My (Beauty) To Do List Before 2014!

 

 

There's a tradition that I heard I don't even know how long ago about the new year that has stuck with me ever since: never leave anything unfinished.

 

So while I've blitzed my post-Christmas bedroom (which included wrapping paper-littered floors and presents that still hadn't found a home), I got to thinking about my beauty related things that needed doing. Thus, my beauty to do list was born.

 

Sorry about the dodgy photo quality, I took this picture on my phone!

 

 

Things To Do:

 

- Clean my make-up brushes. This involves all of my brushes, even the ones that I may or may not have used a few months ago that are still coated with a dusting of forgotten eye shadow or the wrong shade of foundation. I was lucky enough to receive the Real Techniques Core Collection for Christmas from my boyfriend's mum and although I've only had them a few days, they could do with a clean. To see how I clean my make-up brushes, click here.

 

- Empty my make-up bag and refresh with new products. I'm the sort of person that overfills their make-up bag with 'that lipstick I want to try' and all sorts of other random things that never see the light of day. So I've decided to clear out my make-up bag of all of these products (plus an insane amount of bobby pins) and to only replace the ones that I need. Also prime opportunity to introduce some new products into my routine.

 

- Clear out unwanted toiletries. As I'm sure everyone else did, I received quite a few shower gel gift sets this Christmas and my mum is also re-decorating our bathroom so I've decided to sort out my shower gel/bubble bath/body spray collection and to donate all my unopened and unwanted bits and pieces to a charity shop.

 

- Throw away empties. Following on from the point above, I'm 99% sure that I have more than a few empties lurking on my bathroom shelf. Now is the time to get rid of all of my empties!

 

- Re-organise make-up. As I think I've mentioned previously, I'm currently going through the re-decoration of my bedroom and I'm looking for some new ways to store and display my make-up. There are a few things I'd like to start using and a few that could do with being re-homed so new year is the perfect opportunity to start!

 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and have a wonderful new year! xx



My Week #2 (Updates)



 

Well it's definitely been a quiet two weeks here on Mega Beauty!

 

As it happens, I spent the past fortnight in bed, wrapped up in my quilt and several items of wooly clothing, guzzling lemonade and watching the Harry Potter series on DVD more times than I can count. In other words, I caught the flu. It was so bad I had to take a week and a half off of college and had to spend my days with the light off because it hurt my eyes, which also meant I couldn't use a phone or my laptop to write/plan/edit blog posts! So I'm really sorry about that, but things should be getting themselves back to normal over the next few days.

 

Or at least they would, if it wasn't Christmas! We are currently down to the last 3 days of pre-Christmas excitement until the day itself is upon us. I'm planning on spending mine with my mum, brother and sister (with small intervals of my dad and my boyfriend) before traipsing to my dad's house the day after for another Christmas dinner and boxing day sales.

 

I've not experienced anything close to snow as of yet, but as I speak hailstones are attacking my window and the sky is very very dark for three o'clock in the afternoon so here's hoping!

 

In other, beauty-related news I have a few illness-inspired blog posts coming up over the next few weeks that should hopefully aid those who also fell to flu during this winter and also a few more room-spiration posts, too.

 

Sorry about the very short post but as I type this my head is beginning to pound again so I'll leave it here for today.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful, wonderful Christmas! And remember, eating those last few roast potatoes doesn't count if no one catches you! :)

 

xx

Nail Varnish Storage Ideas



All photos have been taken from Pinterest

 



I'm currently going through the planning stages of re-decorating my bedroom: I say planning stages, because I've so far changed my mind about the colour scheme three times and I'm undecided on what sort of feel I'm going for. But one of my most solid (and probably most necessary) ideas is that to re-organise my make-up. At the moment it's mostly tucked away in drawers (to see my actual organisation click here) and I've decided I'd like to display it properly.

 

So I took to Pinterest to give me some inspiration and thought I'd share with you guys my favourite picks.

 

The first is to display my polishes in a beautiful glass storage jar. This idea to me seems to be a good one and a bad one: it's very pretty but seemingly impractical. Imagine wanting the polish at the bottle of the jar? The second and most realistic is to use a spice rack. I adore this idea, I think the polishes look so organised and you'd be able to see exactly what colours you have from a glance. The red ones are actually the Ikea spice racks which are just £3 each! Finally, the third idea is to display them on a cake stand. I think this one is so cute and would definitely look the prettiest on a dressing table, maybe with a few perfumes and make-up bits within the mix, too.

 

What do you think of these ideas? And how do you organise your nail varnish collection?

 

Look out for a few more photo based posts as I gain more ideas and inspiration (probably from Pinterest)!

 

xx

5 Minute Make-Up Kit

 

I'm not ashamed to say that due to the current chill in the air in England I've accidentally-on-purpose overslept for college a couple of times pretty much every day this past two weeks (it's my duvet's fault, not mine). I'll be snoozing my alarm from 7:30am right up until 8:15am when I'm supposed to be leaving at 8:30am to make sure I give myself enough time to walk up to my friend's house for 9am.

 

So over the past few days I've managed to pull together a sort of last-minute make-up routine that takes all of five minutes and gives me enough confidence to leave the house without looking like I've overslept/a zombie.

 

The first step once I've pulled my hair up into it's mandatory bun (college salon rules) I apply a little lot of the Collection Cover Up Stick underneath my eyes and blend it out with my fingers to cover my dark circles. Next, I take my MUA Cover and Conceal Concealer and dot it across my face, concentrating on any blemishes or redness. I blend this out with my foundation brush. To add some definition to my eyes, I like to use both ends of my Rimmel Double Ended Kajal Stick, running the white end along my water line to brighten and awaken and the black end up beneath my lashes to add some depth. I finish with a few sweeps of my 17 Blow Out Mascara onto my lashes and a slick of my Maybelline Baby Lips in Pink Punch on my lips to give a pop of colour since I'm lacking any blusher.

 

So there you have it! I hope I've given you guys some ideas on what products to use when you're in a rush, they certainly do the job for me!

 

xx

My Week #1

 

 

My very first 'week in photos' post! I love reading these sorts of posts (I'm not ashamed to admit my persistent nosiness) and thought I'd start doing them myself.

 

Product Of The Week: This would have to go to my Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub paired with my Maybelline Baby Lips in Hydrate - the weather is getting crazy cold in England right now and my lips are not liking it! This dream duo buffs away dry bits and injects a load of much needed moisture into my pout.

 

New To The Routine: I did a blog post reviewing this: the Johnson's Daily Essentials Day Cream. Elaborating on the point above, my skin has been suffering in this bitter weather but it's been loving this moisturiser since I started using it a few days ago and I've definitely noticed a difference. I also repurchased my Simply Sensitive Cleansing Lotion this week as my other bottle was running dangerously low.

 

Watched This Week: On Tuesday night my dad and I had a little Father-Daughter evening and went to watch Carrie in the cinema. My dad is a huge fan of Stephen King books and I'd seen the trailer and thought it looked pretty good. I hate to say we were kind of disappointed: I'm not sure what this says about my sense of humour but the action was so over the top that we couldn't help but laugh at it! On a happier note, my boyfriend and I went to watch our first professional rugby match together last Sunday (we were supporting our home town's team: Bristol) and it was amazing! It was such a buzz sitting in the stands with the chanting crowds and even though it was freezing cold it was completely worth it!

 

Added To The Wishlist: I haven't been left wishing for much this week as my family have been quizzing me left, right and centre about what last minute gifts I'd like this year but the one thing that remains is the Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel - I know it's either love or hate with Snow Fairy but super sweet scents are definitely my thing! Alternatively I'm still wishing for the pair of suede ankle boots I've been after in Primark but they've completely ran out of my size!

 

Blog Posts This Week: Christmas Gifting: For The Girls (Sister, Mum, Mother-In-Law) // Review: Johnson's Daily Essentials Day Cream // The 2013 Christmas Tag
 

Photo Captions:

 

Coal fire in my living room! Up until recently we'd just been burning wood but now we've upgraded to coal and it's so beautiful! // Carrie movie poster // Candymania dessert my boyfriend and I shared at a restaurant (8 scoops of ice cream, cookies, m&ms, malteasers, whipped cream and 2 twix bars... yum!) // My new Johnson's Day Cream // Close up shot of my dad's Christmas tree that I decorated earlier!

I hope you all had a lovely week!

xx

Christmas Gifting: For The Girls (Mum, Sister, Mother-In-Law)

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all well and feeling prepared and excited for Christmas.

 

Today I thought I'd give you guys a little sneak peek into what I'm going to be gifting people for Christmas this year. Don't worry, there's no chance of any of these people finding out about their gifts: most of them don't even know I run this blog! My boyfriend and I were on a strict £10 per person budget this year so I thought I'd show you guys in case you needed a little budget inspiration. I'm very very happy with what we've bought and think all of the individual people are going to adore their gifts!

 

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My little sister is only 6 years old but has definitely fallen in love with what she calls a 'spa bath' which is to say a lovely warm bath with a lush bath bomb and a delicious lit candle (of course she is supervised at all times!) so this year for Christmas I thought I'd stop her hacking into my Lush stash and give her the beginnings of one of her own.

 

 

Of course the obvious choice was FUN: Lush's 5-in-1 product that acts as a shower gel, bubble bath, shampoo, soap and a sort of play-dough. We chose the Limited Edition gold version (although they do offer five other shades that are permanent in the Lush range) which has the same scent as their Honey I Washed The Kids soap. This was £5. Next we decided upon the Space Girl bath bomb which is shaped like a planet and is dusted with glitter. This has a blackberry scent and is packed with popping candy which I'm sure she's going to love! This was £2.25. From Tesco I picked up the bauble filled with miniature bath bombs which was on sale for £1.50 and should keep her going for a while. Finally her last two gifts I got at Sainsbury's: the pink Smarties tube (£1) and the Ice Cream Print Notebook (on sale for 89p). I just have to get some accompanying felt tip pens and she's all sorted!

 

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Honestly this year the hardest person to buy for was my mum. Whilst she likes candles and perfumes she isn't the sort of person who enjoys long soaks in the tub or slowing down with a good novel - trust me, I've tried to sway her - so I decided that instead of giving her something to help her relax, I'd gift her something I know she'll actually use.

 

 

 

 

 

I dreamed up this sort of survival pack to keep in her bag when she goes to work. It contains chewing gum, lip balm, mini hand sanitisers, nail varnish remover wipes and her favourite Hand Food hand cream by Soap & Glory. As a little nod towards the pampering side of things I also threw in her favourite Barry M Nail Varnish - Mushroom. The lip balm, chewing gum, hand sanitiser and nail varnish wipes I picked up in the Poundshop but the Hand Food and Barry M Nail Varnish I got from Boots.

 

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My boyfriend's Mum was also quite difficult to buy for this year as she's the direct opposite of my mum - she loves a good pamper - but has really sensitive skin so can be allergic to some things she's received for Christmas over the years. I thought the safest bet was to go back to Lush and pick up her favourite Porridge soap: a lovely soap packed with porridge oats to help gently exfoliate and sooth skin. The good thing about Lush's soaps is that you can choose a piece to suit any budget (as long as it's over 100g). We also got her two Butterball bath bombs for their soothing cocoa butter and delicious scent as she prefers the simpler bath bombs that doesn't require her 'picking rose petals out of the bath' as she once told me. The Bath Bombs were £2.50 each so we got her a £5 piece of soap to make up her £10!

 

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As for my best friend - she does know about my blog and even though I told her I'd be posting her gifts so not to go on here, she might do just because I asked her not to. So I'm afraid I'll be keeping her gifts as a secret just in case!

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and have hopefully gotten a few more ideas for last minute gifts! I should hopefully be posting a 'Boyfriend Edition' of this post as I haven't wrapped his presents up yet but that wont be for a few days.

 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

 

xx

Review: Johnson's Daily Essentials Nourishing Day Cream

 

 

Following a recent summer-winter swap in my skincare routine, I've re-discovered this little beauty: Johnson's Daily Essentials Nourishing Day Cream for Dry Skin. I'd found that my usual Boots Simply Sensitive Moisturiser just wasn't up to scratch for the colder months and the tight, flaky skin that comes with it and was looking for a thicker, more nourishing cream to replace it with. During my earlier teenage years I'd been a big fan of this moisturiser and had forgotten about it once I'd used it all, but scouring the shelves in my local Sainsbury's I found this again - and also on offer for just £2 (normal price £4)!

 

 

 

This day cream has a thick, luxurious consistency that isn't at all heavy and greasy or long drying - I simply apply a light covering all over my face following my cleansing and toning routine, leave it to sink in for a few moments and apply my foundation right on top. It creates the perfect base for my make-up and helps fight against flakiness through-out the day. You don't even need a lot of it - I just tap my finger gently onto the surface and gain enough to cover at least half of my face.

 

It's also very aesthetically pleasing, too. It comes in a little glass jar with a pink screw-top lid that rests inside of it's own little cardboard box. I think it's really cute and makes it seem a lot more luxurious and expensive than if it was in a squirty bottle like most other moisturisers. The cream itself looks so deliciously buttery and smooth and is literally packed to the brim of the jar. 

 

The SPF 15 that this cream contains is an essential all year round and paired with my Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, keeps my skin protected from the suns rays (even if they are behind the clouds). It's also packed with nourishing nutrients which leaves your skin super soft without a heavy greasy residue.

 

Overall Thoughts:

 

This is the perfect winter moisturiser - it's nourishing properties keeps flaky skin at bay whilst still containing SPF to keep your skin protected. The price is so perfect - just £4 for a cream that will last you forever due to the fact you only need a tiny dab at a time. The packaging in itself is lovely and makes me think of more high-end products.

 

xx



The 2013 Christmas Tag!

 

Scrolling through my Bloglovin feed last night I came across Make-Up Savvy's post for 'The 2013 Christmas Tag'. Reading through the questions I thought they were so cute and Christmassy so decided I'd join in!

 

 

 

1.  Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?I
'm in a bit of a split mind about this one - I've grown up with the simple plastic trees that you squish back into the box and stuff into the attic year after year but last year we did have a real Christmas tree and the scent alone was beautiful! I think synthetic trees are easier to decorate though, so I'll have to go with that.

2.  You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?
For some strange reason I only go into coffee shops during the summer (mostly to grab an Mocha Iced Frappuchino from Starbucks) but the Primark in Bristol has recently installed a Costa Coffee and my dad and I stopped in there to have a drink during shopping the other day. I had a simple Mocha and it was lovely!

3.  Whats your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?
My mum has this kind of obsession with me and my brother and sister not being able to touch the Christmas tree when she's decorating it - I think she thinks we'll destroy it or something. We usually let my sister choose as she's only 6 but this year I've decided on classic red and green with tartan bows!

4.  Giving or receiving?
The one thing I look forward to most on Christmas day is watching everyone else open their presents! Especially my little sister as Christmas is still new and exciting to her (to be honest it still is for me and I'm 18...) so I would say giving!

5.  To mince pie or not to?
Okay so I actually was just told by my mum that mince pies don't actually contain mince meat... is it bad that I didn't know that?  But still no thank you!

6.  What's your traditional Sunday lunch?
My step dad cooks the most AMAZING roast dinners ever. We normally have two meats (but I only have turkey), roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, sausages wrapped in bacon, swede, carrots, peas, cabbage, sprouts... and I could honestly eat it all day long.

 

7.  Christmas day fashion?
I normally spend most of the day in my pyjamas but I then chuck on whatever new outfit's I've received as presents. This year, though, my little sister and I have decided that we're going to dress up! This year I'm considering my lace skater dress with a pair of skin-coloured tights and ankle boots. 

8.  What's your favourite Christmas song?
I love the good old Mariah Carey 'All I Want For Christmas Is You'... I think it's the only one I know all the words to.

9.  What's your favourite Christmas film?
Elf! Elf is literally the best Christmas film ever.

10.  Open presents before or after lunch?

 Always before! We open our presents whilst we're eating our breakfast at a ridiculous time in the morning! I don't know anyone who can bear to wait that long...

 

I hope you enjoyed this tag and of course, I tag everyone who reads this! If you do join in, leave me a link, I'd love to read your answers!

 

xx

Review: MUA Heaven & Earth Palette

 

 

Sorting through my beauty stash the other day, I realised something: I don't own many nudey eye shades. I was quite surprised by this, simply because it seemed like such an obvious thing to own. The subtle glam that a simple, soft brown smokey eye can bring to any day or night look is something that I'm personally a fan of so I honestly didn't expect to be lacking these shades in my collection. Naturally, the only plausible thing to do would be to go out and buy said shades, which is exactly what I did: enter MUA's Heaven & Earth Palette.

 

 

This 12 shadow palette contains a variety of brown tones, ranging from dark chocolate to buttery cream. All colours are 'shimmer' but not in a glittery or gaudy way - they're more luminous than anything. They're lovely to apply and very blendable, with very little fall out.

 

 

As they don't have shade names I'll brand them with numbers 1 - 12, starting from the top left and finishing at the bottom right. My most used colours are 4, 9, 10 and 12 - number 4 as a base and highlight, 9 and 10 for creating the smokey line and number 12 as a sort of eye liner along my eyelash line. Pigmentation for these shadows are great and they last all day.

 

 

Shades 1 - 6 (top row)

 

Shades 7 - 12 (bottom row)

 

Avaliable for £4 from Superdrug or the MUA Online store, this palette is a must-have for nude eye lovers or even for younger girls who are beginning to build their own make-up collection. A perfect stocking filler, too!

 

xx



Step By Step: Catching Fire Nail Art! (The Hunger Games)

 

 

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before and I'd be very surprised if I haven't but I am a super crazy massive geek over The Hunger Games. I can pretty much have one sided conversations quoting any of the books (which I've read more times than I can count) and can explain situations from them to people who have never read them before in embarrassingly intricate detail.

 

 

So following this admission I'll also tell you guys that I may or may not have missed college today to go and watch it at 11am this morning (don't judge me). The film was INCREDIBLE and played so well with the book - I felt that The Hunger Games wasn't really up to scratch - but I think that whether you've read the books or not you'll love Catching Fire.

 

I better stop here before I start getting into more detail because I really wont stop.

 

Okay, moving on. In recognition of my love for The Hunger Games I decided to try out a nail art in honour of Katniss and Peeta's chariot ride outfit. I'm really really happy with the way it turned out and feel that even though this nail art is aimed at The Hunger Games, it could translate into a pretty night-out nail art if you use different coloured paints.
 

 

You Will Need:

 

Black nail varnish

 

Either red glitter nail varnish or just plain red

 

Either orange glitter nail varnish or plain orange

 

Either yellow glitter nail varnish or plain yellow

 

3 Eye shadow sponge applicator or a make-up sponge

 

Gold/silver glitter (only if you aren't using the glitter polishes)

 

Steps:

 

Step One: Paint all of your nails black. Apply two coats if needed.

 

Step Two: Using the red nail varnish, paint a blob shape from the nail tip down as far as you like. This will act as a guide for where you're going to apply the glitter, as well as adding a more colourful base.

 

 

 

 

 Step Three: Mix the red nail varnish and gold glitter together.



 

 

Step Four: Dip the sponge end of the eye shadow applicator into the glitter mixture and dap onto the red outline on your nail. 

Step Five: Repeat step 3 & 4 but with the orange nail varnish. Dab the orange glitter on top of the red, but begin half-way up the red.

Step Six: Repeat steps 3 & 4 but with the yellow nail varnish. Dab the yellow glitter on top of the orange, focusing more on the nail tip.

Step Seven: Seal the design with a top coat.

Finished!

 
I hope you guys enjoyed this nail art tutorial - I definitely enjoyed doing it! Although it's a little messy, I think it works. The end effect is a sort of bobbly, grainy, glittery fire which I think captures the feel of the outfits perfectly!

Source: Google Images.

If any of you guys end up watching Catching Fire, let me know what you thought of it!

xx

Review: Lush Candy Mountain Bubble Bar

As I'm sure some of you know if you've followed my blog for a while, I'm a little bit obsessed when it comes to Lush products. In fact, one of my very first posts was showcasing their Seanik Shampoo Bar and I've featured several of their products since then.

 

 

 

Today I'm here with a review on one of their limited edition Christmas products: the Candy Mountain bubble bar. As I've mentioned previously, I don't really like buying limited edition products simply because I get way too attached to things if I like them and then it leads to bulk buying which leads to me not actually ever using the things because I'm terrified I'm going to run out.

 

Craziness aside, this is my very first trial with one of Lush's bubble bars. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try one out - but I'm glad I started my love affair with this beauty. I picked it up simply because of it's pretty pink, sparkly appearance and with the promise of the Sales Assistant of it's sweet candy scent. I was going to cave in to the hype and buy a bottle of the infamous Snow Fairy shower gel but decided against it for the reasons above and for the fact that it was around £4 for a tiny little bottle! This bubble bar offers the deliciously sweet scent but with sustainability and bubbles!

 

To use, you simply crumble a little chunk under running water to create frothy, foamy bubbles and lovely pink tinted water. Truth be told, I prefer to use this for it's scent and moisturising properties - I can't stand bubbles in my bath! They always work their way into my hair, especially when I don't want them to. So I can't give you guys any promises on a crazy Disney-movie-overflowing-washer scene but I can tell you that this smells divine. I got my baby sister to smell it and she described it as 'lemonady with a berry smell' which is pretty much on point. It definitely also has a hint of candy-floss-ish scent which isn't too sweet. The Lush website says it contains a vanilla fragrance but I honestly can't pick up on it!

 

Another reason to love this is because of it's gorgeous moisturising qualities. My skin feels super smooth and soft after use which isn't oily or greasy at all.

 

Overall I adore this bubble bar and I'm certain it's sparked a long love affair with them (next on my list is Karma). I've had 4 baths with this so far and I think I've got another 2 uses left with it but it of course depends on how much you use! An absolute bargain for £2.65, I'd love to see this in my stocking this Christmas!

 

xx



Five Gifts Under £5: River Island

 

 

Hello everyone!

 

I don't know what it is, but as soon as Halloween and Bonfire Night are out of the way all I can focus on is Christmas! I've started my Christmas shopping already and I'm really excited about all the things I've got so far - every year I'm always more excited for everyone else to open their presents than I am to open my own! So I thought I'd share with you guys my top five picks under £5 from a range of different stores. You can use this guide as inspiration for your sister/mum/best friend or you can even use it to give hints to your parents for what you want to receive yourself!

 

I'm also going to show you guys what I've been buying for my family and friends this year - none of them read my blog (most of them don't even know I have one!) so don't worry about blowing surprises! I have a few things tucked away for my baby sister, my dad, my boyfriend and my best friend so keep a look out for that post!

 

I thought I'd start this 'Five under £5' series with one of my favourite stores: River Island. To be quite honest with you, I'm not a massive fan of their clothing but their jewellery and bags are drool-worthy. My finds below are available from most River Island stores and can definitely be found online and all of them come in a variety of shades and sizes, so you'll be able to alter each one for a certain person!

 

1. Gold Tone Triangular Midi-Ring Twin Pack - £2.00

2. Bright Pink Zip Around Mini Purse - £5.00

3. Cream Fair Isle Mini Hand Warmer - £5.00

4. Cream Faux Pearl Stud Earrings - £2.00

5. Black Frill Cable Knit Ankle Socks - £4.00

 

 

My personal favourites from these picks are the bright pink purse and the cable knits socks - perfect stocking fillers. I can definitely picture myself bundled in an all-black outfit clutching that bright purse! The mini fair-isle hand warmer is a must for winter days - just tuck it into your pockets to keep hands warm when walking around town/to school. Finally the two bargain jewellery picks - I actually own the midi rings and can tell you they're lovely and a perfect fit. As for the pearl studs, well, every girl needs a pair of pearl earrings!

 

xx

 



Review: New MUA Matte Effect Lipsticks

Hello everyone!

Today I have a review for you guys, featuring a new exciting release from bargain make-up brand Make Up Academy. I'm a dedicated lover when it comes to all of their products so of course when I saw these new Matte Effect lipsticks I had to pick up one... or three.

The first thing I noticed about these was the packaging. It's very clean and simple - basically the same as their regular lipstick tubes but instead of black these are white. The next thing I realised was that they've finally finally given their shades names. I don't know why this is such a big deal to me, but I hate it when companies use numbers instead of words to distinguish their shades. The three I got are named 'Pouty Pink', 'Scarlet Siren' and 'Wild Berry'. Definitely not the most imaginative but at least they've given us something to work with.

Anyway, on to the lipsticks themselves. I'm really depressed to say this, but I'm not a fan. Many matte lipsticks are drying and chalky and these are no exception - they sit, flaky, upon even the most moisturised lips. Weirdly I found the pink to be more drying than the other two, and the red the nicest to wear. I'm also very disappointed with the pigment of these shades. The pink appears to be a lovely, bright colour and the purple/brown shade very dark and vampy but they simply do not come across this way upon lips. You have to apply quite a few coats before the colour even becomes noticeable.

Left to right: 'Pouty Pink' - 'Scarlet Siren' - 'Wild Berry'

 Their staying power appears to be pretty good, mostly because the colour clings to your lips (which in this case, is a blessing and a curse) but I can't say that I'm going to rush out and buy any other colours from this collection. I would definitely recommend the red as I find it the most moisturising and flattering and possibly the pink if you have an amazing lip balm to pair it with, but I would steer clear of the Wild Berry shade - it's nothing like I expected!

Overall, I think this is the only product I've bought from MUA that I haven't got on with, but at £1 each you can't really argue!

xx 



Borrowed From The Boys: Raiding My Boy's 'Beauty' Stash!

When it comes to packing an overnight bag, I am an absolute nightmare. I'll pack that book I haven't started reading yet and that moisturiser I really should work into my routine and the new shower gel I've been meaning to use up for ages and a bunch of other 'I might end up needing that' things.

 

I never end up using most of the things I pack (aside from my daily make-up pieces and toothbrush) which means I lug my prettifyers to and from my boy's house for no need at all. So I've given myself a little challenge: to only bring my make-up bag and change of clothes. The rest is coming from his beauty stash. I have some bits and pieces I've sneakily left behind from previous stays like make-up wipes and a hair brush but other than that I'm totally bust.

 

L - R: Lynx Fever Shower Gel, Joop! Homme, Head & Shoulder's Anti Dandruff Shampoo, Lush Dirty Shaving Cream, Adidas Anti-Perspirant Deodorant, Wilkinson Sword Razor.

 

 

One thing I probably should have considered before embarking on this challenge was my boy's skin type (which is normal/oily) compared to my more sensitive skin. So I couldn't pinch any of his skincare bits, but I managed to dig out a few gems that definitely made me stay a lot lighter luggage-wise!

 

Lynx Fever Shower Gel

 

I swear you guys, I could literally use this every single day. It smells divine. It's kind of fruity and kind of spicy, seriously if you see it in a store go and pick it up and give it a sniff! It's amazing, the scent lasts so so so long on the skin (I can still smell it now and I used it last night) and it's actually really moisturising! I think it's fairly cheap (£1 - £2) so it's also a great stocking filler for the man in your life!

 

Joop! Homme

 

I adore this scent! But really, I've always thought of it as quite a feminine one - I'm not sure why. I've nicked a couple of squirts here and there before and people always recognise it as Joop! but I'm not the only girl I know that wears this! It's a delicious scent, with base notes of Amber and top notes of Orange Blossom, it's quite citrusy which is something I look for in a scent. Again, this would be a lovely present for Christmas!

 

Head & Shoulders Anti Dandruff Shampoo

 

My man actually got this as part of a Gillette gift set for Christmas last year and he hasn't used it yet! So I thought I'd help him out as I'd left my dearly beloved Lush Shampoo Bar at home. I don't know what it is, but Anti-Dandruff shampoos give my hair crazy volume! It leaves my hair softly texturized and it feels thicker without being heavy and clogged with product. Love this stuff!

 

Lush Dirty Shaving Cream & Wilkinson Sword Razor

 

I gave my legs a speedy once-over with these two products and they're the perfect pairing for quick hair removal and super soft legs. The shaving cream is actually a little thick for use on us ladies, but I just applied the bare-minimum and it worked just fine. I also actually use this razor at home as I prefer men's razors over women's as I think they last longer so there wasn't much of a change there! For a more in-depth review of the Dirty Shaving Cream, I did a review a while back here.

 

Adidas Anti Perspirant Deodorant

 

Not much to say about this one! Lovely scent although distinctly masculine, kept me feeling fresh all day!

 

So although I did end up smelling distinctly more boy-ish by the end of my visit, I was very impressed how my man's product held up against my own standards! I don't think I'll be using the deodorant again as the smell was quite strong and I'm going to be using my own Shampoo Bar next time, but the shower gel and razor are going to be firm staples in my 'at the boyfriends' routine. Also, note to self, bring skincare products next time! Thankfully my skin was gracious enough to accept a face wipe for one night.

 

Hope you guys enjoyed this post, I know it's something a bit different but it was fun! And also I hope I've given you some gift ideas for the Christmas time!

 

xx

Lush, Superdrug and Claires Haul!

Hello everyone!

 

It's been quite a while since I did a haul so I thought I'd show you what I picked up earlier in town. It's a mix of things I bought for myself and things I'm going to put away for people for Christmas.

 

 

 

 

Since its the place I spent the most time and money, I'll start with Lush. Out of the four things I bought, three of them are from their Limited Edition Christmas or Halloween range! I tried the Lord of Misrule bath bomb which I reviewed: here and was really impressed so I picked up another bath bomb from the Halloween range which is called Soot Ball, £2.50. It's this adorable black dusty ball that has big eyes and quite a musky scent. I'd definitely say this is more of a masculine scent, although the glitter that erupts into your bath makes it rather feminine as well! I haven't tried this yet but expect a review soon! The next thing I got was this beautiful, amazingly-scented, slightly sparkly Candy Mountain Bubble Bar, £2.65. This smells AMAZING, just like the Snow Fairy Showergel or the Bubblegum Lip Scrub. I've never tried one of their bubble bars before but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Again, expect a review! The last two things are going to be stashed away for Christmas for my dad and my sister. The Dirty Shaving Cream, £5.25, for my dad (which I've also reviewed here as my boyfriend loves it) and the Gold Limited Edition FUN, £5.00, for my baby sister. It smells just like their 'Honey I Washed The Kids' soap, which kind of reminds me of the Honey Nut Loop cereal!

 

Next I stopped off in Superdrug and picked up three of the new MUA Matte Effect Lipsticks. I have very high hopes for these are I love matte lipsticks but the formulas are always really drying so I'm looking forward to testing these. The packaging is the same as the normal MUA Lipsticks but in white and they actually have shade names now! I picked up 'Pouty Pink', 'Scarlet Siren' and 'Wild Berry' as Superdrug are currently offering a '3 for 2', which means I got all three for just £2!

 

 

 

Lastly I went into Claire's Accessories, somewhere I've not visited since I was a teenager, and grabbed one of their fake lip/nose rings. I'm seriously considering getting my lip pierced so I can wear a ring but thought I'd better pace myself and just see what it looks like before making any drastic choices! I got a silver one which was £3.50 but they also do it in black. I have to admit it's quite uncomfortable and my lip has gone a little numb but I'm willing to suffer for how nice it looks!

 

xx