Tastes Like Glitter

Forgotten Favourites #2.

2012-02-21T20:18:00.001Z

I had no intention of posting this, I felt like none of the pictures truly capture the actual colour of this beauty.
After rooting around old pictures on my SD card (this is from the start of January!), I managed to find one I was fairly happy with.

As with always, neons are pain in the butt to capture. But it's too beautiful not to.

♡ China Glaze - Turned Up Turquoise.

This is actually such a gorgeous colour, a touch darker in person but it still has that brightness. It dries to a matte but the shimmer that runs through it definitely lifts it and gives it something extra.

This was one of the first polishes I picked up when I started visiting Sally's and it mostly gets looked over. I believe I've only worn it twice, as much as I love neons they are effort. This was 3 thin watery coats but I've come to expect that from neons, no matter the brand.

After wearing this recently I found a new love for it and I will be wearing it a whole ton more when the sun decides to make regular appearances.

This is part of the core line that's carried all the time in Sally's, if you have spare £5 or so it's definitely worth picking up!

I finally get my new camera next week (eeee!) so I will be posting more and I really need to shop my stash and do more FF posts.

An Old Look.

2012-02-18T14:35:00.001Z

I feel a bit redundant post this as I can't remember products totally off heart but I was browsing my Tumblr yesterday and realised I did this whilst on a break (whenever I say that I think of this).

I did this in ode to the news that Urban Decay were releasing a second Naked palette, so I cracked out the original as it'd been a while.

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Half Baked (all over lid), Smog (crease), Darkhorse (outer V), Virgin (highlight).

Illamasqua Precision Ink - Abyss.

Lips:

Lush Lip Tint - Snow Fairy. *

* Limited Edition.

Finally worked out how to soften pores in Photoshop, yay. I hate overly 'shopped skin but I really don't like mine and I feel it comes across badly in photos. I know everyone always tell me it's not that bad but that's why I lack FOTD's. Now I've worked out how to do it I will definitely be posting more once I get my new camera in the next couple of weeks. :D Sorry if it's not something you agree with. I know plenty of blogs that do it so much so that they look unreal. I'm just blurring my skin so you can focus on the main part of the look!

And to those few who took the time to tweet me last night, I didn't permanently reactivate my account but thank you all the same. I only did it so I could @reply Blogger (asif they would reply!) about the missing photos, which appear to have fixed themselves.

Granted Twitter is a good platform to get your blog seen by others and without it I don't think I would have got anywhere near the amount of readership I currently do. But I hate how people think they're above others, the amount of drama, the bitchy sly remarks. Yes, I used to do somewhat the same way back when but you learn from your mistakes. The fact it still goes on tars everyone with the same brush and you wonder why bloggers can't be taken seriously?!

Either way I'm much happier without it. I don't feel the need to air my dirty laundry so publicly any more and I think other people doing so can lead to bad repercussions in the long run.

Vanishing Images?

2012-02-17T23:48:00.001Z

I have no idea what is going on with my photos from the posts that aren't on the first page but they've all vanished. o_o

I am fuming and speechless because I delete all my photos off my hard drive and just download my blog monthly incase I ever lose the content.

If anyone knows why this is happening, or had this happen to them please let me know.

I could just cry. :(

A Photo A Day For A Year.

2012-02-17T22:08:00.003Z

At the start of this year I saw this doing the rounds on Tumblr ...

Thinking it was just one of those 30 day challenges, I didn't bother participating. Only on closer inspection I noticed the blog in question that posted these is posting a new one each month.

I decided to start late and catch up as best I can so I'm currently doing more pictures per day until up to where I'm supposed to be.

Here is 'January' -

I'm actually posting these daily on my Tumblr as I didn't want to spam this blog with them until the end of the month.

I think this is a good way to do a 365 as you aren't at a loss as to what to post. You have a set target for each day, which is always fun!

Technically it's a 366 since this year is a leap year. There is one in February which involves work which I will be purposely skipping. ~~As the company checks up on things employees say about them~~.

What do you think to things like this?

Also any help with skin would be fab. When I use rich moisturisers my pores get over oiled and I end up breaking out. I've been using break out skincare for the past couple days and I woke up with dry skin all along my upper lip, my cheekbones and underneath my bottom lip.

Is there any middle ground for products I could use? It's so sore and I've been moisturising the hell out of it but it's not helping. :(

Lack of posting has been due to working split shifts most days this last week and the next week. Sorry about that.

Take Me Down Like I'm A Domino.

2012-02-11T15:09:00.001Z

I feel like I rarely do FOTD's any more and I always say I'm going to change that but I never do. I'm my own worst critic and if there's the tiniest thing I don't like in a look then I won't post it. Plus I hate my skin but hopefully that'll change now I finally have a Clarisonic.

Back along when I posted about having the Urban Decay Anniversary palette I got quite a few requests on here and Tumblr from people who were stuck with combinations.

I've never been one to wear pinks on my eyes, I've only done a handful of looks with them as their difficult to get right. You can just end up looking like you have tired/irritated eyes otherwise.

It's wonderfully Spring-like out today (so much for snow, eh?) so I wanted something soft but still colourful. It's been a while since I played with colour instead of just opting for the easy option of my Naked palette. Whilst there is some beautiful neutrals in the Anniversary palette I was long overdue a splash of colour.

Face:

GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer.

M.A.C Matchmaster Foundation - 1.

Benefit Boi-ing - Light.

Smashbox Fusion Soft Lights - Baked Stardust.

HD Brows - Dark Brown (from Vamp palette).

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Light.

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Tainted (all over lid), Junkshow (crease), Omen (outer V), Vanilla (brow highlight).

Smashbox Jet Set Eyeliner - Midnight Black (tightline upper lashline).

Clinique High Lengths Mascara.

Lips:
M.A.C Lipstick - Creme D'Nude (just a touch).

Nails:
Nina Pro (available from Sally's) - Orange Flame.
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I'm currently rocking the most retina searing neon orange polish I have ever seen. I've always eyed it up whenever I've been in Sally's and I finally picked it up last week. It is amazing but doesn't fully come across in photos of my nails on their own.

I tried tightlining with a gel liner for the first time and it'll be the last I think. I stabbed myself in both eyes and ended up having watery eyes for ages, looked like I'd popped all my eyeshadow on and then decided to have a good cry. Not cute.

I've been messing around with photo sizes/column widths so do excuse the fact that if you're looking at old posts the photo sizing is going to look a mess until I can get round to sorting them all out. I will get there slowly but surely.

What are your favourite colours to use for Spring?

Domino - Jessie J.

REACH.

2012-02-08T20:41:00.001Z

As I've blogged about before, I cannot stand animal testing in general but especially in cosmetics.

I was under the impression they were still implementing the law for 2013 when no animal tested products were allowed to be sold in Europe.

Apparently that's not the case.

REACH is coming into place in March where all raw cosmetics ingredients will have to legally be test on animals. Even if they already know they're safe.

What has REACH got to do with animal testing?
REACH seeks to assess the safety of chemicals for human health and the environment, so tests need to be carried out to see what impact they have. The experiments used to assess the safety of chemicals are called toxicity tests, which traditionally involve the poisoning of guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, fish, rats and mice, although many non-animal alternatives now exist.

How many animals will be used in chemical safety tests?
Between 13 and 54 million animals could be used in the EU under REACH to test the safety of an estimated 30,000 or more chemicals between 2009 and 2018.

What kinds of animal experiments are carried out to test chemicals?
Toxicity tests involve force-feeding animals high doses of chemicals – many become seriously ill. The animals are always killed as part of the test if they do not die as a result of it. Tests may involve two-generation studies where pregnant animals are poisoned so the effects of the chemical can be seen in the babies.

The first proposed test under REACH was for an industrial lubricant, and involved force-feeding pregnant rats high doses of chemicals and killing them just before they are due to give birth.

- Source.
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The internet is full of misinformation but sources are saying this has been going on for quite a few years now, they're just making it so it becomes obligatory.

I'm not going to pretend I know all the ins and outs of this as I've only just really heard about it but it's making me feel sick.

One of the Lush founders has made this creative little video regarding the law:

What do you think of this?
Have you heard anything about it?
Please do let me know your thoughts.

Glossybox - January.

2012-02-07T13:21:00.001Z

This months Glossybox is another special edition. Yes, yes I know everyone and their Nan posts about these but I still like putting my views forward, even if I am a little later.

♡ Clarins Extra Firming Day & Night Creams.
I'm kind of glad they popped these in as I'd just ran out of my Lush Gorgeous sample. I love these. Very light, with an extremely subtle perfumed scent. But they leave my skin wonderfully hydrated and I haven't had nearly as many break outs as usual.

♡ Murad Skin Perfecting Primer.
This is actually a tinted primer and it looks way too dark and orange for my skin tone, when swatched on the back of my hand. I have heard many good things about Murad though.

♡ FAB (First Aid Beauty) Body Moisturizer.
I hadn't heard of FAB until they featured in the Christmas Glossybox. I'm still using the cleanser I got in the December box and I love it. This moisturizer is definitely just as good. It has quite a thick consistency but it sinks into the skin easily. Safe for sensitive skin as none of the products have any scents.

♡ Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner - Emerald Green.
This is the first time I've tried Eyeko since they rebranded. On first look (sorry for the lack of photo) this eyeliner seems bigger than your regular when it actual fact a lot of it's the handle - see here. But don't you just hate when pencils get down to the nubby little bits, well I should imagine this would make that a lot easier. I received the shade Emerald Green. A mid tone, almost flat green but there is a touch of barely there shimmer. Not something I would ordinarily buy, I would have preferred the nude pink for the waterline.

How cute were the little sweets they included? A piece of rhubarb and custard Glossybox branded rock. Yum!

I love the bright pink box! Much prefer it over the usual pale pink but it still doesn't top the glossy red Christmas box.

The contents I thought were ok. The Clarins creams I love, extremely expensive (£48 each) for full size but nice to try anyway. Some people might prefer a skin care dominant box, I however prefer to have a few more make bits as I don't like messing about with my routine too much.

If you want to see anything, please let me know. I'm stuck currently as to what to post. Any help would be fab!

PR sample.

BuyaPowa Co-Buy - Clarisonic MIA In Pink.

2012-02-03T18:09:00.001Z

I have been waiting for this for absolutely ages, as soon as I saw it in the 'coming soon', I signed up for an email alert.

I won't bore you with details, I'll save that for the review. ;)

But the Clarisonic is a much coveted cleansing system. It can help with acne prone skin as it cleans better than just hands, take off 6x more makeup and even help products absorb better.

It's a pretty hefty investment for an oversized electronic toothbrush for your face but I'm sincerely hoping this will clear my skin up.

Click to view co-buy.

I Love .. Juiced Up Blackcurrant.

2012-01-31T14:31:00.002Z

Today I have something to show you which I'm sure many of you have seen before. I however haven't seen the 'I Love' products around where I live until recently.

I made it my mission to find somewhere that stocked them after I tried this. I found a small selection of the core products (Mango & Papaya/Coconut & Cream/Strawberries & Milkshake). I love the look of the new Cherry Sweetheart for Valentine's and Juicy Watermelon, new products to be added to the line. But alas I couldn't get them! Where to find.

Anyway not that I need more shower gel but I jumped at the chance to try this for 2 reasons -

1. I've seen a lot of people rave about these.

2. Blackcurrant isn't a scent I seem to find often in shower gels.

What the bottle says:

Take a whopping big bite out of life. My delicious aroma is bursting with super juicy blackcurrants all ready to explode into action leaving you with your very own bite size portion of happiness!

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Imagine Ribena brewed up into a shower gel and this would be it. I sit reminding myself of the scent currently and it is truly wonderful. It smells extremely juicy and fruity but not at all false.

It goes on super smoothly and didn't dry my skin out at all. I don't find the scent lasts too long on the skin but it left the bathroom smelling amazingly and it really lingered. My Mum was not best pleased as she doesn't like blackcurrants!

This is currently limited edition and an amazing £2.05 for 500ml (that's half a litre!) of product. Amazing value.

The packaging is also super cute, reminds me of Philosophy a little bit.

I definitely want to try more of the shower gels (don't tell my Mum she says I don't need any more, pssh!).

Have you tried I Love ... before?
What do you think of the amazing value?
Would you try them at this price?

PR sample.

Boy You Got My Heartbeat Running Away ...

2012-01-26T13:13:00.001Z

Beating like a drum and it's coming your way!

Noticed on BuyaPowa's Facebook page earlier they had something special coming up for O.P.I fans this afternoon ...

If you want it I highly suggest you hurry as the best price is £8 and I don't see these sticking around for too long!

Click to view co-buy.

She's Still Around.

2012-01-23T17:08:00.001Z

I really am still here. I've just been so tired after work since going back last week because I wasn't sleeping well. I hate how my camera is currently performing.

And lastly I pulled an all nighter on Saturday night so I could sleep properly. So here's my 'I was mega tired and hating on every photo I took but thought I'd post anyway' makeup from Sunday, especially since it's the first FOTD I've done with my new hair.

It looked rubbish in this but it was looking beaut when I sorted it out after.

Face:

GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer.

M.A.C Matchmaster Foundation - 1.

Benefit Boi-ing - Light.

Illamasqua Cream Blush - Sob.

Illamasqua Eyebrow Cake - Gaze & Sealing Gel (brows).

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Light.

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow - Virgin (all over lid), Sidecar (crease), Darkhorse (outer V).

Nouveau Lashes Noir Mascara.

Lips:

M.A.C Lipstick - Pink Burst. *

* Limited edition.

I skipped any form of liner as I knew my eyes were going to water like crazy. But I couldn't pick a lipstick. I narrowed it down to 4 and got my Tumblr followers to pick. Pink Burst didn't end up being the winner (it's always Girl About Town!) but I got this when M.A.C's Spring Forecast came out (I thought it was last year but it was 2010!!) and I've not reached for it a whole lot. It's such a lovely bright pink with a pearly sheen as it's a Frost.

What have you been wearing recently?

Have you been wearing anything you don't reach for so much?

I will be blogging a whole lot more when I get a new camera, which should I hope *fingers crossed* be in a fortnight or so.

Still Around - 3oh!3.

Benefit's Boi-ing Concealer.

2012-01-17T14:53:00.002Z

I've been meaning to introduce to you my new found staple for quite some time now.

Meet the best concealer that's ever graced my imperfections ...

What www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk says:

This industrial-strength concealer camouflages dark circles, shadows and discoloration for a seamless, natural-looking finish without creasing or fading. You name it, Boi-ing helps hide it!
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Before I got this, I had heard a lot of people swearing this as their 'holy grail' of concealers so when my Studio Finish ran out I dipped my toes into Benefit and bought it.

I love it! The pot is definitely a lot better, it's a lot flatter than M.A.C's so there's none of that horrid scraping of product under long nails.

The colour is almost pale enough for me but it doesn't oxidise so it sits wonderfully under any foundation. It's light and feels like you're not wearing much at all and a little dab goes a long way. I've had this since the end of August and I'm only just hitting pan.

The coverage is amazing. I need a hard core concealer as I have a lot of acne scarring and always have quite flushed cheeks so I like to rid them and start with a clean canvas.

Now compared to the concealer I had before this (M.A.C Studio Finish - 7g at £13.50), it's somewhat more expensive at £16.50 for 3g and it only comes in 3 shades, whereas M.A.C has 15. The shape of it makes it actually look a lot bigger than so I was quite shocked when I researched and realised it wasn't.

But I would definitely repurchase this over and over again. It's such a flawless concealer and takes little effort to blend. Of course the limit colour range means it's going to be perfect for fewer people but if you can get a perfect colour match I definitely recommend!

What are your favourite concealers?

My First Gelicure.

2012-01-13T14:26:00.001Z

I've had more than my fair share of compliments over my nails for the past fortnight.

Especially since I popped this photo from my birthday post up:

I had so many people asking me what polish it was. Unfortunately for those hoping to get their mitts on it, it's actually an NSI coloured gel. Topped with a coat of clear gel suspended with a whole ton of micro holographic glitter. Lovely stuff!

The photo above was taken exactly two weeks ago, the day after I had it.

Even now it's still looking fabulous:

It's so nice not having to worry that I really should take my polish off as it's getting tip wear. I don't have any of those problems (ring finger tip wear is from filing) with a gel mani.

I did wonder if I could commit myself to a colour for three weeks and I think if it wasn't glittery, I just couldn't do it. But the glitter in it reflects light like crazy and it's such a dazzling affect.

I will be sad to see this go in a weeks time but at least I can sleep easing knowing I won't have to remove the ton of glitter. And maybe one day soon I'll treat myself again to a gelicure.

Have you ever had one?

What do you think of them?

Could you commit to a colour for a fortnight or longer?

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette.

2012-01-11T14:17:00.002Z

A little before Christmas I took a lemming to the Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette. I was going to get it when it came out but did I really need another Urban Decay palette?

The next day I viewed the coming soon cobuys on BuyaPowa and what did you know, it was there! So I popped my email in the box and waited for it to go live.

Now if you don't know what BuyaPowa is it's a price drop type site. They bulk buy things which means they can give them to us cheaper. The more people that buy the cheaper it is and they offer a whole range of goodies to choose from!

This palette retails for about £39 and I got it for just £29! It was most definitely fate.

The palette is highly reflective so taking photos in any kind of good lighting is a nightmare but I tried anyway:

Overcast lighting:

Flash:

When the tray of shadows is popped out it reveals a velvet lined keepsake box:

And I even recycled the velvet tray it came packed in:

15 brand new and never before seen shades. I used a few of them on Christmas day and got compliments from the family.

They are buttery soft and have just the right amount of shimmer, as with any Urban Decay shadows.

I am definitely pleased with my purchase and have been checking BuyaPowa religiously since to see if anything else I've been after comes up.

Have you bought anything from them before?

Would you?

2011 Book Challenge.

2012-01-08T01:46:00.001Z

If you have a Tumblr and haven't heard of BeingBelle, get out from under that rock and go and give her a little follow.

She is amazing and goes out of her way to make everyone feel good about themselves. Such a refreshing change to see someone who isn't constantly fighting with others.

She's also started a little book challenge for this year - Being Belle - Book Challenge.

I've decided to participate in this. I'm not sure if I'll read one book every week but I want to try and read as much as can.

I have Kindle phases. I'll read something really amazing and then I won't touch it for a fortnight or so.

The screen on my Kindle actually ended up breaking on Boxing Day (damn cats!) and I requested a call from Amazon at almost 8 that evening, expecting them to be shut. I was extremely surprised when I got through to an actual person.

A person! Who'd have thought it? They sent me out a replacement and I received it 3 days later. Can we say amazing? All I needed to do was pop my old one in the box and send (at no cost to myself) it back to them.

I was devastated when I switched it on and realised it was broken so it's made me even more determined to read as much as I can.

I've been tucked up in bed since my birthday as I woke up on Friday to be struck down with a horrible cold/flu type thing. Have no idea where it came from. So I've managed to power through quite a few books currently.

Here's how my list is looking currently:

I'm using Listography to keep track of how much I read and how long it takes me.

I will say this now though, The Hunger Games is uhmazing! Literally cannot wait till it hits theatres in March.

It's pegged as the next Twilight. With any luck it'll be as big as that but it's not to be compared and definitely not for young teens. ~~Twilight is appalling in comparison but we won't go there~~.

Have you started any yearly challenges?

Perhaps a Project 365?

Do feel free to link me to anything your doing over the course of 2012 and of course book recommendations!

05/01/1989.

2012-01-04T19:38:00.001Z

Tomorrow I turn 23. Really? 23? I suppose you're only as young as you feel and I most definitely still feel about 20.

I ventured up to Bristol on Friday to go and spend it with Callum and have a belated Christmas/early birthday.

We didn't do much because the weather was rubbish but I posted about it here.

Lots more photos after the cut! :)

Click to read more »

Is Skin Care Really Worth The £££?

2012-01-03T23:33:00.002Z

For a long time now, I've been lusting after Lush's 'Gorgeous' moisturiser. Compared to others in their range, most being around the £10-£13 mark, this is steep in comparison at £37.50 for the full 45g size.

But I received the 'Hello Gorgeous' gift set for Christmas, clue should of been in the name really but I was surprised to find a trial size of this in it.

What www.lush.com says:
This is our ultimate face cream. The one where we didn’t hold back and used the very best, most effective ingredients in nature’s store cupboard, with no expense spared.

We make a light, loose emulsion from six beautiful plant oils. We then blitz fresh pineapples and filter their juice, squeeze fresh organic lemons and oranges, add orange blossom honey water, neroli essential oil, orange flower absolute and myrrh – then blend the whole lot gently through the cream. For a light touch, you want Gorgeous. Its magical ability to melt into your skin is unmatched, bringing with it six gorgeous organic oils and butters, the finest we can get our hands on.

No matter how your skin behaves; Gorgeous is suited to everyone. The emollient oils are combined with fresh fruit to give you a soft, matte feeling, perfect for daytime.
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It's a super rich cream and a little bit goes a long way. The first time I popped it on, I did so without a mirror and I was half expecting to look like a grease ball when I ventured into the bathroom. You know how rich moisturisers can often leave you looking super shiny? This doesn't, I actually couldn't believe how matte it made my skin and I've managed to skip Illamasqua's Matte Primer because of this.

It also smells amazing! I cannot stand to put anything I don't like the smell of on my skin, especially my face. I bought Skin Drink back along without going in store and sniffing it first and I mighty regret it because it smells absolutely vile.

I really do the love this and like I said, a little goes a long way. It's not expensive as some facial creams on the market. Creme De La Mer, anyone?

But do you think it's honestly worth shelling out for good skin care products if you know they are going to work for you?

I vote yes, because after all - you only have one lot of skin and you really should look after it.

What's the most you've spent on a single product?

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012.

2012-01-02T01:40:00.000Z

As we start a new year, I've seen a ton of reflective posts and since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I'd change that.

2011 wasn't my finest year. It had it's up and it's downs. It seemed like a lot were downs but I won't go into that now. It's a new year.

But I start my new year amazingly. I didn't do to much for NYE as I was ridiculously tired but I spent Friday in Bristol celebrating my birthday a week early with my best friends. Post on that soon. It's still left with me a great big smile on my face. :)

This year I have the usual resolutions.

♥ I want to blog more here. I want to make more varied posts and stop my posting from being so sporadic.
♥ I want to travel and see my two best friends more.
♥ I want to save money at some point. Not for anything in particular, just to stop spending.
♥ I've built my confidence up in recent months but I would love to drop a dress size or two. I also want to give up fizzy drinks completely.
♥ I want to stop worrying about pointless things and people that only want my friendship when it's convenient for them. I want to have a more positive mental attitude and just learn to be truly happy as much as I can.

I'm also taking up a book challenge but I shall post about that separately.

I look forward to this new year ahead of me.
I look forward to making plans.
I will be happy and I will be strong and I'll do it all with a smile on my face! :)

Make A Wish/Glossybox - December.

2011-12-20T11:15:00.000Z

Some of you might remember back along The Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online was doing the rounds on blog posts. Well she came and visited me this week and now she's giving you a chance to have your Christmas wishes granted.

All you have to do is leave a comment below with something you've been wishing for, it can be anything (within reason of course and it doesn't have to be beauty related!) and The Fairy Hobmother will check out some of the comments and make your wishes come true!

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I finally have Decembers Christmas Glossybox to show you, though I'm sure you've already seen it a thousand times over this week. I had to show you because it's a cracker (pun not intended) and I really love it!

Instead of the regular pale pink and black box, it comes in a bright festive red with white snowflakes all over the inside.

♡ Rituals Foaming Shower Gel.

A wonderful full sized product. I've never used a foaming shower gel before so it was a new experience for me. I pumped a little out onto my hand and when I started lathering it in, it foamed up a lot and I really mean a lot.

It's very lightly scented Indian rose and sweet almond oil, not too overpowering. It leaves my skin soft and smooth. A truly lovely product.

♡ Nouveau Lashes Noir Mascara.

A quick drying flake free formula. I have to agree with this. I popped it on at 5AM this morning and a few hours later I was rubbing my eyes without thinking about it. Did it flake off? Not one bit.

Apparently it helps with volume too but I didn't see much of that this morning but that was only from one coat.

♡ FAB (First Aid Beauty) Face Cleanser.

This seems wonderful on first inspection. It's free of all sorts of rubbish. It's not even scented which is something that puts me off it smells horrible. I'm looking at you Lush Skin Drink!

The amount of stress lately has taken it's toll on my face so I need to be really strict with my skin care and I need to stop touching my face.

This brand is readily available in Boots. I'm hopeful that I will finally find something that does some good for my skin.

♡ Deborah Lippmann Mini Nail Varnish - Razzle Dazzle with Stripped To Go Sachet.

I've always admired Deborah Lippmann from a far. The glitters are wonderful, especially since there is one named Bad Romance. But the chunky glitters, the thought of the removal scares me.

I since found out that the company is completely vegan which surprised me but I still think it's too expensive for me to be dipping my toes in just yet. Polishes range from £14 - £18.

The Stripper To Go is something I won't be using. I can't use acetone on my nails as I have a gel overlay over the top of my natural nails to keep them from breaking.

Though I will say, £14 for 6 one use remover 'mitts' seems a bit steep to me. When you can pick up some pure acetone for less than a fiver and it removes glitter polishes swiftly.

♡ Cargo Cosmetics Classic Lip Gloss - Tokyo.

A non sticky lightweight lipgloss. It's very sheer, gives my lips just a hint of colour and the old MLBB.

I haven't truly tested it's staying power but my going on the fact it's not at all sticky, I shouldn't imagine it would last too long on the lips.

Did you get the Christmas Glossybox?

Did you think it was a good one?

Don't forget to make your wish in the comments below!

PR sample.

Illamasqua, You're Doing It Right.

2011-12-17T18:10:00.003Z

Whilst we're on the subject of customer service, I would like to commend Illamasqua for having amazing, amazing service.

I received a beautiful Christmas card in the post this morning. Completely surprised by it. I am loving the eye makeup in the image.

Illamasqua never fail to amaze with the extra mile they go to for their customers. Wonderful brand and I've been really glad I got more into them this year, especially since they're a British brand.

I look forward to trying more from them next year!

I thought I'd post again and leave today on a good point. :)

Want The Look Update.

2011-12-17T11:26:00.001Z

Since my last post I'd heard nothing back from WTL.

I decided to keep a little log of things for future reference and to help you understand why I'd advice against using them.

Friday December 16 12.31PM:

Once again I have to call them up to question them on the whereabouts of my parcel.

They still don't know and aren't getting anything from Royal Mail Business Support.

It doesn't look like I'll be getting this order any time soon. And it's looks as though they're doing everything to not give me a straight up refund and dodge around the subject.

Friday December 16 1.01PM:

I get a call back from the girl who's been trying to sort it out for, informing me that she's tracked it down and she assured me it's definitely being redelivered this afternoon. To the right address.

Let's see how this pans out.

Friday December 16 evening:

Why am I not surprised? Not a single show from Royal Mail. I understand that it's a busy period but this is a joke.

Friday December 16 Really, really late evening:

It finally shows up at gone 8PM. If that's classed as afternoon ...

Am I happy with the products? Of course but that isn't down to the company.

Would I recommend using WTL? Most certainly not. 2 weeks later and my parcel shows up after paying for 2 day delivery. Absolutely disgusting service since I was never offered any kind of refund on the shipping charge.

I understand that Royal Mail is half to blame here but the fact I was having to call premium numbers most days to find out where it was, has in fact made this product more expensive than what I originally thought.

Next time I will be buying my Bed Head directly from the hair dressers. Or from Look Fantastic/Feel Unique. Both websites of which I've never had a problem. I'll gladly pay that little bit extra for a product and get brilliant customer service from it.

This was my first experience with something going missing and it stressed me out. Which people failed to understand. My money was taken but I was left without any products to show for it. How would that make you feel?

I sincerely hope it doesn't happen to me again any time soon. Fingers crossed.

I really hope these last couple of posts have helped some of you, even if it's just a few I'll be happy, to not make the same mistake I did.

Want The Look(.com)? Hell No I Don't!

2011-12-15T19:17:00.000Z

I wasn't planning on coming back just yet but I feel I need to let my followers know my experience with http://wantthelook.com.

2 weeks ago I had my hair cut off mega short. Click to see. My lovely hairdresser used the new TIGI Bed Head Candy Fixation Mega Whip Marshmallow. It smells divine and I would have bought it from the hairdressers then, only it was sold out as it's been super popular.

I then took to Twitter to ask for places I could find Bed Head at a cheaper price, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic etc. Someone suggest Want The Look to me. As it was cheapest there, I popped a hair spray from the same range in my basket too and checked out.

Knowing I needed it pronto, I opted for 2 day tracked delivery.

Order placed - December 3.
Estimated delivery - December 6.

I opened up a PayPal dispute as I'd had no dispatch email and heard no replies from emails.

So I waited as patiently as I could. And I waited. Wednesday (December 7) rolled around and still nothing so I called them up with every intention of cancelling my order. Why I let them talk me into keeping it, I don't know.

They informed me that they let me order something that was out of stock, hence the no dispatch yet but failed to tell me and let me pay for premium delivery anyway. They told me they'd just got the Mega Whip in so did I still want it?

I quickly mulled over the fact I would have to wait for a refund, order somewhere else and wait again for it to be delivered so went ahead and said yes I did want it. But they were still charging me the premium delivery fee. I personally think as a good gesture of not informing me my parcel wasn't being dispatched, I shouldn't have had to pay this.

Order dispatched - December 7.
Estimated delivery - December 9.

So I closed the PayPal dispute as it was finally being dispatched, I was actually going to get it this time!

My Mum was home all morning Friday and then I came home and waited in all day. Someone was at that house all day.

Still nothing.

Monday (December 12) rolls around and I call them again, to question them on the whereabouts of my order. They inform me Royal Mail tried to deliver it on Friday.

Like I said, I was at home all of Friday. There was no card left so I was unable to pick it up. If it wasn't able to be delivered, why was no card left?

So they gave me the tracking number as I hadn't received it and I initially rang up the Royal Mail to arrange a redeliver. I soon gave up when the service was just taking me through at least 11 automated menus and I still wasn't getting anywhere.

So I went online and did it that way.

Screenshot of the email:

I changed the delivery address (which you're allowed to do) as I was at my Dad's house this week.

Estimated delivery - December 14.

So he waited in till I got home from work. I waited and waited. Still nothing, so once again I called them up.

I was informed it had been attempted to delivery to 46 (original house number) street name (of the second email). A mixture of both addresses?!

But no one was in so it was once again at the sorting office and I was without a card. The girl I spoke to called Royal Mail customer service to ask what I should do as I didn't want to wait another 3 days for a redeliver.

She called me back and told me to go down to my sorting office with ID and I should have no problems getting it as it should be there.

Off I went and explained the entire cock up that they've made. I waited and I waited and I fricking waited for the woman to look for my parcel.

She then informed me it hadn't been bought back.

But it wasn't delivered, so where the eff is it? Out I stormed, came home, slept, worked.

In the middle of my split shift today I called up the girl and told her what had happened yesterday. She asked me where it was?! Because I would know, right? I'm just doing this for shits and giggles really.

She was extremely short with me and told me she'd ring the customer service once again to see what to do. She never said she was going to call me back or make any form of contact to get back in touch with me.

So I was left feeling thoroughly annoyed.

I finished work at 6 and came home to call them once again, only to find they shut up offices at 5. Wonderful.

I tried to open a dispute on PayPal but alas, as I've already done it, it's not letting me do another one.

I tried calling their customer service, only to be speaking to a robot the entire time and finding noway to speak to an actual person.

This is getting beyond a joke now.

December 3 I ordered on 2 day delivery, it's now December 15 and still nothing.

I am disgusted by the lack of service from WTL. I'm having to call them to find out anything about this and I honestly have a feeling I will never see this parcel or my money back.

I'm now over £20 down and empty handed.

I honestly have no idea what to do now. It feels like I'm bashing my head against a wall.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? How did it sort itself out?

Did you manage to get your parcel/refund in the end?

I'm half tempted to just give up and forget about it but that's just too easy, isn't it?

That One Product You Just Love To Hate!

2011-11-23T17:06:00.001Z

We're all beauty bloggers here, so I'm going to take a wild guess that there's at least one product in your stash that you love to hate. Amiright?

With the amount of things we buy, there's got to be something that looks wonderful but just doesn't do it for us.

This is mine, O.P.I's Sand In My Suit (2 coats):

It's beautiful isn't it? Definitely a mannequin hands-esque polish.

This was my very first dip into the world of O.P.I's and it was one of the first polishes I was drawn to long before I was actually blogging myself, just reading instead.

So what makes me hate it?

The formula. This put me off buying any others for well over a year. It's super thick (lawd knows why I haven't thinned it out), I mean really thick. To the point where the ball bearing doesn't move at all. The brush gets all messed up and it took forever to dry even with Seche Vite on top.

Because it was so thick the slightest knock on the side would leave a nice big gouge in my nail. It would make more sense to just remove that nail and repaint it, no? But I used to get frustrated and take the whole lot off because it usually happens on at least 2 or 3 nails.

I'm currently sitting with it over the gel overlay I currently have on my nails and so far, so good. Look at me, I've probably jinxed it.

I still hate the formula and barely wear it because of this but it's such a nice colour. I think I'm going to have a try at thinning it and if it doesn't work, I won't be too hurt over it. I don't often wear a nude nail.

Graze Box #3.

2011-11-23T14:48:00.000Z

I've been meaning to post this box for ages, bit late. Oops!

Want to try your first box free and get a second half price?

You don't even have to stay signed up after the free box! Click here and use the code LMJJNZ2.

Fruity Ploughmans (bramley apple and pear chutney with roasted poppy seed flatbread) (90 kcals per punnet)
I love these dipper punnets and they're bringing new ones out soon. I was unsure of this when I got it. Pear and apple chutney? I don't like pears but its not too sweet, just the right amount of tang to go with the flatbreads, which I love. I love anything covered in seeds though.

Fruity Sundae (strawberries, pineapple and cherry sultanas)
I hate sultanas and raisins. I can eat white grapes by the truck load, I've been trying to eat them when I get them sent to me but I just can't. The strawberries and pineapple however, bit of an odd combination but tasty non the less.

Chedder Gorge (cheese cashews, baked herb bites and salsa corn sticks)
Cheese cashews are ... Odd to say the least. I wasn't a fan. Loved the rest of it, made a change to have something savoury. But the cheesy cashews were a definite no from me.

Golden Honey Nut Cashews (196 kcals p/p)
Loveeeee! Definitely one for when you're craving something sweet. Delightful crunchy. Not usually a fan of entire punnets of nuts but this was yummy but they were far too sweet for me to finish them all.

I just noticed they've stopped doing these though. How annoying. :(

Box rating: 16/20.

I've been a bit too poor to be getting them weekly. I miss my Tuesday delivery but hopefully that will change soon.

Glossybox - November.

2011-11-21T14:20:00.001Z

There's been a lot of talk in the beauty community recently about beauty boxes. They seem to be popping up a fair bit now so they're nothing new.

I've only experienced Glossybox. I had the last two months prior to this (the one with the HD Brows and the one with the Leighton Denny polish).

I think the idea is good in some aspects. You get to try new things, maybe things you'd not heard of before or things that were too expensive to buy in case you didn't like.

Though I do think it's sometimes hit and miss. I'd heard today through the grapevine that is Twitter, that people had been demanding refunds for this months Glossybox because there weren't any full size products (excluding the nail wraps).

May I just remind you what you signed up for ...

'Receive 5 luxury product miniatures from high-end brands every month' ... Maybe I'm reading it wrong but it doesn't say anything about full size products there. Though of course, it is nice to open it up and find something full sized. That's not how Glossybox is being marketed.

Don't expect something full sized every month, that way you won't be disappointed.

Any how, enough moaning. Onto this months box:

♥ Nail Rock Designer Nail Wraps.

I've loved the look of these for a while now but I just don't think I could apply them right. They're like an at home DIY Minx, without the faffing about of a hair dryer.

I'm going to keep these for when I next get my nails done and ask the girl that does my nails to pop them on for me! So I'll post about that when I do.

♥ Philip Kingsley Elasticizer.

I've read so many posts on how amazing this is. Will it live up to the hype? I am eager to see what results this will have on my hair but it claims to be super moisturising and to give bounce and shine.

♥ Arbonne FC5 Cooling Foot Cream.

A minty, non greasy cream which hydrates rough, dry skin and soothes, cools and comforts tired feet. Sounds just like what I need after I've been on my feet all day at work.

I just tried it and smells lovely and sinks in extremely quickly. I can't usually use foot creams as they are too greasy and have to be rubbed in for ages. I'm that tickilish, I can barely touch my feet so this is definitely a winner.

♥ Illamasqua Freak EDP.

I already posted about this here. I love it and this is a great way to try it if you can't get to an Illamasqua counter. My closest is almost 5 hours on the train ...

♥ Dead Sea Spa Magik Gentle Cleansing Facial Wash.

A special blend of all natural ingredients to cleanse the skin and fight off bacteria for a deep, invigorating clean.

This feels quite mousse like in texture, I'm used to cream cleansers so that was a bit weird. It's very light though. I'm not a fan of the scent, seems a little old lady like to me but it's left my skin oil free and still feeling hydrated.

Hopefully the bacterial fighting properties will help clear up my skin!

I actually rather like this Glossybox, though I think I might be one of the few that do.

PR sample.