March Favourites

This is my first ever favourites post as it's the only time when i've remembered to post one! (click pics to enlarge)

-Pastel Nails

These are my favourite pastel shades - at the minute i'm wearing Wham by Collection 2000.

-Vaseline Rosy Lips

I won this in Jessica Alice's giveaway and it's a really nice way to make your lips look healthy without wearing lipstick. I also tastes nice too.

-Urban Decay Glide on Eye Pencil in Zero

This is the best black eyeliner i've tried. It's really soft, easy to use and doesn't smudge.

-Sleek MakeUP Storm Palette

I've used this palette a lot more than any of the other eyeshadows in my collection as it has so many nice wearable shades.

-Goldfrapp, Rocket ♥

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's favourites this month :)

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Liz Earle Skincare Review: Instant Boost Skin Tonic

I don't normally use a toner so when I was sent this by Liz Earle I wasn't sure how well it would fit into my routine. I decided to use it together with the Hot Cloth Cleanser and the Moisturiser in the range so that my skin could get the full benefits of the products.

The first thing I loved about this was the bottle. At first it appears to be a screw-top but actually after twisting it a little nozzle pops out of the lid. It is quite expensive but as you get get lots of control thanks to the clever nozzle it's hard to waste it so it will last a long time. It's really easy to use and I just needed a few squirts on a cotton pad. It smells really fresh like the rest of the Liz Earle range and feels hydrating on the skin.

This is probably one of the best toners i've used as others have been quite harsh and drying on my skin so it's definitely the toner I would choose to use. Although I really like it I don't think toners make a huge difference to my skin so it's not a product I will repurchase. I would recommend it to anyone that regularly uses a toner as part of their skincare routine.

The Instant Boost Skin Tonic retails at £11.50 for 200ml and is available from the Liz Earle website.

I was sent this product to review. 

Lemon Sherbert NOTD

No17 Nail Polish in Sherbet Lemon

This is from the new No17 Candy Range - i've been wanting a yellow like this for a while and was planning on buying the Models Own one in Lemon Meringue but I picked up this one instead. It was £2.99 but they were on 3 for 2 which made it a bit cheaper. 

I like the colour but it doesn't go with everything so I don't think it will be a colour I wear a lot. It will be nice for summer when it gets a bit warmer though. 

What are your favourite pastel shades? 

Max Factor Vibrant Curve Effect Lipgloss

I don't normally wear a lot of lipglosses but when Max Factor offered to send me their new Vibrant Curve Effect Lipgloss I thought i'd give it a try. This lipgloss is marketed around the precision wand which has been designed to fit the lip perfectly to give a perfect application. The main lipglosses that I use are the Barry M Glossy Tubes so a wand like this isn't something im used to using. 

I was sent the baby pink one which is called 'Intuitive'. I'm really pleased with the formulation of the lipgloss as it isn't sticky and lasts quite a long time. The flavour reminds me of watermelon and is quite fruity which is nice. The colour is also really nice and not too glittery; im already eyeing up some of the other shades in the range. I think £7.99 seems quite expensive for what you get but the product itself is quite good quality so I would consider buying another one in a different shade. I think the brush is quite good - I like how it controls how much product goes on your lips which means the lipgloss will last longer.

There are 10 shades to choose from in the range. For pictures of these please click here.

You can get this lipgloss from Boots, Superdrug and most places that sell Max Factor products for £7.99 from April. You can already find it on the Boots website here.

Liz Earle Skincare Review: Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

I was sent this product to review. 

This is one of Liz Earles most successful products so I was really looking forward to seeing what it could do for my skin.

It isn't like any of the cleansers I have previously used: it has really creamy consistency, a bit like a moisturiser and is used on a dry face. You then remove it with a warm damp muslin cloth. This product is fantastic at removing mascara, a lot better than any other eye make-up remover i've tried and is gentle so minimises any damage or tugging to your eyes. If it removes eye make-up like that then I expect that it sinks into your skin really deeply too. I have been using this product for nearly 2 weeks and so far i'm really impressed. I'm not sure whether it is this cleanser, the toner or the moisturiser that has made the biggest difference but i'm loving how much nicer my skin has been. The main difference is that it looks clearer and more radiant and my dry skin has almost completely disappeared so that I get a much better foundation application.

Overall I love this product and will definitely consider repurchasing it if I have the money.

A Cleanse & Polish Starter Kit contains 2 Muslin Cloths and a 100ml Cleanser and is priced at £13 from the Liz Earle website.

What's In My Makeup Bag?

These are the products that are in my makeup bag:

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse (010 Ivory)

Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara

17 Pressed Powder (Nicely Natural)

Natural Collection Blush (Pink Cloud)

Burt's Bees Beeswax Lipbalm

Gosh Lipstick (Darling)

ELF Eyebrow Kit (Medium)

Brushes:

ELF Complexion Brush

Primark Blush Brush

My makeup bag is by Natural Collection at Boots. I love the size of it as it's thin enough to go in most of my bags and fit everything I need in it! I'm thinking of getting a new Cath Kidston style one from Primark though :)

x

Liz Earle Skincare

The lovely people at Liz Earle kindly contacted me and have sent me some of their products to try. I've heard about Liz Earle before but their prices weren't something I was willing to pay. I feel really priviledged to be able to try some of their products and after trying them for the past few weeks I love how natural and clean they make my skin feel.

I'm really enjoying finding out what a higher end skincare range is doing for my skin and although I dont like making changes to my routine im hoping the results will be really good.

I know quite a few other bloggers are also reviewing the range but as everyone has different skin im hoping you will still be interested in reading my reviews.

The products I recieved were all packaged really nicely which is something I think other companies should take note of.

I will be posting my reviews of the products I was sent in the next few weeks so if you're interested in trying Liz Earle then look out for them.

x

Book Review: Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella

I love this series of books! I've just finished reading them all one after the other and i've just started reading some of Sophie Kinsella's other books. I also watched Confessions of a Shopaholic on DVD after I had read them - the characters weren't anything like how I imagined them so i'm glad I watched it after I read the books. 

I couldn't really choose a favourite as they're all quite different but I would definetly recommend them if you haven't already read them. I love how they can make you laugh and make you cry and they keep you hooked so you never want to put them down. 

I bought mine from ASDA as they were on an offer for 2 for £8. 

If you haven't read these then what are you waiting for? You won't be disappointed!

I'm also super excited for the new book in the series which I think is called Mini Shopaholic and is out around September this year :)

Are there any similar books to these that you'd recommend?

xx

Favourite Lipbalms

I thought i'd pick out a few of my favourite lipbalms to show you as they're a staple in my make-up bag.

My first favourite is one of my most recent purchases: The Body Shop Passionfruit Lipbutter - I love the taste and smell of this and it's really moisturising - a bargain for £2!

Another favourite is Lush's Let Them Eat Cake Lipbalm - I absolutely love the smell of this - I keep it in a drawer and whenever I open it I can smell it so then I end up using it! I'm trying to use it less as it's only available at Christmas time.

I love Burt's Bees products so their Beeswax Lipbalm is something I always repurchase - I love how tingly it makes my lips feel - at the minute i'm using it in a tube but you can also get it in a tin.

What are your favourite lipbalms?

JOTD

Bangles: Primark

Necklace: Miss Selfridge

Earrings: Dorothy Perkins

x

NOTD: How long did it last?

I really want to change my nail polish but I also want to see how long this one will last. I've been wearing this NOTD since February 21st :

In 2 weeks this is what it looks like:

The tips are a little bit worn and the polish is starting to grow out but other than that they're still in reasonable condition with hardly any chips. A lot of people can't understand why they haven't chipped yet - I haven't done anything special but it shows that it's important to use a top coat even if it's only a cheap one like the Natural Collection one I used. The pink is Barry M's Flamingo Pink with a white Konad leopard print design from plate M57. 

Are there any nail polishes that you think last a long time? x

Rambles about everything

I've been a bit of a crap blogger recently as life's a bit crazy at the minute. I have quite a lot of work to do and I haven't been shopping for weeks! This is going to be a bit of a rambly ins and outs kind of post.

Today I listened to the lovely Ellie Gouldings new album on Spotify and I love it. Theres a nice mix of songs on the album and it's growing and growing on me. I'll definetley download it as soon as I have some money!

I bought the Mineralise Skin Finish by MAC about a week ago and im not sure what to make of it. I had really high expectations of it after all the fantastic reviews i'd heard about it. Originally I was using a £4 No17 powder and a few times i've been tempted to go back. I like the fact you don't need a lot of the MSF and so hopefully it will last a while but I can't see much of a difference between it and a drugstore pressed powder, perhaps im doing something wrong or maybe its just not for me?

I'm overwhelmed by the number of entries into my giveaway and hopefully i'll be sorting through them all and drawing a winner soon. Im a bit upset that quite a few entries are by 'bloggers' who only blog about giveaways. My giveaway was for my lovely supportive followers and not for people who are only following for something to win. I've passed the 500 followers mark recently too but I will be really upset if im unfollowed as soon as I announce the winner - if im honest i've thought about making a new blog and only asking for loyal followers who like what I write to follow.

On an opposite note, i've won a couple of giveaways recently from blogs I absolutely love and i'm so grateful to the lovely girls who hosted them! I really like entering giveaways as it's a nice way of being part of the community and showing some love for the fantastic blogs that are out there.

My hamster Honey was 18 months old yesterday and I love her to bits although I don't like the idea of her getting old - she will always be my baby!

I also want to say a huge thanks to the girls who were really supportive about my Blood Donor post and especially to the ones who have decided to go and give the blood! You really are amazing :) I was considering getting my ears pierced again but after weighing it up giving blood is more important to me and im still regretting not giving it as early as I could have.

As I mentioned earlier, I haven't been shopping for ages so I haven't had a lot to post about - I really want to get my hands on the Dream Creamy foundation and some of the ASDA nail polishes - if theres anything new that you've found and love please leave me a comment as I love your recommendations!

Tumblr has become a bit of an addiction for me recently even though i've had it for quite a while! I've liked over 1000 pictures and im really happy to have reached 50 followers too - if you have a Tumblr let me know as i'd love to follow you!

If anyone has any questions for me I love the surprise of formspring so feel free to post them there! (click the pic for the link)

I apologise if this was a really boring and badly written post but I thought i'd get a few things off my mind and write a decent post for once!

Thanks for all your support xx

(I was lazy with the pics for this post too - sorry!)

JOTD

Floral Bangle: Primark

Swallow Earrings: ASDA

Ring: Accessorize 

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