Best of August.

Simply Eye Makeup Remover; MeMeMe Lip Cream in China Rose; Avon Moroccan Argon Oil Conditioner; Bepanthen Nappy Care Ointment; Garnier Sun Cream SPF50; Avon Moroccan Argon Oil Shampoo; VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir; Batiste Dry Shampoo in Cherry.

My favourite products in July were mostly makeup and skincare; alternatively this month they're mostly hair care! I've also noticed that I've not reviewed most of these products so that's a bit naughty of me really. I've been loving the effects of lavishing my hair with oily goodness and am definitely feeling the benefits with my newly strong, nourished and shiny hair. The sun cream should probs feature in all of my favourites between April-October because I'm mega paranoid about getting sunburnt so wear sun cream pretty much every day throughout the Spring and Summer. The Simple eye makeup remover is so gentle and not at all oily (I'll have to review this!). And no, I don't have a baby, the Bepanthen is for soothing my new tattoo- it works a treat! Sorry my favourites are a bit boring this month, I've just not bought any new makeup this month really as I've got pretty much everything I want! However, I am having a CHANEL makeover tonight so that statement will be made invalid! Please leave me a comment with a link to your favourites this month and you might inspire me to try something. 

Haul.

Topshop Lace Cross Jumper, Temptress Stud Slippers, Black Embrioded Lace Skirt, Louise Gray Liquid Eyeliner, Nail Varnish in Firework; Lady Gaga Fame perfume; New Look Wooly Hat; Spiked Heart Earrings; Forever 21 Earrings. 

So this is a haul and a half really. I feel quite bad about it but they're all lovely things so it makes me feel a little less bad. Also, the Forever 21 earrings were bargains at £1.50 and the New Look earrings were £3.99 so that's not bad either. I got a free Louise Gray compact mirror with my Topshop makeup purchases so get involved if you want one before they run out! I tried this jumper on before with the skull print but I think I actually prefer this lace cross one- and the leather patch studded shoulders are super hot. I love this skirt but I'm not sure how to style it so I'm gonna try it out with a few different tops and shoes etc but it's so pretty and unusual with the half underskirt lining. I also tried the Lady Gaga perfume and it smells amazing so I just had to get it. Can I just say, look at these loafersssssss! They're like my suedey Vectras but have a rubber soul and are like a faux leather so I'll be able to wear them in the rain- hooray! This was my final blow-out using my student discount because it runs out tomorrow which I'm gutted about but I more gutted that I'm not going back to uni this September. 

Night Owl.

Top- Topshop

Pants- New Look

Shoes- Topshop

Jacket- second hand army shop

Ring- handmade by me (pieces from etsy.com)

Nails- H&M Nail Varnish in Blue My Mind and Blue Bliss.

I wore this outfit today to go sneaky shopping in. I wanted to show you my American Apparel disco pants dupes for only £16.99 from New Look! They're kind of like a thick legging material, matte not shiny like the crazy AA ones, with back and front pockets, a zip and button- like regular pants really. They're much more forgiving and less like liposuction than the originals! They're a bit long for me (even though I'm 5.5/5.6) so I've rolled them up at the bottom which I think looks quite nice. I love this H&M nail varnish combo- it's kind of like a dupe for the Topshop Louise Gray nail varnish in Junk Yard which I had my eye on. I've got a haul post coming up from what I bought today cause I did make a sneaky Louise Gray makeup purchase. 

And here's my owl! I dunno if anyone's even bothered about seeing it but here it is. It's not fully healed at all yet, in fact it's just started scabbing over (ewwwww) but it's a lot better than it was on Sunday. What d'you think? Hope you've all had a lovely week so far. 

p.s photo overload!!!

In Your Face: Avon Moroccan Argon Oil Range.

Avon 360 Nourishment Moroccan Argon Oil Shampoo (£2.80), Conditioner (£2.80) and Leave In Treatment (£5.50) from Avon.

So my new found love for hair oils combined with Avon's new Argon Oil range meant that some money would be a changing hands. I bought these all on introductory offer so the shampoo and conditioner were half price and I think the treatment oil was around £2.50 but they're on offer atm if you wanna check them out. Firstly, can I just comment on how much I love the packaging of this range- the blue and the gold stand out so much and the box of the treatment is so unique. I've used Avon's shampoo and conditioner for coloured hair for about a year or so now and found that it did protect my colour and leave my hair feeling clean soft and shiny. However, this Argon Oil range duo leaves my hair feeling ridiculously soft and shiny- it's unreal, I feel like a model in a hair advert! And considering that my hair is super damaged, I can't really say more about how amazing this shampoo and conditioner have made my hair look and feel. Plus, they have the Avon signature watermelon scent which is always nice and refreshing. 

I've previously reviewed the Tresemme Liquid Gold hair oil and the VO5 Hot Oil both of which I love and use a lot. I'd compare this more to the Liquid Gold than the VO5 oil as this is a post-wash treatment rather than a pre-wash. The main difference between the Liquid Gold and Avon's Argon Oil treatment is that the latter is exclusively for pre-styling use (i.e on wet/damp hair) whereas the Liquid Gold can also be used on dry hair. This might explain why the Avon oil is a fair bit more viscose than the Tresemme oil. It's easy to control how much you want to use through the pump dispenser, I personally find that 2-3 pumps are sufficient for my hair. I try to avoid my roots and apply it after rubbing it between my hands from the mid sections to the tips of my hair, concentrating on any damaged areas. I've found that this oil, in combination with the shampoo and conditioner has reduced the number and appearance of split ends, increased the strength of my hair and reduced fall out (e.g when I brush my hair) which has been a real problem for me since bleaching my hair last year. 

Overall, I'm loving using all three of these products and together, think that they're a force to be reckoned with! I'd for sure recommend these products for anyone who, like me, has dry, damaged or coloured hair. Have you tried any of these Avon products?

Give Away Winner Announced!

Thanks for all you're support and for helping me hit 100 followers. A few of you entered my give away and I'm pleased to announce that the winner is...

Milly from Mini Adventures!!!

Congratulations Milly, I've emailed you so check your inbox and I'll get the prizes sent over to you asap. Thanks to all those who entered, I'm sorry you couldn't all be winners! I'm for sure gonna hold some more give aways in the future so keep your peepers pealed for those. Thanks lovelies! 

War Pigs.

Dress- Primark

Necklace- Primark

Leggings- Primark

Jacket- second hand army shop

Ring- H&M

Nails- Topshop Nail Varnish in Sketch

So we've all seen that the military trend is back in action this AW; now this typically means fitted military jackets and coats with beautiful embroidery and gold buttons. However, this year the trend has moved from military ceremonial chic to boot camp couture. I love the camo jackets they're selling in Topshop atm (like this one) because they're more fitted and girly but my gosh, at £45-£60 they're expensive! Whilst on holiday, my boyfriend's parents stumbled upon a second hand army shop/mini museum and when they told me about it, I couldn't wait to get there! I bought this jacket for £5 and it's a genuine thick heavy army shirt. It had the Dutch flag on it which I removed because, well, I'm not Dutch. I love how comfy and slouchy it is and how it toughens up a plain dress. I'm thinking about customising it a bit with some spikes and some patches maybe so I'll keep you posted if that ever occurs. My boyfriend bought an army coat which was plain khaki green but it's got a padded inner and will be super warm in winter, I think that was only around £40. I'd deffo recommend you look out for second hand army stores if you fancy anything like this jacket because it's pretty much guaranteed to be durable, well-made and reasonably priced.  

I went down to London on Sunday and got tattooed by Stewart Robson at Frith Street in Soho. Now, there's no point in me posting photos until it's healed cause my arm is black and blue at the minute, but I can safely say that my owl is stunning and I'm totally inlove with it. If you're thinking about getting tattooed then I can't recommend Frith Street enough. Hope you've all had a lovely (although wet) bank holiday weekend!

In Your Face: Lush Dynamic.

Lush Dynamic Eyeliner from the Emotional Brilliance Range (£14.50).

So we all heard about the launch of the Emotional Brilliance range at Lush and I, for one, was certainly baffled by it. Upon visiting a Lush shop, it was all explained to me by the loveliest of Lush ladies who regaled the tale of research into colour therapy and the relationship between moods and colours etc. She then spun the wheel of fortune and asked me to pick three colours based on how I felt. Call me a sceptic but I ignored her (sorry!) and just chose colours that I liked. It actually turned out that these choices were irrelevant anyway because she pretty much let me sample the whole range including their shimmer powders which aren't allowed in on the wheel fun (poor them). The range has a variety of colours and shades which are either eyeliners, lipsticks or eyeshadows but in my opinion they're all quite versatile formulas and tones. I love the packaging of this product- it's very Alice In Wonderland-ian with the little tag that you wish said 'Drink Me' (please don't drink this). As always with Lush, the products are bad-things free and haven't been tested on bunnies and mice so that's good news all round.

Dynamic was the first one I chose which is a super pretty pinky peach shade with golden shimmer running through it, reminding me of rose gold. Now, this product is actually supposed to be an eyeliner and I think it would look amazing on tanned or darker skin tones as an eyeliner but it just made me a little bit ill looking! So I pootled back to Lush and asked if I could have a sample doe-foot applicator to take home which I then cunningly inserted into the lid in the place of the eyeliner brush (much like a nail varnish applicator type affair). I really like the fact that the applicator is part of the product as it minimises wastage and it much easier than finding an appropriate brush. The product itself is super creamy and smooth and applies like a dream. It's long lasting, crease-free and doesn't fade as the day wares on. I've been loving wearing this shade as a base colour and then building up definition around it using my NAKED palette. It's definitely got that metallic shimmer to it which is something a bit different for me. I really like this product but I do think the price is a bit more than I'd normally pay as I used my Lush birthday voucher to buy it. Have you tried any of the Lush makeup yet?

In Your Face: Snow White and the Huntsman Palette.

Diego Dalla Palma Snow White and the Huntsman palette (£25 from Tesco). 

OK, so this is a bit sneaky beaky of me because I don't think this palette is available any more although I'm sure you can find it somewhere in the corners of the internet. I actually got this for my birthday from my parents. I saw this palette reviewed on a blog wayyyyy before the film was even out; luckily I really enjoyed the film but regardless the colours and items in the palette really appealed to me. The packaging of this palette is lovely with Snow White inspired imagery, however, it's not the most compact of palettes as it's about an inch deep unlike, say the NAKED palette which is really flat. There's also an oval mirror inside which seems to be distorted- now I don't know whether this is a reference to the mirror in the story or it's just a crap mirror. The palette comes with six eyeshadows in Snow (white with a pearly shimmer); Sheild (sandy golden shimmer); Mirror Mirror (burnt rusty brown shimmer); Fairest (matte off-white); Destiny (matte peach) and Battleground (matte chocolate). In addition to the eyeshadows, the set also comes with a pencil eyeliner in Dark Night (not Batman) and a beautiful matte red lipstick in Wicked Queen. 

I really like the shades of the eyeshadows as they're all quite unusual whilst still being wearable and a coherent collection. My personal favourite is Mirror Mirror because it's such a bold colour and I think it works really well in the crease of your eye. My least favourite shade is Fairest as I find it to be boarderline chalky-looking when applied alone on the brow bone as a highlighter. Although I really like the shades, I don't find them to be as blendable as (sorry to keep comparing) the Urban Decay shadows in the NAKED palette. Having said that, they do give a really nice depth of colour and are very buildable (distinction). 

I lovelovelove the red lipstick in this set. It's the ultimate vampy, 1950's matte red and is super smooth and long-wearing. I find that it can be a little bit drying but I find that with most lipsticks tbh. I also love that it smells just like my MAC lipsticks! I don't know why but I just don't like the stark white packaging of the lipstick- it just feels like they made no effort with it whatsoever, I personally think they should have continued the theme and made it a bit more gothic looking or something. My least favourite aspect of this set is the eyeliner pencil: considering the palette cost £25 the pencil feels really cheap and like it was an after-thought. It's quite scratchy and hard on the eyelids and it in no way glides on or softly blends. It drags on the lids and I found it more difficult to remove than other eyeliners. It is really black but that's about the only pro I can think of for this eyeliner. 

Overall, I really like this palette and I do enjoy using it but I'm unsure as to whether it's worth the £25 price tag which, to me, implies premium beauty goods. The next thing to look forward to is the follow-up film focusing on the Huntsman's tale; I'm not sure where they're gonna go with that but I loved the cinematography and costume design in the first one so more of that please! Have you tried the Snow White and the Huntsman palette or any Deigo Dalla Palma maekup (available in Tesco)? 

p.s sorry this post is so long! Right now I'm probs on the train to London or otherwise getting tattooed, eeeeee I'm so excited! Well, actually, by the time you read this I'm probs in a lot of pain haha!

In Your Face: My Skin No Shine Moisturiser.

My Skin No Shine Mattifying Moisture Lotion (£3.50 from Tesco).

This was an odd purchase as I love using my No7 Day and Night Creams so much but I didn't want to take them on holiday so I saw this and thought "for £3.50, I'll give it a go". I like the girly packaging and imagine that this range is targeted at the young teen market and my skin is pretty much the same as it was when I was younger. I love the fact that this moisturiser has kiwi and raspberry extracts for no other reason than it makes the product smell amazing! Sometimes I feel that skincare products can smell to chemically or clinical and I'm a girl who likes a nice fruity sweet scented product. You get 75ml of the product and a little deffo goes a long way- I find a small pea-sized amount is enough for my whole face which is much less than I need when using my No7 creams. 

The moisturiser itself has quite an odd consistency; it's like a really wet, runny gel which applies nice and thin and is absorbed super fast into the skin. I did find the moisturiser mattifying and it provided a good base for my makeup; however, it's not done wonders for my skin so I'm finding it hard to get too excited about. Compared with my No7 creams, I find the My Skin moisturiser to be no where near as moisturising and it also doesn't have any sun protection built in unlike my No7 Day Cream which has both UVA and UVB protection. Overall, I'd say this was a good moisturiser to try if you're just starting out using skin care or if you're on a budget as it does mattify the skin but I'm afraid it's No7 all the way for me. Have you got any skincare recommendations?

The Lovely Bones.

Dress- Hell Bunny

Leggings- Primark

Ring- Primark

Shoes- Next

Nails- Nude from a Primark mini set and Look Beauty Nail Pop in Ribbon

p.s sorry the lighting is awful but that's British weather for you- I had to have my spotlights on.

This isn't like my regular 'boring' t-shirt dress and leggings type outfit which makes a nice change. I bought this dress in Sheffield before I went away and fell inlove! It's my fave dress shape ever and I have a good few Hell Bunny dresses in this style now. I love the cute vintage-feel flowery pattern on the dress and the ruffled edges are super cute. I felt dead girly wearing this outfit- I teamed the dress with these Next shoes that I blogged about a while bag. I love the lilac bow on them but my God did they kill my feet! My feet are really mard and most shoes, apart from Primark cheapy flats, give me blisters and pain for at least the first month of me wearing them *sigh*. These were no different- they're just proper stiff and hard faux patent leather but hopefully I'll wear them in soon. I love this ring I got from Primark- it should look super cheap and tacky and like children's toy jewellery but for some reason I really like it! I restrained myself from buying the matching earrings and necklace because I thought that would be a bit too wild. I think it was only about £2 as well which is a bargain. 

I started back on a diet on Monday because I've gained a fair bit of weight over the last year or so and I'm fed up with it so now uni stress is all over and done with, I've (unfortunately) ran out of excuses. I've actually been enjoying it for the most part but I do miss bad food real well loads. I've been swimming twice this week which has been ace and an intense workout at the same time plus attending my regular aerobics class last night. If you're like me and fall off the wagon real quickly then I'd recommend you check out Bloggers Go Skinny as I've found it really inspiring and motivating knowing that other bloggers are doing it too. Hope you're all well and have some lovely plans for the weekend!

Louise Gray for Topshop.

Eye Cream Duo in Wave Machine (£8); Nails in Pinch Punch (£6.50); Glitter Pots in Peacock (£8); Lipstick Case (£8); Mascara in There and Black (£10); Eye Palette in Blink (£12.50)- all images from Topshop.com

Unless you've been living under a fashion/beauty rock, I'm sure you'll all know that Louise Gray's clothing and makeup collection for Topshop has launched online and in store today. Now, I'm not gonna lie, I don't know a lot about up-and-coming designers and Louise is no exception. But as soon as the launch was announced and I read a few interviews with Ms Gray I soon found myself lusting after the launch of this collection. Although the clothing line looks amazing, it's a bit too razzle-dazzle for me but they are definitely luxury pieces that will be the envy of all your friends. I wanted to focus on the makeup because the packaging and the colour range are unlike anything Topshop have ever done before- it's super playful, wild and out-there whilst remaining wearable by all. I'm particularly loving the look of the two eye sets including the pink and purple cream duo and the insanely cute glitter pots! I'm actually dying to have blue eyebrows right now (surely I'm not the only one?) and will deffo get crayola-colour happy in front of the mirror later on.  If you wanna get involved then do so quickly cause I imagine this will sell like hot cakes! What d'you think of the collection? Also, who d'you think should the next Topshop collaboration be with?

In Your Face: VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir.

VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir (£4.29 for 75ml).

My introduction to hair oils led to me purchasing the Tresemme Liquid Gold hair oil which can be used on damp or dry hair. I saw a couple of reviews of the VO5 Hot Oil Moisture Soak Elixir in the blogosphere and thought I'd check it out; however, much like the Tresemme offering, it was much more difficult to get hold of than I anticipated. I eventually found it in Superdrug a month or so ago and bought it. This is actually the first VO5 product that I've ever tried, which isn't saying much because there's loads of haircare brands that I've never tried before! Unlike the Liquid Gold and other hair oils, you apply this Hot Oil in the shower before shampooing your hair. Warning: this can get quite messy! So you wet your hair, come out from under the shower, apply the Hot Oil, leave for 1minute, then rinse and wash your hair as usual. Now y'all know by now that my hair's recovering from bleach-abuse and this left my hair feeling so soft, smooth and shiny it was like someone else's hair!! It definitely leaves my hair feeling healthier and nourished and all flowy like in all the hair adverts. 

Initially, I loved the packaging of this product- loving the tube format and the clear packaging so you can see the product inside; the tube has markers along the side indicating how much product should be applied per use. Normally, tubes mean product dispense control but the liquid oil is so runny that it just (for want of a better word) gushes out and it's super difficult to stick to the markers. However, you can also purchase a set of 4 individual tubes of the VO5 Hot Oil so I'd imagine these would be a good alternative if you don't wanna risk using too much/not enough from the tube. Also, if you do manage to stick to the markers, it means that you only get 5-6 uses out of one tube. I know the price isn't that high but when you compare it with the £6.99 Tresemme Liquid Gold which you get sooooooooo many uses out of, it kind of puts it into this perspective. This, in a way, has made me less enthusiastic about repurchasing this item despite its glorious effects on my hair. 

I seem to be on a hair oil roll at the minute as I've just bought Avon's new Argon Oil shampoo & conditioner and hair oil so reviews of those should be coming soon! Have you got any hair oil recommendations?

I'm A Hevy Bolta Kind Of Girl.

This post is a bit of a break from my regular product reviews etc but I thought I'd just mention my boyfriend's music project that he's been working on for a while now. Hevy Bolta is a one man band and I thought you, your boyfriend's or your friends might wanna check out his licks. He's a guitarist by name but plays all the instruments on these here songs- some made via computer programmes and sampling. Go check out my man's soundcloud page.

In other news, I'm going down to London on Sunday for the day to get tattooed which I'm super excited about! I've also got a job interview coming up in a few weeks which I'm super nervous about but fingers crossed!! Hope you're all having a lovely week. 

100 Follower Give-Away.

The competition closes this Saturday so hurry!

So ladies, I've hit the big 100 and to celebrate and say thank you to all of y'all, I'm holding a give away. The rules are pretty simple: you must follow my blog via GFC and leave a comment on this post with your name and email address- easy peasy! This give-away is only available to UK followers I'm afraid. The give-away will end two weeks today on Saturday 25th August at 12pm GMT so get involved quick; I'll announce the winner asap and contact them for their address [don't forget that's a Bank Holiday weekend lovelies]. Let's see what you could win...

Avon Naturals Strawberry Moisturising Body Scrub; 

Marks & Spencer Limited Collection Eyeshadow Palette in Natural Mix; 

MeMeMe Longwear Satin Lip Cream in Pashmina Pink. 

All these products are brand new and have only been handled for the purposes of photographing them for this post. You can see a post of this scrub here and it's one of my personal beauty favourites. Good luck and thanks for all your support and comments!

In Your Face: Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Eye Treatment.

Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Eye Treatment (£5 full price; currently half price in Tesco).

I've pretty much finished two tubes of Boots Cucumber Eye Gel this month (sigh) and thought I'd try something new to leave at my boyfriend's house and carry on with my Soap & Glory Supereyes,Supereyes eye gel at home. As far as I know, Skin Wisdom is a skincare brand exclusive to Tescos and whilst perusing 

their eye cream offerings, I saw that this bad boy was half price. Now I dunno about you but I find it hard to find eye products that aren't t anti-aging and anti-wrinkle formulas but I found this Youth Protect one and thought I'd give it a go. On the side of the box, there's a scale illustrating which age groups should use which range of Skin Wisdom products- the Youth Protect products are aimed at buyers aged 20-35yrs. The product itself is a milky coloured gel which is super light and easily absorbed into the delicate eye area. I like how this product leaves my eyes feeling cool, soft and hydrated without feeling at all greasy. I've been applying this in the evenings after cleansing when I apply my facial moisturiser. I'd say it's deffo worth giving a go. Have you got any eye cream recommendations?

In Your Face: Lush Lemony Flutter.

Lush Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter (£6.25).

'A super thick cream choc full of rich ingredients to help you get to grips with dry bits. Knees, elbows, heels, nails and cuticles- all will benefit from some Lemony Flutter attention.'

I've never really been one for looking after my cuticles and nail area which is daft really considering how much I love wearing nail varnish. I saw a post by the lovely Tattooed Tealady on nail care, you should see how amazing her natural nails are, and this lovely Lush product featured so I thought I'd give it a go. Not just a cuticle butter, Lemony Flutter (the best name ever) is perfect for treating any areas of dry or hard skin. The product smells just like fresh lemons which isn't my favourite scent or taste but it is nice and refreshing compared with most nail care products which smell hyper chemically. The butter itself melts into more of a rich oil when you apply it to the skin- I've been using it exclusively on my cuticles and nail areas as I don't have dry skin per se (luckily). I find that it softens my cuticles and sooths any sore, chapped or dry skin areas on my fingers. Now, I'm gonna be honest here; I know it's gross and weird but I bite the skin around my nails and this product really helps to heel my toothy damage and softens up the skin real nice. A little definitely goes a real long way with this product- I find that by thinly coating the tip of my finger I have enough to do the nails on one hand. I dab the product around my nails then rub it in using circular motions and then it's quickly absorbed. I've been using this on bare nails before applying new nail varnish, so about twice a week really. It might not seem like an essential, but I'm really enjoying using Lemony Flutter and think  it's well worth giving a go because the lady in store said one tub lasts her about a year- talk about value for money! Have you tried Lemony Flutter or got any other nail care recommendations?

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away before time runs out!

August Glossybox.

OK, so ever since I heard about Glossybox and beauty boxes in general, I've been toying with the idea of trying them out. My main concern was that I'd end up with loads of products that weren't suitable for my skin colour or type and that'd it'd be a waste of money. Well a few months down the line, my chum bit the bullet and started subscribing and loved it. She explained that you fill in a questionnaire so they send you stuff suitable for your wants and needs and so I just went for it last month and got involved. Well, my first box (July) was a bit crap to say the least but I let them off cause I hadn't yet completed my questionnaire; so I hung on for my August box and told myself if it wasn't that amazing I'd cancel it. So what's in my August box...

In case you didn't already know, the August box had an International Brands theme which on the surface sounds really exciting and exotic. The products I got were:

Alessandro Pro White Nail Polish

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil

All For Eve Eve's Balm

Vera Valenti Eye Shadow Palette

Lipcote

Glossybox Lipstick

Now, I don't know about you but in deciding to subscribe to Glossybox, I was hoping to try some luxury brands and products but I'm sorry, the eye shadow palette looks, feels and is cheap, retailing at under £4. I also have issues with Glossybox's own products being valued and considered as an item rather than a free sample because they can just totally make up the value to fit the rest of the contents of the box. I dunno, I'm just massively underwhelmed by the offerings from Glossybox in the July and August boxes. I'm going to cancel my subscription and try another beauty box. I'll review these products at some point (maybe I guess) but the only product I'm that mithered about it the Lipcote because it claims to make your lipstick last longer.  Sorry to all you Glossybox girls if this upsets you; maybe I just set my expectations too high...

Liebster Blog Award.

I've just got back from holiday today and found that I've been nominated for another Liebster Blog Award by the lovely lady from The Beauty Think Tank thank you so much!

Rules: 

1. Each person tagged must post 11 things about themselves.

2. They must also answer the 11 questions the ' tagger ' has set for them

3. They must create 11 more questions to ask bloggers they have decided to tag.

4. They must then choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers and tag them in their post.

5. These lucky bloggers must then be told.

6. There's no tag backs.

11 Things About Me

1) I'm an only child.

2) I have 5, yes FIVE cats *crazy cat lady* called (in age order): Jess, Geddy, Moshi, Kat & Pyewacket.

3) I have just got a degree in Psychology.

4) I have visited 3 continents of the world.

5) I hate football. 

6) I'm left handed.

7) I don't eat anything that swims i.e fish or seafood, by choice not necessity. 

8) I'm an avid meat eater.

9) I never used to wear dresses or skirts and now I pretty much exclusively wear them.

10) I've been driving for over 3years (not continuously!).

11) I've just got back from holiday and had a yummy KFC on the way home (Y).

Beauty Think Tank's Questions

1) If you could design your own beauty product, what would it be?

Probs a lipstick orrrrr an amazing eye palette. 

2) Would you rather be forced to wear full coverage foundation for a year or go without lipstick for a year?

Forced to wear full coverage foundation- this doesn't bother me at all! But no lipstick would make me sad :[

3) Do you like BB Creams or are they just hype?

I do like them for their ease and skincare benefits but some are really shiny so I go for oil-free ones.

4) Favorite season for makeup?

As in trends? Deffo winter, it's all about smoky, sultry, vampy looks.

5) Favorite drugstore/ high street beauty product?

Just one?!? I can't pick!

6) If you could do a makeup/ lookbook based on a country/ place what would it be and why?

This is an interesting question...I honestly have no idea. Maybe Paris because it evokes sophistication and simplicity.

7) If you could do the makeup of any Olympian who would it be and why?

Wowzers, erm maybe Laura Trott because she's got stunning blue eyes.

8) All time favorite song?

Can't pick one my friend. 

9) What is your favorite thing to blog about?  Not just makeup in general.

Probs skincare products because they're usually on the more expensive side so I want other's to know whether they're worth the hype or not.

10) What inspires you to blog?

Deffo other blogs and when people comment on my posts. Also, magazines and street style.

11) If you were on a deserted island what three things would you need to have with you?

Well I'm assuming that life-essentials are covered (i.e food, water, shelter etc) so probs my boyfriend, my slippers and my phone.

My 11 Recipients!

Charlotte Lucie Beauty

Jennifer Polly

Lilac Dreams

Lipstick and Coffee

Truly Outrageous

Beauty and the Photographer

Describing Beauty

The Beauty Fiend

Sunny Dollish

Pierre Le Cat

Pretty Poison Blogs

My 11 Required Questions

1) Cats or dogs?

2) What type of makeup product do you have the most of (e.g lipsticks)?

3) What inspires your to blog?

4) What attracts you most to other blogs?

5) What's your fave high street makeup brand?

6) What's your fave high end makeup brand?

7) What's your favourite flavour of ice cream?

8) What's your fave nail varnish colour?

9) If you could have your hair like any celebrity, who would it be?

10) Who is your fashion icon?

11) What's your fave shop?

Thanks you guys!

Fave Five: Ice-Cream Nails.

Nails Inc. for InStyle Magazine; Barbara Daly Pink; Avon Nailwear Pro in Aqua Fantasy, Luxe Lavender and Lemon Sugar. 

In my eyes, Avon dominate the ice-cream nail shades arena; my first ever ice-cream shade was in fact Luxe Lavender which is just the smoothest strong lilac I've seen. Aqua Fantasy has a lovely pearly shimmer running through it as does Lemon Sugar- the latter of which I am kind of paranoid about wearing as a block colour because I'm not tanned to it can make me look like I've got a skin deficiency- not a good look. I also buzz off the Nails Inc. for InStyle Magazine powder blue. The thing I love most about ice-cream shades is that they all work together as block alternate colours or as various patterns and nail art. They also add a splash of not-too-intense colour to any old outfit. What are your favourite ice-cream nail varnishes?

p.s By the time you read this I'll be getting ready to leave (if not already on my way) on the road trip up north for my holiday with my boyfriend's family which I'm super excited about. I doubt the cottage will have le internet so I probs won't be replying to comments for a week or so. Have a lovely week girlies!

p.p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!

In Your Face: S&G A Great Kisser.

Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm in Chocolate Cherry (£5 from Boots or S&G website). 

This was another one of my Birthday Glossybox treats from my chum; she sure knows how much I love S&G! A Great Kisser is available in three colours/fragrances including Sweet Coconut, Juicy Peach and the one I have which is Chocolate Cherry. I'm a bit of a lip balm hoarder but that's mostly due to the fact that I keep them in all my handbags, at my boyfriend's house, by my bed, in my makeup bag and anywhere else where I might need one! I have too many on the go that I care to admit tbh. All this effort is due to the fact that I have fairly dry lips and that's just no fun if you're planning on wearing lipstick tbh.

As always with S&G, the packaging is super cute with the vintage style photographs and the cheeky product names. I know a lot of people go hygiene crazy when it comes to lip balms in tins but tbh, I tend not to be arsed about those kinds of things (rightly or wrongly); for me, tins represent ease of application and more product for your poundage. In my opinion, Chocolate Cherry smells nothing like either of the elements it's named after although it does smell sweet and not at all displeasing. In the tin, Chocolate Cherry is a rosey pink shade which transfers to the lips ever so slightly but I'm more in it for the moisturising properties than the colour pay off. I find this lip balm to be super hydrating, softening and smoothing; a feeling which lasts beyond the wear of the lip balm itself which I'd say was pretty standard in length. The lip balm isn't at all sticky or icky and doesn't feel thick and glupey like rival Vaseline can. Overall chaps, this is deffo a winner for me and once more, my chum strikes again with this one. I'm gonna be honest here, I personally think £5 is quite steep for a lip balm but now I know what it's like and that I super like it well loads, I'm for sure tempted to try the Juicy Peach variety purchased with my own monies. Watch this space. What are your thoughts on this lip balm? Any recommendations for dry lips?

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!

In Your Face: MUA Professional Eye Primer.

MUA Professional Eye Primer (£2.50 from Superdrug or MUA website). 

OK, so I know I reviewed the e.l.f Eyelid Primer only last week buttttt I wanted this bad boy loads and it was sold out everywhere for ages so I had make do and hope that the e.l.f version would be up to scratch. Now I've heard great things about this MUA Eye Primer and, I'm not gonna lie, some bloggers' claims seemed wild and outlandish to me- just as good if not better than the Urban Decay Primer Potion- let's not get too excited now munchkins. So one day, I looked hopelessly at the MUA stand in Superdrug and bless my soul there it was. Firstly, I love the packaging- I'm a sucker for simple black packaging but I'm dubious as to how long the silvery writing will last. The product has a doe-foot sponge applicator which I like because you can get more control with it than with a brush. The primer itself is a neutral off-white shade which is pretty much translucent on the lids when you pat it in. 

I personally apply a small amount of product to each lid before patting and smoothing it in from my lash line to just above the crease of my eyelid to cover the area where the majority of my eye makeup will sit. The primer applies really smoothly and a little goes a real long way. It dries quite tacky which would be odd if you wanted to wear it alone (why would you though really?) but makes total sense when you begin to apply your eye makeup over the top- even the flakiest and dustiest of my eye shadows have been sticking to this primer smoothly and softly. I find that the MUA Eye Primer prevents creasing, makes the colours last longer than on bare skin and just holds everything in place. I also find that it aids with the blending of colours on the lid as it provides a smooth base for you to work on. Is it worth the hype? Yes. Is it worth the price? Are you kidding me, £2.50 feels like thievery! I love this product so much and I'm so glad I managed to get my hands on it eventually. Honestly, if you see it in store you should just buy it and try it because it's made such a difference to my eye makeup. Have you tried this MUA wonder bargain?

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!

Inside My Travel Wash Bag.

 Wash Bag- Primark

Clinique 7 Day Scrub; Primark 4in1 Deep Facial Cleansing Wipes; Simple Eye Makeup Remover mini; Simple Soothing Facial Toner mini; Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish mini; My Skin No Shine Mattifying Moisture Lotion; Good Things Stop That Spot Clearing Gel; Skin Wisdom Youth Protect Eye Treatment.

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash; Scrub of Your Life; The Righteous Butter minis. 

Tresemme Salon Finish Extra Hold Hair Spray; S&G Glad Hair Day Shampoo and Conditioner minis and Mark Hill Turn Up the Heat mini.

As I've mentioned, I'm away this week with my boyfriend and his family staying in a cottage up north so I thought I'd show you what I'm taking with me in my wash bag. I used a rolly-up wash bag from Primark when I went to Bruges with my man in June (seems like a lifetime ago!) but shortly after I saw a blogger's Muji wash bag which looked super nice. As I was about to order one offline, I found this replica in Primark which is exactly the same style but with polka dot and red trimmings rather than being all matte black like the Muji one. I can't remember but I think it was either £3 or £5 which is a bargain either way! There's two zip pockets and then a large area in the base which also has little mesh sections in it. 

I've brought a mixture of everyday favourites, new products to try out and stuff I wanna use up and get rid of! Instead of taking my usual serum, day cream and night cream I'm just going to use the My Skin No Shine Mattifying Moisturiser to see what it's like. I've nearly finished both of the Boots Cucumber Eye Gels that I have at mine and my boyfriend's houses so I picked up this Skin Wisdom Eye Treatment to check out as it was 1/2 price. The products I'm hoping to use up are the S&G shampoo and conditioner as I don't find them that amazing tbh and the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish because I really don't like the smell and much prefer the S&G Peaches and Clean cleanser I've been using recently. I'll probs be reviewing a lot of these when I get back so keep your peepers peeled if you're interested in any of them. I've also brought suncream, e.l.f makeup setting spray, deodorant (obvs) and Batiste dry shampoo but they were for last minute packing after I took these photos. What are your travel essentials? 

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!

In Your Face: e.l.f Matte Lip Colour.

e.l.f Studio Matte Lip Colour in Nearly Nude (£3.75).

I got this aggesssss ago and totally forgot about reviewing it: not a good start really. Regardless of my dryish lips, I love a matte lip any day over a shimmery shiny finish lipstick; to me, the mattenss harks back to 1950's  makeup and Marilyn Monroe as well as it's gothic-trend qualities. I went for Nearly Nude during my quest for the perfect nude, everyday lip. The packaging is nice and simple with the black pen-like tube and the coloured base which is oh-so handy in my opinion (not knowing the colour of products just by sight of the packaging seems to be an annoyance to me). I'm also a fan of the crayon style application of lip products atm, it's super easy and less annoying when you use up loads of product, like when the top of a lipstick either becomes flat or ridiculously angular. 

Nearly nude is a peach based shade and for me, that's about where the niceties end: this product is super drying, not at all long lasting and cakey. If you're going for that 'corpse' look where you've applied your eye makeup with a trowel and have effectively concealed your lips then you'll for sure love this (Y). For the rest of us who like to keep our human features in tact however, this product aint so nice. The colour doesn't apply particularly smoothly and drags on the lips, like I say, the colour is real nice but it just doesn't translate as pigmented and seems chalky and 'blah'. Unfortunately, this is another e.l.f avoider for me but don't knock it till y'all try it. 

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!

Fear Me Dear For I Am Death.

Shirt- H&M

Skirt- H&M

Ring- New Look

Nails- No7 in Violetta

Back in my boyfriend's mum's room! I actually bought this shirt when I went shopping last week but it was omitted from yesterday's haul post due to it being in the wash. I've been looking for shirts and collared clothes recently because they're my new fashion faves and this one ticked so many boxes for me. It was only £12.99 from H&M and looks good tucked in to a high-waisted skirt as well as over shorts or a body-con skit. I love the monochrome polka dots and the looseness of the shirt. I'm super excited about going away on Saturday (even though I'll miss my cats) and I'm just hoping the weather's alright for us to go out and about in. I'm also hyper excited about going down to London in a few weeks to get tattooed again. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but I'm well excited because the last time I got tattooed was around 3years ago now because it's real expensive to go down to London etc but it's finally here now! My boyfriend's finally getting his leg finished too and he's been getting really annoyed about having a half finished leg but money don't grow on trees baby. I might do a post on my tattoos when I've got back from London so let me know if that's something you'd be interested in. 

p.s Don't forget to enter my 100 follower give away!