Rimmel London Lasting Finish | 170 Alarm

 I didn't mention it the other day, but I also brought Rimmel London's Lasting Finish lipstick in shade 170 Alarm. Now i'm not a big lipstick fan- before yesterday, I literally owned none! But I had been toying with the idea of buying some for nights out for ages! So I guess yesterday, I just caved in! The lipstick was £4.99 from Asda, and I think it's around that price from most other places too. This was a spur of the moment purchase too, in fact, my dad picked the colour as I just couldn't decide. 

 This may not be the best colour to show you, because it looks more like a red with a hint of purple, but it really is a bright, can't miss it on your face, kind of red. I did realise afterwards that it was a bright colour for me to try, but I know most girls with darker hair can usually pull it off. 

 I must say, I think the packaging is pretty cute though. It's a shimmery/glittery purple, with (of course) their famous crown logo on top. The lid feels really secure too, and there's no chance this baby will open itself, or drop off anytime soon. But whats it like on the lips? That's what you're all waiting for... 

I must say, i'm a little disappointed with the outcome. I had read reviews saying what a good product it is, but i just can't seem to really get along with it. The photo does make it look worse than it does in person, i must admit that. The colour is a lot deeper, but as you can tell, it really does feel a bit patchy on my lips. Now I must say, I wear lipsil every day (whether I need it or not) to keep that constant moisture on my lips, so it's definitely not that it dries your lips out. I can't really work out where I went wrong with it though. 

Let me know your thoughts on the lipstick?

Sunday Funday #2

 Before you start,  I do realise that i've worn this outfit for the last three times i've been out. I can't help that I absolutely love it, though I know i'll end up overwearing it if i'm not careful. I went out again last night with one of my friends (I don't get to see her that much), and it was a pretty good night out. I should say, this is the fourth weekend in a row that I have been out. I've been out more this month, than I did throughout the whole of 2014, so it's not really something I would normally do.

 I did a post about my nail art a few days ago, which you can also read here. So I will only lightly touch on this one. I booked the week off work ages ago, since I was supposed to be going away, but in the end I spent most of my week doing different nail art designs. It probably sounds sad, but it is ridiculously fun!

 My graze box came yesterday! I get it once a fortnight and the pocket sized snacks are so nice! I originally signed up for my dad, when we were doing Insanity (look it up), but I usually steal the nicer flavours before he gets a chance to object. I really do suggest for anybody trying to lose weight to try these though. They're only £3.89, which is super cheap, considering you get four healthy snacks. The only downfall is that I end up eating them all on the first day!

I only bought this yesterday, but it is already my favourite purchase of the month. I was so dubious about trying it since I picked up the mist instead of the mousse, but I find it still works so well. There wasn't a single streak, dry or uneven patch on my body. I'll be doing a more indepth review of it pretty soon. 

How has your week been? And what have you gotten up to?

Summertime Haul

I was wandering around Asda this morning, looking for a last minute Mothers Day present (I know, shame on me!) and I couldn't resist treating myself too along the way. I had been umming and arring about getting most of these for ages, and finally came to the conclusion that I deserved to treat myself! Obviously the tights were a necessity for me anyway because I always find myself ridiculously short on them, and i'm far too self-conscious to get my legs out in public. After that, I found my basket started to become heavier and heavier... 

I've read so much about green tea and how good it is for you.. yadda yadda. So I finally thought instead of constantly reading reviews about the effects, I should just give it a go already! I had to pick one with a bit of flavour, since i've heard it's like drinking warm water otherwise. I didn't realise just how many brands and flavours there are! I'll let you know how and if I get on with these ones later on! 

Next, I just couldn't resist it any longer- I had to buy some fake tan. Now I have never, like EVER fake tanned in my life. So lets just say I am extremely nervous about it! Being the ridiculously pale person I am, i've always imagined it would look completely stupid on me, but I can only cross my fingers and hope that it comes out really well for tonight. I'm that new to tanning too, I didn't realise how many different types there were for this either. It was a spur of the moment purchase, so I picked up the mist, which after reading some reviews straight after, I wish I hadn't have- the mousse sounds so much better! Especially for a first timer like myself!

Lastly I had to buy myself some new eyelash curlers, since I use them every day and my old pair had decided to split. I never realised just how much this beauty malarky would cost me! You should be pleased to know that I did eventually find my mum something too, which she will hopefully like :)

Nail Art Designs

Today I thought I would let you in on my nail art designs. If theres one thing I love doing, its designing nails. I've done it for around two years now by simply watching youtube videos, or copying pictures of other peoples nails. Now I am in no way at all a professional, and I know that a few of them aren't perfect, but I try my best. I found it easier over the years to use fake nails too, as working in retail, it's basically a waste of time to do my own, as they chip the very same day.

I recently bought myself a set of around 25 fine tipped nail polishes, which nail salons work with to get the fine details, so i've been practicing with them too to make my designs. Together with my already large collection of nail polishes, I must easily have 50+ different bottles to play around with. I picked 22 designs that I have accumulated over the weeks of messing around with the polishes, which I am quite proud of. I used many different techniques too (water marble, sponges, dotting, tape.. etc), which I may show you how to perfect later on if you like this!

Hopefully it will inspire some of you to attempt a few different nail designs in the future! :)

Make-up Store Sets | Budget Beauty

I thought I would try a different 'Beauty Budget' buy (wow what a tongue twister) and I bought a few make-up sets instead. How cute are they though! I must admit, i'm unable to use the bronzers.. well you've seen how pale I am. They are far too dark for my skin colour. But I have been using them as eye shadow palettes instead, which work just as well. These sets would both make cute presents for any tanned/dark skinned make-up fanatic. They are just so ridiculously pigmented, considering they are unbranded and inexpensive.

I've been using the eye shadow palette the most (at least i think thats what it's meant to be). These are also super pigmented and last for ages. They also have a hint of glitter in each colour too, since they're meant to be used on toned skin. I use the white the most to brighten up around my eyes. The tiny brush is pretty cute too. I don't wear eye shadow, in fact, this is now the first and only palette I own, but it's small enough to fit in my make-up bag, and is neutral enough to keep me happy.

I've only used the mascara a few times. It's a super tiny, compact mascara, which is surprisingly really good. There is no smell to it whatsoever, not even a horrible chemically smell that sometimes taints mascaras. Overall, it's actually a really good product too- not too thick or thin, quick to dry and although it doesn't really make your lashes look much longer/thicker, it does make them extremely black. C'mon, what do you expect for a make-up set?

Lastly, like I said, I use the bronzer as another eye shadow. Obviously this palette is far too big for me to carry around though to top up my eyes, so I haven't really used it that much as off yet. I did think the brush was ideal for my setting powder though.. until I tried it. I guess I should really have expected cheaper brushes to fall apart on your face, but I wanted to remain optimistic throughout. Well at least I tried!

Statement Necklaces.

Well statement necklaces aren't exactly new in the fashion world, but it's something I have only just become interested in. Considering I have my own accessories department where I work, you would also have thought I would own loads of them by now, but I actually get bored of the sight of them all. After treating myself to a haul of new clothes a few weeks ago, I thought it was about time to jump on to the bandwagon and purchase some for myself. I didn't realise just how much I would wear them after buying them either- almost every day!

The silver diamante necklace is definitely more of a going out kind of necklace for me, since it is very pretty and girly. In my post from a few weeks ago, you can see me dressing it up for a night out (read here). I seem to have my own style with fashion, and don't bother with trying to hunt for the latest fashion, or look at what celebs wear. I tend to wear what is more comfortable for me. So for me, the diamantes on the necklace dress up each outfit a little too much, and they never seem to go with what I am wearing.

 These last two are the complete opposite, which is probably why I like them so much. These two suit my fashion sense so much more, because they are much bolder with the colour. I love the fact that this one has the added black colour too though, so I can often match either my shoes or trousers with it. The only flaw i have with this necklace is the fact it is plastic rather than metal. I suppose it wont oxidize and eventually turn green, but up close it does look a bit cheap.

My last necklace is the first one i ever brought. It's still my favourite and the one I mostly return to day after day. It's so simple, yet so detailed at the same time that it fits in with almost all of my outfits. The block gold colour helps a lot too. 

I know that eventually I will end up with a ridiculous amount of statement necklaces, especially since I work around them almost every single day. Yet i'm not even worried, because these statements have become almost a necessity for my outfits. 

You can't tell from these, but i'm really trying to add a bit of colour to my outfits, honestly! Especially coming up to summer, I really want to get in to summer colours again this year, with the hippy/boohoo kind of look.

What's your take on statement necklaces?

Budget Beauty

First of all, i'm sorry for the week off. I've been ill, so took the week to recover and start to feel like myself again. So let me begin...

I know not everybody can afford the expensive make-up purchases that many blogs are able to have, and although it's nice to see their reviews even though you will probably never have a chance to purchase them anyway, I rarely see any 'budget' make-up posts. So with that being said, I have taken it upon myself to start off a weekly 'Budget Beauty' post. I even went to the trouble of creating the stamp above!

I won't spend too long mentioning the Collection 2000 concealer, as by now I hope everyone owns this. For £4.19, it's the best concealer I have ever used. I remember back in the day, when I first purchased this (I was about 16) and it was only around £2.99 for the tube. Just shows how good it is, that people are still buying it even with the price raise! I've seen many posts about this concealer, and many have even said it's better than MAC concealers. There's not much more to say about the concealer, it does what you expect it to do any has very little flaws. It provides full coverage, lasts all day, and is just any girls necessity. 

Next is Natural Collection pressed powder. Natural Collection always seems to get pushed to the side for some reason. I personally think it's because of how cheap their make-up is. You pay for what you get and all of that. Though I could be wrong. But I know i'm one of those people that tend to walk straight past the Natural Collection station when i'm out shopping, and it's sad to think we could all be walking past a really good product. I have used their pressed powder for as long as I can remember. Granted, it doesn't come in many shades (3 to be precise) but at £1.99 it does it's job perfectly. I use the powder every day to set my foundation, and it lasts all day. It also gives enough coverage for your lazy days when you don't want to go all out with your make-up. Considering I do literally brush a thin layer of the powder all over my face every single day, I have had this tub of the stuff for around 8-9 months. Which is crazy considering the price. I think this is the perfect powder/setter for anybody getting in to beauty or who are on a tight budget. 

Let me know your thoughts on Natural Collection products, and how do you like the 'Budget Beauty' posts?

Sunday Funday

 So it's Sunday, and in the blogging world, this means it's the day of photos. I've been pretty ill for most of the week, but since I also love taking photographs of random things, I still have a collection of them somehow! Lets just take a second to acknowledge how small I am compared to everybody else, considering I was wearing the highest heels too. This makes me pretty sad. (Fun fact: The girl/woman in the middle jumped out of a plane for charity today)

      

The first two pictures (where you can actually see me) are from my Deputy Managers leaving meal (She's the one in the blue and white playsuit). I must say, I am absolutely gutted that she has left because we got on so well, and we were so alike! Theres no doubt she will be missed by everyone! 

I literally spent a whole day painting different nail designs too this week. Once I get started, I can't seem to stop myself. At least one fun thing came out of being ill, i guess!

     

 I spent two nights up in Chester, seeing some of my uni friends and celebrating a mates birthday (the guy in the picture). It was so much fun and I was so happy to finally catch up with everyone again, since i've not seen many people since I left in July! I find that whenever I get a smidge of alcohol in my system, I can never pull a normal face. I am also aware that my face looks pale, whilst my arms look orange. That wasn't the case, it's just the lighting.

     

Again with the awful face. I tried applying my fake eyelashes again on the night, and they actually went on on the first try! Though they did fall off after a few hours. I've realised that whenever I wear them, I insist on opening my eyes ridiculously wide. I guess I feel like my eyes look droopy otherwise, since they become really heavy.

And lastly.. my little puddy tat. I can't resist taking photos with her, and as you can tell, she is quick enough to jump in front of the camera too. She most definitely knows she is one pretty cat!

All Things Sweet.

So today I thought I would show you all my perfumes. Well I say all, this is just a small selection that I picked out to show you all. I do want to say, i'm not bragging in any way, I just want to recommend a few really nice perfumes for daytime and nighttime. Also, i have been collecting these over years, and many have been christmas/birthday presents, so i have been growing this for a while.

| Diesel | Morgan | Armani Diamonds | Beyonce Heat Rush | Britney Spears Curious | DKNY Red Delicious | Britney Spears Fantasy |

Out of the collection, there are seven that I use more than the rest. I can't leave the house in the morning without spraying something on me, which i'm sure most of you beauty fanatics do too. Most of these are fairly old releases, so are not very expensive to buy now. It's sad that i've used these so much, I don't even have to remind myself of how each one smells.

Diesel 'Plus Plus'- This one is hard to describe, as i've never smelt anything like it before. It smells like a mixture of many strong flowers. But nice flowers of course.

Morgan- This is also a strong scent, which i tend to wear to meals, or on nights out, as it lasts for hours. It's a very fruity and musky kind of scent, which may not suit everyone. 

Armani 'Diamonds'- Diamonds is a mixture of rose, raspberry and vanilla. It is almost a delicate smell, that is another good perfume for summer. I absolutely love the smell of this, it can never be put on too strong.

Beyonce 'Heat Rush'- This is such a nice smell, especially now we're coming up to summer. It is super light and fruity.

Britney Spears 'Curious'- Curious is another light, fruity scent, with an added hint of vanilla. This is the first perfume I ever received, and it's still a favourite years later. I also love that with this bottle, you can buy a big version with an old fashioned pump.

DKNY 'Red Delicious'- Obviously, judging by the name, it smells just like fresh apples.  This is another one for the summer and is overall my favourite scent. 

Britney Spears 'Fantasy'- This is a fruity, but musky scent. It is a lot heavier and 'darker' than Curious, if you can call a scent dark?! It seems a lot stronger than Curious, so I use it on nights out, but the fruitiness is a winner for me!

Have you tried any of these? What do you think?

Outfit Of The Evening

So I thought I would try something different and post an OOTE, instead of the after pictures from the night. I absolutely love this new dogtooth print that is coming back into fashion, and the day this outfit came into stock at work was the day I purchased this baby. The only fault I have is that they both only come in two sizes- S/M or M/L. Very American. This suited me fine, as I was able to buy the S/M for both, but the M/L didn't look much bigger at all. 

The top was £12.99, and the skirt was £9.99. Luckily for me, I work for New Look, so got them both half price. So as you can imagine, this just made me even happier with my purchase! I'm always after new outfits that are able to show off my figure properly, as (since I have much bigger boobs than most) I can't wear many types of dresses/two pieces, as they make me look big and frumpy. I also forgot to mention that I am extremely pale, and have not yet fake tanned.

The necklace was an added extra at the till, since I love big statement jewellery pieces at the moment. I'm slowly starting to gain a collection of them all, which i'm not complaining at! I think the necklace was around £12.99, which again was half price for me (YAY!)

I've saved my purchase of the day until last, as I absolutely love them, and still can't get over the price. If you have ever worked in a clothes shop, you will have realised just how many odd pairs of shoes that are left over, when people don't bother to look at the shoe sizes before buying/selling them. At New Look, we decided to sell the odd shoes, to get rid of them whilst still making a profit. You can't tell when they are on, but these are actually one size 5 and one size 6. They have stretched really well, so fit me just like any other shoes do.. and now for the best bit... They were only £3! I know, i couldn't get over that either!! 

If you can live with knowing one shoe may be bigger/smaller than the other, than it is really worth asking clothes shops if they do have any odd shoe sales. A lot will not put them out on the shop floor, as most customers are too ignorant to understand that this is how they are being sold. But it's a cute little saver if, like me, you don't mind! 

What is your opinion on the dogtooth pattern coming back in to fashion? And would you ever buy odd shoes for this price?

Eyeliner | Liquid or Kohl?

After declaring my love for Rimmel London Scandaleyes Kohl eyeliner, I felt the need to try out their liquid eyeliner, and man how disappointed was I! I used this on a night out recently, and found I had to reapply the liquid around three times before I even left the house! (I really wish I was joking). I only decided to try a liquid eyeliner to give a smoother coverage when wearing fake eyelashes, but in the end, it became so faded that I gave up and went back to my trusty kohl.

I know it's not the best picture, but on the left is the kohl eyeliner, and on the right is the liquid eyeliner. Hopefully you can see how the eyeliner is already fading, after only applying it a few minutes earlier. It also takes a while to dry- hence the faint lines above my right eye from where it has already smudged. I also don't get the straight line i can achieve with my kohl eyeliner, which i am really surprised at, as the liquid nib is so fine and precise.

I did a few swatches on my hand (kohl on top, liquid underneath), and waited a few minuted before smudging. I've always been able to smudge the kohl eyeliner, to help give me a more defined smokey eye look, whilst at the same time, keeping the colour in its original place. However, I just couldn't get the same look, or anything similar from the liquid pen. The pen goes on back, and after around a minute or so of drying, completely loses its blackest colour, and starts to turn grey. I have used this eyeliner around three times now, and each time it has proved to be a waste of money, in my opinion. Luckily I brought it on Boots' 3 for 2 offer, so I technically got it for free, otherwise i would be so mad. 

Has anybody else had this problem with liquid eyeliners? I'm hoping it's just this eyeliner that does this. Please recommend a good liquid eyeliner :)

Triple Chocolate Cookies | Recipe

I'm sorry this isn't my usual daily beauty post, but I wanted to share a recipe with you all today- one that I really insist you should try whenever you're free. I've made these cookies twice already in the past two weeks and I know I will be making some more sometime soon!

I'm unsure where the recipe originally came from, but I found it through reading 'Vivianna Does Makeup Blog', which I now read religiously for any other amazing recipes like this. 

I'll post the recipe and how to below for you all.

The recipe claims you can make up to 12, but if you see from the pictures above, there are easily around 15 cookies there- and even then, they were absolutely huge! I also found that using purely white chocolate (instead of mixing) makes the cookies even chocolatier! If that's even a word?!

Triple chocolate cookies, makes at least 12:

• 200g unsalted butter (unsalted isn't really necessary) 
• 300g caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 275g self-raising flour
• 75g cocoa powder
• Three BIG bars of chocolate (using all white chocolate tastes better and stays melted for longer)
• A splash of milk (for you perfectionists out there- add small amounts of milk until it becomes a thick mix, rather than a block!)

Method: 

This is pretty obvious, so i'll use bullet points again so you don't have to read a massive amount of instructions. 

• Throw butter into a bowl and place in microwave for a few seconds to soften (you'll thank me later)
• Next add sugar
• Mix with spoon or whisk until creamy (I tried with electric whisk and it was so thick, i broke the whisker)
• Add eggs and mix, then add the rest of your dry ingredients
• Make sure all ingredients are mixed in before adding your chocolate (broken in to squares of course)
• This is where a few spoonfuls of milk may come in handy for you, to make it easier to mix
• Scoop the mixture into 12 handful sized balls and place on baking trays. You don't have to be too generous with the size, as they expand a lot in the oven. (Something i didn't realise until after)
• Pop in a preheated fan oven at 220°C / 180°C  for non-fan. Leave to blossom for 10 mins!
• The cookies will still look super sloppy after 10 minutes, but thats okay, they will slowly harden. Take them out and leave for around 20 minutes, or until warm enough to pick up if you're like me!

I really hope you will try these because they are so nice, and extremely chocolatey! Hopefully you will even be able to get them round enough to look like cookies, rather than my awful attempt-resulting in square cookies! I'd love to see some pictures if you did make them.

❤

VO5 Plump it up | Review

If you have read my previous post, you will know that I have been growing my hair for the past couple of months, and I have successfully managed to not straighten my hair this whole time. So instead, i've been using the VO5 'Plump it up' mousse to give my hair extra volume, and to help hold it's natural beach waves. You'll notice my hair is wavy in a lot of pictures, and it holds so good thanks to this little gem.

I first purchased this on Boots' 3 for 2 offer around six months ago, and i've not looked back ever since. It's pretty cheap and considering how long it lasts, is worth is at only £3.79. This is one of the higher range mousse types from VO5, as they have quite a large collection for different hair types.

It really is super lightweight on your hair, and i've found it doesn't send your hair crunchy, like some other brands do. The mousse also creates a cute pattern when it comes out of the tube- this is such a plus for me. There is a really delicate fruity smell that comes with it too, which lasts throughout the day- i've had many comments about my hair smell thanks to this beauty. The mousse itself holds really well too, i'm talking days! I often scrunch this in to freshly washed hair, and once it dries, it gives a really nice, natural wave to my hair. It's really easy to brush out, or can help to keep your hair looking clean (depending on how much you touch it) for up to three days, which is great for when i get lazy.

F.A.S.T Shampoo and Conditioner | Review

I have styled, cut, straightened and dyed my hair so much since I was little (I was dying my hair red from the age of around 10!), that no matter how much i try to grow it, my hair just sits limp and lifeless. Six months on from my last hair cut, my hair still wasn't growing at all, not even slightly! So I knew I needed to take matters even further, and I found a shampoo called Fast. I was pretty dubious about buying it at first, as for a small shampoo and a small conditioner, it is £29.99! Considering there were hardly any reviews about this product, I knew it was a big risk for this kind of miracle hair growth treatment. But man am I happy with the results!

             

I realise the pictures aren't the best quality, and i'm really gutted that I didn't take a proper before/after picture. To be honest, I didn't think it would work as well as it has done, so I didn't really bother. But hopefully you can really tell just how much my hair has grown in such a short amount of time. My hair is now the longest it has ever been. Also note that in the first picture, my hair was straight, and since using the shampoo, i have not straightened my hair at all. So in the second picture, my hair is wavy, so some of the length is lost to the waves. You can hopefully also tell just how thick my hair has got from using the shampoo. It was pretty thick before, but now it is like a lion's mane.

I feel the need to mention, however, that if you are going to try this shampoo, do buy a high quality conditioner to use with it. Although you get a conditioner with it, I didn't find it was the best, and often sent my hair greasy really quickly. The reason I say all of this is because i've found that the shampoo alone leaves your hair extremely dry. The instructions also say to use it every single day, which I haven't even bothered with. Unfortunately i'm not made of money and my hair isn't in the best condition to begin with (plus i'm too lazy to wash it every day), so I chose to only substitute my old shampoo for my new one, when washing my hair every other day. So considering I ignored their instructions, I say their shampoo has improved my hair massively. I would definitely recommend this to anybody looking to grow their hair at a faster rate.