50 Followers Giveaway - Closed!

I've had such a disorganized day today - first, I forgot I had a dentist appointment at 8:15am so I didn't have time to do proper hair and makeup, then I got to work only to be told I was wearing my cardigan inside out! Talk about embarrassed.

 I'm so glad I'm home and today is over with! Going to snuggle up in my dressing gown with a hot chocolate and a good book.

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Anyway, the point of this post...

My 50 followers giveaway is now closed!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered, the winner will be announced on Wednesday!

If You Buy One Thing In March...

Champneys Collection Moisture Miracle Skin Comforting Bath Milk 200ml

£8.50



If you're anything like me, a hot bath can't be beaten for a luxurious pampering session and a long relax. I usually make time for a bath mid week after my body pump class to soothe my achy muscles and generally to wallow like a hippo, as I say to my boyfriend!

This bath milk has been accompanying me in my baths for the last couple of weeks and I can't get enough of it! My boyfriend gave it to me for Christmas as part of a Champneys gift set, but individually you can buy it here for £8.50 which may seem a lot but it is so worth it, I promise.

The blurb on the front of the bottle promises to "moisturise, soothe and soften dry and dehydrated skin."

I pour quite a lot in the bath and it creates lovely bubbles. The only thing I hate about bubbles is their tendency to foam up to three times their size and not dissolve ever so I end up with really soapy skin when I just want to rinse off. This is different though - it makes bubbles, but they dissolve away after a while and leave the bath water so incredibly moisturising and I could just lie in it for hours - in fact I do!

It really lives up to its claim as my skin always feels so soft after using this and it leaves a lovely soft scent. I would say it's worth the price as even though I seem to use quite a lot each time it has lasted for ages and even now I still think I could get a couple more weeks use out of it.

Buy this if you want to spoil yourself, it's definitely indulgent and luxurious and who doesn't love that?!

What do you think of this if you've already used it?

Sunday Nails - In The Navy

I used Barry M 292 - funnily enough called Navy which is a truly gorgeous shimmery blue and

myface cosmetics in gilt-y - I wore this gold a lot over Christmas but I didn't want to neglect it until next Christmas!

My giveaway closes at 8pm tomorrow night, I'd love you to enter if you haven't already!

My Friday Night Face

Good morning lovelies, how was everyone's Friday night?

I haven't been out for ages now, but last night me and the boy went round to his brothers house for drinks with friends which was nice - a bit headachy this morning but a lovely Costa Coffee will sort that out later!

Anyway, for now, while I'm still tucked up in my jammies I thought I'd post a quick photo of my makeup. I love going out makeup so much more than everyday makeup!

I did keep it quite understated as we weren't going 'out out', but this is what I used:

Face:

MAC Prep & Prime

No7 Quick Cover Concealer in Medium

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in Vanilla

Avon True Colour Blush in Russet

Bourjois Blusher in Lune Dor

Eyes:

Bourjois Felt Tip Eyeliner in Noir

False Eyelashes snipped in half and just used on my outer eye

Stila Eyeshadow in Batura

Avon Glimmerstick Brow Definer in Dark Brown

Lips:

Stila Lipstick in Pam

I hope you all have a lovely day, the sun has made an appearance here for a change!

Superdrug MUA Lipstick - My Perfect Pink

I never thought my perfect lipstick would be cheaper than Heat magazine!

Superdrug MUA Lipstick 3.8g in Shade 12

£1.00

I bought this sooo long ago and just sort of forgot about it! But yesterday morning I was rooting around my make-up while I was putting my 'work face' on and I found this!

I've never been great at wearing lipstick, I always prefer a gloss or plain old Vaseline. I do tend to wear quite a bit of make-up to work these days but I always keep my eyes quite neutral so I decided to try this lippy out - and I love it!

The cute pink colour is so wearable for everyday; it's not so bright that I get self conscious, but it's just the right amount to be noticed and if you look closely there are tiny little flecks of sparkle that make it lovely and shimmery.

I find it goes well with my Bourjois blush in Rose D'or - they are quite a similar shade.

I applied this at 8:30am yesterday morning and it lasted up until lunch, around 1.30pm before I felt the need to reapply. It's very easy to apply and not drying at all.

I think I could wear this day and night and I can see it fast becoming part of my daily make-up routine.

The only bad thing I can say is that the actual lipstick is a little wobbly inside the tube but as long as you're careful with it, this shouldn't be a problem!

Next time I'm near a Superdrug I think it's only fair that I try out some of their other colours - there are 13 shades in total - £13 for 13 lipsticks - can't get much better than that!

4 and a half out of 5 monkeys easy!

Thanks Superdrug!

P.S.

My giveaway ends on Monday - stop by and enter if you haven't already!

Sally Hansen Maximum Growth

I purchased this from Ebay for the low price of £2.00 as I wasn't keen on spending over a fiver on what may or may not work.

The product promises "stronger, longer nails in just 10 days."

I started using it a couple of weeks ago under my false nails, and now that I have taken them off I apply it every couple of days, or every time I change my nail polish.
As a base coat and top coat it's brilliant as it dries in half the time of a regular clear polish.

I think it's working.

As a lifelong nail biter, managing to get my nails to grow even to the tips of my fingers is a task and a half, but low and behold, I seem to have developed actual fingernails! My right hand is doing better than my left but hopefully they will catch up!

When I press down (gently) on my nails they don't feel quite as flimsy as I thought they would - I've probably grown my nails less than a handful of times in my life and each time they are just really weak and bendy which is why they start to break and I just give up and start nibbling away again.

Hopefully, with this polish and a lot of good old fashioned willpower I will have lovely long nails in no time - wish me luck!

First MAC Purchase - Prep & Prime

Last week I ran out of primer - disaster!

I usually use L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer, but before I dashed out to buy a new one I happened to read a post on Pixiwoo's blog about L'Oreal testing their product ingredients on animals. So that put a stop to that - no more L'Oreal for me.

For me, a good primer is essential. It keeps my makeup in place and creates a lovely base to apply makeup on to start with. Without it I feel I am constantly dusting translucent powder over my face and I really really hate this as it makes my face feel heavy and overloaded with product.

I wasn't sure which primer to go for and out of curiosity I found myself on the MAC website. I usually shy away from MAC, primarily because I can't justify the cost, and secondly because I am by no means an expert at applying makeup so drugstore brands suit just fine.

However!

The L'Oreal primer costs me £14.29 for 15ml which yes, is a little on the expensive side but I honestly can't live without primer, it's a need more than a want. The MAC Prep & Prime was £14.50 for 15ml - hardly any difference at all so I thought 'why not?' 

It arrived last Thursday and I have been happily using it ever since.

They Say: "A light, oil-free emulsion that helps cloak visible pores while controlling oil and shine. Applies “wet” for a gentle micro-exfoliation: dries instantly to create an invisible, long-lasting natural matte finish. Ideal for the T-zone."

I Say: "I was a little worried about the 'wet' application as I read a couple of reviews (after purchase) that claimed it took forever to dry and that makeup didn't apply well over the top of it. But after using it, I can happily say it is by far a superior primer to L'Oreal and I wish I'd been aware of it a long time ago!

I apply the smallest amount to my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin - it dries instantly and leaves my skin soft and matte. It doesn't cover my pores up but it seems to 'coat' them so the foundation and concealer I apply over the the top doesn't sink into my pores and make them more visible. It really does create the best base for makeup and even my boyfriend commented on how nice my skin was looking after using it.

This has been the best £15 I have spent in a long time - it's worth the money just for the extra confidence it gives me because I know my makeup will stay looking freshly applied all day.

If you have oily skin/large pores I really cannot recommend this enough.

A definite 5 out of 5 monkeys!"

This does bring me to a dilemma though - obviously I'm not buying any more products from L'Oreal due to the animal testing, but what about the products I already own? Throw them out? Use them up then find alternatives?

I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this!

No7 Collection

It's crazy how one day you pay no attention to a certain brand, then a few weeks later you seem to have the entire contents of said brand spread out on your dressing table!

This has happened to me with No7 - I previously ignored it, but I think reading rave reviews about their products, combined with the £5 vouchers led to me into a No7 frenzy and I set about getting my hands on a much as I could throughout January! Here are some of the products I own...

No7 Limited Edition Spring Collection Gel Liner in Black

£10.00 £5.00 with voucher

I've never used a gel eyeliner before this; I usually stick to eyeliner pencils, pens or liquid liner. I purchased this with my last No7 voucher in January - if I'm honest, I don't think I would have paid £10 for this if I hadn't of had a voucher as it seems a lot of money for something I may or may not like. But £5 seemed reasonable to me.

 I haven't actually used this very much since I bought it. I really like the idea of a gel liner, but I don't know if it's my unsteady hand or my lack of experience, but I just haven't got to grips with it yet and I seem to end up with a bit of a smudged uneven line. I'm sure when I have a bit more time on my hands I will sit down and have another go at it, but for now I'm sticking to my trusty liquid and pencil liners.

No7 Quick Cover Blemish Stick in Medium

£8.00 £3.00 with voucher

This is one of the best concealers I have used and I will be repurchasing when it eventually runs out. You can see from the photo that it is well used! I rely quite a lot on concealer for under my eyes and the pores on my cheeks. I usually dot a tiny bit on before foundation and then a little bit more on top of foundation, just to make sure I get good coverage. I use either a brush or my finger, depending on how I feel, but it works just as well either way. It's creamy, blendable, and I couldn't be without it now. Definitely recommend if you haven't tried it before. 



No 7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser

£9.00 £4.00 with voucher

I use the hot cloth cleanser once a week as a Sunday night pampering treat and I love it. The cleanser is luxuriously thick and I look forward to massaging it in every week! The hot muslin cloth feels lovely over my face and it's just the right amount of rough to exfoliate my skin as the cleanser comes off. I don't think I would have purchased this if I hadn't read glowing reviews from other bloggers as it's just not something I would ever think to use, but I'm glad I own it. The tube is 200ml, so with only a once a week use this is going to last me months - complete and utter value for money for a mere £4. I would even repurchase at full price as £9.00 seems cheap for the lovely indulgent pampering session you get out of it!

No7 Beautifully Balanced Purifying Toner for Oily/Combination Skin

£8.00 £3.00 with voucher

There's not a lot to say about this toner other than I love it! In the past I have given up on toners because they dry my skin and leave it feeling tight. This on the other hand leaves my skin feeling fresh and soft. I do use it twice a day which may be excessive, I don't know. It has lasted two months though and I still have quarter of the bottle left as a little spreads a long way.

No7 Cleanse and Care Eye Make-up Remover

£7.75 £2.75 with voucher

This was purchased because I don't like rubbing at my eyes with makeup remover wipes and wanted something more gentle. I do quite like this remover, however, it never seems to get rid of all traces of mascara first time and I am left with a bit of panda eye after washing my face. Solution? Just go over the remaining makeup after washing! I know this would annoy a lot of people, but I don't really mind as eventually I am left with completely makeup free eyes.

No7 Awakening Eye Gel

£9.00 £4.00 with voucher

I rarely use this but when I do I'm happy with the results. If my eyes are feeling heavy/puffy from tiredness or other reasons I just dot this around my eyes before I go to bed and they feel refreshed the next day. You really only need the smallest amount - I can see this tiny tube lasting forever, so great value for money!

No7 Precision Eyeliner Brush and No7 Eyeshadow Blend & Contour Brush

Both £6.64 £1.64 with voucher

The precision eyeliner brush was bought to use with the gel liner - you can still see some of it on the brush, oops! But since I haven't mastered the gel, this brush hardly gets used. But for £1.64 I'm not complaining and I'm sure I'll get around to using it more one day.

The eyeshadow brush is great. I'm not much of a blender and contourer but this brush applies eyeshadow with no fuss. It's lovely and soft and picks up a good amount of shadow. I need more of these brushes in my life!

I've also got the No7 Total Renewal which I have reviewed here and a couple of Stay Perfect nail polishes that you can see in action in this post!

What will you be buying when the vouchers come back?

Sunday Nails - Polka Dots!

I've taken my false nails off so I apologise for my little nails - they are growing slowly!

I was going to use the free Barry M polish from last weeks Buzz magazine, but it smelt like paint thinner and the consistency wasn't great either so no thank you to that!

I decided instead to do cute polka dots using Barry M Spring Green and NYC French White Tip - the NYC was a bargain at 99p from Superdrug! The Barry M only needed two coats, and it's such a gorgeous green - I might keep it on for a while.

I bent apart a kirby grip and used the end to make the white dots; it was the only thing I could find to use!

It's a bit wobbly, but for my first attempt I quite like it!

What do you think?

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It Review

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It Face Scrub and Mask 125ml

£7.40

The Face Scrub:
They Say: "A multi tasking scrub and mask marvel! Helps refine large pores and prevent blemishes.

Massage gently in circular motions, then extend out to the less clogged places on your face. Rinse well and follow with moisturiser."

I Say: I bought this on Monday on the strength of a review I read. I'm always on the hunt for good facial scrubs and I regularly chop and change so as I was coming to the end of my current cleanser I thought I would try this is out. At £7.40 it did seem a tad expensive, but Soap & Glory products do actually work really well so I didn't mind too much about the price (purchased within budget!)

It looks and smells almost identical to the Slimwear balm that I reviewed here - so don't get them mixed up! It's quite menthol but not unpleasant at all; in fact I've grown to quite like this smell! 

The texture is quite thin compared to other facial scrubs I have used, but a little spreads a long way and the consistency wasn't a disadvantage at all. The back of the tube specifies to use a pea sized amount but doesn't seem enough; a grape sized blob is the perfect amount for me to cover my entire face. The word 'scrub' in the title led me to believe it would be an exfoliator i.e. big exfoliating beads. Instead it feels like tiny grains of sand - it's not as harsh as an exfoliator, but it's also not as soft as a cleanser - I can feel the little grains on my skin but they are quite soft, if that makes sense?.

After just one use my face felt ultra clean, and very soft and smooth. I have since used this seven times since I have bought it and I really love the deep clean feeling and the matte look of my skin after use.

The Face Mask:
They Say: "Bonus! Pore purifying clay mask built-in! Just leave a thin layer on skin for 3 minutes longer for an oil-absorbing, brightening, pore cleaning mask!"

I Say: I decided to try the face mask part of it last night as my skin was feeling a bit run down and I wanted to perk it up a bit. I spread the same amount over my face as I would use if I was just cleansing then sat on the edge of the bath and timed my three minutes.

For the first 30 seconds to 1 minute there was a tingling sensation - not quite a sting, but a definite tingle! This died down and the mask began to dry slightly on my face.

After washing it off my skin was left feeling soft and looking quite matte. I wouldn't say there was too much of a difference between using it as a scrub or a mask, but I suppose the longer a product is on your skin the more of a chance it has to soak in and work its magic.

I'm thinking of stocking up on this in the 3 for 2 offer as I love the look and feel of my skin after using it!

Overall I give it 4 monkeys, because I don't think a week's use is enough to see any major pore refining differences.

Have you used this product? What do you think of it?

P.S. 

My giveaway ends in just over a week, don't forget to enter!

Living On A Budget

Budget

-n

A restriction on expenditure

The total amount of money allocated for a specific purpose during a specified period

I've seen quite a few bloggers going on a total spending ban for at least a month and while that is such a good idea, I'm not going to kid myself and pretend I can do it to because when it comes to spending money I just can't stop myself. So rather than torturing myself, setting myself up to fail and just plain cheating, as of next payday I am setting myself up an official budget to live off on a weekly basis.

Far too many times I have wanted something and convinced myself to buy it as a 'treat', or to cheer myself up or because I just can't live without it! In reality, a treat should be a reward for an achievement, a good cuddle can cheer me up, and if I've lived without something for this long it won't hurt to do without it, or at least save up for it.

Step 1:
Subscribe to a magazine.

Out of three glossies and numerous gossip magazines I only every thoroughly read Cosmopolitan and subscribing to it for £15 makes a lot more sense than spending £3.50 on it each month.

Step 2:
Weekly allowance.

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At the moment I seem to able to walk into Boots and spend £50 without even thinking about it, then buy clothes, shoes, food etc on top of that, so my weekly spending is getting completely out of hand. I need to learn to be stricter with myself - maybe this will mean taking a certain amount of cash out of the bank at the start of the week and leaving my card at home when I'm at work - lunch break shopping is a nasty habit! 

Step 3:
Buy only what I need.

I do class makeup as a 'need' however it has to fall into the weekly allowance so will probably be bought at the end of the week after food bits, toiletries etc.

Luckily my new job is close to where I live so I am able to walk to work every day - this alone is going to save me £80-£100 a month in petrol money so that can go straight into savings and hopefully I won't miss it as I never had it to spend anyway.

This is the year my boyfriend and I are hoping to buy a house so I really need to stick to my budget and save as much money as possible!

Wish me luck! Is anyone else budgeting or saving up for anything? If so I would love some encouragement and support!

Sweaty Gig Beats Sunday Night TV!

Last night I reverted back to my nineteen year old self and travelled up to Birmingham to see My Chemical Romance at the LG Arena! My boyfriend kindly accompanied me despite not really knowing very many of their songs. Last night was the third time I've seen them now - I got stupidly excited when they announced a tour last year and bought tickets before I stopped to think that I might be a bit too old now! Oh well!

A fabulous time was had by all - it's been almost three years since I went to a gig and I enjoyed every last sweaty second of it! They played a mixture of songs from all four of their albums which I loved.

My gig photography skills are pretty appalling, but I'd thought I'd post a couple of the good ones, enjoy :)

Check out the killer eyelashes!

Back to regular posts on Wednesday!