Leopard Print Love

Hello lovelies!

This is just a quick post to share my happiness on finding my purrrfect winter coat. A gorgeous faux-fur, leopard print jacket - the perfect length,  the perfect print, and most amazingly of all, the perfect price.

My search for the perfect faux fur coat has literally been going on for a few years now. Each winter I think how gorgeous they look paired with party dresses on a night out, and equally as beautiful with a pair of leggings and some pretty flats for the day. I looked at all the offerings from the usual suspects: Topshop, Warehouse, Miss Selfridge - I even searched through some vintage shops in Manchester and just could not find the right one for me. Then... on this gorgeous summery day where it is absolutely scorching hot here in Manchester, I finally found what I was looking for <3

 

This little beauty was a brilliant £44.99 in New Look, where they actually have 20% discount for students at the minute, but sadly my university days are long gone. However, if there are any students with their eyes on this coat I would advise to snap it up now as its only £36 with the discount. Brilliant.

It's a super flattering fit, unlike some other faux fur coats that I've tried on, it does not make you look twice your size or give you that unflattering boxey shape that some coats can.

I checked on the New Look website and it's not up at the minute. I don't know whether it's sold out or what's going on, so go and have a nosy in your local store and I promise you won't be disappointed. 

I'm so excited to wear this coat, and I never thought I'd say this but I cannot wait for the colder weather to come now! Having said that, hope everyone is enjoying the gorgeous sunshine :)

xxxx

Top 5 Series - Blusher

Hello again, 

Time for the second installation of my new top five series, and next up is my second favourite product which is blusher. I can already tell how this series is going to go, I'm subconsciously doing it in order of how much I like the product so by the end of the series I may not be as enthuasiastic to do posts on say... hand cream? I don't know lol but bear with me and I will probably just do posts on products that I enjoy using otherwise I guess there is no point.

Anyway, ramble over. Onto todays topic which is blusher, again none of the products I have chosen are really expensive in fact I think the most expensive are the Topshop cream blushers at £6.

L-P: Pink Cloud, Head Over Heels and Pinch, Suede, Pink Rose

Clockwise from bottom left: Topshop 'Head Over Heels', Topshop 'Pinch', Sleek 'Suede', Rimmel 'Pink Rose', Natural Collection 'Pink Cloud'

Again, scroll to the bottom for swatches of all five blushers and I'm going to discuss each product in the order I've swatched them on the picture, starting with the pinkest on the left to the most neutral on the right.

So first up, is a blush that is absolutely not a neutral colour and that is Topshop's cream blusher in 'Pinch'. A bright, scary looking hot pink in the pan which actually blends out really nicely to leave a pretty flush to the cheek. You do have to apply this with a light hand as it can leave you looking a bit doll-esque.

Next is another Topshop cream blusher, which is 'Head Over Heels' - a much more wearable colour on the cheek. A really pretty peachey/coral shade, which is a lovely light cream which blends to a powder finish. I've been applying both of the Topshop blushers with an ELF stipple brush, as I find it picks up and distributes the right amount of product and allows you to blend in your own time - rather than a mad rush to get it exactly how you want it before it dries to a dodgy line giving you rather strange looking cheek bones. I also think it leaves a really natural finish, and because it dries to a powder finish it has really great staying power. I really cannot say enough good things about these blushes, and at £6 a real bargain.

Number three is Natural Collection's 'Pink Cloud'. This is a matte blush, which is a gorgeous light pink which I think suits a pale complexion really nicely. These blushes are so affordable at £1.99, they have four in the range and I would definitely recommend picking any one of them up. 'Pink Cloud' is really pigmented and only requires a light dusting on the cheek to pick up the gorgeous rosy pink colour.

Next up is Rimmel's Powder Blush in 'Pink Rose', which I have to say I have had for longer than I should like to admit. I think it could possibly be the first blush I ever owned, but I reach for it every now and again and I just really like it. It's a really natural colour on the cheek - unlike 'Pinch' which I would find really concerning if somebody turned that shade of hot pink. 'Pink Rose' is a deeper pink, with a really subtle shimmer that photographs really beautifully. It could have been discontinued for all I know, but I hope not cause it's definitely a product I would repurchase - if i ever get to the end of it!!

Last but not least, is a new purchase of mine and a new offering from Sleek MakeUp's Nude Collection - which is the Suede Blush. It's not something I would buy off my own back I don't think, but I'd seen swatches and reviews of the product online so thought I would give it a try. It's quite a deep brown shade really, and could actually be used more like a bronzer or contour product but I've used this a few times on the cheeks, and I really love it. It's another really natural colour, so great for everyday make-up looks. Sleek's blushes are around £4, and as expected from Sleek they are super pigmented.

L-R: Pinch, Head Over Heels, Pink Cloud, Pink Rose, Suede

So there we have it, part two is done and dusted. Hope you enjoyed reading it and let me what you think of the blushes I've mentioned or any blushes you think I might like!

Next up... eyeshadows. See you next time :)

xxx

Product Rave - Tundra by Topshop

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to do a quick post on a product that I've been really liking lately! It's the eyeshadow mousse from the Topshop 'Sandstorm' collection, in the colour 'Tundra'. I believe this collection was released in February 2011, so I do realise this is a bit of a silly post as you can no longer find the product online =\ but perhaps you could keep a look out on blog sales or possibly eBay if you like the look of it! In fact, I bought this in... August? So maybe some Topshop's still have a stash of this gorgeous product!

I had never really tried a cream or mousse consistency eyeshadow before Tundra came into my life, and I wasn't really that keen on trying them until, of course, I set my eyes on this little beauty.

A gorgeous metallic olive green, that is absolutely packed with a golden sparkle. It is such a pretty colour, the consistency of the mousse makes it so easy to apply - you can use your fingers or brushes to apply this product and the effect, in my opinion, is just stunning.  The mousse can apply quite sheer at first, but if you want a more intense look you can really easily build up the product or blend it out as you wish. The photo below shows the product blended out on the right and heavily swatched on the left.

Just a little note on the packaging, as the product was part of the limited edition Sandstorm collection it looks a little different from Topshop's core range. The frosted glass base and the rose gold decorative strokes look so pretty, which I think just adds that extra special touch to the product.

xx

Top 5 Series - Lipstick

Hey everyone, 

I'm starting a new 'Top 5' series to get me into a bit of a routine with blogging, and hopefully will have one up a week for the next month or so! Starting off with my absolute favourite product, lipstick. Now I have been a wee bit naughty and included an extra, for no other reason than I could not narrow it down to five - but I promise in subsequent posts I will play by the rules and have just five products to share.

L-R: Shy Girl, Beehive, Snob, Shade 03, Cassis, Cherry 80

I think I've picked a good mix of drugstore and higher end products, although none of these products cost above £15 so none are too pricey! Scroll down to the end of the post for swatches of all six of the lipsticks

So I'll kick it off with the lightest shade of them all, which is the very lovely 'Shy Girl' by MAC. These lipsticks are £13.50 I believe, and come in a range of finishes such as a matte, creme sheen, satin finish and a few others. Shy Girl is a gorgeous nude, that has a peachy tone to it and is warm enough to not give you that awful concealer lips look!

Number two... 'Beehive' by 17 which is around the £5 mark. Out of all the formulas of the six lipsticks I've chosen, this has got to be my absolute favourite. It's creamy and moisturising and glossy and just gorgeous! The colour is a lovely neutral shade, it is quite sheer really and is really great for layering over other lippies for the gorgeous finish that it has!

Next up, 'Snob' by MAC. My first ever MAC lipstick, and to be honest I hadn't heard as much about this one as other MAC cult classics but it just seemed to jump out at me and stand out from the many, many other lipsticks at the counter. It's a lovely cool-toned pink, almost a lilac shade, that is really pigmented so has a lovely finish on the lips. Although it has been described as a 'Barbie' pink, in my opinion it is very wearable and you can definitely wear this in the day or night time.

Number four, Shade 3 by MUA at an extremely bargainous £1! I've tried a few of the MUA lipsticks out and to be honest they are a bit hit and miss with colours, but this one is just beautiful! It's a gorgeous fuschia pink, it isn't shimmery at all but  has a really high gloss finish. Creamy and so pigmented, what more could you ask? The packaging is a little cheap looking? But for £1 who cares or expects any less really.

Number five, I guess I could do without in my top five line up - however I love the packaging and it is a lovely colour. It's an Elizabeth Arden lipstick in 'Cassis', which is a gorgeous deep rasberry shade that I just love wearing. It feels so luxurious on application and has really great staying power, its a little darker than MUA shade 3 and being honest I prefer the MUA formula but I think its the packaging on this one for me! 

And last but not least, I had to include a red lipstick as it's one of my favourite looks - simple black eyeliner and a classic red lip. I absolutely love No7 Stay Perfect in 'Cherry 80', its a deep red as appose to a more orange tone, and I find it has really incredible staying power. It's super flattering on my skin tone, and like I said worn with a flick of eyeliner it completely transforms your look!

And below, as promised, swatches of each of the six lipsticks in the order that I've spoke about them! I'm aware that the bottom two look... well, the same... but they are very different in person I promise you :)

Top to Bottom: Shy Girl, Beehive, Snob, Shade 03, Cassis, Cherry 80

So that rounds up the first installation of my Top 5 series, next up... blushers perhaps? I hope you enjoyed this post :) 

xx

Glossybox - Hits and Misses!

Hello strangers!

It's been quite some time since my last post so thought I would do a quick 'hits and misses' post on the products that I have received with the July, August, and September Glossybox's to get me back into the swing of blogging :)

I've picked out my top three favourite products, and three products that I have been a bit disappointed with or I haven't liked at all - bearing in mind there are quite a few products that I'm just not fussed about either way! Just in case any of you haven't heard of Glossybox (not likely) - its a £12.95 monthly subscription where you receive a beautifully packaged box full of beauty samples and sometimes full sized products!

So I'm going to start with my least favourite products, so I can end this post on a positive note! 

First up is the Ciate Nail Enamel in Mojito, which I received in the July box. In all fairness it is an excellent product to receive considering sample sizes are expected, in addition to the fact that Ciate are pretty pricey polishes - it was a nice surprise to see this in my Glossybox. However, my problem lies with the colour. It's an apple green colour which I just could not for the life of me make it work! I thought I'd try it on my toes as a nice summery colour and my mum actually commented that it looked like I had infected toe nails - not the look I was going for. The formula of the nail varnish is really great, so I would love to try other colours and as a brand I've heard really great things about Ciate!

Next up is another nail product, and my problem lies again with the completely random colour choice that I was given! It was the Rebel Nails Nail Wraps, that were in the August box. I was quite excited when I saw some spoilers on Twitter that they would be in that months box, and there were some really pretty designs - but once again I appear to have drawn the short straw on colour choice! A bright, fluorescent yellow/green colour, think high visibility jackets, yellow highlighters and 80s rave gear - definitely not a colour I would choose for my nails!

Finally we have the Daniel Sandler Jumbo Jet Mascara, which was also in the August box. Now this mascara was... okay. However, I love super long and voluminous lashes and this mascara failed to do anything too spectacular. I also found it to clump quite easily so it's definitely not a mascara that you can layer up to produce longer length or more volume.

I think on the whole, its pretty fair to say I have never been majorly disappointed with any of the products that I've received considering the first two were because of the colours I was sent and the third product is a personal preference I suppose! I really love the idea behind Glossybox and I love that you get to try out products that you would probably never come across or purchase off your own back, and that you can come across some holy grail products that you can now unfortunately cannot live without!

So, with that in mind, onto my favourites... 

I'll start off with the Orla Kiely perfume sample that I received in the July box! I think I've mentioned before how bad I am at describing scents, but it is a really pretty and fresh floral perfume, and in my opinion quite unlike anything I've ever smelled before! I would definitely consider buying the full size version of this perfume. I also really love that the sample was in a miniature version of the full size bottle, as appose to the little tubes that perfume samples usually come in.

Next up, is the Illamasqua Powdered Metal in Ether which was also in the July box. This was my first Illamasqua product so there was a lot of obvious excitement over that, but it's such a gorgeous product! It's a shimmery golden powder that can be used as a subtle highlight or, as you would expect from Illamasqua, it can be built up to an extremely dramatic metallic finish to create a pretty spectacular look. I love using this product on nights out to give my skin a lovely shimmer, using it mainly on my shoulders, collar bones and on the top of my cheek bones.

Last but not least is a product that I have only just received in the September box, but I have already fallen in love with - which is the L'Oreal Professional Mythic Oil. This product is to be used either on wet or dry hair and gives hair a gorgeous shine and feeling lovely and nourished. As I have bleached my hair in the past, my hair is so dry at the ends and the Mythic Oil really puts some moisture back into my hair giving it a really nice shine without it looking greasy or oily in the slightest!

So to round up this unexpectedly long post, I really can't see me ever wanting to cancel my Glossybox subscription as I've enjoyed every box so far and I have found the customer service to be really fantastic. I know a few people have had problems with their HD Brow Palette, myself included, and Glossybox have already replied to my email and have already popped a replacement in the post. 

Keep up the great work, Glossybox :)

xxx