My First Attempt at an OOTD

Create 'Nora Batty' style wrinkly knees by taking photos from dodgy angles!

I thought I would attempt an outfit of the day - I'm planning on doing a fair few of these so I decided to just bite the bullet and do it! I've got to say that taking a picture of ones-self looking at all flattering is possibly the hardest thing in the world! I'm not exactly svelte - so putting the camera onto timer, getting into position, adjusting clothing, trying to pull a face that doesn't make me look constipated and sucking everything in all within 10 seconds proved to be pretty difficult.

A closer inspection of the video below will also reveal lipstick on my face where my sunglasses had fallen down on my face and then transfered said lipstick back up onto my forehead and nose. The 'lipstick on my head looking like a wound' look is really not a good one!!

So, all in all this OOTD is a pretty epic FAIL!!! :)

Cardigan, Sunglasses and Jumper were all from Primark

Red Glittery Hells - eBay

Jean Leggings - Select

Ring - treasureandtresses

MAC Hey Sailor Red Racer and Salute! Lipstick Review

I have been very into the whole nautical theme recently - I think this was sparked by a visit to the cinema to see Titanic in 3D followed by a whole host of Titanic documentaries which left me craving the sea, a boat and a visit to the sea floor.

As a trip to visit Titanic costs around $40,000 per person - I have had to satisfy my craving with MAC's new Hey Sailor lipsticks instead @ £14 each!

Now I don't own a lot of MAC products - partly because of the price and partly because nowhere nearby sells MAC and I have to rely on websites to decide on colours and I'd rather swatch merrily away in a shop somewhere! But the tantalising stripy sea of the MAC ad above caught my eye on Debenhams website and I was reeled in - hook, line and sinker (see what I did there!?!?) ho ho ho!

I was determined to purchase something but it took me a while to decide as I really wanted the highlighter - but after much deliberation - I decided on two lipsticks.

The gorgeous packaging is so appealing that you almost feel guilty for hiding it away in your make-up bag! It should be displayed in all it's glory where people can see! I know I will keep these pretty cases in their pretty boxes until they disintegrate!

Gorgeous stripy packaging with weird bendy optical illusion effect!!!

Red Racer and Salute!

Red Racer is the most gorgeous bright red lipstick in a satin finish. It glides on like a dream and the pigmentation is amazing. Its staying power is amazing and I literally had to scrub the swatch off my hand - I'm pretty confident this would last a fair few hours! The colour just screams pin-up glamour and it is a sure cert that it will go with anything! It is hardly surprising that this has sold out really fast. But do not ignore the rest of the collection - there are lots more goodies to be had!

Red Racer

Salute! is a neutral peach and is probably the closest colour I have found to my skin! It literally erases my lips from my face! I'm kind of undecided at this point as to whether this is a good thing or not - but whatever - I still love it!
I don't like the consistency of this as much as Red Racer - this is an amplified lipstick and has a really creamy consistency, it glides on lovely and is very moisturising but I found that this made it tricky to build up the colour on your lips and my natural colour kept showing through in places which annoyed me a little. If I had applied this properly with a lip brush then I think it would look much better - so I partly take the blame for this one!
Once applied properly and blotted it would last pretty well.

Salute! (and my wandering eye)

Swatches with flash - notice that Salute matches y skin pretty well!

Swatches with no flash - Here you can see that Red Racer is a very block colour but Salute! feathers out around the edges - this is what I found it did on my lips which made it slightly more tricky to apply.

I love both of these babies and they are welcome additions to my collection. I'm sure I will get much wear out of the both - but maybe on days when I am feeling that little bit braver!!!

Have you purchased or will you be purchasing any of the collection? If so what? What do you think?

 

Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish Review

So I have seen loads of stuff written about these bad boys, but I thought I would add my thoughts.
I actually bought these before I saw anything about them. I was meandering in Boots and the glittery flip-painted colour changing rainbowness of Fantasy Fire first caught my eye...sound familiar...thought so. I then spotted Graffiti and Odyssey Blue - what these lack in rainbow colour changing fantasticness they make up for with glitter. Undecided on which to buy, I convinced myself that the three for two offer obviously was a 'sign' - so I got them all!

The size of the bottle is tiny. Yes I know it is described as 'mini' and nobody twisted my arm to buy it, but for £3.99 they do work out quite expensive. On the prices and weights I was working on, it worked out that this polish costs £6.64 per 10ml compared to Essie polishes which work out at £5.33 per 10ml. However, I decided that if this looks on my nails like it looks in the bottle, then quite frankly...I don't care!


They all contain very finely milled glitter which really catches the light and looks very pretty in the bottle.

Fantasy Fire - the base colour of this is purple but it shimmers all the colours of the rainbow. Green, yellow, blue, red and orange all sparkle in abundance.

Odyssey Blue - Is a gorgeous mid to deep blue which shimmers turquoise and purple.

Graffiti - A sea-green which shimmers purple with a hint of gold.

Unfortunately when I tried these my heart sank and formed a squishy mass on the floor. These polishes are really watery and you have to apply at least four coats to get a decent coverage. If you are like me and do not have the patience to wait for even one coat to dry properly, then these are going to cause you to leave a trail of sticky glittery polish everywhere you go and force you to have to angrily rub your hands raw as you try to remove four coats worth of polish from your skin with nail polish remover.
These also appear to lose their colour changing qualities when applied which I found really disappointing. If I'm going to sit still long enough for four coats to dry - then I most certainly want my nails to have the WOW factor in return!!!

Fantasy Fire, Odyssey Blue and Graffiti after Four Coats

But fear not - all is not lost. One coat of these over another coloured polish does look lovely, so you do not have to leave them abandoned just looking pretty in the bottle in your room.

I think if Max Factor had got this just right and Fantasy Fire looked the same on your nails as it does in the bottle then this would have been sold out everywhere for ages and ages - not just for the initial frenzy of excitement.
Will anybody ever get the perfect colour changing rainbow polish that applies like a dream?
What do you think?

So Nice to See You!

My blog has sat unloved for some time now. I got a new job which many of you will know is exciting but stressful all at the same time! I would consider this job to be my first 'proper' job, the start of my career and I really felt the pressure to do well and make a good impression. I've studied/worked hard for years to do what I love. The first year was hectic to say the least - hence my lack of YouTube and Blogging, but now things have settled down, it seems the perfect time to spend some time in my little online space and talk about the other things i love in life.

Although I am a firm believer in careers and work - I also think it is super important to stay in control of your workload and ensure you put aside some time for yourself - something I didn't do last year and boy did I feel it!

Life also got in the way - buying a house and getting married were recent events and again it takes time to settle into some form of normality, but I think we are there now!

I probably didn't pick the right time to start a YouTube and Blog - but hey - I'm back to share some love and sparkles!!  :)

I have so many things to talk to you about I hardly know where to start...so I thought I would start with a couple of life things!

I have changed my hair colour back to brown - this was because I was finding it hard to find the time to maintain my blonde hair - I had taken to colouring it myself and the striped yellow affect I was developing was really not a good look! I resembled a glow-in-the-dark badger. Not Good.

I do want to go back to blonde - but i think i will go for a more natural multi-tonal dark blonde next time.

I am also currently mastering a new computer and camera - all I have to say about this is BOGGLED!!

I am also brand new to twitter and am currently trying to figure out what Instagram are all about! I really need to get up to date with the goings on around here!

Anyways, I've got tonnes of things to show you and review - so I had better get going and figure out this camera!

Take Care everyone and it's so lovely to be back! It feels so long since I have indulged in a bit of glitter and femininity!

Love for Eyeko!

I'm completely loving the Eyeko Liptastik glossy lip pens! I have them in Lip Lover, Loudmouth and Hot Lips.
After a somewhat disappointing summer and generally crud year so far (hence lack of youtubing and blogging!) - a pop of bright and cheery colour is more than welcome in my life!!

These lip pens have a lovely creamy and smooth consistency and are really pigmented. Applied over a base of powder, their staying power is also pretty good!
The product can be popped up and down out of it's case using the twisty end. I twisted this all the way up and was quite impressed by the amount of product you get for your money (£6.50 each) or its the free gift if you use an ambassador code with your order at the moment - mine is E11968 if you want to use it.
My fave is the hot pink shade - although I really love all the colours.

Loud Mouth is a gorgeous girly rose coloured pink. In my opinion, it is the most wearable of the three shades. I've worn it quite a lot recently and have had some lovely compliments.
I'm sticking my bottom lip out here - that's why it doesn't look like it has applied properly! It actually applies really smoothly and is very moisturising.

Hot Lips is my favorite shade! It's a wonderfully bright Fuchsia pink! I'm a complete sucker for an all black outfit teamed with pink accessories and pink lips. This is my pink lippy of the moment!

Lip Lover is a sexy bright red! You can't beat a pillar box red to lift your mood! Although I don't wear red anywhere near as much as pink, it's always useful to have one at hand for days when you feel a bit braver or in need of a pick-me-up! This shade makes me think of yummy juicy berries!

Have you tried any of these shades or do you prefer more natural colours? Would you recommend any other similar products that are out there? 

 

 

Primark to the rescue!

I love my new make up / wash bag from Primark! At only £4 it was a total steal! It's one of those bags that doesn't look particularly big but then you can cram everything you need into it - and it still looks great!

I'm totally loving the padded design and black bow - so pretty!

I find it wonderfully practical that the top unzips leaving the rest of the bag sturdily sat on the bed, floor, car seat etc... without collapsing or falling over, it also has a carry handle and mirror - great if you are on the go!
No more make up spillages for me! Yay!!

The best backcombing brush ever?

I'm completely in love with this Denman brush! Not only is it the most AMAZING backcombing brush ever, but it is also in shocking pink. Simply Brilliant!
It is the D91 Dress-Out Brush.
I have other Denman brushes but nothing has ever given my hair as much volume as this. Because of it's design, it's really easy to get right in to the roots and be more precise with brush strokes.
It also fits in to a small clutch bag for a night out.
This ticks all my boxes and I highly recommend it to everyone! :)