L'Oreal Collection Exclusive Lipsticks || Review

I have been after the Blake Lively L'oreal collection exclusive lipstick for ages because she's so stunning that if anything can make me look a little more Blake then I'm up for that! They were on a deal so I ended up choosing three, aswell as Blake's red I got two nude ones- Eva's and Julianne's.

Julianne's is a pretty pale pink and I picked this one because her skin tone is probably the closest to mine out of all the girls. This shade is the most sheer of the three which disappointed me a little. It doesn't add amazing colour to the lips but rather gives a pretty pink sheen. When I wear this I usually go over the top of it with one of Tanya Burr's lip glosses either Aurora or Picnic In The Park or one of the Naked glosses by Urban Decay.

I picked Eva's lipstick because when I swatched it the colour looked stunning so even though my skin tone is nothing like hers (sobs) I still had to get it. It's a peachy nudey brown and it looks so pretty on it's own or again with one of Tanya's lip glosses over the top, I usually go for Afternoon Tea. This one has become one of my favourite lipsticks, if you like Pure Zen or Patisserie from Mac then you'll like this one! I really love that L'Oreal Paris is embossed on the lipsticks too because it gives them a luxury, high end feel. The packaging is really chic too with the black and gold so I like having these ones on display. 

Lastly the reason for this haul - Blake Lively's red. It's a really pretty deep red, slightly darker than your classic bright red but not too dark. It is a matte finish unlike the nude shades which appear to be a frosted finish but this is extremely creamy to apply and doesn't dry out my lips at all. As it's a matte shade it lasts for a really long time and these smell incredible too. I've heard a lot of people saying they hate the smell and they can't wear them because of it but I really, really like it. It's very sweet, floral and powdery smell, it reminds me of an old fashioned sweet shop but I'd wear it as a perfume it smells that nice. It's also a very similar smell to a lot of the Rimmel lipsticks if you've ever smelt them you'll know exactly what I'm trying to describe.

I love these lipsticks and the collection, what do you think of them?

Lots of Love,

♥

New Look, Nike, Topshop & Asos || Haul

I've been shopping! You know when you're trying to save money but you get that unstoppable urge to shop?? Well that happened to me although this haul is collective and I've bought all this over the space of a few months. I made the crucial mistake of wearing some of these bits before photographing them and then it's been ages until I've had them all washed at the same time and during daylight. So I may have sneaked a few of these from the ironing basket just so I could show you (while they're still in the shops).

The first thing I bought was this checked shirt which has a collar so automatically I loved this. I don't have to wear uniform at work anymore but because I work with children we can't have low cut tops which is harder than you'd think! So I thought this would be perfect for work too and I love grey.

I've been thinking about joining a gym which is something I never thought I'd hear myself say but I've been trying to eat healthier and I don't have time to exercise while I'm at uni so I'd like to join one over the Summer. To motivate myself I bought some nice new gym clothes because lets face it thats the best way to get a girl who hates exercising into the gym. This top is from New Looks sport range and they have some really nice things at a cheaper price if you don't want to splash out. I picked this top because I loved the colour and it's nice and loose so it won't stick to you when you're all sweaty, lovely. This cost £12.99 and they do a gorgeous matching hoodie and gym trousers too.

The hardest thing on deciding what to wear when it comes to the gym for me is definitely the bottom half. So I decided to get some of the Nike tights because they're really comfy and they're pretty much a gym necessity. These are the Nike pro ones, are dri-fit and only cost £28.

Obviously a necessity for us girls is a sports bra, I am absolutely clueless with how sports bra sizing works, they come in xs, s, m and l etc rather than bra sizes. It took me several online orders and a trip to JD Sports changing rooms to work out so for sports newbies like me it doesn't work on your dress size or your bra size it's more a combination. So definitely don't do a me and think you can just guess because you'll be guessing until you actually go to store and try on which is comfiest! 

Excuse the fact that I had to grab this out the ironing basket to photograph it. I got this shirt from New Look and I love how it looks either tied around my waist or worn open with a vest top underneath. 

I've been after a pair of white jeans since last Summer but they were always out of stock in Topshop but they've finally come back in so I was first to grab a pair. These are the perfect crisp white colour although with a puppy I'm not entirely sure they will stay that way for long! The solar eclipse was going on whilst I was trying to take a few of these photos so that's why the lighting is a bit patchy in places.

I bought two white t-shirts, this one is from New Looks basic range so I think it was pretty cheap and it's just a long white t-shirt which looks good under checked shirts like the one above or on it's own. I also bought a second one like this but it was more of a chiffon material and looks amazing when paired with a statement necklace.

I hate being cold so this time of year is difficult for me because it's too hot for jumpers but then it's still a little chilly for just t-shirts so I love light knit jumpers like this one. It's in a gorgeous mint green colour too so it's perfect for the warmer weather and to chuck on with jeans to work or to uni.

I also bought a purple one for the same reason as I bought the green one. It's a nice pretty shade for Spring, apologies again for the eclipse playing havoc with my lighting. This one has a T bar back which is a nice touch, it's not too low that it shows your bra but it's low enough to add a little something.

The last thing clothes wise that I've bought recently is this Sleeping Beauty jumper from Asos, how could I not by this?? It's everything that I love, pink, purple, Disney, sleeping beauty and a really soft, cosy jumper. I love this, yes I'm 20 not 2 but I'll wear this lounging around, running errands, walking the dog, if I ever go back to Disneyland and I even wear it when popping to family/friends.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some bits and bobs that I picked up for my Spring/Summer wardrobe! Where have you been finding your S/S clothes from this year?

Lots of Love,

♥

My Little Super Box || Unboxing and Review

 This month My Little box was based on super heroes and girl power, very queen bey who runs the world, girls themed. As always the box was stunningly illustrated and I keep all the boxes and the little pouches because they're pretty and great for storing things in. Usually every month there's a pretty illustration card that comes with the box but for some reason there doesn't seem to be one this month which disappointed me.

 The first thing that was in the March box was a t-shirt which I think is quite risky because it comes in one size and of course there is no such thing as one size. However, I quite like the t-shirt, it's a little baggy but I like tops oversized so this didn't bother me. I can't say it's one I'd wear as a fashion piece but I've been loving it to lounge around in and as a pj top. It's a gorgeous heather grey colour with rolled up sleeves and it's made from really soft material. My one says "I believe I can fly" which every time I wear it I think of the R.Kelly song but I have seen others with "we can be heroes just for one day" and "somewhere over the rainbow". I'm not sure where the rainbow one fits into the super hero theme though, ideas on a postcard??

When I opened my box these were the first thing I saw which instantly made me think that this box wasn't going to be great. I'm not a sticker person, I feel these are far too young for the majority age group that subscribe to My Little Box and I genuinely can't think of a use for these. Maybe I'll stick them in a diary or a scrapbook but most likely I'll be donating these to one of my younger family members!

The beauty section of the box was quite good this month which helped bring it back a bit from the stickers. There was a gorgeous Caudalie hand and nail cream which is a generous size but not too big for the handbag and as I have horribly dry hands and nails I was very pleased to receive this. There was also a Kerastase Cristalliste hair conditioner which is a deep conditioner to be applied to the ends of the hair. It's nice but nothing overly wow. The My Little Box own beauty product this time was a lip and cheek tint in a gorgeous coral colour. I love the colour, I love the texture and I love the wind up crayon style and I think it will be really pretty in Spring.

I'm still not sure what I think of this box, I think people will either love it or hate it. I liked the t-shirt, the lipstick and the hand cream but I wasn't overly wowed by the conditioner and was extremely disappointed with the stickers. I think most likely most of the budget for the box has been spent on the t-shirt and unfortunately that did show! However I am staying subscribed to this box because I really do enjoy receiving it every month. Did you like this months box?

Lots of Love,

♥

Make-Up Revolution || Haul

 I actually bought these a while ago so you may have already seen a few of these products in my last favourites post but I went onto Make-Up Revolutions website and had another splurge.. woops.

They had a deal on a few months back where if you spent over £20 you got a free lipstick collection. Usually free stuff means not very good stuff that companies are trying to get rid of but I had a list of things I wanted so thought I may aswell buy it now.

The first thing I wanted was the 100 'Awesome' eyeshadow palette which is soo pretty and has lots of different shades and colours. I've mentioned a few times that I've been getting more adventurous with eyeshadow and although some of these are too out there for me for £12.99 it's amazing value! I can't wait for fancy dress or Halloween so I can really play with all of the colours.

 The next thing is something I've wanted for ages and it's one of their Blushing Hearts which are undoubtedly Two Faced dupes. I actually picked one of their new shades which is 'Peachy Pink Kisses' but there was so many I wanted, I restricted myself to just one for now though. I really liked this one because the bottom third looks very similar to Nars Orgasm and the top two can double up as highlighters.

Another product I could not miss out on was the blush stick in Matte Malibu which I would never wear as a blush because it's a very orange toned brown. However, this reminded me of another cult Nars product, Laguna multiple so I've been using it as a bronzer and a contour stick.

 The last thing I got were these freebie lipsticks which seemed a bit gimmicky at first glance with the heart shape and the balm in the middle but I actually really love them. They're really creamy, moisturising and they have really lovely colours and they even smell nice! I think I'm going to do a full post on them with swatches because they're so pretty.

I have OPI 'Birthday Babe' on my nails which is a shade I got in my Coloristiq box! 

Have you tried any of these products?

Lots of Love,

♥

Coloristiq || Review/Unboxing

Firstly I want to apologise that I've been M.I.A. for a week as university well and truly got on top of me and I've been super stressed out. It was between putting up scrambled half hearted posts or taking a week off so I opted for the latter and I hope you don't mind but now I'm back. It's the first 'break' I've ever taken from my blog since starting over a year ago and I really missed it!

Now we all know by now that I'm not a massive fan of beauty boxes, aside from My Little Box no other beauty box has appealed to me as anything more than glorified samples. However, I discovered this brand Coloristiq who have quite possibly created one of the best concepts for a beauty box, ever.

If you're anything like me then you'll probably have a massive nail polish collection but not one of them is finished, in fact not one of them is even close to being finished because you constantly add new colours and brands to your collection. This is all good and well but it's also a pretty expensive habit to keep up so Coloristiq essentially offer a nail polish rental service on a monthly basis.

Every month you get sent 3 nail polishes from your wish list that you create on their website. You get to apply 2 coats per application and 3 applications per bottle which is their fair use policy. For me when I paint my nails I mostly use three coats generally unless it's a pigmented polish but of course you could do three coats and only use each bottle twice. However, with my polishes all three of the nail varnishes I received were perfectly wearable with two coats, maybe I need to up the quality of the polishes in my collection! I wear nail polish all the time and usually can get a week out of polishes when they're high quality brands like this so nine applications of nail polish a month is definitely more than necessary to get by on these polishes alone.

They also work with high quality salon brands, as much as I love my Barry M gelly's, it doesn't really compare next to Essie, China Glaze and OPI. In my box I received this stunning coral colour from China Glaze which is called 'More To Explore' a beautiful purple metallic shade by Essie in 'the lace is on and a silver metallic by OPI in 'Birthday Babe'. I have waited to post this review until I had tried every single one of the polishes and now I have and can truly say all three have made it up there on my list of favourite nail polishes.

One of the best things about this box is that I would never have picked up 'Birthday Babe' in a shop cause it doesn't strike me as my sort of colour but actually on the nails it's really beautiful. The brand gives you a chance to not only try shades you're lusting after but ones you don't want to invest in but want to try out. Coloristiq even hygienically clean the bottles so that you know that despite different people using them there aren't any germs or nasties on them.

I did intend to take pictures of all three polishes on my nails but I'm so bad at painting my nails I can't do the polishes justice. However, if you pay close attention to past and future posts you may notice these three beauties on my nails!

The only negative I have with this is one that you have to be in to get the parcel, if it was an inch or two smaller it would fit through the letter box and our post office is a nightmare to get parcels from if you work full time/student full time. I also do wish that it was a box that sent you three nail varnishes a month to keep however that would only add to my ever growing nail varnish collection so its probably a good job they don't!

The subscription costs £14.49 a month and that includes postage and packaging, once your month is up you repackage the polishes, stick on the pre-paid label and pop it in your nearest postbox. I think I will definitely be subscribing to this service as soon as I've got through some of my massive nail varnish collection.

What do you think of Coloristiq?

Lots of Love,

♥

* Post done in collaboration with Coloristiq but as always all views are my own.