Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts

Thursday, 17 July 2014

Summer Polish Picks



Hellooo lovelies,

 Nail polish is one of my guilty pleasures, I have waaaay too many polishes yet I can't stop buying them. Can you be a nail polish addict? cause if so I'm certainly guilty of that. I could paint my nails for the rest of my life without buying another polish and I'm pretty sure I still wouldn't run out so when it comes to picking polishes for different seasons I certainly have a good variety to choose from.

 My number one staple go to colour in Summer is white because it's classy, it goes with every outfit and it also is super flattering to a tan because it makes your skin look darker next to it. My go to white nail polish at the moment is Barry M's 'matt white' which is not the most imaginative of names but it does the job.

 When the sun comes out I like to brighten my style up too and that includes my polishes but I also really like tan enhancing colours which I find to be paler more pastel shades. Two of my old favourites are Barry M 'mint green' and 'peach melba', most of my favourite nail polishes do happen to be Barry M ones because they're cheap, have an amazing colour range, pretty bottles and are of a good quality.


 My most favourite Barry M polishes though are their Gelly hi-shine range ones because they look so much nicer on the nails, not quite as shiny as gel nails but the next best thing. I really love their new pastel shades that they brought out for Spring this year, 'Huckleberry', 'Sugar Apple' and 'Rosehip'. The brighter shades I love though are 'Dragon Fruit', 'Prickly Pear', 'Greenberry' and 'Blueberry'.


 Of course I love these colours by Tanya Burr's range too, 'Little Duck', 'Mini Marshmallows' and 'Bright and Early'. One thing I will say about these though is the quality is not amazing, the lids have a tendency to be stiff and the polishes are quite thin and chip easily bur they are very pretty shades.


What are your favourite nail polish shades for Summer?

Lots of Love,

Saturday, 21 June 2014

Orange Lips Collection || S/S 14 trend



Hellooo lovelies,

 As you're all probably very much aware by now the colour orange is massive this season especially on your lips and it's a colour a lot of us girls shy away from because it's so bold and vibrant. I have really got into orange lips though and have managed to build up quite the collection of orange lip shades which I really like and hopefully you'll find a shade of orange you like from it too.


Orange Punch
 A more muted orange that is ideal for newbies breaking into the orange trend is Bourjois' Orange Punch which is a very sheer dark orange. I would happily wear this before I got into orange when I was still shying away from the brighter bolder oranges. It actually is more of a orange toned coral shade because it is that muted so if you want to wear the trend but are a little self concious in it then try this one first.

Mischeivous
 More of a pale orange that I have in my collection is Mischievous which is one of Revlon's matte balms which I think is slightly too pale for me on it's own but I love mixing it with other orange shades. It's a really nice shade on it's own if you are looking for a lighter orange that's not as bright and out there but personally I prefer the more brighter, darker orange shades now. I did really love this when I wasn't quite brave enough to pull off Morange and In Love With Ginger though!

In Love With Ginger
 Rimmel Londons 'In Love With Ginger' is one of my absolute favourite shades out of my whole lipstick collection. It's more of a red toned orange so it's still very wearable and for those who love their red lipsticks this is the perfect jump from red to orange without feeling too 'out there' and wild. It is one of the nicest formula's that I've found in a lipstick, so creamy and moisturising. If you hate lipstick clinging to dry patches then this is the one for you because it will instantly rehydrate any dry areas on your lips meaning you get to skip the whole lip scrub and lip balm routine before applying. I loveeee the name as well because it reminds me of one of my childhood friends from school who has the most stunning ginger hair...anyways sidetracked, basically it's a good'un!

MAC Morange
Probably my most favourite orange lipstick though and admittedly a little bit of a splurge is MAC's Morange. I ummed and aahed about this but in the end bought it anyway...shock! As you can see I bought so many drugstore shades of orange trying to get a morange dupe but none of them were ever a close enough match so I ended up having to buy it anyway. Moral of the story is just buy what you want in the first place and you won't spend more trying to get a replacement then buying the original anyway (or do and you get 3 bonus lipsticks hehe). It's an amplified lipstick so it is long lasting but not as long lasting as most of MAC's amplified lipsticks, I'm not entirely sure why but that's what I have found with this. I've done a more in depth review of this which I'll link here.

L-R 'Mischievous', 'Morange', 'In Love With Ginger' and 'Orange Punch'
What's your favourite orange lipstick shade? 

Lots of Love,
A x x x 

Previous Posts:-
Life Changing Tanning Tip
MAC Paints Peintures || MAC Mondays
Cocktail Masterclass || Bloggers Exclusive
Special Day || Boyfriend Tag

Wednesday, 7 May 2014

Spring/Summer || Make-up Must Haves


Hellooo my lovelies,

 No I have not just decided to pour half my make-up collection onto my bed and photographed it, this is actually my favourite Spring/Summer picks from my make-up collection. I was going to narrow it down into a smaller amount but I don't stick to one specific make-up look in Spring/Summer so I thought I'd keep it real with you guys and show you the products I'll reach for most this Spring Summer!

Left to Right:- Sleek Contour Kit and a very well loved Nars Laguna bronzer

 Bronze, Bronze, Bronze.. I am all about the bronzed glowy look especially in Spring and Summer! My alltime favourite bronzer for both contouring and bronzing up the skin is Nars Laguna which sadly I think I'm going to need to repurchase soon. It is pricy (around £26) but it lasts a long time and it is truly beautiful especially during the Summer and as always I still love my Sleek contour palette.


 The eye shadows I love in Spring and Summer are usually a lot more warm toned than I go for in the Winter so I love my original Naked palette by Urban Decay especially the shades Buck, Half-Baked, Smog and Darkhorse. I also really love the Collection work the colour eyeshadow pencil in 'Hot Chocolate' and I love it's cute name too!

Left to right:- Nars Orgasm blush and Sleek's Life's a Peach

 I have a lot of blushers that I will be loving in Spring/Summer and my old favourites Nars 'Orgasm' and Benefit's 'Coralista' are definitely included in this list!! Coralista is probably my most favourite and it's on the more coral side comapred to Orgasm which is similar but much more pink toned. The other two blushers I'll be reaching for this season are Sleek's 'Life a Peach' which is a orangey peach tone and Sleek's Californ.I.A. palette. I love this blush palette as it's cream blushers which is a much more fresh and dewy look for Spring.

Left to right:- Benefit Coralista and Sleeks Californ.I.A.


 Okay so my number one essential when the weather gets hotter and I'm sunbathing or out in the sun is a lip balm to protect my lips from burning. Lips are the number one area that gets painful (along with the soles of the feet) because people forget that they need protection too! Obviously the best one's are the ones with SPF in them but any lip balm has always worked for me, as long as it moisturises my lips. The best ones for Spring/Summer are those with a bit of colour in them and I love 'Pink Punch' and 'Peach Kiss' maybelline baby lips.

Tanya Burr lipgloss top to bottom:- Aurora, Afternoon Tea and Picnic In The Park

 Tanya Burr's lipglosses are a definite essential for this Spring/Summer, glossy lips are bang on trend and these three colours are the perfect shades for Spring and I just love them! There's a lot of controversy in the blogosphere about Tanya's lipglosses but I genuinely do think they are a nice product and will repurchase them. In saying that however, there are definite shades that I'd give a miss and I do think they are slightly too expensive for her product market of younger girls. Anywaaaay my shades that I'm Summer lovin' are 'Picnic In The Park' which is my all-time favourite, 'Aurora' and 'Afternoon Tea'.

Left to right:- Pink Pearl Pop and Pure Zen

 Spring/Summer lipsticks is a hard one because pretty much any colour goes except dark reds and purples. I tend to go for much brighter vivid pinks, corals and peaches but I also love a good nude for the Summer months too! I especially love 'Pink Pearl Pop' by MAC, 'Pure Zen' by MAC and YSL's rouge volupte in shade 15 'Peach Passion'.

YSL peach passion #15


 Highlighters I love is obviously my YSL touche eclat, there's no season that I will not love this baby in! My MAC soft and gentle mineralised skin finish which is a gorgeous highlighter all year round and finally my Benefit Watts Up highlighter. Watts Up is a gorgeous champagne shade and it looks especially nice during this season because it's a dewy highlighter so looks AMAZING when the sun hits off it.


  I'm loving these lip crayons for this season too, I have a Revlon one and two Bourjois ones that are ideal for Spring. Obviously orange lips are in season so 'Orange Punch' is fabby for a more subdued, sheer orange tone which is great for those who want to be on the orange trend but don't quite have the guts to pull it off (e.g. myself). Then the second orange shade is Revlon's 'Mischievous' matte balm which is a much more lighter, brighter orange shade. Finally my all time favourite is Bourjois' 'Peach on the beach' which is an amazing peach shade (obviously) and it's so pigmented and moisturising. I loved it last Summer and I shall love it all over again this one!!

Left to Right:- 'Afternoon Tea', 'Aurora', 'Picnic In The Park', 'Mischievous', 'Orange Punch', 'Peach on the Beach', 'Peach Passion', 'Pink Punch', 'Peach Kiss', 'Pink Pearl Pop' and 'Pure Zen'... Can you still I love me some Spring lippies?!

 Hope you enjoyed that lengthy post guys! What products do you love in Spring/Summer? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!

Full Reviews of Products Mentioned:-
Revlon Matte Balms || Review
Sleek Californ.I.A. palette review
Benefit Watts Up || Review
YSL touche eclat review || beauty best friend
Tanya Burr lips & nails || Haul & Review
Tanya Burr lips and nails || Haul, Review & Discount Code
Mac Soft & Gentle Mineralized Skin Finish || Review
Orginal Naked Palette vs Naked 2 || Comparison & Review

Previous Posts:-
Cremecup || MAC Mondays
Lifes A Beach
Skincare Saturdays || Sudocrem Saviour
Lots of Love,
A x x x

Monday, 21 April 2014

Here Comes The Sun || Topshop, H&M, Primark & More Haul


Hellooo my lovelies, 

 If you live in the UK then you will probably have noticed that the weather is getting a lot sunnier and a lot warmer which I am super excited about and in my excitement I decided I needed to go Summer clothes shopping. Yes that really was a need...

 To warn you in advance I did have quite the shopping spree!! but when I can actually face hitting the shops I really go for it. Go hard or go home!



 The first thing I got which you'll probably all be thinking WHY?!?!? was this Lion King top from Primark. I need a Lion King top like I need a hole in the head BUT it's my all time favourite Disney film and I just couldn't leave the shop without it! I probably won't wear it as a top though, I'm just going to use it as a pajama top for sleeping and lounging around in. I got this in a size 12 because I wanted it to be baggy and long enough that it would cover my bum so I could just sleep in that because I couldn't find any pajama bottoms that it went well with. It's really comfy and it has baby Simba on it so it couldn't get much better really could it? hehehe.


 The next thing I picked up in Primark was some Jelly shoes. Now at first when I saw jelly shoes were on trend I sort of laughed and thought that's what I had when I was a child, how have they become fashionable again?! BUT I always loved my jelly shoes and really wanted a pair. I originally wanted a white pair from Topshop but they were around £25.00 and I didn't want to pay that much for a shoe that I might actually not wear. Sooo when I saw these in Primark for £4.00 each I just had to get them! It was such a good deal infact that I had to buy three pairs....but I'm justifying it by the three pairs still being cheaper than one Topshop pair. I'm not sure how I'll style these yet but I really hope I can be cool enough to pull these off haha! The glittery one's are actually a lot nicer than expected when you try them on and look more like sandals than jelly shoes! I have worn all of them so far and I think they do look really nice and summery (just me??). The best thing about these is that my feet always get really dry in sandals and I just feel like I want to slather moisturiser all over my feet after wearing them for an hour or so. However, with these they're water proof so you can dip your feet in a pool or pour water on them, moisturise or whatever and it won't do any damage to the shoe whatsoever because they're water proof! Hopefully I'm not the only weirdo that gets the dry feet in sandals situation (?!) .






 Another thing that I'm not entirely sure if I can pull off is this gorgeous pink maxi skirt. Near the end of last summer I got really into maxi skirts and I desperately wanted one but none of the shops had them because they were preparing for Autumn. So this Summer I was determined to have one and pull it off, the only thing is I'm very small (5ft 1) so I'm not sure if this will be too long on me or if it'll make me look even smaller but I'm going to make it work!! It comes with a little black belt, I got it in a size 8 and it was £10.00. There was actually another one I had my eye on which was a gorgeous turquoise blue but it looked a cheaper material (it was more expensive..logic??) and I thought I'd best buy one to see if it suits me first!













 I also bought this gorgeous shrug from Primark for only £8.00! It's a sort of crochet/lace material?? and it will be perfect for throwing on top of a dress or a little summery top in the evening when it gets cooler. They actually have these in so many different colours - beige, black, blue etc. I'm so excited to style this and would love to do a Summer look book in the future if you would be interested in seeing how I would style all the things I've bought!















 The very last thing I bought from Primark was this beautiful daisy print playsuit. It's super Summery (florals for Spring...Groundbreaking...name that film!) and it's a lovely cotton material so it'll be great for keeping cool and breezy too. This is slightly big on me it's a size 8 and I probably should have had a size 6 but I'd already asked the assistant to get me another size which she wasn't happy about so just went with the 8! How annoying is it when shop assistants won't do their job or make you feel bad about them having to do it?!?! The best part about this playsuit? It was only £5..b.a.r.g.a.i.n!



 No shopping trip would be complete without a visit to Topshop...or two! I actually picked this up on my second visit (to a different Topshop) and I know you're all thinking 'it's the hottest it's been this year so far why is she buying woolly jumpers. However, this was in the sale for £18 and it's meant to be £36 so with discount I got it for £16.20, which is not bad for a jumper let alone a Topshop one! There was a gorgeous pastel pink one too but I think mint is one of those shades that you can pull off all year round and there will be cooler days before Winter that I can wear this too I'm sure! It's lovely and oversized which is great and it's in a size 8. Unfortunately I think you'll struggle to get your mitts on it though because it was in the sale but it might be worth checking out your local Topshop sale section for some bargains!




 Probably one of my most favourite things I bought was this gorgeous white lace crop top. I had a white lace crop top on my shopping list and when I walked into Topshop it was right there and too good to miss! I can't wait to style this in the Summer and I'm sure it'll look amazing with a tan! I got this in a size 8 and it was £16.00 which is really well priced for Topshop!


 The next thing I picked up probably won't be a surprise to most of you and that's another two of Topshop's burn out t's. I really love these because they're oversized, comfy and just really nice to slouch about in or for those days where you're not doing anything particularly special. I already have one in grey, blue and also a coral kind of one so you know I really like them! I would have bought the lemon coloured one as well but they didn't have it in a size 6 in either of the Topshop stores I visited but I managed to get a lovely mint green colour and a gorgeous lilac shade too. Both perfect colours for Spring/Summer too.

£16! Sorry forgot to take pictures of all the price tags (bad blogger)



 The most exciting part of my shopping trip was that I finally got to go to H&M because I've been lusting after so many pieces of their Spring/Summer range since I seen it over a month ago but was too busy to make time to try everything on etc. I picked up another one of their skirts in a babydoll pink colour and it looked really lovely on so I just had to buy it! I got this in an XS and I think it was only £12.99. I did have quite the splurge in H&M but the best part about it is that their clothes are really nice and really affordable. Plus I had been waiting such a long time to get my hands on this stuff that I couldn't resist!



 The next thing I bought was this gorgeous grey flecked top and I instantly fell in love with the colouring of it. There was just one problem...I did higher ( A level) French and I do know that this says 'I love bad boys' which kind of put me off but I loved the top so much and unless you're a) French or b) quite good at French then the chances are you won't know what it means! Plus every girl loves a bad boy don't they?!



 The next thing I picked up was this beautiful white jumper and it is knitted but it's still quite light and white is one of my favourite colours to wear in Spring and Summer. This would look gorgeous on it's own but also with a statement necklace. I love H&M's range so much this S/S, I had to refrain from buying a lot more than I did!


  How beautiful is this necklace?! I got this from Accessorize and it was pricey for a necklace £22 (eeek) but it's so beautiful and it will go with so many of my clothes so I just had to buy it. Accessorize actually have some beautiful statement necklaces in at the moment and I wanted to buy so much more but just couldn't justify it! So if you're on the hunt for your perfect statement necklace then definitely check out Accessorize.



I also picked up another jumper from H&M which yes is very similar. As soon as I showed Gary it he said 'is it not almost exactly the same as the other one' which I can see being a boy how you'd think so (rolls eyes). BUT the materials are different and this one has a lower neckline and this one will be a lot nicer for warmer days because it's lighter. It also sits different on and H&M is so affordable that I just thought why not have both! Both the H&M jumpers were £14.99 and I got them in a size small.

 
 The last fashion thing I picked up were these sunglasses from River Island. I had no intention of buying sunglasses at the start of the day but it was so sunny and my eyes were squinting everytime I went outside and I don't actually have a decent pair so it made sense to buy one! I don't like glasses on me, any glasses really so when it comes to picking sunglasses I'm a bit useless but my bestie Emma assured me that these were the one's that suited me most so I went for them. Be warned they are MASSIVE, they literally cover my whole eye area , eyebrow the lot but I actually really like them. They have a snake on the side which I obviously did not notice until I got them home because I hate snakes but since it is made of metal and I won't really see it I'm sure I can deal with it ;-).






 I also picked up one of these cups from Primark because it was only two pounds and I'm trying to drink more water. For some reason I always drink more water if I'm drinking out of a bottle rather than a cup. So ever since everyone has been going on about plastic bottles being bad for you I've wanted one of these bad boys! I actually have drank a lot more water since getting one and it's really great for not spilling and you can tip it upside down and nothing comes out. The straw can never fall out because it has a wider rim at the bottom. It's also a lovely turquoise colour and for two pounds I think it was quite the bargain!













What are your S/S must haves? What do you think of the Jelly sandal trend? Cool or Childish? Would you be interested in me doing a look book? Let me know in the comments below!

Previous Post:-
Skincare Saturdays || Morning Skincare Routine
Barry M new gelly pastel shades || Review
Skincare Saturdays || Soap& Glory's Self-Heating Face mask Review

Lots of Love,
A x x x 




Thursday, 20 March 2014

New Sleek Blush Palettes Review || Pink Lemonade and Californ.I.A


Hellooo my lovelies,

 In my recent haul that I did here, I picked up two of Sleek's new blush palettes because I love all of their individual blushers and the colours were gorgeous especially for Spring and Summer!




 The packaging as it always is with Sleek is exactly that, Sleek! It's slimline which I love because I can fit it into my overnight/longday make-up bag with ease and it has a massive mirror in it which I'm always thankful for in products as it means I don't have to carry around a compact with me. I think Sleek's packaging is very reminiscent of NARS and at a fraction of the price too!

 The first palette I bought was 'Californ.I.A' which has three cream blushers in the most gorgeous colours for Spring and Summer. Peach, coral, and apricot shades and they are actually blush colours that I don't have already. I only own one cream blush and I really like it and Spring/Summer is definitely the time to whip out the cream blushers because it leaves a fresher more dewy look.

Californ.I.A swatches Left to Right:- OC, Surf and Newport Peach

 
The second palette I bought was Pink Lemonade which has two powder blushes and a cream one.It a) has a super cute name and b) is filled with cream and powder pink blush shades and we all know that I'm a major sucker for cute names and pretty pink shades! The blush names are even cuter in this palette with my personal favourite being 'Macaroon'. I think my favourite shade out of this palette is 'Macaroon' but I really like 'Pink Mint' as well. 

Left to Right:- 'Pink Lace', 'Macaroon' and 'Icing Sugar'

Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few days, I've had alot of coursework to do for uni and I tried to keep up with the regular posts but in the end it just got too hectic! I missed blogging so much though so I'll definitely be back with regular posts again until my exams next month!

Have you tried any of Sleeks blushers? What's your favourite one?

SHOP THIS POST:-

Californ.I.A- £9.99
Pink Lemonade - £9.99

Previous Posts:-

Lots of Love,
A x x x