I've been having deep thoughts about life and the Internet. 'Mobile Lovers' really got me and my own 'lover' discussing the topic of using our phones when we're in each other's company and how inappropriately unnecessary it is to be engaged with an iPhone screen and Twitter feed of pointless updates from people I barely even know. Okay, so somebody I had one class with in sixth form is ordering a chinese for their tea, and somebody who lives down the road is going on holiday on 246 days. Somebody I've never even met or spoke to is hungover. Great. Fab. I'm so glad I spent 15 seconds of my life reading that update on my little phone screen. I'd much rather be watching my boyfriend speak to me and tell me about his day so I can read the emotions from his face, rather than his emojis on a screen.

In my Break From Blogging post I shared a couple of the things that I've been up to and how refreshing it's been to take a step back from being engrossed in online updates and social feeds and instead get out and about experiencing different things each day. I've actually been meeting a lot more new people recently and I always find that when you meet somebody new and gain an insight into their life and how they live, it can really open your eyes to new perspectives on life. There's always so much to learn and the best way to learn it is from meeting new people, but meeting them online and chatting via 140 characters isn't always the best way for this to happen. (See the video at the bottom of this post!)

I don't hate technology and I do appreciate instant communication with anybody in the world, but the viral video titled 'Look Up', which is embedded in this post, made me think about trying to detach from the digital world, and fully embrace the life beyond a screen.

Seeing pubs with funny messages outside like 'no wifi in here, talk to each other instead' makes me giggle, but the reality of being in genuine situations surrounded by friends/colleagues with each and every one of them looking down at their phones, scrolling through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram instead of engaging with the real life human that is sitting right next to them, is something that has been rubbing me the wrong way for the past few months.

“look up from your phone, shut down the display, take in your surroundings and make the most of today”.

If you haven't yet seen this video, or at least seen it recently, then please please watch it. It's 5 minutes long and I can guarantee it will get you thinking about how much you use social media and how much more you should enjoy the world around you.

Use technology, embrace technology, but don't let it consume you.
♥

A Break From Blogging

2014-07-07T13:22:00.001+01:00

Sitting here and opening up blogger.com feels a little bit alien.

I haven't written a proper blog post since April!!

Any of the ones that went live in May were scheduled and not 'proper' posts, and then June, well.. June was a complete no go! Zero published posts. Zero.

As much as I dislike 'blogging tips' kind of posts, the ones that lay out rules and step by step instructions on how to be a 'good' blogger.. the recurring advice that you'll always see is

a) to be yourself, and

b) don't force it

if you don't feel like blogging for a bit, then don't!

It feels much better to be writing about what you want to, because you want to, and not through some sort of forced obligation. No one will mind if you take a little time off, as long as you come back to it.. but coming back to it was the part that I struggled with.

I stopped blogging because the final parts of university work got on top of me (March - May) and I was dedicating every second of my free time to my dissertation and then exam revision after that, and I always said that straight after my exams I'd hop straight back into blogging.. but I just couldn't seem to do it. The writer/blogger's block got too much for me so I took a major step back and I'll hand on heart say it was one of the most refreshing and beneficial things I've ever done. I actually have a post planned tomorrow; life beyond a screen, discussing how we can all become a little too wrapped up in the online world and social media especially, and how nice it is to break free and enjoy 'real life' without the worry of documenting every moment of it.

I've always known I'd come back to Cosmetic Crave, but I didn't enjoy feeling as though I had to keep publishing new content and keeping my traffic at a reasonable level because of the advertisers that had paid to promote their blog through me, so (combined with the fact that demand has drastically declined) I'm going to temporarily suspend my blog advertisers and just blog for me.

Here's what I've been up to since I last updated my blog:

- I finally finished my double dissertation and obsessed over exam revision

- I completed 3 years at university and celebrated like the wild student I once used to be

- I changed my hair and got a tattoo

- I reconnected with friends I'd once pushed away and enjoyed catch ups and nights out

- I spent quality time with my sister; lunch dates, cinema trips and spa days

- I went to Parklife festival and partied in the rain

- I went to see Jason Manford and spent time up the Lakes with my boyfriend

- I got my exam results.. 2:1 honours degree in law!! And started to prepare for my summer in America.

Life got real!!

Follow me on Instagram for more: @HannahRipley1

Also, I finished working at my part time job (now officially unemployed!) andddd..

I was shortlisted for a Cosmopolitan Award!

BEST ESTABLISHED BEAUTY BLOG

Say whaaaaaaat?!

I actually feel a bit guilty about being shortlisted after my big break, but it's amazing to know that the support is there for Cosmetic Crave and I'm very much in shock! I need to get my head around it and process that this has happened.. but if you nominated me then THANK YOU!

http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blogs/cosmo-blog-awards-2014/cosmo-blog-awards-2014-shortlist
THANK YOU!
Now excuse me while I go freak out on Twitter and congratulate the other nominees!
♥

New: Bourjois Nail Polish Remover Pot for Hands & FEET

2014-04-29T11:59:00.000+01:00

I don't doubt for a second that anybody reading this has tried, repurchased, or at least heard of Bourjois' 1 Second Nail Polish Remover pot for fingers. It's a wonder product and I wouldn't be without it now. However, the original nail polish remover for hands used to defeat the object of being quick, easy and faff free when I was doing a full on pamper.. because I'd still have to pull out a bottle of remover and cotton pads to do my feet! (Take my word for it, toes do not go in that little pink pot..)

Now, I can completely do away with a bottle of remover and pads and this one single purple pot, reinvented for use on hands and feet, is all that I need - Brilliant!

It's the addition we've all been waiting for.

It's a simple revolution. In the lid of the pot is a nail polish remover solution soaked sponge with the plastic lid as its handle. Simply tip the closed bottle upside down to soak the sponge in the solution, and then hold it over your toenails and watch your varnish vanish! (Not in 1 second, but close enough).

It's also still just as good for using to remove nail varnish from fingers in the same way as the original pot. Just dip them in, twist, and remove!

It makes sense that if you have it for your hands, you could quickly and easily use it on your feet too. If you love the original and are thinking about repurchasing, skip it out and head straight to the new invention to be able to use it on your feet too ..just in time for sandal season!

Availability:
Available now only from Beauty Mart | thisisbeautymart.com for £6.00
and will be available from Asos, Amazon and Very from mid-May (£5.99)

Bourjois 1 Second Nail Polish Remover Pot for Hands & Feet* - £5.99 | link

Would you use this?
I'd love to know what you think.

Thanks for reading! ♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise * c/o Bourjois --- Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥

Skin Health Spa Experience

2014-04-27T18:27:00.001+01:00

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon last week, I was kindly invited to Manchester to receive a treatment of my choice at the Skin Health Spa. Tucked away on a quiet side street of St James Square in the city centre of Manchester you will find the beautiful and welcoming Skin Health Spa; one of 5 locations in the UK with other clinics in Birmingham, Nantwich and 2 in London. They specialise in advanced skin care and offer treatments that range from hair removal, acne, wrinkles, unwanted pigmentation and more. See a full treatment list here.

Before we crack on with talking about the day,

I should briefly introduce you to the bane of my life.. my skin:

My Skin

I mention it on Twitter, and it's been touched upon on Instagram, but my real skin journey has never been divulged on my blog ..and I can't see that happening any time soon, as it's still a very raw and sensitive subject for me. All you need to know is that my acne used to be very bad, and now it's not so bad. See this picture for reference (2012 v 2013). My skin concerns are what hold me back more than anything, even with something as simple as blogging because I hate to take pictures of my face (..unless there's at least 10 filters on it ;) #selfie).

Now, at age 21 and after years of trips to my GP and the dermatologist, my acne hasn't 'gone' - it is still there - but it's a lot less active and less aggravated as I'm currently taking long term antibiotics to control it (Oxytetracycline). I still get occasional breakouts but they're now much more isolated and don't cover the entire surface of my skin.

My main skin concern now is the scarring that remains. Quite a lot of it is redness and surface scars, but there's also deep set 'ice pick' scars across my cheeks too (unflattering picture here). This is why I focus on a lot of skincare, especially masks, that target radiance and renewal of the skin, to try and fade some of these scars and marks.

The Spa

The Spa was very easy to find and I received a friendly and warm welcome, offered a comfortable seat, a drink and asked to fill out a couple of forms. I then had a thorough consultation with Sophie as we chatted a little bit about my skin history, what I use at the moment and what I'm aiming for from the treatment.

Sophie explained that she had once been a sufferer of acne herself, and it was so nice and comforting to speak to somebody who had experienced the same skin troubles in the past. She had almost gone on Roaccutane, but found that the peels and treatments offered at Skin Health Spa helped her complexion far more than packs of pills from the doctors ever did. Anyone who's been a long term sufferer with acne is probably nodding thinking 'yep, my doctor can't seem to fix me', and that's because your GP probably knows naff all about dermatology, they just hand out the pills. I felt like Sophie really cared; even though she'd only just met me I felt so comforted and really reassured by her and that she just wanted to help me and give me the best results for my skin.

I was originally booked in to receive an Ultimate Facial - a 4-in-1 facial consisting of: Microdermabrasion, a balancing enzyme facial, a transderm treatment, and a relaxing facial massage. Read more about the Ultimate Facial here. After a chat it was decided that, especially with having a current active breakout, the Ultimate Facial was likely to not offer the best results for my skin at that time. That treatment is more for relaxation, and there could be a risk of unnecessarily spreading the breakout with the exfoliation, so we decided on an alternate treatment of a Micro Peel, a treatment aimed for at giving instantly visible results of a smoother and brighter skin surface, and helps to target mild scars and lines.

My Treatment* - Micro Peel (Single Face Treatment £125)

Instead of the Ultimate Facial, I was recommended a Micropeel; a duo of a peel and microdermabrasion. They offer a range of peels for this double act, but I was given the Mangobright Peel: a combination of all three acids - salicylic, lactic and glycolic, to combat blemishes, pigmentation and resurface the skin.

Micro Peel = Microdermabrasion + Skin Peel

The gentle mango extract peel was activated and left on my skin for 7 minutes; slightly less than the usual time because it was my first peel, but longer than a typical first time because my skin is used to glycolic products with having used AHAs on my skin before (Alpha H Liquid Gold, Clarins Gentle Exfoliator, REN Radiance Renewal).

There was no discomfort during the peel as it sat on my skin, just a slight tingle and a gentle warming sensation. After the peel came the medical microdermabrasion which pushes the peel deeper into the skin and also removes any dead skin cells to brighten, stimulate cell regeneration, improve blood flow, regulate excess oil production, reduce flaking and dry skin, and fade scars, pigmentation and age spots. Medical microdermabrasion is like a miracle procedure!

Microdermabrasion - 'The skin is treated to a deep, mechanical exfoliation. Using a vacuum, the machine passes micro-fine crystals across the skin. As the crystals make contact layers of the stratum corneum are exfoliated, then vacuumed away with the dead skin cells. The combination of skin exfoliation and slight vacuum stimulates new healthy living cells and improved blood flow for better cell turn over'.

I enjoyed the microdermabrasion so much. It only lasted about 10 minutes and it was so gentle and relaxing, it was just like my face was being attacked with a teeny tiny mini Hoover! Just really gentle suction on your skin is the only thing that you can feel, but knowing that crystals are gently exfoliating the skin surface and then it's all being sucked away is an amazing feeling.

To finish, SPF 50 and B5 Hydrating serum were applied and I was advised not to wear make up for at least the next 18 hours, and that my skin might be more sensitised than usual.

The Result

Although the results are instantaneous, it's not a quick and ultimate fix, because nothing ever is ..is it :( You don't walk through the door with bad skin, walk out of the door an hour later with good skin and that's your life happily ever after (although I do really wish this was the case!!). Immediately after the treatment my skin appeared to be quite red and looked a little blotchy, but by the end of the day and especially in the next morning I was just staring at my complexion like 'wow!' and I was truly amazed. Nearly all of the redness had eased, my blemishes had shrunk to literally nothing, and post-blemish red marks has faded away dramatically. My skin was so much clearer, brighter and smoother. All that was remaining was the deep set, ice pick scars along with still lightly larger than average pores, and even they looked less noticeable.

The results are supposed to be long lasting, but not permanent. What Skin Health Spa gave to me was the confidence that not all hope is lost with my skin, and the intense boost and kick start to really make some improvements by being persistent with home dermabrasions and lots of exfoliation.

Treatments are recommended in a course of 3 or 6. I'm going to continue to follow up with a routine of products at home (outlined below), but I'm aware the results won't be as drastic as what was acheived in that hour at Skin Health Spa. I'm definitely going to be booking back into Skin Health Spa for a course of peels; there's so many to choose from I'm not sure if I'd go for a Glycolic Peel, a Skin Brite Peel, or another Mango Bright Peel. I can also see myself potentially becoming addicted to the Microdermabrasion - I love the sucky sensation across the skin and I'm already booked into a small, local spa for another single treatment of this.

Price list for treatments - link

They have so many treatments available, whether you have skin concerns or not, but there'll always be a treatment to relax you, stimulate dull skin, target wrinkles, pigmentation, acne, or scars. Skin Health Spa also frequently have offers on, such as all skin peels are buy one, get one free for April.

Special Offers Page - link

Aftercare and continuation..

..And here's what I've been using at home to keep up the good results:

They're all products that I've had lurking around in my cupboards, but I've pulled them out into action to maintain the effects of the skin peel. I am still been using the NSpa Hot Cloth Cleanser as a gentle morning cleanser but I've been more strict in the evenings: alternate nights using Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash* and twice a week using the Origins Modern Friction (Gentle Dermabrasion) or the Philosophy Microdelivery Peel (intense home dermabrasion) to work on shifting dead skin cells and encouraging skin cell renewal. The salicylic acid in the Philosophy Peel will help with any breakouts, and the lactic acid should help to fade pigmentation.

Having an oily skin type, all I've ever feared is adding more oil to my skin and if there's any step I stick it's always been moisturiser. For damaged and scarred skin (actually, any skin) this is a big no no! Don't skip out on the moisturiser! It was recommended to me to find a 'dry oil' to moisturise, so I've been using the Balance Me Radiance Face Oil* which sinks in instantly and literally feels like there's nothing on the skin - just what I like, but I also need to find a really good serum too. Something to help repair the deeper layer of my skin as these troubles go beyond just the surface and top layer of my skin.

To help with extra rejuvenation, I've also ordered another bottle of Alpha H Liquid Gold, a tub of Glam Glow, a home derma roller and I'm thinking about the Kiehls Midnight Recovery Concentrate too.

Skincare overhaul! Any more recommendations for me?

Have you ever had a skin peel experience?

A huge thanks to Skin Health Spa for the amazing treatment and changing the way I treat my skin. I'm now so glowing and happy; in less than two weeks my confidence levels have shot sky high all because of having better skin.

Thanks for reading! ♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- *My treatment was received c/o Skin Health Spa **Products marked with * have been sent as separate PR samples Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥

A Mint Line Up | Mint Green Polishes For Spring

2014-04-16T15:30:00.000+01:00

As a continuation from yesterday's post about a mint little game where I showed a nail wheel with a selection of mint green polishes and asked you all if you could guess which shades were which to test your beauty eye.. today I'm revealing the shades!

Dun dun dunnn...

L-R:
1. Primark P.S. Love 'Mint Green'
2. Models Own 'Apple Pie'
3. Rimmel 60 Seconds 'Breakfast in Bed'
4. Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine 'Sugar Apple'
5. Essie 'Mint Candy Apple'
6. MUA 'Pistachio Ice Cream'
7. Maybelline Color Show 'Green With Envy'
8. Models Own 'Jade Stone'

My personal favourite is #3 - Rita Ora for Rimmel 'Breakfast in Bed' because that one also has a very subtle silver shimmer running through it too, and I also really love #2 for a bit more of a greenier shade - Models Own 'Apple Pie'. As a bonus, that's one of their scented polishes from the Fruit Pastel range.

The closest one to looking like a dupe for Essie Mint Candy Apple may actually be the Primark polish! (#1). At just £1 that's saving you a bundle if you opt for that one instead of Essie. Obviously for the price the formula isn't quite on par.. but for the colour selection alone, Primark comes up good!

There's one shade missing that I wish could be included here and that's
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Mint Sorbet
and I almost ordered it from Amazon before I realised.. how many mint greens does one girl need? Really??..
I've got more mint than I could ever use up, and spring/pastel nails aren't even my favourite - I'm more about summer/neon nails!

Let me know in the comments below if you saw yesterday's post too where the shade names were concealed and if you correctly identified any of the shades from this minty line up!

Did you know which one was Mint Candy Apple? :)
Also, which one is your favourite?

Thanks for reading!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥

A Mint Game

2014-04-14T15:30:00.000+01:00

Heyy, a little 'competition' coming your way today on Cosmetic Crave.

(except you don't win anything..)

So it's more like a game - just for fun and the satisfaction of having accurate beauty knowledge.

Have you ever wondered how good your beauty eye is?

Well, let's put it to the test!

I've rounded up all of the mint polishes in my stash (fave shade for spring, that's why there's a crazy
excessive amount!) and put I've them all together on a swatch wheel.
Each of the 8 shades all have two coats of colour and no top coat.

I'd love for everybody to get involved and see if they can hazard a guess at which shades are which!
Just comment below if you think you can identify any of the shades!

It looks like I've found some pretty good dupes in amongst here too, especially shades 7 & 8 - identical!

10 points for guessing the cult classic: Essie 'Mint Candy Apple'
and then have yourself an extra 5 points for identifying any extra shades!

As a heads up, the one I would've thought was Mint Candy Apple.. was way off!
And.. if you visit my Instagram or look at my recent haul post you'll see a couple of hints to which shades are in the mix.

All shades will be revealed in 48 hours (3.30pm 16.04.14)
Please join in and share the post too - it's just for fun..

Thanks for reading!
Good luck!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥

My eBay Collections

2014-04-04T18:02:00.000+01:00

Cosmetic Crave Collections on eBay

USERNAME: hannah.ripley

The weird, the wonderful, the obscure and the downright bargainous can all be found throughout eBay.co.uk and now you can save yourself the searching and can simply use eBay’s new and exciting feature: collections. The collections can be put together by others and you can see them, or you can create your own!

I never really ‘got’ Pinterest, right from the get-go I just couldn’t get the hang of it and I never really saw the appeal. But eBay has built on the idea of ‘pinning’ items and putting them together in a themed group for other people to follow and browse, but of course with eBay being eBay – you can buy something that you like too. Think of it as a shopping version of Pinterest.

You can make your own collections for so many different reasons:

A lust list; all the things you’d buy if you were a millionaire.. just to tease yourself.
For some birthday or Christmas hints (Mum.. just look at this collection I made *wink*)
A wedding gift guide to share with your guests
Party planning; all the bits you'll need to order when the time comes closer
A way to compare different items that you can’t quite decide one. Can’t make up your mind on a few options? Put them all in one place and compare.
As a ‘buy later’ option for yourself. Although there is a ‘save for later’ option, collections give you the flexibility to separate and categorise your items, and share them too.
..Or just for fun! Who says you can’t browse all of the pretty Parisian décor or cat themed jewellery on the site and put it all together in one place!

They’re super simple to create, literally all you do is find the item you like and click on the ‘Add to collection’ button that will be underneath Add To Watch List.

A pop up menu will appear where you can choose which collection to add your item to, or to create a brand new collection.

Just last week I received a tweet from somebody who has just logged into eBay and they saw me and one of my collections sitting there on the homepage – with eBay being such a globally successful site that is cray-zay! I’m really impressed with how well the collections concept has taken off and how many people are making use of it.

Make sure you get involved and if you need some inspiration for collections you can see some of mine here:

www.ebay.co.uk/cln/hannah.ripley

Above (top of the page) are examples of just three of the collections that I have on my page.

The idea was to stick to the themes of health/beauty/fashion because that’s what my blog specialises in, but I also chose to create collections on the things that I personally search for on eBay – you’d be surprised how many strange 99p treasures you can come across while scouring the site.

The other collections I have created include: Fun Gift Ideas, Home Décor, Kitchen Accessories and a collection especially for Novelty Mugs! (I’m a mug collector.. don’t judge)

Also, with summer on the way I’m sure many of you might find yourselves browsing through my Work Out / Gym collection, especially if you’re a beginner because there's some good 'at home' gear to get you started.

But of course there’s still the Nail Art Accessories (I always buy my nail wheels and striping tape from eBay and have included sellers I actually use) and more importantly a whole collection dedicated to Acrylic Make Up Storage! Save yourselves the searching and just click here to see my Acrylic Make Up Storage collection including the exact £10 Muji style drawers that I use.

Let me know if you take a browse through my collections, and you can also follow them too!

Thanks for reading!

♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥ *This is a sponsored post: in partnership with eBay

Return Of The Crave ..Big Beauty Haul!

2014-04-03T13:59:00.001+01:00

Like I said on Twitter yesterday, I may have been a ~~bad~~ terrible blogger over the past month, but I've still been a damn good shopper! So after a 24 day absence, I thought I'd welcome myself back to blogging with exactly what I do best.. a beauty haul!

You may think I've gone beauty shopping crazy, and that's because I have. I shouldn't have to put in a disclaimer but blah blah, it's my money and I go out earn it, I save some and I spend some ..and I enjoy what I spend it on because beauty products are something I enjoy. :)

I recently went on a weekend trip to Leeds and at the time it was the last weekend of Boots 3 for 2, and also the new Advantage Card points vouchers had just arrived in the post, so I just went on a full blow out.. and earned myself 1,200 Advantage Points in one go with all those boosters!

It's mainly make-up and nails, but there's a couple of extra hair, skin and a single bodycare repurchase in there too.

Hair

Batiste Dry Conditioner

Charles Worthington Texturising Spray

Vo5 Plump It Up Dry Shampoo and Dry Backcomb Spray

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Mousse Treatments - 'Mega' and 'Aussome Volume'

I haven't spelt 'awesome' wrong on that last line by the way ..it is supposed to say 'aussome' for the volume mousse. I can't pass much judgement on any of these yet because they're all so new that I've not had chance to try them properly and form a useful opinion. However, the Vo5 Dry Backcomb Spray is a repurchase and I love that for a subtle root boost and I've been using the CW Texturising Spray lots recently, especially when my hair is curly or wavy to add extra body throughout my hair.

Nails

Models Own (HyperGel) Lilac Sheen

Essie Mint Candy Apple

Maybelline ColorShow Green With Envy

Rimmel (Rita Ora) Breakfast in Bed

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Sugar Apple

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Rose Hip

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Huckleberry

Sinful Colours - Snow Me White

Bought enough new nail varnishes that all look the same?? I'm on a mission to find my perfect spring pastel shade, in particular the perfect minty green - so I bought the cult mint shade 'Mint Candy Apple' and then picked up some potential dupes along the way. I'm surprised to find that the Rita Ora for Rimmel shade (Breakfast in Bed) is actually my favourite! It's a perfect Tiffany blue/green with a very subtle silver shimmer in it. I also searched high and low for the trio of new Barry M shades: I ended up buying Huckleberry in Leeds, Sugar Apple in Preston and ordered Rose Hip from Asos.. after making a detour to the Trafford Center just to check their Superdrug! (#desperate).

Make Up

Lip products | Blog sale buys | Sleek products

Maybelline ColorSensational Shine Gloss - 420 Glorious Grapefruit

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm - 210 Unapologetic
Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm - 110 Coquette

Revlon ColorBurst Lacquer Balm - 105 Demure

Soap and Glory FabuLipstick - Guava Rama

Eep, lip product cray-zay! I'm not a lipgloss gal at all but I was tempted by fellow bloggers to try the Maybelline ColorSensational Shine Glosses (they've been compared to Clarins Instant Light Lip Perfectors) and I absolutely adore it. I also finally caved and got some of the new Revlon matte/lacquer balms even though I said I was done with crayon-style balm stain/glosses and also gave into the lust of S&G Guava Rama after seeing that I'd get 300 Advantage Points for buying any S&G lip product.. so it seemed worth it!

Stila In The Light Eyeshadow Palette

Mac Eyeshadow - Cranberry

Being a beauty blog sale bargain hunter I've found a couple of second hand gems recently and I'm especially pleased with these two purchases as they've been on my wishlist for a longgg time: Mac Cranberry and Stila in the Light Palette. Both have light use but are in good condition (athough Stila Kitten got a bit bashed in the post) and sometimes it so worth it to have something 'not quite brand new' and pay half the retail price instead.

Sleek Corrector and Concealer Palette

Sleek Blush by 3 - Pink Lemonade

Sleek Eyeshadow Palette - Storm

Sleek have released two new Blush by 3 palettes for this spring/summer and after being sent Californ.I.A* to review but not loving having all shades being cream formula, I decided to buy the second trio for myself too - Pink Lemonade as this one is 2x powder and 1x cream, with more wearable pretty pink shades, inspired by an English afternoon tea! I also got the Correct/Conceal palette in shade 02 and I'm convinced that it's far too dark for me - using that middle shade under my eyes will make them darker - not brighter! And finally, all hail the Sleek Storm Palette! The most perfect combination of shades with an amazing formula and perfect price.

Skin & Body

Soap and Glory SugarCrush Body Scrub

Origins Make A Difference+ Treatment

Origins GinZing Eye Cream

I ordered from the Origins site and it came with free samples of: Smarty Plants CC Cream, Modern Friction exfoliator x2, Clear Improvements mask, Plantscription serum, and Gin Zing moisturiser. Although I've already got the full size versions of half of these it never hurts to try out the new ones and keep the sample sizes of the old favourites - you never know when a mini will come in handy!

Photo: instagram.com/hannahripley1

Also, these samples are lethal because I was actually purchasing the Make A Difference+ Treatment and GinZing eye cream after loving the samples that I got of them in a previous order. Origins know what they're doing ;)

Phew!

I TOLD YOU I WAS A GOOD SHOPPER.

The month of March was good for my beauty table ..but bad for the bank balance!

Thanks for reading ♥

Share your thoughts on any of my purchases in the comments :)

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my April Gold advertiser, Katrina, and her amazing blog:

Beautrina

♥

Mac Pay Day Order | Featuring A Fantasy of Flowers

2014-03-11T11:25:00.000+00:00

Hey cherubs.

Just a quick post today to share with you my recent order that I made from Mac.

After three phonecalls and a series of emails following a missing lipstick on delivery (who'd have thought that'd be so difficult to sort?!) I've finally got my full order and a replacement for the lipstick that was whole reason for the order!

Mac collections normally don't strike up much interest with me, but there was a certain lipstick shade from the current A Fantasy of Flowers collection that caught my eye and I mentally logged it as a 'must have'.

The shade is Dreaming Dahlia and it's a lustre finish lipstick.

On first look it looks like a similar shade to Costa Chic (without the frosty shimmer) but it's a lot more sheer in formula and has a red tinge to the coral colour. Such an ideal easy breezy lipstick for spring days! Sorry there's no swatch of it here, but I'm hoping to get a full post on the lipstick up before the end of the week.

Lipstick - Dreaming Dahlia | £15.00

To fill out my order, I decided to get my first Mac palette and fill it with two of the most popular eyeshadow shades ever: Woodwinked and All That Glitters. Find me a Mac fanatic that doesn't own these two neutral shades! They're lovely and they look so pretty sitting neatly inside the quad.

Mac Pro Palette (Quad) | £6.50

Eyeshadow Refills: Woodwinked and All The Glitters | £10.00 each

I've got two more eyeshadows in a drawer that I can now depot and add to this palette (Honey Lust and Bronze) so I can have my very first full Mac quad! Can you believe I've never had one before now? Hopefully having 4 key shades together will help me to get more use out of them - the two singles tend to be quite neglected at the moment!

And finally, I don't know if this is standard procedure or not as I've only ever ordered Mac products online from Debenhams before, not the Mac site, but with my original order there was a small Mac Cleanse Off Oil in the box too. It might've been because my lipstick was missing without explanation (??) or just a freebie; who knows! I'll happily try it though as it often receives positive feedback and I'm new to Mac's skincare.

So, that's my little order from Mac.

Do you have any of these items?

Thanks for reading!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my March Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

Get Involved With Benefit and Debenhams | #BrowArchMarch

2014-03-09T14:11:00.000+00:00

To coincide with the release of Benefit's new wonder brow product: Gimme Brow, Benefit and Debenhams have teamed up to turn March into the month of Brow Arch March and they're asking for you to get involved and help support the cause.

This is the first year of Brow Arch March, but every year from now in the month of March, Benefit and Debenhams will be campaigning for you to raise a brow in support of women's cancer charity Look Good Feel Better.

Look Good Feel Better

Look Good Feel Better is an international cancer support charity that provides practical services for women and teenagers suffering from the visible side effects of cancer treatment. They're dedicated to improving the wellbeing and self-confidence of people undergoing any type of cancer treatment and many beneficiaries have said that LGFB has helped them to regain a sense of control and normality at a time when diagnosis and treatment had taken over their lives.

www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk

How to get involved and become an Arch Angel:

-- Sign up to www.browarchmarch.com

-- Book in for your complimentary bene-brow treatment in any Benefit Brow Bar (Debenhams)

-- Give a charitable donation of £5 or more in exchange for your Brow Arch experience and in support of the amazing work Look Good Feel Better do.

It couldn't be simpler to get involved and help out an amazing charity. Benefit and Debenhams are putting a lot of hard work into this supporting this cause, so make sure you get yourself down to your nearest Benefit Brow Bar before the end of March! What's to lose? - You get great brows and you get to help other women feel better too.

Also, Sunday 9th March (today) is the march for Brow Arch March at Berkeley Square, London to raise awareness and support for Look Good Feel Better. Sorry that this is a little bit late to find out and to get involved with the Sunday march, but you can still follow all the fun happenings on Benefit's Instagram: @benefitcosmeticsuk and help to spread the word.

Post a selfie of your new Bene-brows on Instagram, Tweet about it, write about it on Facebook, or just tell a friend!

Remember to hashtag: #BrowArchMarch

Every girl should become an Arch Angel!

♥

www.browarchmarch.com
www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my March Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

What I Would Pack For a Weekend Away

2014-03-01T14:44:00.000+00:00

Weekend trips are something that I do quite frequently; whether it's in search of new excitements for a night out with the girls, or a chilled and cultural getaway with my other half, I'll never turn down the chance to escape my sleepy hometown for a couple of nights.

I'm sharing with you today the beauty, make up, and body care items that would make their way into my bag preparing myself for three different themed weekends, ranging from full on party glamour to low-key and fuss-free.

Whether I'm heading off to experience new city nightlife, to enjoy a romantic getaway, or to see the sights, I'll always be prepared.

City Nightlife
Theme: Glamour - All about being camera ready and able to last all night long.

Hair: For hair that's in for a rough ride with a blasting of heat and tugging and pulling to create the perfect style, I'd take my Redken Extreme Shampoo and Conditioner for extra tensile strength, Lee Stafford Argan Oil Heat Protectant Spray for obvious reasons, and VO5 Dry Backcomb Spray to get that oomph at the roots.

Make Up: For a full coverage, long lasting and shine free base I'd pack my Clarins dream team - Ever Lasting Foundation and Ever Matte Powder. I'd also stash away a reliable eyeliner: Seventeen 'Make Your Mark', and a show stopping red lippy: Mac 'Russian Red' - of course!

Skincare: With a predictable hangover for company the following day, a cooling face mask like the Vitage Vitamin C Radiance Mask should help to calm and refresh drained skin and bring things back to life.

Bodycare: What better to increase confidence on a night out (..other than a few glasses of wine!) than a fresh layer of fake tan? For quick, natural looking colour Cocoa Brown's 1 Hour Tan would definitely earn a place in my overnight bag.

Don't forget!: Eyelashes! Millie Mackintosh 'Shoreditch' Lashes are my current flutters of choice.

Romantic Getaway
Theme: Pretty - Perfected soft focus make up with a sensual vibe.

Hair: For extra bouncy and smooth looking curls I'd want my hair to be in silky soft tip top condition so would take along my Redken All Soft Shampoo and Conditioner and Lee Stafford Argan Miracle Oil for an extra finishing shine.

Make Up: Think romance, think enchantment, think magical settings and candlelit dinners. For a luminous complexion I'd rely on my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation with soft romantic eyes using the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette and a hint of pink blush using Topshop 'Flush' Cream Blush and Benefit Watt's Up to illuminate the cheek bones.

Skincare: To keep skincare simple (because let's face it, I'd be hinting for spa treatments if you wanted to go the whole hog with this getaway), just a Hot Cloth Cleanser (NSPA) to remove make up at the end of the day, and Origins Gin Zing moisturiser to keep things perky and fresh.

Bodycare: Wanting to keep your body perfectly soft and irresistably smooth? For that I'd take my favourite body butter - The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter to keep me soft and touchable, while smelling delicious!

Don't forget!: Perfume - For me, my date night scent of choice is always D&G L'Imperatrice.

Seeing The Sights
Theme: Practical - Forget the fuss and the frills, it's all about long lasting comfort and durability.

Hair: For a 'get up and go' hairstyle I'd wash using Redken Smooth Lock Shampoo and Conditioner so that hair looks presentable with absolutely no time or effort spent on it, and then just a quick spritz of Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray and you're good to go.

Make Up: The make up stays as low maintenance as it gets, with a simple, light base coverage using Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, a quick curl of the lashes, and a sheer tinted lip balm (Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me) to bring a bit of life to the face in just seconds.

Skincare: An essential for being out and about is a good sun protectant. I'd recommend Alpha H Daily Essential Moisturiser with SPF 50.

Bodycare: With a good companion in tow, I'd be expecting a foot massage at the end of the day to relieve the tension of having walked for miles and miles through city streets. To help with this massage I'd be pulling out the trusty Nip+Fab Stiletto Fix foot cream.

Don't forget!: Deodorant. The last thing that you need to be worrying about when you've got culture to experience, is having sweaty pits! An old favourite is the Dove Maximum Protection roll on.

Thanks for reading!
What would you pack for a weekend away?
♥
---
This blog post is an entry for Trek America's #Blog4Trek competition
with the question 'What Would You Pack For A Weekend Away?'
Find out more about the competition here.
You could win a 2 week trip around the west coast of America!
---

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my March Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

Topshop Gloss Ink | Sloe Gin

2014-02-27T16:00:00.000+00:00

Following on from yesterday's post on a holographic Topshop nail varnish, I'm coming to you today with another new love from the Topshop make up range.

I swear I love their make up much more than I love their overpriced clothes.

(For reference, that's Topshop 'Profound' on my nails too!)

The Gloss Inks are a new addition to the Topshop make up stands and come in 5 different shades. I chose mine in quite rush and upon reflection, I probably wouldn't have picked the shade Sloe Gin had I had a better opportunity to swatch and decide. I do love it, don't get me wrong, but it's a very brave shade and not all that practical for every day wear. Plus, it's not a very 'me' kinda shade.. but I guess it does us all good to step out of our comfort zones every now and again.

It comes in a smaller-than-average standard lipgloss tube, with a doe foot sponge applicator and matte black packaging, accentuated with glossy text and still keeping in touch with classic Topshop packaging with the stripes on the tube. It does seem much more upmarket and classy than the usual packaging, not to mention more durable and less likely to get in a state after a couple of trips out in the handbag - Yes, I'm looking at the lipsticks in the white tubes!!

The doe foot sponge applicator is great and seems to come out with the perfect amount of product for one application. It's very simple to apply and I went straight onto my lips with it, no faffing about, and it was opaque and good to go all in one quick, swift motion.

All looks good, but I've got some big time issues with it, mainly the problem with colour transfer. It's absolutely awful for getting onto your teeth, even after the 'finger trick' (Google it if you're not sure) and after rubbing it off the teeth (it can stain the teeth too!) it almost immediately finds it's way back onto there again. Being such a bold colour this isn't ideal because it's hardly subtle.

I wore the colour all day yesterday, from 9am until around 7pm and it still had a slight hint of the stain but no gloss remaining by that time. The glossy finish lasted around 3-4 hours, and after that it was just the colour stain remaining. However, I did leave bright pink lip smears on every glass/mug/fork that I used throughout the day, even after blotting, which is pretty gross.

It leaves me in a difficult position now for when I actually wear this lip product. It's bright, bold, beautiful and really long lasting, so I'd normally pick a product like this for evenings out or a meal; any occasions when you don't want to faff with touch-ups.. but leaving lipstick prints on glasses and cutlery just isn't classy..

I've tried to blot it does but it still likes to transfer, no matter what.

What would you do?

It's a shame because I really love the colour and finish of it!

Topshop Gloss Ink in Sloe Gin - £8.00 | LINK

What do you think?
Thanks for reading!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my February Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

Mid-Week Mani | Holo Nails

2014-02-26T15:26:00.001+00:00

Bonjour!
Hope you're all well.

I'm coming to you today with a quick little mid-week mani. As it's my day off in forever, it's the first chance I've had to actually have nice nails and take the time to give them a good taking care of. Unfortunately, they're in a sorry state and aren't perfectly shaped or smoothed at the moment, but that won't stop me from sharing with you my new favourite nail varnish from Topshop.

I'm a big fan of Topshop nail varnishes with a total of 12 in my collection now, but Moondance is a unique little one within the bunch because it has a holographic finish. The application of this is my least favourite as it was quite difficult to work with and looked quite streaky and patchy at first; it's definitely not one to apply in a rush because there was no 'put it on and go' element to it at all. The photos actually show this varnish with three coats because that's what it took to get an even finish. It's not gritty or grainy; it does have a smooth finish but it did dry down to be semi-matte so I had to make sure I added on a super glossy topcoat (Seche Vite) to finish the look properly.

Aside from the negative application and difficult formula, the end result is really quite pretty and eye catching. In dull light the effect doesn't show the same and looks like a plain blue/silver metallic varnish, but in bright light or sunlight it really does look special and I'm a huge fan! I think it'd make a great varnish for a night out or for summer days when brighter light is more likely to catch the nails and show off the true potential of the colour.

Topshop Nails in 'Moondance' - £6.00 | LINK

What do you think of holographic nails?
Thanks for reading! ♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise --- Check out my February Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

Retractable Real Techniques Winners and Discount Code

2014-02-22T17:28:00.000+00:00

Hey kids.
Instead of just tweeting about it, I thought that I'd throw together a blog post that announces the two winners of my recent Retractable Real Techniques Brush Giveaway. The giveaway received quite a bit of attention, and more than 4,000 entries(!), so I thought it only fair to make sure that it was clear that winners had be drawn and who they are.

But that's not all for today..
This was mentioned in my original post on the brushes, but in case you missed this part, I do have a 15% discount code for the site My Pretty Face Place (www.myprettyfaceplace.com) which you can use on any Real Techniques or EcoTools purchases.
They also stock brands such as NYX, Sigma, Stila, EOS, and more.
-
- Use the code: 02cosmeticcrave15 at the checkout
- The code is only valid for the month of February (2014)
- The code is only valid on Real Techniques and EcoTools products
-
My Pretty Face Place ship to absolutely anywhere in the world (shipping costs apply) and especially for UK residents the Real Techniques brush prices are far lower than what we'd pay on the highstreet.
I wish I'd seen that they sell the Powder Brush for £5.98 before I spent nearly £11 on one in Boots!
So, if you were eager to win one of these brushes, but sadly weren't one of the lucky ones, then you can always make a sly little order and spare a couple of pennies to get them anyway.

Using the 02cosmeticcrave15 discount code, the Kabuki Brush would be £5.05 and the Bronzer Brush would be £6.62 (plus p&p).

Finallyyy...
Thank you to every single entrant of my giveaway, and a big congratulations to Katie and to Jemma. You should both have an e-mail in your inbox from me asking for your postal details! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for reading!
Have a great weekend guys!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise
*02cosmeticcrave15 is not an affiliate code.I earn no commission from sales, it's simply a discount for my readers.---Check out my February Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

Models Own 50% Off Sale Haul

2014-02-04T10:15:00.000+00:00

Unless you've been under a rock / nowhere near social media for the past fortnight, then you should know that Models Own have recently been heavily campaigning to reach 250,000 Facebook likes to trigger the start of a huge 50% off sale. Well, they made it. I was there on the site with my basket full at 10am ready to check out (eager beaver) and surprise surprise the website did crash from the huge amount of traffic, but thankfully 90 minutes of refreshing later and my order was successfully completed with my new shades on their way to me.

It's quite apparent that shimmer and sparkles were on the brain when I made this order, because with the exception of one pastel shade, all the rest that I ordered have a very glitzy vibe. Here's what I ordered, for £2.50 a bottle:

Apple Pie - Fruit Pastel (scented)

As much as I prefer neons, brights and glitters, I couldn't resist ordering this pretty pastel green. More of a soft minty green I'm sure this will be a popular spring/summer shade. The new(ish) fruit pastel range polishes are actually scented, and this one is supposed to smell like apple pie. As much as I'm sure it's inappropriate to encourage the sniffing of nail varnish.... it does have a faint apple-y whiff. I've got the Banana Split (yellow) polish from this range and I hated it, but I'm hoping for better things with Apple Pie. Despite the random numbers(?) printed onto the side of the bottle, it seems to have been a good choice!

Mystic Mauve - Champagne/Shimmer

Such an underrated nail shade - why have I never heard anybody harping on about Mystic Mauve before? It's gorgeous! Definitely my favourite shade from the whole bunch, this champagne shimmer polish is completely smooth and untextured (i.e. it's not a glitter polish), but it sparkles, shimmers and shines like nothing else. In a perfect lilacy-pink shade this is going to be a Valentine's Day essential.

Purple Haze - Glitter

Continuing with the glitter love, I ordered Purple Haze as an extension of my love for the blue glitter: Bluebelle. The same type of texture of finish, Purple Haze is a deep and rich purple tone as a slight variation to the deep blue shade. I could probably take or leave this shade, because even though yes it is very pretty, but it doesn't stand out to me as anything particularly special or eye catching ..and I'm sure I already have a polish identical to this one hiding somewhere.

Juicy Jules - Glitter

One that I've been after for ages, is glitter polish Juicy Jules. When the light hits it, it goes disco ball crazy. It's so pretty! I know it'll be a bitch to take off, as all glitter polishes are, but I know for certain I'll get so much wear out of this shade - you can get never go wrong with silver sparkles!

Glitter Mini Pack: Scarlet Sparkle, Emerald City, Bluebelle (~~£8.00~~ £4.00 for 3)

There's two packs of these glitter minis because I thought they were too perfect to pass up being just £4 and I thought I'd include one in a giveaway - I'm currently compiling some bits and pieces for a (maybe 3,000 follower) celebratory giveaway to thank my readers for all their support. The small sizes are perfect and although it is a kinda Christmassy themed colour range, they're still gorgeous and Bluebelle is one of my top favourites for winter nails so it needs to be shared! Scarlet Sparkle is amazing because the glitter particles are suspended in a red tinted varnish as opposed to clear, so there's no need to use a base coat and it looks amazing worn alone.

Coral Glaze* and Naked Glow*- New: HyperGel

I didn't actually order these two new HyperGel shades, they were sent to me as a press sample release, but as they arrived at the same time as my order I thought I'd include them in this post anyway. Currently these brand new Hyper-Gel varnishes are on pre-release in the 50% off sale for just £2.50, but they'll be properly re-released and become readily available from 12th February (at £5 a bottle). They're supposed to be gel effect varnishes, without the need to be cured under a UV lamp (think Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine and Bourjois 1 Second Gel). I'll do a full post on these two closer to their proper release date, but I think Coral Glaze is set to be a summer hit!

If you don't think that I exercised self-restraint this time around, then take a sneak peek at my order from the last time Models Own held a 50% off sale (when they reached 100,000 Facebook likes) and I went crazy ordering 14 nail varnishes here.

I'm happy with all of my purchases, especially Mystic Mauve, and I hope that I've maybe inspired you to take a little look at the Models Own Sale in their few remaining hours and maybe given you an idea of some shades to pick. Some of my general Models Own favourites are: Naked Shimmer, Northern Lights, Bluebelle, Hedonist, and Bora Bora - Check them out!

Use code HALFPRICE for 50% off.

Sale ends Tuesday 4th Feb (Midnight GMT)

www.modelsownit.com

Thanks for reading! ♥

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise | Giveaway *(c/o) Wizard PR --- Check out my February Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

Little Beauty Blogg

♥

New: Retractable Real Techniques Brushes | Review & Giveaway

2014-02-02T12:35:00.001+00:00

Have I got something exciting in store for you today!

Thanks to My Pretty Face Place I've had the opportunity to try out two of the newly released make up brushes from Real Techniques in their new retractable line: the Retractable Kabuki Brush* and the Retractable Bronzer Brush*. But, even is better is that I've actually been given two of each brush so that I can give one of each away to you lovely lot! Stay tuned to the end of the post for giveaway deets or purchase information (they seem to be like gold dust at the moment).

Retractable Bronzer Brush - Your Base / Flawless

This duo fibre brush with two different textured bristles is labelled as being perfect for 'creating a natural finish by expertly blending bronzer or finishing powder'. The Bronzer Brush is less dense than the Kabuki but covers a wider area so this would be best suited for the two uses listed by RT; application of a finishing/setting powder, and all over dusting of bronzer. Something light over a large area.

Retractable Kabuki Brush - Your Finish / Perfected

The kabuki brush is again intended for use with powder products; blush, bronzer, setting powder; meaning that both brushes essentially have the same use and purpose, but they are versatile in the way in which you can choose to use them. The Kabuki Brush has a smaller and more precise head with tapered bristles, making it more appropriate for precision application of powder blushers, highlights and touch ups of powder.

I would suggest that neither brush is appropriately dense enough to use for application of liquid foundation at all, but the kabuki brush could work okay with cream blush ..I tried it once but it didn't seem to be able to buff it in as well as I would have liked, so I'll just be sticking to powder products with these.

The standard is high as with all Real Techniques brushes with the bristles completely synthetic, cruelty free and ridicccculously soft! The cap slides up protect the bristles which makes them great for transporting around. I don't often take a brush out and about with me for touch ups because they end up getting grubby and a bit mushed up if you're not careful - scarred for life from the time the zip of a bag mangled up the bristles of my favourite powder brush! A simple plastic cap can alleviate all these issues and make it hygienic and convenient to take one of these compact brushes 'on the go' with you. Plus, they're lightweight, durable, and look pretty cool too!

One thing I did notice is that these brushes are actually 'by Sam & Nic Chapman', as opposed to the previous branding of 'by Samantha Chapman' - looks like sister #2 has got in on the action this time and lent a helping hand into the design of these new brushes. Along with the Retractable Kabuki Brush and the Retractable Bronzer Brush, other new releases are a Retractable Lip Brush and a Silicone Liner Brush.

These brushes were apparently released nationwide on 27th January, but I've not seen a trace of them in Boots at all, and they're not on the Boots or Feel Unique websites either.. So, if you're desperate to get your hands on these brushes (or any more from the Real Techniques collection) but you don't fancy your chances in a giveaway then they're all available to buy on www.myprettyfaceplace.com who deliver internationally and you can use the code 02cosmeticcrave15 to get 15% off any of your purchases!

Retractable Kabuki Brush - £6.04 on MPFP
Retractable Bronzer Brush - £7.86 on MPFP

As a little treat for reading, you can enter the below giveaway to win one of the two available brushes! It's simple to enter, the only hard part is the choice of Kabuki or Bronzer Brush?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

t&c's

- There will be two winners.

- One will win the Kabuki Brush, the other will win the Bronzer Brush.

- The giveaway prizes were provided by My Pretty Face Place.
- The giveaway is open internationally!

- The winners will be drawn using Rafflecopter and contacted by myself via e-mail on 22.02.14.

- Entries made using accounts solely for competition purposes will not be valid.

Good luck!♥

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* The 2 brushes for review purposes and the 2 brushes for the giveaway were all provided courtesy of My Pretty Face Place.
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Love Me Beauty Box | January 2014

2014-01-24T16:00:00.000+00:00

After taking a subscription break from Love Me Beauty for a couple of months (saving the pennies for Christmas presents), I've resubbed again just in time to receive their January box. If you're unfamiliar with Love Me Beauty, they are one of the best beauty box subscription services around at the moment. For £10 a month, plus postage costs (£2.95), you receive a mininum of five high quality beauty products delivered to your door but with none of the 'one use sample sachets' nonsense - a lot of the products in the boxes are full size, frequently make up items and are worth a high value (mostly). Even when it's not a full size product, the sample/mini/travel size is a generous size, e.g. the Pureology mousse in this box isn't full size, but is still 60ml.

As an extra bonus, and a huge plus point for these boxes is that they offer a choice of boxes for each month (with only a slight variation between them but it's nice to have the options there) and you can select your preferred box in their boutique on the Love Me Beauty website ..but if there's nothing that's taking your fancy and you don't want a box for that month you can simply choose to 'skip' and resume as normal the following month. No nasty surprises or unwanted items!

So, what's in the January box.. (I selected box #3)

Pureology Silk Bodifier | 65ml. £15.00 for 250ml
'Infuses hair with volume, shine and softness while protecting and maximising the vibrancy of colour-treated hair. This 100% vegan conditioning mousse adds fullness and volume without feeling heavy and leaves hair beautifully soft and shiny'.

The only non-full sized item in the box is the Silk Bodifier from Pureology - a brand I've always been curious to try so I'm happy to see it included in the box. If I'm understanding the description of this right, it's a conditioning style mousse. It's also got added benefits for colour treated hair which doesn't apply to me but it's nice to know there's some extra nourishment within it. I look forward to trying this - I'll keep you all posted on my thoughts.

Arran Aromatics Wheatgerm & Vitamin E Soap | £2.75 (full size)

'Exfoliate and polish with this Wheatgerm and Vitamin E soap. It contains natural oatmeal to give your skin a gentle wake up call and cleanse without drying out skin'.

As far as I'm concerned, soap is soap. I don't think I've had enough trial of different soaps to be able to tell a bad soap from a good soap.. But it's a useful item to have and I'll happily place it in my shower to use. I like the idea of it being exfoliating too so that I can scrub and clean in double quick time

Cosmetics a la Carte Divine Lash Mascara in 'Black' | £23.00 (full size)
'Divine Lash comes with a slim tapered flexible brush, perfect for reaching every lash from corners to bottom lashes. This mascara gives a lovely even coating of mascara upon application. With a precise brush, the mascara combs through lashes to create length and definition with the advantage of no clumps'.

A pricey item from A La Carte Cosmetics, and if it's your sort of thing then you've already made your money back on the whole box by receiving this mascara. Personally, it's not for me because it offers a whole lot of length to the lashes, but I'm a volume kinda girl so I'll be passing this onto my mum. The packaging of the tube is gorgeous though and I'm sure she'll love it - If you like lengthening mascaras then you'll love this!

Lord & Berry Eye Pencil in 'Sparkle Black' | £8.95 (full size)

'Add a touch of sparkle to your eyes. Silky and smooth, this creates a glittery and glamorous look, whilst the highly pigmented formula gives a rich colour for ultimate definition. Creates long-lasting dramatic lines, or blend for a sexy, smudged look'.

I think that somewhere along the line I missed out on getting a Weleda product due to substitions, but it's okay because I like Lord & Berry. I'd prefer this if it wasn't sparkley.. but the sparkle is subtle within it so it's still wearable. I found it to be quite smudgy, which can be a good thing if you're going for a smokey kinda look, but hopefully this won't be smudgy enough that it'll end up half way down my cheeks!

NYX Single Eyeshadow in 'Earthy Shimmer' | £5.00 (full size)

'NYX pressed mineral eyeshadows are packed with colour, easy to blend and will last for hours. Go edgy or understated effortlessly when enjoying these luscious long-wearing colours from sunrise to sunset. Use this shimmery champagne gold toned eyeshadow as the perfect base to a smokey eye. Alternatively use on its own or as a highlight'.

My menu card is telling me I have the shade 'Sahara', but this is 'Earthy Shimmer' ..with 'shimmer' being the operative word. SHIMMER TASTIC. I found this to be a very dusty shadow, still buttery soft but just crumbley with a huge amount of fall out - it's definitely not a neat and tidy eyeshadow to use. If there's an occasion that calls for heavily glittered eyes then I'll be pulling out Earthy Shimmer.. but otherwise it can just sit quitely and keep all that messy sparkle to itself.

There's five items in the box, four of which are full size and total the value of just under £40, plus one generous sample size can which has a value of £5.70 (..if my maths is correct, which is probably isn't!). I like the size of the small can of mousse; it's pretty much to perfect size to get a feel for a product without having a giant can cluttering up my room (and obviously anything bigger wouldn't fit in the box). I've always been curious about the brand Pureology, but it's a bit out of my price range! Anddd.. brownie points for the colour scheme of this January Box being my favourite colour and for matching my nails!

Love Me Beauty Subscription Box - £10.00 /month (plus £2.95 p&p) - LINK

In theory, it is a good box and contains good products making it a good value for money box and a nice treat, with quality and useable products inside. However, for me and my preferences it does fall a little bit short and I think that everything just seems 'okay'. This would probably only be because I'm comparing it to the contents of past Love Me Beauty boxes where I've adored every product inside. Examples of past boxes:

- September Love Me Beauty Box Review

- August Love Me Beauty Box Review

If I was to compare this to the standard of Glossy Box at the moment, then this one totally blows it out of the water! Sorry, but if I was subbed to Glossy Box at the moment I'd be utterly devastated!

Would you / have you subbed to Love Me Beauty?

Thanks for reading! ♥

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Honey Love.

2014-01-23T17:16:00.000+00:00

After a little shuffle and sort out of everything in my beauty stash to fit it all into some new storage, I came to realise that I had accumulated a number of honey products. From lip balms and hand creams, to shower gels and conditioners, all the way to Marc Jacobs' new fragrance release, it seems that many of my favourites of the moment, are all about they honey, honey. So, I thought I'd share..

Marc Jacobs 'Honey' Eau de Parfum - link

Top of the list is the newest fragrance release from Mr Jacobs: Honey, and in true Marc Jacobs style, the packaging is so perfectly cute and adorable, part of you wants to own it just for display purposes of the pretty bottle. It doesn't come cheap, around £50 for a 50ml bottle, but I love it so much and would say it's definitely a must have. There's a lot of buzz around this perfume (haha, get it?) but there's a reason for that - it's gorgeous! Despite the name, it doesn't actually smell like honey and it's not overly sweet at all; it's more of a clean, floral scent. Feel Unique are promoting this as a perfect Valentines Day gift at the moment, so boys if you're reading.. take a hint!

The Body Shop 'Honeymania' Shower Gel - link

Next up is a shower gel from one of the newer collections from The Body Shop: Honeymania. I have two bottles of this because my boyfriend knows how much I love this and I bite his head off if he takes a shower and uses it, so he bought me a back up bottle so that I chill out a bit whenever he pinches some! Like with the fragrance above, this doesn't smell typically like a jar of honey would do and it's definitely much more floral and it's a very subtle scent. It's still sweet, but not sickly and I'm a huge fan. TBS shower gels are normally £4 but they have sales on all the time - like now.. 40% off online and instore makes this just £2.40!

Herbal Essences 'Bee Strong' Conditioner - link

Put Scherzy on a bottle of something and you'll reel any hair fanatic in. I'm a bit of a hair snob when it comes to my conditioners and I try not to stray from Redken or Philip Kingsley usually, but after hearing such good reports on this new Herbal Essences range I thought I'd give it a whirl. I got the shampoo too and it's good/I like it, but the conditioner deserves an honorary mention for being so amazing! No, it's not just because of Nicole on the bottle or that it smells like sweet honey and apricot, but it actually makes my hair instantly so soft and smooth - without a doubt one of the best 'budget conditioners' I've used in a really long time. This 400ml is usually around £3-4 but is on offer frequently in supermarkets, so look out for deals on it.

Caudalie Grapevine Honey Hand and Nail Cream - link

I really don't want to start an obsession with higher priced hand creams, but I really am impressed with the quality of this Caudalie one. It costs £5.70 a tube, which isn't bank breaking, but it is only a 30ml tube and I've been using it sparingly to make it last. The scent of this hand cream is the most subtle of all the products in the post and is the one that smells least like honey.. but it has the name 'Grapevine Honey' and I love it, so of course I had to include it! The consistency is rich enough to make the skin feel nourished and softened, but when I say it's 'not greasy', I really mean it - not greasy, at all!

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm - link

Last but definitely not least, is good old Burts Bees and their lip balms. Packed with honey and beeswax, this is honey love right down to the core. With a super sweet scent and other ingredients like cocoa butter, shea butter and almond oil, this is one of the yummiest and most nourishing lip balms that I have. If you like honey scents, and you want a lip balm that will make your lips soft and smooth then Burt's Bees has to be your first port of call!

P.S.. if you keep typing 'honey' again and again, it starts to stop looking like a real word.

So, are you loving honey too?

Which of these honey products would you most like to try?
The two I'd recommend most would be the conditioner and the hand cream.

Thanks for reading! ♥

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Muji and Ikea Storage! | Make Up and Beauty Set Up

2014-01-22T16:44:00.000+00:00

I just wanted to start off and say that preparing this post quite literally drove me to the very brink of sanity. It also invoked quite a bit of hoarders guilt as I shuffled through my 15 concealers and wondered what the hell I was doing with all of them, let alone the stack of eyeshadow palettes that I wear about one shade from once a month. Oops. Anyone else who's ever tried to put together a 'make up collection' style post/video or even just rearranged their stash will probably have experienced the same frustrations, and I just simply can't find a set up that I feel completely satisfied with. Even after a full morning of rearranging I'm now sat starting the display of acrylic and picturing ways that I could make it look better. This could be an ongoing saga.

Anyway, for today at least, I've given up on the switching, shuffling and slotting into the little plastic drawers and I invite you to browse my partially completed make up set up..

The big rearrange and this post were both spurred on by a trip to Ikea (my first one, ever!) to update some furniture and I did stand for a long time looking at the Ikea Alex tower which seems to be a 'blogger favourite' but settled on the much more practical Malm Chest instead which has 4 hugee and extremely spacious drawers that can fit so much inside - plus it was half the price of the Alex tower.

Ikea Chest of 4 Drawers | White - £45 LINK

Inside the first of the two drawers are some of the Skubb drawer separators that are dotted literally everywhere around the Ikea store. A set of 6 boxes was only £6 which I thought was pretty reasonable and helps to be able to store smaller items of make up/beauty products in the drawers without them rolling around everywhere and it becoming a huge big make up mess!

Skubb Box, Set of 6 | White - £6 LINK

Next up is the cult make up storage favourite - Muji drawers! I already have some acrylic drawers (shown further down in the post) but there just wasn't enough space and I needed some more room.. but even now I'm thinking hmm, should I have got the 5 drawer and 2 drawer too?? Quite a pricey box of plastic really but none of the competitors live up to the quality and I just couldn't find what I wanted from anywhere else, especially not for any cheaper! Personally, I'd just say to save yourself the search because there's no cheaper alternatives for the quality, and just go for Muji :) ..and yes, my YSL products stay in their boxes. They're precious.

Muji Acrylic 5 Drawer Box - £24.95 LINK

As you can see, the drawer filling process has been left abandoned. Even though the top drawer is still empty, there's not a lot of space left in the 'eye make up' drawer and it's missing a whole lot of eye products, namely mascara and other single shadows so I feel frustrated, and it looks like I underestimated the amount of make up that I had lying around.

My old storage how now been demoted to holding the 'odds and ends' that don't seem to fit in any other place. These drawers are a lot smaller than the Muji drawers; they're similar in drawer height but a lot narrower in width so I've managed to dedicate a whole drawer to 'brow products' and one just for Baby Lips and Burts Bees lipbalms because they're my favourites, and the rest are just bits and pieces that don't seem to fit in the other side with the Muji.

Ryman, via eBay - Osco Acrylic 3 Drawer Storage - £9.99 each LINK

There's 2 x 3 drawers stacked on top of each other here and this is an example of what I mean with Muji being good value, because if you were to buy two of these 3 drawers and add on the postage, you'll be paying nearly £23 and yes you'll have 6 drawers of storage, they're half the width of the Muji drawers, so realistically you can only fit in half the contents. Whereas, 5 big, wide drawers from Muji would cost £25.. you do the maths!

Sorry for the unclear picture on this next one, but I was almost about to forget to include it! On top of the Muji drawers is an organiser called 'Glam Cosmetic Organiser'. I can't remember if I bought it from eBay or Amazon but I've included a link below to a very similar price I bought mine for, however, feel free to search around for it because it will probably be available from another seller a bit cheaper.

Sadly it looks very sparse at the moment, but this used to be the predominant organiser for my make up as it has slots to hold up to 12 lipsticks, 2 small, shallow compartments behind the lipsticks, one large compartment to the left, and then two tall ones behind that, i.e. for mascaras, eyeliner etc. If you have a small (and reasonable) make up collection you could probably fit everything into the Glam Organiser. ..I wish I still could! :( But it's good for the 'everyday reachables'.

eBay, Acrylic Glam Cosmetic Organiser - £8.49 LINK

For lipstick holders I've got two separate ones and I think that they are both slightly different sizes too but they were both bought from eBay quite a long time ago. eBay is absolutely riddled with cheap acrylic storage like this for lipsticks (not so good on the drawers front, but good for lipstick holders). I'm not fully in love with it and think it looks a bit messy but it's one of the best ways for me to keep all my high street lipsticks together and by storing them upside down I can instantly see what shade I'm looking for.

Acrylic 24 Lipstick Holder - £3.19 with free postage from Hong Kong LINK

Similar for £2.98 LINK

In the office and desk accessories section of the Muji site I found this 3 partition holder that just screams out to you 'I'm perfect for your brushes!'. I don't have many make up brushes so they all fit in just fine (except the RT Blush brush, that's a bit big so stands at the side) and I use the three compartments for: eye make up brushes, base application (foundation, concealer brushes), and then blush, bronzer etc in the final compartment.

Muji Acrylic 3 Partition Desk Pot - £5.50 LINK

Andd, in not so great quality pictures, I also got two more office accessories from Muji - a round pen pot, and a rectangular pen pot. As of yet, I don't have specific purposes in mind for them, but my current thought is that it might end up being 'most reached for mascara and eyeliner and brow spoolie' in the rectangular one, and brushes in urgent need of a wash to go in the round pot.

Muji Acrylic Round Pen Pot - £2.25 LINK

Muji Acrylic Rectangular Pen Pot - £1.95 LINK

Phew, now I've finished this post I'm off to rearrange and sort out my hair care, skin care, and body products - fun evening! I fully intend to do a complete and more thorough set up /collection post of my make up in a couple of months when there's more time on my hands and I feel a bit more satisfied with the layout of everything.

What do you think so far?

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Michael Kors Navy Selma Tote Bag

2014-01-19T13:26:00.003+00:00

So, shall we address how Christmas Day on Instagram was like a fully complete brochure for the Michael Kors collection of watches? Or, just skim past that little point of the fact that I am the only female in the country without a MK watch on my wrist? But it's okay, I can get past this absence in my life because thanks to a little trip to New York, Mikey now hangs on my arm instead.

If you have read either of my New York or American Shopping blog posts, then you might know that I made a hugely impulsive and spontaneous decision one evening while sightseeing in Rockefeller Plaza. And, it really was spontaneous because before visiting New York I hadn't even seen this bag before and had no idea that it existed (I don't really keep up with designer fashion trends at all). I just strolled innocently into the shop and the magnetism between my heart and the bag just kind of.. happened. I laid eyes on it and I couldn't walk out without it.

I knew I was going to have a little bit of Christmas money coming my way and although I had planned on using the money to buy myself an iPad (mini) in January, I had a change of heart and decided that this bag would be more appropriate. The bag cost $358 (plus tax), which according to the salesman's currency converter would translate to £242-244, and the bag costs £315 to buy in the UK so I couldn't say no to a bargain like that! (Even if it was a nightmare to travel home with because I hadn't left any space in my suitcase!).

I'm seeing Mikey as an investment, in a classic (albeit, plain) design and in a colour that should theoretically never go out of fashion. It makes a statement and is very smart and sophisticated with it's structured body and strong gold coloured hardwear. He's not very heavy, despite his strong and sturdy leather material, and inside the bag is spacious with a total of five small pocket compartments to stop bits and bobs scattering everywhere (one zip, four open).

It has the removable and adjustable shoulder strap to switch up the appearance, and also the side parts (sorry for lack of technical terminology) can be displayed outwards, or inwards, to also give the illusion of a fresh new design ( - see above collage picture). Hopefully the quality of the bag will withstand the test of time and still be with me for a lot of my life and help with a professional image and to be taken seriously when it comes to crunch time and job interview phase (arh!). Who wants to hire a wannabe lawyer that walks into a room with a floppy, crumbling New Look bag tucked under their arm? Please be my secret weapon for life, Mikey! I love you.

Click for more images.

Michael Kors Large Selma Top-Zip Satchel - Michael Kors $358

KIKO Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette | 01 Lounge Warm Tones

2014-01-12T15:15:00.000+00:00

As I mentioned in my Kiko Make Up Haul post a couple of days ago, the very influential Laura from Belle's Boutique showcased this lovely looking eyeshadow palette from Kiko on her blog and her Instagram (here and here), and it was love at first sight for me - as soon as I laid eyes on the first picture of the palette I knew that I ~~wanted~~ needed it!

When I purchased this palette it was £16.90, which is a pretty good price for 6 amazing quality eyeshadows, but even better is that it has now been reduced in Kiko's 50% off sale and is only £8.40! I'm convinced I read somewhere once upon a time that this was limited edition, but there's nothing saying that at moment. However, I'm not positive it'll be around forever so if you like the sight of this then don't miss your chance with it.

Kiko Colour Impact Eyeshadow Palette - 01 Lounge Warm Tones | ~~£16.90~~ £8.40

The shades and their beauty speak for themselves in the pictures and although the purple shade on the top middle draws me in the most, it's not that wearable for me and I really struggle to make it work that well because it's far from subtle and I just don't think it suits me. It is pretty to stare at though! The other 5 shades, however, are absolutely amazing and can work really, really well. The top right and bottom left shades are my favourites and are really intense neutral shimmer shades.

The shades are crazy pigmented and the dream formula that everybody loves to work with; soft and smooth like butter and easy to blend. The Kiko website also states that these can be used wet to create an even more intense colour pay off, but I've not tried that yet because they work more than well enough for me when used dry.

Top Row Swatches: Left - Right

Bottom Row Swatches: Right - Left

First three swatches: Bottom Row, Left - Right

Second three swatches: Top Row, Right - Left

Sorry with the confusion for how I've ordered these swatches; I know it's an illogical order, but start in the bottom left corner of the palette, and work anti-clockwise back round up to the top. Just because the lighter shades don't show up as intensely as the others doesn't mean at all that they're lacking in pigment because that's far from the case, they just don't contrast very well with my milky white skin!

[Picture taken in direct sunlight]

Overall, I think it's an incredibly gorgeous palette and quite unique because I've never seen these 6 shades put together in any other palette before - I think you'd struggle to find something similar! Three shades are shimmery with a subtle trace of glitter, and the other three are satin matte shades, but if these particularly warm toned shades don't take your fancy then Kiko does also have 3 other variations which I'm sure will be the same gorgeous quality: 02 Street Taupe Variation, 03 Bright Night Lights, and 04 Rain Smoky Shades.

What do you think of this palette from Kiko?
(Remember, it's currently in their 50% off sale!)
| link |

If you want to see what else I ordered from Kiko at the same time then you can check out my Kiko Make Up Haul post from a few days ago.

Thanks for reading!

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Little Beauty Blogg

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The Fragrance Shop Discovery Box | 5th Edition

2014-01-10T16:04:00.000+00:00

Bored of beauty subscription boxes? Well how about try something new and get yourself a fragrance subscription box. Exclusive to The Fragrance Shop, for just £5.00 a box and you can cancel at anytime, you can get your hands on a quarterly subscription service (every 3 months) and receive a great big bundle of perfume samples straight to your door.

In case you're interested, I have also reviewed the 3rd edition of this Discovery Box back in August 2013 (..I don't know what happened to the 4th!), and you can see that post here: The Fragrance Shop Discovery Box | Third Edition.

When you open up the box the samples just keep coming and coming and coming! The Fragrance Shop have stepped it up a notch and have almost doubled their usual sample amount for this Fifth Edition. In a usual box there a 5 samples (although in my 3rd ed. there were 6), and for this box there is a total of 9 samples! Yay! It pleases me that they're not obscure and unheard of brands making an appearance in here either, and I'm not even a fragrance expert but I've managed to be familiar with definitely all of the brands, and 6 out of 9 of the actual fragrances (I didn't know the men's ones, but can you blame me?).

..Yes, it includes men's fragrances too, something that my boyfriend will happily take off my hands now I no longer need them for review purposes. But, if you don't have a boyfriend then I'm sure there will be a dad, brother, cousin, uncle, male best friend.. or some other kind of masculine presence in your life that will appreciate a gift of three fragrance samples.

The three men's fragrances (below) are: Hugo Boss - Hugo Man, Hugo Boss - Boss Bottled, and Issey Miyake - L'Eau D'Issey Pour Homme.

The six women's fragrances in the box are:
Thierry Mugler - Angel, Thierry Mugler - Alien, Jean Paul Gaultier - "Classique", Gucci - Gucci Guilty, Givenchy - Very Irresistable, and Nina Ricci - Nina.

So yes, that does include Mr Mugler's two most loved fragrances - Alien and Angel - as well as an offering from Gucci, ooh la la - spoilt! I'm so easily pleased, but I love that some of them come inside a proper little box too. It's just a nice touch that stops them feeling like a cheap 'freebie'. I especially love the samples that have a proper spritzer spray which makes them so handy for 'on the go' and ideal for nights out (no one wants to take out a clumpy 100ml bottle in a clutch bag!), or handbags, make up bags, travel, etc.

As an extra, The Fragrance Shop also includes a booklet full of £45 worth of vouchers redeemable against any of the samples in the box, valid until 28th February. There's nothing to say you have to keep the vouchers for yourself, or even buy a bottle for yourself. I have many people's birthdays coming up and Valentine's Day on the horizon too.. so I'm going to be letting other people test and try out these samples for potential gift ideas! (Apart from Alien, that's for me, and me only.)

The Fragrance Shop Discovery Box, 5th Edition* - £5.00 per box

If you'd like to find out more about the Discovery Box and subscribe to receive one straight to your door then you can click here.

Thanks for reading!
Would you try this Discovery Box from The Fragrance Shop?

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