PRIMARK AND H&M HAUL

Hey gorgeous people. I did a bit of shopping again, oops! On Saturday I had a 'me day'. I had my fave sandwich (cheese & onion) sat on a bench then wondered off into H&M where I picked up one item featured here. Then I went to Costa for some tiffin and a cappuccino. OMG heaven!

I was in and out of a few shops, but the one that I spent the rest of my pennies in was Primark.

NAVY CHECK NIGHTSHIRT - MEDIUM (10/12) - £8

I have been after a shirt dress for some time, but I find that they are too short (even for short girls like me) or just too expensive. I can not see any obvious signs that this is a nightshirt and so I am going to wear it as a dress or long top with leggings.

5 PACK BLUE, OFF WHITE & GREY MARL SOCKS - SIZE 4-8 - £2.50

I thought I would get shades different from just black all the time, but that are still quite neutral. Cheap as chips for 5 pairs!

P.S. LOVE... THIS 4 PK FASHION NAIL FILES - 50P IN THE SALE

I love the coral and printed styles. I am hanging on to summer as long as I can.

PINK/SILVER GLITTER DOME CUP - £3

I like having a straw as I find it helps me to drink more throughout the day. I am a firm believer in water being one of the best things for our bodies.

WHITE CUBIC ZIRCONIA FRONT & BACK EARRINGS - £2

I have not tried this style of earring yet. These are great also because you can just wear the silver balls if you want to.

WHITE CUBIC ZIRCONIA NECKLACE - £2

I don't usually wear matching jewellery, but I had to pick this up too because I think it's great to team with simple tops for a little glisten to catch the eye.

H&M CORAL V NECK JUMPER - XS - £7 IN THE SALE

There was only an XS and lots of MED left which looked too big so I took a chance and it fits perfectly. Such a great shade to perk up any day and bring out the blue in my eyes.

DESPICABLE ME MINIONS BURNOUT CORAL T-SHIRT - 10 - £3 IN THE SALE

I think I will wear this as a PJ top, but still isn't it great. I know not everyone is a Minions fan, but they just make me happy :)

P.S. LOVE LIP LINER CRAYONS (L-R: 01, 02, 03 & 09) - £1 EACH

I have read good things about these lip liners from Primark and although I don't use lip liner that much I am hoping these will change that.

P.S. LOVE FOUNDATION STICK (LIGHT) - £2

I want to try this a face highlight rather than a foundation, but I may also use it as a concealer. It does also come in shades medium and dark, but I prefer an ash tone to contour with so I didn't get one of those.

ZIP THROUGH HOODED SWEATERS - BURGUNDY, OATMEAL & BLACK - 12 - £7 EACH

I wanted some casual sweaters that were easy to take on and off so these are perfect. The black is a staple shade and the burgundy which seems to be very popular at the moment is very much an autumnal shade. The oatmeal adds freshness to an outfit without being as bold and crisp as white. These feel so soft and have handy side pockets. They also come in many colours.

So that's everything lovelies. I hope you find something here you like. Share your Primark finds also in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

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HOT CROSS BUN PASTEL SPRING EASTER NAILS

Hello again lovelies. I painted my nails yesterday feeling inspired by spring and Easter time and here they are.

Please excuse this not so in focus photo. Pastel shades always make a comeback at this time of year and so I wanted to include a mixture of them in this manicure. I thought the nude shade would be perfect to use under my hot cross bun stripes which my boyfriend pointed out should be vertical and horizontal, but oh well I think that's just being picky, ha ha. I wanted my nails to have a sprinkle of glitter too for a speckled effect. As these shades were quite milky I applied three coats of each for a dense colour pay off after my base coat. I used a white striper for the hot cross bun stripes and finished off with a nail drying spray.

Products Used:

ALESSANDRO PRO WHITE ORIGINAL

INGLOT 337 NAIL ENAMEL

MUA NAIL POLISH PISTACHIO ICE CREAM

STARGAZER 501 NAIL POLISH

2TRUE FAST DRY NAIL POLISH SHADE 15

BARRY M NP 318 PEACH MELBA

E.L.F. NAIL POLISH TWINKLE

STARGAZER NAIL ART PEN WHITE

PRETTY PERFECT NAIL DRYING SPRAY

It looks as though the E.L.F. and StarGazer polishes may have been discontinued, but hopefully you can find them on Ebay or Amazon. Alternatively you can use similar a similar nude and shimmer to recreate this look. The StarGazer striper I purchased a long time ago in a set so I would search online for that too as I think you can also buy them individually.

If you have created any spring time and/or Easter inspired nails please leave links in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

NOTD: STARGAZER 172 NAIL POLISH

Hello again my sweets. The sun is shining and I am sure most of you are happy at the thought of the spring/summer season opening up to us. I am always a fan of embracing the lighter and brighter palettes that come along at this time of year, but there are days when I still feel the need to turn to the dark side. Here in this NOTD post you will see what I mean.

STARGAZER 172 NAIL POLISH GLITTER BLACK

I am really into textures at the moment and although I purchased this nail polish some time ago I never actually got round to using it. It looks nothing like I expected at all. It is much more of a murky black which has hints of brown mixed with silver glitters. I did have to paint 3 layers to get this level of cover, but I think the results are worth it. This Gothic shade is still very wearable. I like to think of it as the night sky on my nails. StarGazer appear to have discontinued this nail polish, but I did find it on another website for a bargain price of currently £1.37 linked above!

Are you like me any will wear any shade at any time of year? Let me know your favourite nail polishes from StarGazer in the comments below.

Love to you all

Vicky xx

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Make-Up Eye Palette 2013 Favourites

Hi once again beauties. Today I am eager to share with you the 2nd part to my eye make-up 2013 favourites which are my most used eye palettes of the past year. I have been trying to make a real effort to use them more often as I sometimes find it easier to pick out my singular shades when I know the colours I want to use. This is because I have too many palettes (yes I said it) and sometimes I forget which shades are in them (shock horror)!

Sleek MakeUP I-Divine Palettes

I have many more than these four from the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine collection, but I found that I used these four palettes the most from the Sleek MakeUp line last year. There is such a great array of soft, light and nude shades here as well as much deeper tones for smokey eye looks. I love the Sleek MakeUP I-Divine palettes so much because they have great pigmentation, well thought out palette colour combinations and are great quality at just £7.99 per palette. That's 12 shades for less than a pound per colour. 

The Nude Collection Au Naturel palette (top left) I previously spoke about, including swatches and a brief description of each shade. I think this palette is great for those who prefer simple eye looks that can be smoked up when the mood strikes. A great everyday palette.

The Oh So Special palette (bottom right) I believed was limited edition at the time of my previous post, but it is still available to purchase now. This palette has some gorgeous pink and peach tones on the left with more smokey shades to its right.

The Bad Girl palette (top right) is definitely not for the faint hearted. When I pick up this palette I know I want dark, smokey impact eyes. It's a well named palette for you vixens out there.

The Limited Edition Paraguaya palette (bottom left) is no longer available on the Sleek MakeUP website, but you may be able to find it on Ebay or Amazon. This palette's collection of colours are real peach and rose tones. This is one of Sleek MakeUP's more lighter palettes with only one real dark shade. Applied carefully these shades can look amazing, but be careful if you do pick up this palette as some of these shades if applied to heavily, especially under the eyes can make you look a little hungover.

Each of these palettes has a mixture of matte and shimmer shades. They all have a really good sized mirror and very slimline packaging that stays shut when needed so great for carrying around if necessary. I just wish that there was some indication on the back of the shades included like colour swatches so that when I scramble through my make-up deciding what to use I can see the shade range at a glance.

Sleek MakeUp Molten Metal In Gold Leaf & Pewter

Oh my god let me just say that if you want bold metallic eyes that are easy to apply then this is a duo not to miss. As you can see I have used the shade on the right more, but OMG once again they are both beautiful gleaming cream shades. I love to use my fingers to apply the right shade to my eyelids and then smoke them up on the outer corners. Instant look at me eyes with sexy smoulder. These do not crease on me either, even without a primer and last all day.

Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Palette

Now this palette was the first in the Urban Decay Naked line. There was so much hype around blogs at the time about it that you kind of felt like you must have it or you weren't part of the IT crowd. Maybe that sounds a bit OTT, but after oohing and ahhing over it for so long I took the plunge handed over my cash and here we are. I must say that I am so glad I did. These shadows are without doubt an investment. They are so smooth and creamy. I feel like I am treating myself still when I pull this out to decorate my eyes. Although this is a very neutral palette there are lots of glitter and shimmer shades in here and just two matte. I do think there are some great shades to just make your eyes pop using only one of the colours looking like you have made more effort than you actually have. Great for last minute invites! This came with the Urban Decay Primer Potion which was great, but I will still purchase my E.L.F. Eyelid Primer that works better and is a lot cheaper. I have the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero & Whiskey too that came with the palette. At the time I remember these palettes were selling out so fast that they had to bring out more, but with an eyeshadow brush instead of the pencils. My only negative towards this palette is the casing which is a velvet texture. Mine is very clean compared to what I have seen on a lot of blogs because I still keep it in the original plastic packaging otherwise make-up and dust would have covered it by now. I would therefore say it's not as travel friendly as the Urban Decay Naked 2 and Naked 3 palettes which have a tin design that should keep a lot more clean. There are 12 shades (including 7 best sellers) in this palette which works out to be just over £3.00 per shade. I really don't think that's bad for such a high quality product. I have been tempted by the Urban Decay Naked 2 & 3 palettes, but at the time I just couldn't justify spending the money on them. Obviously we have just had Xmas and I have 3 birthdays to pay for this month so I can't see me buying them any time soon.

So that's all for my most used eye palettes of 2013. Please let me know your favourites in the comments below along with any requests for make up looks from any of these palettes or swatches that are not linked in this post.

Love to you all   

NOTD: Rio Multi-Colour Glitter Nail Varnish

Hey everyone. I have a really sparkly nail post for you today that I hope you will like. I felt the need to sparkle and multi-colour felt like the way to go with this gorgeous summer weather.

 

I applied one coat of my Rimmel stronger base coat followed by one coat of this MUA Nail Varnish Shade 10. I have a feeling this may be a limited edition shade. I think I got this free in Superdrug when they were giving away 2 MUA nail shades if you bought 2 bottles of diet coke. Please let myself and others know in the comments below if this was a limited edition shade. You could use any neutral shade for this look. I just wanted something to take away the yellow staining on my nails. This is a champagne shade, but beige, cream, white, silver or gold would work with this look too.

I then applied 2 coats of this Chit Chat Nail Varnish in the shade Rio over the top. This was a Xmas present that I asked for and I am glad that I did. It was just £1.00 from Poundland. There are smaller and larger glitter particles in shades of red, blue, green, silver and gold. 

I think this makes you look like you have put more effort into decorating your nails than you actually have. Chips do not show up as easily with this manicure either as there is no defined line at the tip of your nails. Great for a long wearing look. I finished off with my Elegant Touch Nail Drying Spray.

I have not added links into this post as I can't find these on the web, but hopefully your local stores will stock these if not something similar.

What are your favourite glitter shades? Have you found some great cheap nail polishes that you think could be dupes? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

  

 

Poundland Make-Up Haul

Hello you sweet peas. Happy Sunday and Happy Father's Day to Dad's out there. Sadly my Dad has passed so I can't spend today with him, but I hope you are having a wonderful day with your pops. I visited Poundland on Friday. One of my favourite shopping trips I have to say and here are the make-up beauties I picked up.

Chit Chat Foundation Oatmeal, 30ml for £1.00

I hope you can see here that it blends out nicely. This is a yellow toned foundation. I did see another shade that was pink toned from this range. I am not sure if they are the only two shades. There appears to be no scent with this. I was in desperate need of picking up a new foundation, but as I was short on time this seemed like a good option to try. This seems very lightweight as it is described.

Famous By Sue Moxley Lipgloss Edit, 6ml for £1.00

I could not find this on the website for a link sorry. This smells sweet like those twist up lipstick type of sweets you used to get. This is a beautiful iced baby pink lipgloss with I believe pink and lilac glitter reflects within the gloss.

Milani Glimmer Stripes All-Over Colour 05 Honey Glimmer, 12.8g for £1.00

These are the shades swatched as they are in the pan in the first photo. The two lightest shades don't show up too well when swatched.

I am not sure if you can see it well enough here, but this is a swatch of all the shades in the palette merged together. The effect is a very subtle, soft golden bronze shimmer. This palette is meant for the face, cheeks & eyes. I think this would also be beautiful on areas of the body such as the collar bone, arms and down the front of the legs to highlight a tan. This does not appear to be on the website either, but there were a few palette shades in this range.

What bargains have you found lately in Poundland or other pound shops? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

NOTD: Queen Nail Lacquer Silver Glitter

Hi there cuties. I hope you are having a fab Saturday. Today I am catching up on some chores, but I wanted to blog about my current manicure as it is gorgeous and lasting really well.

I applied one coat of my Rimmel base coat followed by two coats of this Queen Nail Lacquer. With just two coats I managed to get full coverage on each nail with no spacing between the glitters. I think this is really hard to find in a glitter nail polish as they are usually just clear polish with minimal glitter to use as a top coat over a colour, but sometimes I just want a BAM of glitter. This is a silver glitter that does not have a name. I believe this brand is only sold to professionals. I picked this up at Olympia Beauty in 2011, link. These were £1.20 each, but as I got 6 I got 1 free :) This photo was taken today (Saturday) and I painted this manicure on Wednesday evening so these have lasted 3 days and are just starting to chip. They may have lasted longer with a top coat, but I just used my Elegant Touch Nail Drying Spray on these. Here is a link to Olympia Beauty if you are interested in attending this year.

What are your favourite nail glitters? Have you found any that give a finish like this? Will you be attending Olympia Beauty this year? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

E.L.F. 50% Off Haul

Hi my beautiful people. I am sitting here munching on some tasty strawberries and typing with one finger. Now that's dedicated blogging, ha ha ;) Recently I picked up some products in the E.L.F. 50% off sale so I thought why not show them to you with swatches included :)

Far Left: Mineral Face Cleanser, £6.00 for 50g

This water-activated, powder based cleanser works to clean and exfoliate the skin for a beautiful healthy glow. 

Moisten hands and face with water. Pour a small amount into hands and rub together. Gently massage into face and neck and rinse off. Use morning and night or as desired. 

I usually only exfoliate my face and neck twice a week with facial cleansers/scrubs, but I found I was able to use this type of product daily. I really enjoyed using the Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant which I previously reviewed here. I thought this might be a cheaper alternative if it works just as well. The bottle has a flip top lid with three holes to shake the product out. The bottle is just over half full with product so it could be smaller.

2nd From Left: Studio Concealer Ivory, £3.75 for 3g

Conceal acne spots, discolouration, under-eye darkness or any other place desired with this twist up concealer. The creamy lightweight texture blends evenly for a natural full coverage that lasts.

Apply to areas that need additional coverage. Gently pat onto skin and blend with fingertips or a concealer brush.

This is a very peachy stick concealer that I purchased to use under the eyes, but I will see how it covers blemishes too. The stick is a little smaller than I thought it would be, but a good size to sweep easily under the eyes I think. I hope it will work well.

2nd From Right: Studio Translucent Matifying Powder, £3.75 for 3.8g

This translucent powder works on a wide variety of skin tones to help set your makeup in so it lasts longer. 

Use the sponge to blend in the powder over the face, neck and decolletage as a setting powder. Reapply as needed throughout the day for a refreshed look.

(Sponge Applicator contains Latex)

I previously reviewed this product here.

Far Right: Studio Makeup Mist & Set, £3.75 for 60ml

Keep your makeup in place all day with a radiance boosting invisible hold.

After you have applied your makeup spray a light mist 12-16 inches from your face with eyes closed to set your makeup in place or use for a quick touch up throughout the day to refresh your makeup. Let it dry naturally or blot with a tissue to help speed dry.

Previously reviewed here.

Left: Studio Daily Brush Cleaner, £3.75 for 60ml

An anti-bacterial daily brush cleanser for quick cleaning in-between makeup applications. Disinfects brushes to provide a fresh and clean application every time.

After using your brush, spray several times over the brush bristles. Gently wipe the brush onto a clean cloth to remove makeup. Allow brush to fully air dry before next use. 

Previously reviewed here.

Centre: Studio Mascara Primer, £3.75 for 2.5ml

An excellent conditioning base for mascara. 

Apply the Mascara Primer like you would any mascara, but allow Primer to fully dry. Layer on your Mascara as usual, for an enhanced look. Remove with makeup remover.

I have used a mascara primer before from Jane Iredale which I found really made my mascara look more volumised and held a curve in my lashes better. I am hoping this will do the same.

Right: Glitter Eyeshadow Flirt, Currently £1.75, usually £2.50 for 4g

Achieve radiant shimmering colour with this luxe Glitter Eyeshadow. 

Apply with fingertip for vibrant colour or with a brush for a subtle effect. For best results use with an Eyeshadow Primer. Apply wet for more intense looks.

This is looks lovely in the pan. A bold lilac shade with silver glitter particles. I think there will be fallout from this product, but perhaps it might not be too bad with an eye primer. I have had this swatch on my hand while blogging and the glitter particles have all fallen off. The colour seems to have faded also.

Left: Studio Glossy Gloss Ballet Slippers, £3.75 for 6.8g

High shine, pigmented Glossy Gloss delivers a beautiful sheen and a rich tint of colour to your pout. 

This is a nude skin tone shade that is quite peachy. It's creamy and looks like it could be worn nicely alone or over lipstick.

Right: Studio Glitter Gloss Dazzling Diamond, £3.75 for 6.8g

Dazzle and shine with this intense, show-stopping glitter filled gloss. Infused with light-reflecting micropearls, this non-sticky gloss illuminates lips with sheer brilliance and lots of colour. 

This is a clear gloss with gold and lilac glitter particles. It looks like it would be good over any lip shade if you like glittery lips.

Studio HD Blush in left to right Diva, Encore & Showstopper, £3.75 for 10ml each

Rich and creamy HD Blush naturally sculpts and highlights the cheekbones for a soft-focus effect that is great for everyday use.

Press down gently on the pump to release a very small amount of colour. Apply with finger or a stipple brush to the cheekbone in a tapping motion and blend in.

I find these very impressive and I would have bought all 5 shades, but the other 2 were sold out :( I actually got these mainly for the lips as I am hoping that they will be long lasting. A bit like an OCC Lip Tar. I am not sure how these will work on the cheeks as a little goes a very, very long way so they might be hard to blend in and control which will be frustrating if applied over face make-up. 

Diva ~ A cool pink with a blue undertone

Encore ~ A deep rose pink

Showstopper ~ A deep plum

I am disappointed that it looks as though my bottle of Showstopper has already been used as there is product around the outside of the spout. Be careful when first opening these too as the first one I opened (Diva) spurted out some liquid.

All prices shown in this post are full prices, but as I had 50% off these 12 products only cost £25.95 which included delivery. I am one happy bunny other than the what looks to be used Showstopper.

E.L.F. products are available from eyeslipsface.co.uk and eyeslipsface.com

Did you take part in this E.L.F. sale? If yes, which products did you pick up? What are your favourite and not so favourite E.L.F. products and why? Let me know in the comments below.

Love to you all

 

NOTD: Purple With Red Glitter

Hi there my loves. I hope you are well today. I want to share with you my current manicure as I can't stop looking at it because I love it so.

I applied one coat of my Rimmel base coat followed by two coats of my Primark Glo Baby Glo! UV Reactive Nail Polish (Ultra Violet). This is an almost regal purple shade that looks gorgeous by itself however I felt the need to add some glitter. I am not sure if Primark still sell this shade sorry, but it was very inexpensive if they do.

I added two coats of my Chit Chat Nail Varnish (Crimson/Red Glitter). I think this adds a really nice splash of glitz to the nails to make the purple pop even more. I asked for this at Xmas as it was just £1.00 from Poundland for 12ml. I can not find this exact colour online, but here is a link to another shade from this range so that you can get more of an idea of the glitters. There are smaller and larger glitter particles in this red shade, but they are all the same colour. 

I finished of the look with my Elegant Touch Rapid Dry Nail Spray. I think that these look fun and pretty while sparkling in the sunlight.

Which glitters do you like to layer over nail colours to make them pop? Tell me your favourite combinations in the comments below.

Love to you all

 

NOTD: Gold Mine

Hey Beauty Addicts. Have you ever felt like you just need some sparkle? If yes is your answer then you have to check out my current manicure :)

I applied one coat of my Alessandro Pro White as a base followed by five coats of this Chit Chat Nail Varnish in Gold Glitter from Poundland, Link. I received this for Xmas as I had asked for it and let me tell you it was so worth asking for. This looks pretty with just one coat, but I wanted full on bling in this manicure so five coats it was. The gold particles in this varnish are made up of hexagon confetti and smaller glitter pieces. I sealed the look with one coat of my Nails Inc. Kensington Caviar Top Coat.

I still have the other shades in this range that I asked for at Xmas to try and if they are all like this I will be a happy gal.

Have you tried these varnishes? Do you like a bit of bling like me? Let me know your favourites in the comments below.

Love to you all

 

NOTD: StarGazer 'Shake & Bling Challenge'

Hi again my Beauties. I am very excited about today's post as it was fun to do and I am very pleased with the results. I was contacted by StarGazer's PR to do the 'Shake & Bling Challenge'. The idea is that I had to pick a pack of Nail Diamonds, along with a Polish, a Glitter Shaker and a Nail Art Pen of my choice from StarGazer.

These were the products that I chose. Left to right: Opal Nail Polish in 241, the Nail Art Pen in Silver and the Glitter Shaker in White. The Nail Adhesive is shown here, but the Nail Diamonds are not as they were so small I don't think you would be able to see them. Here is a link to them on the website Link :)

Opal Nail Polish 241 ~ £2.00

Nail Art Pen Silver ~ £3.00

Glitter Shaker White ~ £3.00

Nail Diamonds Clear ~ £2.50

I did not pay for these products. They were sent to me in order to take part in this challenge, but all opinions in this post are my own.

I was allowed to use any base coat and top coat that I have of my own so I used my Rimmel base coat and my Seche Vite Top Coat. Now I had to create my own nail art design with all of these products, explain how I did it in a blog post and tweet about it. So here is what I came up with.

Step 1: I applied my Rimmel Base Coat.

Step 2: I applied 3 coats of the Opal Nail Polish 241. I usually only apply 2 coats of any nail polish, but this has a slightly translucent finish and my yellow stained nails were showing through. The third coat solved this easily and as it dries so quickly this wasn't a problem, I love that this polish has multi tones to it. I would describe it as a soft pink with a holographic twist.

Step 3: When I applied my 3rd coat of polish to each nail I sprinkled the Glitter Shaker in White all over each nail so that it would stick to the polish. Make sure when doing this that you have something underneath your hand for the excess glitter to fall onto. This is a really pretty glitter as it has other colours reflecting within it. I think it matches really well with this polish. This glitter can be used on nails, hair and the body.

The Nail Art Pen can be used with the pen part if you wish for dotting etc, but I did not use this part.

There is a pin attached to the bottom of the Nail Art Pen which I believe is for unclogging the nib of the pen part when the polish dries up in that area.

Step 4: I used the striper brush part of the Nail Art Pen in Silver to apply a french tip to my pinkie and middle fingers and my thumb only. I found this much easier to do a french tip than using a regular nail polish brush as it did not overlap onto my skin at the edges of my nail so there was no mess for me to clean up. A great discovery.

Step 5: I then applied one square/diamond Nail Diamond to each hand and the smaller Nail Diamonds in various ways to the nails as in the photos shown. I found it very difficult to use the nail adhesive that came with the nail gems as it kept on sticking the diamonds to my tweezers so I just applied a little of my Seche Vite Top Coat to where I wanted the nail diamond to go and they stuck nicely.

Step 6: I finished off with a coat of the Seche Vite Top Coat all over each nail and voila my design was done.  

I am heading off to Olympia Beauty tomorrow and will definitely be seeing what I can find at the StarGazer stand. Will any of you Beauties be there? Did you take part in this challenge? If so what design did you come up with? Did you like the products? Have you got any StarGazer nail or other product favourites? Tell me what you think of my design.

Love to you all