A Totally Unplanned Haul!

So, I accidently went shopping. I went into Boots to get some lunch (Philadelphia and smoked ham sandwich, Walker's Baked crisps and a Tropicana tropical juice. Yum!) and I may have got a little side-tracked. I went to have a little look at the Essie stand as I wanted a nude polish for a reason you'll see in a blog post very soon. And I did get one, just with a few other bits too...

Collection 2000 Extreme 24 Hour Flet Tip Liner in Purple. This wasn't something I was really looking for but I had swatched it one day while trying out purple eyeliners for my brows - yes, I know this one is not a pencil but still, I'd done all the others. All the others had worn off by the time I'd rubbed them and then finally got home a few hours later but this one was still going strong. It also didn't move much under a Simple face wipe. This thing is tough! So, I jsut had to have it! I haven't wore it out yet but I did try it on my eyes and it looks really nice, dark but softer than black. This cost £2.99 so was a great bargain.

MAC Matte2 Eyeshadow in Fig. 1. I bought this after I finally plucked up the courage to get my eyebrows done by the MAC MUA with purple. This is what she used and it looked amazing, just how I wanted it. A full post to come on this very soon.

MAC Pigment in Violet. Lovely MAC MUA also gave me a sample of this, saying it would work well with my purple brows. It's the pigment version of Stars n' Rockets with a pretty duo-chrome.

Revlon Nail Enamel in Emerald City. I'm going to pretend I didn't buy this just for the name... But it is a real unique polish. It's matte but glittery. It adds a really nice effect to your nails. It's dark green back colour is just daark enough while the light green sparkles really bring it to life. It wears really well too, I've currently got this on my toes!

Essie Nail Polish in Vanity Fairest. As the intro said, there is a reason I went for this and you'll see that in the next blog post! It's a gorgeous buildable yet sheer pinky toned colour. It has a little shimmer to it but isn't too much. I love Essie polishes so I'm pleased to add another to my collection!

Essie Nail Polish in Luxedo.  What a fabulous name! This polish is gorgeous, my favourite of the three. It's a deep, rich purple. It's the UK available version of Lincoln Park after Dark. It's great to look like black from a distance but it is infact, a purple shade. This picture really doesn't do it justice.

Nivea Express Hydration Primer Review and Rave.

Why has no one on the high street come out with something like this sooner? It's genious. I, personally hate primers. It's the texture. That overly waxy sort of feel it leaves on the skin - urgh! I'd rather have my foundation wear off a little than use it. But this, this is different. I hadn't actually heard about it's release until I started seeing the blog posts about it, so I went on a hunt and found it in Superdrug for only £3.99 -  a great start! I got mine in sensative/dry. There is also a normal/oily version.

The primer, from the Daily Essentials line, claims instant absorption and to provide a smooth base for make up application. I have to agree with both these claims. The moisturiser is super light, rubs in nicely and leaves a lovely cooling feel to the skin. It did absorp quickly but it didn't make my skin feel anything other than moisturised - I couldn't feel any sort of primer. I applied my foundation as normal in the morning and found after a usual days wear when I got home in the morning my make up still looked good! I can't say it kept 100% of my make up on, but it did seem to still look fresh and even which was great!

I am usually sensative to Nivea products but I am very happy to see that the lanolin in the product has been bumped down the ingrediants list. It hasn't affected my skin at all - I'm very impressed. The primer doesn't have the usual Nivea smell either, which personally I'm not fond of. It seems to have a fresh, citrus smell to it.

All in all I am super impressed with this product. It's nice to only have one product on instead of two and it did seem to maske my make up easier to take off. An easy morning and night. Nivea, you're spoiling us!

My Winter must have! Balmi Review.

If you're like me, winter is hell on your skin. At the moment, the cold and wet weather is destroying my lips so I popped into Boots to grab a new lipbalm. This cute little thing caught my eye. It's absolutely adorable with it's colour and cute egg shape. The mint one actually exactly matches my Pistachio Ice Cream MUA nail polish - always a plus!

Balmi lipbalms come in 5 flavours; strawberry, raspberry, coconut, blackcurrent and the one I purchased, mint. The mint has an added tingley effect to sooth and cool the lips and I have to say, it's lovely. Even in the cold wind it feels nice, almost refreshing.

Balmi also add no lanolin to their product - which is great for me because I'm highly sensative to it. Instead they enrich their product with Vitamin E, soothing Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil. I applied in the evening 3 times on the first day I had it and the next day I woke up with super smooth lips.

As far as I can see, the only stockists for Balmi lipbalms is currently Boots but I hope they expand soon. For the price of £4.99 for 10.5g of product, you get alot! And with a flavour to suit everyone, whjo wouldn't want one of these adorable little eggs of smooth lip goodness?

My Favourite Drug Store Make Up!

I live in the UK, so I have classed drug store as anything NOT high end - Boots, Superdrug etc. I found it really hard to pick 5 items and I did end up choosing 6, but even that was hard. These aren't the products I'd use from a drug store if I had no high end, these are my everyday make up items. 

Left to right we have;

Prestige Skin Loving Minerals Sun Baked Bronzer in 03 Pure Shimmer. This is my all time favourite highlighter. Its perfect for my light skin but isn't too shimmery or glittery. I can wear this on it's own with some bronzer or with a blush and it always looks good. I also use this on my eyes and nose as well as my cheek bones. I cannot give it enough credit. It also lasts a super long time, I've had this one two years and it hardly seems to have gone down! Love, love, love. 

Gosh Natural Touch Cream Blusher in 001 Peachy Rush. The only thing I hate about this product is that call it a blusher and not a blush - pet hate! Aside from that the colour, texture, wear and staying power of this blush is amazing. It's super bright but you can blend it really light so it's super versatile. For some reason I just haven't found a nice orangey coral blush anywhere so this is the one. I don't really use this as a base for blush but I can't see why it wouldn't work! For the price it's as good at the MAC Creme Colour Bases, for sure!

No7 Lipstick in Brigette (Limited Edition, Spring 2010). This is my all time favourite light pink lipstick. MAC's Hue is in the category of pinky nude. It's a really sheer colour but really buildable and makes your teeth look whiter! I don't know if this available now but I'm nearly out so will have to go and find out soon! It's quite a glossy lipstick too so you can just throw it on and you don't have to worry about a gloss. Great for spring on top of an SPF lip conditioner. 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Concealer in Medium 3. I have this in the colour that matches my foundation the best as I use this for blemishes. It is the best concealer you will ever find in a drug store. It's amazing for blemishes and under the eyes. IT doesn't cake, it stays all day and it really does cover everything!

Collection 2000 Glam CrystalsDazzling Gel Eyeliner in 07 Rock Chick. I love this eyeliner for my top lash line. I tend to wear it over a black just to make sure it's dark enough but it has great staying power and a great look for under £3! I only wear the black one though I own most of them. They are the prefect item to transition from day to night.

Make Up Academy Mascara in Shade 1. This is the clear gel I use for my brows - the bottom one to prove it! I use this every day without fail. It holds my brows and colour all day and is so quick and easy to apply. It costs £1, yes £1 from Superdrug. You need to check out the MUA range if you haven't before as it is AMZING. Some of the eyeshadows are up there with MAC and the colour range reminds me a lot of Illamasqua. 

Lookbook/OOTD - Army Chic

This is my outfit of the day. A lot like my last and probably most of my OOTD posts to follow. Today I am wearing another studded jumper with some black skinny jeans and a pair of Dr Marten boots - though mine look no where near as nice as these ones! To glam it up I've wore this with a gold studded belt, cross dangle earrings and my Michael Kors gold watch. Finishing touch with my Speedy 35 as it's raining and dull today but I want to cheer up a little!

Watch - Michael Kors at The Watch Shop. £229 S/S 2012.
Earrings - Market 80p. (BARGAIN BUY!)
Studded Belt - The Lanes at Meadowhall. £10.
Bag. Louis Vuitton at Selfridges's. £375.
Boots - Dr Marten Store. £89.
Jumper - Primark. £6 Current.
Jeans - Topshop £38.