Watt's Up?

This is the second post about my Westfield beauty purchases. I am a sucker for benefit, think its the packaging as well as the products, I love how pretty they look!

Applied straight from the highlighter stick (top) and blended out (bottom)

The highlighter I was using before was Soap & Glory's Hocus Pocus which is described as an "instant visual flaw-softening lotion," which can be mixed with moisturiser or foundation for all over illumination or alone as a highlighter. I like illuminated skin but I think having actual illuminator on your whole face looks a bit much so I used it alone as a highlighter so when it ran out I wasn't necessarily looking for another multipurpose product like this. When I got back from holiday and was tanned I liked the look of Benefit's new Sunbeam but as I have faded back to my natural wintery tone I felt it was too golden for my now not so golden skin. I had never considered a cream highlighter but when I saw this one I fell in love, the packaging, the colour, the consistency...all lush! Watt's up is described as a "soft focus highlighter" and is a champagne coloured highlighter with a cream-powder finish. I like to use highligher on my cheek bones and brow bone and sometimes I put a tiny bit along my nose and in my cupids bow to makeup lipstick "pop" and to produce a glowy look without being OTT. Definitely recommend this one ladies. 

Have you tried Watt's up? Which Highlighter is your favourite?

♥

Westfield Splurge: Naked Skin

So...I went to Westfield just after Pay day. Pay day = carried away. There was a parking deal on (such a geek) and it's not too far from me so I went there to find one of the near instinct Urban Decay counters (Debenhams in Westfield) and to go to Ted Baker to get the purse I wrote about in my 21st birthday post here. Obviously I ended up buying other things as you can see below!

 I treated myself to the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation, Benefit Watt's up, Inglot Freedom System eye shadow palette and an Inglot nail enamel. I'm going to do a few different posts on what I bought so this one isn't a monster. I'll be giving my thoughts about my new foundation today.

My priority of my Westfield trip was to buy a new foundation as I had been testing different brand samples and shades for months and had no luck finding the perfect combination of texture, coverage, staying power and colour for my skin until I tried a sample of Urban Decay's new Naked Skin foundation. I was roughly matched by the Urban Decay lady at home in Norwich with her colour card and she gave me a sample of 2.0 (fair with slight yellow undertone) and 3.0 (light with golden undertone). 

There are 18 different shades in the colour range going right the way from 0.5 to 12.0. The .5 shades have pink/rose undertones and the .0 shades have more neutral/yellow/golden undertones. I am wrongly matched with pink undertoned foundations too often because I do have sensitive and pink skin on my face but I of course want a foundation that neutralises this not matches it! I tried both samples but found the darker shade (3.0) a bit too dark for me now my tan has faded (very sad about this) and 2.0 was a teeny bit too pale but I figured I'm just going to get paler at this time of year and I like to warm up my foundation with bronzer anyway. 

Urban Decay describes the foundation as providing a "flawless ultra definition finish" and "natural radiance without shine." The coverage is buildable which I really like and I find this important because during the day I like to have clear radiant healthy looking skin but in the evening when I go out I like to build my coverage up without having to wear a different foundation all together. Another good thing about using this foundation in the evening is it has no SPF...meaning no ghost white faces in flash photographs, this may be a negative for many of you for day time but you can always use a moisturiser or primer with an SPF. 

The foundation contains Green Tea and Vitamin E, which claims to promote collagen production and contains Sodium Hyaluronate which apparently "holds and attracts water for optimal hydration, circulation and nutrient absorption for smooth, soft skin."

All in all, the shade range is really good and I rarely find one that matches my skin as well as this one does, coverage is brilliant and buildable and it lasts for ages. I use a bit of powder (Rimmel Stay Matte) on top on my T-zone and chin but compared to other foundations I have tried it keeps the shine at bay and still allows the skin to look healthy and illuminated. I am really happy with it and definitely recommend it!

Urban Decay Naked Skin: £27 Debenhams

My other product reviews will be very soon :) Do you want to try this foundation or have you already tried it? What did you think?

♥

Bye Summer

Hello beauties. This may seem weird as I am writing this in October but AUGUST is my favourite month...mainly because the 1st is my birthday and it is Summer which means at least some good weather. I already wrote a little bit about my birthday here so I won't talk about that again but for the rest of the month I worked lots, spent lots, had to move out of my house at uni and went to V festival which was AMAZING.

Moving out of my house at uni was actually really stressful as I wasn't very well and my housemates had already moved out so I had to stay there solo. I didn't realise how much unnecessary stuff I had taken with me and how much extra stuff I had accumulated while I was there...this was still the case even though I'd already moved all my clothes out already...My mum came up once I'd packed as we needed my car and hers to fit all my stuff in and they were both jam packed when we were finished. If any of you are off to uni this September just remember you probably won't need ALL your clothes (including the ones you haven't worn for 2 years) like I thought I did, I probably wore a quarter of them! After I'd given my keys back to the worst estate agents in London we went for the lunch by the Thames in Kingston and I drove through Richmond Park to see a friend, LOVE that park.

(From top left clockwise) Lunch, Richmond park, Last Night at V,  First day at V.

V festival was the weekend after that and was well needed! I went for the whole weekend and the weather was absolutely amazing all weekend, even hotter than when I went last year. It was in the 30's which was incredible, I got some unusual tan lines but had a brilliant time. I wore bright summery floral dresses and my favourite Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 20 most of the weekend. It is events like this where I am so pleased I have my eyelash extensions, no need for mascara and no panda eyes.

Some of the acts I saw:

 Emeli Sande
David Guetta
Labrinth
Maverick Sabre
Professor Green
Tinie Tempah
Tom Jones
LMFAO
Nero
DJ Fresh Live
Rita Ora

I was lucky enough to enjoy some September sun on my days off last month and got to top up my tan a little bit before it fades to ghostlyness. 

Completely clear sky and aeroplane.


I went out to the coast for the evening last week and the sunset was beautiful, I love that time of night. I took Mambo for a walk and he ran straight into the sea, and lay down, naughty seal dog.

New-Beau

Hey beauts, I wanted to write about a few new things I have got this month so far in this post. One of which was a present from my loveeeely friend Emma. She knows how obsessed I am with nail varnish, nail art and new products so she got me the Ciate Caviar Manicure set for my birthday which was sooo thoughtful of her. I'm sure lots of you have heard of it before but it is a relatively new idea. The idea behind it is that you get a unique 3d nail effect. You apply the nail varnish as normal but when they are still wet you pour the microbeads over your nails over the provided plastic tray (handy!). You just need to gently push the beads into the nail varnish so they stick properly and leave the nails to completely dry for 20 minutes, I made the mistake of having a bath after about 10...don't do that as they will just come off. Then all you need to do is pour the excess beads back into the bottle with the provided funnel (even handier!) 

There is a black, white and rainbow set and my favourite is definitely the rainbow so Emma knows me well! I have put a photo of my Caviar manicure accent finger, it doesn't take long at all but I didn't have time to do them all and allow them all to completely dry! I love it, I think it looks unusual and unique. Next time I'll make sure my whole nail is covered in beads as there are a couple of small gaps this time round. Practice makes perfect.

I also went on a bit of a splurge at Warehouse with my staff discount. I bought this dress, a sleeveless silk shirt and some nice thick treggings for Winter as I live in them...I love floral dresses and this is no exception. This one is particularly good for this time of year because it is still feminine but the florals are a bit more wintery. I have been seeing loads of winter floral articles in magazines lately so I think they will be everywhere soon. 

Warehouse: £50

I saw this in Boots and it was on offer as there is 1/3 off Dove body care. I am a total sucker for 'Limited Edition'  products so I snapped it up, it smells delicious and I figured I should accept the fact that Summer is coming to an end and that I should start moisturising in preparation for Winter. I definitely get dryer skin in Winter so I'm sure this will be a staple in my skincare routine during the colder months.

Boots: £2.19

I love finding new products, are there any new things you have bought recently that you love or can recommend?

♥

Outside The Box

Hello lovelies...another nail post, I just can't help myself! The photos I have used below include two designs on my natural nails and two on false nails. I decided to buy some false nails as I spend so long on my nails sometimes and then my nails chip within a day, which just feels like a waste of time! False nails don't chip for ages and even then it is hardly noticeable and obviously they don't break like natural nails. I bought a pack of 200 from Boots, they come in 10 sizes but then if some are too big you can file them down if you want to use as many as possible, then you're just wasting ones that are too small. I had to cut my natural nails down short as the false nails I bought are quite short and they look a lot better if you don't have natural nail underneath. I really like the square shape of these ones and they make me feel very glamourous for some reason! I'm back to my natural nails for a little while now but I really like using false ones purely because my nail varnish lasts so much longer but then obviously you have to flaff around with glueing them on. Mine lasted about 10 days without coming away from the natural nail, which I thought was really good! I was naughty and pulled them off which will have ultimately damaged my natural nails but I didn't have any remover, oops...not recommended!

From Top Left Clockwise: Essie Fiji with Models Own Ibiza Mix accent ring finger, Essie Fiji with metallic (OPI Designer De Better) leopard print nail art,  Mix and match coral, metallic and black nail art and Ciate Caviar Manicure in rainbow.



These are my favourite nails I have ever done, I was so proud of them! The coral coloured base is Peach Daiquiri by Essie and the metallic parts is OPI Designer De Better, the glitter is Models Own Ibiza Mix but I think golden glitter would have tied in better with the look.  Believe it or not I used a black liquid eyeliner for my black bits rather than my black nail art pen as it is easier to control, as long as you let it dry and put a clear top coat on top it will stay put just as well as black nail varnish!

1.  Apply base colour to all nails, it is best to use a light colour as a base if you are using black details as the contrast is more effective. You will need two coats with most colours. Allow nails to dry.

2. Use metallic nail varnish to do roughly spaced dots on thumb, a vertical stripe on index finger and a diagonal stripe on little finger. This doesn't have to be perfect because the black line will straighten the lines out. Allow nails to touch dry. Second coat of metallic may be needed,  allow to dry again.

3. The nails need to be touch dry before the black eyeliner is used or it might bleed into the nail varnish. For the thumb, draw random C shapes and lines around the edges of the metallic dots and add a few random black dots. Draw a vertical line on the edge of the metallic index finger nail and little finger nail. For the middle finger nail draw a heart shape with liquid eyeliner and fill in. Allow to dry.

4. While the nails are drying you can apply glitter nail varnish to the ring fingers of both hands. When all nails are dry you can apply a clear top coat, preferably a quick drying one as there is quite a lot of coats on the nails by this point.

Hope this helps! Doesn't actually take as long as most people think! What do you think?

♥

My next post will be on the Ciate Caviar Manicure.

New treats: MAC

Hello beauts, I have been meaning to write about these since I got them last month but other things keep coming up. I got these two as some late birthday treats and I went into MAC without anything in particular in mind, I wanted a new lipstick but wasn't sure what colour or type. I swatched lots in the shop but really liked the colour and texture of this Sheen Supreme Lipstick, which are described as:

"Combining the colour impact of a Lipstick with the shine sheen of a Lipglass, Sheen Supreme creates the perfect hybrid – with no compromise. Lightweight, non-sticky, slick to apply and comfortable to wear. This is a must-have for all those who have craved this kind of fusion." 

I picked up Full Speed which is described as a bright clean yellow pink. The colour of Full Speed is quite similar to Impassioned which I LOVE but due to the lipstick type being so different they look completely different on the lips. Full Speed does not stay put as long but feels lovely on the lips due to the glossy aspect of it. It is my first Sheen Supreme lipstick and I'd definitely consider getting more of them, I also really like the different packaging but due to the consistency these lipsticks are flat and not a pointed bullet shape so are slightly more difficult to apply precisely. 

The second item I got from MAC was the "Superwatt" eyeshadow from the limited edition Electric Cool range. All the eyeshadows in the range had a frost finish and were described as:

"A soft, lightweight, springy formula delivers hue-rich colour in a modern mode. One touch and you'll be wired into its sensational blending power. Medium-to-high coverage transforms eyes."

I fell in love with these and really wish I'd got a couple of others as the texture of them is amazing and now all but two of the colours have sold out online and there are not in store anymore, gutted! The consistency is creamy and 'spongey' when you apply the eyeshadow but then as it sets it goes to more of a powdery eyeshadow. It does crease a little on me but I don't really mind this as the colour is gorgeous and can be used as a base and so good for blending into other eyeshadows and for a smokey eye.

I love MAC packaging

Swatched on my hand in natural light (indoors)

Swatch in natural sunlight (outside)

Eyeshadow in natural light (indoors)

Both £14.50 from MAC. Also available online.

What do you lovelies think of the Shine Supreme Lipsticks? Did any of you snap up any of the Electric Cool eyeshadows? I really love them both, so happy with my treats!

♥

Busy B

Hello lovelies! I realised today how long it had actually been since I did my last post and how much stuff I have done in between then and now. I'm not very well at the moment, with my first cold of Autumn/Winter season I'm feeling a little sorry for myself...I think I jinxed myself the other day by saying I "liked winter but I wasn't looking forward to the colds"...cue cold and no voice when I woke up. I'm writing this tucked up in bed when I could be driving to London to go out for my last ever freshers...but no. Anyway! Just after my last post was my 21st birthday and I wanted to share a few photos as I had a great time. I had a lovely morning opening presents, having a yummy breakfast and an afternoon of YO! Sushi and shopping. My aim was to find a dress for my birthday night out the weekend after but I am so easily sidetracked that did not happen for another few days of shopping. In the evening we went for a gorgeous meal out near the coast for dinner which was very posh and made my 21st feel really special. As you can see the cake my mum ordered for me was BEAUTIFUL.

I got some money for my birthday and I really want to buy something that I have wanted for ages but haven't been able to justify. My purse got stolen from my bar from my bag about four years ago, the day after my 17th birthday actually and I haven't been able to find one I LOVE in all that time. I have decided to splurge and get a Ted Baker one, patent with butterfly print lining...just my thing.

Just wondering if anyone else has got a Ted Baker purse? Do they last well?

♥

Nail Obsession

Nail posts always seem to go down well and I LOVE writing about nails, nail varnish and nail art. I don't know why but I actually find painting my nails very therapeutic when I am stressed or need a bit of 'me' time! I am always buying new nail varnish and even more so now I am working in the city centre just a floor away from Boots. I'm constantly taking photos of my nails after I have painted them! I get bored easily and like to change my nail varnish often so it is probably a good thing that my nail varnish always chips so quickly, not sure why this is! Just wanted to do a quick post on some of the nail styles I have had recently! I recently bought Models Own Hedonist and Ibiza Mix, I am in LOVE with Ibiza Mix because of the different colour and sized glitter and it looks amazing over so many different colours. I love how fluorescent Hedonist is but I find the consistency too thick and also not sure about the semi-matte finish, but is fine with a shiny top coat!

Nude with Ibiza Mix.

Sweet Kisses (17) with Ibiza Mix.

Free Missguided orange from Glamour.

Models Own Hedonist with Ibiza Mix on ring finger.

Dotting tool used to dot dark purple and then layer on top to smudge the dots. Glitter ring finger.

Red with Ibiza Mix and two tone ring finger.

What do you think? Any styles you recommend I try? Love finding new ideas and techniques.

Holiday: Zante

I haven't blogged in a while as I have been so busy working and doing bits and pieces, I was also busy planning my last minute Summer holiday, the first in over 2 years and of course buying extra things I probably did not need...I went to Laganas in Zante (Zakynthos). Zante is a greek island and is the perfect combination of a beautiful island getaway with enough places to go wild at night! I had an amazing time and had relaxing days by the pool and on the beach, along with loads of fun going out in the evenings! Definitely suffering now for it though as I am not very well. Me and my friend also rented a quad bike for the day, which was hilarious! I definitely recommend the island as it is beautiful and there are different resorts perfect for different types of holidays.

The weather was gorgeous the whole 10 days we were there and I got nicely bronzed, which always makes me happy! In regards to beauty and holiday prep I had a Jessica Geleration manicure before I went away, which a is gel nail varnish  meant to last 2-3 weeks without chipping, mine didn't last this long but nothing ever seems to on me! I also bought Hawaiian Tropic sun tan lotion as I think it smells incredible! I took SPF 15 and 30 and a SPF 25 No.7 one I had already for my face. I took all the makeup and hair products I thought I'd need and luckily was still within my 20kg baggage limit, but it was a very close call! I am the worst holiday packer ever!

It is my 21st birthday on Wednesday, which I am very excited about and I will do a post about any goodies I get next week :) I will going out for dinner on Wednesday but celebrating with all my friends on Saturday which I am really looking forward to...still need to find a new dress and time is ticking! Any recommendations of online shops I can look at as I am not well enough to shop yet!? I've searched on all the usual suspects like ASOS and Topshop but I struggle because I am quite tall and lots of places dresses are just too short like Missguided etc.

Have any of you been to Zante? What did you think? & Do any of you have any suggestions for a birthday dress for me where I would have it by Saturday?!

View from Cameo Island.

Got to keep nail varnish standards up on holiday too!

One drink in each hand...standard.

Pina Colada made a nice change to sickly fruity cocktails!

Back to fields...

Galaxy Nails

Today I did my nails by following this youtube video by Miss Jen Fabulous who does amazing designs and has a lovely blog too which can be seen here. I have seen galaxy nails done in a few different styles and loved them so decided to give it a go! For my first attempt I am quite pleased with them but I am a massive perfectionist and I wish I'd blended them better and used different glitters too. Need to buy a holographic micro glitter and chunkier one. I painted black on as a base and dabbed on pink, blue and purple nail varnishes using a sponge. I then added a silver glitter on top but like I said I think it would have looked better with holographic glitter of two different sizes like what was used in the tutorial! Think I'm going to get Models Own 'Juicy Jules'.  I also added on a few small heart shaped gems, which I found in my makeup bag full of nail varnish, I thought I'd put them on my thumb and on my ring finger, just makes them look a bit different and is an alternative to larger particles of glitter!  Hope you like them!

What do you think!?

I Heart Nail Stickers

Hello lovelies, just wanted to do a quick post on my current nails. I go through phases where I really want to experiment with designs and other times I am happy as long as they are neatly painted in a nice colour! This week I have used my nail stickers to create something a little bit different as I have much more time on my hands with exams out of the way and also wanted to do them for my night out last night. 

My newest Essie purchases: Lovie Dovie & Watermelon....LOVE them both.

I already had my nails painted in Essie's Watermelon the day before because nails have to be completely dry before the stickers are stuck on. I have talked about the stickers before here but briefly they are only used as a template and are removed afterwards to reveal the design. You can get different shaped ones and I got a pack on eBay with assorted shapes. I stuck on the stickers one by one and painted OPI's Designer...De Better on over the reddy pink colour, I then peeled off the sticker off every nail and painted clear top coat over the top to make them realllly shiny and to prevent chipping! I don't want these bad boys chipping after this effort! I started off by doing a design on my thumb, middle finger and little finger (below) but then changed my mind and thought I would do each nail differently and the result is that I absolutely love them! Definitely inspired me to use the stickers more often.

I love both these colours and together I think they look really cool, the stickers can be used to create designs with any colours but I love the metallic. Designer...De Better is a champagney coloured metallic nail varnish with tiny bronze flecks in it when you look closely.

Nail Varnish used: Essie Watermelon and OPI Designer...De Better

What do you think?! 

Hope you like!

I'm Back

Hello again beauties, I am back! My exams for my second year at uni are finished for the year and my Summer has begun, finally! Unfortunately the lovely weather we have been having decided to go away the day after my last exam...typical! But this cooler weather did give me an opportunity to go for a well deserved shop to treat myself on pay day...and treat myself I did! I am at university in Greater London so not far at all from the usual London shopping hotspots. So off I set in the cooler temperatures to get my shop on. I was planning on going to Oxford Street and Covent Garden but as it was my first day of freedom I took the opportunity to have a big lie in and didn't end up getting the train until later than planned...then Oxford Street swallowed me for 6 hours...yes 6 hours! 

My first day of Summer: My shopping bags/ Pretty door in Liberty/ I love Iced Tea/ My new maxi dress.

I went to the flagship Warehouse and Oasis stores on Argyll Street as I get discount due to work and got a maxi dress and some other bits and pieces. I only have one other maxi dress but I thought the floral pattern and colours were beautiful for Summer and couldn't resist! I had a stroll through Liberty for the first time and to be honest felt a bit unwelcome as I clearly didn't look rich enough! I did get a lovely Korres lip balm though. Yum. I also went to the beasty Topshop, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Primark. It was Thursday so everything was open really late but I didn't have time to go to Covent Garden and was all shopped out! I'm not going to include everything I bought on this post but I've put a few photos below. I had a lovely time wandering around but can't believe I spent so long in so few shops.

Beautiful door in Liberty!

Got a bit carried away...

My new maxi dress.

Dress - concession brand in Oasis Argyll Street: £54.99