NOTD: Barry M Mushroom

Today i'm wearing Barry M's Mushroom which along with the Ice Cream Collection is one of the newest shades in the nail paint range. Before applying this i'd forgotten what it was like to use a Barry M Nail Paint as I haven't worn one in ages! The consistency was perfect - creamy but thin enough to get a good coverage and you could probably get any with one coat although I used two. I prefer this to Eyeko's Posh Polish as the consistency is so much better and the colour is lovely too - it reminds me of having Minstrels on my fingers! 

Thanks to Natalie as I won this is in her giveaway :)

x

Boys Boys Boys

I was tagged by the lovely Mari to do this tag - she's a new blogger so please head over to her blog and have a read :)

The aim of this tag is to name (and preferably include pictures) of your top 5 male celebrity crushes. 

Tall, dark and handsome is my kind of guy although there are a couple of exceptions here!

1. Siva Kaneswaran 

Siva is in The Wanted and has a very nice Irish accent as well as being a great singer. He also has an identical twin brother so theres always hope!

2. Nathan Sykes

Keeping to the The Wanted theme, Nathan from the band is equally as gorgeous. Just look at his baby face!

3. Enrique Iglesias

A little bit old for me but i'm not complaining! He can sing Hero to me anyday ;)

4. Luke Pasqualino

There are always good looking guys in Skins and Luke is without doubt one of the best!

5. Mitch Hewer

He's just a beaut and nice hair is always a bonus!

I'd like to tag: 

Laura

Holly

Stephanie

Aqsa

and anyone else who wants to do it.

I'm sure you'll enjoy looking for pictures for this tag as much as I did!

x

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

I love Lemon Meringue Pie and Cupcakes so when I found this recipe I thought i'd give them a go. This was partly inspired by the review I did on the new Sleek MakeUP Pout Polish.

They were really easy to make and taste amazing!

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

100g/3½oz butter, softened

100g/3½oz sugar

2 Teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 free-range eggs

100g/3½oz self-raising flour

1 lemon, zest only

75g/2¾oz ready-made lemon curd

For the meringue

2 free-range egg whites

100g/3½oz sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the cupcakes, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl until pale, fluffy and well combined.
3. Crack in the eggs, one at a time, and beat until both are fully incorporated into the mixture.
4. Fold in the flour and lemon zest until well combined.
5. Place 12 paper or foil cupcake cases into the wells of a muffin tray, then spoon in the cupcake batter. Add a teaspoonful of lemon curd to the top of each cupcake.
6. Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until they are pale golden-brown and spring back when pressed lightly in the centre.
7. Meanwhile, for the meringue, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the sugar, whisking continuously, until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed and the mixture is thick and glossy.
8. When the cakes are cooked add a teaspoon of Lemon curd while they are still warm so that it melts.
9. Turn off the oven and preheat the grill to its highest setting.
10. Spoon or pipe the meringue over the cupcakes. Make sure it isn’t too tall as it will easily burn.
11. Place the cupcakes under the hot grill for 2-3 minutes, or until the meringue is golden-brown.

x

Review: Sleek MakeUP Lemon Meringue Pout Polish

Sleek MakeUP have recently launched two new Tinted Lip Conditioners into their collection. There are two flavours: Raspberry Souffle and Lemon Meringue which are both Limited Edition.

I'd already heard about the new Pout Polishes from an email I was sent by Sleek MakeUP and was interested in trying Lemon Meringue so I was really pleased when I was sent it. 

I really like the formulation of the Pout Polish as it is quite soft and smooth but not sticky.

Pout Polishes have SPF 15 which is good for the summer when your lips can be damaged by the sun. 

I thought that when applying this it would go on my lips quite clear but it actually goes on yellow which is not a good look! It works fine teamed with a lipstick as the yellow isn't noticeable but it's not something i'd wear on its own. Laura has a photo in her review of the colour on your lips when wearing it on its own.

I'm a massive fan of lemon scented and lemon tasting products which is why I was excited to review this so when I tried it out I was a bit disappointed. There isn't really a lemon scent or taste to this at all - I think the name comes from the bright yellow colour of the pout polish. 

Pout Polishes cost £3.99 each which I think is a really affordable price as you get plenty of product which will last a while.

Although i'm not a big fan of this particular Pout Polish i'll definitely be having a look at the others in the range next time i'm in Superdrug as I like the formulation and there are lots of other more wearable shades to choose from. Pink Cadillac and Electro Peach look lovely and I love how vibrant the other limited edition shade Raspberry Soufflé is in Milly's post. 

For more info on the Pout Polishes click here.

I was sent this product to review.

Review: ELF Mineral Infused Face Primer

I bought this a couple of weeks ago and I thought i'd let you know my thoughts on it.

It cost me £6 from the ELF website which I think is reasonable considering that its meant to be similar to the Gosh one which will set you back £13.
When I got this I had a bit of a problem with the pump as it didnt work - I emailed ELF and they kindly replaced it for me for free with the replacement arriving the day after, big thumbs up for their customer service :)

The first thing I was impressed with was that you only need one pump to cover your face - this makes it really good value and hopefully it will last quite a while. I really liked the way it made my face feel velvety and soft - it dosent take any time to dry unlike a moisturiser so I was really impressed as im usually in a rush in a morning! I suffer from dry skin so I still use moisturiser underneath it which helps it to go on smoothly.
I've been using Dream Matte Mousse over the top of this which I know a lot people find drying so it was a good product to test it with. I found that you could still see some dry parts on my skin but there was a big difference in the amount you could see overall. It made my skin look a lot healthier and I didn't need to use as much foundation as I normally do.
I did find that after using it it broke me out. Luckily I didn't get bad breakouts but it did put me off using it. I think it is because it can clog your pores up so it's really important that you cleanse your face well at night. I do still use the primer occasionally but I like to give my skin a break from it so that my pores can breathe. I like to use it on nights out when I want my foundation to stay on a bit longer but it isn't something I use as part of my everyday face routine.
Overall I would recommend this product as I liked the way it made my skin soft and improved the way my foundation looked. As everyone is different I think it would be better to try it for yourself and see if it is suitable for your skin.
If you've tried this primer let me know what you think
x

Makeup Storage

I haven't done a post on my storage as i've always been a bit ashamed of it all being thrown in a drawer. I recently got some of the WH Smith drawers which means its all nicely organised and easy to find :) 

I originally wanted the pink and black ones which Steph has but they only had one set and they were damaged so I picked the cupcake ones which were also cheaper as they were reduced from £12.99 to £9.99 :) 

So this how it was stored before...

...and this is after:

Im really happy with it as I can now get to all my products which means they will get used a bit more. It also made me realise that I have way too many lipglosses! 

How do you store your make-up?

Ins & Outs

I thought i'd do an Ins and Outs post as I don't think i've done one for a while.

Ins:

Giving Blood

As most of you know I give blood every 4 months and it always feels good to know I might have saved a life even if I have a huge bruise from it!.

The WANTED
 

A gorgeous new band who i've fallen in love with, I love their single and can't wait to hear more of their songs. 

Magazine Freebies

I picked up my free Barry M Dazzle Dust from More Magazine at the weekend in Tan which I love. I'm also really liking the It Stick from Glamour Magazine too.

Finishing Exams

It feels like such a weight off my shoulders to know I don't have any more exams for a while, fingers crossed my results will be good so I can stay on next year. Good Luck to everyone else who is still doing exams :)

Having My Hair Cut

It's been quite a few months since I last had my hair cut as my hairdressers is really popular and it's a nightmare to get an appointment. Luckily there was a cancellation on Saturday so I managed to get a trim and get rid of my split ends! 

Out:

Going back to 6th Form today

I've only had a couple of days free from revision and work and i'm already hating the early mornings and boring lessons!

Being Unemployed

I'm really in need of a part-time job at the minute - having so little money is meaning I won't be able to do much this summer :/

x

Liz Earle Review: Footcare Range

I was recently sent three new Liz Earle footcare products to try. They are perfect now the weather is getting a bit warmer and you want to wear nice sandals.

I was sent a foot scrub, moisturiser and spray.

I used the foot scrub while I was in the shower and really liked the minty fresh scent it had. It has quite a thick consistency and reminds me of the clay masks you can get as it contains natural pumice. You don't need a lot of the product and you simply massage it onto damp skin to get rid of dry areas and leave your feet feeling soft and smooth. It worked a treat on my dry heels and along with the moisturiser I was sent, left my feet smelling and feeling fresh.

The moisturiser has a similar scent to the scrub and is really thick so works well on any dry areas of your feet.

 I love the packaging for the moisturiser - it has a pump on the tube which is really easy to use and saves mess. I like to put a generous amount on my feet and then wear cotton socks to allow it to soak in and leave my feet feeling really soft.

The spritzer is a really nice product and has a fresh scent with hints of peppermint. I used it after I wore some really uncomfy flats and it made my feet feel really refreshed and clean. This is something that i'd definietly use after really hot days or after i'd been on the beach. I think it really works well either on its own or in combination with the other products.

I can't really say whether these products are as good as a pedicure as i've never had one before but I expect they'd come close.

The products came in a very cute nautical themed tote bag which is the perfect size for the beach and even has a waterproof pocket inside. The bag isn't available to purchase separately, but you can get it as part of the suncare offer which includes the foot spray and minis of the moisturiser and foot scrub.
You can buy all of the products mentioned from the Liz Earle Website.
These products were sent to me to review.

Im Back!

My exams are finally over and I can get back into blogging again :) I'm so happy as I was getting pretty bored of revising almost every night for nearly a month. I messed up my last exam but i'm blaming Wags Come Dine With Me which I watched instead of revising ;) I hope my scheduled posts weren't too boring either!

I've got quite a few things I want to blog about too so i'll get on with that in the next couple of days. 

I've just finished reading all the posts i've missed out on and the Glamour Mag Benefit freebie came up quite a few times so i'm not going to go on about it too much. I picked it up after my exam and got myself the 'it stick'. I tried it out earlier and so far I really like the formulation as its really creamy and easy to blend. If there are any left, I might go back and get the 'eye bright' to try too as they're a bargain for £2!

If you subscribe to Glamour this month you get a free OPI set worth £34.50 so as a nail polish addict I signed up! I've been waiting for them to give a good free gift so it seemed like the perfect opportunity as you also save 50% on the price of the magazine and get it delivered to your door. If anyone knows whether you get the free gifts or just the magazine please leave me a comment. You can sign up online here.

In the next issue of Glamour you can also get a free 'I Heart New York' book by Lindsay Kelk. 

I also picked up More Magazine for my free Barry M Dazzle Dust. The colours i've got my eye on are Mushroom (51), Fawn (49), Beige (38) and Tan (39) which the lovely Sophie posted about being a good dupe for MAC's All That Glitters. If there are any other colours you'd recommend please let me know as i'm going into town on Saturday.

I also want to say thanks to Eve and Katie as I won their giveaways recently - I love all the prizes I won and will probably do a few reviews and NOTDs on some of them :)

Sorry for the rambly post, i'm just enjoying blogging again!

x

NOTD: Models Own: Red Alert

This nail polish really surprised me. Although i've read lots of good reviews of Models Own polishes I was reluctant to try this as it has a similar round brush to the Nails Inc polishes which makes it more tricky to apply. It completely proved me wrong though as it was really easy to use and the consistency was perfect. The colour is really nice too and I only needed about two coats for it to give full coverage. I have another Models Own polish in Carat Gold to try and if I like that i'll definitely purchase some more. 

Models Own polishes are £5 each from the Models Own website - there are plenty of offers on there to get them a bit cheaper :) You can also get them in most Boots stores now too.

NOTD - Eyeko Vampira and Petite

I've been meaning to do NOTDs of these Eyeko polishes that I was sent a while ago but kept forgetting so here they are. 

The Vampira polish was my favourite as it had a nice consistency and was easy to apply. It reminds me of the Ciate Mary Kate Polish I have which is one of my favourites. I was really pleased to find that the consistency of this was better than the Posh Polish and it meant there were less mistakes when I applied it. The red glitter does shine through in the sun although the photo doesn't show it.

The Petite Polish is a really nice baby pink and also has a nice consistency. I think it's a bit thicker than the Vampira polish but its ok to use. I found that I needed about 3 or 4 coats to build a nice pink colour so it took quite a while to dry. This polish would be good if you wanted your nails to look quite natural and it's also good for hiding any yellow nail polish stains. I like to wear it as a French manicure but it looks just as good on its own.

You can see my NOTD for the Posh Polish I was sent here. 

These polishes are £3.50 each from the Eyeko website.

For a free gift with your order add my ambassador code: E2757 into the comments box :)

I was sent these polishes to review.